Ælfric

“ He gathered then his host, and went with great array
to Judea-land, and many people with him.
Judas then came to him, and his companions said,
' How may we, being so few, fight against the multitude,
now that we are weakened with toil and fasting? '
Judas answered them resolutely, and quoth,
'It is no difficulty to the Almighty God,
with few men or with a vast army
to help in battle, and support them whom He will,
because that victory is ever from heaven. ”

“ Then shall we be God's champions in the spiritual battle,
if we despise the devil, through true belief,
and the chief vices [cardinal sins] , through self-control,
and if we perform God's will with our works.
The ancient people of God had to fight then with weapons,
and their contest had the signification of holy men
who drive away vices and devils from them
in the New Testament, that Christ Himself appointed. ”

“ Four and twenty months goeth the mother with foal;
and three hundred years they live, if they be not crippled;
and man may tame them wonderfully for battle.
The whale is of all fishes greatest, and the elephant is of all beasts greatest,
but nevertheless man's skill may tame them.
The heathen then went to the battle swiftly,
and with mulberries emboldened the elephants,
because mulberries are to them the pleasantest of food.
There was a very terrible army of the heathen men,
but nevertheless Judas went against them with war,
and slew there soon six hundred men ”

“ Judas then encouraged his companions with words,
and fasted one day, praying for assistance
from the Almighty God, that He would protect them,
and defend His holy temple against the heathen.
They went then, thus encouraged, towards the battle,
and Judas then again spake to all his companions —
'Be ye girt about strongly for this hard contest,
because that it is better for us, that we should die in battle
than see this misery upon our kindred thus,
and upon our sanctuary; but even as the heavenly God
will do concerning us, so let it be! ”

“ They believed then, in the old manner, in Almighty God,
though that some of them [afterwards] denied the Saviour,
and even so slew (Him) , as He himself desired.
Well then, Eupator, Antiochus' son,
gathered his army far and near,
and sent a hundred thousand of marching men,
and twenty thousand of mounted men,
and thirty elephants, all tamed,
and trained to war with wonderful craft.
Five hundred mounted men went with each elephant,
and on each elephant was a war-house built,
and in each war-house were thirty men,
fighting with craft and going with eagerness. ”

“ Then sent the king to the aforesaid thane,
and bade them all bow down to his blind gods,
and offer to them sacrifice, and abandon God's law.
But Mattathias would not hear the wicked one,
nor transgress God's law for his wrathful threat.
Therewith there came in sight of them all
a Jewish man to the devil-image,
and offered his offering, as Antiochus commanded. ”

“ They went then from the city, emboldened by God,
and they fought together firmly with weapons.
Lo! then wonderfully came five angels from heaven,
riding on horses with golden apparel,
and twain of the angels on both sides of Judas
were fighting, and eke defended him;
and they all five fought on the side of Judas,
shooting their arrows and fiery lightnings
on the heathen people, till they, lying-down, died,
twenty thousand men, and six hundred [horsemen] slain. ”

“ Then went all in, and slew all the heathen,
and destroyed the borough, and turned them homeward,
until that they came safe to (their) land,
and offered their offerings to the living God,
thanking His protection that they all (thus) sound
had come again to their country out of so great danger.
But their comrades at home fought unwarily
against the heathen people, transgressing Judas' leave,
the while that he was away, and were then slain,
very many men, when they fought without wisdom. ”

“ Then quoth Judas to his comrades, that he would do away the filth
out of the temple of God, which the wrathful Antiochus
had commanded (men) to rear there, in the heathen wise.
And they went thereunto, and did away the filth
out of the house of God, and raised up the praise of God
after Moses' law, with much joy,
and offered to God sacrifice with belief and song.
§ V. I Macc. v. 1-68; and 2 Macc. xii. 39-45. ”

“ Then became the executioners, who had addressed him kindly,
very much angered because of that answer,
and they dragged him to the tortures that he might be killed;
and he then ended his life with faith.
There were also taken and led to the king [2 Macc. vii. i.]
seven brethren, very believing;
and their mother together, and them they vexed with scourging,
that they should eat bacon, against God's law. ”

“ But he verily considered that they that with true religion
in death shall decease, that they with the Lord shall have
the happiest gift in the true life.
It is a holy thought, and religious to pray
for those who are departed, that they may be released from sins.
§ VI. 2 Macc. X. 24-38.
VI. It saith in the Second Book of Maccabees thus;
that Timotheus, who before fled at the ford from Judas,
that he again gathered a second army to him,
and wished with weapons to subdue the Jews, R
and came then with an army, ready to fight ”

“ The sixth brother; and he, dying, quoth,
'Err not thou vainly, though the Lord permit thee
that we for our sins become such a spectacle;
and think not thou concerning thyself that thou shalt be untormented,
now (that) thou fightest against God ”