Joppa Was Taken, And Tiberias Delivered Up.

1. Now Vespasian returned to Ptolemais on the fourth day of the month
Panemus, [Tamus] and from thence he came to Cesarea, which lay by the
sea-side. This was a very great city of Judea, and for the greatest part
inhabited by Greeks: the citizens here received both the Roman army and
its general, with all sorts of acclamations and rejoicings, and this
partly out of the good-will they bore to the Romans, but principally out
of the hatred they bore to those that were conquered by them; on which
account they came clamoring against Josephus in crowds, and desired
he might be put to death. But Vespasian passed over this petition
concerning him, as offered by the injudicious multitude, with a bare
silence. Two of the legions also he placed at Cesarea, that they might
there take their winter-quarters, as perceiving the city very fit for
such a purpose; but he placed the tenth and the fifth at Scythopolis,
that he might not distress Cesarea with the entire army. This place was
warm even in winter, as it was suffocating hot in the summer time, by
reason of its situation in a plain, and near to the sea [of Galilee].

2. In the mean time, there were gathered together as well such as had
seditiously got out from among their enemies, as those that had escaped
out of the demolished cities, which were in all a great number, and
repaired Joppa, which had been left desolate by Cestius, that it might
serve them for a place of refuge; and because the adjoining region had
been laid waste in the war, and was not capable of supporting them, they
determined to go off to sea. They also built themselves a great many
piratical ships, and turned pirates upon the seas near to Syria, and
Phoenicia, and Egypt, and made those seas unnavigable to all men. Now
as soon as Vespasian knew of their conspiracy, he sent both footmen and
horsemen to Joppa, which was unguarded in the night time; however, those
that were in it perceived that they should be attacked, and were afraid
of it; yet did they not endeavor to keep the Romans out, but fled to
their ships, and lay at sea all night, out of the reach of their darts.

3. Now Joppa is not naturally a haven, for it ends in a rough shore,
where all the rest of it is straight, but the two ends bend towards each
other, where there are deep precipices, and great stones that jut out
into the sea, and where the chains wherewith Andromeda was bound have
left their footste