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[186]
At the last a young man among them, whose name was Longus, became
a decoration to this sad affair, and while every one of them that perished
were worthy of a memorial, this man appeared to deserve it beyond all the
rest. Now the Jews admired this man for his courage, and were further desirous
of having him slain; so they persuaded him to come down to them, upon security
given him for his life. But Cornelius his brother persuaded him on the
contrary, not to tarnish his own glory, nor that of the Roman army. He
complied with this last advice, and lifting up his sword before both armies,
he slew himself. Yet there was one Artorius among those surrounded by the
fire who escaped by his subtlety; for when he had with a loud voice called
to him Lucius, one of his fellow soldiers that lay with him in the same
tent, and said to him, "I do leave thee heir of all I have, if thou
wilt come and receive me." Upon this he came running to receive him
readily; Artorius then threw himself down upon him, and saved his own life,
while he that received him was dashed so vehemently against the stone pavement
by the other's weight, that he died immediately. This melancholy accident
made the Romans sad for a while, but still it made them more upon their
guard for the future, and was of advantage to them against the delusions
of the Jews, by which they were greatly damaged through their unacquaintedness
with the places, and with the nature of the inhabitants. Now this cloister
was burnt down as far as John's tower, which he built in the war he made
against Simon over the gates that led to the Xystus. The Jews also cut
off the rest of that cloister from the temple, after they had destroyed
those that got up to it. But the next day the Romans burnt down the northern
cloister entirely, as far as the east cloister, whose common angle joined
to the valley that was called Cedron, and was built over it; on which account
the depth was frightful. And this was the state of the temple at that time.
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