The soldiers were now laden with the spoils of the general plunder of the Temple, and so great was the number and worth of them, that gold was reduced in Syria to half its former value. During this time, the priests, who were driven from the Temple, came down to the walls, with a fixed determination to resist the encroachments of the Romans: but a few days afterwards they were compelled, by extreme necessity and hunger, to abandon their resolution, and to throw themselves upon the mercy of the enemy. The Roman guard now brought them into the presence of Titus, where casting themselves at his feet, they entreated that protection and kindness, which they had hitherto refused. These were both instantly denied; "be

t

cause," said he, "you should have solicited mercy at "a much earlier period of the war. The Temple, by "your insuperable obstinacy, no longer exists; it would "therefore be unreasonable in me to permit its neglectful priests to survive it.”1

John

Suetonius says, that " Titus having been left in Judea to complete the reduction of that country, he, in the last siege of Jerusalem, killed seven of the enemy with as many darts: and that he took the city on his daughter's birth day, and was then saluted by the soldiers with the title of Imperator."-" Et ad perdomandam Judæam relictus, novissima Hierosolymorum oppugnatione viri propugnatores totidem sagittarum confecit ictibus: cepitque eam natali filiæ suæ, tanto militum gaudio ac favore, ut in gratulatione IMPERATOREM eum consalutaverint." In vitâ Tit. v.

"The title of Imperator during the times of the republic, did not bear the least relation to that idea which is affixed to it in modern language; but was merely honorary and occasional. It was conferred on the Roman Generals by the acclamations of their army in the field, after some signal advantage gained by their courage and conduct; and it was immediately dropped again as soon as they entered Rome." Melmoth.

1 Bell. Jud. 6, vi. 1, 2.

DESTRUCTION COMETH; AND THEY SHALL SEEK PEACE, AND THERE SHALL BE NONE.

U

Ezek. vii. 25.

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Titus

John and Simon finding themselves no longer able to contend against famine within, or the sword without, solicited a conference with Titus, which he not only granted, but made the offer of protecting their city and people, provided they would lay down their arms and surrender themselves up to him. To which they replied, "that they could not deliver themselves up upon any promise or assurance he could give, because they were under an oath to the contrary; but they "would go with their wives and families into the "desert, and leave the town to the Romans." consented to spare their lives, but refused to compromise the war on any other terms; and was so offended at the presumption of prisoners remonstrating and imposing conditions on their conquerors, that he made a proclamation, declaring in future, that no quarter should be given by his army to any Jew whatever. Upon this, the Romans again attacked the Jews, and commenced the ransack of the city; but in their first endeavour to effect this purpose they were routed out of the royal palace, in which the most valuable treasures were concealed; and the insurgents, by their determination to secure to themselves so great a spoil, killed eight thousand four hundred of their own countrymen before they gained complete possession of it.

At this time it happened, that the Jews having taken two Roman soldiers, prisoners, determined to revengė on them, their own, as well as their national afflictions. With this view one of them was murdered, and his body drawn through every street of the city; while the other, blindfolded, was led to be publicly executed in

the

1 Bell. Jud. 6, vi. 5.

the sight of the enemy's army: but at the instant the executioner was in the act of drawing his sword to accomplish this deliberate slaughter; the victim eluded his grasp, and escaped in safety to his companions. The result furnishes a circumstance which shews in a striking manner the height to which the military discipline of the Romans was carried. Titus, upon this man appearing before him, in consideration of his activity in effecting his escape under such peculiar circumstances, disarmed and broke him; instead of sacrificing that life which was forfeited to martial law, when a soldier was taken alive by his enemy.

On the following day, the Romans set fire to the lower city multitudes now deserted to them, without either the hope, or even the desire of mercy: the streets were covered with the dead bodies of those whom the seditious had starved or murdered. 1 The guilty members of the faction sought concealment in the recesses of common sewers, and in hiding holes of the most horrid description, where they proceeded to quarrel among themselves for food; " and I cannot "but think," says Josephus, "that had not their "destruction prevented it, their barbarity would cer"tainly have made them feed upon each other."2

1 Bell. Jud. 6, vii. 2.

The

I WILL NO MORE PITY THE INHABITANTS, SAITH THE LORD: BUT, LO, I WILL DELIVER THE MEN, EVERY ONE INTO HIS NEIGHBOUR'S HAND. Zech. xi. 6.

Had the Prophet actually witnessed these calamities, he could not have uttered language more appropriate or feeling, than that, in which he bewailed these, or such as these, so many years before their occurrence.-" Oh that my head were waters, and mine eyes a fountain of tears, that I might weep day and night for the slain of the daughter of my people!" Jer. ix. 1. See the whole chapter.

Daughters of Jerusalem! weep not for me, but weep for yourselves and for

The factions in the upper town continued obstinately determined to hold out to the last moment; upon which the Romans had recourse to their former measures of raising banks against it. This, from the great scarcity of materials, calculated to answer such designs, had with difficulty been effected when they lately attacked the Temple; the labour was consequently excessive to procure wood from a distance sufficient for the present purpose: yet eighteen days only elapsed before those

mounds were seen to threaten the western and north eastern sides of Zion. These struck so great a consternation into the minds of the Idumæans, that forsaking their allies, they entered into treaties with the enemy; and though unable wholly in a body to leave the factions, succeeded in privately deserting to Titus, notwithstanding the precaution of the tyrants to prevent it: they were all well received by the Romans, because Titus had been negligent in the execution of his former orders; and the soldiers were becoming merciful from being weary of the slaughter, as well as from the hope of gaining ransoms by sparing them. These, and other Jewish captives, were disposed of, with their wives and children, at a low and trifling valuation, from the circumstance of there being many for sale, and few to purchase; and though the multitude of the sold was prodigious, yet there were forty thousand of the people saved whom Titus permitted to go wherever they pleased.1 "Against

for your children; for behold! the days are coming in the which they shall say-blessed are the barren, and the womb that never bare, and the paps which never gave suck: THEN SHALL THEY BEGIN TO SAY TO THE MOUN TAINS, FALL ON US! AND TO THE HILLS, COVER US!" Luke xxiii. 28-30.

IT.

1 AND YE SHALL BE PLUCKED FROM OFF THE LAND WHITHER THOU GOEST TO POSSESS Deut. xxviii. 63.

YE

"Against a city so strongly fortified, and defended by such an obstinate race, Titus saw that nothing "could be done either by surprise, or a general assault, "He threw up mounds and ramparts, and prepared "battering engines. engines. He stationed the legions at "different posts, and assigned to each a distinct share "of duty. For some time no attack was made. In "the interval, the Romans prepared all the machines "of war, which either the ancients had employed, or "modern genius invented:"1 and by an active and most desperate effort, put the enemy to flight. Panic struck, and astonished at the destructive operations of the Romans, they relinquished three of their strongest forts; these, had they not quitted in their surprise and fear,

YE SHALL BE SOLD UNTO YOUR ENEMIES FOR BOND-MEN AND BOND-WOMEN, AND NO MAN SHALL BUY YOU. Deut. xxviii. 68.

I WILL SCATTER A THIRD PART INTO ALL THE WINDS, AND I WILL DRAW OUT A SWORD AFTER THEM. Ezek. v. 12.

THEY THAT ESCAPE OF THEM SHALL ESCAPE, AND SHALL BE ON THE MOUNTAINS LIKE DOVES OF THE VALLIES, ALL OF THEM MOURNING, EVERY ONE FOR HIS INIQUITY.

Ezek. vii. 16.

THOU SELLEST THY PEOPLE FOR NOUGHT, AND TAKEST NO MONEY FOR THEM.

Psalm xliv. 12.

AND THEY SHALL FALL BY THE EDGE OF THE SWORD, AND SHALL BE LED AWAY CAPTIVE INTO ALL NATIONS. Luke, xxi. 24.

Josephus tells us, that Titus sent many of his captives, above seventeen years old, to the works in Egypt, and those under that age were sold. Bell. Jud. 6, viii. 2 and 6, ix. 2.

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They who had bought our Saviour," says Abp. Tillotson, " for thirty pieces of silver, were afterwards themselves sold at a lower rate."

Sermon ccxl.

1 Hanc adversus urbem gentemque Cæsar Titus, quando impetum et subita belli locus abnueret, aggeribus vineisque certare statuit. Dividuntur Legionibus munia, et quies præliorum fuit; donec cuncta expugnundis urbibus reperta apud veteres, aut novis ingeniis struerentur.

Tacit. Hist. v. 13.