[284]
And now the Jews intermitted their sallies for a while; but when
they observed the Romans dispersed all abroad at their works, and in their
several camps, (for they thought the Jews had retired out of weariness
and fear,) they all at once made a sally at the tower Hippicus, through
an obscure gate, and at the same time brought fire to burn the works, and
went boldly up to the Romans, and to their very fortifications themselves,
where, at the cry they made, those that were near them came presently to
their assistance, and those farther off came running after them; and here
the boldness of the Jews was too hard for the good order of the Romans;
and as they beat those whom they first fell upon, so they pressed upon
those that were now gotten together. So this fight about the machines was
very hot, while the one side tried hard to set them on fire, and the other
side to prevent it; on both sides there was a confused cry made, and many
of those in the forefront of the battle were slain. However, the Jews were
now too hard for the Romans, by the furious assaults they made like madmen;
and the fire caught hold of the works, and both all those works, and the
engines themselves, had been in danger of being burnt, had not many of
these select soldiers that came from Alexandria opposed themselves to prevent
it, and had they not behaved themselves with greater courage than they
themselves supposed they could have done; for they outdid those in this
fight that had greater reputation than themselves before. This was the
state of things till Caesar took the stoutest of his horsemen, and attacked
the enemy, while he himself slew twelve of those that were in the forefront
of the Jews; which death of these men, when the rest of the multitude saw,
they gave way, and he pursued them, and drove them all into the city, and
saved the works from the fire. Now it happened at this fight that a certain
Jew was taken alive, who, by Titus's order, was crucified before the wall,
to see whether the rest of them would be aftrighted, and abate of their
obstinacy. But after the Jews were retired, John, who was commander of
the Idumeans, and was talking to a certain soldier of his acquaintance
before the wall, was wounded by a dart shot at him by an Arabian, and died
immediately, leaving the greatest lamentation to the Jews, and sorrow to
the seditious. For he was a man of great eminence, both for his actions
and his conduct also.
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