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M.Besant E.Walter
Jerusalem, the city of Herod and Saladin
page 49
speakable degradation and misery which the Jew, more
than any other man, would feel, in his condition of slavery.
Their history began with the slavery in Egypt : to these
unfortunate captives it would seem as if it was to end with . slavery in Egypt.
The Romans, knowing that Jerusalem had a sort of
subterranean city of excavated chambers beneath it, pro
ceeded to search for hiding insurgents and for hidden
wealth. The chambers were, like the houses, often full
of dead bodies. They found fugitives in some of them ;
these they put to death. In others they found treasure ;
in others they found corpses.
Simon and John were not among the prisoners, nor
were they among the killed. John, several days after the
capture of the city, came out voluntarily from his hiding
place, and gave himself up to Titus. He was reserved
for the triumph. And then came the grand day of re
joicing for the conquerors. Titus made a long and lauda
tory oration to the army, adjudged promotions, coronets,
necklaces, and other prizes of valour, and with lavish
hand distributed the spoils among his soldiers. For three
days the troops banqueted and rejoiced. Then Titus
broke up his camp, and departed for Cœsarea with the
5th and 15th Legions, leaving the 10th, under Terentius
Rufus, to guard the city, and sending the 12th to the
banks of the Euphrates*
It was not till October that Simon gave himself up. To prevent being killed at once, he emerged by night from his hiding-place dressed in a long white robe, so that the astonished soldiers took him for a ghost. " I am Simon, son of Gioras," he cried. " Call hither your general.". Terentius received him as a prisoner, and sent him to Titus.
One of the most important things in the conduct of a
* Joseph, vii. v. 3.
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