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Now it was that a horrible fear seized upon the seditious. Insomuch that many of them ran out of the city, as though it were to be taken immediately. But the people upon this took courage; and where the wicked part of the city gave ground, thither did they come, in order to set open the gates and to admit Cestius as their benefactor. Who, had he but continued the siege a little longer, had certainly taken the city. But it was, I suppose, owing to the *aversion God had already against the city and the sanctuary, that he was hindered from putting an end to the war that very day.

It then happened that Cestius was not conscious either how the besieged despaired of success, nor how courageous the people were for him and so he recalled his soldiers from the place; and by despairing of any expectation of taking it, without having received any disgrace, he retired from the city, without any reason in the world. But when the robbers perceived this unexpected retreat of his, they resumed their courage, and ran after the hinder parts of his army, and destroyed a considerable number of both their horsemen, and their footmen. And now Cestius lay all night at the camp, which was at Scopus: and as he went off farther the next day, he thereby invited the enemy to follow him; who still fell upon the hindmost, and destroyed them. They also fell on the flank on each side of the army, and threw darts upon them obliquely. Nor durst those that were hindmost turn back upon those who wounded them behind: as imagining that the multitude

There may another very important and very providential reason be here assigned for this strange and foolish retreat of Cestius's: which, if Josephus had been now a Christian, he might probably have taken notice of also: and that is, the affording the Jewish Christians in the city an opportunity of calling to mind the prediction and caution given them by Christ, about 33 years before: that when they should see the abomination of desolation, (the idolatrous Roman armies, with the images of their idols, in their ensigns, ready to lay Jerusalem desolate,) stand where it ought not; or, in the holy place. Or, when they should see Jerusalem compassed with armies, they should then flee to the mountains. By complying with which, those Jewish Christians fled to the mountains of Perea, and escaped this destruction. See Lit. Accomp. of Proph. page 69, 70. Nor was there, perhaps, any one instance of a more unpolitic, but more providential conduct than this retreat of Cestius, visible during this whole siege of Jerusalem; which yet was providentially such a great tribulation as had not been from the beginning of the world to that time: no, nor ever should be. Ibid.) 1. page 70, 71.

of those that pursued them was immense. Nor did they venture to drive away those that pressed upon them on each side; because they were heavy with their arms, and were afraid of breaking their ranks to pieces and because they saw the Jews were light, and ready for making incursions upon them. And this was the reason why the Romans suffered greatly, without being able to revenge themselves upon their enemies. So they were galled all the way; and their ranks were put into disorder; and those who were thus put out of their ranks were slain. Among whom were Priscus, the commander of the sixth legion; and Longinus the tribune; and Emilius Secundus, the commander of a troop of horsemen. So it was not without difficulty that they got to Gabao, their former camp; and that not without the loss of a great part of their baggage. There it was that Cestius stayed two days, and was in great distress to know what he should do in these circumstances. But when, on the third day, he saw a still greater number of enemies, and all the parts round about him full of Jews, he understood that his delay was to his own detriment: and that if he stayed any longer there, he should have still more enemies upon him.

ron.

That he might flee the faster, therefore, he gave orders to cast away what might hinder the army's march. So they killed the mules, and other creatures, excepting those that carried their darts, and machines, which they retained for their own use and this principally because they were afraid lest the Jews should seize upon them. He then made his army march on as far as *BethoNow the Jews did not so much press upon them when they were in large open places. But when they were penned up in their descent through narrow passages, then did some of them get before, and hindered them from getting out of them, and others thrust the hindmost down into the lower places: and the whole multitude extended themselves, over against the neck of the passage, and covered the Roman army with their darts. In which circumstances, as the footmen knew not how to defend themselves, so the danger pressed the horsemen still more: for they were so pelted, that they could not march along the road in their ranks ; and the ascents were so high that the cavalry were not able to

*See Chap. 12.

march against the enemy. The precipices also, and valleys into which they frequently fell, and tumbled down, were such on each side of them, that there was neither place for their flight, nor any contrivance could be thought of for their defence: till the distress they were at last in was so great, that they betook themselves to lamentations, and to such mournful cries as men use in the utmost despair. The joyful acclamations of the Jews also, as they encouraged one another, echoed the sounds back again. These last composing a noise of those that at once rejoiced and were in a rage. Indeed things were come to such a pass, that the Jews had almost taken Cestius entire army prisoners, had not the night come on: when the Romans fled to Bethoron; and the Jews seized upon all the places round about them, and watched for their coming out in the morning.

Then it was that Cestius, despairing of obtaining room for a public march, contrived how he might best run away. And when he had selected four hundred of the most courageous of his soldiers, he placed them at the strongest of their fortifications: and gave order, that when they went up to the morning guard, they should erect their ensigns; that the Jews might be made to believe that the entire army was there still while he himself took the rest of his forces with him, and marched, without any noise, thirty furlongs. But when the Jews perceived, in the morning, that the camp was empty, they ran upon those four hundred who had deluded them, and immediately threw their darts at them, and slew them: and then pursued after Cestius. But he had already made use of a great part of the night in his flight, and still marched quicker when it was day. Insomuch that the soldiers, through the astonishment and fear they were in, left behind them their engines for sieges, and for throwing of stones; and a great part of their other instruments of war. So the Jews went on pursuing the Romans as far as Antipatris. After which, seeing they could not overtake them, they came back, and took the engines, and spoiled the dead bodies, and gathered the prey toge

* See Book V. chap. 6.

+ Many of the military machines in use in these early ages were very lumberseme and unwieldly, so that they were obliged, from necessity, to abandon them in particular exigency.

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VOL. IV.

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ther which the Romans had left behind, and came back running and singing to their metropolis: while they had themselves lost a few only; but had slain of the Romans five thousand and three hundred footmen, and three hundred and eighty horsemen. This defeat happened on the eighth day of the month Dius, or Marhesvan, in the twelfth year of the reign of Nero.*

CHAP. XX.

CESTIUS SENDS AMBASSADORS TO NERO. THE PEOPLE OF DAMASCUS SLAY THOSE JEWS THAT LIVED WITH THEM. THE PEOPLE OF JERUSALEM, AFTER PURSUING CESTIUS, RETURN TO PREPARE FOR THE DEFENCE OF THEIR CITY; AND APPOINT SEVERAL GENERALS FOR THEIR ARMIES; PARTICULARLY JOSEPHUS, THE WRITER OF THESE BOOKS. SOME ACCOUNT OF HIS ADMINISTRATION.

AFTER this calamity had befallen Cestius, many of the most eminent of the Jews swam away from the city, as from a ship when it was going to sink. Costobarus, therefore, and Saul, who were brethren, together with Philip, the son of Jacimus, the commander of king Agrippa's forces, ran away from the city and went to Cestius. But how Antipas, who had been besieged with them in the king's palace, but would not now flee away with them, was afterward slain by the seditious, we shall relate hereafter. However, Cestius sent Saul and his friends, at their own desire, to Achaia, to Nero; to inform him of the great distress they were in; and to lay the blame of kindling the war upon Florus; as hoping to alleviate his own danger, by provoking his indignation against Flo

rus.

In the mean time the people of Damascus, when they were informed of the destruction of the Romans, set about the slaughter of those Jews that were among them. And as they had them already cooped up in the place of public exercises, which they had done out of the suspicion they had of them, they thought they should meet with no difficulty in the attempt. Yet did they dis

*A. D. 66.

+ See Book IV. chap. 4.

trust their own wives; who were almost all of them addicted to the Jewish religion on which account it was that their greatest concern was how they might conceal the thing from them. So they came upon the Jews, and cut their throats, as being in a narrow place; in number ten thousand, and all of them unarmed: and this in one hour's time, without any body to disturb them.

But as to those who had pursued after Cestius, when they were returned back to Jerusalem, they overbore some of those that favoured the Romans by violence; and some they persuaded by entreaties to join with them; and got together in great numbers in the temple; and appointed a great many generals for the war.*Joseph also, the son of Gorion, and Ananus the high-priest, were chosen as governors of all affairs within the city and with a particular charge to repair the walls. For they did not ordain †Eleazar, the son of Simon to that office; although he had gotten into his possession the prey they had taken from the Romans, and the money they had taken from Cestius; together with a great part of the public treasures: because they saw he was of a tyrannical temper and that his followers were, in their behaviour, like guards about him. However, the want they were in of Eleazar's money, and the subtle tricks used by him, brought all so about, that the people were circumvented, and submitted themselves to his authority in all public affairs.

They also chose other generals for Idumea: Jesus, the son of Sapphias, one of the high-priests; and Eleazar, the son of Ananias the high-priest. They also enjoined Niger, the then governor of Idumea, who was of a family that belonged to Perea beyond Jordan, and was thence called the Peraite, that he should

* From this name of Joseph, the son of Gorion, or Gorion the son of Joseph, as IV. 3. one of the governors of Jerusalem, who was slain at the beginning of the tumults by the zealots, IV. 6. the much later Jewish author of a history of that nation, takes his title; and yet personates our true Josephus, the son of Matthias. But the cheat is too gross to be put upon the learned world.

+ See Chap. 19.

See Book I. Chap. 1.

We may observe here that the Idumeans, as having been proselytes of justice since the days of John Hyrcanus, during about 195 years, were now esteemed as part of the Jewish nation, and here provided with a Jewish commander accordingly. See the note upon Antiq. XIII. 9.

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