Titus Saw As He Was
Journeying Through Syria; And How The People Of Antioch Came
With A Petition To Titus Against The Jews But Were Rejected
By Him; As Also Concerning Titus's And Vespasian's Triumph.

1. Now Titus Caesar tarried some time at Berytus, as we told you before.
He thence removed, and exhibited magnificent shows in all those cities
of Syria through which he went, and made use of the captive Jews as
public instances of the destruction of that nation. He then saw a
river as he went along, of such a nature as deserves to be recorded in
history; it runs in the middle between Arcea, belonging to Agrippa's
kingdom, and Raphanea. It hath somewhat very peculiar in it; for when
it runs, its current is strong, and has plenty of water; after which its
springs fail for six days together, and leave its channel dry, as any
one may see; after which days it runs on the seventh day as it did
before, and as though it had undergone no change at all; it hath also
been observed to keep this order perpetually and exactly; whence it is
that they call it the Sabbatic River [7] that name being taken from the
sacred seventh day among the Jews.

2. But when the people of Antioch were informed that Titus was
approaching, they were so glad at it, that they could not keep within
their walls, but hasted away to give him the meeting; nay, they
proceeded as far as thirty furlongs, and more, with that intention.
These were not the men only, but a multitude of women also with their
children did the same; and when they saw him coming up to them, they
stood on both sides of the way, and stretched out their right hands,
saluting him, and making all sorts of acclamations to him, and turned
back together with him. They also, among all the acclamations they made
to him, besought him all the way they went to eject the Jews out of
their city; yet did not Titus at all yield to this their petition, but
gave them the bare hearing of it quietly. However, the Jews were in a
great deal of terrible fear, under the uncertainty they were in what
his opinion was, and what he would do to them. For Titus did not stay
at Antioch, but continued his progress immediately to Zeugma, which lies
upon the Euphrates, whither came to him messengers from Vologeses king
of Parthia, and brought him a crown of gold upon the victory he had
gained over the Jews; which he accepted of, and feasted the king's
messengers, and then came back to Antioch. And when the