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1. And now did Titus consult with his commanders what was to be
done. Those that were of the warmest tempers thought he should
bring the whole army against the city and storm the wall; for
that hitherto no more than a part of their army had fought with
the Jews; but that in case the entire army was to come at once,
they would not be able to sustain their attacks, but would be
overwhelmed by their darts. But of those that were for a more
cautious management, some were for raising their banks again; and
others advised to let the banks alone, but to lie still before
the city, to guard against the coming out of the Jews, and
against their carrying provisions into the city, and so to leave
the enemy to the famine, and this without direct fighting with
them; for that despair was not to be conquered, especially as to
those who are desirous to die by the sword, while a more terrible
misery than that is reserved for them. However, Titus did not
think it fit for so great an army to lie entirely idle, and that
yet it was in vain to fight with those that would be destroyed
one by another; he also showed them how impracticable it was to
cast up any more banks, for want of materials, and to guard
against the Jews coming out still more impracticable; as also,
that to encompass the whole city round with his army was not very
easy, by reason of its magnitude, and the difficulty of the
situation, and on other accounts dangerous, upon the sallies the
Jews might make out of the city. For although they might guard
the known passages out of the place, yet would they, when they
found themselves under the greatest distress, contrive secret
passages out, as being well acquainted with all such places; and
if any provisions were carried in by stealth, the siege would
thereby be longer delayed. He also owned that he was afraid that
the length of time thus to be spent would diminish the glory of
his success; for though it be true that length of time will
perfect every thing, yet that to do what we do in a little time
is still necessary to the gaining reputation. That therefore his
opinion was, that if they aimed at quickness joined with
security, they must build a wall round about the whole city;
which was, he thought, the only way to prevent the Jews from
coming out any way, and that then they would either entirely
despair of saving the city, and so would surrender it up to him,
or be still the more easily conquered when the famine had further
weakened them; for that besides this wall, he would not lie
entirely at rest afterward, but would take care then to have
banks raised again, when those that would oppose them were become
weaker. But that if any one should think such a work to be too
great, and not to be finished without much difficulty, he ought
to consider that it is not fit for Romans to undertake any small
work, and that none but God himself could with ease accomplish
any great thing whatsoever.
2. These arguments prevailed with the commanders. So Titus gave
orders that the army should be distributed to their several
shares of this work; and indeed there now came upon the soldiers
a certain divine fury, so that they did not only part the whole
wall that was to be built among them, nor did only one legion
strive with another, but the lesser divisions of the army did the
same; insomuch that each soldier was ambitious to please his
decurion, each decurion his centurion, each centurion his
tribune, and the ambition of the tribunes was to please their
superior commanders, while Caesar himself took notice of and
rewarded the like contention in those commanders; for he went
round about the works many times every day, and took a view of
what was done. Titus began the wall from the camp of the
Assyrians, where his own camp was pitched, and drew it down to
the lower parts of Cenopolis; thence it went along the valley of
Cedron, to the Mount of Olives; it then bent towards the south,
and encompassed the mountain as far as the rock called
Peristereon, and that other hill which lies next it, and is over
the valley which reaches to Siloam; whence it bended again to the
west, and went down to the valley of the Fountain, beyond which
it went up again at the monument of Ananus the high priest, and
encompassing that mountain where Pompey had formerly pitched his
camp, it returned back to the north side of the city, and was
carried on as far as a certain village called "The House of the
Erebinthi;" after which it encompassed Herod's monument, and
there, on the east, was joined to Titus's own camp, where it
began. Now the length of this wall was forty furlongs, one only
abated. Now at this wall without were erected thirteen places to
keep garrison in, whose circumferences, put together, amounted to
ten furlongs; the whole was completed in three days; so that what
would naturally have required some months was done in so short an
interval as is incredible. When Titus had therefore encompassed
the city with this wall, and put garrisons into proper places, be
went round the wall, at the first watch of the night, and
observed how the guard was kept; the second watch he allotted to
Alexander; the commanders of legions took the third watch. They
also cast lots among themselves who should be upon the watch in
the night time, and who should go all night long round the spaces
that were interposed between the garrisons.
3. So all hope of escaping was now cut off from the Jews,
together with their liberty of going out of the city. Then did
the famine widen its progress, and devoured the people by whole
houses and families; the upper rooms were full of women and
children that were dying by famine, and the lanes of the city
were full of the dead bodies of the aged; the children also and
the young men wandered about the market-places like shadows, all
swelled with the famine, and fell down dead, wheresoever their
misery seized them. As for burying them, those that were sick
themselves were not able to do it; and those that were hearty and
well were deterred from doing it by the great multitude of those
dead bodies, and by the uncertainty there was how soon they
should die themselves; for many died as they were burying others,
and many went to their coffins before that fatal hour was come.
Nor was there any lamentations made under these calamities, nor
were heard any mournful complaints; but the famine confounded all
natural passions; for those who were just going to die looked
upon those that were gone to rest before them with dry eyes and
open mouths. A deep silence also, and a kind of deadly night, had
seized upon the city; while yet the robbers were still more
terrible than these miseries were themselves; for they brake open
those houses which were no other than graves of dead bodies, and
plundered them of what they had; and carrying off the coverings
of their bodies, went out laughing, and tried the points of their
swords in their dead bodies; and, in order to prove what metal
they were made of they thrust some of those through that still
lay alive upon the ground; but for those that entreated them to
lend them their right hand and their sword to despatch them, they
were too proud to grant their requests, and left them to be
consumed by the famine. Now every one of these died with their
eyes fixed upon the temple, and left the seditious alive behind
them. Now the seditious at first gave orders that the dead should
be buried out of the public treasury, as not enduring the stench
of their dead bodies. But afterwards, when they could not do
that, they had them cast down from the walls into the valleys
beneath.
4. However, when Titus, in going his rounds along those valleys,
saw them full of dead bodies, and the thick putrefaction running
about them, he gave a groan; and, spreading out his hands to
heaven, called God to witness that this was not his doing; and
such was the sad case of the city itself. But the Romans were
very joyful, since none of the seditious could now make sallies
out of the city, because they were themselves disconsolate, and
the famine already touched them also. These Romans besides had
great plenty of corn and other necessaries out of Syria, and out
of the neighboring provinces; many of whom would stand near to
the wall of the city, and show the people what great quantities
of provisions they had, and so make the enemy more sensible of
their famine, by the great plenty, even to satiety, which they
had themselves. However, when the seditious still showed no
inclinations of yielding, Titus, out of his commiseration of the
people that remained, and out of his earnest desire of rescuing
what was still left out of these miseries, began to raise his
banks again, although materials for them were hard to he come at;
for all the trees that were about the city had been already cut
down for the making of the former banks. Yet did the soldiers
bring with them other materials from the distance of ninety
furlongs, and thereby raised banks in four parts, much greater
than the former, though this was done only at the tower of
Antonia. So Caesar went his rounds through the legions, and
hastened on the works, and showed the robbers that they were now
in his hands. But these men, and these only, were incapable of
repenting of the wickednesses they had been guilty of; and
separating their souls from their bodies, they used them both as
if they belonged to other folks, and not to themselves. For no
gentle affection could touch their souls, nor could any pain
affect their bodies, since they could still tear the dead bodies
of the people as dogs do, and fill the prisons with those that
were sick.
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