ery zealous on the behalf
of Cumanus and the Samaritans; and they had prevailed over the Jews,
unless Agrippa, junior, who was then at Rome, had seen the principal of
the Jews hard set, and had earnestly entreated Agrippina, the emperor's
wife, to persuade her husband to hear the cause, so as was agreeable
to his justice, and to condemn those to be punished who were really the
authors of this revolt from the Roman government:--whereupon Claudius
was so well disposed beforehand, that when he had heard the cause, and
found that the Samaritans had been the ringleaders in those mischievous
doings, he gave order that those who came up to him should be slain,
and that Cureanus should be banished. He also gave order that Celer the
tribune should be carried back to Jerusalem, and should be drawn through
the city in the sight of all the people, and then should be slain.

CHAPTER 7. Felix Is Made Procurator Of Judea; As Also Concerning
Agrippa, Junior And His Sisters.

1. So Claudius sent Felix, the brother of Pallas, to take care of the
affairs of Judea; and when he had already completed the twelfth year of
his reign, he bestowed upon Agrippa the tetrarchy of Philip and Batanea,
and added thereto Trachonites, with Abila; which last had been the
tetrarchy of Lysanias; but he took from him Chalcis, when he had
been governor thereof four years. And when Agrippa had received these
countries as the gift of Caesar, he gave his sister Drusilla in marriage
to Azizus, king of Emesa, upon his consent to be circumcised; for
Epiphanes, the son of king Antiochus, had refused to marry her, because,
after he had promised her father formerly to come over to the Jewish
religion, he would not now perform that promise. He also gave Mariamne
in marriage to Archelaus, the son of Helcias, to whom she had formerly
been betrothed by Agrippa her father; from which marriage was derived a
daughter, whose name was Bernice.

2. But for the marriage of Drusilla with Azizus, it was in no long
time afterward dissolved upon the following occasion: While Felix was
procurator of Judea, he saw this Drusilla, and fell in love with her;
for she did indeed exceed all other women in beauty; and he sent to her
a person whose name was Simon [13] one of his friends; a Jew he was,
and by birth a Cypriot, and one who pretended to be a magician, and
endeavored to persuade her to forsake her present husband, and marry
him; and promised, that if she would not refuse