did upon the Affyrians, when Pompey began to meddle with our nation, or when after him Sofius came up against us, or when Vefpafian laid wafte Galilee, or, laftly, when Titus came firft of all near to this city; although Magnus and Sofius did not only fuffer nothing, but took the city by force; as did Vefpafian go from the war he made against you to receive the empire; and as for Titus, thofe fprings that were formerly almost dried up *when they were under your power, fince he is come, run more plentifully than they did before: Accordingly you know that Siloam, as well as all the other springs that were without the city, did fo far fail, that water was fold by diftin& measures; whereas they now have fuch a great quantity of water for your enemies, as is fufficient not only for drink both for themselves and their cattle, but for watering their gardens allo. The fame wonderful fign you had alfo experience of formerly, when the forementioned king of Babylon made war against us, and when he took the city, and burnt the temple; while yet I believe the Jews of that age were not fo impious as you are. Wherefore I cannot but fuppofe that God is fled out of his fanctuary, and ftands on the fide of those against whom you fight. Now even a man, it he be but a good man, will fly from an impure houfe, and will hate those that are in it; and do you perfuade yourselves that God will abide with you in your iniquities, who fees all fecret things, and hears what is kept moft private ? Now what crime is there, I pray you, that is fo much as kept fecret among you, or is concealed by you? nay, what is there that is not open to your very enemies? for you fhew your tranfgreffions atter a pompous manner, and contend one with another which of you fhall be more wicked than another; and you make a public demonftration of your injuftice, as if it were virtue. However, there is place left for your: prefervation, if you be willing to accept of it; and God is eafily reconciled to thofe that confefs their faults, and repent of them. O hard hearted wretches as you are! caft away all your arms and take pity of your country already going to ruin, return from your wicked ways, and have regard to the excellency of that city you are going to betray, to that excellent temple, with the donations of fo many countries in it. Who could bear to be the first that should fet that temple on fire ? who could be willing that thefe things fhould be no more ? and what is there that can better deferve to be preserved? O infenfible creatures, and more stupid than are the flones themselves

This drying up of the Jerufalem fountain of Siloam, when the Jews wanted it, and its flowing abundantly when the enemies of the Jews wanted it, and thefe both in the days of Zedekiah and of Titus, (and this laft as a certain event well known by the Jews at that time, as jofephus here tells them openly to their faces), are very remarkable inftances of a divine Providence for the punishment of the Jewish nation, when they were grown very wicked, at both those wines of the deftruction of Jerufalem."

VOL. I

U u

And if you cannot look at these things with difcerning eyes, yet however, have pity upon your families, and fet before ev ery one of your eyes, your children, and wives, and parents, which will be gradually confumed either by famine or by war. I am fenfible that this danger will extend to my mother, and wife, and to that family of mine which hath been by no means ignoble, and indeed to one that hath been very eminent in old time; and perhaps you may imagine that it is on their account only that I give you this advice: If that be all, kill them; nay take my own blood as a reward, it it may but procure your prefervation; for I am ready to die, in cafe you will but return to a found mind after my death."

CHAP. X.

How a great many of the People earnefly endeavoured to Defert to the Romans; as alfo what intolerable things thole that faid behind fuffered by Famine, and the fad Confequences thereof.

§ 1. AS teld what he said, ie, the

S Jofephus was fpeaking thus with a loud voice, the

they deem it fate for them to alter their conduct, but as for the people, they had a great inclination to defert to the Romans: Accordingly fome of them fold what they had, and even the most precious things that had been laid up as treafures by them, tor a very fmall matter, and swallowed down pieces of gold, that they might not be found out by the robbers; and when they had efcaped to the Romans, went to flool, and had wherewithal to provide plentifully for themselves; for Titus let a great number of them go away into the country whither they pleafed. And the main reafons why they were fo ready to delert were thefe, that now they fhould be freed from thofe miferies which they had endured in that city, and yet fhould not be in flavery to the Romans: However, John and Simon, with their factions, did more carefully watch these mens going out, than they did the coming in of the Romans; and, if any one did but afford the leaft fhadow of fufpicion of fuch an intention, his throat was cut immediately.

2. But as for the richer fort, it proved all one to them whether they ftaid in the city, or attempted to get out of it; for they were equally deftroyed in both cafes; for every fuch perfon was put to death under this pretence, that they were going to defert, but in reality that the robbers might get what they had. The madnefs of the feditious did alfo increase together with their famine, and both thofe miferies were every day inflamed more and more; for there was no corn which any where appeared publicly, but the robbers came running into, and fearched mens private houses; and then, if they

found any, they tormented them, because they had denied they had any, and it they found none, they tormented them worse, because they fuppofed they had more carefully concealed it. The indication they made ufe of whether they had any or not, was taken from the bodies of thefe miferable wretches; which, if they were in good cafe, they fuppofed they were in no want at all of food; but if they were wafted away, they walked off without learching any farther: Nor did they think it proper to kill fuch as thefe, becaufe they faw they would very foon die of themfelves for want of food. Many there were indeed who fold what they had for one measure; it was of wheat, if they were of the richer fort, but of barley, if they were poorer. When thefe had fo done, they fhut themfelves up in the inmoft rooms of their houses, and eat the corn they had gotten: Some did it without grinding it, by reafon of the extremity of the want they were in, and others baked bread of it, according as neceffity and fear dictated to them: A table was no where laid for a diftin&t meal, but they fnatched the bread out of the fire, half-baked, and eat it very haftily.

3. It was now a miferable cafe, and a fight that would juftly bring tears into our eyes, how men flood as to their food, while the more powerful had more than enough, and the weaker were lamenting for want of it]. But the famine was too hard for all other paffions, and it is deftru£tive to nothing fo much as to modefty; for what was otherwife worthy of reverence was in this cafe defpifed; infomuch that children pulled the very morfels that their fathers were eating, out of their very mouths, and, what was ftill more to be pitied, fo did the mothers do as to their infants; and when thofe that were most dear were perifhing under their hands, they were not ashamed to take from them the very laft drops that might preferve their lives: And while they eat after this manner, yet were they not concealed in fo doing; but the feditious every where came upon them immediately, and fnatched away from them what they had gotten from others; for when they faw any houfe fhut up, this was to them a fignal that the people within had gotten fome food; whereupon they broke open the doors, and ran in, and took pieces of what they were eating almoft up out sof their very throats, and this by force: The old men, who held their food faft, were beaten, and it the women hid what they had within their hand, their hair was torn for fo doing; nor was there any commiferation fhewn either to the aged or to the infants, but they lifted up children from the ground, as they hung upon the morfels they had gotten, and thook them down upon the floor. But ftill were they more barbarously cruel to thofe that had prevented their coming in, and had actually fwallowed down what they were going to feize upon, as it they had been unjuftly defrauded of their right. They alfo invented terrible methods of torments to difcover where any food was, and they were thefe; to stop up the paflages of the

And if you cannot look at these things with difcerning eyes, yet however, have pity upon your families, and fet before ev ery one of your eyes, your children, and wives, and parents, which will be gradually confumed either by famine or by war. I am fenfible that this danger will extend to my mother, and wife, and to that family of mine which hath been by no means ignoble, and indeed to one that hath been very eminent in old time; and perhaps you may imagine that it is on their account only that I give you this advice: If that be all, kill them; nay take my own blood as a reward, if it may but procure your prefervation; for I am ready to die, in cafe you will but return to a found mind after my death."

CHA P. X.

How a great many of the People earnestly endeavoured to Defert to the Romans; as alfo what intolerable things thole that faid behind fuffered by Famine, and the fad Confequences thereof.

I:

91: AS Jofephus was fpeaking thus with a loud voice, the

feditious would neither yield to what he faid, nor did they deem it fate for them to alter their conduct, but as for the people, they had a great inclination to defert to the Ro. mans: Accordingly fome of them fold what they had, and even the most precious things that had been laid up as treafures by them, for a very fmall matter, and fwallowed down pieces of gold, that they might not be found out by the robbers;: and when they had efcaped to the Romans, went to flool, and had wherewithal to provide plentifully for themselves; for Titus let a great number of them go away into the country whither they pleafed. And the main reafons why they were fo ready to defert were these, that now they fhould be freed from thofe miferies which they had endured in that city, and yet fhould not be in flavery to the Romans: However, John and Simon, with their factions, did more carefully watch these mens going out, than they did the coming in of the Romans; and, if any one did but afford the leaft fhadow of fufpicion of fuch an intention, his throat was cut immediately.

2. But as for the richer fort, it proved all one to them whether they ftaid in the city, or attempted to get out of it; for they were equally deftroyed in both cafes; for every fuch perfon was put to death under this pretence, that they were going to defert, but in reality that the robbers might get what they had. The madnefs of the feditious did also increase together with their famine, and both thofe miferies were every day inflamed more and more; for there was no corn which any where appeared publicly, but the robbers came running into, and fearched mens private houfes; and then, if they

found any, they tormented them, because they had denied they had any, and it they found none, they tormented them worse, because they fuppofed they had more carefully concealed it. The indication they made ufe of whether they had any or not, was taken from the bodies of these miferable wretches; which, if they were in good cafe, they supposed they were in no want at all of food; but if they were wafted away, they walked off without learching any farther: Nor did they think it proper to kill fuch as thefe, because they faw they would very foon die of themfelves for want of food. Many there were indeed who fold what they had for one measure; it was of wheat, if they were of the richer fort, but of barley, if they were poorer. When thefe had fo done, they fhut themselves up in the inmoft rooms of their houses, and eat the corn they had gotten: Some did it without grinding it, by reafon of the extremity of the want they were in, and others baked bread of it, according as neceflity and fear dictated to them: A table was no where laid for a diftin&t meal, but they fnatched the bread out of the fire, half-baked, and eat it very haftily.

3. It was now a miferable cafe, and a fight that would juftly bring tears into our eyes, how men flood as to their food, while the more powerful had more than enough, and the weaker were lamenting for want of it. But the famine was too hard for all other paffions, and it is deftruftive to nothing fo much as to modefty; for what was otherwife worthy of reverence was in this cafe defpifed; infomuch that children pulled the very morfels that their fathers were eating, out of their very mouths, and, what was ftill more to be pitied, fo did the mothers do as to their infants; and when thofe that were most dear were perishing under their hands, they were not ashamed to take from them the very laft drops that might preferve their lives: And while they eat after this manner, yet were they not concealed in fo doing; but the feditious every where came upon them immediately, and fnatched away from them what they had gotten from others; for when they faw any houfe fhut up, this was to them a fignal that the people within had gotten fome food; whereupon they broke open the doors, and ran in, and took pieces of what they were eating almost up out of their very throats, and this by force: The old men, who held their food faft, were beaten, and it the women hid what they had within their hand, their hair was torn for fo doing; nor was there any commiferation fhewn either to the aged or to the infants, but they lifted up children from the ground, as they hung upon the morfels they had gotten, and thook them down upon the floor. But ftill were they more barbaroufly cruel to thofe that had prevented their coming in, and had actually fwallowed down what they were going to feize upon, as it they had been unjustly defrauded of their right. They alfo invented terrible methods of torments to difcover where any food was, and they were thefe; to stop up the paflages of the