[68]
When I understood this state of things, I was greatly provoked,
and went down to Tiberias, and took all the care I could of the royal furniture,
to recover all that could be recovered from such as had plundered it. They
consisted of candlesticks made of Corinthian brass, and of royal tables,
and of a great quantity of uncoined silver; and I resolved to preserve
whatsoever came to my hand for the king. So I sent for ten of the principal
men of the senate, and for Capellus the son of Antyllus, and committed
the furniture to them, with this charge, That they should part with it
to nobody else but to myself. From thence I and my fellow legates went
to Gichala, to John, as desirous to know his intentions, and soon saw that
he was for innovations, and had a mind to the principality; for he desired
me to give him authority to carry off that corn which belonged to Caesar,
and lay in the villages of Upper Galilee; and he pretended that he would
expend what it came to in building the walls of his own city. But when
I perceived what he endeavored at, and what he had in his mind, I said
I would not permit him so to do; for that I thought either to keep it for
the Romans or for myself, now I was intrusted with the public affairs there
by the people of Jerusalem. But, when he was not able to prevail with me,
he betook himself to my fellow legates; for they had no sagacity in providing
for futurity, and were very ready to take bribes. So he corrupted them
with money to decree, That all that corn which was within his province
should be delivered to him; while I, who was but one, was outvoted by two,
and held my tongue. Then did John introduce another cunning contrivance
of his; for he said that those Jews who inhabited Cesarea Philippi, and
were shut up by the order of the king's deputy there, had sent to him to
desire him, that, since they had no oil that was pure for their use, he
would provide a sufficient quantity of such oil for them, lest they should
be forced to make use of oil that came from the Greeks, and thereby transgress
their own laws. Now this was said by John, not out of his regard to religion,
but out of his most flagrant desire of gain; for he knew that two sextaries
were sold with them of Caesarea for one drachma, but that at Gischala fourscore
sextaxies were sold for four sextaries. So he gave order that all the oil
which was there should be carried away, as having my permission for so
doing; which yet I did not grant him voluntarily, but only out of fear
of the multitude, since, if I had forbidden him, I should have been stoned
by them. When I had therefore permitted this to be done by John, he gained
vast sums of money by this his knavery.
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