Page:Peterson magazine 1849.pdf/12

 . will be in vain, and he too mast soon fall. Oh! Publius,” she continued, clasping ber bands, and looking as if she expected his spirit to hear her, “if thou hadst lived, be might have been saved; but now that is impossible: one who hes been so conspicuous in the defence of this fated city, will be among the fret macrificed to the conquerors vengeance, But thou art dead: the waves of the Mediterranean enclose thy form; for, flying before my father’s maledictioa, thou didst perish in a short month from our last mecting. I have borne a widowed heart since then, but s00n this world’s griefs will be over, and our reunion occur in a better and happier state of existence.”

‘As ebe thus spoke, a tumoltuous sbout rose from without, and directing her eyes ia that direction, Miriam saw one of those sights which marked the latter days of Jerusalem; for, ae our readers must ave forescen, thie was tbe period when the long siege undertaken by Titus approached its close. A man, haggard and with excited mien, was seen ruNning wildly along a battiement that overlooked the ‘Roman forces; and the shout was that of the Jewa at the sight of this singular and mysterious being; for this was not the first time be bad appeared.

Woe to Jerusalem,” he cried, in a sheit!, unearthly Yoice—‘‘woe to the Holy City. Woe! woo! woo!”

He rushed swiftly forwerd, as he spoke, deprecating with his hands the vengeance he seemed compelled, by some supernatural power, to invoke; and, as he ‘approached, the crowd made way for him, right and left. He was now close beneath the window of Miriam.

“Woe! woe! woe!” he cried. Woe to the holy House, and to the people! Woe! woe!”

Just then Miriam beheld a vest fragment of rock, which bad been projected (rom one of the Roman engines, whirling in mid wir. Por an instant it almost seemed to darken the light of day, while the whole firmament was dlled with ite hum. Itsoered, a space, on high, and then came hissing down ip the direction of the tower. Miriam shrank back mechanically.

The voice of the mad prophet had for » second stopped, but it now rose agaia more terrible than ever.

"Woe to Jerusalem! it cried. Woe to the home of David! Woe to the Holy of Holies, Woe! woo! woo to myself?”

As he spain these test words, the huge rock rasbed down past the window of Miriam, and, the next instant, she heard a crash anda groan. She rasbed to the casement aad looked below. ‘The prophet lay dead, erusbed beneath the gigantic stone

“Ob! Father above,” said Miriam, dropping oa her knees, ‘‘hoar thou my prayer. The time predicted has come, and the city of my people topples to its apare, if it be thy will, ‘pare my parenve life! Take thou me to Abreham’s bosom, if it consorte with thy ordinances; but leave him, the last prince of his name, leave him yet to Teraet.”

Bhe arose refreshed in heart. Every sign without convinced hier that the crisis was approaching. The death of the myslerious prophet bad spread dismay among the Jews, which the Romans perosiving, they advanced immedistely to the assault. ‘The air was soon darkened with lights of acrowe, and with huge stones throws froin the catapults, ‘The solid hills of Jerusalem shook beneath the treqp of her defenders, who, aroused to repel the eseault, came forth from, every dwelling and poured down to meet the fue. With famished faces and garments stil] bloody from former combats, they crowded 10 the battlements, family gathering to famity, tribe to tribe, aud all to the banner of Israel, each shouting the appropriate war ery, “Glory to Judah—on, men of Zebuioz—ho, tribe of Benjamin.”

Fierce and terrible was the contest which eusued, and for hours Miriam gazed on it, her emotions fluc- tuatiog with the success or repulse of the Jews. Though herself a Christian, and a believer in the fuldlment of propheey whieh foretold the fall of Seru- satem, her heart nevertheless was with her country men. Now she grew pale with fear as the Romans from their wooden towers gained a footing on the walt beoeath the temple: now ste breathed more freely when she beheld the Jews rally and cast the foe down from the battlements. But, as the sun de- clined toward the West, the esailants gradually gained on the defenders, until finally the gates were forced, and the streets filled with the triumphant Romane, From her elevated post, Miriana bebeld ‘women and children rua shrieking before the enemy, who, ruthlessly pursuing the fugitives, spared none. From a wall, immediately beneath her tower, a body of arobers still maintained their poste, while others tore up the battlements and hurled the stones on the invaders below. At lax night ser in. But the fires of conflagration, kindted in different places either by secident or by design, lit up the econe with almost the radiance of day; and this in spite of a tempest whose dark clouds, hovering on the edge of the horizon, added its gloom and horror to the scene.

The temple stood right over against whore Miriam watched, and, for a long time, she breathlessly re- garded the condiiet raging at its gutes. She kuew tbat there ber sire was fighting for his iand and liberty; and this heightened the intensity of her interest. Once the combat paused for a space, as if there was a par- ley, and she began to hope there would be a capitulation. It was when Titus, for the last time, offered terms of surrender. But the Jews scornfully repelling the proferred boon, the conflict soon began anew. The battle now raged fiercer than ever, To and fro along the outer raoke the tide of war surged, but Gnally the defenders were overpowered, the Jegions advanced shouting, and cries of horror rose from the sons of Israel on every hand. Soon a alight thread of smoke issued from tbe highest point of the sacred edifice, just over where the Holy of Holies stood, and immediately afterward » tongue of flame leaped up, disappeared,and lashing forth again burned steadily. The lower courts of the temple were already on fire. It was an awful and terrible spectacle, such as the world perhaps bas never seen; and the whole popt- lation of the city uitered a groan of horror as they beteld it, High in Heaven the moon waded, blood- red, through ominous cloude; the lightnings, om the lower horixon, dashed wildly; and the flames of the

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