Chapter 13: The Test Of Devotion.
Although John was able to join his companions, he was still farfrom strong; and was glad to have a valid excuse for handing overhis command to his lieutenant, and returning home. The campaign wasnearly over; and he could not have followed those rapid marchesthrough the hills which enabled the band to appear, now on oneside, now on the other of the Romans, and to keep them in aconstant state of watchfulness.
At the same time, he was glad of the excuse to leave for, althoughhe had declared to Titus that he would fight again in defense ofJerusalem, he felt that, after the kind treatment he had met with,he could not take part in the daily skirmishes with the Romans.
Mounting a donkey, which was among the many animals captured in theattacks upon the Romans' baggage train, John bade adieu to hiscomrades; and with Jonas, now grown into a sturdy young fellow,started for home. He journeyed by the road to the west ofJerusalem, in order to avoid the bandits of Simon son of Gioras;who still scourged the neighborhood of Masada and Herodium, lyingbetween Jerusalem and the Dead Sea. He avoided all the towns inwhich there were Roman garrisons; for the bandages on his headwould have shown, at once, that he had been engaged in fighting. Hetraveled slowly, and was six days before he arrived home.
"This time, my son, you have not come home unharmed," Simon said."Truly you are a shadow of your former self."
"I shall soon be strong again, father; and these are honorablescars, for I had them in single combat with Titus, himself, in thevalley between Hebron and Carmelia."
"Then how is it that you live to tell the tale, my son?" Simonasked, while exclamations of wonder broke from Mary and Martha."Surely God did not deliver him into your hands?"
"I wish not to boast, father, and I have told the true story tonone; but truly God did deliver him into my hands."
"And he is dead?" Simon exclaimed.
"No, father, he lives, for I spared him."
"Spared him!" Simon exclaimed. "What, you did not avenge themiseries of our people upon the son of the oppressor?"
"No, father; and I rejoice that I did not for, had I done so,surely the Romans would have avenged his death upon all the land.But I thought not of that, at the time. I was sore wounded, andbleeding, and my sense was well-nigh gone; but as I knelt upon him,and lifted my hand to slay him, a thought--surely sent by God,himself--came into my mind, and I said:
"'Swear by your gods that you will spare the Temple, or I slayyou;' and he swore that, so far as lay in his power, he would sparethe Temple."
An exclamation of joy burst from his hearers, and Simon said:
"Verily, my son, God has raised you up as a deliverer of hisTemple; not, as some hoped, by defeating our oppressors, but bybinding one of their mightiest ones to do it no harm."
"I pray, father, say naught of this to anyone. It is betweenourselves, and Titus, and the Lord; and I would not that any manshould know of it. Moreover, Titus behaved with the greatestgenerosity to me.
"My victory over him was but a surprise. I was sorely wounded,while he was almost unharmed, when I sprang upon him and, by thesudden impulse, threw him to the ground, he being burdened with hisheavy armor I had but strength to hear him swear, and then I fellas one dead. Titus might have slain me, as I lay; but he not onlydid me no harm but, when his soldiers came up, he gave me intotheir care, and directed me to be carried down to his camp, placedin a tent, and tended by his own leech and, when I recovered, helet me go free."
"Truly it is a marvelous tale, John. That you should have falleninto the hands of the Romans, and come forth unharmed afterdiscomfiting their leader, is as marvelous to me as Daniel comingunharmed from the lions' den. We will say naught of your story, myson. Tell us only what you told your own companions, so that we mayknow what to say, when we are questioned."
"I told them the truth, father, although not all the truth. I saidthat I met Titus, and fought with him; that I wounded him somewhat;but that, by virtue of his armor, I did him no great harm, while hewounded me so seriously that I fell down as one dead; that he,feeling that I had fought like a brave foeman, had me carried tohis tent, and tended and cared for until I was able to go forth;when he sent me away free, and unharmed."
"Truly men say of Titus that he is clement and merciful, andtherein differs much from Vespasian his father; and the clemencywhich he showed to the people of Gischala, and other places whichhe has taken, proves that is so; but this deed of his to you showsthat he must have a great heart, for few men of rank, and warlikefame, who had been discomfited by one yet scarce a man, but wouldhave left him by the road to die, so that none might know what hadhappened."
"Titus made no secret of it, father," John said. "He told Josephus,in my hearing, that I had spared his life. He said naught of theoath which he had taken; but I know that he will keep it as far, ashe said, lies in his power."
"What is he like?" Mary asked.
"He is not of very tall stature, but stoutly built, and strong. Hisface--clean shaved, as is their custom--has a pleasant and kindlyexpression, that tallies with his disposition, for he is greatlybeloved by his soldiers. In action they say he is brave torashness, quick to anger, but as quickly appeased. Had he been incommand of the Roman legions, they would have been not lessformidable in the fight and, perhaps, when the passions of Tituswere roused, not less savage; but they would not have wrought suchwholesale cruelty and destruction as they have done."
"It is rarely that pity enters into the heart of a Roman," Simonsaid; "and yet, it is hardly for us to complain for, when wecrossed over the Jordan and conquered Canaan, we put all to thesword, and spared none. It may be that in future times, if wars donot altogether cease in the world, they will be waged in anotherspirit; but so far, from the commencement of the world until now,it has ever been the same--war has brought desolation anddestruction upon the vanquished."
The next morning John went early into the garden; not that he wasstrong enough for heavy work, but in order that Mary might, asusual, join him there.
"Do you know, John," she said, after their first greeting, "youhave made me happier than I have been, for some time."
"How is that, Mary?"
"It seemed to me, John, that you were getting away from me."
"Getting away, Mary!" he repeated; "how do you mean?"
"You were becoming a great leader, John. I was proud that it shouldbe so, proud to think that you might become a deliverer of thenation; and then it would have been meet and right that you shouldtake to yourself, as a wife, a daughter of one of the great ones ofthe land."
"Mary!" John exclaimed, indignantly.
"It might have been necessary, John. The tillers of the soil canmarry where they please. Those who have power must wed for otherreasons than that of love. They must make alliances that willstrengthen their position, and it would have been your duty to havesacrificed your love for the sake of your country. I should havebeen the first to bid you do so. I should have been content to makemy sacrifice, too, on the altar of our country; content withknowing that you, the deliverer of Israel, would have chosen mefrom among all other women, had you only had your own pleasure andhappiness to consult.
"But after what you told us yesterday, I think, perhaps, that thisneed not be so; and that the way in which you were to save theTemple was not the way we thought. Your mission has beenfulfilled--not by great victories, which would have made you thehero of Israel--but in that contest in the valley, where no eyesbut those of God beheld you; and should the Temple be saved, no onewill know that you were its savior, save we who love you.Therefore, John, once again I can look forward to the time when youand I can dwell, together, in the house of your fathers."
Mary was so earnest that John did not attempt to laugh her out ofher fancies, as was his usual way. He only said, quietly:
"Perhaps you are right, Mary, as to my mission; but I do not think,dear, that even had I been made ruler of Israel, I would have goneelsewhere for a wife; but as you say, circumstances might have beentoo strong for me and,
at any rate, I am well pleased that there isno chance of my happiness being set in one scale, and the good ofmy country in another."
"And now, John, I believe that you will come back to me, even ifJerusalem falls. This is the third time your life has been sparedand, if we count that day when we were so nearly drowned togetheron the lake, we may say that four times your life has been saved,when it seemed all but lost; and I believe, now, that it will besaved to the end."
"I hope for your sake, Mary, and for my father and mother's, thatit may be so. I have so much to make my life happy that I willassuredly do all in my power to save it. As you know, I have neverheld with those who would destroy themselves, when all seemed lost.My idea is: a man should fight until the last; but should, ifpossible, provide some way of escape, when fighting is no longer ofavail.
"Fortunately, if I do not fall in battle, I have a talisman whichwill bring me safe to you. Titus has given me a signet ring whichwill, at all times, procure me access to him. He has promised that,at all times, he will be my friend and, should I fall into thehands of his soldiers again, he will let me go free, and will giveme the lives of any who may be dear to me."
"This Titus must be a noble enemy," Mary said, with tears in hereyes. "He is strong, and kind, and generous. Had such a man beenraised up as the leader of our people, instead of the leader of ourfoes, how different it might have been!"
"Yes, indeed," John agreed; "truly we are sheep without a shepherd;nay, we are sheep whose leaders are ravening wolves, who devourtheir own flock."
The time passed, quietly and happily save for the grief which thetidings of the terrible doings in Jerusalem caused. The two years'respite which the city had obtained, when Vespasian marched awayfrom Jericho, instead of being turned to good account, had broughteven greater evils than before. Simon son of Gioras, having wastedall the country towards Idumea, began to threaten Jerusalem. TheZealots marched out against him, but were driven back to the city.Simon--thinking that the Idumeans, believing him to be occupiedwith Jerusalem, would have grown careless--suddenly entered theircountry at the head of twenty thousand men.
The Idumeans flew to arms, and met him with twenty-five thousandmen; and a furious battle ensued, in which neither party gained theadvantage. Simon retreated, and the Idumeans dispersed. Simonraised an even larger force than before, and advanced with fortythousand irregular troops, besides his heavy-armed soldiers. Theytook Hebron, and wasted Idumea with fire and sword.
The Zealots, in Simon's absence, succeeded in capturing his wife;and carried her off to Jerusalem, hoping by this means to force himto come to terms. On receiving the news he hurried back with hisforces, surrounded Jerusalem, and slew everyone who ventured toleave the city--except some whom he sent back, having cut off theirhands, to tell those within that, unless his wife were returned, hewould storm the city and slay every man within it. Even the Zealotswere alarmed at his threats and fury, and restored his wife;whereupon he withdrew.
This had happened in the previous year, before Cerealis andVespasian had entered Idumea. As soon as the Romans had retired,Simon again sallied forth from Masada, collected a great number ofIdumeans, and drove them before him into Jerusalem. Then heencamped before the city, and slew all who quitted the protectionof its walls.
Thus, within, John of Gischala and his followers tyrannized overthe people, murdering and plundering till they were sated withblood, and knew not what to do with their booty; while Simon cutoff all flight beyond its walls. But at length the party of Johnbecame divided. The Idumeans, who were in considerable numbers inthe city, rose and drove John and the Zealots into the palace builtby Grapte; which had served them as their headquarters, and thestorehouse where they piled up the treasure which they had amassedby the plunder of the people. But the Idumeans attacked them here,and drove them into the Temple--which adjoined the palace--and tookpossession of all the plunder that they had amassed. The Zealots,however, were in great force in the Temple, and threatened to pourout and destroy the whole city by fire. The Idumeans called anassembly of the chief priests, and they decided to admit Simonwithin the gates.
The high priest, Matthias, went out in person to invite him toenter and, amidst the joyful greetings of the population, Simonmarched through the gates with his followers, and took possessionof the upper city. This was the last and most fatal mistake of thepeople of Jerusalem. The sheep had invited a tiger to save themfrom a wolf; and now two tyrants, instead of one, lorded it overthe city. As soon as Simon entered, he proceeded to attack theZealots in the Temple; but the commanding position of that buildingenabled them to defend themselves with success.
To obtain still further advantage, they reared four strong towers;and on these placed their military engines and bowmen, and so sweptthe approaches to the Temple that Simon was forced to desist fromthe attack. All through the winter, fighting went on withoutintermission, and the streets of Jerusalem ran with blood.
A further division took place among the Zealots. Eleazar--who hadbeen their head before the arrival of John of Gischala--jealous ofthe supremacy of that leader, got together a party and suddenlyseceded from the main band, and seized the inner court of theTemple. Now, fighting went on within as well as without the holybuildings. The party of Eleazar were well supplied with provisions,for the stores in the Temple were of immense extent. They were toofew in numbers to sally out to attack the party of John; but theywere strong enough to defend the walls of the inner court, whichlooked down upon the rest of the Temple, and enabled them tocommand the positions of John's troops.
Day and night the struggle went on. The inner court of the Templewas desecrated by blood--dying men lay on the steps of the altar,and the shouts and songs of the savage soldiery rose, where thehymns of praise of the Levites had been wont to ascend.
John's troops continued their attacks upon the inner court, whilethey successfully resisted the assaults of Simon; who tried to takeadvantage of the internecine strife raging between the two partiesof Zealots, but the superior height of the positions held by John'smen enabled them to defend themselves as successfully as did thoseof Eleazar against their attacks.
And yet, during all this terrible strife, the services of theTemple were continued, in the midst of blood and carnage. Freeingress and egress were, as at all times, permitted to the pious;who made their way unharmed through the fierce combatants, passedover the pavement slippery with blood, and laid their offering onthe altars--often paying with their lives for their pious services,being smitten down, even as they prayed at the altar, by themissiles which the followers of John poured incessantly into theinner court.
Sometimes, drunk with the wine obtained from the abundant stores ofthe Temple, the followers of Eleazar would sally out against John.Sometimes John would pour out against Simon, wasting and destroyingthe city as far as his troops could penetrate. Thus, the Templebecame surrounded by a waste of ruins, held in turn by one or otherof the factions. Even the rites of burial, so dear to the Jews,were neglected; and the bodies of the slain lay, unburied, wherethey fell, And yet, the forces of the three factions which thusdesolated the city were comparatively small and, had the wretchedpopulation who were tyrannized over by them possessed anyunanimity, or been led by any man of courage, they could easilyhave overthrown them all; for Simon's force amounted to aboutfifteen thousand, that of John to six thousand, while Eleazar couldcount but two thousand four hundred men, and yet in Jerusalem weregathered a population amounting, with the original inhabitants andthe fugitives from the country around, to over a million people.
At length, the long interval of suspense was drawing to an end. Atthe death of Vitellius, Vespasian had been called upon, by thegeneral voice of the people, to ascend the throne; and had, sometime before, left for Rome to assume the imperial purple. He wasjoyfully acknowledged by the whole Roman empire; who had groanedunder a succession of brutal tyrants, and now hailed the accessionof one who was, at once, a great general and an upright and ableman; and who would rule the empire with a firm, just, and moderateh
and. When winter was over, Vespasian sent Titus--who had, in themeantime, gone to Egypt--back to Palestine, and ordered him tocomplete the conquest of Judea.
The Twelfth Legion--that which had been defeated, when under thecommand of Cestius--was ordered to reinforce the three already inJudea; and the gaps made in the ranks during the war, and by thewithdrawal of the men who had accompanied Vespasian to Rome, werefilled by an addition of two thousand picked troops fromAlexandria, and three thousand from the legions stationed on theEuphrates. The Syrian kings sent large contingents; and TiberiusAlexander--an intimate friend of Titus, a man of wisdom andintegrity--was appointed to high command. His knowledge of thecountry, which he had once governed, added to his value in theRoman councils.
As soon as the news spread that the Roman army was collecting forits march against Jerusalem, the signal fires were kindled on thehills above Gamala; and John, after a tender farewell to hisparents and Mary, set out with Jonas. In twenty-four hours, theband had again assembled. When they were gathered, John addressedthem. He pointed out to them that the campaign that they were nowabout to undertake differed widely from those which had precededit.
"Hitherto," he said "you have but skirmished around the Romans, andhave run but comparatively little danger; but now, those who gowith me must make up their minds that they are going to Jerusalemto die. It may be that the Lord will yet deliver the Holy City fromher enemies, as he delivered it in days of old. But you know whathas been doing in Jerusalem, for the last four years; that not onlythe streets, but the altar itself have been flooded with the bloodof the people, how the Jews themselves have desecrated the Temple,and how wickedness of all kinds has prevailed in the city.
"Thus, you can judge for yourselves what chance there is that Godwill interfere on behalf of the people who have forsaken andinsulted him. If he does not interfere, in my opinion the fate ofthe city is sealed. I have seen the Romans at work, at Jotapata andGamala; and I know how the strongest walls go down before theirengines and battering rams. Moreover I hear that, in the wars whichhave been raging within the gates, the magazines--which containsufficient food to last even her great population for years--havebeen entirely destroyed; and thus those who go to defend her haveto face not the Roman sword only, but famine.
"Therefore, I say that those who go up to defend the Temple mustmake up their minds that they go to die for the Temple. It is foreach of you to ask yourselves whether you are ready to do this. Iask no one to go with me. Let each, before it is too late, askhimself whether he is ready to do this thing. I blame none who findthe sacrifice too great. It is between them and their conscience.
"Therefore, I pray you, let all tonight disperse among the hills,each by himself, so that you may think over what I have said; andlet all who may come to the conclusion that they are not calledupon to go to certain death, in defense of the Temple, depart totheir homes without reproach from their comrades. Each man here hasdone his duty, so long as hope remained. Now it is for each todecide, for himself, whether he feels called upon to give his lifefor the Temple."
Silently the crowd dispersed, and John joined the captains, andpassed the night with them.
"I fear we shall have but a small gathering in the morning," one ofthem said, as they sat down by the fire. "Many will fight as longas there is hope, but few will go down to certain death."
"It is better so," John said. "Misery and ruin have fallen upon thecountry. As you saw for yourselves, Judea and Idumea are butdeserts, and more have fallen by famine and misery than by thesword. We would not have our nation blotted out; and as, in thedays after the captivity in Babylon, God again collected his peopleand restored their land to them, so it may be his intention to do,now, when they have paid the full penalty of their disobedience andwickedness. Therefore, I would not that any should go down to die,save those who feel that God has called them to do so.
"Already the victims who have fallen in these four years arewell-nigh countless; and in Jerusalem there are a millionpeople--sufficient, if they have spirit and strength and the Lordis with them--to defend the walls. Thus, then, however small thenumber of those who may gather tomorrow, I shall be content. Hadthe Romans advanced against Jerusalem at the commencement of thewar, there was not a Jew capable of bearing arms but would havegone up to the defense of the Holy City; but now, their spirit isbroken by the woes that have come upon them, and still more by thecivil wars in Jerusalem herself. A spirit of hopelessness anddespair has come upon us. It is not that men fear to die, or thatthey care to live; it is that they say:
"'What matters it whether we live or die? All is lost. Why shouldwe trouble as to what may come upon us?'"
"Then you no longer believe in your mission, John?" one of theparty said, gloomily.
"I have never proclaimed a mission," John said. "Others haveproclaimed it for me. I simply invited a score of men to follow me,to do what we could to hinder the Romans; and because God gave ussuccess, others believed that I was sent as a deliverer.
"And yet, I believe that I had a mission, and that mission has beenfulfilled. I told you not, before; but I tell you now, for yourcomfort, what happened between me and Titus--but I wish not that itshould be told to others. I told you that I fought with him; andthat, being wounded and insensible, I was carried into histent--but that was not all. When we fought, although sorelywounded, I sprang upon him and we fell to the ground, I uppermost.I drew my knife, and would have slain him; when the Lord put athought into my mind, and I called upon him to swear that he wouldspare the Temple.
"He swore that, if it lay in his power, he would do so. Then he wasbut in inferior command. Now he is general of the army, and shouldbe able to keep his oath. Thus, if I had a mission to save theTemple, I trust that I have fulfilled it; and that, whatever fatemay fall upon the city, the Temple will yet remain erect andunharmed."
John's words gave new life and energy to the before dispirited mengathered round him. It seemed to them not only that the Templewould be saved, but that their belief in their leader's mission asa deliverer was fully justified; and a feeling of enthusiasmsucceeded that of depression.
"Why did you not tell us before? Why did you not let all yourfollowers know what a great thing you had done, John?" one of themasked, presently.
"For two reasons," John replied. "I did not wish to seem to exaltmyself, or to boast of the success which God had given me over theRoman; for it was assuredly his strength, and not mine, for Imyself could do naught against the strength and skill of Titus and,as I told you, was wounded nigh to death, while he received smallhurt. In the next place I thought that, if I made it public, itwould be noised abroad through the land; and that Titus, when heheard that all men knew that he had been worsted in fight with aJew, might repent of his oath--or might even ask to be sent to someother command, so that he might not be called upon to keep it."
John's companions agreed that the second reason was a valid one,though they did not agree that the first should have weighed withhim.
"It is not by hiding a light under a bushel," one of them said,"that men gain the confidence of their followers. The more menbelieve in their leaders, the more blindly will they follow him,the greater the efforts they will make for him. It was the beliefin your mission which gathered eight thousand men on thesemountains to follow you; and the proof that you have given us thatthat belief was well founded, and that you had a mission to savethe Temple--the knowledge that you had, single handed, forced theRoman general to swear an oath to save the Temple--would have soheightened that enthusiasm that they would have followed you, hadyou bidden them attack the whole Roman army. I agree that, for yoursecond reason, it was wise to say nothing of what took place; butyour first was, I think, a mistaken one."
"At any rate," another said, "the hand of God is plainly marked inthe matter; for it has placed Titus in full command, and has thusgiven him the power of carrying out the oath which he swore. Now,my friends, we can go up with light hearts with John to Jerusalemfor, though we may die, yet do we feel assured that t
he Lordpurposes to save the Temple; and that, one day, he will restore theglories of Judah."
In the morning, as John had expected, the number of those whogathered at the sound of the trumpet was comparatively small. Thenight's reflection, the feeling that the sacrifice of their liveswould be of no avail, and the dull despair that had seized thewhole nation had had their effect and, of the eight thousand menwho had gathered there the night before, but six hundred now obeyedthe summons.
These gathered, stern and silent, but with an expression ofdesperate resolution on their faces. At the earnest request of hiscaptains, John allowed them to go among the men and to tell themthat, although the manner in which it was done was a secret, Johnhad given to them undoubted proofs that he had a mission from God;and that they believed that, whatever might happen to Jerusalem, itwas the Lord's will that the Temple should be saved. The joyousexpression of their leaders' faces, even more than their words,assured their followers of their sincerity. Their spirit rose, anda renewed feeling of enthusiasm seized them; and when, an hourlater, John took his place on a rock to address them, the shouts ofgreeting which broke forth showed him how great was the change intheir spirit.
"My friends," he said, "I greet you who have decided to die withme, if need be, in defense of Jerusalem. I blame not those who havegone. They would not have gone, had the Lord required them to stay;but to you he has spoken, and has told you that he has need of yourservices. Henceforward, we will act as one band--a band of meninspired with one thought, and one aim. And now, though our numbersmay not be great, yet a force so composed of men who hold theirlives as naught may do wonders. You remember how Gideon sent thegreater part of his army away and, with a mere handful, defeatedthe hosts of the enemy!
"We look not for victory; but we will show the Romans what men cando to avenge their bleeding country--what deeds Jews can perform,when fighting for the Temple. We shall go into Jerusalem. There wewill hold aloof from all parties. If we are attacked, we willdefend ourselves. But our aim will be to act as a body apart fromothers, ready to undertake the most desperate services, and to setan example of courage and devotion.
"Now let us count our numbers, and arrange ourselves anew intocompanies."
It was found that the bands composed of men from Tiberias, and theother cities of the lake, had entirely disappeared; and that thosewho had stayed were principally hardy dwellers among the hills.They were again divided into twenty companies of thirty men eachand, after examining their arms, and seeing that all were wellprovided, John gave the order, and the band set off.
Keeping on the eastern side of Jordan they stopped at a largevillage, near the ford opposite Jericho; and here a quantity ofgrain was purchased, and was made up into sacks, each weighingfifty pounds.
"The granaries that remain will be principally in the hands of thetroops of John, or Simon," John said; "and it is as well that weshould have our own store to depend upon. So long as we can buyfood, we will do so; and we can fall back upon our own magazine, ifnecessary. It will be best for two or three of us to go into thecity, first, and find a quarter where we can lodge close together,and as far removed as possible from the factions. Simon holds theupper town, and John the Temple; therefore we will establishourselves in the lower town. We will not go in in a body, for theymight refuse us admittance; but as the Romans approach there willbe a stream of fugitives entering the city. We will mingle withthem, and pass in unobserved.
"Many of the fugitives will be carrying the goods they most value;and many, doubtless, will take in provisions with them. Therefore,our sacks of grain will not excite attention."
It was five years since John had journeyed up with his parents toJerusalem, and he therefore knew but little of the city. Some ofhis followers, however, had been there more recently; and he pickedout four of these, one of whom was a captain of a company, to enterthe city and find a suitable post for them. The whole band crossedthe Jordan together, and made a detour to avoid Jericho, where theTenth Legion had been quartered during the winter. Then they tooktheir way up the steep road through the hills until, passingthrough Bethany, they came out on the crest of the hill lookingdown upon the Valley of Jehoshaphat; with the Temple risingimmediately opposite to them, and the palace of Agrippa, and thecrowded houses of the city, in the background.
Illustration: John and his Band in Sight of Jerusalem.
The men laid down their sacks, and stood for a long time, lookingat Jerusalem. Many were moved to tears, as they looked on thestately beauty of the Holy City, and thought how low it had fallen;with civil tumult within, and a terrible enemy approaching fromwithout. Even now, there is no fairer scene in the world than theview of Jerusalem from the spot where they were standing--calledthen, as now, the Mount of Olives--and it must have been superb,indeed, in the days when the Temple stood intact, and the palacesof Agrippa and Herod rose on the brow of Mount Zion.
After a long pause they resumed their way, crossed the upper end ofthe Valley of Jehoshaphat, and established themselves for the nightin a grove of trees near the Grotto of Jeremiah; four chosen men atonce entering the city, by the Old Gate on the north side of thecity. The country here--and indeed, all the hills aroundJerusalem--were covered with the houses of the wealthy, surroundedby gardens and orchards. They belonged not only to the Jews of thecity; but to those who dwelt in foreign countries, and who wereaccustomed each year to come to Jerusalem for the Passover, and tospend some time there before they returned to their distant homes.Even now, undismayed by the dangers of the times, and the knowledgethat the Romans would shortly besiege the city, pilgrims werearriving from all the cities of Asia Minor, Greece, and Egypt, forthe time of the Passover was close at hand.
At the foot of the walls, and on the slopes around, large numbersof pilgrims were encamped--the rich in gorgeous tents, the poor inshelters constructed of boughs or carpets. This overflow of peoplewas an occurrence which was witnessed every year, on the sameoccasion; but its proportions were this time of greater magnitudethan usual, partly owing to the difficulty of procuring lodgings inthe town, owing to the crowds of fugitives there, partly becausemany thought it safer to camp outside, and to enter the city onlyto pay their devotions, and take part in the ceremonial, than toput themselves wholly into the power of the ruffians of Simon andJohn.
In the following morning the men returned, and reported that theyhad found a spot in the inner lower town, between the Corner Gateand the Gate of Ephraim in the second wall, where was a largehouse, inhabited now but by two or three persons. Here a greatnumber of them could take up their quarters, while the others couldfind lodging near. The reason why so many houses were empty therewas that it was somewhat exposed to the irruptions of Simon's menfrom the upper town, as they frequently came down and robbed thosewho entered the city at the Damascus Gate, from which led the greatnorth road.
Crowds of fugitives were making their way by this road to the city,flying before the advance of the Romans; who were, they said, but afew hours' march in their rear. Many were men, coming to take theirpart in the defense of the city; but the great proportion were oldmen, women, and children, flying for refuge. John shook his head,as he watched the stream of fugitives, for he well knew the horrorsthat would befall the besieged town.
"Better a thousand times," he said to Jonas, "that these poorpeople should have remained in their villages. They have nothingwhich would tempt the cupidity of the Roman soldiers, and no evilmight have befallen them; whereas now they will perish by famine ordisease, or be slain by the Romans, besides consuming the foodwhich would have sustained the fighting men. Were I master ofJerusalem I would, when I heard the Romans were approaching, havecleared out from the city all who could not aid in the defense. Itwould have seemed a harsh action; but it would have been a mercifulone, and would greatly strengthen the power of resistance."