Number Of His Kindred.
He Is There Accused Before Caesar By Antipater; But Is
Superior To His Accusers In Judgment By The Means Of That
Defense Which Nicolaus Made For Him.

1. Archelaus went down now to the sea-side, with his mother and his
friends, Poplas, and Ptolemy, and Nicolaus, and left behind him Philip,
to be his steward in the palace, and to take care of his domestic
affairs. Salome went also along with him with her sons, as did also the
king's brethren and sons-in-law. These, in appearance, went to give him
all the assistance they were able, in order to secure his succession,
but in reality to accuse him for his breach of the laws by what he had
done at the temple.

2. But as they were come to Cesarea, Sabinus, the
procurator of Syria, met them; he was going up to Judea, to secure
Herod's effects; but Varus, [president of Syria,] who was come thither,
restrained him from going any farther. This Varus Archelaus had sent
for, by the earnest entreaty of Ptolemy. At this time, indeed, Sabinus,
to gratify Varus, neither went to the citadels, nor did he shut up the
treasuries where his father's money was laid up, but promised that
he would lie still, until Caesar should have taken cognizance of the
affair. So he abode at Cesarea; but as soon as those that were his
hinderance were gone, when Varus was gone to Antioch, and Archclaus was
sailed to Rome, he immediately went on to Jerusalem, and seized upon the
palace. And when he had called for the governors of the citadels, and
the stewards [of the king's private affairs], he tried to sift out the
accounts of the money, and to take possession of the citadels. But the
governors of those citadels were not unmindful of the commands laid upon
them by Archelaus, and continued to guard them, and said the custody of
them rather belonged to Caesar than to Archelaus.

3. In the mean time, Antipas went also to Rome, to strive for the
kingdom, and to insist that the former testament, wherein he was named
to be king, was valid before the latter testament. Salome had also
promised to assist him, as had many of Archelaus's kindred, who sailed
along with Archelaus himself also. He also carried along with him his
mother, and Ptolemy, the brother of Nicolaus, who seemed one of great
weight, on account of the great trust Herod put in him, he having been
one of his most honored friends. However, Antipas depended chiefly
upon Ireneus, the orator; upon whose authority h