The fighting
men were so weakened that they had scarcely strength to drag their
limbs along, or to hold their weapons; while horrible tales are
told of the sufferings of such of the inhabitants who still
survived--one woman, maddened by despair, cooking and eating her
own infant. Occasionally a baggage animal or a Roman cavalry horse
strayed near the walls, when a crowd of famishing wretches would
pour out, kill and devour it. Titus, however, cut off even this
occasional supply; by ordering a soldier, whose horse had thus
fallen into the hands of the Jews, to be put to death for his
carelessness.

John's band had been greatly diminished in number, in the two days
they had been fighting opposite Antonia. The stores they had
brought to the city were now exhausted; although, for a long time,
only the smallest amount had been issued, daily, to eke out the
handful of grain still served out to each of the fighting men. A
few only had, in their sufferings, refused to obey the orders of
John and their officers, and had joined the bands of Simon and John
of Gischala in the revolting cruelties which they practised, to
extort food from the inhabitants. These had not been allowed to
rejoin the band; which was now reduced to a little over fifty
stern, gaunt, and famine-worn figures--but still unshaken in their
determination to fight to the end.

The Romans now pushed on a bank, from the western wall across the
smouldering ruins of the cloister and inner court; and a battering
ram began to play against the inner Temple but, after six days'
efforts, and bringing up their heaviest battering ram, the Romans
gave it up in despair; for the huge stones which formed the masonry
of the wall defied even the ponderous machines which the Romans
brought to play against it. An embankment, from the northern side,
was also carried across the outer court to the foot of the most
easterly of the four northern gates of the inner Temple.

Still anxious to save the Temple itself, and its cloisters if
possible, Titus would not resort to the use of fire; but ordered
his men to force the gate, with crowbars and levers. After great
efforts, a few of the stones of the threshold were removed; but the
gates, supported by the massive walls and the props behind, defied
all their efforts.

Titus now ordered his soldiers to carry the walls by storm. Ladders
were brought up; and the soldiers, eager for revenge upon the foe
who had so long baffled and humiliat