Such a degree is there in it of immortality. Let me produce the state of sleep, as a most evident demonstration of the truth of what I say wherein souls, when the body does not distract them, have the sweetest rest depending on themselves, and conversing with God, by their alliance to him. They then go every where; and foretell many futurities beforehand. futurities beforehand. And why are we afraid of death, while we are pleased with the rest that we have in sleep? And how absurd a thing is it to pursue after liberty while we are alive; and yet to envy it to ourselves where it will be eternal! We, therefore, who have been brought up in a discipline of our own, ought to become an example to others of our own readiness to die. Yet if we do stand in need of foreigners to support us in this matter, let us regard those Indians who profess the exercise of philosophy. For these good men do but unwillingly undergo the time of life, and look upon it as a necessary servitude; and make haste to let their souls loose from their bodies. Nay, when no misfortune presses them to it, nor drives them upon it, these have such a desire of a life of immortality, that they tell other men beforehand that they are about to depart. And nobody hinders them but every one thinks them happy men, and gives them letters to be carried to their familiar friends that are dead: so firmly and certainly do they believe that souls converse with one another in the other world. So when these men have heard all such commands that were to be given them, they deliver their body to the fire: and, in order to their getting their soul a separation from the body in the greatest purity, they die in the midst of hymns of commendations made to them. For their dearest friends conduct them to their death, more readily than do any of the rest of mankind conduct their fellow citizens when they are going a very long journey. Who at the same weep on their own account; but look upon the others as happy persons: as so soon to be made partakers of the immortal order of beings. Are not we, therefore, ashamed to have lower notions than the Indians? and by our own cowardice to lay a base reproach upon the laws of our country, which are so much desired and imitated by all mankind? But put the case that we had been brought up under another persuasion, and taught that life is the greatest good which men are capable of, and that death is a calamity: even then the circumstances

I

we are now in ought to be an inducement to us to bear such calamity courageously: since it is by the will of God, and by necessity, that we are to die. For it now appears that God hath made such a decree against the whole Jewish nation, that we are to be deprived of this life, which he knew we would not make a due use of. For do not you ascribe the occasion of our present condition to yourselves; nor think the Romans are the true occasion that this war we have had with them is become se destructive to us all. These things have not come to pass by their power; but a more powerful cause hath intervened, and made us afford them an occasion of their appearing to be conquerors over us. What Roman weapons, I pray you, were those by which the *Jews of Cæsarea were slain? On the contrary, when they were no way disposed to rebel, but were all the while keeping their seventh day festival, and did not so much as lift up their hands against the citizens of Cæsarea; yet did those citizens run upon them in great crowds, and cut their throats, and the throats of their wives and children and this without any regard to the Romans themselves, who never took us for their enemies till we revolted from them. But some may be ready to say, that the people of Cæsarea had always a quarrel against those that lived among them; and that when an opportunity offered, they only satisfied the old rancour they had against them. What then shall we say to those of Scythopolis, who ventured to wage war with us on account of the Greeks? Nor did they do it by way of revenge upon the Romans, when they acted in concert with our countrymen. Wherefore, you see how little our good will and fidelity to them profited us, while they were slain, they and their whole families, after the most inhuman manner: which was all the requital that was made them for the assistance they had afforded the others. For that very same destruction which they had prevented from falling upon the others, did they suffer themselves from them as if they had been ready to be the actors against them. It would be too long for me to speak at this time of every destruction brought upon us. For you cannot but know,

*See Book II. chap. 18.

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 ally 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

while they re

* 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."

that they will certainly be enraged at us, in case they can take us alive? Miserable will then be the young men, who will be strong enough in their bodies to sustain many torments. Miserable also will be those of elder years, who will not be able to bear those calamities which young men might sustain. One man will be obliged to hear the voice of his son imploring help of his father, when his hands are bound. But certainly, our hands are still at liberty, and have a sword in them; let them then be subservient to us in our glorious design. Let us die before we become slaves under our enemies and let us go out of the world, together with our children, and our wives, in a state of freedom. This it is that our laws command us to do. This it is that our wives and chil dren crave at our hands. Nay, God himself has brought this necessity upon us. While the Romans desire the contrary and are afraid lest any of us should die before we are taken. Let us, therefore, make haste; and instead of affording them so much pleasure, as they expect, in getting us under their power; let us leave them an example which shall at once cause their astonishment at our death, and their admiration of our fortitude."

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CHAP. IX.

THE PEOPLE OF MASADA ARE PREVAILED UPON BY THE ORATIONS OF ELEAZAR TO DESTROY EACH OTHER, TWO WOMEN AND FIVE CHILDREN ONLY EXCEPTED.

NOW as Eleazar was proceeding in his exhortation, his auditors cut him off short, and hastened to do the work; as full of an unconquerable ardour of mind, and moved with a demoniacal fury. So they went their ways, as one still endeavouring to be before another; and as thinking that this eagerness would be a demonstration of their courage and good conduct; if they could avoid appearing in the last class. So great was the zeal they were in to slay their wives, and children, and themselves also. Nor, indeed, when they came to the work itself, did their courage fail them, as one might imagine it would have done: but they persisted in the same resolution, without wavering, which they had upon the hearing of Eleazar's speech, while yet every one of them retained the VOL. IV.

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