The .v. Chapter.
2 Of the signes and tokens seene in Hierusalem. 6 Of the ende and office of Iason. 11 The pursute of Antiochus against the Iewes. 15 The spoyling of the temple.
[unspec A] 1 ABout the same time Antiochus vndertoke his second viage into Egypt.
2 And then were there seene throughout all the citie of [Hierusalem] fourtie dayes longe, horsmen running in the ayre, with robes of golde, and as bandes of speare men,
3 And as troupes of horsmen set in aray, incountering and coursing one against another, with shaking of shieldes and multitude of dartes, and drawing of swordes, and shooting of arrowes, and the glittering of the golden armour seene, and harnesse of all sortes.
4 Wherefore euery man prayed that those tokens might turne to good.
5 Now when there was gone foorth a false rumour, as though Antiochus had ben dead, Iason toke a thousand men, and came sodenly vpon the citie: the cite∣zins ranne vnto the walles, at the last was the citie taken, and Menelaus fled into the castle.
6 As for Iason, he spared not his owne citezins in the slaughter, neither consi∣dered he what great euill it were to de∣stroy the prosperitie of his owne kinse∣men: but did as one that had gotten the victory of his enemies, and not of his friendes.
[unspec B] 7 For all this gat he not the superioritie, but at the last receaued confusion for his malice, * 1.1 and fled againe lyke a vaca∣bound into the land of the Ammonites.
8 Finally, for a rewarde of his wicked∣nesse, he was accused before Aretha the king of the Arabians, insomuch that he was faine to flee from citie to citie, be∣ing despised of euery man as a forsaker of the lawes, and an abhominable per∣son: and at the last as an open enemie of his owne naturall countrey and of the citezins, he was driuen into Egypt.
9 Thus he that afore put many out of their owne natiue lande, perished from home him selfe: he went to Lacede∣mon, thinking there to haue gotten suc∣cour by reason of kinred.
10 And he that afore had caste many one out vnburied, was throwen out him selfe, no man mourning for him, nor put∣ting him in his graue: so that he neither enioyed the buriall of a straunger, nei∣ther was he partaker of his fathers se∣pulchre.
11 Now when this was done, the king suspected that the Iewes woulde haue fallen from him, wherefore he came in a great displeasure out of Egypt, * 1.2 & toke the citie by violence.
12 He commaunded his men of warre also, that they should kill and not spare: but slay downe such as withstoode them, or clymed vp vpon the houses.
13 Thus was there a great slaughter of [unspec C] young men, olde men, women, children, and virgins.
14 In three dayes were there slaine four∣score thousand, fourtie thousand put in prison: and there were as many solde as were slaine.
15 Yet was he not content with this, but durst go into the most holy temple of al the worlde, Menelaus that traytour to the lawes and to his owne naturall