5. Upon this Josephus was afraid of their attacking him, and yet
thought he should be a betrayer of the commands of God, if he
died before they were delivered. So he began to talk like a
philosopher to them in the distress he was then in, when he said
thus to them: "O my friends, why are we so earnest to kill
ourselves? and why do we set our soul and body, which are such
dear companions, at such variance? Can any one pretend that I am
not the man I was formerly? Nay, the Romans are sensible how that
matter stands well enough. It is a brave thin to die in war; but
so that it be according to the law of war, by the hand of
conquerors. If, therefore, I avoid death from the sword of the
Romans, I am truly worthy to be killed by my own sword, and my
own hand; but if they admit of mercy, and would spare their
enemy, how much more ought we to have mercy upon ourselves, and
to spare ourselves? For it is certainly a foolish thing to do
that to ourselves which we quarrel with them for doing to us. I
confess freely that it is a brave thing to die for liberty; but
still so that it be in war, and done by those who take that
liberty from us; but in the present case our enemies do neither
meet us in battle, nor do they kill us. Now he is equally a
coward who will not die when he is obliged to die, and he who
will die when he is not obliged so to do. What are we afraid of,
when we will not go up to the Romans? Is it death? If so, what we
are afraid of, when we but suspect our enemies will inflict it on
us, shall we inflict it on ourselves for certain? But it may be
said we must be slaves. And are we then in a clear state of
liberty at present? It may also be said that it is a manly act
for one to kill himself. No, certainly, but a most unmanly one;
as I should esteem that pilot to be an arrant coward, who, out of