ing his voice to the most lamentable tone possible, at every stroke
of the whip his answer was, "Woe, woe to Jerusalem!" And when Albinus
[for he was then our procurator] asked him, Who he was? and whence he
came? and why he uttered such words? he made no manner of reply to what
he said, but still did not leave off his melancholy ditty, till Albinus
took him to be a madman, and dismissed him. Now, during all the time
that passed before the war began, this man did not go near any of
the citizens, nor was seen by them while he said so; but he every day
uttered these lamentable words, as if it were his premeditated vow,
"Woe, woe to Jerusalem!" Nor did he give ill words to any of those that
beat him every day, nor good words to those that gave him food; but this
was his reply to all men, and indeed no other than a melancholy presage
of what was to come. This cry of his was the loudest at the festivals;
and he continued this ditty for seven years and five months, without
growing hoarse, or being tired therewith, until the very time that he
saw his presage in earnest fulfilled in our siege, when it ceased; for
as he was going round upon the wall, he cried out with his utmost force,
"Woe, woe to the city again, and to the people, and to the holy house!"
And just as he added at the last, "Woe, woe to myself also!" there
came a stone out of one of the engines, and smote him, and killed him
immediately; and as he was uttering the very same presages he gave up
the ghost.

4. Now if any one consider these things, he will find that God takes
care of mankind, and by all ways possible foreshows to our race what is
for their preservation; but that men perish by those miseries which
they madly and voluntarily bring upon themselves; for the Jews, by
demolishing the tower of Antonia, had made their temple four-square,
while at the same time they had it written in their sacred oracles,
"That then should their city be taken, as well as their holy house, when
once their temple should become four-square." But now, what did the most
elevate them in undertaking this war, was an ambiguous oracle that was
also found in their sacred writings, how, "about that time, one from
their country should become governor of the habitable earth." The Jews
took this prediction to belong to themselves in particular, and many
of the wise men were thereby deceived in their determination. Now this
oracle certainly denoted the government of Vespasian, who was appoi