A   Ionathas seyng that þe; tyme was mete for hym, chose certayne men and sent th&ebar; vnto Rome for to stablish ∧ to renue ^note the frendshyppe with th&ebar;. He sent lettres also vnto Sparta, and to other places in lyke maner. So they wente vnto Rome, and entred into the councell, ∧ sayde: Ionathas the hye preste and the people of the Iewes sent vs vnto you, for to renue the olde fr&ebar;dshyp and bonde of loue: Up&obar; thys the Romaynes gaue them fre pasportes, that men shulde lede them home into the l&abar;de of Iuda peaceably. And thys is the copy of the letters that Ionathas wrote vnto the Spartians.

Ionathas the hye prest &wt; the elders, prestes, ∧ the other people of the Iewes, sende gretynge vnto the Spartians their brethr&ebar;. There were lettres sente longe a goo vnto Onias the hye preste, fr&obar; Arius, whych than

raygned amonge you: that ye are oure brethren, as the wrytinge made ther vpon, specifyeth. And Onias entreated the embassitoure that was sent, honorably, and receaued the letters: where in there was mencyon made of the bonde of loue and frendshyppe. B   But as for vs, we nede no soche wrytinges: for why? we haue the holy bokes of scripture in oure handes to our comforte. Neuertheles, we had rather sende vnto you, for the renuynge of the brotherhode and frendshyppe: lest we shulde be straunge vnto you: for it is longe, sens the tyme þt; ye sent worde vnto vs. Wherfore in the sacrifyces that we offre and other cerimonyes vp&obar; the hye solempne dayes and other, we alwaye remembre you without ceassynge (lyke as reason is, and as it becommeth vs to thyncke vpon our brethren) yee and are ryght glad of youre prosperous honoure.

And though we haue had great troubles and warres, so that the kynges aboute vs haue foughten against vs: yet wolde we not be greuous vnto you, ner to other of our louers and frendes in these warres. For we haue had helpe from heauen, so that we are deliuered, and oure enemies subdued. Wherfore we chose Numenius the sonne of Antiochus and Antipater the sonne of Iason, and sent them vnto the Romaynes, for to renue the olde bonde of frendshyppe and loue with them. We c&obar;maunded them also to come vnto you to salute you, and to delyuer you oure lettres, concernynge the renouacyon of oure brotherhode. And nowe ye shall do ryght well, to geue vs an answere there vnto.

C   And thys is the copy of the wrytynge, which Arius the kynge of Sparta sent vnto Onias. Arius kynge of the Spartians sendeth gretynge vnto Onias the hye prest. It is founde in wrytynge, that the Spartians and Iewes are brethren, and come out of the generaci&obar; of Abrah&abar;. And nowe for so moch as this is come to oure knowledge, ye shall do well, to wryte vnto vs of youre prosperitye. As for vs, we haue wrytt&ebar; oure mynde vnto you: Oure catell and goodes are yours, ∧ yours ours. These thynges haue we commaunded to be shewed vnto you.

When Ionathas hearde, that Demetrius prynces were come forth to fyght agaynst him, with a greater hoost then afore, he went from Ierusalem, and met them in the lande of Hemath, for he gaue th&ebar; not space to come into his awne co&ubar;tre. And he sent spyes vnto their t&ebar;tes, which came agayne and tolde him, that they were appoynted to come vp&obar; him in the nyght season. Wherfore when the sunne was gone downe, Ionathas commaunded his men to watche all the nyght, and to be ready &wt; weapens for to fyght: and set watchmen rounde aboute the hoost. D   But when the aduersaryes herde that Ionathas was ready with his men to þe; battayll, they feared, and were afrayed in their hertes, and kyndled fyres in their tentes, brake vp, and gat th&ebar; awaye. Neuertheles Ionathas and his c&obar;pany knewe it not tyll the mornynge, for they sawe the fyres burnynge.

Then Ionathas folowed vp&obar; them, but he myght not ouertake them, for they were gone ouer the water Eleutherus. So Ionathas departed vnto þe; Arabi&abar;s (which were called Zabadei) slewe th&ebar;, and toke their goodes. He proceded further also, and came vnto Damascus, and wente thorowe all þe; co&ubar;tre. But Sim&obar; his brother toke his iourney and came to Ascalon and to the nexte str&obar;ge holdes: departynge vnto Ioppa, and wanne it. For he herde that they wolde st&abar;de of Demetrius partye: wherfore he set m&ebar; of warre in the cyte, to kepe it. After this came Ionathas home agayne, and called the elders of þe; people together: and deuysed with them for to buylde vp the stronge holdes in Iewry ∧ the walles of Ierusal&ebar;, to set vp an hye wall betwixt the castell and the cyte, for to separate it from the cyte, that it myght be alone, and that men shulde nether bye nor sell in it.

Up&obar; this they came together for to buylde vp the cytie, and for so moch as the wall vpon the broke of the west syd (called Caphetah) was fallen downe, they repayred it. And Simon set vp Adiadah in Sephelah, ∧ made it str&obar;ge settynge portes ∧ lockes vp&obar; it. E   Nowe when ^note Triphon purposed to raygne in Asya, to be crowned, and to slaye the kynge Antiochus: he was afrayed that Ionathas wolde not suffre hym, but fyght agaynst him. Wherfore he wente about to take Ionathas, and to kyll hym.

So he departed, and came vnto Bethsan. Then wente Ionathas forth agaynst hym to the battayll with fourtye thousande chosen men, and came vnto Bethsan also. But when Triphon sawe that Ionathas came wyth so greate an Hoste to destroye him, he was afrayed: and therfore he receaued him honorably, comm&ebar;ded him vnto all hys frendes, and gaue hym rewardes, and commaunded his men of warre to be as obedient vnto him as to him selfe.

And sayde vnto Ionathas: why hast thou caused this people to take soch trauayle, seynge there is no warre betwyxte vs? Therfore sende th&ebar; home agayne, and chose certayne men to wayte vpon the, and come thou &wt; me to Ptolomais: for I wyll geue it þe;, with the other stronge holdes, men of warre and their officers: As for me, I must departe, this is onely the cause of my c&obar;mynge. F   Ionathas beleued him, and dyd as he sayde, puttynge awaye hys host, which wente in to the lande of Iuda. He kepte but .iij.M by him, wherof

he sent .ij.M. into Galile, and one .M. wente with him selfe.

Nowe as soone as Ionathas entred into Ptolamais, the cytesyns sparred the gates of the cytie, and toke him, and slewe all them with the swerde, þt; came in with him. Then sent Triphon an Host of fote men and horsmen into Galilee and into the greate playne felde, to destroye all Ionathas c&obar;pany. But when they knewe that Ionathas was tak&ebar;, and all they slayne that wayted vpon hym: they toke councell together, and came forth ready to the battayll. So when they whych folowed vpon th&ebar;, sawe that it was a matter of lyfe, they turned backe agayne. As for the other, they wente into the lande of Iuda peaceably, ∧ bewayled Ionathas, and them that were with hym ryght sore. And Israel made great lamentacion. Then all the Heathen that were rounde aboute th&ebar;, sought to destroye them. For they sayde: nowe haue they no captayne, nor eny man to helpe th&ebar;. Therfore lett vs ouercome them, and rote out their name from amonge men.

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