The history of the church from our Lords incarnation, to the twelth year of the Emperour Maricius Tiberius, or the Year of Christ 594 / as it was written in Greek, by Eusebius Pamphilius ..., Socrates Scholasticus, and Evagrius Scholasticus ... ; made English from that edition of these historians, which Valesius published at Paris in the years 1659, 1668, and 1673 ; also, The life of Constantine in four books, written by Eusibius Pamphilus, with Constantine's Oration to the convention of the saints, and Eusebius's Speech in praise of Constantine, spoken at his tricennalia ; Valesius's annotations on these authors, are done into English, and set at their proper places in the margin, as likewise a translation of his account of their lives and writings ; with two index's, the one, of the principal matters that occur in the text, the other, of those contained in the notes.

CHAP. VIII. Of Herods cruelty towards the Infants, and after how miserable a manner he ended his life.

NOW Christ being born in Bethlehem of Judaea at the time before manifested, according to the predictions of the Prophets, Herod, upon an enquiry made by the * 1.1 wise men that came from the East, asking where he was that was born King of the Jews? for they said they had seen his Star, and had therefore made such a long journey with diligence, because they most ardently desired to worship him that was born, as God: Herod, I say, being not a little troubled, judging his Govern∣ment to be in very imminent danger, demanded of the Doctors of the Law, then in the Nation, where they expected Christ should be born: when he knew of the Prophecy of * 1.2 Micah, who foretold he was to be born in Bethlehem; by one express Edict he commands all the young children both in Bethlehem and in all the coasts thereof from two years old and under, according to the time which

he had diligently enquired of the wise men, to be slain. For he supposed, as it was very likely, that Jesus would be involved in the same calamity with them that were about his age. But his Parents having had notice of the whole matter by an An∣gel that appeared to them, conveyed the young child into Egypt, and so he escaped the Kings bloudy plot. Thus much indeed the sacred writing of the Gospel sets forth. And now moreover it would be worth the while to see what immediate∣ly befell Herod upon account of his audacious wickedness acted towards Christ and those of the same age with him; How forthwith, without all delay, the Divine vengeance seized him whilst alive after such a manner, as to foreshew some be∣ginnings of those torments which awaited him af∣ter this life. And how he clouded the prosperous Successes of his Reign, as he judged them to be, with domestick calamities following one upon ano∣ther, with the murthers of his wife and children, and others of his nearest relations and dearest friends, I shall not now be able particularly to re∣count, in as much as the rehearsal of this mat∣ter would far surpass even all the most savage cruelty of every Tragedy; which Josephus in his History has at large declared▪ But, how after his cruel plot formed against our Sa∣viour and the other infants, he was forthwith smitten from heaven with a disease, as with a scourge, whereof he died, it will not be unfit to understand from the Authour himself, who in his * 1.3 seventeenth Book of Antiquities relates after how lamentable a manner he ended his life, writing word for word thus;

But the disease of Herod grew yet more bitterly violent, God exacting this judgment of his enormities upon him. He had a gentle feaver not expressing it self so much to the outward touch and feeling, as more grievous∣ly burning him within. Moreover he had a vehemently strong appetite after meat, but no∣thing could suffice him; he had an ulcer of the entrails with sharp conflictations especially of the Colick-gut: a phlegmatick and shining hu∣mour appeared about his feet. Moreover the disease had gotten about the lower belly, and more than that, there was a putrefaction of his Genitalls, and it bred worms; besides he had a shortness of breath, which was also unsavory; a troublesome flux of Rheum, which caused a perpetual difficulty of breathing. And, the patient having not strength to resist these things, there followed a convulsion of▪ all the parts. It was said therefore by the Divine▪s, and those who made it their business to give judgement of such things, that the hand of God was upon the King to punish him for his so oft repeated horrible offences.

Thus much therefore the foresaid Writer relates in the fore-mentioned Book. And in the Second a 1.4 Book of his History he speaks of him after the same manner, in these words:

After that he was taken with a disease which seising upon the whole state and habit of his body, tormented him exceedingly with several pains: He had a feaver but not of any acute kind, an insufferable itching over all his body, with continual tortures of the Colon: by the humours about his feet you would judge him to have been Hydropical; besides this, a strange inflammation of the lower belly, and such a putrefaction of the Genitalls as bred worms; moreover a shortness and difficulty of breathing with a convulsion of all the parts. This moved those of that time who pretended to know the mind of God, to term these diseases a punishment inflicted on him from heaven. But although he strugled with so many distempers, yet he hoped to live and recover, and sought for remedy. Passing there∣fore over Jordan he made use of the hot-waters that are neer Call••rhoe. They fall into the lake Asphaltites, but are so sweet that they are potable. There, when his Physitians thought it good to bathe his whole body in warm oil, being set into a bathing-vessel filled with oil, he was so weakened all over his body that he turned up his eyes as if he had been dead. But at the noise of his attendants outcries he came to himself again. After this, despairing of re∣covery, he gave order for the distribution of fifty b 1.5 Drachms to every one of his common Soul∣diers, but to his Comman∣ders and friends he gave great sums of money. From thence he returned to Jericho; and being now grown very melan∣choly, he did as it were threaten death it self, and resolved upon the commis∣sion of a most horrible and villanous fact. For he commanded all the emi∣nent personages that were in every town of Judaea to be summoned together and imprisoned in the Hip∣podrome. Then calling for his sister Salome and her husband Alexander, I know, said he, the Jews will rejoyce mightily at my death; but, if you will obey my commands, I can make my self to be lame••••ted by many, and obtain an honourable Funeral; as soon as breath is out of my body, doe you being guarded with Soul∣diers, kill all these men whom I have impriso∣ned; so all Judaea, yea every family shall though a∣gainst their wills, mourn at my death. And a little after he says, and again when he was tortured partly by want of sustenance, and partly by the Convulsions of his violent Cough, being overcome with continual torments he resolved to hasten his own death. And having taken an apple, he asked for a knife, for his manner was to cut them him∣self when ever he eat them; then looking round least there should be any one that might hin∣der him, he lifted up his right hand, as about to doe violence to himself. Moreover the same writer relates farther, how that a little before his death he most wickedly commanded c 1.6 another of his own sons, having slain d 1.7 two of them before, to be put to death, and then soon af∣ter died in most exquisite torture.

And such was the end Herod made, suffering a due punishment for his cruelty towards the infants of Bethle∣hem, which he contrived on purpose to destroy our Saviour. After his death an Angel appeared to Joseph then in Egypt, and commanded him to take the young Child and his Mother and return into Judea, telling him they were dead who sought the young Childs Life. To which the * 1.8 Evan∣gelist farther adds, saying, when he heard that Archelaus reigned in Judea in the room of his father Herod, he was afraid to go thither, not withstanding being warned of God in a dream he turned aside into the parts of Galilee.

Notes

• * 1.1

  Matt. 2. 1, 2, 3.
• * 1.2

  Micah. 5. 2.
• * 1.3

  Joseph. Antiq. B. 17. c. 8.
• a 1.4

  These words of Josephus we meet with now in the 1. B. 21. c. of his Hi∣story. But in the M. S. copies of Josephus in the Books were o∣therwise divided than now they are. That di∣vision Eu∣sebius fol∣lowed, and therefore no altera∣tion is here to be made. Vales.
• b 1.5

  The word 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 is derived from 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, that is, an hand∣full, as containing so many pieces of brass-money as would make an handfull, to wit▪ six. This word from the Greeks came not onely to the Romans, but, after the time of the Se••ucidae, to the Jews also; so Ezr. 2. 69. 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, the greek word with a very little alte∣ration, rendred by the 72 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, by us Drachms. Now four Attich Drachms make one ordi∣nary Shekel (so I call it to di∣stinguish it from that of the San∣ctuary which was twice as much) an ordinary shekel is two shil∣lings and six pence in our Coin. So that according to this account Herods largess came to six pounds and five shillings a man. Suid.
• c 1.6

  Antipater who was beheaded by his fathers command five days before his death. See Monta∣gues Acts and Mon.
• d 1.7

  Aristobulus and Alexander, who were strangled, at Samaria by his special command. I••.
• * 1.8

  Matt. 2. 22.