the wars of the jews-第174章

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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　return　again　to　the　remaining　part　of　the　present　narration。　　　　2。　For　now　it　was　that　the　Roman　general　came；　and　led　　his　army　against　Eleazar　and　those　Sicarii　who　held　the　fortress　Masada　together　with　him；　and　for　the　whole　country　adjoining；　he　presently　gained　it；　and　put　garrisons　into　the　most　proper　places　of　it；　he　also　built　a　wall　quite　round　the　entire　fortress；　that　none　of　the　besieged　might　easily　escape；　he　also　set　his　men　to　guard　the　several　parts　of　it；　he　also　pitched　his　camp　in　such　an　agreeable　place　as　he　had　chosen　for　the　siege；　and　at　which　place　the　rock　belonging　to　the　fortress　did　make　the　nearest　approach　to　the　neighboring　mountain；　which　yet　was　a　place　of　difficulty　for　getting　plenty　of　provisions；　for　it　was　not　only　food　that　was　to　be　brought　from　a　great　distance　＇to　the　army＇；　and　this　with　a　great　deal　of　pain　to　those　Jews　who　were　appointed　for　that　purpose；　but　water　was　also　to　be　brought　to　the　camp；　because　the　place　afforded　no　fountain　that　was　near　it。　When　therefore　Silva　had　ordered　these　affairs　beforehand；　he　fell　to　besieging　the　place；　which　siege　was　likely　to　stand　in　need　of　a　great　deal　of　skill　and　pains；　by　reason　of　the　strength　of　the　fortress；　the　nature　of　which　I　will　now　describe。　　　　3。　There　was　a　rock；　not　small　in　circumference；　and　very　high。　It　was　encompassed　with　valleys　of　such　vast　depth　downward；　that　the　eye　could　not　reach　their　bottoms；　they　were　abrupt；　and　such　as　no　animal　could　walk　upon；　excepting　at　two　places　of　the　rock；　where　it　subsides；　in　order　to　afford　a　passage　for　ascent；　though　not　without　difficulty。　Now；　of　the　ways　that　lead　to　it；　one　is　that　from　the　lake　Asphaltiris；　towards　the　sun…rising；　and　another　on　the　west；　where　the　ascent　is　easier：　the　one　of　these　ways　is　called　the　Serpent；　as　resembling　that　animal　in　its　narrowness　and　its　perpetual　windings；　for　it　is　broken　off　at　the　prominent　precipices　of　the　rock；　and　returns　frequently　into　itself；　and　lengthening　again　by　little　and　little；　hath　much　a