tainment he invited them to at the eastle of Dochus. This Ptolemy did with a design to usurp the government of Judea to himself; and with that view he also sent a party to Gazara to seize John Hyrcanus, Simon's other son. But John was informed of what had happened and so prepared to receive them, that he dispatched the intended murderers, and hastening to Jerusalem, secured both the city and the temple; where he was declared by the people his father's successor in the pontificate, and principali ty of the Jews. Antiochus thinking to avail himself of these distractions, and being offended against Simon, and John his son, marched with a large army into Judea, and beseiged Jerusalem; and obliged John to accept of a peace upon hard terms; such as disarming the peoped and dismantling Jerusalem; paying also a tribute for Joppa, and other places held by the Jews out of Judea, and 500 talents to buy off the rebuilding of Acra. John after this, accompanied Antiochus to the Parthian war, in which he signalized himself with great renown; and returned home at the end of the year. But Antiochus, who chose to winter in the east, was with his whole army destroyed in one night by an insurrection of the natives; who taking the advantage of their being dispersed in separate quarters thro'out the country, rose upon them, and cut their throats in cold blood: so that Antiochus himself was slain? and out of 400,000 persons, of which his army consisted, scarce a man escaped to carry home the dismal tidings and news of this prodigious massacre. Phraates, the king of Parthia, having suffered much by this invasion of Antiochus, endeavoured to oblige him to withdraw his forces, by causing a diversion to be made in his own country, in favour of Demetrius Nicator, who had been his prisoner, and whom he sent into Syria, to attempt the recovery of his own kingdom. In the mean time this general massacre took place; so that when the news of Antiochus's death reached Syria, Demetriuswas without delay or opposition reinstated on the throne. But the tyranny afterwards of his conduct and proceedings, soon raised up a powerful and victorious competitor to dispute the crown with him; Alexander Zebina, the pretended son of Alexander Balas; who, assisted by Ptolemy Physcon, king of Egypt, defeated and routed Demetrius in the field, and taking him prisoner afterwards in Tyre, whither he went for refuge, there he died after suffering many indignities from his enemies. But Zebina being thus raised to the throne of Syria by the king of Egypt, refusing afterwards to do homage, and acknowledge his dependence on that crown, Ptolemy married his daughter Tryphæna to Antiochus Gryphus, the son of Nicator, whom he had advanced to the throne of Syria, and making war with Zebina, got him at length into his hands, and put him to death. John took the advantage of the distractions and revolutions of those times, to throw off the Syrian yoke. He begun the famous palace, called Baris, which Herod the Great afterwards perfected; it was made use of for the abode of the Asmonean princes. The building was square situ=> ated upon a steep rock, fifty cubits high from the side of the valley, which looked towards Jerusalem, but was upon a level with the temple. Herod made a citadel of it, which he called Antonia, in honour of his friend and protector Mark Antony. He took several cities on the borders of Judæa, amongst which was Shechem, the chief seat of the Samaritans, and destroyed the temple on mount Gerizzim. He extend. ed his conquests over the Idumæans, who were prevailed on to embrace the Jewish religion; so that from this time they exchanged the name of Idumæans or Edomites for that of Jews. He renewed the alliance with the Romans, and obtained greater privileges for his nation than they ever had enjoyed before; and concluded his military operations with the siege, and utter destruction of Samaria, under the conduct of his sons Aristobulus and Antigonus After these great and memorable actions, he enjoyed full quiet from all foreign wars; and had nothing to trouble him at home, but some short disturbances which arose from the false suggestions and insinuations of Eleazar, a Pharisee, who declar ing that John's mother was a captive and taken in the wars; he was therefore incapable of holding the high-priesthood It was under this John Hyrcanus the two so famous sects of the Pharisees and Sadducees arose in the synagouges, the latter of which he highly favoured at length; for having been educated a Pharisee, and incensed at their conduct on this ocsion, Jonathan, an intimate friend of his, and a Sadducee, made this a fit opportunity to influence and draw him over to his party and sect; so that John renounced the sect of the Pharisees forever, and not only repealed their ordinances and traditionary laws, but made it penal for any one to observe them. This arbitrary proceeding however lost him and his sons the affections of the people for some time; but having put a period to this sedition, he liv ed in great peace. He was an excellent governor, and dying in the thirtieth year of his administration, left five sons; but the high-priesthood and sovereignty he left to Judas Aristobulus, his eldest son. CHAP. XXIV: Aristobulas assumes the title of King of the Jews. His character. Alexandki Fannæus's Reign, Crue.ty, Wars, and Death. Civil Wars in Judea about the Succession. Pompey, the Roman General, seizes on the country and Government. The Sanhedrim removed, and restored. Antipater, the Father of Herod the Great, made Governor of Judea. Antipater poisoned. The Tumults that attended this treason. Herod's marriage with Mariamne, and Promotion. The Parthians take Jerusalem, which is retaken by Herod: His Cruelty and impiety. ARISTOBULUS was the first, But when Alexander was settled on since the captivity, that taking measures to change the form of the government into a monarchy, put on the diadem, and assumed the title of king though by the law of God, these offices were inconsistent, and were not to be appropriated by any but the Messiah. And as the regality of these Asmonæans was very tottering, so there were great irregularities in all their priesthoods: The suspicious and cruel disposition of Aristobulus; his having cast his own mother into prison, and starved her to death; and imprisoned all his brethren, except Antigonus, whom being misrepresented to him after wards, in a fit of jealousy, he ordered to be murdered; made his administration odious, and in short as his father had predicted; and he gave up the ghost in great anxiety of mind, after a reign of one year only: in which time however Antigonus had reduced the Ituræans to his obedience, and forced them to conform to the religion of the Jews. the throne, he put one of them to death, for having presumed to dispute the right of the crown with him; and took Absalom the younger, who was of a more philosophic and peaceful temper, into his favour, Having put his government on the best footing he could, he undertook an expedition against Ptolemais ; but being vanquished after by Ptolemy Lathyrus, who came to the assistance of Zoilus and the Gazæans, he lost a fine army; and was reduced to sue to Cleopatra for protection; who had seized upon Egypt, and having thrust her son Lathyrus out of the government, obliged him to withdraw to the island of Cyprus, of which he was then in possession.--Cleopatra was at first inclined to take advantage of Alexander's misfortunes and seize upon his dominions and person; but Ananias, one of her generals, by birth a Jew, and related to Alexander, disauaded her from taking so unjust a step, and obtained for him the protection he sought for. Notwithstanding this, Alexander's martial spirit could not long remain unactive, but meditated new acqui Aristobulus being dead, his wife Salome, called by the Greeks Alex. andra, released Alexander Jannæus, and his two brothers from prison...sitions and enterprises to employ it. is country being clear of foreign forces, he attacks an takes Cadara and Amathus in Syria. But being pursued by Theodorus, prince of Philadelphia, who had laid up a considerable treasure at Amathus he lost again the plunder he had taken, with 10,000 of his men, and all his baggage. This however did -not discourage him from attempting the reduction of Gaza; which he could not have taken, had it not been treacherously surrendered to him by Lysimachus, the governor's brother. Here Alexander gave a discretionary power to his soldiers to plunder the city, and destroy the inhabitants; and was the author of a most horrid and cruel scene of barbarity committed there; and reduced that ancient and famous city to ruin and desolation. After his return from the havock-and carnage he had committed at Gaza, which excited the horror and indignation of the people, he was grossly insulted by the populace at Jerusalem, while he was offering the usual sacrifices on the feast of tabernacles.But he made the people pay dear for it; for he fell upon them with his soldiers, and slew 6000- And from this time he took into his pay a large body of mercenaries from Pisidia and Cicilia, who always attended his person, and he raised an inclosure of wood round the temple and altar, to keep off the people while he officiated. This sedition being quieted, Alexander marches against the Moabites and Ammonites, and made them tributaries. In his return he demolished Amathus, which Theodorus had evacuated; but he lost the greatest part of his army, and with it had like so have lost his own life also, having fallen into an ambush, which Obedas, king of the Arabians, had laid for him near Gadara. This raised fresh discontents among his subjects, and new troubles at home; which was attended with the most unheard-of barbarities. For besides the above mentioned slaughter of -his own nation, he continued hostilities against them during the space of six years, in which time upwards of 50,000 Jews lost their lives.. All endeavours used and proposed by him, to bring about a reconciliation, and to live peaceably, served only to increase the hatred of the people against him; and upon his asking what would free them from their troubles they unanimously demanded his death. At length having called in the assistance of Demetrius Eucherus, king of Damascus they entirely routed him. After this defeat, Alexander retired to the mountains, where he was joined with a reinforcement of 6000 Jews, who were much concerned at his ill success; upon which Deme. treus, apprehensive of his own fafe: ty, withdrew, and left the rest of the rebels to fight their own cause. Shortly after the Jews themselves proclaimed war against Alexander ; but in several engagements he gained advantages, and at last having obliged the best of their men to shut themselves up in the city Bethome, he laid seige to it, and took it; and having got the men in his pow er, to the number of 800, he carried them to Jerusalem; and there gave a remarkable instance of his barbarity; for while he sat at an entertainment among his concubines, in a place from which he could see all that was done, he commanded these persons to be cru re cified; and before they were half dead, ordered their wives and children to be slain in their sights.On account of this and his other extraordinary cruelties, the Jews called him Thracian; because the people of that nation were marksbly cruel and bloody. Alexander after this resolving to revenge himself on the king of Damascus, he made war on him for three years successively, and took several places; after which returning home, he was received with marks of great respect by his subjects. His desire for martial atchievements not abating, though he was almost quite worn out with sicknesss, he undertook an expedtion against the castle of Ragaba, in the country of the Gerasens, though, through immoderate drinking, he had on him at the same time a quartan ague, which had continued three years, and now proved his death. His queen Alexandra, by his advice, concealed his death, till the castle was taken; when returning triumphantly to Jerusalem, she assembled the chiefs of the Pharisees, and having shewn them his body, and made them large concessions, told them they were at liberty to dispose of it, as they should think proper; and that though her husband had appointed her regent during the minority of her children, she would put every thing in their hands, and would do nothing in the administration, without their advice and concurrence. This artful and insinuating address to the Pharisees, who were very powerful, established them so faithfully in her interests, that they not only placed her with the titles and honours of queen at the head of the government, but be came lavish in their encomiums en the deceased king, whom they honoured with more than ordinary pomp and solemnity at his funeral. The Pharisees having got now the management of the administration, and of Hyrcanus and Aristobulus the sons of Alexander, had all the laws against Pharisaism abolished; and recalled all the exiles, set prisoners at liberty, and demanded justice against those that had advised the crucifixion of the 800 persons taken at Bethome. The queen made her eldest son Hyrcanus high-priest on account of his years, and the native indolence of his temper. But Aristobulus was a man of great ambition, and artful and insinuating in his manner; and therefore, as soon as his mother seemed to decline, being ill of a dangerous disease, he meditated to bring about a revolution, and usurp the sovereignty from his brother at her decease. In order to this, he had taken such effectual measures to secure the strong holds, and engage the garrisons therein to espouse his interest, that upon the death of his mother, he found himself strong enough to cope with, and dispute the crown with Hyrcanus, though Alexandra had declared him her successor. The armies of these two brothers, who were now competitors, met in the plains of Jericho; but Hyrcauus being deserted by most of his forces, resigned all pretensions to the crown and pontificate to Aristobulus, and was contented to live peaceably upon his own private fortune at Aristobulus's house. This resignation was a subject of great discontent as it had been of disappointment to some of Hyr |