name derived from the patriarch Judah, and given to the descendants of Abraham by his eldest son Isaac, who for a long time possessed the land of Palestine in Affa, and are now dispersed through all nations in the world.

The history of this people, as it is the most singular, so is it also the most ancient in the world; and the greatest part being before the beginning of profane history, depends entirely on the authenticity of the Old Testament, where it is only to be found.—To repeat here what is said in the sacred writings would both be superfluous and tedious, as those writings are in every person's hands, and may be consulted at pleasure. It seems most proper therefore to commence the history of the Jews from their return to Jerusalem from Babylon, and the rebuilding of their city and temple under Ezra and Nehemiah, when the scripture leaves off any farther accounts, and profane historians begin to take notice of them. We shall, however, premise a chronological list of their judges and kings down to the captivity.

The Israelites had no king of their nation till Saul. Before him, they were governed, at first by elders, as in Egypt; then by princes of God's appointment, as Mozes and Joshua; then by judges, such as Othniel, Ehud, Shamgar, Gideon, Jephthah, Samson, Eli, Samuel; and last of all by kings, as Saul, David, Solomon, Rehoboam, &c.

A List of the Judges of Israel in a Chronological Order. The Numbers prefixed denote the Years of the World.

2570. The death of Joshua. 2585. The government of the elders for about 15 years. 2592. An anarchy of about seven years. The history of Micah, the conquest of the city of Laith by part of the tribe of Dan, and the war undertaken by the 11 tribes against Benjamin, are all referred to this time. 2591. The first servitude under Cushan-rishathaim king of Mesopotamia began in 2591, and lasted eight years to 2599. 2599. Othniel delivered Israel in the 40th year after peace established in the land by Joshua. 2662. A peace of about 62 years, from the deliverance procured by Othniel, in 2599, to 2662, when the second servitude under Eglon king of the Moabites happened. It lasted 18 years. 2679. Ehud delivers Israel. After him Shamgar governed, and the land was in peace till the 80th year after the first deliverance procured by Othniel. 2699. The third servitude under the Canaanites, which lasted 20 years, from 2699 to 2719. 2719. Deborah and Barak deliver the Israelites: from the deliverance procured by Ehud to the end of Deborah and Barak's government, were 40 years. 2768. Abimelech the natural son of Gideon is acknowledged king by the Shechemites. 2771. He died at the siege of Thebez in Palestine. 2772. Tola after Abimelech governs for 23 years, from 2772 to 2795. 2795. Jair succeeds Tola, and governs 22 years, from 2795 to 2816. 2799. The fifth servitude under the Philistines, which lasted 18 years, from 2799 to 2817. 2817. The death of Jair. 2817. Jephthah is chosen head of the Israelites beyond Jordan; he defeated the Ammonites, who oppressed them. Jephthah governed six years, from 2817 to 2823. 2823. The death of Jephthah. 2830. Ibzan governs seven years, from 2823 to 2830. 2840. Elon succeeds Ibzan. He governs from 2830 to 2840. 2840. Abdon judges Israel eight years, from 2840 to 2848. 2848. The sixth servitude, under the Philistines, which lasted 40 years, from 2848 to 2888. 2848. Eli the high-priest, of the race of Ithamar, governed 40 years, the whole time of the servitude, under the Philistines. 2849. The birth of Samson. The death of Samson, who was judge of Israel during the judicature of Eli the high-priest.

The death of Eli, and beginning of Samuel's government, who succeeded him.

The election and anointing of Saul, first king of the Hebrews.

A Chronological Life of the Kings of the Hebrews.

Saul, the first king of the Israelites, reigned 40 years, from the year of the world 2959 to 2999.

Ishbosheth the son of Saul succeeded him, and reigned five or seven years over part of Israel, from 2999 to 3056.

David was anointed king by Samuel in the year of the world 2934; but did not enjoy the regal power till the death of Saul in 2949, and was not acknowledged king of all Israel till after the death of Ishbosheth in 2956. He died in 2990 at the age of 70.

Solomon his son succeeded him; he received the royal unction in the year 2989. He reigned alone after the death of David in 2990. He died in 3029, after a reign of 40 years.

After his death, the kingdom was divided; and the ten tribes having chosen Jeroboam for their king, Rehoboam, the son of Solomon, reigned only over the tribes of Judah and Benjamin.

The Kings of Judah.

Rehoboam, the son and successor of Solomon, reigned 17 years; from the year 3029 to 3046.

Abijam, three years, from 3046 to 3049.

Asa, 41 years, from 3049 to 3090.

Jehoshaphat, 25 years, from 3090 to 3115.

Jehoram, four years, from 3115 to 3119.

Ahaziah, one year, from 3119 to 3120.

Athaliah, his mother, reigned five years, from 3120 to 3125.

Joash was set upon the throne by Jehoiada the high-priest, in 3126. He reigned 40 years, to the year 3165.

Amaziah, 29 years, from 3165 to 3194.

Uzziah, otherwise called Azariah, reigned 27 years, to the year 3221. Then attempting to offer incense in the temple, he was struck with a leprosy, and obliged to quit the government. He lived after this 26 years, and died in 3246.

Jotham his son took upon him the government in the year of the world 3221. He reigned alone in 3246, and died in 3262.

Ahaz succeeded Jotham in the year of the world 3262. He reigned 16 years, to 3278.

Hezekiah, 28 years, from 3278 to 3306.

Manasseh, 55 years, from the year of the world 3306 to 3361.

Amon, 2 years, from 3361 to 3363.

Josiah, 31 years, from 3363 to 3394.

Jehoahaz, three months.

Eliakim, or Jehoiakim, 11 years, from the year 3394 to 3405.

Jehoiachin, or Jeconiah, reigned three months and ten days, in the year 3405.

Mattaniah, or Zedekiah, reigned 11 years, from 3405 to 3416. In the last year of his reign Jerusalem was taken, the temple burnt, and Judah carried into captivity beyond the Euphrates.

Kings of Israel.

Jeroboam reigned 22 years, from 3029 to 3051.

Nadab, one year. He died in 3051.

Baasha, 22 years, from 3052 to 3074.

Elah, two years. He died in 3075.

Zimri, seven days.

Omri, 11 years, from 3075 to 3086. He had a competitor Tibni, who succeeded, and died in what year we know not.

Ahab, 21 years, from 3086 to 3107.

Ahaziah, two years, from 3106 to 3108.

Jehoram, the son of Ahab, succeeded him in 3108. He reigned 12 years, and died in 3120.

Jehu usurped the kingdom in 3120, reigned 28 years, and died in 3148.

Jehoahaz reigned 17 years, from 3148 to 3165.

Joash reigned 14 years, from 3165 to 3179.

Jeroboam II. reigned 41 years, from 3179 to 3220.

Zachariah, 12 years, from 3220 to 3232.

Shallum reigned a month. He was killed in 3233.

Menahem, 10 years, from 3233 to 3243.

Pekahiah, two years, from 3243 to 3245.

Pekah, 20 years, from 3245 to 3265.

Hoshea, 18 years, from 3265 to 3283. Here the kingdom of Israel had an end after a duration of 253 years.

Cyrus the Great, king of Persia, having conquered Cyrus published Babylon and almost all the western parts of Asia, perceiving a de-ceiving the defolate and ruinous condition in which building the province of Palestine lay, formed a design of re- storing the Jews to their native country, and permitting them to rebuild Jerusalem and re-establish their worship. For this purpose he issued out a decree in the first year of his reign, about 536 B.C., by which they were allowed not only to return and rebuild their city, but to carry along with them all the sacred vessels which Nebuchadnezzar had carried off, and engaged to defray the expense of building the temple himself. This offer was gladly embraced by the more zealous Jews of the tribes of Judah, Benjamin, and Levi; but many more, being no doubt less sanguine about their religion, chose to stay where they were.

In 534 B.C. the foundations of the temple were laid, and matters seemed to go on prosperously, when the undertaking was suddenly obstructed by the Samaritans. They came at first expressing an earnest desire to assist in the work, as they worshipped the same God with the Jews; but the latter refused their assistance, as they knew they were not true Israelites, but the descendants of those heathens who had been transplanted into the country of the ten tribes after their captivity by Shalmanezer. This refusal proved the source of all that bitter enmity which afterwards took place between the Jews and Samaritans; and the immediate consequence was, that the latter made all the opposition in their power to the going on of the work. At last, however, all obstacles were surmounted, and the temple finished as related in the &c. books of Ezra and Nehemiah. The last of these chiefs died about 429 B.C., after having restored the Jewish worship to its original purity, and reformed a number of abuses which took place immediately on its commencement.

But though the Jews were now restored to the free exercise of religion, they were neither a free nor a powerful people as they had formerly been. They were few in number, and their country only a province of Syria, subject to the kings of Persia. Syrian governors conferred the administration of affairs upon the high-priests; and their accepting this office, and thus deviating from the law of Moses, must be considered as one of the chief causes of the misfortunes which immediately befell the people, because it made room for a set of men, who aspired at this high office merely through ambition or avarice, without either zeal for religion or love for their country.

It besides made the high-priesthood capable of being disposed of at the pleasure of the governors, whereas the Mosaic institution had fixed it unalienably in the family of Aaron.—Of the bad effects of this practice a fatal instance happened in 373 B.C. Bagofes, governor of Syria, having contracted an intimate friendship with Jehuah the brother of Johanan the high-priest, promised to raise him to the pontifical office a few years after his brother had been invested with it. Jehuah came immediately to Jerusalem, and acquainted his brother with it. Their interview happened in the inner court of the temple; and a scuffle ensuing, Jehuah was killed by his brother, and the temple thus polluted in the most scandalous manner. The consequence to the Jews was, that a heavy fine was laid on the temple, which was not taken off till seven years after.

The first public calamity which befell the Jewish nation after their restoration from Babylon, happened in the year 351 B.C.: for having some how or other displeased Darius Ochus king of Persia, he besieged and took Jericho, and carried off all the inhabitants captives. From this time they continued faithful to the Persians, infomuch that they had almost drawn upon themselves the displeasure of Alexander the Great. That monarch having resolved upon the siege of Tyre, and being informed that the city was wholly supplied with provisions from Judea, Samaria, and Galilee, sent to Jaddua, then high-priest, to demand of him that supply which he had been accustomed to pay to the Persians. The Jewish pontiff excused himself on account of his oath of fidelity to Darius; which provoked Alexander, that he had no sooner completed the reduction of Tyre than he marched against Jerusalem. The inhabitants, then, being with good reason thrown into the utmost consternation, had recourse to prayers; and Jaddua is said, by a divine revelation, to have been commanded to go and meet Alexander. He obeyed accordingly, and set out on his journey, drest in his pontifical robes, at the head of all his priests in their proper habits, and attended by the rest of the people drest in white garments. Alexander is said to have been seized with such awful respect on seeing this venerable procession, that he embraced the high-priest, and paid a kind of religious adoration to the name of God engraven on the front of his mitre. His followers being surprized at this unexpected behaviour, the Macedonian monarch informed them, that he paid that respect not to the priest, but to his God, as an acknowledgment for a vision which he had been favoured with at Dia; where he had been promised the conquest of Persia, and encouraged in his expedition, by a person of much the same aspect and drest in the same habit with the pontiff before him. He afterwards accompanied Jaddua into Jerusalem, where he offered sacrifices in the temple. The high-priest showed him also the prophecies of Daniel, wherein the destruction of the Persian empire by himself is plainly set forth; in consequence of which the king went away highly satisfied, and at his departure asked the high-priest if there was nothing in which he could gratify himself or his people? Jaddua then told him, that according to the Mosaic law, they neither sowed nor ploughed on the seventh year; therefore would esteem it an high favour if the king would be pleased to remit their tribute in that year. To this request the king readily yielded; and having confirmed them in the enjoyment of all their privileges, particularly that of living under their own laws, he departed.

Whether this story deserves credit or not (for the whole transaction is not without reason called in question by some), it is certain that the Jews were much favoured by Alexander; but with him their good fortune seemed also to expire. The country of Judea, being situated between Syria and Egypt, became subject to the Jews after all the revolutions and wars which the ambitious successors of Alexander waged against each other.

At first it was given, together with Syria and Phoenicia to Leomedon the Mitlenian, one of Alexander's generals, but he being soon after stripped of the other two by Ptolemy, Judea was next summoned to yield to the conqueror. The Jews scrupled to break their oath of fidelity to Leomedon; and were of consequence invaded by Ptolemy at the head of a powerful army. The open country was easily reduced; but the city being strongly fortified both by art and nature, threatened a strong resistance. A superstitious fear for breaking the Sabbath, however, prevented the besieged from making any defence on that day; of which Ptolemy being informed, he caused an assault to be made on the Sabbath, and easily carried the place. At first he treated them with great severity, and carried 100,000 men of them into captivity; but reflecting soon after on their known fidelity to their conquerors, he restored them to all the privileges they had enjoyed under the Macedonians. Of the captives he put some into garrisons, and others he settled in the countries of Libya and Cyrene. From those who settled in the latter of these countries descended the Cyrenean Jews mentioned by the writers of the New Testament.

Five years after Ptolemy had subdued Judea, he was forced to yield it to Antigonus, referring to himself only the cities of Ace, Samaria, Joppa, and Gaza; and carrying off an immense booty, together with a great number of captives, whom he settled at Alexandria, and endowed with considerable privileges and immunities.—Antigonus behaved in such a tyrannical manner, that great numbers of his Jewish subjects fled into Egypt, and others put themselves under the protection of Seleucus, who also granted them considerable privileges. Hence this nation came gradually to be spread over Syria and Asia Minor; while Judea seemed to be in danger of being depopulated till it was recovered by Ptolemy in 292. The affairs of the Jews then took a more prosperous turn, and continued in a thriving way till the reign of Ptolemy Philopator, when they were grievously oppressed by the incursions of the Samaritans, at the same time that Antiochus Theos king of Syria invaded Galilee. Ptolemy, however, marched against Antiochus, and defeated him; him; after which, having gone to Jerusalem to offer sacrifices, he ventured to profane the temple itself by going into it. He penetrated through the two outer courts; but as he was about to enter the sanctuary, he was struck with such dread and terror that he fell down half dead. A dreadful persecution was then raised against the Jews, who had attempted to hinder him in his impious attempt; but this persecution was stopped by a still more extraordinary accident related under the article EGYPT, No. 30, and the Jews again received into favour.

About the year 204 B.C. the country of Judea was subdued by Antiochus the Great; and on this occasion the loyalty of the Jews to the Egyptians failed them, the whole nation readily submitting to the king of Syria. This attachment so pleased the Syrian monarch, that he sent a letter to his general, wherein he acquainted him that he designed to restore Jerusalem to its ancient splendor, and to recall all the Jews that had been driven out of it: that out of his singular respect to the temple of God, he granted them 20,000 pieces of silver, towards the charges of the victims, frankincense, wine, and oil; 1400 measures of fine wheat, and 375 measures of salt, towards their usual oblations: that the temple should be thoroughly repaired at his cost; that they should enjoy the free exercise of their religion; and restore the public service of the temple, and the priests, Levites, singers, &c. to their usual functions: that no stranger, or Jew that was unpurified, should enter farther into the temple than was allowed by their law; and that no flesh of unclean beasts should be brought into Jerusalem; not even their skins: and all these under the penalty of paying 3000 pieces of silver into the treasury of the temple. He further granted an exemption of taxes for three years to all the dispersed Jews that should come within a limited time to settle in the metropolis; and that all who had been sold for slaves within his dominions should be immediately set free.

This sudden prosperity proved of no long duration. About the year 176, a quarrel happened between Onias, at that time high priest, and one Simon, governor of the temple, which was attended with the most fatal consequences. The causes of this quarrel are unknown. The event, however, was, that Simon finding he could not get the better of Onias, informed Apollonius governor of Coelo-Syria and Palestine, that there was at that time in the temple an immense treasure, which at his pleasure might be seized upon for the use of the king of Syria. Of this the governor instantly sent intelligence to the king, who dispatched one Heliodorus to take possession of the supposed treasure. This person, through a miraculous interposition, as the Jews pretend, failed in his attempt of entering the temple; upon which Simon accused the high-priest to the people, as the person who had invited Heliodorus to Jerusalem. This produced a kind of civil war, in which many fell on both sides. At last Onias having complained to the king, Simon was banished; but soon after, Antiochus Epiphanes having ascended the throne of Syria, Jason, the high-priest's brother, taking advantage of the necessities of Antiochus, purchased from him the high-priesthood at the price of 350 talents, and obtained an order that his brother should be sent to Antioch, there to be confined for life.

Jason's next step was to purchase liberty, at the price of 150 talents more, to build a gymnasium at Jerusalem, similar to those which were used in the Grecian cities, and to make as many Jews as he pleased free citizens of Antioch. By means of these powers, he became very soon able to form a strong party in Judea; for his countrymen were exceedingly fond of the Grecian customs, and the freedom of the city of Antioch was a very valuable privilege. From this time forward a general apostasy took place; the service of the temple was neglected, and Jason abandoned himself without remorse to all the impieties and absurdities of paganism.

He did not, however, long enjoy his ill-acquired dignity. Having sent his brother Menelaus with the usual tribute to Antiochus, the former took the opportunity of supplanting Jason in the same manner that he had supplanted Onias. Having offered for the high-priesthood 300 talents more than his brother had given, he easily obtained it, and returned with his new commission to Jerusalem. He soon got himself a strong party; but Jason proving too powerful, forced Menelaus and his adherents to retire to Antioch. Here, the better to gain their point, they acquainted Antiochus that they were determined to renounce their old religion, and wholly conform themselves to that of the Greeks: which so pleased the tyrant, that he immediately gave them a force sufficient to drive Jason out of Jerusalem; who thereupon took refuge among the Ammonites.

Menelaus being thus freed from his rival, took care to fulfil his promise to the king with regard to the apostasy, but forgot to pay the money he had promised. At last he was summoned to Antioch; and finding nothing but the payment of the promised sum would do, sent orders to his brother Lysimachus to convey to him as many of the sacred utensils belonging to the temple as could be spared. As these were all of gold, the apostate soon raised a sufficient sum from them not only to satisfy the king, but also to bribe the courtiers in his favour. But his brother Onias, who had been all this time confined at Antioch, getting intelligence of the sacrilege, made such bitter complaints, that an insurrection was ready to take place among the Jews at Antioch. Menelaus, in order to avoid the impending danger, bribed Andronicus, governor of the city, to murder Onias. This produced the most vehement complaints as soon as Antiochus returned to the capital (he having been absent for some time in order to quell an insurrection in Cilicia); which at last ended in the death of Andronicus, who was executed by the king's order. By dint of money, however, Menelaus still found means to keep up his credit; but was obliged to draw such large sums from Jerusalem, that the inhabitants at last massacred his brother Lysimachus, whom he had left governor of the city in his absence. Antiochus soon after took a journey to Tyre; upon which the Jews sent deputies to him, both to justify the death of Lysimachus, and to accuse Menelaus of being the author of all the troubles which had happened. The apostate, however, was never at a loss while he could procure money. By means of this powerful argument, he pleaded his cause so effectually, that the deputies were not only cast, but put to death; and this unjust sentence gave the traitor such a complete victory over... over all his enemies, that from thenceforth he commenced a downright tyrant. Jerusalem was destitute of protectors; and the sanhedrim, if there were any zealous men left among them, were so much terrified, that they durst not oppose him, though they evidently saw that his design was finally to eradicate the religion and liberties of his country.

In the mean time, Antiochus was taken up with the conquest of Egypt, and a report was some how or other spread that he had been killed at the siege of Alexandria. At this news the Jews imprudently showed some signs of joy; and Jason thinking this a proper opportunity to regain his lost dignity, appeared before Jerusalem at the head of about 1000 resolute men. The gates were quickly opened to him by some of his friends in the city; upon which Menelaus retired into the citadel, and Jason, minding nothing but his resentment, committed the most horrid butcheries. At last he was obliged to leave both the city and country, on the news that Antiochus was coming with a powerful army against him; for that prince, highly provoked at this rebellion, and especially at the rejoicings the Jews had made on the report of his death, had actually resolved to punish the city in the severest manner. Accordingly, about 170 B.C., having made himself master of the city, he behaved with such cruelty, that within three days they reckoned no fewer than 40,000 killed, and as many sold for slaves. In the midst of this dreadful calamity, the apostate Menelaus found means not only to preserve himself from the general slaughter, but even to regain the good graces of the king, who, having by his means plundered the temple of every thing valuable, returned to Antioch in a kind of triumph. Before he departed, however, he put Judea under the government of one Philip, a barbarous Phrygian; Samaria under that of Andronicus, a person of a similar disposition; and left Menelaus, the most hateful of all the three, in possession of the high-priesthood.

Though the Jews suffered exceedingly under these tyrannical governors, they were still referred for greater calamities. About 168 B.C., Antiochus having been most severely mortified by the Romans, took it into his head to wreak his vengeance on the unhappy Jews. For this purpose he dispatched Apollonius at the head of 22,000 men, with orders to plunder all the cities of Judea, to murder all the men, and sell the women and children for slaves. Apollonius accordingly came with his army, and to outward appearance with a peaceable intention; neither was he suspected by the Jews, as he was superintendent of the tribute in Palestine. He kept himself inactive till the next Sabbath, when they were all in a profound quiet; and then, on a sudden, commanded his men to arms. Some of them he sent to the temple and synagogues, with orders to cut in pieces all whom they found there; whilst the rest going through the streets of the city massacred all that came in their way; the superstitious Jews not attempting to make the least resistance for fear of breaking the Sabbath. He next ordered the city to be plundered and set on fire, pulled down all their stately buildings caused the walls to be demolished, and carried away captive about 10,000 of those who had escaped the slaughter. From that time the service of the temple was totally abandoned; that place having been quite polluted, both with the blood of multitudes who had been killed, and in various other ways. The Syrian troops built a large fortress on an eminence in the city of David; fortified it with a strong wall and stately towers, and put a garrison in it to command the temple, over-against which it was built, so that the soldiers could easily see and fall out upon all those who attempted to come into the temple; so many of whom were continually plundered and murdered by them, that the rest, not daring to stay any longer in Jerusalem, fled for refuge to the neighbouring nations.

Antiochus, not yet satiated with the blood of the Jews, resolved either totally to abolish their religion, or destroy their whole race. He therefore issued out a decree that all nations within his dominions should forsake their old religion and gods, and worship those of the king under the most severe penalties. To make his orders more effectual, he sent overseers into every province to see them strictly put in execution; and as he knew the Jews were the only people who would disobey them, special directions were given to have them treated with the utmost severity. Athens, an old and cruel minister, well versed in all the pagan rites, was sent into Judea. He began by dedicating the temple to Jupiter Olympus, and setting up his statue on the altar of burnt-offerings. Another lesser altar was raised before it, on which they offered sacrifices to that false deity. All who refused to come and worship this idol were either massacred or put to some cruel tortures till they either complied or expired under the hands of the executioners. At the same time, altars, groves, and statues, were raised everywhere throughout the country, and the inhabitants compelled to worship them under the same severe penalties; while it was instant death to observe the Sabbath, circumcision, or any other institution of Moses.

At last, when vast numbers had been put to cruel deaths, and many more had saved their lives by their Mattathias apostasy, an eminent priest, named Mattathias, began to signalize himself by his bravery and zeal for religion. He had for some time been obliged to retire to Modin his native place, in order to avoid the persecution which raged at Jerusalem. During his recess there, Apelles, one of the king's officers, came to oblige the inhabitants to comply with the above-mentioned orders. By him Mattathias and his sons were addressed in the most earnest manner, and had the most ample promises made them of the king's favour and protection if they would renounce their religion. But Mattathias answered, that though the whole Jewish nation, and the whole world, were to conform to the king's edict, yet both he and his sons would continue faithful to their God to the last minute of their lives. At the same time perceiving one of his countrymen just going to offer sacrifices to an idol, he fell upon him and instantly killed him, agreeable to the law of Moses in such cases. Upon this his sons, fired with the same zeal, killed the officer and his men; overthrew the altar and idol; and running about the city, cried out, that those who were zealous for the law of God should follow them; by which means they quickly saw themselves at the head of a numerous troop, with whom they soon after withdrew into some of the deserts of Judea. They were followed by many others, so that in a short time they found themselves in a condition to resist their enemies; and having considered the danger to which they were exposed by their scrupulous observance of the Sabbath, they resolved to defend themselves, in case of an attack, upon that day as well as upon any other.

In the year 167 B.C., Mattathias finding that his followers daily increased in number, began to try his strength by attacking the Syrians and apostate Jews. As many of these as he took he put to death, but forced a much greater number to fly for refuge into foreign countries; and having soon struck his enemies with terror, he marched from city to city, overturned the idolatrous altars, opened the Jewish synagogues, made a diligent search after all the sacred books, and caused fresh copies of them to be written; he also caused the reading of the Scriptures to be resumed, and all the males born since the persecution to be circumcised. In all this he was attended with such success, that he had extended his reformation through a considerable part of Judea within the space of one year: and would probably have completed it, had he not been prevented by death.

Mattathias was succeeded by his son Judas, furnishing the Jews with Macabees, the greatest uninspired hero of whom the Jews can boast. His troops amounted to no more than 6000 men; yet with these he quickly made himself master of some of the strongest fortresses of Judea, and became terrible to the Syrians, Samaritans, and apostate Jews. In one year he defeated the Syrians in five pitched battles, and drove them quite out of the country; after which he purified the temple, and restored the true worship, which had been interrupted for three years and a half. Only one obstacle now remained, viz., the Syrian garrison, above-mentioned, which had been placed over against the temple, and which Judas could not at present reduce. In order to prevent them from interrupting the worship, however, he fortified the mountain on which the temple stood, with a high wall and strong towers round about, leaving a garrison to defend it; making some additional fortifications at the same time to Bethzura, a fortress at about 20 miles distance.

In the mean time Antiochus being on his return from an unsuccessful expedition into Persia, received the disagreeable news that the Jews had all to a man revolted, defeated his generals, driven their armies out of Judea, and restored their ancient worship. This threw him into such a fury, that he commanded his charioteer to drive with the utmost speed, threatening utterly to extirpate the Jewish race, without leaving a single person alive. These words were scarcely uttered, when he was seized with a violent pain in his bowels, which no remedy could cure or abate. But notwithstanding this violent shock, suffering himself to be hurried away by the transports of his fury, he gave orders for proceeding with the same precipitation in his journey. But while he was thus hastening forward, he fell from his chariot, and was so bruised by the fall, that his attendants were forced to put him into a litter. Not being able to bear even the motion of the litter, he was forced to halt at a town called Tabe on the confines of Persia and Babylonia. Here he kept his bed, suffering inexpressible torments, occasioned chiefly by the vermin which bred in his body, and the stench, which made him intolerable even to himself. But the torments of his mind, caused by his reflecting on the former actions of his life, surpassed by many degrees those of his body. Polybius, who in his account of this prince's death agrees with the Jewish historians, tells us, that the uneasiness of his mind grew at last to a constant delirium or state of madness, by reason of several spectres and apparitions of evil genii or spirits, which he imagined were continually reproaching him with the many wicked actions of which he had been guilty. At last, having languished for some time in this miserable condition, he expired, and by his death freed the Jews from the most intractable enemy they had ever known.

Notwithstanding the death of Antiochus, however, the war was still carried on against the Jews; but through the valour and good conduct of Judas, the Syrians were constantly defeated, and in 163 B.C. a peace was concluded upon terms very advantageous to the Jewish nation. This tranquillity, however, was of no long continuance; the Syrian generals renewed their hostilities, and were attended with the same ill success as before. Judas defeated them in five engagements; but in the sixth was abandoned by all his men except 800, who, together with their chief, were slain in the year 161 B.C.

The news of the death of Judas threw his countrymen into the utmost consternation, and seemed to give Jonathan new life to all their enemies. He was succeeded, however, by his brother Jonathan; who conducted matters with no less prudence and success than Judas had done, till he was treacherously seized and put to death by Tryphon, a Syrian usurper, who shortly after murdered his own sovereign. The traitor immediately prepared to invade Judea; but found all his projects frustrated by Simon, Jonathan's brother. This pontiff repaired all the fortresses of Judea, and furnished them with fresh garrisons, took Joppa and Gaza, and drove out the Syrian garrison from the fortresses of Jerusalem; but was at last treacherously murdered by a son-in-law named Ptolemy, about 135 B.C.

Simon was succeeded by his son Hyrcan; who not only shook off the yoke of Syria, but conquered the Samaritans, demolished their capital city, and became master of all Palestine, to which he added the provinces of Samaria and Galilee; all which he enjoyed till within a year of his death, without the least disturbance from without, or any internal discord. His reign was no less remarkable on the account of his great wisdom and piety at home than his conquests abroad. He was the first since the captivity who had assumed the royal title; and he raised the Jewish nation to a greater degree of splendor than it had ever enjoyed since that time. The author of the fourth book of the Maccabees also informs us, that in him three dignities were centered which never met in any other person, namely, the royal dignity, the high-priesthood, and the gift of prophecy. But the instances given of this last are very equivocal and suspicious. The last year of his reign, however, was embittered by a quarrel with the Pharisees; and which proceeded such a length as was thought to have shortened his days. Hyrcan had always been a great friend to that sect, and they had hitherto enjoyed the most honourable employments in the state; but at length one of them, named Elazar, took it into his head to question Hyrcan's legitimacy, alleging, that his mother had formerly been a slave, slave, and consequently that he was incapable of enjoying the high-priesthood. This report was credited, or pretended to be so, by the whole sect; which irritated the high-priest to such a degree, that he joined the Sadducees, and could never afterwards be reconciled to the Pharisees, who therefore raised all the troubles and seditions they could during the short time he lived.

Hyrcan died in 107 B.C. and was succeeded by his eldest son Aristobulus, who conquered Iturea, but proved a most cruel and barbarous tyrant, polluting his hands with the blood even of his mother and one of his brothers, keeping the rest closely confined during his reign, which, however, was but short. He was succeeded in 105 by Alexander Janneus, the greatest conqueror, next to King David, that ever sat on the Jewish throne. He was hated, however, by the Pharisees, and once in danger of being killed in a tumult excited by them; but having caused his guards to fall upon the mutinous mob, they killed 6000 of them, and dispersed the rest. After this, finding it impossible to remain in quiet in his own kingdom, he left Jerusalem, with a design to apply himself wholly to the extending of his conquests; but while he was busied in subduing his foreign enemies, the Pharisees raised a rebellion at home. This was quelled in the year 86 B.C., and the rebels were treated in the most inhuman manner. The faction, however, was by this means so thoroughly quelled, that they never dared to lift up their heads as long as he lived: and Alexander having made several conquests in Syria, died about 79 B.C.

The king left two sons, Hyrcanus and Aristobulus; but bequeathed the government to his wife Alexandra as long as she lived: but as he saw her greatly afraid, and not without reason, of the resentment of the Pharisees, he desired his queen, just before his death, to send for the principal leaders of that party, and pretend to be entirely devoted to them; in which case, he assured her, that they would support her and her sons after her in the peaceable possession of the government. With this advice the queen complied; but found herself much embarrassed by the turbulent Pharisees, who, after several exorbitant demands, would at last be contented with nothing less than the total extermination of their adversaries the Sadducees. As the queen was unable to resist the strength of the pharisaic faction, a most cruel persecution immediately took place against the Sadducees, which continued for four years; until at last, upon their earnest petition, they were dispersed among the several garrisons of the kingdom, in order to secure them from the violence of their enemies. A few years after this, being seized with a dangerous sickness, her youngest son Aristobulus collected a strong party in order to secure the crown to himself; but the queen being displeased with his conduct, appointed her other son Hyrcanus, whom she had before made high-priest, to succeed her also in the royal dignity. Soon after this he expired, and left her two sons competitors for the crown. The Pharisees raised an army against Aristobulus, which almost instantly deserted to him, so that Hyrcanus found himself obliged to accept of peace upon any terms; which, however, was not granted, till the latter had abandoned all title both to the royal and pontifical dignity, and contented himself with the enjoyment of his peculiar patrimony as a private person.

But this deposition did not extinguish the party of Hyrcanus. A new cabal was raised by Antipater an Idumean profelyte, and father of Herod the great; who carried off Hyrcanus into Arabia, under pretence that his life was in danger if he remained in Judea. Here he applied to Aretas king of that country, who undertook to restore the deposed monarch; and for that purpose invaded Judea, defeated Aristobulus, and kept him closely besieged in Jerusalem. The latter had recourse to the Romans; and having bribed Scævola, one of their generals, he defeated Aretas with the loss of 7000 of his men, and drove him quite out of the country. The two brothers next sent presents to Pompey, at that time commander in chief of all the Roman forces in the east, and whom they made the arbitrator of their differences. But he, fearing that Aristobulus, against whom he intended to declare, might obstruct his intended expedition against the Nabateans, dismissed them with a promise, that as soon as he had subdued Aretas, he would come into Judea and decide their controversy.

This delay gave such offence to Aristobulus, that he suddenly departed for Judea without even taking leave of the Roman general, who on his part was no less offended at this want of respect. The consequence was, that Pompey entered Judea with those troops with which he had designed to act against the Nabateans, and summoned Aristobulus to appear before him. The Jewish prince would gladly have been excused; but was forced by his own people to comply with Pompey's summons, to avoid a war with that general. He came accordingly more than once or twice to him, and was dismissed with great promises and marks of friendship. But at last Pompey insisted, that he should deliver into his hands all the fortified places he possessed; which let Aristobulus plainly see that he was in the interest of his brother, and upon this he fled to Jerusalem with a design to oppose the Romans to the utmost of his power. He was quickly followed by Pompey; and to prevent hostilities was at last forced to go and throw himself at the feet of the haughty Roman, and to promise him a considerable sum of money as the reward of his forbearance. This submission was accepted; but Gabinius, being sent with some troops to receive the stipulated sum, was repulsed by the garrison of Jerusalem, who flung the stones against him, and refused to fulfil the agreement. This disappointment so exasperated Pompey, that he immediately marched with his whole army against the city.

The Roman general first sent proposals of peace; but finding the Jews resolved to stand out to the last, he began the siege in form. As the place was strongly fortified both by nature and art, he might have found it very difficult to accomplish his design, had not the Jews been suddenly seized with a qualm of conscience respecting the observance of the Sabbath-day. From the time of the Maccabees they had made no scruple of taking up arms against an offending enemy on the Sabbath; but now they discovered, that though it was lawful on that day to stand on their defence in case they were actually attacked, yet it was unlawful to do anything towards the preventing of those pre- paratives which the enemy made towards such future assaults. As therefore they never moved an hand to hinder the erection of mounds and batteries, or the making of breaches in the walls, on the sabbath, the besiegers at last made such a considerable breach on that day, that the garrison could no longer retake them. The city was therefore taken in the year 63 B.C., 12,000 of the inhabitants were slaughtered, and many more died by their own hands; while the priests, who were offering up the usual prayers and sacrifices in the temple, chose rather to be butchered along with their brethren, than suffer divine service to be one moment interrupted. At last, after the Romans had satiated their cruelty with the death of a vast number of the inhabitants, Hyrcanus was restored to the pontifical dignity with the title of prince; but forbid to assume the title of king, to wear a diadem, or to extend his territories beyond the limits of Judea. To prevent future revolts, the walls were pulled down; and Scaurus was left governor with a sufficient force. But before he departed, the Roman general gave the Jews a still greater offence than almost anything he had hitherto done; and that was by entering into the most sacred recesses of the temple, where he took a view of the golden table, candlestick, censers, lamps, and all the other sacred vessels; but, out of respect to the Deity, forebore to touch any of them, and when he came out commanded the priests immediately to purify the temple according to custom.

Pompey having thus subdued the Jewish nation, set out for Rome, carrying along with him Aristobulus and his two sons Alexander and Antigonus, as captives to adorn his future triumph. Aristobulus himself and his son Antigonus were led in triumph; but Alexander found means to escape into Judea, where he raised an army of 10,000 foot and 1500 horse, and began to fortify several strongholds, from whence he made incursions into the neighbouring country. As for Hyrcanus, he had no sooner found himself freed from his rival brother, than he relapsed into his former indolence, leaving the care of all his affairs to Antipater, who, like a true politician, failed not to turn the weaknesses of the prince to his own advantage and the aggrandizing of his family. He foreflew, however, that he could not easily compass his ends, unless he ingratiated himself with the Romans; and therefore spared neither pains nor cost to gain their favour. Scaurus soon after received from him a supply of corn and other provisions, without which his army, which he had led against the metropolis of Arabia, would have been in danger of perishing; and after this, he prevailed on the king to pay 300 talents to the Romans, to prevent them from ravaging his country. Hyrcanus was now in no condition to face his enemy Alexander; and therefore had again recourse to the Romans, Antipater at the same time sending as many troops as he could spare to join them. Alexander ventured a battle; but was defeated with considerable loss, and besieged in a strong fortress named Alexandrian. Here he would have been forced to surrender; but his mother, partly by her address, and partly by the services she found means to do the Roman general, prevailed upon him to grant her son a pardon for what was past. The fortresses were then demolished, that they might not give occasion to fresh revolts; Hyrcanus was again restored to the pontifical dignity; and the province was divided into five several districts, in each of which a separate court of judicature was erected. The first of these was at Jerusalem, the second at Gadara, the third at Amath, the fourth at Jericho, and the fifth at Sephoris in Galilee. Thus was the government changed from a monarchy to an aristocracy, and the Jews now fell under a fet of dominion.

Soon after this, Aristobulus found means to escape from his confinement at Rome, and raised new troubles in Judea, but was again defeated and taken prisoner; his son also renewed his attempts; but was in like manner defeated, with the loss of near 10,000 of his followers; after which Gabinius, having settled the affairs of Judea to Antipater's mind, resigned the government of his province to Cæsar. The only transaction during his government was his plundering the temple of all its money and sacred utensils, amounting in the whole to 10,000 Attic talents, i.e. above two millions of our money. After this sacrilege, Cæsar set out on his expedition against Parthia, where he perished; and his death was by the Jews interpreted as a divine judgment for his impiety.

The war between Cæsar and Pompey afforded the Jews some respite, and likewise an opportunity of ingratiating themselves with the former, which the artful Antipater readily embraced. His services were rewarded by the emperor. He confirmed Hyrcanus in his priesthood, added to it the principality of Judea, to be entailed on his posterity for ever, and restored the Jewish nation to their ancient rights and privileges; ordering at the same time a pillar to be erected, wherein all these grants, and his own decree, should be engraved, which was accordingly done; and soon after, when Cæsar himself came into Judea, he granted liberty also to fortify the city, and rebuild the wall which had been demolished by Pompey.

During the lifetime of Cæsar, the Jews were so highly favoured, that they could scarcely be said to feel the Roman yoke. After his death, however, the nation fell into great disorders; which were not finally quelled till Herod, who was created king of Judea by Marc Antony in 40 B.C. was fully established on the throne by the taking of Jerusalem by his allies the Romans in 37 B.C. The immediate consequence of Herod's accession was another cruel pillage and massacre; then followed the death of Antigonus the son of Aristobulus, the Jew who had for three years maintained his ground against Herod, put to death his brother Phasaël, and cut off Hyrcanus's ears, in order the more effectually to incapacitate him for the high-priesthood.

The Jews gained but little by this change of masters. The new king proved one of the greatest tyrants and cruel persecutors mentioned in history. He began his reign with a cruel persecution of those who had sided with his rival Antigonus; great numbers of whom he put to death, feigning and confiscating their effects for his own use. Nay, such was his jealousy in this last respect, that he caused guards to be placed at the city gates, in order to watch the bodies of those of the Antigonus faction who were carried out to be buried, lest some of their riches should be carried along with them. His jealousy next prompted him to decoy Hyrcanus, the banished pontiff, from Parthia, where he had taken refuge. refuge, that he might put him to death, though contrary to his most solemn promises. His cruelty then fell upon his own family. He had married Mariamne, the daughter of Hyrcanus; whose brother, Aristobulus, a young prince of great hopes, was made high-priest at the intercession of his mother Alexandra. But the tyrant, conscious that Aristobulus had a better right to the kingdom than himself, caused him soon after to be drowned in a bath. The next victim was his beloved queen Mariamne herself. Herod had been summoned to appear first before Marc Antony, and then before Augustus, in order to clear himself from some crimes laid to his charge. As he was, however, doubtful of the event, he left orders, that in case he was condemned, Mariamne should be put to death. This, together with the death of her father and brother, gave her such an aversion for him, that she showed it on all occasions. By this conduct the tyrant's resentment was at last so much inflamed, that having got her falsely accused of infidelity, she was condemned to die, and executed accordingly. She suffered with great resolution; but with her ended all the happiness of her husband. His love for Mariamne increased so much after her death, that for some time he appeared like one quite distracted. His remorse, however, did not get the better of his cruelty. The death of Mariamne was soon followed by that of her mother Alexandra, and this by the execution of several other persons who had joined with her in an attempt to secure the kingdom to the sons of the deceased queen.

Herod, having now freed himself from the greatest part of his supposed enemies, began to show a greater contempt for the Jewish ceremonies than formerly; and introduced a number of heathenish games, which made him odious to his subjects. Ten bold fellows at last took it into their heads to enter the theatre where the tyrant was celebrating some games, with daggers concealed under their clothes, in order to stab him or some of his retinue. In case they should miscarry in the attempt, they had the desperate satisfaction to think, that, if they perished, the tyrant would be rendered still more odious by the punishment inflicted on them. They were not mistaken: for Herod being informed of their design by one of his spies, and causing the assassins to be put to a most excruciating death, the people were so much exasperated against the informer, that they cut and tore him to pieces, and cast his flesh to the dogs. Herod tried in vain to discover the authors of this affront; but at last having caused some women to be put to the rack, he extorted from them the names of the principal persons concerned, whom he caused immediately to be put to death with their families. This produced such disturbances, that, apprehending nothing less than a general revolt, he set about fortifying Jerusalem with several additional works, rebuilding Samaria, and putting garrisons into several fortresses in Judea. Notwithstanding this, however, Herod had shortly after an opportunity of regaining the affections of his subjects in some measure, by his generosity to them during a famine; but as he soon relapsed into his former cruelty, their love was again turned into hatred, which continued till his death.

Rebuilds Herod now, about 23 B.C. began to adorn his temple cities with many stately buildings. The most remarkable and magnificent of them all, however, was the temple at Jerusalem, which he is said to have raised to a higher pitch of grandeur than even Solomon himself had done. Ten thousand artificers were immediately set to work, under the direction of 1000 priests, the best skilled in carving, masonry, &c., all of whom were kept in constant pay. A thousand carts were employed in fetching materials; and such a number of other hands were employed, that every thing was got ready within the space of two years. After this, they set about pulling down the old building, and rearing up the new one with the same expedition: so that the holy place, or temple, properly so called, was finished in a year and a half; during which we are told that it never rained in the daytime, but only in the night. The remainder was finished in somewhat more than eight years. The temple, properly so called, or holy place, was but 60 cubits high, and as many in breadth; but in the front he added two wings or shoulders which projected 20 cubits more on each side, and which in all made a front of 120 cubits in length, and as many in height; with a gate 70 cubits high and 20 in breadth, but open and without any doors. The stones were white marble, 25 cubits in length, 12 in height, and 9 in breadth, all wrought and polished with exquisite beauty; the whole resembling a stately palace, whose middle being considerably raised above the extremities of each face, made it afford a beautiful vista at a great distance, to those who came to the metropolis. Instead of doors, the gates closed with very costly veils, enriched with a variety of flowering of gold, silver, purple, and every thing that was rich and curious; and on each side of the gates were planted two stately columns, from whose cornices hung golden festoons and vines, with their clusters of grapes, leaves, &c. curiously wrought. The superstructure, however, which was properly reared on the old foundation without sufficient additions, proved too heavy, and sunk down about 20 cubits; so that its height was reduced to 100. This foundation was of an astonishing strength and height, of which an account is given under the article JERUSALEM. The platform was a regular square of a stadium or furlong on each side. Each front of the square had a spacious gate or entrance, enriched with suitable ornaments; but that on the west had four gates, one of which led to the palace, another to the city, and the two others to the suburbs and fields. This inclosure was surrounded on the outside with a strong and high wall of large stones, well cemented; and on the inside had on each front a stately piazza or gallery, supported by columns of such a bigness, that three men could just embrace them, their circumference being about 27 feet. There were in all 162 of them, which supported a cedar ceiling of excellent workmanship, and formed three galleries, the middlemost of which was the largest and highest, it being 45 feet in breadth and 100 in height, whereas those on each side were but 30 feet wide and 50 in height.

The piazzas and court were paved with marble of various colours; and, at a small distance from the galleries, was a second inclosure, surrounded with a flight of beautiful marble rails, with stately columns at proper distances, on which were engraven certain admonitions in Greek and Latin, to forbid strangers, and Jews. those Jews that were not purified, to proceed farther under pain of death. This inclosure had but one gate on the east side; none on the west; but on the north and south it had three, placed at equal distances from each other.

A third inclosure surrounded the temple, properly so called, and the altar of burnt-offerings; and made what they called the court of the Hebrews or Israelites. It was square like the rest; but the wall on the outside was surrounded by a flight of 14 steps, which hid a considerable part of it; and on the top was a terrace, of about 12 cubits in breadth, which went quite round the whole inclosure. The east side had but one gate; the west none; and the north and south four, at equal distances. Each gate was ascended by five steps more before one could reach the level of the inward court; so that the wall which inclosed it appeared within to be but 25 cubits high, though considerably higher on the outside. On the inside of each of these gates were raised a couple of spacious square chambers, in form of a pavilion, 30 cubits wide and 40 in height, each supported by columns of 12 cubits in circumference.

This inclosure had likewise a double flight of galleries on the inside, supported by a double row of columns; but the western side was only one continued wall, without gates or galleries. The women had likewise their particular courts separate from that of the men, and one of the gates on the north and south leading to it.

The altar of burnt-offerings was likewise high and spacious, being 40 cubits in breadth, and 15 in height. The ascent to it was, according to the Mosaic law, smooth, and without steps; and the altar of unhewn stones. It was surrounded, at a convenient distance, with a low wall or rail, which divided the court of the priests from that of the lay Israelites; so that the laity were allowed to come thus far to bring their offerings and sacrifices; though none but the priests were allowed to come within that inclosure.

Herod caused a new dedication of this temple to be performed with the utmost magnificence, and presented it to many rich trophies of his former victories, after the custom of the Jewish monarchs.

This, and many other magnificent works, however, did not divert the king's attention from his usual jealousies and cruelty. His sister Salome, and one of his sons named Antipater, taking advantage of this disposition, prompted him to murder his two sons by Mariamne, named Alexander and Aristobulus, who had been educated at the court of Augustus in Italy, and were justly admired by all who saw them. His cruelty soon after broke out in an impotent attempt to destroy the Saviour of the world, but which was attended with no other consequence than the destruction of 2000 innocent children of his own subjects. His misery was almost brought to its summit by the discovery of Antipater's designs against himself; who was accordingly tried and condemned for treason. Something still more dreadful, however, yet awaited him; he was seized with a most loathsome and incurable disease, in which he was tormented with intolerable pains, so that his life became a burden. At last he died, to the great joy of the Jews, five days after he had put Antipater to death, and after having divided his kingdom among his sons in the following manner.—Archelaus had Judea; Antipas, or Herod, was tetrarch of Galilee and Perea; and Philip had the regions of Trachonitis, Gaulon, Batanea, and Panias, which he erected likewise into a tetrarchy. To his sister Salome he gave 50,000 pieces of money, together with the cities of Jannia, Azotus, and Phasaëlis; besides some considerable legacies to his other relations.

The cruelty of this monster accompanied him to his grave; nay, he in a manner carried it beyond the grave. Being well apprised that the Jews would rejoice at being freed from such a tyrant, he betook himself of the following infernal stratagem to damp their mirth. A few days before his death, he summoned all the heads of the Jews to repair to Jericho under pain of death; and, on their arrival, ordered them all to be shut up in the circus, giving at the same time strict orders to his sister Salome and her husband to have all the prisoners butchered as soon as his breath was gone out. "By this means (said he), I shall not only damp the people's joy, but secure a real mourning at my death." These cruel orders, however, were not put in execution. Immediately after the king's death, Salome went to the Hippodrome, where the heads of the Jews were detained, caused the gates to be flung open, and declared to them, that now the king had no further occasion for their attendance, and that they might depart to their respective homes; after which, and not till then, the news of the king's death was published. Tumults, seditions, and insurrections, quickly followed. Archelaus was deprived of his brethren, and obliged to appear at Rome, before Augustus, to whom many complaints were brought against him. After hearing both parties, the emperor made the following division of the kingdom: Archelaus had one half, under the title of ethnarch, or governor of a nation; together with a promise that he should have the title of king, as soon as he showed himself worthy of it. This ethnarchy contained Judea Propria, Idumea, and Samaria: but this last was exempted from one-fourth of the taxes paid by the rest, on account of the peaceable behaviour of the inhabitants during the late tumults. The remainder was divided between Philip and Herod; the former of whom had Trachonitis, Batanea, and Auranitis, together with a small part of Galilee; the latter had the rest of Galilee and the countries beyond the Jordan. Salome had half a million of silver, together with the cities of Jannia, Azotus, Phasaëlis, and Acalon.

For some years Archelaus enjoyed his government in peace; but at last, both Jews and Samaritans, tired out with his tyrannical behaviour, joined in a petition to Augustus against him. The emperor immediately summoned him to Rome, where, having heard his accuser and defence, he banished him to the city of Vienne in Dauphiny, and confiscated all his effects, banished Judea being by this sentence reduced to a Roman and a Roman province, was ordered to be taxed: and Cyrenius the governor of Syria, a man of consular dignity, was pointed thither to see it put in execution: which having over Judæa done, and sold the palaces of Archelaus, and seized upon all his treasure, he returned to Antioch, leaving the Jews in no small ferment on account of this new tax. Thus were the seeds of diffusion sown between the Jews and Romans, which ended in the most lamentable catastrophe of the former. The Jews, always impatient of a foreign yoke, knew from their prophecies, that the time was now come when the Messiah should appear. Of consequence, as they expected him to be a great and powerful warrior, their rebellious and sedulous spirit was heightened to the greatest degree; and they imagined they had nothing to do but take up arms, and victory would immediately declare on their side. From this time, therefore, the country was never quiet; and the infatuated people, while they rejected the true Messiah, gave themselves up to the direction of every impostor who chose to lead them to their own destruction.

The governors appointed by the Romans were also frequently changed, but seldom for the better. About the 16th year of Christ, Pontius Pilate was appointed governor; the whole of whose administration, according to Josephus, was one continued scene of venality, rapine, tyranny, and every wicked action; of racking and putting innocent men to death, untried and uncondemned; and of every kind of savage cruelty. Such a governor was but ill calculated to appease the ferments occasioned by the late tax. Indeed Pilate was so far from attempting this, that he greatly inflamed them by taking every occasion of introducing his standards with images and pictures, consecrated shields, &c., into their city; and at last attempting to drain the treasuries of the temple, under pretence of bringing an aqueduct into Jerusalem. The most remarkable transaction of his government, however, was his condemnation of Jesus Christ; seven years after which he was removed from Judea; and in a short time Agrippa, the grandson of Herod the Great, was promoted by Caius to the regal dignity. He did not, however, long enjoy this honour; for, on his coming into Judea, having raised a persecution against the Christians, and blasphemously suffering himself to be styled a God by some deputies from Tyre and Sidon, he was miraculously struck with a disease, which soon put an end to his life. The sacred historian tells us, that he was eaten of worms; and Josephus, that he was seized with most violent pains in his heart and bowels; so that he could not but reflect on the baseness of those flatterers, who had but lately complimented him with a kind of divine immortality, that was now about to expire in all the torments and agonies of a miserable mortal.

On the death of Agrippa, Judea was once more reduced to a province of the Roman empire, and had new governors appointed over it. There were Ventidius, Felix, Festus Albinus, and Gellius Florus.—Under their government the Jewish affairs went on from bad to worse; the country swarmed with robbers and assassins; the latter committing everywhere the most unheard-of cruelties under the pretence of religion; and about 64 A.C. were joined by 18,000 workmen, who had been employed in further repairing and beautifying the temple. About this time also, Gellius Florus, the last and worst governor the Jews ever had, was sent into the country. Josephus seems at a loss for words to describe him by, or a monster to compare him to. His rapines, cruelties, conniving for large sums with the banditti, and in a word, his whole behaviour, was so open and bare-faced, that he was looked upon by the Jews more like a bloody executioner, fain to butcher, than a magistrate to govern, them. In this distracted state of the country, many of the inhabitants forsook it to seek for an asylum somewhere else; while those who remained applied themselves to Cestius Galus, governor of Syria, who was at Jerusalem at the passover; beseeching him to pity their unhappy state, and free them from the tyranny of a man who had totally ruined their country. Florus, who was present when these complaints were brought against him, made a mere jest of them; and Cestius, instead of making a strict inquiry into his conduct, dismissed the Jews with a general promise that the governor should behave better for the future; and set himself about computing the number of Jews at that time in Jerusalem, by the number of lambs offered at that festival, that he might fend an account of the whole to Nero. By his computation, there were at that time in Jerusalem 2,550,000; though Josephus thinks they rather amounted to 3,000,000.

In the year 67 began the fatal war with the Romans, cause of which was ended only by the destruction of Jerusalem, the last The immediate cause was the decision of a contest war with the Syrians concerning the city of Caesarea. The Romans Jews maintained that this city belonged to them, because it had been built by Herod; and the Syrians pretended that it had always been reckoned a Greek city, since even that monarch had reared temples and statues in it. The contest at last came to such an height, that both parties took up arms against each other. Felix put an end to it for a time, by sending some of the chiefs of each nation to Rome, to plead their cause before the emperor, where it hung in suspense till this time, when Nero decided it against the Jews. No sooner was this decision made public, than the Jews in all parts of the country flew to arms; and though they were everywhere the sufferers, yet, from this fatal period, their rage never abated. Nothing was now to be heard of but robberies, murders, and every kind of cruelty. Cities and villages were filled with dead bodies of all ages, even sucking babes. The Jews, on their part, spared neither Syrians nor Romans, where they got the better of them; and this terribly proved the destruction of great numbers of their peace-maligned, full brethren: 20,000 were massacred at Caesarea, 50,000 at Alexandria, 2000 at Ptolemais, and 3500 at Jerusalem.

A great number of assassins, in the mean time, having joined the factious Jews in Jerusalem, they beat the Romans out of Antonia, a fortress adjoining to the temple, and another called Maffada; and likewise out of the towers called Phasaël and Mariamne, killing all who opposed them. The Romans were at last reduced to such straits, that they capitulated on the single condition that their lives should be spared; notwithstanding which, they were all massacred by the furious zealots; and this treachery was soon revenged on the faithful Jews of Scythopolis. These had offered to assist in reducing their factious brethren; but their sincerity being suspected by the townsmen, they obliged them to retire into a neighbouring wood, where, on the third night, they were massacred to the number of 13,000, and all their wealth carried off. The rebels, in the mean time, crossed the Jordan, and took the fortresses of Macharoth and and Cyprus; which last they razed to the ground, after having put all the Romans to the sword.—This brought Cælius Galus, the Syrian governor, into Judea with all his forces; but the Jews, partly by treachery and partly by force, got the better of him, and drove him out of the country with the loss of 5000 men.

All this time such dreadful dissensions reigned among the Jews, that great numbers of the better sort forefeeling the fatal effects of the resentment of the Romans, left the city as men do a sinking vessel; and the Christians, mindful of their Saviour's prediction, retired to Pella, a city on the other side of Jordan, whither the war did not reach. Miserable was the fate of such as either could not, or would not, leave that devoted city. Vespasian was now ordered to leave Greece, where he was at that time, and to march with all speed into Judea. He did so accordingly at the head of a powerful army, ordering his son Titus in the mean time to bring two more legions from Alexandria; but before he could reach that country, the Jews had twice attempted to take the city of Afulon, and were each time repulsed with the loss of 10,000 of their number. In the beginning of the year 68, Vespasian entered Galilee at the head of an army of 60,000 men, all completely armed and excellently disciplined. He first took and burnt Gadera; then he laid siege to Jotapa, and took it after a stout resistance; at which he was so provoked, that he caused every one of the Jews to be massacred or carried into captivity, not one being left to carry the dreadful news to their brethren. Forty thousand perished on this occasion: only 1200 were made prisoners, among whom was Josephus the Jewish historian. Japha next shared the same fate, after an obstinate siege; all the men being massacred, and the women and children carried into captivity. A week after this, the Samaritans, who had assembled on Mount Gerizim, were almost all put to the sword, or perished. Joppa fell the next victim to the Roman vengeance. It had been formerly laid waste by Cælius; but was now repeopled and fortified by the sedulous Jews who infested the country. It was taken by storm, and shared the same fate with the rest. Four thousand Jews attempted to escape by taking to their ships; but were driven back by a sudden tempest, and all of them were drowned or put to the sword. Tarichea and Tiberias were next taken, but part of their inhabitants were spared on account of their peaceable dispositions. Then followed the sieges of Gamala, Gischala, and Itabry. The first was taken by storm, with a dreadful slaughter of the Jews; the last by stratagem. The inhabitants of Gischala were inclinable to surrender; but a sedulous Jew of that town, named John, the son of Levi, head of the faction, and a vile fellow, opposed it; and, having the mob at his back, overawed the whole city. On the Sabbath he begged of Titus to forbear hostilities till to-morrow, and then he would accept his offer; but instead of that, he fled to Jerusalem with as many as would follow him. The Romans, as soon as they were informed of his flight, pursued, and killed 6000 of his followers on the road, and brought back near 3000 women and children prisoners. The inhabitants then surrendered to Titus; and only the factious were punished; and this completed the reduction of Galilee.

The Jewish nation by this time was divided into different very opposite parties: the one foreseeing that factions this war, if continued, must end in the total ruin among the of their country, were for putting an end to it by submitting to the Romans; the other, which was the remains of the faction of Judas Gaulonites, breathed nothing but war and confusion, and opposed all peaceable measures with invincible obstinacy. This last, which was by far the most numerous and powerful, consisted of men of the vilest and most profligate characters that can be paralleled in history. They were proud, ambitious, cruel, rapacious, and committed the most horrid and unnatural crimes under the mask of religion. They affirmed everywhere, that it was offering the greatest dishonour to God to submit to any earthly potentate; much less to Romans and to heathens. This, they said, was the only motive that induced them to take up arms, and to bind themselves under the strictest obligations not to lay them down till they had either totally extirpated all foreign authority, or perished in the attempt.—This dreadful dissension was not confined to Jerusalem, but had infected all the cities, towns, and villages, of Palestine. Even houses and families were so divided against each other, that, as our Saviour had expressly foretold, a man's greatest enemies were often those of his own family and household. In short, if we may believe Josephus, the zealots acted more like incarnate devils than like men who had any sense of humanity left them.—This obliged the contrary party likewise to rise up in arms in their own defence against those miscreants; from whom, however, they suffered much more than they did even from the exasperated Romans.—The zealots began their outrages by murdering all that opposed them in the countries round about. Then they entered Jerusalem; but met with a stout opposition from the other party headed by Ananus, who had lately been high-priest. A fierce engagement ensued between them; and the zealots were driven into the inner cincture of the temple, where they were closely besieged. John of Gischala above-mentioned, who had pretended to side with the peaceable party, was then sent with terms of accommodation; but, instead of advising the besieged to accept of them, he persuaded them still to hold out, and call the Idumeans to their assistance. They did so, and procured 20,000 of them to come to their relief; but these new allies were refused admittance into the city. On that night, however, there happened such a violent storm, accompanied with thunder, lightning, and an earthquake, that the zealots from within the inner court saw the bolts and hinges of the temple-gates without being heard, forced the guards of the besiegers, fell into the city, and led in the Idumeans. The city was instantly filled with butcheries of the most horrid kind. Barely to put any of the opposite party to death was thought too mild a punishment; they must have the pleasure of murdering them by inches: so that they made it now their diversion to put them to the most exquisite tortures that could be invented; nor could they be prevailed upon to dispatch them till the violence of their torments had rendered them quite. quite incapable of feeling them. In this manner perished 12,000 persons of noble extraction, and in the flower of their age; till at last the Idumeans complained so much against the putting such numbers to death, that the zealots thought proper to erect a kind of tribunal, which, however, was intended not for judgment but condemnation: for the judges having once acquitted a person who was manifestly innocent, the zealots not only murdered him in the temple, but depoed the new-created judges as persons unfit for their office.

The zealots, after having exterminated all those of any character or distinction, began next to wreak their vengeance on the common people. This obliged many of the Jews to forsake Jerusalem, and take refuge with the Romans, though the attempt was very hazardous; for the zealots had all the avenues well guarded, and failed not to put to death such as fell into their hands. Vespaian in the mean time stood at Cæsarea an idle spectator of their outrages; well knowing that the zealots were fighting for him, and that the strength of the Jewish nation was gradually wasting away. Everything succeeded to his will. The zealots, after having massacred or driven away the opposite party, turned their arms against each other. A party was formed against John, under one Simon who had his head-quarters at the fortresses of Maffada. This new miscreant plundered, burned, and massacred, wherever he came, carrying the spoil into the fortresses above-mentioned. To increase his party, he caused a proclamation to be published, by which he promised liberty to the slaves, and proportionable encouragement to the freemen who joined him. This stratagem had the desired effect, and he soon saw himself at the head of a considerable army. Not thinking himself, however, as yet master of force sufficient to besiege Jerusalem, he invaded Idumea with 20,000 men. The Idumeans opposed him with 25,000; and a sharp engagement ensued, in which neither party was victorious. But Simon, soon after, having corrupted the Idumean general, got their army delivered up to him. By this means he easily became master of the country; where he committed such cruelties, that the miserable inhabitants abandoned it to seek for shelter in Jerusalem.

In the city, matters went in the same way. John tyrannized in such a manner, that the Idumeans revolted, killed a great number of his men, plundered his palace, and forced him to retire into the temple. In the mean time the people, having taken a notion that he would fall out in the night and set fire to the city, called a council, in which it was resolved to admit Simon with his troops, in order to oppose John and his zealots. Simon's first attempt against his rival, however, was ineffectual, and he was obliged to content himself with besieging the zealots in the temple. In the mean time, the miseries of the city were increased by the starting up of a third party headed by one Eleazar, who seized on the court of the priests, and kept John confined within that of the Israelites. Eleazar kept the avenues so well guarded, that none were admitted to come into that part of the temple but those who came thither to offer sacrifices; and it was by these offerings chiefly that he maintained himself and his men. John by this means found himself hemmed in between two powerful enemies, Simon below, and Eleazar above. He defended himself, however, against them both with great resolution; and when the city was invested by the Romans, having pretended to come to an agreement with his rivals, he found means totally to cut off or force Eleazar's men to submit to him, so that the factions were again reduced to two.

The Romans, in the year 72, began to advance towards the capital. In their way they destroyed many thousands, wasting the country as they went along; and in the year 73 arrived before the walls of Jerusalem, under Titus afterwards emperor. As he was a man of an exceedingly merciful disposition, and greatly desired to spare the city, he immediately sent offers of peace; but these were rejected with contempt, and he himself put in great danger of his life, so that he resolved to begin the siege in form. In the mean time, Simon and John renewed their hostilities with greater fury than ever. John now held the whole temple, some of the out-parts of it, and the valley of Cedron. Simon had the whole city to range in; in some parts of which John had made such devastations, that they served them for a field of battle, from which they fell in unanimously against the common enemy whenever occasion served; after which they returned to their usual hostilities, turning their arms against each other, as if they had sworn to make their ruin more easy to the Romans. These drew still nearer to the walls, having with great labour and pains levelled all the ground between Scopas and them, by pulling down all the houses and hedges, cutting down the trees, and even cleaving the rocks that stood in their way, from Scopas to the tomb of Herod, and Bethara or the pool of serpents; in which work so many hands were employed, that they finished it in four days.

Whilst this was doing, Titus sent the besieged some offers of peace; and Josephus was pitched upon to be the messenger of them: but they were rejected with indignation. He sent a second-time Nicanor and Josephus with fresh offers, and the former received a wound in his shoulder; upon which Titus resolved to begin the assault in good earnest, and ordered his men to raze the suburbs, cut down all the trees, and use the materials to raise platforms against the wall. Every thing was now carried on with invincible ardour; the Romans began to play their engines against the city carried on with all their might. The Jews had likewise their machines upon the walls, which they plied with uncommon fury: they had taken them lately from Caesius: but were so ignorant in their use, that they did little execution with them, till they were better instructed by some Roman deserters: till then, their chief success was rather owing to their frequent fallies; but the Roman legions, who had all their towers and machines before them, made terrible havoc. The least stones they threw were near 100 weight; and these they could throw the length of a quarter of a mile against the city, and with such a force, that they could do mischief on those that stood at some distance behind them. Titus had reared three towers 50 cubits high; one of which happening to fall in the middle of the night, greatly alarmed the Roman camp, who immediately ran to arms at the noise of it; but Titus, upon knowing the cause, dismissed them, and caused it it to be set up again. These towers, being plated with iron, the Jews tried in vain to set fire to them, but were at length forced to retire out of the reach of their shot; by which the battering-rams were now at full liberty to play against the wall. A breach was soon made in it, at which the Romans entered: and the Jews, abandoning this last inclosure, retired behind the next. This happened about the 28th of April, a fortnight after the beginning of the siege.

John defended the temple and the castle of Antonia, and Simon the rest of the city. Titus marched close to the second wall, and plied his battering-rams so furiously, that one of the towers, which looked towards the north, gave a prodigious shake. The men who were in it, made a signal to the Romans, as if they would surrender; and, at the same time, sent Simon word to be ready to give them a warm reception. Titus, having discovered their stratagem, plied his work more furiously, whilst the Jews that were in the tower set it on fire, and flung themselves into the flames. The tower being fallen, gave them an entrance into the second inclosure, five days after gaining the first; and Titus, who was bent on saving the city, would not suffer any part of the wall or streets to be demolished; which left the breach and lanes so narrow, that when his men were furiously repulsed by Simon, they had not room enough to make a quick retreat, so that there was a number of them killed in it. This oversight was quickly rectified; and the attack renewed with such vigour, that the place was carried four days after their first repulse.

The famine, raging in a terrible manner in the city, was soon followed by a pestilence; and as these two dreadful judgments increased, so did the rage of the factious, who, by their intestine feuds, had destroyed such quantities of provision, that they were forced to prey upon the people with the most unheard-of cruelty. They forced their houses; and, if they found any victuals in them, they butchered them for not appropriating them to it; and, if they found nothing but bare walls, which was almost everywhere the case, they put them to the most severe tortures, under pretence that they had some provision concealed. "I should (says Josephus) undertake an impossible task, were I to enter into a detail of all the cruelties of those impious wretches; it will be sufficient to say, that I do not think, that since the creation any city every suffered such dreadful calamities, or abounded with men so fertile in all kinds of wickedness."

Titus, who knew their miserable condition, and was still willing to spare them, gave them four days to cool; during which he caused his army to be quartered, and provisions to be distributed to them in sight of the Jews, who flocked upon the walls to see it. Josephus was sent to speak to them afresh, and to exhort them not to run themselves into an inevitable ruin by obstinately persisting in the defence of a place which could hold out but a very little while, and which the Romans looked upon already as their own. But this stubborn people, after many bitter invectives, began to dart their arrows at him; at which, not at all discouraged, he went on with greater vehemence: but all the effect it wrought on them was, that it prevailed on great numbers to steal away privately to the Romans, whilst the rest became only the more desperate and resolute to hold out to the last, in spite of Titus's merciful offers.

To hasten therefore their destined ruin, he caused the city to be surrounded with a strong wall, to prevent either their receiving any succours or provision from abroad, or their escaping his resentment by flight. This wall, which was near 40 stadia or five miles in circuit, was yet carried on with such speed, and by so many hands, that it was finished in three days; by which one may guess at the ardour of the besiegers to make themselves masters of the city.

There was now nothing to be seen through the streets of Jerusalem but heaps of dead bodies rotting above-ground, walking skeletons, and dying wretches. As many as were caught by the Romans in their sallies, Titus caused to be sacrificed in sight of the town, to strike terror among the rest; but the zealots gave it out, that they were those who fled to him for protection; which when Titus understood, he sent a prisoner with his hands cut off to undeceive, and assure them, that he spared all that voluntarily came over to him; which encouraged great numbers to accept his offers, though the avenues were closely guarded by the factious, who put all to death who were caught going on that errand. A greater mischief than that was, that even those who escaped safe to the Roman camp were miserably butchered by the soldiers, from a notion which these had taken that they had swallowed great quantities of gold; so that two thousand of them were ripped up in one night, to come at their supposed treasure. When Titus was apprised of this barbarity, he would have condemned all those butchering wretches to death; but they proved so numerous, that he was forced to spare them, and contented himself with sending a proclamation through his camp, that as many as should be suspected thenceforward of that horrid villainy, should be put to immediate death: yet did not this deter many of them from it, only they did it more privately than before; so greedy were they of that bewitching metal. All this while the defection increased, fill more through the inhumanity of the faction within, who made the miseries and dying groans of their starving brethren the subject of their cruel mirth, and carried their barbarity even to the sheathing of their swords in those poor wretches, under pretence of trying their sharpnesses.

When they found therefore that neither their guards nor severities could prevent the people's flight, they had recourse to another stratagem equally impious and cruel: which was, to hire a pack of vile pretenders to prophecy, to go about and encourage the despairing remains of the people to expect a speedy and miraculous deliverance; and this imposture proved a greater expedient with that infatuated nation than their other precautions.

Nothing could be more dreadful than the famished condition to which they were now reduced. The poor, having nothing to trust to but the Roman's mercy or a speedy death, ran all hazards to get out of the city; and if in their flight, and wandering out for herbs or any other sustenance, they fell into the hands of any of Titus's parties sent about to guard the avenues, they were unmercifully scourged, and crucified if they made the least resistance. The rich within the walls were now now forced, though in the most private manner, to give half, or all they were worth, for a measure of wheat, and the middling sort for one of barley. This they were forced to convey into some private place in their houses, and to feed upon it as it was, without daring to pound or grind it, much less to boil or bake it, lest the noisel or smell should draw the rapacious zealots to come and tear it from them. Not that these were reduced to any real want of provisions, but they had a double end in this barbarous plunder; to wit, the starving what they cruelly styled useless useless persons, and the keeping their own stores in reserve. It was upon this sad and pinching juncture, that an unhappy mother was reduced to the extremity of butchering and eating her own child.

When this news was spread through the city, the horror and consternation were as universal as they were inexplicable. It was then that they began to think themselves forsaken by the Divine Providence, and to expect the most terrible effects of his anger against the poor remains of their nation; insomuch that they began to envy those that had perished before them, and to wish their turn might come before the sad expected catastrophe. Their fears were but too just; since Titus, at the very first hearing of this inhuman deed, swore the total extirpation of city and people. "Since (said he) they have so often refused my offers of pardon, and have preferred war to peace, rebellion to obedience, and famine, such a dreadful one especially, to plenty, I am determined to bury that accursed metropolis under its ruins, that the sun may never shoot his beams on a city where the mothers feed on the flesh of their children, and the fathers, no less guilty than they, choose to drive them to such extremities, rather than lay down their arms."

The dreadful action happened about the end of July, by which time the Romans, having pursued their attacks with fresh vigour, made themselves masters of the fortress Antonia; which obliged the Jews to set fire to those lately galleries which joined it to the temple, lest they should afford an easy passage to the besiegers into this last. About the same time Titus, with much difficulty, got materials for raising new mounds and terraces, in order to hasten the siege, and save, if possible, the sad remains of that once glorious structure; but his pity proved still worse and worse bestowed on those obstinate wretches, who only became the more furious and desperate by it. Titus at length caused fire to be set to the gates, after having had a very bloody encounter, in which his men were repulsed with loss. The Jews were so terrified at it, that they suffered themselves to be devoured by the flames, without attempting either to extinguish them or save themselves. All this while Josephus did not cease exhorting the infatuated people to surrender, to represent to them the dreadful consequences of an obstinate resistance, and to assure them that it was out of mere compassion to them that he thus hazarded his own life to save theirs: he received one day such a wound in his head by a stone from the battlements, as laid him for dead on the ground. The Jews fell immediately, to have seized on his body: but the Romans proved too quick and strong for them, and carried him off.

By this time the two factions within, but especially that of John, having plundered rich and poor of all they had, fell also on the treasury of the temple, whence John took a great quantity of golden utensils, together with those magnificent gifts which had been presented to that sacred place by the Jewish kings, by Augustus, Livia, and many other foreign princes, and melted them all to his own use. The repositories of the sacred oil which was to maintain the lamps, and of the wine which was referred to accompany the usual sacrifices, were likewise seized upon, and turned into common use; and the last of this to such excess, as to make himself and his party drunk with it. All this while, not only the zealots, but many of the people, were still under such an infatuation, that though the fortress Antonia was lost, and nothing left but the temple, which the Romans were preparing to batter down, yet they could not persuade themselves that God would suffer that holy place to be taken by heathens, and were still expecting some sudden and miraculous deliverance. Even that vile minister John, who commanded there, either seemed confident of it, or else endeavoured to make them think him so. For, when Josephus was sent for the last time to upbraid his obstinately exposing that sacred building, and the miserable remains of God's people, to sudden and sure destruction, he only answered him with bitterest invectives; adding, that he was defending the Lord's vineyard, which he was sure could not be taken by any human force. Josephus in vain reminded him of the many ways by which he had polluted both city and temple; and in particular of the seas of blood which he caused to be shed in both those sacred places, and which, he assured him from the old prophecies, were a certain sign and forerunner of their speedy surrender and destruction. John remained as inflexible as if all the prophets had assured him of a deliverance; till at length Titus, foreseeing the inevitable ruin of that stately edifice, which he was still extremely desirous to save, vouchsafed even himself to speak to them, and to persuade them to surrender. But the factious, looking upon this condemnation as the effects of his fear rather than generosity, only grew the more furious upon it, and forced him at last to come to those extremes which he had hitherto endeavoured to avoid. That his army, which was to attack the temple, might have the freer passage towards it through the castle Antonia, he caused a considerable part of the wall to be pulled down and levelled; which proved so very strong, that it took him up seven whole days, by which time they were far advanced in the month of July.

It was on the 17th day of that month, as all Josephus's copies have it, that the daily sacrifice ceased for sacrifice in the first time since its restoration by the brave Judas Maccabeus, there being no proper person left in the temple to offer it up. Titus caused the factious to be severely upbraided for it; exhorted John to set up whom he would to perform that office, rather than suffer the service of God to be set aside; and then challenged him and his party to come out of the temple, and fight on a more proper ground, and thereby save that sacred edifice from the fury of the Roman troops. When nothing could prevail on them, they began to set fire again to the gallery which formed a communication between the temple and the castle Antonia. The Jews Jews had already burnt about 20 cubits of it in length; but this second blaze, which was likewise encouraged by the besieged, consumed about 14 more; after which, they beat down what remained standing. On the 27th of July, the Jews, having filled part of the western portico with combustible matter, made a kind of flight; upon which, some of the forwardest of the Romans having scaled up to the top, the Jews set fire to it, which flamed with such sudden fury, that many of the former were consumed in it, and the rest, venturing to jump down from the battlements, were, all but one, crushed to death.

On the very next day, Titus having set fire to the north gallery, which inclosed the outer court of the temple, from Fort Antonia to the valley of Cedron, got an easy admittance into it, and forced the besieged into that of the priests. He tried in vain five days to batter down one of the galleries of that precinct with an helepolis; he was forced to mount his battering-rams on the terrace, which was raised by this time; and yet the strength of this wall was such, that it eluded the force of these also, though others of his troops were busy in fapping it. When they found that neither rams nor fapping could gain ground, they betook themselves of scaling; but were vigorously repulsed in the attempt, with the loss of some standards, and a number of men. When Titus therefore found that his desire of saving that building was like to cost too many lives, he set fire to the gates, which, being plated with silver, burnt all that night, whilst the metal dropped down in the melting. The flame soon communicated itself to the porticoes and galleries; which the besieged beheld without offering to stop it, but contented themselves with sending whole volleys of impotent curses against the Romans. This was done on the eighth of August; and, on the next day, Titus, having given orders to extinguish the fire, called a council, to determine whether the remainder of the temple should be saved or demolished. That general was still for the former, and most of the rest declared for the latter; alleging, that it was no longer a temple, but a scene of war and slaughter, and that the Jews would never be at rest as long as any part of it was left standing; but when they found Titus stiffly bent on preserving so noble an edifice, against which he told them he could have no quarrel, they all came over to his mind. The next day, August the 10th, was therefore determined for a general assault; and the night before the Jews made two desperate fallies on the Romans; in the last of which, these, being timely succoured by Titus, beat them back into their inclosure.

But whether this last Jewish effort exasperated the besiegers, or, which is more likely, as Josephus thinks, pushed by the hand of Providence, one of the Roman soldiers, of his own accord, took up a blazing firebrand, and, getting on his comrade's shoulders, threw it into one of the apartments that surrounded the sanctuary, through a window. This immediately let the whole north side in a flame up to the third story, on the same fatal day and month in which it had been formerly burnt by Nebuchadnezzar. Titus, who was gone to rest himself a while in his pavilion, was awaked at the noise, and ran immediately to give orders to have the fire extinguished. He called, prayed, threatened, and even caused his men, but in vain; the confusion was so great, and the soldiers so obstinately bent upon destroying all that was left, that he was neither heard nor minded. Those that flocked thither from the camp, instead of obeying his orders, were busy, either in killing the Jews, or in increasing the flames. When Titus observed that all his endeavours were vain, he entered into the sanctuary and the most holy place, in which he found still such sumptuous utensils and other riches as even exceeded all that had been told him of it. Out of the former he saved the golden candelstick, the table of shew-bread, the altar of perfumes, all of pure gold, and the book or volume of the law, wrapped up in a rich gold tunic: but in the latter he found no utensils, because, in all probability, they had not made a fresh ark since that of Solomon had been lost. Upon his coming out of that sacred place, some other soldiers set fire to it, and obliged those that had stood behind to come out; they all fell foul on the plunder of it, tearing even the gold plating off the gates and timber work, and carried off all the costly utensils, robes, &c. they found, inasmuch that there was not one of them who did not enrich himself by it.

An horrid massacre followed soon after, in which a dreadful great many thousands perished; some by the flames, massacre, others by the fall from the battlements, and a greater number by the enemy's sword, which destroyed all it met with, without distinction of age, sex, or quality. Among them were upwards of 6000 persons who had been seduced thither by a false prophet, who promised them that they should find a speedy and miraculous relief there on that very day. Some of them remained five whole days on the top of the walls, and afterwards threw themselves on the general's mercy; but were answered that they had outlaid the time, and were led to execution. The Romans carried their fury to the burning of all the treasure-houses of the place, though they were full of the richest furniture, plate, vestments, and other things of value, which had been laid up in those places for security. In a word, they did not cease burning and butchering, till they had destroyed all, except two of the temple-gates, and that part of the court which was destined for the women.

In the mean time the seditious made such a vigorous push, that they escaped the fury of the Romans, at least for the present, and retired into the city. But here they found all the avenues so well guarded, that there was no possibility left for them to get out; which obliged them to secure themselves as well as they could on the south side of it, from whence Simon, and John of Gischala, sent to desire a parley with Titus. They were answered, that though they had been the cause of all this bloodshed and ruin, yet they should have their lives spared, if they laid down their arms and surrendered themselves prisoners. To this they replied, that they had engaged themselves, by the most solemn oaths, never to surrender; and therefore, only begged leave to retire into the mountains with their wives and children: which insolence so exasperated the Roman general, that he caused a herald to bid them stand to their defence; for that not one of them should be spared, since they had rejected his last offers of pardon. Immediately after this, he abandoned Jews

denied the city to the fury of the soldiers, who fell forthwith on plundering, setting fire everywhere, and murdering all that fell into their hands; whilst the factious, who were left, went and fortified themselves in the royal palace, where they killed 8000 Jews who had taken refuge there.

In the mean time, great preparations were making for a vigorous attack on the upper city, especially on the royal palace; and this took them up from the 26th of August to the 7th of September, during which time great numbers came and made their submission to Titus. The warlike engines then played so furiously on the factious, that they were taken with a sudden panic; and, instead of fleeing to the towers of Hippicus, Phalaël, or Mariamne, which were yet untaken, and so strong that nothing but famine could have reduced them, they ran like madmen towards Siloah, with a design to have attacked the wall of circumvallation, and to have escaped out of the city; but, being there repulsed, they were forced to go and hide themselves in the public finks and common sewers, some one way and some another. All whom the Romans could find were put to the sword, and the city was set on fire. This was on the eighth of September, when the city was taken and entered by Titus. He would have put an end to the massacre; but his men killed all, except the most vigorous, whom they shut up in the porch of the women just mentioned. Fronto, who had the care of them, referred the youngest and most beautiful for Titus's triumph; and sent all that were above seventeen years of age into Egypt, to be employed in some public works there; and a great number of others were sent into several cities of Syria, and other provinces, to be exposed on the public theatre, to exhibit fights, or be devoured by wild beasts. The number of those prisoners amounted to 97,000, besides about 11,000 more, who were either starved through neglect, or starved themselves through fullness and despair.—The whole number of Jews who perished in this war is computed at upwards of 1,400,000.

Besides these, however, a vast number perished in caves, woods, wildernesses, common-fews, &c. of whom no computation could be made. Whilst the soldiers were still busy in burning the remains of the city, and visiting all the hiding-places, where they killed numbers of poor creatures who had endeavoured to evade their cruelty, the two grand rebels Simon and John were found, and referred for the triumph of the conqueror. John, being pinched with hunger, soon came out; and having begged his life, obtained it; but was condemned to perpetual imprisonment. Simon, whose retreat had been better stored, held out till the end of October. The two chiefs, with 700 of the handsomest Jewish captives, were made to attend the triumphal chariot; after which Simon was dragged through the streets with a rope about his neck, severely scourged, and then put to death; and John was sent into perpetual imprisonment.—Three castles still remained untenanted, namely, Herodion, Macheron, and Massada. The two former capitulated; but Massada held out. The place was exceedingly strong both by nature and art, well stored with all kinds of provisions, and defended by a numerous gar-

rison of zealots, at the head of whom was one Eleazar, the grandson of Judas Gaulonites, formerly mentioned. The Roman general having in vain tried his engines and battering-rams against it, bethought himself of surrounding it with a high and strong wall, and then ordered the gates to be set on fire. The wind pushed the flames so fiercely against the Jews, that Eleazar in despair persuaded them first to kill their wives and children, and then to choose ten men by lot, who should kill all the rest; and lastly one out of the surviving ten to dispatch them and himself; only this last man was ordered to set fire to the place before he put an end to his own life. All this was accordingly done; and on the morrow, when the Romans were preparing to scale the walls, they were greatly surprized neither to see nor hear any thing more. On this they made such an hideous outcry, that two women, who had concealed themselves in an aqueduct, came forth and acquainted them with the desperate catastrophe of the besieged.

Thus ended the Jewish nation and worship; nor have they ever since been able to regain the final loss of the destruction in the country of Judea, nor indeed in any nation of other country on earth, though there is scarce any part their city of the globe where they are not to be found. They continue their vain expectations of a Messiah to deliver them from the low estate into which they are fallen; and, notwithstanding their repeated disappointments, there are few who can ever be persuaded to embrace Christianity. Their ceremonies and religious worship ought to be taken from the law of Moses; but they have added a multitude of absurdities not worth the inquiring after. In many countries, and in different ages, they have been terribly massacred, and in general have been better treated by the Mahometans and Pagans than by Christians. Since the revival of arts and learning, however, they have felt the benefit of that increase of humanity which has diffused itself almost over the globe. It is said, that in this country the life of a Jew was formerly at the disposal of the chief lord where he lived, and likewise all his goods. So strong also were popular prejudices and suspicions against them, that in the year 1348, a fatal endemic distemper raging in a great part of Europe, it was said that they had poisoned the springs and wells; in consequence of which a million and a half of them were cruelly massacred. In 1492, half a million of them were driven out of Spain, and 150,000 from Portugal. Edward I. did the same. In short, they were everywhere persecuted, oppressed, and most rigorously treated.

In this enlightened period a more generous system is followed. France has allowed them the rights of citizens, which induces numbers of the most wealthy Jews to fix their residence in that country. Poland granted them very great privileges and immunities; England, Holland, and Prussia tolerate and protect them; and the emperor has revoked some restrictions, for which an edict was passed: Spain, Portugal, and some of the Italian states, are still, however, it is said, averse to their dwelling among them.