who in drinking, and anointing themselves, wafted them in a profuse

manner.

"But why do I ftay to relate particularly these feveral calami"ties? For at this time Mannæus, fon of Lazarus, fled out of the city, and came to Titus, and told him, that through the one gate, "which had been entrusted to his care, there had been carried out "no fewer than a hundred and fifteen thoufand eight hundred and 66 eighty dead bodies, from the day that the Romans encamped near "the city, the fourteenth day of the month of April, to the first day "of July. That was a prodigious number. The man was not a governor at the gate. But he was appointed to pay the public al"lowance for carrying the bodies out; and therefore was obliged "to number them. Others were buried by their relations: though "their burial was no other than to bring them, and caft them out "of the city. After that man, there came to Titus several other "deferters of good condition, who told him, that the whole num"ber of the poor, who had been thrown out at the gates, was no "less than fix hundred thoufand. The number of the reft could not "be exactly known. They farther told him, that when they were no longer able to carry out the dead bodies of the poor, they "laid them in heaps in large houfes, and then fhut them up. "They likewife faid, that a measure of wheat had been fold for a "talent; and that afterwards, when it had been impoffible to come "out to gather herbs, because the city was encompassed with a wall, "fome were driven to such distress, as to search the common sewers "and old dunghills of cattle, and to eat the dung which they found "there and that what they could not before endure to fee, they

66

now made use of for food. When the Romans heard of thefe "things, they commiferated their cafe. But the feditious, who faw "them, did not repent, till the fame diftrefs reached themselves. "For they were blinded by that fate which was coming upon the + "city and themselves."

There ends the fifth book of our Author's hiftory of the Jewish War. The fixth book contains the progrefs of the fiege, and the miferies of the people, till the city was taken by Titus.

The Roman batteries are now raised at the end of one and twenty days hard labour, and the miferjes of the city increafe. The Romans begin to batter upon the walls of the tower called Antonia. The Jews made a vigorous defence. But the Romans gained poffeffion of it about the middle of July.

"Titus thereupon ordered his foldiers to dig up the founda"tions of the tower Antonia, and make way for him to come up "with his whole army. And being informed, that on that very "day, the feventeenth of July, the daily facrifice had failed, and "that it had not been offered up for want of men, and that the L3 "people

"people were greatly concerned at it, he fent for Jofephus, and "commanded him to fay to John the fame things that had been said "before. Accordingly Jofephus fought for a proper place to ftand in, and in the name of Titus himself earnestly exhorted John and "those that were with him, to fpare their own country, and to pre"vent that fire which was ready to feize upon the temple, and to "offer to God therein their ufual facrifices. But John caft many re"proaches upon Jofephus, with imprecations, adding withal, that "he did not fear the city fhould ever be taken, which was God's "own city: After which, Jofephus went on with a pathetic fpeech; "which, though it did not perfuade John and his adherents, was "not altogether without effect."

And + fome, watching for an opportunity, fled to the Romans. Of whom were the High-priefts Jofeph, and Jefus, and of fons of Highpriests three, and four fons of Matthias, as well as one fon of the other Matthias, formerly mentioned, who with three of his fons had been killed by order of Simon, fon of Gioras. And many others of the nobility. All whom Titus received very kindly, and fent them to Gophna, a small city, where they might live quietly, following their own customs. Which offer. they cheerfully accepted. But as they did not appear, the feditious within the city gave out, that thofe men had been flain by the Romans. It was in vain, therefore, they said, for any to go over to the Romans, unless they were willing to be put to death.

Titus therefore fent for thofe men from Gophna, and let them go round near the wall with Jofephus, to affure the people that they might come over to him with fafety.

If all this be true, as Jofephus writes, it is a proof of the good tem-` per of Titus. Moreover, the Romans were now pufhing their conquefts upon the temple itself, which Titus feems unwilling to have destroyed.

66

"And," as Jofephus adds |, "Titus was much affected with the prefent ftate of things, and reproached John and thofe with him; reminding them of the regard which had been fhewn to the tem "ple by the Romans, who had allowed them to erect in the courts "of it a partition wall, with infcriptions in Greek, forbidding all 46 foreigners to enter within thofe limits, and allowing them to kill fuch as did fo, though they were Romans. I call to witness, says he, the Gods of the country, and every God, who ever had a regard to this place (for I do not now fuppofe it to be regarded by any of them): I alfo call to witnefs my own army, and the Jews "who are with me, and your own felves, that I do not compel you to pollute your fanctuary. And if you will change the place of combat, no Roman fhall come near it. For I will endeavour to "preferve your temple, whether you will or not."

66

ὡς ἐκ ἄνπότε δείσειεν ἄλωσιν, Θεῦ γὰρ ὑπάρχειν τὴν πόλιν. +Ibid. cap. ii. § 2.

I lb. § 3.

# $ 4.

Such

Such things were spoken by Titus, and by Jofephus after him in Hebrew, to John and the reft with him. But they perverted it, as if all these fine offers proceeded from fearfulness, and not from any good-will to them.

Titus therefore proceeded in his attacks. His foldiers fought with the Jews at the temple, whilft he continued on the higher ground in Antonia, to obferve their conduct.

They had now made a broad way from the tower Antonia to the temple, and began to play on the temple with their battering engines.

The + fight was very defperate. A cloifter near Antonia was fet on fire. On the 24th day of July the Romans fet fire to another cloister, when the fire proceeded fifteen cubits farther.

"Whilft the Jews and Romans were thus fighting at the tem"ple, the famine prevailed in the city, till at length they did not ab"ftain from girdles and fhoes. The very leather that belonged to "fhields they took off, and gnawed. Wifps of old ftraw became "food to them."

At ** this time, a woman named Mary, of a good family, beyond Jordan, who had fled from her native place to Jerufalem, to avoid the inconveniencies of the war in the open country, when all she had brought with her was confumed, or taken from her by the rapaciousness of the tyrants and their adherents, was reduced to fuch extremity, that fhe killed her fucking child, and dreffed it for

food.

On ++ the eighth day of the month of Auguft the Roman batteries were completed and Titus ordered the batteries to play upon the Temple. The battle between the Jews and Romans was very defperate.

"Titus retired to the tower of Antonia; and refolved the next "day early in the morning to ftorm the temple with his whole army, "and to encamp about it. But certainly the divine fentence had "long fince condemned it to the fire. And now the fatal day was "come, according to the revolution of ages. It was the tenth day "of the month of Auguft, the fame day upon which it had been formerly burnt by the King of Babylon.'

"The $$ temple was now on fire. Neverthelefs Titus, ftill de"firous to fave it if poffible, came near, and went into the fanc"tuary of the temple with his cornmanders, and faw it, with what was in it. Which he found to be far fuperior to the accounts of "foreigners, and not inferior to our boaftings and perfuafion concerning it."

c

As the fire had not yet reached the inner parts of the temple, Titus gave fresh orders for extinguishing the fire, and preferving the temple, but to no purpose. Such was the enmity of the foldiers against the Jews, filled also with the hopes of plunder, and now animated with the rage

of war.

"Nor

L 4

"Nor* can we forbear to wonder at the accuracy of the period. "For this happened, as before faid, in the fame month, and day of "the month, in which the temple had been burnt by the Babyloni66 ans. And the number of years from its firft foundation by King "Solomon, to this its deftruction in the fecond year of Vefpafian,

are collected to be one thousand and thirty, and feven months, and "fifteen days. And from its fecond building by Haggai in the fe"cond year of King Cyrus, to its deftruction by Vefpafian, there were fix hundred and thirty-nine years, and forty-five days."

Whilft + the temple was burning, every thing was plundered that came to hand, and ten thousand of those who were caught were flain. Nor was there any regard had to age, or condition; but children and old men, profane perfons and priefts, were all flain in the fame

"At this time the treasury-chambers were burnt, where was an "immenfe quantity of money, and an immenfe number of garments,

with other precious things. For there it was, that the riches of "the Jews were heaped up. The foldiers alfo came to the rest of the "cloisters in the outer court, where were women and children, and "a mixed multitude of people, to the number of fix thoufand. And "before Cæfar had given any orders about it, the foldiers in a rage

..

fet fire to the cloifter. Nor did any one of that multitude escape "with his life. A falfe prophet was the occafion of their destruc<tion; who that very day had made proclamation in the city, that

God commanded them to go up to the temple, where they would "receive figns of deliverance. And indeed there was then a great "number of falfe prophets fuborned by the leaders of the factions to "impose upon the people, who told them, that they should wait for "deliverance from God."

"Thus," as our Author goes on in the words next following §, was this miferable people deceived by impoftors, who spoke lies in "the name of God. But they did not attend, nor give credit to "those prodigies, which evidently foretold their future defolation.

But like men infatuated, who have neither eyes to fee, nor minds "to confider, they difregarded the divine denunciations. There was a ftar, a comet refembling a fword, which stood over the "city, and continued for a year . And before the rebellion, and "before the war broke out, when the people were coming together in great multitudes to the feaft of unleavened bread, on the eighth "day of the month of April, at the ninth hour of the night, fo great a light fhone round the altar and the temple, that it feemed to be bright day, Which light continued for half an hour. This

દ

* § 8.

+ cap. v. § 1.

§2.

Ib. $3.

Η Τῦτο μὲν ὅτε ὑπὲρ τὴν πόλιν ἄφρον ἔςη ῥομφαίᾳ παραπλήσιον, και παρατείνας ἐπὶ ἐνιαυτὸν κομήτης.

:

Mr. Whifton's tranflation is: "Thus there was a ftar, refembling a fword, which stood "over the city and a comet that continued a whole year." And he has a note to this purpose: "Whether Jofephus means, that this ftar was different from that comet which lafted a whole year, I cannot certainly determine. His words may favour their being dif ferent one from another."

"to the unfkilful feemed to be a good fign: but by the facred scribes "it was judged to portend what has fince happened. And at the "fame feftival a heifer, as fhe was led by the High-prieft to be facri"ficed, brought forth a lamb in the midft of the temple. More"over the eaftern gate of the inner court of the temple, which was "of brass, and very heavy, which was not without difficulty fhut "in the evening by twenty men, and refted upon a bafis armed with "iron, and was faftened with bolts that went deep into the floor, "which was made of one entire ftone, was feen to open of its own "accord at the fixth hour of the night. Whereupon they who kept "watch at the temple, went to the captain, and told him of it. He "then came up thither, and not without difficulty had it shut again. "This alfo appeared to the vulgar a good fign: as if thereby God! "thereby opened to them the gate of happiness. But the wifer men "concluded, that the fecurity of the temple was gone, and that "the gate was opened for the advantage of their enemies. And they "faid it was a fignal of the defolation that was coming upon them. "Befide these, a few days after that festival, on the one and twentieth "day of the month of May, there appeared a wonderful phænome"non almost exceeding belief. And the account of it might feem "fabulous, if it had not been related by those who saw it, and if the "following events had not been anfwerable to fuch figus. For be"fore fun-fet, chariots and troops in armour were seen carried upon "the clouds, and furrounding cities. And at the feftival which "we call the Pentecoft, as the priests were going by night into the "inner court of the temple, as the custom was, to perform their mi"niftrations, they firft felt, as they faid, a fhaking, accompanied "with a noife, and after that a found, as of a multitude, faying, "Let us remove hence!' But, which is ftill more awful, there was "one Jefus, fon of Ananus, of a low condition, and a countryman, "who four years before the war began, when the city enjoyed pro"found peace and flowing profperity, came up to the feftival, in "which it is the cuftom for us all to make tabernacles, who on a "fudden began to cry out in the temple: A voice from the eaft, a "voice from the weft, a voice from the four winds, a voice against "Jerufalem and the temple, a voice against the bridegrooms and the "brides, a voice against the whole people!' This was his cry, as he "went about both by day and by night, in all the lanes of the city. "Some of the chief men were offended at this ill-boding found, and taking him up, laid many ftripes upon him, and had him beaten "feverely. Yet he faid not a word for himfelf, nor made any pecu"liar complaint to them that beat him; but went on repeating the "fame words that he had faid before. Hereupon the magiftrates, "thinking it to be fomewhat more than ordinary, as indeed it was, "bring him before the Roman Governor: where he was whipped, "till his bones were laid bare. All which he bore, without shed"ding any tears, or making any fupplications; but with a mourn"ful voice, at every ftripe, cried out: Woe to Jerufalem! Albinus, the governor, afked him, Who he was, and whence he came,

"and