tobulus, in his stead.

2. And now Herod seemed to have healed the divisions in his family;
yet was he not without suspicion, as is frequently the case, of people
seeming to be reconciled to one another, but thought that, as Alexandra
had already made attempts tending to innovations, so did he fear that
she would go on therein, if she found a fit opportunity for so doing; so
he gave a command that she should dwell in the palace, and meddle with
no public affairs. Her guards also were so careful, that nothing she did
in private life every day was concealed. All these hardships put her out
of patience, by little and little and she began to hate Herod; for
as she had the pride of a woman to the utmost degree, she had great
indignation at this suspicious guard that was about her, as desirous
rather to undergo any thing that could befall her, than to be deprived
of her liberty of speech, and, under the notion of an honorary guard, to
live in a state of slavery and terror. She therefore sent to Cleopatra,
and made a long complaint of the circumstances she was in, and entreated
her to do her utmost for her assistance. Cleopatra hereupon advised her
to take her son with her, and come away immediately to her into Egypt.
This advice pleased her; and she had this contrivance for getting away:
She got two coffins made, as if they were to carry away two dead bodies
and put herself into one, and her son into the other and gave orders to
such of her servants as knew of her intentions to carry them away in the
night time. Now their road was to be thence to the sea-side and there
was a ship ready to carry them into Egypt. Now Aesop, one of her
servants, happened to fall upon Sabion, one of her friends, and spake of
this matter to him, as thinking he had known of it before. When Sabion
knew this, [who had formerly been an enemy of Herod, and been esteemed
one of those that laid snares for and gave the poison to [his father]
Antipater,] he expected that this discovery would change Herod's
hatred into kindness; so he told the king of this private stratagem of
Alexandra: whereupon be suffered her to proceed to the execution of her
project, and caught her in the very fact; but still he passed by her
offense; and though he had a great mind to do it, he durst not inflict
any thing that was severe upon her, for he knew that Cleopatra would not
bear that he should have her accused, on account of her hatred to him;
but made a show as if it were ra