this miserable city? For they
foretold that this city should be then taken when somebody shall begin
the slaughter of his own countrymen. And are not both the city and the
entire temple now full of the dead bodies of your countrymen? It is God,
therefore, it is God himself who is bringing on this fire, to purge that
city and temple by means of the Romans, [8] and is going to pluck up
this city, which is full of your pollutions."

2. As Josephus spoke these words, with groans and tears in his eyes, his
voice was intercepted by sobs. However, the Romans could not but pity
the affliction he was under, and wonder at his conduct. But for John,
and those that were with him, they were but the more exasperated against
the Romans on this account, and were desirous to get Josephus also into
their power: yet did that discourse influence a great many of the better
sort; and truly some of them were so afraid of the guards set by the
seditious, that they tarried where they were, but still were satisfied
that both they and the city were doomed to destruction. Some also there
were who, watching a proper opportunity when they might quietly get
away, fled to the Romans, of whom were the high priests Joseph and
Jesus, and of the sons of high priests three, whose father was Ishmael,
who was beheaded in Cyrene, and four sons of Matthias, as also one son
of the other Matthias, who ran away after his father's death, [9] and
whose father was slain by Simon the son of Gioras, with three of his
sons, as I have already related; many also of the other nobility went
over to the Romans, together with the high priests. Now Caesar not only
received these men very kindly in other respects, but, knowing they
would not willingly live after the customs of other nations, he sent
them to Gophna, and desired them to remain there for the present, and
told them, that when he was gotten clear of this war, he would restore
each of them to their possessions again; so they cheerfully retired to
that small city which was allotted them, without fear of any danger.
But as they did not appear, the seditious gave out again that these
deserters were slain by the Romans, which was done in order to deter
the rest from running away, by fear of the like treatment. This trick of
theirs succeeded now for a while, as did the like trick before; for the
rest were hereby deterred from deserting, by fear of the like treatment.

3. However, when Titus had recalled those men from Go