appearance of the flame a consternation fell upon
the Romans, and the shrewdness of the contrivance discouraged them; and
indeed this accident coming upon them at a time when they thought they
had already gained their point, cooled their hopes for the time to come.
They also thought it would be to no purpose to take the pains to
extinguish the fire, since if it were extinguished the banks were
swallowed up already [and become useless to them].

Two days after this Simon and his party made an attempt to destroy the
other banks, for the Romans had brought their engines to bear there, and
began already to make the wall shake. And here one Tephtheus, of Garsis,
a city of Galilee, and Megassarus, one who was derived from some of
Queen Mariamne's servants, and with them one from Adiabene, he was the
son of Nabateus, and called by the name of Chagiras, from the
ill-fortune he had, the word signifying "a lame man," snatched some
torches and ran suddenly upon the engines. Nor were there during this
war any men that ever sallied out of the city who were their superiors,
either in their boldness or in the terror they struck into their
enemies, for they ran out upon the Romans, not as if they were enemies,
but friends, without fear or delay; nor did they leave their enemies
till they had rushed violently through the midst of them, and set their
machines on fire. And though they had darts thrown at them on every side
and were on every side assaulted with their enemies' swords, yet did
they not withdraw themselves out of the dangers they were in till the
fire had caught hold of the instruments; but when the flame went up the
Romans came running from their camp to save their engines.

Then did the Jews hinder their succors from the wall, and fought with
those that endeavored to quench the fire, without any regard to the
danger their bodies were in. So the Romans pulled the engines out of the
fire, while the hurdles that covered them were on fire; but the Jews
caught hold of the battering rams through the flame itself and held them
fast, although the iron upon them was become red hot; and now the fire
spread itself from the engines to the banks, and prevented those that
came to defend them; and all this while the Romans were encompassed
round about with the flame; and, despairing of saving their works from
it, they retired to their camp. Then did the Jews become still more and
more in number by the coming of those that were within the