A   At þe; same tyme came ^note Antyochus agayne wyth dyshonoure out of Persys. For when he came to Persepolys, &abar;d vndertoke to robbe the t&ebar;ple and to subdue the cytie, the people ranne together and defended them selues, &ibar; so moch that he and hys were fayne to fle wyth shame.

And so after that flyght, it happened that Antyochus came agayne wyth dyshonoure. But when he came to Egbathana, he gat knowlege what was happened vnto Nycanor and Tymotheus. Now as he was aua&ubar;cinge him selfe &ibar; his wrath, he thought he was able to auenge the iniury that was done to them, vpon the Iewes: and therfore commaunded to make ready hys charet, hastynge on hys iourney wythout ceassynge, the iudgement of God prouokynge hym because he had spoken so proudly, þt; he wolde come to Ierusalem, and make it a graue of the Iewes. But the Lorde God of Israell, that seyth all thynges, smote hym wyth an inuysyble plage, whych no man coulde heale.

B   For as soone as he had spoken these wordes, there came vp&obar; hym an horrible payne of hys bowels, and a sore grefe of þe; armes.

And that was but ryght: for he had martyred other mens bowels with dyuerse and straunge tormentes, howbeit he wolde in no wyse ceasse from his malice. Yee, he was yet the prouder ∧ more malycious agaynst the Iewes: But whyle he was commaundynge to make haste in the matter, it happened that he fel downe violently from the charet so that it brosed hys body, and dyd h&ibar; greate payne.

And so he that thought he myght comma&ubar;de the floudes of the see (so proude was he beyonde the condicyon of man) ∧ to weye the hye mountaynes in a payre of balaunce, was now brought downe to the grounde, ∧ caried vpon an horslytter, knowlegyng the manyfeite power of God vpon hym: so that þe; wicked body of hys ^note was full of wormes, whych in hys payne fell quycke out of hys flesh: In so moch that hys hoost was greued with the smell and stynck of hym. Thus he that a lytle afore thought he myght reache to the starre of heauen, hym myght no man now abyde ner beare, for the vehemence of styncke.

C   Therfore, he beynge brought from hys great pryde, beg&abar;ne for to come to þe; knowledge of hym self: for the punishem&ebar;t of God warned hym, and his payne increased euermore and more. And wh&ebar; he hym self might not abyde hys awne styncke, he sayde these wordes: It is reas&obar; to be obedi&ebar;t vnto God, and that a man desyre not to be lyke vnto hym. Thys wycked personne prayed also vnto the Lorde, of whom he shulde haue optayned no mercy. And as for þe; citye that he came vnto so hastely, to brynge it downe to the gro&ubar;de, and to make it a graue for deed men: now he desireth to deliuer it fre.

And as touchyng þe; Iewes, whom he had iudged not worthy to be buryed, but wolde haue cast them out for to be deuoured of the foules ∧ wylde beastes, sayeng, that he wolde haue destroyed both olde ∧ yonge: Now he promysed, to make th&ebar; lyke the cytesins of Athens. And where as he had spoyled the holy temple afore, now he maketh promyse to garnysh it with greate giftes, to increase the holy ornamentes, and of his awne r&ebar;tes to beare the costes, and charges belonginge to the offeringes: yee, and that he wolde also become a Iewe him self, to go thorow euery place of the worlde, and to preach the power of God.

But when his paynes wolde not ceasse, (for þe; ryghteous iudgem&ebar;t of God was come vp&obar; him) out of a very despayre he wrote D    vnto the Iewes a lettre of intercession, conteyninge these wordes: The kynge and prince Antiochus wisheth vnto þe; vertuous cytesins of the Iewes, moch health &abar;d good prosperite.

If ye and youre chyldren fare well, and yf all thinges go after youre mynde: we geue greate thankes. In my sycknesse also do I remembre you louyngly: for as I came out of Persia, and was taken with sore dyseasse: I thought it necessary to care for the com&ebar; wealth. Nether despayre I in my self, but haue a good hope to escape this sicknes.

But consyderinge that my father led an hoost sometyme in the hyer places, and shewed who shulde raygne after hym, that (yf there happened any c&obar;trouersy, or eny harde thyng were declared) they in þe; lande myght knowe theyr chefe Lord, that there shuld be no insurreccion: Agayne: when I pondre by my self, E   how that all the myghtie men and neyghbours ro&ubar;de about, are lay&ebar;g wayte, and loke but for oportunyte to do harme: I haue ordened that my sonne Antiochus shal raygne after me, whom I oft commended to many of you, when I was in the hyer kyngdomes, and haue wrytten vnto him as it foloweth herafter. Therfore I praye you ∧ requyre you, to remembre the benefytes that I haue done vnto you generally, and in especiall (and that euery m&abar; wylbe faythfull to me ∧ my s&obar;ne) For I hope that he shal be of sober and louinge behauoure, ∧ yf he folowe my deuyce, he shall be indifferent vnto you.

^noteThus, that murthurer ∧ blasphemer of God was sore smytten: ∧ lyke as he had intreated other men, so he dyed a myserable death in a straunge countre vpon a mountayne. And hys body dyd Philippe (þt; went with hym) cary awaye: whych fearynge the sonne of Antiochus, wente into Egypte to Ptolomy Philometor.

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