to turn robbers, upon this condition, that he might go fhares with them in the fpoils they got. Accordingly this his greedinefs of gain was the occafion that entire toparchies were brought to defolation, and a great many of the people left their own country, and fled into foreign provinces.

4. And truly, while Ceftius Gallus was prefident of the province of Syria, no body durft do to much as fend an embaffage to him against Florus; but when he was come to Jerufalem, upon the approach of the feaft of unleavened bread, the people came about him not fewer in number than * three millions: These besought him to commiferate the calamities of their nation, and cried out upon Florus as the bane of their country. But as he was prefent and stood by Ceftius he laughed at their words. However Ceftius, when he had quieted the multitude, and had affured them, that he would take care that Florus fhould hereafter treat them in a more gentle manner, returned to Antioch: Florus also conducted him as far as Cefarea, and deluded him, though he had at that very time the purpose of fhewing his anger at the nation, and procuring a war upon them, by which means alone it was that he fuppofed he might conceal his enormities; for he expected that, if the peace continued, he fhould have the Jews for his accusers before Cæfar; but that if he could procure them to make a revolt, he fhould divert their laying lefler crimes to his charge, by a mifery that was fo much greater; he therefore did every day augment their calamities, in order to induce them to a rebellion.

4. Now at this time it happened that the Grecians at Cefarea had been too hard for the Jews, and had obtained of Nero the government of the city, and had brought the judicial determination; at the fame time began the war, in the twelfth year of the reign of Nero, and the feventeenth of the reign of Agrippa, in the month of Artemifius [Jyar.] Now the occafion of this war was by no means proportionable to those heavy calamities which it brought upon us. For the Jews that dwelt at Cefarea had a fynagogue near the place, whofe owner was a certain Cefarean Greek; the Jews had endeavoured frequently to have purchafed the poffeffion of the place, and had offered many times its value for its price; but as the owner overlooked their offers, fo did he raife other buildings upon the place, in way of affront to them, and made working thops of them, and left them but a narrow paffage, and fuch as was very troublefome for them to go along to their fynagogue. Whereupon the warmer part of the Jewith youth went hastily to the workmen and forbade them to build there; But as Flo

* Here we may note, that 3,000,000 of the Jews were prefent at the paffover, A. D. 65, which confirms what Jofephus elsewhere informs us of, that at a paffover a little later, they counted 256,500 pafchal lambs, which at twelve to each lamb, which is no immoderate calculation, come to 3,078,000. See B. VI. chap. 9. sect. 3.

rus would not permit them to ufe force, the great men of the Jews with John the publican, being in the utmoft diftrefs what to do, perfuaded Florus, with the offer of eight talents, to hinder the work. He then, being intent upon nothing bus getting money, promifed he would do for them all they defired of him, and then went away from Cefarea to Sebafte, and left the fedition to take its full courfe, as if he had fold a licence to the Jews to fight it out.

5. Now on the next day, which was the feventh day of the week, when the Jews were crowding apace to their fynagogue, a certain man of Cesarea, of a feditious temper, got an earthen vessel, and set it with the bottom upward at the entrance of that fynagogue, and facrificed birds. This thing provoked the Jews to an incurable degree, because their laws were affronted, and the place was polluted. Whereupon the fober and moderate part of the Jews thought it proper to have recourse to their governors again, while the feditious part, and fuch as were in the fervour of their youth, were vehemently inflamed to fight. The feditious alfo among the [Gentiles of Cefarea flood ready for the fame purpose; for they had, by agreement, fent the man to facrifice beforehand, [as ready to fupport him ;] fo that it foon came to blows. Hereupon Jucundus, the mafter of the horle, who was ordered to prevent the fight, came thither, and took away the earthen vessel, and endeavoured to put a stop to the fedition; but when he was overcame by the violence of the people of Cefarea, the Jews caught up their books of the law, and retired to Narbata, which was a place to them belonging, diftant from Cefarea fixty furlongs. But John, and twelve of the principal men with him. went to Florus, to Sebafte, and made a lamentable complaint of their cafe, and befought him to help them; and with all. poffible decency, put him in mind of the eight talents they had given him; but he had the men feized upon, and put in prifon, and accused them for carrying the books of the law out of Cefarea.

6. Moreover, as to the citizens of Jerufalem, although they took this matter very ill, yet did they reftrain their paffion; but Florus acted herein as it he had been hired, and blew up the war into a flame, and sent fome to take feventeen talents out of the facred treasure, and pretended that Cæfar wanted them. At this the people were in confufion immediately, and ran together to the temple, with prodigious clamours, and called upon Cæfar by name, and befought him to free them from the tyranny of Florus. Some alfo of the feditious cri

Take here Dr. Hudfon's very pertinent note. "By this action, fays he, the killing of a bird over an earthen veffel, the Jews were expofed as a leprous people; for that was to be done by the law in the cleaning of a leper, (Levit ch xiv.) It is alfo known that the Gentiles reproached the Jews as fubject to the leprofy, and believed that they were driven out of Egypt on that account. This that eminent perfon Mr. Reland fuggefted to me."

ed out upon Florus, and caft the greateft reproaches upon him, and carried a basket about, and begged fome fpills of money for him as for one that was deftitute of poffeffions, and in a miserable condition. Yet was not he made ashamed here. by of his love of money, but was more enraged, and provok ed to get still more; and inftead of coming to Cefarea, as he ought to have done, and quenching the flame of war which was beginning thence, and fo taking away the occafion of any difturbances, on which account it was that he had received a reward [of eight talents he marched haftily with an army of horfemen and footmen againft Jerufalem, that he might gain his will by the arms of the Romans, and might by his terror, and by his threatenings bring the city into fubjection.

7. But the people were defirous of making Florus ashamed of his attempt, and met his foldiers with acclamations, and put themselves in order to receive him very fubmiffively. But he fent Capito, a centurion, before hand, with filty foldiers, to bid them, go back, and not now make a fhew of receiving him in an obliging manner, whom they had fo fondly reproached before; and faid, that it was incumbent on them, in cafe they had generous fouls, and were free fpeakers, to jeft upon him to his face, and appear to be lovers of liberty, not only in words, but with their weapons alfo. With this mef fage was the multitude amazed, and upon the coming of Capito's horfemen into the midst of them, they were difperfed before they could falute Florus, or manifeft their fubmiffive behaviour to him. Accordingly they retired to their own houses, and spent that night in fear and confufion of face.

8. Now at this time Florus took up his quarters at the palace; and on the next day he had his tribunal fet before it, and fat upon it, when the high priests and the men of power, and thofe of the greatest eminence in the city came all before that tribunal; upon which Florus commanded them to deliver up to him thofe that had reproached him, and told them, that they fhould themselves partake of the vengeance to them belonging, if they did not produce the criminals; but these demonftrated that the people were peaceably difpofed, and they begged forgiveness for thofe that had fpoken amifs; for that it was no wonder at all that in fo great a multitude there fhould be fome more daring than they ought to be, and by reason of their younger age foolish alfo; and that it was impoffible to diftinguish thofe that offended from the reft, while every one was forry for what he had done, and denied it out of fear of what would follow; that he ought, however, to provide for the peace of the nation, and to take fuch counfels as might preferve the city for the Romans, and rather for the fake of a great number of innocent people, to forgive a few that were guilty, than for the fake of a few of the wicked, to put so large and good a body of men into diforder.

9. Florus was more provoked at this, and called out aloud to

the foldiers to plunder that which was called The Upper Market Place, and to flay fuch as they met with. So the foldiers taking this exhortation of their commander in a fenfe agreeable to their defire of gain, did not only plunder the place they were fent to, but forcing themfelves into every hoafe, they flew its inhabitants; fo the citizens fled along the narrow lanes and the foldiers flew thofe that they caught, and no method of plunder was omitted; they alfo caught many of the quiet people, and brought them before Florus, whom he first "chaftifed with ftripes and then crucified. Accordingly the whole number of those that were deftroyed that day, with their wives and children, (for they did not fpare even the infants themselves,} was about three thoufand and fix hundred. And what made this calamity the heavier, was this new method of Roman barbarity: For Florus ventured then to do what no one had done before, that is, to have men of the equestrian order whipped, and nailed to the cross before his tribunal; who although they were by birth Jews, yet were they of Roman dignity notwithstanding.

CHAP. XV.

Concerning Bernice's Petition to Florus, to Spare the Jews, but in vain as alfo how, after the Seditious Flame was quenched, it was kindled again by Florus.

1. BOUT this very time king Agrippa was going to Alexandria, to congratulate Alexander upon his having obtained the government of Egypt from Nero; but as his filler Bernice was come to Jerufalem, and faw the wicked practices of the foldiers. fhe was forely affected at it, and frequently fent the mafters of her horfe, and her guards to Florus, and begged of him to leave off these flaughters; but he would not comply with her requeft, nor have any regard either to the multitude of thofe already flain, or to the nobility of her that interceded, but only to the advantage he should make by this plundering; nay, this violence of the foldiers brake out to fuch a degree of madness, that it spent itfelt on the queen herfelt; for they did not only torment and destroy thofe whom they had caught under her very eyes, but indeed had killed herfelf alfo, unlefs the had prevented them by flying to the palace, and had ftayed there all night with her guards, which fhe had about her for fear of an infult from the foldiers. Now the dwelt then at Jerufalem, in order to per

⚫ Here we have examples of native Jews who were of the equeftrian order a mong the Romans, and fo ought never to have been whipped or crucified, according to the Roman laws, See almoft the like cafe in St. Paul himself, Acta xii. 25,-29.

form a vow which she had made to God; for it is ufual with those that had been either afflicted with a diftemper, or with any other diftreffes, to make vows; and for thirty days before they are to offer their facrifices, to abftain from wine, and to fhave the hair of their head. Which things Bernice was now performing, and flood barefoot before Florus's tribunal, and befought him [to fpare the Jews]. Yet could fhe neither have any reverence paid to her, nor could she escape without fome danger of being flain herself.

2. This happened upon the fixteenth day of the month Artemifius, Jyar]. Now on the next day the multitude, who were in a great agony, ran together to the upper market place, and made the loudest lamentations for those that had perished; and the greateft part of the cries were fuch as reflected on Florus; at which the men of power were affrighted, together with the high priests, and rent their garments, and fell down before each of them, and befought them to leave off, and not to provoke Florus to fome incurable procedure, befides what they had already fuffered. Accordingly the multitude complied immediately, out of reverence to those that had defired it of them, and out of the hope they had that Florus would do them no more injuries.

3. So Florus was troubled that the difturbances were over, and endeavoured to kindle that flame again, and fent for the high-priefts, with the other eminent perfons, and faid, The only demonftration that the people would not make any other innovations fhould be this, that they must go out and meet the foldiers that were afcending from Cefarea, whence two cohorts were coming; and while these men were exhorting the multitude fo to do, he fent before-hand, and gave directions to the centurions of the cohorts, thatthey should give

This vow which Bernice (here and elsewhere called Queen, not only as daugh ter and fifter to two kings, Agrippa the Great, and Agrippa junior, but the widow of Herod King of Chalcis) came now to accomplish at Jerufalem, was not that of a Nazarite, but fuch an one as religious Jews used to make in hopes of any deliverance from a disease, or other danger, as Jofephus here intimates However thele thirty days abode at jerufalem, for fafting and preparation against the obla tion of a proper facrifice, feems to be too long, unless it were wholly voluntary in this great lady. It is not required in the law of Mofes relating to Nazarites, Num. vi. and is very different from St. Paul's time for fuch preparation, which was but one day, Acts xxi 26. So we want already the continuation of the Antiquities, to afford us light here, as they have hitherto done on fo many occafions elsewhere. Perhaps in this age the traditions of the Pharifees had obliged the Jews to this degree of rigour, not only as to thefe thirty days preparations, but as to the going barefoot all that time, which here Bernice fubmitted to alto. For we know that as God's and our Saviour's yoke is ufually eafy, and his burden comparatively, light, in fuch pofitive injunétions, Mat. xi. 30 fo did the Scribes and Pharifees fometimes" bind upon men heavy burdens, and grievous to be borne," even when "they themselves would not touch them with one of their fingers," Mat. xxiii. 4. Luke xi 46. However, Noldius well obferves, De Herod, No. 404, 414that Juvenal in his fixth fatire alludes to this remarkable penance of fubmission of this Bernice to Jewish difcipline, and jelts upon her for it; as do Tacitus, Dio Suetonius, and Sextus Aurelius mentions her as one well known at Rome, ibid.