hood, and other dignities. Animated with these great hopes, he marched through the fouthern territories of Judah, probably because the other was too mountainous and craggy for his elephants and cavalry; and laid fiege to the fortrefs of Bethfura. Judas, who was then at Jerufalem, having first implored the divine bleffing on his arms, set out with his little army to its relief. On the road there appeared to them a man on horseback in rich fhining armour, and seemingly brandishing his fpear against their enemies. This fight, whatever it was, gave his men fuch Is defeated, a flush of courage, that they fell like lions on the Syrian camp, killed eleven thousand foot, and put the rest to flight. conditions. Lyfias, now more than ever convinced, how impoffible Sues for it would be to carry on the war against fuch an enemy, peace. with either honour or advantage, fent Judas fome overtures of peace, with a promise, that it should be ratified by the king his mafter, and that the young prince should make him all the conceffions he fhould with juftice demand. Judas accepted the propofal, and fent foon after John and Abfalom, two of his captains, with the condi- Judas's tions upon which he would agree to a peace, to Lyfias, who caused them to be forthwith conveyed to Antiochus. They contained upon the whole a general amnesty for whatever had been done before; a total revocation of the late edict against the Jews; and safe paffports for commiffioners to pafs from Jerufalem to Lyfias, or, if need required, to Antioch. These conditions were readily granted by the king; and two letters were fent, one to the vernor, and the other to the Jewish fenate. Lyfias likewife wrote to them, as did alfo Q. Memmius, and T. Manlius, two Roman ambaffadors to the Syrian court. From these it appears, how ready both the governor and his master were to agree to a peace with the victorious Jews, and how friendly thofe two Romans had interpofed their good offices on their behalf (D). It appears alfo The apofby the king's letter, that Menelaus, the apoftate high- nelaus proprieft, who in all likelihood was then at the Syrian court, motes the had also laboured to promote this peace, and was defirous peace, w 2 Maccab. xi. 1—13. (D) Lyfias's letter being dated from the month Diofcorinthius, or, as the Latin verfion abridges it, Diofcorus, has very much puzzled the chro go nologifts, because there is no to Agreed to by the Sy rians. tate Me Syrian generals diflike the peace. to be included in it; fince he was fent back to Jerufalem by Antiochus, as his letter terms it, to comfort or confirm the Jews *. This peace, however, which feems to have been obtained from the young king by the fole intereft of Lyfias, was not agreeable to the other Syrian generals; so that, as foon as Lyfias had retired to Antioch, Timotheus, Apollonius, another of that name, and fon of Genneus, Hieronymus, Demophon, and Nicanor, governor of Cyprus, began to renew their hoftilities against the Jews. The neighbouring nations were equally forward to infeft them. But Judas could ftay no longer to revenge himself on thofe perfidious wretches, becaufe Timotheus, by this time at the head of a fresh army, had entered the land of Gilead. He therefore marched directly to their affiftance; but had scarce gone nine furlongs, before he was attacked by a band of Arabian Nomades, in number about five thousand foot, Judas de- and five hundred horfe. A fierce engagement immediately feats the enfued, in which Judas having got the better, forced those Arabians. free-booters to fue for peace; and granted it to them the more readily, that his march into Gilead might not be ftopt. However, he obliged them to furnish him with a certain number of cattle and provifions, and extorted a promife, that they fhould affift him in any thing he should require of them; after which agreement, he marched in all hafte to the other fide Jordan, to attack the Syrian general. Here he met with feveral other obftacles, and was forced to take fome places in his way. The first of them was Cafpis, or Cafphin, a city well fenced with high walls, and fo well provided within, that the inhabitants, trufting to their own ftrength, threw many fcornful farcafms at the Jewish army; but Judas affaulted it with fuch unexpected bravery, that he made himself mafter of it, and put all the inhabitants to the fword, infomuch that a neighbouring lake, about two furlongs broad, was feen running with blood a. Takes feoveral towns. The people of Cafpis put to the fword. Characa taken; From thence he marched into the land of Tob, where the Jews, called from thence Tubieni, had fhut themselves up in the fortrefs of Characa; and whence Timotheus having in vain tried to dislodge them, was gone, after having left a good garrifon in a place strongly fituate within its neighbourhood to keep them in awe. Judas fent two of his generals with a detachment to take that garison, whilst x 2 Maccab. xi. 32. z 2 Maccab. xii. 9-12 y 2 Maccab. xii. 1, & feq. ad 9. a Ibid. 12-16. he, and Timo theus de he, with the rest of his army, marched in fearch of the Syrian chief. Dofitheus and Sofipater, the two Hebrew generals, foon after forced the garifon, and put it to the fword, to the number of ten thousand. By this time Timotheus had affembled an army of a hundred and twenty feated. thousand foot, and two thousand five hundred horse. When he heard that Judas was in full march against him, he fent all the women, children, and other luggage, into Carnion, a strong city of Gilead, and very difficult of accefs, whilft he himself encamped in the neighbourhood of Raphon, upon the borders of the river jabbok. As foon as Judas was come near enough for his vanguard to be seen by the enemy, they feem to have been seized with a panic; for, they made fuch hafte to fly from him, that they wounded one another with their own weapons in the flight. In this retreat Timotheus loft thirty thoufand of his men; and, unable to rally the reft, betook himself to flight alfo. Thofe who efcaped the flaughter, finding themselves clofely purfued, fled into Carnion, and a great number of them went and took refuge in the temple of Atargatis. Judas, who came close after them, burnt the Carnion temple, and them in it; then fetting fire to the reft of taken and the city, they all perished likewise, either by the flames, or by his fword, to the number of twenty-five thoufand (E). burnt. burnt, and rafed. In his way to Judæa, he was of neceffity to pass through Ephron Ephron, that city being fo advantageously fituate, that he taken, could neither turn to the right nor the left. It was moreover well fortified, and peopled by strangers of all nations. He therefore fent, in a peaceable manner, to demand a paffage through it; but the inhabitants, inftead of opening their gates to him, fhut, and even walled them up, and prepared themselves for fuftaining a fiege. Judas therefore caufed it to be proclaimed through his camp, that every man should scale the walls in the place that chanced to be over-againft him. On the other hand, the city, which had been well garrisoned by Lyfias, had (E) As for Timotheus, he fell in his flight into the hands of Dofitheus and Sofipater, who were hafting from the land of Tob to join their commander. These two captains, however, were perfuaded by him to give him his liberty, upon promife that he would placed placed their choiceft men on the battlements. The affault was fierce, and lafted the whole day; at length Judas carried it, put all the males, about twenty-five thoufand, to the fword, took their wives and daughters captive, feized all the richest plunder, and burnt and quite erazed the place. From Ephron, croffing the Jordan, he fpread his army along the plains of Beththan, then called Scythopolis, a confiderable city, about a hundred furlongs from JeJudas's rufalem. Here he enquired of the Jews, how they had friendship been treated by the Scythians; and, they anfwering much 10 the Scy to the commendation of that people, Judas returned them thopolitans. thanks for their kindness to his brethren, exhorted them to live in friendship with them, and affured them of his Returns to own, and then continued his journey towards Jerufalem. Jerufalem. During their march, Judas kept ftill in the rear of his 1 army, encouraging thofe that lagged behind, and brought them at length to that metropolis about the time of Pentecoft. Here they went to the temple to return thanks to God for their quick and wonderful success ↳ (F). b Judas had ftill a powerful enemy left: Georgias, governor of Idumæa, was at the head of that nation, and had haraffed the Jews for fome time. He therefore made no longer ftay at Jerufalem than the continuance of that fefMarches tival, immediately after which he marched at the head of againfi only three thousand foot, and four hundred horse. The Georgias. two armies met, and the onfet was fo fierce on both fides, that Judas, till then fo victorious, had the mortification to fee fome of his men killed on the spot. Dofitheus likewise, a brave captain of his, having seized the Idu b I Maccab. v. 46, & feq. (F) Quick and wonderful indeed! if we confider, that the peace could not be broken as foon as made, and that it was concluded on the fifteenth of Xanthicus, answering to the beginning of our April; and that the feast of Pentecoft fell either on the latter end of May, or beginning of June; fo that in lefs than two months time they burnt the two havens and fleets of Joppa and Jamnia, beat the Arabian Nomades, took the city of Cafpis, de 2 Maccab. xii, 30, & feq. mæan mæan general, had his arm cut off close to the fhoulder by a Thracian horseman, and was forced to quit his prifoner, who took that opportunity to fly into Marefa, a fortrefs near Eleutheropolis. Another part of his troops, commanded by Efdrin, had fuftained the shock fo long, that they were quite exhaufted. At length Judas having Defeats again revived his men by fresh prayers, the enemy took him. fright and fled; a circumftance which gave him an opportunity of rallying his fcattered forces, and retiring to Odollam, a town near the field of battle, where they purified themselves for the fabbath then enfuing. From Takes Hethence Judas falling upon the fouthern parts of Idumæa, bron, and took Hebron, and other fortreffes; after which he wrefted towns. Azotus from the Philiftines, pulled down all their images and altars wherever he paffed, and returned to Jerufalem, loaden with fresh laurels and plunder. other news to All this while the fortrefs of Acra remained in the hand of the enemy, and not only hindered many of the Jews from reforting to the temple, but annoyed thofe that did, efpecially in Judas's abfence. Upon his return from Befieges Odollam, he refolved to form the fiege of it; and to that Acra. end gathered together his whole army, furnishing himself with engines for throwing large ftones, and other inftruments for the fiege. The place was very ftrong, and the garrifon numerous, and well furnished with arms and provifions. But the renegado Jews, a great number of Some renewhom were then in the place, and knew the valour of gado Fews Judas and his troops, finding that they should be forced carry the at length to furrender, and knowing how little mercy Antiochus ; they had to hope for from the conqueror, advised the commanders to make a vigorous fally, in order to give an opportunity to fome of their brethren to go to Antioch, and inform the young king of their diftrefs. Their advice was taken, and the fally fo well managed, that a number of those renegadoes, with fome officers, found an opportunity to divide from the reft, and to take the way to the court unperceived. Upon their arrival, they informed the king of all that Judas had done. They added, that he perfecuted with the moft mercilefs hatred all that dared fhew any fidelity to the Syrians; that he plundered, facked, and put to the fword all that came in his way; that, in order to shake wholly off the Syrian yoke, he had befieged the garrifon of Acra, which had been placed there to keep their metropolis in awe; and that it must c 2 Macc. xii. ver. 39, ad fin. undergo |