Sect. V. Warre betwix•• Aretas and Herod.
There had been a long grudge betwixt Aretas the King of Arabia Petraea, and Herod the Tetrarch, and a field had beene fought between them before this. For Herod having put away his wife which was Aretas daughter, and having taken Hero∣dias (the wife of his owne brother Philip and hee yet living) in her stead, it is no wonder if Aretas dogged him for revenge for this indignity to his Daughter and himselfe. Wherefore hee beginneth to quarrell with him and to seek occasion of warre, by challenge of a territory controvertible, and they come to a pitched battell, in which Herods Army is utterly overthrown, by meanes of some treachery wrought by some fugitives from his brother Philips Tetrarchy which had taken up Armes to fight under his colours: And here, as Iosephus hath observed. It was the observation of divers that this his Army utterly perished through Gods just punishment upon him for the murder of Iohn the Baptist. And it is worth the marking, that this overthrow took beginning from men of that country whence Herodias the causer of that murder, and of the present disqui∣etnesse had come. Herod upon this defeat, doubtfull of better successe at another time, for it may bee his conscience told him this was but deserved, betaketh himselfe by letters to Ti∣berius, certifying him of the accident, and it is likely, not without much aggravation. The Emperour either displeased at the fortune of Aretas in his victory, or at his audaciousnesse in stirring so within the Empire, or at both together, sendeth angry letters to Vitellius the Governour of Syria, charging him to undertake the warre, and either to bring the rebellious King prisoner alive, or to send his head to Rome. But before the designe came to maturity, Tiberius that had thus threat∣ned another mans life had lost his owne, as will appeare here∣after: when this first battell was that was so fatall to Herod, it shall not bee insisted on to question, but that this brewing towards a new warre, befell in this yeer, is apparent sufficiently by the sequell.