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1. Now about this very time it was that heavy calamities
came about Rome on all sides; for Vitellius was come from
Germany with his soldiery, and drew along with him a great
multitude of other men besides. And when the spaces allotted for
soldiers could not contain them, he made all Rome itself his
camp, and filled all the houses with his armed men; which men,
when they saw the riches of Rome with those eyes
which had never seen such riches before, and found
themselves shone round about on all sides with silver and gold,
they had much ado to contain their covetous desires, and were
ready to betake themselves to plunder, and to the slaughter of
such as should stand in their way. And this was the state of
affairs in Italy at that time.
2. But when Vespasian had overthrown all the places that were
near to Jerusalem, he returned to Cesarea, and heard of the
troubles that were at Rome, and that Vitellius was
emperor. This produced indignation in him, although he well
knew how to be governed as well as to govern, and could not, with
any satisfaction, own him for his lord who acted so madly, and
seized upon the government as if it were
absolutely destitute of a governor. And as this sorrow of his
was violent, he was not able to support the torments he was
under, nor to apply himself further in other wars, when his
native country was laid waste; but then, as much as his
passion excited him to avenge his country, so much was he
restrained by the consideration of his distance therefrom;
because fortune might prevent him, and do a world of
mischief before he could himself sail over the sea to Italy,
especially as it was still the winter season; so he restrained
his anger, how vehement soever it was at this time.
3. But now his commanders and soldiers met in several
companies, and consulted openly about changing the public
affairs; and, out of their indignation, cried out, how "at Rome
there are soldiers that live delicately, and when they have not
ventured so much as to hear the fame of war, they ordain whom
they please for our governors, and in hopes of gain make them
emperors; while you, who have gone through so many labors, and
are grown into years under your helmets, give leave to others to
use such a power, when yet you have among yourselves one more
worthy to rule than any whom
they have set up. Now what juster opportunity shall they ever
have of requiting their generals, if they do not make use of this
that is now before them? while there is so much juster reasons
for Vespasian's being emperor than for Vitellius; as they are
themselves more deserving than those that made the other
emperors; for that they have undergone as great wars as have the
troops that come from Germany; nor are they
inferior in war to those that have brought that tyrant to Rome,
nor have they undergone smaller labors than they; for that
neither will the Roman senate, nor people, bear such a lascivious
emperor as Vitellius, if he be compared with their chaste
Vespasian; nor will they endure a most barbarous
tyrant, instead of a good governor, nor choose one that hath no
child to preside over them, instead of him that is a father;
because the advancement of men's own children to dignities is
certainly the greatest security kings can have for themselves.
Whether, therefore, we estimate the capacity of governing from
the skill of a person in years, we ought to have Vespasian, or
whether from the strength of a young man, we ought to have Titus;
for by this means we shall have the advantage of both their ages,
for that they will afford strength to those that shall be made
emperors, they having already three legions, besides other
auxiliaries from the neighboring kings, and will have further all
the armies in the east to support them, as also those in Europe,
so they as they are out of the distance and dread of Vitellius,
besides such auxiliaries as they may have in Italy itself; that
is, Vespasian's brother, and his other son [Domitian]; the
one of whom will bring in a great many of those young men that
are of dignity, while the other is intrusted with the government
of the city, which office of his will be no small means of
Vespasian's obtaining the government. Upon the whole, the case
may be such, that if we ourselves make further delays, the senate
may choose an emperor, whom the soldiers, who are the saviors of
the empire, will have in contempt."
4. These were the discourses the soldiers had in their several
companies; after which they got together in a great body, and,
encouraging one another, they declared Vespasian
emperor, and exhorted him to save the government,
which was now in danger. Now Vespasian's concern had been for a
considerable time about the public, yet did he not intend to set
up for governor himself, though his actions showed him to deserve
it, while he preferred that safety which is in a private life
before the dangers in a state of such dignity; but when he
refused the empire, the commanders
insisted the more earnestly upon his acceptance; and the
soldiers came about him, with their drawn swords in their hands,
and threatened to kill him, unless he would now live according to
his dignity. And when he had shown his
reluctance a great while, and had endeavored to thrust away
this dominion from him, he at length, being not able to
persuade them, yielded to their solicitations that would salute
him emperor.
5. So upon the exhortations of Mucianus, and the other
commanders, that he would accept of the empire, and upon that
of the rest of the army, who cried out that they were willing to
be led against all his opposers, he was in the first place intent
upon gaining the dominion over Alexandria, as knowing that Egypt
was of the greatest consequence, in order to obtain the entire
government, because of its supplying of corn [to Rome]; which
corn, if he could be master of, he hoped to dethrone Vitellius,
supposing he should aim to keep the empire by force (for he would
not be able to support himself, if the multitude at Rome should
once be in want of food); and because he was desirous to join the
two legions that were at Alexandria to the other legions that
were with him. He also considered with himself, that he should
then have that country for a defense to himself against the
uncertainty of fortune; for Egypt is hard to be entered by
land, and hath no good havens by sea. It hath on the west the dry
deserts of Libya; and on the south Siene, that divides it from
Ethiopia, as well as the cataracts of the Nile, that cannot be
sailed over; and on the east the Red Sea extended as far as
Coptus; and it is fortified on the north by the land that reaches
to Syria, together with that called the Egyptian Sea, having no
havens in it for ships. And thus is Egypt walled about on every
side. Its length between Pelusium and Siene is two thousand
furlongs, and the passage by sea from Plinthine to Pelusium is
three thousand six hundred furlongs. Its river Nile is navigable
as far as the city called Elephantine, the forenamed cataracts
hindering ships from going any
farther, The haven also of Alexandria is not entered by the
mariners without difficulty, even in times of peace; for the
passage inward is narrow, and full of rocks that lie under the
water, which oblige the mariners to turn from a straight
direction: its left side is blocked up by works made by men's
hands on both sides; on its right side lies the island called
Pharus, which is situated just before the entrance, and
supports a very great tower, that affords the sight of a fire
to such as sail within three hundred furlongs of it, that ships
may cast anchor a great way off in the night time, by reason of
the difficulty of sailing nearer. About this island are built
very great piers, the handiwork of men, against which, when the
sea dashes itself, and its waves are broken against those
boundaries, the navigation becomes very troublesome, and the
entrance through so narrow a passage is rendered
dangerous; yet is the haven itself, when you are got into it, a
very safe one, and of thirty furlongs in largeness; into which is
brought what the country wants in order to its happiness, as also
what abundance the country affords more than it
wants itself is hence distributed into all the habitable earth.
6. Justly, therefore, did Vespasian desire to obtain that
government, in order to corroborate his attempts upon the whole
empire; so he immediately sent to Tiberius Alexander, who was
then governor of Egypt and of Alexandria, and
informed him what the army had put upon him, and how he, being
forced to accept of the burden of the government, was desirous to
have him for his confederate and supporter. Now as soon as ever
Alexander had read this letter, he readily obliged the legions
and the multitude to take the oath of fidelity to Vespasian, both
which willingly complied with him, as already acquainted with the
courage of the man, from that his conduct in their neighborhood.
Accordingly Vespasian, looking upon himself as already intrusted
with the
government, got all things ready for his journey [to Rome]. Now
fame carried this news abroad more suddenly than one could have
thought, that he was emperor over the east, upon which every city
kept festivals, and celebrated sacrifices and oblations for such
good news; the legions also that were in Mysia and Pannonia, who
had been in commotion a little
before, on account of this insolent attempt of Vitellius, were
very glad to take the oath of fidelity to Vespasian, upon his
coming to the empire. Vespasian then removed from Cesarea to
Berytus, where many embassages came to him from Syria, and many
from other provinces, bringing with them from
every city crowns, and the congratulations of the people.
Mucianus came also, who was the president of the province, and
told him with what alacrity the people [received the news of his
advancement], and how the people of every city had taken the oath
of fidelity to him.
7. So Vespasian's good fortune succeeded to his wishes every
where, and the public affairs were, for the greatest part,
already in his hands; upon which he considered that he had not
arrived at the government without Divine Providence, but that a
righteous kind of fate had brought the empire under his power;
for as he called to mind the other signals, which had been a
great many every where, that foretold he should obtain the
government, so did he remember what Josephus
had said to him when he ventured to foretell his coming to the
empire while Nero was alive; so he was much concerned that this
man was still in bonds with him. He then called for Mucianus,
together with his other commanders and friends, and, in the first
place, he informed them what a valiant man Josephus had been, and
what great hardships he had made
him undergo in the siege of Jotapata. After that he related
those predictions of his which he had then suspected as
fictions, suggested out of the fear he was in, but which had by
time been demonstrated to be Divine. "It is a shameful thing
(said he) that this man, who hath foretold my coming to the
empire beforehand, and been the minister of a Divine
message to me, should still be retained in the condition of a
captive or prisoner." So he called for Josephus, and
commanded that he should be set at liberty; whereupon the
commanders promised themselves glorious things, froth this
requital Vespasian made to a stranger. Titus was then present
with his father, and said, "O father, it is but just that the
scandal [of a prisoner] should be taken off Josephus, together
with his iron chain. For if we do not barely loose his bonds, but
cut them to pieces, he will be like a man that had never been
bound at all." For that is the usual method as to such as have
been bound without a cause. This advice was agreed to by
Vespasian also; so there came a man in, and cut the chain to
pieces; while Josephus received this testimony of his integrity
for a reward, and was moreover esteemed a person of credit as to
futurities also.
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