Antiochus maketh a couenaunt of frendship wyth Sym&obar;, and Triphon is persecuted, þe; Romaynes write letters vnto kynges and nacy&obar;s in the def&ebar;ce of the Iewes. Antiochus refusing the helpe þt; Sim&obar; set him, breketh his couenant

A   Moreouer, kyng Antiochus the sonne of Demetryus sente letters from the Iles of the sea, vnto Simon the hie prest ∧ prince of the Iewes, and to al the people, conteinyng these wordes: Antiochus the kynge sendeth gretynge vnto Simon the hie preste and to the people of the Iewes. For so so much as certayne wicked men haue gott&ebar; the kyngdome of oure progenytours, I am purposed to chalenge the realme againe, and to restore it to the olde estate.

Wherfore I haue gathered a greate hoste and made shippes of warre: that I maye goo thorowe the countrie, and be auenged of th&ebar; whiche haue destroyed oure lande, and wasted many cytyes in my realme. And therfore now I make the fre also from all the trybutes, whereof all kynges my progenitours haue discharged the, and from other customes (wher from they haue realeased the) whatsoeuer they be: Yea I geue the leaue to smyte money of thyne owne within thy lande. As for Ierusalem, I will that it be holy and fre: and all the weapens and houses of defence which thou haste buylded and kepest in thine handes, shalt be thine. B   Where as any thyng is or shall be owynge vnto the kynge. I forgeue it the, fr&obar; this tyme forth for euermore And when we haue optayned our kingdom, we shall do the, thy people an the t&ebar;ple great worshyp: so þt; your honoure shal be knowen thorowe out the whole world.

In the, Clxxiiij. yeare wente Antyochus into his fathers lande, ∧ all the m&ebar; of warre came together vnto hym, so that fewe were left with Triphon, So the kyng Antiochus folowed vpon hym, but he fled vnto Dora, which lyeth by the sea syde: for he sawe that there was myschyefe commynge vnto hym, ∧ that his host had forsaken hym. Then cam Antiochus vnto Dora with an hundreth and tweutie thousande men of armes vpon fote, ∧ eyght thousande horsemen. So he c&obar;pased the cytye rounde aboute, ∧ the shippes came by the sea Thus they vexed the cytie by land and by water, in so muche that they suffred no man to go in nor out. ^note

In the meane season came Numenyus (∧ they that had bene with him) from the cytye of Rome, hauynge letters wrytten vnto the kynges ∧ prouynces, C   wherein were conteyned these wordes: Lucius þe; Maire of Rome sendeth gretyng vnto Ptolomye the kynge. The embassitours of the Iewes oure frends beynge sent from Symon the hye prieste and from the people of the Iewes, came vnto vs for to renue the olde frendshyppe (and bond of loue, ∧ broughte a shylde of golde weyeng a thousand pounde, which we were c&obar;tente to receaue of them. Wherfore we thought it good to wryte vnto the kynges and prouincies, to do them no harme, nor to take parte against them, their cytyes nor countrees nether to mayntayne their enemies against th&ebar; If there be any wycked personnes therefore fled from their countre vnto you, deliuer th&ebar; vnto Symon the hye prest, that he maye punysh them accordyng to their owne law.

The same wordes wrote the Romaynes also vnto Demetrius the kynge, to Attalus, Araba, Arsaces and to all regions: D   as Samsanes, to them of Sparta, Delo, Mido, Sydon, Caria, Samos Pamphilia, Lycia, Alicarnassum, and to the Rhodes, to Faselis, Coo, Sida, Arado, Gortina, Guydum, to Cipres and to Cyren. And of euerye letter they sent a copye to Symon the hye pryest and to the people of the Iewes. So Antiochus the kyng brought his host vnto Dora þe; seconde tyme to take it: where he made diuerse ordynaunce of warre, ∧ kepte Triphon in, that he shoulde not come forth. Then sente Symon Antiochus, two thousand chosen m&ebar; to helpe hym with golde, syluer and other plenteous geer: Neuerthelesse he woulde not receaue them, but brake all the couenaunt whych he made wyth Simon afore, and withdrew him self from him.

He sente Athenobyus also a frende of hys vnto Symon, for to reason with him saiyng: Ye witholde fro me Ioppa and Gaza (with the castell that is at Ierusalem) which are cities of my realme, whose borders ye haue destroyed) and done greate euell in th&ebar;, and hauynge E   the dominication in manye other places of my kyngdome. Wherfore delyuer now the cyties which ye haue taken with the trybutes of places that ye haue rule vpon wythout the borders of Iewry: Or els geue me fyue hundreth talentes of syluer, yea and for the harme that ye haue done in the cytyes and for the tributes of the same, other fyue hundreth talentes. If no, we shall come and fyght agaynst you.

So Athenobyus the kynges frende came to Ierusalem, ∧ when he saw the great worship, and honoure of Symon in golde, syluer and so great plenty of ornamentes: he marueled, and tolde Symon as the kynge commaunded hym. ^noteThen answered Simon and sayd vnto him: As for vs, we haue nether taken other mens land, ner withold&ebar; them, but only oure fathers heretage, whych oure enemyes had vnrightnously in possessyon a certayne tyme. Thys heretage of oure fathers haue we chalenged in processe of tyme. And wher as thou c&obar;playnest concerning Ioppa and Gaza, they dyd greate harme to our people and in our land, yet wil we geue an .C. talentes for them.

Neuertheles Athenobyus answered hym not one worde, but turned agayne wrothfully vnto þe; kyng, ∧ tolde him all these wordes

and the greate dignitie of Symon with all that he had sene, and the kinge was very angry. In the meane tyme fledde Triphon by shippe vnto Orthosaida. Then the kynge made Cendebens captaine of the sea coost, ∧ gaue him an host of fote men ∧ horsmen, c&obar;maundinge him to remoue the host towarde Iewry, ∧ to buylde vp the cytye of Sedron, to make vp the portes, ∧ to warre agaynst þe; people of the Iewes. As for the kynge hym selfe, he folowed vpon Triphon. So Cendebeus came vnto Iamnia, ∧ beganne to vexe the people, to treade doune Iewry, to take þe; people prysoners, to slaye th&ebar; ∧ to buyld vp Cedron: where he set horsmen and other m&ebar; of warre, that they might come forth and go thorow the stretes of Iewry, like as the king had commaunded hym.

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