A    ^noteNot longe after this, sent the kynge a messaunger of Antioche, for to compell þe; Iewes to altre þe; ordinaunces of þe; fathers ∧ the lawe of God, to defyle the temple þt; was at Ierusalem, ∧ to call it the t&ebar;ple of Iupiter Olimpius: ∧ þt; they shulde be in Gazarim, as those which dwell at þe; place of Iupiter the harberous. This wicked sedici&obar; of þe; vngodly was heuy vpon all þe; people: For þe; temple was full of voluptuousnes bebbinge ∧ bollinge of þe; Heith&ebar;, of ribandes ∧ harlottes together. The wom&ebar; wente in to þe; holy place, ∧ bare in that was not laufull. The aulter also was full of vnlaufull thinges, which þe; lawe forbyddeth to laye vp&obar; it. The Sabbathes were not kepte, the other solempne feastes of þe; londe were not regarded To be plaine, there durst no m&abar; be a knowne that he was a Iewe.

In the daye of the kynges byrth they were compelled perforce to offre: ∧ when þe; feast of Bachus was kepte, they were c&obar;strayned to weere garlandes of yven, and so to go aboute for the honoure of Bachus.

B   Morouer thorow the councell of Ptolomy, there wente out a commaundement in þe; nexte cities of the Heithen, þt; they shulde intreate the Iewes in like maner: namely, to c&obar;pell th&ebar; for to do sacrifice after þe; lawes of þe; Gentiles: and who so wolde not, to put them to death. A piteous thinge was it to se. ^noteThere were ij. women accused to haue circumcided their sonnes, whom when they had led rounde aboute the cite (the babes hanginge at their brestes) they cast them downe headlinges ouer the walles. Some þt; were crepte in to dennes and had kepte the Sabbath, were accused vnto Philippe, and brent in the fyre: because that for the feare of God they kepte the comma&ubar;dement so stiffly, and wolde not defende them selues.

Now I beseke all those which reade this boke, that they refuse it not for these falles of aduersite: ∧ iudge the thinges (þt; are happened) for no destruccion, but for a chastenynge of o&highr; people. And why? ^noteWh&ebar; God suffreth not synners longe to folowe their owne mynde, but shortly punysheth them, it is a tok&ebar; of his greate louynge kyndnes. C   For this grace haue we of God more then other people, þt; he suffreth not vs longe to synne vnpunyshed like other nacions, that when the daye of iudgment commeth, he maye punysh th&ebar; in the fulnes of their synnes. Yf we synne, he correcketh vs, but he neuer withdraweth his mercy fr&obar; vs: ∧ though he punysh &wt; aduersite, yeth doth he neuer forsake his people. But let this that we haue spok&ebar; now &wt; few wordes, be for a warninge ∧ exortaci&obar; of þe; Heith&ebar;. Now wil we come to the declaringe of the matter. Eleazar one of þe; principall scribes, an aged m&abar; ∧ of a welfauored co&ubar;tena&ubar;ce, was c&obar;strained to gape &wt; op&ebar; mouth ∧ to eate swynes flesh. ^noteBut he desyringe rather to dye gloriously th&ebar; to liue &wt; shame, offred himself will&ibar;gly to þe; martirdome. Now wh&ebar; he sawe þt; he must nedes go to it, he toke it paci&ebar;tly: for he was at a poynte &wt; himself, þt; he wolde consente to no vnlaufull thynge for eny pleasure of life. They þt; stode by beynge moued &wt; pyte (but not a right) for þe; olde frendshipe of the man, toke him asyde priuely, D   and prayed him þt; he wolde let soch flesh be brought him as were laufull to eate, ∧ th&ebar; to make a co&ubar;tena&ubar;ce as though he had eaten of þe; flesh of þe; sacrifice like as the kynge commaunded, for so he might be delyuered from death: ∧ so for the olde frendshipe of þe; man, they shewed him this kindnes. But he beganne to considre his discrete and honorable age, his noble and worshipfull stocke, and how þt; fr&obar; his youth vp he had bene of an honest and good conuersacion, yee ∧ how constantly he had kepte þe; ordinaunces and lawes comma&ubar;ded by God, wherfore he gaue them this answere, and sayde:

^noteYet had I rather first be layed in my graue. For it becommeth not myne age (sayde he) in eny wyse to dyssemble, wherby many yonge personnes might thinke, that Eleazar beinge lxxx. yeare olde and ten, were now gone to a straunge life: and so thorow myne ypocrisy (for a litle tyme of a transitory life) they might be disceaued: by this meanes also shulde I defyle myne age, ∧ make it abhominable. For though I were now delyuered from the tormentes of men, ^note yet shulde I not escape the honde of allmightie God, nether alyue ner deed. E   Wherfore I will dye manfully, ∧ do as it becommeth myne age: Wherby I maie peraduenture leaue an ex&abar;ple of stedfastnesse for soch as be yonge, yf I &wt; a ready mynde ∧ manfully dye an honest death, for the most worthy and holy lawes.

When he had sayde these wordes, immediatly he was drawen to the torm&ebar;te. Now they that led him and were mylde a litle afore, beganne to take displeasure, because of the wordes þt; he sayde: for they thought he had spok&ebar; them of an hye mynde. But wh&ebar; he was in his martirdome, he mourned and sayde: Thou (O LORDE) which hast the holy knowlege, knowest openly: that where as I might be delyuered fr&obar; death, I suffre these sore paynes of my body: but in my mynde I am wel contente to suffre them, because I feare the. Thus this man dyed, leauynge þe; memoriall of his death for an example, not only vnto yonge men, but vnto all þe; people, to be stedfast and manly.

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