e Mariamne had so won
upon Sohemus, by her presents and obliging behaviour,
that she drew all the secret from him,
with which Herod had entrusted him; so that
after his return, when he flew to her, with all the
transports of joy and love, she received him coldly
with sighs and tears, and all the marks of indifference
and aversion. This reception so stirred up
his indignation, that he had certainly slain her
with his own hands, had not he feared he himself
should become the greater sufferer by it. It
was not long after this, when he had another
violent return of love upon him; Mariamne was
therefore sent for to him, whom he endeavoured
to soften and reconcile with all possible conjugal
caresses, and endearments; but she declined his
embraces, and answered all his fondness, with bitter
invectives for the death of her father and
her brother.

'This behaviour so incensed Herod, that he
very hardly refrained from striking her; when
in the heat of their quarrel, there came in a
witness, suborned by some of Mariamne's enemies,
who accused her to the king of a design
to poison him. Herod was now prepared to hear
any thing in her prejudice, and immediately ordered
her servant to be stretched upon the rack;
who in the extremity of his tortures confest, that
his mistresses aversion to the king arose from
something Sohemus had told her; but as for any
design of poisoning, he utterly disowned the least
knowledge of it. This confession quickly proved
fatal to Sohemus, who now lay under the same
suspicions and sentence, that Joseph had before
him, on the like occasion. Nor would Herod
rest here; but accused her with great vehemence
of a design upon his life, and by his authority
with the judges had her publickly condemned
and executed.

'Herod soon after her decease grew melancholy
and dejected, retiring from the public administration
of affairs, into a solitary forest, and there
abandoned himself to all the black considerations,
which naturally arise from a passion made up of
love, remorse, pity and despair. He used to rave
for his Mariamne, and to call upon her in his distracted
fits; and in all probability, would have
soon followed her, had not his thoughts been
seasonably called off from so sad an object, by
public storms, which at that time very nearly
threatened him.'

Mr. Fenton in the conduct of this design, has