for the Jews in honour of him; for the number of those that were now flain in fighting with the beafts, and were burnt, and fought with one another, exceeded two thoufand five hundred. Yet did all this feem to the Romans, when they were thus deftroyed ten thoufand feveral ways, to be a punishment beneath their deferts. After this Cælar came to Berytus, which is a city of Phenicia, and a Roman colony, and faid there a longer time, and exhibited a ftill more pompous folemnity about his father's birth-day, both in the magnificence of the fhews, and in the other vaft expences he was at in his devices thereto belonging; fo that a great multitude of the captives were here deftroyed after the fame manner as before.

2. It happened alfo about this time, that the Jews who remained at Antioch were under accufations, and in danger of perishing, from the difturbances that were raised against them by the Antiochians, and this both on account of the flanders fpread abroad at this time against them, and, on account of what pranks they had played not long before; which I am obliged to defcribe without fail, though briefly, that I may the better connect my narration of future actions with those that went before.

3. For as the Jewish nation is widely difperfed over all the habitable earth among its inhabitants, fo it is very much intermingled with Syria by reafon of its neighbourhood, and had the greatest multitudes in Antioch by reafon of the largenefs of the city, wherein the kings, after Antiochus, had atforded them an habitation with the most undisturbed tranquility; for though Antiochus, who was called Epiphanes, laid Jerufalem walte, and spoiled the temple, yet did thofe that fucceeded him in the kingdom reftore all the donations that were made of brass to the Jews of Antioch, and dedicated them to their fynagogue, and granted them the enjoyment of equal privileges of citizens with the Greeks themlelves; and as the lucceeding kings treated them after the fame manner, they both multiplied to a great number, and adorned their templet glorioufly by fine ornaments, and with great magnificence, in the use of what had been given them. They allo made profelytes of a great many of the Greeks perpetually, and thereby after a fort brought them to be a portion of their own body. But about this time when the prefent war began, and Vefpafian was newly failed to Syria, and all men had taken up a great hatred against the Jews, then it was that a certain perfon, whole name was Antiochus, being one of the Jewish nation, and greatly respected on account of his lather, who

This Berytus was certainly a Roman colony, and has coins extant that witnefs the fame, as Hudson and Spanheim inform us. See the note Antiq. B. XVI. ch. Ki§ 1. Vol. II.

+i. e. Their fynagogue. See the note on B. VI. ch, x. § 1.

was governor of the Jews at Antioch, came upon the theatre at a time when the people of Antioch were affembled together, and became an informer against his father, and accufed both him and others, that they had refolved to burn the whole city in one night; he alfo delivered up to them fome Jews that were foreigners, as partners in their refolutions. When the people heard this, they could not refrain their paffion, but commanded that thofe who were delivered up to them fhould have fire brought to burn them; who were accordingly all burnt upon the theatre immediately. They did alfo fall violently upon the multitude of the Jews, as fuppol. ing, that by punishing them fuddenly they fhould fave their own city. As for Antiochus, he aggravated the rage they were in, and thought to give them a demonftration of his own converfion, and of his hatred of the Jewith customs, by facrificing after the manner of the Greeks; he perfuaded the reft allo to compel them to do the fame, becaule they would by that means difcover who they were that had plotted again ft them, fince they would not do lo; and when the people of Antioch tried the experiment, fome few complied, but thofe that would not do fo were flain. As for Antiochus himself, he obtained foldiers from the Roman commander, and became a severe master over his own citizens, not permitting them to reft on the feventh day, but forcing them to do all that they ufually did on other days; and to, that degree of diflreis did he reduce them in this matter, that the rest of the feventh day was diffolved not only at Antioch, but the fame thing which took thence its rife, was done in other cities also, in like manner, for some small time.

4. Now, after thefe misfortunes had happened to the Jews at Antioch, a fecond calamity befel them, the defcription of which when we were going about, we premifed the account foregoing For upon this accident, whereby the four-fquare market-place was burnt down, as well as the archives, and the place where the public records were preferved, and the royal palaces (and it was not without difficulty that the fire was then put a stop to, which was likely, by the fury wherewith it was carried along, to have gone over the whole city), Antiochus acculed the Jews as the occafion of all the mischief that was done. Now this induced the people of Antioch, who were now under the immediate perfuafion, by reafon of the diforder they were in, that this calumny was true, and would have been under the fame perfuafion, even though they had not borne an ill-will at the Jews before, to believe this man's

The Jews at Antioch and Alexandria, the two principal cities in all the call, had allowed them, both by the Macedonians, and afterward by the Romans, a governor of their own, who was exempt from the jurifdiction of the other civil governors. He was called fometimes barely governor, fometimes ethnarch, and [at Alexandria] alabarch, as Dr. Huafon takes notice on this place out of Fuller's Milcellanies. They had the like governor or governors allowed them at Babylon under their captivity there, as the hiftory of Sufanna implies.

accufation, especially when they confidered what had been done before, and this to fuch a degree, that they all fell violently upon those that were accufed, and this, like madmen, in a very furious rage alfo, even as if they had feen the Jews in a manner letting fire themfelves to the city: Nor was it without difficulty that one Cneus Collegas, the legate could prevail with them to permit the affairs to be laid before Cæfar; for as to Cecennius Petus, the prefident of Syria, Vefpafian had already fent him away: And fo it happened, that he was not yet come back thither. But when Collegas had made a careful inquiry into the matter, he found out the truth, and that not one of thefe Jews that were accufed by Antiochus had any hand in it, but that all was done by fome vile perfons greatly in debt, who fuppofed, that if they could once fet fire to the market-place, and burn the public records, they should have no farther demands made upon them. So the Jews were under great diforder and terror, in the uncertain expectations of what would be the upfhot of thofe accufations against them.

CHAP. IV.

How Vefpafian was received at Rome; as alfo how the Germans Revolted from the Romans, but were Subdued. That the Samaritans over-ran Myfia, but were compelled to return to their own Country again.

§ 1.

A

ND now Titus Cæfar, upon the news that was brought him concerning his father, and that his coming was much defired by all the Italian cities, and that Rome efpecially received him with great alacrity and splendour, betook himself to rejoicing and pleasures to a great degree, as now freed from the folicitude he had been under, after the molt agreeable manner. For all men that were in Italy fhewed their respects to him in their minds, before he came thither, as if he were already come, as efleeming the very expectation they had of him to be his real prefence, on account of the great defires they had to fee him, and because the goodwill they bore him was entirely free and unconstrained; for it was a defirable thing to the fenate, who well remembered the calamities they had undergone in the late changes of their governors, to receive a governor who was adorned with the gravity of old age, and with the highest skill in the actions of war, whose advancement would be, as they knew, for nothing elle but for the prefervation of thofe that were to be governed. Moreover, the people had been fo harraffed by their civil miferies, that they were fill more earnest for his coming immediately, as fuppofing they should then be firmly delivered from their calamities, and believed they fhould then recover their fecure tranquillity and profperity; and for the foldiery, they had the principal regard to him, for they were chiefly apprized of his great exploits in war; and fince they had experi

enced the want of fkill and want of courage in other commanders, they were very defirous to be freed from that great fhame they had undergone by their means, and heartily to receive fuch a prince as might be a fecurity and an ornament to them. And as this good-will to Vefpafian was universal, those that enjoyed any remarkable dignities could not have patience enough to stay in Rome, but made hafte to meet him at a very great diftance from it: Nay, indeed, none of the rest could endure the delay of feeing him, but did all pour out of the city in fuch crowds, and were fo univerfally poffeffed with the opinion that it was easier and better for them to go out than to ftay there, that this was the very first time the city joyfully perceived itfelt almoft empty of its citizens; for thofe that laid within were fewer than thofe that went out. But as foon as the news was come that he was hard by, and those that had met him at firft related with what good humour he received every one that came to him, then it was that the whole multitude that had remained in the city, with their wives and chil. dren, came into the road, and waited for him there; and for those whom he paffed by, they made all forts of acclamations on account of the joy they had to fee him, and the pleasantness of his countenance, and ftiled him their benefactor and faviour, and the only perfon who was worthy to be ruler of the city of Rome. And now the city was like a temple, full of garlands and fweet odours; nor was it easy for him to come to the royal palace, for the multitude of the people that flood about him, where yet at laft he performed his facrifices of thanksgiving to his houfehold gods, for his fate return to the city. The multitude did alfo betake themselves to feafting; which feafts and drink-offerings they celebrated by their tribes, and their families, and their neighbourhoods, and fill prayed God to grant that Vefpafian, his fons, and all their potterity might continue in the Roman government for a very long time, and that his dominion might be preferved from all oppofition. And this was the manner in which Rome fo joyfully received Vefpafian, and thence grew immediately into a state of great profperity.

2. But before this time, and while Vefpafian was about Alexandria, and Titus was lying at the fiege of Jerufalem, a great multitude of the Germans were in commotion, and tended to rebellion; and as the Guals in their neighbourhood joined with them, they confpired together, and had thereby great hopes of fuccefs, and that they fhould free themselves from the dominion of the Romans. The motives that induced the Germans to this attempt for a revolt, and for beginning the war, were thefe: In the first place, the nature of the people which was deftitute of juft realonings, and ready to throw themfelves rafhly into danger upon fmall hopes; in the next place, the hatred they bore to those that were their gov ernors, while their nation had never been confcious of fub

jection to any but to the Romans, and that by compulfion only. Befides thefe motives, it was the opportunity that now offered itfelf which above all the reft prevailed with them fo to do; for when they faw the Roman government in a great internal diforder by the continual changes of its rulers, and understood that every part of the habitable earth under them was in an unfettled and tottering condition, they thought this was the best opportunity that could afford itself for themselves to make a fedition, when the state of the Romans was fo ill. Clafficus alfo and Vitellius,+ two of their commanders, puffed them up with fuch hopes. Thefe had for a long time been openly defious of fuch an innovation, and were induced by the prefent opportunity to venture upon the declaration of their fentiments; the multitude was alfo ready, and when these men told them of what they intended to attempt, that news was gladly received by them. So when a great part of the Germans had agreed to rebel, and the reft were no better difpofed, Vefpafian, as guided by divine Providence, fent letters to Petilius Cerealis, who had formerly had the command of Germany, whereby he declared him to have the dignity of conful, and commanded him to take upon him the govern ment of Britain; fo he went whither he was ordered to go, and when he was informed of the revolt of the Germans, he fell upon them as foon as they were gotten together, and put his army in battle array, and flew a great multitude of them in the fight, and forced them to leave off their madness, and to grow wifer; nay, had he not fallen thus fuddenly upon them on the place, it had not been long ere they would however have been brought to punishment; for as foon as ever the news of their revolt was come to Rome, and Cæfar Domitian was made acquainted with it, he made no delay even at that his age, when he was exceeding young, bat undertook this weighty affair. He had a courageous mind from his father, and had made greater improvements than belonged to fuch an age: Accordingly he marched against the barbarians immediately; whereupon their hearts failed them at the very rumour of his approach, and they fubmitted themselves to him with fear, and thought it an happy thing that they were brought under their

This Classicus, and Civilis, and Cerealis, are names well known in Tacitus ; the two former as moving fedition against the Romans, and the last as sent to reprefs them by Vefpafian, juft as they are here defcribed in Jofephus; which is the cafe alfo of Fonteius Agrippa and Rubrius Gallus in fect 3. But as to the very favourable account prefently given of Domitian, particularly as to his defigns in this his Gallic and German expedition, it is not a little contrary to that in Suetonius, Velp fect 7. Nor are the reafons unobvious that might occafion this great diverfity: Domitian was one of Jofephus's patrons, and when he published thele books of the Jewith war, was very young, and had hardly began those wicked practices, which rendered him fo infamous afterward; while Suetonius feems to have been too young, and too low in life to receive any remarkable favours from him; as Domitian was certainly very lewd and cruel, and generally hated when Suetonius wrote about him.

+ Civilis. Tacit.