that there was not any one *Syrian city, which did not slay their Jewish inhabitants; and were not more bitter enemies to us than were the Romans themselves. Nay, even those of Damascus, when they were able to allege no tolerable pretence against us, filled their city with the most barbarous slaughters of our people; and cut the throats of feighteen thousand Jews, with their wives and children. And as to the multitude of those that were slain in Egypt, and that with torments also, we have been informed they were more than sixty thousand. Those, indeed, being in a foreign country, and so naturally meeting with nothing to oppose against their enemies, were killed in the aforementioned manner. As for all those of us who have waged war against the Romans, in our own country; had we not sufficient reason to have sure hopes of victory? For we had arms, and walls, and fortresses, so prepared as not to be easily taken, and courage not to be moved by any dangers in the cause of liberty, which encouraged us all to revolt from the Romans. But then these advantages sufficed us but a short time; and only raised our hopes while they really appeared to be the origin of our miseries. For all we had hath been taken from us, and all hath fallen under our enemies : as if these advantages were only to render their victory over us the more glorious; and were not disposed for the preservation of those by whom those preparations were made. And as for those that are already dead in the war, it is reasonable we should esteem them blessed, for they are dead in defending, and not in betraying, their liberty. But as to the multitude of those that are now under the Romans, who would not make haste to die, before he would suffer the same miseries with them? Some of them have been put upon the rack, and tortured with fire and whippings and so died. Some have been half devoured by wild beasts, and yet have been reserved alive to be devoured by them a second time; in order to afford laughter and sport to our enemies. And such of those as are alive, still are to be looked on as the most miserable; who, being so desirous of death, could not come at it. And where is

* See Book II. chap. 18. where those of Antioch, Sidon, and Apamia, are excepted.

+ See II. 20. where the number of the slain is but ten thousand.

now that great city, the metropolis of the Jewish nation; which was fortified by so many walls round about; which had so many fortresses and large towers to defend it; which could hardly contain the instruments prepared for the war; and which had so many thousands of men to fight for it? Where is this city that was believed to have God himself inhabiting therein? It is now demolished to the very foundations: and hath nothing but that monument of it preserved; I mean the camp of those that have destroyed it; which still stands upon its ruins. Some unfortunate old men also lie upon the ashes of the temple; and a few women are there preserved alive by the enemy, for our bitter shame and reproach. Now who is there that revolves these things in his mind, and yet is able to bear the sight of the sun, though he might live out of danger? Who is there so much his country's enemy, or so unmanly, and so desirous of living, as not to repent that he is still alive? And I cannot but wish that we had all died before we had seen that holy city demolished by the hands of our enemies; or the foundations of our holy temple dug up after so profane a manner. But since we had a generous hope that deluded us; as if we might perhaps have been able to avenge ourselves on our enemies on that account; though it be now become vanity, and hath left us alone in this distress, let us make haste to die bravely. Let us pity ourselves, our children, and our wives, while it is in our power to show pity to them. For *we were born to die; as well as those were whom we have begotten. Nor is it in the power of the most happy of our race to avoid it. But for abuses, and slavery, and the sight of our wives led away after an ignominious manner, with their children, these are not such evils as are natural and necessary among men. Although such as do not prefer death before those miseries, when it is in their power so to do, must undergo even them, on account of their own cowardice. We revolted from the Romans with great pretensions to courage: and when, at the very last, they invited us to preserve ourselves, we would not comply with them. Who will not, therefore, believe

* Reland here sets down a parallel aphorism of one of the Jewish Rabbins, “We are born that we may die; and die that we may live."

both by the Jews and the Romans, though on different accounts. So Jonathan grew giddy by the pain of his wounds, and fell down upon the body of his adversary; as a plain instance how suddenly vengeance may come upon men that have success in war, without any just deserving the same.

CHAP. III.

CONCERNING A STRATAGEM BY WHICH THE JEWS BURNT MANY OF THE ROMANS; WITH A FARTHER DESCRIPTION OF THE TERRIBLE FAMINE THAT WAS IN THE CITY.

NOW the seditious that were in the temple did every day openly endeavour to beat off the soldiers that were upon the banks; and on the twenty-seventh day of the month Panemus, or Tamuz, contrived the following stratagem. They filled that part of the western cloister which was between the beams, and the roof under them, with dry materials, as also with bitumen and pitch and then retired from that place, as though they were tired with the pains they had taken. At which procedure of theirs, many of the most inconsiderate among the Romans, as carried away with violent passions, followed hard after them, as they were retiring, and applied ladders to the cloister, and got up to it suddenly. But the more prudent part of them, when they understood this unaccountable retreat of the Jews, stood still where they were before. However, the cloister was full of those that were gone up the ladders. At which time the Jews set it all on fire. And as the flame burst out every where on the sudden, the Romans that were out of the danger were seized with a very great consternation; as were those that were in the midst of the danger in the utmost distress. So when they perceived themselves surrounded with the flames, some threw themselves down backwards into the city, and some among their enemies in the temple: as did many leap down to their own men, and break their limbs to pieces. But a great number of those that were going to take these violent methods were prevented by the fire; while others prevented the fire by their own swords. However, the fire was on the sudden carried so far, as to surround those which would have otherwise perished. As for Cæsar himself, he could not but commiserate those that VOL. IV.

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thus perished, although they got up thither without any order for so doing, since there was no way of giving them any relief. Yet was this some comfort to those that were destroyed, that every person might see that person grieve, for whose sake they came to their end. For he cried out openly to them, and leaped up, and exhorted those that were about him to do their utmost to relieve them. So every one of them died cheerfully as carrying along with him these words, and this intention of Cæsar, as a sepulchral monument. Some there were indeed who retired into the wall of the cloister, which was broad, and were preserved out of the fire, but were then surrounded by the Jews; and although they made resistance against the Jews for a long time, yet were they wounded by them; and at length they all fell down dead.

At last a young man among them, whose name was Longus, became a decoration to this sad affair; and while every one of them that perished were worthy of a memorial, this man appeared to deserve it beyond all the rest. The Jews admired this man for his courage, and were farther desirous of having him slain.So they persuaded him to come down to them, upon security given him for his life. But Cornelius his brother persuaded him, on the contrary, not to tarnish their own glory, nor that of the Roman army. He complied with this last advice; and lifting up his sword before both armies, he slew himself. Yet was there one Artorius among those surrounded by the fire, who escaped by his subtlety. For he with a loud voice called to him Lucius, one of his fellow soldiers, that lay with him in the same tent, and said to him, "I will leave thee heir of all I have, if thou wilt come, and receive me." Upon this the man came running to receive him readily. Artorius then threw himself down upon him, and saved his own life while he that received him was dashed so vehemently against the stone pavement by the other's weight, that he died immediately. This melancholy accident made the Romans sad for a while; but still it made them more upon their guard for the future; and was of advantage to them against the delusions of the Jews by which they were greatly damaged, through their ignorance of the places, and of the nature of the inhabitants.--Now this cloister was burnt down as far as John's tower, which he built, in the war he made against Simon, over the gates that led

to the Xystus. The Jews also cut off the rest of that cloister from the temple, after they had destroyed those that got up to it. But the next day the Romans burnt down the northern cloister entirely, as far as the east cloister; whose common angle joined to the valley of Cedron; and was built over it. On which account the depth was frightful. And this was the state of the temple at that time.

Now of those that perished by famine in the city the number was prodigious; and the miseries they underwent were unspeakable. For if so much as the shadow of any kind of food did any where appear, a war was presently commenced; and the dearest friends began fighting about it: snatching from each other the most miserable supports of life. Nor would men believe that those who were dying had no food; but the robbers would search them when they were expiring; lest any one should have concealed food in their bosoms, and counterfeited dying. Nay, these robbers gaped for want, and ran about stumbling and staggering along, like mad dogs; and reeling against the doors of the houses, like drunken men.] They would also, in the great distress they were in, rush into the very same houses, two or three times in the same day. Moreover, their hunger was so intolerable, that it obliged them to chew every thing; while they gathered and ate such things as the most sordid animals would not touch: nor did they at length abstain from girdles, and shoes; and the very leather which belonged to their shields they pulled off and gnawed. Even whisps of old hay became food to some, and some gathered up fibres, and sold a very small weight of them for *four Attic drachmæ. But why do I describe the shameless impudence that the famine brought on men in their eating inanimate things? While I am going to relate a fact, which has no parallel in history,† either among the Greeks or Barbarians. I had, indeed, willingly omitted this calamity of ours, that I might not seem to deliver what is so portentous to posterity: bnt that I have innume

* One shekel.

+ What Josephus observes here, that no parallel examples had been recorded before his time of such sieges, wherein mothers were forced, by extremity of famine, to eat their own children, as had been threatened to the Jews, in the law of Moses, upon obstinate disobedience, and more than once fulfilled; is by Dr. Hudson sup