called the Holy of Holies. Now, about the fides of the lower part of the temple there were little houfes, with paffages out of one into another: There were a great many of them, and they were of three ftories high; there were also entrances on each fide of them from the gate of the temple. But the fu perior part of the temple had no fuch little houfes any farther, because the temple was there narrower, and forty cubits higher, and of a fmaller body than the lower parts of it. Thus we collect that the whole height, including the fixty cubits from the floor, amounted to an hundred cubits.

6. Now the outward face of the temple in its front wanted nothing that was likely to furprise either men's minds or their eyes; for it was covered all over with plates of gold of great weight, and, at the first rifing of the fun, reflected back a very fiery fplendor, and made thofe who forced themfelves to look upon, to turn their eyes away, juft as they would have done at the fun's own rays. But this temple appeared to ftrangers, when they were coming to it at a diftance, like a mountain covered with fnow; for, as to thofe parts of it that were not guilt, they were exceeding white. On its top it had fpikes with fharp points, to prevent any pollution of it by birds fitting upon it. Of its ftones fome of them were forty-. five cubits in length, five in height, and fix in breadth. Before this temple flood the altar, fifteen cubits high, and equal both in length and breadth; each of which dimenfions was fifty cubits. The figure it was built in was a square, and it had corners like horns; and the paffage up to it was by an infenfible acclivity. It was formed without any iron tool, nor did any fuch iron tool fo much as touch it at any time. There was also a wall of partition, about a cubit in height, made of fine ftones, and fo as to be grateful to the fight; this encompaffed the holy house and the altar, and kept the people that were on the outfide off from the priests. Moreover, thofe that had the gonorrhea and the leprofy were excluded out of the city entirely: Women alfo, when their courses were upon them, were fhut out of the temple; nor, when they were free from that impurity, were they allowed to go beyond the limit before mentioned: Men alfo, that were not thoroughly pure, were prohibited to come into the inner [court of the] temple; nay, the priests themselves that were not pure, were prohibited to come into it alfo.

7. Now all thofe of the stock of the priests that could not minister by reafon of fome detect in their bodies, came within the partition, together with thofe that had no fuch impertection, and had their share with them by reafon of their flock, but ftill made ufe of none except their own private garments; for nobody but he that officiated had on his facred garments: But then those priefts that were without any blemish upon them, went up to the altar clothed in fine linen. They abflained chiefly from wine, out of this fear, left otherwise they

hould tranfgrefs fome rules of their miniftration. The highprieft did allo go up with them; not always indeed, but on the feventh days and new moons, and if any feftivals belonging to our nation, which we celebrate every year, happened. When he officiated, he had on a pair of breeches that reached beneath his privy parts to his thighs, and had on an inner garment of linen, together with a blue garment round without feam, with fringe-work, and reaching to the feet. There were also golden bells that hung upon the tringes, and pomegranates intermixed among them. The bells fignified thunder, and the pomegranates lightning. But that girdle that tied the garment to the breaft, was embroidered with five rows of various colours, of gold, and purple, and fcarlet, as also of fine linen and blue, with which colours we told you before the veils of the temple were embroidered alfo. The like embroidery was upon the ephod; but the quantity of gold therein was greater. Its figure was that of a ftomacher for the breaft. There were upon it two golden buttons like small fhields, which buttoned the ephod to the garment: In these buttons were inclofed two very large and very excellent fardony xes, having the names of the tribes of that nation engraved upon them: On the other part there hung twelve ftones, three in a row one way, and four in the other; a fardius a topaz, and an emeralad; a carbuncle, a jaspar, and a faphire; an agate, an amethyst, and a ligure; an onyx, a beryl, and a chryfolite; upon every one of which was again engraved one of the forementioned names of the tribes. A mitre also of fine linen encompaffed his head, which was tied by a blue ribband, about which there was another golden crown, in which was engraven the facred name [of God]: It confists of four vowels. However, the high-prieft did not wear thefe garments at other times, but a more plain habit; he only did it when he went into the most facred part of the temple, which he did but once in a year, on that day when our custom is for all of us to keep a faft to God. And thus much concerning the city and the temple; but, for the customs and laws hereto relating, we fhall fpeak more accurately another time; for there remain a great many things thereto relating, which have not been here touched upon.

8. Now, as to the tower of Antonia it was fituated at the corner of two cloifters of the court of the temple, of that on the weft, and that on the north: It was erected upon a rock of fifty cubits in height, and was on a great precipice: It was the work of king Herod, wherein he demonftrated his natural magnanimity. In the first place, the rock itfelf was covered over with fmooth pieces of ftone, from its founda tion, both for ornament, and that any one who would either try to get up or to go down it might not be able to hold his feet upon it. Next to this and before you come to the edifice of the tower itfelf, there was a wall three cubits high;

but within that wall all the space of the tower of Antonia itlelt was built upon, to the height of forty cubits. The inward parts had the largenefs and form of a palace, it being parted into all kinds of rooms and other conveniences, fuch as courts, and places for bathing, and broad fpaces for camps; infomuch that, by having all conveniences that cities wanted, it might feem to be compofed of feveral cities, but by its magnificence it seemed a palace; and, as the entire structure refembled that of a tower, it contained also four other diftin& towers at its four corners; whereof the others were but fifty cubits high, whereas that which lay upon the fouth-eaft corner was seventy cubits high, that from thence the whole temple might be viewed: But on the corner where it joined to the two cloifters of the temple, it had paffages down to them both, through which the guards (for there always lay in this tower a Roman legion) went feveral ways among the cloisters, with their arms, on the Jewish feftivals, in order to watch the people, that they might not there attempt to make any innovations; for the temple was a fortrefs that guarded the city, as was the tower of Antonia a guard to the temple; and in that tower were the guards of those three. There was allo a peculiar fortrefs belonging to the upper city, which was Herod's palace; but, for the hill Bezetha, it was divided from the tower of Antonia, as we have already told you; and as that hill on which the tower of Antonia ftood, was the highest of these three, fo did it adjoin to the new city, and was the only place that hindered the fight of the temple on the north. And this fall fuffice at prefent to have spoken about the city and the walls about it, because I have propofed to myself to make a more accurate description of it elsewhere

CHAP. VI.

Concerning the Tyrants Simon and John. How alfo, as Titus was going round the Wall of the City, Nicanor was wounded by a dart; which accident provoked Titus to prefs on the Siege.

§ I. multitude of the feditious that were with Simon, were ten thousand, befides the Idun ans. Thofe ten thou fand had filty commanders, over whom this Simon was fu preme. The ldumeans that paid him homage were five thou➡ fand, and had eight commanders, among whom those of greateft fame were Jacob the fon of Sofas, and Simon the fon of Cathlas. John, who had feized upon the temple, had fix thoufand armed men under twenty commanders: The Zelotes allo

Now the warlike men that were in the city, and the

Thofe three guards that lay in the tower of Antonia must, be those that guarde ed the city, the temple, and the tower of Antonia,

that had come over to him, and left off their oppofition, were two thousand four hundred, and had the fame commander that they had formerly, Eleazar, together with Simon the fon of Arinus. Now, while thefe factions fought one against another, the people were their prey on both fides, as we have faid already; and that part of the people which would not join with them in their wicked practices, were plundered by both factions. Simon held the upper city, and the great wall as far as Cedron, and as much of the old wall as bent from Siloam to the east, and which went down to the palace of Monobazus, who was king of the Adiabeni beyond Euphrates: He allo held that fountain and the Acra, which was no other than the lower city; he also held all that reached to the palace of queen Helena, the mother of Monobazus. But John held the temple, and the parts thereto adjoining, for a great way, as alfo Ophla, and the valley called the Valley of Cedron; and when the parts that were interpofed between their poffeffions were burnt by them, they left a space wherein they might fight with each other; for this internal fedition did not ceafe even when the Romans were encamped near their very walls. But although they had grown wifer at the firft onfet the Romans made upon them, this lafted but a while; for they returned to their former madnefs, and feparated one from another, and fought it out, and did every thing that the befiegers could defire them to do; for they never fuffered any thing that was worle from the Romans, than they made each other fuffer nor was there any mifery endured by the city after these men' actions, that could be efteemed new. But it was most of all unhappy before it was overthrown, while thofe that took it, did it a greater kindness; for I venture to affirm, that the fedition deftroyed the city, and the Romans deftroyed the fedition, which it was a much harder thing to do, than to destroy the walls; fo that we may justly ascribe our misfortunes to our own people, and the juft vengeance taken on them to the Romans; as to which matter let every one determine by the actions on both fides.

2. Now, when affairs within the city were in this posture, Titus went round the city on the outfide with fome cholen horfemen. and looked about for a proper place where he might make an impreffion upon the walls; but as he was in doubt where he could poffibly make an attack on any fide, (for the place was no way acceffible where the valleys were, and on the other fide the firft wall appeared too ftrong to be fhaken by the engines); he thereupon thought it beft to make his affault upon the monument of John the high priest; for there it was that the firft tortification was lower, and the fecond was not joined to it, the builders neglecting to build the wall ftrong where the new city was not much inhabited; here alfo was an easy paffage to the third wall, through which he thought to take the Upper city, and, through the tower of

Antonia, the temple itself. But at this time, as he was going round about the city, one of his friends, whofe name was Nicanor, was wounded with a dart on his left shoulder, as he approached, together with Jofephus, too near the wall, and attempted to difcourfe to thofe that were upon the wall, about terms of peace; for he was a perfon known by them. On this account it was that Cæfar, as foon as he knew their vehemence, that they would not bear even fuch as approached them to perfuade them to what tended to their own prefervation, was provoked to prefs on the fiege. He alfo at the fame time gave his foldiers leave to let the fuburbs on fire, and ordered that they should bring timber together, and raise the banks against the city; and when he had parted his army in three parts in order to fet about thofe works, he placed thofe that shot darts, and the archers, in the midst of the banks that were then raifing; before whom he placed thofe engines that threw javelins, and darts, and ftones, that he might prevent the enemy from fallying out upon their works, and might hinder thofe that were upon the wall from being able to obftru&t them. So the trees were now cut down immediately, and the suburbs left naked. But now while the timber was carrying to raise the banks, and the whole army was earneftly engaged in their works, the Jews were not, however, quiet; and it happened that the people of Jerufalem, who had been hitherto plundered and murdered, were now of good courage, and fuppofed they fhould have a breathing time, while the others were very busy in oppofing their enemies without the city, and that they fhould now be avenged on those that had been the authors of their miferies, in cafe the Romans did but get the victory.

3. However, John ftaid behind out of his fear of Simon, even while his own men were earneft in making a fally upon their enemies without. Yet did not Simon lie ftill, for he lay near the place of the fiege; he brought his engines of war, and difpofed of them at due diftances upon the wall, both those which they took from Ceftius formerly, and thofe which they got when they feized the garrifon that lay in the tower Antonia. But though they had these engines in their poffeffion, they had fo little skill in ufing them, that they were in great measure useless to them; but a few there were who had been taught by deferters how to use them, which they did ule tho' after an aukward manner. So they caft ftones and arrows at those that were making the banks: They alfo ran out upon them by companies, and fought with them. Now thofe that were at work covered themfelves with hurdles fpread over their banks, and their engines were oppofed to them when they made their excurfions. The engines, that all the legions had ready prepared for them, were admirably contrived; but ftill more extraordinary ones belonged to the tenth legion; those that threw darts and thofe that threw ftones, were more forcible and larger than the reft, by which they not only reVOL. III. S s