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This Simon, during
the siege of Jerusalem, was in the upper city; but when the Roman army
was gotten within the walls, and were laying the city waste, he then took
the most faithful of his friends with him, and among them some that were
stone-cutters, with those iron tools which belonged to their occupation,
and as great a quantity of provisions as would suffice them for a long
time, and let himself and all them down into a certain subterraneous cavern
that was not visible above ground. Now, so far as had been digged of old,
they went onward along it without disturbance; but where they met with
solid earth, they dug a mine under ground, and this in hopes that they
should be able to proceed so far as to rise from under ground in a safe
place, and by that means escape. But when they came to make the experiment,
they were disappointed of their hope; for the miners could make but small
progress, and that with difficulty also; insomuch that their provisions,
though they distributed them by measure, began to fail them. And now Simon,
thinking he might be able to astonish and elude the Romans, put on a white
frock, and buttoned upon him a purple cloak, and appeared out of the ground
in the place where the temple had formerly been. At the first, indeed,
those that saw him were greatly astonished, and stood still where they
were; but afterward they came nearer to him, and asked him who he was.
Now Simon would not tell them, but bid them call for their captain; and
when they ran to call him, Terentius Rufus
1
who was left to command the army there, came to Simon, and learned of him
the whole truth, and kept him in bonds, and let Caesar know that he was
taken. Thus did God bring this man to be punished for what bitter and savage
tyranny he had exercised against his countrymen by those who were his worst
enemies; and this while he was not subdued by violence, but voluntarily
delivered himself up to them to be punished, and that on the very same
account that he had laid false accusations against many Jews, as if they
were falling away to the Romans, and had barbarously slain them for wicked
actions do not escape the Divine anger, nor is justice too weak to punish
offenders, but in time overtakes those that transgress its laws, and inflicts
its punishments upon the wicked in a manner, so much more severe, as they
expected to escape it on account of their not being punished immediately.
2 Simon
was made sensible of this by falling under the indignation of the Romans.
This rise of his out of the ground did also occasion the discovery of a
great number of others Of the seditious at that time, who had hidden themselves
under ground. But for Simon, he was brought to Caesar in bonds, when he
was come back to that Cesarea which was on the seaside, who gave orders
that he should be kept against that triumph which he was to celebrate at
Rome upon this occasion.