OF THE NAVIGATION OF KING AGRIPPA TO ROME, TO TIBERIUS CAESAR; AND NOW UPON HIS BEING ACCUSED BY HIS OWN FREED-MAN, HE WAS BOUND; HOW ALSO HE, WAS SET AT LIBERTY BY CAIUS, AFTER TIBERIUS�S DEATH AND WAS MADE KING OF THE TETRARCHY OF PHILIP. FJAJ 18.37
1. A LITTLE before the death of Herod the king, Agrippa lived at Rome,
and was generally brought up and conversed with Drusus, the emperor Tiberius's
son, and contracted a friendship with Antonia, the wife of Drusus the Great,
who had his mother Bernice in great esteem, and was very desirous of advancing
her son
Now as Agrippa was by nature magnanimous and generous in the presents
he made, while his mother was alive, this inclination of his mind did not
appear, that he might be able to avoid her anger for such his extravagance;
but when Bernice was dead, and he was left to his own conduct, he spent
a great deal extravagantly in his daily way of living, and a great deal
in the immoderate presents he made, and those chiefly among Caesar's freed-men,
in order to gain their assistance, insomuch that he was, in a little time,
reduced to poverty, and could not live at Rome any longer
Tiberius also
forbade the friends of his deceased son to come into his sight, because
on seeing them he should be put in mind of his son, and his grief would
thereby be revived. FJAJ 18.38
2. For these reasons he went away from Rome, and sailed to Judea, but
in evil circumstances, being dejected with the loss of that money which
he once had, and because he had not wherewithal to pay his creditors, who
were many in number, and such as gave him no room for escaping them
Whereupon
he knew not what to do; so, for shame of his present condition, he retired
to a certain tower, at Malatha, in Idumea, and had thoughts of killing
himself; but his wife Cypros perceived his intentions, and tried all sorts
of methods to divert him from his taking such a course; so she sent a letter
to his sister Herodias, who was now the wife of Herod the tetrarch, and
let her know Agrippa's present design, and what necessity it was which
drove him thereto, and desired her, as a kinswoman of his, to give him
her help, and to engage her husband to do the same, since she saw how she
alleviated these her husband's troubles all she could, although she had
not the like wealth to do it withal
So they sent for him, and allotted
him Tiberias for his habitation, and appointed him some income of money
for his maintenance, and made him a magistrate of that city, by way of
honor to him
Yet did not Herod long continue in that resolution of supporting
him, though even that support was not sufficient for him; for as once they
were at a feast at Tyre, and in their cups, and reproaches were cast upon
one another, Agrippa thought that was not to be borne, while Herod hit
him in the teeth with his poverty, and with his owing his necessary food
to him
So he went to Flaccus, one that had been consul, and had been a
very great friend to him at Rome formerly, and was now president of Syria. FJAJ 18.39
3. Hereupon Flaccus received him kindly, and he lived with him
Flaccus
had also with him there Aristobulus, who was indeed Agrippa's brother,
but was at variance with him; yet did not their enmity to one another hinder
the friendship of Flaccus to them both, but still they were honorably treated
by him
However, Aristobulus did not abate of his ill-will to Agrippa,
till at length he brought him into ill terms with Flaccus; the occasion
of bringing on which estrangement was this: The Damascens were at difference
with the Sidonians about their limits, and when Flaccus was about to hear
the cause between them, they understood that Agrippa had a mighty influence
upon him; so they desired that he would be of their side, and for that
favor promised him a great deal of money; so he was zealous in assisting
the Damascens as far as he was able
Now Aristobulus had gotten intelligence
of this promise of money to him, and accused him to Flaccus of the same;
and when, upon a thorough examination of the matter, it appeared plainly
so to be, he rejected Agrippa out of the number of his friends
So he was
reduced to the utmost necessity, and came to Ptolemais; and because he
knew not where else to get a livelihood, he thought to sail to Italy; but
as he was restrained from so doing by want of money, he desired Marsyas,
who was his freed-man, to find some method for procuring him so much as
he wanted for that purpose, by borrowing such a sum of some person or other.
So Marsyas desired of Peter, who was the freed-man of Bernice, Agrippa's
mother, and by the right of her testament was bequeathed to Antonia, to
lend so much upon Agrippa's own bond and security; but he accused Agrippa
of having defrauded him of certain sums of money, and so obliged Marsyas,
when he made the bond of twenty thousand Attic drachmae, to accept of twenty-five
hundred drachma as (18)(18) Spanheim observes, that we have
here an instance of the Attic quantity of use-money, which was the eighth
part of the original sum, or 12 per cent., for such is the proportion of
2500 to 20,000.
less than what he desired, which the other allowed of, because he could
not help it
Upon the receipt of this money, Agrippa came to Anthedon,
and took shipping, and was going to set sail; but Herennius Capito, who
was the procurator of Jamhis, sent a band of soldiers to demand of him
three hundred thousand drachmae of silver, which were by him owing to Caesar's
treasury while he was at Rome, and so forced him to stay
He then pretended
that he would do as he bid him; but when night came on, he cut his cables,
and went off, and sailed to Alexandria, where he desired Alexander the
alabarch (19)(19) The governor of the Jews there.
to lend him two hundred thousand drachmae; but he said he would not lend
it to him, but would not refuse it to Cypros, as greatly astonished at
her affection to her husband, and at the other instances of her virtue;
so she undertook to repay it
Accordingly, Alexander paid them five talents
at Alexandria, and promised to pay them the rest of that sum at Dicearchia
[Puteoli]; and this he did out of the fear he was in that Agrippa would
soon spend it
So this Cypros set her husband free, and dismissed him to
go on with his navigation to Italy, while she and her children departed
for Judea. FJAJ 18.40
4. And now Agrippa was come to Puteoli, whence he wrote a letter to
Tiberius Caesar, who then lived at Capreae, and told him that he was come
so far in order to wait on him, and to pay him a visit; and desired that
he would give him leave to come over to Caprein: so Tiberius made no difficulty,
but wrote to him in an obliging way in other respects; and withal told
him he was glad of his safe return, and desired him to come to Capreae;
and when he was come, he did not fail to treat him as kindly as he had
promised him in his letter to do
But the next day came a letter to Caesar
from Herennius Capito, to inform him that Agrippa had borrowed three hundred
thousand drachmae, and not pad it at the time appointed; but when it was
demanded of him, he ran away like a fugitive, out of the places under his
government, and put it out of his power to get the money of him
When Caesar
had read this letter, he was much troubled at it, and gave order that Agrippa
should be excluded from his presence until he had paid that debt: upon
which he was no way daunted at Caesar's anger, but entreated Antonia, the
mother of Germanicus, and of Claudius, who was afterward Caesar himself,
to lend him those three hundred thousand drachmae, that he might not be
deprived of Tiberius's friendship; so, out of regard to the memory of Bernice
his mother, (for those two women were very familiar with one another,)
and out of regard to his and Claudius's education together, she lent him
the money; and, upon the payment of this debt, there was nothing to hinder
Tiberius's friendship to him
After this, Tiberius Caesar recommended to
him his grandson, (20)(20) Tiberius, junior of Germanicus.
and ordered that he should always accompany him when he went abroad
But
upon Agrippa's kind reception by Antonia, he betook him to pay his respects
to Caius, who was her grandson, and in very high reputation by reason of
the good-will they bare his father
Now there was one Thallus, a freed-man
of Caesar, of whom he borrowed a million of drachmae, and thence repaid
Antonia the debt he owed her; and by sending the overplus in paying his
court to Caius, became a person of great authority with him. FJAJ 18.41
5. Now as the friendship which Agrippa had for Caius was come to a great
height, there happened some words to pass between them, as they once were
in a chariot together, concerning Tiberius; Agrippa praying [to God] (for
they two sat by themselves) that Tiberius might soon go off the stage,
and leave the government to Caius, who was in every respect more worthy
of it
Now Eutychus, who was Agrippa's freed-man, and drove his chariot,
heard these words, and at that time said nothing of them; but when Agrippa
accused him of stealing some garments of his, (which was certainly true,)
he ran away from him; but when he was caught, and brought before Piso,
who was governor of the city, and the man was asked why he ran away, be
replied, that he had somewhat to say to Caesar, that tended to his security
and preservation: so Piso bound him, and sent him to Capreae
But Tiberius,
according to his usual custom, kept him still in bonds, being a delayer
of affairs, if ever there was any other king or tyrant that was so; for
he did not admit ambassadors quickly, and no successors were despatched
away to governors or procurators of the provinces that had been formerly
sent, unless they were dead; whence it was that he was so negligent in
hearing the causes of prisoners; insomuch that when he was asked by his
friends what was the reason of his delay in such cases, he said that he
delayed to hear ambassadors, lest, upon their quick dismission, other ambassadors
should be appointed, and return upon him; and so he should bring trouble
upon himself in their public reception and dismission: that he permitted
those governors who had been sent once to their government [to stay there
a long while], out of regard to the subjects that were under them; for
that all governors are naturally disposed to get as much as they can; and
that those who are not to fix there, but to stay a short time, and that
at an uncertainty when they shall be turned out, do the more severely hurry
themselves on to fleece the people; but that if their government be long
continued to them; they are at last satiated with the spoils, as having
gotten a vast deal, and so become at length less sharp in their pillaging;
but that if successors are sent quickly, the poor subjects, who are exposed
to them as a prey, will not be able to bear the new ones, while they shall
not have the same time allowed them wherein their predecessors had filled
themselves, and so grew more unconcerned about getting more; and this because
they are removed before they have had time [for their oppressions]
He
gave them an example to show his meaning: A great number of flies came
about the sore places of a man that had been wounded; upon which one of
the standers-by pitied the man's misfortune, and thinking he was not able
to drive those flies away himself, was going to drive them away for him;
but he prayed him to let them alone: the other, by way of reply, asked
him the reason of such a preposterous proceeding, in preventing relief
from his present misery; to which he answered, "If thou drivest these
flies away, thou wilt hurt me worse; for as these are already full of my
blood, they do not crowd about me, nor pain me so much as before, but are
somewhat more remiss, while the fresh ones that come almost famished, and
find me quite tired down already, will be my destruction
For this cause,
therefore, it is that I am myself careful not to send such new governors
perpetually to those my subjects, who are already sufficiently harassed
by many oppressions, as may, like these flies, further distress them; and
so, besides their natural desire of gain, may have this additional incitement
to it, that they expect to be suddenly deprived of that pleasure which
they take in it." And, as a further attestation to what I say of the
dilatory nature of Tiberius, I appeal to this his practice itself; for
although he was emperor twenty-two years, he sent in all but two procurators
to govern the nation of the Jews, Gratus, and his successor in the government,
Pilate
Nor was he in one way of acting with respect to the Jews, and in
another with respect to the rest of his subjects
He further informed them,
that even in the hearing of the causes of prisoners, he made such delays,
because immediate death to those that must be condemned to die would be
an alleviation of their present miseries, while those wicked wretches have
not deserved any such favor; "but I do it, that, by being harassed
with the present calamity, they may undergo greater misery." FJAJ 18.42
6. On this account it was that Eutychus could not obtain a bearing,
but was kept still in prison
However, some time afterward, Tiberius came
from Capreae to Tusculanum, which is about a hundred furlongs from Rome.
Agrippa then desired of Antonia that she would procure a hearing for Eutychus,
let the matter whereof he accused him prove what it would
Now Antonia
was greatly esteemed by Tiberius on all accounts, from the dignity of her
relation to him, who had been his brother Drusus's wife, and from her eminent
chastity; (21)(21) This high commendation of Antonia
for marrying but once, given here, and supported elsewhere; Antiq. B. XVII.
ch. 13. sect. 4, and this, notwithstanding the strongest temptations, shows
how honorable single marriages were both among the Jews and Romans, in
the days of Josephus and of the apostles, and takes away much of that surprise
which the modern Protestants have at those laws of the apostles, where
no widows, but those who had been the wives of one husband only, are taken
into the church list; and no bishops, priests, or deacons are allowed to
marry more than once, without leaving off to officiate as clergymen any
longer. See Luke 2:36; 1 Timothy 5:11, 12; 3:2, 12; Titus 1:10; Constit.
Apost. B. II. sect. 1, 2; B. VI. sect. 17; Can. B. XVII,; Grot. in Luc.
ii. 36; and Resports. ad Consult. Cassand. p. 44; and Cotelet. in Constit.
B. VI. sect. 17. And note, that Tertullian owns this law against second
marriages of the clergy had been once at least executed in his time; and
heavily complains elsewhere, that the breach thereof had not been always
punished by the catholics, as it ought to have been. Jerome, speaking of
the ill reputation of marrying twice, says, that no such person could be
chosen into the clergy in his days; which Augustine testifies also; and
for Epiphanius, rather earlier, he is clear and full to the same purpose,
and says that law obtained over the whole catholic church in his days,--as
the places in the forecited authors inform us.
for though she was still a young woman, she continued in her widowhood,
and refused all other matches, although Augustus had enjoined her to be
married to somebody else; yet did she all along preserve her reputation
free from reproach
She had also been the greatest benefactress to Tiberius,
when there was a very dangerous plot laid against him by Sejanus, a man
who had been her husband's friend, and wire had the greatest authority,
because he was general of the army, and when many members of the senate
and many of the freed-men joined with him, and the soldiery was corrupted,
and the plot was come to a great height
Now Sejanus had certainly gained
his point, had not Antonia's boldness been more wisely conducted than Sejanus's
malice; for when she had discovered his designs against Tiberius, she wrote
him an exact account of the whole, and gave the letter to Pallas, the most
faithful of her servants, and sent him to Caprere to Tiberius, who, when
he understood it, slew Sejanus and his confederates; so that Tiberius,
who had her in great esteem before, now looked upon her with still greater
respect, and depended upon her in all things
So when Tiberius was desired
by this Antonia to examine Eutychus, he answered, "If indeed Eutychus
hath falsely accused Agrippa in what he hath said of him, he hath had sufficient
punishment by what I have done to him already; but if, upon examination,
the accusation appears to be true, let Agrippa have a care, lest, out of
desire of punishing his freed-man, he do not rather bring a punishment
upon himself." Now when Antonia told Agrippa of this, he was still
much more pressing that the matter might be examined into; so Antonia,
upon Agrippa's lying hard at her continually to beg this favor, took the
following opportunity: As Tiberius lay once at his ease upon his sedan,
and was carried about, and Caius, her grandson, and Agrippa, were before
him after dinner she walked by the sedan, and desired him to call Eutychus,
and have him examined; to which he replied, "O Antonia! the gods are
my witnesses that I am induced to do what I am going to do, not by my own
inclination, but because I am forced to it by thy prayers." When he
had said this, he ordered Macro, who succeeded Sejanus, to bring Eutychus
to him; accordingly, without any delay, he was brought
Then Tiberius asked
him what he had to say against a man who had given him his liberty
Upon
which he said, "O my lord! this Caius, and Agrippa with him, were
once riding in a chariot, when I sat at their feet, and, among other discourses
that passed, Agrippa said to Caius, Oh that the day would once come when
this old fellow will dies and name thee for the governor of the habitable
earth! for then this Tiberius, his grandson, would be no hinderance, but
would be taken off by thee, and that earth would be happy, and I happy
also." Now Tiberius took these to be truly Agrippa's words, and bearing
a grudge withal at Agrippa, because, when he had commanded him to pay his
respects to Tiberius, his grandson, and the son of Drusus, Agrippa had
not paid him that respect, but had disobeyed his commands, and transferred
all his regard to Caius; he said to Macro, "Bind this man." But
Macro, not distinctly knowing which of them it was whom he bid him bind,
and not expecting that he would have any such thing done to Agrippa, he
forbore, and came to ask more distinctly what it was that he said
But
when Caesar had gone round the hippodrome, he found Agrippa standing: "For
certain," said he, "Macro, this is the man I meant to have bound;"
and when he still asked, "Which of these is to be bound?" he
said "Agrippa." Upon which Agrippa betook himself to make supplication
for himself, putting him in mind of his son, with whom he was brought up,
and of Tiberius [his grandson] whom he had educated; but all to no purpose;
for they led him about bound even in his purple garments
It was also very
hot weather, and they had but little wine to their meal, so that he was
very thirsty; he was also in a sort of agony, and took this treatment of
him heinously: as he therefore saw one of Caius's slaves, whose name was
Thaumastus, carrying some water in a vessel, he desired that he would let
him drink; so the servant gave him some water to drink, and he drank heartily,
and said, "O thou boy! this service of thine to me will be for thy
advantage; for if I once get clear of these my bonds, I will soon procure
thee thy freedom of Caius who has not been wanting to minister to me now
I am in bonds, in the same manner as when I was in my former state and
dignity." Nor did he deceive him in what he promised him, but made
him amends for what he had now done; for when afterward Agrippa was come
to the kingdom, he took particular care of Thaumastus, and got him his
liberty from Caius, and made him the steward over his own estate; and when
he died, he left him to Agrippa his son, and to Bernice his daughter, to
minister to them in the same capacity
The man also grew old in that honorable
post, and therein died
But all this happened a good while later. FJAJ 18.43
7. Now Agrippa stood in his bonds before the royal palace, and leaned
on a certain tree for grief, with many others,
who were in bonds also;
and as a certain bird sat upon the tree on which Agrippa leaned, (the Romans
call this bird bubo,) [an owl,] one of those that were bound, a German
by nation, saw him, and asked a soldier who that man in purple was; and
when he was informed that his name was Agrippa, and that he was by nation
a Jew, and one of the principal men of that nation, he asked leave of the
soldier to whom he was bound, (22)(22) Dr. Hudson here takes notice,
out of Seneca, Epistle V. that this was the custom of Tiberius, to couple
the prisoner and the soldier that guarded him together in the same chain.
to let him come nearer to him, to speak with him; for that he had a mind
to inquire of him about some things relating to his country; which liberty,
when he had obtained, and as he stood near him, he said thus to him by
an interpreter: "This sudden change of thy condition, O young man!
is grievous to thee, as bringing on thee a manifold and very great adversity;
nor wilt thou believe me, when I foretell how thou wilt get clear of this
misery which thou art now under, and how Divine Providence will provide
for thee
Know therefore (and I appeal to my own country gods, as well
as to the gods of this place, who have awarded these bonds to us) that
all I am going to say about thy concerns shall neither be said for favor
nor bribery, nor out of an endeavor to make thee cheerful without cause;
for such predictions, when they come to fail, make the grief at last, and
in earnest, more bitter than if the party had never heard of any such thing.
However, though I run the hazard of my own self, I think it fit to declare
to thee the prediction of the gods
It cannot be that thou shouldst long
continue in these bonds; but thou wilt soon be delivered from them, and
wilt be promoted to the highest dignity and power, and thou wilt be envied
by all those who now pity thy hard fortune; and thou wilt be happy till
thy death, and wilt leave thine happiness to the children whom thou shalt
have
But do thou remember, when thou seest this bird again, that thou
wilt then live but five days longer
This event will be brought to pass
by that God who hath sent this bird hither to be a sign unto thee
And
I cannot but think it unjust to conceal from thee what I foreknow concerning
thee, that, by thy knowing beforehand what happiness is coming upon thee,
thou mayst not regard thy present misfortunes
But when this happiness
shall actually befall thee, do not forget what misery I am in myself, but
endeavor to deliver me." So when the German had said this, he made
Agrippa laugh at him as much as he afterwards appeared worthy of admiration.
But now Antonia took Agrippa's misfortune to heart: however, to speak to
Tiberius on his behalf, she took to be a very difficult thing, and indeed
quite impracticable, as to any hope of success; yet did she procure of
Macro, that the soldiers that kept him should be of a gentle nature, and
that the centurion who was over them and was to diet with him, should be
of the same disposition, and that he might have leave to bathe himself
every day, and that his freed-men and friends might come to him, and that
other things that tended to ease him might be indulged him
So his friend
Silas came in to him, and two of his freed-men, Marsyas and Stechus, brought
him such sorts of food as he was fond of, and indeed took great care of
him; they ,also brought him garments, under pretense of selling them; and
when night came on, they laid them under him; and the soldiers assisted
them, as Macro had given them order to do beforehand
And this was Agrippa's
condition for six months' time, and in this case were his affairs. FJAJ 18.44
8. But for Tiberius, upon his return to Caprein, he fell sick
At first
his distemper was but gentle; but as that distemper increased upon him,
he had small or no hopes of recovery
Hereupon he bid Euodus, who was that
freed-man whom he most of all respected, to bring the children (23)(23) Tiberius his own grandson, and
Caius his brother Drusus's grandson.
to him, for that he wanted to talk to them before he died
Now he had at
present no sons of his own alive for Drusus, who was his only son, was
dead; but Drusus's son Tiberius was still living, whose additional name
was Gemellus: there was also living Caius, the son of Germanicus, who was
the son (24)(24) So I correct Josephus's copy,
which calls Germanicus his brother, who was his brother's son.
of his brother [Drusus]
He was now grown up, and had a liberal education,
and was well improved by it, and was in esteem and favor with the people,
on account of the excellent character of his father Germanicus, who had
attained the highest honor among the multitude, by the firmness of his
virtuous behavior, by the easiness and agreeableness of his conversing
with the multitude, and because the dignity he was in did not hinder his
familiarity with them all, as if they were his equals; by which behavior
he was not only greatly esteemed by the people and the senate, but by every
one of those nations that were subject to the Romans; some of which were
affected when they came to him with the gracefulness of their reception
by him, and others were affected in the same manner by the report of the
others that had been with him; and, upon his death, there was a lamentation
made by all men; not such a one as was to be made in way of flattery to
their rulers, while they did but counterfeit sorrow, but such as was real;
while every body grieved at his death, as if they had lost one that was
near to them
And truly such had been his easy conversation with men, that
it turned greatly to the advantage of his son among all; and, among others,
the soldiery were so peculiarly affected to him, that they reckoned it
an eligible thing, if need were, to die themselves, if he might but attain
to the government. FJAJ 18.45
9. But when Tiberius had given order to Euodus to bring the children
to him the next day in the morning, he prayed to his country gods to show
him a manifest signal which of those children should come to the government;
being very desirous to leave it to his son's son, but still depending upon
what God should foreshow concerning them more than upon his own opinion
and inclination; so he made this to be the omen, that the government should
be left to him who should come to him first the next day
When he had thus
resolved within himself, he sent to his grandson's tutor, and ordered him
to bring the child to him early in the morning, as supposing that God would
permit him to be made emperor
But God proved opposite to his designation;
for while Tiberius was thus contriving matters, and as soon as it was at
all day, he bid Euodus to call in that child which should be there ready.
So he went out, and found Caius before the door, for Tiberius was not yet
come, but staid waiting for his breakfast; for Euodus knew nothing of what
his lord intended; so he said to Caius, "Thy father calls thee,"
and then brought him in
As soon as Tiberius saw Caius, and not before,
he reflected on the power of God, and how the ability of bestowing the
government on whom he would was entirely taken from him; and thence he
was not able to establish what he had intended
So he greatly lamented
that his power of establishing what he had before contrived was taken from
him, and that his grandson Tiberius was not only to lose the Roman empire
by his fatality, but his own safety also, because his preservation would
now depend upon such as would be more potent than himself, who would think
it a thing not to be borne, that a kinsman should live with them, and so
his relation would not be able to protect him; but he would be feared and
bated by him who had the supreme authority, partly on account of his being
next to the empire, and partly on account of his perpetually contriving
to get the government, both in order to preserve himself, and to be at
the head of affairs also
Now Tiberius had been very much given to astrology,
(25)(25) This is a known thing among the
Roman historians and poets, that Tiberius was greatly given to astrology
and divination.
and the calculation of nativities, and had spent his life in the esteem
of what predictions had proved true, more than those whose profession it
was
Accordingly, when he once saw Galba coming in to him, he said to his
most intimate friends, that there came in a man that would one day have
the dignity of the Roman empire
So that this Tiberius was more addicted
to all such sorts of diviners than any other of the Roman emperors, because
he had found them to have told him truth in his own affairs
And indeed
he was now in great distress upon this accident that had befallen him,
and was very much grieved at the destruction of his son's son, which he
foresaw, and complained of himself, that he should have made use of such
a method of divination beforehand, while it was in his power to have died
without grief by this knowledge of futurity; whereas he was now tormented
by his foreknowledge of the misfortune of such as were dearest to him,
and must die under that torment
Now although he was disordered at this
unexpected revolution of the government to those for whom he did not intend
it, he spake thus to Caius, though unwillingly, and against his own inclination:
"O child! although Tiberius be nearer related to me than thou art,
I, by my own determination, and the conspiring suffrage of the gods, do
give and put into thy hand the Roman empire; and I desire thee never to
be unmindful when thou comest to it, either of my kindness to thee, who
set thee in so high a dignity, or of thy relation to Tiberius
But as thou
knowest that I am, together with and after the gods, the procurer of so
great happiness to thee; so I desire that thou wilt make me a return for
my readiness to assist thee, and wilt take care of Tiberius because of
his near relation to thee
Besides which, thou art to know, that while
Tiberius is alive, he will be a security to thee, both as to empire and
as to thy own preservation; but if he die, that will be but a prelude to
thy own misfortunes; for to be alone under the weight of such vast affairs
is very dangerous; nor will the gods suffer those actions which are unjustly
done, contrary to that law which directs men to act otherwise, to go off
unpunished." This was the speech which Tiberius made, which did not
persuade Caius to act accordingly, although he promised so to do; but when
he was settled in the government, he took off this Tiberius, as was predicted
by the other Tiberius; as he was also himself, in no long time afterward,
slain by a secret plot laid against him. FJAJ 18.46
10. So when Tiberius had at this time appointed Caius to be his successor,
he outlived but a few days, and then died, after he had held the government
twenty-two years five months and three days
Now Caius was the fourth emperor.
But when the Romans understood that Tiberius was dead, they rejoiced at
the good news, but had not courage to believe it; not because they were
unwilling it should be true, for they would have given huge sums of money
that it might be so, but because they were afraid, that if they had showed
their joy when the news proved false, their joy should be openly known,
and they should be accused for it, and be thereby undone
For this Tiberius
had brought a vast number of miseries on the best families of the Romans,
since he was easily inflamed with passion in all cases, and was of such
a temper as rendered his anger irrevocable, till he had executed the same,
although he had taken a hatred against men without reason; for he was by
nature fierce in all the sentences he gave, and made death the penalty
for the lightest offenses; insomuch that when the Romans heard the rumor
about his death gladly, they were restrained from the enjoyment of that
pleasure by the dread of such miseries as they foresaw would follow, if
their hopes proved ill-grounded
Now Marsyas, Agrippa's freed-man, as soon
as he heard of Tiberius's death, came running to tell Agrippa the news;
and finding him going out to the bath, he gave him a nod, and said, in
the Hebrew tongue, "The lion (26)(26) This name of a lion is often given
to tyrants, especially by the such Agrippa, and probably his freed-man
Marsyas, in effect were, Ezekiel 19:1, 9; Esther 4:9 2 Timothy 4:17. They
are also sometimes compared to or represented by wild beasts, of which
the lion is the principal, Daniel 7:3, 8; Apoc. 13:1, 2.
is dead;" who, understanding his meaning, and being ovejoyed at the
news, "Nay," said he, "but all sorts of thanks and happiness
attend thee for this news of thine; only I wish that what thou sayest may
prove true." Now the centurion who was set to keep Agrippa, when he
saw with what haste Marsyas came, and what joy Agrippa had from what he
said, he had a suspicion that his words implied some great innovation of
affairs, and he asked them about what was said
They at first diverted
the discourse; but upon his further pressing, Agrippa, without more ado,
told him, for he was already become his friend; so he joined with him in
that pleasure which this news occasioned, because it would be fortunate
to Agrippa, and made him a supper
But as they were feasting, and the cups
went about, there came one who said that Tiberius was still alive, and
would return to the city ill a few days
At which news the centurion was
exceedingly troubled, because he had done what might cost him his life,
to have treated so joyfully a prisoner, and this upon the news of the death
of Caesar; so he thrust Agrippa from the couch whereon he lay, and said,
"Dost thou think to cheat me by a lie about the emperor without punishment?
and shalt not thou pay for this thy malicious report at the price of thine
head?" When he had so said, he ordered Agrippa to be bound again,
(for he had loosed him before,) and kept a severer guard over him than
formerly, and in that evil condition was Agrippa that night; but the next
day the rumor increased in the city, and confirmed the news that Tiberius
was certainly dead; insomuch that men durst now openly and freely talk
about it; nay, some offered sacrifices on that account
Several letters
also came from Caius; one of them to the senate, which informed them of
the death of Tiberius, and of his own entrance on the government; another
to Piso, the governor of the city, which told him the same thing
He also
gave order that Agrippa should be removed out of the camp, and go to that
house where he lived before he was put in prison; so that he was now out
of fear as to his own affairs; for although he was still in custody, yet
it was now with ease to his own affairs
Now, as soon as Caius was come
to Rome, and had brought Tiberius's dead body with him, and had made a
sumptuous funeral for him, according to the laws of his country, he was
much disposed to set Agrippa at liberty that very day; but Antonia hindered
him, not out of any ill-will to the prisoner, but out of regard to decency
in Caius, lest that should make men believe that he received the death
of Tiberius with pleasure, when he loosed one whom he had bound immediately.
However, there did not many days pass ere he sent for him to his house,
and had him shaved, and made him change his raiment; after which he put
a diadem upon his head, and appointed him to be king of the tetrarchy of
Philip
He also gave him the tetrarchy of Lysanias, (27)(27) Although Caius now promised to
give Agrippa the tetrarchy of Lysanias, yet was it not actually conferred
upon him till the reign of Claudius, as we learn, Antiq. B. XIX, ch. 5.
sect. 1.
and changed his iron chain for a golden one of equal weight
He also sent
Marullus to be procurator of Judea. FJAJ 18.47
11. Now, in the second year of the reign of Caius Caesar, Agrippa desired
leave to be given him to sail home, and settle the affairs of his government;
and he promised to return again, when he had put the rest in order, as
it ought to be put
So, upon the emperor's permission, he came into his
own country, and appeared to them all unexpectedly as asking, and thereby
demonstrated to the men that saw him the power of fortune, when they compared
his former poverty with his present happy affluence; so some called him
a happy man, and others could not well believe that things were so much
changed with him for the better. FJAJ 18.48