became master of the lower part, and was proceeding against the Temple and upper part, which he might have taken had he continued his attacks.

The Christians began now to recollect the warning which our Lord had given them, that when they should see Jerusalem compassed about with armies, they should flee to the mountains, or to some place of security. It is generally believed that they had a particular revelation at that time, commanding them to forsake Jerusalem, and go to Pella.

But how could a number of people leave the city when it was surrounded by armies? God in His tender love to His people opened a way-for notwithstanding Cestius had every prospect of success, he unexpectedly raised the siege.

We must conclude that the Lord sent him away to give His people time to depart. They seized the opportunity, and universally retreated to Pella, so that none of them perished in the common ruin. It was a city beyond Jordan, about one hundred miles from Jerusalem, belonging to Agrippa, and inhabited by Gentiles. It seems, God was pleased to direct the Christians thither, that they might be out of the reach of the besom of destruction that was to sweep away the Jews wherever it came.

The retreat of Cestius, without any apparent reason, gave the Jews fresh courage: they immediately pursued him, and with so much success, that the Romans lost six thousand men, together with the greatest part of their baggage and ammunition, their engines and slings, and other arms, which the Jews afterwards used in their own defence. The Romans escaped with difficulty to Antipatris, and so to Cæsarea. The Jews, elevated with this success, upon their re

turn to Jerusalem, created Joseph, the son of Gorion, and Ananus, the high-priest, governors of the city, and sent commanders into the provinces: one of whom was Josephus, a priest and the famous Jewish historian. He was sent into Galilee; where, after he had walled and fortified many towns, and gathered together about sixty thousand men, he waited for the coming of the Romans. At Jerusalem, Ananus, the highpriest, prepared for war, by repairing the walls and otherwise fortifying the city. He in vain endeavoured to reconcile the factious zealots, and also to apprehend Simon, the son of Gorias, who was both a tyrant and a robber, for he and his party had fled to others of the same description at Massada, from whence they made frequent excursions, and miserably infested all the country of Judea with their robberies and murders.

In the mean time, Cestius sent to the emperor Nero, giving him an account of the ill posture of affairs in Judea, much blaming Florus. The emperor fixed on the famous Vespasian to succeed Florus as governor of Judea. He was the fourteenth and last governor of Judea. At the same time Mutianus was sent into Syria, in the room of Cestius Gallus.

Vespasian passed over into Asia, and came to Antioch, in Syria; then, gathering together all the Roman forces in those parts, he marched to Ptolemais, in Phoenicia; where he was joined by his son Titus, with the fifth and tenth legions. Their whole forces of horse and foot amounted to sixty thousand men. Vespasian marched to the borders of Galilee and their encamped (A.d. 67). The rumour of his coming made many of the rebels fainthearted. Josephus's soldiers, who

were encamped a little way from the metropolis of Galilee, hearing of the approach of the Romans, precipitatedly fled; and so few remained with Josephus, that he durst not risk a battle, but retired to Tiberius. Vespasian marched to Gadara, and took it at the first assault. The men of war having left the city, the Romans entered and put all to death without mercy; after which they burnt that city, and the towns and villages adjoining: the few remaining inha

bitants of which were made slaves.

Vespasian next advanced to Jotopata; a number of Jews having fled thither for security; it being a place fortified both by nature and art; there was only one access to it, which opened on a declining mountain; the rest of the city was encompassed with deep valleys of perpendicular descent. There was no regular road to it, which obliged Vespasian to send pioneers forward to make plain the way; without which it was impossible to pass with an army, the ground being filled with ragged stones. They had literally to take up the stumbling-blocks out of the way this was effected in four days.

The next day, Josephus privately entered the city, coming thither from Tiberius. A deserter gave information of this to Vespasian, who immediately despatched troops with valiant commanders, to invest the city on all sides, to prevent Josephus from escaping, for he was advised by the traitor that if he could take Josephus, all Judea would soon submit.

The day after he followed with his whole army; and about noon came to Jotapata, leading his troops to the north side; where they pitched their tents, in full view of their enemies. The sight of the Roman army so terrified the inhabi

tants, that none durst stir out of the city. The Romans rested that day, only securing the gates, so that none could go out of the city. This threw the Jews into desperation, and they determined to defend themselves,

The next day the Romans began the battery; when Josephus made a sally with all his troops, assaulting them with such fury, that he drove them from the walls. These skirmishes were continued for five days successively. Vespasian then determined to combat the difficulties arising from the situation of the place, and the attacks of the Jews, by immediately commencing a hot siege. Vespasian ordered a mount to be raised in that place where the city was easiest to enter. But here they were much annoyed by the Jews, who came out in companies and pulled down the shed that defended the workmen: they then assaulted them and destroyed their works. Vespasian, at length, prevented these excursions of the enemy, and nearly finished the mounts and towers.

Josephus, on the other hand, was no less careful for the defence of the town. He assembled the workmen together and ordered them to build a wall higher than the works of the Romans, which they did, labouring day and night, and raised the wall twenty cubits high, erecting many towers upon it; and thus made it a strong defence.

The Romans, who thought themselves sure of the town, were by this device quite disconcerted, and the courage of the besieged was proportionately animated; for they made assaults upon the Romans daily, plundering them of all that came in their way; and what they could not carry off they set on fire. The Romans, from a high hill, perceived the Jews come to a certain place to

receive water by measure; which made Vespasian conclude, that when their water was expended they must yield; he therefore gave order to desist from fighting, as he intended to reduce them by famine, ordering the city to be blocked up that none might come out.

The besieged had plenty of provisions, but stood in great need of water, for there was not a fountain in the city, and they had but little rain in summer, so that the inhabitants were soon likely to be reduced to great distress. Josephus having information that the Romans had gained a knowledge of their distress, ordered a great many garments to be dipped in water, and hung over the wall, that the water might run on every side. At this sight the Romans were much surprised; they could not suppose the Jews to be so improvident as to waste their water if they were in want of it for drink. Vespasian, therefore, gave up the idea of famishing them. This was just what the Jews wanted, as they preferred the risk of perishing by the sword, to that of dying with thirst.

The Romans now pressed the siege with the utmost vigour. Upon which, Josephus, perceiving the city could not hold out long, consulted with his officers how he might escape; but the people flocked around him urging him to stay. Josephus told them, that in wishing to depart, he sought their welfare; for if he stayed in the city, he could be of little service to them; but if abroad he could raise troops in Galilee, and then come against their enemies and force them to raise the siege: but while he continued in the city the Romans would persist in their attempts against it in hopes of taking him. These arguments, however, had no effect with the people, who pros