St. Charles City Republican intelligencer. [volume] (St. Charles City [Charles City], Iowa) 1857-1861, 1858-09-09
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THE DESTRUCTION OF JERUSALEM
BY SIR f. BULWER LfTrON.

BY SIR f.. BULN f.k LklIO->.
A few weeks ago, Sir E. Bulwei
Lytton delivered a lecture in Lincoln
which city he has for number o
years represented in Parliament, OF
the early history of the Babylonian,
Assyrian, Persian, Egyptian, Greek,
and JEWS nations, and closed with
the following powerful and dramatic
description Of the destruction of Je-
rusalcm by Titus
"Six years after the birth of our
Lord, Judea and Samaria became a
Roman province under subordinate
governors, the most famous OF whom
was Pontius PLATE. These governors
became so oppressive that the Jews
broke out into rebellion and seventy
wears after Christ, Jerusalem was
finally bcsieged by Titus, afterwards
Emperor of Rome. No tragedy on
the stage has the same scenes of APP
palling terror as are to be found in
the history Of this siege. The city
itself was rent by factions of the
deadliest war with each other-all
the clements of civil hatred had broke
loose-the streets were slippery with
the blood of citizens-brother slew
brother-the granaries were set on
fire-famine wasted those whom the
sword did not slay. In the midst OF
these civil massacres, the Roman ar
mics appeared before the walls OF Jc-
rusalem. Then for a short time the
rival factions united against the COM
mon foe they were again the gallant
countrymen Of David and Joshua
they sailed forth and scattered the
eagles of Rome. But this triumph
was brief; the ferocity of the ill-fated
Jews soon again wasted itself on
each other. And Titus marched on
cncamped his armies close by the
walls-and from the height the Ro-
man general gazed with awe on the
strength and splendor of the city of
Jehovah.
"Let US here pause--and take, our
selves, mournfu! glance at Jerusa-
lem, as it then was. The city was
fortified by triple wall, save on one
side, where it was protected by deep
and impossible ravines. These walls
of the most solid masonry, were guard
cd by strong towers opposite to the
loftiest of these towers, Titus had en-
camped. From the height of that
tower the sentinel might have seen
stretched below the whole of that fair
territory of Judea, about to pass from
the countrymen of David. Within
these walls was the palace of the
kings-its roof of cedar, its door of
the rarest marbles, its chambers filled
with the costliest tapestries, and YES
sells of gold and silver. Groves and
gardens cleaning with fountains,
adorned with statues Of bronze. divi-
ded the courts of the palace itself.
But high above all, upon precipitous
rock, rose the temple, fortified and
adorned by Solomon. This temple |
was as strong without as a citadel !;
within, more adorned than palace.
On entering, you beheld porticos Of
numbcrless columns Of porphyry, mar
BILE, and alabaster 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 shected over with gold, and over
hung by vine tree of gold, the
branches of which were as large as a
man. The roof Of the temple, even
on the outside, was set over with
golden spikes, to prevent the birds
settling there, and defiling the holy
dome. At distance, the whole tenn
pie looked like mount of snow, fret
ted with golden pinnacles! But alas
the veil of that temple had been al
ready rent asunder by an inexplicablc
crime, and the Lord of Hosts did not
fight with Israel. But the enemy is
laundering at the wall. All around
the city arose immense machines,
from which Titus poured down mighty
of rocks and showers of
FIRE. The walls gave way, the city
was entered, the temple itself was
stormed.
Famine, in the mean while, had
made such havoc, that the besieged
we're more like spectrcs than living
men they devoured the belts to their
words, the sandals to their feet. Even
nature itself SO persisted away, that
mother devoured her own infant full |
illing the awful words of the prophet
Who FIRST led the Jews toward the land
# PROMISE The tender and. delicate
woman amongst you who would not
'enturc to set the sole of heffoot upon
he ground for delicateness and tender
less-her eye shall be evil toward her
'oung one and the children that she
hall bear, for she shall eat them for
want Of all things secretly in the siege
nd straitness wherewith thine enemy
hall encompass thee in thy gates.'
Still as if the foe and famine were
OF scourge enough, citizens smote
nd murdered each other as they met
the way, false prophets ran bowling
] the streets, every image of despair
,mpletes the CHASTITY picture of the
ii of Jerusalem. And now the tenn