opinion; for he saw whither the affairs of the Jews would tend at
last, and was sensible that they had but one way of escaping, and
that was by repentance. However, although he expected that the
Romans would forgive him, yet did he chose to die many times
over, rather than to betray his country, and to dishonor that
supreme command of the army which had been intrusted with him, or
to live happily under those against whom he was sent to fight. He
determined, therefore, to give an exact account of affairs to the
principal men at Jerusalem by a letter, that he might not, by too
much aggrandizing the power of the enemy, make them too timorous;
nor, by relating that their power beneath the truth, might
encourage them to stand out when they were perhaps disposed to
repentance. He also sent them word, that if they thought of
coming to terms, they must suddenly write him an answer; or if
they resolved upon war, they must send him an army sufficient to
fight the Romans. Accordingly, he wrote these things, and sent
messengers immediately to carry his letter to Jerusalem.

3. Now Vespasian was very desirous of demolishing Jotapata, for
he had gotten intelligence that the greatest part of the enemy
had retired thither, and that it was, on other accounts, a place
of great security to them. Accordingly, he sent both foot-men and
horsemen to level the road, which was mountainous and rocky, not
without difficulty to be traveled over by footmen, but absolutely
impracticable for horsemen. Now these workmen accomplished what
they were about in four days' time, and opened a broad way for
the army. On the fifth day, which was the twenty-first of the
month Artemisius, (Jyar,) Josephus prevented him, and came from
Tiberias, and went into Jotapata, and raised the drooping spirits
of the Jews. And a certain deserter told this good news to