sed, now he was directly caught
in so many crimes, whereby it was evidently demonstrated that he had
plotted against the king, and had been the cause of those misfortunes
which the young man was now under, unless he would moreover leave off
his cunning knavery, and his denials of what he was charged withal, and
confess the charge, and implore pardon of his brother, who still had a
kindness for him; but that if he would do so, he would afford him all
the assistance he was able.

4. With this advice Pheroras complied, and
putting himself into such a habit as might most move compassion, he came
with black cloth upon his body, and tears in his eyes, and threw himself
down at Herod's feet, and begged his pardon for what he had done, and
confessed that he had acted very wickedly, and was guilty of every thing
that he had been accused of, and lamented that disorder of his mind, and
distraction which his love to a woman, he said, had brought him to. So
when Archelaus had brought Pheroras to accuse and bear witness against
himself, he then made an excuse for him, and mitigated Herod's anger
towards him, and this by using certain domestical examples; for that
when he had suffered much greater mischiefs from a brother of his own,
he prefered the obligations of nature before the passion of revenge;
because it is in kingdoms as it is in gross bodies, where some member
or other is ever swelled by the body's weight, in which case it is not
proper to cut off such member, but to heal it by a gentle method of
cure.

5. Upon Arehelaus's saying this, and much more to the same purpose,
Herod's displeasure against Pheroras was mollified; yet did he persevere
in his own indignation against Alexander, and said he would have his
daughter divorced, and taken away from him, and this till he had brought
Herod to that pass, that, contrary to his former behavior to him,
he petitioned Archelaus for the young man, and that he would let his
daughter continue espoused to him: but Archelaus made him strongly
believe that he would permit her to be married to any one else, but not
to Alexander, because he looked upon it as a very valuable advantage,
that the relation they had contracted by that affinity, and the
privileges that went along with it, might be preserved. And when the
king said that his son would take it for a great favor to him, if he
would not dissolve that marriage, especially since they had already
children between the young man and her,