And  thus  what  is  related  of  this  land  of  Sodom
hath  these  marks  of  credibiUty  which  our  very
sight  affords  us.
CHAPTER  IX.
THAT  VESPASIAN,  AFTER  HE  HAD  TAKEN  GADARA,
M^VDE  PREPARATION  FOR  THE  SIEGE  OF  JE-
RUSALEM ;  BUT  THAT,  UPON  HIS  HEARING  OP
THE  DEATH  OF  NERO,  HE  CHANGED  HIS  IN-
TENTIONS :  AS  ALSO,  CONCERNING  SIMON  OF
GERASA.
§  1.  And  now  Vespasian  had  fortified  all  the
places  round  about  .Jerusalem,  and  erected  cita-
dels at  Jericho  and  AcUda,  and  placed  garrisons
in  them  both,  partly  out  of  his  own  Romans,
and  partly  out  of  the  body  of  his  auxiUaries.
He  also  sent  Lucius  Annius  to  Gerasa,  and  de-
livered to  him  a  body  of  horsemen,  and  a  con-
siderable number  of  footmen.  So  when  he  had
taken  the  city,  which  he  did  at  the  fu-st  onset,
he  slew  a  thousand  of  those  young  men  who  had
not  prevented  him  by  flying  away  ;  but  he  took
their  families  captive,  and  permitted  his  soldiers
to  plunder  them  of  their  effects  ;  after  which  he
set  fire  to  theu'  houses,  and  went  away  to  the
adjoioing  villages,  while  the  men  of  power  fled
away,  and  the  weaker  part  were  destroyed,  and
what  was  remaining  was  all  burnt  do^vn.  And
now  the  war  having  gone  through  all  the  moun-
tainous country,  and  all  the  plain  countiy  also,
those  that  were  at  Jerusalem  were  dej^rived  of
the  liberty  of  going  out  of  the  city;  for  as  to
snch  as  had  a  mind  to  desert,  they  were  watched
by  the  zealots ;  and  as  to  such  as  were  not  yet
on  the  side  of  the  Romans,  their  army  kept  them
in,  by  encompassing  the  city  round  about  on  all
sides.
