¶ The cōming of Enpater into Iewrye. The deth of Me∣nel mo▪ Machabeus goynge to fyght against Eupater, mo∣neth his soudrats vnto prayer. He kylleth .xiiii. Women in the tētes of Antiochus. Robocus the betraier of the Iewes is taken. Antiochus retayneth frendshipe with the Iewes.
CAPI. XIII.
IN y•. Cxlix. yeare gat ‡ 1.1 Iudas knowlege, [unspec A] y• Antiochus Eupater was cōming with a great power into Iewry, & Lisias the ste∣warde & ruler of his matters with hym ha∣uing an. C. & x. M. men of fote. v. M. hors∣men. xxij. Elephātes. &. iii. C. charettes. Me¦nelaus also ioyned himselfe with them (but with great disceat) & spake faire to the kīge not for any good of y• coūcre, but because he thought, to haue bene made some great mā of auctoryte. But y• kyng of kinges moued Antiochus mynde agaynst thys vngodly personne, and Lysias infourmed the kyng, * 1.2 that thys Menelaus was the cause of all myschefe: so that the king commaunded to take him, and (as the maner of them is) to put him vnto death in the same place.
There was also in the same place a tower of. L. cubites hye, heapped with asshes: but aboue it was so made, that men might loke downe on euery syde. Where into the kinge cōmaunded that shameful person to be cast among the asshes, as one that was cause of all vngraciousnes. And reason it was that the vnthrift shuld dye such a death, and not to be buried for he had done much mischefe vnto the aulter of God (whose fyre & asshes were holy) therfore was it ryght, y• he hym selfe also shulde be destroyed wyth asshes.
But y• kynge was wood in hys mynde, and came to shewe him self more cruell vn∣to the Iewes, then hys father was. Whiche [unspec B] when Iudas perceaued, * 1.3 he cōmaūded the people to cal vpon y• Lorde night and day: that he wold now helpe thē also, lyke as he had done alwaye: For they were afrayed to be put from theyr lawe, from theyr natu∣rall countre and from the holy temple: and not to suffre the people (which a lytle while afore beganne to recouer) to be subdued a∣gayne of the blasphemous nacions.
So when they had done thys together, [unspec C] and besought the Lord for mercy, with we∣pynge and fastynge thre dayes longe, flat vpon the groūde: Iudas exhorted them, to make them selues ready. But he and the el¦ders together deuised, to go forth first with theyre people, afore the kynge brought hys hoost into Iewry, and afore he beseged the cytie, & so to cōmytte the matter vnto God.
Wherfore he ascrybed the power of all thynges vnto God the maker of y• worlde, exhorting his people to fyght māfully (yee, euen vnto death) for the lawes, the temple, the cyte, theyr owne natyue countre, and to defende the eytesins: and set his host before Modyn. He gaue them also that were with him, a token of the victory of God, chosyng out the mālyest yonge men, wente by night into the kynges pauylyō, slewe of the hoost xiiii. M. men, * 1.4 & the greatest Elephantes, wyth those that sat vpon them.
Thus when they had brought a greate [unspec D] feare and rumour amōge the tētes of theyr enemyes, & all thynges wente prosperously with thē, they departed in the breake of the day, God deyng theyr helper and defender.