A   In the xiij. yeare of kynge Nabuchodonosor, vpon the xxij. daye of þe; first moneth, it was deuysed in the courte of Nabuchodonosor þe; kynge of the Assiri&abar;s, that he wolde defende himself. So he called vnto him all þe; elders, all his captaynes and men of warre, and shewed them his secrete councell, and tolde them, that his purpose was, to brynge the whole earth vnder his domynion. Now whan they were all content with this sayenge, Nabuchodonosor the kinge called Holofernes the chefe captayne of his warres and saide vnto him: Go thy waye forth agaynst all the kyngdomes of the west and specially agaynst those that haue despysed my commaundement. ^noteThou shalt spare no realme, all stronge cities shalt thou brynge in subieccion vnto me.

B   Then Holofernes called together all the captaynes ∧ rulers of all the power in Assiria, and mustred the soudyers vnto the hoost (like as the kynge commaunded him) namely, an hundreth and tw&ebar;tye thousande fightinge men vpon fote, and twolue thousande archers vpon horsebacke. All his ordinaunce sent he before with an innumerable multitude of camels, so that the hoost was well prouyded for with oxen, and small catell, and þt; without nombre. He caused corne to be prepared out of all Syria for his hoost. Moch golde and syluer also toke he out of the kynges house. So he toke his iourney, he and all his hoost, with charettes, horsmen, and archers: of whom there were so many, that they couered the grounde of the lande, like the greshoppers.

C   And whan he was gone past the borders of the Assirians, he came towarde the greate mountaynes of Ange, which lye vpon the left syde of Celicia: and so he wente vp in to all their castels, and wanne euery str&obar;ge holde. As for þe; welthy cite of Melothus, he brake it downe, ∧ spoyled all the childr&ebar; of Tharsis and the Ismaelites, which laye towarde the wyldernes and vpon the south syde of þe; londe of Chelon. He wente ouer Euphrates also, and came in to Mesopotamia, and brake downe all the hye cities that were there, from the broke of Mambre tyll a man come to the see: and he toke the borders in from Celicia vnto the coastes of Iaphet towarde the south. He caried awaye all the Madianites, and spoyled all their goodes: ∧ who so euer withstode him, he slew them with the swerde After this he wente downe into the felde of Damascus in the tyme of haruest, and brent vp all the corne and all the trees, and caused the vynes to be cutt downe. And the feare of him fell vpon all them that dwelt in þe; earth

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