The False Alexander

When Caesar had settled these affairs in this way, a certain young man, a Jew by birth but brought up at Sidon by a Roman freedman, passed himself off as one of Herod’s family because of his looks; for those who saw him declared that his face was that of Alexander, the son of Herod, whom Herod had put to death. This spurred him on to try to gain the throne. So he took as his helper a man of his own country, one well acquainted with the affairs of the palace, but otherwise a bad man, whose nature fitted him to cause great public disturbances, and who became the teacher of this mischievous scheme to the other. The young man declared himself to be Alexander, the son of Herod, saying that he had been stolen away by one of those sent to kill him, who in reality killed other men to deceive the onlookers, but saved both him and his brother Aristobulus. Elated by this, the man was able to impose on those who came to him. When he came to Crete, he made all the Jews who talked with him believe he was Alexander. And when he had collected a great deal of money that was given him there, he crossed over to Melos, where he got much more than he had before, because they believed he was of the royal family and hoped that he would recover his father’s kingdom and reward his benefactors. So he hurried on to Rome, escorted there by the friends who had entertained him. He was also so fortunate, on landing at Dicaearchia, as to draw the Jews there into the same delusion. Not only others, but all who had been close to Herod or had felt any kindness for him joined this man as their king. The reason was that people were glad of his claims, which were backed by the likeness of his face. This made those who had known Alexander firmly believe that he was none other than the very man, and they confirmed it to others on oath. So when the report went around that he was coming to Rome, the whole multitude of the Jews there went out to meet him, crediting divine providence with his unexpected escape and rejoicing greatly for the sake of his mother’s family. When he arrived, he was carried through the streets in a royal litter, with all the trappings that adorn kings, at the expense of those who entertained him. The crowds thronged around him and shouted their acclaim, and nothing was left undone that could be thought fitting for those who had been so unexpectedly preserved. [a]

When this was reported to Caesar, he did not believe it, because Herod was not easily deceived in matters of great concern to him. Yet having some suspicion that it might be so, he sent a certain Celadus, one of his freedmen who had known the young men themselves, and told him to bring Alexander before him. So Celadus brought him, being no more accurate in judging him than the rest of the multitude. But he did not deceive Caesar. For although there was a likeness between him and Alexander, it was not so exact as to deceive those with a discerning eye. This false Alexander had hands roughened by the labor he had been put to; and instead of the softness of body the real Alexander had from his delicate and noble upbringing, this man, for the opposite reason, had a rugged body. So when Caesar saw how master and pupil agreed in this lying story and in their bold way of talking, he asked about Aristobulus: what had become of him, who had supposedly been stolen away along with him, and why he had not come with him to try to recover the kingdom that was due to his high birth as well. The young man said that Aristobulus had been left on the island of Cyprus for fear of the dangers of the sea, so that if any accident befell himself, the descendants of Mariamne would not utterly perish, but Aristobulus might survive and punish those who had laid such treacherous plots against them. When he persisted in his claims, and the author of the fraud backed him up, Caesar took the young man aside and said to him: “If you do not deceive me, you will have this as your reward: you will escape with your life. Tell me, then, who you are, and who it was that had boldness enough to devise such a fraud as this. For this scheme is too great a piece of villainy to be undertaken by someone of your age.” Since he had no other course left, he told Caesar the scheme, and how it had been put together and by whom. So Caesar, seeing that the false Alexander was a strong, active man, fit to work with his hands, and so as not to break his promise to him, put him among those who rowed in the ships; but he put to death the man who had led him into what he had done. As for the people of Melos, he thought them punished enough by having thrown away so much of their money on this false Alexander. Such was the shameful end of this bold scheme about the false Alexander. [d]