singular and minute coincidence well worth our notice, that Josephus records instances of this same Agrippa's obsequiousness to Roman authorities, of precisely the same kind. "About this time," says he, "King Agrippa went to Alexandria to salute Alexander, who had been sent by Nero to govern Egypt." (Bell. Jud. ii. c. 15. § 1.)

And again (what is yet more to our purpose), we read on another occasion, that Bernice accompanied Agrippa in one of these visits of ceremony; for having appointed Varus to take care of their kingdom in their absence, they went to Berytus with the intention of meeting Gessius (Florus) the Roman governor of Judæa." (Josephus's Life, § 11.)

66

This is a case singularly parallel to that in the Acts: for Gessius Florus held the very same office, in the same country, as Felix.

XXI.

Acts xxv. 23.-" And on the morrow, when Agrippa was come, and Bernice, with great pomp, and was entered into the place of hearing, with the chief captains, and principal men of the city, at Festus' commandment Paul was brought forth."

But

It might seem extraordinary that Bernice should be present on such an occasion-that a woman should take any share in an affair, one would have supposed, foreign to her, and exclusively belonging to the other sex. here again we have another proof of the veracity and accuracy of the sacred writings. For when Agrippa (the same Agrippa) endeavoured to combat the spirit of rebellion which was beginning to show itself amongst the Jews, and addressed them in that famous speech, given in Josephus, which throws so much light on the power and provincial polity of the Romans, he first of all " "placed

his sister Bernice (the same Bernice) in a conspicuous situation, upon the house of the Asamonæans, which was above the gallery, at the passage to the upper city, where the bridge joins the Temple to the gallery ;" and then he spoke to the people. And when his oration was ended, we read that both he and his sister shed tears, and so repressed much violence in the multitude." (Bell. Jud. ii. c. 16. § 3.)

There is another passage occurring in the Life of Josephus, which is no less valuable; for it serves to show yet further the political importance of Bernice, and how much she was in the habit of acting with Agrippa on all public occasions. One Philip, who was governor of Gamala and the country about it, under Agrippa, had occasion to communicate with the latter, probably on the subject of his escape from Jerusalem, where he had been recently in danger, and of his return to his own station. The transaction is thus described:

"He wrote to Agrippa and Bernice, and gave the letters to one of his freedmen to carry to Varus, who at that time was procurator of the kingdom, which the sovereigns (i. e. the king and his sister-wife) had entrusted him withal, while they were gone to Berytus to meet Gessius. When Varus had received these letters of Philip, and had learned that he was in safety, he was very uneasy at it, supposing that he should appear useless to the sovereigns (Baoiλevσiv) now Philip was come." (Josephus's Life, § 11.)

XXII.

Acts xxviii. 11, 12, 13.-" And after three months we departed in a ship of Alexandria, which had wintered in the isle, whose sign was Castor and Pollux. And landing at Syracuse, we tarried there three days. And from thence we fetched a compass, and came to

368 VERACITY OF THE GOSPELS AND ACTS. APPEND.

Rhegium and after one day the south wind blew, and we came the next day to Puteoli."

PUTEOLI, then, it should seem, was the destination of this vessel from Alexandria. Now, we may collect, from the independent testimony of the Jewish historian, that this was the port of Italy to which ships from Egypt and the Levant in those times commonly sailed. Thus, when Herod Agrippa went from Judæa to Rome, for the purpose of paying his court to Tiberius, and bettering his fortune, he directed his course first to Alexandria, for the sake of visiting a friend, and then crossing the Mediterranean, he landed at Puteoli. (Antiq. xviii. 7. § 4.) Again, when Herod the Tetrarch, at the instigation of Herodias, undertook a voyage to Rome, to solicit from Caligula a higher title, which might put him upon a level with his brotherin-law, Herod Agrippa, the latter pursued him to Italy, and both of them (says Josephus) landed at Dichæarchia (Puteoli), and found Caius at Baix. (Antiq. xviii. 8. § 2.)

Take a third instance. Josephus had himself occasion, when a young man, to go to Rome. On his passage the vessel in which he sailed foundered, but a ship from Cyrene picked him up, together with eighty of his companions; " and having safely arrived (says he) at Dichæarchia which the Italians called Puteoli, I became acquainted with Aliturus," &c. (Josephus's Life, § 3.)

In the last passage there is a singular resemblance to the circumstances of St. Paul's voyage. Josephus, though not going to Rome as a prisoner who had himself appealed from Felix to Cæsar, was going to Rome on account of two friends, whom Felix thought proper to send to Cæsar's judgment-seat-he suffered shipwreck-he was forwarded by another vessel coming from Africa, and finally he landed at Puteoli.

INDEX OF SUBJECTS.

Archelaus, his cruelty, 345-7; is Captivity, Babylonish, foretold

carries the Ark aside into the
house of Obededom, 136-9; Fill the waterpots" explained,