It was at this time that the commanders of the Idumeans got together privately, and took counsel about surrendering up themselves to the Romans. Accordingly they sent five men to Titus; and entreated him to give them his right hand for their security. So Titus thinking that the tyrants would yield, if the Idumeans, upon whom a great part of the war depended, were once withdrawn, after some reluctancy and delay, complied with them: and gave them security for their lives; and sent the five men back.But as these Idumeans were preparing to march out, Simon perceived it, and immediately slew the five men that had gone to Titus; and took their commanders, and put them in prison: of whom the most eminent was Jacob, the son of Sosas. But as for the multitude of the Idumeans, who did not know what to do now their commanders were taken, he had them watched; and secured the walls by a more numerous garrison. Yet could not that garrison resist those that were deserting. For although a great number of them were slain, yet were the deserters many more in number. These were all received by the Romans; because Titus himself grew negligent as to his former orders, and because the very soldiers grew weary of killing them and because they hoped to get some money by sparing them. For they Jeft only the populace: and *sold the rest of the multitude, with their wives and children; and every one of them for a very low price and that because such as were sold were very numerous, and the buyers very few. And although Titus had previously made proclamation that no deserter should come by himself; that so they might bring out their families with them; yet did he receive such as these also. However, he set over them such as were

* This innumerable multitude of Jews that were sold by the Romans, were an eminent completion of God's ancient threatening by Moses; that if they apostatized from their obedience to his laws, they should be sold unto their enemies for bondmen and bondwomen: Deut. xxviii. 68. See more especially the note on Chap. 9. But one thing is here peculiarly remarkable, that Moses adds, though they should be sold for slaves, yet no man should buy them: i. e. either they should have none to redeem them from this sale into slavery: or rather that the slaves to be sold should be more than were the purchasers for them: and so they should be sold for little or nothing. Which is what Josephus here affirms to have been the case at this time.

:

to distinguish some from others in order to see if any of them deserved to be punished And indeed the number of those that were sold was immense. But of the populace above forty thousand were saved; whom Cæsar permitted to go whither every one of them pleased.

At this time it was, that one of the priests, the son of Thebuthus, whose name was Jesus; upon having security given him by the oath of Cæsar that he should be preserved, upon condition that he should deliver to him certain of the *precious things that had been deposited in the temple, came out of it, and delivered him from the wall of the holy house two candlesticks; like to those that lay in the holy house with tables, cisterns, and vials, all made of solid gold, and very heavy. He also delivered to him the veils, and the garments; with the precious stones, and a great number of other precious vessels that belonged to their sacred worship. The treasurer of the temple also, whose name was Phineas, was scized on, and showed Titus the coats, and girdles of the priests: with a great quantity of purple, and scarlet, which were there deposited for the uses of the veil as also a great quantity of tcinnamon, cassia, and other sweet spices, which used to be mixed together, and offered as incense to God every day. A great many other treasures were also delivered to him; with sacred ornaments of the temple, not a few. Which things thus delivered to Titus, obtained of him for this man the same pardon that he had allowed to such as deserted of their own accord.'

Now the banks were finished, on the seventh day of the month Gorpieus, or Elul, in eighteen days' time: when the Romans brought their machines against the wall. But for the seditious, some of them, as despairing of saving the city, retired from the wall to the citadel; and others went down into the subterranean

*What became of these spoils of the temple, that escaped the fire, see Josephus himself hereafter, VII. 5. and Reland, De Spoliis Templi, page 129-138.

+ These various sorts of spices, even more than those four which Moses prescribed, Exod. xxxi. 34. we see were used in the public worship under Herod's temple, particularly cinnamon, and cassia; which Reland takes particular notice of, as agreeing with the later testimony of the Talmudists.

vaults though still a great many defended themselves against those that brought the engines for the battery. Yet did the Romans overcome them, by their number, and by their strength and what was the principal thing of all, by going cheerfully about their work, while the Jews were quite dejected, and become weak.Now as soon as a part of the wall was battered down, and certain of the towers yielded to the impression of the battering rams, those that opposed themselves fled away; and such a terror fell upon the tyrants, as was much greater than the occasion required. For before the enemy got over the breach they were quite stunned, and were immediately for fleeing away. And now one might see these men, who had hitherto been so insolent and arrogant in their wicked practices, to be cast down, and to tremble: insomuch that it was affecting to observe the change that was made in those vile persons. Accordingly they ran with great violence upon the *Roman wall that encompassed them; in order to force away those that guarded it ; and to break through it, and get away. But when they saw that those who had formerly been faithful to them were gone away: (as, indeed, they were fled whithersoever the great distress they were in persuaded them to flee :) as also when those that came running before the rest told them, that the western wall was entirely overthrown: while others said the Romans were gotten in; and others that they were near, and looking out for them; which were only the dictates of their fear, which imposed upon their sight they fell upon their face, and greatly lamented their own mad conduct: and their nerves were so terribly loosened, that they could not flee away. And here one may reflect on the power of God exercised upon these wicked wretches; and on the good fortune of the Romans. For these tyrants did not wholly deprive themselves of the security they had in their own power; and came down from those very towers of their own accord, wherein they could have never been taken by force; nor, indeed, any other way than by famine. And thus did the Romans, when they had taken such great pains about weaker walls, get by good fortune what they could never have gotten by their engines.

* See Book V. chap. 12.

For three of these towers were too strong for all mechanical engines whatever.

So they now left these towers of themselves, or rather they were ejected out of them by God himself, and fled immediately to that valley which was under Siloam. Where they again recovered themselves out of the dread they were in for a while, and ran violently against that part of the Roman wall which lay on that side. But as their courage was too much depressed to make their attacks with sufficient force, and their power was now broken with fear and affliction; they were repulsed by the guards; and dispersing themselves at distances from each other, went down into the subterranean caverns. So the Romans being now become masters of the walls, they both placed their ensigns upon the towers, and made joyful acclamations for the victory they had gained as having found the end of this war much lighter than its beginning. For when they had gotten upon the last wall, without any bloodshed, they could hardly believe what they found to be true; but seeing nobody to oppose them, they stood in doubt what such an unusual solitude could mean. But when they went in numbers into the lanes of the city, with their swords drawn, they slew those whom they overtook without mercy; and set fire to the houses whither the Jews were fled, and burnt every person in them, and laid waste a great many of the rest and when they were come to the houses to plunder them, they found in them entire families of dead men; and the upper rooms full of corpses, of such as died by the famine. They then stood in horror at this sight; and went out, without touching any thing. But although they had this commiseration for such as were destroyed in that manner, yet had they not the same for those that were still alive: but they ran every one through whom they met with; and obstructed the very lanes with their dead bodies; and made the whole city run down with blood, to such a degree, indeed, that the fire of many of the houses was quenched with these men's blood. And so it happened, that though the slayers left off at the evening yet did the fire greatly prevail in the night. And as all was burning, came that eighth day of the month Gorpieus, or

*

Elul, upon Jerusalem; a city that had been liable to so many miseries during this siege, that had it always enjoyed as much happiness from its first foundation, it would certainly have been the envy of the world. Nor did it on any other account so much deserve these sore misfortunes, as by producing such a generation of men as were the occasions of this its overthrow.

CHAP. IX.

OF CESAR'S CONDUCT ON THE REDUCTION OF THE CITY; THE NUMBER OF THE CAPTIVES, AND OF THOSE THAT PERISHED IN THE SIEGE; ALSO CONCERNING THOSE THAT HAD ESCAPED INTO THE SUBTERRANEAN CAVERNS; AMONG WHOM WERE THE TYRANTS, SIMON AND JOHN.

NOW when Titus was come into the upper city, he admired several places of strength in it, and particularly those strong towers which the tyrants in their mad conduct, had relinquished. For when he saw their solid altitude, and the largeness of their several stones, and the exactness of their joints; as also how great was their breadth, and how extensive their length, he expressed himself after the manner following: "We have certainly had God for our assistant in this war and it was no other than God who ejected the Jews out of these fortifications. For what could the hands of men, or any machines, do towards overthrowing these towers?" At which time he had many such discourses to his friends. He also let such go free, as had been bound by the tyrants, and were left in prison. To conclude, when he entirely demolished the rest of the city, and overthrew its walls, he left these towers as a monument of his good fortune; which had proved his auxiliaries; and enabled him to take what could not otherwise have been taken by him.

And now, since the soldiers were already tired with killing men, and yet there appeared to be a vast multitude still remaining alive; Cæsar gave orders, that they should ki! none but those

* A. D. 70. Thirty seven-years and a half after the crucifixion of the Messiah. See Book V. chap. 4.