“ For whi whan in Perse was þe duyke hym self, and wiþ hym al þe oost, he felle in þe temple of Nauee, disceyuyd bi þe counseil of þe prest of Nauee. Forsoþe as to dwellyng wiþ hym Antiochus came to þe place, and his freendis, and for to take myche moneys by name of dower. And whan prestis of Nauee hadden putte hem forþ, and he wiþ fewe entride wiþ ynne cumpas of þe temple, þei closiden þe temple, whanne Antiochus had entride. And þe priuy entree of þe temple opnyd, þei sendinge stoons smyten þe duyk, and hem þat weren wiþ hym, and departiden lym mele ”

“ Þan heiþen men þat fledden Judas fro Judee, flocmele ioynyden hem to Nychanore, gessynge þe myseistees and deþis of Jewis prosperitees of her þingus. And so þe cummynge of Nychanore herd, and þe cummynge to gidre of naciouns, Jewis spreynt wiþ erþe preyeden hym, þat ordeynyde his peple in to wiþ outen eende for to keepe, and whiche keuerde, or defendide, his part wiþ opyn signys. Forsoþe þe duyk comaundynge, anoon þei moueden fro þennus, and camen togidre to þe castel Dessau. Symont forsoþe, broþer of Judas, ioynyde wiþ Nychanore, bot he is to gidre broken wiþ sudeyn cummynge of aduersaries. ”

“ Lord God, of alle þingis maker of nouȝt, dreedful and stronge, iust and mercyful, whiche aloon art a good kyng, aloon ȝeuynge, aloone iust, and almiȝti, and wiþ out bigynnyng and eend, whiche delyuerist Yrael fro al yuel, whiche madist chosen faders, and halewidist hem; take þou sacrifice for al þy peple Yrael, and keepe þi part, and halewe. Gadre oure scateryng, delyuere hem þat seruen to heiþen men, and biholde þou dispisid men, and maad abomynable, þat heiþen men wite, þat þou art oure God. Tourment þou men oppressynge vs, and doynge dispite in pride. ”

“ And Machabeus, þe multitude gadrid, was maad vnsuffreable to heiþen men; forsoþe þe wraþ of þe Lord is conuertid in to mercye. And he aboue cummynge to castels and cytees, vnwarnyd, brente hem; ocupyinge couenable places, ȝaue not fewe sleayngis of enmys. Soþely in niȝtis he was most born to syche out rennyngis; and fame of his vertu was shed out euery wher. Forsoþe Philip seeynge þe man bi litil and litil for to cume to profit, or encrese, and ful ofte þingus bifalle to hym eesili, or in prosperite, wrote to Tholome, duyk of Celescirie and Fenyce, þat he shulde bere help to þe kyngis needis. ”

“ Soþely whan fyue ȝeer stryf, or fiȝt, was wirshipid in Tyre, and þe kyng was present, Jason ful of grete trespassis sente fro Jerusalem men synners, berynge þree hundrid dragmes of syluer in to sacrifice of Ercules; whiche þese men þat baren out axiden, þat þei weren not ȝouen in sacrifices, for it needide not, bot in to oþer spensis hem for to be ordeynyd. Bot þese soþely ben offrid of hym þat sente in to sacrifice of Ercules; soþely for men present þei ben ȝouen in to makynge of grete shippis. Forsoþe Appollonye, sone of Nesteye, sente in to Egipt for primatis of Tholome Philometoris, kyng ”

“ Forsoþe we byholdynge þe multitude of bookis, and hardnesse, to men willynge for to assaile, or bygynne, þe tellyngis of stories, for multitude of þingus, soþely we curiden, or hadden bysynesse, þat it were delectacioun, or lykyng, of ynwitt to men willynge for to reede; forsoþe þe studyouse, þat þei miȝten liȝtlyer bytake to mynde; forsoþe to alle men reedyng profit be ȝouen. And soþely we token to oure self þat resceyueden þis werk, bi cause of abreggyng, not liȝt traueil, bot soþely a needefull of wakyngis and of swote. ”

“ Wherfore alle men preyeden, þe monstris, or wondres, tokne of þingus to cummyng, for to be togidre turned in to good. Bot when fals rumour, or tiþing, wente out, as Antiochus hadde gon out of lijf, Jason sodeynly assailide þe citee, a þousand men taken to, not lesse; and þe citeseyns togidre fleeȝinge to þe wall, at þe last þe citee taken, Menelaus fleiȝ in to þe heeȝ rocke. Forsoþe Jason sparide not in sleaynge to his citeseyns, neþer he þouȝte prosperite aȝens cosyns; demynge most yuel, for to be hym to takynge victories of enmyes, and not of citeseyns. ”

“ Forsoþe in armers and hondis doynge alle þingis welsumly, he slewȝ in þe two strengþis more þan twenti þousandis. And Tymoþe, þat byfore was ouercummen of Jewis, an oost of straunge multitude gadrid togidre, and þe ridyng, or horsmen, of Asie gadrid, came to as wiþ armers, to takynge Judee. Forsoþe Machabeus, and þei þat weren wiþ hym, hym neiȝinge, bisouȝten God, springinge þe hed wiþ erþe, and byfore gird þe leendis wiþ heiris, þei fooldid doun at heeȝnesse of þe auter, þat he helpful to hem, forsoþe were enmye to þe enmyes of hem, and to þe aduersaries were aduersarie, as þe lawe saiþ. ”

“ Forsoþe prestis castiden hem self byfore þe auter, wiþ prestis stolys, and ynclepiden fro heuen hym þat ȝaue lawe of þingus put in keepyng, þat he shulde keepe hem saaf to þese þat hadden putte hem in keepyng. Nowe forsoþe he þat seeȝ þe chier of þe heeȝist prest, was woundid in sowle; forsoþe þe face and colour inchaungid, declaride þe ynward sorewe of soule, or ynwitt. Forsoþe sum sorewfulnesse was shed about to þe man, and hydousnesse of body, by whiche þe sorewe of herte was maad knowen to men byholdynge. ”

“ Bot whan enmytees in so myche camen forþ, þat by summe necessaries, or niȝ freendis, of Symount man sleayngus weren don, Onye, byholdynge þe perel of strijf, and Appolonye for to be wood, as duyk of Celescerie and Fenyce, for to encresce þe malice of Symont, ȝaue hym self to þe kyng; not as acuser of citeeseins, bot biholdynge anentis hym self þe comoun profit of al þe multitude. Forsoþe he seeȝ, for to be inpossible pees for to be ȝouen to þingus wiþout þe kyngus puruyaunce, neþer Symont mowe ceese of his foly. ”

“ Þerfore holy and helþful þenkynge is, for to preye for dead men, þat þei be vnbounden fro synnus.
Capitulum XIII In þe hundrid and nyne and fourtiþe ȝeer Judas knewȝ, Antiochus Eupator for to cume wiþ multitude aȝeinus Judee; and wiþ hym Lisias, procuratoure and prepoost of needis, wiþ hym hauynge an hundrid and ten þousand of foot men, and of horsmen fyue þousand, and olyfauntis two and twenti, chaaris wiþ sykelis þree hundrid. Forsoþe and Menelaus ioynyde hym to hem, and wiþ grete disceit bisouȝte Antiochus, not for helþe of þe cuntree, bot hopynge hym for to be ordeynd in to princehod. ”

“ Wherof Menelaus goynge to Andronyk, preyede þat he slewȝ Onye. Whiche whan he came to Onye, and riȝt hondis ȝouen wiþ ooþ, þouȝ he was suspect to hym, counseilide hym for to go forþ of asile, anoon slewȝ hym, not dreedynge riȝtwisnesse. For whiche cause not oonly Jewis, bot and oþer naciouns, weren wroþe, and baren heuyly of þe vniust deþ of so grete a man. Bot Jewis at Antioche, and Greekis, togydre pleynynge of þe vniust deþ of Onye, wenten to þe kyng, turnyd aȝein of þe places of Cilicia. ”

“ As þese þat maken redy a feest, and seekyn for to plese to þe wille of oþer men, for grace of many men, we susteynen wilfully traueile; forsoþe grauntynge þe trewþe of alle autours, bot we oure self studyinge to shortnesse, after þe fourme ȝouen. Forsoþe as it is for to cure, or bisie, to þe wriȝt of þe new hous, of al þe beeldyng; to hym soþely þat bisieþ for to peynte, þo þingus ben to be souȝt out, þat ben couenable to ournyng ”

“ Bot þese ben said to ȝou in fewe to monestynge of men redynge; now forsoþe it is to cume to þe tellynge. Þerfore Eleasarus, oon of þe former of scribis, or men of lawe, a man woxen in age, and fair in cheer, ȝanynge wiþ open mouþ, was compellid for to ete swynys flesh. And he biclippynge, or desijrynge, more gloriouse deþ, þan hateful lijf, wilfully wente byfore to tourment. Forsoþe he byholdynge hou it bihoft for to go to, paciently susteynynge, ordeynyde for to not do vnleeful þingus for loue of lijf. ”

“ Bot sorewis not ceesynge, forsoþe þe iust dome of God had aboue come in to hym, he dispeyrynge wrote to Jewis, in to maner of biseechynge, epistlis, conteynynge þese þingis. To þe best citeseyns, Jewis, most helþe, and wele for to fare, and to be ryche, or in prosperite, þe kyng and prince Antiochus. Ȝif ȝe faren wele, and ȝoure sonys, of sentence alle þingus ben to ȝou, we don most þankyngus. And Y in sekenesse ordeyned, soþely myndeful of ȝou benygnly, turnynge aȝein fro places of Persis, and cauȝte wiþ greuouse enfirmytee, led needful for to haue cure for comyn profit ”

“ For whi and ȝif in þis tyme Y be delyuerd fro tourmentis of men, bot neþer quyck neþer dead Y shal ascape þe hond of Almiȝti. Wherfore in passyng þe lijf strongly, soþely Y shal appere worþi of age; forsoþe Y shal leue stronge ensaumple to ȝunge men, ȝif Y be perfitly sett in onest deþ wiþ redy inwitt, and strongly for þe worþiest and holyest lawis. Þese þingis said, anoon he was drawen to tourment. Forsoþe þese þat ledden him, and a litil byfore weren mylder, ben turned in to wraþ, for þese wordis said of hym, whom þei demyden brouȝt forþ by pride of herte. ”

“ Soþely he ordeynyde his breþeren duykis, or leeders, to eche ordre, Symont, and Josephus, and Jonaþas, to eche a þousand and fyue hundrid sugettid. Also to þis þing, þe holy boke red to hem Esdra, and a tokne ȝouen of Goddis help, in þe first sheltrun he duyk, ioynyde wiþ Nychanore. And þe Almiȝty maad help to hym, þei slewen ouer nyne þousande of men; forsoþe þei constreyneden þe more part of Nychanoris oost, maad feble by woundis, for to flee. Forsoþe þe moneys of hem þat camen to þe bying of hem taken vp, on eche syde þei pursueden hem; bot þei turnyden aȝein closid to gidre bi an houre ”

“ Quintus Menius and Titus Manylius, legatis of Romayns, to þe peple of Jewis, helþe. Of þese þingis þat Lisias, cosyn of þe kyng, grauntide to ȝou, and we grauntiden. Forsoþe of whiche þingus he demyde to be tolde aȝein to þe kyng, anoon sende ȝe sume man, diligentlyer spekyng amonge ȝou, þat we deme as it acordiþ to ȝou. Forsoþe we gon to Antiochie, and þerfore haste ȝe for to aȝein write, þat and we wite of what wille ȝe ben. Fare ȝe wel. In þe hundrid ȝeer and foure and fourtiþe, þe fiftenþe day of þe moneþ Sandici. ”

“ Forsoþe as he knewȝ Philipp for to haue rebellid at Antiochie, whiche was left on needis, he astonyed in mynde, bisowȝte Jewis, and suget to hem, sweriþ of alle þingis, of whiche it is seen iust; and recounseilinge offride sacrefice, wirshipide þe temple, and puttide ȝiftis. He byclippide Machabeus, and made hym duyk and prince fro Tholomaida vnto Gerreyns. Soþely as he came to Tholomaida, men of Tholomaida baren greuously þe accordyng of frendship, hauynge indignacioun, lest perauenture þei braken pees. ”