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[157]
Now after one day had been interposed since the Romans ascended the
breach, many of the seditious were so pressed by the famine, upon the present
failure of their ravages, that they got together, and made an attack on
those Roman guards that were upon the Mount of Olives, and this about the
eleventh hour of the day, as supposing, first, that they would not expect
such an onset, and, in the next place, that they were then taking care
of their bodies, and that therefore they should easily beat them. But the
Romans were apprized of their coming to attack them beforehand, and, running
together from the neighboring camps on the sudden, prevented them from
getting over their fortification, or forcing the wall that was built about
them. Upon this came on a sharp fight, and here many great actions were
performed on both sides; while the Romans showed both their courage and
their skill in war, as did the Jews come on them with immoderate violence
and intolerable passion. The one part were urged on by shame, and the other
by necessity; for it seemed a very shameful thing to the Romans to let
the Jews go, now they were taken in a kind of net; while the Jews had but
one hope of saving themselves, and that was in case they could by violence
break through the Roman wall; and one whose name was Pedanius, belonging
to a party of horsemen, when the Jews were already beaten and forced down
into the valley together, spurred his horse on their flank with great vehemence,
and caught up a certain young man belonging to the enemy by his ankle,
as he was running away; the man was, however, of a robust body, and in
his armor; so low did Pedanius bend himself downward from his horse, even
as he was galloping away, and so great was the strength of his right hand,
and of the rest of his body, as also such skill had he in horsemanship.
So this man seized upon that his prey, as upon a precious treasure, and
carried him as his captive to Caesar; whereupon Titus admired the man that
had seized the other for his great strength, and ordered the man that was
caught to be punished [with death] for his attempt against the Roman wall,
but betook himself to the siege of the temple, and to pressing on the raising
of the banks.
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