f him, and defer his journey
to him; and lest, while he lived at Rome, he should lay plots for
the kingdom, and, moreover, do somewhat against himself. This letter
Antipater met with in Cilicia; but had received an account of Pheroras's
death before at Tarentum. This last news affected him deeply; not out
of any affection for Pheroras, but because he was dead without having
murdered his father, which he had promised him to do. And when he was
at Celenderis in Cilicia, he began to deliberate with himself about his
sailing home, as being much grieved with the ejection of his mother. Now
some of his friends advised him that he should tarry a while some where,
in expectation of further information. But others advised him to sail
home without delay; for that if he were once come thither, he would soon
put an end to all accusations, and that nothing afforded any weight to
his accusers at present but his absence. He was persuaded by these last,
and sailed on, and landed at the haven called Sebastus, which Herod had
built at vast expenses in honor of Caesar, and called Sebastus. And now
was Antipater evidently in a miserable condition, while nobody came to
him nor saluted him, as they did at his going away, with good wishes
of joyful acclamations; nor was there now any thing to hinder them
from entertaining him, on the contrary, with bitter curses, while they
supposed he was come to receive his punishment for the murder of his
brethren.

2. Now Quintilius Varus was at this time at Jerusalem, being sent to
succeed Saturninus as president of Syria, and was come as an assessor
to Herod, who had desired his advice in his present affairs; and as they
were sitting together, Antipater came upon them, without knowing any
thing of the matter; so he came into the palace clothed in purple. The
porters indeed received him in, but excluded his friends. And now he
was in great disorder, and presently understood the condition he was in,
while, upon his going to salute his father, he was repulsed by him,
who called him a murderer of his brethren, and a plotter of destruction
against himself, and told him that Varus should be his auditor and his
judge the very next day; so he found that what misfortunes he now heard
of were already upon him, with the greatness of which he went away in
confusion; upon which his mother and his wife met him, [which wife was
the daughter of Antigonus, who was king of the Jews before Herod,] from
whom he learned all