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376 DARKNESS AND DAWN
stupefaction by proposing to set up his own image in their
Temple, they had been on the verge of sedition.
'
Felix/ he added, ' only got oft' tbeir impeachment by the
influence of his brother, Pallas. Festus had hard work with
their bandits. At present they are raging in a first-rate quarrel
with young King Agrippa.'
He proceeded to tell them how Agrippa, for the delectation
of his friends, had built a dining-room at the top of his Palace,
so that his guests as they lay at the banquet could enjoy the
highly curious spectacle of all that was going on in the Temple
precincts. Indignant at this encroachment, the Jews built up
a blank wall of such a height as not only to exclude the view
from the Asmonsean Palace of Agrippa, but also to shut out
the surveillance of the Roman soldiers in the tower Antonia.
Agrippa was furious, and Festus ordered them to demolish the
wall. But they said that they would die rather than consent
to do this. They appealed to Nero, and Festus allowed them
to send their High Priest, Ishmael ben Phabi, with nine others,
to plead their cause with the Emperor.
' I suspect that this deputation was on board the vessel
whose shipwreck I mentioned,' said Julius.
'
Will this '
appeal be successful ? asked Vespasian.
'
I believe it '
will,' answered the centurion for ; Poppaea is
very favourable to the Jews.'
'
Shall we really see a Jewish High Priest in Rome '
? asked
Pompouia.
'
Yes, lady,' answered Julius '
but a ;
very unworthy one.
He rules by terror. He robs and defrauds the inferior priests
to such an extent that they die of starvation, and his blows
have become proverbial. To the disgust of the Jews he wears
silk gloves when he is offering sacrifice, in order to keep his
hands clean. And yet, so scrupulous are these oddest of
people, that they would not let his father perform the very
greatest sacrifice in their whole year because of the most insignificant
accident.'
' '
What was it ? asked Pornponia.
'
You will really hardly believe it. On the eve of the great
festival which they call the Kippurim, a sort of day of expiation
the father of this High Priest was talking to Aretas,
king of Arabia, and by an accident a speck of the Emir's saliva
fell on Ishmael's beard. This made him " unclean," in their