AIonathas seynge that þe; tyme was
mete for him, chose certayne men and
sent them vnto Rome for to stablish
∧ to renue the frendshipe &wt; th&ebar;. noteHe sent lettres
also vnto Sparta, and to other places
in like maner. So they w&ebar;te vnto Rome and
entred in to þe; councell, ∧ sayde: Ionathas þe;
hye prest ∧ the people of þe; Iewes sent vs vnto
you, for to renue þe; olde fr&ebar;dshipe ∧ bonde
of loue. Vp&obar; this þe; Romaynes gaue th&ebar; fre
pasportes, þt; m&ebar; shulde lede th&ebar; home in to
þe; l&obar;de of Iuda peaceably. And this is þe; copy
of the lettres that Ionathas wrote vnto
the Sparcians:
Ionathas þe; hye prest &wt; þe; elders, prestes,
∧ the other people of þe; Iewes, sende gretinge
vnto þe; Sparci&abar;s their brethr&ebar;. There were
lettres sente l&obar;ge agoo vnto Onias þe; hye
prest, from Arius which than raigned amonge
you: that ye are oure brethren, as the wrytinge
made thervpon specifieth. And Onias
intreated the embassitoure that was sent, honorably,
and receaued þe; lettres: wherin there
was mencion made of the bonde of loue ∧
frendshipe. B But as for vs, we nede no soch
writinges: for why, we haue the holy bokes
of scripture in oure hondes to oure comforte.
Neuerthelesse we had rather sende vnto
you, for the renuynge of þe; brotherhode and
frendshipe: lest we shulde be straunge vnto
you, for it is longe, sens þe; tyme þt; ye sent worde
vnto vs. Wherfore in þe; sacrifices þt; we offre
∧ other ceremonies vpon þe; hye solempne
dayes and other we allwaye remembre you
without ceassynge (like as reason is, and as
it becommeth vs to thynke vpon oure brethren)
yee and are right glad of youre prosperous
honoure.
And though we haue had greate troubles
and warres, so that the kynges aboute
vs haue foughten agaynst vs: yet wolde we
not be greuous vnto you ner to other of oure
louers and frendes in these warres. For
we haue had helpe fr&obar; heau&ebar;, so that we are
delyuered, and oure enemies subdued. Wherfore
we chose Numenius the sonne of Antiochus
and Antipater the sonne of Iason, and
sente them vnto the Romaynes, for to renue
the olde bonde of frendshipe and loue with
them. We commaunded them also to come
vnto you, to salute you, and to delyuer you o&highr;
lettres, concerninge the renouacion of o&highr; brotherhode.
And now ye shal do right wel, to
geue vs an answere there vnto.
C And this is the copy of the wrytinge,
which Arius the kynge of Sparta sente vnto
Onias: Arius kinge of the Sparcians sendeth
gretynge vnto Onias the hye prest. It
is founde in wrytynge, that the Sparcians
and Iewes are brethren, and come of the
generacion of Abraham. And now for so
moch as this is come to oure knowlege, ye
shal do wel, to wryte vnto vs of youre prosperite.
As for vs, we haue wrytten o&highr; mynde
vnto you: Oure catell and goodes are yours
and yours, ours. These thinges haue we c&obar;maunded
to be shewed vnto you.
When Ionathas herde, that Demetrius
pr&ibar;ces were come forth to fight against him
with a greater hoost th&ebar; afore, he wente fr&obar;
Ierusalem, ∧ met th&ebar; in the l&obar;de of Hemath,
for he gaue them not space to come in to his
owne countre. And he sent spyes vnto their
tentes, which came agayne and tolde him,
that they were appoynted to come vp&obar; him
in the night season. Wherfore when the S&obar;ne
was gone downe, Ionathas c&obar;maunded
his men to watch all þe; night, ∧ to be ready
&wt; weapens for to fight: and set watchmen
rounde aboute the hoost. D But when the aduersaries
herde that Ionathas was ready
&wt; his men to the battayll, they feared ∧ were
afrayed in their hertes, ∧ kyndled fyres in
their tentes, brake vp, and gat them awaye.
Neuertheles Ionathas and his company
knewe it not till the morninge, for they sawe
the fyres burnynge.
Then Ionathas folowed vpon th&ebar;, but
he might not ouertake them, for they were
-- --
gone ouer the water Eleutherus. So Ionathas
departed vnto þe; Arabi&abar;s (which were
called Zabadei) slewe them, ∧ toke their goodes.
He proceded furthur also, and came vnto
Damascus, ∧ wente thorow all that countre.
But Simon his brother toke his iourney
and came to Ascalon and to the nexte stronge
holdes: departinge vnto Ioppa, and wanne
it. For he herde, that they wolde stonde
of Demetrius partie: wherfore he sent m&ebar; of
warre in the cite, to kepe it. After this came
Ionathas home agayne, ∧ called the elders
of the people together: and deuysed with th&ebar;
for to buylde vp the str&obar;ge holdes in Iewry,
and the walles of Ierusalem, to set vp an
hye wall betwixte the castell and þe; cite, for
to separate it from the cite, that it might
be alone, and that men shulde nether bye nor
sell in it.
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Vp&obar; this they came together for to buylde
vp the cite: and for moch as the wall vp&obar;
the broke of the westsyde (called Caphetheta)
was fallen downe, they repayred it. And
Symon set vp Adiada in Sephela, and made
it stronge, settinge portes ∧ lockes vp&obar; it.
noteE Now when Triphon purposed to raigne in
Asia. to be crowned, and to slaye the kynge
Antiochus: he was afrayed that Ionathas
wolde not suffre him, but fight against him.
Wherfore he wente aboute to take Ionathas,
and to kyll him.
So he departed, and came vnto Bethsan.
Then wente Ionathas forth against him to
the battayll with fourtye thousande chosen
men, and came vnto Bethsan also. But wh&ebar;
Triphon sawe that Ionathas came with
so greae an hoost to destroye him, he was
afrayed: and therfore he receaued him honorably,
commended him vnto all his frendes,
gaue him rewardes, and commaunded
his men of warre to be as obedi&ebar;t vnto him
as to himself.
And saide vnto Ionathas: why hast thou
caused this people to take soch trauayle, seynge
there is no warre betwixte vs? Therfore
sende them home agayne, ∧ chose certaine m&ebar;
to waite vpon the, ∧ come thou &wt; me to Ptolomais:
for I wil geue it the, &wt; the other str&obar;ge
holdes, men of warre and their officers:
As for me, I must departe, this is only þe; cause
of my c&obar;mynge. F Ionathas beleued him, ∧
dyd as he sayde, puttinge awaye his hoost,
which wente in to þe; londe of Iuda. He kepte
but iij.M. by him, wherof he sente ij.M. in
to Galilee, ∧ one M. wente with himself.
Now as soone as Ionathas entred in to
Ptolomais, the citesyns sparred the gates
of the cite, and toke him, and slewe all them
with the swerde, that came in with him.
Then sent Triphon an hoost of fote m&ebar; and
horsmen in to Galilee and in to the greate
playne felde, to destroye all Ionathas company.
But when they knew that Ionathas
was taken, and all they slayne that wayted
vpon him: they toke councell together, and
came forth ready to the battayll. So when
they which folowed vpon them, sawe, that it
was a matter of life, they turned backe agayne.
As for the other, they wente in to þe;
londe of Iuda peacealy, ∧ bewayled Ionathas,
∧ them that were with him right sore.
And Israel made greate lamentacion. Th&ebar;
all the Heithen þt; were rounde aboute them,
sought to destroye th&ebar;. For they sayde: now
haue they no captayne, nor eny man to helpe
them. Therfore let vs ouercome them,
and rote out their name from amonge men.
