claimed. Titus to Rome, to compliment the new emperor, and tơ receive his orders concerning the reduction of Judæa. Agrippa defired to bear him company; but the winter not being quite over, and their fhips being large, failed fo flowly, that they had proceeded no farther than Achaia when they received the news of Galba's being murdered, Otho pro- after a seven months reign, and Otho's being proclaimed in his room. Agrippa refolved to continue his voyage; but Titus, as by fome divine impulfe, was now come back to rejoin his father at Cæfarea, whither Vefpafian had returned after his Idumæan expedition f. They left Cæfarea on the fifth of June, directing their march towards Jerufalem, and took every place in their way, except Herodion, Machæron, and Maffada, whilft Cerealis, one of their chief generals, with a confiderable body of troops, was employed in laying wafte the Upper Idumæa. A. D. 72. Vefpafian chofen emperor. Jofephus fet at liberty. Whilft Judea was thus miferably torn with foreign and inteftine wars, the Roman empire groaned under equal confufion and calamity. We fhall not anticipate the Roman history so far as to enter into the particulars of the murder of Galba, Otho, and Vitellius. Suetonius compares Rome to a veffel toffed about by contrary winds, and ready at every moment to fink, when Vefpafian was happily chosen emperor, and reftored a calm to the empire. Jofephus now reaped the benefit of his former predictions. That emperor, recalling them to mind, thought it high time not only to give him his liberty, but recompenfe him for his fidelity with many fignal favours (T)." As foon f Tacit. Sueton. ubi fup. Bell. Jud. ubi fup. cap. 8, & feq. (T) Vefpafian was then at Berytus, where vaft numbers of ambaffadors came crouding to compliment him on his election, and to offer him the ufual crowns, and letters of fubmiffion. Here he held a grand council, wherein having highly extolled the courage of the Jewish chief, he related to them how he had foretold his coming to the empire, even during Nero's life. Titus, who was prefent, and had conceived a great efteem for him, declared that it would be an action worthy his goodness and juftice to grant him his liberty, and to reitore him to the rank and condition which he enjoyed before his captivity. It being the custom of the Romans to break the bonds of those who had been unjustly detained in them, Vefpafian approved his propofal, and caufed it to be put in execution immediately. Jo fephus foon as Vefpafian had received the news that his election was confirmed at Rome, he left the beft of his troops with his fon Titus, with orders to befiege Jerufalem, and to destroy it utterly; then he prepared himself to return to the capital of his empire. Eleazar All this while the Jewish diffenfions increased. Elea- Three faczar the son of another Simon, a person of the facerdotal tions in Jerufalem. order, and of great sense and courage, found means to form a new party, and to draw a confiderable number of makes a John of Gifchala's men to him, under pretence that this frong parlaft was become infupportably tyrannical. With this new ty against party he seized on the court of the priests, and confined John. John in that of the Ifraelites. Eleazar kept the avenues fo well guarded, that none were admitted to that part of the temple, but those who came to offer facrifices; and it was by thefe offerings chiefly, that he maintained himfelf and his men. John thus found himself hemmed in by two powerful enemies, Eleazar above, and Simon, who was mafter of the city, below. He defended himself against the former by his engines (U), out of which he continued throwing ftones into his court; and when he fallied out against the latter, he fet all on fire wherever he could reach; by these means he deftroyed great quantities of corn and other provisions, with which they might other wife have held out a fiege for several years. Thus were these three factions ever watching all advantages against each other. Simon had the greatest number of troops, Their conand a large magazine of arms and provifions, his army dition and confifting of ten thousand Zealots, and five thoufand Idu- advanmæans; but he was the most disadvantageously fituated of the three. John had the advantage over him in this last refpect, but had only fix thoufand men, and was forced to get provifions for them by his conftant fallies. He was fuperior to Eleazar in number of men; this laft having fephus not only gained his liberty, but acquired the reputation of a prophet, and was in high credit in the Roman army ever after (7). (U) John had luckily found a great quantity of large cedartrees, which king Agrippa had caused to be brought from Lebanus at a vast charge, to raise the temple twenty cubits higher. (7) Bell. Jud, lib. vi. cap. 2. tages. but but about two thoufand four hundred. But he was more ftrongly fituated, and was continually supplied with provifions, by the offerings which the people conftantly brought to the temple. Such was the diftracted state of Jerufalem, when Titus marched against that city. He had four Roman legions under his command. Agrippa, Soemus, and Antiochus (the two former of whom accompanied him in person), and fome allied cities, had furnished him with twenty regiments of foot, and eight of horse, besides vast multitudes of Arabs, and a felect number of perfons of diftinction from Italy, and other places, who came to fignalize themselves under his ftandard. Titus ordered the fifth legion to take the route of Emmaus, the tenth advanced by Jericho, the other two legions he led in perfon (X) It was now the beginning of April, and near the feast of the Paffover, to which there was a greater refort of Jews this year, than had ever been known, even from beyond the Euphrates (Y). h Bell. Jud. lib. vi. cap. 1. The auxiliaries marched firft, Titus came next, attended Titus h Ibid. fin. & cap. 2. the enfigns of the feveral legions, and preceded by a number of trumpets founding, and followed by the main body, which marched in rank and file fix in a front. Lastly, came the futtlers, handicrafts, &c. attended with a strong guard of foldiers, which closed the whole march. In this order they came to Gophna, which had a Roman garrison; and on the next day to Gi beath-Saul, about thirty stadia, or three miles and a half from Jerufalem. (Y) The chiefs of the Jews in Palestine had written, it feems, to invite all their brethren, every-where, not doubting but their presence, and great concourfe, would contribute to quell the factious with in, as well as oppofe the Romans without; fo that they (8) Ibid. lib. i, in fin, came A. D. 73. Marches Titus, having approached the city, went in perfon, to reconnoitre its strength and avenues, attended only with fix hundred horfe; he feemed even to flatter himself, that, upon his first appearance, the peaceable part of the Jews would open the gates to him; but, to his furprize, they again Jerufalem. made fo fudden and vigorous a fally against him, that he found himself furrounded, in a narrow defile, and cut off from his cavalry; fo that he had no other way left to efcape their fury, but to make a defperate effort, and fight his way. At length, almoft by a miracle, he happily accomplished his retreat, even without receiving any wound, or lofing more than two of his men 1. After this narrow efcape, he caufed his army to draw nearer to Scopas, escape. within feven ftadia of the city, in order to befiege it in Jerufalem form, whilst the rebels within were applauding themselves besieged. i Jof. Bell. Jud. ibid. ad fin. came flocking to this folemnity from all parts of the world. Jofephus reckons eleven hundred thousand who died during the fiege. twenty geometric paces, near four of our miles. Befides thefe vaft fortifications, there were several other caftles of extraordinary strength, They neither wanted arms, fuch as thofe of Hippicos, Phawarlike engines, men, cou- fael, Mariamne, and Antonia; rage, nor any thing but ex- to fay nothing of the royal, perience, to make a brave de- and fome other stately and fence. Their city was ftrong- well-fortified palaces. The ly fituate by nature, furround- temple ftill exceeded all the rest ed with three ftout walls, and in ftrength, both for fituation, many stately and strong towers. its walls, towers, and other The firft, or old wall, which, buildings; and was at least eon account of its vaft thickness, qual to the best citadels then was looked upon as impregna- in being (9). Yet how infufble, had fixty of thefe towers, ficient did all these, and the very lofty, firm, and ftrong, vast quantities of arms and amThe fecond had fourteen, and munition, &c. prove, to fave the third, eighty. The for- a nation, whom the Divine mer of thefe, befides its ex- juftice had doomed to the traordinary height and thick- most dreadful destruction! Well nefs, was raised on a high and might Titus, after he had ta fteep mountain, and had a val- ken the city, and came to view ley beneath it of a prodigious the incredible ftrength of it, depth. The other two were cry out, that God muft cerhigh and ftrong in proportion. tainly have fought for him, The circuit of the city was fince no human power or thirty-three ftadia, or four ftrength was equal to that which thousand one hundred and they had now overcome. (9) See Jofephus, ibid, cap. 6. X VOL. III. for Titus's narrow The three factions within united. for their late advantage, which they vainly interpreted as a good omen of their future fuccefs. The legion, which had come by the way of Jericho, being arrived, he ordered it to encamp on the Mount of Olives, which was parted from the town on the east by the brook Cedron, and where they were on a fudden so furiously affaulted by the befieged, that they were in danger of being cut in pieces, had not Titus come to their rescue. It was then that the three factions, feeing themselves befieged by fo powerful an army, and fo brave a general, began to think of laying afide all private feuds, and joining together in a vigorous defence against the common enemy. This union, however, proved but fhort-lived; for, on the fourteenth of April, which ufhered in the Paffover, when Eleazar had opened the avenues of his John's court to the great concourse that came to facrifice, John bloody of Gifchala found means to introduce some of his men fratagem. with fwords hid under their cloaks. Thefe immediately drew their weapons, fell on Eleazar's party, and the rest of the people, filled the court of the priests with blood and horrid outcries, and took poffeffion of the place. By this bloody and impious ftratagem the three factions were reduced to two, Eleazar's men being all either cut off, or returned with their chief, to their dependence on John, who had now no enemy but Simon within the walls. From that time this laft renewed his hoftilities with greater vigour he now occupied the whole temple, and the Valley of Cedron. Simon had the whole city to range in, in fome part of which John had made fuch devaftations, that they served for a field of battle; from which they fallied unanimoufly against the common enemy, whenever occafion ferved; after which fallies, they returned to their ufual hoftilities, turning their arms against each other, as if they had fworn to make their ruin more eafy to the Romans. Thefe, in the mean time, were drawing ftill nearer to the walls, having with great labour and pains levelled all the ground. They overturned houfes, pulled up hedges, cut down trees, and split rocks, that stood in their way, from Scopas to the tomb of Herod, and Bethara, or the pool of ferpents; in which work fo many hands were employed, that they finished it in four days. He and Simon join against the enemy, and then fight against each other. The here begun in form. Mean while, Titus fent the befieged fome offers of peace: Jofephus was pitched upon to be the meffenger; Jof. Bell. Jud. lib. vi. cap. 7. but |