ipices of craggy mountains, and could not be come at from any side,
since they had only some winding pathways, very narrow, by which they
got up to them; but the rock that lay on their front had beneath it
valleys of a vast depth, and of an almost perpendicular declivity;
insomuch that the king was doubtful for a long time what to do, by
reason of a kind of impossibility there was of attacking the place.
Yet did he at length make use of a contrivance that was subject to the
utmost hazard; for he let down the most hardy of his men in chests, and
set them at the mouths of the dens. Now these men slew the robbers and
their families, and when they made resistance, they sent in fire upon
them [and burnt them]; and as Herod was desirous of saving some of them,
he had proclamation made, that they should come and deliver themselves
up to him; but not one of them came willingly to him; and of those that
were compelled to come, many preferred death to captivity. And here a
certain old man, the father of seven children, whose children, together
with their mother, desired him to give them leave to go out, upon the
assurance and right hand that was offered them, slew them after the
following manner: He ordered every one of them to go out, while he stood
himself at the cave's mouth, and slew that son of his perpetually who
went out. Herod was near enough to see this sight, and his bowels of
compassion were moved at it, and he stretched out his right hand to the
old man, and besought him to spare his children; yet did not he relent
at all upon what he said, but over and above reproached Herod on the
lowness of his descent, and slew his wife as well as his children; and
when he had thrown their dead bodies down the precipice, he at last
threw himself down after them.

5. By this means Herod subdued these caves, and the robbers that were
in them. He then left there a part of his army, as many as he thought
sufficient to prevent any sedition, and made Ptolemy their general, and
returned to Samaria; he led also with him three thousand armed footmen,
and six hundred horsemen, against Antigonus. Now here those that used
to raise tumults in Galilee, having liberty so to do upon his departure,
fell unexpectedly upon Ptolemy, the general of his forces, and slew him;
they also laid the country waste, and then retired to the bogs, and
to places not easily to be found. But when Herod was informed of this
insurrection, he came to the assistance of