kinds of
pulse and dates heaped up together; all which Eleazar found there, when
he and his Sicarii got possession of the fortress by treachery. These
fruits were also fresh and full ripe, and no way inferior to such fruits
newly laid in, although they were little short of a hundred years [14]
from the laying in these provisions [by Herod], till the place was
taken by the Romans; nay, indeed, when the Romans got possession of those
fruits that were left, they found them not corrupted all that while; nor
should we be mistaken, if we supposed that the air was here the cause
of their enduring so long; this fortress being so high, and so free from
the mixture of all terrain and muddy particles of matter. There was also
found here a large quantity of all sorts of weapons of war, which had
been treasured up by that king, and were sufficient for ten thousand
men; there was east iron, and brass, and tin, which show that he
had taken much pains to have all things here ready for the greatest
occasions; for the report goes how Herod thus prepared this fortress on
his own account, as a refuge against two kinds of danger; the one for
fear of the multitude of the Jews, lest they should depose him, and
restore their former kings to the government; the other danger was
greater and more terrible, which arose from Cleopatra queen of Egypt,
who did not conceal her intentions, but spoke often to Antony, and
desired him to cut off Herod, and entreated him to bestow the kingdom of
Judea upon her. And certainly it is a great wonder that Antony did never
comply with her commands in this point, as he was so miserably enslaved
to his passion for her; nor should any one have been surprised if she
had been gratified in such her request. So the fear of these dangers
made Herod rebuild Masada, and thereby leave it for the finishing stroke
of the Romans in this Jewish war.

5. Since therefore the Roman commander Silva had now built a wall on the
outside, round about this whole place, as we have said already, and
had thereby made a most accurate provision to prevent any one of the
besieged running away, he undertook the siege itself, though he found
but one single place that would admit of the banks he was to raise; for
behind that tower which secured the road that led to the palace, and to
the top of the hill from the west; there was a certain eminency of the
rock, very broad and very prominent, but three hundred cubits beneath
the highest part of M