Miriam watched it with a kind of rapture, letting its glory and its peace sink into her troubled soul, while from below arose the sound of awakening camps making ready for the daily battle.

Soon a ray of burning light, cast like a spear from the crest of the Mount of Olives across the Valley of Jehoshaphat, struck full upon the gold-roofed Temple and its courts.

At its coming, as though at a signal, the northern gates were thrown wide, and through them poured a flood of gaunt and savage warriors.

They came on in thousands, uttering fierce war-cries.

Some pickets of Romans tried to stay their rush; in a minute they were overcome and destroyed.