118. However, when Titus had recalled those men from Gophna, he gave orders that they should go round the wall, together with Josephus, and show themselves to the people; upon which a great many fled to the Romans. These men also got in a great number together, and stood before the Romans, and besought the seditious, with groans and tears in their eyes, in the first place to receive the Romans entirely into the city, and save that their own place of residence again; but that, if they would not agree to such a proposal, they would at least depart out of the temple, and save the holy house for their own use; for that the Romans would not venture to set the sanctuary on fire but under the most pressing necessity. Yet did the seditious still more and more contradict them; and while they cast loud and bitter reproaches upon these deserters, they also set their engines for throwing of darts, and javelins, and stones upon the sacred gates of the temple, at due distances from one another, insomuch that all the space round about within the temple might be compared to a burying-ground, so great was the number of the dead bodies therein; as might the holy house itself be compared to a citadel. Accordingly, these men rushed upon these holy places in their armor, that were otherwise unapproachable, and that while their hands were yet warm with the blood of their own people which they had shed; nay, they proceeded to such great transgressions, that the very same indignation which Jews would naturally have against Romans, had they been guilty of such abuses against them, the Romans now had against Jews, for their impiety in regard to their own religious customs. Nay, indeed, there were none of the Roman soldiers who did not look with a sacred horror upon the holy house, and adored it, and wished that the robbers would repent before their miseries became incurable.
118. Αὖθις δέ, ὡς ἀνακαλέσας τοὺς ἄνδρας ἀπὸ τῆς Γοφνὰ Τίτος ἐκέλευσε μετὰ τοῦ Ἰωσήπου περιελθόντας τὸ τεῖχος ὀφθῆναι τῷ δήμῳ, πλεῖστοι πρὸς τοὺς Ῥωμαίους ἔφευγον. γενόμενοι δὲ ἀθρόοι καὶ πρὸ τῶν Ῥωμαίων ἱστάμενοι μετʼ οἰμωγῆς καὶ δακρύων ἱκέτευον τοὺς στασιαστὰς τὸ μὲν πρῶτον ὅλῃ τοὺς Ῥωμαίους δέξασθαι τῇ πόλει καὶ τὴν πατρίδα σῶσαι πάλιν, εἰ δὲ μή, τοῦ γε ἱεροῦ πάντως ὑπεξελθεῖν καὶ ῥύσασθαι τὸν ναὸν αὐτοῖς· οὐ γὰρ ἂν τολμῆσαι Ῥωμαίους μὴ μετὰ μεγίστης ἀνάγκης καταφλέξαι τὰ ἅγια. τούτοις μᾶλλον ἀντεφιλονείκουν, καὶ πολλὰ βλάσφημα τοῖς αὐτομόλοις ἀντικεκραγότες ἐπὶ τῶν ἱερῶν πυλῶν τούς τε ὀξυβελεῖς καὶ καταπέλτας καὶ λιθοβόλους μηχανὰς διέστησαν, ὡς τὸ κύκλῳ μὲν ἱερὸν ὑπὸ πλήθους νεκρῶν προσεοικέναι πολυανδρίῳ, τὸν δὲ ναὸν αὐτὸν φρουρίῳ. τοῖς δὲ ἁγίοις καὶ ἀβάτοις μετὰ τῶν ὅπλων εἰσεπήδων θερμὰς ἔτι τὰς χεῖρας ἐξ ὁμοφύλων ἔχοντες φόνων, καὶ προύκοψαν εἰς τοσοῦτον παρανομίας, ὥσθʼ ἣν ἂν εἰκὸς ἀγανάκτησιν γενέσθαι Ἰουδαίων, εἰ Ῥωμαῖοι ταῦτʼ ἐξύβριζον εἰς αὐτούς, ταύτην εἶναι παρὰ Ῥωμαίων τότε πρὸς Ἰουδαίους ἀσεβοῦντας εἰς τὰ ἴδια. τῶν μέν γε στρατιωτῶν οὐκ ἔστιν ὅστις οὐ μετὰ φρίκης εἰς τὸν ναὸν ἀφεώρα καὶ προσεκύνει τούς τε λῃστὰς ηὔχετο πρὶν ἀνηκέστου πάθους μετανοῆσαι.
124. Now Titus was deeply affected with this state of things, and reproached John and his party, and said to them, “Have not you, vile wretches that you are, by our permission, put up this partition-wall before your sanctuary? Have not you been allowed to put up the pillars thereto belonging, at due distances, and on it to engrave in Greek, and in your own letters, this prohibition, that no foreigner should go beyond that wall. Have not we given you leave to kill such as go beyond it, though he were a Roman? And what do you do now, you pernicious villains? Why do you trample upon dead bodies in this temple? and why do you pollute this holy house with the blood of both foreigners and Jews themselves? I appeal to the gods of my own country, and to every god that ever had any regard to this place; (for I do not suppose it to be now regarded by any of them;) I also appeal to my own army, and to those Jews that are now with me, and even to yourselves, that I do not force you to defile this your sanctuary; and if you will but change the place whereon you will fight, no Roman shall either come near your sanctuary, or offer any affront to it; nay, I will endeavor to preserve you your holy house, whether you will or not.”
124. Τίτος δὲ ὑπερπαθήσας πάλιν ἐξωνείδιζε τοὺς περὶ τὸν Ἰωάννην, λέγων ἆρʼ οὐχ ὑμεῖς, ὦ μιαρώτατοι, τὸν δρύφακτον τοῦτον προεβάλεσθε τῶν ἁγίων; οὐχ ὑμεῖς δὲ τὰς ἐν αὐτῷ στήλας διεστήσατε, γράμμασιν Ἑλληνικοῖς καὶ ἡμετέροις κεχαραγμένας, μηδένα τὸ γείσιον ὑπερβαίνειν παραγγέλλειν; οὐχ ἡμεῖς δὲ τοὺς ὑπερβάντας ὑμῖν ἀναιρεῖν ἐπετρέψαμεν, κἂν Ῥωμαῖός τις ᾖ; τί οὖν νῦν, ἀλιτήριοι, καὶ νεκροὺς ἐν αὐτῷ καταπατεῖτε; τί δὲ τὸν ναὸν αἵματι ξένῳ καὶ ἐγχωρίῳ φύρετε; μαρτύρομαι θεοὺς ἐγὼ πατρίους καὶ εἴ τις ἐφεώρα ποτὲ τόνδε τὸν χῶρον, νῦν μὲν γὰρ οὐκ οἴομαι, μαρτύρομαι δὲ καὶ στρατιὰν τὴν ἐμὴν καὶ τοὺς παρʼ ἐμοὶ Ἰουδαίους καὶ ὑμᾶς αὐτούς, ὡς οὐκ ἐγὼ ταῦθʼ ὑμᾶς ἀναγκάζω μιαίνειν. κἂν ἀλλάξητε τῆς παρατάξεως τὸν τόπον, οὔτε προσελεύσεταί τις Ῥωμαίων τοῖς ἁγίοις οὔτε ἐνυβρίσει, τηρήσω δὲ τὸν ναὸν ὑμῖν καὶ μὴ θέλουσι.
129. As Josephus explained these things from the mouth of Caesar, both the robbers and the tyrant thought that these exhortations proceeded from Titus's fear, and not from his good-will to them, and grew insolent upon it. But when Titus saw that these men were neither to be moved by commiseration towards themselves, nor had any concern upon them to have the holy house spared, he proceeded unwillingly to go on again with the war against them. He could not indeed bring all his army against them, the place was so narrow; but choosing thirty soldiers of the most valiant out of every hundred, and committing a thousand to each tribune, and making Cerealis their commander-in-chief, he gave orders that they should attack the guards of the temple about the ninth hour of that night. But as he was now in his armor, and preparing to go down with them, his friends would not let him go, by reason of the greatness of the danger, and what the commanders suggested to them; for they said that he would do more by sitting above in the tower of Antonia, as a dispenser of rewards to those soldiers that signalized themselves in the fight, than by coming down and hazarding his own person in the forefront of them; for that they would all fight stoutly while Caesar looked upon them. With this advice Caesar complied, and said that the only reason he had for such compliance with the soldiers was this, that he might be able to judge of their courageous actions, and that no valiant soldier might lie concealed, and miss of his reward, and no cowardly soldier might go unpunished; but that he might himself be an eye-witness, and able to give evidence of all that was done, who was to be the disposer of punishments and rewards to them. So he sent the soldiers about their work at the hour forementioned, while he went out himself to a higher place in the tower of Antonia, whence he might see what was done, and there waited with impatience to see the event.
129. Ταῦτα τοῦ Ἰωσήπου διαγγέλλοντος ἐκ τοῦ Καίσαρος, οἱ λῃσταὶ καὶ ὁ τύραννος οὐκ ἀπʼ εὐνοίας ἀλλὰ κατὰ δειλίαν γίνεσθαι τὰς παρακλήσεις δοκοῦντες ὑπερηφάνουν. Τίτος δὲ ὡς οὔτε οἶκτον ἑαυτῶν τοὺς ἄνδρας οὔτε φειδὼ τοῦ ναοῦ ποιουμένους ἑώρα, πάλιν πρὸς πόλεμον ἄκων ἐχώρει. πᾶσαν μὲν οὖν τὴν δύναμιν ἐπάγειν αὐτοῖς οὐχ οἷόν τε ἦν μὴ χωρουμένην τῷ τόπῳ, τριάκοντα δʼ ἐπιλέξας ἀφʼ ἑκάστης ἑκατονταρχίας τοὺς ἀρίστους καὶ τοῖς χιλιάρχοις ἀνὰ χιλίους παραδούς, τούτων δʼ ἐπιτάξας ἡγεμόνα Κερεάλιον, ἐπιθέσθαι προσέταξε ταῖς φυλακαῖς περὶ ὥραν τῆς νυκτὸς ἐνάτην. ὄντα δὲ καὶ αὐτὸν ἐν τοῖς ὅπλοις καὶ συγκαταβαίνειν παρεσκευασμένον οἵ τε φίλοι διὰ τὸ μέγεθος τοῦ κινδύνου κατέσχον καὶ τὰ παρὰ τῶν ἡγεμόνων λεγόμενα· πλεῖον γὰρ αὐτὸν ἀνύσειν ἔφασαν ἐπὶ τῆς Ἀντωνίας καθεζόμενον καὶ τὴν μάχην ἀγωνοθετοῦντα τοῖς στρατιώταις ἢ εἰ καταβὰς προκινδυνεύοι· πάντας γὰρ ὁρῶντος Καίσαρος ἀγαθοὺς πολεμιστὰς ἔσεσθαι. τούτοις πεισθεὶς Καῖσαρ καὶ διʼ ἓν τοῦτο τοῖς στρατιώταις ὑπομένειν εἰπών, ἵνα κρίνῃ τὰς ἀρετὰς αὐτῶν καὶ μήτε τῶν ἀγαθῶν τις ἀγέραστος μήτε τῶν ἐναντίων ἀτιμώρητος διαλάθῃ, γένηται δὲ αὐτόπτης καὶ μάρτυς ἁπάντων ὁ καὶ τοῦ κολάζειν καὶ τοῦ τιμᾶν κύριος, τοὺς μὲν ἐπὶ τὴν πρᾶξιν ἔπεμπε καθʼ ἣν ὥραν προείρηται, προελθὼν δὲ αὐτὸς εἰς τὸ εὐκάτοπτον ἀπὸ τῆς Ἀντωνίας ἐκαραδόκει τὸ μέλλον.
136. However, the soldiers that were sent did not find the guards of the temple asleep, as they hoped to have done; but were obliged to fight with them immediately hand to hand, as they rushed with violence upon them with a great shout. Now as soon as the rest within the temple heard that shout of those that were upon the watch, they ran out in troops upon them. Then did the Romans receive the onset of those that came first upon them; but those that followed them fell upon their own troops, and many of them treated their own soldiers as if they had been enemies; for the great confused noise that was made on both sides hindered them from distinguishing one another's voices, as did the darkness of the night hinder them from the like distinction by the sight, besides that blindness which arose otherwise also from the passion and the fear they were in at the same time; for which reason it was all one to the soldiers who it was they struck at. However, this ignorance did less harm to the Romans than to the Jews, because they were joined together under their shields, and made their sallies more regularly than the others did, and each of them remembered their watch-word; while the Jews were perpetually dispersed abroad, and made their attacks and retreats at random, and so did frequently seem to one another to be enemies; for every one of them received those of their own men that came back in the dark as Romans, and made an assault upon them; so that more of them were wounded by their own men than by the enemy, till, upon the coming on of the day, the nature of the right was discerned by the eye afterward. Then did they stand in battle-array in distinct bodies, and cast their darts regularly, and regularly defended themselves; nor did either side yield or grow weary. The Romans contended with each other who should fight the most strenuously, both single men and entire regiments, as being under the eye of Titus; and every one concluded that this day would begin his promotion if he fought bravely. What were the great encouragements of the Jews to act vigorously were, their fear for themselves and for the temple, and the presence of their tyrant, who exhorted some, and beat and threatened others, to act courageously. Now, it so happened, that this fight was for the most part a stationary one, wherein the soldiers went on and came back in a short time, and suddenly; for there was no long space of ground for either of their flights or pursuits. But still there was a tumultuous noise among the Romans from the tower of Antonia, who loudly cried out upon all occasions to their own men to press on courageously, when they were too hard for the Jews, and to stay when they were retiring backward; so that here was a kind of theater of war; for what was done in this fight could not be concealed either from Titus, or from those that were about him. At length it appeared that this fight, which began at the ninth hour of the night, was not over till past the fifth hour of the day; and that, in the same place where the battle began, neither party could say they had made the other to retire; but both the armies left the victory almost in uncertainty between them; wherein those that signalized themselves on the Roman side were a great many, but on the Jewish side, and of those that were with Simon, Judas the son of Merto, and Simon the son of Josas; of the Idumeans, James and Simon, the latter of whom was the son of Cathlas, and James was the son of Sosas; of those that were with John, Gyphtheus and Alexas; and of the zealots, Simon the son of Jairus.
136. Οὐ μὴν οἵ γε πεμφθέντες τοὺς φύλακας εὗρον κοιμωμένους, ὡς ἤλπισαν, ἀλλʼ ἀναπηδήσασι μετὰ κραυγῆς εὐθέως συνεπλέκοντο· πρὸς δὲ τὴν βοὴν τῶν ἐκκοιτούντων ἔνδοθεν οἱ λοιποὶ κατὰ στῖφος ἐξέθεον. τῶν μὲν δὴ πρώτων τὰς ὁρμὰς ἐξεδέχοντο Ῥωμαῖοι· περιέπιπτον δʼ οἱ μετʼ ἐκείνους τῷ σφετέρῳ τάγματι, καὶ πολλοὶ τοῖς οἰκείοις ὡς πολεμίοις ἐχρῶντο. τὴν μὲν γὰρ διὰ βοῆς ἐπίγνωσιν ἡ κραυγὴ συγχυθεῖσα παρʼ ἀμφοῖν, τὴν δὲ διʼ ὀμμάτων ἡ νὺξ ἕκαστον ἀφείλετο, καὶ τυφλώττειν ἄλλως οὓς μὲν οἱ θυμοὶ παρεσκεύαζον οὓς δʼ οἱ φόβοι· διὰ τοῦτο τὸν προστυχόντα πλήττειν ἦν ἄκριτον. Ῥωμαίους μὲν οὖν συνησπικότας καὶ κατὰ συντάξεις προπηδῶντας ἧττον ἔβλαπτεν ἡ ἄγνοια· καὶ γὰρ ἦν παρʼ ἑκάστῳ μνήμη τοῦ συνθήματος· Ἰουδαῖοι δʼ ἀεὶ σκεδαννύμενοι καὶ τάς τε προσβολὰς καὶ τὰς ὑποχωρήσεις ἀνέδην ποιούμενοι πολλάκις φαντασίαν παρεῖχον ἀλλήλοις πολεμίων· τὸν ὑποστρέφοντα γὰρ ἕκαστος οἰκεῖον διὰ σκότους ὡς ἐπιόντα Ῥωμαῖον ἐξεδέχετο. πλείους γοῦν ὑπὸ τῶν ἰδίων ἢ τῶν πολεμίων ἐτρώθησαν, ἕως ἡμέρας γενομένης ὄψει τὸ λοιπὸν ἡ μάχη διεκρίνετο, καὶ κατὰ φάλαγγα διαστάντες τοῖς τε βέλεσιν εὐτάκτοις ἐχρῶντο καὶ ταῖς ἀμύναις. οὐδέτεροι δὲ οὔτʼ εἶκον οὔτʼ ἐκοπίων, ἀλλʼ οἱ μὲν ὡς ἐφορῶντος Καίσαρος κατʼ ἄνδρα καὶ κατὰ συντάξεις ἤριζον ἀλλήλοις, καὶ προκοπῆς ἕκαστος ἐκείνην αὐτῷ τὴν ἡμέραν ἄρξειν ὑπελάμβανεν, εἰ γενναίως ἀγωνίσαιτο· Ἰουδαίοις δʼ ἐβράβευε τὰς τόλμας ὅ τε περὶ σφῶν αὐτῶν καὶ τοῦ ἱεροῦ φόβος καὶ ὁ τύραννος ἐφεστὼς καὶ τοὺς μὲν παρακαλῶν, τοὺς δὲ μαστιγῶν καὶ διεγείρων ἀπειλαῖς. συνέβαινε δὲ τὸ μὲν πλεῖστον σταδιαίαν εἶναι τὴν μάχην, ἐν ὀλίγῳ δὲ καὶ ταχέως ἀντιστρέφεσθαι τὰς ῥοπάς· οὐδέτεροι γὰρ οὔτε φυγῆς οὔτε διώξεως μῆκος εἶχον. ἀεὶ δὲ πρὸς τὸ συμβαῖνον οἰκεῖος ἀπὸ τῆς Ἀντωνίας ὁ θόρυβος ἦν, θαρρεῖν δὲ καὶ κρατοῦσι τοῖς σφετέροις ἐπεβόων καὶ μένειν τρεπομένοις. ἦν δὲ ὥσπερ τι πολέμου θέατρον· οὐδὲν γὰρ οὔτε Τίτον οὔτε τοὺς περὶ αὐτὸν ἐλάνθανε τῶν κατὰ τὴν μάχην. τὸ δὲ πέρας ἀρξάμενοι τῆς νυκτὸς ἐνάτης ὥρας ὑπὲρ πέμπτην τῆς ἡμέρας διελύθησαν ἀφʼ οὗπερ ἤρξαντο τόπου τῆς συμβολῆς, μηδέτεροι βεβαίως κλίναντες τοὺς ἑτέρους, ἀλλὰ τὴν νίκην μέσην ἐν ἀγχωμάλῳ καταλιπόντες. καὶ Ῥωμαίων μὲν ἐπισήμως ἠγωνίσαντο πολλοί, Ἰουδαίων δʼ ἐκ μὲν τῶν περὶ Σίμωνα Ἰούδης ὁ τοῦ Μαρεώτου καὶ Σίμων ὁ τοῦ Ὁσαΐα, τῶν δὲ Ἰδουμαίων Ἰάκωβος καὶ Σίμων, Ἀκατελᾶ μὲν οὗτος παῖς, Σωσᾶ δὲ ὁ Ἰάκωβος, τῶν δὲ μετὰ Ἰωάννου Γεφθέος καὶ Ἀλεξᾶς, τῶν δὲ ζηλωτῶν Σίμων υἱὸς Ἀρί.
149. In the mean time, the rest of the Roman army had, in seven days’ time, overthrown [some] foundations of the tower of Antonia, and had made a ready and broad way to the temple. Then did the legions come near the first court, and began to raise their banks. The one bank was over against the north-west corner of the inner temple another was at that northern edifice which was between the two gates; and of the other two, one was at the western cloister of the outer court of the temple; the other against its northern cloister. However, these works were thus far advanced by the Romans, not without great pains and difficulty, and particularly by being obliged to bring their materials from the distance of a hundred furlongs. They had further difficulties also upon them; sometimes by their over-great security they were in that they should overcome the Jewish snares laid for them, and by that boldness of the Jews which their despair of escaping had inspired them withal; for some of their horsemen, when they went out to gather wood or hay, let their horses feed without having their bridles on during the time of foraging; upon which horses the Jews sallied out in whole bodies, and seized them. And when this was continually done, and Caesar believed what the truth was, that the horses were stolen more by the negligence of his own men than by the valor of the Jews, he determined to use greater severity to oblige the rest to take care of their horses; so he commanded that one of those soldiers who had lost their horses should be capitally punished; whereby he so terrified the rest, that they preserved their horses for the time to come; for they did not any longer let them go from them to feed by themselves, but, as if they had grown to them, they went always along with them when they wanted necessaries. Thus did the Romans still continue to make war against the temple, and to raise their banks against it.
149. Ἐν τούτῳ δʼ ἡ λοιπὴ τῶν Ῥωμαίων δύναμις ἡμέραις ἑπτὰ καταστρεψαμένη τοὺς τῆς Ἀντωνίας θεμελίους μέχρι τοῦ ἱεροῦ πλατεῖαν ὁδὸν εὐτρεπίσαντο. πλησιάσαντα δὲ τῷ πρώτῳ περιβόλῳ τὰ τάγματα κατήρχετο χωμάτων, τὸ μὲν ἀντικρὺς τῆς τοῦ εἴσω ἱεροῦ γωνίας, ἥτις ἦν κατʼ ἄρκτον καὶ δύσιν, τὸ δὲ κατὰ τὴν βόρειον ἐξέδραν, ἣ μεταξὺ τῶν δύο πυλῶν ἦν· τῶν δὲ λοιπῶν δύο θάτερον μὲν κατὰ τὴν ἑσπέριον στοὰν τοῦ ἔξωθεν ἱεροῦ, τὸ δʼ ἕτερον ἔξω κατὰ τὴν βόρειον. προύκοπτεν μέντοι μετὰ πολλοῦ καμάτου καὶ ταλαιπωρίας αὐτοῖς τὰ ἔργα [καὶ] τὴν ὕλην ἀφʼ ἑκατὸν σταδίων συγκομίζουσιν, ἐκακοῦντο δʼ ἔσθʼ ὅπη καὶ κατʼ ἐπιβουλάς, αὐτοὶ διὰ περιουσίαν τοῦ κρατεῖν ὄντες ἀδεέστεροι καὶ διʼ ἀπόγνωσιν ἤδη σωτηρίας χρώμενοι τολμηροτέροις τοῖς Ἰουδαίοις. τῶν γὰρ ἱππέων τινὲς ὁπότε προέλθοιεν ἐπὶ ξυλείαν ἢ χόρτου συλλογήν, τὸν τῆς συγκομιδῆς χρόνον ἀνίεσαν βόσκεσθαι τοὺς ἵππους ἀποχαλινοῦντες, οὓς οἱ Ἰουδαῖοι κατὰ στῖφος ἐκπηδῶντες ἥρπαζον. καὶ τούτου συνεχῶς γινομένου νομίσας Καῖσαρ, ὅπερ ἦν, ἀμελείᾳ τῶν σφετέρων πλέον ἢ τῇ Ἰουδαίων ἀνδρείᾳ γίνεσθαι τὰς ἁρπαγάς, ἔγνω σκυθρωπότερον τοὺς λοιποὺς πρὸς φυλακὴν τῶν ἵππων ἐπιστρέψαι. καὶ κελεύσας ἀπαχθῆναι τὴν ἐπὶ θανάτῳ τῶν ἀπολεσάντων στρατιωτῶν ἕνα, φόβῳ τοῖς ἄλλοις ἐτήρησε τοὺς ἵππους· οὐκέτι γὰρ εἴων νέμεσθαι, καθάπερ δὲ συμπεφυκότες αὐτοῖς ἐπὶ τὰς χρείας ἐξῄεσαν. οἱ μὲν οὖν προσεπολέμουν τῷ ἱερῷ καὶ τὰ χώματα διήγειρον.
157. Now after one day had been interposed since the Romans ascended the breach, many of the seditious were so pressed by the famine, upon the present failure of their ravages, that they got together, and made an attack on those Roman guards that were upon the Mount of Olives, and this about the eleventh hour of the day, as supposing, first, that they would not expect such an onset, and, in the next place, that they were then taking care of their bodies, and that therefore they should easily beat them. But the Romans were apprized of their coming to attack them beforehand, and, running together from the neighboring camps on the sudden, prevented them from getting over their fortification, or forcing the wall that was built about them. Upon this came on a sharp fight, and here many great actions were performed on both sides; while the Romans showed both their courage and their skill in war, as did the Jews come on them with immoderate violence and intolerable passion. The one part were urged on by shame, and the other by necessity; for it seemed a very shameful thing to the Romans to let the Jews go, now they were taken in a kind of net; while the Jews had but one hope of saving themselves, and that was in case they could by violence break through the Roman wall; and one whose name was Pedanius, belonging to a party of horsemen, when the Jews were already beaten and forced down into the valley together, spurred his horse on their flank with great vehemence, and caught up a certain young man belonging to the enemy by his ankle, as he was running away; the man was, however, of a robust body, and in his armor; so low did Pedanius bend himself downward from his horse, even as he was galloping away, and so great was the strength of his right hand, and of the rest of his body, as also such skill had he in horsemanship. So this man seized upon that his prey, as upon a precious treasure, and carried him as his captive to Caesar; whereupon Titus admired the man that had seized the other for his great strength, and ordered the man that was caught to be punished [with death] for his attempt against the Roman wall, but betook himself to the siege of the temple, and to pressing on the raising of the banks.
157. Μετὰ δὲ μίαν ἡμέραν αὐτῶν τῆς ἀνόδου πολλοὶ τῶν στασιαστῶν, οἷς ἁρπαγαί τε ἐπέλειπον ἤδη καὶ ὁ λιμὸς ἤπειγε, συνελθόντες ταῖς κατὰ τὸ Ἐλαιῶν ὄρος Ῥωμαίων φυλακαῖς ἐπιτίθενται περὶ ὥραν ἑνδεκάτην τῆς ἡμέρας, οἰόμενοι πρῶτον μὲν ἀδοκήτων, ἔπειτα πρὸς θεραπείαις ἤδη τοῦ σώματος ὄντων ῥᾳδίως διεκπαίσειν. προαισθόμενοι δὲ τὴν ἔφοδον αὐτῶν οἱ Ῥωμαῖοι καὶ ταχέως ἐκ τῶν πλησίον φρουρίων συνδραμόντες εἶργον ὑπερπηδᾶν καὶ διακόπτειν τὸ περιτείχισμα βιαζομένους. γενομένης δὲ καρτερᾶς τῆς συμβολῆς ἄλλα τε πολλὰ παρʼ ἑκατέρων γενναίως ἐπράχθη, Ῥωμαίων μὲν μετὰ τῆς ἰσχύος ἐμπειρίᾳ τοῦ πολεμεῖν χρωμένων, Ἰουδαίων δὲ ἀφειδέσι ταῖς ὁρμαῖς καὶ τοῖς θυμοῖς ἀκατασχέτοις· ἐστρατήγει δὲ τῶν μὲν αἰδώς, τῶν δὲ ἀνάγκη· τό τε γὰρ ἐξαφεῖναι Ἰουδαίους ὥσπερ ἄρκυσιν ἐνειλημμένους Ῥωμαίοις αἴσχιστον ἐδόκει, κἀκεῖνοι μίαν ἐλπίδα σωτηρίας εἶχον, εἰ βιασάμενοι ῥήξειαν τὸ τεῖχος· καὶ τῶν ἀπὸ σπείρας τις ἱππέων, Πεδάνιος τοὔνομα, τρεπομένων ἤδη τῶν Ἰουδαίων καὶ κατὰ τῆς φάραγγος συνωθουμένων ῥόθιον ἐκ πλαγίου παρελαύνων τὸν ἵππον ἁρπάζει τινὰ φεύγοντα τῶν πολεμίων, νεανίαν στιβαρόν τε ἄλλως τὸ σῶμα καὶ καθωπλισμένον, δραξάμενος ἐκ τοῦ σφυροῦ· τοσοῦτον μὲν ἑαυτὸν ἐκ τρέχοντος ἐπέκλινε τοῦ ἵππου, τοσοῦτον δὲ ἐπεδείξατο τῆς δεξιᾶς τὸν τόνον καὶ τοῦ λοιποῦ σώματος ἔτι δʼ ἐμπειρίας ἱππικῆς. ὁ μὲν οὖν ὥσπερ τι κειμήλιον ἁρπασάμενος ἧκε φέρων Καίσαρι τὸν αἰχμάλωτον· Τίτος δὲ τὸν μὲν λαβόντα τῆς δυνάμεως θαυμάσας, τὸν δὲ ληφθέντα τῆς περὶ τὸ τεῖχος ἐπιχειρήσεως κολάσαι κελεύσας, αὐτὸς ἐν ταῖς περὶ τὸ ἱερὸν διαμάχαις ἦν καὶ τὰ χώματα κατήπειγεν.
164. In the mean time, the Jews were so distressed by the fights they had been in, as the war advanced higher and higher, and creeping up to the holy house itself, that they, as it were, cut off those limbs of their body which were infected, in order to prevent the distemper's spreading further; for they set the north-west cloister, which was joined to the tower of Antonia, on fire, and after that brake off about twenty cubits of that cloister, and thereby made a beginning in burning the sanctuary; two days after which, or on the twenty-fourth day of the forenamed month, [Panemus or Tamuz,] the Romans set fire to the cloister that joined to the other, when the fire went fifteen cubits farther. The Jews, in like manner, cut off its roof; nor did they entirely leave off what they were about till the tower of Antonia was parted from the temple, even when it was in their power to have stopped the fire; nay, they lay still while the temple was first set on fire, and deemed this spreading of the fire to be for their own advantage. However, the armies were still fighting one against another about the temple, and the war was managed by continual sallies of particular parties against one another.
164. Ἐν ᾧ Ἰουδαῖοι κακούμενοι ταῖς συμβολαῖς ἀεὶ κατʼ ὀλίγον κορυφουμένου τοῦ πολέμου καὶ τῷ ναῷ προσέρποντος, καθάπερ σηπομένου σώματος ἀπέκοπτον τὰ προειλημμένα μέλη φθάνοντες τὴν εἰς τὸ πρόσω νομήν. τῆς γὰρ βορείου καὶ κατὰ δύσιν στοᾶς τὸ συνεχὲς πρὸς τὴν Ἀντωνίαν ἐμπρήσαντες ἔπειτα ἀπέρρηξαν ὅσον πήχεις εἴκοσι, ταῖς ἰδίαις χερσὶν ἀρξάμενοι καίειν τὰ ἅγια. μετὰ δʼ ἡμέρας δύο, τετράδι καὶ εἰκάδι τοῦ προειρημένου μηνός, τὴν πλησίον στοὰν ὑποπιμπρᾶσι Ῥωμαῖοι, καὶ μέχρι πεντεκαίδεκα πηχῶν προκόψαντος τοῦ πυρὸς ἀποκόπτουσιν ὁμοίως Ἰουδαῖοι τὴν ὀροφήν, μήτε καθάπαξ ἐξιστάμενοι τῶν ἔργων καὶ τὸ πρὸς τὴν Ἀντωνίαν συναφὲς αὐτῶν διαιροῦντες· διὸ καὶ παρὸν κωλύειν ὑποπιμπράντας, οἱ δὲ πρὸς τὴν ἐμβολὴν τοῦ πυρὸς ἠρεμήσαντες τὴν νομὴν ἐμέτρησαν αὐτῷ σφίσι χρησίμως. περὶ μὲν δὴ τὸ ἱερὸν οὐ διέλειπον αἱ συμβολαί, συνεχὴς δʼ ἦν κατὰ μέρος ἐκθεόντων ἐπʼ ἀλλήλους ὁ πόλεμος.
169. Now there was at this time a man among the Jews, low of stature he was, and of a despicable appearance; of no character either as to his family, or in other respects: his flame was Jonathan. He went out at the high priest John's monument, and uttered many other insolent things to the Romans, a challenged the best of them all to a single combat. But many of those that stood there in the army huffed him, and many of them (as they might well be) were afraid of him. Some of them also reasoned thus, and that justly enough: that it was not fit to fight with a man that desired to die, because those that utterly despaired of deliverance had, besides other passions, a violence in attacking men that could not be opposed, and had no regard to God himself; and that to hazard oneself with a person, whom, if you overcome, you do no great matter, and by whom it is hazardous that you may be taken prisoner, would be an instance, not of manly courage, but of unmanly rashness. So there being nobody that came out to accept the man's challenge, and the Jew cutting them with a great number of reproaches, as cowards, (for he was a very haughty man in himself, and a great despiser of the Romans,) one whose name was Pudens, of the body of horsemen, out of his abomination of the other's words, and of his impudence withal, and perhaps out of an inconsiderate arrogance, on account of the other's lowness of stature, ran out to him, and was too hard for him in other respects, but was betrayed by his ill fortune; for he fell down, and as he was down, Jonathan came running to him, and cut his throat, and then, standing upon his dead body, he brandished his sword, bloody as it was, and shook his shield with his left hand, and made many acclamations to the Roman army, and exulted over the dead man, and jested upon the Romans; till at length one Priscus, a centurion, shot a dart at him as he was leaping and playing the fool with himself, and thereby pierced him through; upon which a shout was set up both by the Jews and the Romans, though on different accounts. So Jonathan grew giddy by the pain of his wounds, and fell down upon the body of his adversary, as a plain instance how suddenly vengeance may come upon men that have success in war, without any just deserving the same.
169. Τῶν Ἰουδαίων δέ τις κατὰ ταύτας τὰς ἡμέρας ἀνὴρ τό τε σῶμα βραχὺς καὶ τὴν ὄψιν εὐκαταφρόνητος γένους θʼ ἕνεκα καὶ τῶν ἄλλων ἄσημος, Ἰωνάθης ἐκαλεῖτο, προελθὼν κατὰ τὸ τοῦ ἀρχιερέως Ἰωάννου μνημεῖον ἄλλα τε πολλὰ πρὸς τοὺς Ῥωμαίους ὑπερηφάνως ἐφθέγγετο καὶ τὸν ἄριστον αὐτῶν εἰς μονομαχίαν προυκαλεῖτο. τῶν δὲ ταύτῃ παρατεταγμένων οἱ πολλοὶ μὲν ὑπερηφάνουν, ἦσαν δʼ οἳ κατὰ τὸ εἰκὸς ἐδεδοίκεσαν, ἥπτετό γε μὴν τινῶν καὶ λογισμὸς οὐκ ἀσύνετος θανατῶντι μὴ συμπλέκεσθαι· τοὺς γὰρ ἀπεγνωκότας τὴν σωτηρίαν ἅμα καὶ τὰς ὁρμὰς ἀταμιεύτους ἔχειν καὶ τὸ θεῖον εὐδυσώπητον, τό τε παραβάλλεσθαι πρὸς οὓς καὶ τὸ νικᾶν οὐ μέγα καὶ μετʼ αἰσχύνης τὸ λειφθῆναι σφαλερόν, οὐκ ἀνδρείας ἀλλὰ θρασύτητος εἶναι. μηδενὸς δʼ ἐπὶ πολὺ προϊόντος καὶ τοῦ Ἰουδαίου πολλὰ κατακερτομοῦντος αὐτοὺς εἰς δειλίαν, ἀλαζὼν γάρ τις ἦν αὑτῷ σφόδρα καὶ τῶν Ῥωμαίων ὑπερήφανος, Πούδης τις ὄνομα τῶν ἐξ ἴλης ἱππέων βδελυξάμενος αὐτοῦ τά τε ῥήματα καὶ τὸ αὔθαδες, εἰκὸς δὲ καὶ πρὸς τὴν βραχύτητα τοῦ σώματος αὐτὸν ἀσκέπτως ἐπαρθῆναι, προπηδᾷ, καὶ τὰ μὲν ἄλλα περιῆν συμβαλών, προεδόθη δὲ ὑπὸ τῆς τύχης· πεσόντα γὰρ αὐτὸν ὁ Ἰωνάθης ἀποσφάττει προσδραμών. ἔπειτα ἐπιβὰς τῷ νεκρῷ τό τε ξίφος ᾑμαγμένον ἀνέσειε καὶ τῇ λαιᾷ τὸν θυρεὸν ἐπηλάλαξέ τε τῇ στρατιᾷ πολλὰ καὶ πρὸς τὸν πεσόντα κομπάζων καὶ τοὺς ὁρῶντας Ῥωμαίους ἐπισκώπτων, ἕως αὐτὸν ἀνασκιρτῶντα καὶ ματαΐζοντα Πρῖσκός τις ἑκατοντάρχης τοξεύσας διήλασε βέλει· πρὸς ὃ τῶν τε Ἰουδαίων καὶ τῶν Ῥωμαίων κραυγὴ συνεξήρθη διάφορος. ὁ δὲ δινηθεὶς ἐκ τῶν ἀλγηδόνων ἐπὶ τὸ σῶμα τοῦ πολεμίου κατέπεσεν, ὠκυτάτην ἀποφήνας ἐν πολέμῳ τὴν ἐπὶ τῷ ἀλόγως εὐτυχοῦντι νέμεσιν.
177. BUT now the seditious that were in the temple did every day openly endeavor to beat off the soldiers that were upon the banks, and on the twenty-seventh day of the forenamed month [Panemus or Tamuz] contrived such a stratagem as this: They filled that part of the western cloister which was between the beams, and the roof under them, with dry materials, as also with bitumen and pitch, and then retired from that place, as though they were tired with the pains they had taken; at which procedure of theirs, many of the most inconsiderate among the Romans, who were carried away with violent passions, followed hard after them as they were retiring, and applied ladders to the cloister, and got up to it suddenly; but the prudent part of them, when they understood this unaccountable retreat of the Jews, stood still where they were before. However, the cloister was full of those that were gone up the ladders; at which time the Jews set it all on fire; and as the flame burst out every where on the sudden, the Romans that were out of the danger were seized with a very great consternation, as were those that were in the midst of the danger in the utmost distress. So when they perceived themselves surrounded with the flames, some of them threw themselves down backwards into the city, and some among their enemies [in the temple]; as did many leap down to their own men, and broke their limbs to pieces; but a great number of those that were going to take these violent methods were prevented by the fire; though some prevented the fire by their own swords. However, the fire was on the sudden carried so far as to surround those who would have otherwise perished. As for Caesar himself, he could not, however, but commiserate those that thus perished, although they got up thither without any order for so doing, since there was no way of giving the many relief. Yet was this some comfort to those that were destroyed, that every body might see that person grieve, for whose sake they came to their end; for he cried out openly to them, and leaped up, and exhorted those that were about him to do their utmost to relieve them; So every one of them died cheerfully, as carrying along with him these words and this intention of Caesar as a sepulchral monument. Some there were indeed who retired into the wall of the cloister, which was broad, and were preserved out of the fire, but were then surrounded by the Jews; and although they made resistance against the Jews for a long time, yet were they wounded by them, and at length they all fell down dead.
177. Οἱ δὲ ἀνὰ τὸ ἱερὸν στασιασταὶ φανερῶς τε οὐκ ἀνίεσαν τοὺς ἐπὶ τῶν χωμάτων στρατιώτας ἀμυνόμενοι καθʼ ἑκάστην ἡμέραν, καὶ τοῦ προειρημένου μηνὸς ἑβδόμῃ καὶ εἰκάδι δόλον ἐνσκευάζονται τοιόνδε. τῆς ἑσπερίου στοᾶς τὸ μεταξὺ τῶν δοκῶν καὶ τῆς ὑπʼ αὐτῆς ὀροφῆς ὕλης ἀναπιμπλᾶσιν αὔης, πρὸς δὲ ἀσφάλτου τε καὶ πίσσης· ἔπειθʼ ὡς καταπονούμενοι δῆθεν ὑπεχώρουν. πρὸς ὃ τῶν μὲν ἀσκέπτων πολλοὶ ταῖς ὁρμαῖς φερόμενοι προσέκειντο τοῖς ὑποχωροῦσιν ἐπί τε τὴν στοὰν ἀνεπήδων προσθέμενοι κλίμακας, οἱ δὲ συνετώτεροι τὴν ἄλογον τροπὴν τῶν Ἰουδαίων ὑπονοήσαντες ἔμενον. κατεπλήσθη μέντοι τῶν ἀναπηδησάντων ἡ στοά, κἀν τούτῳ Ἰουδαῖοι πᾶσαν ὑποπιμπρᾶσιν αὐτήν. αἰρομένης δʼ αἰφνιδίως πάντοθεν τῆς φλογὸς τούς τε ἔξω τοῦ κινδύνου Ῥωμαίους ἔκπληξις ἐπέσχε δεινὴ καὶ τοὺς περισχεθέντας ἀμηχανία. κυκλούμενοι δὲ ὑπὸ τῆς φλογὸς οἱ μὲν εἰς τὴν πόλιν ὀπίσω κατεκρήμνιζον ἑαυτούς, οἱ δʼ εἰς τοὺς πολεμίους, πολλοὶ δʼ ἐλπίδι σωτηρίας εἰς τοὺς σφετέρους καταπηδῶντες ἐκλῶντο τὰ μέλη, πλείστων δʼ ἔφθανε τὰς ὁρμὰς τὸ πῦρ καί τινες τὴν φλόγα σιδήρῳ. περιεῖχε δʼ εὐθέως καὶ τοὺς ἄλλως φθειρομένους τὸ πῦρ ἐπὶ πλεῖστον ἐκφερόμενον. Καίσαρα δὲ καίπερ χαλεπαίνοντα τοῖς ἀπολλυμένοις, ἐπειδὴ δίχα παραγγέλματος ἀναβεβήκεσαν, ὅμως οἶκτος εἰσῄει τῶν ἀνδρῶν· καὶ μηδενὸς προσαμύνειν δυναμένου, τοῦτο γοῦν παραμύθιον ἦν τοῖς φθειρομένοις τὸ βλέπειν ὑπὲρ οὗ τις ἠφίει τὴν ψυχὴν ὀδυνώμενον· βοῶν τε γὰρ αὐτοῖς καὶ προπηδῶν καὶ τοῖς περὶ αὐτὸν ἐκ τῶν ἐνόντων ἐπαμύνειν παρακαλῶν δῆλος ἦν. τὰς δὲ φωνὰς ἕκαστος καὶ τὴν διάθεσιν ὥσπερ τι λαμπρὸν ἀποφέρων ἐντάφιον εὔθυμος ἀπέθνησκεν. ἔνιοί γε μὴν ἐπὶ τὸν τοῖχον τῆς στοᾶς ὄντα πλατὺν ἀναχωρήσαντες ἐκ μὲν τοῦ πυρὸς διεσώθησαν, ὑπὸ δὲ τῶν Ἰουδαίων περισχεθέντες ἐπὶ πολὺ μὲν ἀντέσχον διατιτρωσκόμενοι, τέλος δὲ πάντες ἔπεσον, καὶ τελευταῖός τις αὐτῶν νεανίας, ὀνόματι Λόγγος, ὅλον ἐπικοσμήσας τὸ πάθος καὶ κατʼ ἄνδρα μνήμης ἀξίων ὄντων πάντων τῶν ἀπολωλότων ἄριστος φανείς.
186. At the last a young man among them, whose name was Longus, became a decoration to this sad affair, and while every one of them that perished were worthy of a memorial, this man appeared to deserve it beyond all the rest. Now the Jews admired this man for his courage, and were further desirous of having him slain; so they persuaded him to come down to them, upon security given him for his life. But Cornelius his brother persuaded him on the contrary, not to tarnish his own glory, nor that of the Roman army. He complied with this last advice, and lifting up his sword before both armies, he slew himself. Yet there was one Artorius among those surrounded by the fire who escaped by his subtlety; for when he had with a loud voice called to him Lucius, one of his fellow soldiers that lay with him in the same tent, and said to him, “I do leave thee heir of all I have, if thou wilt come and receive me.” Upon this he came running to receive him readily; Artorius then threw himself down upon him, and saved his own life, while he that received him was dashed so vehemently against the stone pavement by the other's weight, that he died immediately. This melancholy accident made the Romans sad for a while, but still it made them more upon their guard for the future, and was of advantage to them against the delusions of the Jews, by which they were greatly damaged through their unacquaintedness with the places, and with the nature of the inhabitants. Now this cloister was burnt down as far as John's tower, which he built in the war he made against Simon over the gates that led to the Xystus. The Jews also cut off the rest of that cloister from the temple, after they had destroyed those that got up to it. But the next day the Romans burnt down the northern cloister entirely, as far as the east cloister, whose common angle joined to the valley that was called Cedron, and was built over it; on which account the depth was frightful. And this was the state of the temple at that time.
186. ὃν οἱ μὲν Ἰουδαῖοι τῆς τε ἀλκῆς ἀγάμενοι καὶ ἄλλως ἀνελεῖν ἀσθενοῦντες καταβῆναι πρὸς αὐτοὺς ἐπὶ δεξιᾷ παρεκάλουν, ὁ δὲ ἀδελφὸς Κορνήλιος ἐκ θατέρου μὴ καταισχῦναι τὸ σφέτερον κλέος καὶ τὴν Ῥωμαίων στρατιάν. τούτῳ πεισθεὶς καὶ διαράμενος φανερὸν ἑκατέροις τοῖς τάγμασι τὸ ξίφος αὑτὸν ἀναιρεῖ. τῶν δὲ τῷ πυρὶ περισχεθέντων Ἀρτώριός τις πανουργίᾳ διασώζεται· προσκαλεσάμενος γάρ τινα τῶν στρατιωτῶν Λούκιον, ᾧ συνεσκήνει, μεγάλῃ τῇ φωνῇ κληρονόμον, ἔφη, καταλείπω σε τῶν ἐμαυτοῦ κτημάτων, εἰ προσελθών με δέξαιο. τοῦ δὲ ἑτοίμως προσδραμόντος ὁ μὲν ἐπʼ αὐτὸν κατενεχθεὶς ἔζησεν, ὁ δὲ δεξάμενος ὑπὸ τοῦ βάρους τῷ λιθοστρώτῳ προσαραχθεὶς παραχρῆμα θνήσκει. τοῦτο τὸ πάθος πρὸς καιρὸν μὲν Ῥωμαίοις ἐνεποίησεν ἀθυμίαν, πρὸς δὲ τὸ μέλλον ὅμως ἀπαρακλήτους κατεσκεύασεν φυλακτικωτέρους τε πρὸς τὰς Ἰουδαίων ἀπάτας ὠφέλησεν, ἐν αἷς τὰ πολλὰ διʼ ἄγνοιαν τῶν τόπων καὶ τὸ ἦθος τῶν ἀνδρῶν ἐβλάπτοντο. κατεκάη δʼ ἡ στοὰ μέχρι τοῦ Ἰωάννου πύργου, ὃν ἐκεῖνος ἐν τῷ πρὸς Σίμωνα πολέμῳ κατεσκεύασεν ὑπὲρ τὰς ἐξαγούσας ὑπὲρ τὸν ξυστὸν πύλας· τὸ δὲ λοιπὸν ἐπὶ διεφθαρμένοις ἤδη Ἰουδαῖοι τοῖς ἀναβᾶσιν ἀπέκοψαν. τῇ δʼ ὑστεραίᾳ καὶ Ῥωμαῖοι τὴν βόρειον στοὰν ἐνέπρησαν μέχρι τῆς ἀνατολικῆς ὅλην, ὧν ἡ συνάπτουσα γωνία τῆς Κεδρῶνος καλουμένης φάραγγος ὑπερδεδόμητο, παρʼ ὃ καὶ φοβερὸν ἦν τὸ βάθος. καὶ τὰ μὲν περὶ τὸ ἱερὸν ἐν τούτοις ἦν.
193. Now of those that perished by famine in the city, the number was prodigious, and the miseries they underwent were unspeakable; for if so much as the shadow of any kind of food did any where appear, a war was commenced presently, and the dearest friends fell a fighting one with another about it, snatching from each other the most miserable supports of life. Nor would men believe that those who were dying had no food, but the robbers would search them when they were expiring, lest any one should have concealed food in their bosoms, and counterfeited dying; nay, these robbers gaped for want, and ran about stumbling and staggering along like mad dogs, and reeling against the doors of the houses like drunken men; they would also, in the great distress they were in, rush into the very same houses two or three times in one and the same day. Moreover, their hunger was so intolerable, that it obliged them to chew every thing, while they gathered such things as the most sordid animals would not touch, and endured to eat them; nor did they at length abstain from girdles and shoes; and the very leather which belonged to their shields they pulled off and gnawed: the very wisps of old hay became food to some; and some gathered up fibres, and sold a very small weight of them for four Attic [drachmae]. But why do I describe the shameless impudence that the famine brought on men in their eating inanimate things, while I am going to relate a matter of fact, the like to which no history relates, either among the Greeks or Barbarians? It is horrible to speak of it, and incredible when heard. I had indeed willingly omitted this calamity of ours, that I might not seem to deliver what is so portentous to posterity, but that I have innumerable witnesses to it in my own age; and besides, my country would have had little reason to thank me for suppressing the miseries that she underwent at this time.
193. Τῶν δὲ ὑπὸ τοῦ λιμοῦ φθειρομένων κατὰ τὴν πόλιν ἄπειρον μὲν ἔπιπτε τὸ πλῆθος, ἀδιήγητα δὲ συνέβαινε τὰ πάθη. καθʼ ἑκάστην γὰρ οἰκίαν, εἴ που τροφῆς παραφανείη σκιά, πόλεμος ἦν, καὶ διὰ χειρῶν ἐχώρουν οἱ φίλτατοι πρὸς ἀλλήλους ἐξαρπάζοντες τὰ ταλαίπωρα τῆς ψυχῆς ἐφόδια. πίστις δʼ ἀπορίας οὐδὲ τοῖς θνήσκουσιν ἦν, ἀλλὰ καὶ τοὺς ἐκπνέοντας οἱ λῃσταὶ διηρεύνων, μή τις ὑπὸ κόλπον ἔχων τροφὴν σκήπτοιτο τὸν θάνατον αὑτῷ. οἱ δʼ ὑπʼ ἐνδείας κεχηνότες ὥσπερ λυσσῶντες κύνες ἐσφάλλοντο, καὶ παρεφέροντο ταῖς τε θύραις ἐνσειόμενοι μεθυόντων τρόπον καὶ ὑπʼ ἀμηχανίας εἰς τοὺς αὐτοὺς οἴκους εἰσπηδῶντες δὶς ἢ τρὶς ὥρᾳ μιᾷ. πάντα δὲ ὑπʼ ὀδόντας ἦγεν ἡ ἀνάγκη, καὶ τὰ μηδὲ τοῖς ῥυπαρωτάτοις τῶν ἀλόγων ζῴων πρόσφορα συλλέγοντες ἐσθίειν ὑπέφερον· ζωστήρων γοῦν καὶ ὑποδημάτων τὸ τελευταῖον οὐκ ἀπέσχοντο καὶ τὰ δέρματα τῶν θυρεῶν ἀποδέροντες ἐμασῶντο. τροφὴ δʼ ἦν καὶ χόρτου τισὶ παλαιοῦ σπάραγμα· τὰς γὰρ ἶνας ἔνιοι συλλέγοντες ἐλάχιστον σταθμὸν ἐπώλουν Ἀττικῶν τεσσάρων. καὶ τί δεῖ τὴν ἐπʼ ἀψύχοις ἀναίδειαν τοῦ λιμοῦ λέγειν; εἶμι γὰρ αὐτοῦ δηλώσων ἔργον οἷον μήτε παρʼ Ἕλλησιν μήτε παρὰ βαρβάροις ἱστόρηται, φρικτὸν μὲν εἰπεῖν, ἄπιστον δὲ ἀκοῦσαι. καὶ ἔγωγε μὴ δόξαιμι τερατεύεσθαι τοῖς αὖθις ἀνθρώποις, κἂν παρέλειπον τὴν συμφορὰν ἡδέως, εἰ μὴ τῶν κατʼ ἐμαυτὸν εἶχον ἀπείρους μάρτυρας. ἄλλως τε καὶ ψυχρὰν ἂν καταθείμην τῇ πατρίδι χάριν καθυφέμενος τὸν λόγον ὧν πέπονθεν τὰ ἔργα.
201. There was a certain woman that dwelt beyond Jordan, her name was Mary; her father was Eleazar, of the village Bethezob, which signifies the house of Hyssop. She was eminent for her family and her wealth, and had fled away to Jerusalem with the rest of the multitude, and was with them besieged therein at this time. The other effects of this woman had been already seized upon, such I mean as she had brought with her out of Perea, and removed to the city. What she had treasured up besides, as also what food she had contrived to save, had been also carried off by the rapacious guards, who came every day running into her house for that purpose. This put the poor woman into a very great passion, and by the frequent reproaches and imprecations she east at these rapacious villains, she had provoked them to anger against her; but none of them, either out of the indignation she had raised against herself, or out of commiseration of her case, would take away her life; and if she found any food, she perceived her labors were for others, and not for herself; and it was now become impossible for her any way to find any more food, while the famine pierced through her very bowels and marrow, when also her passion was fired to a degree beyond the famine itself; nor did she consult with any thing but with her passion and the necessity she was in. She then attempted a most unnatural thing; and snatching up her son, who was a child sucking at her breast, she said, “O thou miserable infant! for whom shall I preserve thee in this war, this famine, and this sedition? As to the war with the Romans, if they preserve our lives, we must be slaves. This famine also will destroy us, even before that slavery comes upon us. Yet are these seditious rogues more terrible than both the other. Come on; be thou my food, and be thou a fury to these seditious varlets, and a by-word to the world, which is all that is now wanting to complete the calamities of us Jews.” As soon as she had said this, she slew her son, and then roasted him, and eat the one half of him, and kept the other half by her concealed. Upon this the seditious came in presently, and smelling the horrid scent of this food, they threatened her that they would cut her throat immediately if she did not show them what food she had gotten ready. She replied that she had saved a very fine portion of it for them, and withal uncovered what was left of her son. Hereupon they were seized with a horror and amazement of mind, and stood astonished at the sight, when she said to them, “This is mine own son, and what hath been done was mine own doing! Come, eat of this food; for I have eaten of it myself! Do not you pretend to be either more tender than a woman, or more compassionate than a mother; but if you be so scrupulous, and do abominate this my sacrifice, as I have eaten the one half, let the rest be reserved for me also.” After which those men went out trembling, being never so much aftrighted at any thing as they were at this, and with some difficulty they left the rest of that meat to the mother. Upon which the whole city was full of this horrid action immediately; and while every body laid this miserable case before their own eyes, they trembled, as if this unheard of action had been done by themselves. So those that were thus distressed by the famine were very desirous to die, and those already dead were esteemed happy, because they had not lived long enough either to hear or to see such miseries.
201. Γυνή τις τῶν ὑπὲρ τὸν Ἰορδάνην κατοικούντων, Μαρία τοὔνομα, πατρὸς Ἐλεαζάρου, κώμης Βηθεζουβᾶ, σημαίνει δὲ τοῦτο οἶκος ὑσσώπου, διὰ γένος καὶ πλοῦτον ἐπίσημος, μετὰ τοῦ λοιποῦ πλήθους εἰς τὰ Ἱεροσόλυμα καταφυγοῦσα συνεπολιορκεῖτο. ταύτης τὴν μὲν ἄλλην κτῆσιν οἱ τύραννοι διήρπασαν, ὅσην ἐκ τῆς Περαίας ἀνασκευασαμένη μετήνεγκεν εἰς τὴν πόλιν, τὰ δὲ λείψανα τῶν κειμηλίων καὶ εἴ τι τροφῆς ἐπινοηθείη καθʼ ἡμέραν εἰσπηδῶντες ἥρπαζον οἱ δορυφόροι. δεινὴ δὲ τὸ γύναιον ἀγανάκτησις εἰσῄει, καὶ πολλάκις λοιδοροῦσα καὶ καταρωμένη τοὺς ἅρπαγας ἐφʼ αὑτὴν ἠρέθιζεν. ὡς δʼ οὔτε παροξυνόμενός τις οὔτʼ ἐλεῶν αὐτὴν ἀνῄρει, καὶ τὸ μὲν εὑρεῖν τι σιτίον ἄλλοις ἐκοπία, πανταχόθεν δὲ ἄπορον ἦν ἤδη καὶ τὸ εὑρεῖν, ὁ λιμὸς δὲ διὰ σπλάγχνων καὶ μυελῶν ἐχώρει καὶ τοῦ λιμοῦ μᾶλλον ἐξέκαιον οἱ θυμοί, σύμβουλον λαβοῦσα τὴν ὀργὴν μετὰ τῆς ἀνάγκης ἐπὶ τὴν φύσιν ἐχώρει, καὶ τὸ τέκνον, ἦν δὲ αὐτῇ παῖς ὑπομάστιος, ἁρπασαμένη βρέφος, εἶπεν, ἄθλιον, ἐν πολέμῳ καὶ λιμῷ καὶ στάσει τίνι σε τηρήσω; τὰ μὲν παρὰ Ῥωμαίοις δουλεία, κἂν ζήσωμεν ἐπʼ αὐτούς, φθάνει δὲ καὶ δουλείαν ὁ λιμός, οἱ στασιασταὶ δὲ ἀμφοτέρων χαλεπώτεροι. ἴθι, γενοῦ μοι τροφὴ καὶ τοῖς στασιασταῖς ἐρινὺς καὶ τῷ βίῳ μῦθος ὁ μόνος ἐλλείπων ταῖς Ἰουδαίων συμφοραῖς. καὶ ταῦθʼ ἅμα λέγουσα κτείνει τὸν υἱόν, ἔπειτʼ ὀπτήσασα τὸ μὲν ἥμισυ κατεσθίει, τὸ δὲ λοιπὸν κατακαλύψασα ἐφύλαττεν. εὐθέως δʼ οἱ στασιασταὶ παρῆσαν, καὶ τῆς ἀθεμίτου κνίσης σπάσαντες ἠπείλουν, εἰ μὴ δείξειεν τὸ παρασκευασθέν, ἀποσφάξειν αὐτὴν εὐθέως. ἡ δὲ καὶ μοῖραν αὐτοῖς εἰποῦσα καλὴν τετηρηκέναι τὰ λείψανα τοῦ τέκνου διεκάλυψεν. τοὺς δʼ εὐθέως φρίκη καὶ παρέκστασις ᾕρει καὶ παρὰ τὴν ὄψιν ἐπεπήγεσαν. ἡ δʼ ἐμόν, ἔφη, τοῦτο τέκνον γνήσιον καὶ τὸ ἔργον ἐμόν. φάγετε, καὶ γὰρ ἐγὼ βέβρωκα. μὴ γένησθε μήτε μαλακώτεροι γυναικὸς μήτε συμπαθέστεροι μητρός. εἰ δʼ ὑμεῖς εὐσεβεῖς καὶ τὴν ἐμὴν ἀποστρέφεσθε θυσίαν, ἐγὼ μὲν ὑμῖν βέβρωκα, καὶ τὸ λοιπὸν δὲ ἐμοὶ μεινάτω. μετὰ ταῦθʼ οἱ μὲν τρέμοντες ἐξῄεσαν, πρὸς ἓν τοῦτο δειλοὶ καὶ μόλις ταύτης τῆς τροφῆς τῇ μητρὶ παραχωρήσαντες, ἀνεπλήσθη δʼ εὐθέως ὅλη τοῦ μύσους ἡ πόλις, καὶ πρὸ ὀμμάτων ἕκαστος τὸ πάθος λαμβάνων ὥσπερ αὐτῷ τολμηθὲν ἔφριττε. σπουδὴ δὲ τῶν λιμωττόντων ἐπὶ τὸν θάνατον ἦν, καὶ μακαρισμὸς τῶν φθασάντων πρὶν ἀκοῦσαι καὶ θεάσασθαι κακὰ τηλικαῦτα.
214. This sad instance was quickly told to the Romans, some of whom could not believe it, and others pitied the distress which the Jews were under; but there were many of them who were hereby induced to a more bitter hatred than ordinary against our nation. But for Caesar, he excused himself before God as to this matter, and said that he had proposed peace and liberty to the Jews, as well as an oblivion of all their former insolent practices; but that they, instead of concord, had chosen sedition; instead of peace, war; and before satiety and abundance, a famine. That they had begun with their own hands to burn down that temple which we have preserved hitherto; and that therefore they deserved to eat such food as this was. That, however, this horrid action of eating an own child ought to be covered with the overthrow of their very country itself, and men ought not to leave such a city upon the habitable earth to be seen by the sun, wherein mothers are thus fed, although such food be fitter for the fathers than for the mothers to eat of, since it is they that continue still in a state of war against us, after they have undergone such miseries as these. And at the same time that he said this, he reflected on the desperate condition these men must be in; nor could he expect that such men could be recovered to sobriety of mind, after they had endured those very sufferings, for the avoiding whereof it only was probable they might have repented.
214. Ταχέως δὲ καὶ Ῥωμαίοις διηγγέλθη τὸ πάθος. τῶν δʼ οἱ μὲν ἠπίστουν, οἱ δὲ ᾤκτειρον, τοὺς δὲ πολλοὺς εἰς μῖσος τοῦ ἔθνους σφοδρότερον συνέβη προελθεῖν. Καῖσαρ δὲ ἀπελογεῖτο καὶ περὶ τούτου τῷ θεῷ, φάσκων παρὰ μὲν αὐτοῦ Ἰουδαίοις εἰρήνην καὶ αὐτονομίαν προτείνεσθαι καὶ πάντων ἀμνηστίαν τῶν τετολμημένων, τοὺς δὲ ἀντὶ μὲν ὁμονοίας στάσιν, ἀντὶ δὲ εἰρήνης πόλεμον, πρὸ κόρου δὲ καὶ εὐθηνίας λιμὸν αἱρουμένους, ἰδίαις δὲ χερσὶν ἀρξαμένους καίειν τὸ συντηρούμενον ὑφʼ ἡμῶν ἱερὸν αὐτοῖς, εἶναι καὶ τοιαύτης τροφῆς ἀξίους. καλύψειν μέντοι τὸ τῆς τεκνοφαγίας μύσος αὐτῷ τῷ τῆς πατρίδος πτώματι καὶ οὐ καταλείψειν ἐπὶ τῆς οἰκουμένης ἡλίῳ καθορᾶν πόλιν, ἐν ᾗ μητέρες οὕτω τρέφονται. προσήκειν μέντοι πρὸ μητέρων πατράσιν τὴν τοιαύτην τροφήν, οἳ καὶ μετὰ τηλικαῦτα πάθη μένουσιν ἐν τοῖς ὅπλοις. ταῦθʼ ἅμα διεξιὼν ἐνενόει καὶ τὴν ἀπόγνωσιν τῶν ἀνδρῶν· οὐ γὰρ ἂν ἔτι σωφρονῆσαι τοὺς πάντα προπεπονθότας ἐφʼ οἷς εἰκὸς ἦν μεταβαλέσθαι μὴ παθοῦσιν.
220. AND now two of the legions had completed their banks on the eighth day of the month Lous [Ab]. Whereupon Titus gave orders that the battering rams should be brought, and set over against the western edifice of the inner temple; for before these were brought, the firmest of all the other engines had battered the wall for six days together without ceasing, without making any impression upon it; but the vast largeness and strong connexion of the stones were superior to that engine, and to the other battering rams also. Other Romans did indeed undermine the foundations of the northern gate, and after a world of pains removed the outermost stones, yet was the gate still upheld by the inner stones, and stood still unhurt; till the workmen, despairing of all such attempts by engines and crows, brought their ladders to the cloisters. Now the Jews did not interrupt them in so doing; but when they were gotten up, they fell upon them, and fought with them; some of them they thrust down, and threw them backwards headlong; others of them they met and slew; they also beat many of those that went down the ladders again, and slew them with their swords before they could bring their shields to protect them; nay, some of the ladders they threw down from above when they were full of armed men; a great slaughter was made of the Jews also at the same time, while those that bare the ensigns fought hard for them, as deeming it a terrible thing, and what would tend to their great shame, if they permitted them to be stolen away. Yet did the Jews at length get possession of these engines, and destroyed those that had gone up the ladders, while the rest were so intimidated by what those suffered who were slain, that they retired; although none of the Romans died without having done good service before his death. Of the seditious, those that had fought bravely in the former battles did the like now, as besides them did Eleazar, the brother's son of Simon the tyrant. But when Titus perceived that his endeavors to spare a foreign temple turned to the damage of his soldiers, and then be killed, he gave order to set the gates on fire.
220. Ἤδη δὲ τῶν δύο ταγμάτων συντετελεκότων τὰ χώματα Λώου μηνὸς ὀγδόῃ προσάγειν ἐκέλευσε τοὺς κριοὺς κατὰ τὴν ἑσπέριον ἐξέδραν τοῦ ἔξωθεν ἱεροῦ. πρὸ δὲ τούτων ἓξ ἡμέρας ἀδιαλείπτως ἡ στερροτάτη πασῶν ἑλέπολις τύπτουσα τὸν τοῖχον οὐδὲν ἤνυσεν, ἀλλὰ καὶ ταύτης καὶ τῶν ἄλλων τὸ μέγεθος καὶ ἡ ἁρμονία τῶν λίθων ἦν ἀμείνων. τῆς δὲ βορείου πύλης ὑπώρυττον ἕτεροι τοὺς θεμελίους καὶ πολλὰ ταλαιπωρήσαντες τοὺς ἔμπροσθεν λίθους ἐξεκύλισαν. ἀνείχοντο δʼ ὑπὸ τῶν ἐνδοτέρω καὶ διέμεινεν ἡ πύλη, μέχρι τὰς διʼ ὀργάνων καὶ τῶν μοχλῶν ἐπιχειρήσεις ἀπογνόντες κλίμακας ταῖς στοαῖς προσέφερον. οἱ δὲ Ἰουδαῖοι κωλῦσαι μὲν οὐκ ἔφθασαν, ἀναβᾶσι δὲ συμπεσόντες ἐμάχοντο, καὶ τοὺς μὲν ἀνωθοῦντες εἰς τοὐπίσω κατεκρήμνιζον, τοὺς δʼ ὑπαντιάζοντας ἀνῄρουν· πολλοὺς δὲ τῶν κλιμάκων ἀποβαίνοντας πρὶν φράξασθαι τοῖς θυρεοῖς παίοντες ταῖς ῥομφαίαις ἔφθανον, ἐνίας δὲ γεμούσας ὁπλιτῶν κλίμακας παρακλίνοντες ἄνωθεν κατέσειον· ἦν δʼ οὐκ ὀλίγος καὶ αὐτῶν φόνος. οἱ δὲ ἀνενεγκόντες τὰς σημαίας περὶ αὐτῶν ἐπολέμουν, δεινὴν ἡγούμενοι καὶ πρὸς αἰσχύνης τούτων τὴν ἁρπαγήν. τέλος δὲ καὶ τῶν σημαιῶν οἱ Ἰουδαῖοι κρατοῦσιν καὶ τοὺς ἀναβάντας διαφθείρουσιν· οἱ δὲ λοιποὶ πρὸς τὸ τῶν ἀπολωλότων πάθος ὀρρωδοῦντες ἀνεχώρουν. τῶν μὲν οὖν Ῥωμαίων ἄπρακτος οὐδεὶς ἀπέθανεν, τῶν δὲ στασιαστῶν οἳ κατὰ τὰς προτέρας μάχας ἠγωνίσαντο γενναίως καὶ τότε καὶ Ἐλεάζαρος ἀδελφιδοῦς τοῦ τυράννου Σίμωνος. ὁ δὲ Τίτος ὡς ἑώρα τὴν ἐπὶ τοῖς ἀλλοτρίοις ἱεροῖς φειδὼ πρὸς βλάβης τοῖς στρατιώταις γινομένην καὶ φόνου, τὰς πύλας προσέταξεν ὑφάπτειν.