A    ^noteAnd þe; kynge of Egipte gathered an hoost, (like the sonde þt; lieth vpon the see shore) and many shippes: and wente aboute thorow disceate to optayne þe; kingdome of Alex&abar;der, ∧ to ioyne it vnto his owne realme. Vpon this he toke his iourneye in to Syria, ∧ was letten into the cities, and m&ebar; came forth to mete him: for kinge Alex&abar;der had c&obar;maunded them so to do, because

he was his father in lawe. Now when Ptolomy entred in to eny cite, he lefte m&ebar; of warre to kepe it, and this he dyd thorow out all þe; cities. ^noteAnd when he came to Azotus, they shewed him the temple of Dagon and Azotus that was brent vp, with the other thinges which were destroyed, the deed bodies cast abrode, and þe; graues that they had made by the waye syde, for soch as were slayne in the felde: And tolde the kynge that Ionathas had done all these thinges, to the int&ebar;t they might get him euell will. But the kynge sayde not a worde therto.

And Ionathas met the kynge with greate hono&highr; at Ioppa, where they saluted one another, and toke their rest. So when Ionathas had gone with þe; kynge, vnto the water that was called Eleutherus, he turned agayne to Ierusalem. Now Ptolomy had gotten the dominion of the cities vnto Seleucia vpon the see coost, ymaginynge wicked councels agaynst Alexander, ∧ sent embassitours vnto Demetrius, sayenge: Come, let vs make a bonde betwixte vs, so shall I geue the my doughter that Alexander hath, and thou shalt raigne in thy fathers kyngdome. B   I repente that I gaue Alexander my doughter, for he goeth aboute to slaye me. And thus he slaundred Alexander, because he wolde haue had his realme.

Thus he toke his doughter from him, gaue her vnto Demetrius, and forsoke Alexander, so that his malice was openly knowne. And Ptolomy came to Antioche, where he set two crownes vpon his owne heade: the crowne of Egipte and of Asia. In the meane season was kynge Alexander in Cilicia, for they that dwelt in those places, had rebelled agaynst him. But when Alex&abar;der herde of this, he came to warre agaynst him. So kinge Ptolomy brought forth his hoost and met him with a mightie power, and chaced him awaye. Then fled Alexander in to Araby, there to be defended, and kynge Ptolomys honoure increased. And Zabdiel the Arabian smote of Alexanders heade, and sent it vnto Ptolomy. But the thirde daye after, died kynge Ptolomy himself: and they whom he had set in the stronge holdes, were slayne of those that were within þe; cities. And Demetrius raigned in þe; hundreth and seuen and sixtie yeare.

C   At the same tyme gathered Ionathas them that were in Iewry to laye sege vnto the castell which was at Ierusalem, and so they made many instrumentes of warre agaynst it. Then wente there certaine vngodly personnes (which hated their owne people) vnto kynge Demetrius, and tolde him, that Ionathas beseged þe; castell. So when he herde it, he was angrie, and Immediatly came to Ptolomais, and wrote vnto Ionathas, that he shulde not laye sege to the castell, but come and speake with him in all the haist. Neuerthelesse when Ionathas herde this he commaunded to besege it. He chose also certayne of the elders and prestes of Israel, and put him self in the parell, and toke with him golde, syluer, clothinge and diuerse presentes: and wente to Ptolomais vnto the kynge, and founde him gracious.

And though certayne vngodly men of his owne people made complayntes vpon him, yet the kynge intreated him, ^note like as his predecessours had done before: and promoted him in the sight of all his frendes, confirmed him in the hye presthode with all the worshipe þt; he had afore, and made him his chefe frende. Ionathas also desyred the kynge that he wolde make Iewry fre, ^note with the thre head cities of Samaria and the londes pertayninge therto: vpon this dyd Ionathas promyse him thre C. talentes. Where vnto the kynge consented, and gaue Ionathas wrytinge of the same, conteyninge these wordes: D   kynge Demetrius sendeth gretinge vnto his brother Ionathas and to the people of þe; Iewes. We sende you here a copy of the lettre which we dyd wryte vnto oure elder Lasthenus, concernynge you, that ye shulde knowe it.

Kynge Demetrius sendeth gretinge vnto Lasthenus his elder. For the faithfulnes that oure frendes the people of the Iewes kepe vnto vs, and for the louynge kyndnesse which they beare towarde vs: we are determed to do them good. Wherfore we ordene all þe; coostes of Iewry with the thre cities, Lyda and Ramatha (which are added vnto Iewry from Samaria) ∧ all þe; l&obar;des pertayninge there vnto, to be frely separated for soch as do sacrifice in Ierusal&ebar;: both concernynge the paym&ebar;tes which the kynge toke yearly afore tyme, ∧ þe; frutes also of the earth ∧ trees. As for other tithes ∧ tributes þt; belonged vnto vs, we discharge th&ebar; therof from this tyme forth. In like maner we gra&ubar;te vnto th&ebar; all the customes of salt and crowne taxes, which were brought vnto vs. And this fredome shal they haue firme ∧ stedfast, fr&obar; this tyme forth for euermore. Therfore se þt; ye make a copy of these o&highr; letters, and delyuer it vnto Ionathas: that it maye be kepte vpon þe; holy mount in a c&obar;uenient place.

E   After this, when Demetrius the kynge sawe that his londe was in rest, and that no resistaunce was made him: he sent awaye all his hoost euery man to his owne place, excepte an armye of straungers, whom he brought from the Iles of the Heithen, wherfore all his fathers hoost had euell wyll at him. ^noteNow was there one Triphon (that had bene of Alexanders parte afore) which when he sawe that all the hoost murmured agaynst Demetrius: he wente to Emalcuel the Arabian (that brought vp Antiochus the sonne of Alexander) and laye sore vpon him, to delyuer him this yonge Antiochus: that he might raigne in his fathers steade. He tolde him also what greate euell Demetrius had done, ∧ how his m&ebar; of warre loued him not: ∧ so remayned there a l&obar;ge season.

And Ionathas sent vnto kynge Demetrius, to dryue them out which were in the castell at Ierusalem and in the other refugies, for they dyd Israel greate harme. So Demetrius sent worde vnto Ionathas, sayenge: I wil not only do these thinges for the and thy people, but at tyme conueni&ebar;t I wil do both the ∧ thy people greate worshipe. But now thou shalt do me a pleasure, yf thou wilt sende me men to helpe me: for all myne armye is gone fro me. F   So Ionathas sent him iij. M. stronge men vnto Antioche, and they came vnto the kynge, wherfore the kynge was very glad at their commynge. But they that were of the cite (euen an Cxx. thousande m&ebar;) gathered them together, ∧ wolde haue slayne the kynge, which fled in to his courte: ∧ the citesyns kepte the stretes of the cite, and beganne to fight.

Then the kynge called for the Iewes helpe, which came vnto him all together, ∧ wente abrode thorow the cite, and slewe the same daye an C.M. men: set fyre vpon the cite, gat many spoyles in that daye, and delyuered þe; kynge. So when the citesyns sawe that the Iewes had gotten their wyll of the cite, and they them selues dispoynted of their purpose: they made their supplicacion vnto the kynge, say&ebar;ge: Graunte vs peace, and let the Iewes ceasse from troublinge vs and the cite, and vpon this they cast awaye their weapens. Thus they made peace, and þe; Iewes gat greate worshipe in the sight of the kynge, and in the sight of all that were in his realme, and were spoken of thorow out the kyngdome: and so they came agayne to Ierusalem with greate goodes.

G   So the kynge Demetrius sat in the trone of his kyngdome, and had peace in his l&obar;de Neuertheles he dyssembled in all that euer he spake, ∧ with drewe himself from Ionathas, nether rewarded him acordinge to the benefites which he had done for him, but troubled him very sore. After this came Triphon agayne with yonge Antiochus, which raigned ∧ was crowned kynge. Then there gathered vnto him all þe; men of warre, wh&obar; Demetrius had put awaye: these fought agaynst Demetrius, which fled ∧ turned his backe. So Triphon toke the Elephantes, ∧ wanne Antioche. And y&obar;ge Antiochus wrote vnto Ionathas, sayenge: I confirme the in thy presthode, ∧ make þe; ruler of iiij. countrees, þt; thou mayest be a frende of þe; kinges.

Vpon this he sent him golden vessel to be serued in, and gaue him leue to drynke in golde, to be clothed in purple, and to weere a colar of golde, He made his brother Symon also captayne, from the coostes of Tyrus vnto the borders of Egipte. Then Ionathas toke his iourney, ∧ wente thorow þe; cities bey&obar;de the water (of Iordane) and all the men of warre of Syria gathered th&ebar; vnto him for to helpe him. So he came vnto Ascalon, and they of the cite receaued him honorably: ∧ from thence wente he vnto Gaza, but they wolde not let him in: wherfore he layed sege vnto it, burnynge vp and spoylinge the places that were aboute the cite.