AnoteMachabeus now ∧ his company (thorow
the helpe of the LORDE) wanne
the temple and the cite agayne,
destroyed the aulters and chapels that the
Heith&ebar; had buylded thorow the stretes: note clensed
the temple, made another aulter of bricke
stone, and after ij. yeares they offered sacrifices,
set forth the incense, the lightes and
shewe bred. When that was done, they fell
downe flat vpon the grounde, and besought
the LORDE, that they might come nomore
into soch trouble: but yf they synned eny more
agaynst him, he him self to chasten them
with mercy, and not to come in the hondes
of those aleauntes and blasphemous men.
Now vpon the same daye that þe; straungers
poluted the temple, it happened that
on the very same daye it was clensed agayne:
note namely, the xxij. daye of the moneth called
Casleu. B They kepte viij. dayes in gladnesse,
like as in the feast of the tabernacles:
remembrynge that not longe afore, they helde
the feast of þe; tabernacles vpon the mountaynes
and in dennes like beastes. And to þe;
same token they bare grene bowes, braunches
and palmes before him that had geuen
them good fortune to clense his place. They
agreed also together, and made a statute, þt;
euery yeare those dayes shulde be solemply
kepte of all the people of the Iewes.
-- --
How Antiochus then (that was called
the noble) dyed, it is sufficiently tolde. Now
wil we speake of Nicanor the sonne of that
wicked Antiochus, how it happened with
him: and so with few wordes to comprehende
the aduersite that chaunsed in þe; warres.
When he had taken in the kyngdome, he
made one Lysias (which had bene captayne
of the hoost in Phenices and Syria) ruler
ouer the matters of the realme. For Ptolomy
that was called Macron, beynge a ruler
for the Iewes (and specially, to syt in iudgment
for soch wronge as was done vnto
them) vndertoke to deale peaceably with
them. C For the which cause he was accused
of the frendes before Eupator: and when he
was suspecte to be a traytoure (because he
had left Cypers, that Philometor had committed
vnto him: and because he departed
from noble Antiochus, that he was come vnto)
he poysoned himself, and dyed.
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Now when Gorgias was gouernoure of
the same places, he toke straungers and vndertoke
oft tymes to warre with þe; Iewes.
Morouer the Idumeans that helde the str&obar;ge
holdes, receaued those that were dryuen
from Ierusalem, and toke in honde to warre
also. But they that were with Machabeus,
note besought and prayed vnto the LORDE,
that he wolde be their helper: and so they
fell in to the stronge holdes of the Idumeans,
∧ wanne many places by strength: Soch
as came agaynst them they slew, and kylled
no lesse (of all together) then twentye
thousande. Neuerthelesse some (no lesse then
nyne thousande) were fled in to two stronge
towres, hauynge all maner of ordinaunce
to withstonde them.
D Then Machabeus leauynge Symon, Iosephus,
Zachaus and those that were with
them, (which were very many) wente to besege
th&ebar;, and to fight where most nede was,
Now they that were with Symon beynge
led with couetousnesse, were intreated
for money, thorow certayne of those that
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laye in the towers: toke lxx.M. drachmas, ∧
let some of them escape. But when it was
tolde Machabeus what had happened, he
called þe; captaynes of the people together,
accusynge those personnes, that they had solde
the brethren for money, and let their enemies
go. So he slewe those traytours, ∧ immediatly
wente in honde with the ij. towers.
And when they had ordred them selues manly
with their weapens ∧ hondes, they slewe
in þe; two castels moo th&ebar; tw&ebar;tie thousande.
noteNow Timotheus whom the Iewes had
ouercome afore, gathered a multitude of
straunge people, brought an hoost also of
horsmen of the Asians, to wynne Iewry by
strength. noteE But when he drewe nye, Machabeus
and they that were &wt; him fell to their
prayer, sprencled a&esset;shes vpon their heades,
beynge gyrded &wt; hayrie cloth aboute their
loines, fel downe before þe; aulter, ∧ besought
the LORDE that he wolde be mercifull to
them, but an enemie vnto their enemies, and
to take parte agaynst their aduersaries, acordinge
as it is promised in the lawe. noteSo after
the prayer, they wente on further from the
cite: and when they came nye the enemies,
they prepared them selues agaynst them.
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And by tymes in the mornynge at þe; breake
of the daye, both the hoostes buckled together.
The one parte had the LORDE for
their refuge, note which is the geuer of prosperite,
str&ebar;gth and victory. The other had a m&abar;ly
-- --
stomack, which is a captayne of warre.
noteThe battayll now beynge greate, there
apeared vnto the enemies from heauen v.
men, vpon hor&esset;back with brydels of golde,
ledinge the Iewes, and two of them hauynge
Machabeus betwixte them, þt; kepte him
safe on euery syde &wt; their weap&ebar;s, but shot
dartes and lighteninges vpon the enemies.
where thorow they were confounded with
blyndnesse and so sore afrayed, that they fell
downe. There were slayne of fote men twenty
thousande and fyue hundreth, and sixe h&ubar;dreth
horsmen. F As for Timotheus him self,
he fled vnto Gazar a very str&obar;ge holde, wherin
Cereas was captayne. But Machabeus
and his company layed sege to it cherfully
iiij. dayes. Now they that were within, trustinge
to the strength of the place, cursed ∧
banned exceadingly, and made greate crakynge
with wicked wordes. Neuerthelesse
vpon the fifth daye in the mornynge, xx. yonge
men of Machabeus c&obar;pany, beynge set
on fyre in their myndes because of the blasphemy:
came manfully vnto the wall, and
with bolde stomackes they and their other
companyons clymmed vp vpon the towres,
vndertakynge to set fyre vpon the portes, ∧
to burne those blasphemous personnes quycke.
Two dayes were they destroyenge the
castell, which when they founde Timotheus
(that was crepte in to a corner) they kylled
him, and slewe Cereas his brother in like maner
with Appollophanes. When this was
done, they sunge Psalmes, with prayses and
thankesgeuynges vnto the LORDE, which
had done so greate thinges for Israel, ∧ geuen
them the victory.
