At  this  time  king  Agrippa  advanced  Ismael,
the  son  of  Phabcus,  to  the  pontifical  dignity :  and
the  high-priests  now  detached  themselves  from
the  interests  of  the  other  priests,  and  the  gover-
nors, and  the  principal  officers,  and  the  inha-
bitants of  Jerusalem.  Each  of  the  high-priests
procured  the  attendance  of  a  guard,  composed
of  the  most  intrepid  and  seditious  people  they
could  select ;  and  they  vilified  their  adversaries
in  the  most  provoking  terms,  and  molested  them
by  casting  stones.  So  shameful  was  the  conduct
of  the  magistrates  in  neglecting  to  restrain  the
insolence  of  the  high-priests,  that  by  means  of
their  agents  they  destroyed  the  barns,  and  seized
the  thhes  belonging  to  the  other  priests,  many  of
the  poorer  sort  of  whom  actually  perished  for
want  of  food.  Had  no  order  of  government
been  established,  they  could  not  have  proceeded
to  greater  extremities.
Felix,  in  order  more  completely  to  terminate
this  sedition,  desired  the  leading  men  of  both  par-
ties to  visit  Nero  in  the  capacity  of  commissioners,


and  plead  the  cause  of  their  friends.  Soon  after
this,  the  emperor  transferred  the  government  to
Fortius  Festus,  when  some  of  the  most  consider-
able of  the  Cajsarean  Jews  repaired  to  Rome,  in
order  to  exhibit  accusations  against  Felix,  for  the
exercise  of  tyranny  and  injustice;  and  their  re-
presentations must  inevitably  have  produced  his
destruction,  but  for  the  interference  of  his  brother
Pallas,  who,  being  in  high  estimation  with  Nero,
solicited  and  obtained  his  pardon.
