ARABESQUE HELLENISME

A.D. 1661

PREFACE

AND it happened, after that Alexander sonne of Phillip the Macedonian, who came out of the land of Chettiim, had smitten Darius king of the Persians and Medes, that hee reigned in his stead, the first ouer Greece, And made many wars, and wan many strong holds, and slew the kings of the earth, And went through to the ends of the earth, and tooke spoiles of many nations, insomuch, that the earth was quiet before him. And after these things he fell sicke, and perceiued that he should die. Wherefore he called his seruants, and parted kis kingdome among them. So Alexander reigned twelue yeeres, and (then) died.

And after his death his seruants all put crownes vpon themselues: and euils were multiplied in the earth. And there came out of them a wicked roote, Antiochus Epiphanes, sonne of Antiochus Basileon, who had beene an hostage at Rome; and he reigned in the hundreth and thirty and seuenth yeere of the kingdome of the Greekes...

FOURe TALES OF BLOODe:

IN the hundreth, fourescore, and eight yeere, the people that were at Ierusalem and in Iudea, and the counsel, and Iudas, sent greeting and health vnto Aristobulus, king Ptolomeus master, who was of the stock of the anointed priests, and to the Iewes that were in Egypt:

"Insomuch as God hath deliuered vs from great perils, wee thanke Him highly, as hauing bin in battell against a king. For He cast them out that fought within the Holy Citie. For when the leader was come into Persia, and the armie with him that seemed inuincible, they were slaine in the temple of Nanea by the deceits of Naneas priests. For Antiochus, as though hee would marrie her, came into the place, and his friends that were with him, to receiue money in name of a dowrie. Which when the priests of Nanea had set forth, and he was entered with a small company into the compasse of the temple, they shut the door to the temple assoone as Antiochus was come in: And opening a priuie doore of the roofe, they threw stones like thunderbolts, and stroke downe the captaine, hewed them in pieces, smote off their heads, and cast them to those that were without. Blessed be our God in all things who hath deliuered vp the ungodly!

CHAPTER II

NOW was there accused vnto Nicanor one Razis, one of the Elders of Ierusalem, a louer of his countrey men, and a man of very good report, who for his kindnesse was called a father of ye Iewes. For in former times, when they mingled not themselues with the Gentiles, he had bin accused of Iudaisme, and did boldly ieopard his body and life with al vehemency for the religion of ye Iewes. So Nicanor, willing to declare the hate that he bare vnto the Iewes, sent aboue fiue hudred men of war to take him: For he thought by taking him to do [the Iewes] much hurt. Now when the multitude would haue taken the towre, and violently broken into the vtter door, and bade that fire should be brought forth to burne it, he being ready to be taken on euery side fell vpon his sword; chusing rather to die manfully, than to come into the hands of the wicked, to be abused otherwise then beseemed his noble birth: But missing his stroke through haste, the multitude also rushing within the doores, he ran boldly vp to the wall, and cast himselfe down manfully among the thickest of them. But they quickly giuing backe, and a space being made, he fell down into the midst of the void place. Neuerthelesse while there was yet breath within him, being inflamed with raundon, he rose vp; and though his blood gushed out like spoutes of water, and his wounds were grieuous, yet hee ranne through the midst of the throng; and standing vpon a steepe rocke, when as his blood was now quite gone, hee pluckt out his bowells, & taken them in both his hands, hee cast them vpon the throng, and calling vpon the Lord of life and spirit to restore him those againe, he thus died.

CHAPTER III

THEN Nicanor and they that were with him came forward with trumpetries and songs. But Iudas and his company encountred the enemy with inuocations, and prayer. So that fighting with their hands, and praying vnto God with their hearts, they slew no lesse than thirty and fiue thousand men: for through the appearance of God they were greatly cheered. Now when the battell was done, returning againe with ioy, they knew that Nicanor lay dead in his harnesse. Then they made a great shout, and a noise, praising the Almighty in their owne language. And Iudas, who was euer the chiefe defender of the citizens both in body, and minde, commanded to strike off Nicanors head, and his hand, with his shoulder, & bring them to Ierusalem. So when he was there, he called them of his nation together, and set the priests before the altar, and sent for them that were of the Towre, And shewed them vile Nicanors head, and the hand of that blasphemer, which with proud brags had stretched out againts the Holy Temple of the Almightie. And when he had cut out the tongue of that vngodly Nicanor, he commanded that they should giue it by pieces vnto the foules of the air, and hang vp the reward of his madnesse before the Temple. He hanged also Nicanors head vpon the Towre, an euident, and manifest signe vnto all, of the helpe of the Lord. Thus went it with Nicanor: and from that time forth, the Hebrewes had the citie in their power.

CHAPTER IV

ABOUT that time came Antiochus with dishonor out of the countrey of Persia. For he had entred the citie called Persepolis, and went about to rob the Temple, and to hold the citie, whereupon the multitude running to defend theselves with their weapons, put them to flight; & so it happened, y Antiochus being put to flight of the inhabitants, returned with shame. Now when he came to Ecbatane, newes was brought him what had happened vnto Nicanor & Timotheus. Then swelling with anger, hee thought to auenge vpon the Iewes the disgrace done vnto him by those that made him flie. Therefore commanded he his chariot man to driue without ceasing, and to dispatch the iourney, the iudgment of God now following him. For he had spoken proudly in this sort, y he would come to Ierusalem, & make it a common burying place of y Iewes. But the Lord Almightie, the God of Israel smote him with an incurable and inuisible plague: for assoone as hee had spoken these words, a paine of the bowells that was remediles, came vpon him, & sore torments of the nether partes; And that most iustly: for hee had tormented other mens bowells with many and straunge torments. Howbeit hee nothing at all ceased from his bragging, but still was filled with pride, breathing out fire in his rage against the Iewes, and commanding to haste the iourney: but it came to passe that he fel downe fro his chariot, caried violently; so that hauing a sore fal, al the mebers of his bodie were much pained. And thus hee that a little afore thought he might command the waues of the sea, (so proud was hee beyond the condition of man,) and weigh the high mountaines in a ballance, was now cast on the ground, and carried in an horselitter, shewing foorth vnto all the manifest power of God. So that the wormes rose vp out of the body of this wicked man, and whiles he liued in sorrow and pain, his flesh fell away, and the filthinesse of his smell was noysome to all his army. And the man that thought a little afore he could reach to the starres of heauen, no man could endure to carry for his intollerable stinke. Here therefore being plagued, hee began to leaue off his great pride, and to come to the knowledge [of himself] by the scourge of God, his paine encreasing euery moment. And when hee himselfe could not abide his owne stench, hee saide these words, "It is meete to bee subiect vnto God, and that a man that is mortall, should not proudly thinke of himselfe, as if he were God." This wicked person vowed also vnto the Lord, (who now no more would haue mercy vpon him.) Thus that murtherer, and blasphemer hauing suffered most grieuously, as he entreated other men, so died he a miserable death, wallowing in wormes in a straunge countrey in the mountaines.

CHAPTER V

NOW there was in that place a towre of fifty cubites high full of ashes, and it had a round instrumet which on euery side hanged down into the ashes. And whosoeuer was condemned of sacriledge, or had committed any other grieuous crime, there did all men thrust him vnto death. Such a death it bifell that wicked man to die, not hauing so much as buriall in the earth, & that most iustly. For inasmuch as he had committed sinnes about the altar whose fire and ashes were holy, hee receiued his death in ashes. And here will wee make an ende."

And heere shall be an end.

Amen.

Editio Princeps, MDCLXI Londinium