d by the Romans, without great difficulty.

As the cloisters leading to Antonia afforded great assistance to
the Romans, in their attacks, the Jews set fire to the end of the
cloisters touching the Temple wall; and a length of from twenty to
thirty feet of each cloister was destroyed. The Romans destroyed a
further portion, so as to afford more room for the men at work upon
the embankments. The action of the Jews was, to a certain extent, a
necessity; but it depressed the spirits of the inhabitants, for
there was a prophecy: "When square the walls, the Temple falls!"
Hitherto, Antonia and the connecting cloisters had been considered
as forming part of the Temple, and had given it an irregular form;
but the destruction of these cloisters left the Temple standing a
massive square.

The embankments presently rose above the height of the wall, and it
was evident that this would soon be taken. The Jews retired from the
roof of the cloister facing the embankment, as if despairing of
further resistance; but they had previously stored great quantities
of combustibles in the space between the cedar roof of the cloisters
and the upper platform. The Romans on the embankment--seeing that the
Jews had retired--without waiting for orders ran down and, planting
ladders, scaled the wall.

The Jews set up cries, as if of despair; and the Romans poured up
on to the wall until a great mass of men were collected on the roof
of the cloister. Then, on a sudden, flames shot up in all
directions beneath their feet, and they found themselves enveloped
in a sea of fire. Many were burned, or smothered by the smoke. Some
stabbed themselves with their swords. Some leaped down into the
outer court, and were there killed by the Jews. Many jumped down
outside the walls, and were picked up dead or with broken limbs.
Others ran along upon the top of the walls, until they were shot
down by the Jewish missiles.

But one man seems to have escaped. A soldier named Artorius,
standing on the wall, shouted to the Romans below, "Whoever catches
me shall be my heir."

A soldier ran forward to accept the terms. Artorius jumped down
upon him; killing him by his fall, but himself escaping unhurt.

The fire extended along the whole of the western cloister; and the
northern cloister was, next day, burned by the Romans and, thus, on
the west and north sides the inner Temple was now exposed to the
invader.

All this time, famine had been continuing its work.