ning
with the Jews in the war; and, that they might be out of danger from me,
they, by a wile, got leave of me to fortify their city with walls: they
also, of their own accord, admitted of a garrison of Roman legions, sent
them by Cestlus Gallus, who was then president of Syria, and so had
me in contempt, though I was then very powerful, and all were greatly
afraid of me; and at the same time that the greatest of our cities,
Jerusalem, was besieged, and that temple of ours, which belonged to
us all, was in danger of falling under the enemy's power, they sent no
assistance thither, as not willing to have it thought they would bear
arms against the Romans. But as for thy country, O Justus: situated upon
the lake of Gennesareth, and distance from Hippos thirty furlongs,
from Gadara sixty, and from Scythopolis, which was under the king's
jurisdiction, a hundred and twenty; when there was no Jewish city near,
it might easily have preserved its fidelity [to the Romans,] if it
had so pleased them to do, for the city and its people had plenty of
weapons. But, as thou sayest, I was then the author [of their revolts].
And pray, O Justus! who was that author afterwards? For thou knowest
that I was in the power of the Romans before Jerusalem was besieged, and
before the same time Jotapata was taker by force, as well as many other
fortresses, and a great many of the Galileans fell in the war. It was
therefore then a proper time, when you were certainly freed from any
fear on my account, to throw away your weapons, and to demonstrate to
the king and to the Romans, that it was not of choice, but as forced by
necessity, that you fell into the war against them; but you staid till
Vespasian came himself as far as your walls, with his whole army; and
then you did indeed lay aside your weapons out of fear, and your city
had for certain been taken by force, unless Vespasian had complied with
the king's supplication for you, and had excused your madness. It was
not I, therefore, who was the author of this, but your own inclinations
to war. Do not you remember how often I got you under my power, and yet
put none of you to death? Nay, you once fell into a tumult one against
another, and slew one hundred and eighty-five of your citizens, not on
account of your good-will to the king and to the Romans, but on account
of your own wickedness, and this while I was besieged by the Romans in
Jotapata. Nay, indeed, were there not reckoned up two thousand