temple adorned
with pictures and statues; for in this temple were collected and
deposited all such rarities as men aforetime used to wander all over the
habitable world to see, when they had a desire to see one of them after
another; he also laid up therein those golden vessels and instruments
that were taken out of the Jewish temple, as ensigns of his glory. But
still he gave order that they should lay up their Law, and the purple
veils of the holy place, in the royal palace itself, and keep them
there.

CHAPTER 6.

Concerning Macherus, And How Lucilius Bassus Took That
Citadel, And Other Places.

1. Now Lucilius Bassus was sent as legate into Judea, and there he
received the army from Cerealis Vitellianus, and took that citadel which
was in Herodium, together with the garrison that was in it; after which
he got together all the soldiery that was there, [which was a large
body, but dispersed into several parties,] with the tenth legion, and
resolved to make war upon Macherus; for it was highly necessary that
this citadel should be demolished, lest it might be a means of drawing
away many into a rebellion, by reason of its strength; for the nature
of the place was very capable of affording the surest hopes of safety to
those that possessed it, as well as delay and fear to those that should
attack it; for what was walled in was itself a very rocky hill, elevated
to a very great height; which circumstance alone made it very hard to be
subdued. It was also so contrived by nature, that it could not be easily
ascended; for it is, as it were, ditched about with such valleys on all
sides, and to such a depth, that the eye cannot reach their bottoms,
and such as are not easily to be passed over, and even such as it is
impossible to fill up with earth. For that valley which cuts it on the
west extends to threescore furlongs, and did not end till it came to
the lake Asphaltitis; on the same side it was also that Macherus had
the tallest top of its hill elevated above the rest. But then for the
valleys that lay on the north and south sides, although they be not
so large as that already described, yet it is in like manner an
impracticable thing to think of getting over them; and for the valley
that lies on the east side, its depth is found to be no less than a
hundred cubits. It extends as far as a mountain that lies over against
Macherus, with which it is bounded.

2. Now when Alexander [Janneus], the king of t