on can hardly be avoided that, from the first,
foreseeing that utter ruin and destruction would fall upon the
Jews, he had set himself to work to prepare a way of pardon and
escape, for himself; and that he thought a position of honor, among
the Romans, vastly preferable to an unknown grave among the
mountains of Galilee.

Upon being taken out of the well, Josephus was taken to Vespasian
and, in the presence only of the general, his son Titus, and two
other officers, announced that he was endowed with prophetic
powers, and that he was commissioned by God to tell Vespasian that
he would become emperor, and that he would be succeeded by his son
Titus. The prophecy was one that required no more penetration than
for any person, in the present day, to predict that the most rising
man in a great political party would one day become prime minister.
The emperor was hated, and it was morally certain that his fall
would not long be delayed; and in that case the most popular
general in the Roman army would, almost certainly, be chosen to
succeed him.

Vespasian, himself, was not greatly affected by the prophecy. But
Josephus declared that he had, all along, predicted the success of
the Romans, the fall of the town after forty-six days' siege, and
his own safety; and as some of the female captives were brought up
and, on Josephus appealing to them whether this was not so,
naturally replied in the affirmative, Josephus says that Vespasian
was then satisfied of his prisoner's divine mission, and henceforth
treated him with great honor.

It is much more easy to believe that an agreement already existed
between Vespasian and Josephus; and that the latter only got up
this story to enable him to maintain that he was not a traitor to
his country, but acting in accordance with the orders of God.
Certain it is that no similar act of clemency was shown, by
Vespasian, to any other Jew; that no other thought of pity or mercy
entered his mind, during the campaign, that he spared no man who
fell alive into his hands, and that no more ruthless and wholesale
extermination than that which he inflicted upon the people of
Palestine was ever carried out, by the most barbarous of
conquerors.

To this day, the memory of Josephus is hated among the Jews.

Chapter 7: The Massacre On The Lake.

John remained for three weeks at his uncle's. A messenger, with the
news of his safe arrival there, had been sent off to his father;
who came up to