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[440]
IN the mean time, an account came that there were commotions in Gall,
and that Vindex, together with the men of power in that country, had revolted
from Nero; which affair is more accurately described elsewhere. This report,
thus related to Vespasian, excited him to go on briskly with the war; for
he foresaw already the civil wars which were coming upon them, nay, that
the very government was in danger; and he thought, if he could first reduce
the eastern parts of the empire to peace, he should make the fears for
Italy the lighter; while therefore the winter was his hinderance [from
going into the field], he put garrisons into the villages and smaller cities
for their security; he put decurions also into the villages, and centurions
into the cities: he besides this rebuilt many of the cities that had been
laid waste; but at the beginning of the spring he took the greatest part
of his army, and led it from Cesarea to Antipatris, where he spent two
days in settling the affairs of that city, and then, on the third day,
he marched on, laying waste and burning all the neighboring villages. And
when he had laid waste all the places about the toparchy of Thamnas, he
passed on to Lydda and Jamnia; and when both these cities had come over
to him, he placed a great many of those that had come over to him [from
other places] as inhabitants therein, and then came to Emmaus, where he
seized upon the passage which led thence to their metropolis, and fortified
his camp, and leaving the fifth legion therein, he came to the toparchy
of Bethletephon. He then destroyed that place, and the neighboring places,
by fire, and fortified, at proper places, the strong holds all about Idumea;
and when he had seized upon two villages, which were in the very midst
of Idumea, Betaris and Caphartobas, he slew above ten thousand of the people,
and carried into captivity above a thousand, and drove away the rest of
the multitude, and placed no small part of his own forces in them, who
overran and laid waste the whole mountainous country; while he, with the
rest of his forces, returned to Emmaus, whence he came down through the
country of Samaria, and hard by the city, by others called Neapoils, (or
Sichem,) but by the people of that country Mabortha, to Corea, where he
pitched his camp, on the second day of the month Desius [Sivan]; and on
the day following he came to Jericho; on which day Trajan, one of his commanders,
joined him with the forces he brought out of Perea, all the places beyond
Jordan being subdued already.
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