1   In the hundrid and two and seuentithe &yogh;eer kyng Demetrie gadride his oost, and wente to Mede, for to drawe togidre helpis to hym, for to ouercume Trifon. 2   And as Arsaces, kyng of Persis and Mede, herde for Demetrie entride his ni&yogh; coostis, he sente oon of his princis, for to take hym quyck, and that he shulde brynge hym to hym self. 3   And he wente, and smote the tentis of Demetrie, and toke hym, and ledde hym to Arsaces, and putt hym in to keepyng. 4   And the lond of Juda was stille, or pesible, alle the days of Symont, and he sou&yogh;te good thingus of his folk; and his power pleside to hem, and his glorie, in alle days. 5   And with alle his glorie he toke Joppen in to hauen, and maade entre in the

ylis of the see; 6   and he alargide the coostis of his peple, and weeldede the cuntre. 7   And he gadride myche caitiftee, and was lord in Gasara, and Bethsura, and Arcus; and he dide awey the vnclennesse of it, and there was not that a&yogh;ein stode hym. 8   And eche man tilied his own lond with pees, and the lond of Juda &yogh;aue his fruytis, and trees of the feeld her fruyte. 9   Alle elder men saten in stretis, and tretiden of goodis of the lond; and &yogh;unge men clothiden hem in glorie, and stoolis of bateil. 10   And to the citees he &yogh;aue foodis, and ordeynyde hem, that thei weren vessels of strengthing, til that name of his glorie was named vnto the last of erthe. 11   He made pees on the lond, and Yrael gladide with grete gladnesse; 12   and eche man sate vnder his vyne, and vnder his fijge tree, nether there was that feride hem. 13   The fi&yogh;tynge man a&yogh;einus hem feilide on erthe; kyngis ben broken togidre in tho days. 14   And he confermyde alle meke men of his peple, and he sou&yogh;te out the lawe, and dide awey al yuel and wickid; 15   and glorifiede holy thingus, and multipliede vessels of holy thingus. 16   And it is herd at Rome, for Jonathas is dead, and til in to Spartialis, and thei ben ful sorewful. 17   Forsothe as thei herden, that Symont, his brother, was maad heeist prest in his stede, and weldide the cuntree, and citees in it, 18   thei wryten to hym in brasen tablis, for to renule frenship, and felawship, that thei maden with Judas and Jonathas, his bretheren; 19   and thei ben rad in si&yogh;t of the chirche in Jerusalem. And this ensaumple of pistlis, that Sparciatis senten. 20   Prince and the citees of Sparciatis to Symound, the grete preest, and to eldre men, and preestis, and to other peple of Jewis, bretheren, helthe. 21   Legatis that ben sente to oure peple,

tolden to vs of &yogh;our glorie, and honoure, and gladnesse, and we ioyeden in the entree of hem. 22   And we han writen what thingus weren saide of hem in counseil of peple, thus. Numenius of Antiochus, and Antipatre, sone of Jason, legatis of Jewis, camen to vs, renulyng with vs the former frendship. 23   And it pleside to the peple, for to resceyue the men gloriously, and to putte ensaumple of her wordis in departid bokis of the peple, that it be to mynde to the peple of Sparciatis; forsothe we han writen ensaumple of these thingus to Symont, the greete prest. 24   Forsothe after these thingus Symont sente Numenye to Rome, hauynge a greete golden sheld, wei&yogh;t of a thousand besauntis, for to ordeyne frenship with hem. Sotheli 25   whan the peple of Rome herde these wordis, thei saiden, What doynge of thankingus shuln we &yogh;eelde to Symont, and his sonys? 26   Forsothe he restoride his bretheren, and ouer came the enmyes of Yrael fro hem. And thei ordeynyden to him freedam, and wryten in brasen tablis, and puttiden in tytlis, in to the mount of Syon. 27   And this is the ensaumple of writyng. In the ei&yogh;tenthe day of the monethe Ebul, in the hundred and two and seuentithe &yogh;eer, the thrid &yogh;eer vnder Symont, the grete prest, in Asaramel, 28   in the grete cummyng togidre of prestis, peple, and princis, and folc, and `eldre men of the cuntree, these thingus ben maad knowen; for many tymes bateils ben maad in &yogh;our cuntree. 29   Forsothe Symont, the sone of Mathatias, of the sonys of Joaryb, and his bretheren, &yogh;auen hem self to perel, and a&yogh;ein stoden aduersaries of her folc, that her holy thingus and lawe shulden stonde; and bi grete glorie thei glorifieden her folc. 30   And Jonathas gadride his folc, and is maad to hem a grete prest, and he is

put to his peple. 31   And the enmyes of hem wolden defoule holy thingus, and distruye the cuntre of hem, and strecche forth the hond in to holy thingus of hem. 32   Thanne Symont a&yogh;einstode, and fau&yogh;te for his peple, and &yogh;aue myche moneys, and armyd men of vertu of his folc, and he &yogh;aue to hem sowdis; 33   and strengthide the citees of Juda, and Bethsura, that was in the eendis of Judee, wher bifore weren armers of enmyes, and he puttide there help, or strengthe, men Jewis. 34   And he strengthide Joppe, that was at the see, and Gasara, that was in the coostis of Azotus, in whom enmyes dwelten byfore; and he sette there Jewis, and what euere thingus weren able to the amendyng of hem, he putte in hem. 35   And the peple saw&yogh; the doyng of Symount, and the glorie that he thou&yogh;te for to do to his folc, and thei puttiden hym her duyke, and prince of prestis, for that he hadde don alle thes thingis and ri&yogh;twisnesse, and feith, that he kepte to his folk; and he sou&yogh;te out in al maner for to reyse his peple. 36   And in his days it hadde prosperitee in his hondis, that heithen men weren taken awey fro the cuntree of hem, whiche weren in the citee of Dauid in Jerusalem, in the hee&yogh; rocke; of whiche thei camen out, and defouliden alle thingus that weren in the cumpas of holy thingus, and &yogh;auen grete wounde to the citee. 37   And he sette therynne men Jewis, to defendyng of the cuntree and the citee, and he reyside the wallis in Jerusalem. 38   And kyng Demetrie ordeynede to hym the hee&yogh;ist presthod; 39   vp this he made hym his frend, and glorifiede hym in grete glorie. 40   Forsothe he herd, that Jewis ben cleepid of Romayns frendis, and felawes, and bretheren, and for thei resceyuyden the legatis of Symont gloriously; 41   and for Jewis and

prestis of hem consentiden, hym for to be her duyke, and hee&yogh;ist prest, in to withouten eende, til there ryse a feithful prophete; 42   and that he be duyk on hem, and cure were to hym for holy thingus; and that he shulde ordeyne prepostus, or gouernours, on the werkis of hem, and on the cuntree, and on armers, and on strengthus; 43   and cure be to hym of holy thingus; and that he be herd of men, and alle wrytyngis in the cuntree by wryten to gidre vnder name of hym; 44   and that it be not leeful to eny of the peple, and to prestis, for to make eny thing of these voide, and a&yogh;ein saye to these thingus that ben said of hym, ether to clepe togidre couent in the cuntree withouten hym; and for to be clothid in purpre, and for to vse a golden lace, or nouche. 45   Sothely he that shal do with out this, or shal make voide eny of these, shal be gylty. 46   And it pleside to gidre to alle the peple, for to ordeyne Symont, and to do after these wordis. 47   And Symont resceyuede, and it pleside, that he were sett in the heeist presthod, and were duyk and prince of the folc of Jewis, and prestis, and were bifore to alle men. 48   And thei saiden hem for to putte this wrytyng in brasen tablis, and to putte hem in the walkyng place of holy thingus, in solempne place; 49   forsothe for to putte ensaumple of these in tresorie, that Symont haue and his sonys.

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