the wars of the jews-第126章

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s。　But　here　a　worse　fate　accompanied　these　than　what　they　had　found　within　the　city；　and　they　met　with　a　quicker　despatch　from　the　too　great　abundance　they　had　among　the　Romans；　than　they　could　have　done　from　the　famine　　among　the　Jews；　for　when　they　came　first　to　the　Romans；　they　were　puffed　up　by　the　famine；　and　swelled　like　men　in　a　dropsy；　after　which　they　all　on　the　sudden　overfilled　those　bodies　that　were　before　empty；　and　so　burst　asunder；　excepting　such　only　as　were　skillful　enough　to　restrain　their　appetites；　and　by　degrees　took　in　their　food　into　bodies　unaccustomed　thereto。　Yet　did　another　plague　seize　upon　those　that　were　thus　preserved；　for　there　was　found　among　the　Syrian　deserters　a　certain　person　who　was　caught　gathering　pieces　of　gold　out　of　the　excrements　of　the　Jews'　bellies；　for　the　deserters　used　to　swallow　such　pieces　of　gold；　as　we　told　you　before；　when　they　came　out；　and　for　these　did　the　seditious　search　them　all；　for　there　was　a　great　quantity　of　gold　in　the　city；　insomuch　that　as　much　was　now　sold　＇in　the　Roman　camp＇　for　twelve　Attic　＇drams＇；　as　was　sold　before　for　twenty…five。　But　when　this　contrivance　was　discovered　in　one　instance；　the　fame　of　it　filled　their　several　camps；　that　the　deserters　came　to　them　full　of　gold。　So　the　multitude　of　the　Arabians；　with　the　Syrians；　cut　up　those　that　came　as　supplicants；　and　searched　their　bellies。　Nor　does　it　seem　to　me　that　any　misery　befell　the　Jews　that　was　more　terrible　than　this；　since　in　one　night's　time　about　two　thousand　of　these　deserters　were　thus　dissected。　　　　5。　When　Titus　came　to　the　knowledge　of　this　wicked　practice；　he　had　like　to　have　surrounded　those　that　had　been　guilty　of　it　with　his　horse；　and　have　shot　them　dead；　and　he　had　done　it；　had　not　their　number　been　so　very　great；　and　those　that　were　liable　to　this　punishment　would　have　been　manifold　more　than　those　whom　they　had　slain。　However；　he　called　together　the　commanders　of　the　　auxiliary　troops　he　had　with　him；　as　well　as　the　commanders　of　the　Roman　legions；　（for　some　of　his　own　soldiers　had　been　also　guilty　herein；　as　he　had　been　informed；）　and　had　great　indignation　against　both　sorts　of　them；　and　said　to　them；　〃What！　have　any　of　my　own　soldiers　done　such　things　as　this　out　of　the　uncertain　hope　of　gain；　without　regarding　their　own　weapons；　which　are　made　of　silver　and　gold？　Moreover；　do　the　Arabians　and　　Syrians　now　first　of　all　begin　to　govern　themselves　as　they　please；　and　to　indulge　their　appetites　in　a　foreign　war；　and　then；　out　of　their　barbarity　in　murdering　men；　and　out　of　their　hatred　to　the　Jews；　get　it　ascribed　to　the　Romans？〃　for　this　infamous　practice　was　said　to　be　spread　among　some　of　his　own　soldiers　also。　Titus　then　threatened　that　he　would　put　such　men　to　death；　if　any　of　them　were　discovered　to　be　so　insolent　as　to　do　so　again；　moreover；　he　gave　it　in　charge　to　the　legions；　that　they　should　make　a　search　after　such　as　were　suspected；　and　should　bring　them　to　him。　But　it　appeared　that　the　love　of　money　was　too　hard　for　all　their　dread　of　punishment；　and　a　vehement　desire　of　gain　is　natural　to　men；　and　no　passion　is　so　venturesome　as　covetousness；　otherwise　such　passions　have　certain　bounds；　and　are　subordinate　to　fear。　But　in　reality　it　was　God　who　condemned　the　whole　nation；　and　　turned　every　course　that　was　taken　for　their　preservation　to　their　destruction。　This；　therefore；　which　was　forbidden　by　Caesar　under　such　a　threatening；　was　ventured　upon　privately　against　the　deserters；　and　these　barbarians　would　go　out　still；　and　meet　those　that　ran　away　before　any　saw　them；　and　looking　about　them　to　see　that　no　Roman　spied　them；　they　dissected　them；　and　pulled　this　polluted　money　out　of　their　bowels；　which　money　was　still　found　in　a　few　of　them；　while　yet　a　great　many　were　destroyed　by　the　bare　hope　there　was　of　thus　getting　by　them；　which　miserable　　treatment　made　many　that　were　deserting　to　return　back　again　into　the　city。　　　　6。　But　as　for　John；　when　he　could　no　longer　plunder　the　people；　he　betook　himself　to　sacrilege；　and　melted　down　many　of　the　sacred　utensils；　which　had　been　given　to　the　temple；　as　also　many　of　those　vessels　which　were　necessary　for　such　as　ministered　about　holy　things；　the　caldrons；　the　dishes；　and　the　tables；　nay；　he　did　not　abstain　from　those　pouring　vessels　that　were　sent　them　by　Augustus　and　his　wife；　for　the　Roman　emperors　did　ever　　both　honor　and　adorn　this　temple；　whereas　this　man；　who　was　a　Jew；　seized　upon　what　were　the　donations　of　foreigners；　and　said　to　those　that　were　with　him；　that　it　was　proper　for　them　to　use　Divine　things；　while　they　were　fighting　for　the　Divinity；　without　fear；　and　that　such　whose　warfare　is　for　the　temple　should　live　of　the　temple；　on　which　account　he　emptied　the　vessels　of　that　sacred　wine　and　oil；　which　the　priests　kept　to　be　poured　on　the　burnt…offerings；　and　which　lay　in　the　inner　court　of　the　temple；　and　distributed　it　among　the　multitude；　who；　in　their　anointing　themselves　and　drinking；　used　＇each　of　them＇　above　an　hin　of　them。　And　here　I　cannot　but　speak　my　mind；　and　what　the　concern　I　am　under　dictates　to　me；　and　it　is　this：　I　suppose；　that　had　the　Romans　made　any　longer　delay　in　　coming　against　these　villains；　that　the　city　would　either　have　been　swallowed　up　by　the　ground　opening　upon　them；　or　been　overflowed　by　water；　or　else　been　destroyed　by　such　thunder　as　the　country　of　Sodom　（20）　perished　by；　for　it　had　brought　forth　a　generation　of　men　much　more　atheistical　than　were　those　that　suffered　such　punishments；　for　by　their　madness　it　was　that　all　the　people　came　to　be　destroyed。　　　　7。　And；　indeed；　why　do　I　relate　these　particular　calamities？　while　Manneus；　the　son　of　Lazarus；　came　running　to　Titus　at　this　very　time；　and　told　him　that　there　had　been　carried　out　through　that　one　gate；　which　was　intrusted　to　his　care；　no　fewer　than　a　hundred　and　fifteen　thousand　eight　hundred　and　eighty　dead　bodies；　in　the　interval　between　the　fourteenth　day　of　the　month　Xanthieus；　＇Nisan；＇　when　the　Romans　pitched　their　camp　by　the　city；　and　the　first　day　of　the　month　Panemus　＇Tamuz＇。　This　was　itself　a　prodigious　multitude；　and　though　this　man　was　not　himself　set　as　a　governor　at　that　gate；　yet　was　he　appointed　to　pay　the　public　stipend　for　carrying　these　bodies　out；　and　so　was　obliged　of　necessity　to　number　them；　while　the　rest　were　buried　by　their　relations；　though　all　their　burial　was　but　this；　to　bring　them　away；　and　cast　them　out　of　the　city。　After　this　man　there　ran　away　to　Titus　many　of　the　eminent　citizens；　and　told　him　the　entire　number　of　the　poor　that　were　dead；　and　that　no　fewer　than　six　hundred　thousand　were　thrown　out　at　the　gates；　though　still　the　number　of　the　rest　could　not　be　discovered；　and　they　told　him　further；　that　when　they　were　no　longer　able　to　carry　out　the　dead　bodies　of　the　poor；　they　laid　their　corpses　on　heaps　in　very　large　houses；　and　shut　them　up　therein；　as　also　that　a　medimnus　of　wheat　was　sold　for　a　talent；　and　that　when；　a　while　　afterward；　it　was　not　possible　to　gather　herbs；　by　reason　the　city　was　all　walled　about；　some　persons　were　driven　to　that　terrible　distress　as　to　search　the　common　sewers　and　old　dunghills　of　cattle；　and　to　eat　the　dung　which　they　got　there；　and　what　they　of　old　could　not　endure　so　much　as　to　see　they　now　used　for　food。　When　the　Romans　barely　heard　all　this；　they　commiserated　their　case；　while　the　seditious；　who　saw　it　also；　did　not　repent；　but　suffered　the　same　distress　to　come　upon　themselves；　for　they　were　blinded　by　that　fate　which　was　already　coming　upon　the　city；　and　upon　themselves　also。

WAR　BOOK　5　FOOTNOTES

（1）　This　appears　to　be　the　first　time　that　the　zealots　ventured　to　pollute　this　most　sacred　court　of　the　temple；　which　was　the　court　of　the　priests；　wherein　the　temple　itself　and　the　altar　stood。　So　that　the　conjecture　of　those　that　would　interpret　that　Zacharias；　who　was　slain　〃between　the　temple　and　the　altar〃　several　months　before；　B。　IV。　ch。　5。　sect。　4；　as　if　he　were　slain　there　by　these　zealots；　is　groundless；　as　I　have　noted　on　that　place　already。

（2）　The　Levites。

（3）　This　is　an　excellent　reflection　of　Josephus；　including　his　hopes　of　the　restoration　of　the　Jews　upon　their　repentance；　See　Antiq。　B。　IV。　ch。　8。　sect。　46；　which　is　the　grand　〃Ho