“Thy father was once a horse-doctor,” cried one. “Why not return to the old trade, Titus? for plainly thou art no warrior. Depart, seeing that thou canst not take this city.” At this, Terentius Rufus, growing fierce for the honor of Cæsar, lifted up a plow that by chance was lying near, and swore a memorable oath. “Hear now the vow I make, O ye rebels! With this will I plow Zion as one ploweth a field!” A flight of arrows caused him to retreat, but he kept to his plow. “Take this to my tent,” said he to a soldier, “and there let it be till the day when I call for it. Terentius Rufus will keep his word.” On the first night after the completion of the investing lines Titus himself, accompanied by Crispus, went the round of the watch. Often did the eyes of Crispus turn towards the city, now sleeping peacefully beneath the light of the stars. The reduction of the place by famine was doubtless justifiable from a military point of view, but he could not help thinking of the fearful anguish that would fill ten thousand homes; above all, he thought of Vashti. He pictured her, tormented by all the agonies of slow starvation, dying by inches, her sweet and graceful beauty all gone, a hollow-eyed thing of skin and bone, with brain crazed for the lack of food, and he scarcely a mile distant with bread and to spare, yet unable to pass her so little as a crust. When the city should be taken, would she be living or dead? It was a point which, strangely enough, had not occurred to him before that, if living, she would be, according to the rights of war as practiced in a brutal age, a captive doomed to slavery. He resolved there and then to claim her freedom from the only man capable of granting it. “When you take the city, Cæsar, there is one whose life and freedom I would fain crave.” “’Tis granted, provided that the object of your request be not a descendant of David.” “Why that exception?” asked Crispus in great surprise. “The orders of my sire Vespasian are that I am to make search for all that are of David’s line with a view to their extirpation.[27] The Jew is convinced that a descendant of this ancient royal house is destined to attain universal empire, a belief which has given rise to this present revolt; therefore, destroy all that are of David’s line, and you extinguish this vain Jewish dream.” How Crispus rejoiced in the thought that the saintly bishop Simeon, and the remaining Desposyni--relatives of the Master--were at that moment in distant Pella! “She for whom I would make request,” said he, “is one Vashti, daughter of Hyrcanus.” Titus gave a start of surprise. “She to whom you gave the golden zone at Cæsarea?” “The same,” replied Crispus, conjecturing that Titus’ knowledge of this incident was derived from Berenice. “What is this maiden to you?” asked Titus with a keen glance. “Much, seeing that but for her I should no longer be living,” replied Crispus, relating the circumstances of his recovery from Eleazar’s sword-thrust.