y prosperity with patience. So
he proposed to himself, by all means possible, to make away with me;
and built the walls of Gischala, which was the place of his nativity. He
then sent his brother Simon, and Jonathan, the son of Sisenna, and about
a hundred armed men, to Jerusalem, to Simon, the son of Gamaliel, [16]
in order to persuade him to induce the commonalty of Jerusalem to take
from me the government over the Galileans, and to give their suffrages
for conferring that authority upon him. This Simon was of the city of
Jerusalem, and of a very noble family of the sect of the Pharisees,
which are supposed to excel others in the accurate knowledge of the laws
of their country. He was a man of great wisdom and reason, and capable
of restoring public affairs by his prudence, when they were in an ill
posture. He was also an old friend and companion of John; but at that
time he had a difference with me. When therefore he had received such an
exhortation, he persuaded the high priests, Ananus, and Jesus the son of
Gamala, and some others of the same seditious faction, to cut me
down, now I was growing so great, and not to overlook me while I was
aggrandizing myself to the height of glory; and he said that it would be
for the advantage of the Galileans, if I were deprived of my government
there. Ananus also, and his friends, desired them to make no delay about
the matter, lest I should get the knowledge of what was doing too soon,
and should come and make an assault upon the city with a great army.
This was the counsel of Simon; but Artanus the high priest demonstrated
to them that this was not an easy thing to be done, because many of the
high priests and of the rulers of the people bore witness that I had
acted like an excellent general, and that it was the work of ill men to
accuse one against whom they had nothing to say.

39. When Simon heard Ananus say this, he desired that the messengers
would conceal the thing, and not let it come among many; for that he
would take care to have Josephus removed out of Galilee very quickly. So
he called for John's brother, [Simon,] and charged him that they should
send presents to Ananus and his friends; for, as he said, they might
probably by that means persuade them to change their minds. And indeed
Simon did at length thus compass what he aimed at; for Artanus, and
those with him, being corrupted by bribes, agreed to expel me out of
Galilee, without making the rest of the citizens