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WHEN Herod was engaged in such matters, and when he had already re-edified
Sebaste, [Samaria,] he resolved to send his sons Alexander and Aristobulus
to Rome, to enjoy the company of Caesar; who, when they came thither, lodged
at the house of Pollio,
1
who was very fond of Herod's friendship; and they had leave to lodge in
Caesar's own palace, for he received these sons of Herod with all humanity,
and gave Herod leave to give his, kingdom to which of his sons he pleased;
and besides all this, he bestowed on him Trachon, and Batanea, and Auranitis,
which he gave him on the occasion following: One Zenodorus
2
had hired what was called the house of Lysanias, who, as he was not satisfied
with its revenues, became a partner with the robbers that inhabited the
Trachonites, and so procured himself a larger income; for the inhabitants
of those places lived in a mad way, and pillaged the country of the Damascenes,
while Zenodorus did not restrain them, but partook of the prey they acquired.
Now as the neighboring people were hereby great. sufferers, they complained
to Varro, who was then president [of Syria], and entreated him to write
to Caesar about this injustice of Zenodorus. When these matters were laid
before Caesar, he wrote back to Varro to destroy those nests of robbers,
and to give the land to Herod, that so by his care the neighboring countries
might be no longer disturbed with these doings of the Trachonites; for
it was not an easy firing to restrain them, since this way of robbery had
been their usual practice, and they had no other way to get their living,
because they had neither any city of their own, nor lands in their possession,
but only some receptacles and dens in the earth, and there they and their
cattle lived in common together. However, they had made contrivances to
get pools of water, and laid up corn in granaries for themselves, and were
able to make great resistance, by issuing out on the sudden against any
that attacked them; for the entrances of their caves were narrow, in which
but one could come in at a time, and the places within incredibly large,
and made very wide but the ground over their habitations was not very high,
but rather on a plain, while the rocks are altogether hard and difficult
to be entered upon, unless any one gets into the plain road by the guidance
of another, for these roads are not straight, but have several revolutions.
But when these men are hindered from their wicked preying upon their neighbors,
their custom is to prey one upon another, insomuch that no sort of injustice
comes amiss to them. But when Herod had received this grant from Caesar,
and was come into this country, he procured skillful guides, and put a
stop to their wicked robberies, and procured peace and quietness to the
neighboring people.