p most splendidly
adorned, and with his soldiers about him in their armor, to the temple
to celebrate the feast, and to put up many prayers for the recovery of
his brother, when some wicked persons, who had a great mind to raise
a difference between the brethren, made use of this opportunity of the
pompous appearance of Antigonus, and of the great actions which he had
done, and went to the king, and spitefully aggravated the pompous show
of his at the feast, and pretended that all these circumstances were not
like those of a private person; that these actions were indications of
an affectation of royal authority; and that his coming with a strong
body of men must be with an intention to kill him; and that his way of
reasoning was this: That it was a silly thing in him, while it was in
his power to reign himself, to look upon it as a great favor that he was
honored with a lower dignity by his brother.

2. Aristobulus yielded to these imputations, but took care both that his
brother should not suspect him, and that he himself might not run the
hazard of his own safety; so he ordered his guards to lie in a certain
place that was under ground, and dark; [he himself then lying sick in
the tower which was called Antonia;] and he commanded them, that in case
Antigonus came in to him unarmed, they should not touch any body, but if
armed, they should kill him; yet did he send to Antigonus, and desired
that he would come unarmed; but the queen, and those that joined with
her in the plot against Antigonus, persuaded the messenger to tell him
the direct contrary: how his brother had heard that he had made himself
a fine suit of armor for war, and desired him to come to him in that
armor, that he might see how fine it was. So Antigonus suspecting
no treachery, but depending on the good-will of his brother, came to
Aristobulus armed, as he used to be, with his entire armor, in order
to show it to him; but when he was come to a place which was called
Strato's Tower, where the passage happened to be exceeding dark,
the guards slew him; which death of his demonstrates that nothing is
stronger than envy and calumny, and that nothing does more certainly
divide the good-will and natural affections of men than those passions.
But here one may take occasion to wonder at one Judas, who was of
the sect of the Essens, [31] and who never missed the truth in his
predictions; for this man, when he saw Antigonus passing by the temple,
cried out to