it was his work that Titus was prevailed with by this
pretense for a delay, and that he pitched his camp further off the
city at Cydessa. This Cydessa was a strong Mediterranean village of the
Tyrians, which always hated and made war against the Jews; it had also
a great number of inhabitants, and was well fortified, which made it a
proper place for such as were enemies to the Jewish nation.

4. Now, in the night time, when John saw that there was no Roman guard
about the city, he seized the opportunity directly, and, taking with him
not only the armed men that where about him, but a considerable number
of those that had little to do, together with their families, he fled to
Jerusalem. And indeed, though the man was making haste to get away, and
was tormented with fears of being a captive, or of losing his life, yet
did he prevail with himself to take out of the city along with him a
multitude of women and children, as far as twenty furlongs; but there he
left them as he proceeded further on his journey, where those that were
left behind made sad lamentations; for the farther every one of them was
come from his own people, the nearer they thought themselves to be to
their enemies. They also affrighted themselves with this thought, that
those who would carry them into captivity were just at hand, and still
turned themselves back at the mere noise they made themselves in this
their hasty flight, as if those from whom they fled were just upon them.
Many also of them missed their ways, and the earnestness of such as
aimed to outgo the rest threw down many of them. And indeed there was a
miserable destruction made of the women and children; while some of them
took courage to call their husbands and kinsmen back, and to beseech
them, with the bitterest lamentations, to stay for them; but John's
exhortation, who cried out to them to save themselves, and fly away,
prevailed. He said also, that if the Romans should seize upon those
whom they left behind, they would be revenged on them for it. So this
multitude that run thus away was dispersed abroad, according as each of
them was able to run, one faster or slower than another.

5. Now on the
next day Titus came to the wall, to make the agreement; whereupon
the people opened their gates to him, and came out to him, with their
children and wives, and made acclamations of joy to him, as to one that
had been their benefactor, and had delivered the city out of custody;
they also in