torrents, which iffue out of the mountains, and with fprings that never fail to run, even when the torrents fail them, as they do in the dog days. Now the length of Perea is from Mache rus to Pella, and its breadth from Philadelphia to Jordan: Its northern parts are bounded by Pella, as we have already faid, as well as its western with Jordan; the land of Moab is its fouthern border, and its eaffern limits reach to Arabia, and Silbonitis, and befides to Philadelphene and Gerafa. 4. Now as to the country of Samaria, it lies between Judea and Galilee; it begins at a village that is in the great plain called Ginea, and ends at the Acrabbene toparchy, and is entirely of the fame nature with Judea; for both countries are made up of hills and vallies, and are moift enough for agriculture, and are very fruitful. They have abundance of trees, and are full of autumnal fruit, both that which grows wild, and that which is the effect of cultivation. They are not naturally watered by many rivers, but derive their chiet moifture from rain-water, of which they have no want; and for those rivers which they have, all their waters are exceeding sweet: by reafon alfo of the excellent grafs they have, their cattle yield more milk than do those in other places; and, what is the greatest fign of excellency, and of abundance, they each of them are very full of people. 5. In the limits of Samaria and Judea lies the village Anuath, which is also named Borceos. This is the northern boundary of Judea. The fouthern parts of Judea if they be meafured lengthways, are bounded by a village adjoining to the confines of Arabia; the Jews that dwell there call it Jardan. However, its breadth is extended from the river Jordan to Joppa. The city Jerufalem is fituated in the very middle; on which account fome have, with fagacity enough, called that city the navel of the country. Nor indeed is Judea deftitute of luch delights as come from the fea, fince its maritime places extend as far as Ptolemais; it was parted in eleven portions, of which the royal city Jerufalem was the fupreme, and prefided over all the neighbouring country, as the head does over the body. As to the other cities that were inferior to it, they prefided over the feveral toparchies; Gophna was the second of thofe cities and next to that Açrabatta, after them Thamna, and Lydda, and Emmaus, and Pella, and Idumea and Engaddi, and Herodium, and Jericho ; and after them came Jamnia and Joppa as prefiding over the neighbouring people: And befides these there was the region of Gamala, and Gaulanitis, and Batanea, and Trachonitis which are alfo parts of the kingdom of Agrippa. This [laft] country begins at mount Libanus, and the fountains of Jordan, and reaches breadthways to the lake of Tiberias; and in length is extended from a village called Arpha, as far as Julias. Its inhabitants are a mixture of Jews and Syrians. And thus have 1, with all poffible brevity, defcribed the country of Judea, and thole that lie round about it. CHAP. IV. Jofephus makes an attempt upon Sepphoris, but is repelled. Titus comes with a great Army to Ptolemais. § 1. NOW the auxiliaries which were fent to affift the people of Sepphoris, being a thousand horfemen, and fix thousand footmen, under Placidus the tribune, pitched their camp in two bodies in the great plain. The foot were put into the city to be a guard to it, but the horfe lodged abroad in the camp. Thefe laft, by marching continually one way or other, and over-running the parts of the adjoining country, were very troublefome to Jofephus and his men; they alfo plundered all the places that were out of the city's liberty, and intercepted fuch as durft go abroad. On this account it was that Jofephus marched against the city, as hoping to take what he had lately encompaffed with fo ftrong a wall, before they revolted from the rest of the Galileans, that the Romans would have had much ado to take it: By which means he proved too weak, and failed of his hopes, both as to the forcing the place, and as to his prevailing with the people of Sepphoris to deliver it up to him. By this means he provoked the Romans to treat the country according to the law of war; nor did the Romans, out of the anger they bore at this attempt, leave off either by night or by day, burning the places in the plain, and stealing away the cattle that were in the counary, and killing whatfoever appeared capable of fighting perpetually, and leading the weaker people as flaves into captiv. ity; fo that Galilee was all over filled with fire and blood; nor was it exempted from any kind of mifery or calamity, for the only refuge they had was this, that when they were purfued, they could retire to the cities which had walls built them by Jofephus. 2. But as to Titus, he failed over from Achaia to Alexandria, and that fooner than the winter fealon did usually permit; fo he took with him thofe forces he was fent for, and marching with great expedition, he came fuddenly to Ptolemais, and there finding his father, together with the two legions the fifth and the tenth, which were the most eminent Jegions of all, he joined them to that fifteenth legion which was with his father: Eighteen cohorts followed these legions: There came alfo five cohorts from Cefarea, with one troop of horsemen, and five other troops of horfemen from Syria. Now these ten cohorts had feverally a thousand footmen, but the other thirteen cohorts had no more than fix hundred footmen a piece, with an hundred and twenty horfemen. There were allo a confiderable number of auxiliaries got together, that came from the Kings Antiochus and Agrippa, and Sohemus, each of them contributing one thousand footmen that were archers, and a thoufand horfemen. Malchus alfo, the king of Arabia, fent a thousand horsemen, befides five thousand footmen, the greatest part of which were archers: So that the whole army, including the auxiliaries fent by the kings, as well horsemen as footmen, when all were united together, amounted to fixty thoufand, befides the fervants, who, as they followed in vaft numbers, so because they had been trained up in war with the reft, ought not to be diftinguished from the fighting men; for as they were in their master's fervice in times of peace, fo did they undergo the like dangers with them in times of war, infomuch that they were inferior to none either in fkill or in ftrength, only they were fubject to their masters. CHAP. V. A Defcription of the Roman Armies, and Roman Camps; and of other particulars, for which the Romans are commended. § 1. NOW here one cannot but admire at the precaution of the Romans, in providing themselves of fuch household fervants, as might not only ferve at other times for the common offices of life, but might also be of advantage to them in their wars. And indeed it any one does but attend to the other parts of their military difcipline, he will be forced to confefs, that their obtaining fo large a dominion, hath been the acquifition of their valour, and not the bare gift of fortune: For they do not begin to use their weapons firft in time of war, nor do they then put their hands firft into motion, while they avoided fo to do in times of peace; but, as if their weapons did always cling to them, they have never any truce from warlike exercises; nor do they ftay till times of war admonish them to use them; for their military exercifes differ not at all from the real ufe of their arms, but every foldier is every day exercised, and that with great diligence, as if it were in time of war, which is the reafon why they bear the fatigue of battles fo eafily; for neither can any diforder remove them from their utual regularity, nor can fear affright them out of it, nor can labour tire them: Which firmness of conduct makes them always to overcome those that have not the fame firmnefs; nor would he be mistaken that fhould call those their exercifes unbloody battles, and their battles bloody exercises. Nor can their enemies eafily furprise them with the fuddennefs of their incurfions; for as foon as they have marched into an enemy's land, they do not begin to fight till they have walled their camp about; nor is the fence they raife rafhly made, or uneven; nor do they all abide in it, nor do thofe that are in it take their places at random; but if it happens that the ground is uneven, it is firft levelled: Their camp is also four square by measure, and carpenters are ready in great numbers, with their tools, to erect their buildings for them*. 2. As for what is within the camp, it is fet apart for tents, but the outward circumference hath the resemblance to a wall, and is adorned with towers at equal diftances where between the towers ftand the engines for throwing arrows, and darts, and for flinging flones, and where they lay all other engines that can annoy the enemy, all ready for their feveral operations. They alfo ere&t four gates, one at every fide of the circumference, and those large enough for the entrance of the beafts, and wide enough for making excurfions, if occafion fhould require. They divide the camp within into streets, very conveniently, and place the tents of the commanders in the middle, but in the very midst of all is the general's own tent, in the nature of a temple, infomuch, that it appears to be a city built on the fudden, with its market place, and place for handicraft trades, and with feats for the officers fuperior and inferior, where, if any differences arife, their caufes are heard and determined The camp, and all that is in it, is encompaffed with a wall round about and that fooner than one would imagine, and this by the multitude and the skill of the labourers; and if occafion require, a trench is drawn round the whole, whofe depth is four cubits, and its breadth equal. 3. When they have thus fecured themselves, they live together by companies, with quietnefs and decency, as are all their other affairs managedwith good order and fecurity. Each company hath also their wood, and their corn, and their water brought them, when they stand in need of them; for they neither fup nor dine as they please themselves Lingly, but all together. Their times allo for fleeping, and watching, and rifing, are notified beforehand by the found of trumpets, nor is any thing done without fuch a fignal: And in the morning the foldiery go every one to their centurions, and these centurions to their tribunes, to falute them; with whom all the fuperior officers go to the general of the whole army, who then gives them of courfe the watch-word, and other orders, to be by them carried to all that are under their command; which is alfo obferved when they go out to fight, and thereby they turn themselves about on the ludden when there is occa * This description of the exact symmetry and regularity of the Roman army and of the Roman encampments, with the founding their trumpets, &c, and order of war, described in this and the next chapter, is fo very like to the fymmetry and regularity of the people of Ifrael in the wilderness, (fee description of the temples, ch. ix.) that one cannot well avoid the fuppofal, that the one was the ultimate pattern of the other, and that the tactics of the ancients were taken from the rules give en by God to Moles. And it is thought by fome skilful in these matters, that these accounts of Jofephus, as to the Roman camp and armour, and conduct in war are preferable to thofe in the Roman authors themselves. fion for making fallies, as they come back when they are recalled in crowds also. 4. Now when they are to go out of their camp, the trumpet gives a found, at which time nobody lies ftill, but at the first intimation they take down their tents, and all is made ready for their going out; then do the trumpets found again, to order them to get ready for the march; then do they lay their baggage fuddenly upon their mules, and other beasts of burthen, and ftand, as at the place of ftarting, ready to march; when alfo they fet fire to their camp, and this they do becaufe it will be easy for them to erect another camp, and that it may not ever be of ufe to their enemies. Then do the trumpets give a found the third time, that they are to go out, in order to excite those that, on any account, are a little tardy, that fo no one may be out of his rank when the army marches. Then does the crier ftand at the general's right hand, and asks them thrice in their own tongue, whether they be now ready to go out to war or not? To which they reply as often, with a loud and cheerful voice, faying, We are ready. And this they do almoft before the queftion is afked them: They do this as filled with a kind of martial fury, and at the fame time that they to cry out, they lift up their right hands alfo. 5. When, after this, they are gone out of their camp, they all march without noife, and in a decent manner, and every one keeps his own rank, as if they were going to war. The footmen are armed with breaft-plates, and head-pieces, and have fwords on each fide, but the fword which is upon their left fide is much longer than the other, for that on the right fide is not longer than a fpan. Thofe footmen alfo that are chofen out from the reft to be about the general himself, have a lance and a buckler, but the rest of the foot foldiers have a fpear and a long buckler, befides a faw and a basket, a pickaxe, and an axe a thong of leather, and a hook, with provi fions for three days; fo that a footman hath no great need of a mule to carry his burthens. The horsemen have a long fword on their right fides, and a long pole in their hand; a fhield alfo lies by them obliquely on one fide of their horfes, with three or more darts that are borne in their quiver, having broad points and not smaller than fpears. They have alfo head-pieces, and breaft plates, in like manner as have all the footmen. And for those that are chofen to be about the gen eral, their armour no way differs from that of the horsemen belonging to other troops; and he always leads the legions forth to whom the lot affigns that employ ment. 6. This is the manner of the marching and refting of the Romans, as also these are the feveral forts of weapons they ufe. But when they are to fight, they leave nothing without forecast, nor to be done off hand, but counfel is ever first taken before any work is begun, and what hath been there refolved upon is put in execution prefently; for which realon VOL. III. Bb |