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1. Thus did the miseries of Jerusalem grow worse and worse every
day, and the seditious were still more irritated by the
calamities they were under, even while the famine preyed upon
themselves, after it had preyed upon the people. And indeed the
multitude of carcasses that lay in heaps one upon another was a
horrible sight, and produced a pestilential stench, which was a
hinderance to those that would make sallies out of the city, and
fight the enemy: but as those were to go in battle-array, who had
been already used to ten thousand murders, and must tread upon
those dead bodies as they marched along, so were not they
terrified, nor did they pity men as they marched over them; nor
did they deem this affront offered to the deceased to be any ill
omen to themselves; but as they had their right hands already
polluted with the murders of their own countrymen, and in that
condition ran out to fight with foreigners, they seem to me to
have cast a reproach upon God himself, as if he were too slow in
punishing them; for the war was not now gone on with as if they
had any hope of victory; for they gloried after a brutish manner
in that despair of deliverance they were already in. And now the
Romans, although they were greatly distressed in getting together
their materials, raised their banks in one and twenty days, after
they had cut down all the trees that were in the country that
adjoined to the city, and that for ninety furlongs round about,
as I have already related. And truly the very view itself of the
country was a melancholy thing; for those places which were
before adorned with trees and pleasant gardens were now become a
desolate country every way, and its trees were all cut down: nor
could any foreigner that had formerly seen Judea and the most
beautiful suburbs of the city, and now saw it as a desert, but
lament and mourn sadly at so great a change: for the war had laid
all the signs of beauty quite waste: nor if any one that had
known the place before, had come on a sudden to it now, would he
have known it again; but though he were at the city itself, yet
would he have inquired for it notwithstanding.
2. And now the banks were finished, they afforded a foundation
for fear both to the Romans and to the Jews; for the Jews
expected that the city would be taken, unless they could burn
those banks, as did the Romans expect that, if these were once
burnt down, they should never be able to take it; for there was a
mighty scarcity of materials, and the bodies of the soldiers
began to fail with such hard labors, as did their souls faint
with so many instances of ill success; nay, the very calamities
themselves that were in the city proved a greater discouragement
to the Romans than those within the city; for they found the
fighting men of the Jews to be not at all mollified among such
their sore afflictions, while they had themselves perpetually
less and less hopes of success, and their banks were forced to
yield to the stratagems of the enemy, their engines to the
firmness of their wall, and their closest fights to the boldness
of their attack; and, what was their greatest discouragement of
all, they found the Jews' courageous souls to be superior to the
multitude of the miseries they were under, by their sedition,
their famine, and the war itself; insomuch that they were ready
to imagine that the violence of their attacks was invincible, and
that the alacrity they showed would not be discouraged by their
calamities; for what would not those be able to bear if they
should be fortunate, who turned their very misfortunes to the
improvement of their valor! These considerations made the Romans
to keep a stronger guard about their banks than they formerly had
done.
3. But now John and his party took care for securing themselves
afterward, even in case this wall should be thrown down, and fell
to their work before the battering rams were brought against
them. Yet did they not compass what they endeavored to do, but as
they were gone out with their torches, they came back under great
discouragement before they came near to the banks; and the
reasons were these: that, in the first place, their conduct did
not seem to be unanimous, but they went out in distinct parties,
and at distinct intervals, and after a slow manner, and
timorously, and, to say all in a word, without a Jewish courage;
for they were now defective in what is peculiar to our nation,
that is, in boldness, in violence of assault, and in running upon
the enemy all together, and in persevering in what they go about,
though they do not at first succeed in it; but they now went out
in a more languid manner than usual, and at the same time found
the Romans set in array, and more courageous than ordinary, and
that they guarded their banks both with their bodies and their
entire armor, and this to such a degree on all sides, that they
left no room for the fire to get among them, and that every one
of their souls was in such good courage, that they would sooner
die than desert their ranks; for besides their notion that all
their hopes were cut off, in case these their works were once
burnt, the soldiers were greatly ashamed that subtlety should
quite be too hard for courage, madness for armor, multitude for
skill, and Jews for Romans. The Romans had now also another
advantage, in that their engines for sieges co-operated with them
in throwing darts and stones as far as the Jews, when they were
coming out of the city; whereby the man that fell became an
impediment to him that was next to him, as did the danger of
going farther make them less zealous in their attempts; and for
those that had run under the darts, some of them were terrified
by the good order and closeness of the enemies' ranks before they
came to a close fight, and others were pricked with their spears,
and turned back again; at length they reproached one another for
their cowardice, and retired without doing any thing. This attack
was made upon the first day of the month Panemus [Tamuz.] So when
the Jews were retreated, the Romans brought their engines,
although they had all the while stones thrown at them from the
tower of Antonia, and were assaulted by fire and sword, and by
all sorts of darts, which necessity afforded the Jews to make use
of; for although these had great dependence on their own wall,
and a contempt of the Roman engines, yet did they endeavor to
hinder the Romans from bringing them. Now these Romans struggled
hard, on the contrary, to bring them, as deeming that this zeal
of the Jews was in order to avoid any impression to be made on
the tower of Antonia, because its wall was but weak, and its
foundations rotten. However, that tower did not yield to the
blows given it from the engines; yet did the Romans bear the
impressions made by the enemies' darts which were perpetually
cast at them, and did not give way to any of those dangers that
came upon them from above, and so they brought their engines to
bear. But then, as they were beneath the other, and were sadly
wounded by the stones thrown down upon them, some of them threw
their shields over their bodies, and partly with their hands, and
partly with their bodies, and partly with crows, they undermined
its foundations, and with great pains they removed four of its
stones. Then night came upon both sides, and put an end to this
struggle for the present; however, that night the wall was so
shaken by the battering rams in that place where John had used
his stratagem before, and had undermined their banks, that the
ground then gave way, and the wall fell down suddenly.
4. When this accident had unexpectedly happened, the minds of
both parties were variously affected; for though one would expect
that the Jews would be discouraged, because this fall of their
wall was unexpected by them, and they had made no provision in
that case, yet did they pull up their courage, because the tower
of Antonia itself was still standing; as was the unexpected joy
of the Romans at this fall of the wall soon quenched by the sight
they had of another wall, which John and his party had built
within it. However, the attack of this second wall appeared to be
easier than that of the former, because it seemed a thing of
greater facility to get up to it through the parts of the former
wall that were now thrown down. This new wall appeared also to be
much weaker than the tower of Antonia, and accordingly the Romans
imagined that it had been erected so much on the sudden, that
they should soon overthrow it: yet did not any body venture now
to go up to this wall; for that such as first ventured so to do
must certainly be killed.
5. And now Titus, upon consideration that the alacrity of
soldiers in war is chiefly excited by hopes and by good words,
and that exhortations and promises do frequently make men to
forget the hazards they run, nay, sometimes to despise death
itself, got together the most courageous part of his army, and
tried what he could do with his men by these methods. "O fellow
soldiers," said he, "to make an exhortation to men to do what
hath no peril in it, is on that very account inglorious to such
to whom that exhortation is made; and indeed so it is in him that
makes the exhortation, an argument of his own cowardice also. I
therefore think that such exhortations ought then only to be made
use of when affairs are in a dangerous condition, and yet are
worthy of being attempted by every one themselves; accordingly, I
am fully of the same opinion with you, that it is a difficult
task to go up this wall; but that it is proper for those that
desire reputation for their valor to struggle with difficulties
in such cases will then appear, when I have particularly shown
that it is a brave thing to die with glory, and that the courage
here necessary shall not go unrewarded in those that first begin
the attempt. And let my first argument to move you to it be taken
from what probably some would think reasonable to dissuade you, I
mean the constancy and patience of these Jews, even under their
ill successes; for it is unbecoming you, who are Romans and my
soldiers, who have in peace been taught how to make wars, and who
have also been used to conquer in those wars, to be inferior to
Jews, either in action of the hand, or in courage of the soul,
and this especially when you are at the conclusion of your
victory, and are assisted by God himself; for as to our
misfortunes, they have been owing to the madness of the Jews,
while their sufferings have been owing to your valor, and to the
assistance God hath afforded you; for as to the seditions they
have been in, and the famine they are under, and the siege they
now endure, and the fall of their walls without our engines, what
can they all be but demonstrations of God's anger against them,
and of his assistance afforded us? It will not therefore be
proper for you, either to show yourselves inferior to those to
whom you are really superior, or to betray that Divine assistance
which is afforded you. And, indeed, how can it be esteemed
otherwise than a base and unworthy thing, that while the Jews,
who need not be much ashamed if they be deserted, because they
have long learned to be slaves to others, do yet despise death,
that they may be so no longer; and do make sallies into the very
midst of us frequently, no in hopes of conquering us, but merely
for a demonstration of their courage; we, who have gotten
possession of almost all the world that belongs to either land or
sea, to whom it will be a great shame if we do not conquer them,
do not once undertake any attempt against our enemies wherein
there is much danger, but sit still idle, with such brave arms as
we have, and only wait till the famine and fortune do our
business themselves, and this when we have it in our power, with
some small hazard, to gain all that we desire! For if we go up to
this tower of Antonia, we gain the city; for if there should be
any more occasion for fighting against those within the city,
which I do not suppose there will, since we shall then be upon
the top of the hill and be upon our enemies before they can
have taken breath, these advantages promise us no less than a
certain and sudden victory. As for myself, I shall at present
wave any commendation of those who die in war, and omit to
speak of the immortality of those men who are slain in the midst
of their martial bravery; yet cannot I forbear to imprecate upon
those who are of a contrary disposition, that they may die in
time of peace, by some distemper or other, since their souls are
condemned to the grave, together with their bodies. For what man
of virtue is there who does not know, that those souls which are
severed from their fleshly bodies in battles by the sword are
received by the ether, that purest of elements, and joined to
that company which are placed among the stars; that they become
good demons, and propitious heroes, and show themselves as such
to their posterity afterwards? while upon those souls that wear
away in and with their distempered bodies comes a subterranean
night to dissolve them to nothing, and a deep oblivion to take
away all the remembrance of them, and this notwithstanding they
be clean from all spots and defilements of this world; so that,
in this ease, the soul at the same time comes to the utmost
bounds of its life, and of its body, and of its memorial also.
But since he hath determined that death is to come of necessity
upon all men, a sword is a better instrument for that purpose
than any disease whatsoever. Why is it not then a very mean thing
for us not to yield up that to the public benefit which we must
yield up to fate? And this discourse have I made, upon the
supposition that those who at first attempt to go upon this wall
must needs be killed in the attempt, though still men of true
courage have a chance to escape even in the most hazardous
undertakings. For, in the first place, that part of the former
wall that is thrown down is easily to be ascended; and for the
new-built wall, it is easily destroyed. Do you, therefore, many
of you, pull up your courage, and set about this work, and do you
mutually encourage and assist one another; and this your bravery
will soon break the hearts of your enemies; and perhaps such a
glorious undertaking as yours is may be accomplished without
bloodshed. For although it be justly to be supposed that the Jews
will try to hinder you at your first beginning to go up to them;
yet when you have once concealed yourselves from them, and driven
them away by force, they will not be able to sustain your efforts
against them any longer, though but a few of you prevent them,
and get over the wall. As for that person who first mounts the
wall, I should blush for shame if I did not make him to be envied
of others, by those rewards I would bestow upon him. If such a
one escape with his life, he shall have the command of others
that are now but his equals; although it be true also that the
greatest rewards will accrue to such as die in the attempt."
6. Upon this speech of Titus, the rest of the multitude were
afrighted at so great a danger. But there was one, whose name was
Sabinus, a soldier that served among the cohorts, and a Syrian by
birth, who appeared to be of very great fortitude, both in the
actions he had done, and the courage of his soul he had shown;
although any body would have thought, before he came to his work,
that he was of such a weak constitution of body, that he was not
fit to be a soldier; for his color was black, his flesh was lean
and thin, and lay close together; but there was a certain heroic
soul that dwelt in this small body, which body was indeed much
too narrow for that peculiar courage which was in him.
Accordingly he was the first that rose up, when he thus spake: "I
readily surrender up myself to thee, O Caesar; I first ascend the
wall, and I heartily wish that my fortune may follow my courage
and my resolution And if some ill fortune grudge me the success
of my undertaking, take notice that my ill success will not be
unexpected, but that I choose death voluntarily for thy sake."
When he had said this, and had spread out his sheild over his
head with his left hand, and hill, with his right hand, drawn his
sword, he marched up to the wall, just about the sixth hour of
the day. There followed him eleven others, and no more, that
resolved to imitate his bravery; but still this was the principal
person of them all, and went first, as excited by a divine fury.
Now those that guarded the wall shot at them from thence, and
cast innumerable darts upon them from every side; they also
rolled very large stones upon them, which overthrew some of those
eleven that were with him. But as for Sabinus himself, he met the
darts that were cast at him and though he was overwhelmed with
them, yet did he not leave off the violence of his attack before
he had gotten up on the top of the wall, and had put the enemy to
flight. For as the Jews were astonished at his great strength,
and the bravery of his soul, and as, withal, they imagined more
of them had got upon the wall than really had, they were put to
flight. And now one cannot but complain here of fortune, as still
envious at virtue, and always hindering the performance of
glorious achievements: this was the case of the man before us,
when he had just obtained his purpose; for he then stumbled at a
certain large stone, and fell down upon it headlong, with a very
great noise. Upon which the Jews turned back, and when they saw
him to be alone, and fallen down also, they threw darts at him
from every side. However. be got upon his knee, and covered
himself with his shield, and at the first defended himself
against them, and wounded many of those that came near him; but
he was soon forced to relax his right hand, by the multitude of
the wounds that had been given him, till at length he was quite
covered over with darts before he gave up the ghost. He was one
who deserved a better fate, by reason of his bravery; but, as
might be expected, he fell under so vast an attempt. As for the
rest of his partners, the Jews dashed three of them to pieces
with stones, and slew them as they were gotten up to the top of
the wall; the other eight being wounded, were pulled down, and
carried back to the camp. These things were done upon the third
day of the month Panemus [Tamuz].
7. Now two days afterward twelve of those men that were on the
forefront, and kept watch upon the banks, got together, and
called to them the standard-bearer of the fifth legion, and two
others of a troop of horsemen, and one trumpeter; these went
without noise, about the ninth hour of the night, through the
ruins, to the tower of Antonia; and when they had cut the throats
of the first guards of the place, as they were asleep, they got
possession of the wall, and ordered the trumpeter to sound his
trumpet. Upon which the rest of the guard got up on the sudden,
and ran away, before any body could see how many they were that
were gotten up; for, partly from the fear they were in, and
partly from the sound of the trumpet which they heard, they
imagined a great number of the enemy were gotten up. But as soon
as Caesar heard the signal, he ordered the army to put on their
armor immediately, and came thither with his commanders, and
first of all ascended, as did the chosen men that were with him.
And as the Jews were flying away to the temple, they fell into
that mine which John had dug under the Roman banks. Then did the
seditious of both the bodies of the Jewish army, as well that
belonging to John as that belonging to Simon, drive them away;
and indeed were no way wanting as to the highest degree of force
and alacrity; for they esteemed themselves entirely ruined if
once the Romans got into the temple, as did the Romans look upon
the same thing as the beginning of their entire conquest. So a
terrible battle was fought at the entrance of the temple, while
the Romans were forcing their way, in order to get possession of
that temple, and the Jews were driving them back to the tower of
Antonia; in which battle the darts were on both sides useless, as
well as the spears, and both sides drew their swords, and fought
it out hand to hand. Now during this struggle the positions of
the men were undistinguished on both sides, and they fought at
random, the men being intermixed one with another, and
confounded, by reason of the narrowness of the place; while the
noise that was made fell on the ear after an indistinct manner,
because it was so very loud. Great slaughter was now made on both
sides, and the combatants trod upon the bodies and the armor of
those that were dead, and dashed them to pieces. Accordingly, to
which side soever the battle inclined, those that had the
advantage exhorted one another to go on, as did those that were
beaten make great lamentation. But still there was no room for
flight, nor for pursuit, but disorderly revolutions and retreats,
while the armies were intermixed one with another; but those that
were in the first ranks were under the necessity of killing or
being killed, without any way for escaping; for those on both
sides that came behind forced those before them to go on, without
leaving any space between the armies. At length the Jews' violent
zeal was too hard for the Romans' skill, and the battle already
inclined entirely that way; for the fight had lasted from the
ninth hour of the night till the seventh hour of the day, While
the Jews came on in crowds, and had the danger the temple was in
for their motive; the Romans having no more here than a part of
their army; for those legions, on which the soldiers on that side
depended, were not come up to them. So it was at present thought
sufficient by the Romans to take possession of the tower of
Antonia.
8. But there was one Julian, a centurion, that came from
Eithynia, a man he was of great reputation, whom I had formerly
seen in that war, and one of the highest fame, both for his skill
in war, his strength of body, and the courage of his soul. This
man, seeing the Romans giving ground, and ill a sad condition,
(for he stood by Titus at the tower of Antonia,) leaped out, and
of himself alone put the Jews to flight, when they were already
conquerors, and made them retire as far as the corner of the
inner court of the temple; from him the multitude fled away in
crowds, as supposing that neither his strength nor his violent
attacks could be those of a mere man. Accordingly, he rushed
through the midst of the Jews, as they were dispersed all abroad,
and killed those that he caught. Nor, indeed, was there any sight
that appeared more wonderful in the eyes of Caesar, or more
terrible to others, than this. However, he was himself pursued by
fate, which it all not possible that he, who was but a mortal
man, should escape; for as he had shoes all full of thick and
sharp nails as had every one of the other soldiers, so when
he ran on the pavement of the temple, he slipped, and fell down
upon his back with a very great noise, which was made by his
armor. This made those that were running away to turn back;
whereupon those Romans that were in the tower of Antonia set up a
great shout, as they were in fear for the man. But the Jews got
about him in crowds, and struck at him with their spears and with
their swords on all sides. Now he received a great many of the
strokes of these iron weapons upon his shield, and often
attempted to get up again, but was thrown down by those that
struck at him; yet did he, as he lay along, stab many of them
with his sword. Nor was he soon killed, as being covered with his
helmet and his breastplate in all those parts of his body where
he might be mortally wounded; he also pulled his neck close to
his body, till all his other limbs were shattered, and nobody
durst come to defend him, and then he yielded to his fate. Now
Caesar was deeply affected on account of this man of so great
fortitude, and especially as he was killed in the sight of so
many people; he was desirous himself to come to his assistance,
but the place would not give him leave, while such as could have
done it were too much terrified to attempt it. Thus when Julian
had struggled with death a great while, and had let but few of
those that had given him his mortal wound go off unhurt, he had
at last his throat cut, though not without some difficulty, and
left behind him a very great fame, not only among the Romans, and
with Caesar himself, but among his enemies also; then did the
Jews catch up his dead body, and put the Romans to flight again,
and shut them up in the tower of Antonia. Now those that most
signalized themselves, and fought most zealously in this battle
of the Jewish side, were one Alexas and Gyphtheus, of John's
party, and of Simon's party were Malachias, and Judas the son of
Merto, and James the son of Sosas, the commander of the Idumeans;
and of the zealots, two brethren, Simon and Judas, the sons of
Jairus.
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