ain, while the number of those that were unwillingly forced to leap
into Jordan was prodigious. There were besides two thousand and two
hundred taken prisoners. A mighty prey was taken also, consisting of
asses, and sheep, and camels, and oxen.

6. Now this destruction that fell upon the Jews, as it was not inferior
to any of the rest in itself, so did it still appear greater than it
really was; and this, because not only the whole country through which
they fled was filled with slaughter, and Jordan could not be passed
over, by reason of the dead bodies that were in it, but because the lake
Asphaltiris was also full of dead bodies, that were carried down into
it by the river. And now Placidus, after this good success that he had,
fell violently upon the neighboring smaller cities and villages; when he
took Abila, and Julias, and Bezemoth, and all those that lay as far as
the lake Asphaltitis, and put such of the deserters into each of them as
he thought proper. He then put his soldiers on board the ships, and
slew such as had fled to the lake, insomuch that all Perea had either
surrendered themselves, or were taken by the Romans, as far as Macherus.

CHAPTER 8.

How Vespasian Upon Hearing Of Some Commotions In Gall, [12]
Made Haste To Finish The Jewish War. A Description Of.
Jericho, And Of The Great Plain; With An Account Besides Of
The Lake Asphaltitis.

1. In the mean time, an account came that there were commotions in Gall,
and that Vindex, together with the men of power in that country, had
revolted from Nero; which affair is more accurately described elsewhere.
This report, thus related to Vespasian, excited him to go on briskly
with the war; for he foresaw already the civil wars which were coming
upon them, nay, that the very government was in danger; and he thought,
if he could first reduce the eastern parts of the empire to peace, he
should make the fears for Italy the lighter; while therefore the winter
was his hinderance [from going into the field], he put garrisons into
the villages and smaller cities for their security; he put decurions
also into the villages, and centurions into the cities: he besides
this rebuilt many of the cities that had been laid waste; but at the
beginning of the spring he took the greatest part of his army, and led
it from Cesarea to Antipatris, where he spent two days in settling the
affairs of that city, and then, on the third day, he marched on, laying