privy parts of the miferable wretches, and to drive sharp ftakes up their fundaments; and a man was forced to bear what is terrible even to hear, in order to make him confefs that he had but one loaf of bread, or that he might difcover an handful of barley-meal that was concealed; and this was done when thefe tormentors were not themselves hungry; for the thing had been lefs barbarous had neceffity forced them to it; but this was done to keep their madnets in exercife, and as making preparation of provifions for themselves for the following days. Thele men went alfo to meet those that had crept out of the city by night, as far as the Roman guards, to gather fome plants and herbs that grew wild; and when thofe people thought they had got clear of the enemy, thefe fnatched from them what they had brought with them, even while they had frequently entreated them, and that by calling upon the tremendous name of God, to give them back fome part of what they had brought; though thefe would not give them the leaft crumb, and they were to be well contented that they were only fpoiled, and not flain at the fame time.

4. Thele were the afflictions which the lower fort of people fuffered from thefe tyrants guards; but for the men that were in dignity, and withal were rich, they were carried before the tyrants themfelves; fome of which were falfely accufed of laying treacherous plots, and fo were deftroyed; others of them were charged with defigns of betraying the city to the Romans; but the readieft way of all was this, to fuborn fomebody to affirm that they were refolved to defert to the enemy. And he who was utterly delpoiled of what he had by Simon, was fent back again to John; as of those who had been already plundered by John, Simon got what remained; infomuch that they drank the blood of the populace to one another, and divided the dead bodies of the poor creatures between them: So that although, on account of their ambition after dominion, they contended with each other, yet did they very well agree in their wicked practices; for he that did not communicate what he got by the miferies of others to the other tyrant, feemed to be too little guilty, and in one refpect only; and he that did not partake of what was fo communicated to him, grieved at this, as at the lofs of what was a valuable thing, that he had no fhare in fuch barbarity.

5. It is therefore impoffible to go diftinctly over every inftauce of these men's iniquity. I fhall therefore fpeak my mind here at once briefly, that neither did any other city ever futfer fuch miferies, nor did any age ever breed a generation more fruitful in wickednets than this was, from the beginning of the world. Finally, they brought the Hebrew nation into contempt. that they might themselves appear comparatively lefs impious with regard to ftrangers. They conteffed what was true, that they were the flaves, the fcum, and the spurious and abortive offspring of our nation, while they overthrew the city themselves, and forced the Romans, whether they would

or no, to gain a melancholy reputation, by acting gloriously against them, and did almoft draw that fire upon the temple, which they feemed to think came too flowly; and indeed, when they faw that temple burning from the upper city, they were neither troubled at it, nor did they fhed any tears on that account, while yet these paffions were discovered among the Romans them!elves. Which circumftances we shall speak of hereafter in the proper place, when we come to treat of fuch matters.

CHAP. XI.

How the Jews were Crucified before the Walls of the City. Concerning Antiochus Epiphanes. And how the Jews overthrew the Banks that had been raised by the Romans.

now Titus's banks were advanced a great way, notwithstanding his foldiers had been very much diftreffed from the wall. He then fent a party of horsemen, and ordered they should lay ambushes for those that went out into the valleys to gather food. Some of these were indeed fighting men, who were not contented with what they got by rapine; but the greater part of them were poor people, who were deterred from deferting by the concern they were under for their own relations; for they could not hope to escape away, together with their wives and children, without the knowledge of the feditious; nor could they think of leaving thefe relations to be flain by the robbers on their account; nay, the severity of the famine made them bold in thus going out: So nothing remained but that, when they were concealed from the robbers, they fhould be taken by the enemy, and when they were going to be taken, they were forced to defend themfelves for fear of being punifhed; as after they had fought, they thought it too late to make any fupplications for mercy: So they were firft whipped and then tor mented with all forts of tortures, before they died, and were then crucified before the wall of the city. This miferable procedure made Titus greatly to pity them, while they caught every day five hundred Jews; nay, fome days they caught more: Yet did it not appear to be fafe for him to let thofe that were taken by force go their way, and to fet a guard over fo many he faw would be to make fuch as guarded them ufelefs to him. The main reason why he did not forbid that cruelty was this, that he hoped the Jews might perhaps yield at that fight, out of fear left they might themfelves afterwards be liable to the fame cruel treatment. So the foldiers, out of the wrath and hatred they bore the Jews, nailed thofe they caught,

Reland very properly takes notice here, how juftly this judgment came upon the Jews, when they were crucified in fuch multitudes together, that the Romans wanted room for the croffes, and crofles for the bodies of thele Jews, fince they had brought this judgment on themfelves by the crucifixion of their Meffiah.

one after one way, and another after another, to the croffes, by way of jeft, when their multitude was fo great, that room was wanting for the croffes, and croffes wanting for the bodies.

2. But fo far were the feditious from repenting at this fad fight, that, on the contrary, they made the reft of the multitude believe otherwife; for they brought the relations of thofe that had deferted upon the wall, with fuch of the populace as were very eager to go over upon the fecurity offered them, and thewed them what miferies thofe underwent who fled to the Romans; and told them, that those who were caught were fupplicants to them, and not fuch as were taken prifoners. This fight kept many of those within the city who were fo eager to defert, till the truth was known: Yet did fome of them run away immediately as unto certain punishment, efleeming death from their enemies to be a quiet departure, if compared with that by famine. So Titus commanded that the hands of many of thofe that were caught fhould be cut off that they might not be thought deferters, and might be credited on account of the calamity they were under, and fent them in to John and Simon, with this exhortation, That" they would now at length leave off [their madnefs], and not force him to deftroy the city, whereby they would have thofe advantages of repentance, even in their utmoft diftrefs, that they would preferve their own lives, and fo fine a city of their own, and that temple which was their peculiar." He then went round about the banks that were caft up, and haftened them, in order to fhew, that his words fhould in no long time be followed by his deeds. In answer to which the feditious caft reproaches upon Cæfar himself, and upon his father alfo, and cried out with a loud voice, That "they contemned death, and did well in prefering it before flavery: That they would do all the mischief to the Romans they could, while they had breath in them; and that for their own city, fince they were, as he faid, to be deftroyed, they had no concern about it, and that the world itfelf was a better temple to God than this. That yet this temple would be preserved by him that inhabited therein, whom they ftill had for their affiftant in this war, and did therefore laugh at all his threatenings, which would come to nothing; becaufe the conclufion of the whole depended upon God only." These words were mixed with reproaches, and with them they made a mighty clamour.

3. In the mean time Antiochus Epiphanes came to the city having with him a confiderable number of other armed men, and a band called the Macedonian band about him, all of the fame age, tall, and juít paft their childhood, armed, and inftructed after the Macedonian manner, whence it was that they took that name. Yet were many of them unworthy of fo famous a nation; for it had fo happened, that the king of Commagene had flourished more than any other kings that were under the power of the Romans, till a change happened in his

condition; and when he was become an old man, he declared plainly, that we ought not to call any man happy before he is dead. But this fon of his, who was then come thither before his father was decaying, faid, that he could not but wonder what made the Romans fo tardy in making their at tacks upon the wall." Now he was a warlike man, and naturally bold in expofing himself to dangers; he was alfo fo ftrong a man, that his boldnefs feldom failed of having fuccefs; upon this Titus fmiled and faid, "He would fhare the pains of an attack with him." However, Antiochus went as he then was, and with his Macedonians made a fudden affault upon the wall; and, indeed, for his own part, his ftrength and fkill were fo great, that he guarded himfelt from the Jewish darts, and yet fhot his darts at them, while yet the young men with him were almost all forely galled; for they had fo great a regard to the promises that had been made of their courage, that they would needs perfevere in their fighting, and at length many of them retired, but not till they were wounded; and then they perceived that true Macedonians, if they were to be conquerers, must have Alexander's good fortune alío.

4. Now as the Romans began to raise their banks on the twelfth day of the month Artemifius, Jyar], fo had they much ado to finish them by the twenty-ninth day of the fame month, after they had laboured hard for feventeen days continually. For there were now four great banks railed, one of which was at the tower Antonia; this was raised by the fifth legion, over against the middle of that pool which was called Struthius. Another was caft up by the twelfth legion, at the distance of a bout twenty cubits from the other. But the labours of the tenth legion, which lay a great way off thefe, was on the north quarter, and at the pool called Amygdalon; as was that of the fitteenth legion about thirty cubits from it, and at the highprieft's monument. And now, when the engines were brought, John had from within undermined the fpace that was over a gainst the tower of Antonia, as far as the banks themselves, and had fupported the ground over the mine with beams laid across one another, whereby the Roman works ftood upon an uncertain foundation. Then did he order fuch materials to be brought in, as were daubed over with pitch and bitumen, and set them on fire; and as the crofs beams that fupported the banks were burning, the ditch yielded on the fudden, and the banks were fhaken down, and fell into the ditch with a prodigious noife. Now at the firft there arose a very thick (moke and duft, as the fire was choaked with the fall of the bank; but as the fuffocated materials were now gradually confumed, a plain flame brake out, on which fudden appearance of the flame, a confternation fell upon the Romans, and the ihrewdnels of the contrivance difcouraged them: And indeed this accident coming upon them at a time when they thought they had already gained their point, cooled their hopes for the time to come. They alfo thought it

would be to no purpose to take the pains to extinguish the fire, fince if it were extinguifhed, the banks were swallowed up already and become ufelefs to them].

5. Two days after this, Simon and his party made an attempt to deftroy the other banks; for the Romans had brought their engines to bear there, and began already to make the wall fhake. And here one Tephtheus of Grafis, a city of Galilee, and Megaffarus, one who was derived from fome of queen Mariamne's fervants. and with them one from Adiabene, he was the fon of Nabáteus, and called by the name of Chagiras from the ill fortune he had, the word fignifying a lame man, fnatched fome torches, and ran fuddenly upon the engines. Nor were there during this war any men that ever fallied out of the city who were their fuperiors, either in their own boldnefs, or in terror they ftruck into their enemies. For they ran out upon the Romans, not as if they were enemies, but friends, without fear or delay; nor did they leave their enemies till they had rushed violently through the midst of them, and fet their machines on fire. And though they had darts thrown. at them on every fide, and were on every fide affaulted with their enemies fwords, yet did they not withdraw themselves out of the dangers they were in, till the fire had caught hold of the inftruments; but when the flame went up, the Romans came running from their camp to fave their engines. Then did the Jews hinder their fuccours from the wall, and fought with those that endeavoured to quench the fire, without any regard to the danger their bodies were in. So the Romans pulled the engines out of the fire, while the hurdles that covered them were on fire; but the Jews caught hold of the battering rams through the flame itfelt, and held them faft, although the iron upon them was become red hot; and now the fire fpread itfelf from the engines to the banks, and prevented thofe that came to defend them; and all this while the Romans were encompaffed round about with the flame, and, despairing of faving their works from it, they retired to their camp. Then did the Jews become still more and more in number by the coming of thole that were within the city to their affiftance; and as they were very bold upon the good fuccefs they had had, their violent assaults were almoft irrefiftible; nay, they proceeded as far as the fortifications of the enemies camp, and fought with their guards. Now there ftood a body of foldiers in array before that camp, which fucceeded one another by turns in their armour; and as to those the law of the Romans was terrible, that he who left his poft there, let the occafion be whatfoever it might be, he was to die for it; fo that body of foldiers, preferring rather to die in fighting courageoufly, than as a punishment for their cowardice, ftood firm, and at the neceffity thefe men were in of ftanding to it, many of the others that had run away out of fhame turned back again; and when they had fet the engines