elect
horsemen, and went to take a view of the city, to observe what strength
it was of, and how courageous the Jews were; whether, when they saw him,
and before they came to a direct battle, they would be affrighted and
submit; for he had been informed what was really true, that the people
who were fallen under the power of the seditious and the robbers were
greatly desirous of peace; but being too weak to rise up against the
rest, they lay still.

2. Now, so long as he rode along the straight road which led to the wall
of the city, nobody appeared out of the gates; but when he went out of
that road, and declined towards the tower Psephinus, and led the band of
horsemen obliquely, an immense number of the Jews leaped out suddenly at
the towers called the "Women's Towers," through that gate which was over
against the monuments of queen Helena, and intercepted his horse; and
standing directly opposite to those that still ran along the road,
hindered them from joining those that had declined out of it. They
intercepted Titus also, with a few other. Now it was here impossible for
him to go forward, because all the places had trenches dug in them from
the wall, to preserve the gardens round about, and were full of gardens
obliquely situated, and of many hedges; and to return back to his own
men, he saw it was also impossible, by reason of the multitude of the
enemies that lay between them; many of whom did not so much as know that
the king was in any danger, but supposed him still among them. So he
perceived that his preservation must be wholly owing to his own courage,
and turned his horse about, and cried out aloud to those that were about
him to follow him, and ran with violence into the midst of his enemies,
in order to force his way through them to his own men. And hence we may
principally learn, that both the success of wars, and the dangers that
kings [7] are in, are under the providence of God; for while such a
number of darts were thrown at Titus, when he had neither his head-piece
on, nor his breastplate, [for, as I told you, he went out not to fight,
but to view the city,] none of them touched his body, but went aside
without hurting him; as if all of them missed him on purpose, and only
made a noise as they passed by him. So he diverted those perpetually
with his sword that came on his side, and overturned many of those
that directly met him, and made his horse ride over those that were
overthrown. The enemy ind