as belied God himself; while they did not attend nor give credit to the signs that were so evident, and did so plainly foretell their future desolation, but like mer infatuated, without either eyes to see or minds to consider, did not regard the de nunciations that God made to them. Thus there was a star* resembling a sword which stood over the city, and a comet* that continued a whole year. Thus als before the Jews' rebellion, and before those commotions which preceded the wai when the people were come in great crowds to the feast of unleavened bread, ot the eighth day of the month Xanthicus [Nisan,] and at the ninth hour of the nigh so great a light shone round the altar and the holy house, that it appeared to be bright daytime; which light lasted for half an hour. This light seemed to be good sign to the unskilful, but was so interpreted by the sacred scribes as to portenc those events that followed immediately upon it. At the same festival also, a heifer as she was led by the high priest to be sacrificed, brought forth a lamb in the mids. of the temple. Moreover, the eastern gate of the inner [court of the temple, which was of brass, and vastly heavy, and had been with difficulty shut by twenty men, and rested upon a basis armed with iron, and had bolts fastened very deep into the firm floor, which was there made of one entire stone, was seen to be opened of its own accord about the sixth hour of the night. Now those that kept watch in the temple came hereupon running to the captain of the temple, and told him of it, who then came up thither, and not without great difficulty was able to shut the gate again. This also appeared to the vulgar to be a very happy prodigy, as if God did thereby open them the gate of happiness. But the men of learning understood it, that the security of their holy house was dissolved of its own accord, and that the gate was opened for the advantage of their ene. mies. So these publicly declared, that the signal foreshowed the desolation that was coming upon them. Besides these, a few days after that feast, on the one and twentieth day of the month Artemisius [Jyar,] a certain prodigious and incre. dible phenomenon appeared: I suppose the account of it would seem to be a fable, were it not related by those that saw it, and were not the events that followed it of so considerable a nature as to deserve such signals: for, before sunsetting, chariots and troops of soldiers in their armour were seen running about among the clouds, and surrounding of cities. Moreover, at the feast which we call Pentecost, as the priests were going by night into the inner‡ [court of the] temple, as their custom was, to perform their sacred ministrations, they said, that in the first place they felt a quaking, and heard a great noise, and after that they heard a sound as of a multitude, saying, "LET US REMOVE HENCE." But what is still more terrible, there was one Jesus the son of Ananus, a plebeian and a husband. man, who four years before the war began, and at that time the city was in very great peace and prosperity, came to that feast whereon it is our custom for every one to make tabernacles to God in the temple,§ began, on a sudden to cry aloud, —-“ -"A voice from the east, a voice from the west, a voice from the four winds, a voice against Jerusalem and the holy house, a voice against the bridegrooms and the brides, and a voice against this whole people.' This was his cry, as he went about by day and by night, in all the lanes of the city. However, certain * Whether Josephus means, that this star was different from that comet which lasted a whole year, cannot certainly determine. His words most favour their being different one from another.

+ Since Josephus still used the Syro-Macedonian month Xanthicus for the Jewish month Nisan, this 8th, or, as Nicephorus read it, this ninth of Xanthicus or Nisan was almost a week before the Passover on the 14th: about which time we learn from St. John, that many used to go out of the country to Jeru rasalem to purify themselves, Johu, xi. 55, with xii. 1, in agreement with Josephus also, B. v. ch. iii. sect, 1. And it might well be, that in the sight of these this extraordinary light might appear.

This here seems to be the court of the priests.

Both Reland and Havercamp in this place after the natural punctuation and sense of Josephus, and this contrary to the opinion of Valesius and L. Hudson, lest Josephus should say, that the Jews built booths or tents within the temple, at the feast of Tabernacles; which the latter rabbins will not allow to have been the ancient practice: but then, since it is expressly told us in Nehemiah, viii. 16, that in stil elder times, the Jews made booths in the court of the house of God at that festival, Josephus may well be permitted to say the same. And, indeed, the modern rabbins are of very small authority in all such mauters of remote antiquity.

1

of the most eminent among the populace had great indignation at this dire cry of his, and took up the man, and gave him a great number of severe stripes: yet did he not either say any thing for himself, or any thing peculiar to those that chastised him, but still went on with the same words which he cried before. Hereupon our rulers, supposing, as the case proved to be, that this was a sort of livine fury in the man, brought him to the Roman procurator, where he was whipped till his bones were laid bare: yet did not he make any supplication fo. himself, nor shed any tears; but turning his voice to the most lamentable tone possible, at every stroke of the whip his answer was, "Woe, woe to Jerusalem." And when Albinus (for he was then our procurator) asked him," Who he was? and whence he came? and why he uttered such words?" he made no manner of reply to what he said, but still did not leave off his melancholy ditty, till Albinus took him to be a madman, and dismissed him. Now, during all the time that passed before the war began, this man did not go near any of the citizens, nor was seen by them while he said so; but he every day uttered these lamentable words, as if it were his premeditated vow," Woe, woe to Jerusalem." Nor did he give ill words to any of those that beat him every day, nor good words to those that gave him food; but this was his reply to all men, and, indeed, no other than a melancholy presage of what was to come. This cry of his was the loudest at the festivals; and he continued this ditty for seven years and five months, without growing hoarse, or being tired therewith, until the very time that he saw his presage in earnest fulfilled in our siege, when it ceased; for as he was going round upon the wall, he cried out with his utmost force,-" Woe, woe to the ci ty again, and to the people, and to the holy house." And just as he added at the last,-"Woe, woe to myself also," there came a stone out of one of the engines, and smote him, and killed him immediately; and, as he was uttering the very same presages, he gave up the ghost.

4. Now, if any one consider these things, he will find that God takes care of mankind, and by all ways possible foreshows to our race what is for their preser. vation, but that men perish by those miseries which they madly and voluntarily bring upon themselves; for the Jews, by demolishing the tower of Antonia, had made their temple four-square, while, at the same time, they had it written in their sacred oracles, that "then should their city be taken, as well as their holy house, when once their temple should become four-square." But now, what did the most elevate them in undertaking this war, was an ambiguous oracle that was found also in their sacred writings, how, "about that time, one from their country should become governor of the habitable earth." The Jews took this pre diction to belong to themselves in particular, and many of the wise men were thereby deceived in their determination. Now, this oracle certainly denoted the government of Vespasian, who was appointed emperor in Judea. However, it is not possible for men to avoid fate, although they see it beforehand. But these men interpreted some of these signals according to their own pleasure, and some of them they utterly despised, until their madness was demonstrated both by the taking of their city and their own destruction.

CHAP. VI.

How the Romans carried their Ensigns to the Temple, and made joyful Accla nations to Titus. The Speech that Titus made to the Jews when they made Supplication for Mercy. What Reply they made thereto, and how that Reply moved Titus's Indignation against them.

1. AND now the Romans, upon the flight of the seditious into the city, and upon the burning of the holy house itself, and of all the buildings round

about it, brought their ensigns to the temple,* and set them over against its eastern gate; and there did they offer sacrifices to them, and there did they make Titus Imperator with the greatest acclamations of joy. And now all the soldiers had such vast quantities of the spoils which they had gotten by plunder, that in Syria a pound weight of gold was sold for half its former value. But as for those priests that kept themselves still upon the wall of the holy house,‡ there was a boy that, out of the thirst he was in, desired some of the Roman guards to give him their right hands as a security for his life, and confessed he was very thirsty. These guards commiserated his age, and the distress he was in, and gave him their right hands accordingly. So he came down himself, and drank some water, and filled the vessel he had with him when he came to them with water, and then went off, and fled away to his own friends; nor could any of those guards overtake him; but still they reproached him for his perfidiousness. To which he made this answer:-"I have not broken the agreement; for the security I had given me was not in order to my staying with you, but only in order to my coming down safely, and taking up some water; both which things I have performed, and thereupon think myself to have been faithful to my engagement." Hereupon those whom the child had imposed upon admired at his cunning, and that on account of his age. On the fifth day afterward the priests that were pined with the famine came down, and when they were brought to Titus by the guards, they begged for their lives: but he replied, that "the time of pardon was over as to thein; and that this very holy house, on whose account only they could justly hope to be preserved, was destroyed; and that it was agreeable to their office, that priests should perish with the house itself to which they belonged." So he ordered them to be put to death.

2. But as for the tyrants themselves, and those that were with them, when they found that they were encompassed on every side, and, as it were, walled round without any method of escaping, they desired to treat with Titus by word of Imouth. Accordingly, such was the kindness of his nature, and his desire of preserving the city from destruction, and was joined to the advice of his friends, who now thought the robbers were come to a temper, that he placed himself on the western side of the outer [court of the] temple; for there were gates on that side above the Xystus, and a bridge that connected the upper city to the temple. This bridge it was that lay between the tyrants and Cæsar, and parted them; while the multitude stood on each side; those of the Jewish nation about Simon and John, with great hopes of pardon, and the Romans about Cæsar, in great expectation how Titus would receive their supplication. So Titus charged his soldiers to restrain their rage, and to let their darts alone, and appointed an interpreter between them, which was a sign that he was the conqueror, and first began the discourse, and said,-"I hope you, sirs, are now satiated with the miseries of your country, who have not had any just notions either of our great power or of your own great weakness, but have, like madmen, after a violent and inconsiderate manner, made such attempts as have brought your people, your city, and your holy house to destruction. You have been the men that have never left off rebelling since Pompey first conquered you, and have since that time made open war with the Romans. Have you depended on your multitude, while a very small part of the Roman soldiery have been strong enough for you? Have you relied on the fidelity of your confederates? And what nations are there, out of the

* Take Havercamp's note here.-"This," says he, "is a remarkable place:" and Tertullian truly says in his Apologetic, ch. xvi. p. 162, that "the entire religion of the Roman camp almost consisted in wor shiping the ensigns, in swearing by the ensigns, and in preferring the ensigns before all the [other] gods." See what Havercamp says upon that place of Tertullian.

+ This declaring Titus Imperator by the soldiers, upon such signal success, and the slaughter of such a vast number of enemies, was according to the usual practice of the Romans in like cases, as Reland assures us on this place.

The Jews of later times agree with Josephus, that there were hiding places or secret chambers about the holy house, as Reland here informs us, where he thinks he has found these very walls described! them. 37

VOL. II.

limits of our dominion, that would choose to assist the Jews before the Romans? Are your bodies stronger than ours? Nay, you know that the [strong] Germans themselves are our servants. Have you stronger walls than we have? Pray, what greater obstacle is there than the wall of the ocean, with which the Britons are encompassed, and yet do adore the arms of the Romans. Do you exceed us in courage of soul and in the sagacity of your commanders? Nay, indeed, you cannot but know that the very Carthaginians have been conquered by us. It can, therefore, be nothing certainly but the kindness of the Romans which hath exci. ted you against us; who, in the first place, have given you this land to possess; and, in the next place, have set over you kings of your own nation; and, in the third place, have preserved the laws of your forefathers to you, and have withal permitted you to live either by yourselves or among others, as it should please you; and, what is our chief favour of all, we have given you leave to gather up that tribute which is paid to God,* with such other gifts that are dedicated to him; nor have we called those that carried these donations to account, nor prohibited them; till at length you became richer than we ourselves, even when you were our enemies; and you made preparations for war against us with our money: nay, after all, when you were in the enjoyment of all these advantages, you turned your too great plenty against those that gave it you, and, like merciless serpents, have thrown out your poison against those that treated you kindly. I suppose, therefore, that you might despise the slothfulness of Nero, and, like limbs of the body that are broken or dislocated, you did then lie quiet, waiting for some other time, though still with a malicious intention, and have now showed your distem per to be greater than ever, and have extended your desires as far as your impu dent and immense hopes would enable you to do it. At this time my father came into this country, not with a design to punish you for what you had done under Cestius, but to admonish you; for had he come to overthrow your nation, he had run directly to your fountain-head, and had immediately laid this city waste; whereas he went and burnt Galilee, and the neighbouring parts, and thereby gave you time for repentance: which instance of humanity you took for an argument of his weakness, and nourished up your impudence by our mildness. When Nero was gone out of the world, you did as the wickedest wretches would have done, and encouraged yourselves to act against us by our civil dissensions, and abused that time when both I and my father were gone away for Egypt, to make prepara. tions for this war. Nor were you ashamed to raise disturbances against us when we were made emperors, and this while you had experienced how mild we had been, when we were no more than generals of the army. But when the govern. ment was devolved upon us, and all other people did thereupon lie quiet, and even foreign nations sent embassies, and congratulated our access to the government, then did you Jews show yourselves to be our enemies. You sent embassies to those of your nation that are beyond Euphrates to assist you in your raising disturbances; new walls were built by you round your city, seditions arose, and one tyrant contended against another, and a civil war broke out among you such, indeed, as became none but so wicked a people as you are. I then came to this city, as unwillingly sent by my father, and received melancholy injunctions from him. When I heard that the people were disposed to peace, I rejoiced at it: I exhorted you to leave off these proceedings, before I began this war: I spared you, even when you had fought against me a great while: I gave my right hand as security to the deserters: I observed what I had promised faithfully. When they fled to me, I had compassion on many of those I had taken captive: I tortured those that were eager for war, in order to restrain them. It was unwillingly that I brought my engines of war against your walls: I always prohibited my soldiers, when they were set upon your slaughter, from their severity against you. After every victory I persuaded you to peace, as though I had been my.

Spanheim notes here, that the Romans used to permit the Jews to collect their sacred tribute, and send it to Jerusalem; of which we have had abundant evidence in Josephus already on other occasions.

self conquered. When I came near your temple, I again departed from the laws of war, and exhorted you to spare your own sanctuary, and to preserve your holy house to yourselves. I allowed you a quiet exit out of it, and security for your preservation: nay, if you had a mind, I gave you leave to fight in another place Yet have you still despised every one of my proposals, and have set fire to your holy house with your own hands. And now, vile wretches, do you desire to treat with me by word of mouth? to what purpose is it that you would save such a holy house as this was, which is now destroyed? what preservation can you now desire after the destruction of your temple? Yet do you stand still at this very time in your armour; nor can you bring yourselves so much as to pretend to be supplicants, even in this your utmost extremity. O miserable creatures! what is it you depend on? Are not your people dead? is not your holy house gone? is not your city in my power? and are not your own very lives in my hands? And do you still deem it a part of valour to die? However, I will not imitate your madness. If you will throw down your arms, and deliver up your bodies to me, I grant you your lives; and I will act like a mild master of a family; what cannot be healed shall be punished, and the rest I will preserve for my own use." 3. To that offer of Titus they made this reply, that "they could not accept of it, because they had sworn never to do so; but they desired they might have leave to go through the wall that had been made about them, with their wives and children; for that they would go into the desert, and leave the city to him." At this Titus had great indignation, that, when they were in the case of men already taken captives, they should pretend to make their own terms with him, as if they had been conquerors. So he ordered this proclamation to be made to them, that "they should no more come out to him as deserters, nor hope for any farther se. curity; for that he would henceforth spare nobody, but fight them with his whole army; and that they must save themselves as well as they could; for that he would from henceforth treat them according to the laws of war." So he gave orders to the soldiers both to burn and to plunder the city, who did nothing, in deed, that day; but on the next day they set fire to the repository of the archives, to Acra, to the council-house, and to the place called Ophlas; at which time the fire proceeded as far as the palace of Queen Helena, which was in the middle of Acra: the lanes also were burnt down, as were also those houses that were full of the dead bodies of such as were destroyed by famine.

4. On the same day it was that the sons and brethren of Izates the king, together with many others of the eminent men of the populace, got together there, and besought Cæsar to give them his right hand for their security: upon which, though he were very angry at all that were now remaining, yet did he not lay aside his old moderation, but received these men. At that time, indeed, he kept them at in custody, but still bound the king's sons and kinsmen, and led them with him to Rome, in order to make them hostages for their country's fidelity to the Romans,

CHAP. VII.

What afterwards befell the Seditious, when they had done a great deal of Mischief, and suffered many Misfortunes; as also how Casar

became Master of the upper City.

1. AND now the seditious rushed into the royal palace, into which many had put their effects, because it was so strong, and drove the Romans away from it. They also slew all the people that had crowded into it, who were in number eight thousand four hundred, and plundered them of what they had. They also took two of the Romans alive; the one was a horseman and the other a footman They then cut the throat of the footman. and immediately bad him drawn through