prevent any one of the besieged running away; he undertook the siege itself; though he found but one single place that would admit of the banks he was to raise. For behind that tower which secured the road that led to the palace, and to the top of the hill, from the west, there was a certain eminency of the rock; very broad, and very prominent: but three hundred cubits beneath the highest part of Masada. It was called the White Promontory. Accordingly he got upon that part of the rock, and ordered the army to bring earth. And when they fell to that work with alacrity, and abundance of them together, the bank was raised, and became solid, for two hundred cubits in height. Yet was not this bank thought sufficiently high for the use of the engines that were to be set upon it; but still another elevated work, of great stones, compacted together was raised upon that bank. This was fifty cubits both in breadth and height. The other machines that were now got ready, were like to those that had been first devised by Vespasian, and afterward by Titus, for sieges. There was also a tower made, of the height of sixty cubits; and all over plated with iron. Out of which the Romans threw darts, and stones from the engines: and soon made those that fought from the walls of the place to retire; and would not let them lift up their heads above the works. At the same time Silva ordered that great battering ram which he had made, to be brought thither, and to be set against the wall, and to make frequent batteries against it. By this means he, with some difficulty, brake down a part of the wall, and quite overthrew it. However, the Sicarii presently built another wall within that, which should not be liable to the same misfortune from the machines with the other. It was made soft and yielding and so was capable of avoiding the terrible blows that affected the other. It was framed after the following manner: they laid together great beams of wood, lengthways: one close to the end of another and the same way in which they were cut. There were two of these rows parallel to one another and laid at such a distance from each other, as the breadth of the wall required; and earth was put into the space between those rows. Now that the earth might not fall away upon the elevation of this bank to a greater height; they farther laid other beams over across them; and thereby bound those beams together that lay

lengthways. This work of theirs was like a real edifice. And when the machines were applied, the blows were weakened by its yielding and as the materials, by such concussion, were shaken closer together, the pile by that means became firmer than before. When Silva saw this, he thought it best to destroy this wall by setting fire to it. So he gave order that the soldiers should throw a great number of burning torches upon it. Accordingly, as it was chiefly made of wood, it soon took fire and its hollowness made the fire spread to a mighty flame. Now at the very beginning of this fire, a north wind that then blew proved terrible to the Romans. For by bringing the flame downward, it drove it upon them and they were almost in despair of success; as fearing their machines would be burnt. But after this, the wind changed suddenly into the south; as if it were done by divine providence and blew strongly the contrary way, and carried the flame against the wall, which was now on fire through its entire thickness. So the Romans, having now assistance from God, returned to their camp with joy; and resolved to attack their enemies the very next day. On which occasion they set their watch more carefully that night lest any of the Jews should run away from them, without being discovered.

Eleazar, however, neither thought of flying away, nor would he permit any one else to do so. But when he saw their wall burned down by the fire, and could devise no other way of escaping, or room for their farther courage: and setting before their eyes what the Romans would do to them, and their children, and their wives, if they got them into their power: he consulted about having them all slain. Now, as he judged this to be the best thing they could do in their present circumstances, he gathered the most courageous of his companions together, and encouraged them to take that course, by a speech which he made to the following effect: "Since we long ago, my generous friends, resolved never to be servants to the Romans, nor to any other than to God hira

* This and the following speech, as introduced under the person of Eleazar, are exceedingly remarkable, and on the noblest subjects; the contempt of death, and the dignity and immortality of the soul and that not only among the Jews, but. among the Indians themselves also: and are well deserving the perusal of all the curious. It seems as if that philosophic lady who survived, chap. 9. remembered 44

VOL. IV.

self, who alone is the true and just Lord of mankind; the time is now come that obliges us to put that resolution in practice. And let us not at this time bring a reproach upon ourselves for selfcontradiction; while we formerly would not undergo slavery, though it were then without danger; but must now, together with slavery, submit to such punishments also as are intolerable. I mean this upon the supposition that the Romans once reduce us under their power while we are alive. We were the very first that revolted from them; and we are the last that fight against them. And I cannot but esteem it as a favour, that God hath granted us, that it is still in our power to die bravely, and in a state of freedom; which hath not been the case of others, who were conquered unexpectedly. It is very plain that we shall be taken within a day's time but it is still an eligible thing to die, after a glorious manner, together with our dearest friends. This is what our enemies themselves cannot by any means hinder: although they be very desirous to take us alive. Nor can we propose to ourselves. any more to fight them, and beat them. It had been proper, indeed, for us to have conjectured the purpose of God much sooner; and at the very first; when we were so desirous of defending our liberty; and when we received such sore treatment from one another, and worse treatment from our enemies and to have been sensible that the same God, who had of old took the Jewish nation into his favour, had now condemned them to destruction. For had he either continued favourable, or been but in a lesser degree displeased with us, he had not overlooked the destruction of so. many men, or delivered his most holy city to be burnt, and demolished by our enemies. To be sure we weakly hoped to have preserved ourselves, and ourselves alone, still in a state of freedom; as if we had been guilty of no sins against God; nor been partners with those of others. We also taught other men to preserve their liberty. Wherefore, consider how God hath convinced us that our hopes were in vain, by bringing such distress upon us, in

the substance of these discourses, as spoken by Eleazar; and so Josephus clothed them in his own words. At the lowest they contain the Jewish notions on these heads, as understood then by our historians; and cannot but deserve a suitable regard from us.

the desperate state we are now in, and which is beyond all our expectations. For the nature of this fortress, which was in itself unconquerable, hath not proved a means of our deliverance. And even while we have still great abundance of food, and a great quantity of arms, and other necessaries more than we want, we are openly deprived by God himself of all hope of deliverance. For that fire which was driven upon our enemies, did not, of its own accord, turn back upon the wall which we had built. This was the effect of God's anger against us, for our manifold sins which we have been guilty of in a most insolent and extravagant manner, with regard to our own countrymen. Let us not, therefore, receive our punishment from the Romans, but from God himself, as executed by our own hands. For this will be more moderate than the other. Let our wives die before they are abused; and our children before they have tasted of slavery. And after we have slain them, let us bestow that glorious benefit upon one another mutually; and preserve ourselves in freedom as an excellent funeral monument for us. But first let us destroy our money, and the fortress, by fire. For I am well assured that this will be a grief to the Romans; that they shall not be able to seize upon our bodies, and shall also fail of our wealth. And let us spare nothing but our provisions. For they will be a testimonial, when we are dead, that we are not subdued for want of necessaries; but that, according to our original resolution, we have preferred death before slavery."

This was Eleazar's speech to them. Yet did not the opinions of all the auditors acquiesce therein but although some of them were very zealous to put his advice in practice, and were in a manner filled with pleasure at it, and thought death to be a good thing; yet had those that were most effeminate a commiseration for their wives and families. And when these men were especially moved by the prospect of their own certain death, they looked wistfully at one another; and by the tears that were in their eyes declared their dissent from his opinion. When Eleazar saw these people in such fear; and that their souls were dismayed at so prodigious a proposal; he was afraid lest, perhaps, these effeminate persons should, by their lamentations and tears, enfeeble those that were more courageous. So he did not leave off ex

horting them; but stirred up himself; and, recollecting proper arguments for raising their courage, he undertook to speak more briskly and fully to them, and that concerning the immortality of the soul. So he uttered a lamentable groan; and fixing his eyes attentively on those that wept, he spake thus: "Truly I was greatly mistaken, when I thought to be assisting to brave men, who struggled hard for their liberty, and to such as were resolved either to live with honour, or else to die. But I find that you are such people as are no better than others, either in virtue, or in courage and are afraid of dying; though you be delivered thereby from the greatest miseries. While you ought to make no delay in this matter, nor to await any one to give you good advice. For the laws of our country, and of God himself, have from ancient times, and as soon as ever we could use our reason, continually taught us, a id our forefathers have corroborated the same doctrine by their actions, and by their bravery of mind; that it is life that is a calamity to men, and not death. For this last affords our souls their liberty, and sends them by a removal into their own place of purity; where they are to be insensible of all sorts of misery. For while souls are tied down to a mortal body, they are partakers of its miseries; and, to speak the truth, they are themselves dead. For the union of what is divine to what is mortal, is disagreeable. It is true, the power of the soul is great, even when it is imprisoned in a mortal body. For by moving it, after a way that is invisible, it makes the body a sensible instrument; and causes it to advance farther in its actions than mortal nature could otherwise do. However, when it is freed from that weight which draws it down to the earth, and is connected with it, it obtains its own proper place, and does then become a partaker of that blessed power, and those abilities which are then every way incapable of being hindered in their operations. It continues invisible, indeed, to the eyes of men, as does God himself. For certainly it is not itself seen, while it is in the body: for it is there after an invisible manner; and when it is freed from it, it is still not seen. It is this soul which hath one nature, and that an incorruptible one. But yet is it the cause of the change that is made in the body for whatsoever it be which the soul touches, that lives, and flourishes; and from whatsoever it is removed, that withers away, and dies.