nd greatly
distressed the Jews, relying on the forces that were left there that
they would by their multitude protect him; for he made use of them, and
armed them as his guards, thereby so oppressing the Jews, and giving
them so great disturbance, that at length they rebelled; for he used
force in seizing the citadels, and zealously pressed on the search after
the king's money, in order to seize upon it by force, on account of his
love of gain and his extraordinary covetousness.

2. But on the approach of pentecost, which is a festival of ours, so
called from the days of our forefathers, a great many ten thousands of
men got together; nor did they come only to celebrate the festival, but
out of their indignation at the madness of Sabinus, and at the injuries
he offered them. A great number there was of Galileans, and Idumeans,
and many men from Jericho, and others who had passed over the river
Jordan, and inhabited those parts. This whole multitude joined
themselves to all the rest, and were more zealous than the others in
making an assault on Sabinus, in order to be avenged on him; so they
parted themselves into three bands, and encamped themselves in the
places following:--some of them seized on the hippodrome and of the
other two bands, one pitched themselves from the northern part of the
temple to the southern, on the east quarter; but the third band held the
western part of the city, where the king's palace was. Their work tended
entirely to besiege the Romans, and to enclose them on all sides. Now
Sabinus was afraid of these men's number, and of their resolution,
who had little regard to their lives, but were very desirous not to be
overcome, while they thought it a point of puissance to overcome their
enemies; so he sent immediately a letter to Varus, and, as he used to
do, was very pressing with him, and entreated him to come quickly to his
assistance, because the forces he had left were in imminent danger,
and would probably, in no long time, be seized upon, and cut to pieces;
while he did himself get up to the highest tower of the fortress
Phasaelus, which had been built in honor of Phasaelus, king Herod's
brother, and called so when the Parthians had brought him to his death.
[14] So Sabinus gave thence a signal to the Romans to fall upon the
Jews, although he did not himself venture so much as to come down to
his friends, and thought he might expect that the others should expose
themselves first to die on ac