Pearl-Maiden: A Tale of the Fall of Jerusalem

  That evening when Caleb, still disguised as a peasant, was travellingthrough the growing twilight across the hills that bordered the road toTyre, he heard a mighty wailing rise from Jerusalem and knew that it wasthe death-cry of his people. Now, everywhere above such portions of thebeleaguered city as remained standing, shot up tall spires and wreathsof flame. Titus had forced the walls, and thousands upon thousands ofJews were perishing beneath the swords of his soldiers, or in the firesof their burning homes. Still, some ninety thousand were left alive,to be driven like cattle into the Court of Women. Here more than tenthousand died of starvation, while some were set aside to grace theTriumph, some to be slaughtered in the amphitheatres at Caesarea andBerytus, but the most were transported to Egypt, there, until they died,to labour in the desert mines. Thus was the last desolation accomplishedand the prophecy fulfilled: "And the Lord shall bring thee into Egyptagain with ships . . . and there ye shall sell yourselves unto yourenemies for bondmen and for bondwomen, and no man shall buy you." Thusdid "Ephraim return to Egypt," whence he came forth to sojourn in thePromised Land until the cup of his sin was full. Now once more that landwas a desert without inhabitants; all its pleasant places were waste;all its fenced cities destroyed, and over their ruins and the bones oftheir children flew Caesar's eagles. The war was ended, there was peacein Judaea. _Solitudinem faciunt pacem appellant!_