to the law of their fathers, and thereby obtain the
rewards which the law will confer on them for such actions of piety; for
that it was truly on account of Herod's rashness in making such things
as the law had forbidden, that his other misfortunes, and this distemper
also, which was so unusual among mankind, and with which he was now
afflicted, came upon him; for Herod had caused such things to be made
which were contrary to the law, of which he was accused by Judas and
Matthias; for the king had erected over the great gate of the temple a
large golden eagle, of great value, and had dedicated it to the temple.
Now the law forbids those that propose to live according to it, to erect
images [6] or representations of any living creature. So these wise men
persuaded [their scholars] to pull down the golden eagle; alleging, that
although they should incur any danger, which might bring them to their
deaths, the virtue of the action now proposed to them would appear much
more advantageous to them than the pleasures of life; since they would
die for the preservation and observation of the law of their fathers;
since they would also acquire an everlasting fame and commendation;
since they would be both commended by the present generation, and leave
an example of life that would never be forgotten to posterity; since
that common calamity of dying cannot be avoided by our living so as to
escape any such dangers; that therefore it is a right thing for those
who are in love with a virtuous conduct, to wait for that fatal hour by
such behavior as may carry them out of the world with praise and honor;
and that this will alleviate death to a great degree, thus to come at it
by the performance of brave actions, which bring us into danger of
it; and at the same time to leave that reputation behind them to their
children, and to all their relations, whether they be men or women,
which will be of great advantage to them afterward.

3. And with such discourses as this did these men excite the young men
to this action; and a report being come to them that the king was dead,
this was an addition to the wise men's persuasions; so, in the very
middle of the day, they got upon the place, they pulled down the eagle,
and cut it into pieces with axes, while a great number of the people
were in the temple. And now the king's captain, upon hearing what the
undertaking was, and supposing it was a thing of a higher nature than it
proved to be, came up