festival, and on this account the confufion became the greater, and provifions foon began to fail.

A combat having taken place within the temple, between fome of the factions which prevailed in the city, a number of people were flaughtered; and the animofity of the citizens was increased. Famine began now to add to the horrors of war; and the Romans taking advantage of this difafter, and of the internal discord and confufion of the inhabitants, advanced their works nearer to the walls.

On the 4th of May, Titus made himfelf master of the first wall of Jerufalem, and caufed a great part of it toward the north to be demolished. Notwithstanding this fuccefs, he offered very favourable terms to the befieged, if they would fubmit; but this offer was rejected. Five days after, he took the second wall, from which he was, however, repulfed; but in four days more he again got it into his poffeffion, and demolished what remained of it in the northern quarter. Having failed in his attempt to batter down the third wall, Titus made new proposals to the Hebrews through the medium of Flavius Jofephus, who, after having received his liberty, as before mentioned, had attached himself to the Romans, and was with Titus in his encampment. The greater part of the people were inclined to accept the eafy conditions propofed to them by Jofephus in the name of the emperor: but being oppofed by John of Gifcala, and Simon the fon of Joras, the leaders of the zealots, Jofephus was treated with every mark of indignity and reproach.

After this behaviour their remained no more mercy for the Hebrews. Titus caufed the hands of thofe even who had voluntarily fought thelter in the Roman camp to be cut off, and

fent them back to the city, and others were crucified in the fight of their countrymen.

About the 30th of May, John of Gifcala and Simon the fon of Joras, made feveral fallies with so much vigour and refolution,. that many of the Romans began to confider Jerufalem as impregnable. Titus then drew a wall round the city thirty-nine stadia in extent, forming a circumference of four miles and feven-eighths. In this manner was Jerufalem fhut up entirely by the Romans, verifying what Jefus Chrift had predicted to the Jews, when he told them that their city would be enclosed by the enemy, and confined on every fide *.

Famine in the mean time began to make dreadful havock among the people. Of this calamity, and the diftreffes it occafioned, Jofephus gives fuch a pathetic account as cannot fail of exciting horror. He tells us, that the effects of hunger were fo great, that a noble lady, called Mary, devoured the flesh of her own fon; and that this action appeared fo unnatural to Titus, that he fwore he would bury the remembrance of it under the ruins of Jerufalem. We are informed alfo, that Titus, finding that all the miseries to which the city was expofed, were the confequences of the obftinacy and impiety of the Hebrews, lifted up his hands to heaven, and called God to witness that he was not the author of thofe misfortunes. These indeed were principally owing to the leaders of the different factions, who feem to have been the minifters of the divine vengeance against that infatuated nation, who would neither liften to the voice of God, communicated to them through the mouths of the prophets, nor acknowledge the Meffias fent to fave mankind, whom they treated with indignity, and at last put to death on the crofs.

Titus, in order to haften the capture of the city, caufed all the trees which were within the distance of fome miles from Jerufalem, to be cut down, and employed them in his machines and military works. Having made every neceffary difpofition for continuing his operations with vigour, he applied his battering rams to the third wall, that is to fay, the wall enclofing the fortrefs, and made himself mafter of the tower called Antonia. The Romans being defirous to get poffeffion of the temple, without deftroying it, were obliged to fuftain a fierce confict in it: but a foldier, inftigated by fome unknown motive, threw a burning torch into the northern part of it, where there was a great quantity of combustible materials, by which means it was fet on fire. This magnificent building, therefore, was reduced to afhes, and the Hebrews, with great grief and forrow, faw a monument deftroyed, which was the principal object that had animated their hopes, and awakened their courage.

The zealots, though they now found that every advantage was on the fide of the Romans, ftill had the audacity to refift, and to oppose the arms of the conquerors. They firft took fhelter in the royal palace, which abounded with riches of every kind; but being driven thence, they retired to the upper part of Mount Sion. Here, however, they were obliged to fubmit; and John of Gifcala, with Simon the fon of Joras, their leaders, were taken prisoners. Simon was conducted to Rome, and ferved to ornament the triumph of Titus, after which he was put to death; and John was condemned to perpetual imprison

ment.

In short, on the 2d of September, in the year 71 of the Chriftian æra, and the fecond of the reign of Vefpafian, the city of Jerufalem fell entirely into the hands of Titus. It was then given up to be plundered by the foldiers, and most of its inhabitants were put to the sword. According to the orders of Titus, the

city was deftroyed to its foundations; and even the ruins of the temple were totally demolifted. Nothing was left ftanding but three of the higheft towers, that is to fay, Phafaelus, Ippicus and Mariamne, and that part of 'the wall which enclofed it on the well, in order that a garrifon might be placed there; and that from thefe remains, pofterity might fee what kind of a fortrefs the Romans had taken. Such devaftation took place in the reft of the city, that ftrangers, who paffed that way, could fcarcely have believed that it ever had been inhabited. When Titus entered Jerufalem, and beheld its ftrength, on account of its lofty and fingular towers, he confefied that he had not taken it by his own valour and conduct, but by the affiftance of God. The author who gives us this information fays alfo, that the number of prifoners taken during the whole time of the war was ninety-feven thoufand, and that the number killed in the city during the fame period amounted to eleven hundred thoufand.

We have feen in the third chapter that Jerufalem was never more than thirty-three ftadia, or four miles and an eighth, in circumference, That it could not be greater, is clearly proved by the extent of the wall drawn by Titus around it, which was only thirty-nine ftadia, or four miles and feven-eighths. The fpace, therefore, which remained for the Roman foldiers to carry on their operations, between the wall of Titus and that of the city, taking it at the utmost, contained three ftadia. As we may then conclude that Jerufalem could not be much above four miles in circumference, it appears that the number of thofe who perished in the city during the time of the fiege is greatly exaggerated; for it is not poffible that fo many people could be contained within fo narrow limits. The feftival of the paffover, which happened at that time, and which brought to Jerufalem the greater part of the people of judea, might no doubt have much augmented

augmented the ordinary number of the inhabitants; but ftill, when we confider the moderate fize of the city, we have every reason to conclude that the account given of this matter by Jofephus has in it more of the wonderful than the credible. Cornelius Tacitus, who lived in the first century, in the time of Vefpafian and Titus, heard it reported, that the number of the befieged, including thofe of every age and fex, was only fix hundred thousand.

Juftus Lipfius, a writer of the fixteenth century, in his commentary on Tacitus, feems inclined to think that the account of Jofephus is agreeable to truth; but as his opinion is not fupported by any convincing proofs, I ihall not enter into a difcuffion of it.

Eufebius Pamphilus, a writer of the fourth century, fays in his hiftory, that the number of those destroyed by Titus, in the fiege of Jerufalem, was fix hundred thousand,

Paulus Orofius, an hiftorian of the fifth century, adopts the opinion of Tacitus, but with the difference which is found in some of the editions of that author; for, according to Orofius, it was the number of thofe killed, and not of thofe befieged, which amounted to fix hundred thousand: but this may be an error of fome tranferibers. Befide Tacitus, Paulus Orofius quotes alfo Suetonius, who fays that the number of the Jews flain in that war was fix hundred thousand. This account, notwithstanding the difference between Tacitus and Orofius, appears a little more credible than that of Jofephus. Orofius, in relating the number of the killed, as handed down to us by that hiftorian, seems to infinuate, that it may have been exaggerated out of compliment to the emperor Vefpafian, with whom Jofephus was in great favour. When the city of Jotapa fell into the hands of that prince, and Jofephus was taken prifoner, he affured the conqueror that he would be raised to the

imperial throne of Rome. This prediction having been accomplished, Jofephus was fet at liberty. He af terward accompanied Titus to the fiege of Jerufalem, and from thence went with him to Rome, where Vefpafian made him a Roman citizen, and treated him with every mark of friendship. The emperor aligned him the houfe to live in which he himself had inhabited before he was elevated to that dignity, together with an annual penfion; and he rose into fo, much efteem, that he was even honoured with a statue.

While he refided at Rome he wrote his Hiftory of the Jewish War, in seven books. In this work it may be plainly feen that he flattered Vefpafian and Titus, but particularly the latter, by the relation he gives of the events of the fiege, and of the capture of Jerufalem, which is entirely deftitute of that fimplicity requifite in an historical narrative. When finished he prefented it to the emperor, and his fon Titus; the latter of whom, in order to fhew his efteem for it, figned it with his own hand, and caused it to be depofited in the public library. But to return to the flaughter of the Hebrews: whatever may have been the number killed, it is certain that a great many were destroyed, and many taken prifoners.

With the taking of the city ended the empire of the Hebrews, who, afthis period, were difperfed over the face of the earth, and became objects of univerfal contempt: thus proving the effects of their own impious imprecation, when they faid to Pilate, who declared that he found Jefus Chrift innocent, His blood be on us, and on our children *?

When Titus returned to Rome he had the honour of a triumph, together with Vefpafian; he received alfo the title of Cæfar; and a triumphal arch was erected to him, which still subfifts. When he triumphed, a golden table and golden candlestick, together

with