ents; the candlestick alfo, that was made of gold, though its conftruction were now changed from that which we made use of: For its middle fhaft was fixed upon a basis, and the small branches were produced out of it to a great length, having the likenefs of a trident in their pofition, and had every one a focket made of brafs for a lamp at the tops of them. These lamps were in number feven, and reprefented the dignity of the number feven among the Jews; and the laft of all the spoils, was carried the law of the Jews. After thefe fpoils paffed by a great many men, carrying the images of victory, whofe ftructure was entirely either of ivory, or of gold. After which Vefpafian marched in the firft place, and Titus followed him; Domitian alfo rode along with them, and made a glorious appearance, and rode on an horfe that was worthy of admiration.

6. Now the laft part of this pompous fhew was at the temple of Jupiter Capitolinus, whither when they were come, they flood ftill; for it was the Roman's ancient custom to stay till fomebody brought the news, that the general of the enemy was flain. This general was Simon, the lon of Gioras, who had then been led in this triumph among the captives: A rope had also been put upon his head, and he had been drawn unto a proper place in the forum, and had withal been tormented by thofe that drew him along; and the law of the Romans required, that malefactors condemned to die, fhould be flain there. Accordingly when it was related that there was an end of him, and all the people had set up a fhout for joy, they then began to offer thofe lacrifices which they had confecrated. in the prayers ufed in fuch folemnities, which when they had finished, they went away to the palace. And as for fome of the fpectators, the emperors entertained them at their own feaft; and for all the reft there were noble preparations made for their feafting at home; for this was a feftival day to the city of Rome, as celebrated for the victory obtained by their army over their enemies, for the end that was now put to their civif miferies, and for the commencement of their hopes of future profperity and happiness.

7. Atter thefe triumphs were over, and after the affairs of the Romans were fettled on the furelt foundations, Vefpafian refolved to build a temple to Peace, which was finished in fo fhort a time, and fo glorious a manner, as was beyond all human expectation and opinion: For he having now by Providence a vast quantity of wealth, befides what he had formerly gained in his other exploits, he had this temple adorned with pictures, and ftatues; for in this temple was collected and repofited all such rarities as men aforetime ufed to wander all over the habitable world to fee, when they had a defire to fee one of them after another: He also laid up therein those golden veffels and inftruments that were taken out of the Jewish temple, as enfigns of his glory. But ftill he gave order that they fhould lay up their law, and the purple veils of the holy place, in the royal palace itself, and kept them there.

CHAP. VI.

Concerning Macherus, and how Lucilius Baffus took that Citadel, and other Places.

† 1.

NOW

OW Lucilius Baffus was fent as legate into Judea, and there he received the army from Cerealis Vi tellianus, and took that citadel which was in Herodium, together with the garrifon that was in it: After which he got together all the foldiery that was there (which was a large body, but difperfed into feveral parties), with the tenth legion, and refolved to make war upon Macherus; for it was highly neceffary that this citadel fhould be demolished, left it might be a means of drawing away many into a rebellion, by reafon of its ftrength: For the nature of the place was very capable of affording the fureft hopes of fafety to thofe that poffeffed it, as well as delay and fear to thole that should attack it; for what was walled in was itself a very rocky hill, elevated to a very great height, which circumftance alone made it very hard to be fubdued. It was alfo fo contrived by nature, that it could not be easily afcended; for it is, as it were, ditched about with fuch vallies on all fides, and to fuch a depth that the eye cannot reach their bottoms, and fuch as are not eafily to be paffed over, and even fuch as it is impoffible to fill up with earth. For that valley which cuts it on the weft, extends to threefcore furlongs, and did not end till it came to the lake Afphaltitis; on the fame fide it was alfo that Macherus had the talleft top of its hill elevated above the reft. But then for the valleys that lay on the north and fouth fides, although they be not fo large as that already defcribed, yet is it in like manner an impracticable thing to think of getting over them; and for the valley that lies on the east fide, its depth is found to be no less than an hundred cubits. It extends as far as a mountain that lies over against Macherus, with which it is bounded.

2. Now when Alexander [Janneus], the king of the Jews, obferved the nature of this place, he was the first who built a citadel here, which afterwards was demolished by Gabinius, when he made war against Ariftobulus. But when Herod came to be king, he thought the place to be worthy of the utmoft regard, and of being built upon the firmest manner, and this especially because it lay fo near to Arabia; for it is feated in a convenient place on that account, and hath a prospect toward that country: He therefore furrounded a large space of ground with walls, and towers, and built a city there, out of which city there was a way that led up to the very citadel itself on the top of the mountain: Nay, more than this, he built a wall round that top of the hill, and erected towers at the corners,of an hundred and fixty cubits high; in the middle of which place he built a palace, after a magnificent manner, wherein were large and beautiful edifices. He alfo made a great many

refervoirs for reception of water, that there might be plenty of it ready for all ufes, and thofe in the propereft places that were afforded him there. Thus did he, as it were, contend with the nature of the place, that he might exceed its natural ftrengthand fecurity, which yet itself rendered it hard to be taken, by thofe fortifications which were made by the hands of men. Moreover, he put a large quantity of darts, and other machines of war into it, and contrived to get every thing either that might any way contribute to its inhabitant's fecurity, under the longest siege poffible.

3. Now within this place there grew a fort of rue *, that de ferves our wonder on account of its largenefs, for it was no way inferior to any fig-tree whatfoever, either in height, or in thicknefs; and the report is, that it had lafted ever fince the times of Herod, and would probably have lafled much longer, had it not been cut down by thofe Jews who took poffeffion of the place afterward. But ftill in that valley which encompaffes the city on the north fide, there is a certain place called Baaras, which produces a root † of the fame name with itself like that of flame, and towards the evenings it fends out a cerits colour is tain ray like lightning; it is not eafily taken by fuch as would do it, but recedes from their hands, nor will yield itfelt to be taken quietly, until either the urine of a woman, or her menftrual blood be poured upon it: Nay, even then it is certain death to those that touch it, unlefs any one take and hang the root itself down from his hand, and fo carry it away. It may alfo be taken another way, without danger, which is this: They dig a trench quite round about it, till the hidden part of the root be very fmall, they then tie a dog to it, and when the dog tries hard to follow him that tied him, this root is eafily plucked up, but the dog dies immediately, as if it were instead of the man that would take the plant away; nor after this need any one be afraid of taking it into their hands. Yet after all this pains in getting, it is only valuable on account of one virtue it hath, that if it be only brought to the fick perfons, it quickly drives away thofe called demons, which are no other than the fpirits of the wicked, that enter into men that are alive, and kill them, unlefs they can obtain fome help against them. Here are also fountains of hot water, that flow out of this place, which have a very different tafte one from the other; for fome of them are bitter, and others of them are plainly

Spanheim obferves here, that in Græcia Major and Sicily they had rue pro digioufly great and durable like this, rue at Macherus.

This ftrange account of the place and root Baaras, feerns to bave been taken from the magicians, and the root to have been made ufe of in the days of Jofephus, in that fuperftitious way of cafting out demons, fuppofed by him to have been derived from king Solomon; of which we have already feen he had a great opinion, Antiq B VIII. ch. ii. fect 5 Vol 1. We alfo hence may learn the true notion Jofephus had of demons and demoniacs, exactly like that of Jews and Chriflians in the New Teftament, and the first four centuries. Ses Antiq. B. VI. ch, viii fe&. so B. XI. ch. ii, feét. & Vol. I.

fweet. Here are also many eruptions of cold waters, and this not only in the places that lie lower, and have their fountains near one another, but, what is ftill more wonderful, here is to be seen a certain cave hard by, whofe cavity is not deep, but it is covered over by a rock that is prominent: Above this rock there ftand up two [hills or] breafts, as it were, but a little dif tant one from another, the one of which fends out a fountain that is very cold, and the other fends out one that is very hot, which waters when they are mingled together, compose a most pleafant bath; they are medicinal indeed for other maladies, but especially good for ftrengthening the nerves. This place has in it alfo mines of fulphur and allum.

4. Now when Baffus had taken a full view of this place, he refolved to befiege it, by filling up the valley that lay on the eaft fide; fo he fell hard to work, and took great pains to raise his banks as foon as poffible, and by that means to render the fiege eafy. As for the Jews that were caught in this place, they separated themfelves from the ftrangers that were with them, and they forced thofe ftrangers, as an otherwife useless multitude, to ftay in the lower part of the city, and undergo the principal dangers, while they themfelves feized on the upper citadel, and held it, and this both on account of its strength, and to provide for their own fafety. They alfo fuppofed they might obtain their pardon, in case they should [at laft] furrender the citadel. However, they were willing to make trial in the first place, whether the hopes they had of avoiding a fiege would come to any thing, with which intention they made fallies every day, and fought with thofe that met them, in which conflicts they were many of them flain, as they therein flew many of the Romans. But ftill it was the opportunities that prefented themselves, which chiefly gained both fides their victories; thefe were gained by the Jews, when they fell upon the Romans as they were off their guard; but by the Romans when upon the other fallies against their banks they forefaw their coming, and were upon their guard when they received them. But the conclufion of this fige did not depend upon these bickerings; but a certain furprifing accident, relating to what was done in this fiege, forced the Jews to furrender the citadel. There was a certain young man among the befieged, of great boldness and very active of his hand, his name was Eleazar, he greatly fignalized himself in those fallies, and encouraged the Jews to go out in great numbers, in order to hinder the raifing of the banks, and did the Romans a vaft deal of mifchief when they came to fighting; he fo managed matters, that thofe who fallied out, made their attacks eafily, and returned back without danger, and this by ftill bringing up the rear himfelt. Now it happened that on a certain time, when the fight was over, and both fides were parted, and retired home, he, in way of contempt of the enemy, and thinking that none of them would begin the fight again, at

that time, ftaid without the gates, and talked with those that were upon the wall, and his mind was wholly intent upon what they faid. Now a certain perfon belonging to the Roman camp, whofe name was Rulus, by birth an Egyptian, ran upon him fuddenly, when nobody expected fuch a thing, and carried him off, with his armour itself; while in the mean time thofe that faw, it from the wall were under fuch an amazement, that Rufus prevented their affiftance, and carried Eleazar to the Roman camp. So the general of the Romans ordered, that he fhould be taken up naked, fet before the city to be seen, and forely whipped before their eyes. Upon this fad accident that befel the young man, the Jews were terribly confounded, and the city, with one voice, forely lamented him, and the mourning proved greater than could well be fuppofed upon the calamity of a fingle perfon. When Baffus perceived that, he began to think of ufing a ftratagem àgainst the enemy, and was defirous to aggravate their grief, in order to prevail with them to furrender the city for the prefervation of that man. Nor did he fail of his hope; for he commanded them to fet up a crofs, as if he were juft going to hang Eleazar upon it immediately; the fight of this occafioned a fore grief among those that were in the citadel, and they groaned vehemently, and cried out, that they could not bear to fee him thus deftroyed. Whereupon Eleazar befought them not to difregard him, now he was going to fuffer a moft miferable death, and exhorted them to fave themfelves, by yielding to the Roman power, and good fortune, fince all other people were now conquered by them. Thele men were greatly moved with what he faid, there being also many within the city that interceded for him, because he was of an eminent and very numerous family; fo they now yielded to their passion of commiferation, contrary to their ufual cuftom. Accordingly they fent out immediately certain mellengers, and treated with the Romans, in order to a furrender of the citadel to them, and defired that they might be permitted to go away, and take Eleazar along with them. Then did the Romans and their general accept of thefe terms; while that multitude of ftrangers that were in the lower part of the city, hearing of the agreement that was made by the Jews for themselves alone, was refolved to fly away privately in the night time; but as foon as they had opened their gates, thofe that had come to terms with Baffus told him of it; whether it were that they envied the others deliverance, or whether it were done out of fear, left an occafion fhould be taken against them upon their efcape, is uncertain. The moft courageous, therefore, of those men that went out prevented the enemy, and got away, and fled for it; but for thofe men that were caught within, they were flain, to the number of one thousand feven hundred, as were the women and the children made flaves. But as Baffus thought he must perform the covenant he had made with thofe VOL. III.

F 3