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[473]
Two days after this, Simon and his party made an attempt to destroy
the other banks; for the Romans had brought their engines to bear there,
and began already to make the wall shake. And here one Tephtheus, of Garsis,
a city of Galilee, and Megassarus, one who was derived from some of queen
Mariamne's servants, and with them one from Adiabene, he was the son of
Nabateus, and called by the name of Chagiras, from the ill fortune he had,
the word signifying "a lame man," snatched some torches, and
ran suddenly upon the engines. Nor were there during this war any men that
ever sallied out of the city who were their superiors, either in their
boldness, or in the terror they struck into their enemies. For they ran
out upon the Romans, not as if they were enemies, but friends, without
fear or delay; nor did they leave their enemies till they had rushed violently
through the midst of them, and set their machines on fire. And though they
had darts thrown at them on every side, and were on every side assaulted
with their enemies' swords, yet did they not withdraw themselves out of
the dangers they were in, till the fire had caught hold of the instruments;
but when the flame went up, the Romans came running from their camp to
save their engines. Then did the Jews hinder their succors from the wall,
and fought with those that endeavored to quench the fire, without any regard
to the danger their bodies were in. So the Romans pulled the engines out
of the fire, while the hurdles that covered them were on fire; but the
Jews caught hold of the battering rams through the flame itself, and held
them fast, although the iron upon them was become red hot; and now the
fire spread itself from the engines to the banks, and prevented those that
came to defend them; and all this while the Romans were encompassed round
about with the flame; and, despairing of saying their works from it, they
retired to their camp. Then did the Jews become still more and more in
number by the coming of those that were within the city to their assistance;
and as they were very bold upon the good success they had had, their violent
assaults were almost irresistible; nay, they proceeded as far as the fortifications
of the enemies' camp, and fought with their guards. Now there stood a body
of soldiers in array before that camp, which succeeded one another by turns
in their armor; and as to those, the law of the Romans was terrible, that
he who left his post there, let the occasion be whatsoever it might be,
he was to die for it; so that body of soldiers, preferring rather to die
in fighting courageously, than as a punishment for their cowardice, stood
firm; and at the necessity these men were in of standing to it, many of
the others that had run away, out of shame, turned back again; and when
they had set the engines against the wall, they put the multitude from
coming more of them out of the city, [which they could the more easily
do] because they had made no provision for preserving or guarding their
bodies at this time; for the Jews fought now hand to hand with all that
came in their way, and, without any caution, fell against the points of
their enemies' spears, and attacked them bodies against bodies; for they
were now too hard for the Romans, not so much by their other warlike actions,
as by these courageous assaults they made upon them; and the Romans gave
way more to their boldness than they did to the sense of the harm they
had received from them.
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