taken, the greatest part of the war
would be over. They then searched among the dead, and looked into the
most concealed recesses of the city; but as the city was first taken,
he was assisted by a certain supernatural providence; for he withdrew
himself from the enemy when he was in the midst of them, and leaped into
a certain deep pit, whereto there adjoined a large den at one side of
it, which den could not be seen by those that were above ground;
and there he met with forty persons of eminency that had concealed
themselves, and with provisions enough to satisfy them for not a few
days. So in the day time he hid himself from the enemy, who had seized
upon all places, and in the night time he got up out of the den and
looked about for some way of escaping, and took exact notice of the
watch; but as all places were guarded every where on his account, that
there was no way of getting off unseen, he went down again into the den.
Thus he concealed himself two days; but on the third day, when they
had taken a woman who had been with them, he was discovered. Whereupon
Vespasian sent immediately and zealously two tribunes, Paulinus and
Gallicanus, and ordered them to give Josephus their right hands as a
security for his life, and to exhort him to come up.

2. So they came and invited the man to come up, and gave him assurances
that his life should be preserved: but they did not prevail with him;
for he gathered suspicions from the probability there was that one who
had done so many things against the Romans must suffer for it, though
not from the mild temper of those that invited him. However, he was
afraid that he was invited to come up in order to be punished, until
Vespasian sent besides these a third tribune, Nicanor, to him; he
was one that was well known to Josephus, and had been his familiar
acquaintance in old time. When he was come, he enlarged upon the natural
mildness of the Romans towards those they have once conquered; and told
him that he had behaved himself so valiantly, that the commanders rather
admired than hated him; that the general was very desirous to have him
brought to him, not in order to punish him, for that he could do though
he should not come voluntarily, but that he was determined to preserve a
man of his courage. He moreover added this, that Vespasian, had he been
resolved to impose upon him, would not have sent to him a friend of his
own, nor put the fairest color upon the vilest action, by pre