the wars of the jews-第49章

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CHAPTER　1。

Vespasian　Is　Sent　Into　Syria　By　Nero　In　Order　To　Make　War　With　The　Jews。

1。　When　Nero　was　informed　of　the　Romans'　ill　success　in　Judea；　a　concealed　consternation　and　terror；　as　is　usual　in　such　cases；　fell　upon　him；　although　he　openly　looked　very　big；　and　was　very　angry；　and　said　that　what　had　happened　was　rather　owing　to　the　negligence　of　the　commander；　than　to　any　valor　of　the　enemy：　and　as　he　thought　it　fit　for　him；　who　bare　the　burden　of　the　whole　empire；　to　despise　such　misfortunes；　he　now　pretended　so　to　do；　and　to　have　a　soul　superior　to　all　such　sad　accidents　whatsoever。　Yet　did　the　disturbance　that　was　in　his　soul　plainly　appear　by　the　solicitude　he　was　in　＇how　to　recover　his　affairs　again＇。　　2。　And　as　he　was　deliberating　to　whom　he　should　commit　the　care　of　the　East；　now　it　was　in　so　great　a　commotion；　and　who　might　be　best　able　to　punish　the　Jews　for　their　rebellion；　and　might　prevent　the　same　distemper　from　seizing　upon　the　neighboring　nations　also；　…　he　found　no　one　but　Vespasian　equal　to　the　task；　and　able　to　undergo　the　great　burden　of　so　mighty　a　war；　seeing　he　was　growing　an　old　man　already　in　the　camp；　and　from　his　youth　had　been　exercised　in　warlike　exploits：　he　was　also　a　man　that　had　long　ago　pacified　the　west；　and　made　it　subject　to　the　Romans；　when　it　had　been　put　into　disorder　by　the　Germans；　he　had　also　recovered　to　them　Britain　by　his　arms；　which　had　been　little　known　before　（1）　whereby　he　procured　to　his　father　Claudius　to　have　a　triumph　bestowed　on　him　without　any　sweat　or　labor　of　his　own。

3。　So　Nero　esteemed　these　circumstances　as　favorable　omens；　and　saw　that　Vespasian's　age　gave　him　sure　experience；　and　great　skill；　and　that　he　had　his　sons　as　hostages　for　his　fidelity　to　himself；　and　that　the　flourishing　age　they　were　in　would　make　them　fit　instruments　under　their　father's　prudence。　Perhaps　also　there　was　some　interposition　of　Providence；　which　was　paving　the　way　for　Vespasian's　being　himself　emperor　afterwards。　Upon　the　whole；　he　sent　this　man　to　take　upon　him　the　command　of　the　armies　that　were　in　Syria；　but　this　not　without　great　encomiums　and　flattering　compellations；　such　as　necessity　required；　and　such　as　might　mollify　him　into　complaisance。　So　Vespasian　sent　his　son　Titus　from　Achaia；　where　he　had　been　with　Nero；　to　Alexandria；　to　bring　back　with　him　from　thence　the　fifth　and。　the　tenth　legions；　while　he　himself；　when　he　had　passed　over　the　Hellespont；　came　by　land　into　Syria；　where　he　gathered　together　the　Roman　forces；　with　a　considerable　number　of　auxiliaries　from　the　kings　in　that　neighborhood。

CHAPTER　2。

A　Great　Slaughter　About　Ascalon。　Vespasian　Comes　To　Ptolemais。　　1。　Now　the　Jews；　after　they　had　beaten　Cestius；　were　so　much　elevated　with　their　unexpected　success；　that　they　could　not　govern　their　zeal；　but；　like　people　blown　up　into　a　flame　by　their　good　fortune；　carried　the　war　to　remoter　places。　Accordingly；　they　presently　got　together　a　great　multitude　of　all　their　most　hardy　soldiers；　and　marched　away　for　Ascalon。　This　is　an　ancient　city　that　is　distant　from　Jerusalem　five　hundred　and　twenty　furlongs；　and　was　always　an　enemy　to　the　Jews；　on　which　account　they　determined　to　make　their　first　effort　against　it；　and　to　make　their　approaches　to　it　as　near　as　possible。　This　excursion　was　led　on　by　three　men；　who　were　the　chief　of　them　all；　both　for　strength　and　sagacity；　Niger；　called　the　Persite；　Silas　of　Babylon；　and　besides　them　John　the　Essene。　Now　Ascalon　was　strongly　walled　about；　but　had　almost　no　assistance　to　be　relied　on　＇near　them＇；　for　the　garrison　consisted　of　one　cohort　of　footmen；　and　one　troop　of　horsemen；　whose　captain　was　Antonius。

2。　These　Jews；　therefore；　out　of　their　anger；　marched　faster　than　ordinary；　and；　as　if　they　had　come　but　a　little　way；　approached　very　near　the　city；　and　were　come　even　to　it；　but　Antonius；　who　was　not　unapprized　of　the　attack　they　were　going　to　make　upon　the　city；　drew　out　his　horsemen　beforehand；　and　being　neither　daunted　at　the　multitude；　nor　at　the　courage　of　the　enemy；　received　their　first　attacks　with　great　bravery；　and　when　they　crowded　to　the　very　walls；　he　beat　them　off。　Now　the　Jews　were　unskillful　in　war；　but　were　to　fight　with　those　who　were　skillful　therein；　they　were　footmen　to　fight　with　horsemen；　they　were　in　disorder；　to　fight　those　that　were　united　together；　they　were　poorly　armed；　to　fight　those　that　were　completely　so；　they　were　to　fight　more　by　their　rage　than　by　sober　counsel；　and　were　exposed　to　soldiers　that　were　exactly　obedient；　and　did　every　thing　they　were　bidden　upon　the　least　intimation。　So　they　were　easily　beaten；　for　as　soon　as　ever　their　first　ranks　were　once　in　disorder；　they　were　put　to　flight　by　the　enemy's　cavalry；　and　those　of　them　that　came　behind　such　as　crowded　to　the　wall　fell　upon　their　own　party's　weapons；　and　became　one　another's　enemies；　and　this　so　long　till　they　were　all　forced　to　give　way　to　the　attacks　of　the　horsemen；　and　were　dispersed　all　the　plain　over；　which　plain　was　wide；　and　all　fit　for　the　horsemen；　which　circumstance　was　very　commodious　for　the　Romans；　and　occasioned　the　slaughter　of　the　greatest　number　of　the　Jews；　for　such　as　ran　away；　they　could　overrun　them；　and　make　them　turn　back；　and　when　they　had　brought　them　back　after　their　flight；　and　driven　them　together；　they　ran　them　through；　and　slew　a　vast　number　of　them；　insomuch　that　others　encompassed　others　of　them；　and　drove　them　before　them　whithersoever　they　turned　themselves；　and　slew　them　easily　with　their　arrows；　and　the　great　number　there　were　of　the　Jews　seemed　a　solitude　to　themselves；　by　reason　of　the　distress　they　were　in；　while　the　Romans　had　such　good　success　with　their　small　number；　that　they　seemed　to　themselves　to　be　the　greater　multitude。　And　as　the　former　strove　zealously　under　their　misfortunes；　out　of　the　shame　of　a　sudden　flight；　and　hopes　of　the　change　in　their　success；　so　did　the　latter　feel　no　weariness　by　reason　of　their　good　fortune；　insomuch　that　the　fight　lasted　till　the　evening；　till　ten　thousand　men　of　the　Jews'　side　lay　dead；　with　two　of　their　generals；　John　and　Silas；　and　the　greater　part　of　the　remainder　were　wounded；　with　Niger；　their　remaining　general；　who　fled　away　together　to　a　small　city　of　Idumea；　called　Sallis。　Some　few　also　of　the　Romans　were　wounded　in　this　battle。

3。　Yet　were　not　the　spirits　of　the　Jews　broken　by　so　great　a　calamity；　but　the　losses　they　had　sustained　rather　quickened　their　resolution　for　other　attempts；　for；　overlooking　the　dead　bodies　which　lay　under　their　feet；　they　were　enticed　by　their　former　glorious　actions　to　venture　on　a　second　destruction；　so　when　they　had　lain　still　so　little　a　while　that　their　wounds　were　not　yet　thoroughly　cured；　they　got　together　all　their　forces；　and　came　with　greater　fury；　and　in　much　greater　numbers；　to　Ascalon。　But　their　former　ill　fortune　followed　them；　as　the　consequence　of　their　unskilfulness；　and　other　deficiencies　in　war；　for　Antonius　laid　ambushes　for　them　in　the　passages　they　were　to　go　through；　where　they　fell　into　snares　unexpectedly；　and　where　they　were　encompassed　about　with　horsemen；　before　they　could　form　themselves　into　a　regular　body　for　fighting；　and　were　above　eight　thousand　of　them　slain；　so　all　the　rest　of　them　ran　away；　and　with　them　Niger；　who　still　did　a　great　many　bold　exploits　in　his　flight。　However；　they　were　driven　along　together　by　the　enemy；　who　pressed　hard　upon　them；　into　a　certain　strong　tower　belonging　to　a　village　called　Bezedeh　However；　Antonius　and　his　party；　that　they　might　neither　spend　any　considerable　time　about　this　tower；　which　was　hard　to　be　taken；　nor　suffer　their　commander；　and　the　most　courageous　man　of　them　all；　to　escape　from　them；　they　set　the　wall　on　fire；　and　as　the　tower　was　burning；　the　Romans　went　away　rejoicing；　as　taking　it　for　granted　that　Niger　was　destroyed；　but　he　leaped　out　of　the　tower　into　a　subterraneous　cave；　in　the　innermost　part　of　it；　and　was　preserved；　and　on　the　third　day　afterward　he　spake　out　of　the　ground　to　those　that　with　great　lamentation　were　searching　for　him；　in　order　to　give　him　a　decent　funeral；　and　when　he　was　come　out；　he　filled　all　the　Jews　with　an　unexpected　joy；　as　though　he　were　preserved　by　God's　providence　to　be　their　commander　for　the　time　to　come。

4。　And　now　Vespasian　took　along　with　him　his　army　from　Antioch；　（which　is　the　metropolis　of　Syria；　and　without　dispute　deserves　the　place　of　the　third　city　in　the　habitable　earth　that　was　under　the　Roman　empire；　（2）　both　in　magnitude；　and　other　marks　of　prosperity；）　where　he　found　king　Agrippa；　with　all　his　forces；　waiting　for　his　coming；　and　marched　to　Ptolemais。　At　this　city　also　the　inhabitants　of　Sepphoris　of　Galilee　met　him；　who　were　for　peace　with　the　Romans。　These　citizens　had　beforehand　taken　care　of　their　own　safety；　and　being　sensible　of　the　power　of　the　Romans；　they　had　been　with　Cestius　Gallus　before　Vespasian　came；　and　had　given　their　faith　to　him；　and　received　the　security　of　his　right　hand；　and　had　received　a　Roman　garrison；　and　at　this　time　withal　they　received　Vespasian；　the　Roman　general；　very　kindly；　and　readily　promised　that　they　would　assist　him　against　their　own　countrymen。　Now　the　general　delivered　them；　at　their　desire；　as　many　horsemen　and　footmen　as　he　thought　sufficient　to　oppose　the　incursions　of　the　Jews；　if　they　should　come　against　them。　And　indeed　the　danger　of　losing　Sepphoris　would　be　no　small　one；　in　this　war　that　was　now　beginning；　seeing　it　was　the　largest　city　of　Galilee；　and　built　in　a　place　by　nature　very　strong；　and　might　be　a　security　of　the　whole　nation's　＇fidelity　to　the　Romans＇。

CHAPTER　3。

A　Description　Op　Galilee；　Samaria；　And　Judea。

1。　Now　Phoenicia　and　Syria　encompass　about　the　Galilees；　which　are　two；　and　called　the　Upper　Galilee　and　the　Lower。　They　are　bounded　toward　the　sun…setting；　with　the　borders　of　the　territory　belonging　to　Ptolemais；　and　by　Carmel；　which　mountain　had　formerly　belonged　to　the　Galileans；　but　now　belonged　to　the　Tyrians；　to　which　mountain　adjoins　Gaba；　which　is　called　the　City　of　Horsemen；　because　those　horsemen　that　were　dismissed　by　Herod　the　king　dwelt　therein；　they　are　bounded　on　the　south　with　Samaria　and　Scythopolis；　as　far　as　the　river　Jordan；　on　the　east　with　Hippeae　and　Gadaris；　and　also　with　Ganlonitis；　and　the　borders　of　the　kingdom　of　Agrippa；　its　northern　parts　are　hounded　by　Tyre；　and　the　country　of　the　Tyrians。　As　for　that　Galilee　which　is　called　the　Lower；　it；　extends　in　length　from　Tiberias　to　Zabulon；　and　of　the　maritime　places　Ptolemais　is　its　neighbor；　its　breadth　is　from　the　village　called　Xaloth；　which　lies　in　the　great　plain；　as　far　as　Bersabe；　from　which　beginning　also　is　taken　the　breadth　of　the　Upper　Galilee；　as　far　as　the　village　Baca；　which　divides　the　land　of　the　Tyrians　from　it；　its　length　is　also　from　Meloth　to　Thella；　a　village　near　to　Jordan。

2。　These　two　Galilees；　of　so　great　largeness；　and　encompassed　with　so　many　nations　of　foreigners；　have　been　always　able　to　make　a　strong　resistance　on　all　occasions　of　war；　for　the　Galileans　are　inured　to　war　from　their　infancy；　and　have　been　always　very　numerous；　nor　hath　the　country　been　ever　destitute　of　men　of　courage；　or　wanted　a　numerous　set　of　them；　for　their　soil　is　universally　rich　and　fruitful；　and　full　of　the　plantations　of