man engines, and the Jews, lately so haughty and presumptuous, now, trembling and panic-struck, fell on their faces, and deplored their own infatuation. Such as were in the towers deemed impregnable to human force, beyond measure affrighted, strangely forsook them, and sought refuge in caverns and subterraneous passages; in which dismal retreats no less than two thousand dead bodies were afterwards found. Thus, as our Lord had predicted, did these miserable creatures, in effect, say, "to the mountains, Fall on us; and to the rocks, Cover Us*'."

The walls of the city being now com. pletely in possession of the Romans, they hoisted their colours upon the towers, and burst forth into the most triumphant acclamations. After this, all annoyance from the Jews being at an end, the soldiers gave an unbridled license to their fury against the inhabitants. They first plun

*Luke xxiii. 20.

dered, and then set fire to the houses. They ranged through the streets with drawn swords in their hands, murdering every Jew whom they met without dis-tinction; until, at length, the bodies of the dead choaked up all the alleys and narrow passes, while their blood literally flowed down the channels of the city in streams. As it drew towards evening, the soldiers exchanged the sword for the torch, and amidst the darkness of this awful night, set fire to the remaining divisions of the place. The vial of divine wrath which had been so long pouring out upon this devoted city, was now emptying, and Jerusalem, once "a praise in all the earth," and the subject of a thousand prophecies, deprived of the staff of life, wrapt in flames, and bleeding on every side, sunk into utter ruin and desolation*.

This memorable siege terminated on the 8th day of September, A. D.70: its duration was nearly five months, the Romans having invested the city on the 14th day of the preceding April.

1

Before their final demolition, however, Titus took a survey of the city and its fortifications; and, while contemplating their impregnable strength, could not help ascribing his success to the peculiar inter-. position of the Almighty himself."Had not God himself (exclaimed he) aided our operations, and driven the Jews from their fortresses, it would have been absolutely impossible to have taken them; for what could men and the force of engines, have done against such towers as these?" After this he commanded that the city should be razed to its foundations, excepting only the three lofty towers, Hippocos, Phasael, and Mariamne, which he suffered to remain as evidences of its strength, and as trophies of his victory. There was left standing, also, a small part of the western wall, as a rampart for a garrison, to keep the surrounding country in subjection. Titus now gave orders that those Jews only who resisted should be slain;

but the soldiers, equally void of pity and remorse, slew even the sick and the aged The robbers and seditious were all punish ed with death the tallest and most beau tiful youths, together with several of the Jewish nobles, were reserved by Titus to grace his trumphal entry into Rome, After this selection, all above the age of seventeen were sent in chains into Egypt, to be employed there as slaves, or distributed throughout the empire, to be sacrificed as gladiators in the amphitheatres ;" whilst those who were under this age, were exposed to sale.

During the time that these things were transacting, eleven thousand Jews, guarded by one of the generals, named Fronto, were literally starved to death. This melancholy occurrence happened partly through the scarcity of provisions, and partly through their own obstinacy, and the negligence of the Romans,

Of the Jews destroyed during the siege, Josephus reckons not less than one million and one hundred thousand, to which must be added, above two hundred and thirty-seven thousand who perished in other places, and innumerable multitudes who were swept away by famine and pestilence, and of which no calculation could be made. Not less than two thousand laid violent hands upon themselves. Of the captives, the whole mumber was about ninety-seven thousand. Of the two great leaders of the Jews, who had both been made prisoners, John was doomed to a dungeon for life; while Simon, after being led, together with John, in triumph at Rome, was scourged, and put to death as a malefactor.

In executing the command of Titus, relative to the demolition of Jerusalem, the Roman soldiers not only threw down the buildings, but even dug up their foun