But Antipater himself, with even the consent of his father, when he had devised some opportunity for doing so, went to Borne, and procured a very efficacious poison from a certain female poisoner of Arabia, and gave it to the wife of Feroras, that while he himself was absent, it might be given to his father by a servant whom he himself had bribed for the purpose. But while Antipater was absent at Rome, Feroras died, and Herod received information about the poison which was thus stored up in the care of the wife of Feroras, from a handmaid who left her mistress in a passion. Accordingly, having summoned his brother's widow, he orders her to bring him the poison. She having left the palace as if for the purpose of getting it, threw herself down a height, but being brought half dead to the king, she said, "When your brother and my husband died, he said to me, Ο wife bring hither the poison that Antipater left us, and burn it in the fire before my eyes, in order that I may not carry with me to the shades below, a conscience which will be the avenger of my fratricide. But I threw a great portion of it into the fire, but kept back a small part for my own use in any doubtful circumstances, because I was afraid of you.91 But when she had given him the box she died. And as he had received many other proofs that Antipater was labouring to effect his father's death, Herod recalled him suddenly, and repudiated his mother. And when he had publicly accused his son of parricide, in the presence of Varus, the governor of Syria, who had come to Jerusalem at that time, he threw him into prison at Jericho. And when the father sought for the accomplices of his son, in order to slay them all together with his son by exquisite punishments, he was hindered by a violent attack of illness. The same year John the Evangelist was born. A.D. 4. Csesar Augustus was passing the forty-fifth year of his reign. At which time there were two sophists in Jerusalem, whom not a few of the young men used to follow when they expounded the law. It seemed a good opportunity to them while Herod was seen to throw down the golden eagle which the king had set up contrary to the laws of his country over the principal gate of the temple. And when it was thrown down, the king being very angry, got the better of his disease by the violence of his anger, and proceeding to the public asaem