abour, the
bank on the west against Herod's Palace was completed, and the
battering rams commenced their work. The defenders were too
enfeebled, by famine, to offer any serious resistance and, the next
day, a long line of the wall fell to the ground.

Simon and John at first thought of cutting their way through the
Roman ranks but, when they saw how small was the body of followers
gathered round them, they gave up the attempt. They hesitated, for
a moment, whether they should throw themselves into the three great
towers, and fight to the last; or endeavour to fight their way
through the wall of circumvallation.

They chose the latter course, hurried down to the lower end of the
upper city and, sallying out from the gate, they rushed at the
Roman wall; but they had no engines of war to batter it, they were
few in number and weakened by famine; and when they tried to scale
the wall the Roman guards, assembling in haste, beat them back; and
they returned into the city and, scattering, hid themselves in the
underground caves.

The Romans advanced to the great towers, and found them deserted.
Titus stood amazed at their strength and solidity; and exclaimed
that God, indeed, was on their side for that by man, alone, these
impregnable towers could never have been taken.

All resistance having now ceased, the Romans spread themselves
through the city, slaughtering all whom they met, without
distinction of age or sex. They were, however, aghast at the
spectacle which the houses into which they burst presented. Some of
these had been used as charnel houses, and had been filled with
dead bodies. In others were found the remains of whole families
who, with their servants, had shut themselves up to die of hunger.
Everywhere the dead far outnumbered the living.

The next day, Titus issued an order that only such as possessed
arms should be slain, and that all others should be taken
prisoners; but the Roman soldiers were too infuriated at the losses
and defeats they had suffered even to obey the orders of Titus, and
all save the able-bodied, who would be of value as slaves, were
slaughtered. A vast number of those fit for slaves were confined in
the charred remains of the Women's Court and, so weakened were
these, by the ravages of famine, that eleven thousand of them are
said to have perished. Of the survivors, some were selected to
grace the triumphal procession at Rome. Of the remainder, all under
the age of seventeen were