The Wars of the Jews or History of the Destruction of Jerusalem

F >> Flavius Josephus >> The Wars of the Jews or History of the Destruction of Jerusalem

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CHAPTER 6.

Placidus Attempts To Take Jotapata And Is Beaten Off. Vespasian
Marches Into Galilee.

1. And now Vespasian, with his son Titus, had tarried some time
at Ptolemais, and had put his army in order. But when Placidus,
who had overrun Galilee, and had besides slain a number of those
whom he had caught, (which were only the weaker part of the
Galileans, and such as were of timorous souls,) saw that the
warriors ran always to those cities whose walls had been built by
Josephus, he marched furiously against Jotapata, which was of
them all the strongest, as supposing he should easily take it by
a sudden surprise, and that he should thereby obtain great honor
to himself among the commanders, and bring a great advantage to
them in their future campaign; because if this strongest place of
them all were once taken, the rest would be so aftrighted as to
surrender themselves. But he was mightily mistaken in his
undertaking; for the men of Jotapata were apprized of his coming
to attack them, and came out of the city, and expected him there.
So they fought the Romans briskly when they least expected it,
being both many in number, and prepared for fighting, and of
great alacrity, as esteeming their country, their wives, and
their children to be in danger, and easily put the Romans to
flight, and wounded many of them, and slew seven of them; (4)
because their retreat was not made in a disorderly manner,
be-cause the strokes only touched the surface of their bodies,
which were covered with their armor in all parts, and because the
Jews did rather throw their weapons upon them from a great
distance, than venture to come hand to hand with them, and had
only light armor on, while the others were completely armed.
However, three men of the Jews' side were slain, and a few
wounded; so Placidus, finding himself unable to assault the city,
ran away.

2. But as Vespasian had a great mind to fall upon Galilee, he
marched out of Ptolemais, having put his army into that order
wherein the Romans used to march. He ordered those auxiliaries
which were lightly armed, and the archers, to march first, that
they might prevent any sudden insults from the enemy, and might
search out the woods that looked suspiciously, and were capable
of ambuscades. Next to these followed that part of the Romans
which was completely armed, both footmen ,and horsemen. Next to
these followed ten out of every hundred, carrying along with them
their arms, and what was necessary to measure out a camp withal;
and after them, such as were to make the road even and straight,
and if it were any where rough and hard to be passed over, to
plane it, and to cut down the woods that hindered their march,
that the army might not be in distress, or tired with their
march. Behind these he set such carriages of the army as belonged
both to himself and to the other commanders, with a considerable
number of their horsemen for their security. After these he
marched himself, having with him a select body of footmen, and
horsemen, and pikemen. After these came the peculiar cavalry of
his own legion, for there were a hundred and twenty horsemen that
peculiarly belonged to every legion. Next to these came the mules
that carried the engines for sieges, and the other warlike
machines of that nature. After these came the commanders of the
cohorts and tribunes, having about them soldiers chosen out of
the rest. Then came the ensigns encompassing the eagle, which is
at the head of every Roman legion, the king, and the strongest of
all birds, which seems to them a signal of dominion, and an omen
that they shall conquer all against whom they march; these sacred
ensigns are followed by the trumpeters. Then came the main army
in their squadrons and battalions, with six men in depth, which
were followed at last by a centurion, who, according to custom,
observed the rest. As for the servants of every legion, they all
followed the footmen, and led the baggage of the soldiers, which
was borne by the mules and other beasts of burden. But behind all
the legions carne the whole multitude of the mercenaries; and
those that brought up the rear came last of all for the security
of the whole army, being both footmen, and those in their armor
also, with a great number of horsemen.

3. And thus did Vespasian march with his army, and came to the
bounds of Galileo, where he pitched his camp and restrained his
soldiers, who were eager for war; he also showed his army to the
enemy, in order to affright them, and to afford them a season for
repentance, to see whether they would change their minds before
it came to a battle, and at the same time he got things ready for
besieging their strong minds. And indeed this sight of the
general brought many to repent of their revolt, and put them all
into a consternation; for those that were in Josephus's camp,
which was at the city called Garis, not far from Sepphoris, when
they heard that the war was come near them, and that the Romans
would suddenly fight them hand to hand, dispersed themselves and
fled, not only before they came to a battle, but before the enemy
ever came in sight, while Josephus and a few others were left
behind; and as he saw that he had not an army sufficient to
engage the enemy, that the spirits of the Jews were sunk, and
that the greater part would willingly come to terms, if they
might be credited, he already despaired of the success of the
whole war, and determined to get as far as he possibly could out
of danger; so he took those that staid along with him, and fled
to Tiberias.

CHAPTER 7.

Vespasian, When He Had Taken The City Gadaea Marches To Jotapata.
After A Long Siege The City Is Betrayed By A Deserter, And Taken
By Vespasian.

1. So Vespasian marched to the city Gadara, and took it upon the
first onset, because he found it destitute of any considerable
number of men grown up and fit for war. He came then into it, and
slew all the youth, the Romans having no mercy on any age
whatsoever; and this was done out of the hatred they bore the
nation, and because of the iniquity they had been guilty of in
the affair of Cestius. He also set fire not only to the city
itself, but to all the villas and small cities that were round
about it; some of them were quite destitute of inhabitants, and
out of some of them he carried the inhabitants as slaves into
captivity.

2. As to Josephus, his retiring to that city which he chose as
the most fit for his security, put it into great fear; for the
people of Tiberias did not imagine that he would have run away,
unless he had entirely despaired of the success of the war. And
indeed, as to that point, they were not mistaken about his
opinion; for he saw whither the affairs of the Jews would tend at
last, and was sensible that they had but one way of escaping, and
that was by repentance. However, although he expected that the
Romans would forgive him, yet did he chose to die many times
over, rather than to betray his country, and to dishonor that
supreme command of the army which had been intrusted with him, or
to live happily under those against whom he was sent to fight. He
determined, therefore, to give an exact account of affairs to the
principal men at Jerusalem by a letter, that he might not, by too
much aggrandizing the power of the enemy, make them too timorous;
nor, by relating that their power beneath the truth, might
encourage them to stand out when they were perhaps disposed to
repentance. He also sent them word, that if they thought of
coming to terms, they must suddenly write him an answer; or if
they resolved upon war, they must send him an army sufficient to
fight the Romans. Accordingly, he wrote these things, and sent
messengers immediately to carry his letter to Jerusalem.

3. Now Vespasian was very desirous of demolishing Jotapata, for
he had gotten intelligence that the greatest part of the enemy
had retired thither, and that it was, on other accounts, a place
of great security to them. Accordingly, he sent both foot-men and
horsemen to level the road, which was mountainous and rocky, not
without difficulty to be traveled over by footmen, but absolutely
impracticable for horsemen. Now these workmen accomplished what
they were about in four days' time, and opened a broad way for
the army. On the fifth day, which was the twenty-first of the
month Artemisius, (Jyar,) Josephus prevented him, and came from
Tiberias, and went into Jotapata, and raised the drooping spirits
of the Jews. And a certain deserter told this good news to
Vespasian, that Josephus had removed himself thither, which made
him make haste to the city, as supposing that with taking that he
should take all Judea, in case he could but withal get Josephus
under his power. So he took this news to be of the vastest
advantage to him, and believed it to be brought about by the
providence of God, that he who appeared to be the most prudent
man of all their enemies, had, of his own accord, shut himself up
in a place of sure custody. Accordingly, he sent Placidus with a
thousand horsemen, and Ebutius a decurion, a person that was of
eminency both in council and in action, to encompass the city
round, that Josephus might not escape away privately.

4. Vespasian also, the very next day, took his whole army and
followed them, and by marching till late in the evening, arrived
then at Jotapata; and bringing his army to the northern side of
the city, he pitched his camp on a certain small hill which was
seven furlongs from the city, and still greatly endeavored to be
well seen by the enemy, to put them into a consternation; which
was indeed so terrible to the Jews immediately, that no one of
them durst go out beyond the wall. Yet did the Romans put off the
attack at that time, because they had marched all the day,
although they placed a double row of battalions round the city,
with a third row beyond them round the whole, which consisted of
cavalry, in order to stop up every way for an exit; which thing
making the Jews despair of escaping, excited them to act more
boldly; for nothing makes men fight so desperately in war as
necessity.

5. Now when the next day an assault was made by the Romans, the
Jews at first staid out of the walls and opposed them, and met
them, as having formed themselves a camp before the city walls.
But when Vespasian had set against them the archers and slingers,
and the whole multitude that could throw to a great distance, he
permitted them to go to work, while he himself, with the footmen,
got upon an acclivity, whence the city might easily be taken.
Josephus was then in fear for the city, and leaped out, and all
the Jewish multitude with him; these fell together upon the
Romans in great numbers, and drove them away from the wall, and
performed a great many glorious and bold actions. Yet did they
suffer as much as they made the enemy suffer; for as despair of
deliverance encouraged the Jews, so did a sense of shame equally
encourage the Romans. These last had skill as well as strength;
the other had only courage, which armed them, and made them fight
furiously. And when the fight had lasted all day, it was put an
end to by the coming on of the night. They had wounded a great
many of the Romans, and killed of them thirteen men; of the Jews'
side seventeen were slain, and six hundred wounded.

6. On the next day the Jews made another attack upon the Romans,
and went out of the walls and fought a much more desperate battle
with them titan before. For they were now become more courageous
than formerly, and that on account of the unexpected good
opposition they had made the day before, as they found the Romans
also to fight more desperately; for a sense of shame inflamed
these into a passion, as esteeming their failure of a sudden
victory to be a kind of defeat. Thus did the Romans try to make
an impression upon the Jews till the fifth day continually, while
the people of Jotapata made sallies out, and fought at the walls
most desperately; nor were the Jews affrighted at the strength of
the enemy, nor were the Romans discouraged at the difficulties
they met with in taking the city.

7. Now Jotapata is almost all of it built on a precipice, having
on all the other sides of it every way valleys immensely deep and
steep, insomuch that those who would look down would have their
sight fail them before it reaches to the bottom. It is only to be
come at on the north side, where the utmost part of the city is
built on the mountain, as it ends obliquely at a plain. This
mountain Josephus had encompassed with a wall when he fortified
the city, that its top might not be capable of being seized upon
by the enemies. The city is covered all round with other
mountains, and can no way be seen till a man comes just upon it.
And this was the strong situation of Jotapata.

8. Vespasian, therefore, in order to try how he might overcome
the natural strength of the place, as well as the bold defense of
the Jews, made a resolution to prosecute the siege with vigor. To
that end he called the commanders that were under him to a
council of war, and consulted with them which way the assault
might be managed to the best advantage. And when the resolution
was there taken to raise a bank against that part of the wall
which was practicable, he sent his whole army abroad to get the
materials together. So when they had cut down all the trees on
the mountains that adjoined to the city, and had gotten together
a vast heap of stones, besides the wood they had cut down, some
of them brought hurdles, in order to avoid the effects of the
darts that were shot from above them. These hurdles they spread
over their banks, under cover whereof they formed their bank, and
so were little or nothing hurt by the darts that were thrown upon
them from the wall, while others pulled the neighboring hillocks
to pieces, and perpetually brought earth to them; so that while
they were busy three sorts of ways, nobody was idle. However, the
Jews cast great stones from the walls upon the hurdles which
protected the men, with all sorts of darts also; and the noise of
what could not reach them was yet so terrible, that it was some
impediment to the workmen.

9. Vespasian then set the engines for throwing stones and darts
round about the city. The number of the engines was in all a
hundred and sixty, and bid them fall to work, and dislodge those
that were upon the wall. At the same time such engines as were
intended for that purpose threw at once lances upon them with a
great noise, and stones of the weight of a talent were thrown by
the engines that were prepared for that purpose, together with
fire, and a vast multitude of arrows, which made the wall so
dangerous, that the Jews durst not only not come upon it, but
durst not come to those parts within the walls which were reached
by the engines; for the multitude of the Arabian archers, as well
also as all those that threw darts and slung stones, fell to work
at the same time with the engines. Yet did not the otters lie
still, when they could not throw at the Romans from a higher
place; for they then made sallies out of the city, like private
robbers, by parties, and pulled away the hurdles that covered the
workmen, and killed them when they were thus naked; and when
those workmen gave way, these cast away the earth that composed
the bank, and burnt the wooden parts of it, together with the
hurdles, till at length Vespasian perceived that the intervals
there were between the works were of disadvantage to him; for
those spaces of ground afforded the Jews a place for assaulting
the Romans. So he united the hurdles, and at the same time joined
one part of the army to the other, which prevented the private
excursions of the Jews.

10. And when the bank was now raised, and brought nearer than
ever to the battlements that belonged to the walls, Josephus
thought it would be entirely wrong in him if he could make no
contrivances in opposition to theirs, and that might be for the
city's preservation; so he got together his workmen, and ordered
them to build the wall higher; and while they said that this was
impossible to be done while so many darts were thrown at them, he
invented this sort of cover for them: He bid them fix piles, and
expand before them the raw hides of oxen newly killed, that these
hides by yielding and hollowing themselves when the stones were
thrown at them might receive them, for that the other darts would
slide off them, and the fire that was thrown would be quenched by
the moisture that was in them. And these he set before the
workmen, and under them these workmen went on with their works in
safety, and raised the wall higher, and that both by day and by
night, fill it was twenty cubits high. He also built a good
number of towers upon the wall, and fitted it to strong
battlements. This greatly discouraged the Romans, who in their
own opinions were already gotten within the walls, while they
were now at once astonished at Josephus's contrivance, and at the
fortitude of the citizens that were in the city.

11. And now Vespasian was plainly irritated at the great subtlety
of this stratagem, and at the boldness of the citizens of
Jotapata; for taking heart again upon the building of this wall,
they made fresh sallies upon the Romans, and had every day
conflicts with them by parties, together with all such
contrivances, as robbers make use of, and with the plundering of
all that came to hand, as also with the setting fire to all the
other works; and this till Vespasian made his army leave off
fighting them, and resolved to lie round the city, and to starve
them into a surrender, as supposing that either they would be
forced to petition him for mercy by want of provisions, or if
they should have the courage to hold out till the last, they
should perish by famine: and he concluded he should conquer them
the more easily in fighting, if he gave them an interval, and
then fell upon them when they were weakened by famine; but still
he gave orders that they should guard against their coming out of
the city.

12. Now the besieged had plenty of corn within the city, and
indeed of all necessaries, but they wanted water, because there
was no fountain in the city, the people being there usually
satisfied with rain water; yet is it a rare thing in that country
to have rain in summer, and at this season, during the siege,
they were in great distress for some contrivance to satisfy their
thirst; and they were very sad at this time particularly, as if
they were already in want of water entirely, for Josephus seeing
that the city abounded with other necessaries, and that the men
were of good courage, and being desirous to protract the siege to
the Romans longer than they expected, ordered their drink to be
given them by measure; but this scanty distribution of water by
measure was deemed by them as a thing more hard upon them than
the want of it; and their not being able to drink as much as they
would made them more desirous of drinking than they otherwise had
been; nay, they were as much disheartened hereby as if they were
come to the last degree of thirst. Nor were the Romans
unacquainted with the state they were in, for when they stood
over against them, beyond the wall, they could see them running
together, and taking their water by measure, which made them
throw their javelins thither the place being within their reach,
and kill a great many of them.

13. Hereupon Vespasian hoped that their receptacles of water
would in no long time be emptied, and that they would be forced
to deliver up the city to him; but Josephus being minded to break
such his hope, gave command that they should wet a great many of
their clothes, and hang them out about the battlements, till the
entire wall was of a sudden all wet with the running down of the
water. At this sight the Romans were discouraged, and under
consternation, when they saw them able to throw away in sport so
much water, when they supposed them not to have enough to drink
themselves. This made the Roman general despair of taking the
city by their want of necessaries, and to betake himself again to
arms, and to try to force them to surrender, which was what the
Jews greatly desired; for as they despaired of either themselves
or their city being able to escape, they preferred a death in
battle before one by hunger and thirst.

14. However, Josephus contrived another stratagem besides the
foregoing, to get plenty of what they wanted. There was a certain
rough and uneven place that could hardly be ascended, and on that
account was not guarded by the soldiers; so Josephus sent out
certain persons along the western parts of the valley, and by
them sent letters to whom he pleased of the Jews that were out of
the city, and procured from them what necessaries soever they
wanted in the city in abundance; he enjoined them also to creep
generally along by the watch as they came into the city, and to
cover their backs with such sheep-skins as had their wool upon
them, that if any one should spy them out in the night time, they
might be believed to be dogs. This was done till the watch
perceived their contrivance, and encompassed that rough place
about themselves.

15. And now it was that Josephus perceived that the city could
not hold out long, and that his own life would be in doubt if he
continued in it; so he consulted how he and the most potent men
of the city might fly out of it. When the multitude understood
this, they came all round about him, and begged of him not to
overlook them while they entirely depended on him, and him alone;
for that there was still hope of the city's deliverance, if he
would stay with them, because every body would undertake any
pains with great cheerfulness on his account, and in that case
there would be some comfort for them also, though they should be
taken: that it became him neither to fly from his enemies, nor to
desert his friends, nor to leap out of that city, as out of a
ship that was sinking in a storm, into which he came when it was
quiet and in a calm; for that by going away he would be the cause
of drowning the city, because nobody would then venture to oppose
the enemy when he was once gone, upon whom they wholly confided.
16. Hereupon Josephus avoided letting them know that he was to go
away to provide for his own safety, but told them that he would
go out of the city for their sakes; for that if he staid with
them, he should be able to do them little good while they were in
a safe condition; and that if they were once taken, he should
only perish with them to no purpose; but that if he were once
gotten free from this siege, he should be able to bring them very
great relief; for that he would then immediately get the
Galileans together, out of the country, in great multitudes, and
draw the Romans off their city by another war. That he did not
see what advantge he could bring to them now, by staying among
them, but only provoke the Romans to besiege them more closely,
as esteeming it a most valuable thing to take him; but that if
they were once informed that he was fled out of the city, they
would greatly remit of their eagerness against it. Yet did not
this plea move the people, but inflamed them the more to hang
about him. Accordingly, both the children and the old men, and
the women with their infants, came mourning to him, and fell down
before him, and all of them caught hold of his feet, and held him
fast, and besought him, with great lamentations, that he would
take his share with them in their fortune; and I think they did
this, not that they envied his deliverance, but that they hoped
for their own; for they could not think they should suffer any
great misfortune, provided Josephus would but stay with them.

17. Now Josephus thought, that if he resolved to stay, it would
be ascribed to their entreaties; and if he resolved to go away by
force, he should be put into custody. His commiseration also of
the people under their lamentations had much broken that his
eagerness to leave them; so he resolved to stay, and arming
himself with the common despair of the citizens, he said to them,
"Now is the time to begin to fight in earnest, when there is no
hope of deliverance left. It is a brave thing to prefer glory
before life, and to set about some such noble undertaking as may
be remembered by late posterity." Having said this, he fell to
work immediately, and made a sally, and dispersed the enemies'
out-guards, and ran as far as the Roman camp itself, and pulled
the coverings of their tents to pieces, that were upon their
banks, and set fire to their works. And this was the manner in
which he never left off fighting, neither the next day, nor the
day after it, but went on with it for a considerable number of
both days and nights.

18. Upon this, Vespasian, when he saw the Romans distressed by
these sallies, (though they were ashamed to be made to run away
by the Jews; and when at any time they made the Jews run away,
their heavy armor would not let them pursue them far; while the
Jews, when they had performed any action, and before they could
be hurt themselves, still retired into the city,) ordered his
armed men to avoid their onset, and not fight it out with men
under desperation, while nothing is more courageous than despair;
but that their violence would be quenched when they saw they
failed of their purposes, as fire is quenched when it wants fuel;
and that it was proper for the Romans to gain their victories as
cheap as they could, since they are not forced to fight, but only
to enlarge their own dominions. So he repelled the Jews in great
measure by the Arabian archers, and the Syrian slingers, and by
those that threw stones at them, nor was there any intermission
of the great number of their offensive engines. Now the Jews
suffered greatly by these engines, without being able to escape
from them; and when these engines threw their stones or javelins
a great way, and the Jews were within their reach, they pressed
hard upon the Romans, and fought desperately, without sparing
either soul or body, one part succoring another by turns, when it
was tired down.

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