History of Armenia, by Father Michael Chamich; from B. C. 2247 to ...

88 HISTORY OF ARMENIA.
Bacur, through the medium of his friend
Lysanias the prince of Assyria, that if they
would dethrone Hyrcanus, the king and pontiff
of Jerusalem, and place him in the government
of that city, he would present them with 1,000
talents of gold, and 500 handsome women.
Barzaphran gladly accepted the offer, and dividing
his troops, sent Bacur with a portion along
thesea coasts toJudea, and he with the remainder
marched toward the Mediterranean. He drove
the Romans before him, and advanced as far as
Iconium, whence he returned to Assyria, for the
purpose of joining his colleague Bacur in Judea.
Before their junction, however, the latter,
assisted by Antigonus, had laid
siege to Jerusalem.
Hyrcanus, the king of this city, was
assisted by Herod and his eldest brother
Phseselus, so that a strong resistance was made.
Nothing was effected until the approach of
the
Pentecost, when Hyrcanus and Phgeselus
hearing that Barzaphran was on his
march to
Judea to join the besiegers, sent messengers to
him suing for peace. He received them with
much pretended respect, and dispatched to
Jerusalem a body of horse, under the command
of Gnelus, the butler of Tigranes, of the
tribe of the Gnunians, with the avowed purpose
of making a peace between Hyrcanus and
Antigonus, but with the secret design of as-