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[190]
Now when Bassus had taken a full view of this place, he resolved
to besiege it, by filling up the valley that lay on the east side; so he
fell hard to work, and took great pains to raise his banks as soon as possible,
and by that means to render the siege easy. As for the Jews that were caught
in this place, they separated themselves from the strangers that were with
them, and they forced those strangers, as an otherwise useless multitude,
to stay in the lower part of the city, and undergo the principal dangers,
while they themselves seized on the upper citadel, and held it, and this
both on account of its strength, and to provide for their own safety. They
also supposed they might obtain their pardon, in case they should [at last]
surrender the citadel. However, they were willing to make trial, in the
first place, whether the hopes they had of avoiding a siege would come
to any thing; with which intention they made sallies every day, and fought
with those that met them; in which conflicts they were many of them slain,
as they therein slew many of the Romans. But still it was the opportunities
that presented themselves which chiefly gained both sides their victories;
these were gained by the Jews, when they fell upon the Romans as they were
off their guard; but by the Romans, when, upon the others' sallies against
their banks, they foresaw their coming, and were upon their lard when they
received them. But the conclusion of this siege did not depend upon these
bickerings; but a certain surprising accident, relating to what was done
in this siege, forced the Jews to surrender the citadel. There was a certain
young man among the besieged, of great boldness, and very active of his
hand, his name was Eleazar; he greatly signalized himself in those sallies,
and encouraged the Jews to go out in great numbers, in order to hinder
the raising of the banks, and did the Romans a vast deal of mischief when
they came to fighting; he so managed matters, that those who sallied out
made their attacks easily, and returned back without danger, and this by
still bringing up the rear himself. Now it happened that, on a certain
time, when the fight was over, and both sides were parted, and retired
home, he, in way of contempt of the enemy, and thinking that none of them
would begin the fight again at that time, staid without the gates, and
talked with those that were upon the wall, and his mind was wholly intent
upon what they said. Now a certain person belonging to the Roman camp,
whose lame was Rufus, by birth an Egyptian, ran upon him suddenly, when
nobody expected such a thing, and carried him off, with his armor itself;
while, in the mean time, those that saw it from the wall were under such
an amazement, that Rufus prevented their assistance, and carried Eleazar
to the Roman camp. So the general of the Romans ordered that he should
be taken up naked, set before the city to be seen, and sorely whipped before
their eyes. Upon this sad accident that befell the young man, the Jews
were terribly confounded, and the city, with one voice, sorely lamented
him, and the mourning proved greater than could well be supposed upon the
calamity of a single person. When Bassus perceived that, he began to think
of using a stratagem against the enemy, and was desirous to aggravate their
grief, in order to prevail with them to surrender the city for the preservation
of that man. Nor did he fail of his hope; for he commanded them to set
up a cross, as if he were just going to hang Eleazar upon it immediately;
the sight of this occasioned a sore grief among those that were in the
citadel, and they groaned vehemently, and cried out that they could not
bear to see him thus destroyed. Whereupon Eleazar besought them not to
disregard him, now he was going to suffer a most miserable death, and exhorted
them to save themselves, by yielding to the Roman power and good fortune,
since all other people were now conquered by them. These men were greatly
moved with what he said, there being also many within the city that interceded
for him, because he was of an eminent and very numerous family; so they
now yielded to their passion of commiseration, contrary to their usual
custom. Accordingly, they sent out immediately certain messengers, and
treated with the Romans, in order to a surrender of the citadel to them,
and desired that they might be permitted to go away, and take Eleazar along
with them. Then did the Romans and their general accept of these terms;
while the multitude of strangers that were in the lower part of the city,
hearing of the agreement that was made by the Jews for themselves alone,
were resolved to fly away privately in the night time; but as soon as they
had opened their gates, those that had come to terms with Bassus told him
of it; whether it were that they envied the others' deliverance, or whether
it were done out of fear, lest an occasion should be taken against them
upon their escape, is uncertain. The most courageous, therefore, of those
men that went out prevented the enemy, and got away, and fled for it; but
for those men that were caught within they
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