THE WORKS OF FLAVIUS JOSEPHUS. TO WHICH ARE ADDED THREE DISSERTATIONS, CONCERNING JESUS CHRIST, JOHN THE BAPTIST, JAMES THE JUST, GOD'S COMMAND TO ABRAHAM, ETC. WITH AN INDEX TO THE WHOLE. THE JEWISH WAR. BOOK III. CONTAINING THE INTERVAL OF ABOUT ONE YEAR. From Vespasian's coming to subdue the Jews to the Taking of Gamala. Vespasian is sent into CHAP. I. Syria by Nero, in Order to make War with the Jews. § 1. WHEN Nero was informed of the Romans' ill success in Judea, a concealed consternation and terror, as is usual in such cases, fell upon him; although he openly looked very big, and was very angry, and said, that what had happened was rather owing to the negligence of the commander than to any valour of the enemy: and as he thought it fit for him, who bare the burden of the whole empire, to despise such misfortunes, he now pretended so to do, and to have a soul superior to all such sad accidents whatsoever. Yet did the disturbance that was in his soul plainly appear by the solicitude he was in [how to recover his affairs again]. 2. And as he was deliberating to whom he should commit the care of the east, now it was in so great a commotion, and who might be best able to punish the Jews for their rebellion, and might prevent the same distemper from seizing upon the neighbouring nations also, he found no one but Vespasian equal to the task, and able to undergo the great burden of so mighty a war, seeing he was grown an old man already in the camp, and from his youth had been exercised in warlike exploits: he was also a man that had long ago pacified the west, and made it subject to the Romans, when it had been put into disorder by the Germans; he had also recovered to them Britain by his arms, which had been little known before*; whereby he pro * Take the confirmation of this in the words of Suetonius, here produced by Dr. Hudson." In the reign of Claudius," says he, " Vespasian, for the sake of Narcissus, was sent as a lieutenant of a legion into Germany. Thence he re VOL. IV. B |