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purpose but to determine Herod to rid himself of both. Aware of this, Alexandra had recourse to the famous Cleopatra of Egypt, and endeavoured to escape to that country for protection. For this purpose she entrusted her design to two of her servants, one of whom was to provide her with a ship, the other with two coffins, in which she and her son were to be conveyed to it. Herod knew their design, and waited only till they had gone some distance in the coffins, then caused them to be arrested and brought back: fear of Cleopatra prevented their punishment, a seeming reconciliation took place, and the young prince was put into the priesthood by the false king, but in effect was doomed to death. The occasion soon arrived. At the feast of tabernacles the new High-priest, then only seventeen years of age, appeared at the altar in his pontifical ornaments, and officiated with such striking elegance and grace, that the people could not forbear to express their admiration, filling the temple and the city with his praises. Herod's jealousy needed no more. As soon as the solemnity was over, he went with the young Pontiff to Jericho, where an entertainment was prepared for them by Alexandra. The weather being hot, Aristobulus was invited to bathe in a fine pond in the neighbourhood, whither Herod's people accompanied him; and, while they swam together, held him under the water till he was dead. Herod pretended to believe it the result of accident, put on the deepest mourning, and erected a monument to his memory. Nobody however was deceived; the people mourned his loss, and the mother carried her complaints to Cleopatra, who persuaded Antony to summon the murderer before him. Herod appeared, but his bribes had preceded him, and he was absolved. Not confident of success when he set out, he had left orders with his uncle Joseph, who governed in his absence, in case he should be condemned, to put to death his beloved and beautiful Marianne, that she might not fall into the hands of Antony. Joseph had the indiscretion to disclose to the

queen this fatal order, meaning to prove to her thereby the violence of her husband's affection. Marianne considered it rather as a proof of jealousy and inhumanity, and thence conceiving a violent hatred towards him, was meditating flight, when the prince, her husband, returned. Suspicions arose out of this affair, which caused the death of Joseph and Alexandra, but Marianne was exculpated.

Soon after this Cleopatra arrived herself in Jerusalem, returning from the Euphrates, whither she had accompanied Antony. She came to claim the revenues of the territories of Jericho which Antony had granted to her, arising chiefly from the growth of the much famed balm of Gilead. The precious plant from which this balsam was extracted, is affirmed by Pliny to have grown only in two gardens belonging to the Jewish monarchs, one of twenty acres, the other something less: but Cleopatra caused it to be transported into Egypt, where it is said to have flourished ever since. It seems, however, certain that it was the natural growth of Arabia, and that it was found on the borders of the Asphaltic Lake in such quantities as to produce a considerable revenue to the owners. The balm was gathered from the shrub in the months of July and August, in some warmer grounds as early as June. It either dropped of itself, or was made to do so by incision with a sharp knife, not of iron or steel, which is said to be death to the plant, but of flint or ivory. The liquor was whitish at first and thin, but became in keeping thick, and of the colour of honey. Such is the description given of this balsam, then producing revenues sufficient for nations to contend over, but now unknown or little valued.

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In the seventh year of Herod's reign, Judeah suffered from an earthquake such as had never before been known; many thousands of persons being buried in the ruins of their houses. Shortly after this, his repose was troubled by the fall of Antony, his friend and protector. Again he feared the rivalship of Hyrcan, who had allied

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himself with Augustus, and, at eighty years of age, caused him to be beheaded for his own security; thus repaying a prince to whose favour he owed his life, his crown, and all his greatness. His next step was to repair to the quarters of Augustus, to conciliate his favour, and proffer his allegiance, having first disposed of his wife aud her mother in a strong fortress under the care of his confidential servants, with orders, as before, to murder them if he was unsuccessful. Augustus gave him a most kind reception, accepted his friendship, and confirmed him in his title, in token of it ordering him to take up his diadem and wear it before him. Herod, well pleased with this success, returned in triumph to Jerusalem, but was there again to encounter domestic broils. The princess considered their confinement to the fortress in his absence as no other than imprisonment, and well conjectured of the orders that had been left. When therefore on his return, Herod with his wonted tenderness would have embraced his queen, she repulsed him with sighs and tears, and many expressions of disdain and anger. The king's wrath was excited to the utmost, he reproached and threatened her; but his love quickly surmounted every other feeling, and the enemies of Marianne, among whom were her mother and Herod's sister, Salome, found they must use other means to work her ruin. The character of the beautiful and unfortunate Marianne is painted with every excellence by the historians of her people: but her aversion to her husband daily increased, and she took little pains to hide it. She came at length to treat him with so much contempt, his own excessive fondness for her could no longer hide from him that she was his irreconcileable and bitter enemy. Long time his affection got the better of his resentment, and Marianne might yet have escaped, but for the watchful treachery of her enemies. Herod having one day retired to rest himself in the heat of the day, sent for Marianne, and in the kindest manner bade her sit down beside him. The princess returned his ca

resses with scorn, reproached him with her father's and 'brother's death, and all the wrongs of her family; which so exasperated the monarch, that he was on the point of killing her with his own hands. Salome seized the favourable moment of this quarrel: she had previously corrupted the cup-bearer, who only waited the signal to execute her treachery: and now she sent him to Herod with a poisoned draught in one hand, and a sum of money in the other, to affirm that Marianne had bribed him with the one to administer the other to the king. Herod determined to bring her to publick trial, and having chosen the judges from among his own creatures, carried on the prosecution with so much violence, they easily perceived they must condemn her to death; yet entreated he would not precipitate the execution, but confine her till he had maturely consulted his own heart. Salome knew that this would save the princess, and perhaps disclose the falseness of the accusation; wherefore under pretence that if the sentence were delayed, the people would rise in arms to save their queen, she obtained an order for the execution. Marianne received the fatal summons with firmness and courage, and in calm serenity walked to the place of execution. By the way her unnatural mother, the ever turbulent Alexandra, fearing for herself a similar destiny, and hoping thus to conciliate the king, insulted the innocent princess as she passed to execution, reproaching her with faithlessness and ingratitude to the best of husbands. Marianne bore all with serenity, her countenance expressing no emotion but that of shame and horror at so base an artifice: she died with intrepid courage, and with her departed the happiness of her tyrannic husband. His resentment expired with her, but his love survived-remorse rent his bosom and made life a burden. In vain he essayed to divert his grief by feasting and diversion -Marianne was ever present to his thoughts; he called to her aloud in the midst of his revels, and often desired his courtiers to fetch her to him. A pestilence that

shortly after destroyed multitudes of his people, added to his load of misery, because it was universally attributed to the shedding of the blood of the injured Marianne. He withdrew to the deserts to hide himself from the sight of men, till a painful sickness obliged him to return for advice of his physician: but their medicine only increased his sufferings. Time surmounted the disorder, but never could surmount the sour and brutal temper to which he abandoned himself more and more as he regained his health. To such an excess of cruelty came he at length, that in his fits of rage he spared neither friend nor foe, sacrificing on occasions, even to the day of his death, his nearest relatives and most faithful friends. B.C. 28.

Alexandra, the most unnatural mother of the lovely Marianne, was among the first who suffered from the tyrant's wrath; though not altogether undeservedly. Ridden now of all his enemies, Herod evinced a growing disregard for the religion and customs of the Jewish people, and began to introduce foreign games in the stead of their accustomed ceremonies. A handsome theatre and a very spacious amphitheatre were erected in Jerusalem, whither foreign musicians, actors, gladiators, were invited; to the no small scandal of the Jews, who held these things adverse to the true spirit of their religion; and still more were they offended when those places were adorned with trophies, which they mistook for images, and conceived to be idolatrous. Herod, to appease their murmurs, caused the armour to be taken down, to convince them there was no figure beneath it; but nothing could reconcile them to these heathenish novelties. Ten of the boldest among the people entered the theatre with daggers concealed under their clothes, with intent to murder the king, but were detected. Fearful of revolt, Herod fortified the city more strongly, and rebuilt Samaria as a place of defence, if he should need it. For a short season he regained his popularity by the care and generosity with which he saved the pec

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