come alone by himself, that so they might bring out their families with
them, yet did he receive such as these also. However, he set over them
such as were to distinguish some from others, in order to see if any of
them deserved to be punished. And indeed the number of those that were
sold was immense; but of the populace above forty thousand were saved,
whom Caesar let go whither every one of them pleased.

3. But now at this time it was that one of the priests, the son of
Thebuthus, whose name was Jesus, upon his having security given him, by
the oath of Caesar, that he should be preserved, upon condition that
he should deliver to him certain of the precious things that had been
reposited in the temple [29] came out of it, and delivered him from the
wall of the holy house two candlesticks, like to those that lay in the
holy house, with tables, and cisterns, and vials, all made of solid
gold, and very heavy. He also delivered to him the veils and the
garments, with the precious stones, and a great number of other precious
vessels that belonged to their sacred worship. The treasurer of the
temple also, whose name was Phineas, was seized on, and showed Titus the
coats and girdles of the priests, with a great quantity of purple and
scarlet, which were there reposited for the uses of the veil, as also a
great deal of cinnamon and cassia, with a large quantity of other sweet
spices, [30] which used to be mixed together, and offered as incense to
God every day. A great many other treasures were also delivered to
him, with sacred ornaments of the temple not a few; which things thus
delivered to Titus obtained of him for this man the same pardon that he
had allowed to such as deserted of their own accord.

4. And now were the banks finished on the seventh day of the month
Gorpieus, [Elul,] in eighteen days' time, when the Romans brought their
machines against the wall. But for the seditious, some of them, as
despairing of saving the city, retired from the wall to the citadel;
others of them went down into the subterranean vaults, though still a
great many of them defended themselves against those that brought the
engines for the battery; yet did the Romans overcome them by their
number and by their strength; and, what was the principal thing of
all, by going cheerfully about their work, while the Jews were quite
dejected, and become weak. Now as soon as a part of the wall was
battered down, and certain of the towers yielded t