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against the wall, they put the multitude from coming more of them out of the city [which they could the more eafily do], because they had made no provifion for preferving or guarding their bodies at this time; for the Jews fought now hand to hand with all that came in their way, and without any caution fell against the points of their enemies fpears, and attacked them bodies against bodies; for they were now too hard for the Romans, not fo much by their other warlike actions as by thefe courageous affaults they made upon them; and the Romans gave way more to their boldness, than they did to the fenfe of the harm they had received from them.

6. And now Titus was come from the tower of Antonia, whither he was gone to look out for a place for raising other banks, and reproached the foldiers greatly for permitting their own walls to be in danger, when they had taken the walls of their enemies, and sustained the fortune of men befieged, while the Jews were allowed to fally out against them, though they were already in a fort of prifon. He then went round about the enemy with fome chosen troops, and fell upon either flank himfelf; fo the Jews, who had been before allaulted in their faces, wheeled about to Titus, and continued the fight. The armies alfo were now mixed, one among another, and the duft that was raised so far hindered them from feeing one another, and the noise that was made fo far hindered them from hearing one another, that neither fide could difcern an enemy from a friend. However the Jews did not flinch, though not fo much from their real ftrength, as from their despair of deliverance. The Romans alfo would not yield, by reason of the regard they had to glory, and to their reputation in war, and because Cæfar himfelt went into the danger before them; infomuch that I cannot but think, the Romans would in the conclufion have now taken even the whole multitude of the Jews, fo very angry were they at them, had these not prevented the upfhot of the battle, and retired into the city. However, feeing the banks of the Romans were demolished, thefe Romans were very much caft down upon the lofs of what had coft them fo long pains, and this in one hour's time. And many indeed delpaired of taking the city with their ufual engines of war only.

CHAP. XII.

Titus thought fit to Encompass the City round with a Wall: After which the Famine confumed the People by whole Houles and Families together.

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the city, and ftorm the wall; for that hitherto no more than a part of their army had fought with the Jews, but that in cafe the entire army was to come at once, they would not be able to fuftain their attacks. but would be overwhelmed by their darts. But of thofe that were for a more cautious management, fome were for raifing their banks again, and others advised to let the banks alone, but to lie ftill before the city, to guard against the coming out of the Jews, and fo to leave the enemy to the famine, and this without direct fighting with them; for that defpair was not to be conquered, efpecially as to those who are defirous to die by the fword, while a more terrible mifery than that is referved for them. However, Titus did not think it fit for fo great an army to lie entirely idle, and that yet it was in vain to fight with those that would be deftroyed one by another: He alfo fhewed them how impracticable it was to caft up any more banks, for want of materials, and to guard against the Jews coming out ftill more impracticable; as alfo, that to encompafs the whole city round with his army, was not very eafy, by reafon of its magnitude, and the difficulty of the fituation, and on other accounts dangerous, upon the fallies the Jews might make out of the city. For although they might guard the known paffages out of the place, yet would they, when they found themselves under the greatest diflrefs, contrive fecret paffages out, as being well acquainted with all fuch places; and if any provifions were carried in by ftealth, the fiege would thereby be longer delayed. He alfo owned, that he was afraid that the length of time thus to be spent, would diminish the glory of his fuccefs: For though it be true, that length of time will perfect every thing, yet that to do what we do in a little time is ftill neceffary to the gaining reputation. That therefore his opinion was, that it they aimed at quickness joined with fecurity, they muft build a wall round about the whole city, which was, he thought the only way to prevent the Jews from coming out any way, and then they would either entirely defpair of faving the city, and fo would furrender it up to him, or be still the more cafily conquered when the famine had farther weakened them. For that befides this wall, he would not lie entirely at reft af terward, but would take care then to have banks raised again, when those that would oppose them were become weaker. But that if any one fhould think fuch a work to be too great, and not to be finifhed without much difficulty, he ought to confider, that it is not fit for Romans to undertake any fmall work; and that none but God himfelf could with eafe accomplith any great thing whatfoever.

2. Thefe arguments prevailed with the commanders. So Titus gave orders that the army fhould be diftributed to their feveral fhares of this work; and indeed there now came upon the foldiers a certain divine fury, fo that they did not only part the whole wall that was to be built among them, nor did

only one legion ftrive with another, but the leffer divifions of the army did the fame; infomuch, that each foldier was ambitious to please his decurion, each decurion his centurion, each centurion his tribune, and the ambition of the tribunes was to please their superior commanders, while Cæfar himfelt took notice of, and rewarded the like contention in those commanders; for he went round about the works many times every day, and took a view of what was done. Titus began the wall from the camp of the Affyrians, where his own camp was pitched, and drew it down to the lower parts of Cenopolis; thence it went along the valley of Cedron, to the mount of Olives; it then bent towards the fouth, and encompaffed the mountain as far as the rock called Periftereon, and that other hill which lies next it, and is over the valley which reaches to Siloam; whence it bended again to the weft, and went down to the valley of the fountain, beyond which it went up again at the monument of Ananus the high priest, and encompaffing that mountain where Pompey had tormerly pitched his camp, it returned back to the north fide of the city, and was carried on as far as a certain village called The Houfe of the Erebinthi; after which it encompaffed Herod's monument, and there, on the east, was joined to Titus's own camp, where it began. Now the length of this wall was forty furlongs, one only abated. Now at this wall without were erected thirteen places to keep garrifons in, whofe circumferences, put together, amounted to ten furlongs.; the whole was completed in three days So that what would naturally have required fome months, was done in fo fhort an interval as is incredible. When Titus had therefore encompaffed the city with this wall, and put garrifons into proper places, he went round the wall, at the firft watch of the night, and obferved how the guard was kept; the fecond watch he allotted to Alexander; the commanders of legions, took the third watch. They alfo caft lots among themselves who fhould be upon the watch in the night-time, and who should go all night long round the spaces that were interpofed between the garrifons.

3. So all hope of efcaping was now cut off from the Jews, together with their liberty of going out of the city. Then did the famine widen its progrefs, and devoured the people by whole houses and families; the upper rooms were full of women and children that were dying by famine, and the lanes of the city were full of the dead bodies of the aged; the children alfo and the young men wandered about the market places like thadows, all fwelled with the famine, and fell down dead, wherefoever their mifery feized them. As for burying them, those that were fick themfelves were not able to do it, and those that were hearty and well, were deterred from doing it by the great multitude of thofe dead bodies, and by the uncertainty there was how foon they fhould die themselves; for many died as they were burying others, and many went to their

coffins before that fatal hour was come. Nor was there any lamentations made under thefe calamities, nor were heard any mournful complaints; but the famine confounded all natural paffions: For those who were juft going to die, looked upon thole that were gone to their reft before them with dry eyes and open mouths. A deep filence alfo, and a kind of deadly night had feized upon the city; while yet the robbers were ftill more terrible than thefe miferies were themselves; for they brake open thole houses which were no other than graves of dead bodies, and plundered them of what they had, and carrying off the coverings of their bodies, went out laughing, and tried the points of their fwords in their dead bodies; and in order to prove what metal they were made of, they thrust fome of thofe through that ftill lay alive upon the ground; but for those that entreated them to lend them their right hand, and their fword to dispatch them, they were too proud to grant their requefts, and left them to be confumed by the famine. Now every one of thefe died with their eyes fixed upon the temple, and left the feditious alive behind them. Now the feditious at firft gave orders that the dead fhould be buried out of the public treafury, as not enduring the ftench of their dead bodies. But afterwards, when they could not do that, they had them caft down from the walls into the valleys beneath.

4. However, when Titus, in going his rounds along thofe valleys, faw them full of dead bodies, and the thick putrefaction running about them, he gave a groan, and, fpreading out his hands to heaven, called God to witnefs that this was not his doing; and fuch was the fad cafe of the city itself. But the Romans were very joyful, fince none of the feditious could now make fallies out of the city, because they were themselves difconfolate and the famine already touched them alfo. Thefe Romans befides had great plenty of corn and other neceffaries out of Syria, and out of the neighbouring provinces ; many of which would ftand near to the wall of the city, and thew the people what great quantities of provifions they had, and fo make the enemy more fenfible of their famine, by the great plenty, even to fatiety, which they had themfelves. However, when the feditious ftill fhewed no inclinations of yielding, Titus, out of his commiferation of the people that remained, and out of his earneft defire of refcuing what was ftill left out of thefe miferies, began to raife his banks again, although materials for them were hard to be come at; for all the trees that were about the city had been already cut down for the making of the former banks. Yet did the foldiers bring with them other materials from the diftance of ninety furlongs, and thereby raised banks in four parts, much greater than the former, though this was done only at the tower of Antonia, So Cæfar went his rounds through the legions, and haftened on the works, and fhewed the robbers that they were now in his

hands. But these men, and these only, were incapable of repenting of the wickedneffes they had been guilty of, and feparating their fouls from their bodies, they used them both as if they belonged to other folks, and not to themselves. For no gentle affection could touch their fouls, nor could any pain affect their bodies, fince they could ftill tear the dead bodies of the people as dogs do, and fill the prifons with those that were fick.

CHA P. XIII.

The great Slaughters and Sacrilege that were in Jerufalem.

ACCORDINGLY Simon would not fuffer Matthias,

§ 1. by whose means he got poffeffion of the city, to go off without torment. This Matthias was the fon of Bethus, and was one of the high-priests, one that had been very faithful to the people, and in great efteem with them; he, when the multitude were diftreffed by the Zelotes, among whom John was numbered, perfuaded the people to admit this Simon to come in to affift them, while he had made no terms with him, nor expected any thing that was evil from him. But when Simon was come in, and had gotten the city under his power, he esteemed him that had advifed them to admit him as his enemy equally with the reft, as looking upon that advice as a piece of his fimplicity only: So he had him then brought before him, and condemned to die for being on the fide of the Romans, without giving him leave to make his defence. He condemned alfo his three fons to die with him; for as to the fourth, he prevented him by running away to Titus before. And when he begged for this, that he might be flain before his fons, and that as a favour, on account that he had procured the gates of the city to be opened to him, he gave order that he fhould be flain the last of them all; fo he was not flain till he had feen his fons flain before his eyes, and that by being produced over against the Romans; for fuch a charge had Simon given to Ananus, the lon of Bamadus, who was the moft barbarous of all his guards. He alfo jefted upon him, and told him that he might now fee whether those to whom he intended to go over, would lend him any fuccours or not but ftill he forbade their dead bodies fhould be buried. After the flaughter of these, a certain prieft, Ananias, the fon of Mafambalus, a perfon of eminency, as allo Arifteus, the fcribe of the fanhedrim, and born at Emmaus, and with them fitteen men of figure among the people were flain. They alfo kept Jofe phus's father in prifon, and made public proclamation, that no citizen whofoever fhould either Ipeak to him himself, or go into his company among others, for fear he should betray them. They alfo flew fuch as joined in lamenting these men, without any farther examination,

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