HOW CLEOPATRA, WHEN SHE HAD GOTTEN FROM ANTONY SOME PARTS OF JUDEA AND ARABIA CAME INTO JUDEA; AND HOW HEROD GAVE HER MANY PRESENTS AND CONDUCTED HER ON HER WAY BACK TO EGYPT. FJAJ 15.24
1. NOW at this time the affairs of Syria were in confusion by Cleopatra's
constant persuasions to Antony to make an attempt upon every body's dominions;
for she persuaded him to take those dominions away from their several princes,
and bestow them upon her; and she had a mighty influence upon him, by reason
of his being enslaved to her by his affections
She was also by nature
very covetous, and stuck at no wickedness
She had already poisoned her
brother, because she knew that he was to be king of Egypt, and this when
he was but fifteen years old; and she got her sister Arsinoe to be slain,
by the means of Antony, when she was a supplicant at Diana's temple at
Ephesus; for if there were but any hopes of getting money, she would violate
both temples and sepulchers
Nor was there any holy place that was esteemed
the most inviolable, from which she would not fetch the ornaments it had
in it; nor any place so profane, but was to suffer the most flagitious
treatment possible from her, if it could but contribute somewhat to the
covetous humor of this wicked creature: yet did not all this suffice so
extravagant a woman, who was a slave to her lusts, but she still imagined
that she wanted every thing she could think of, and did her utmost to gain
it; for which reason she hurried Antony on perpetually to deprive others
of their dominions, and give them to her
And as she went over Syria with
him, she contrived to get it into her possession; so he slew Lysanias,
the son of Ptolemy, accusing him of his bringing the Parthians upon those
countries
She also petitioned Antony to give her Judea and Arabia; and,
in order thereto, desired him to take these countries away from their present
governors
As for Antony, he was so entirely overcome by this woman, that
one would not think her conversation only could do it, but that he was
some way or other bewitched to do whatsoever she would have him; yet did
the grossest parts of her injustice make him so ashamed, that he would
not always hearken to her to do those flagrant enormities she would have
persuaded him to
That therefore he might not totally deny her, nor, by
doing every thing which she enjoined him, appear openly to be an ill man,
he took some parts of each of those countries away from their former governors,
and gave them to her
Thus he gave her the cities that were within the
river Eleutherus, as far as Egypt, excepting Tyre and Sidon, which he knew
to have been free cities from their ancestors, although she pressed him
very often to bestow those on her also. FJAJ 15.25
2. When Cleopatra had obtained thus much, and had accompanied Antony
in his expedition to Armenia as far as Euphrates, she returned back, and
came to Apamia and Damascus, and passed on to Judea, where Herod met her,
and farmed of her parts of Arabia, and those revenues that came to her
from the region about Jericho
This country bears that balsam, which is
the most precious drug that is there, and grows there alone
The place
bears also palm trees, both many in number, and those excellent in their
kind
When she was there, and was very often with Herod, she endeavored
to have criminal conversation with the king; nor did she affect secrecy
in the indulgence of such sort of pleasures; and perhaps she had in some
measure a passion of love to him; or rather, what is most probable, she
laid a treacherous snare for him, by aiming to obtain such adulterous conversation
from him: however, upon the whole, she seemed overcome with love to him.
Now Herod had a great while borne no good-will to Cleopatra, as knowing
that she was a woman irksome to all; and at that time he thought her particularly
worthy of his hatred, if this attempt proceeded out of lust; he had also
thought of preventing her intrigues, by putting her to death, if such were
her endeavors
However, he refused to comply with her proposals, and called
a counsel of his friends to consult with them whether he should not kill
her, now he had her in his power; for that he should thereby deliver all
those from a multitude of evils to whom she was already become irksome,
and was expected to be still so for the time to come; and that this very
thing would be much for the advantage of Antony himself, since she would
certainly not be faithful to him, in case any such season or necessity
should come upon him as that he should stand in need of her fidelity
But
when he thought to follow this advice, his friends would not let him; and
told him that, in the first place, it was not right to attempt so great
a thing, and run himself thereby into the utmost danger; and they laid
hard at him, and begged of him to undertake nothing rashly, for that Antony
would never bear it, no, not though any one should evidently lay before
his eyes that it was for his own advantage; and that the appearance of
depriving him of her conversation, by this violent and treacherous method,
would probably set his affections more on a flame than before
Nor did
it appear that he could offer any thing of tolerable weight in his defense,
this attempt being against such a woman as was of the highest dignity of
any of her sex at that time in the world; and as to any advantage to be
expected from such an undertaking, if any such could be supposed in this
case, it would appear to deserve condemnation, on account of the insolence
he must take upon him in doing it: which considerations made it very plain
that in so doing he would find his government filled with mischief, both
great and lasting, both to himself and his posterity, whereas it was still
in his power to reject that wickedness she would persuade him to, and to
come off honorably at the same time
So by thus affrighting Herod, and
representing to him the hazard he must, in all probability, run by this
undertaking, they restrained him from it
So he treated Cleopatra kindly,
and made her presents, and conducted her on her way to Egypt. FJAJ 15.26
3. But Antony subdued Armenia, and sent Artabazes, the son of Tigranes,
in bonds, with his children and procurators, to Egypt, and made a present
of them, and of all the royal ornaments which he had taken out of that
kingdom, to Cleopatra
And Artaxias, the eldest of his sons, who had escaped
at that time, took the kingdom of Armenia; who yet was ejected by Archclaus
and Nero Caesar, when they restored Tigranes, his younger brother, to that
kingdom; but this happened a good while afterward. FJAJ 15.27
4. But then, as to the tributes which Herod was to pay Cleopatra for
that country which Antony had given her, he acted fairly with her, as deeming
it not safe for him to afford any cause for Cleopatra to hate him
As for
the king of Arabia, whose tribute Herod had undertaken to pay her, for
some time indeed he paid him as much as came to two hundred talents; but
he afterwards became very niggardly and slow in his payments, and could
hardly be brought to pay some parts of it, and was not willing to pay even
them without some deductions. FJAJ 15.28