The Byble in Englyshe that is to saye, the content of all the holye scrypture, bothe of the olde and newe Testament, truly translated after the veryte of the Hebrue and Greke textes, by the diligent studye of dyuers excellent lerned [men e]xperte in the fore[saide] tongues.

¶ The punishmēt of the▪ vii. brethren and of they•• mother.

CAPI. VII.

IT happened also that there were. vij. bre¦thren (with theyr mother) taken, & cōpel∣led [unspec A] by the kynge agaynst the lawe to eate swynes flesh: namely w^t scourges & ••er••ren whyppes. And one of them whiche was the these, sayde: what sekest thou, & what requi∣rest thou of vs? As for vs, we are readye ra∣ther to suffre death, then to offede the lawes of God & the fathers. Then was the kynge angrye, and ••ad heate cauldrons & brasen pottes. Whiche when they were made hote, immediatly he cōmaunded the tonge of hym that spake fyrst, to be cut out to put y^• skyn∣ne ouer his head, to pare of the edges of his handes & fete: yee and y^• in the syght of hys mother and the other of his brethrē. Nowe when he was cleane marred, he cōmaunded a fyre to be made, and so (whyle there was any breath in hym) to be fryed in the cau∣dron: In the which when he had bene longe payned, the other brethren with theyr mo∣ther exhorted him to dye manfully, sayeng: The Lorde God shall regarde the trueth, •• comforte vs, lyke as Moses testifyeth and declareth in his songe, sayenge: and he wyll haue compassyon on hys seruauntes.

So when the fyrst was deed after thys maner, they brought the secōde to haue him [unspec B] in derysyon, pulled the skynne w^t the heare ouer his heade, & asked him, yf he wold eat•• swynes flesh, or he were payned in the other mēbres also thorow out his bodye. But he answered boldly, & sayde: I wyll not do it. And so was he tormented like as the fyrst, •• when he was euen at the geuyng vp y^• gost, he sayde: Thou most vngracious personne puttest vs nowe to death, but y^• kyng of the worlde shall rayse vs vp (which dye for hys lawes) in y^• resurreceiō of euerlastyng lyfe.

After him, was the th••rde had in dery∣syon: and whē he was requyred, he put out his tonge, & that right soone, holdyng forth hys bandes manfully, & spake w^t a stedfast fayth: These haue I of heauē, but nowe for the lawe of God I despyse thē: for my trust is, y^t I shall receaue thē of hym agayne. In so much y^t the kynge & they which were with him, marueled at the yong mans boldnesse, that he nothynge regarded the paynes. [unspec C]

Nowe when he was deed also, they vexed the fourth with tornementes in lyke maner. So when he was nowe at hys death, he sayde: It is better y^• we beynge put to death of men, haue our hope and trust in God, for he shall rayse vs vp agayne. As for the, thou shalt haue no resurreccyon to lyfe.

And when they had spoken to the fyfth, they tormented hym. Thē loked he vnto the kyng, & sayd: thou hast power among men, for thou art a mortal man also th•• self, to do what thou wylt, but thynke not, that God hathe forsaken oure generacion. A••yde the

tary styl a whyle, and thou shalt se the great power of God, howe he wyl punysh the and thy sede. After hym they brought the syxte, which beynge at the poynte of death, sayde: Be not disceaued (O kynge) for this we suf∣fre for our owne sakes, because we haue offē ded our God, & therfore meruelous thinges are shewed vpon vs. But thynke not thou, whiche takest in hande to stryue agaynste God, that thou shalt escape vnpunyshed.

This excellent mother (worthy to be well [unspec D] reported of, and had in remembraūce) sawe her seuen sonnes dye in one day, and suffred it paciently, because of the hope that she had in God: yee, she exhorted euery one of thē in especyall, and that boldly & stedfastly with perfyte wysdome, wakynge vp her wyuysh thought with a manly stomacke, and sayde vnto them: I can not tel how ye came in my wōbe, for I nether gaue you breth nor soule, no nor lyfe. It is not I y^• ioyned the mēbres of youre bodyes together, but the maker of the worlde, whiche fashyoned the byrth of man, & beganne all thynges. Euen he also of his owne mercy shall geue you breath & lyfe agayne, lyke as ye nowe regarde not youre owne selues for hys lawes sake.

Nowe thought Antyochus that she had despysed hym, therfore he let her go with her reproues, and beganne to exhorte the yongest sōne (which yet was lefte) not onely with wordes but swore vnto hym with an othe, that he shulde make hym a ryche and welthy man (yf he wolde forsake the lawes of hys fathers) yee, and that he shulde geue hym, what soeuer were necessarye for hym. [unspec E] But when the yonge man wolde not be mo∣ued, for all these thynges, he called hys mo∣ther, and counceled her to saue her sonnes lyfe. And when he had exhorted her with many wordes, she promysed hym that she shulde speake vnto her sonne. So she tur∣ned her vnto hym (laughynge the cruell ty∣raunte to scorne) and spake with a bolde voyce: O my sonne, haue pytie vpō me, that bare the. ix. monethes in my wombe, that gaue the sucke, noryshed the and brought the vp vnto thys age.

I beseche the (my sonne) loke vpon heauē and earth and all that is therin, & consydre, that God made them and mans generacyō of nought: so shalt thou not feare this hang man, but suffre death stedfastly, lyke as thy brethren haue done: y^• I maye receaue the againe in the same mercy with thy brethren.

Whyle she was yet speakynge these wor¦des, the yonge man sayde: Whom loke ye for? Wherfore do ye tary? I wyll not obeye the kynges cōmaundement, but the lawe that God gaue vs by Moses. As for thou that ymagyneste all myschefe agaynste the Iewes, thou shalte not escape the hande of [unspec F] God, for we suffre these thynges, because of oure synnes.

And though God be angry with vs a lytle whyle for oure chastenynge and refor∣macyon) yet shall he be at one agayne with his seruaūtes. But thou. (O shameful and moste abhomynable personne.) Pryde not thy selfe thorowe vayne hope, in beynge so malycyous vpon the seruauntes of God: for thou hast not yet escaped the iudgement of the God whiche is almyghtye, and seyth all thynges. My brethren that haue suffred a lytle payne, are nowe vnder the couenaū•• of euerlastynge lyfe: but thorowe the iudge¦ment of God, thou shalt be punyshed righte ously for thy pryde.

As for me (lyke as my brethren haue done) I offce my soule and my body for the lawes of oure fathers, callynge vpon God, that he wyll soone be mercyfull vnto oure people: yee and with payne and punyshmēt to make the graunte, that he only is God, In me nowe and in my brethren the wrath of almyghtye God is at an ende, whiche ryghteously is fallen vpon all oure people.

Then the kynge beynge kyndled in an∣ger, was more cruell vpon hym then vpon all the other, and toke indygnacyon, that he was so lyghtly regarded. So thys yonge man dyed vndefyled, and put his trust styll in the Lorde. Last of al after the sōnes, was the mother put to death also. Let this nowe be ynough spoken, concernynge the offryn∣ges, and extreme cruelnesse.

Notes

• 〈◊〉〈◊〉. xi. ••.
• D••ut. 32. c.
• Iohn. v. c.
• 〈…〉〈…〉 D〈…〉〈…〉
• ••. 〈…〉〈…〉