ed to pare apples and eat them; he then
looked round about to see that there was nobody to hinder him, and lift
up his right hand as if he would stab himself; but Achiabus, his first
cousin, came running to him, and held his hand, and hindered him from
so doing; on which occasion a very great lamentation was made in the
palace, as if the king were expiring. As soon as ever Antipater heard
that, he took courage, and with joy in his looks, besought his keepers,
for a sum of money, to loose him and let him go; but the principal
keeper of the prison did not only obstruct him in that his intention,
but ran and told the king what his design was; hereupon the king cried
out louder than his distemper would well bear, and immediately sent some
of his guards and slew Antipater; he also gave order to have him
buried at Hyrcanium, and altered his testament again, and therein made
Archclaus, his eldest son, and the brother of Antipas, his successor,
and made Antipas tetrarch.

8. So Herod, having survived the slaughter of his son five days, died,
having reigned thirty-four years since he had caused Antigonus to be
slain, and obtained his kingdom; but thirty-seven years since he had
been made king by the Romans. Now as for his fortune, it was prosperous
in all other respects, if ever any other man could be so, since, from a
private man, he obtained the kingdom, and kept it so long, and left
it to his own sons; but still in his domestic affairs he was a most
unfortunate man. Now, before the soldiers knew of his death, Salome and
her husband came out and dismissed those that were in bonds, whom the
king had commanded to be slain, and told them that he had altered his
mind, and would have every one of them sent to their own homes. When
these men were gone, Salome, told the soldiers [the king was dead], and
got them and the rest of the multitude together to an assembly, in the
amphitheater at Jericho, where Ptolemy, who was intrusted by the king
with his signet ring, came before them, and spake of the happiness the
king had attained, and comforted the multitude, and read the epistle
which had been left for the soldiers, wherein he earnestly exhorted them
to bear good-will to his successor; and after he had read the epistle,
he opened and read his testament, wherein Philip was to inherit
Trachonitis, and the neighboring countries, and Antipas was to be
tetrarch, as we said before, and Archelaus was made king. He had also
been commanded to