Antiquities Book 15, Chapter 4
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.
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.
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.
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 Archelaus and Nero Cæsar, when they restored Tigranes, his
younger brother, to that kingdom; but this happened a good while
afterward.
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.
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.
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.
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 Archelaus and Nero Cæsar, when they restored Tigranes, his
younger brother, to that kingdom; but this happened a good while
afterward.
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.