he bought four amphorae with such Tyrian money as was of the value of
four Attic drachmae, and sold every half-amphora at the same price. And
as Galilee was very fruitful in oil, and was peculiarly so at that time,
by sending away great quantities, and having the sole privilege so
to do, he gathered an immense sum of money together, which money he
immediately used to the disadvantage of him who gave him that privilege;
and, as he supposed, that if he could once overthrow Josephus, he should
himself obtain the government of Galilee; so he gave orders to the
robbers that were under his command to be more zealous in their thievish
expeditions, that by the rise of many that desired innovations in the
country, he might either catch their general in his snares, as he came
to the country's assistance, and then kill him; or if he should overlook
the robbers, he might accuse him for his negligence to the people of the
country. He also spread abroad a report far and near that Josephus was
delivering up the administration of affairs to the Romans; and many such
plots did he lay, in order to ruin him.

3. Now at the same time that certain young men of the village Dabaritta,
who kept guard in the Great Plain laid snares for Ptolemy, who was
Agrippa's and Bernice's steward, and took from him all that he had with
him; among which things there were a great many costly garments, and no
small number of silver cups, and six hundred pieces of gold; yet were
they not able to conceal what they had stolen, but brought it all to
Josephus, to Tarichee. Hereupon he blamed them for the violence they had
offered to the king and queen, and deposited what they brought to him
with Eneas, the most potent man of Taricheae, with an intention of
sending the things back to the owners at a proper time; which act of
Josephus brought him into the greatest danger; for those that had stolen
the things had an indignation at him, both because they gained no share
of it for themselves, and because they perceived beforehand what was
Josephus's intention, and that he would freely deliver up what had cost
them so much pains to the king and queen. These ran away by night to
their several villages, and declared to all men that Josephus was going
to betray them: they also raised great disorders in all the neighboring
cities, insomuch that in the morning a hundred thousand armed men came
running together; which multitude was crowded together in the hippodrome
at Tarichea