old yoke again without fuffering any farther mifchiefs. When therefore Domitian had fettled all the affairs of Gaul in fuch good order, that it would not be eafily put into disorder any more, he returned to Rome with honour and glory, as having performed fuch exploits as were above his own age, but worthy of fo great a father.

3. At the very fame time with the forementioned revolt of the Germans did the bold attempt of the Scythians against the Romans concur; for thofe Scythians who are called Samaritans, being a very numerous people, tranfported themfelves over the Danube into My fia, without being perceived; after which, by their violence, and entirely unexpected affault, they flew a great many of the Romans that guarded the frontiers; and as the confular legate Fonteius Agrippa came to meet them, and fought courageoufly against them, he was flain by them. They then over ran all the region that had been fubject to him, tearing and rending every thing that fell in their way. But when Vefpafian was informed of what had happened, and how Myfia was laid wafte, he fent away Rubrius Gallus to punish these Samaritans; by whofe means many of them perifhed in the battles he fought against them, and that part which efcaped fled with fear to their own country. So when this general had put an end to the war, he provided for the future fecurity of the country alfo ; for he placed more and more numerous garrifons in the place, till he made it altogether impoffible for the barbarians to pafs over the river any more. And thus had this war in Myfia a fudden conclufion.

CHAP. V. .

Concerning the Sabbatic River which Titus Jaw as he was Fourneying through Syria; and how the People of Antioch came with a Petition to Titus against the Jews, but were rejected by him; as alfo concerning Titus and Vefpafian's Triumph.

OW Titus Cæfar tarried fome time at Bery tus, as

§ 1. NOW re. He thence removed, and ex

we

hibited magnificent fhews in all thofe cities of Syria through which he went, and made ufe of the captive Jews as public inftances of the destruction of that nation. He then faw a river as he went along, of fuch a nature as deferves to be recorded in hiftory; it runs in the middle between Arcea, belonging to Agrippa's kingdom, and Raphanea. It hath fomewhat very peculiar in it; for when it runs, its current is ftrong, and has plenty of water; after which its fprings fail for fix days together, and leave its channel dry, as any one may fee; alter which days it runs on the feventh as it did before, and as though it had undergone no change at all: It hath also been obferved to keep this order perpetually and exactly: Whence

it is that they call it the Sabbatic river,* that name being taken from the facred feventh day among the Jews.

2. But when the people of Antioch were informed that Titus was approaching, they were fo glad at it, that they could not keep within their walls, but hafted away to give him the meeting; nay, they proceeded as far as thirty furlongs, and more, with that intention. These were not the men only, but a multitude of women alfo with their children did the fame ; and when they faw him coming up to them, they flood on both fides of the way and ftretched out their right hands, faluting him, and making all forts of acclamations to him, and turned back together with him. They alfo, among all the acclamations they made to him, befought him all the way they went, to eject the Jews out of their city; yet did not Titus at all yield to this their petition, but gave them the bare hearing of it quietly. However, the Jews were in a great deal of terrible fear under the uncertainty they were in what his opinion was, and what he would do to them. For Titus did not stay at Antioch, but continued his progrefs immediately to Zeugma, which lies upon the Euphrates whither came to him meflengers from Vologefus king of Parthia, and brought him a crown of gold upon the victory he gained over the Jews; which he accepted of, and feafted the king's meffengers, and then came back to Antioch. And when the fenate and people of Antioch earnestly entreated him to come upon their theatre, where their whole multitude was affembled, and expected him, he complied with great humanity; but when they preffed him with much earneftness, and continually begged of him, that he would eject the Jews out of their city, he gave them this very pertinent anfwer; How can this be done, fince that country of theirs, whither the Jews must be obliged then to retire is destroyed, and no place will receive them befides." Whereupon the people of Antioch, when they had failed of fuccefs in this their first requeft, made him a fecond; for they defired that he would order thole tables of brals to be removed, on which the Jew's privileges were engraven. However, Titus would not grant that neither, but permitted the Jews of Antioch to continue to enjoy the very fame privileges in that city which they had before, and then departed for Egypt; and as he came to Jerufalem in his progrefs, and compared the melancholy condition, he faw it then in with the ancient glory of the city, and called to mind the greatness of its prefent ruins, as well as its ancient fplendour, he could not but pity the destruction of the city, fo

Since in thefe latter ages this Sabbatic river, once fo famous, which, by Jofephus's account here, ran every seventh day, and rested on fix, but according to Pliny, Nat. Hift. xxxi 1. ran perpetually on fix days, and refted every seventh, (though it no way appears by either of their accounts that the feventh day of this river was the Jewish seventh day or Sabbath), is quite vanished, I shall add no more about it; only fee Dr Hudfon's notes. In Varenius's Geography, I. 17. the reader will find feveral inftances of fuch periodical fountains and rivers, though none of their periods were that of a juft week, as of old this appears to have been. VOL. III.

E 3

far was he from boafting, that fo great and goodly a city as that was had been by him taken by force: Nay, he frequently curfed thofe that had been the authors of their revolt, and had brought fuch a punishment upon the city; infomuch, that it openly appeared, that he did not defire that fuch a calumny as this punishment of theirs amounted to, fhould be a demonftration of his courage. Yet was there no fmall quantity of the riches that had been in that city. ftill found among its ruins, a great deal of which the Romans dug up; but the greatest part was difcovered by thofe who were captives, and fo they carried it away; I mean the gold and the filver, and the reft of that most preciousfurniture which the Jews had, and which theowners had treafured up underground: against the uncertain fortunes of war. 3 So Titus took the journey he intended into Egypt, and paffed over the defart very fuddenly, and came to Alexandria, and took up a refolution to go to Rome by fea. And as he was accompanied by two legions, he fent each of them again to the places whence they had before come; the fifth he fent to My fia, and the fifteenth to Panonia; as for the leaders of the captives, Simon and John, with the other feven hundred men, whom he had felected out of the reft as being eminently tall and handfome of body, he gave order that they thould be foon carried to Italy, as refolving to produce them in his triumph. So when he had had a profperous voyage to his mind, the city of Rome behaved itfelf in his reception, and their meeting him at a distance, as it did the cafe of his father. But what made the moft fplendid appearance in Titus's opinion was, when his father met him, and received him; but ftill the multitude of the citizens conceived the greatest joy, when they faw them all three* together, as they did at this time: Nor were many days overpaft, when they determined to have but one triumph, that fhould be common to both of them, on account of the glorious exploits they had performed, although the fenate had decreed each of them a feparate triumph by himfelf. So when notice had been given beforehand of the day appointed for this pompous folemnity to be made, on account of their victories, not one of the immenfe multitude was left in the city, but every body went out fo far as to gain only a flation where they might ftand, and left only fucha paffage as was neceffary for those that were to be feen to go along it.

4. Now all the foldiery marched out beforehand by companies, and in their feveral ranks, under their feveral commanders, in the night time, and were about the gates, not of the upper palaces, but thofe near the temple of Ifis; for there it was that the emperors had refled the foregoing night. And as foon as ever it was day, Vefpafian and Titus came out crowned with laurel, and cloathed in thofe ancient purple habits which were proper to their family, and then went as far as Octavian's walks;

* Vespasian, and his two fons Titus and Domitian,

for there it was that the fenate, and the principal rulers, and those that had been recorded as of the equeftrian order, waited for them. Now a tribunal had been erected before the cloisters, and ivory chairs had been fet upon it, when they came and fat down upon them. Whereupon the foldiery made an acclamation of joy to them immediately, and all gave them atteftations of their valour; while they were themselves without their arms, and only in their filken garments, and crowned with laurel; then Vefpafian accepted of thefe fhouts of theirs.; but while they were fill difpofed to go on in fuch acclamations, he gave them a fignal of filence. And when every body entirely held their peace. he ftood up, and covering the greatest part of his head with his cloak. he put up the accustomed folemn prayers; the like prayers did Titus put up alfo; after which prayers Vefpafian made a fhort speech to all the people, and then sent away the foldiers to a dinner prepared for them by the emperors. retire to that gate which was called the gate of the pomp, becaufe Then did he pompous fhews do always go through that gate; there it was that they talled fome tood, and when they had put on their triumphal garments, and had offered facrifices to the gods that were placed at the gate, they fent the triumph forward, and marched through the theatres, that they might be the more cafily feen by the multitudes.

5. Now it is impoffible to defcribe the multitude of the fhews as they deferve, and the magnificence of them all; fuch indeed as a man could not easily think of, as performed, either by the Jabour of workmen, or the variety of riches, or the rarities of nature; for almost all fuch curiofities as the most happy men ever get by piece-meal, were here one heaped on another, and thole both admirable and as coftly in their nature; and all brought together on that day, demonftrated the vaitness of the dominions of the Romans; for there was here to be feen a mighty quantity of filver, and gold and ivory, contrived into all forts of things, and did not appear as carried along in pompous fhew only, but, as a man many fay, running along like a river. Some parts

were compofed of the rareft purple hangings, and fo carried a long, and others accurately reprefented to the life what was embroidered by the art of the Babylonians. There were also precious ftones that were tranfparent, some set in crowns of gold, and fome in other ouches, as the workmen pleased; and of these fuch a vast number were brought, that we could not but thence learn how vainly we imagined any of them to be rarities. The images of the gods were alfo carried, being as well wonderful for their largeness, as made very artificially, and with great skill of the workmen : Nor were any of thefe images of any other than very coftly materials; and many fpecies of animals were brought, every one in their own natural ornaments. alfo who brought every one of these fhews were great multiThe men tudes, and adorned with purple garments, all over interwoven with gold; thofe that were chofen for carry ing these pompous

fhews having alfo about them fuch magnificent ornaments, as were both extraordinary and furprising. Befide thefe, one might fee that even the great number of the captives was not unadorned, while the variety that was in their garments, and their fine texture, concealed from the fight the deformity of their bodies. But what afforded the greateft furprife of all, was the ftru&ture of the pageants that were borne along; for indeed he that met them could not but be afraid that the bearers would not be able firmly enough to fupport them, fuch was their magnitude: For many of them were fo made, that they were on three or even four ftories one above another. The magnificence alfo of their ftru&ture afforded one both pleasure and furprife; for upon many of them were laid carpets of gold. There was alfo wrought gold, and ivory faltened about them all; and many resemblances of the war, and those in several ways, and variety of contri vances, affording a moft lively portraiture of itfelt. For there was to be seen an happy country laid wafte, and entire squadrons of enemies flain; while some of them ran away, and iome were carried into captivity, with walls of great altitude and magnitude overthrown, and ruined by machines, with the frongeft fortifications taken, and the walls of most populous cities upon the tops of hills feized on, and an army pouring itfelf within the walls; as alfo every place full of flaughter, and fupplications of the enemies, when they were no longer able to lift up their hands in way of oppofition. Fire alfo lent upon temples was here reprefented, and houfes overthrown, and falling upon their owners: Rivers alfo, after they came out of a large and melancholy defert, ran down, not into a land cultivated, nor as dink for men, or for cattle, but through a land fill on fire upon every fide; for the Jews related that fuch a thing they had undergone during this war. Now the workmanship of thefe reprefentations was fo magnificent and lively in the conftruction of the things, that it exhibited what had been done to fuch as did not fee it, as if they had been there really prefent. On the top of every one of thefe pageants was placed the commander of the city that was taken, and the manner wherein he was taken. Moreover, there followed thofe pageants a great number of fhips; and for the other fpoils they were carried in great plenty. But for thofe that were taken in the temple of Jerufalem, they made the greatest figure of them all; that is the golden table, of the weight of many tal

See the reprefentations of thefe Jewish vessels as they still stand on Titus's triumphal arch at Rome, in Reland's very curious book, de Spoliis Templi throughout. But what things are chiefly to be noted are thefe: (1) That Josephus lays, the candlestick here carried in this triumph was not thoroughly like that which was used in the temple, which appears in the number of the little knops and flow. ers in that on the triumphal arch, not well agreeing with Moles's delcription, Exod. XXV 31-36 (2.) The Imalinefs of the branches in Jofephus, compared with the thick nefs of thofe on that arch. (3) That the Law or Pentateuch does not spear on that arch at all, though Jofephus, an eye-witnels, affures us that it was carried in this procession. All which things deferve the confideration of the inquisitive reades.