preserved by this
contrivance of mine.

68. Nay, indeed, Tiberias had like to have been plundered by the
Galileans also upon the following occasion:-- The chief men of the
senate wrote to the king, and desired that he would come to them, and
take possession of their city. The king promised to come, and wrote a
letter in answer to theirs, and gave it to one of his bed-chamber, whose
name was Crispus, and who was by birth a Jew, to carry it to Tiberias.
When the Galileans knew that this man carried such a letter, they caught
him, and brought him to me; but as soon as the whole multitude heard of
it, they were enraged, and betook themselves to their arms. So a great
many of them together from all quarters the next day, and came to the
city Asochis, where I then lodged, and made heavy clamors, and called
the city of Tiberias a traitor to them, and a friend to the king; and
desired leave of me to go down and utterly destroy it; for they bore
the like ill-will to the people of Tiberias, as they did to those of
Sepphoris.

69. When I heard this, I was in doubt what to do, and hesitated by what
means I might deliver Tiberias from the rage of the Galileans; for
I could not deny that those of Tiborias had written to the king, and
invited him to come to them; for his letters to them, in answer thereto,
would fully prove the truth of that. So I sat a long time musing with
myself, and then said to them, "I know well enough that the people of
Tiberias have offended; nor shall I forbid you to plunder the city.
However, such things ought to be done with discretion; for they of
Tiberias have not been the only betrayers of our liberty, but many of
the most eminent patriots of the Galileans, as they pretended to be,
have done the same. Tarry therefore till I shall thoroughly find out
those authors of our danger, and then you shall have them all at once
under your power, with all such as you shall yourselves bring in also."
Upon my saying this, I pacifie the multitude, and they left off their
anger, and went their ways; and I gave orders that he who brought the
king's letters should be put into bonds; but in a few days I pretended
that I was obliged, by a necessary affair of my own, to out of the
kingdom. I then called Crispus privately, and ordered him to make
the soldier that kept him drunk, and to run away to the king. So when
Tiberias was in danger of being utterly destroyed a second time, it
escaped the danger by my skillful managem