out going so far as to
throw suspicion on his patriotism, the rebellion against the
Romans. During the events in Galilee, he had shown himself anxious
to keep in favor with the Romans. He had rebuked those who had
attacked the soldiers traveling as an escort, with a large amount
of treasure belonging to King Agrippa; and would have sent back the
spoils taken, had not the people risen against it. He affected
great indignation at the plunder of Agrippa's palace at Tiberias
and, gathering all he could of the spoils, had handed them over to
the care of the chief of Agrippa's friends there. He had protected
the two officers of Agrippa, whom the Jews would have killed--had
released and sent them back to the king; and when John of Gischala
wished to carry off large quantities of grain, stored by the Romans
in Upper Galilee, Josephus refused to allow him to do so, saying
that it should be kept for its owners.

It is almost certain that Josephus must, in some way, have entered
into communication with the Romans; for how otherwise could he,
with the principal inhabitants, have proposed to make their escape,
when every avenue was closed? Josephus was a man of great talent
and energy, full of resources, and of great personal bravery--at
least, if his own account of his conduct during the siege is to be
believed. But no one can read his labored excuses for his own
conduct without feeling sure that he had, all along, been in
correspondence with the Romans; and that he had, beforehand, been
assured that his life should be spared.

He had, from the first, despaired of successful resistance to the
Romans; and his conduct in throwing himself, at the last moment,
into a town about to be besieged and, as he must have known,
captured--for the want of water, alone, rendered its fall a mere
question of time--when his presence and leadership was so urgently
required among the people to whose command he had been appointed,
seems to prove that he wished to fall into their hands.

It would not be just to brand Josephus as a traitor. He had done
his best to induce the Galileans to form themselves into an army,
and to defend the province; and it was only when that army
dispersed, at the approach of the Romans, that he went to Jotapata.
It was his leadership that enabled that city to continue its heroic
defense It cannot, therefore, be said that Josephus in any way
betrayed the trust confided to him by the council at Jerusalem. But
the conclusi