J s 
poiTeil'on of flie 'government. With this advice the queen 
complied ; but found herfelf much embarraffed by the 
turbulent Pharifees, who, after feveral exorbitant de-. 
mands, would at la ft be contented with nothing lets than 
■ the. total extermination of their adverfaries the Sadducees. 
As the queen was unable to redd the ftrengthof the pha- 
rilaic faftion, a mod cruel pcrfecution immediately took 
place againd the Sadducees, which continued for four 
years; until, at lad, upon their earned petition, they were 
difperfed among the feveral garrifons of the 1 kingdom, in 
order to fecure them from the violence of: their enemies. 
A few years after-this, being feized with a dangerous 
ficknefs, her younged fon Aridobulus collected a drong 
party in order to fecure the crown to liimfelf; but the 
queen, being difpleafed with his conduft, appointed her 
other fon Hyrcanus, whom the had before made high- 
pried, to fucceed her alfo in the royal dignity. Soon after 
this flie expired, and left her tvyo fons competitors for the 
crown. The Pharifees railed an army againd Aridobu- 
lus, which almod indantly deferted to him, lo that Hyr- ' 
canus found liimfelf obliged to accept of peace upon any 
• terms; which, however, was not granted, till the latter 
‘ had abandoned ail title both to the royal and pontifical 
dignity, and contented liimfelf with the enjoyment of his 
peculiar patrimony- as a private perfon. 
But the depofition of Hyrcanus did not extinguilh his 
party. A new cabal was raifed by Antipater, an Idu- 
nuean profelyte, and father of Herod the Great; who car¬ 
ried off Hyrcanus into Arabia, under pretence that his 
life was in danger if he remained in Judea. Here he ap¬ 
plied to Aretas, king of that country, who undertook to 
redore the depofed monarch; and for-that purpofe in¬ 
vaded Judea, defeated Aridobulus, and kept him clolely 
befieged in Jerufalem. The latter, A.M. 3934, had re¬ 
course to the Romans ; and, having bribed Scaurus, one 
of their generals, he defeated Aretas, with the lofs of 7000 
of his men, and drove him quite out of the country. 
The two brothers next fent prefents to Pornpey, at that 
time commander-in-chief of all the Roman forces in the 
ealt, and whom they made the-arbitrator of their differ¬ 
ences. But he, fearing that Aridobulus, againd-whom 
lie intended to declare, might ob ft rued his intended ex¬ 
pedition againd the Nabatheans, difmiffed them with a 
promife, that as foon as lie had fubdued Aretas, he would 
come into Judea and decide their controverfy. 
This delay gave fucli offence to Aridobulus, that he 
fuddenly departed for Judea without even taking leave of 
the Roman general, who on his part was ho lefs offended 
at this want of refpeft. The confequence was, that Pom- 
pey entered Judea with thofe troops with which he had 
defigned to aft-againd the Nabatheans, and fummoned 
Aridobulus to appear before him. The Jewifh prince 
would gladly have been excufed; but was forced by his 
own people to comply with Pompey’s fummons, to avoid 
a war. with that general. He came.accofdingly more than 
once or twice to him, and was difmiffed with great pro- 
mifes and marks of friendfliip. But at lad Pornpey in¬ 
filled, that lie thould deliver into his .hands all the forti¬ 
fied places lie poffeffed ; which let Aridobulus plainly 
fee that he was in the intered of his brother: and upon 
' this lie lied to Jerufalem with a delign to oppofe the Ro¬ 
mans to the utmod of . his power. He was quickly fol¬ 
lowed by Pornpey ; and, to. prevent hoftilities,- was at lad 
forced to go and throw liimfelf at the feet of the haughty 
Roman, and to promife him a confiderable fum of money 
as the reward of his forbearance. This fubmiflion was 
accepted; bu.t Gabinus, being fent with fome troops to 
receive the dipulated fum, was repulled by the garrifon 
of Jerufalem, who Unit the gates againd him, and refuled 
to fulfil the agreement. This dilappointment fo exafpe- 
rated Pornpey, that lie immediately marched with liis 
whole army againd the city. 
The Roman general fird fent propolals of peace ; but, 
finding the Jews refolved to hand out to the lad, he be¬ 
gan the liege in form. As the place was ftrongly fortified 
Vol.X. No. 717. 
E W- ' 797 
both by nature and art, he might have found it very dif¬ 
ficult to accomplilh his delign, had not the Jews been 
.fuddenly feized-with a frelh qualm of confidence refpeft- 
ing the oblervance of the fabbath-day. From the time 
of the Maccabees they had made no fcruple of taking up 
.arms againd an offending enemy on the fabbathj but now 
they thought that, though it was lawful on that day to 
-dand on their defence in- cafe-they were aftualiy attacked, 
•yet it was unlawful to do any thing towards the prevent¬ 
ing of thofe preparatives which the enemy made'towards 
fuch future affaults. As therefore they never moved a 
hand to hinder the ereftion of mounds and batteries, or 
the making of breaches in their walls, on the fabbath, the 
• befiegers at lad made fuch a' confiderable breach on that 
day, that the garrifon could no longer refid them. The 
• city was therefore taken in the year 63 B. C. 12,000 of the 
inhabitants were flaughtered, and many more died by 
their own hands; while the prieds, who were offering up 
the ufual prayers and facrifices in the temple, chofe rather 
to be butchered along with their brethren than fuffer di¬ 
vine fervice to be one moment interrupted. At lad, af¬ 
ter the Romans had la dated their cruelty with the death 
of a vad number of the inhabitants, Hyrcanus was re¬ 
do red to the pontificaldignity with the title of prince ; 
but was forbidden to affume the title of king, to wear a 
diadem, or to extend his territories beyond the limits of 
Judea. To prevent future revolts, the walls were pulled 
down ; and Scaurus was left governor with a fufficient 
force. But Pornpey, before lie departed, gave the Jews a 
-dill greater offence than almod any thing he had hitherto 
done ; and that was by entering into the mod facred re¬ 
cedes of the temple, where he took a view of the golden 
table, candteftkk, cenfers, lamps, and all the other facred 
veffels; but, out of refpeft to the Deity, forbore to touch 
any of them, and Yvhen he came out commanded the 
prieds immediately to purify the temple according to 
ettdom. 
Pornpey, having thus fubdued thejewilh nation, fet out 
for Rome, carrying along with him Aridobulus 'and his 
two fons Alexander and Antigonus, as captives to adorn 
his future triumph. Aridobulus liimielf and his fon 
Antigonus were led in triumph; but Alexander found 
means to efcape into Judea, where he raifed an army of 
10,000 foot and 1500 horfe, and began to fortify feveral 
drong holds, from whence he made incurfions into the 
neighbouring- country. As for Hyrcanus, he no fooner 
found liimfelf freed from his rival brother, than lie relapfed 
into his former indolence, leaving the care of all his af¬ 
fairs to Antipater, who, like a true politician, failed not 
to turn the weaknefs of the prince to his own advantage 
and the aggrandizing of his family. He fore fa w, how¬ 
ever, that lie could not eafily compafs his ends, unlefs he 
ingratiated liimfelf with the Romans ; and therefore fpared 
neither pains nor cod to gain their favour. Scaurus foon 
after received from him a fupply of corn and other pro- 
vifions,without which his army, which he had led againd 
the metropolis of Arabia, would have been in danger of 
•perifliing; and, after this, he prevailed on the king to pay- 
three hundred talents to the-Romans, to prevent them 
from ravaging his country. Hyrcanus was now in no 
condition to face his enemy Alexander; and therefore had 
again recourfeto the Romans, Antipater at the fame time 
fending-as many troops as lie could fpare to join thein. 
Alexander ventured a battle ; but was defeated with con¬ 
fiderable lofs, and befieged in a drong fortrefs named 
Alexandrion. Here he would have been forced to furrem- 
- der ; but his mother, partly by her addrefs, and partly 
by the feryices (lie found means to do the Roman general, 
prevailed upon him to grant her fon a pardon for what 
was pad. The fortreffes were then demoliihed, that they 
might not give occafion to frefli revolts ; Hyrcanus was 
again redored to the pontifical dignity; and the province 
was divided into five feveral didriftsj- in each of which a 
feparate court of judicature was erected : the fird of tliefe 
was at Jerufalem, the fecond at Gadara, the third at Araa- 
9 11 tha # 
