He refuses to crush John of Gischala, and again seeks an end to bloodshed (Flavius Josephus Autobiography) (Flavius Josephus)

20. But now John was afraid for himself, since his treachery had proved unsuccessful. So he took the armed men that were about him and removed from Tiberias to Gischala and wrote to me to apologize for himself concerning what had been done, as if it had been done without his approbation and asked me to have no suspicion of him to his disadvantage. He also added oaths and certain horrible curses upon himself and supposed he should be thereby believed in the points he wrote about to me.

21. But now another great number of the Galileans came together again with their weapons, as knowing the man, how wicked and how sadly perjured he was and asked me to lead them against him and promised me that they would utterly both him and Gischala. Hereupon I professed that I was obliged to them for their readiness to serve me and that I would more than requite their good-will to me. However, I entreated them to restrain themselves and begged of them to give me leave to do what I intended, which was to put an end to these troubles without bloodshed; and when I had prevailed with the multitude of the Galileans to let me do so, I came to Sepphoris.