The Manuscript Found in Saragossa (37 page)

The Jew shot the cabbalist a terrible glance, plunged into a valley and was soon lost to sight.

My grandfather would long since have retired to Jerusalem but the Parthians had just captured that city and driven out Herod, son of Antipas, who later was made King of Judaea by Antony.
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So my grandfather was forced to prolong his stay in Egypt and did not know where to go, for Lake Mareotis was now crowded with gondolas day and night and was the scene of the most scandalous behaviour. In the end my grandfather decided to brick up the windows which overlooked the lake and to immure himself in his house with his wife, Melea, and a child whom he called Mardochee.
Otherwise his door was open to no one except his old friend Dellius. Some years passed, Herod was made king and my grandfather again thought of settling in Jerusalem.

One day Dellius came to my grandfather's house and said to him, ‘My dear Hiskias, I have come to find out what I can do for you in Jerusalem. Antony and Cleopatra are sending me there. Give me a letter for Hillel, your father-in-law. I would like to consider him my host, although I am quite sure that I will be made to stay at court and not allowed to live in the house of a private citizen.'

My grandfather wept at the sight of someone who was setting off for Jerusalem. He gave Dellius a letter for Hillel, and the sum of thirty thousand darics, with instructions to buy on his behalf the finest house in Jerusalem. Dellius came back three weeks later. He informed my grandfather at once of his return, but let him know at the same time that he would not be able to see him for four days because he had business at court. When he eventually came to the house, he said:

‘My dear Hiskias, here is the contract of sale relating to the finest house in Jerusalem, that of your father-in-law. All the judges have set their seal to it and the act is in due form. Here is a letter from Hillel, who will continue to live in the house until you get there and will pay you rent. As for my trip, it was highly enjoyable. Herod was not in Jerusalem when I got there. His mother-in-law, Alexandra, invited me to supper with her two children: Mariamne, who had just married Herod, and the young Aristobulus,
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who was intended for the high priesthood but who found himself passed over in favour of a fellow from the gutter. Aristobulus looks like a god come down to earth. Picture the face of the most beautiful woman imaginable on the shoulders of the most handsome youth. As I have been speaking of nothing else since my return, Antony has said that they both simply must come here.'

‘What a very good idea,' said Cleopatra in reply. ‘Invite the wife of the King of Judaea here and in no time you'll have the Parthians swarming all over the Roman provinces.'

‘Well,' said Antony, ‘at least let's have this handsome youth come. We'll make him first cupbearer. Although I am not concerned about how beautiful slaves are, I would like those who serve me to be from the very best Roman families, or if barbarians, at least sons of kings.'

‘Splendid,' said Cleopatra. ‘Let's summon Aristobulus.'

‘Oh God of Israel and Jacob!' exclaimed my grandfather. ‘Did I hear what you said? An Asmonean
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of the purest blood of the Maccabees, a successor of Aaron, will be a page to the uncircumcised Antony? Antony, who has given himself over to every manner of impurity! I have lived too long, Dellius! I am going to retire, rend my garments, put on sackcloth and cover my head with ashes.'

My grandfather did as he said he would. He shut himself up in his house and wept over the tribulations of Zion; tears were his meat day and night. He would certainly have died of grief if Dellius had not arrived and shouted at his door, ‘Aristobulus will not be Antony's page. Herod has made him high priest! Herod has made him high priest!'

My grandfather opened the door, took heart somewhat from this news and began to live with his family again as he had done before.

Some time later Antony left for Armenia and Cleopatra followed him, intending to procure Arabia Petraea and Judaea as gifts. Dellius undertook the journey with them and gave a detailed account of it.

Alexandra had been confined to her palace on Herod's orders and had decided to escape with her son to see Cleopatra who, if the truth were known, was curious to set eyes on the handsome high priest. A person called Gabion
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discovered the plot and Herod had Aristobulus drowned in his bath. Cleopatra asked that his death be avenged but Antony replied that the king must be master in his own kingdom. To appease Cleopatra, however, he gave her a few towns that belonged to Herod.

‘After that,' continued Dellius, ‘we were witness to a great deal more. Herod, a real Jew at heart, leasêd back from Cleopatra the provinces she had taken from him. We went to Jerusalem to negotiate
this affair. Our queen wanted to give a seductive tone to the proceedings, but the good princess is fully thirty-five years old and Herod is in love with Mariamne, who is only twenty. Rather than respond to her blandishments he called the council together and proposed to have Cleopatra strangled, going so far as to assure them that Antony was tired of her and would be obliged to him if this were done. Fortunately, the council pointed out to him that although Antony would have been pleased to be rid of Cleopatra, he would still avenge her death; and they were quite right.

‘On our return we learned other news: Cleopatra stands accused in Rome of having bewitched Antony. The trial has not yet begun but it will very soon. What have you to say about all this? Do you still want to retire to Jerusalem, my dear Hiskias?'

‘Not at the moment,' replied my grandfather. ‘I would not be able to hide my attachment to the blood of the Maccabees and I am sure that Herod would have all the Asmoneans killed one after the other.'

‘Since you have decided to stay here,' Dellius went on, ‘let me retire here with you. I left the court yesterday. We will live here together within these walls, and will only leave when this country shall again have become a Roman province, which cannot be long away. As for my fortune, I entrusted it to your father-in-law. It amounts to thirty thousand darics. He has also asked me to pass on to you the rent for your house.'

My grandfather accepted his friend Dellius's proposal with joy and lived an even more retiring life than before. Dellius would go out occasionally and bring back news from the city. The rest of the time he devoted to teaching Mardochee, my future father, about Greek literature. He also often read the Holy Scriptures, for my father was trying to convert Dellius.

You know how Antony and Cleopatra finished their days. Egypt became a Roman province exactly as Dellius had predicted. But our household was so used to living apart from the world that political events brought no changes to our way of life. Meanwhile there was no shortage of news from Palestine. Herod, who was expected to follow Antony in his fall, gained Augustus's favour. His lost territories were restored to him, he conquered others, created an army, amassed treasure and built inexhaustible grain-stores, with the result that
already people were beginning to call him ‘the Great'. And indeed he might well have been called if not great then at least happy, if there had not been family quarrels which tarnished the brilliance of so remarkable a career.

When peace had returned to Palestine my grandfather went back to his old plan of settling there with his dear Mardochee, then thirteen years old. Dellius was equally attached to his pupil and felt no desire whatsoever to leave him. One day a Jew arrived from Jerusalem, carrying the following letter: