this point, he called to him the most eminent men among
them, and brought them upon the theater, and showed them the trophies,
and asked them what sort of things they took these trophies to be; and
when they cried out that they were the images of men, he gave order
that they should be stripped of these outward ornaments which were about
them, and showed them the naked pieces of wood; which pieces of wood,
now without any ornament, became matter of great sport and laughter
to them, because they had before always had the ornaments of images
themselves in derision.

3. When therefore Herod had thus got clear of the multitude, and had
dissipated the vehemency of passion under which they had been, the
greatest part of the people were disposed to change their conduct, and
not to be displeased at him any longer; but still some of them continued
in their displeasure against him, for his introduction of new customs,
and esteemed the violation of the laws of their country as likely to be
the origin of very great mischiefs to them, so that they deemed it an
instance of piety rather to hazard themselves [to be put to death], than
to seem as if they took no notice of Herod, who, upon the change he had
made in their government, introduced such customs, and that in a violent
manner, which they had never been used to before, as indeed in pretense
a king, but in reality one that showed himself an enemy to their whole
nation; on which account ten men that were citizens [of Jerusalem]
conspired together against him, and sware to one another to undergo any
dangers in the attempt, and took daggers with them under their garments
[for the purpose of killing Herod]. Now there was a certain blind man
among those conspirators who had thus sworn to one another, on account
of the indignation he had against what he heard to have been done;
he was not indeed able to afford the rest any assistance in the
undertaking, but was ready to undergo any suffering with them, if so
be they should come to any harm, insomuch that he became a very great
encourager of the rest of the undertakers.

4. When they had taken this resolution, and that by common consent, they
went into the theater, hoping that, in the first place, Herod himself
could not escape them, as they should fall upon him so unexpectedly; and
supposing, however, that if they missed him, they should kill a great
many of those that were about him; and this resolution they took, though
they should