d; for God would not forget the
dangers Petronius had undertaken on account of the Jews, and of his own
honor. But when he had taken Caius away, out of his indignation of what
he had so insolently attempted in assuming to himself divine worship,
both Rome and all that dominion conspired with Petronius, especially
those that were of the senatorian order, to give Caius his due reward,
because he had been unmercifully severe to them; for he died not long
after he had written to Petronius that epistle which threatened him with
death. But as for the occasion of his death, and the nature of the plot
against him, I shall relate them in the progress of this narration. Now
that epistle which informed Petronius of Caius's death came first, and a
little afterward came that which commanded him to kill himself with his
own hands. Whereupon he rejoiced at this coincidence as to the death of
Caius, and admired God's providence, who, without the least delay, and
immediately, gave him a reward for the regard he had to the temple, and
the assistance he afforded the Jews for avoiding the dangers they were
in. And by this means Petronius escaped that danger of death, which he
could not foresee.

CHAPTER 9. What Befell The Jews That Were In Babylon On Occasion Of
Asineus And Anileus, Two Brethren.

1. A Very sad calamity now befell the Jews that were in Mesopotamia, and
especially those that dwelt in Babylonia. Inferior it was to none of
the calamities which had gone before, and came together with a great
slaughter of them, and that greater than any upon record before;
concerning all which I shall speak accurately, and shall explain the
occasions whence these miseries came upon them. There was a city of
Babylonia called Neerda; not only a ver populous one, but one that had a
good and a large territory about it, and, besides its other advantages,
full of men also. It was, besides, not easily to be assaulted by
enemies, from the river Euphrates encompassing it all round, and from
the wails that were built about it. There was also the city Nisibis,
situate on the same current of the river. For which reason the Jews,
depending on the natural strength of these places, deposited in them
that half shekel which every one, by the custom of our country, offers
unto God, as well as they did other things devoted to him; for they made
use of these cities as a treasury, whence, at a proper time, they
were transmitted to Jerusalem; and many ten t