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er juftly, and according to every one's deferts, he came to Antioch, and confulting which way he had beft take, he preferred to go for Rome, rather than to march to Alexandria, because he faw that Alexandria was fure to him already, but that the affairs at Rome were put into diforder by Vitellius; fo he fent Mucianus to Italy, and committed a confiderable army both of horfemen and footmen to him; yet was Mucianus afraid of going by fea, because it was the middle of winter, and fo he led his army on foot through Capadocia and Phrygia.

2. In the mean time Antonius Primus took the third of the legions that were in Myfia, for he was prefident of that province, and made hafte. in order to fight Vitellius; whereupon Vitellius fent away Cecinna, with a great army, having a mighty confidence in him, because of his having beaten Otho. This Cecinna marched out of Rome in great haste, and found Antonius about Cremona in Gall, which city is in the borders of Italy; but when he faw there that the enemy were numerous and in good order, he durft not fight them, and as he thought a retreat dangerous, fo he began to think of betraying his army to Antonius. Accordingly he affembled the centurions and tribunes that were under his command, and perfuaded them to go over to Antonius, and this by diminishing the reputation of Vitellius, and by exaggerating the power of Vefpafian. He alfo told them, That with the one there was no more than the bare name of dominion, but with the other was the power of it. And that it was better for them to prevent neceffity, and gain favour, and, while they were likely to be overcome in battle, to avoid the danger beforehand, and go over to Antonius willingly; that Vefpafian was able of himfelf to fubdue what had not yet fubmitted, without their affiftance, while Vitellius could not preferve what he had already with it."

3. Cecinna faid this, and much more to the fame purpose, and perfuaded them to comply with him, and both he and his army deferted; but fill the very fame night the foldiers repented of what they had done, and a fear feized on them, left perhaps Vitellius who fent them thould get the better: And drawing their fwords, they affaulted Cecinna in order to kill him; and the thing had been done by them, if the tribunes had not fallen upon their knees, and befought them not to do it: So the foldiers did not kill him, but put him in bonds, as a trai. tor, and were about to fend him to Vitellius. When [Antonius] Primus heard of this, he raised up his men immediately,

This is well obferved by Jofephus, that Vefpafian, in order to secure his fuccefs, and effablifh his government at first, diftributed his offices and places upon the foot of juftice, and bestowed them on fuch as teft deferved them, and were bell fit for them. Which wife conduct in a mere Heathen, ought to put thole rulers and minifters of flate to fhaine, who, profeffing Chriflianity, act otherwife, and thereby expofe themselves and their kingdon's to vice and to destruction.

and made them put on their armour, and led them against those that had revolted; hereupon they put themselves in order of battle, and made a refiftance for a while, but were foon beaten, and fled to Cremona; then did Primus take his horfemen, and cut off their entrance into the city, and encompaffed and deftroyed a great multitude of them before the city, and fell into the city together with the reft, and gave leave to his foldiers to plunder it. And here it was that many ftrangers who were merchants, as well as many of the people of that country, perifhed, among them Vitellius's whole army, being thirty thoufand and two hundred, while Antonius loft no more of those that came with him from My Gia than four thousand and five hundred He then loofed Cecinna, and fent him to Vefpafian to tell him the good news, So he came and was received by him, and covered the fcandal of his treachery, by the unexpected honours he received from Vefpafian

4. And now, upon the news that Antonius was approaching, Sabinus took courage at Rome, and affembled thofe cohorts of foldiers that kept watch by night, and in the night time feized upon the capitol; and as the day came on, many men of character came over to him, with Domitian his brother's fon, whofe encouragement was of a very great weight for the coinpaff ing the government. Now Vitellius was not much concerned at this Primus, but was very angry at those that had revolted with Sabinus, and thirfting, out of his own natural barbarity, after noble blood, he fent out that part of the army which came along with him to fight against the capitol, and many bold actions were done on this fide, and on the fide of thofe that held the temple. But at last the foldiers that came from Germany being too numerous for the others, got the hill into their poffeffion, where Domitian, with many other of the principal Romans providentially efcaped, while the rest of the multitude were entirely cut to pieces, and Sabinus himself was brought to Vitellius and then flain; the foldiers alfo plundered the temple of its ornaments, and fet it on fire. But now, within a day's time, came Antonius, with his army, and were by Vitellius and his army, and having had a battle in three feveral places, the last were all deftroyed. Then did Vitellius come out of the palace, in his cups, and fatiated with an extravagant and luxurious meal, as in the laft extremity, and be ing drawn along through the multitude, and abufed with ali forts of torments, had his head cut off in the midst of Rome, having retained the government* eight months and five days, and had he lived much longer I cannot but think the empire

The numbers in Jofephus, ch. ix. § 2, 9 for Galba 7 months 7 days, for Otho 3 months 2 days, and here for Vitellius 8 months 5 days, do not agree with any Roman hiftorians, who alfo difagree among themfelves. And indeed Scaliger juftly complains, as Dr. Hudson obferves on chap. ix. § 2. that this period is very confufed and uncertain in the ancient authors. They were probably fome of them contemporary together for fome time; one of the beft evidences we have, I mean Ptolemy's Canon, omits them all, as if they did not altogether reign one whole

would not have been fufficient for his luft. Of the others that were flain were numbered above fifty thou land. This battle was fought on the third day of the month Apelleus [Casleu]; on the next day Mucianus came into the city with his army, and ordered Antonius and his men to leave off killing; for they were ftill fearching the houses, and killed many of Vitellius's foldiers, and many of the populace, as fuppofing them to be of his party, preventing by their rage any accurate diftin&tion between them and others. He then produced Domitian, and recommended him to the multitude, until his father fhould come himself: So the people being now freed from their fears, made acclamations of joy for Vefpafian, as for their emperor, and kept feftival days for his confirmation, and for the deftruction of Vitellius.

5. And now, as Vefpafian was come to Alexandria, this good news came from Rome, and at the fame time came embaffies from all his own habitable earth, to congratulate him upon his advancement; and though this Alexandria was the greatest of all cities next to Rome, it proved too narrow to contain the multitude that then came to it. So upon this confirmation of Vefpafian's entire government, which was now fetiled, and upon the unexpected deliverance of the public affairs of the Romans from ruin, Vefpafian turned his thoughts to what remained unfubdued in Judea. However, he himfelf made hafte to go to Rome, as the winter was now almoft over, and foon fet the affairs of Alexandria in order, but fent his fon Titus, with a felect part of his army, to deftroy Jerufalem. So Titus marched on foot as far as Nicopolis, which is diftant twenty furlongs from Alexandria; there he put his army on board fome long fhips, and failed upon the river along the Mendefian Nomus, as far as the city Thmuis; there he got out of the fhips, and walked on foot, and lodged all night at a mall city called Tanis. His fecond station was Heracleopolis, and his third Pelufium; he then retrefhed his army at that place for two days, and on the third palled over the mouth of the Nile at Pelufium, he then proceeded one ftation over the defert, and pitched his camp at the temple of the *Calian Jupiter, and on the next day at Oftracine. This ftation had no water, but the people of the country make ule of water brought from other places. After this he rested at Rhinocolura, and from thence he went to Raphia, which was his fourth ftation. This city is the beginning of Syria. For his fifth ftation he pitched his camp at Gaza; after which he came to Afcalon, and thence to Jamnia, and after that to Joppa, and from Joppa to Cefarea, having taken a refolution to gather all his other forces together at that place.

year, nor had a fingle Thoth or New-year's day (which then fell upon Aug. 6 ) in their entire reigns. Dio alfo, who fays, that Vitellius reigned a year within ten days, does yet eftimate all their reigns together at no more than one year one month and two days.

* There are coins of this Cafian jupiter fill extant, as Spanheim here informs us,

BOOK V.

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Containing the Interval of near fix months.

[From the coming of TITUS to befiege Jerufalem, to the great extremity to which the Jews were reduced.]

СНА Р. I.

Concerning the Seditions at Jerufalem, and what Terrible Miferies afflicted the City by their means.

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I.

WHEN therefore Titus had marched over that defert which lies between Egypt and Syria, in the manner forementioned, he came to Cefarea, having refolved to fet his forces in order at that place, before he began the war. Nay, indeed, while he was affifting his father at Alexandria, in fettling that government which had been newly conferred upon them by God, it fo happened, that the fedition at Jerufalem was revived, and parted into three factions, and that one faction fought against the other, which partition in fuch evil cafes may be faid to be a good thing, and the effect of divine juftice. Now as to the attack the Zelotes made upon the people, and which I efteem the beginning of the city's deftruction, it hath been already explained after an accurate manner; as also whence it arose, and to how great a mifchief it was increafed. But for the present fedition, one fhould not mistake it he called it a fedition begotten by another fedition, and to be like a wild beaft grown mad, which, for want of food from abroad, fell now upon eating its own flesh.

2. For Eleazar, the fon of Simon, who made the first separation of the Zelotes from the people, and made them retire into the temple, appeared very angry at John's infolent attempts, which he made every day upon the people; for this man never left off murdering: But the truth was, that he could not bear to fubmit to a tyrant who fet up after him. So he being defirous of gaining the entire power and dominion to himfelt, revolted from John, and took to his affiftance Judas, the son of Chelcias and Simon the fon of Ezron, who were among the men of greateft power. There was alfo with him. Hezekiah the fon of Chobar, a perfon of eminence. Each of these were followed by a great many of the Zelotes ; these

feized upon the inner court of the temple, and laid their arms upon the holy gates, and over the holy fronts of that court. And because they had plenty of provisions, they were of good courage; for there was a great abundance of what was confecrated to facred ufes, and they fcrupled not the making use of them; yet were they afraid on account of their fmall number, and when they had laid up their arms there, they did not ftir from the place they were in. Now as to John. what advantage he had above Eleazar in the multitude of his followers, the like difadvantage he had in the fituation he was in, fince he had his enemies over his head; and as he could not make any affault upon them without fome terror, fo was his anger too great to let him be at reft: Nay, although he fuffered more mifchief from Eleazar and his party, than he could inflict upon them, yet would he not leave off affaulting them, infomuch that there were continual fallies made one against another, and the temple was defiled every where with murders.

3. But now the tyrant Simon, the fon of Gioras, whom the people had invited in out of the hopes they had of his affiftance in the great diftreffes they were in, having in his power the upper city, and a great part of the lower, did now make more vehement affaults upon John and his party, because they were fought against from above alfo; yet was he beneath their fituation when he attacked them, as were they beneath the attacks of the others above them. Whereby it came to pafs, that John did both receive and inflict great damage, and that eafily, as he was fought againft on both fides; and the fame advantage that Eleazar and his party had over him, fince he was beneath them, the fame advantage had he, by his higher situation, over Simon. On which account he eafily repelled the attacks that were made from beneath, by the weapons thrown from their hands only; but was obliged to repel thofe that threw their darts from the temple above him, by his engines of war: For he had fuch engines as threw darts, and javelins, and ftones, and that in no fmall number, by which he did not only defend himself from fuch as fought against · him, but flew moreover many of the priests, as they were about their facred miniftrations. For notwithstanding these men were mad with all forts of impiety, yet did they till admit those that defired to offer their facrifices, although they took care to search the people of their own country beforehand, and both fufpected and watched them; while they were not fo much afraid of ftrangers, who, although they had gotten

This appears to be the first time that the Zelotes ventured to pollute this moft facred court of the temple, which was the court of the priests, wherein the temple itself and the altar ftood. So that the conjecture of thole that would interpret that Zacharias, who was flain" between the temple and the altar" feveral months before, B. IV. ch v. § 4. Vol. III. as if he were flain there by these Zelotes, is groundless, as I have noted on that place already.

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