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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 those 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 beftowed 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 person; 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 mafters they run away from may have been wicked masters to them. And fhall we endeavour to run away from God, who is the best of all masters, and not think ourfelves 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 houfes 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 punifhed by our moft wife legiflator. Accordingly our laws determine, that the bodies of fuch as kill themfelves 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 ufe 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 reason 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.

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given fo many demonftrations of our courage, is no way in glorious; but if we have a mind to die, it is good to die by the hand of those who have conquered us. For my part, I will not run over to our enemies quarters in order to be a traitor to my felf; for certainly I fhould then be much more foolish than thofe that deferted to the enemy, fince they did it in order to fave themselves, and I should do it for deftruction, for my own› deftruction. However, I heartily with the Romans may prove treacherous in this matter; for if, after their offer of their right hand for fecurity, I be flain by them, I fhall die cheerfully, and carry away with me the fenfe of their perfidioufnefs, as a confolation greater than victory itlelf.”

6 Now thefe and many the like motives did Jofephus ufe to these men to prevent their murdering themfelves; but defperation had fhut their ears, as having long ago devoted themfelves to die, and they were irritated at Jofephus. They then ran upon him with their fwords in their hands, one from one quarter, and another from another, and called him a coward, and every one of them appeared openly as if he were ready to fmite him; but he calling to one of them by name, and looking like a general to another, and taking a third by the hand, and making a fourth afhamed of himself. by praying him to forbear, and being in this condition diftracted with various paffions, (as he well might in the great diftrefs he was then in), he kept off every one of their fwords from killing him, and was forced to do like fuch wild beafts as are encompafled about on every fide, who always turn themfelves against thofe that laft touched them. Nay, fome of their right hands were debilitated by the reverence they bare to their general, in these his fatal calamities, and their fwords dropped out of their hands, and not a few of them there were, who, when they aimed to fmite him with their fwords, they were not thoroughly either willing or able to do it.

7. However, in this extreme diftrefs, he was not deftitute of his ufual fagacity; but trufting himself to the providence of God, he put his life into hazard in the manner following: "And now," faid he, "fince it is refolved among you that you will die, come on, let us commit our mutual deaths to determination by lot. He whom the lot falls to firft, let him be killed by him that hath the second lot, and thus fortune fhall make its progrefs through us all; nor thall any of us perish by his own right hand, for it would be unfair if, when the reft are gone, fomebody fhould repent and fave himself." This propofal appeared to them to be very juft; and when he had prevailed with them to determine this matter by lots, he drew one of the lots for himfelf alfo. He who had the first lot laid his neck bare to him that had the next, as fuppofing that the general would die among them immediately; for they thought death. if Jofephus might but die with them, was fweeter than life: Yet was he with another left to the laft, whether we muft

fay it happened fo by chance, or whether by the providence of God. And as he was very defirous neither to be condemned by the lot, nor, if he had been left to the last, to imbrue his right hand in the blood of his country man, he perfuaded him to truft his fidelity to him, and to live as well as himself.

8. Thus Jofephus efcaped in the war with the Romans, and in this his own war with his friends, and was led by Nicanor to Vefpafian. But now all the Romans ran together to fee him; and as the multitude preffed one upon another about their general, there was a tumult of a various kind; while fome rejoiced that Jofephus was taken, and fome threatened him, and some crowded to fee him very near; but those that were more remote cried out to have this their enemy put to death, while thofe that were near called to mind the actions he had done, and a deep concern appeared at the change of his fortune. Nor were there any of the Roman commanders, how much foever they had been enraged at him before, but relented when they came to the fight of him. Above all the reft, Titus's own valour, and Jofephus's own patience under his afflictions, made him pity him as did allo the commiferation of his age, when he recalled to mind that but a little while ago he was fighting, but lay now in the hands of his enemies, which made him confider the power of fortune, and how quick is the turn of affairs in war, and how no ftate of men is fure: For which reafon he then made a great many more to be of the fame pitiful temper with himself, and induced them to commiferate Jofephus. He was alfo of great weight in perfuading his father to preferve him. However, Vefpafian gave strict orders that he thould be kept with great caution, as though he would, in a very little time, fend him to Nero.

9. When Jofephus heard him give thofe orders, he faid, that he had fomewhat in his mind that he would willingly fay to himself alone. When therefore they were all ordered to withdraw, excepting Titus and two of their friends, he said, "Thou, O Vefpafian thinkeft no more than that thou haft taken Jofephus himself captive; but I come to thee as a meffenger of greater tidings; for had not I been fent by God to thee, I knew what was the law of the Jews in this cafe, and how it becomes generals to die. Doft thou fend me to Nero? For why? Are Nero's fucceffors till they come to thee ftil! alive? Thou, O Vespasian, art Cæfar, and emperor, thou, and this thy fon. Bind me now ftill fafter, and keep me tor thy

☛ I do not know where to find the law of Mofes here mentioned by Jofephus, and afterward by Eleazar, B. VII. ch. viii. §7 Vol. III. and almoft implied in B. I. eh. xiii. § 10. Vol. III. by jofeph s's commendation of Phafaelus for doing 10 ; I mean whereby Jewish generals and people were obliged to kill themselves, Tather than go into flavery under heathens. I doubt this would have been no better than felf-murder; and I believe it was rather fome vain doctrine, or interpretation of the rigid pharifees, or Effens, or Herodians, than a just consequence from any Jaw of God delivered by Moses.

felf, for thou, O Cæfar, art not only lord over me, but over the land and the fea, and all mankind; and certainly I deferve to be kept in clofer cuftody then I now am in, in order to be punished, if I ratbly affirm any thing of God" When he had faid this, Vefpafian at present did not believe him, but fuppofed that Jofephus faid this, as a cunning trick, in order to his own prefervation; but in a little time he was convinced, and believed what be faid to be true, God himfelt erecting his expectations, fo as to think of obtaining the empire, and by other figns forefhewing his advancement. He allo found Jofephus to have spoken truth on other occafions; for one of thole friends that were prefent at that fecret conterence, faid to Jofephus," I cannot but wonder how thou couldest not foretel to the people of Jotapata, that they thould be taken, nor couldeft foretel this captivity which hath happened to thy felf, unless what thou now layeft be a vain thing in order to avoid the rage that is rifen against thy felf." To which Jofephus replied," I did foretel to the people of Jotapata that they would be taken on the forty-feventh day, and that I fhould be caught alive by the Romans." Now when Vefpafian had inquired of the captives privately about these predictions, he found them to be true, and then he began to believe thofe that concerned himfelf. Yet did he not fet Jofephus at liberty from his bands, but beftowed on him fuits of clothes, and other precious gifts; he treated him allo in a very obliging manner, and continued fo to do, Titus ftill joining his intereit in the honours that were done him.

CHA P. IX.

How Joppa was taken, and Tiberias delivered up.

§ 1. Now

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JOW Vefpafian returned to Ptolemais on the fourth day of the month Panemus, [Tamuz, and from thence he came to Cefarea, which lay by the fea-fide. This was a very great city of Judea, and for the greatest part inhabited by Greeks: The citizens here received both the Roman army and its general, with all forts of acclamations and rejoi cings, and this partly out of the good-will they bore to the Romans. but principally out of the hatred they bore to those that were conquered by them; on which account they came clamouring against Jofephus in crowds, and defired he might be put to death. But Vefpafian pafled over this petition concerning him, as offered by the injudicious multitude, with a bare filence. Two of the legions alfo he placed at Cefarea, that they might there take their winter quarters, as perceiving the city very fit for fuch a purpofe; but he placed the tenth and the fifth at Scythopolis, that he might not diftrefs Cefarea with the entire army. This place was warm, even in winter,

as it was fuffocating hot in the fummer time, by reafon of its fituation in a plain, and near to the fea [of Galilee.]

2. In the mean time there were gathered together as well fuch as had feditiously got out from among their enemies, as thote that had escaped out of the demolished cities which were in all a great number, and repaired Joppa, which had been left defolate by Ceftius, that it might ferve them for a place of refuge; and because the adjoining region had been laid waste in the war, and was not capable of fupporting them, they determined to go off to fea. They alfo built themselves a great many piratical fhips, and turned pirates upon the feas near to Syria and Phenicia, and Egypt, and made thofe feas unnavigable to all men. Now as foon as Vefpafian knew of their confpiracy, he fent both footmen and horfemen to Joppa, which was unguarded in the night time; however thote that were in it perceived that they thould be attacked and were afraid of it; yet did they not endeavour to keep the Romans out, but fled to their fhips, and lay at fea all night out of the reach of their darts.

3. Now Joppa is not naturally an haven, for it ends in a rough thore, where all the reit of it is straight, but the two ends bend towards each other, where there are deep precipices, and great ftones that jet out into the fea and where the chains wherewith Andromeda was bound have left their footileps, which atteft to that antiquity of the fable. But the north wind opposes and beats upon the fhore, and dafhes mighty waves against the rocks which receives them and renders the haven more dangerous than the country they had deferted. Now as thofe people of Joppa were floating about in this fea, in the morning there fell a violent wind upon them; it is called by these that fail there the black north wind, and there dafhed their fhips one against another, and dafhed fome of them against the rocks, and carried many of them by force, while they ftrove against the oppofite waves into the main fea; for the thore was fo rocky, and had to many of the enemy upon it, that they were afraid to come to land; nay, the waves role so very high, that they drowned them; nor was there any place whither they could fly, nor any way to fave themfelves, while they were thrust out of the fea, by the violence of the wind, if they flaid where they were, and out of the city by the violence of the Romans. And much lamentation there was when the fhips dafhed against one another, and a terrible noife when they were broken to pieces; and fome of the multitude that were in them covered with waves, and to perifhed, and a great many were embarrafled with fhipwrecks. But fome of them thought, that to die by their own fwords was lighter than by the fea, and fo they killed themselves before they were drowned; although the greatest part of them were carried by the waves, and dashed to pieces against the abrupt parts of the rocks, infomuch that the fea was bloody a long way, and the

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