The next day two Zealots, who had been exploring every corner of the dismantled palace, emerged with a shout, leading captive an old man. It was Ananias, who had lain during the night concealed in a subterranean aqueduct. More dead than alive, the trembling priest, who had once held despotic sway in Jerusalem, was hauled amid contumely and blows to the presence of Manahem, who received him with a smile of savage satisfaction. “What shall be done to this friend of the Romans? this traitor to his country?” said he, affecting to ask the advice of Simon, whom he secretly hated, yet dared not hurt. And herein Simon behaved in very subtle fashion, for wishing Ananias to die, yet suspecting that if he said as much, Manahem, out of sheer opposition, would adopt a contrary course, he made answer: “Let him live.” It was with a malicious smile that Manahem replied: “It is my will that he dies.” And at his nod two Zealots buried their daggers deep in the breast of the one-time high priest.[16] An hour afterwards Simon was in the temple-court conversing with Eleazar. “Thy sire is dead.” Eleazar was startled, and to some extent grieved. Filial sentiment was not altogether dead in him, in spite of his recent quarrel with Ananias, and on learning how the latter had died, he exclaimed fiercely: “God do so to me and more also if I make not the end of Manahem as the end of Ananias!” The arrogant Manahem, unconscious of the forces secretly working against him, now entered upon a course that brought him to ruin. In the sack of the Prætorium he had come across a purple robe and a golden crown, both belonging formerly to Herod the Great, and, putting these emblems of royalty upon himself, he began to assume the air of a king. Leaving a strong force to watch the towers, Manahem, regally attired, marched with the rest of his followers to the temple, declaring his purpose to be a religious one; he came to offer a sacrifice as a means of obtaining further victories. But Eleazar, suspecting that his design was to gain possession of the temple-fortress, without which Manahem could never be master of the city, closed the gates, set every available Levite on guard, and refused admission to the Zealot chief. And now arose a dissension among the followers of Manahem; some were for obtaining ingress to the temple by force of arms, but others, sensible that Eleazar was as good a patriot as Manahem, were for withdrawing. Then Eleazar, seeing the quarrel becoming great among them, fanned the flame by a speech that ended with the words: “Men, zealous for God, you who out of a love of liberty have revolted from the Romans, do you now betray that liberty? You who have cast off the yoke of a foreign tyrant, do you now take upon you the yoke of one home-born?” Simon, who was standing beside Eleazar, clenched the matter. “Ten thousand gold pieces to the man who brings me the head of Manahem,” he shouted. Thereafter all was confusion.