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[223]
NOW after the death of Herod, king of Chalcis, Claudius set Agrippa,
the son of Agrippa, over his uncle's kingdom, while Cumanus took upon him
the office of procurator of the rest, which was a Roman province, and therein
he succeeded Alexander; under which Cureanus began the troubles, and the
Jews' ruin came on; for when the multitude were come together to Jerusalem,
to the feast of unleavened bread, and a Roman cohort stood over the cloisters
of the temple, (for they always were armed, and kept guard at the festivals,
to prevent any innovation which the multitude thus gathered together might
make,) one of the soldiers pulled back his garment, and cowering down after
an indecent manner, turned his breech to the Jews, and spake such words
as you might expect upon such a posture. At this the whole multitude had
indignation, and made a clamor to Cumanus, that he would punish the soldier;
while the rasher part of the youth, and such as were naturally the most
tumultuous, fell to fighting, and caught up stones, and threw them at the
soldiers. Upon which Cumanus was afraid lest all the people should make
an assault upon him, and sent to call for more armed men, who, when they
came in great numbers into the cloisters, the Jews were in a very great
consternation; and being beaten out of the temple, they ran into the city;
and the violence with which they crowded to get out was so great, that
they trod upon each other, and squeezed one another, till ten thousand
of them were killed, insomuch that this feast became the cause of mourning
to the whole nation, and every family lamented their own relations.
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