¶ Holoferne•• is sent of Nabuchodonosor, to sub due al the worlde. The preparacyon and pursute of Holofernes.
CAPI. II.
IN the thyrtenth yeare of Kynge Nabu∣chodonosor, [unspec A] vpon the. xxii. daye of the fyrst moneth, it was deuysed in the courte of Nabuchodonosor y• Kynge of the Assirians, that he wolde detende hym selfe. So he cal∣led vnto hym all the elders / all his captay∣nes / and mē of warre, and shewed them hys secrete coūsel, & tolde them that his purpose was / to brynge the whole earth vnder his domynyon. Nowe when they were all con∣tent with this sayenge, Nabuchodonosor the kynge called Holofernes the chefe cap∣tayne of his warres, & sayde vnto hym: Go thy waye forth agaynste all the Kyngdo∣mes of the west, and specially agaynst those that haue despised my cōmaundemēt. Thou shalt spare no realme, all strōge cyties shalt thou brynge in subteccyon vnto me.
Then Holofernes called together al the [unspec B] captaynes & rulers of all the power in Assi∣ria, & mustred the soudyers vnto the hoste (lyke as y• Kyng commaunded him (namely an hundred & twentye thousande fightynge men vpon fote, & twelue thousande archers vpon horsebacke. All his ordinaūce sent he before wt an inunmerable multytude of ca∣mels, so that y• hoost was well prouyded for wyth oxen: and smal catell, & that wythout nombre. He caused corne to be prepared out of al Siria for his host. Much gold & siluer also toke he out of the Kynges house. So [unspec C] he toke his iourneye / he and all his hoost, with charettes / horsmen, & archers: of whō there were so many, that they couered the grounde of the lande, lyke the greshopers.
And when he was gone past the borders of the Assyrians, he came towarde the great mountaynes of Ange, which lye vpon y• left syde of Celicia: & so he went vp into al theyr castels, and wanne euery stronge holde. As for the welthy cytie of Melothus, he brake it downe / & spoyled all the chyldrē of Thar∣sis and the Ismaelites, which laye towarde the wyldernes, & vpon the South syde of y• lande of Chelon. He wente ouer Euphrates also, & came into Mesopotamia and brake downe all the hye cyties that were there, frō [unspec D] the broke of Mambre tyl a man come to the see: and he toke the borders in from Celicia vnto y• coastes of Iaphet towarde y• South. He caryed awaye all the Madiates, & spoy∣led all theyr goddes, & whosoeuer withstode hym / he slewe them with the swerde. After thys he wente downe into the felde of Da∣mascus in the tyme of haruest / & brente vp all the corne & all the trees / and caused the vynes to be cut downe. And the feare of him fell vpon all them that dwelt in the earth.