“ And alle þe frendis of Judas ben gadrid, and saiden to Jonaþas, Siþen þi broþer Judas is dead, þer is no man lijc to hym, þat shal go out aȝeinus enmyes, Bachides and hem þat ben enmyes of oure folc. And so now we chese þee to day for to be prince to vs and duyk for hym, for to fiȝte oure bateil. And Jonaþas resceyuyde in þat tyme þe princehod, and rose in þe place of Judas, his broþer. And Bachides knewe, and souȝte for to slea hym. And Jonaþas knewe, and Symont, his broþer, and alle þat weren wiþ hym, and þei fledden in to desert Techue, and saten to gidre at þe water of þe lake Aphar. ”

“ And Maþatias answeride, and saide wiþ grete voice, And if alle folkis obeien to þe kyng Antiochus, þat þei go awey eche man fro seruice of þe lawe of his fadris, and consente to his maundementis, Y, and my sonnys, and my breþeren shuln obeie to þe lawe of oure fadris. God be helpful to us; it is not prophitable to us for to forsake þe lawe and riȝtwisnessis of God. We schulen not heeren þe wordis of kyng Antiochus, neþer shuln sacrifice, brekynge þe maundementis of oure lawe, þat we go anoþer way. ”

“ And whan Symont was ful of drinke, and his sonys, Pþolome roose wiþ his, and token her armers, and entriden in to þe feest, and slewen hym, and his two sonnys, and sume children of hym. And he did a grete disceyte in Yrael, and ȝeeldide yuels for goodis. And Pþolome wrote þese þingus, and sente to þe kyng, for to sende to hym an oost in to help, and he shulde bitake to hym þe cuntre and citees of hem, and tributis. And he sente oþer in to Gazara, for to do awey Joon; and þe tribune sente epistlis, þat þei shulden cume to hym, and he shulde ȝeue to hem syluer, and gold, and ȝiftis. ”

“ Þerfore ȝif any men of pestilence shuln flee fro þe cuntree of hem to ȝou, bytake ȝe hem to Symont, prince of prestis, þat he venge in to hem after his lawe. Þese same þingus ben wryten to kyng Demetrie, and Attalus, and Araba, and Arsaces, and in to alle cuntrees, and Sampsame, and Spartanyes, and Delo, and Myde, and Synone, and Carie, and Samyum, and Pamphiliam, and Lysiam, and Alacarnasum, and Rodum, and Phaselida, and Reo, and Sydon, and Arado, and Gortynam, and Gnydum, and Cypre, and Cyrenen. Forsoþe ensaumple of þese þei han wryten to Symont, prince of prestis, and to peple of Jewis. ”

“ Þerfore, sonys, be ȝe confortid, and do ȝe manly in þe lawe; for whan ȝe shuln do whiche þingus ben bedun to ȝou in þe lawe of þe Lord ȝour God, in it ȝe shuln be glorious. And loo! Symount, ȝour broþere; I wote, for he is a man of counseile, heere ȝe hym euermore, and he shal be fadir to ȝou. And Judas Machabeus, stronge in miȝtis fro his ȝouþ, be he to ȝou a prince of kniȝþode, and he shal do bateil of þe peple. And ȝe shuln brynge to ȝou alle doars of þe lawe, and venge ȝe þe veniaunce of ȝoure peple. Ȝelde ȝe ȝeeldynge to heiþen men, and take ȝe tent in to þe heest of lawe. ”

“ And þei ȝauen not tente to her wordis; soþely þei sawen, for þei camen wiþ greet oost. And þe congregacioun of scribes camen to gydre to Alchymus and Bachides, for to axe what þingus be iust; and þe first Assideys, þat weren in þe sonys of Yrael, and þei axiden of hem pees. Soþely þei saiden, A man, prest of þe seed of Aaron, cummeþ, he shal not disceyue vs. And he spac wiþ hem pesible wordis, and swore to hem, sayinge, We shuln not ȝeue to ȝou yuels, neþer to ȝoure frendus. ”

“ Al makyng to gidre, or ournyng, þerof is born awey; she þat was free, is maad hond mayden. And loo! oure holy, and oure fairnesse, and oure cleerte, is desolate, and heiþen men defouliden it. What þerfore ȝit to vs for to lyue? And Maþatias kitte, and his sonys, her cloþis, and hilliden hem wiþ hayris, and weiliden gretely. And þei þat weren sente of kyng Antiochus, camen þidre, for to constreyne hem þat fledden to gydre in to þe citee Modyn, for to offre and brenne encensis, and for to departe fro þe lawe of God. And many of þe peple of Yrael consentynge camen to hem ”

“ Kyng Antiochus to Symont, þe grete prest, and to folc of Jewis, helþ. For soþli men berynge pestilence weeldiden þe rewme of oure faders, forsoþe Y wole venge þe rewme, and restore it, as it was byfore; Y made þe chosen multitude of oost, and made shippus of werre. Forsoþe Y wole go forþ by cuntrees, þat Y do veniaunce in to hem þat distruyede oure cuntree, and þat maden many citees desolate in my rewme. Now þerfore Y ordeyne to þee alle offringus, þat alle kyngus byfore me forȝauen to þee, and what euer oþer ȝiftis þei forȝauen to þee ”

“ Caste hem doun in þe swerd of men louynge þee, and to gidre preyse þee alle þat knewen þi name, in ympnys. And þei sente, or ioyneden, to gidere bateile, and fyue þousand of men fellen doun of þe oost of Lisias. Lisias forsoþe seeynge þe fliȝt of hyse, and þe hardynesse of Jewis, and þat þei ben redy eþer for to lyue, eþer for to dye strongly, wente to Antioche, and cheese kniȝtis, þat þei multiplied eftsone shulden cume in to Judee. Forsoþe Judas saide, and his breþeren, Loo! oure enmyes ben broken togidre ”

“ And ȝif eny of ȝou ben able for to be wryten to gydre amonge oure men, be þei writen togidre, and pees be bitwixe vs. In þe hundrid ȝeer and seuentiþe, þe ȝoc of heiþen men is taken away fro Yrael. And þe peple bigan for to write in tablis, and opyn, or comun, doyinges, in þe first ȝeer vndre Symont, heeist prest, grete duyk, and prince of Jewis. In þoo days Symont appliede to Gasan, and enuyrounyde it wiþ tentis, or men of armes, and made engynes, and appliede to þe citee, and smote a toure, and toke it. ”

“ Onye to Jonaþas, þe grete prest, helþe. It is founden in wrytyng of Sparciatis, and Jewis, for þei ben breþeren, and for þei ben of þe kyn of Abraham. And nowe siþen we knewen þese þingus, ȝe don wel, wrytynge to vs of oure pees. Bot and we aȝein writen to ȝou. Our beestis and oure possessions ben ȝour, and ȝour oure. And so we comaundiden, for to telle þese þingis to ȝou. And Jonaþas herde, for þe princis of Demetrie wenten out wiþ miche oost, ouer þat byfore, for to fiȝte aȝeinus hym. And he wente out fro Jerusalem, and ranne aȝeinus hem in þe cuntree of Amaþiþa ”

“ And he clepide alle his freendis, and saide to hem, Sleep passide awey fro myn eeȝen, and Y departide, and felle doun in herte for bysynesse; and saide in my herte, In to hou grete tribulacioun came Y, and in to what wawis of heuynesse in whiche Y am nowe, þat was myri, and biloued in my power? Now forsoþe Y biþenke of þe yuelis þat Y dide to Jerusalem, fro whennus and Y toke alle golden spuylis, and sylueren, þat weren þeryne; and Y sente wiþ outen cause, men dwellynge in Judee for to be don awey. ”

“ And eche soule of Jewis, þat is caitif of þe lond of Juda, in al my rewme, Y leue wilfully wiþ out money; þat alle be soiled of her tributis, ȝea, of her beestus. And alle solempne days, and saboþis, and neomenyes, and alle days ordeyned, and þree days before þe solempne day, and þree dais after þe solempne day, be alle dais of ynmunite, or fraunchise, and of remissioun, to alle Jewis þat ben in my rewme. And no man shal haue power for to do eny þing, and moue needis, or causis, aȝeinus eny of hem in al cause. And þat þere be writen to of Jewis in þe kyngus oost, to þritti þousandis of men ”

“ After þese wordis Romaynes ordeynyden to þe peple of Jewis, Þat ȝif after þese wordis, þese or þei shuln woln for to putte eny þing to, or do awey, þei shuln do of her purposyng; and what euere þingus þei shuln putte to, or do awey, þei shuln be stedfast. Bot and of yuels whiche kyng Demetrie haþ don in to hem, we han writen to hym, sayinge, Whi hast þou greeuyd þi ȝock vpon oure freendis and felawis, þe Jewis? Þerfore ȝif eft soone þei shuln cumme to vs aȝeinus þee, we shuln do dom to hem, and we shuln fiȝte wiþ þee by lond and see. ”

“ And Jonaþas axide of þe kyng, þat he make Judee free, and þree princehodis of þree placis, and Samarie, and niȝ coostis þerof; and he bihiȝte to hym þre hundrid talentis. And þe kyng consentide, and wrote to Jonaþas epistlis of all þese þingus, conteynyng þis manere. Kyng Demetrie to Jonaþas, broþer, helþe, and to folk of Jewis. Þe ensaumple of þe epistle whiche we han wryten to Lascheny, oure fadre, of ȝou, we senten to ȝou, þat ȝe shulde wite. Kyng Demetrie to Lascheny, fader, helþe. ”

“ And Jonaþas gadride his folc, and is maad to hem a grete prest, and he is put to his peple. And þe enmyes of hem wolden defoule holy þingus, and distruye þe cuntre of hem, and strecche forþ þe hond in to holy þingus of hem. Þanne Symont aȝeinstode, and fauȝte for his peple, and ȝaue myche moneys, and armyd men of vertu of his folc, and he ȝaue to hem sowdis; and strengþide þe citees of Juda, and Beþsura, þat was in þe eendis of Judee, wher bifore weren armers of enmyes, and he puttide þere help, or strengþe, men Jewis. ”

“ And he wrote an epistle, and sente vp þese wordis, sayinge, Kyng Alisaundre to Jonaþas, broþer, helþe. We han herde of þee, þat þou art a miȝti man in strengþis, and art able þat þou be oure freend. And nowe ordeyne we þee to day heeȝist prest of þi folk, and þat þou be clepid freend of þe kyng. And he sente to hym purpre, and a golden crowne, þat þou feele wiþ vs what þingus oure ben, and kepe frenshipis to vs. And Jonaþas cloþide hym wiþ þe holy stoole, in þe seuenþe moneþe, in þe hundrid and sixtiþe ȝere, in þe solempne day of Senophegie. And he gadride an oost, and made copiouse armers. ”

“ And a man saide to his neiȝbore, Ȝif we alle shuln do as oure breþeren diden, and shuln not fiȝte aȝeinus heiþen men, for oure soulis, and oure iustifiyngis, sunner þei shuln distruye vs of erþe. And þei þouȝten in þat day, sayinge, Eche man who euer shal cum to vs in bateile, in day of saboþis, fiȝte we aȝeinus hym, and dye we not alle, as oure breþeren ben dead in priuy places. Þan þe synagoge of Jewis, stronge in miȝtis of Yrael, is gadrid to hem, euery wilful man in lawe; and alle þat fledden fro yuels, ben addid, or put, to hem. ”

“ And to þese he putte aboute grete pilers, and on þe pilers armers, to euerlastynge mynd; and bysidis þe armers grauein shippis, whiche shulden be seen of men saylynge þe see. Þis is þe sepulcre þat he made in Modyn, til in to þis day. Forsoþe whan Trifon maad waye wiþ Antiochus, þe ȝunge kyng, in gijle he slewȝ hym, and regnyde in his stede; and he puttide on to hym þe diademe of Asie, and made grete veniance in þe lond. And Symont bildide þe strengþis of Judee, wardynge hem wiþ heeȝ tours, and grete wallis, and ȝatis, and lockis ”