THE DOOMED CITY [Illustration: She drew that charming old-world historian from her little library and read to him day by day] The Doomed City By JOHN R. CARLING Author of “The Shadow of the Czar,” “By Neva’s Waters,” “The Viking’s Skull” Illustrations by A. FORESTIER [Illustration: Publisher’s mark] New York Edward J. Clode Publisher COPYRIGHT, 1910, BY EDWARD J. CLODE ---- Entered at Stationers’ Hall CONTENTS CHAPTER PAGE I. A MYSTERIOUS WEDDING 1 II. THE BANQUET OF FLORUS 18 III. THE QUEEN OF BEAUTY 30 IV. THE DREAM OF CRISPUS 48 V. SIMON THE ZEALOT 60 VI. “DELENDA EST HIEROSOLYMA!” 71 VII. THE JOURNEY TO JERUSALEM 83 VIII. WHAT HAPPENED IN THE ROYAL SYNAGOGUE 95 IX. “LET US GO HENCE!” 112 X. THE VENGEANCE OF FLORUS 124 XI. “TO YOUR TENTS, O ISRAEL!” 135 XII. “VÆ VICTIS!” 147 XIII. A GOOD SAMARITAN 160 XIV. “THOU WILT NEVER TAKE THE CITY” 170 XV. THE TRIUMPH OF SIMON 181 XVI. THE AMBITION OF BERENICE 198 XVII. THE MAKING OF AN EMPEROR 210 XVIII. THE PRELIMINARIES OF A GREAT SIEGE 228 XIX. THE FIRST DAY’S FIGHT 241 XX. CIRCUMVALLATION 258 XXI. THE DYING CITY 266 XXII. THE RESCUE OF VASHTI 290 XXIII. CLOSING IN 306 XXIV. “WATCHMAN, WHAT OF THE NIGHT?” 325 XXV. “JUDÆA CAPTA!” 341 XXVI. JUSTICE THE AVENGER 354 NOTES TRANSCRIBER’S NOTE Τῶν στρατιωτῶν τις ΔΑΙΜΟΝΙΩ ΟΡΜΗ ΤΙΝΙ ΧΡΩΜΕΝΟΣ ἁρπάξει μὲν ἐκ τῆς φλεγομένης ὕλης, τό δὲ πῦρ ἐνίησι θυρίδι χρυσῇ τοῦ ἱεροῦ. _A certain soldier_, MOVED BY A DIVINE IMPULSE, _seized a blazing torch, and set fire to a golden window of the temple_. _JOSEPHUS. Jewish War_ vi. 4, 5. THE DOOMED CITY CHAPTER I A MYSTERIOUS WEDDING