239
[Whiston sect. 1] [sect. 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.
[Whiston sect. 2] [sect. 9] 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.
[Whiston sect. 3] [sect. 15] 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.
[Whiston sect. 4] [sect. 29] 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.
[Whiston sect. 5] [sect. 33] 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 240
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, 241
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."
242
[Whiston sect. 6] [sect. 54] Upon this speech of Titus, the rest of the multitude were aftrighted
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].
[Whiston sect. 7] [sect. 68] 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.
[Whiston sect. 8] [sect. 81] 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 243
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.
Ch. 2