n war. Indeed these men
might be seen moving among them, and from their armour and appearance
it was easy to guess that they were Romans. This, in fact, was the case,
since Gessius Florus, the wicked, and after him other officers, made it
part of their policy to send Romans to stir up the Syrians against the
Jews and to assist them in their slaughter.

First an attack was made upon the main gates, but when it was found that
these were too strong to be taken easily, the assailants retreated with
a loss of a score of men shot by the defenders from the wall. Then other
tactics were adopted, for the Syrians, possessing themselves of the
neighbouring houses, began to gall the garrison with arrows from the
windows. Thus they drove them under cover, but did little more, since
the palace was all of marble with cemented roofs, and could not be fired
with the burning shafts they sent down upon it.

So the first day passed, and during the night no attack was made upon
them. When dawn came they learned the reason, for there opposite to
the gates was reared a great battering-ram; moreover, out at sea a huge
galley was being rowed in as close to their walls as the depth of water
would allow, that from her decks the sailors might hurl stones and siege
arrows by means of catapults and thus break down their defences and
destroy them.

Then it was that the real fight began. The Jews posted on the roof
of the house poured arrows on the men who strove to work the ram, and
killed many of them, till they were able to push the instrument so close
that it could no longer be commanded. Now it got to work and with three
blows of the great baulk of timber, of which the ram was fashioned,
burst in the gates. Thereon the defenders, headed by old Benoni himself,
rushed out and put those who served it to the sword; then before
they could be overcome, retreated across the ditch to the inner wall,
breaking down the wooden bridge behind them. Now, since the ram was
of no further use, as it could not be dragged through the ditch, the
galley, that was anchored within a hundred paces, began to hurl huge
stones and arrows at them, knocking down the walls and killing several,
including two women and three children.

Thus matters went on till noon, the besiegers galling them with their
arrows from the land side and the galley battering them from the sea,
while they could do little or nothing in return, having no engines.
Benoni called a council and set ou