CHAPTER H. THE SIEGE OP JERUSALEM. Bella, sublimis, inclyta divitiis, Olim fuisti celsa œdificiis, Mœnibus clara, sed magis innumerum Civium turmis. TH E events at Rome which elevated Vespasian to the throne were the principal reasons that the siege of Jerusalem was not actually commenced till the early summer of the year 70 , when, in April. Titus began his march from Caesarea. His army consisted of four legions : the 5th, under Sextus Cerealis; the 1 0 th, under Lartius Lepidus; the 12th, that which had suffered defeat under Cestius, and was still in disgrace, and the 15th. Besides this formidable force of regulars, he had a very large number of auxiliaries. The exact number of his troops is not easy to estimate. We may at once put aside, as clearly below the mark, the estimate which puts Titus's army at thirty thousand; for if we agree in accepting Josephus's statement* with * Let ns take the opportunity of stating our opinion that Josephus's testimony may generally be relied upon. It was for a long time the fashion to hold up his exaggerations to ridicule. Thus, when he spoke of the height of the wall as being such as to make the head reel, travellers remembered the fifty feet of wall or so at the present day and laughed. But Captain Warren has found that the wall was in parts as much as 200 feet high. Surely a man may