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[656]
After this, the distemper seized upon his whole body, and greatly
disordered all its parts with various symptoms; for there was a gentle
fever upon him, and an intolerable itching over all the surface of his
body, and continual pains in his colon, and dropsical turnouts about his
feet, and an inflammation of the abdomen, and a putrefaction of his privy
member, that produced worms. Besides which he had a difficulty of breathing
upon him, and could not breathe but when he sat upright, and had a convulsion
of all his members, insomuch that the diviners said those diseases were
a punishment upon him for what he had done to the Rabbins. Yet did he struggle
with his numerous disorders, and still had a desire to live, and hoped
for recovery, and considered of several methods of cure. Accordingly, he
went over Jordan, and made use of those hot baths at Callirrhoe, which
ran into the lake Asphaltitis, but are themselves sweet enough to be drunk.
And here the physicians thought proper to bathe his whole body in warm
oil, by letting it down into a large vessel full of oil; whereupon his
eyes failed him, and he came and went as if he was dying; and as a tumult
was then made by his servants, at their voice he revived again. Yet did
he after this despair of recovery, and gave orders that each soldier should
have fifty drachmae a-piece, and that his commanders and friends should
have great sums of money given them.
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