Page:Jerusalem's captivities lamented, or, The history of Jerusalem.pdf/9

 avenged upon them; for the civil wars were begun by Jehonanan and Simon, who destroyed all the corn and fruits without the city, and Jehonanan within the city ravished the citizens wives and daughters and shed floods of innocent blood. The citizens being weary of this tyranny delivered the city to Simon, thinking he would help them, but he joined the other rebel, and reigned month about, till at last they quarrelled between themselves.

Then there was nothing but slaughters and blood shed, so that the blood of the Jews ran thro' the streets even to the temple of the Lord, like a flood; all that the seditious overcame they set their houses on fire, so that they burnt fourteen hundred store houses, that were full of corn, wine, and oil, which caused a sudden famine in Jerusalem. Thus God visited the city with four plagues at once, viz. sword, pestilence, famine and fire; to which the fifth was added, the ruin and destruction of all the glorious buildings, so that nothing but desolutions, pollutions of the temple and all holy things, and uproars, without any rest, no help, no succour, but every corner was full of howling, yelling, weeping, wailing, sobbing, and sighing of women and children, and aged men staring for want of bread, and others roaring in their wounds, so that all manner of miseries oppressed the inhabitants; for he was thought a happy man that was dead before the day.

At this time Vespasian, with his army was lying in Galilee, and from thence he went to Rome to receive the imperial crown, and left his son Titus with the half of his army to beseige Jerusalem, the other to tarry at Alexandri till further orders. That I shall do, (said Titus) dear father, for unto you it belongeth to command, and me to obey.

In the first year of the reign of Vespasian, Titus mustered his army, and found them sufficient for the