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THE JEWISH WAR.

Book IF "so, who still fancy what great men their Philip and Alexan"der were, and see that the latter had promised them the "empire of the world, these bear so great a change, and pay "their obedience to those whom fortune hath advanced in “their stead. Moreover, ten thousand other nations there are, who had greater reason than we to claim their entire "liberty, and yet to submit. You are the only people who "think it a disgrace to be servants to those to whom the world "hath submitted. What sort of an army do you rely on ? "What are the arms you depend on ? Where is your fleet, "that may seize upon the Roman seas; and were are those "treasures which may be sufficient for your undertakings? "Do you suppcse, I pray you, that you are to make war "with the Egyptians, and with the Arabians? Will you "not carefully reflect upon the Roman empire? Will you "not estimate your own weakness? Hath not your army

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"been often beaten even by your neighbouring nations? "while the power of the Romans is invincible in all parts of "the habitable earth; nay rather, they seek for somewhat "still beyond that; for all Euphrates is not a sufficient boundary for them on the east side nor the Danube on the north, "and for their southern limit Libya hath been searched over by them, as far as countries uninhabited, as is Cadiz their limit on the west; nay, indeed, they have sought for ano"ther habitable earth beyond the ocean, and have carried their arms as far as such British islands as were never "known before. What therefore do you pretend to ? Are you richer than the Galls, stronger than the Germans, wiser than the Greeks, more numerous than all men upon the "habitable earth? What confidence is it that elevates you 66 to oppose the Romans? Perhaps it will be said, it is hard "to endure slavery. Yes, but how much harder is this to the Greeks, who were esteemed the noblest of all the people under the sun. These, though they inhabit in a large country, are in subjection to six bundles of Roman rods. It is the same case with the Macedonians who have juster reason to claim their liberty than you have. What is the case of five hundred cities of Asia? do they not submit to a single governor, and the consular bunch of rods? What "need I speak of the Heniochi, and Cholchi, and the nation of Tauri, those that inhabit the Bosphorus, and the nations

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"sand armed men, and where forty long ships kept the sea "in peace, which before was not navigable, and very tem"pestuous? How strong a plea may Bithynia, and Cappa"docia, and the people of Pamphylia, the Lycians and Cici"lians, put in for liberty? But they are made tributary "without an army. What are the circumstances of the "Thracians? whose country extends in breadth five days journey, and in length seven, and is of a much more harsh "constitution, and much more defensible than yours, and by "the rigour of its cold sufficient to keep off armies from attacking them; do not they submit to two thousand men of "the Roman garrisons? Are not the Illyrians, who inhabit "the country adjoining, as far as Dalmatia, and the Danube, governed by barely two legions? by which also they put a stop to the incursions of the Dacians. And for the Dal"matians, who have made such frequent insurrections in or"der to regain their liberty, and who could never before be so thoroughly subdued but that they always gathered their "forces together again, and revolted, yet are they now very quiet under one Roman legion. Moreover, if great advan"tages might provoke any people to revolt, the Galls might "do it best of all, as being so thoroughly walled round by naOn the east side by the Alps, on the north by the river Rhine, on the south by the Pyrenean mountains, and "on the west by the ocean. Now although these Galls have "such obstacles before them to prevent any attack upon "them, and have no fewer than three hundred and five na"tions among them, may have, as one may say, the fountains "of domestic happiness within themselves, and send out plentiful streams of happiness over almost the whole world, "these bear to be tributary to the Romans, and derive their prosperous condition from them and they undergo this, "not because they are of effeminate minds, or because they are of an ignoble stock as having borne a war of eighty years, in order to preserve their liberty; but by reason of "the great regard they have to the power of the Romans, and "their good fortune, which is of greater efficacy than their arms. These Galls, therefore, are kept in servitude by "twelve bundred soldiers, which are hardly so many as are "their cities; nor hath the gold dug out of the mines of 'Spain been sufficient for the support of a war to preserve "their liberty; nor could their vast distance from the Ro"mans by land and by sea do it; nor could the martial tribes

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THE JEWISH WAR.

Book II.

"of the Lusitanians and Spaniards escape; no more could "the ocean, with its tide, which yet was terrible to the an"cient inhabitants. Nay, the Romans have extended their "arms beyond the pillars of Hercules, and have walked "among the clouds upon the Pyrenean mountains, and have "subducd these nations. And one legion is a sufficient guard "for these people, although they were so hard to be con"quered, and at a distance so remote from Rome. Who is "there among you who hath not heard of the great number "of the Germans? You have, to be sure, yourselves seen "them to be strong and tall, and that frequently, since the "Romaus have them among their captives every where; yet "these Germans, who dwell in an immense country, who"have minds greater than their bodies, and a soul that despises death, and who are in rage more fierce than wild "beasts, have the Rhine for the boundary of their enterpriદ ses, and are tamed by eight Roman legions. Such of "them as were taken captive became their servants; and "the rest of the entire nation were obliged to save them"selves by flight. Do you also, who depend on the walls "of Jerusalem, consider what a wall the Britons had; "for the Romans sailed away to them, and subdued them while they were encompassed by the ocean, and inhabited an island that is not less than [the continent of] this habitable earth; and four legions are a sufficient guard to so large રૈદ an island. And why should I speak much more about this "matter? while the Parthians, that most warlike body of 26 men, and lords of so many nations, and encompassed with "such mighty forces, send hostages to the Romaus; whereby you may see, if you please, even in Italy, the noblest nation of the cast, under the notion of peace, submitting to serve "them. Now, when almost all people under the sun submit to the Roman arms, will you be the only people that make war against them? and this without regarding the fate of the "Carthaginians, who, in the midst of the brags of the great Hannibal, and the nobility of their Phoenician original, fell "by the hand of Scipio. Nor indeed have the Cyrenians, "derived from the Lacedemonians, nor the Marmaridæ, a "nation extended as far as the regions uninhabitable for want "of water, nor have the Syrtes, a place terrible to such as

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“itable earth, [Africa,] whose nations are so many that it is "not easy to number them, and which is bounded by the At"lantic sea, and the pillars of Hercules, and feeds an innu"merable multitude of Ethiopians, as far as the Red Sea, "these have the Romans subdued entirely. And besides the "annual fruits of the earth, which maintain the multitude of "the Romans for eight months in the year, this, over and "above, pays all sorts of tribute, and affords revenues suita"ble to the necessities of the government : nor do they, like you, esteem such injunctions a disgrace to them, although they have but one Roman legion that abides among them. "And indeed, what occasion is there for shewing you the "power of the Romans over remote countries, when it is so easy to learn it from Egypt, in your neighbourhood? This country is extended as far as the Ethiopians, and Arabia "the Happy, and borders upon India; it hath seven millions "five hundred thousand men, besides the inhabitants of Alex“andria, as may be learned from the revenue of the poll-tax; yet it is not ashamed to submit to the Roman government, "although it hath Alexandria as a grand temptation to a re"volt, by reason it is so full of people and riches, and is be"sides exceeding large, its length being thirty furlongs, and "its breadth not less than ten; and it pays more tribute to the "Romans in one month than you do in a year; nay, besides "what it pays in money, it sends corn to Rome that supports "it for four months [in the year:] it is almost walled round "on all sides, either by almost impassable deserts, or seas that "have no havens, or by rivers, or by lakes; yet have none "of these things been found too strong for the Roman good "fortune; however, two legions that lie in that city are a bri"dle both for the remoter parts of Egypt, and for the parts "inhabited by the more noble Macedonians. Where then are "those people whom you are to have for your auxiliaries? "Must they come from the parts of the world that are unin"habited? for all that are in the habitable earth are [under the] Romans. Unless any of you extend his hopes as far as "beyond Euphrates, and suppose that those of your own na"tion that dwell in Adiabene will come to your assistance; "but certainly these will not embarrass themselves with an "unjustifiable war, nor, if they should follow such ill advice, "will the Parthians permit them so to do; for it is their concern to maintain the truce that is between them and the Romaus, and they will be supposed to break the covenants be

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"tween them, if any under their government march against "the Romans. What remains, therefore, is this, that you "have recourse to divine assistance; but this is already on "the side of the Romans; for it is impossible that so vast an "empire should be settled without God's providence. Re"flect upon it how impossible it is for your zealous observa"tion of your religious customs to be here preserved, which are hard to be observed even when you fight with those "whom you are able to conquer; and how can you then most "of all hope for God's assistance, when, by being forced to transgress his law, you will make him turn his face from you? and if you do observe the custom of the Sabbath days, and will not be prevailed on to do any thing thereon, you will easily be taken, as were your forefathers by Pom-pey, who was the busiest in his siege on those days on which "the besieged rested. But if in time of war you transgress "the law of your country, I cannot tell on whose account you will afterward go to war; for your concern is but one, "that you do nothing against any of your forefathers; and "how will you call upon God to assist you, when you are voluntarily transgressing against his religion? Now all men "that go to war do it either as depending on divine or on human assistance; but since your going to war will cut off "both those assistances, those that are for going to war choose "evident destruction. What hinders you from slaying your "children and wives with your own hands, and burning this "most excellent native city of yours! for by this mad prank you will however escape the reproach of being beaten. "But it were best, O my friends, it were best, while the "vessel is still in the haven, to foresee the impending storm, " and not to sail out of the port into the middle of the hurricanes; for we justly pity those who fall into great misfor"tunes without forseeing them; but for him who rushes into "manifest ruin, he gains reproaches [instead of commisera

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tion. But certainly no one can imagine that you can enter "into a war as by an agreement, or that when the Romans have got you under their power, they will use you with moderation, or will not rather, for an example to other "nations, burn your holy city, and utterly destroy your "whole nation; for those of you, who shall survive the war "will not be able to find a place whither to flee, since all men "have the Romans for their lords already, or are afraid "they shall have hereafter. Nay indeed the danger con.

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