161
[Whiston sect. 1] [sect. 409] NOW Vespasian returned to Ptolemais on the fourth day of the month
Panemus, [Tamus] and from thence he came to Cesarea, which lay by the sea-side.
This was a very great city of Judea, and for the greatest part inhabited
by Greeks: the citizens here received both the Roman army and its general,
with all sorts of acclamations and rejoicings, and this partly out of the
good-will they bore to the Romans, but principally out of the hatred they
bore to those that were conquered by them; on which account they came clamoring
against Josephus in crowds, and desired he might be put to death. But Vespasian
passed over this petition concerning him, as offered by the injudicious
multitude, with a bare silence. Two of the legions also he placed at Cesarea,
that they might there take their winter-quarters, as perceiving the city
very fit for such a purpose; but he placed the tenth and the fifth at Scythopolis,
that he might not distress Cesarea with the entire army. This place was
warm even in winter, as it was suffocating hot in the summer time, by reason
of its situation in a plain, and near to the sea [of Galilee].
[Whiston sect. 2] [sect. 414] In the mean time, there were gathered together as well such as had
seditiously got out from among their enemies, as those that had escaped
out of the demolished cities, which were in all a great number, and repaired
Joppa, which had been left desolate by Cestius, that it might serve them
for a place of refuge; and because the adjoining region had been laid waste
in the war, and was not capable of supporting them, they determined to
go off to sea. They also built themselves a great many piratical ships,
and turned pirates upon the seas near to Syria, and Phoenicia, and Egypt,
and made those seas unnavigable to all men. Now as soon as Vespasian knew
of their conspiracy, he sent both footmen and horsemen to Joppa, which
was unguarded in the night time; however, those that were in it perceived
that they should be attacked, and were afraid of it; yet did they not endeavor
to keep the Romans out, but fled to their ships, and lay at sea all night,
out of the reach of their darts.
[Whiston sect. 3] [sect. 419] Now Joppa is not naturally a haven, for it ends in a rough shore,
where all the rest of it is straight, but the two ends bend towards each
other, where there are deep precipices, and great stones that jut out into
the sea, and where the chains wherewith Andromeda was bound have left their
footsteps, which attest to the antiquity of that fable. But the north wind
opposes and beats upon the shore, and dashes mighty waves against the rocks
which receive them, and renders the haven more dangerous than the country
they had deserted. Now as those people of Joppa were floating about in
this sea, in the morning there fell a violent wind upon them; it is called
by those that sail there "the black north wind," and there dashed
their ships one against another, and dashed some of them against the rocks,
and carried many of them by force, while they strove against the opposite
waves, into the main sea; for the shore was so rocky, and had so many of
the enemy upon it, that they were afraid to come to land; nay, the waves
rose so very high, that they drowned them; nor was there any place whither
they could fly, nor any way to save themselves; while they were thrust
out of the sea, by the violence of the wind, if they staid where they were,
and out of the city by the violence of the Romans. And much lamentation
there was when the ships were dashed against one another, and a terrible
noise when they were broken to pieces; and some of the multitude that were
in them were covered with waves, and so perished, and a great many were
embarrassed with shipwrecks. But some of them thought that to die by their
own swords was lighter than by the sea, and so they killed themselves before
they were drowned; although the greatest part of them were carried by the
waves, and dashed to pieces against the abrupt parts of the rocks, insomuch
that the sea was bloody a long way, and the maritime parts were full of
dead bodies; for the Romans came upon those that were carried to the shore,
and destroyed them; and the number of the bodies that were thus thrown
out of the sea was four thousand and two hundred. The Romans also took
the city without opposition, and utterly demolished it.
[Whiston sect. 4] [sect. 428] And thus was Joppa taken twice by the Romans in a little time; but
Vespasian, in order to prevent these pirates from coming thither any more,
erected a camp there, where the citadel of Joppa had been, and left a body
of horse in it, with a few footmen, that these last might stay there and
guard the camp, and the horsemen might spoil the country that lay round
it, and might destroy the neighboring villages and smaller cities. So these
troops overran the country, as they were ordered to do, and every day cut
to pieces and laid desolate the whole region.
[Whiston sect. 5] [sect. 432] But now, when the fate of Jotapata was related at Jerusalem, a great
many at the first disbelieved it, on account of the vastness of the calamity,
and because they had no eye-witness to attest the truth of what was related
about it; for not one person was saved to be a messenger of that news,
but a fame was spread abroad at random that the city was taken, as such
fame usually spreads bad news about. However, the truth was known by degrees,
from the places near Jotapata, and appeared to all to be too true. Yet
were there fictitious stories added to what was really done; for it was
reported that Josephus was slain at the taking of the city, which piece
of news filled Jerusalem full of sorrow. In every house also, and among
all to whom any of the slain were allied, there was a lamentation for them;
but the mourning for the commander was a public one; and some mourned for
those that had lived with them, others for their kindred, others for their
friends, and others for their brethren, but all mourned for Josephus; insomuch
that the lamentation did not cease in the city before the thirtieth day;
and a great many hired mourners, 162
with their pipes, who should begin the melancholy ditties for them.
[Whiston sect. 6] [sect. 438] But as the truth came out in time, it appeared how the affairs of
Jotapata really stood; yet was it found that the death of Josephus was
a fiction; and when they understood that he was alive, and was among the
Romans, and that the commanders treated him at another rate than they treated
captives, they were as vehemently angry at him now as they had showed their
good-will before, when he appeared to have been dead. He was also abused
by some as having been a coward, and by others as a deserter; and the city
was full of indignation at him, and of reproaches cast upon him; their
rage was also aggravated by their afflictions, and more inflamed by their
ill success; and what usually becomes an occasion of caution to wise men,
I mean affliction, became a spur to them to venture on further calamities,
and the end of one misery became still the beginning of another; they therefore
resolved to fall on the Romans the more vehemently, as resolving to be
revenged on him in revenging themselves on the Romans. And this was the
state of Jerusalem as to the troubles which now came upon it.
[Whiston sect. 7] [sect. 443] But Vespasian, in order to see the kingdom of Agrippa, while the
king persuaded himself so to do, (partly in order to his treating the general
and his army in the best and most splendid manner his private affairs would
enable him to do, and partly that he might, by their means, correct such
things as were amiss in his government,) he removed from that Cesarea which
was by the sea-side, and went to that which is called Cesarea Philippi
163 and
there he refreshed his army for twenty days, and was himself feasted by
king Agrippa, where he also returned public thanks to God for the good
success he had had in his undertakings. But as soon as he was informed
that Tiberias was fond of innovations, and that Tarichere had revolted,
both which cities were parts of the kingdom of Agrippa, and was satisfied
within himself that the Jews were every where perverted [from their obedience
to their governors], he thought it seasonable to make an expedition against
these cities, and that for the sake of Agrippa, and in order to bring his
cities to reason. So he sent away his son Titus to [the other] Cesarea,
that he might bring the army that lay there to Seythopous, which is the
largest city of Decapolis, and in the neighborhood of Tiberias, whither
he came, and where he waited for his son. He then came with three legions,
and pitched his camp thirty furlongs off Tiberias, at a certain station
easily seen by the innovators; it is named Sennabris. He also sent Valerian,
a decurion, with fifty horsemen, to speak peaceably to those that were
in the city, and to exhort them to give him assurances of their fidelity;
for he had heard that the people were desirous of peace, but were obliged
by some of the seditious part to join with them, and so were forced to
fight for them. When Valerian had marched up to the place, and was near
the wall, he alighted off his horse, and made those that were with him
to do the same, that they might not be thought to come to skirmish with
them; but before they could come to a discourse one with another, the most
potent men among the seditious made a sally upon them armed; their leader
was one whose name was Jesus, the son of Shaphat, the principal head of
a band of robbers. Now Valerian, neither thinking it safe to fight contrary
to the commands of the general, though he were secure of a victory, and
knowing that it was a very hazardous undertaking for a few to fight with
many, for those that were unprovided to fight those that were ready, and
being on other accounts surprised at this unexpected onset of the Jews,
he ran away on foot, as did five of the rest in like manner, and left their
horses behind them; which horses Jesus led away into the city, and rejoiced
as if they had taken them in battle, and not by treachery.
[Whiston sect. 8] [sect. 453] Now the seniors of the people, and such as were of principal authority
among them, fearing what would be the issue of this matter, fled to the
camp of the Romans; they then took their king along with them, and fell
down before Vespasian, to supplicate his favor, and besought him not to
overlook them, nor to impute the madness of a few to the whole city, to
spare a people that have been ever civil and obliging to the Romans; but
to bring the authors of this revolt to due punishment, who had hitherto
so watched them, that though they were zealous to give them the security
of their right hands of a long time, yet could they not accomplish the
same. With these supplications the general complied, although he were very
angry at the whole city about the carrying off his horses, and this because
he saw that Agrippa was under a great concern for them. So when Vespasian
and Agrippa had accepted of their right hands by way of security, Jesus
and his party thought it not safe for them to continue at Tiberias, so
they ran away to Tarichete. The next day Vespasian sent Trajan before with
some horsemen to the citadel, to make trial of the multitude, whether they
were all disposed for peace; and as soon as he knew that the people were
of the same mind with the petitioner, he took his army, and went to the
city; upon which the citizens opened to him their gates, and met him with
acclamations of joy, and called him their savior and benefactor. But as
the army was a great while in getting in at the gates, they were so narrow,
Vespasian commanded the south wall to be broken down, and so made a broad
passage for their entrance. However, he charged them to abstain from rapine
and injustice, in order to gratify the king; and on his account spared
the rest of the wall, while the king undertook for them that they should
continue [faithful to the Romans] for the time to come. And thus did he
restore this city to a quiet state, after it had been grievously afflicted
by the sedition.
Ch. 10