The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1858-06-19
5rlcft 1flisrclIauD.
The Destruction OF Jerusalem,


The following beautiful extract is from n
Lecture recently delivered in England, by S.
i" Lytton Bulwer. After giving an outline
Of the history of the Babylonian, Assyran,
Persian, Egyptian, Greek and Jewish nations,
he closed with this description of the destruc-
ton Of Jerusalem, by Titus -
six years after the birth of our Lord. Ju-
dea and Samaria became Roman province.
under subordinate governors, the most f.t,nous
of whom was Ponfius Plate The governors
became so oppressive that the Jews broke out
into rebellion and seventy years after Christ,
Jerusalem was finally besicged by Titus, after
wards Emperor of Rome. No tragedy on the
stage las the same scenes Of appalling tcrIsr
as are to be found in the history of this se,gc
The city itself was rent by factions at the
dead!iest war with each other-all the Gle.
ments CT civil hatred had broken loose the
streets were slippery with the blood Of citizens
brother slew brother The granaiics were
set on tl"e-tamine wasted those whom the
sword did not Stay. In the midst of these civil
maSsacres, the Roman armies appeared before
the walls Of Jerusalem. Then, for short time
the rival factions united AGAINST the common
Toe they were again the gallant countrymcn
of David and Joshua-they sailed forth and
scattered the eagles Of Rome. But this tri-
umph was brief; the fcrocty of the Inflated
Jews soon again wasted itself on each other.
And Titus marched on-cncamped his armies
close by the walls and from the heights the
Roman general gazed with awe on the
strength and splcndcr Of the city of jehovah.
" Let us here pause-and take, ourselves a
mourniul glance al Jerusalem, as it then was
The city was fortified by a triple wall, save
on one side, where 1t was protected by deep
and impossible ravines These walls, of the
most solid masonry, were guarded by strong
towers: opposite to the lofncst of these tow.
crs Titus had cncampcd. From the height of
that tower the sentinel might have seen
stretched below the whole of that fair terrific.
~ of Jndea, about to pass from the country
men of David. Within The walls was the
palace Of the kings-ts roof of cedar, it's
doors of the rarest marbles its chambers filled
with the costliest tapestries and vessels Of
gold and slver.-Grovcs and gardens clcam
ing with fountains, adorned with statues of
bronze. divided the courts Of the palaccits,lf.
But high above all upon precipitous rock
rose the temple fortified and adorned by Sol
onion. This temple was as strong without
as n citadel-within more adorned than Il
palace On entering you behold porticoes of
numberless columns of porphyry. marble and
alabastcr gates adorned with gold and silver.
among which was the wonderful gate called
the Beautiful. Further on, through a vast
arch. was the sacred portal which admitted
into the interior of the temple itself-all
Shretcd over with gold, and overhung by a
vine tree of gold branches of which were as
large as man. The roof of the temple,
even on the outside, was set over with gold.
en- spikes to prevent the birds from settling
there and dciiling the holy dome. At dis,
lance, the whole temple looked like a mount
of snow, frettcd with golden pinnacles But
alas the veil of that temple had been al
ready rent asSundcr by an incapable crime,
and the Lord Of Hosts did not fight with Is
racl. But the enemy is laundering at the
wall, All around the city rose immense
machines, from which Titus poured down
mighty fragments of rock, and showers of
fire. The walls gave way-the city was en-
tcred-the temple itself stormed. Famine in
the meanwhile had made such havoc, that
the bcsieecd were more like spectIes than
living men; they devoured the belts to their
swords, the sandals to their feet. Even ma
turc itself so persisted away, that a mother
devoured her own infant; fulfilling the awful
words Of tie warike prophet who had first
led the Jews towards the land of PROMISE
The tender and delicate woman amongst
you, who would not adventure to set the sole
of her foot upon the ground for delicatenoss
and tenderness-her eye shall be evil towards
her young one and the children that she
Shall bear, for she shsll cat them for want Of
all things, secretly, in the scige and straitncss
whcrewlth thine enemy shall distress thee in
thy gates Still, as if the foe and the famine
were not scourge enough citizens slnote and
murdered each other as they met IN the way
false prophets ran bowling through the
streets every image of despair completes
the ghastly picture Of the fall of Jerusalem
And now the temple was set on fire. and the
Jews rushed through the flames to perish
amidst its ruins. 1t was calm summer
night-the tenth of August; the whole hill
upon which stood the temple was one gigau-
tic blaze of fire--the roof Of cedar crushed
the golden pInnacles of the dome were like
spikes of crimson flame. Through the lurid
atmosphere all carnage and slaughter; the
echoes of shrieks and yclls rang hack from
the Hill of Zion and the Mount Olives.
Amongst the smoking ruins, and over piles of
the dead Titus planted the standard of Rome.
Thus were fulfilled the last avenging prophe-
cics-thus persisted Jerusalem. In that
dreadful day, men were still! living who might
have heard the warning voice Of him they
crucfied-' Verify, say unto you ALL these
things Shall come upon this generation. II
D Jerusalem, Jerusalem, thou that
killest the prophets and stonest them that
are sent to thee. behold your
house is left unto you dcsolate!' And thus
were the Hebrew people scattered over the
face of the earth, still retaining to this hour
their mysterious identity still. living proof
Of those prophets they had scorncd or slain
still vainly awaiting that Messiah whose mis-
sion was fulfilled eighteen centuries ago."
VINO NOMINATED WAsHINGToN.-A writer
in the National Intelhsencer says that Wash
ington Irving, in his Life of Washington,
page 453, vol. | claims for johnson, dele
gate from Maryland IN the Continental Con.
gress, the honor of having nominated Wash
ington for the position of COMMANDMENTS
Chief. The election was by ballot, and was
unanimous. Bancroft, in his last volume.
page 1893, says: Thomas, of Maryland
nominated George Washington, and as he
had been brought forward at the particular
request Of the people in New England, he was
elected by ballot unanimously.
BY typographica! oversight the name of
johnson was omitted after the Christian