her, was to slay those Roman soldiers, who, by the command of Titus,
were still engaged in fighting the flames that devoured these beautiful
buildings, and then to surprise the camp beyond. The scheme was such as
a madman might have made, seeing that the Romans, warned by the sortie
of the morning, had thrown up a wall across the lower part of the Court
of Women, and beyond that were protected by every safeguard known to the
science of ancient war. Also the moment that the first Jew set his foot
upon the staircase, watching sentries cried out in warning and trumpets
gave their call to arms.

Still, they reached the cloisters and killed a few Romans who had not
time to get away. Following those who fled, they came to the wall and
began to try to force it, when suddenly on its crest and to the rear
appeared thousands of those men whom they had hoped to destroy, every
one of them wakeful, armed and marshalled. The Jews hesitated, and, like
a living stream of steel, the Roman ranks poured over the wall. Then, of
a sudden, terror seized those unhappy men, and, with a melancholy cry of
utter despair, they turned to flee back to the Court of Israel. But this
time the Romans were not content with driving them away, they came on
with them; some of them even reached the gate before them. Up the marble
steps poured friend and foe together; together they passed the open
gate, in their mad rush sweeping away those who had stayed to guard it,
and burst into the Court of Israel. Then leaving some to hold the gate
and reinforced continually by fresh companies from the camps within and
without the Temple courts, the Romans ran on towards the doors of the
Holy House, cutting down the fugitives as they went. Now none attempted
to stand; there was no fight made; even the bravest of the Jewish
warriors, feeling that their hour was come and that Jehovah had deserted
His people, flung down their weapons and fled, some to escape to the
Upper City, more to perish on the Roman spears.

A few attempted to take refuge in the Holy House itself, and after these
followed some Romans bearing torches in their hands. Miriam, watching
terrified from the roof of the Gate Nicanor, saw them go, the torches
floating on the dusky air like points of wind-tossed fire. Then suddenly
from a certain window on the north side of the Temple sprang out a flame
so bright that from where she stood upon the gate, Miriam could see
every detail of the golden tracery. A so