the firft Cæfar, nor any one that came after him, thought of diminishing the honours which Alexander had beftowed on the Jews. But ftill conflicts perpetually arofe with the Grecians; and although the governors did every day punish many of them, yet did the fedition grow worfe; but at this time efpecially, when there were tumults in other places alfo, the diforders among them were put into a greater flame; for when the Alexandrians had once a public affembly, to deliberate, about an ambaffage they were fending to Nero, a great number of Jews came flocking to the theatre; but when their adverfaries faw them, they immediately cried out, and called them their enemies, and faid they came as fpies upon them; upon which they rushed out, and laid violent hands upon them; and as for the reft, they were flain as they ran away; but there were three men whom they caught, and hauled them along, in order to have them burnt alive; but all the Jews came in a body to defend them, who at first threw ftones at the Grecians, but after that they took lamps, and rufhed with violence into the theatre, and threatened that they would burn the people to a man: And this they had foon done, unless Tiberius Alexander, the governor of the city, had refrained their paffions. However this man did not begin to teach them wifdom by arms, but fent among them privately fome of the principal men, and thereby entreated them to be quiet, and not provoke the Roman army against them; but the feditious made a jeft of the entreaties of Tiberius, and reproached him for fo doing. 8. Now when he perceived that thofe who were for innovations would not be pacified till fome great calamity fhould overtake them, he fent out upon them thole two Roman legions that were in the city, and together with them five thouand other foldiers, who, by chance, were come together out of Lybia, to the ruin of the Jews. They were alfo permitted not only to kill them, but to plunder them of what they had, and to fet fire to their houfes. Thefe foldiers rushed violently into that part of the city that was called Delta, where the Jewith people lived together and did as they were bidden, though not without bloodthed on their own fide alfo; for the Jews got together, and fet thofe that were the beft armed among them in the forefront, and made refiftance for a great while, but when once they gave back, they were deftroyed unmerci. fully; and this their deftruction was complete, fome being caught in the open field, and others forced into their houtes, which houfes were first plundered of what was in them, and then fet on fire by the Romans; wherein no mercy was fhown to the infants, and no regard had to the aged; but they went on in the flaughter of perfons of every age, till all the place was overflowed with blood, and fifty thoufand of them lay dead upon heaps; nor had the remainder been preferved, had they not betaken themfelves to fupplication. So Alexander commiferated their condition, and gave orders to the Romans to retire Accordingly thefe being accuftomed to obey orders, left off killing at the first intimation; but the populace of Alexandria bare fo very great hatred to the Jews, that it was dif ficult to recal them, and it was an hard thing to make them leave their dead bodies. 9. And this was the miferable calamity which at this time befel the Jews at Alexandria Hereupon Ceftius thought fit no longer to lie ftill, while the Jews were every where up in arms: So he took out of Antioch the twelfth legion entire, and out of each of the reft he felected two thou and, with fix cohorts of footmen, and four troops of horsemen, befides those auxiliaries which were fent by the kings; of which Antiochus fent two thoufand horfemen, and three thoufand footmen, with as many archers; and Agrippa fent the fame number of footmen, and one thoufand horfemen; Sohemus alfo followed with four thoufand, a third part whereof were norfemen, but most part were archers, and thus did he march to Ptolemais. There were alfo great numbers of auxiliaries gathered together from the [free cities, who, indeed had not the fame fkill in martial affairs, but made up in their alacrity, and in their hatred to the Jews what they wanted in fkill. There came alfo along with Ceftius, Agrippa himself, both as a guide in his march of the country, and a director what was fit to be done; fo Ceftius took part of his torces, and marched haftily to Zabulon, a ftrong city of Galilee, which was called the city of men, and divides the country of Ptolemais from our nation: This he found defeited by its men, the multitude hav. ing fled to the mountains, but full of all forts of good things; thofe he gave leave to the foldiers to plunder, and fet fire to the city, although it was of admirable beauty, and had its houfes built like thofe in Tyre, and Sidon, and Bery tus. After this he over-ran all the country, and feized upon whatsoever came in his way, and fet fire to the villages that were round about them, and then returned to Ptolemais. But when the Syrians, and efpecially thofe of Berytus, were buly in plundering, the Jews pulled uptheir courage again, for they knew that Celtius was retired, and fell upon thofe that were left behind unexpectedly, and deftroyed about two thoufand of them. 10. And now Ceftius himself marched from Ptolemais and came to Cefarea; but he fent part of his army before him to Joppa, and gave order, that if they could take that city [by] furprife) they fhould keep it; but that in cafe the citizens fhould perceive they were coming to attack them, that they then fhould ftay for him, and for the rest of the army. So fome of them made a brifk march by the fea fide, and fome by Spanheim notes on the place, that this later Antiochus, who was called Epiphanes, is mentioned by Dio, LIX, page 645. and that he is mentioned by fofephus ellewhere twice allo, B. V. ch. xi. 5. vol. 11. and Antiq. B. XIX. ch. viii. § 3. vol. II. Jand, and fo coming upon them on both fides, they took the city with eafe: And as the inhabitants had inade no provifion aforehand for a flight, nor had gotten any thing ready for fighting, the foldiers fell upon them, and flew them all, with their families, and then plundered and burnt the city. The number of the flain was eight thousand four hundred. In like manner Ceftius fent alfo a confiderable body of horsemen to the toparchy of Narbatene, that adjoined to Cefarea, who deftroyed the country, and flew a great multitude of its people; they alfo plundered what they had, and burnt their villages. 11. But Ceftius fent Gallus, the commander of the twelfth legion, into Galilee, and delivered to him as many of his forces as he fuppofed fufficient to fubdue that nation. He was received by the strongest city of Galilee, which was Sepphoris, with acclamations of joy; which wife conduct of that city occafioned the reft of the cities to be in quiet; while the leditious part, and the robbers ran away to that mountain which lies in the very middle of Galilee, and is fituated over against Sepphoris; it is called Afamon. So Gallus brought his forces against them: But while thole men were in the fuperior parts above the Romans, they eafily threw their darts upon the Romans, as they made their approaches, and flew about two hundred of them. But when the Romans had gone round the mountains, and were gotten into the parts above their enemies, the others were foon beaten; nor could they who had only light armour on fuftain the force of them that fought them armed all over; nor when they were beaten could they efcape the enemies horfemen; infomuch that only fome few concealed themselves in certain places hard to be come at, among the mountains, while the reft, above two thousand in number, were flain. CHAP. XIX. What Ceflius did against the Jews; and how, upon his befieging Jerufalem, he retreated from the City, without any juft occafion in the world. As alfo what fevere calamities he underwent from the Jews in his retreat. § 1. AND now Gallus feeing nothing more that looked to wards an innovation in Galilee, returned with his army to Cefarea: But Ceftius removed with his whole army, and marched to Antipatris. And when he was informed that there was a great body of Jewith forces gotten together in a certain tower called Aphek, he fent a party before to fight them; but this party difperfed the Jews by affrighting them before it came to a battle: So they came, and finding their camp deferted, they burnt it, as well as the villages that lay about it. But when Ceftius had marched from Antipatris to Lydda, he found the city empty of its men, for the whole multitude were gone up to Jerufalem to the feaft of tabernacles; yet did he dellroy fifty of thofe that hewed themfelves, and burnt the city, and fo marched forwards; and afcending by Bethoron, he pitched his camp at a certain place called Gabao, fifty furlongs diftant from Jerufalem. 2. But as for the Jews, when they faw the war approaching to their metropolis, they left the feaft, and betook themfelves to their arms; and taking courage greatly from their multitude, went in a fudden and diforderly manner to the fight, with a great noife, and without any confideration had of the reft of the feventh day, although the Sabbath was the day to which they had the greatest regard; but that rage which made them forget the religious obfervation [of the Sabbath] made them too hard for their enemies in the fight: With fuch violence therefore did they fall upon the Romans, as to break into their ranks, and to march through the midst of them, making a great flaughter as they went, infomuch, that unless the horfemen, and fuch part of the footmen as were not yet tired in the action, had wheeled round, and fuccoured that part of the army which was not yet broken, Ceftius, with his whole army, had been in danger: However, five hundred and fifteen of the Romans were flain, of which number four hundred were footmen, and the reft horfemen, while the Jews loft only twenty-two, of whom the most valiant were the kindred of Monobazus king of Adiabene, and their names were Monobazus and Kenedius; and next to them were Niger of Perea, and Silas of Babylon, who had deferted from King Agrippa to the Jews; for he had formerly ferved in his army. When the front of the Jewish army had been cut off, the Jews retired into the city; but ftill Simon, the fon of Giora fell upon the backs of the Romans, as they were afcending up Bethoron, and put the hindermoft of the army into diforder, and carried off many of the beafts that carried the weapons of war, and led * Here we have an eminent example of that Jewish language, which Dr. Wall truly obferves we feveral times find ufed in the facred writings; I mean where the words all or whole multitude, &c. are ufed for much the greatest part only; but not fo as to include every perion, without exception; for when Jofephus had laid, that the whole multitude [all the males] of Lydda were gone to the feaft of tabernacles, he immediately adds, that however no fewer than fifty of them appeared, and were flain by the Romans. Other examples fomewhat like this I have obferved elfewhere in Jofephus, but, as I think, none fo remarkable as this. See Wall's Critical Obfervations on the Old Teftament, pag 49, 50. We have allo in this and then xt fection, two eminent facts to be observed, viz. the first example, that I remember, in Jofephus, of the onlet of the Jews enemies upon their country when their males were gone up to Jerufalem to one of their three facred feftivals; which, during the theocracy, God had promised to preferve them from, Exod xxxiv. 24 The fecond fact is this, the breach of the Sabbath by the feditious Jews in an offentive fight, contrary to the univerfal doctrine and practice of their nation in these ages, and even contrary to what they themselves af terward practifed in the rest of this war. See the note on Antiq. B. XVI. ch. ii. § 4. vol II. them into the city. But as Ceftius tarried there three days, the Jews feized upon the elevated parts of the city, and fet watches at the entrances into the city and appeared openly refolved not to reft, when once the Romans fhould begin to march. 3. And now when Agrippa obferved that even the affairs of the Romans were likely to be in danger, while fuch an immenfe multitude of their enemies had feized upon the mountains round about, he determined to try what the Jews would agree to by words, as thinking that he fhould either perfuade them all to defift from fighting, or, however, that he fhould cause the fober part of them to feparate themselves from the oppofite party. So he fent Borceus and Phebus, the perfons of his party that were the best known to them, and promifed them, that Ceftius fhould give them his right hand, to secure them of the Romans entire forgiveness of what they had done amifs, if they would throw away their arms, and come over to them; but the feditious, fearing left the whole multitude, in hopes of fecurity to themselves, fhould go over to Agrippa, refolved immediately to fall upon and kill the ambafladors: Accordingly they flew Phebus before he said a word, but Borceus was only wounded, and fo prevented his fate by flying away; and when the people were very angry at this, they had the feditious beaten with ftones and clubs, and drove them before them into the city. 4. But now Ceftius, obferving that the difturbances that were begun among the Jews afforded him a proper opportunity to attack them, took his whole army along with him, and put the Jews to flight, and purfued them to Jerufalem He then pitched his camp upon the elevation called Scopus, [or watch tower], which was diftant feven furlongs from the city; yet did not he affault them in three days time, out of expectation that thofe within might perhaps yield a little; and in the mean time he fent out a great many of his foldiers into neighbouring villages, to feize upon their corn. And on the fourth day, which was the thirtieth of the month Hyperbereteus [Tifri], when he had put his army in array, he brought it into the city. Now for the people, they were kept under by the feditious; but the feditious themfelves were greatly affrighted at the good order of the Romans, and retired from the fuburbs, and retreated into the inner part of the city, and into the temple. But when Ceftius was come into the city, he fet the part called Bezetha, which is called Cenopolis [or the new city on fire; as he did allo to the timber market: After which he came into the upper city, and pitched his camp over against the royal palace; and had he but at this very time attempted to get within the walls by force, he had won the city prefently and the war had been put an end to at once; but Tyrannius Prifcus, the mufter-mafter of the army and a great number of the officers of the horse, had been corrupted by |