er city;
while Eleazar and the war party held the Temple.

"For a week, fighting went on between the two parties. Then, at the
festival of the Wood Carrying, great numbers of the poorer people
were allowed by the party of the chief priest to pass through their
lines; and go, as usual, to the Temple. When there, these joined
the party of Eleazar, and a great attack was made on the upper
city. The troops of Darius and Philip gave way. The house of
Ananias--the high priest--and the palaces of Agrippa and Bernice
were burned, and also the public archives. Here all the bonds of
the debtors were registered and, thus, at one blow the power of the
rich over the poor was destroyed. Ananias himself, and a few
others, escaped into the upper towers of the palace, which they
held.

"The next day, Eleazar's party attacked the fortress of Antonia,
which was feebly garrisoned and, after two days' fighting, captured
it, and slew the garrison. Manahem, the son of Judas the Zealot,
arrived two days later, while the people were besieging the palace.
He was accepted as general, by them; and took charge of the siege.
Having mined under one of the towers, they brought it to the
ground, and the garrison asked for terms. Free passage was granted
to the troops of Agrippa, and the Jews; but none was granted to the
Roman soldiers, who were few in number and retreated to the three
great towers, Hippicus, Phasaelus, and Mariamne.

"The palace was entered, and Ananias and Hezekiah--his
brother--were found in hiding, and put to death. Manahem now
assumed the state of a king; but Eleazar, unwilling that, after
having led the enterprise, the fruits should be gathered by
another, stirred up the people against him, and he was slain. The
three towers were now besieged; and Metilius--the Roman
commander--finding he could no longer hold out, agreed to
surrender, on the condition that his men should deliver up their
arms, and be allowed to march away, unharmed.

"The terms were accepted and ratified but, as soon as the Roman
soldiers marched out, and laid down their arms, Eleazar and his
followers fell upon them and slew them; Metilius himself being,
alone, spared. After this terrible massacre, a sadness fell on the
city. All felt that there was no longer any hope of making
conditions with Rome. We had placed ourselves beyond the pale of
forgiveness. It was war, to the death, with Rome.

"Up to this time, as I have told you, I was one of those who had