the wars of the jews-第152章

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ught　it　fit　rather　to　have　a　regard　to　the　ancient　friendship　that　had　been　between　them；　than　to　preserve　an　inexorable　anger　upon　pretense　of　this　war。　Accordingly；　he　gave　orders　that　they　should　take　off　his　bonds；　while　he　was　still　upon　the　road；　and　that　he　should　not　come　to　Rome；　but　should　now　go　and　live　at　Lacedemon；　he　also　gave　him　large　revenues；　that　he　might　not　only　live　in　plenty；　but　like　a　king　also。　When　Epiphanes；　who　before　was　in　great　fear　for　his　father；　was　informed　of　this；　their　minds　were　freed　from　that　great　and　almost　incurable　concern　they　had　been　under。　He　also　hoped　that　Caesar　would　be　reconciled　to　them；　upon　the　intercession　of　Vologeses；　for　although　he　lived　in　plenty；　he　knew　not　how　to　bear　living　out　of　the　Roman　empire。　So　Caesar　gave　him　leave；　after　an　obliging　manner；　and　he　came　to　Rome；　and　as　his　father　came　quickly　to　him　from　Lacedemon；　he　had　all　sorts　of　respect　paid　him　there；　and　there　he　remained。　　　　4。　Now　there　was　a　nation　of　the　Alans；　which　we　have　　formerly　mentioned　some　where　as　being　Scythians　and　inhabiting　at　the　lake　Meotis。　This　nation　about　this　time　laid　a　design　of　falling　upon　Media；　and　the　parts　beyond　it；　in　order　to　plunder　them；　with　which　intention　they　treated　with　the　king　of　Hyrcania；　for　he　was　master　of　that　passage　which　king　Alexander　＇the　Great＇　shut　up　with　iron　gates。　This　king　gave　them　leave　to　come　through　them；　so　they　came　in　great　multitudes；　and　fell　upon　the　Medes　unexpectedly；　and　plundered　their　country；　which　they　found　full　of　people；　and　replenished　with　abundance　of　cattle；　while　nobody　durst　make　any　resistance　against　them；　for　Paeorus；　the　king　of　the　country；　had　fled　away　for　fear　into　places　where　they　could　not　easily　come　at　him；　and　had　yielded　up　every　thing　he　had　to　them；　and　had　only　saved　his　wife　and　his　concubines　from　them；　and　that　with　difficulty　also；　after　they　had　been　made　captives；　by　giving　them　a　hundred　talents　for　their　ransom。　These　Alans　therefore　plundered　the　country　without　opposition；　and　with　great　ease；　and　proceeded　as　far　as　Armenia；　laying　all　waste　before　them。　Now　Tiridates　was　king　of　that　country；　who　met　them；　and　fought　them；　but　had　like　to　have　been　taken　alive　in　the　battle；　for　a　certain　man　threw　a　net　over　him　from　a　great　distance；　and　had　soon　drawn　him　to　him；　unless　he　had　immediately　cut　the　cord　with　his　sword；　and　ran　away；　and　prevented　it。　So　the　Alans；　being　still　more　provoked　by　this　sight；　laid　waste　the　country；　and　drove　a　great　multitude　of　the　men；　and　a　great　quantity　of　the　other　prey　they　had　gotten　out　of　both　kingdoms；　along　with　them；　and　then　retreated　back　to　their　own　country。　

CHAPTER　8。　　　　　　　　　　Concerning　Masada　And　Those　Sicarii　Who　Kept　It；　And　How　Silva　Betook　Himself　To　Form　The　Siege　Of　That　Citadel。　Eleazar's　Speeches　To　The　Besieged。　　　　1。　When　Bassus　was　dead　in　Judea；　Flavius　Silva　succeeded　him　as　procurator　there；　who；　when　he　saw　that　all　the　rest　of　the　country　was　subdued　in　this　war；　and　that　there　was　but　one　only　strong　hold　that　was　still　in　rebellion；　he　got　all　his　army　together　that　lay　in　different　places；　and　made　an　expedition　against　it。　This　fortress　was　called　Masada。　It　was　one　Eleazar；　a　potent　man；　and　the　commander　of　these　Sicarii；　that　had　seized　upon　it。　He　was　a　descendant　from　that　Judas　who　had　persuaded　abundance　of　the　Jews；　as　we　have　formerly　related；　not　to　submit　to　the　taxation　when　Cyrenius　was　sent　into　Judea　to　make　one；　for　then　it　was　that　the　Sicarii　got　together　against　those　that　were　willing　to　submit　to　the　Romans；　and　treated　them　in　all　respects　as　if　they　had　been　their　enemies；　both　by　plundering　them　of　what　they　had；　by　driving　away　their　cattle；　and　by　setting　fire　to　their　houses；　for　they　said　that　they　differed　not　at　all　from　foreigners；　by　betraying；　in　so　cowardly　a　manner；　that　freedom　which　Jews　thought　worthy　to　be　contended　for　to　the　utmost；　and　by　owning　that　they　preferred　slavery　under　the　Romans　before　such　a　contention。　Now　this　was　in　reality　no　better　than　a　pretense　and　a　cloak　for　the　barbarity　which　was　made　use　of　by　them；　and　to　color　over　their　own　avarice；　which　they　afterwards　made　evident　by　their　own　actions；　for　those　that　were　partners　with　them　in　their　rebellion　joined　also　with　them　in　the　war　against　the　Romans；　and　went　further　lengths　with　them　in　their　impudent　undertakings　against　them；　and　when　they　were　again　convicted　of　dissembling　in　such　their　pretenses；　they　still　more　abused　those　that　justly　reproached　them　for　their　　wickedness。　And　indeed　that　was　a　time　most　fertile　in　all　manner　of　wicked　practices；　insomuch　that　no　kind　of　evil　deeds　were　then　left　undone；　nor　could　any　one　so　much　as　devise　any　bad　thing　that　was　new；　so　deeply　were　they　all　infected；　and　strove　with　one　another　in　their　single　capacity；　and　in　their　communities；　who　should　run　the　greatest　lengths　in　impiety　towards　God；　and　in　unjust　actions　towards　their　neighbors；　the　men　of　power　oppressing　the　multitude；　and　the　multitude　earnestly　laboring　to　destroy　the　men　of　power。　The　one　part　were　desirous　of　tyrannizing　over　others；　and　the　rest　of　offering　violence　to　others；　and　of　plundering　such　as　were　richer　than　themselves。　They　were　the　Sicarii　who　first　began　these　transgressions；　and　first　became　barbarous　towards　those　allied　to　them；　and　left　no　words　of　reproach　unsaid；　and　no　works　of　perdition　untried；　in　order　to　destroy　those　whom　their　contrivances　affected。　Yet　did　John　demonstrate　by　his　actions　that　these　Sicarii　were　more　moderate　than　he　was　himself；　for　he　not　only　slew　all　such　as　gave　him　good　counsel　to　do　what　was　right；　but　treated　them　worst　of　all；　as　the　most　bitter　enemies　that　he　had　among　all　the　Citizens；　nay；　he　filled　his　entire　country　with　ten　thousand　instances　of　wickedness；　such　as　a　man　who　was　already　hardened　sufficiently　in　his　impiety　towards　God　would　naturally　do；　for　the　food　was　unlawful　that　was　set　upon　his　table；　and　he　rejected　those　purifications　that　the　law　of　his　country　had　ordained；　so　that　it　was　no　longer　a　wonder　if　he；　who　was　so　mad　in　his　impiety　towards　God；　did　not　observe　any　rules　of　gentleness　and　common　affection　towards　men。　Again；　therefore；　what　mischief　was　there　which　Simon　the　son　of　Gioras　did　not　do？　or　what　kind　of　abuses　did　he　abstain　from　as　to　those　very　free…men　who　had　set　him　up　for　a　tyrant？　What　friendship　or　kindred　were　there　that　did　not　make　him　more　bold　in　his　daily　murders？　for　they　looked　upon　the　doing　of　mischief　to　strangers　only　as　a　work　beneath　their　courage；　but　thought　their　barbarity　towards　their　nearest　relations　would　be　a　glorious　demonstration　thereof。　The　Idumeans　also　strove　with　these　men　who　should　be　guilty　of　the　greatest　madness！　for　they　＇all＇；　vile　wretches　as　they　were；　cut　the　throats　of　the　high　priests；　that　so　no　part　of　a　religious　regard　to　God。　might　be　preserved；　they　thence　proceeded　to　destroy　utterly　the　least　remains　of　a　political　government；　and　introduced　the　most　complete　scene　of　iniquity　in　all　instances　that　were　practicable；　under　which　scene　that　sort　of　people　that　were　called　zealots　grew　up；　and　who　indeed　corresponded　to　the　name；　for　they　imitated　every　wicked　work；　nor；　if　their　memory　suggested　any　evil　thing　that　had　formerly　been　done；　did　they　avoid　zealously　to　pursue　the　same；　and　although　they　gave　themselves　that　name　from　their　zeal　for　what　was　good；　yet　did　it　agree　to　them　only　by　way　of　irony；　on　account　of　those　they　had　unjustly　treated　by　their　wild　and　brutish　disposition；　or　as　thinking　the　greatest　mischiefs　to　be　the　greatest　good。　Accordingly；　they　all　met　with　such　ends　as　God　deservedly　brought　upon　them　in　way　of　punishment；　for　all　such　miseries　have　been　sent　upon　them　as　man's　nature　is　capable　of　undergoing；　till　the　utmost　period　of　their　lives；　and　till　death　came　upon　them　in　various　ways　of　torment；　yet　might　one　say　justly　that　they　suffered　less　than　they　had　done；　because　it　was　impossible　they　could　be　punished　according　to　their　deserving。　But　to　make　a　lamentation　according　to　the　deserts　of　those　who　fell　under　these　men's　barbarity；　this　is　not　a　proper　place　for　it；　…　I　therefore　now　r