The Gladiators. A Tale of Rome and Judæa

by G. J. Whyte-Melville

  CHAPTER II

  THE LION OF JUDAH

  Eleazar had resolved to obtain supreme command. In a crisis like thepresent, no divided authority could be expected to offer a successfulresistance. John of Gischala must be ruined by any means and at anysacrifice. His unscrupulous rival, regardless of honour, truth, everyconsideration but the rescue of his country, laid his plans accordingly.With a plausible pretence of being reconciled, and thus amalgamating twoformidable armies for the common good, he proposed to hold a conferencewith John in the Outer Court of the Temple, where, in presence of theelders and chief men of the city, they should arrange their pastdifferences and enter into a compact of alliance for the future. The GreatCouncil of the nation, ostensibly the rulers of public affairs, andinfluenced alternately by the two antagonists, were to be present. Eleazarthought it would go hard, but that, with his own persuasive powers andpublic services, he should gain some signal advantage over his adversaryere they separated.

  He appeared, accordingly, at the place of conference, splendidly armedindeed in his own person, but accompanied by a small retinue of adherentsall attired in long peaceful robes, as though inviting the confidence ofhis enemy. Observant eyes, it is true, and attentive ears, caught theoccasional clank and glitter of steel under these innocent linen mantles,and the friends, if few in number, were of tried valour and fidelity,while a mob of warlike men outside, who had gathered ostensibly to lookidly on, belonged obviously to the party of the Zealots. Nevertheless,Eleazar had so contrived matters that, while he guarded against surprise,he should appear before the Council as a suppliant imploring justicerather than a leader dictating terms. He took up his position,accordingly, at the lower end of the court, and after a deep obeisance tothe assembled elders, stood, as it were, in the background, assuming anair of humility somewhat at variance with his noble and warlike exterior.

  His rival, on the contrary, whose followers completely blocked up theentrance from the Temple, through which he had thought it becoming toarrive, strode into the midst with a proud and insolent bearing, scarcelydeigning to acknowledge the salutations he received, and glancing fromtime to time back amongst his adherents, with scornful smiles, that seemedto express a fierce contempt for the whole proceeding. He was a man who,though scarcely past his youth, wore in his face the traces of his viciousand disorderly career. His features were flushed and swollen withintemperance; and the deep lines about his mouth, only half concealed bythe long moustache and beard, denoted the existence of violent passions,indulged habitually to excess. His large stature and powerful frame setoff the magnificence of his dress and armour, nor was his eye without aflash of daring and defiance that boded evil to an enemy; but his bearing,bold as it was, smacked rather of the outlaw than the soldier, and hisrude, abrupt gestures contrasted disadvantageously with the cool self-possession of his rival. The latter, asking permission, as it were, of theSenate by another respectful obeisance, walked frankly into the middle ofthe court to meet his foe. John changed colour visibly, and his hand stoleto the dagger at his belt. He seemed to expect the treachery of which hefelt himself capable; but Eleazar, halting a full pace off, looked himsteadily in the face, and held out his right hand in token of amity andreconciliation. A murmur of approval ran through the Senate, whichincreased John's uncertainty how to act; but after a moment's hesitation,unwillingly and with a bad grace, he gave his own in return.

  Eleazar's action, though apparently so frank and spontaneous, was theresult of calculation. He had now made the impression he desired on theSenate, and secured the favourable hearing which he believed was alonenecessary for his triumph.

  "We have been enemies," said he, releasing the other's hand and turning tothe assembly, while his full voice rang through the whole court, and everysyllable reached the listeners outside. "We have been fair and openenemies, in the belief that each was opposed to the interests of hiscountry; but the privations we have now undergone in the same cause, theperils we have confronted side by side on the same ramparts, must haveconvinced us that however we may differ in our political tenets, nay, inour religious practices, we are equally sincere in a determination to shedour last drop of blood in the defence of the Holy City from the pollutionof the heathen. This is no time for any consideration but one--Jerusalem isinvested, the Temple is threatened, and the enemy at the gate. I give upall claim to authority, save as a leader of armed men. I yield precedencein rank, in council, in everything but danger. I devote my sword and mylife to the salvation of Judaea! Who is on my side?"

  Loud acclamations followed this generous avowal; and it was obvious thatEleazar's influence was more than ever in the ascendant. It was no timefor John to stem the torrent of popular feeling, and he wisely floatedwith the stream. Putting a strong control upon his wrath, he expressed tothe Senate in a few hesitating words, his consent to act in unison withhis rival, under their orders as Supreme Council of the nation; aconcession which elicited groans and murmurs from his own partisans, manyof whom forced their way with insolent threats and angry gestures into thecourt. Eleazar did not suffer the opportunity to escape without a fresheffort for the downfall of his adversary.

  "There are men," said he, pointing to the disaffected, and raising hisvoice in full clear tones, "who had better have swelled the ranks of theenemy than stood side by side with Judah on the ramparts of Agrippa'swall. They may be brave in battle, but it is with a fierce undisciplinedcourage more dangerous to friend than foe. Their very leader, bold andskilful soldier as he is, cannot restrain such mutineers even in theaugust presence of the Council. Their excesses are laid to his charge; anda worthy and patriotic commander becomes the scapegoat of a few ruffianswhose crimes he is powerless to prevent. John of Gischala, we have thisday exchanged the right hand of fellowship. We are friends, nay, we arebrothers-in-arms once more. I call upon thee, as a brother, to dismissthese robbers, these paid cut-throats, whom our very enemies stigmatise as'Sicarii,' and to cast in thy lot with thine own people, and with thyfather's house!"

  John shot an eager glance from his rival to his followers. The latter werebending angry brows upon the speaker, and seemed sufficiently discontentedwith their own leader that he should listen tamely to such a proposal.Swords, too, were drawn by those in the rear, and brandished fiercely overthe heads of the seething mass. For an instant the thought crossed hismind, that he had force enough to put the opposing assemblage, Senate andall, to the sword; but his quick practised glance taught him at the sametime, that Eleazar's party gathered quietly towards their chief, with aconfidence unusual in men really without arms, and a methodical precisionthat denoted previous arrangement; also that certain signals passed fromthem to the crowd, and that the court was filling rapidly from themultitude without. He determined then to dissemble for a time, and turnedto the Senate with a far more deferential air than he had yet assumed.

  "I appeal to the elders of Judah," said he, repressing at the same time bya gesture the turbulence of his followers--"I am content to abide by thedecision of the National Council. Is to-day a fitting season for thereduction of our armament? Shall I choose the present occasion to disbanda body of disciplined soldiers, and turn a host of outraged and revengefulmen loose into the city with swords in their hands? Have we not alreadyenough idle mouths to feed, or can we spare a single javelin from thewalls? My _brother_"--he laid great stress upon the word, and gripped thehaft of his dagger under his mantle while he spoke it--"My brother givesstrange counsel, but I am willing to believe it sincere. I too, though thewords drop not like honey from my beard as from his, have a right to beheard. Did I not leave Gischala and my father's vineyard for a prey to theenemy? Did I not fool the whole Roman army, and mock Titus to his face,that I might join in the defence of Jerusalem? and shall I be schooledlike an infant, or impeached for a traitor to-day? Judge me by the result.I was on the walls this morning; I saw not my brother there. The enemywere preparing for an assault. The engine they call Victory had been movedyet nearer by
a hundred cubits. While we prate here the eagles areadvancing. To the walls! To the walls, I say! Every man who calls himselfa Jew; be he Priest or Levite, Pharisee or Sadducee, Zealot or Essene. Letus see whether John and his Sicarii are not as forward in the ranks of theenemy as this _brother_ of mine, Eleazar, and the bravest he can bring!"

  Thus speaking, and regardless of the presence in which he stood, John drewhis sword and placed himself at the head of his adherents, who with loudshouts demanded to be led instantly to the ramparts. The enthusiasm spreadlike wildfire, and even communicated itself to the Council. Eleazar's ownfriends caught the contagion, and the whole mass poured out of the Temple,and, forming into bands in the streets, hurried tumultuously to the walls.

  What John had stated to the Council was indeed true. The Romans, who hadpreviously demolished the outer wall and a considerable portion of thesuburbs, had now for the second time obtained possession of the secondwall, and of the high flanking tower called Antonia, which John, to do himjustice, had defended with great gallantry after he had retaken it oncefrom the assailants. It was from this point of vantage that an attack wasnow organised by the flower of the Roman army, having for its object theoverthrow of her last defences and complete reduction of the city. WhenEleazar and his rival appeared with their respective bands they proved awelcome reinforcement to the defenders, who, despite of their stubbornresistance, were hardly pressed by the enemy.

  Every able-bodied Jew was a soldier on occasion. Troops thus composed areinvariably more formidable in attack than defence. They have usuallyundaunted courage and a blind headlong valour that sometimes defies thecalculations of military science or experience; but they are alsosusceptible of panic under reverses, and lack the cohesion and soliditywhich is only found in those who make warfare the profession of alifetime. The Jew armed with spear and sword, uttering wild cries as heleaped to the assault, was nearly irresistible; but once repulsed, hisfinal discomfiture was imminent. The Roman, on the contrary, neversuffered himself to be drawn out of his ranks by unforeseen successes, andpreserved the same methodical order in the advance as the retreat. He wasnot, therefore, to be lured into an ambush however well disguised; andeven when outnumbered by a superior force, could retire without defeat.

  The constitution of the legion, too, was especially adapted to enhance theself-reliance of well-drilled troops. Every Roman legion was a small armyin itself, containing its proportion of infantry, cavalry, engines of war,and means for conveyance of baggage. A legion finding itself never sounexpectedly detached from the main body, was at no loss for thosenecessaries without which an army melts away like snow in the sunshine,and was capable of independent action, in any country and under anycircumstances. Each man too had perfect confidence in himself and hiscomrades; and while it was esteemed so high a disgrace to be takenprisoner that many soldiers have been known rather to die by their ownhands than submit to such dishonour, it is not surprising that theimperial armies were often found to extricate themselves with credit frompositions which would have ensured the destruction of any other troops inthe world.

  The internal arrangement, too, of every cohort, a title perhaps answeringto the modern word regiment, as does the legion to that of division, wascalculated to promote individual intelligence and energy in the ranks.Every soldier not only fought, but fed, slept, marched, and toiled, underthe immediate eye of his _decurion_ or captain of ten, who again wasdirectly responsible for those under his orders to his centurion, orcaptain of a hundred. A certain number of these centuries or companies,varying according to circumstances, constituted a maniple, two of whichmade up the cohort. Every legion consisted of ten cohorts, under thecharge of but six tribunes, who seem to have entered on their onerousoffice in rotation. These were again subservient to the general, who,under the different titles of praetor, consul, etc., commanded the wholelegion. The private soldiers were armed with shield, breastplate, helmet,spear, sword, and dagger; but in addition to his weapons every man carrieda set of intrenching tools, and on occasion two or more strong stakes, forthe rapid erection of palisades. All were, indeed, robust labourers andskilful mechanics, as well as invincible combatants.

  The Jews, therefore, though a fierce and warlike nation, had but littlechance against the conquerors of the world. It was but theircharacteristic self-devotion that enabled them to hold Titus and hislegions so long in check. Their desperate sallies were occasionallycrowned with success, and the generous Roman seems to have respected thevalour and the misfortunes of his foe; but it must have been obvious to soskilful a leader, that his reduction of Jerusalem and eventual possessionof all Judaea was a question only of time.

  At an earlier period of the siege the Romans had made a wide and shallowcutting capable of sheltering infantry, for the purpose of advancing theirengines closer to the wall, but from the nature of the soil this work hadbeen afterwards discontinued. It now formed a moderately-secure covered-way, enabling the besieged to reach within a short distance of the Towerof Antonia, the retaking of which was of the last importance--none the lessthat from its summit Titus himself was directing the operations of hisarmy. There was a breach in this tower on its inner side, which the Romansstrove in vain to repair, harassed as they were by showers of darts andjavelins from the enemy on the wall. More than once, in attempting to makeit good at night, their materials had been burnt and themselves drivenback upon their works with great loss, by the valour of the besieged. TheTower of Antonia was indeed the key to the possession of the second wall.Could it but be retaken, as it had already been, the Jews might findthemselves once more with two strong lines of defence between the uppercity and the foe.

  When Eleazar and John, at the head of their respective parties, nowmingled indiscriminately together, reached the summit of the inner wall,they witnessed a fierce and desperate struggle in the open space below.

  Esca, no longer in the position of a mere household slave, but the friendand client of the most influential man in Jerusalem, who had admitted him,men said, as a proselyte to his faith, and was about to bestow on him hisdaughter in marriage, had already so distinguished himself by variousfeats of arms in the defence of the city, as to be esteemed one of theboldest leaders in the Jewish army. Panting to achieve a high reputation,which he sometimes dared to hope might gain him all he wished for onearth--the hand of Mariamne--and sharing to a great extent with the besiegedtheir veneration for the Temple and abhorrence of a foreign yoke, theBriton lost no opportunity of adding a leaf to the laurels he had gained,and thrust himself prominently forward in every enterprise demanding anunusual amount of strength and courage. His lofty stature and wavinggolden hair, so conspicuous amongst the swarthy warriors who surroundedhim, were soon well known in the ranks of the Romans, who bestowed on himthe title of the Yellow Hostage, as inferring from his appearance that hemust have lately been a stranger in Jerusalem; and many a stout legionaryclosed in more firmly on his comrade, and raised his shield more warily tothe level of his eyes, when he saw those bright locks waving above thepress of battle, and the long sword flashing with deadly strokes aroundthat fair young head. He was now leading a party of chosen warriors, alongthe covered-way that has been mentioned, to attack the Tower of Antonia.For this purpose, the trench had been deepened during the night by theJews themselves, who had for some days meditated a bold stroke of thisnature; and the chosen band had good reason to believe that theirmovements were unseen and unsuspected by the enemy.

  As they deployed into the open space, but a few furlongs from the base ofthe tower, the Jews caught sight of Titus on the summit, his golden armourflashing in the sun, and, with a wild yell of triumph, they made one oftheir fierce, rushing, disorderly charges to the attack. They had reachedwithin twenty paces of the breach, when swooping round the angle of thetower, like a falcon on his prey, came Placidus, at the head of a thousandhorsemen, dashing forward with lifted shields and levelled spears amongstthe disorganised mass of the Jews, broken by the very impetus of their ownadvance.

  The tribune had but latel
y joined the Roman army, having been employed inthe subjugation of a remote province of Judaea--a task for which hischaracter made him a peculiarly fit instrument. Enriched by a few monthsof extortion and rapine, he had taken care to rejoin his commander in timeto share with him the crowning triumphs of the siege. Julius Placidus wasa consummate soldier. His vigilance had detected the meditated attack, andhis science was prepared to meet it in the most effectual manner. Titus,from the summit of his tower, could not but admire the boldness andrapidity with which the tribune dashed from his concealment, and launchedhis cavalry on the astonished foe.

  But he had to do with one, who, though his inferior in skill andexperience, was his equal in that cool hardihood which can accept andbaffle a surprise. Esca had divided his force into two bodies, so that thesecond might advance in a dense mass to the support of the first, whetherits disorderly attack should be attended by failure or success. This body,though clear of the trench, yet remaining firm in its ranks, now became arallying point for its comrades, and although a vast number of the Jewswere ridden down and speared by the attacking horsemen, there were enoughleft to form a bristling phalanx, presenting two converging fronts oflevel steel impervious to the enemy. Placidus observed the manoeuvre andground his teeth in despite; but though his brow lowered for one instant,the evil smile lit up his face the next, for he espied Esca, detached fromhis band and engaged in rallying its stragglers; nor did he fail torecognise at a glance the man he most hated on earth. Urging his horse tospeed, and even at that moment of gratified fury glancing towards thetower to see whether Titus was looking on, he levelled his spear and boredown upon the Briton in a desperate and irresistible charge. Esca steppednimbly aside, and receiving the weapon on his buckler, dealt a sweepingsword-cut at the tribune's head, which stooping to avoid, the latterpulled at his horse's reins so vigorously as to check the animal's careerand bring it suddenly on its haunches. The Briton, watching hisopportunity, seized the bit in his powerful grasp, and with the aid of hismassive weight and strength, rolled man and horse to the ground in acrashing fall. The tribune was undermost, and for the moment at the mercyof his adversary. Looking upward with a livid face and deep bitter hatredglaring in his eye, he did but hiss out "Oh, mine enemy!" from between hisclenched teeth, and prepared to receive his deathblow; but the hand thatwas raised to strike, fell quietly to Esca's side, and he turned backthrough the press of horsemen, buffeting them from him as a swimmerbuffets the waves, till he reached his own men. Placidus, rising from theground, shook his clenched fist at the retreating figure; but he neverknew that he owed his preservation to the first-fruits of that religionwhich had now taken root in the breast of his former slave. When hegroaned out in his despair "Oh, mine enemy!" the Briton remembered thatthis man had, indeed, shown himself the bitterest and most implacable ofhis foes. It was no mere impulse, but the influence of a deep abidingprinciple that bade him now forgive and spare for the sake of One whoselessons he was beginning to learn, and in whose service he had resolved toenter. Amongst all the triumphs and the exploits of that day, there wasnone more noble than Esca's, when he lowered his sword and turned away,unwilling, indeed, but resolute, from his fallen foe.

  The fight raged fiercely still. Eleazar with his Zealots--John of Gischalawith his Robbers--rushed from the walls to the assistance of theircountrymen. The Roman force was in its turn outnumbered and surrounded,though Placidus, again on horseback, did all in the power of man to makehead against the mass of his assailants. Titus at length ordered the TenthLegion, called by his own name and constituting the very flower of theRoman army, to the rescue of their countrymen. Commanded by Licinius, inwhose cool and steady valour they had perfect confidence, these soonturned the tide of combat, and forced the Jews back to their defences;not, however, until their general had recognised in the Yellow Hostage theperson of his favourite slave, and thought, with a pang, that the fate ofwar would forbid his ever seeing him face to face again, except as acaptive or a corpse.