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perhaps would deliver them from the tyranny of the Zealots; but they unwittingly admitted a worse tyrant against themselves. While these things were being done in Jerusalem, Vitellius, having been proclaimed emperor, took Rome. But Vespasian, when he learned these things, was not pleased, and he thought it unworthy to have Vitellius as master. But the leaders of the legions with him, 2.53 and indeed the soldiers as well, came together and proclaimed Vespasian emperor. And he, now about to set sail, entrusted the siege of Jerusalem to his son Titus. Who, having gathered his forces, went towards Jerusalem, and having encamped thirty stades away, from there he took six hundred of the chosen horsemen and went to reconnoiter the city and the sentiments of those within. But countless men rushed out of the city; and most of those with Titus, seeing the frenzied attack of the Jews, were stopped from advancing further, but Titus, cut off with a few of the others, was encircled in the midst of the enemy. And realizing he was in danger, he turns his horse, and shouting to those around him to follow, he charges into the Jews, and checking the attackers with his sword, he makes his way safely to the camp, with two of those following him having fallen. The next day, therefore, having come to Scopus, a place so-called, seven stades distant from the city, from where both the city and the temple are visible, he orders an encampment to be established. And although those in the city were always clashing with one another, at that time the great war coming from without stopped the strife. The Jews, therefore, running out of the city, fought against those establishing the camp and harmed the enemy, or rather, they themselves were harmed. But when the war from without abated for a short while, the sedition within arose again. And John, having seized the temple by treachery with the Zealots, with many being slain, grew bold against Simon. 2.54 But Titus ordered the area from Scopus up to the wall to be leveled. And this was being done, but a certain ambush was contrived by the Jews against the Romans. For the more daring of the seditious party came out of the city, as if driven out by those who favored peace, and were crowded around the wall; and others, standing on the wall, as if they were of the people, shouted for peace and asked for a truce, calling to the Romans as if they were about to open the gates. So the soldiers suspected nothing and proceeded to the task, but Titus was suspicious because of the strangeness of the summons. For the day before, having challenged them to terms through Josephus, he found them having no moderate thoughts. He therefore ordered the soldiers to remain in place. But when some managed to run to the gates, at first those who pretended to have been cast out fled, but when they were between the towers of the city, they rushed out and surrounded them. And those on the wall shot arrows at them and hurled stones and killed many and wounded more. And the Jews leaped about, shaking their shields, but Titus and the tribunes threatened the soldiers. Now that the area in front of the walls was leveled, wishing to move the camp there, he drew up the strongest part of his force opposite the wall, and thus with the sallies of the Jews blocked, the Romans encamped there. The city was encompassed by three walls; but where the nature of the terrain fortified it, it was girded with a single rampart. The city being so situated, the assault seemed difficult to Titus. For the time being, therefore, it was decided to attack near the monument of John the 2.55 high priest. And he commands the legions to ravage the area in front of the city, and to gather the timber, in order to raise earthworks. And they carried out the order, and when the earthworks had been raised, Titus commanded them to bring up the battering rams and to strike the wall. Now that the rams were at work from three sides, and an extraordinary crash resounded around the city, a cry was raised by those within, and the seditionists, becoming afraid, were of one mind, agreeing to make a common defense against the enemy. of the

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τάχα τῆς τῶν ζηλωτῶν τυραννίδος αὐτοὺς ἀπαλλάξοντα· ελαθον δὲ χείρονα καθ' ἑαυτῶν εἰσδεξάμενοι τύραννον. τούτων δ' ἐν ̔Ιεροσολύμοις πραττομένων Οὐιτέλλιος τὴν ̔Ρώμην κατέλαβεν αὐτοκράτωρ ἀναρρηθείς. Οὐεσπασιανῷ δὲ μαθόντι ταῦτα οὐκ ηρεσκε, καὶ ἀπηξίου δεσπότην εχειν τὸν Οὐιτέλλιον. οἱ δ' ἡγεμόνες τῶν σὺν αὐτῷ ταγμάτων, 2.53 ἀλλὰ μὴν καὶ οἱ στρατιῶται συνελθόντες ἀναγορεύουσι τὸν Οὐεσπασιανὸν αὐτοκράτορα. ̔Ο δὲ μέλλων ηδη ἐκπλεῖν τῷ υἱῷ Τίτῳ τὴν τῶν ̔Ιεροσολύμων πολιορκίαν ἀνέθετο. ος τὰς δυνάμεις συναγαγὼν ἀπῄει πρὸς τὰ ̔Ιεροσόλυμα, καὶ πρὸ τριάκοντα σταδίων ἐστρατοπεδευκώς, ἐκεῖθεν ἑξακοσίους τῶν ἐπιλέκτων ἱππέων παραλαβὼν ῃει τὴν πόλιν κατασκεψόμενος καὶ τὰ φρονήματα τῶν ἐντός. ἐπεκθέουσι δὲ τῆς πόλεως απειροι· καὶ οἱ μὲν πλεῖστοι τῶν μετὰ Τίτου μανιώδη τὴν ὁρμὴν τῶν ̓Ιουδαίων ὁρῶντες ἀνεκόπησαν τοῦ πρόσω χωρεῖν, ὁ Τίτος δὲ μετ' ὀλίγων τῶν αλλων ἀποτμηθεὶς εἰς μέσους τοὺς πολεμίους ἐμπεριείληπτο. καὶ γνοὺς ἐν κινδύνῳ τὰ κατ' αὐτόν, ἐπιστρέφει τὸν ιππον, καὶ τοῖς περὶ αὐτὸν ἐμβοήσας επεσθαι ἐμβάλλει τοῖς ̓Ιουδαίοις, καὶ τῷ ξίφει τοὺς ἐπιόντας ἀναστέλλων ἐπὶ τὸ στρατόπεδον διασώζεται, δύο πεσόντων ἐκ τῶν ἑπομένων αὐτῷ. Μεθ' ἡμέραν ουν ἐπὶ τὸν σκοπὸν ἐλθών, τόπος δ' ἐστὶν ουτω καλούμενος διέχων τῆς πόλεως σταδίους ἑπτά, οθεν η τε πόλις καὶ ὁ ναὸς καταφαίνεται, περιβαλέσθαι κελεύει στρατόπεδον. τῶν δ' ἐν τῇ πόλει συρρηγνυμένων ἀλλήλοις ἀεί, τότε πολὺς ἐπελθὼν ὁ εξωθεν πόλεμος τὴν εριν ἀνέπαυσεν. ἐμάχοντο ουν τοῖς βαλλομένοις στρατόπεδον οἱ ̓Ιουδαῖοι τῆς πόλεως ἐκτρέχοντες καὶ ἐκάκουν τοὺς ἐναντίους, μᾶλλον δ' ἐκακοῦντο αὐτοί. λωφήσαντος δὲ πρὸς βραχὺ τοῦ θύραθεν πολέμου, πάλιν τοῖς ενδον ἡ στάσις ἠγείρετο. καὶ δόλῳ τὸ ἱερὸν ὁ ̓Ιωάννης σὺν τοῖς ζηλωταῖς κατασχών, πολλῶν ἀναιρεθέντων, κατεθάρρει τοῦ Σίμωνος. 2.54 ̔Ο δὲ Τίτος ἐξομαλίσαι προσέταξε τὸ ἀπὸ τοῦ σκοποῦ μέχρι τοῦ τείχους διάστημα. καὶ τὸ μὲν ἐγίνετο, ̓Ιουδαίοις δὲ κατὰ ̔Ρωμαίων ἐνέδρα τις μεμηχάνητο. οἱ γὰρ τολμηρότεροι τῶν στασιαστῶν προελθόντες τῆς πόλεως, ὡς ἐκβεβλημένοι δῆθεν ὑπὸ τῶν τὰ εἰρηνικὰ φρονούντων, περὶ τὸ τεῖχος ησαν εἰλούμενοι· αλλοι δὲ στάντες ἐπὶ τοῦ τείχους, ὡς ἐκ τοῦ δήμου τυγχάνοντες, εἰρήνην ἐβόων καὶ δεξιὰν ᾐτοῦντο, καλοῦντες τοὺς ̔Ρωμαίους ὡς τὰς πύλας ἀνοίξοντες. τοῖς μὲν ουν στρατιώταις οὐδὲν ὑπωπτεύετο, καὶ ἐχώρουν ἐπὶ τὸ εργον, Τίτῳ δὲ δι' ὑποψίας ην τῆς ἐπικλήσεως τὸ παράλογον. πρὸ μιᾶς γὰρ ἡμέρας διὰ τοῦ ̓Ιωσήπου ἐπὶ συμβάσεις αὐτοὺς προκαλούμενος, οὐδὲν φρονοῦντας ευρισκε μέτριον. μένειν ουν κατὰ χώραν τοὺς στρατιώτας ἐκέλευε. φθασάντων δέ τινων πρὸς τὰς πύλας δραμεῖν, τὸ μὲν πρῶτον οἱ ἐκβεβλῆσθαι δοκοῦντες ὑπέφευγον, ὡς δὲ μεταξὺ τῶν τῆς πόλεως ἐγένοντο πύργων, ἐξέθεον καὶ ἐκύκλουν αὐτούς. καὶ οἱ ἐπὶ τοῦ τείχους βέλη κατ' αὐτῶν ἠφίεσαν καὶ λίθους ἠκόντιζον καὶ ἀνεῖλον συχνοὺς καὶ πλείους κατέτρωσαν. καὶ οἱ μὲν ̓Ιουδαῖοι ἐσκίρτων τοὺς θυρεοὺς ἀνασείοντες, τοῖς δὲ στρατιώταις ὁ Τίτος ἠπείλει καὶ οἱ ταξίαρχοι. Ηδη δὲ τοῦ πρὸ τῶν τειχῶν χώρου ἐξισωθέντος, ἐκεῖ μεταθεῖναι βουλόμενος τὸ στρατόπεδον, τὸ καρτερώτατον τῆς δυνάμεως ἀντιπαρεξέτεινε τῷ τείχει, καὶ ουτω πεφραγμένων ̓Ιουδαίοις τῶν ἐκδρομῶν, ἐστρατοπεδεύσαντο οἱ ̔Ρωμαῖοι ἐκεῖ. τρισὶ δὲ τείχεσιν ἡ πόλις περιεβέβλητο· οπου δ' ἡ φύσις τοῦ τόπου ταύτην ὠχύρου, ἑνὶ περιβόλῳ διέζωστο. ουτω δ' ἐχούσης τῆς πόλεως απορος ἐδόκει τῷ Τίτῳ ἡ προσβολή. τέως δ' ουν εδοξε κατὰ τὸ ̓Ιωάννου τοῦ 2.55 ἀρχιερέως μνημεῖον προσβάλλειν. καὶ τοῖς τάγμασι δῃοῦν τὰ πρὸ τῆς πόλεως ἐγκελεύεται, συμφορεῖν τε τὴν υλην, ιν' ἐγείροιεν χώματα. καὶ οἱ μὲν εἰς εργον ηγον τὸ κέλευσμα, τῶν δὲ χωμάτων ἐγηγερμένων προσάγειν τοὺς κριοὺς ὁ Τίτος προσέταττε καὶ τύπτειν τὸ τεῖχος. Ηδη τῶν κριῶν ἠργμένων τριχόθεν, ἐξαισίου τε κτύπου τὴν πόλιν περιηχήσαντος, κραυγὴ παρὰ τῶν ενδον ηρθη, καὶ οἱ στασιασταὶ δείσαντες ὡμονόησαν, κοινὴν τὴν αμυναν πρὸς τοὺς πολεμίους ποιεῖσθαι συνθέμενοι. τῶν γε