in fpecie, without reckoning the gold and the filver veffels, which were innumerable, and of infinite value. It was not, fays Cicero, out of refpect for the majesty of the God adored in that temple, that Pompey behaved in this manner; for, according to him, nothing was more contemptible than the Jewish religion, more unworthy the wisdom and grandeur of the Romans, nor more oppofite to the inftitutions of their ancestors *: Pompey, in this noble difinterestedness, had no other motive, than to deprive malice and calumny of all-means of attacking his reputation. Such were the thoughts of the moft learned of the Pagans upon the only religion of the true God. They blafphemed what they knew nothing of.

It hath been obferved, that till then Pompey had been fuccessful in all things; but that, after this facrilegious curiofity, his good fortune abandoned him, and that his taking the temple of Jerufalem was his last victory.

SECT. V. Reign of Hyrcanus II. which continued twenty-four years.

OMPEY having put an end to the war (a), caufed the walls of Jerufalem to be demolished, re-established Hyrcanus, and fent Ariftobulus, with his two fons Alexander and Antigonus, prifoners to Rome. He difmembered feveral cities from the kingdom of Judæa, which he united with the government of Syria; imposed a tribute upon Hyrcanus; and

left

* Cn. Pompeius, captis Hierofolymis, victor ex illo fano nibil attigit. In primis hoc, ut multa alia, fapienter, quod in tam fufpiciofa ac maledica civitate locum fermoni obtrectatorum non reliquit. Non enim credo religionem et Judæorum et hoftium impedimento præftantiffimo imperatori, fed pudorem fuiffe-iftorum religio facrorum a fplendore hujus imperii, gravitate nominis veftri, majorum inftitutis abhorrebat. Cic. pro Flacco. n. 67-69.

left the administration of affairs to Antipater, who was at the court of Hyrcanus, and one of his principal minifters. Alexander made his escape upon the way to Rome, and returned into Judæa, where he afterwards excited new troubles.

Hyrcanus, (o) finding himfelf too weak to take the field against him, had recourfe to the arms of the Romans. Gabinius, governor of Syria, after having overthrown Alexander in a battle, went to Jerufalem, and reinstated Hyrcanus in the high-priefthood (p). He made great alterations in the civil government; for from monarchical, as it had been, he changed it into ariftocratical; but those innovations were but of fhort duration.

Craffus (q), upon his march against the Parthians, always intent upon gratifying his infatiable avarice, ftopt at Jerufalem, where he had been told great treafures were laid up. He plundered the temple of all the riches in it; which amounted to the fum of ten thousand talents, that is to fay, about fifteen hundred thousand pounds Sterling.

Cæfar (r), after his expedition into Egypt, being arrived in Syria, Antigonus, who had made his escape from Rome with his father Ariftobulus, came to throw himself at his feet, begged him to re-establish him upon the throne of his father, who was lately dead; and made great complaints against Antipater and Hyrcanus. Cæfar had too great obligations to both, to do any thing contrary to their interefts; for as we shall fee in the fequel, without the aid he had received from them, his expedition into Egypt would have miscarried. He decreed, that Hyrcanus fhould retain the dignity of high-priest of Jerufalem, and the fovereignty of Judæa, to himself and his pofterity

(0) A. M. 3947. Ant. J. C. 57°

(p) Jofeph. Antiq. xiv. 10. Id. de bell. Jud. 1. 6. (9) A. M. 3950. Ant. J. C. 54.

(r) A. M. 3957.

bell. Jud. 1. 8.

after

Ant. J. C. 47. Jofeph. Antiq. xiv. 15. Id. de

after him for ever, and gave Antipater the office of procurator of Judæa under Hyrcanus. By this decree, the aristocracy of Gabinius was abolifhed, and the government of Judæa re-established upon the ancient foot.

Antipater caufed the (r) government of Jerufalem to be given to Phafael his eldest son, and that of Galilee to Herod his fecond fon.

Cæfar (s), at Hyrcanus's request, and in confideration of the fervices he had rendered him in Egypt and Syria, permitted him to rebuild the walls of Jerusa. lem, which Pompey had caufed to be demolished. Antipater, without lofing time, began the work, and the city was foon fortified as it had been before the demolition. Cæfar was killed this year.

During the civil wars, Judæa, as well as all the other provinces of the Roman empire, was agitated by violent troubles.

Pacorus, (f) fon of Orodes King of Parthia, had entered Syria with a powerful army. From thence he fent a detachment into Judæa, with orders to place Antigonus, the son of Ariftobulus, upon the throne, who on his fide had alfo raifed troops. Hyrcanus, and Phafael, Hered's brother, upon the propofal of an accommodation, had the imprudence to go to the enemy, who feized them, and put them in irons. He rod escaped from Jerufalem the moment before the Parthians entered it to feize him also.

Having miffed Herod, they plundered the city and country, placed Antigonus upon the throne, and delivered Hyrcanus and Phafael in chains into his hands. Phafael, who well knew that his death was refolved, dafhed out his brains against the wall, to avoid the hands of the executioner. For Hyrcanus, his life was granted him; but to render him incapable of the

prieft

(r) Jofeph. Antiq. xiv. 17. de bell. Jud. 1.*8. (s) A. M. 3960. Ant. J. C. 44. Jofeph. Antiq. xiv. 17. (1) A. M. 3961. Ant. J. C. 43. Jofeph. Antiq. xiv. 24. 26. Id. de bell. Jud. 1. 11.

priesthood, Antigonus caused his ears to be cut off, For according to the Levitical law (a), it was requifite that the high-priest should be perfect in all his members. After having thus mutilated him, he gave him back to the Parthians, that they might carry him into the Eaft, from whence it would not be poffible for him to embroil affairs in Judæa. (b) He continued a prifoner at Seleucia in Babylonia, till the coming of Phraates to the crown, who caufed his chains to be taken off, and gave him entire liberty to fee and converfe with the Jews of that country, who were very numerous. They looked upon him as their king and high-priest, and raifed him a revenue fufficient to fupport his rank with fplendor. The love of his native country made him forget all thofe advantages, He returned the year following to Jerufalem, whither Herod had invited him to come, but put him to death fome years afterwards.

Herod at first took refuge in Egypt, from whence he went to Rome. Anthony was then in the high degree of power, which the triumvirate had given him. He took Herod under his protection, and even did more in his favour than he expected. For inftead of what he propofed, which was at most to obtain the crown for Ariftobulus *, whofe fifter Mariamne he had lately married, with the view only of governing under him, as Antipater had done under Hyrcanus ; Anthony caufed the crown to be conferred upon himfelf, contrary to the ufual maxim of the Romans in like cafes. For it was not their custom to violate the rights of the royal houses, which acknowledged them for protectors, and to give crowns to ftrangers. Herod was declared King of Judea by the fenate, and conducted by the confuls to the capitol, where he

(a) Ley. xxi. 16---24.

(b) Jofeph. Antiq. xv. 2.

.

* Ariftobulus was the fon of Alexander, Hyrcanus's daughter; and his father was Alexander, fon of Ariftobulus, brother of HyrCanus; fo that the right of both brothers to the crown was united in his perfon.

he received the inveftiture of the crown, with the ceremonies ufual upon fuch occafions.

Herod paffed only feven days at Rome in negotiating this great affair, and returned fpeedily into Judæa. He employed no more time than three months in his journeys by fea and land.

SECT. VI. Reign of Antigonus of only two years duration.

IT

T was not fo eafy for Herod (a) to establish himself in the poffeffion of the kingdom of Judæa, as it had been to obtain his title from the Romans. Antigonus was not at all inclined to refign a throne, which had cost him so much pains and money to acquire. He difputed it with him very vigorously for almost two years.

Herod, (b) who during the winter had made great preparations for the following campaign, opened it at length with the fiege of Jerufalem, which he invefted at the head of a fine and numerous army. Anthony had given orders to Sofius, governor of Syria, to use his utmoft endeavours to reduce Antigonus, and to put Herod into full poffeffion of the kingdom of Judæa.

Whilft the works neceffary to the fiege were carrying on, Herod made a tour to Samaria, and at length confummated his marriage with Mariamne. They had been contracted four years to each other: but the unforfeen troubles, into which he fell, had prevented their confummating the marriage till then. She was the daughter of Alexander the son of King Ariftobulus, and Alexandra the daughter of Hyrcanus the fecond, and thereby grand-daughter to thofe two brothers. She was a princefs of extraordinary beauty and virtue, and poffeffed in an eminent degree all the other qualities that adorn the fex. The attachment of the

Jews

(a) A. M. 3965. Ant. J. C. 39. (b) A. M. 3966. Ant. J. C. 36. Jofeph. Antiq. xiv. 27. Id. de bell. Judaic. 1. 13.