hardest beset, and placed both horsemen and archers on the several sides
of the engines, and thereby beat off those that brought the fire to
them. He also thereby repelled those that shot stones or darts from the
towers, and then set the engines to work in good earnest; yet did not
the wall yield to these blows, excepting where the battering ram of the
Fifteenth legion moved the corner of a tower, while the wall itself
continued unhurt, for the wall was not presently in the same danger with
the tower, which was extant far above it; nor could the fall of that
part of the tower easily break down any part of the wall itself together
with it.
And now the Jews intermitted their sallies for a while, but when they
observed the Romans dispersed all abroad at their works, and in their
several camps--for they thought the Jews had retired out of weariness
and fear--they all at once made a sally at the tower Hippicus, through
an obscure gate, and at the same time brought fire to burn the works,
and went boldly up to the Romans, and to their very fortifications
themselves, where, at the cry they made, those that were near them came
presently to their assistance, and those farther off came running after
them. And here the boldness of the Jews was too hard for the good order
of the Romans, and as they beat those whom they first fell upon, so they
pressed upon those that were now gotten together. So this fight about
the machines was very hot, while the one side tried hard to set them on
fire, and the other side to prevent it. On both sides there was a
confused cry made, and many of those in the forefront of the battle were
slain.
However, the Jews were now too hard for the Romans by the furious
assaults they made like madmen, and the fire caught hold of the works,
and both all those works, and the engines themselves, had been in danger
of being burned, had not many of those select soldiers that came from
Alexandria opposed themselves to prevent it, and had they not behaved
themselves with greater courage than they themselves supposed they could
have done, for they outdid those in this fight that had greater
reputation than themselves. This was the state of things till Cæsar took
the stoutest of his horsemen and attacked the enemy, while he himself
slew twelve of those that were in the forefront of the Jews, which death
of these men, when the rest of the multitude saw, they gave way, and he
pursued them, and drove them all into the city, and saved the works from
the fire. Now it happened at this fight that a certain Jew was taken
alive who, by Titus' order, was crucified before the wall, to see
whether the rest of them would be affrighted and abate of their
obstinacy. But after the Jews were retired, John,[38] who was commander
of the Idumeans, and was talking to a certain soldier of his
acquaintance before the wall, was wounded by a dart shot at him by an
Arabian, and died immediately, leaving the greatest lamentation to the
Jews, and sorrow to the seditious, for he was a man of great eminence,
both for his actions and his conduct also.
Now, on the next night, a surprising disturbance fell upon the Romans;
for whereas Titus had given orders for the erection of three towers of
fifty cubits high, that, by setting men upon them at every bank, he
might from thence drive those away who were upon the wall, it so
happened that one of these towers fell down about midnight, and as its
fall made a very great noise, fear fell upon the army, and they,
supposing that the enemy was coming to attack them, ran all to their
arms. Whereupon a disturbance and a tumult arose among the legions, and
as nobody could tell what had happened, they went on after a
disconsolate manner; and seeing no enemy appear, they were afraid one of
another, and every one demanded of his neighbor the watchword with great
earnestness as though the Jews had invaded their camp. And now were they
like people under a panic fear, until Titus was informed of what had
happened, and gave orders that all should be acquainted with it; and
then, though with some difficulty, they got clear of the disturbance
they had been under.
Now these towers were very troublesome to the Jews, who otherwise
opposed the Romans very courageously, for they shot at them out of their
lighter engines from those towers, as they did also by those that threw
darts, and the archers, and those that flung stones. For neither could
the Jews reach those that were over them, by reason of their height;
and it was not practicable to take them, nor to overturn them, they were
so heavy, nor to set them on fire, because they were covered with plates
of iron. So they retired out of the reach of the darts, and did no
longer endeavor to hinder the impression of their rams, which, by
continually beating upon the wall, did gradually prevail against it; so
that the wall already gave way to the Nico, for by that name did the
Jews themselves call the greatest of their engines, because it conquered
all things. And now they were for a long while grown weary of fighting
and of keeping guards, and were retired to lodge in the night-time at a
distance from the wall. It was on other accounts also thought by them to
be superfluous to guard the wall, there being besides that two other
fortifications still remaining, and they being slothful, and their
counsels having been ill-concerted on all occasions; so a great many
grew lazy and retired. Then the Romans mounted the breach, where Nico
had made one, and all the Jews left the guarding that wall and retreated
to the second wall; so those that had gotten over that wall opened the
gates and received all the army within it. And thus did the Romans get
possession of this first wall, on the fifteenth day of the siege, which
was the seventh day of the month Artemisius (Jyar), when they demolished
a great part of it, as well as they did of the northern parts of the
city, which had been demolished also by Cestius formerly.
And now Titus pitched his camp within the city, at that place which was
called "the Camp of the Assyrians," having seized upon all that lay as
far as Cedron, but took care to be out of the reach of the Jews' darts.
He then presently began his attacks, upon which the Jews divided
themselves into several bodies, and courageously defended that wall,
while John[39] and his faction did it from the tower of Antonia, and
from the northern cloister of the Temple, and fought the Romans before
the monuments of King Alexander; and Simon's army also took for their
share the spot of ground that was near John's monument,[40] and
fortified it as far as to that gate where water was brought in to the
tower Hippicus. However, the Jews made violent sallies, and that
frequently also, and in bodies together out of the gates, and there
fought the Romans; and when they were pursued all together to the wall,
they were beaten in those fights, as wanting the skill of the Romans.
But when they fought them from the walls they were too hard for them;
the Romans being encouraged by their power, joined to their skill, as
were the Jews by their boldness, which was nourished by the fear they
were in, and that hardiness which is natural to our nation under
calamities; they were also encouraged still by the hope of deliverance,
as were the Romans by their hopes of subduing them in a little time.
Nor did either side grow weary; but attacks and fightings upon the wall,
and perpetual sallies out in bodies, were there all the day long; nor
were there any sort of warlike engagements that were not then put in
use. And the night itself had much ado to part them, when they began to
fight in the morning--nay, the night itself was passed without sleep on
both sides, and was more uneasy than the day to them, while the one was
afraid lest the wall should be taken, and the other lest the Jews should
make sallies upon their camps; both sides also lay in their armor during
the night-time, and thereby were ready at the first appearance of light
to go to the battle. Now among the Jews the ambition was who should
undergo the first dangers, and thereby gratify their commanders. Above
all, they had a great veneration and dread of Simon; and to that degree
was he regarded by every one of those that were under him, that at his
command they were very ready to kill themselves with their own hands.
What made the Romans so courageous was their usual custom of conquering
and disuse of being defeated, their constant wars, and perpetual warlike
exercises, and the grandeur of their dominion. And what was now their
chief encouragement--Titus, who was present everywhere with them
all--for it appeared a terrible thing to grow weary while Cæsar was
there, and fought bravely as well as they did--was himself at once an
eye-witness of such as behaved themselves valiantly, and he was to
reward them also. It was, besides, esteemed an advantage at present to
have anyone's valor known by Cæsar; on which account many of them
appeared to have more alacrity than strength to answer it. And now, as
the Jews were about this time standing in array before the wall, and
that in a strong body, and while both parties were throwing their darts
at each other, Longinus, one of the equestrian order, leaped out of the
army of the Romans, and leaped into the very midst of the army of the
Jews; and as they dispersed themselves upon this attack, he slew two of
their men of the greatest courage; one of them he struck in his mouth as
he was coming to meet him, the other was slain by him by that very dart
which he drew out of the body of the other, with which he ran this man
through his side as he was running away from him; and when he had done
this, he first of all ran out of the midst of his enemies to his own
side.
So this man signalized himself for his valor, and many there were who
were ambitious of gaining the like reputation. And now the Jews were
unconcerned at what they suffered themselves from the Romans, and were
only solicitous about what mischief they could do them; and death itself
seemed a small matter to them, if at the same time they could but kill
any one of their enemies. But Titus took care to secure his own soldiers
from harm, as well as to have them overcome their enemies. He also said
that inconsiderate violence was madness, and that this alone was the
true courage that was joined with good conduct. He therefore commanded
his men to take care, when they fought their enemies, that they received
no harm from them at the same time, and thereby show themselves to be
truly valiant men.
And now Titus brought one of his engines to the middle tower of the
north part of the wall, in which a certain crafty Jew, whose name was
Castor, lay in ambush, with ten others like himself, the rest being fled
away by reason of the archers. These men lay still for a while, as in
great fear, under their breastplates; but when the tower was shaken,
they arose, and Castor did then stretch out his hand, as a petitioner,
and called for Cæsar, and by his voice moved his compassion, and begged
of him to have mercy upon them; and Titus, in the innocency of his
heart, believing him to be in earnest, and hoping that the Jews did now
repent, stopped the working of the battering ram, and forbade them to
shoot at the petitioners, and bid Castor say what he had a mind to say
to him. He said that he would come down, if he would give him his right
hand for his security.
To which Titus replied that he was well pleased with such his agreeable
conduct, and would be well pleased if all the Jews would be of his mind,
and that he was ready to give the like security to the city. Now five of
the ten dissembled with him, and pretended to beg for mercy, while the
rest cried out aloud that they would never be slaves to the Romans,
while it was in their power to die in a state of freedom. Now while
these men were quarrelling for a long while the attack was delayed;
Castor also sent to Simon, and told him that they might take some time
for consultation about what was to be done, because he would elude the
power of the Romans for a considerable time. And at the same time that
he sent thus to him, he appeared openly to exhort those that were
obstinate to accept of Titus' hand for their security; but they seemed
very angry at it, and brandished their naked swords upon the
breastworks, and struck themselves upon their breast, and fell down as
if they had been slain. Hereupon Titus, and those with him, were amazed
at the courage of the men; and as they were not able to see exactly what
was done, they admired at their great fortitude and pitied their
calamity.
During this interval a certain person shot a dart at Castor, and wounded
him in his nose; whereupon he presently pulled out the dart, and showed
it to Titus, and complained that this was unfair treatment; so Cæsar
reproved him that shot the dart, and sent Josephus, who then stood by
him, to give his right hand to Castor. But Josephus said that he would
not go to him, because these pretended petitioners meant nothing that
was good; he also restrained those friends of his who were zealous to go
to him. But still there was one Eneas, a deserter, who said he would go
to him. Castor also called to them, that somebody should come and
receive the money which he had with him; this made Eneas the more
earnestly to run to him with his bosom open. Then did Castor take up a
great stone and threw it at him, which missed him, because he guarded
himself against it; but still it wounded another soldier that was coming
to him. When Cæsar understood that this was a delusion, he perceived
that mercy in war is a pernicious thing, because such cunning tricks
have less place under the exercise of greater severity. So he caused the
engine to work more strongly than before, on account of his anger at the
deceit put upon him. But Castor and his companions set the tower on fire
when it began to give way, and leaped through the flame into a hidden
vault that was under it, which made the Romans further suppose that they
were men of great courage, as having cast themselves into the fire.
Now Cæsar took this wall there on the fifth day after he had taken the
first; and when the Jews had fled from him he entered into it with a
thousand armed men, and those of his choice troops, and this at a place
where were the merchants of wool, the braziers, and the market for
cloth, and where the narrow streets led obliquely to the wall.
Wherefore, if Titus had either demolished a larger part of the wall
immediately, or had come in, and, according to the law of war, had laid
waste what was left, his victory would not, I suppose, have been mixed
with any loss to himself. But now, out of the hope he had that he should
make the Jews ashamed of their obstinacy by not being willing, when he
was able, to afflict them more than he needed to do, he did not widen
the breach of the wall, in order to make a safer retreat upon occasion,
for he did not think they would lay snares for him that did them such a
kindness. When therefore, he came in, he did not permit his soldiers to
kill any of those they caught, nor to set fire to their houses
neither--nay, he gave leave to the seditious, if they had a mind, to
fight without any harm to the people, and promised to restore the
people's effects to them, for he was very desirous to preserve the city
for his own sake, and the Temple for the sake of the city.
As to the people, he had them of a long time ready to comply with his
proposals; but as to the fighting men, this humanity of his seemed a
mark of his weakness, and they imagined that he made these proposals
because he was not able to take the rest of the city. They also
threatened death to the people, if they should any one of them say a
word about a surrender. They, moreover, cut the throats of such as
talked of a peace, and then attacked those Romans that were come within
the wall. Some of them they met in the narrow streets, and some they
fought against from their houses, while they made a sudden sally out at
the upper gates, and assaulted such Romans as were beyond the wall, till
those that guarded the wall were so affrighted that they leaped down
from their towers and retired to their several camps: upon which a great
noise was made by the Romans that were within, because they were
encompassed round on every side by their enemies; as also by them that
were without, because they were in fear for those that were left in the
city. Thus did the Jews grow more numerous perpetually, and had great
advantages over the Romans, by their full knowledge of those narrow
lanes; and they wounded a great many of them, and fell upon them, and
drove them out of the city.
Now these Romans were at present forced to make the best resistance they
could, for they were not able, in great numbers, to get out at the
breach in the wall, it was so narrow. It is also probable that all those
that were gotten within had been cut to pieces, if Titus had not sent
them succors, for he ordered the archers to stand at the upper ends of
these narrow lanes, and he stood himself where was the greatest
multitude of his enemies, and with his darts he put a stop to them; as
with him did Domitius Sabinus also, a valiant man, and one that in this
battle appeared so to be. Thus did Cæsar continue to shoot darts at the
Jews continually and to hinder them from coming upon his men, and this
until all his soldiers had retreated out of the city.
And thus were the Romans driven out, after they had possessed themselves
of the second wall. Whereupon the fighting men that were in the city
were lifted up in their minds and were elevated upon this their good
success, and began to think that the Romans would never venture to come
into the city any more; and that if they kept within it themselves they
should not be any more conquered, for God had blinded their minds for
the transgressions they had been guilty of, nor could they see how much
greater forces the Romans had than those that were now expelled, no more
than they could discern how a famine was creeping upon them, for
hitherto they had fed themselves out of the public miseries and drank
the blood of the city. But now poverty had for a long time seized upon
the better part, and a great many had died already for want of
necessaries, although the seditious indeed supposed the destruction of
the people to be an easement to themselves, for they desired that none
others might be preserved but such as were against a peace with the
Romans, and were resolved to live in opposition to them, and they were
pleased when the multitude of those of a contrary opinion were consumed,
as being then freed from a heavy burden. And this was their disposition
of mind with regard to those that were within the city, while they
covered themselves with their armor, and prevented the Romans, when they
were trying to get into the city again, and made a wall of their own
bodies over against that part of the wall that was cast down.
Thus did they valiantly defend themselves for three days; but on the
fourth day they could not support themselves against the vehement
assaults of Titus, but were compelled by force to fly whither they had
fled before; so he quietly possessed himself again of that wall and
demolished it entirely. And when he had put a garrison into the towers
that were on the south parts of the city, he contrived how he might
assault the third wall.
A resolution was now taken by Titus to relax the siege for a little
while, and to afford the seditious an interval for consideration, and to
see whether the demolishing of their second wall would not make them a
little more compliant, or whether they were not somewhat afraid of a
famine, because the spoils they had gotten by rapine would not be
sufficient for them long; so he made use of this relaxation in order to
compass his own designs. Accordingly, as the usual appointed time when
he must distribute subsistence money to the soldiers was now come, he
gave orders that the commanders should put the army into battle array,
in the face of the enemy, and then give every one of the soldiers his
pay.
The Romans spent four days in bringing this subsistence money to the
several legions. But on the fifth day, when no signs of peace appeared
to come from the Jews, Titus divided his legions and began to raise
banks, both at the tower of Antonia and at John's monument. Now his
designs were to take the upper city at that monument, and the Temple at
the tower of Antonia, for if the Temple were not taken, it would be
dangerous to keep the city itself; so at each of these parts he raised
him banks, each legion raising one. As for those that wrought at John's
monument, the Idumeans, and those that were in arms with Simon, made
sallies upon them, and put some stop to them; while John's party, and
the multitude of Zealots with them, did the like to those that were
before the tower of Antonia.
These Jews were now too hard for the Romans, not only in direct
fighting, because they stood upon the higher ground, but because they
had now learned to use their own engines, for their continual use of
them one day after another did by degrees improve their skill about
them, for of one sort of engines for darts they had three hundred, and
forty for stones; by the means of which they made it more tedious for
the Romans to raise their banks. But then Titus, knowing that the city
would be either saved or destroyed for himself, did not only proceed
earnestly in the siege, but did not omit to have the Jews exhorted to
repentance; so he mixed good counsel with his works for the siege. And
being sensible that exhortations are frequently more effectual than
arms, he persuaded them to surrender the city, now in a manner already
taken, and thereby to save themselves, and sent Josephus to speak to
them in their own language, for he imagined they might yield to the
persuasion of a countryman of their own.
As Josephus was speaking thus with a loud voice, the seditious would
neither yield to what he said, nor did they deem it safe for them to
alter their conduct; but as for the people, they had a great inclination
to desert to the Romans. Accordingly, some of them sold what they had,
and even the most precious things that had been laid up as treasures by
them, for a very small matter, and swallowed down pieces of gold, that
they might not be found out by the robbers; and when they had escaped to
the Romans, went to stool, and had wherewithal to provide plentifully
for themselves, for Titus let a great number of them go away into the
country, whither they pleased. And the main reasons why they were so
ready to desert were these: That now they should be freed from those
miseries which they had endured in that city, and yet should not be in
slavery to the Romans. However John and Simon, with their factions, did
more carefully watch these men's going out than they did the coming in
of the Romans; and if any one did but afford the least shadow of
suspicion of such an intention, his throat was cut immediately.