A   In the Clxxij. yeare gathered kynge Demetrius his hoost, and departed vnto Media, to gett him helpe for to fight agaynst Triphon. Now when Arsaces the kynge of Persia and Media herde, that Demetrius was entred within his borders: he sente one of his prynces to take him alyue, and to brynge him vnto him. So he wente and slewe Demetrius hoost, toke himselfe, brought him to Arsaces, which kepte him in warde. And all the londe of Iuda was in rest, so longe as Symon lyued: for he sought the wealth of his people, therfore were they glad to haue him for their ruler, and to do him worshipe allwaye.

Symon wanne the cite of Ioppa also for an hauen towne, and made it an intraunce in to the Iles of the see. He enlarged the borders of his people, and c&obar;quered them more londe: He gathered vp many of their people that were presoners: he had the domini&obar; of Gaza, Bethsura and the castell, which he clensed from fylthines, and there was no m&abar; that resisted him: So that euery man tylled his grounde in peace, the londe of Iuda and the trees gaue their frute and encreace. B   The elders sat all in iudgment, and toke their deuyce for the wealth of the londe: the yonge men put on worshipe and harnesse vpon them. He prouyded vytayles for the cities, and made goodly stronge holdes of them: so that the fame of his worshipe was spoken of vnto the ende of þe; worlde. ^noteFor he made peace thorow out the londe, and Israel was full of myrth and ioye.

Euery m&abar; sat vnder his vyne ∧ fyge trees and there was no man to fraye them awaye. There was none in þe; londe to fight agaynst them, for then the kinges were ouercome. He helped those that were in aduersite amonge his people, he was diligent to se þe; lawe kepte: as for soch as were vngodly and wicked he toke th&ebar; awaye. He set vp þe; Sanctuary, ∧ encreased the holy vessels of the temple.

When þe; Romaynes and Sparcians had gotten worde, þt; Ionathas was deed, they were right sory. But when they herde þt; Symon his brother was made hye prest in his steade, and how he had wonne the londe agayne &wt; the cities in it: they wrote vnto him in tables of laton, to renue the frendshipe ∧ bonde of loue, which they had made a fore with Iudas ∧ Ionathas his brethr&ebar;. ^noteWhich writinges were red before the congregacion at Ierusalem.

C   And this is the copy of the lettres, that the Sparcians sent: The Senatours and citesyns of Sparta sende gretinge vnto Sim&obar; þe; greate prest &wt; the elders, prestes, ∧ þe; other people of the Iewes their brethr&ebar;: Wh&ebar; yo&highr; embassitours that were sente vnto o&highr; people, certified vs of youre worshipe, honoure and prosperous wealth: we were glad of their c&obar;minge, and haue written the earande which they spake before the councell of the people: namely, that Numenius the sonne of Antiochus, and Antipater the sonne of Iason the Iewes embassitours are come vnto vs, for to renue the olde frendshipe with vs. Vpon this the people consented, that the men shulde be honorably intreated, and that the copy of their earande shulde be written in the speciall bokes of the people, for a perpetuall memory vnto the Sparcians: yee and that we shulde sende a copy of the same vnto Symon the greate prest.

D   After this dyd Symon sende Numenius vnto Rome, with a golden shylde of a thousande pounde weight, to confirme the frendshipe with them: which when the Romaynes vnderstode, they saide: what th&abar;kes shal we recompence agayne vnto Symon ∧ his children? For he hath stablished his brethr&ebar;, and ouercome the enemies of Israel. Wherfore they gra&ubar;ted him to be fre. And all this wrote the Iewes in tables of laton, and naled it vnto the pilers vpon the mount Sion. The copy of the writinge is this:

The xviij. daye of þe; moneth Elul in the Clxxij. yeare in the thirde yeare of Symon the hye prest, in the greate congregacion of þe; prestes, rulers of the people, and elders of the countre at Asaramel, were these wordes openly declared:

E   For so moch as there was moch warre in oure londe, therfore Symon þe; sonne of Matathias (come of the children of Iareb) and his brethren, put them selues in parell, and resisted the enemies of their people: that their Sanctuary and lawe might be manteyned, and dyd their people greate worshipe. Ionathas in like maner, after that he had gouerned his people and bene their hye prest: dyed, and lyeth buried besyde his elders.

After that wolde their enemies haue trodden their holy thinges vnder fote, destroyed their londe, and vtterly waisted their Sanctuary. Then Symon withstode them, and fought for his people, spent moch of his owne money, weapened the valeaunt men of his people, gaue them wages, made stronge þe; cities of Iuda, with Bethsura that lieth vpon the borders of Iewry, (where the ordinaunce of their enemies laye somtyme) ∧ set Iewes there for to kepe it.

F   He made fast Ioppa also, which lieth vpon the see, and Gaza that bordreth vpon Azotus, (where the enemies dwelt afore) and there he set Iewes to kepe it: and what so euer was mete for the subduynge of the aduersaries, that layed he therin. Now wh&ebar; the people sawe the noble actes of Symon. and what worshipe he purposed to do for them, his godly behauoure, and faithfulnesse which he kepte vnto them, ∧ how he sought by all waies þe; wealth of his people, because he dyd all this, therfore they chose him to be their prynce ∧ hye prest. And in his tyme they prospered wel by him, so þt; the Heith&ebar; were tak&ebar; out of their londe: ∧ they also which were in the cite of Dauid at Ierusal&ebar; in the castell (where they wente out and defiled all thinges that were aboute the Sanctuary, and did greate harme vnto clenlynes) and Symon put men of the Iewes in it, for the defence of the londe and the cite, and set vp the walles of Ierusalem.

G   And kynge Demetrius confirmed him in his hye presthode, made him his frende, and dyd him greate worshipe. For he herde that the Romayns called þe; Iewes their frendes, louers and brethren: how honorably they receaued Symons embassitours: how þe; Iewes and prestes consented that he shulde be their prynce and hye prest perpetually (till God raysed vp the true prophet) and that he shulde be their captayne, to care for the Sanctuary, and to set officers vpon the workes therof, ouer the londe, ouer the weapens, ouer the houses of defence, to make prouysion for the holy thynges, and to be obeyed of euery man, and all the writynges of þe; londe to be made in his name: that he shulde be clothed in purple and golde, and that it shulde be laufull for none of the people nor prestes to breake eny of these thynges, to withstonde his wordes, ner to call eny congregacion in the londe without him: that he shulde be clothed in purple, and weere a colar of golde: And yf there were eny which disobeyed or brake this ordinaunce, that he shulde be punyshed.

So all the people consented to alowe Symon, and to do acordynge to these wordes. Symon also himself toke it vpon him, and was contente to be the hye prest, the captayne and prynce of the Iewes and prestes, and to gouerne them all. And they commaunded to make this writinge in tables of laton, and to fasten it vnto the compasse of the Sanctuary in an open place: and to laye vp a copy of the same in the treasury, that Symon and his posterite might haue it.

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