ar would bring about the
destruction of the city, and the Temple. The people exclaimed they
had taken up arms, not against the Romans, but against Florus.

"Agrippa urged us to pay our tribute, and repair the galleries.
This was willingly done. We sent out leading men to collect the
arrears of tribute, and these soon brought in forty talents. All
was going on well, until Agrippa tried to persuade us to receive
Florus, till the emperor should send another governor. At the
thought of the return of Florus, a mad rage seized the people. They
poured abuse upon Agrippa, threw stones at him, and ordered him to
leave the city. This he did, and retired to his own kingdom.

"The upper class, and all those who possessed wisdom enough to know
how great was the power of Rome, still strove for peace. But the
people were beyond control. They seized the fortress of Masada--a
very strong place near the Dead Sea--and put the Roman garrison to
the sword. But what was even worse, Eleazar--son of Ananias, the
chief priest--persuaded the priests to reject the offerings
regularly made, in the name of the emperor, to the God of the
Hebrews; and to make a regulation that, from that time, no
foreigner should be allowed to sacrifice in the Temple.

"The chief priests, with the heads of the Pharisees, addressed the
people in the quadrangle of the Temple, before the eastern gate. I,
myself, was one of those who spoke. We told them that the Temple
had long benefited by the splendid gifts of strangers; and that it
was not only inhospitable, but impious, to preclude them from
offering victims, and worshiping God, there. We, who were learned
in the law, showed them that it was an ancient and immemorial usage
to receive the offerings of strangers; and that this refusal to
accept the Roman gifts was nothing short of a declaration of war.

"But all we could do, or say, availed nothing. The influence of
Eleazar was too great. A madness had seized the people, and they
rejected all our words; but the party of peace made one more
effort. They sent a deputation--headed by Simon, son of Ananias--to
Florus, and another to Agrippa, praying them to march upon
Jerusalem, and reassert their authority, before it was too late.
Florus made no reply, for things were going just as he wished; but
Agrippa, anxious to preserve the city, sent three thousand
horsemen, commanded by Darius and Philip. When these troops
arrived, the party of peace took possession of the upp