would affure him that he would preferve him, and give him his affiftance in getting up out of the cavern ; accordingly he incautiously reached him his right hand, when the other man prevented him, and ftabbed him under his loins with a spear, and killed him immediately.

36. And on this day it was that the Romans flew all the mul. titude that appeared openly: But on the following days they fearched the hiding places, and fell upon thofe that were under ground, and in the caverns, and went thus through every age, excepting the infants and the women, and of these there were gathered together as captives twelve hundred ; and as for those that were flain at the taking of the city, and in the former fights, they were numbered to be forty thousand. So Vefpalian gave order that the city fhould be entirely demolifhed, and all the fortifications burnt down. And thus was Jotapata taken, on the thirteenth year of the reign of Nero, on the first day of the month Panemus [Tamuz].

CHAP. VIII.

How Jofephus was Difcovered by a Woman, and was willing to deliver himself up to the Romans; and what Difcourfe he had with his own Men when they endeavoured to hinder him; and what he faid to Vefpafian, when he was brought to him; and after what manner Vefpafian ufed him afterward.

AND

ND now the Romans fearched for Jofephus, both out of the hatred they bore him, and because their general was very defirous to have him taken; for he reckoned that it he were once taken, the greatest part of the war would be over. They then fearched among the dead, and looked into the moft concealed receffes of the city; bat as the city was first taken, he was affifted by a certain fupernatural providence; for he withdrew himself from the enemy when he was in the midst of them, and leaped into a certain deep pit, whereto there adjoined a large den at one fide of it, which den could not be seen by thofe that were above ground; and here he met with forty perfons of eminency that had concealed themfelves, and with provifions enough to fatisly them for not a few days. So in the day time he hid himfelt from the enemy, who had feized upon all places, and in the night time he got up out of the den, and looked about for fome way of escaping, and took exact notice of the watch: But as all places were guarded every where on his account, that there was no way of getting off unfeen, he went down again into the den. Thus he concealed himfelf two days; but on the third day, when they had taken a woman who had been with them, he was discovered. Whereupon Vefpafian fent immediately and zealously two tribunes, Paulinus and Gallicanus, and ordered them to give

Jofephus their right hands as a fecurity for his life, and to exhort him to come up.

2. So they came and invited the man to come up, and gave him affurances that his life fhould be preferved: But they did not prevail with him; for he gathered fufpicions from the probability there was that one who had done fo many things against the Romans, muft fuffer for it, though not from the mild temper of those that invited him. However, he was afraid that he was invited to come up in order to be punished, until Vefpafian fent befides these a third tribune, Nicanor, to him; he was one that was well known to Jofephus, and had been his familiar acquaintance in old time. When he was come, he enlarged upon the natural mildnefs of the Romans towards thofe they have once conquered, and told him, that he had behaved himself fo valiantly, that the commanders rather admired than hated him; that the general was very defirous to have him brought to him, not in order to punifh him, for that he could do though he fhould not come voluntarily, but that he was determined to preserve a man of his courage. He moreover added this, that Vefpafian, had he been refolved to im. pose upon him, would not have fent to him a friend of his own, nor put the fairest colour upon the vileft action, by pretending friendship, and meaning perfidioufnels; nor would he have himself acquiefced, or come to him, had it been to deceive him.

3. Now as Jofephus began to hefitate with himself about Nicanor's propofal, the foldiery were fo angry, that they ran haftily to fet fire to the den; but the tribune would not permit them fo to do, as being very defirous to take the man alive. And now, as Nicanor lay hard at Jofephus to comply, and he understood how the multitude of the enemies threatened him, he called to mind the dreams which he had dreamed in the night time, whereby God had fignified to him before hand both the future calamities of the Jews, and the events that concerned the Roman emperors. Now Jofephus was able to give shrewd conjectures about the interpretation of fuch dreams as have been ambiguously delivered by God. Moreover, he was not unacquainted with the prophecies contained in the facred books, as being a prieft himself, and of the pofterity of priests; and juft then was he in an ecftacy, and letting before him the tremendous images of the dreams he had lately had, he put up a fecret prayer to God, and faid, "Since it pleafeth thee, who haft created the Jewish nation, to depress the fame, and fince all their good fortune is gone over to the Romans, and fince thou haft made choice of this foul of mine to foretel what is to come to país hereafter, I willingly give them my hands, and am content to live And I proteft openly, that I do not go over to the Romans as a deferter of the Jews, but as a minifter from thee."

When he had faid this, he complied with Nicanor's in

vitation. But when thole Jews who had fied with him, underflood that he yielded to thofe hed bim to come up, they came about him in a body, and cred out, Nay, indeed. now may the laws of our forefathers which God ordained himfelf, well groan to purpose; that God we mean who hath created the fouls of the Jews of fuch a temper, that they defpife death. O iofephus! art thou ftill fond of life; and canft thou hear to fee the light in a ftate of flavery? How foon haft thou forgotten thy felf? How many haft thou perfuaded to lofe their lives for liberty? Thou haft therefore had a falle reputation for manhood, and a like falfe reputation for wifdom, if thou canft hope for prefervation from those against whom thou hail fought fo zealously, and art however willing to be preferved by them, if they be in earneft. But although the good fortune of the Romans hath made thee forget thy felt, we ought to take care that the glory of our forefathers may not be tarnished. We will lend thee our right hand and a fword; and it thou wilt die willingly, thou thalt die as geneval of the Jews; but if unwillingly, thou wilt die as a traitor to them. As foon as they faid this, they began to thrust their twords at him, and threatened they would kill him, if he thought of vielding himself to the Romans.

pon this Jofephus was afraid of their attacking him, and we thought he thould be a betrayer of the commands of Goj, at de Fed before they were delivered. So he began to a loober to them, in the diftrefs he was then in,

os to them: "O my friends, why are we fo mecres ? and why do we fet our foul and bohetam uch dear companions, at such variance? Can no ponent (but I am not the man I was formerly? Nay, the Romans are teniske how that matter ftands well enough. Les a drave thing to we in war; but so that it be according to the law of war, by the hand of conquerors. If, therefore, I avond doach from the word of the Romans, I am truly worthy to be killed by my own (word, and my own hand: But if they admit of mercy, and would fpare their enemy, how much more ought we to have mercy upon ourfelves, and to fpare ourselves? For it is certainly a toolifh thing to do that to ourfelves which we quarrel with them for doing to us. I contets freely, that it is a brave thing to die for liberty; but ftill fo that it be in war, and done by thofe who take that liberty from us; but in the present cafe our enemies do neither meet us in battle, nor do they kill us. Now, he is equally a coward who will not die when he is obliged to die, and he who will die when he is not obliged fo to do. What are we afraid when we will not go up to the Romans? Is it death? If at we are afraid of when we but fufpect our enemies het it on us, fhall we inflict it on ourselves for certain? ay be faid, we must be flaves. And are we then in a ate of liberty at prefent? It may alfo be faid, that it is a

manly act for one to kill himfelf. No, certainly, but à most unmanly one; as I fhould efteem that pilot to be an arrant coward, who out of fear of a ftorm, fhould fink his fhip of his own accord. Now, felf-murder is a crime most remote from the common nature of all animals, and an inftance of impiety against God our Creator: Nor indeed is there any animal that dies by its own contrivance, or by its own means, for the defire of life is a law engraven in them all; on which account we deem thofe that openly take it away from us to be our enemies, and thofe that do it by treachery are punished for so doing. And do not you think that God is very angry when a man does injury to what he hath bestowed on him? For from him it is that we have received our being, and we ought to leave it to his dispofal to take that being away from us. The bodies of all men are indeed mortal, and are created out of corruptible matter; but the foul is ever immortal, and is a portion of the divinity that inhabits our bodies. Besides, if any one deftroys or abufes a depofitum he hath received from a mere man, he is efteemed a wicked and perfidious perfon; but then if any one caft out of his body this divine depofitum, can we imagine that he who is thereby affronted does not know of it! Moreover, our law juftly ordains that flaves which run away from their mafter fhall be punished though the masters they run away from may have been wicked masters to them. And fhall we endeavour to run away from God, who is the beft of all mafters, and not think ourselves guilty of impiety? Do not you know that those who depart out of this life, according to the law of nature, and pay that debt which was received from God, when he that lent it us is pleased to require it back again, enjoy eternal fame; that their houses and their pofterity are fure, that their fouls are pure and obedient, and obtain a moft holy place in heaven, from whence, in the revolutions of ages, they are again fet into pure bodies; while the fouls of those whofe hands have acted madly against themselves, are received by the darkest place in Hades, and while God, who is their father, punishes thofe that offend against either of them in their pofterity; for which reafon God hates fuch doings, and the crime is punished by our most wife legiflator. Accordingly our laws determine, that the bodies of fuch as kill themselves fhould be expofed till the fun be fet, without burial, although at the fame time it be allowed by them to be lawful to bury our enemies [fooner]. The laws of other nations allo enjoin fuch mens hands to be cut off when they are dead, which had been made use of in deftroying themfelves when alive, while they reckoned that as the body is alien from the foul, fo is the hand alien from the body. It is therefore, my friends, a right thing to reafon juftly, and not add to the calamities which men bring upon us, impiety towards our Creator. If we have a mind to preferve ourfelves, let us do it; for to be preferved by thofe our enemies, to whom we have VOL. III.

E e

vitation. But when thofe Jews who had fled with him, understood that he yielded to thofe that invited him to come up, they came about him in abody, and cried out, "Nay, indeed, now may the laws of our forefathers, which God ordained himfelf, well groan to purpose; that God we mean who hath created the fouls of the Jews of fuch a temper, that they del pife death. Oofephus! art thou ftill fond of life; and canft thou bear to fee the light in a ftate of flavery? How foon haft thou forgotten thy felf? How many haft thou perfuaded to lose their lives for liberty? Thou haft therefore had a falle reputation for manhood, and a like falfe reputation for wifdom, if thou canst hope for prefervation from those against whom thou hast fought fo zealously, and art however willing to be preserved by them, if they be in earneft. But although the good fortune of the Romans hath made thee forget thy felt, we ought to take care that the glory of our forefathers may not be tarnished. We will lend thee our right hand and a fword; and if thou wilt die willingly, thou shalt die as general of the Jews; but if unwillingly, thou wilt die as a traitor to them." As foon as they faid this, they began to thrust their fwords at him, and threatened they would kill him, if he thought of yielding himself to the Romans.

5. Upon this Jofephus was afraid of their attacking him, and yet thought he thould be a betrayer of the commands of God, if he died before they were delivered. So he began to talk like a philofopher to them, in the diftrefs he was then in, when he said thus to them: "O my friends, why are we fo earneft to kill ourselves? and why do we fet our foul and body, which are fuch dear companions, at fuch variance ? Can any one pretend that I am not the man I was formerly? Nay, the Romans are fenfible how that matter ftands well enough. It is a brave thing to die in war; but so that it be according to the law of war, by the hand of conquerors. If, therefore, I avoid death from the fword of the Romans, I am truly worthy to be killed by my own fword, and my own hand: But if they admit of mercy, and would fpare their enemy, how much more ought we to have mercy upon ourfelves, and to fpare ourselves? For it is certainly a toolifh thing to do that to ourfelves which we quarrel with them for doing to us. I confefs freely, that it is a brave thing to die for liberty; but ftill fo that it be in war, and done by those who take that liberty from us; but in the prefent cafe our enemies do neither meet us in battle, nor do they kill us. Now, he is equally a coward who will not die when he is obliged to die, and he who will die when he is not obliged fo to do. What are we afraid of, when we will not go up to the Romans? Is it death? If fo, what we are afraid of when we but fufpe&t our enemies will inflict it on us, fhall we inflict it on ourselves for certain? But it may be faid, we must be flaves. And are we then in a clear ftate of liberty at present? It may also be faid, that it is a