A   In þe; .Cxlix. yeare gatt ^note Iudas knowledge, þt; Antiochus Eupator was commyng with a greate power into Iewry, ∧ Lysias the stewarde and ruler of his matters with him hauinge an .C. and .x.M. men of fote .v.M. horsmen .xxii. Eleph&abar;tes, and .iii.C. charettes. Menelaus also ioyned him self with them (but with greate dysceate) and spake fayre to the kynge, not for eny good of þe; co&ubar;tre, but because he thought to haue bene made some greate man of auctorite. But þe; kynge of kynges moued Antiochus mynde agaynst thys vngodly personne, ∧ Lysias infourmyd the kyng, ^note that this Menelaus was þe; cause of all myschefe: so that the kyng commaunded to take him, and (as the maner of th&ebar; is) to put hym vnto death in the same daye.

There was also in the same place a tower of .L. cubytes hye, heapped with asshes: but aboue it was so made, that m&ebar; myght loke downe on euery syde. Where into the kyng c&obar;maunded that shamefull person to be cast amonge the asshes, as one that was cause of all vngraciousnesse. And reas&obar; it was that the vnthrift shulde dye soch a death, and not to be buryed: for he had done moch myschefe vnto the aulter of God (whose fyre ∧ asshes were holy) therfore was it right, þt; he hym selfe also shulde be destroyed wyth asshes.

But the kynge was wood in hys mynde, and came to shewe him selfe more cruell vnto the Iewes, then hys father was. B   Whych when Iudas perceaued, ^note he c&obar;maunded the people to call vpon þe; Lord nyght and daye: that he wolde now helpe th&ebar; also, lyke as he had done alwaye: For they were afrayed to be put from their lawe, from their naturall countre and from the holy temple: and not to suffre the people (which a lytle whyle afore beganne to recouer) to be subdued agayne of the blasphemous nacyons.

C   So when they had done thys together, and besought the Lord for mercy, wyth wepynge and fastynge thre dayes longe, flatt vpon the grounde: Iudas exhorted them, to

make them selues ready. But he and the elders together deuised, to go forth fyrst with their people, afore the kynge brought hys hoost into Iewry, and afore he beseged þe; cytie, ∧ to commytte the matter vnto God.

Wherfore he ascrybed the power of all thynges vnto God the maker of the worlde exhortinge his people to fight m&abar;fully (yee, euen vnto death) for the lawes, the temple, the citye, their awne natyue countre, and to defende the citesyns: and set his hoost before Modyn. He gaue them also that were wyth him, a token of the victory of God, chosinge out the m&abar;lyest yonge men, wente by nyght into the kynges pauyly&obar;, slewe of the hoost xiiii.M. men, ^note ∧ the greatest Elephantes, wyth those that satt vpon them.

D   Thus when they had brought a greate feare and rumour amonge þe; tentes of theyr enemyes, ∧ all thynges went prosperously wyth th&ebar;, they departed in the breake of the daye, God beinge their helper and defender. Now wh&ebar; the kynge perceaued the manlynesse of the Iewes, he wente aboute to take the stronge places by craft, and remoued his hoost ^note vnto bethsura, which was a well kepte house of defence of the Iewes: but they were chaced awaye, hurte, and discomfited.

And Iudas sent vnto th&ebar; that were in it soch thinges as were necessary. In þe; Iewes hoost also there was one Rhodocus, whych tolde the enemyes theyr secretes: but they sought hym out, ∧ wh&ebar; they had gott&ebar; hym, they put h&ibar; in preson. After this dyd þe; kyng c&obar;m&ebar; with th&ebar; that were in Bethsura, toke truce with them, departed, and stroke a battayll wyth Iudas, whych ouer came hym.

E   But when he vnderstode, that Philippe (whom he had left to be ouerseer of his busynesses at Antioche) beg&abar;ne to rebel agaynst him, he was astonnyed in his mynde: so þt; he yelded hym self to the Iewes, ∧ made th&ebar; an othe, to do whatsoeuer they thought ryght.

Now when he was reconcyled wyth th&ebar;, he offred, made moch of the t&ebar;ple, gaue greate gyftes vnto it, embraced Machabe&us;, makynge hym captayne and gouernour from Ptolomays vnto the Gerrenes.

Neuerthelesse when he came to Ptolomays, þe; people of the cytie were not content with the bonde of frendshype: for they were afrayed, that he wolde breake þe; couenaunt. Then wente Lysias vp into the seate, and enfourmed the people, shewed th&ebar; the cause why, and pacifyed th&ebar;. So he came agayne to Antioche. This is now the matter c&obar;cernynge the kynges iourney, and his returne.

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