The Holy Bible, containing the Old and New Testaments, with the Apocryphal books,

CAP. XIII.

[verse 1] And as Symont herde, that Trifon gadride a grete oost, for to cum in to the lond of Juda, and for to distruye it, [verse 2] seeynge for the peple is in tremblyng and dreed, he stieȝ vp in [Om. H.] to Jerusalem, [verse 3] and gadride the peple; and monestynge saide, Ȝe witen, hou many thingus Y, and my bretheren, and the [Om. H.] hous of my fadir, han don, for lawis [the lawis H.] and for holy thingus, batels, and what maner anguyshis we sawen. [verse 4] For grace, or cause, of these thingus alle my bretheren perishiden for Yrael, and Y aloone am left. [verse 5] And now bifalle it not to me, for to spare my soule, or lijf, in al tyme of tribulacioun; for|sothe Y am not better than my bretheren. [verse 6] And so Y shal venge my folc, and holy thingus, and oure children, and wyues; for alle heithen men ben gadrid, for to distruye vs, bi cause of enmytee. [verse 7] And the spirit of the peple is brent togidre, as it herde these wordis. [verse 8] And thei an|swerden with grete voice, sayinge, Thou

art oure duyk in stede of Judas, and [verse 9] Jonathas, thi brother; fiȝte thou oure bateil, and alle thingus what euere thou shalt saye, we shuln do. [verse 10] And he ga|dryng [gadrede H.] alle men fiȝters hastide for to eende alle the [Om. H.] wallis of Jerusalem, and he [Om. H.] strengthide it in cumpas. [verse 11] And he sente Jonathas, the [Om. H.] sone of Absolomy, and with hym a newe oost, in to Joppen. And these cast out that weren in it, he dwellide there. [verse 12] And Trifon mouede fro Ptholomaida with myche oost, for to cum in to the [Om. H.] lond of Juda, and Jona|thas with hym in keepyng. [verse 13] Forsothe Symont appliede in Addus, aȝeinus the face of the feeld. [verse 14] And as Trifon knewe, for Symont rose in stede of his brother Jonathas, and for he was to ioynyng bateil with hym, he sente to hym le|gatis, [verse 15] sayinge, For syluer, that thi bro|ther Jonathas ouȝte in resun of the kyng, we withhelden hym. [verse 16] And nowe sende thou an hundred talentis of syluer, and his two sonnys pleggis, that he not dis|mitted flee [flee not H.] fro vs, and we shuln aȝein sende hym. [verse 17] And Symont knewȝ, that with gijle he spake with hym. Netheles he comaundide the [Om. H.] syluer to [for to AGH.] be ȝouen, and children, lest he toke grete enmyte [verse 18] to the [Om. H.] peple of Yrael, sayinge, For he sente not to hym the syluer and chil|dren, therfore he perishide. [verse 19] And he sente the children, and an hundred ta|lentis. And he leeȝide, and dismytted [dismytte H.] not Jonathas. [verse 20] And after these thingus Tryfon came with ynne the cuntre, for to distruye it. And thei cumpaseden by the waye that ledith to Ador; and Sy|mont and his oost walkiden in to eche place, whider euere thei wenten. [verse 21] Sothely thei that weren in the heeȝ rocke, senten legatis to Trifon, for to haste for to cume by desert, and sende to hem fodis. [verse 22] And Trifon made redy al the rydyng, for to

cume in that niȝt; sotheli ther was ful myche snowe, and he cam not in to Ga|ladithym. [verse 23] And whanne he neeȝide to Baschama, he slewȝ Jonathas and his sonys there. [verse 24] And Trifon turnyde, and wente in to his lond. [verse 25] And Symont sente, and toke the bonys of Jonathas, his bro|ther, and byryede hym in Modyn, citee of his fadris. [verse 26] And al Yrael weiliden hym with grete weylyng, and thei mourn|eden hym many days [a daye H.] . [verse 27] And Symont beeldide on the [Om. H.] sepulcre of his fadir and bretheren [his bretheren H.] an heeȝe beeldyng, with stoon polishid [polischid, or fair diȝt H.] byhynd and byfore. [verse 28] And he ordeynyde seuen smale bildyngus, broode bynethe and sharp aboue, oon aȝeinus oon, to his [Om. H.] fader, and moder, and foure bretheren. [verse 29] And to these he putte aboute grete pilers, and on the pilers armers, to euerlastynge mynd; and bysidis the [Om. G pr. m. H.] ar|mers [Om. G pr. m.] grauein shippis, whiche shulden be seen of men saylynge the see. [verse 30] This is the sepulcre that he made in Modyn, til in to this day. [verse 31] Forsothe whan Trifon maad waye with Antiochus, the [Om. H.] ȝunge [verse 32] kyng, in gijle he slewȝ hym, and regnyde in his stede; and he puttide on to hym the diademe of Asie, and made grete veniance in the lond. [verse 33] And Symont bild|ide the [Om. H.] strengthis [strengus K.] of Judee, wardynge hem with heeȝ tours, and grete wallis, and ȝatis, and lockis; and he putte fodis in strengthis [strengthingis H.] . [verse 34] And Symont cheese men, and sente to kyng Demetrie, that he shulde do remissioun to the cuntre, for alle the dedis of Trifon weren don by rauyshyng. [verse 35] And to these wordis kyng Demetrie answerde to hym, and wrote siche epistil [an epistle H.] . [verse 36] Kyng Demetrie to Symont, heeȝist prest, and frend of kyngus, and to elder men, and folc of Jewis, helthe. [verse 37] The golden crown, and baheu, whiche ȝe senten, we resceyueden, and ben redy for to make with ȝou grete pees, and for to

write to prepostus of the kyng, for to releese to ȝou what thingus we forȝauen; [verse 38] forsothe what euer thingus we ordeyn to ȝou, ben stable. The strengthis that [verse 39] ȝe bildiden, be to ȝou; and we forȝeue ignoraunces and synnes, til in to this day, and the crown that ȝe ouȝten; and ȝif eny other thing was tributarye, or bounden to tribute, in Jerusalem, nowe be it not tributarie. [verse 40] And ȝif eny of ȝou ben able for to be wryten to gydre amonge oure men, be thei writen togi|dre, and pees be bitwixe vs. [verse 41] In the hundrid ȝeer and seuentithe, the ȝoc of heithen men is taken away fro Yrael. [verse 42] And the peple bigan for to write in ta|blis, and opyn, or comun, doyinges, in the first ȝeer vndre Symont, heeist prest, grete duyk, and prince of Jewis. [verse 43] In thoo days Symont appliede to Gasan, and en|uyrounyde it with tentis, or men of armes, and made engynes, and appliede to the citee, and smote a toure, and toke it. [verse 44] And thei that braken out, weren bitwixe the engyne and in [Om. G sec. m. H.] the citee, and grete stiryng is maad in the citee. [verse 45] And thei steiȝiden vp, that weren in the citee, with her wijues, and sonys, on the walle, with her kotis kitt, and crieden with grete voice, axinge of Symont riȝt|hondis [riȝthoond A.] [verse 46] for to be ȝouen to hem, and saiden, Ȝeelde thou not to vs after oure malices, bot after thi mercyes, and we shuln serue to thee. [verse 47] And Symont bow|ide, or folden [fooldid A.] , fauȝte not aȝeinus hem, or ouercame not hem; netheles he castide hem out of the citee, and clenside out the housis in whom [whiche H.] weren symulacris, and thanne he entride in to it, with ympnus, blessynge the Lord. [verse 48] And alle vnclennesse cast out therof, he sette ther|ynne men, that shulden do the lawe; and he strengthide it [Om. A.] , and made to hym abitacioun. [verse 49] Forsothe thei that weren in

the [Om. H.] heeȝ rocke of Jerusalem, weren for|boden for to go out and go yn [Om. H.] , in to the cuntree, and to bye, and selle; and thei hungriden gretely, and many of hem perishiden for hungre. [verse 50] And thei crieden to Symont, for to take riȝthondis, and he ȝaue to hem; and he cast out hem fro thennus, and clenside the heeȝ rocke fro defoulyngus. [verse 51] And thei entriden in to it in the three and twentithe day of the secounde monethe, in the hundred and oon and seuenti ȝeer, with preisyng [pressyng K. herying H.] , and braunchis of palmes, and instrumentis of musik, and cymbalis, and nablis [nablis, or sautres H.] , and ympnis, and songis, for the grete enmye of Yrael is broken to gidre. [verse 52] And he ordeynede, that in alle ȝeeris these days shulden be don with gladdenesse. [verse 53] And he strengthide the hille of the temple, that was bisidis the heeȝ [greet H.] rocke, and dwelte there, he, and thei that weren with hym. [verse 54] And Symont seeȝ Joon, his sone, that he was a man of bateil, and he putte hym duyk of alle vertues, and he dwelte in Gasaris.