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But the next day six thousand of the enemy came down from the tops
of the mountains to fight the Romans, which greatly terrified them; and
the soldiers that were in light armor came near, and pelted the king's
guards that were come out with darts and stones, and one of them hit him
on the side with a dart. Antigonus also sent a commander against Samaria,
whose name was Pappus, with some forces, being desirous to show the enemy
how potent he was, and that he had men to spare in his war with them. He
sat down to oppose Macheras; but Herod, when he had taken five cities,
took such as were left in them, being about two thousand, and slew them,
and burnt the cities themselves, and then returned to go against Pappus,
who was encamped at a village called Isanas; and there ran in to him many
out of Jericho and Judea, near to which places he was, and the enemy fell
upon his men, so stout were they at this time, and joined battle with them,
but he beat them in the fight; and in order to be revenged on them for
the slaughter of his brother, he pursued them sharply, and killed them
as they ran away; and as the houses were full of armed men,
1
and many of them ran as far as the tops of the houses, he got them under
his power, and pulled down the roofs of the houses, and saw the lower rooms
full of soldiers that were caught, and lay all on a heap; so they threw
stones down upon them as they lay piled one upon another, and thereby killed
them; nor was there a more frightful spectacle in all the war than this,
where beyond the walls an immense multitude of dead men lay heaped one
upon another. This action it was which chiefly brake the spirits of the
enemy, who expected now what would come; for there appeared a mighty number
of people that came from places far distant, that were now about the village,
but then ran away; and had it not been for the depth of winter, which then
restrained them, the king's army had presently gone to Jerusalem, as being
very courageous at this good success, and the whole work had been done
immediately; for Antigonus was already looking about how he might fly away
and leave the city.