Among those who dwelt in Caesarea was Elpis, eighth wife of the king,
with her daughter Salome, whose praises had been sung at the banquet of
Antipater. Both were renowned for beauty and the splendor of their
dress. Salome had the colors of the far north, and that perfect and
voluptuous contour found only in marble figures of Venus, above the
great purple sea, and, below it, in the daughters of men. She was
tall, shapely, full blooded. They called her Salome, child of the sun,
because she had the dark of night in her large eyes, the tints of
morning in her cheeks, and the gold of noonday in her hair.
When Manius came to seek her hand the king said, with a smile: "My
noble youth, she is for the like of Achilles--a man of heroic heart and
size. Have you no fear of her?"
Quickly Manius replied: "Know you not, O king! my fathers fought with
Achilles?"
"But they had the protection of the gods," said Herod, with a smile.
"However, you may find her favor sufficient. I have heard her speak
fair of you."
Now a quarrel had arisen between Elpis and a sister of Herod.
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