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[248]
NOW the warlike men that were in the city, and the multitude of the
seditious that were with Simon, were ten thousand, besides the Idumeans.
Those ten thousand had fifty commanders, over whom this Simon was supreme.
The Idumeans that paid him homage were five thousand, and had eight commanders,
among whom those of greatest fame were Jacob the son of Sosas, and Simon
the son of Cathlas. Jotre, who had seized upon the temple, had six thousand
armed men under twenty commanders; the zealots also that had come over
to him, and left off their opposition, were two thousand four hundred,
and had the same commander that they had formerly, Eleazar, together with
Simon the son of Arinus. Now, while these factions fought one against another,
the people were their prey on both sides, as we have said already; and
that part of the people who would not join with them in their wicked practices
were plundered by both factions. Simon held the upper city, and the great
wall as far as Cedron, and as much of the old wall as bent from Siloam
to the east, and which went down to the palace of Monobazus, who was king
of the Adiabeni, beyond Euphrates; he also held that fountain, and the
Acra, which was no other than the lower city; he also held all that reached
to the palace of queen Helena, the mother of Monobazus. But John held the
temple, and the parts thereto adjoining, for a great way, as also Ophla,
and the valley called "the Valley of Cedron;" and when the parts
that were interposed between their possessions were burnt by them, they
left a space wherein they might fight with each other; for this internal
sedition did not cease even when the Romans were encamped near their very
wall. But although they had grown wiser at the first onset the Romans made
upon them, this lasted but a while; for they returned to their former madness,
and separated one from another, and fought it out, and did everything that
the besiegers could desire them to do; for they never suffered any thing
that was worse from the Romans than they made each other suffer; nor was
there any misery endured by the city after these men's actions that could
be esteemed new. But it was most of all unhappy before it was overthrown,
while those that took it did it a greater kindness for I venture to affirm
that the sedition destroyed the city, and the Romans destroyed the sedition,
which it was a much harder thing to do than to destroy the walls; so that
we may justly ascribe our misfortunes to our own people, and the just vengeance
taken on them to the Romans; as to which matter let every one determine
by the actions on both sides.
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