sufferings of the blessed Jesus, whom they crucified without the gates of Jerusalem!

The Romans were now occupied in building four vast ramparts, on which to place their engines, in order to storm the city. But the besieged contrived to undermine them, and, by setting fire to some combustibles which they had placed beneath, in a short time reduced to ashes what the Romans had been seventeen days in erecting. The Jews improved the terror and consternation into which this unexpected disaster had thrown their enemies, by sallying forth in the most furious manner, undauntedly pressing forward, till they broke into the very camp of the Romans: whence, however, they were valiantly repulsed by Titus.

To hasten the destined ruin of the city, Titus now caused it to be surrounded by a wall or entrenchment, to prevent all relief from coming to it. This work, according to Josephus, was done with such expedition, that three days only elapsed before it was completed, though it was near five miles in com感 pass. Thus were our Saviour's words accomplished, Luke xix. 43. The days shall come upon thee, that thine enemies shall cast a trench about thee, and compass thee round, and keep thee in on every side.

Some noblemen that had fled to Titus gave him the following relation of the state of the city: That famine raged in all parts, and even the soldiers could not get food, but began to eat girdles, shoes, skins, and hay. A bushel of corn was sold for six hundred crowns. Sinks and holes were continually raked to find old dung of oxen to satisfy their hunger. Wives

took the meat out of their husbands' mouths, children from their parents, and mothers from their infants. A certain lady, descended of noble and rich parentage, had boiled her own child, made one meal, and reserved the rest for another time; when the soldiers broke in, and commanded her to bring them what food she had; upon which she produced her mangled child. So horrid a sight shocked even these wretches! yet all this did not prevail upon them to yield. Titus was filled with such horror at the relation of this enormity, that, having called upon God to witness he was not the author of these calamities, seeing he had repeatedly offered the Jews peace, if they would have accepted of it, he declared, That he would bury this abominable crime in the ruins of their country, and not suffer the sun to shine upon that city, where mothers ate their own children, and where fathers, no less culpable, reduced them to that extremity by their obstinately refusing to surrender.

These terrible calamities were foretold by Moses, in Deut. xxviii. 53-57, And thou shalt eat the fruit of thine own body, the flesh of thy sons and of thy daughters (which the Lord thy God hath given thee) in the siege and straitness wherewith thine enemies shall distress thee. So that the man that is tender among you and very delicate, his eye shall be evil towards his brother, and towards the wife of his bosom, and towards the remnant of his children which he shall leave. So that he will not give to any of them of the flesh of his children whom he shall eat; because he hath nothing left him in the siege, and in the straitness wherewith thine enemies shall distress thee in all thy gates. The tender and delicate

woman among you, which would not adventure to set the sole of her foot upon the ground, for delicateness and tenderness, her eye shall be evil towards the husband of her bosom, and towards her son, and towards her daughter, and towards her children which she shall bear: for she shall eat them for want of all things secretly, in the siege and straitness wherewith thine enemies shall distress thee in thy gates.

This dreadful famine was soon followed by a pestilence, which raged so violently, that, from the fourteenth of April to the first of July, one hundred and fifteen thousand eight hundred and eighty persons were buried at the public expense; and six hundred thousand were cast dead out of the gates, dying so fast, that at last they were unable to bury them. Titus going about the wall, and beholding the ditch filled with dead bodies, wept, and, lifting up his hands to heaven, again called God to witness, that it was not his fault, he having given them frequent offers of pardon and peace.

On the fifth day of July, Titus made a breach in the wall, and pursued the flying Jews to the temple, still exhorting them to surrender; but they were so deluded by false prophets, assuring them they should have assistance from God, that they obstinately refused. One day, as Josephus was addressing them from the walls, persuading them to yield, he was struck on the head with a stone, and fell down. Upon this, the Jews sallied out of the city, and would have taken him prisoner, had not Titus immediately sent men to his relief, who brought him

away in a state of insensibility. The seditious instantly reported in the city that they had slain Josephus, and made rejoicings on the occasion; but the more thinking part bewailed his loss. The news was carried to his mother, then in prison, who lamented, with many tears, the loss of her son. But this report did not long grieve her, or comfort the seditious; for Josephus, quickly recovering of his wounds, appeared again on the wall. The seditious were astonished to see him alive, and the hopes of the people were revived; many of whom leaped over the walls, and fled to the Romans; others, taking stones under pretence of fighting with them, surrendered themselves. But these poor creatures, nearly starved to death, suffered from their own imprudence: for, coming all at once to plenty of food, and being eager to satisfy the cravings of appetite, they hastily devoured more than the stomach, in such a state of debility, was capable of digesting; in consequence of which, many died on the spot, and others fell a prey to various distempers, which proved fatal: a few only survived, having the precaution to take food in smaller quantities at first, till they had got strength to bear more.

On the seventeeth day, Titus called Josephus, and told him, That as he understood that was the day on which the Jews used to celebrate a feast to God, and he found they were troubled that they could not keep it, he might inform John, that he would grant him full liberty to celebrate the feast; and that, if he desired to fight, he should come out of the temple, that that holy place might not be profaned. Josephus then got upon an eminence, in order that not

only John but the people might hear. He then, in the Hebrew tongue, declared to them Cæsar's pleasure; earnestly requesting them to save their country, by submitting to Titus; to prevent the fire now ready to take hold of the temple, and to offer the accustomed sacrifices to God. The people continued in sorrowful silence, not daring to speak; but John answered with contempt and disdain, That they had no occasion to fear the destruction of the temple and city, seeing it belonged to God.

Josephus answered, Can you expect that God, whom you deprive of daily sacrifice, will assist you in this war? Do you impute these offences to the Romans, who now offer to defend our religion, and command those sacrifices to be offered which you have forbidden? These strangers and enemies correct your impiety; and you, a Jew born, and brought up in our law, are more cruel than they. But consider, John, it is no shame to repent of your wicked- ' ness in extremity and now, at the last, if you are desirous to save your country, I will promise you pardon from the Romans. Consider, that I, your countryman, admonish you, and promise this unto the Jews, and that in the name of Cæsar; yet you are incensed against me, and curse me. True it is, I deserve worse than this; because I seek to persuade contrary to the determination of God's providence, and strive to save them whom his sentence hath condemned. Who is ignorant of the writings of the ancient prophets, and their prophecies, wherein this wretched city is foretold to be destroyed by those that, being born Jews, murder our own nation?