the others, although the darts which were thrown by the engines were carried a great way, and flew many of those that fought for him. СНАР. X. How the Soldiers, both in Judea and Egypt, proclaimed Vef pafian Emperor. And how Vefpafian releafed Fofephus of his bonds. § 1. Now about this very time it was ties came about Rome on all fides; for Vitellius was come from Germany, with his foldiery, and drew along with him a great multitude of other men befides. And when the spaces alloted for foldiers could not contain them he made all Rome itfelf his camp, and filled all the houses with his armed men; which men, when they faw the riches of Rome with thofe eyes which had never feen fuch riches before, and found themfelves fhone round about on all fides with filver and gold, they had much ado to contain their covetous defires, and were ready to betake themselves to plunder, and to the flaughter of fuch as fhould ftand in their way. And this was the ftate of affairs in Italy at that time. 2. But when Vefpafian had overthrown all the places that were near to Jerufalem, he returned to Cefarea, and heard of the troubles that were at Rome, and that Vitellius was emperor. This produced indignation in him, although he well knew how to be governed, as well as to govern, and could not, with any fatisfaction, own him for his lord, who acted fo madly, and feized upon the government, as if it were abfolutely deftitute of a governor. And as this forrow of his was violent, he was not able to fupport the torments he was under, nor to apply himself farther in other wars, when his native country was laid waste; but then, as much as his paffion excited him to avenge his country, fo much was he restrained by the confideration of his diftance therefrom; because fortune might prevent him, and do a world of mifchief before he could fail over the fea to Italy, efpecially as it was ftill the winter feafon; fo he reftrained his anger, how vehement soever it was, at this time. 3. But now his commanders and foldiers met in feveral companies, and confulted openly about changing the public affairs, and out of their indignation, cried out, how, "At Rome there are foldiers that live delicately, and when they have not ventured fo much as to hear the fame of war, they ordain whom they pleafe for our governors, and in hopes of gain make them emperors; while you have gone through fo many labours, and are grown into years under your helmets, give leave to others to ufe fuch a power, when yet you have among yourselves one more worthy to rule than any whom they have fet up. Now what jufter opportunity fhall they ever have of requiting their generals, if they do not make ufe of this that is now before them? while there is fo much jufter reasons for Vefpafian's being emperor than for Vitellius; as they are themselves more deferving, than those that made the other emperors; for that they have undergone as great wars as have the troops that come from Germany; nor are they in ferior in war to those that have brought that tyrant to Rome, nor have they undergone fmaller labours than they; for that neither will the Roman fenate, nor people, bear fuch a lafcivious emperor as Vitellius, if he be compared with their chafte Vefpafian; nor will they endure a moft barbarous tyrant, inftead of a good governor, nor chofe one that hath no child, to prefide over them, inftead of him that is a father; becaufe the advancement of mens own children to dignities is certainly the greatest fecurity kings can give for themselves. Whether therefore, we estimate the capacity of governing from the fkill of a perfon in years, we ought to have Vefpafian, or whether from the ftrength of a young man, we ought to have Titus; for by this means we fhall have the advantage of both their ages, for that they will afford ftrength to thofe that shall be made emperors, they having already three legions befidest other auxiliaries from the neighbouring kings, and will have farther all the armies in the eaft to fupport them, as alfo thofe in Europe, fo far as they are out of the diftance and dread of Vitellius, befides fuch auxiliaries as they may have in Italy itself, that is Vefpafian's + brother, and his other fon [Domitian]; the one of which will bring in a great many of those young men that are of dignity, while the other is entrusted with the government of the city, which office of his will be no fmall means of Vefpafian's obtaining the government. Upon the whole, the cafe may be fuch, that if we ourselves make farther delays, the fenate may choose an emperor whom the foldiers, who are the faviours of the empire, will have in contempt. 4. Thefe were the difcourfes the foldiers had in their feveral companies, after which they got together in a great body, and, encouraging one another, they declared Vefpafian ‡ em The Roman authors that now remain, fay, Vitellius had children, whereas Jofephus introduces here the Roman foldiers in Judea faying, he had none. Which of thefe affertions was the truth I know not Spanheim thinks he hath given a peculiar reafon for calling Vitellius "childless," though he really had children. Diff. de Num. pages 649. 650. to which it appears very difficult to give our affent. This brother of Vefpafian was Flavius Sabinus, as Suetonius informs us, in Vitell. § 15. and in Vespas. § 2. He is alfo named by Jofephus prefently, chap xi. §4. It is plain by the nature of the thing, as well as by Jofephus and Eutropius, that Vefpafian was firft of all faluted emperor in Judea, and not till fome time af terward in Egypt. Whence Tacitus's and Suetonius's prefent copies must be corrected, when they both fay, that he was first proclaimed in Egypt, and that on peror, and exhorted him to fave the government which was now in danger. Now Vefpafian's concern had been for a confiderable time about the public, yet did he not intend to fet up for governor himself. though his actions fhewed him to deferve it, while he preferred that fafety which is in a private life, before the dangers in a state of fuch dignity: But he refufed the empire, the commanders infifted the more earnestly upon his acceptance, and the foldiers came about him, with their drawn fwords in their hands, and threatened to kill him, unless he would now live according to his dignity. And when he had fhewed his reluctance a great while, and had endeavoured to thrust away this dominion from him, he at length, being not able to perfuade them, yielded to their folicitations that would falute him emperor. 5. So upon the exhortations of Mucianus, and the other commanders, that he would accept of the empire, and upon that of the rest of the army, who cried out, that they were willing to be led against all his oppofers, he was in the first place intent upon gaining the dominion over Alexandria, as knowing that Egypt was of the greatest confequence, in order to obtain the entire government, becaufe of its fupplying of corn [to Rome), which corn if he could be master of, he hoped to dethrone Vitellius fuppofing he fhould aim to keep the empire by force (for he would not be able to fupport himfelf, if the multitude at Rome fhould once be in want of food); and because he was defirous to join the two legions that were at Alexandria to the other legions that were with him. He alfo confidered with himself, that he should then have that country for a defence to himfelf against the uncertainty of fortune. For Egypt is hard to be entered by land, and hath no good havens by fea. It hath on the weft the dry deferts of Lybia, and on the fouth Siene, that divides it from Ethiopia, as well as the cataracts of the Nile, that cannot be failed over, and on the east the Red Sea, extended as far as Coptus, and it is fortified on the north by the land that reaches to Syria, together with that called the Egyptian Sea, having no havens in it for fhips. And thus is Egypt walled about on every fide. Its length between Pelufium and Siene is two thousand furlongs, and the paffage by fea from Plinthine to Pelufium, is three thousand fix hundred turlongs. Its river Nile is navigable as far as the city called Elephantine, the forenamed cataracts hindering fhips from going any farther. The haven alfo of Alexandria is not entered by the mariners without difficulty, even in times of peace; for the paffage inward is narrow, and * the kalends of July, while they ftill fay, it was the fifth of the nones or ides of the fame July before he was proclaimed in Judea. I fuppofe the month they there in◄ tended was June, and not July, as copies now have it; nor does Tacitus's coherence imply lefs. See Effay on the Revelation, page 136. Here we have an authentic defeription of the bounds and circumstances of Egypt, in the days of Vefpafian and Titus. VOL. III. full of rocks, that lie under the water, which obliges the mariners to turn from a ftraight direction: Its left fide is blocked up by works made by mens hands on both fides; on its right fide lies the island called Pharus, which is fituated just before the entrance, and fupports a very great tower, that affords the fight of a fire to fuch as fail within three hundred furlongs of it, that fhips may caft anchor a great way off in the night time, by reafon of the difficulty of failing nearer. About this ifland are built very great peers, the handy work of men, against which, when the fea dalhes itself, and its waves are broken against those boundaries, the navigation becomes very troublefome and the entrance through fo narrow a paffage is rendered dangerous; yet is the haven itself, when you are got into it, a very fafe one, and of thirty furlongs in largenefs; into which is brought what the country wants in order to its happinefs, as alfo what abundance the country affords more than it wants itfelf, is hence diftributed into all the habitable earth. 6. Juftly, therefore, did Vefpafian desire to obtain that government, in order to corroborate his attempts upon the whole empire; fo he immediately fent to Tiberius Alexander, who was then governor of Egypt and of Alexandria, and informed him what the army had put him upon, and how he, being forced to accept of the burden of the Government, was defirous to have him for his confederate and fupporter. Now as foon as ever Alexander had read this letter, he readily obliged the legions and the multitude to take the oath of fidelity to Vefpa fian, both which willingly complied with him, as already acquainted with the courage of the man, from that his conduct in their neighbourhood. Accordingly. Vefpafian looking upon himfelt as already entrufted with the government, got all things ready for his journey [to Rome]. Now fame carried this news abroad more fuddenly than one could have thought, that he was emperor over the eaft, upon which every city kept feftivals, and celebrated facrifices and oblations for fuch good news; the legions alfo that were in My fia and Pannonia, who had been in commotion a little before, on account of this infolent attempt of Vitellius, were very glad to take the oath of fidelity to Vefpafian, upon his coming to the empire. Vef pafian then removed from Cefarea to Bery tus, where many ambaffages came to him from Syria, and many from other provinces, bringing with them from every city crowns, and the congratulations of the people. Mucianus came alfo, who was the prefident of the province, and told him with what alacrity the people [received the news of his advancement, and how the people of every city had taken the oath of fidelity to him. 7. So Vefpafian's good fortune fucceeded to his wifhes every where, and the public affairs were, for the greatest part, already in his hands; upon which he confidered that he had not arrived at the government without divine Providence, but * 299 that a righteous kind of fate had brought the empire under his power; for as he called to mind the other fignals, which had been a great many every where, that foretold he should obtain the government, fo did he remember what Jofephus had faid to him when he ventured to foretel his coming to the empire while Nero was alive; fo he was much concerned that this man was ftill in bonds with him. He then called for Mucianus, together with his other commanders and friends, and, in the first place, he informed them what a valiant man Jofephus had been, and what great hardthips he had made him undergo in the fiege of Jotapata. After that he related thofe predictions of his which he had then fufpected as fictions, fuggefted out of the fear he was in, but which had by time been demonftrated to be divine. "It is a fhameful thing (faid he) that this man who had foretold my coming to the empire beforehand, and been the minifter of a divine meffage to me, fhould ftill be retained in the condition of a captive or prifoner." So he called for Jofephus, and commanded that he fhould be fet at liberty; whereupon the commanders promised themselves glorious things, from this requital Vefpafian made to a ftranger. Titus was then prefent with his father, and faid, "O father, it is but just that the fcandal [of a prifoner fhould be taken off Jofephus, together with his iron chain. For if we do not barely loofe his bonds, but cut them to pieces, he will be like a man that had never been bound at all." the ulual method as to fuch as have been bound without a For that is caule. This advice was agreed to by Vefpafian alfo ; fo there came a man in, and cut the chain to pieces, while Jofephus received this teftimony of his integrity for a reward, and was moreover esteemed a person of credit as to futurities alfo. CHAP. XI. That upon the Conqueft and Slaughter of Vitellius, Vefpafian haftened his Journey to Rome, but Titus his Son returned to Jerufalem. § I. ND now, when Vefpafian had given anfwers to the As Daniel was preferred by Darius and Cyrus, on account of his having foretold the destruction of the Babylonian monarchy by their means, and the confequent exaltation of the Medes and Perfians, Dan. v. vi or rather, as Jeremiah, when he was a prifoner, was fet at liberty, and honourably treated by Nebuzaradan, at the command of Nebuchadnezzar, on account of his having foretold the deftruction of Jerufalem by the Babylonians, Jer. xl. 1.-7. fo was our Jofephus fet at liberty, and honourably treated, on account of his having foretold the advancement of Veípafian and Titus to the Roman empire. All these are most eminent inftances of the interpofition of divine Providence, and of the certainty of divine predictions in the great revolutions of the four monarchies. Several fuch like examples there are, both in the facred and other hiftories; as in the cafe of Jofeph in Egypt, and of Jaddua the high-prieft, in the days of Alexander the Great, &c. |