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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




(9) Some commentators are ready to suppose that this" Zacharias,
the son of Baruch," here most unjustly slain by the Jews in the
temple, was the very same person with "Zacharias, the son of
Barachias," whom our Savior says the Jews "slew between the
temple and the altar," Matthew 23:35. This is a somewhat strange
exposition; since Zechariah the prophet was really "the son of
Barachiah," and "grandson of Iddo, Zechariah 1:1; and how he
died, we have no other account than that before us in St.
Matthew: while this "Zacharias" was "the son of Baruch." Since
the slaughter was past when our Savior spake these words, the
Jews had then already slain him; whereas this slaughter of
"Zacharias, the son of Baruch," in Josephus, was then about
thirty-four years future. And since the slaughter was "between
the temple and the altar," in the court of the priests, one of
the most sacred and remote parts of the whole temple; while this
was, in Josephus's own words, in the middle of the temple, and
much the most probably in the court of Israel only (for we have
had no intimation that the zealots had at this time profaned the
court of the priests. See B. V. ch. 1. sect. 2). Nor do I believe
that our Josephus, who always insists on the peculiar sacredness
of the inmost court, and of the holy house that was in it, would
have omitted so material an aggravation of this barbarous murder,
as perpetrated in. a place so very holy, had that been the true
place of it. See Antiq. B. XI. ch. 7. sect. 1, and the note here
on B. V. ch. 1. sect. 2.

(10) This prediction, that the city (Jerusalem) should then "be
taken, and the sanctuary burnt, by right of war, when a sedition
should invade Jews, and their own hands should pollute that
temple;" or, as it is B. VI. ch. 2. sect. 1, "when any one should
begin to slay his countrymen in the city;" is wanting in our
present copies of the Old Testament. See Essay on the Old Test.
p. 104--112. But this prediction, as Josephus well remarks here,
though, with the other predictions of the prophets, it was now
laughed at by the seditious, was by their very means soon exactly
fulfilled. However, I cannot but here take notice of Grotius's
positive assertion upon Matthew 26:9, here quoted by Dr. Hudson,
that "it ought to be taken for granted, as a certain truth, that
many predictions of the Jewish prophets were preserved, not in
writing, but by memory." Whereas, it seems to me so far from
certain, that I think it has no evidence nor probability at all.

(11) By these hiera, or "holy places," as distinct from cities,
must be meant "proseuchae," or "houses of prayer," out of cities;
of which we find mention made in the New Testament and other
authors. See Luke 6:12; Acts 16:13, 16; Antiq. B. XIV. ch. 10.
sect. 23; his Life, sect. 51. "In qua te quero proseucha?"
Juvenal Sat. III. yet. 296. They were situated sometimes by the
sides of rivers, Acts 16:13, or by the sea-side, Antiq. B. XIV.
ch. 10. sect. 23. So did the seventy-two interpreters go to pray
every morning by the sea-side before they went to their work, B.
XII. ch. 2. sect. 12.

(12) Gr. Galatia, and so everywhere.

(13) Whether this Somorrhon, or Somorrha, ought not to be here
written Gomorrha, as some MSS. in a manner have it, (for the
place meant by Josephus seems to be near Segor, or Zoar, at the
very south of the Dead Sea, hard by which stood Sodom and
Gomorrha,) cannot now be certainly determined, but seems by no
means improbable.

(14) This excellent prayer of Elisha is wanting in our copies, 2
Kings 2:21, 22, though it be referred to also in the Apostolical
Constitutions, B. VII. ch. 37., and the success of it is
mentioned in them all.

(15) See the note on B. V. ch. 13. sect. 6.

(16) Of these Roman affairs and tumults under Galba, Otho, and
Vitellius, here only touched upon by Josephus, see Tacitus,
Suelonius, and Dio, more largely. However, we may observe with
Ottius, that Josephus writes the name of the second of them not
Otto, with many others, but Otho, with the coins. See also the
note on ch. 11. sect. 4.

(17) Some of the ancients call this famous tree, or grove, an oak
others, a turpentine tree, or grove. It has been very famous in
all the past ages, and is so, I suppose, at this day; and that
particularly for an eminent mart or meeting of merchants there
every year, as the travelers inform us.

(18) Puetonius differs hardly three days from Josephus, and says
Otho perished on the ninety-fifth day of his reign. In Anthon.
See the note on ch. 11. sect. 4.

(19) This beginning and ending the observation of the Jewish
seventh day, or sabbath, with a priest's blowing of a trumpet, is
remarkable, and no where else mentioned, that I know of. Nor is
Reland's conjecture here improbable, that this was the very place
that has puzzled our commentators so long, called "Musach
Sabbati," the "Covert of the Sabbath," if that be the true
reading, 2 Kings 16:18, because here the proper priest stood dry,
under a "covering," to proclaim the beginning and ending of every
Jewish sabbath.

(20) The Roman authors that now remain say Vitellius had
children, whereas Josephus introduces here the Roman soldiers in
Judea saying he had none. Which of these assertions was the truth
I know not. Spanheim thinks he hath given a peculiar reason for
calling Vitellius "childless," though he really had children,
Diss. de Num. p. 649, 650; to which it appears very difficult to
give our assent.

(21) This brother of Vespasian was Flavius Sabinus, as Suetonius
informs us, in Vitell. sect. 15, and in Vespas. sect. 2. He is
also named by Josephus presently ch. 11. sect; 4.

(22) It is plain by the nature of the thing, as well as by
Josephus and Eutropius, that Vespasian was first of all saluted
emperor in Judea, and not till some time afterward in Egypt.
Whence Tacitus's and Suetonius's present copies must be correct
text, when they both say that he was first proclaimed in Egypt,
and that on the calends of July, while they still say it was the
fifth of the Nones or Ides of the same July before he was
proclaimed in Judea. I suppose the month they there intended was
June, and not July, as the copies now have it; nor does Tacitus's
coherence imply less. See Essay on the Revelation, p. 136.

(23) Here we have an authentic description of the bounds and
circumstances of Egypt, in the days of Vespasian and Titus.

(24) As Daniel was preferred by Darius and Cyrus, on account of
his having foretold the destruction of the Babylonian monarchy by
their means, and the consequent exaltation of the Medes and
Persians, Daniel 5:6 or rather, as Jeremiah, when he was a
prisoner, was set at liberty, and honorably treated by
Nebuzaradan, at the command of Nebuchadnezzar, on account of his
having foretold the destruction of Jerusalem by the Babylonians,
Jeremiah 40:1-7; so was our Josephus set at liberty, and
honorably treated, on account of his having foretold the
advancement of Vespasian and Titus to the Roman empire. All these
are most eminent instances of the interposition of Divine
Providence. and of the certainty of Divine predictions in the
great revolutions of the four monarchies. Several such-like
examples there are, both in the sacred and other histories, as in
the case of Joseph in Egypt. and of Jaddua the high priest, in
the days of Alexander the Great, etc.

(25) This is well observed by Josephus, that Vespasian, in order
to secure his success, and establish his government at first,
distributed his offices and places upon the foot of justice, and
bestowed them on such as best deserved them, and were best fit
for them. Which wise conduct in a mere heathen ought to put those
rulers and ministers of state to shame, who, professing
Christianity, act otherwise, and thereby expose themselves and
their kingdoms to vice and destruction.

(26) The numbers in Josephus, ch. 9. sect. 2, 9, for Galba seven
months seven days, for Otho three months two days, and here for
Vitellius eight months five days, do not agree with any Roman
historians, who also disagree among themselves. And, indeed,
Sealiger justly complains, as Dr. Hudson observes on ch. 9. sect.
2, that this period is very confused and uncertain in the ancient
authors. They were probably some of them contemporary together
for some time; one of the best evidences we have, I mean
Ptolemy's Canon, omits them all, as if they did not all together
reign one whole year, nor had a single Thoth, or new-year's day,
(which then fell upon August 6,) in their entire reigns. Dio
also, who says that Vitellius reigned a year within ten days,
does yet estimate all their reigns together at no more than one
year, one month, and two days.

(27) There are coins of this Casian Jupiter still extant.

BOOK V.



Containing The Interval Of Near Six Months.


From The Coming Of Titus To Besiege Jerusalem, To The
Great Extremity To Which The Jews Were Reduced.


CHAPTER 1.


Concerning The Seditions At Jerusalem And What Terrible
Miseries Afflicted The City By Their Means.

1. When therefore Titus had marched over that desert
which lies between Egypt and Syria, in the manner
forementioned, he came to Cesarea, having resolved to set his
forces in order at that place, before he began the war. Nay,
indeed, while he was assisting his father at
Alexandria, in settling that government which had been
newly conferred upon them by God, it so happened that the
sedition at Jerusalem was revived, and parted into three
factions, and that one faction fought against the other; which
partition in such evil cases may be said to be a good thing, and
the effect of Divine justice. Now as to the attack the zealots
made upon the people, and which I esteem the beginning of the
city's destruction, it hath been already explained after an
accurate manner; as also whence it
arose, and to how great a mischief it was increased. But for
the present sedition, one should not mistake if he called it a
sedition begotten by another sedition, and to be like a wild
beast grown mad, which, for want of food from abroad, fell now
upon eating its own flesh.

2. For Eleazar, the son of Simon, who made the first
separation of the zealots from the people, and made them retire
into the temple, appeared very angry at John's
insolent attempts, which he made everyday upon the
people; for this man never left off murdering; but the truth
was, that he could not bear to submit to a tyrant who set up
after him. So he being desirous of gaining the entire power and
dominion to himself, revolted from John, and took to his
assistance Judas the son of Chelcias, and Simon the
son of Ezron, who were among the men of greatest power.
There was also with him Hezekiah, the son of Chobar, a
person of eminence. Each of these were followed by a
great many of the zealots; these seized upon the inner
court of the temple (1) and laid their arms upon the holy
gates, and over the holy fronts of that court. And because they
had plenty of provisions, they were of good courage, for there
was a great abundance of what was consecrated
to sacred uses, and they scrupled not the making use of
them; yet were they afraid, on account of their small
number; and when they had laid up their arms there, they did
not stir from the place they were in. Now as to John, what
advantage he had above Eleazar in the multitude of
his followers, the like disadvantage he had in the situation he
was in, since he had his enemies over his head; and as he could
not make any assault upon them without some
terror, so was his anger too great to let them be at rest; nay,
although he suffered more mischief from Eleazar and his party
than he could inflict upon them, yet would he not leave off
assaulting them, insomuch that there were
continual sallies made one against another, as well as darts
thrown at one another, and the temple was defiled every
where with murders.

3. But now the tyrant Simon, the son of Gioras, whom the people
had invited in, out of the hopes they had of his
assistance in the great distresses they were in, having in his
power the upper city, and a great part of the lower, did now make
more vehement assaults upon John and his
party, because they were fought against from above also; yet
was he beneath their situation when he attacked them, as they
were beneath the attacks of the others above them. Whereby it
came to pass that John did both receive and
inflict great damage, and that easily, as he was fought
against on both sides; and the same advantage that
Eleazar and his party had over him, since he was beneath them,
the same advantage had he, by his higher situation, over Simon.
On which account he easily repelled the
attacks that were made from beneath, by the weapons
thrown from their hands only; but was obliged to repel
those that threw their darts from the temple above him, by his
engines of war; for he had such engines as threw darts, and
javelins, and stones, and that in no small number, by which he
did not only defend himself from such as fought against him, but
slew moreover many of the priests, as they were about their
sacred ministrations. For notwithstanding these men were mad with
all sorts of impiety, yet did they still admit those that desired
to offer their sacrifices, although they took care to search the
people of their own country beforehand, and both suspected and
watched
them; while they were not so much afraid of strangers, who,
although they had gotten leave of them, how cruel soever they
were, to come into that court, were yet often destroyed by this
sedition; for those darts that were thrown by the engines came
with that force, that they went over all the buildings, and
reached as far as the altar, and the temple itself, and fell upon
the priests, and those (2) that were about the sacred offices;
insomuch that many persons who came thither with great zeal from
the ends of the earth, to offer sacrifices at this celebrated
place, which was
esteemed holy by all mankind, fell down before their own
sacrifices themselves, and sprinkled that altar which was
venerable among all men, both Greeks and Barbarians,
with their own blood; till the dead bodies of strangers were
mingled together with those of their own country, and those of
profane persons with those of the priests, and the blood of all
sorts of dead carcasses stood in lakes in the holy courts
themselves. And now, "O must wretched city, what
misery so great as this didst thou suffer from the Romans, when
they came to purify thee from thy intestine hatred! 'For thou
couldst be no longer a place fit for God, nor
couldst thou long continue in being, after thou hadst been a
sepulcher for the bodies of thy own people, and hadst
made the holy house itself a burying-place in this civil war of
thine. Yet mayst thou again grow better, if perchance thou wilt
hereafter appease the anger of that God who is the author of thy
destruction." But I must restrain myself from these passions by
the rules of history, since this is not a proper time for
domestical lamentations, but for historical narrations; I
therefore return to the operations that follow in this sedition.
(3)

4. And now there were three treacherous factions in the
city, the one parted from the other. Eleazar and his party,
that kept the sacred first-fruits, came against John in their
cups. Those that were with John plundered the populace,
and went out with zeal against Simon. This Simon had his supply
of provisions from the city, in opposition to the seditious.
When, therefore, John was assaulted on both
sides, he made his men turn about, throwing his darts upon
those citizens that came up against him, from the cloisters he
had in his possession, while he opposed those that
attacked him from the temple by his engines of war. And if at
any time he was freed from those that were above him, which
happened frequently, from their being drunk and
tired, he sallied out with a great number upon Simon and his
party; and this he did always in such parts of the city as he
could come at, till he set on fire those houses that were full of
corn, and of all other provisions. (4) The same thing was done by
Simon, when, upon the other's retreat, he
attacked the city also; as if they had, on purpose, done it to
serve the Romans, by destroying what the city had laid up against
the siege, and by thus cutting off the nerves of their own power.
Accordingly, it so came to pass, that all the places that were
about the temple were burnt down, and
were become an intermediate desert space, ready for
fighting on both sides of it; and that almost all that corn was
burnt, which would have been sufficient for a siege of many
years. So they were taken by the means of the famine,
which it was impossible they should have been, unless they had
thus prepared the way for it by this procedure.

5. And now, as the city was engaged in a war on all sides, from
these treacherous crowds of wicked men, the people
of the city, between them, were like a great body torn in
pieces. The aged men and the women were in such
distress by their internal calamities, that they wished for the
Romans, and earnestly hoped for an external war, in order to
their delivery from their domestical miseries. The citizens
themselves were under a terrible consternation and fear; nor had
they any opportunity of taking counsel, and of
changing their conduct; nor were there any hopes of
coming to an agreement with their enemies; nor could such as
had a mind flee away; for guards were set at all places, and the
heads of the robbers, although they were seditious one against
another in other respects, yet did they agree in killing those
that were for peace with the Romans, or were suspected of an
inclination to desert them, as their common enemies. They agreed
in nothing but this, to kill those that were innocent. The noise
also of those that were fighting was incessant, both by day and
by night; but the
lamentations of those that mourned exceeded the other; nor was
there ever any occasion for them to leave off their
lamentations, because their calamities came perpetually
one upon another, although the deep consternation they
were in prevented their outward wailing; but being
constrained by their fear to conceal their inward passions,
they were inwardly tormented, without daring to open their lips
in groans. :Nor was any regard paid to those that were still
alive, by their relations; nor was there any care taken of burial
for those that were dead; the occasion of both which was this,
that every one despaired of himself; for those that were not
among the seditious had no great desires of any thing, as
expecting for certain that they should very soon be destroyed;
but for the seditious themselves, they fought against each other,
while they trod upon the dead bodies as they lay heaped one upon
another, and taking up a mad rage from those dead bodies that
were under their feet,
became the fiercer thereupon. They, moreover, were still
inventing somewhat or other that was pernicious against
themselves; and when they had resolved upon any thing,
they executed it without mercy, and omitted no method of
torment or of barbarity. Nay, John abused the sacred
materials, (5) and employed them in the construction of his
engines of war; for the people and the priests had formerly
determined to support the temple, and raise the holy house twenty
cubits higher; for king Agrippa had at a very great expense, and
with very great pains, brought thither such materials as were
proper for that purpose, being pieces of timber very well worth
seeing, both for their straightness and their largeness; but the
war coming on, and interrupting the work, John had them cut, and
prepared for the building him towers, he finding them long enough
to oppose from
them those his adversaries that thought him from the
temple that was above him. He also had them brought and
erected behind the inner court over against the west end of the
cloisters, where alone he could erect them ; whereas the other
sides of that court had so many steps as would not let them come
nigh enough the cloisters.

6. Thus did John hope to be too hard for his enemies by
these engines constructed by his impiety; but God himself
demonstrated that his pains would prove of no use to him, by
bringing the Romans upon him, before he had reared
any of his towers; for Titus, when he had gotten together part
of his forces about him, and had ordered the rest to meet him at
Jerusalem, marched out of Cesarea. He had
with him those three legions that had accompanied his
father when he laid Judea waste, together with that twelfth
legion which had been formerly beaten with Cestius; which legion,
as it was otherwise remarkable for its valor, so did it march on
now with greater alacrity to avenge themselves
on the Jews, as remembering what they had formerly
suffered from them. Of these legions he ordered the fifth to
meet him, by going through Emmaus, and the tenth to go
up by Jericho; he also moved himself, together with the
rest; besides whom, marched those auxiliaries that came
from the kings, being now more in number than before,
together with a considerable number that came to his
assistance from Syria. Those also that had been selected out of
these four legions, and sent with Mucianus to Italy, had their
places filled up out of these soldiers that came out of Egypt
with Titus; who were two thousand men, chosen
out of the armies at Alexandria. There followed him also three
thousand drawn from those that guarded the river
Euphrates; as also there came Tiberius Alexander, who
was a friend of his, most valuable, both for his good-will to
him, and for his prudence. He had formerly been governor of
Alexandria, but was now thought worthy to be general of the army
[under Titus]. The reason of this was, that he had been the first
who encouraged Vespasian very lately to
accept this his new dominion, and joined himself to him with
great fidelity, when things were uncertain, and fortune had not
yet declared for him. He also followed Titus as a
counselor, very useful to him in this war, both by his age and
skill in such affairs.

CHAPTER 2.



How Titus Marched To Jerusalem, And How He Was In
Danger As He Was Taking A View O The City Of The
Place Also Where He Pitched His Camp

1. Now, as Titus was upon his march into the enemy's
country, the auxiliaries that were sent by the kings marched
first, having all the other auxiliaries with them; after whom
followed those that were to prepare the roads and measure out the
camp; then came the commander's baggage, and
after that the other soldiers, who were completely armed to
support them; then came Titus himself, having with him
another select body; and then came the pikemen; after
whom came the horse belonging to that legion. All these
came before the engines; and after these engines came the
tribunes and the leaders of the cohorts, with their select
bodies; after these came the ensigns, with the eagle; and before
those ensigns came the trumpeters belonging to
them; next these came the main body of the army in their ranks,
every rank being six deep; the servants belonging to every legion
came after these; and before these last their baggage; the
mercenaries came last, and those that
guarded them brought up the rear. Now Titus, according to the
Roman usage, went in the front of the army after a
decent manner, and marched through Samaria to Gophna,
a city that had been formerly taken by his father, and was then
garrisoned by Roman soldiers; and when he had
lodged there one night, he marched on in the morning; and when
he had gone as far as a day's march, he pitched his camp at that
valley which the Jews, in their own tongue, call "the Valley of
Thorns," near a certain village called Gabaothsath, which
signifies "the Hill of Saul," being distant from Jerusalem about
thirty furlongs. (6) There it was that he chose out six hundred
select horsemen, and went to
take a view of the city, to observe what strength it was of,
and how courageous the Jews were; whether, when they
saw him, and before they came to a direct battle, they
would be affrighted and submit; for he had been informed what
was really true, that the people who were fallen under the power
of the seditious and the robbers were greatly
desirous of peace; but being too weak to rise up against the
rest, they lay still.

2. Now, so long as he rode along the straight road which led to
the wall of the city, nobody appeared out of the
gates; but when he went out of that road, and declined
towards the tower Psephinus, and led the band of
horsemen obliquely, an immense number of the Jews
leaped out suddenly at the towers called the "Women's
Towers," through that gate which was over against the
monuments of queen Helena, and intercepted his horse;
and standing directly opposite to those that still ran along
the road, hindered them from joining those that had
declined out of it. They intercepted Titus also, with a few
other. Now it was here impossible for him to go forward, because
all the places had trenches dug in them from the wall, to
preserve the gardens round about, and were full of gardens
obliquely situated, and of many hedges; and to
return back to his own men, he saw it was also impossible, by
reason of the multitude of the enemies that lay between them;
many of whom did not so much as know that the king was in any
danger, but supposed him still among them. So he perceived that
his preservation must be wholly owing to his own courage, and
turned his horse about, and cried out aloud to those that were
about him to follow him, and ran with violence into the midst of
his enemies, in order to force his way through them to his own
men. And hence we may
principally learn, that both the success of wars, and the
dangers that kings (7) are in, are under the providence of God;
for while such a number of darts were thrown at Titus, when he
had neither his head-piece on, nor his breastplate, (for, as I
told you, he went out not to fight, but to view the city,) none
of them touched his body, but went aside
without hurting him; as if all of them missed him on
purpose, and only made a noise as they passed by him. So he
diverted those perpetually with his sword that came on his side,
and overturned many of those that directly met him, and made his
horse ride over those that were
overthrown. The enemy indeed made a shout at the
boldness of Caesar, and exhorted one another to rush upon him.
Yet did these against whom he marched fly away, and go off from
him in great numbers; while those that were in the same danger
with him kept up close to him, though
they were wounded both on their backs and on their sides; for
they had each of them but this one hope of escaping, if they
could assist Titus in opening himself a way, that he might not be
encompassed round by his enemies before he
got away from them. Now there were two of those that
were with him, but at some distance; the one of which the enemy
compassed round, and slew him with their darts,
and his horse also; but the other they slew as he leaped down
from his horse, and carried off his horse with them. But Titus
escaped with the rest, and came safe to the
camp. So this success of the Jews' first attack raised their
minds, and gave them an ill-grounded hope; and this short
inclination of fortune, on their side, made them very
courageous for the future.

3. But now, as soon as that legion that had been at
Emmaus was joined to Caesar at night, he removed
thence, when it was day, and came to a place called
Seopus; from whence the city began already to be seen,
and a plain view might be taken of the great temple.
Accordingly, this place, on the north quarter of the city, and
joining thereto, was a plain, and very properly named
Scopus, [the prospect,] and was no more than seven
furlongs distant from it. And here it was that Titus ordered a
camp to be fortified for two legions that were to be together;
but ordered another camp to be fortified, at three furlongs
farther distance behind them, for the fifth legion; for he
thought that, by marching in the night, they might be tired, and
might deserve to be covered from the enemy, and with less fear
might fortify themselves; and as these were now beginning to
build, the tenth legion, who came through
Jericho, was already come to the place, where a certain
party of armed men had formerly lain, to guard that pass into
the city, and had been taken before by Vespasian.
These legions had orders to encamp at the distance of six
furlongs from Jerusalem, at the mount called the Mount of Olives
(8) which lies over against the city on the east side, and is
parted from it by a deep valley, interposed between them, which
is named Cedron.

4. Now when hitherto the several parties in the city had been
dashing one against another perpetually, this foreign war, now
suddenly come upon them after a violent manner, put the first
stop to their contentions one against another; and as the
seditious now saw with astonishment the
Romans pitching three several camps, they began to think of an
awkward sort of concord, and said one to another,
"What do we here, and what do we mean, when we suffer
three fortified walls to be built to coop us in, that we shall
not be able to breathe freely? while the enemy is securely
building a kind of city in opposition to us, and while we sit
still within our own walls, and become spectators only of what
they are doing, with our hands idle, and our armor laid by, as if
they were about somewhat that was for our good and advantage. We
are, it seems, (so did they cry out,)
only courageous against ourselves, while the Romans are
likely to gain the city without bloodshed by our sedition."
Thus did they encourage one another when they were
gotten together, and took their armor immediately, and ran out
upon the tenth legion, and fell upon the Romans with great
eagerness, and with a prodigious shout, as they were fortifying
their camp. These Romans were caught in
different parties, and this in order to perform their several
works, and on that account had in great measure laid aside their
arms; for they thought the Jews would not have
ventured to make a sally upon them; and had they been
disposed so to do, they supposed their sedition would have
distracted them. So they were put into disorder
unexpectedly; when some of hem left their works they were
about, and immediately marched off, while many ran to
their arms, but were smitten and slain before they could turn
back upon the enemy. The Jews became still more
and more in number, as encouraged by the good success
of those that first made the attack; and while they had such
good fortune, they seemed both to themselves and to the
enemy to be many more than they really were. The
disorderly way of their fighting at first put the Romans also
to a stand, who had been constantly used to fight skillfully in
good order, and with keeping their ranks, and obeying the orders
that were given them; for which reason the
Romans were caught unexpectedly, and were obliged to
give way to the assaults that were made upon them. Now
when these Romans were overtaken, and turned back upon
the Jews, they put a stop to their career; yet when they did
not take care enough of themselves through the
vehemency of their pursuit, they were wounded by them;
but as still more and more Jews sallied out of the city, the
Romans were at length brought into confusion, and put to fight,
and ran away from their camp. Nay, things looked as though the
entire legion would have been in danger, unless Titus had been
informed of the case they were in, and had sent them succors
immediately. So he reproached them for their cowardice, and
brought those back that were running away, and fell himself upon
the Jews on their flank, with those select troops that were with
him, and slew a
considerable number, and wounded more of them, and put
them all to flight, and made them run away hastily down the
valley. Now as these Jews suffered greatly in the declivity of
the valley, so when they were gotten over it, they turned about,
and stood over against the Romans, having the
valley between them, and there fought with them. Thus did they
continue the fight till noon; but when it was already a little
after noon, Titus set those that came to the assistance of the
Romans with him, and those that belonged to the
cohorts, to prevent the Jews from making any more sallies, and
then sent the rest of the legion to the upper part of the
mountain, to fortify their camp.

5. This march of the Romans seemed to the Jews to be a
flight; and as the watchman who was placed upon the wall gave a
signal by shaking his garment, there came out a
fresh multitude of Jews, and that with such mighty violence,
that one might compare it to the running of the most terrible
wild beasts. To say the truth, none of those that opposed them
could sustain the fury with which they made their
attacks; but, as if they had been cast out of an engine, they
brake the enemies' ranks to pieces, who were put to flight, and
ran away to the mountain; none but Titus himself, and a few
others with him, being left in the midst of the acclivity. Now
these others, who were his friends, despised the
danger they were in, and were ashamed to leave their
general, earnestly exhorting him to give way to these Jews that
are fond of dying, and not to run into such dangers before those
that ought to stay before him; to consider what his fortune was,
and not, by supplying the place of a
common soldier, to venture to turn back upon the enemy so
suddenly; and this because he was general in the war, and lord of
the habitable earth, on whose preservation the
public affairs do all depend. These persuasions Titus
seemed not so much as to hear, but opposed those that
ran upon him, and smote them on the face; and when he
had forced them to go back, he slew them: he also fell
upon great numbers as they marched down the hill, and
thrust them forward; while those men were so amazed at
his courage and his strength, that they could not fly directly
to the city, but declined from him on both sides, and
pressed after those that fled up the hill; yet did he still
fall upon their flank, and put a stop to their fury. In the mean
time, a disorder and a terror fell again upon those that were
fortifying their camp at the top of the hill, upon their seeing
those beneath them running away; insomuch that the whole legion
was dispersed, while they thought that the sallies of the Jews
upon them were plainly insupportable, and that
Titus was himself put to flight; because they took it for
granted, that, if he had staid, the rest would never have fled
for it. Thus were they encompassed on every side by a kind of
panic fear, and some dispersed themselves one way,
and some another, till certain of them saw their general in the
very midst of an action, and being under great concern for him,
they loudly proclaimed the danger he was in to the entire legion;
and now shame made them turn back, and
they reproached one another that they did worse than run away,
by deserting Caesar. So they used their utmost force against the
Jews, and declining from the straight declivity, they drove them
on heaps into the bottom of the valley.
Then did the Jews turn about and fight them; but as they were
themselves retiring, and now, because the Romans
had the advantage of the ground, and were above the
Jews, they drove them all into the valley. Titus also pressed
upon those that were near him, and sent the legion again to
fortify their camp; while he, and those that were with him
before, opposed the enemy, and kept them from doing
further mischief; insomuch that, if I may be allowed neither to
add any thing out of flattery, nor to diminish any thing out of
envy, but to speak the plain truth, Caesar did twice
deliver that entire legion when it was in jeopardy, and gave
them a quiet opportunity of fortifying their camp.

CHAPTER 3.



How The Sedition Was Again Revived Within Jerusalem
And Yet The Jews Contrived Snares For The Romans. How
Titus Also Threatened His Soldiers For Their Ungovernable
Rashness.

1. As now the war abroad ceased for a while, the sedition
within was revived; and on the feast of unleavened bread, which
was now come, it being the fourteenth day of the
month Xanthicus, [Nisan,] when it is believed the Jews were
first freed from the Egyptians, Eleazar and his party opened the
gates of this [inmost court of the] temple, and admitted such of
the people as were desirous to worship God into it. (9) But John
made use of this festival as a cloak for his treacherous designs,
and armed the most inconsiderable of his own party, the greater
part of whom were not purified, with weapons concealed under
their garments, and sent
them with great zeal into the temple, in order to seize upon
it; which armed men, when they were gotten in, threw their
garments away, and presently appeared in their armor.
Upon which there was a very great disorder and
disturbance about the holy house; while the people, who
had no concern in the sedition, supposed that this assault was
made against all without distinction, as the zealots thought it
was made against themselves only. So these left off guarding the
gates any longer, and leaped down from
their battlements before they came to an engagement, and fled
away into the subterranean caverns of the temple;
while the people that stood trembling at the altar, and about
the holy house, were rolled on heaps together, and
trampled upon, and were beaten both with wooden and with iron
weapons without mercy. Such also as had differences with others
slew many persons that were quiet, out of their own private
enmity and hatred, as if they were opposite to the seditious; and
all those that had formerly offended any of these plotters were
now known, and were now led away
to the slaughter; and when they had done abundance of
horrid mischief to the guiltless, they granted a truce to the
guilty, and let those go off that came cut of the caverns. These
followers of John also did now seize upon this inner temple, and
upon all the warlike engines therein, and then ventured to oppose
Simon. And thus that sedition, which
had been divided into three factions, was now reduced to two.

2. But Titus, intending to pitch his camp nearer to the city
than Scopus, placed as many of his choice horsemen and
footmen as he thought sufficient opposite to the Jews, to
prevent their sallying out upon them, while he gave orders for
the whole army to level the distance, as far as the wall of the
city. So they threw down all the hedges and walls which the
inhabitants had made about their gardens and
groves of trees, and cut down all the fruit trees that lay
between them and the wall of the city, and filled up all the
hollow places and the chasms, and demolished the rocky
precipices with iron instruments; and thereby made all the
place level from Scopus to Herod's monuments, which
adjoined to the pool called the Serpent's Pool.

3. Now at this very time the Jews contrived the following
stratagem against the Romans. The bolder sort of the
seditious went out at the towers, called the Women's
Towers, as if they had been ejected out of the city by those
who were for peace, and rambled about as if they were
afraid of being assaulted by the Romans, and were in fear of
one another; while those that stood upon the wall, and seemed to
be of the people's side, cried out aloud for
peace, and entreated they might have security for their lives
given them, and called for the Romans, promising to open the
gates to them; and as they cried out after that manner, they
threw stones at their own people, as though they
would drive them away from the gates. These also
pretended that they were excluded by force, and that they
petitioned those that were within to let them in; and rushing
upon the Romans perpetually, with violence, they then
came back, and seemed to be in great disorder. Now the
Roman soldiers thought this cunning stratagem of theirs
was to be believed real, and thinking they had the one
party under their power, and could punish them as they
pleased, and hoping that the other party would open their gates
to them, set to the execution of their designs
accordingly. But for Titus himself, he had this surprising
conduct of the Jews in suspicion; for whereas he had
invited them to come to terms of accommodation, by
Josephus, but one day before, he could then receive no
civil answer from them; so he ordered the soldiers to stay
where they were. However, some of them that were set in
the front of the works prevented him, and catching up their
arms ran to the gates; whereupon those that seemed to
have been ejected at the first retired; but as soon as the
soldiers were gotten between the towers on each side of
the gate, the Jews ran out and encompassed them round,
and fell upon them behind, while that multitude which stood
upon the wall threw a heap of stones and darts of all kinds at
them, insomuch that they slew a considerable number,
and wounded many more; for it was not easy for the
Romans to escape, by reason those behind them pressed
them forward; besides which, the shame they were under
for being mistaken, and the fear they were in of their
commanders, engaged them to persevere in their mistake;
wherefore they fought with their spears a great while, and
received many blows from the Jews, though indeed they
gave them as many blows again, and at last repelled those that
had encompassed them about, while the Jews pursued
them as they retired, and followed them, and threw darts at
them as far as the monuments of queen Helena.

4. After this these Jews, without keeping any decorum,
grew insolent upon their good fortune, and jested upon the
Romans for being deluded by the trick they bad put upon
them, and making a noise with beating their shields, leaped for
gladness, and made joyful exclamations; while these
soldiers were received with threatenings by their officers, and
with indignation by Caesar himself, [who spake to them thus]:
These Jews, who are only conducted by their
madness, do every thing with care and circumspection; they
contrive stratagems, and lay ambushes, and fortune gives success
to their stratagems, because they are obedient,
and preserve their goodwill and fidelity to one another; while
the Romans, to whom fortune uses to be ever
subservient, by reason of their good order, and ready
submission to their commanders, have now had ill success by
their contrary behavior, and by not being able to restrain their
hands from action, they have been caught; and that which is the
most to their reproach, they have gone on
without their commanders, in the very presence of Caesar.
"Truly," says Titus, "the laws of war cannot but groan
heavily, as will my father also himself, when he shall be
informed of this wound that hath been given us, since he who is
grown old in wars did never make so great a
mistake. Our laws of war do also ever inflict capital
punishment on those that in the least break into good order,
while at this time they have seen an entire army run into
disorder. However, those that have been so insolent shall be made
immediately sensible, that even they who conquer among the Romans
without orders for fighting are to be
under disgrace." When Titus had enlarged upon this matter
before the commanders, it appeared evident that he would execute
the law against all those that were concerned; so these soldiers'
minds sunk down in despair, as expecting to be put to death, and
that justly and quickly. However, the other legions came round
about Titus, and entreated his
favor to these their fellow soldiers, and made supplication to
him, that he would pardon the rashness of a few, on
account of the better obedience of all the rest; and
promised for them that they should make amends for their
present fault, by their more virtuous behavior for the time to
come.

5. So Caesar complied with their desires, and with what
prudence dictated to him also; for he esteemed it fit to punish
single persons by real executions, but that the
punishment of great multitudes should proceed no further than
reproofs; so he was reconciled to the soldiers, but gave them a
special charge to act more wisely for the
future; and he considered with himself how he might be
even with the Jews for their stratagem. And now when the space
between the Romans and the wall had been leveled,
which was done in four days, and as he was desirous to
bring the baggage of the army, with the rest of the
multitude that followed him, safely to the camp, he set the
strongest part of his army over against that wall which lay on
the north quarter of the city, and over against the
western part of it, and made his army seven deep, with the
foot-men placed before them, and the horsemen behind
them, each of the last in three ranks, whilst the archers stood
in the midst in seven ranks. And now as the Jews
were prohibited, by so great a body of men, from making
sallies upon the Romans, both the beasts that bare the
burdens, and belonged to the three legions, and the rest of the
multitude, marched on without any fear. But as for Titus himself,
he was but about two furlongs distant from the
wall, at that part of it where was the corner (10) and over
against that tower which was called Psephinus, at which
tower the compass of the wall belonging to the north
bended, and extended itself over against the west; but the
other part of the army fortified itself at the tower called
Hippicus, and was distant, in like manner, by two furlongs from
the city. However, the tenth legion continued in its own place,
upon the Mount of Olives.

CHAPTER 4.



The Description Of Jerusalem.

1. The city of Jerusalem was fortified with three walls, on
such parts as were not encompassed with unpassable
valleys; for in such places it had but one wall. The city was
built upon two hills, which are opposite to one another, and have
a valley to divide them asunder; at which valley the
corresponding rows of houses on both hills end. Of these hills,
that which contains the upper city is much higher, and in length
more direct. Accordingly, it was called the
"Citadel," by king David; he was the father of that Solomon who
built this temple at the first; but it is by us called the "Upper
Market-place." But the other hill, which was called "Acra," and
sustains the lower city, is of the shape of a moon when she is
horned; over against this there was a
third hill, but naturally lower than Acra, and parted formerly
from the other by a broad valley. However, in those times when
the Asamoneans reigned, they filled up that valley
with earth, and had a mind to join the city to the temple. They
then took off part of the height of Acra, and reduced it to be of
less elevation than it was before, that the temple might be
superior to it. Now the Valley of the
Cheesemongers, as it was called, and was that which we
told you before distinguished the hill of the upper city from
that of the lower, extended as far as Siloam; for that is the
name of a fountain which hath sweet water in it, and this in
great plenty also. But on the outsides, these hills are
surrounded by deep valleys, and by reason of the
precipices to them belonging on both sides they are every where
unpassable.

2. Now, of these three walls, the old one was hard to be taken,
both by reason of the valleys, and of that hill on which it was
built, and which was above them. But besides that great
advantage, as to the place where they were
situated, it was also built very strong; because David and
Solomon, and the following kings, were very zealous about this
work. Now that wall began on the north, at the tower called
"Hippicus," and extended as far as the "Xistus," a place so
called, and then, joining to the council-house, ended at the west
cloister of the temple. But if we go the other way westward, it
began at the same place, and
extended through a place called "Bethso," to the gate of the
Essens; and after that it went southward, having its bending
above the fountain Siloam, where it also bends again
towards the east at Solomon's pool, and reaches as far as a
certain place which they called "Ophlas," where it was joined to
the eastern cloister of the temple. The second wall took its
beginning from that gate which they called
"Gennath," which belonged to the first wall; it only
encompassed the northern quarter of the city, and reached as
far as the tower Antonia. The beginning of the third wall was at
the tower Hippicus, whence it reached as far as the north quarter
of the city, and the tower Psephinus, and then was so far
extended till it came over against the
monuments of Helena, which Helena was queen of
Adiabene, the daughter of Izates; it then extended further to a
great length, and passed by the sepulchral caverns of the kings,
and bent again at the tower of the corner, at the monument which
is called the "Monument of the Fuller,"
and joined to the old wall at the valley called the "Valley of
Cedron." It was Agrippa who encompassed the parts added
to the old city with this wall, which had been all naked
before; for as the city grew more populous, it gradually crept
beyond its old limits, and those parts of it that stood northward
of the temple, and joined that hill to the city, made it
considerably larger, and occasioned that hill, which is in number
the fourth, and is called "Bezetha," to be
inhabited also. It lies over against the tower Antonia, but is
divided from it by a deep valley, which was dug on purpose, and
that in order to hinder the foundations of the tower of Antonia
from joining to this hill, and thereby affording an opportunity
for getting to it with ease, and hindering the security that
arose from its superior elevation; for which reason also that
depth of the ditch made the elevation of the towers more
remarkable. This new-built part of the city was called "Bezetha,"
in our language, which, if interpreted in the Grecian language,
may be called "the New City."
Since, therefore, its inhabitants stood in need of a covering,
the father of the present king, and of the same name with him,
Agrippa, began that wall we spoke of; but he left off building it
when he had only laid the foundations, out of the fear he was in
of Claudius Caesar, lest he should suspect that so strong a wall
was built in order to make some
innovation in public affairs; for the city could no way have
been taken if that wall had been finished in the manner it was
begun; as its parts were connected together by stones twenty
cubits long, and ten cubits broad, which could never have been
either easily undermined by any iron tools, or shaken by any
engines. The wall was, however, ten cubits wide, and it would
probably have had a height greater than that, had not his zeal
who began it been hindered from
exerting itself. After this, it was erected with great
diligence by the Jews, as high as twenty cubits, above which it
had battlements of two cubits, and turrets of three cubits
altitude, insomuch that the entire altitude extended as far as
twenty-five cubits.

3. Now the towers that were upon it were twenty cubits in
breadth, and twenty cubits in height; they were square and solid,
as was the wall itself, wherein the niceness of the joints, and
the beauty of the stones, were no way inferior to those of the
holy house itself. Above this solid altitude of the towers, which
was twenty cubits, there were rooms of great magnificence, and
over them upper rooms, and
cisterns to receive rain-water. They were many in number, and
the steps by which you ascended up to them were
every one broad: of these towers then the third wall had
ninety, and the spaces between them were each two
hundred cubits; but in the middle wall were forty towers, and
the old wall was parted into sixty, while the whole
compass of the city was thirty-three furlongs. Now the third
wall was all of it wonderful; yet was the tower Psephinus
elevated above it at the north-west corner, and there Titus
pitched his own tent; for being seventy cubits high it both
afforded a prospect of Arabia at sun-rising, as well as it did of
the utmost limits of the Hebrew possessions at the sea westward.
Moreover, it was an octagon, and over against it was the tower
Hipplicus, and hard by two others were
erected by king Herod, in the old wall. These were for
largeness, beauty, and strength beyond all that were in the
habitable earth; for besides the magnanimity of his nature, and
his magnificence towards the city on other occasions, he built
these after such an extraordinary manner, to gratify his own
private affections, and dedicated these towers to the memory of
those three persons who had been the
dearest to him, and from whom he named them. They were
his brother, his friend, and his wife. This wife he had slain,
out of his love [and jealousy], as we have already related; the
other two he lost in war, as they were courageously
fighting. Hippicus, so named from his friend, was square; its
length and breadth were each twenty-five cubits, and its height
thirty, and it had no vacuity in it. Over this solid building,
which was composed of great stones united
together, there was a reservoir twenty cubits deep, over which
there was a house of two stories, whose height was twenty-five
cubits, and divided into several parts; over which were
battlements of two cubits, and turrets all round of three cubits
high, insomuch that the entire height added together amounted to
fourscore cubits. The second tower, which he named from his
brother Phasaelus, had its
breadth and its height equal, each of them forty cubits; over
which was its solid height of forty cubits; over which a cloister
went round about, whose height was ten cubits, and it was covered
from enemies by breast-works and bulwarks. There was also built
over that cloister another tower, parted into magnificent rooms,
and a place for bathing; so that this tower wanted nothing that
might make it appear to be a
royal palace. It was also adorned with battlements and
turrets, more than was the foregoing, and the entire altitude
was about ninety cubits; the appearance of it resembled the tower
of Pharus, which exhibited a fire to such as sailed to
Alexandria, but was much larger than it in compass. This was now
converted to a house, wherein Simon exercised
his tyrannical authority. The third tower was Mariamne, for
that was his queen's name; it was solid as high as twenty cubits;
its breadth and its length were twenty cubits, and were equal to
each other; its upper buildings were more
magnificent, and had greater variety, than the other towers
had; for the king thought it most proper for him to adorn that
which was denominated from his wife, better than
those denominated from men, as those were built stronger than
this that bore his wife's name. The entire height of this tower
was fifty cubits.

4. Now as these towers were so very tall, they appeared
much taller by the place on which they stood; for that very old
wall wherein they were was built on a high hill, and was itself a
kind of elevation that was still thirty cubits taller; over which
were the towers situated, and thereby were
made much higher to appearance. The largeness also of
the stones was wonderful; for they were not made of
common small stones, nor of such large ones only as men
could carry, but they were of white marble, cut out of the
rock; each stone was twenty cubits in length, and ten in breadth,
and five in depth. They were so exactly united to one another,
that each tower looked like one entire rock of stone, so growing
naturally, and afterward cut by the hand of the artificers into
their present shape and corners; so little, or not at all, did
their joints or connexion appear. low as these towers were
themselves on the north side of the wall, the king had a palace
inwardly thereto adjoined, which exceeds all my ability to
describe it; for it was so very curious as to want no cost nor
skill in its construction, but was entirely walled about to the
height of thirty cubits, and was adorned with towers at equal
distances, and with large bed-chambers, that would contain beds
for a hundred
guests a-piece, in which the variety of the stones is not to be
expressed; for a large quantity of those that were rare of that
kind was collected together. Their roofs were also
wonderful, both for the length of the beams, and the
splendor of their ornaments. The number of the rooms was also
very great, and the variety of the figures that were about them
was prodigious; their furniture was complete, and the greatest
part of the vessels that were put in them was of silver and gold.
There were besides many porticoes, one beyond another, round
about, and in each of those
porticoes curious pillars; yet were all the courts that were
exposed to the air every where green. There were,
moreover, several groves of trees, and long walks through them,
with deep canals, and cisterns, that in several parts were filled
with brazen statues, through which the water ran out. There were
withal many dove-courts (11) of tame
pigeons about the canals. But indeed it is not possible to give
a complete description of these palaces; and the very remembrance
of them is a torment to one, as putting one in mind what vastly
rich buildings that fire which was kindled by the robbers hath
consumed; for these were not burnt by the Romans, but by these
internal plotters, as we have
already related, in the beginning of their rebellion. That fire
began at the tower of Antonia, and went on to the palaces, and
consumed the upper parts of the three towers
themselves.

CHAPTER 5.



A Description Of The Temple.

1. Now this temple, as I have already said, was built upon a
strong hill. At first the plain at the top was hardly sufficient
for the holy house and the altar, for the ground about it was
very uneven, and like a precipice; but when king Solomon, who was
the person that built the temple, had built a wall to it on its
east side, there was then added one cloister
founded on a bank cast up for it, and on the other parts the
holy house stood naked. But in future ages the people
added new banks, (12) and the hill became a larger plain. They
then broke down the wall on the north side, and took in as much
as sufficed afterward for the compass of the
entire temple. And when they had built walls on three sides of
the temple round about, from the bottom of the hill, and had
performed a work that was greater than could be
hoped for, (in which work long ages were spent by them, as well
as all their sacred treasures were exhausted, which were still
replenished by those tributes which were sent to God from the
whole habitable earth,) they then
encompassed their upper courts with cloisters, as well as they
[afterward] did the lowest [court of the] temple. The lowest part
of this was erected to the height of three
hundred cubits, and in some places more; yet did not the entire
depth of the foundations appear, for they brought earth, and
filled up the valleys, as being desirous to make them on a level
with the narrow streets of the city; wherein they made use of
stones of forty cubits in magnitude; for the great plenty of
money they then had, and the liberality of the people, made this
attempt of theirs to succeed to an incredible degree; and what
could not be so much as hoped for as ever to be accomplished,
was, by perseverance and length of time, brought to perfection.

2. Now for the works that were above these foundations,
these were not unworthy of such foundations; for all the
cloisters were double, and the pillars to them belonging were
twenty-five cubits in height, and supported the
cloisters. These pillars were of one entire stone each of them,
and that stone was white marble; and the roofs were adorned with
cedar, curiously graven. The natural
magnificence, and excellent polish, and the harmony of the
joints in these cloisters, afforded a prospect that was very
remarkable; nor was it on the outside adorned with any
work of the painter or engraver. The cloisters [of the
outmost court] were in breadth thirty cubits, while the entire
compass of it was by measure six furlongs, including the tower of
Antonia; those entire courts that were exposed to the air were
laid with stones of all sorts. When you go
through these [first] cloisters, unto the second [court of the]
temple, there was a partition made of stone all round,
whose height was three cubits: its construction was very
elegant; upon it stood pillars, at equal distances from one
another, declaring the law of purity, some in Greek, and some in
Roman letters, that "no foreigner should go within that
sanctuary" for that second [court of the] temple was called "the
Sanctuary," and was ascended to by fourteen
steps from the first court. This court was four-square, and had
a wall about it peculiar to itself; the height of its buildings,
although it were on the outside forty cubits, (13) was hidden by
the steps, and on the inside that height was but twenty-five
cubits; for it being built over against a higher part of the hill
with steps, it was no further to be entirely discerned within,
being covered by the hill itself. Beyond these thirteen steps
there was the distance of ten cubits; this was all plain; whence
there were other steps, each of five cubits a-piece, that led to
the gates, which gates on the north and south sides were eight,
on each of those sides four, and of necessity two on the east.
For since there was a partition built for the women on that side,
as the proper place wherein they were to worship, there was a
necessity for a second gate for them: this gate was cut out of
its wall, over against the first gate. There was also on the
other sides one southern and one northern gate, through which
was a passage into the court of the women; for as to the other
gates, the women were not allowed to pass through
them; nor when they went through their own gate could
they go beyond their own wall. This place was allotted to the
women of our own country, and of other countries,
provided they were of the same nation, and that equally. The
western part of this court had no gate at all, but the wall was
built entire on that side. But then the cloisters which were
betwixt the gates extended from the wall
inward, before the chambers; for they were supported by
very fine and large pillars. These cloisters were single, and,
excepting their magnitude, were no way inferior to those of the
lower court.

3. Now nine of these gates were on every side covered
over with gold and silver, as were the jambs of their doors and
their lintels; but there was one gate that was without the
[inward court of the] holy house, which was of
Corinthian brass, and greatly excelled those that were only
covered over with silver and gold. Each gate had two
doors, whose height was severally thirty cubits, and their
breadth fifteen. However, they had large spaces within of thirty
cubits, and had on each side rooms, and those, both in breadth
and in length, built like towers, and their height was above
forty cubits. Two pillars did also support these rooms, and were
in circumference twelve cubits. Now the
magnitudes of the other gates were equal one to another; but
that over the Corinthian gate, which opened on the east over
against the gate of the holy house itself, was much larger; for
its height was fifty cubits; and its doors were forty cubits; and
it was adorned after a most costly manner, as having much richer
and thicker plates of silver and gold upon them than the other.
These nine gates had that silver and gold poured upon them by
Alexander, the father of
Tiberius. Now there were fifteen steps, which led away from the
wall of the court of the women to this greater gate; whereas
those that led thither from the other gates were five steps
shorter.

4. As to the holy house itself, which was placed in the midst
[of the inmost court], that most sacred part of the temple, it
was ascended to by twelve steps; and in front its height and its
breadth were equal, and each a hundred cubits,
though it was behind forty cubits narrower; for on its front it
had what may be styled shoulders on each side, that
passed twenty cubits further. Its first gate was seventy cubits
high, and twenty-five cubits broad; but this gate had no doors;
for it represented the universal visibility of heaven, and that
it cannot be excluded from any place. Its front was covered with
gold all over, and through it the first part of the house, that
was more inward, did all of it appear; which, as it was very
large, so did all the parts about the more inward gate appear to
shine to those that saw them; but then, as the entire house was
divided into two parts within, it was only the first part of it
that was open to our view. Its height extended all along to
ninety cubits in height, and its length was fifty cubits, and its
breadth twenty. But that gate which was at this end of the first
part of the house was, as we have already observed, all over
covered with
gold, as was its whole wall about it; it had also golden vines
above it, from which clusters of grapes hung as tall as a man's
height. But then this house, as it was divided into two parts,
the inner part was lower than the appearance of the outer, and
had golden doors of fifty-five cubits altitude, and sixteen in
breadth; but before these doors there was a veil of equal
largeness with the doors. It was a Babylonian
curtain, embroidered with blue, and fine linen, and scarlet,
and purple, and of a contexture that was truly wonderful. Nor was
this mixture of colors without its mystical
interpretation, but was a kind of image of the universe; for by
the scarlet there seemed to be enigmatically signified fire, by
the fine flax the earth, by the blue the air, and by the purple
the sea; two of them having their colors the
foundation of this resemblance; but the fine flax and the
purple have their own origin for that foundation, the earth
producing the one, and the sea the other. This curtain had also
embroidered upon it all that was mystical in the
heavens, excepting that of the [twelve] signs, representing
living creatures.

5. When any persons entered into the temple, its floor
received them. This part of the temple therefore was in
height sixty cubits, and its length the same; whereas its
breadth was but twenty cubits: but still that sixty cubits in
length was divided again, and the first part of it was cut off at
forty cubits, and had in it three things that were very wonderful
and famous among all mankind, the candlestick, the table [of
shew-bread], and the altar of incense. Now the seven lamps
signified the seven planets; for so many there were springing out
of the candlestick. Now the twelve
loaves that were upon the table signified the circle of the
zodiac and the year; but the altar of incense, by its thirteen
kinds of sweet-smelling spices with which the sea
replenished it, signified that God is the possessor of all
things that are both in the uninhabitable and habitable parts of
the earth, and that they are all to be dedicated to his use. But
the inmost part of the temple of all was of twenty cubits. This
was also separated from the outer part by a veil. In this there
was nothing at all. It was inaccessible and inviolable, and not
to be seen by any; and was called the Holy of Holies. Now, about
the sides of the lower part of the temple, there were little
houses, with passages out of one into another; there were a great
many of them, and they
were of three stories high; there were also entrances on each
side into them from the gate of the temple. But the superior part
of the temple had no such little houses any further, because the
temple was there narrower, and forty cubits higher, and of a
smaller body than the lower parts of it. Thus we collect that the
whole height, including the sixty cubits from the floor, amounted
to a hundred cubits.

6. Now the outward face of the temple in its front wanted
nothing that was likely to surprise either men's minds or their
eyes; for it was covered all over with plates of gold of great
weight, and, at the first rising of the sun, reflected back a
very fiery splendor, and made those who forced
themselves to look upon it to turn their eyes away, just as
they would have done at the sun's own rays. But this
temple appeared to strangers, when they were coming to it at a
distance, like a mountain covered with snow; for as to those
parts of it that were not gilt, they were exceeding white. On its
top it had spikes with sharp points, to prevent any pollution of
it by birds sitting upon it. Of its stones, some of them were
forty-five cubits in length, five in height, and six in breadth.
Before this temple stood the altar, fifteen cubits high, and
equal both in length and breadth; each of which dimensions was
fifty cubits. The figure it was built in was a square, and it had
corners like horns; and the
passage up to it was by an insensible acclivity. It was
formed without any iron tool, nor did any such iron tool so
much as touch it at any time. There was also a wall of
partition, about a cubit in height, made of fine stones, and so
as to be grateful to the sight; this encompassed the holy house
and the altar, and kept the people that were on the outside off
from the priests. Moreover, those that had the gonorrhea and the
leprosy were excluded out of the city
entirely; women also, when their courses were upon them, were
shut out of the temple; nor when they were free from that
impurity, were they allowed to go beyond the limit
before-mentioned; men also, that were not thoroughly pure, were
prohibited to come into the inner [court of the] temple; nay, the
priests themselves that were not pure were
prohibited to come into it also.

7. Now all those of the stock of the priests that could not
minister by reason of some defect in their bodies, came
within the partition, together with those that had no such
imperfection, and had their share with them by reason of their
stock, but still made use of none except their own private
garments; for nobody but he that officiated had on his sacred
garments; but then those priests that were
without any blemish upon them went up to the altar clothed in
fine linen. They abstained chiefly from wine, out of this fear,
lest otherwise they should transgress some rules of their
ministration. The high priest did also go up with them; not
always indeed, but on the seventh days and new
moons, and if any festivals belonging to our nation, which we
celebrate every year, happened. When he officiated, he had on a
pair of breeches that reached beneath his privy parts to his
thighs, and had on an inner garment of linen, together with a
blue garment, round, without seam, with
fringe work, and reaching to the feet. There were also
golden bells that hung upon the fringes, and pomegranates
intermixed among them. The bells signified thunder, and
the pomegranates lightning. But that girdle that tied the
garment to the breast was embroidered with five rows of
various colors, of gold, and purple, and scarlet, as also of
fine linen and blue, with which colors we told you before the
veils of the temple were embroidered also. The like
embroidery was upon the ephod; but the quantity of gold
therein was greater. Its figure was that of a stomacher for the
breast. There were upon it two golden buttons like small shields,
which buttoned the ephod to the garment; in these buttons were
enclosed two very large and very excellent
sardonyxes, having the names of the tribes of that nation
engraved upon them: on the other part there hung twelve
stones, three in a row one way, and four in the other; a
sardius, a topaz, and an emerald; a carbuncle, a jasper, and a
sapphire; an agate, an amethyst, and a ligure; an
onyx, a beryl, and a chrysolite; upon every one of which was
again engraved one of the forementioned names of the tribes. A
mitre also of fine linen encompassed his head, which was tied by
a blue ribbon, about which there was
another golden crown, in which was engraven the sacred
name [of God]: it consists of four vowels. However, the high
priest did not wear these garments at other times, but a more
plain habit; he only did it when he went into the most sacred
part of the temple, which he did but once in a year, on that day
when our custom is for all of us to keep a fast to God. And thus
much concerning the city and the temple; but for the customs and
laws hereto relating, we shall
speak more accurately another time; for there remain a
great many things thereto relating which have not been
here touched upon.

8. Now as to the tower of Antonia, it was situated at the
corner of two cloisters of the court of the temple; of that on
the west, and that on the north; it was erected upon a rock of
fifty cubits in height, and was on a great precipice; it was the
work of king Herod, wherein he demonstrated his
natural magnanimity. In the first place, the rock itself was
covered over with smooth pieces of stone, from its
foundation, both for ornament, and that any one who would
either try to get up or to go down it might not be able to hold
his feet upon it. Next to this, and before you come to the
edifice of the tower itself, there was a wall three cubits high;
but within that wall all the space of the tower of Antonia itself
was built upon, to the height of forty cubits. The inward parts
had the largeness and form of a palace, it being parted into all
kinds of rooms and other
conveniences, such as courts, and places for bathing, and broad
spaces for camps; insomuch that, by having all
conveniences that cities wanted, it might seem to be
composed of several cities, but by its magnificence it
seemed a palace. And as the entire structure resembled
that of a tower, it contained also four other distinct towers
at its four corners; whereof the others were but fifty cubits
high; whereas that which lay upon the southeast corner
was seventy cubits high, that from thence the whole temple
might be viewed; but on the corner where it joined to the two
cloisters of the temple, it had passages down to them both,
through which the guard (for there always lay in this tower a
Roman legion) went several ways among the
cloisters, with their arms, on the Jewish festivals, in order
to watch the people, that they might not there attempt to make
any innovations; for the temple was a fortress that guarded the
city, as was the tower of Antonia a guard to the temple; and in
that tower were the guards of those three (14).
There was also a peculiar fortress belonging to the upper city,
which was Herod's palace; but for the hill Bezetha, it was
divided from the tower Antonia, as we have already
told you; and as that hill on which the tower of Antonia stood
was the highest of these three, so did it adjoin to the new city,
and was the only place that hindered the sight of the temple on
the north. And this shall suffice at present to have spoken about
the city and the walls about it, because I have proposed to
myself to make a more accurate
description of it elsewhere.

CHAPTER 6.



Concerning The Tyrants Simon And John. How Also As
Titus Was Going Round The Wall Of This City Nicanor Was
Wounded By A Dart; Which Accident Provoked Titus To
Press On The Siege.


1. Now the warlike men that were in the city, and the
multitude of the seditious that were with Simon, were ten
thousand, besides the Idumeans. Those ten thousand had
fifty commanders, over whom this Simon was supreme. The
Idumeans that paid him homage were five thousand, and
had eight commanders, among whom those of greatest
fame were Jacob the son of Sosas, and Simon the son of
Cathlas. Jotre, who had seized upon the temple, had six
thousand armed men under twenty commanders; the
zealots also that had come over to him, and left off their
opposition, were two thousand four hundred, and had the
same commander that they had formerly, Eleazar, together with
Simon the son of Arinus. Now, while these factions
fought one against another, the people were their prey on both
sides, as we have said already; and that part of the people who
would not join with them in their wicked
practices were plundered by both factions. Simon held the upper
city, and the great wall as far as Cedron, and as
much of the old wall as bent from Siloam to the east, and which
went down to the palace of Monobazus, who was
king of the Adiabeni, beyond Euphrates; he also held that
fountain, and the Acra, which was no other than the lower city;
he also held all that reached to the palace of queen Helena, the
mother of Monobazus. But John held the
temple, and the parts thereto adjoining, for a great way, as
also Ophla, and the valley called "the Valley of Cedron;" and
when the parts that were interposed between their
possessions were burnt by them, they left a space wherein they
might fight with each other; for this internal sedition did not
cease even when the Romans were encamped near
their very wall. But although they had grown wiser at the first
onset the Romans made upon them, this lasted but a while; for
they returned to their former madness, and
separated one from another, and fought it out, and did
everything that the besiegers could desire them to do; for they
never suffered any thing that was worse from the
Romans than they made each other suffer; nor was there
any misery endured by the city after these men's actions that
could be esteemed new. But it was most of all unhappy before it
was overthrown, while those that took it did it a greater
kindness for I venture to affirm that the sedition destroyed the
city, and the Romans destroyed the sedition, which it was a much
harder thing to do than to destroy the walls; so that we may
justly ascribe our misfortunes to our own people, and the just
vengeance taken on them to the
Romans; as to which matter let every one determine by the
actions on both sides.

2. Now when affairs within the city were in this posture, Titus
went round the city on the outside with some chosen horsemen, and
looked about for a proper place where he
might make an impression upon the walls; but as he was in doubt
where he could possibly make an attack on any side, (for the
place was no way accessible where the valleys
were, and on the other side the first wall appeared too
strong to be shaken by the engines,) he thereupon thought it
best to make his assault upon the monument of John the high
priest; for there it was that the first fortification was lower,
and the second was not joined to it, the builders neglecting to
build strong where the new city was not much inhabited; here also
was an easy passage to the third wall, through which he thought
to take the upper city, and,
through the tower of Antonia, the temple itself But at this
time, as he was going round about the city, one of his
friends, whose name was Nicanor, was wounded with a
dart on his left shoulder, as he approached, together with
Josephus, too near the wall, and attempted to discourse to those
that were upon the wall, about terms of peace; for he was a
person known by them. On this account it was that
Caesar, as soon as he knew their vehemence, that they
would not hear even such as approached them to persuade
them to what tended to their own preservation, was
provoked to press on the siege. He also at the same time gave
his soldiers leave to set the suburbs on fire, and
ordered that they should bring timber together, and raise banks
against the city; and when he had parted his army
into three parts, in order to set about those works, he
placed those that shot darts and the archers in the midst of
the banks that were then raising; before whom he placed
those engines that threw javelins, and darts, and stones, that
he might prevent the enemy from sallying out upon
their works, and might hinder those that were upon the wall
from being able to obstruct them. So the trees were now
cut down immediately, and the suburbs left naked. But now while
the timber was carrying to raise the banks, and the whole army
was earnestly engaged in their works, the Jews were not, however,
quiet; and it happened that the people of Jerusalem, who had been
hitherto plundered and
murdered, were now of good courage, and supposed they
should have a breathing time, while the others were very busy
in opposing their enemies without the city, and that they should
now be avenged on those that had been the
authors of their miseries, in case the Romans did but get the
victory.

3. However, John staid behind, out of his fear of Simon, even
while his own men were earnest in making a sally
upon their enemies without. Yet did not Simon lie still, for he
lay near the place of the siege; he brought his engines of war,
and disposed of them at due distances upon the
wall, both those which they took from Cestius formerly, and
those which they got when they seized the garrison that lay in
the tower Antonia. But though they had these engines in their
possession, they had so little skill in using them, that they
were in great measure useless to them; but a few
there were who had been taught by deserters how to use
them, which they did use, though after an awkward manner. So
they cast stones and arrows at those that were making the banks;
they also ran out upon them by companies, and fought with them.
Now those that were at work covered
themselves with hurdles spread over their banks, and their
engines were opposed to them when they made their
excursions. The engines, that all the legions had ready
prepared for them, were admirably contrived; but still more
extraordinary ones belonged to the tenth legion: those that threw
darts and those that threw stones were more forcible and larger
than the rest, by which they not only repelled the excursions of
the Jews, but drove those away that were
upon the walls also. Now the stones that were cast were of the
weight of a talent, and were carried two furlongs and further.
The blow they gave was no way to be sustained,
not only by those that stood first in the way, but by those
that were beyond them for a great space. As for the Jews, they at
first watched the coming of the stone, for it was of a white
color, and could therefore not only be perceived by the great
noise it made, but could be seen also before it came by its
brightness; accordingly the watchmen that sat upon the towers
gave them notice when the engine was let go, and the stone came
from it, and cried out aloud, in their own country language, The
Stone Cometh (15) so those
that were in its way stood off, and threw themselves down upon
the ground; by which means, and by their thus
guarding themselves, the stone fell down and did them no harm.
But the Romans contrived how to prevent that by
blacking the stone, who then could aim at them with
success, when the stone was not discerned beforehand, as it had
been till then; and so they destroyed many of them at one blow.
Yet did not the Jews, under all this distress, permit the Romans
to raise their banks in quiet; but they shrewdly and boldly
exerted themselves, and repelled them both by night and by day.

4. And now, upon the finishing the Roman works, the
workmen measured the distance there was from the wall,
and this by lead and a line, which they threw to it from their
banks; for they could not measure it any otherwise,
because the Jews would shoot at them, if they came to
measure it themselves; and when they found that the
engines could reach the wall, they brought them thither. Then
did Titus set his engines at proper distances, so much nearer to
the wall, that the Jews might not be able to repel them, and gave
orders they should go to work; and when
thereupon a prodigious noise echoed round about from
three places, and that on the sudden there was a great
noise made by the citizens that were within the city, and no
less a terror fell upon the seditious themselves; whereupon both
sorts, seeing the common danger they were in,
contrived to make a like defense. So those of different
factions cried out one to another, that they acted entirely as
in concert with their enemies; whereas they ought however,
notwithstanding God did not grant them a lasting concord, in
their present circumstances, to lay aside their enmities one
against another, and to unite together against the
Romans. Accordingly, Simon gave those that came from
the temple leave, by proclamation, to go upon the wall;
John also himself, though he could not believe Simon was in
earnest, gave them the same leave. So on both sides
they laid aside their hatred and their peculiar quarrels, and
formed themselves into one body; they then ran round the walls,
and having a vast number of torches with them, they threw them at
the machines, and shot darts perpetually
upon those that impelled those engines which battered the wall;
nay, the bolder sort leaped out by troops upon the hurdles that
covered the machines, and pulled them to
pieces, and fell upon those that belonged to them, and beat
them, not so much by any skill they had, as principally by the
boldness of their attacks. However, Titus himself still sent
assistance to those that were the hardest set, and
placed both horsemen and archers on the several sides of the
engines, and thereby beat off those that brought the fire to
them; he also thereby repelled those that shot stones or darts
from the towers, and then set the engines to work in good
earnest; yet did not the wall yield to these blows, excepting
where the battering ram of the fifteenth legion moved the corner
of a tower, while the wall itself continued unhurt; for the wall
was not presently in the same danger with the tower, which was
extant far above it; nor could the fall of that part of the tower
easily break down any part of the wall itself together with it.

5. And now the Jews intermitted their sallies for a while; but
when they observed the Romans dispersed all abroad at
their works, and in their several camps, (for they thought the
Jews had retired out of weariness and fear,) they all at once
made a sally at the tower Hippicus, through an
obscure gate, and at the same time brought fire to burn the
works, and went boldly up to the Romans, and to their very
fortifications themselves, where, at the cry they made,
those that were near them came presently to their
assistance, and those farther off came running after them; and
here the boldness of the Jews was too hard for the
good order of the Romans; and as they beat those whom
they first fell upon, so they pressed upon those that were now
gotten together. So this fight about the machines was very hot,
while the one side tried hard to set them on fire, and the other
side to prevent it; on both sides there was a confused cry made,
and many of those in the forefront of the battle were slain.
However, the Jews were now too hard for the Romans, by the
furious assaults they made like
madmen; and the fire caught hold of the works, and both all
those works, and the engines themselves, had been in
danger of being burnt, had not many of these select
soldiers that came from Alexandria opposed themselves to
prevent it, and had they not behaved themselves with
greater courage than they themselves supposed they could have
done; for they outdid those in this fight that had
greater reputation than themselves before. This was the
state of things till Caesar took the stoutest of his horsemen,
and attacked the enemy, while he himself slew twelve of
those that were in the forefront of the Jews; which death of
these men, when the rest of the multitude saw, they gave way, and
he pursued them, and drove them all into the city, and saved the
works from the fire. Now it happened at this fight that a certain
Jew was taken alive, who, by Titus's order, was crucified before
the wall, to see whether the rest of them would be aftrighted,
and abate of their obstinacy. But after the Jews were retired,
John, who was commander of the Idumeans, and was talking to a
certain soldier of his acquaintance before the wall, was wounded
by a dart shot at him by an Arabian, and died immediately,
leaving the
greatest lamentation to the Jews, and sorrow to the
seditious. For he was a man of great eminence, both for his
actions and his conduct also.

CHAPTER 7.



How One Of The Towers Erected By The Romans Fell
Down Of Its Own Accord; And How The Romans After
Great Slaughter Had Been Made Got Possession Of The
First Wall. How Also Titus Made His Assaults Upon The
Second Wall; As Also Concerning Longinus The Roman,
And Castor The Jew.

1. Now, on the next night, a surprising disturbance fell upon
the Romans; for whereas Titus had given orders for the
erection of three towers of fifty cubits high, that by setting
men upon them at every bank, he might from thence drive
those away who were upon the wall, it so happened that
one of these towers fell down about midnight; and as its fall
made a very great noise, fear fell upon the army, and they,
supposing that the enemy was coming to attack them, ran
all to their arms. Whereupon a disturbance and a tumult
arose among the legions, and as nobody could tell what
had happened, they went on after a disconsolate manner;
and seeing no enemy appear, they were afraid one of
another, and every one demanded of his neighbor the
watchword with great earnestness, as though the Jews had
invaded their camp. And now were they like people under a panic
fear, till Titus was informed of what had happened, and gave
orders that all should be acquainted with it; and then, though
with some difficulty, they got clear of the disturbance they had
been under.

2. Now these towers were very troublesome to the Jews,
who otherwise opposed the Romans very courageously; for
they shot at them out of their lighter engines from those
towers, as they did also by those that threw darts, and the
archers, and those that flung stones. For neither could the Jews
reach those that were over them, by reason of their height; and
it was not practicable to take them, nor to
overturn them, they were so heavy, nor to set them on fire,
because they were covered with plates of iron. So they
retired out of the reach of the darts, and did no longer
endeavor to hinder the impression of their rams, which, by
continually beating upon the wall, did gradually prevail against
it; so that the wall already gave way to the Nico, for by that
name did the Jews themselves call the greatest of their engines,
because it conquered all things. And now
they were for a long while grown weary of fighting, and of
keeping guards, and were retired to lodge in the night time at a
distance from the wall. It was on other accounts also thought by
them to be superfluous to guard the wall, there being besides
that two other fortifications still remaining, and they being
slothful, and their counsels having been ill concerted on all
occasions; so a great many grew lazy and retired. Then the Romans
mounted the breach, where Nico
had made one, and all the Jews left the guarding that wall, and
retreated to the second wall; so those that had gotten over that
wall opened the gates, and received all the army within it. And
thus did the Romans get possession of this first wall, on the
fifteenth day of the siege, which was the seventh day of the
month Artemisius, [Jyar,] when they
demolished a great part of it, as well as they did of the
northern parts of the city, which had been demolished also by
Cestius formerly.

3. And now Titus pitched his camp within the city, at that
place which was called "the Camp of the Assyrians," having seized
upon all that lay as far as Cedron, but took care to be out of
the reach of the Jews' darts. He then presently began his
attacks, upon which the Jews divided themselves into several
bodies, and courageously defended that wall; while John and his
faction did it from the tower of Antonia, and from the northern
cloister of the temple, and fought the Romans before the
monuments of king Alexander; and
Sireoh's army also took for their share the spot of ground that
was near John's monument, and fortified it as far as to that gate
where water was brought in to the tower Hippicus. However, the
Jews made violent sallies, and that frequently also, and in
bodies together out of the gates, and there fought the Romans;
and when they were pursued all
together to the wall, they were beaten in those fights, as
wanting the skill of the Romans. But when they fought them from
the walls, they were too hard for them; the Romans
being encouraged by their power, joined to their skill, as were
the Jews by their boldness, which was nourished by
the fear they were in, and that hardiness which is natural to
our nation under calamities; they were also encouraged still by
the hope of deliverance, as were the Romans by their
hopes of subduing them in a little time. Nor did either side
grow weary; but attacks and rightings upon the wall, and
perpetual sallies out in bodies, were there all the day long; nor
were there any sort of warlike engagements that were not then put
in use. And the night itself had much ado to part them, when they
began to fight in the morning; nay, the night itself was passed
without sleep on both sides, and was more uneasy than the day to
them, while the one was
afraid lest the wall should be taken, and the other lest the
Jews should make sallies upon their camps; both sides also lay in
their armor during the night time, and thereby were ready at the
first appearance of light to go to the battle. Now among the Jews
the ambition was who should
undergo the first dangers, and thereby gratify their
commanders. Above all, they had a great veneration and
dread of Simon; and to that degree was he regarded by
every one of those that were under him, that at his
command they were very ready to kill themselves with their own
hands. What made the Romans so courageous was
their usual custom of conquering and disuse of being
defeated, their constant wars, and perpetual warlike
exercises, and the grandeur of their dominion; and what
was now their chief encouragement -Titus who was present every
where with them all; for it appeared a terrible thing to grow
weary while Caesar was there, and fought bravely as well as they
did, and was himself at once an eye-witness of such as behaved
themselves valiantly, and he who was to
reward them also. It was, besides, esteemed an advantage at
present to have any one's valor known by Caesar; on
which account many of them appeared to have more
alacrity than strength to answer it. And now, as the Jews were
about this time standing in array before the wall, and that in a
strong body, and while both parties were throwing their darts at
each other, Longinus, one of the equestrian order, leaped out of
the army of the Romans, and leaped
into the very midst of the army of the Jews; and as they
dispersed themselves upon the attack, he slew two of their men of
the greatest courage; one of them he struck in his mouth as he
was coming to meet him, the other was slain
by him by that very dart which he drew out of the body of the
other, with which he ran this man through his side as he was
running away from him; and when he had done
this, he first of all ran out of the midst of his enemies to
his own side. So this man signalized himself for his valor, and
many there were who were ambitious of gaining the like
reputation. And now the Jews were unconcerned at what
they suffered themselves from the Romans, and were only
solicitous about what mischief they could do them; and
death itself seemed a small matter to them, if at the same time
they could but kill any one of their enemies. But Titus took care
to secure his own soldiers from harm, as well as to have them
overcome their enemies. He also said that
inconsiderate violence was madness, and that this alone
was the true courage that was joined with good conduct.
He therefore commanded his men to take care, when they
fought their enemies, that they received no harm from them at
the same time, and thereby show themselves to be truly valiant
men.

4. And now Titus brought one of his engines to the middle tower
of the north part of the wall, in which a certain crafty Jew,
whose name was Castor, lay in ambush, with ten
others like himself, the rest being fled away by reason of the
archers. These men lay still for a while, as in great fear, under
their breastplates; but when the tower was shaken, they arose,
and Castor did then stretch out his hand, as a petitioner, and
called for Caesar, and by his voice moved his compassion, and
begged of him to have mercy upon
them; and Titus, in the innocency of his heart, believing him
to be in earnest, and hoping that the Jews did now repent,
stopped the working of the battering ram, and forbade them to
shoot at the petitioners, and bid Castor say what he had a mind
to say to him. He said that he would come down, if he would give
him his right hand for his security. To which Titus replied, that
he was well pleased with such his
agreeable conduct, and would be well pleased if all the
Jews would be of his mind, and that he was ready to give the
like security to the city. Now five of the ten dissembled with
him, and pretended to beg for mercy, while the rest cried out
aloud that they would never be slaves to the
Romans, while it was in their power to die in a state of
freedom. Now while these men were quarrelling for a long while,
the attack was delayed; Castor also sent to Simon, and told him
that they might take some time for consultation about what was to
be done, because he would elude the
power of the Romans for a considerable time. And at the
same time that he sent thus to him, he appeared openly to
exhort those that were obstinate to accept of Titus's hand for
their security; but they seemed very angry at it, and brandished
their naked swords upon the breast-works, and struck themselves
upon their breast, and fell down as if they had been slain.
Hereupon Titus, and those with him, were amazed at the courage of
the men; and as they were
not able to see exactly what was done, they admired at
their great fortitude, and pitied their calamity. During this
interval, a certain person shot a dart at Castor, and
wounded him in his nose; whereupon he presently pulled
out the dart, and showed it to Titus, and complained that this
was unfair treatment; so Caesar reproved him that shot the dart,
and sent Josephus, who then stood by him, to
give his right hand to Castor. But Josephus said that he would
not go to him, because these pretended petitioners meant nothing
that was good; he also restrained those
friends of his who were zealous to go to him. But still there
was one Eneas, a deserter, who said he would go to him.
Castor also called to them, that somebody should come
and receive the money which he had with him; this made
Eneas the more earnestly to run to him with his bosom
open. Then did Castor take up a great stone, and threw it at
him, which missed him, because he guarded himself
against it; but still it wounded another soldier that was
coining to him. When Caesar understood that this was a
delusion, he perceived that mercy in war is a pernicious thing,
because such cunning tricks have less place under the exercise of
greater severity. So he caused the engine to work more strongly
than before, on account of his anger at the deceit put upon him.
But Castor and his companions
set the tower on fire when it began to give way, and leaped
through the flame into a hidden vault that was under it, which
made the Romans further suppose that they were
men of great courage, as having cast themselves into the fire.

CHAPTER 8.



How The Romans Took The Second Wall Twice,
And Got All Ready For Taking The Third Wall.

1. Now Caesar took this wall there on the fifth day after he
had taken the first; and when the Jews had fled from him, he
entered into it with a thousand armed men, and those of his
choice troops, and this at a place where were the
merchants of wool, the braziers, and the market for cloth, and
where the narrow streets led obliquely to the wall.
Wherefore, if Titus had either demolished a larger part of the
wall immediately, or had come in, and, according to the law of
war, had laid waste what was left, his victory would not, I
suppose, have been mixed with any loss to himself. But now, out
of the hope he had that he should make the
Jews ashamed of their obstinacy, by not being willing, when he
was able, to afflict them more than he needed to do, he did not
widen the breach of the wall, in order to make a safer retreat
upon occasion; for he did not think they would lay snares for him
that did them such a kindness. When
therefore he came in, he did not permit his soldiers to kill
any of those they caught, nor to set fire to their houses
neither; nay, he gave leave to the seditious, if they had a mind,
to fight without any harm to the people, and promised to restore
the people's effects to them; for he was very desirous to
preserve the city for his own sake, and the
temple for the sake of the city. As to the people, he had them
of a long time ready to comply with his proposals; but as to the
fighting men, this humanity of his seemed a mark of his weakness,
and they imagined that he made these
proposals because he was not able to take the rest of the city.
They also threatened death to the people, if they
should any one of them say a word about a surrender.
They moreover cut the throats of such as talked of a peace, and
then attacked those Romans that were come within the wall. Some
of them they met in the narrow streets, and
some they fought against from their houses, while they
made a sudden sally out at the upper gates, and assaulted such
Romans as were beyond the wall, till those that
guarded the wall were so aftrighted, that they leaped down from
their towers, and retired to their several camps: upon which a
great noise was made by the Romans that were
within, because they were encompassed round on every
side by their enemies; as also by them that were without,
because they were in fear for those that were left in the city.
Thus did the Jews grow more numerous perpetually,
and had great advantages over the Romans, by their full
knowledge of those narrow lanes; and they wounded a
great many of them, and fell upon them, and drove them
out of the city. Now these Romans were at present forced to
make the best resistance they could; for they were not able, in
great numbers, to get out at the breach in the wall, it was so
narrow. It is also probable that all those that were gotten
within had been cut to pieces, if Titus had not sent them
succors; for he ordered the archers to stand at the upper ends of
these narrow lakes, and he stood himself
where was the greatest multitude of his enemies, and with his
darts he put a stop to them; as with him did Domitius Sabinus
also, a valiant man, and one that in this battle appeared so to
be. Thus did Caesar continue to shoot darts at the Jews
continually, and to hinder them from coming
upon his men, and this until all his soldiers had retreated out
of the city.

2. And thus were the Romans driven out, after they had
possessed themselves of the second wall. Whereupon the
fighting men that were in the city were lifted up in their
minds, and were elevated upon this their good success,
and began to think that the Romans would never venture to come
into the city any more; and that