Pompey would decide in his favour, he made ufe of all the arts of complacency to incline him to it. When, on the contrary, he had the least reason to suspect, that he would declare against him, he obferved a directly oppofite conduct. Such was the contrariety vifible in the different steps he took throughout this affair.

Pompey followed him clofe. The first place were he encamped in his way to Jerufalem, was Jericho; there he received the news of Mithridates's death, as we fhall fee in the following book.

He continued his march towards Jerufalem. When he approached, Ariftobulus, who began to repent of what he had done, came out to meet him, and endeavoured to bring him to an accommodation, by promifing an entire fubmiffion, and a great fum of money to prevent the war. Pompey accepted his offers, and fent Gabinius, at the head of a detachment, to receive the money; but when that lieutenantgeneral arrived at Jerufalem, he found the gates shut against him, and, instead of receiving the money, he was told from the top of the walls, that the city would not ftand to the agreement. Pompey thereupon, not being willing that they fhould deceive him with impunity, ordered Ariftobulus, whom he had kept with him, to be put in irons, and advanced with his whole army against Jerufalem. The city was extremely ftrong by its fituation, and the works which had been made; and had it not been divided within doors against itfelf, was capable of making a long defence.

Ariftobulus's party was for defending the place; especially when they faw that Pompey kept their king prifoner. But the adherents of Hyrcanus were determined to open the gates. to that general. And as the latter were much the greater number, the other party retired to the mountain where the temple flood, to defend it, and caufed the bridges of the ditch and valley, which furrounded it, to be broke down. Pompey, to whom the city immediately opened its gates, refolved to befiege the temple. The place held out three months entire, and would have done fo three more, and perhaps obliged the Romans to abandon their enterprize, but for the fuperftitious rigour with which the befieged obferved the fabbath. They believed, indeed, that they might defend themfelves when attacked, but not that they might prevent the works of the enemy, or make any for themselves. The Romans knew how to take the advantage of this inaction upon the fabbath-days. They did not attack the Jews upon them, but filled up the foffes, made their ap

proaches,

proaches, and fixed their engines without oppofition. They threw down at length a great tower, with which fo great a part of the wall fell, that the breach was large enough for an affault. The place was carried fword in hand, and a terrible flaughter enfued, in which more than 12,000 perfons were killed.

During the whole tumult, cries, and diforder of this flaughter, hiftory obferves that the priefts, who were at that time employed in divine fervice, continued it with a furprizing unconcern, notwithstanding the rage of their enemies, and their grief to fee their friends and relations maffacred before their eyes. Many of them faw their own blood mingle with that of the facrifices they offered, and the fword of the enemy make themselves the victims of their duty: happy, and worthy of being envied, if they were as faithful to the Spirit, as the letter of it!

Pompey, with many of his fuperior officers, entered the temple, and not only into the fanctuary, but into the Sanctum Sanctorum, into which, by the law, only the highpriest was permitted to enter once a year, upon the folemn day of expiation. This was what afflicted and enraged the Jews moft against the Romans.

Pompey did not touch the treasures of the temple, that confifted principally in fums which had been depofited there by private families for their better fecurity. Thofe fums amounted to two thoufand talents in fpecie, without reckoning the gold and filver veffels, which were innumerable and of infinite value. It was not, fays Cicero, out of refpect for the majefty 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 anceftors. 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.

*Three bundred thousand pounds Sterling

Cn. Pompeius, captis Hierofolymis, victor ex illo fano nihil attigit. In primis hoc, ut multa alia, fapienter, quod in tam fufpiciofa ac maledica civitate locum fermoni obtrectatorum non reli

It

quit. Non enim credo religionem & Judæorum & hoftium impedimento præftantiffimo imperatori, fed pudorem fuiffe iftorum religio facrorum a fplenda e hujus imperii, gravitate nominis veftri, ma jorum inftitutis abhorrebat. Cic. pro Flac, n. 67—69,

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

SECT. V. Reign of HYRCANUS II. which continued t-wenty four years.

(u)DOMPEY, having put an end to the war, 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, impofed a tribute upon Hyrcanus, and left the administration of affairs to Antipater, who was at the court of Hyrcanus, and one of his principal minifters. Alexander made his efcape upon the way to Rome, and returned into Judæa, where he afterwards excited new troubles.

(x) Hyrcanus finding himself 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-priesthood (y). He made great alterations in the civil government, for from monarchical, as it had been, he changed it into aristocratical; but those innovations were but of fhort duration.

(z) Craffus, 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 10,000 talents, that is to say, about 1,500,000l. fterling.

Cæfar (a), after his expedition into Egypt, being arrived in Syria, Antigonus, who had made his escape from Rome with his father Aristobulus, 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 re

(u) A. M. 3941. Ant. J. C. 63. (y) Jofeph. Antiq. xiv. 10. Id. de bell. Ant. J. C. 54. (a) A. M. 3957. xiv. 15. de bell. Jud. 1. 8.

(x) A. M. 3947.
Jud. 1. 6.

Ant. J. C. 47.

ceived

Ant. J. C. 57: (%) A. M. 3950. Jofeph. Antiq.

ceived from them, his expedition into Egypt would have mifcarried. He decreed that Hyrcanus fhould retain the dignity of high-priest of Jerufalem, and the fovereignty of Judæa, to himfelf and his pofterity after him for ever, and gave Antipater the office of procurator of Judæa under Hyrcanus. By this decree, the ariftocracy of Gabinius was abolished, and the government of Judæa re-established upon the ancient foot.

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

Cafar (c), 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 Jerufalem, 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, (d) 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 fon of Ariftobulus, upon the throne, who on his fide had also raised troops. Hyrcanus, and Phafael, Herod's brother, upon the propofal of an accommodation, had the imprudence to go to the enemy, who feized them, and put them in irons. Herod efcaped from Jerufalem the moment before the Parthians entered it to feize him alfo.

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. As for Hyrcanus, his life was granted him; but to render him incapable of the priesthood, Antigonus caufed his ears to be cut off for according to the Levitical law (e), it was requifite that the high-prieit 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. (f) He

(b) Jofeph. Antiq. xiv. 17. de bell. Jud. 1. 8. Ant. J. C. 44. Jofeph. Antiq. xiv. 17.

con

Fe A. M. 3960.

(d) A. M. 3961, Ant. J. C. 43. Jofeph. Antiq. xiv. 24, 26. Id. de bell, Jud. 1. 11. (Levit. xxi, 16 -- 24. (f) Jofeph. Antiq. xv. 2.

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-prieft, and raised him a revenue fufficient to fupport his rank with fplendor. The love of his native country made him forget all those 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 firit took refuge in Egypt, from whence he went to Rome. Antony 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 instead of what he propofed, which was at most to obtain the crown for * Ariftobulus, whofe fifter Mariamne he had lately married, with the view of only governing under him, as Antipater had done under Hyrcanus; Antony 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 Judæa by the fenate, and conducted by the confuls to the Capitol, where he receiv ed the investiture 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 journies by fea and land.

SECT. VI. Reign of ANTIGONUS, of only two years du

ration.

(8) IT was not fo eafy fordom of Judea, as it had been to

T was not fo eafy for Herod to establish himself in the

obtain his title from the Romans. Antigonus was not at all inclined to refign a throne, which had coft him so much pains and money to acquire. He difputed it with him very vigorously for almost two years.

(g) A. M. 3965. *Ariftobulus was the son of Alexandra, Hyrcanus's daughter; and bis father was Alexander, fon of

Herod,

Ant. J. C. 39. Ariftobulus, brother of Hyrcanus; fo that the right of both brothers to the crozen was united in his perfan..