while the party of
Hyrcanus were for opening the gates to Pompey; and the dread people were
in occasioned these last to be a very numerous party, when they looked
upon the excellent order the Roman soldiers were in. So Aristobulus's
party was worsted, and retired into the temple, and cut off the
communication between the temple and the city, by breaking down the
bridge that joined them together, and prepared to make an opposition to
the utmost; but as the others had received the Romans into the city, and
had delivered up the palace to him, Pompey sent Piso, one of his great
officers, into that palace with an army, who distributed a garrison
about the city, because he could not persuade any one of those that had
fled to the temple to come to terms of accommodation; he then disposed
all things that were round about them so as might favor their attacks,
as having Hyrcanus's party very ready to afford them both counsel and
assistance.

3. But Pompey himself filled up the ditch that was oil the north side of
the temple, and the entire valley also, the army itself being obliged to
carry the materials for that purpose. And indeed it was a hard thing to
fill up that valley, by reason of its immense depth, especially as
the Jews used all the means possible to repel them from their superior
situation; nor had the Romans succeeded in their endeavors, had not
Pompey taken notice of the seventh days, on which the Jews abstain
from all sorts of work on a religious account, and raised his bank, but
restrained his soldiers from fighting on those days; for the Jews only
acted defensively on sabbath days. But as soon as Pompey had filled
up the valley, he erected high towers upon the bank, and brought those
engines which they had fetched from Tyre near to the wall, and tried
to batter it down; and the slingers of stones beat off those that stood
above them, and drove them away; but the towers on this side of the
city made very great resistance, and were indeed extraordinary both for
largeness and magnificence.

4. Now here it was that, upon the many hardships which the Romans
underwent, Pompey could not but admire not only at the other instances
of the Jews' fortitude, but especially that they did not at all intermit
their religious services, even when they were encompassed with darts
on all sides; for, as if the city were in full peace, their daily
sacrifices and purifications, and every branch of their religious
worship, was still p