and commanded them to come to him. But God himself hindered that
his intention, and this for his own advantage also; for had it
not so happened, he had certainly perished. For a fever having
seized upon him immediately, he wrote to Agrippa and Bernice, and
gave them to one of his freed-men to carry them to Varus, who at
this time was procurator of the kingdom, which the king and his
sister had intrusted him withal, while they were gone to Berytus
with an intention of meeting Gessius. When Varus had received
these letters of Philip, and had learned that he was preserved,
he was very uneasy at it, as supposing that he should appear
useless to the king and his sister, now Philip was come. He
therefore produced the carrier of the letters before the
multitude, and accused him of forging the same; and said that he
spake falsely when he related that Philip was at Jerusalem,
fighting among the Jews against the Romans. So he slew him. And
when this freed-man of Philip did not return again, Philip was
doubtful what should be the occasion of his stay, and sent a
second messenger with letters, that he might, upon his return,
inform him what had befallen the other that had been sent before,
and why he tarried so long. Varus accused this messenger also,
when he came, of telling a falsehood, and slew him. For he was
puffed up by the Syrians that were at Caesarea, and had great
expectations; for they said that Agrippa would be slain by the
Romans for the crimes which the Jews had committed, and that he
should himself take the government, as derived from their kings;
for Varus was, by the confession of all, of the royal family, as
being a descendant of Sohemus, who had enjoyed a tetrarchy about
Libanus; for which reason it was that he was puffed up, and kept
the letters to himself. He contrived, also, that the king should
not meet with those writings, by guarding all the passes, lest