As Simon concluded his speech, the Idumeans set up an acclamation, shewing they were of the same mind; while Jesus, the high priest, went away sorrowful, perceiving that they were against all moderate counsels, and that the city was besieged on both sides.

Many of the Idumeans angry at once at being excluded from the city, and finding none of the zealots there to support them, repented of taking arms against it, and were disposed to depart. But a false shame induced them to remain, and they lay all that night before the wall, though in a very bad encampment; while there broke out a tremendous storm, which raged with the utmost violence, and very strong winds, and torrents of rain, with continued lightnings, terrible thunderings, and amazing concussions and bellowings of the earth, and all thought these wonders foreshewed some great calamities to the Jewish nation.

In this opinion the citizens and the Idumeans were agreed; for the latter thought that God was angry at their taking arms, and that they would not escape punishment for making war upon their metropolis. And Ananus thought that he had

conquered without fighting, and that God acted as a general for the people. But they were both mistaken; for the Idumeans fenced one another by uniting their bodies into one band, thereby keeping themselves warm; and connecting their shields over their heads, defended themselves from the rain. The zealots, on their part, were deeply concerned for their auxiliaries, and were for forcing the guards and opening the gates for their admission; but the more prudent party among them thought that step would be rash and impracticable, as Ananus would be everywhere visiting the guards every hour, which indeed was done on other nights, but was omitted that night, not by any negligence of Ananus, but by the appointment of divine Providence, that both he himself and the multitude of the guards might perish; for, as the night was gone, and the storm truly terrible, Ananus permitted the guards in the cloisters to go to sleep, and the zealots making use of the saws in the temple, cut the bars of the gates to pieces. The noise of the wind, and the sound of the thunder conspiring with their design, they were not discovered.

By this means the Idumeans were admitted within the gates, and ascended through the city to the temple, from whence the zealots came out, and, mixing with the Idumeans, they attacked and slew the sleeping guards. But as those that were now awakened made a cry, the whole multitude of the people arose and betook themselves to their arms, imagining it was the zealots only whom they had to parry; but when they found the Idumeans in the city, they lost courage, and gave themselves up to lamentations. Some of the young men covered themselves with their armour, and valiantly defended the old; others gave

a signal to those in the city of what had happened; but when they understood the Idumeans were come in, they only returned the terrible echo of wailing and lamentation. The cries of the women also mingled with the other shouts of war and woe, while the storm itself rendered all more terrible. The Idumeans, infuriated at once by passion and the tempest, spared none whom they approached; and slew all who ventured to supplicate them to remember the relation in which they stood to each other, and to have regard to

their common temple. But there was neither mercy to spare, nor space to fight, nor hope of preservation; the outer temple was overflowed with blood, and the dawn of day saw in that sacred place, eight thousand, five hundred bodies lying dead.

Murder and plunder stalked hand in hand through the devoted city. The high priests were slain, and their bodies insulted, and even cast away without burial, though the Jews in general are so particular regarding the burial of their dead, that they even take down the bodies of malefactors, and inter them before the setting of the sun.

I should not mistake,-continues our interesting historian, whose graphic description of this terrific night is surpassed by no passage in the most celebrated classics of antiquity,-I should not mistake if I said that the death of Ananus, slain in the midst of Jerusalem, was the beginning of the destruction of the city; and that from this very day may be dated the overthrow of her wall, and the ruin of her affairs.

Ananus, besides the grandeur of his nobility, and the dignity and honour which he possessed, was

a venerable and a just man,—a lover of equality even with regard to the meanest of the people, a lover of liberty,—an admirer of democracy in government, and ever preferred the public welfare to his own advantage, and loved peace above all things. He was persuaded the Romans could not be conquered, and forsaw that, unless the Jews came to terms with them, they would cer tainly be destroyed. Jesus, the other high priest, though inferior to Ananus, was superior to the rest; and I cannot but think that it was because God had doomed this city to destruction, as a polluted city, and was resolved to purge his sanctuary by fire, that he cut off these their great defenders, and permitted men who had worn the sacred garments,-had presided over the sacred worship,-had been deemed venerable by all who dwelt on the habitable earth, to be cast out thus naked, and to become the food of dogs and vultures.-Virtue itself must have groaned at so fearful a lot awarded to such men, and lamented that she was here conquered by such wickedness. For such was the end of Ananus and Jesus.