their power, both as to the dead body, and as to the affairs of the
kingdom, and thereby pacified their anger against Alexander, and made
them bear goodwill and friendship to him; who then came among the
multitude, and made speeches to them, and laid before them the actions
of Alexander, and told them that they had lost a righteous king; and by
the commendation they gave him, they brought them to grieve, and to be
in heaviness for him, so that he had a funeral more splendid than
had any of the kings before him. Alexander left behind him two sons,
Hyrcanus and Aristobulus, but committed the kingdom to Alexandra.
Now, as to these two sons, Hyrcanus was indeed unable to manage
public affairs, and delighted rather in a quiet life; but the younger,
Aristobulus, was an active and a bold man; and for this woman herself,
Alexandra, she was loved by the multitude, because she seemed displeased
at the offenses her husband had been guilty of.

2. So she made Hyrcanus high priest, because he was the elder, but much
more because he cared not to meddle with politics, and permitted the
Pharisees to do every thing; to whom also she ordered the multitude to
be obedient. She also restored again those practices which the Pharisees
had introduced, according to the traditions of their forefathers, and
which her father-in-law, Hyrcanus, had abrogated. So she had indeed the
name of the regent, but the Pharisees had the authority; for it was they
who restored such as had been banished, and set such as were prisoners
at liberty, and, to say all at once, they differed in nothing from
lords. However, the queen also took care of the affairs of the kingdom,
and got together a great body of mercenary soldiers, and increased her
own army to such a degree, that she became terrible to the neighboring
tyrants, and took hostages of them: and the country was entirely at
peace, excepting the Pharisees; for they disturbed the queen, and
desired that she would kill those who persuaded Alexander to slay the
eight hundred men; after which they cut the throat of one of them,
Diogenes; and after him they did the same to several, one after another,
till the men that were the most potent came into the palace, and
Aristobulus with them, for he seemed to be displeased at what was done;
and it appeared openly, that if he had an opportunity, he would not
permit his mother to go on so. These put the queen in mind what great
dangers they had gone through, and great thin