"one that hath no child, to preside over them, instead of "him that is a father; because the advancement of men's "own children to dignities is certainly the greatest security kings can have for themselves. Whether, therefore, we "estimate the capacity of governing from the skill of a per"son in years, we ought to have Vespasian, or whether from "the strength of a young man, we ought to have Titus; for by this means we shall have the advantage of both their ages, for that they will afford strength to those that shall "be made emperors, they having already three legions, be"sides other auxiliaries from the neighbouring kings, and "will have farther all the armies in the east to support them, as also those in Europe, so far as they are out of the distance and dread of Vitellius, besides such auxiliaries as "they may have in Italy itself, that is Vespasian's + brother, "and his other son [Domitian]; the one of which will bring "in a great many of those young men that are of dignity, "while the other is intrusted with the government of the ci69 ty, which office of his will be no small means of Vespa"sian's obtaining the government. Upon the whole, the be such, that if we ourselves make farther delays, "the senate may choose an emperor whom the soldiers, who are the saviours of the empire, will have in contempt." case may 4. These were the discourses the soldiers had in their several companies, after which they got together in a great body, and, encouraging one another, they declared Vespasian emperor, and exhorted him to save the government which was now in danger. Now Vespasian's concern was for a considerable time about the public, yet did he not in * 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. page 649, 659, to which it appears very difficult to give our assent. This brother of Vespasian was Flavius Sabinus, as Suetonius informs us, in Vitell. § 15. and in Vespas. § 2. He is also named by Josephus presently, chap. xi. § 4. 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 and Suetonius' present copies must be corrected, when they both say, that he was first proclaimed in Egypt, and that on the kalends of July, while they still say, it was the fifth of the nones teud to set up for governor himself, though his actions shewed him to deserve it, while he preferred that safety which is in a private life, before the dangers in a state of such dignity but when he refused the empire, the commanders insisted the more earnestly upon his acceptance, and the soldiers came about him, with their drawn swords in their hands, and threatened to kill him, unless he would now live according to his dignity. And when he had shewed his reluctance a great while, and had endeavoured to thrust away this dominion from him, he at length not being able to persuade them, yielded to their solicitations that would salute him emperor. 5. So upon the exhortations of Mucianus, and the other commanders, that he would accept of the empire, and upon that of the rest of the army, who cried out, that they were willing to be led against all his opposers, he was in the first place, intent upon gaining the dominion over Alexandria, as knowing that Egypt was of the greatest consequence in order to obtain the entire government, because of its supplying corn [to Rome,] which corn if he could be master of, he hoped to dethrone Vitellius, supposing he should aim to keep the empire by force, (for he would not be able to support himself, if the multitude at Rome should once be in want of food;) and because be was desirous to join the two legions that were at Alexandria to the other legions that were with him. He also considered with himself, that he should then have that country for a defence to himself against the uncertainty of fortune. For * Egypt is hard to be entered by land, and hath no good haveus by sea. It hath on the west the dry deserts of Libya, and on the south, Siene, that divides it from Ethiopia, as well as the cataracts of the Nile, that cannot be sailed over, and on the east the Red Sea, extending as far as Coptus, and it is fortified on the north by the land that reaches to Syria, together with that called the Egyptian Sea, having no havens in it for ships. And thus is Egypt walled about on every side. Its length between Pelusium and Siene is two thousand furlongs, and the passage by sea, from Plinthine to Pelusium, er 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' coherence imply less. See Essay on the Revelation, page 136. *Here we have an authentic description of the bounds and circumstances of Egypt, in the days of Vespasian and Titus. is three thousand six hundred furlongs. Its river Nile is navi. gable as far as the city called Elephantine, the forenamed cataracts hindering ships from going any farther. The havens also of Alexandria is not entered by the mariners without dif. ficulty, even in times of peace; for the passage inward is narrow and full of rocks, that lie uuder the water, which obliges the mariners to turn from a straight direction: its left side is blocked up by works made by men's hands on both sides; on its right side lies the island called Pharus, which is situated just before the entrance, and supports a very great tower, that affords the sight of a fire to such as sail within three hundred furlongs of it, that ships may cast anchor a great way off in the night time, by reason of the difficulty of sailing nearer. About this island are built very great peers, by handy-work of men, against which, when the sea dashes itself, and its waves are broken against those boundaries, the navigation becomes very troublesome, and the entrance through so narrow a passage is rendered dangerous; yet is the haven itself, when you are got into it, a very safe one, and of thirty furlongs in largeness into which is brought what the country wants in order to its happiness as also what abundance the country affords, more than it wants itself, is hence distributed into all the habitable earth. 6. Justly, therefore, did Vespasian desire to obtain that government, in order to corroborate his attempts upon the whole empire; so he immediately sent to Tiberius Alexander, who was then governor of Egypt, and of Alexandria, and informed him what the army had put him upon, and how he, being forced to accept of the burden of the government, was desirous to have him for his confederate and supporter. Now as soon as ever Alexander had read this letter, he readily obliged the legions and the multitude to take the oath of fidelity to Vespasian, both which willingly complied with him, as already acquainted with the courage of the man, from that his conduct in their neighbourhood. Accordingly Vespasian looking upon himself as already intrusted with the government, got all things ready for his journey [to Rome.] Now fame carried this news abroad, more suddenly than one could have thought, that he was emperor over the east, upon which every city kept festivals, and celebrated sacrifices and oblations for such good news: the legions also that were in Mysia and Pannonia, who had been in commotion a little before, on account of this insolent attempt of Vitellius were very glad to take the oath of fidelity to Vespasian, upon his coming to the emp re. Vespasian then removed from Cæsarea to Bery tus, where many embassages came to him from Syria, and many from other provinces, bringing with them from every city, crowns, and the congratulations of the people. Mucianus came also, who was the president of the province, and told him with what alacrity the people [received the news of his advancement,] and how the people of every city had taken the oath of fidelity to him. 7. So Vespasian's good fortune succeeded to his wishes, every where, and the public affairs were, for the greatest part, already in his hands; upon which he considered, that he had not arrived at the government without divine Provi. dence, but that a righteous kind of fate had brought the empire under his power; for as he called to mind the other signals, which had been a great many every where, that foretold he should obtain the governmeut, so did he remember what Josephus had said to him, when he ventured to foretel his coming to the empire, while Nero was alive; so he was much concerned that this man was still in bonds with him. He then called for Mucianus, together with his other commanders and friends, aud, in the first place, he informed them what a valiant man Josephus had been, and what great hardships he had made him undergo in the siege of Jotapata. After that he related those predictions of his which he had then suspected as Actions, suggested out of the fear he was in, but which had by time been demonstrated to be divine. " It is * a shameful thing," said he, "that this man who had foretold my coming to the empire before hand, and been the "minister of a divine message to me, should still be retain *A's 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, Dan. v. vi. or rather, as Jeremiah, when he was a prisoner, was set at liberty, and honourably treated by Nebuzaradan, at the command of Nebuchadnezzar, on account of his having foretold the destrution of Jerusalem by the Babylonians, Jer. xl. 1-6. So was our Josephus set at liberty, and honourably 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 predic tions 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, &c. "ed in the condition of a captive or prisoner." So he called for Josephus, and commanded that he should be set at liberty; whereupon the commanders promised themselves glorious things, from this requital Vespasian made to a stranger. Titus was then present with his father, and said, "O "father, it is but just that the scandal [of a prisoner] should "be taken off Josephus, together with his iron chain. For "if we do not barely loose his bonds, but cut them to pieces, "he will be like a man that had never been bound at all." For that is the usual method as to such as have been bound without a cause. This advice was agreed to by Vespasian also; so there came a man in, and cut the chain to pieces, while Josephus received this testimony of his integrity for a reward, and was moreover esteemed a person of credit as to futurities also. CHAP XI. That upon the conquest and slaughter of Vitellius, Vespasian hastened his journey to Rome, but Titus his son returned to Jerusalem, 1. AND now when Vespasian had given answers to the embassages, and had disposed of the places of power * justly, and according to every one's deserts, he came to Antioch, and consulting which way he had best take, he preferred to go to Rome, rather than to march to Alexandria, because he saw that Alexandria was sure to him already, but that the affairs at Rome were put in disorder by Vitellius; so he sent Mucianus to Italy, and committed a considerable army both of horsemen and footmen to him; yet was Mucianus afraid of going by sea, because it was the middle of winter, and so he led his army through Cappadocia and Phrygia. 2. In the mean time Antonius Primus took the third of the legions that were in Mysia, for he was president of that province, and made haste, in order to fight Vitellius; whereupon Vitellius sent away Cecinua, with a great army, having a *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 kingdom to vice and to destruction. |
