J I 
of Jews who perifced in this war is computed at upwards 
of 1,400,000. . „ , . 
Befides thefe, however, a vaft number periled in caves, 
woods, wilderneffes, common-fewers, &c. of whom no 
.computation could be made. _ Whilit the foldiers were 
ftill bufy in burning the remains of the city, and vihting 
all the hiding-places, where they killed numbers of poor 
creatures who had endeavoured to evade their cruelty, 
the two grand rebels Simon and John were found, and re- 
ferved for the triumph of the conqueror. John, being 
pinched with hunger, foon came out; and, having begged 
his life, obtained it; but was condemned to perpetual 
imprifonment. Simon, whofe retreat had been better 
lie red, held out till the end of October. The two chiefs, 
- with ieven hundred of the handfomeft Jewilh captives, 
were made to attend the triumphal chariot; alter which 
Simon was dragged through the ftreets with a rope about 
his neck, feverely fcourged, and then put to death ; and 
joint was fent into perpetual imprifonment. 
Three caltles ftill remained untaken, namely, Hero- 
dion, Machae'ron, and Maffada. The two former capitu¬ 
lated; but Maffada held out. The place was exceeding¬ 
ly ftrono - ' both by nature and art, well ltored with ail 
kinds of provifions, and defended by a numerous gam- 
ion of zealots, at the head of whom was one Eleazai, the 
grandfon of Judas Gaulonitis, formerly mentioned. The 
Roman general, having in vain tried his engines and bat¬ 
tering-rams againft it, bethought himfelf of fui rounding 
it with a high and ftrong wall, and then ordered the gates 
to be let on fire. The wind puffed the flames fo fiercely 
againft the Jews, that Eleazar in defpair perfuaded them 
fir ft to kill tileir wives' and children, and then to choofe ten 
men by lot, who ffould kill all the reft; and laftly, one 
out of the furviving ten to dilpatch them and himfelf ; 
only this laft man was ordered to fet fire to the place before 
. he put an end to his own life. All this was accordingly 
done; and on the morrow, when the Romans were pre¬ 
paring to fcale the walls, they were greatly furpnfed nei¬ 
ther to fee nor hear any thing move. On this they made 
fuch a hideous outcry, that two women, who had con¬ 
cealed themfelves in an aqueduct, came forth and ac¬ 
quainted them with the delperate cataftrophe of the be- 
fieged. 
From the Destruction of Jerusalem to thb pre¬ 
sent Time. 
Thus ended the Jewiff nation and worfhip; nor have 
they ever fince been able to regain the Imalleft footing in 
the country ot Judea. Prodigious numbers of Jews, how¬ 
ever, ftill remained in almoft every part ol the Roman empire. 
. About fifty years after, they brought a fuperadded ruin on 
■their own heads. In Gyrene, Egypt, Cyprus, and Meso¬ 
potamia, they murdered about 500,000 of the Roman fub- 
jefts. Heathens and Chriftians. With terrible; bloodflied, 
and no fmall difficulty, did the conquering Trajan, about 
. the year 119, reduce them. About 13°} the emperoi Elms 
Adrian fent a colony of Romans to rebuild’Jerufalem, 
and called it Elia, after himfelf; and had prohibited the 
Jews to circumcife their children. Barcochba, one 01 
thole thievilh banditti_wdio had. infefted Canaan ror about 
■a hundred years, pretended that he w'as the Meffiah, raifed 
a Jewilh army ot 200,000, who murdered all the Heathens 
and Chriftians that came in their way. About 1 34 > 
Adrian’s forces defeated him in battle, and after a fiege 
of three years, took Bitter his capital; after which fifty 
of his fortifications quickly furrendered. In this terrible 
war, it is faid, about 600,000 Jevvs were flain by the 
ffword, befides what perifiied by famine and peftilence. It 
is laid, the rivers were high fwelled with blood, and the 
lea, into which they ran, for feveral miles marked there¬ 
with. For lome time the emperor caufed annual fairs to be 
held for the fale of captive Jews, and tranfported fuch as 
had dwelt in Canaan to Egypt,_ and every where loaded 
with taxes fuch as adhered to their religion. Adrian built 
a city on mount Calvary, and erected a marble ftatue of 
No. 719. 
: w. " so* 
a fwine over the gate that led to Bethlehem. N‘o Jew was 
allowed to enter the city, or to look to it at a-diftance, 
under pain of death. Conftantine further enlarged this 
city; his troops repreffed the Jews’ attempt to ieize on it. 
Multitudes of them had their ears cut oft’, and, being mark¬ 
ed in their bodies for rebellion, were difperfed through the - 
empire as vagabond flaves. 
However bafely the Jews have complied with the delu- 
fions of the countries whither they are fcattered, they 
have been-expofed to the moft outrageous abufe. In the 
end of the fecond century, Niger the ufnrper perfecuted 
them, becaufe of their adherence to Severus the emperor; 
and for a while Severus harafled them, on the footing 
of Adrian’s edit'd. In the third century, Sapor king of 
Perfia, furioully harafled them ; and Dioclefian intended 
to perlecute them ; but by large fums of mo'ney they ap¬ 
pealed his fury. In the fourth century, the council of 
Elvira in Spain prohibited Chriftians to eat .with them. 
Conftantine the Great prohibited them from retaining any 
Chriftians for Haves, and obliged them to undergo their 
lhare in public fervices of the military, &c. It is even 
faid, that he forced multitudes of them to eat (wine’s fieih, 
or be murdered. Offended with their infult of the Chrif¬ 
tians in Egypt, and their infurreftion in Paleftiife, Con- 
ftans, his fon, terribly chaftifed them, revived every harlh 
edift againft them, and condemned to death fuch as had 
Chriftians either for their wives or fervants. 
Encouraged by the emperor Theodofius’s prohibition 
to pull down their fynagpgu.es, the Jews became very in- 
folent about the beginning of the fifth century ; they 
crucified the image of Hainan, and fometimes a Chriftian 
in derifton of our Saviour. In Egypt they infulted. the 
Chriftians on the Lord’s day. Provoked herewith, the 
Chriftians in Macedonia, Dacia, Chalcis, Syria, and Egypt, 
fell upon them, and killed prodigious numbers, elpeci- 
ally at Alexandria. In the iile of Minorca, vaft num¬ 
bers of them were forced to turn Chriftians, or hide them¬ 
felves in dens and caves. About the year 432, one Moles 
of Crete, pretending that he, as their Mefljah, would 
lead them fafe through the fea to Canaan, a vaft number 
threw’ themfelves into the deep from a precipice, and 
were drowned. 
In the iixth century, Cavades, and the turn Chofroes, 
kings of Perfia, terribly harafled them ; but the latter 
Chol'roes was afterwards reconciled to them, and gratified 
their malice with the murder of about 90,000 Chriftians, 
at the taking of Jerufalem, A. D. 514. About the year 
530, the emperor Juftiuian prohibited them from making 
teftaments, or appearing as witneffes againft Chriftians, and 
prohibited to thole in Africa the exercife of their religion. 
Soon after, one Julian of Canaan fet up for a Meffiah. He 
and his followers did infinite mifehief to the Chriftians ; 
but, in the end, 20,000 of them were (lain, and as many 
taken and fold for flaves. Juft after, numbers of Jews were 
executed, for occalioning a revolt at Cefarea. And, to 
revenge their affiftance of the Goths at the liege of Naples, 
the Greek general Belifarius and his troops killed as many 
of them as they could find, men or women. In 602, 
they w’ere feverely punifhed for their horrible maffacre of 
the Chriftians at Antioch. Heraclius the emperor, foon. 
after baniffed them from Jerufalem. Multitudes in Spain 
and France were forced to become Chriftians 5 and the 
councils of Toledo encouraged their fovereigns to oblige 
them to do fo. About A. D. 700, when Erica king of 
Spain complained that the Jews of Spain had confpired 
with thole of Africa againft him, the council of Toledo 
ordered that they fhould be all enflayed, and their chil¬ 
dren taken from them and educated in the Chriftian reli¬ 
gion. In France, a variety of edifts were made againft 
them. Childeric, Dagobert, and other kings, ordered, 
that fuch as refuled baptifm lliould be baniftied. In this 
century, too, numbers of them in the eaft imagined Ma¬ 
homet the Meffiah; a-nd one of them affifted him in com¬ 
piling his Alcoran. 
In the 8th and 9th centuries, the nailery of the Jews ftill 
9 T continued) 
