up Filing these heathens to destroy to enable him to take possession of Eupator returning home, soon put an end to this defection and insurrection, by killing the usurper Philip in a battle, and routing his party. But he did not succeed so well against Demetrius, the son of Seleucus Philopater, who now appeared, and claimed the kingdom in right of his father, the elder brother of Epiphanes. This Demetrius had been sent to Rome, as an hostage, in exchange for his uncle Antiochus Epiphanes, the same year his father died; and Antiochus, returning at that instant, was declared king, in prejudice to Demetrius. Demetrius had often sollicited the assitance of the Roman senate, under whom he was educated, to restore him to his kingdom; but reasons of state swayed with them rather to confirm Eupa. for, a minor, in the government, than to assert the right of one of a mature understanding. Failing in this application to the senate, De. metrius resolved to throw himself upon Providence; and leaving Rome privately, he got safe to Tripolis in Syria. Here he gave out that he was sent by the Romans, and was to be supported by them with forces During this space the Jews, enjoyed an uninterrupted peace; but having refused to acknowledge Alc'. mus as their high-priest, for havingg apostatised in the time of the perso cution; Alcimus addressed himself to the new king Demetrius, and ob. tained his protection against Judes Maccabæus; and by false sugges tions and misrepresentations so exasperated the king against Judas and his party, that Demetrius ordered Bacchides to march an army into Judæa, to confirm Alcimus in the pontificate. Alcimus was also joined in commission with Bacchides to carry on the war; and, upon the promise of a safe conduct, having got the scribes and doctors of the law into their power, put sixty of them to death, in one day. Bacchides left Alcimus in possession of the country, with some forces for his support; with which he committed many outrages and murders, and did much mischief. Another large body of troops, which he had solicited, was sent nnder the command of Nicanor to his assistance, in order to destroy Judas, and disperse his followers, and to support him effectually in the high-priesthood. as Nicanor, who had experienced the the enemy. Yet Judas, full of con-good conduct and valour of Judas. fidence in the providence of God, a general, proposed a compro-, and the goodness of his cause, fol-, mise: but Alcimus expecting more lowed by this handful of brave men,. advantage to himself by a war, went charged the enemy, and broke their again to the king, and persuaded him right wing, where Bacchides comto oblige Nicanor to renew the war, manded in person, and pursued them and subdue Judas. The war was with great slaughter as far as the carried on for some time with various mountains of Azotus; and must have success, till Nicanor was killed in a gained a complete victory, had not his pitched battle near a village called little army been followed and encomBethoron; and his whole army con- passed by the left wing. Finding sisting of 35,000 men having thrown themselves thus surrounded and atdown their arms, took to flight, and tacked with so superior a force, the were cut off in the pursuit. Upon Jews bravely resolved to sell their this victory a day of solemn and pub. lives at a dear rate; and Judas being lic thanksgiving was appointed, and killed, such as survived him saved an anniversary memorial thereof orthemselves as well as they could by dered to be observed every succeed- flight. The body of Judas was caring year. ried off by his brothers Simon and Jonathan, and buried in the sepulchres of his ancestors, at Modin, with great funeral pomp and honours. Judas-finding how faithless the Sy rians were in their observance of treatics, thought by entering into a league of mutual amity and defence with the Romans, his nation, from so powerful an ally, would find security against the perfidy of those people. Jason and Eupolemus were sent to Rome, upon this ambassage, and soon had the ratification of a treaty of mutual defence between the two nations confirmed and granted to them; with a letter to Demetrius, requiring him to desist from giving the Jews any fur. ther disturbance, as he respected the power, and protection the Roman arms would afford to the Jews, now their allies. But, while this league was negociating, Demetrius had sent Bacchides with Alcimus, and a numerous army, to revenge the defeat and death of Nicanor. At this time Judas had no more than 3000 men left to oppose him; and of these all but 800 deserted them, at the report of the number and strength of Bacchides, after this success, became master of the whole country, and treated the adherents of the Maccabees, with so much cruelty, that Jonathan at the head of hiş distressed associates retired to the wilderness of Tekoa. This little army of his, was here encamped with a morass on one side, and the river Hither BacJordan on the other. chides pursued them; and having secured the pass to their encampment, attacked them on their sabbath, and lost a thousand men in the assault, before the Maccabees gave way; and being at length overpowered with numbers, they threw themselves into the river, and escaped by swimming to the other side, without being pursued. About this time Alcimus died suddenly of a palsy: and Demetrius having received the letter from the senate of Rome, commanding him to desist from vexing the Jews, recalled Bacchides; so that Jonathan hereupon found himself in a condition to bring his affairs into better order. But this state of rest lasted only two years; for the malcontents invited Bacchides to return, and promised to favour and support him in the enterprise, and to deliver up Jonathan to him. But before this confederacy and conspiracy took place, Jonathan had information thereof; and put to death fifty of the principal conspirators. When Bacchides with his army arrived, Jonathan and his brother Simon were prepared to op pose and defeat the measures that had been concerted by him and his friends, and so distressed and harrased his army, without suffering them to come to a pitched battle, that Bacchides wearied out hereby, put several of those that had invited him to undertake that expedition to death; and making peace with the Maccabees, restored what prisoners he had made, and obliged himself by oath never more to molest or invade the Jews. When Jonathan found himself delivered from this enemy and in quiet possession of Judæa, and that there was nothing now to fear from Bacchides, he punished the apostate Jews with death; reformed the church and state and rebuilt the walls about the temple and city of Jerusalem. The high-priesthood, which had now been vacant seven years, he was invested with at the nomination of Alexander; who, by the assistance of the Roman senate, and the management of Heraclides, had claimed the crown of Syria in right of his pretended father Antiochus Epiphanes. Jonathan accepted Alexander's proposals, though De metrius made him more advantageous offers; suspecting that the latter were not real, and only applied to serve his present purpose. This was so accep table to the new king, that after he had beat and slain Demetrius, and was become master of the whole Syrian monarchy, he invited Jonathan to be present at his marriage with Cleopatra, daughter of Ptolemy, king of Egypt; and, besides other great personal honours, conferred on him the post of general of all his forces in Judæa, Persia and Syria, with the government of that province. This prosperous situation of Jona than was soon after disturbed by Apollonius, governor of Calosyria for taking part with youug Deme." trius, the son of the late king, who had concealed himself with his brother Antiochus in Crete, during the late troubles, and was now landed in Cilicia, with on army of merce. naries, had collected a numerous army, and marched as far as Jamnia, to reduce Jonathan, and gave him battle. Jonathan went out to oppose him with a body of 10,000 men; laid siege to and took Joppa, in sight of the enemy; afterwards gave Apollonius battle, beat him and pursued his broken forces to A zotus; where he killed 8000 men, set fire to and destroyed the temple of Dagon, with the city, and put the inhabitants to the sword. This good service so engaged Alexander's respect and confidence, that he gave him the golden buckle (a mark of distinction used by the royal family of Persia) and the city and territories of Ekron. After this, a surprising revolution happened in Syria. Alexander had called in to his assistance his fatherin-law Ptolemy Philometor; but he having received information that Alexander had ungratefully conpsired bis death, he took away with him his daughter Cleopatra, and gave her to Demetrius; and turning his arms a gainst Alexander, he settled Demetrius upon the throne; and, after gaining a complete and decisive victory, obliged Alexander to flee into Arabia; where Zabdiel, the king of the country, took off his head, and sent it to Ptolemy, who soon after died of the wounds he received in the late battle. Demetrius took now on himself the name of Nicator, or conqueror; and had summoned Jonathan to appear before him, to answer the complaint of his laying siege to the citadel of Jerusalem. Jonathan however found means by presents to pacify the king, and obtained from him not only a confirmation of the high-priesthood, but with it a grant of some additional privileges for the Jews. These favours, and the king's promise to withdraw the heathen garrison from Acra, so effectually recommended and secured his interest with Jonathan, that when Demetrius was afterwards in danger of being put to death by an insurrec tion of the army of Antioch, on account of the stoppage of pay, he marched 3000 men to his assistance, set fire to a great part of the city, killed 100,000 of the inhabitants, and obliged the rest to surrender and throw themselves upon the king's mercy. Yet these good services, and the engagements he had in consequence entered into with Jonathan, were notwithstanding soon after recalled by Demetrius. For as soon 1.8 he thought the storm and danger from it was 'over, he would have compelled Jonathan, under pain of levying the same by military execu tion, to pay the customary taxes and tribute of his predecessors. But he was diverted from this attempt by fresh troubles at home, occasioned by Tryphon, a distontented courtier. Tryphon with some soldiers that had revolted from Demetrius, undertook to set Antiochus Theos, the son of the late Alexander Balas, on the throne of Syria. Antiochus in an engagement entirely vanquished Demetrius, and obliged him to retire into Seleucia. Jonathan on this occasion declared for the new king; and obtained from him a confirmation of the pontificate, &c. and the command also of all the king's forces from Tyre to Egypt for his brother Simon. Demetrius resenting Jonathan's revolt, marched against him; but he was much worsted in the attempt: for he was repulsed in two engagements; lost Gaza, and all the country round about as far as Damascus, with Joppa in the land of the Philistines. Jonathan after this renewed his alliance with the Romans and Lacedemonians, and fortified Jerusalem: Tryphon thinking this a fit time to pull off the mask he had worn, was contriving how he might quit himself of Antiochus, and reign in his stead; but fearing an opposition from Jonathan, he prevailed with him, with a small part of his army, consisting only of 1000 men, to accompany him to Ptolemais, which he promised to deliver to him. But Jonathan no sooner entered the city, but the gates were shut on him, his men were put to the sword, and himself seized. The Jews hereupon appoint Simon, Jonathan's brother, their general, and against him Tryphon marched; but before they came to any action, he insidiously proposed to restore Jonathan to his liberty, on condition of his paying only one hundred talents; and that his two sons should be given as hostages for the payment. Simon was pursuaded to comply with this demand; but Tryphon having received the money, put the father and his two sons to death and Having also murdered the young king Antiochus, put the crown of Syria on his own head. Simon hearing that his brother was murdered, and buried at Bascoma in Gilead, sent and brought his body from thence, and buried it under a stately monument of white marble, which he erected for that purpose at Modin: the government and highpriesthood being settled on him and his heirs, he offered his services to Demetrius, then at Laodicea; who, on that account, discharged the Jews from all manner of tribute to any foreign prince. Simon hereupon takes Sion, the fortress of Jerusalem; drives out of the city all idolaters; clears the houses of their idols, and establishes in the city the true worship of God only. Demetrius about this time was persuaded to head the Elymæan, Parthian, and Bactrian revolters against Mithridates, king of Parthia, whilst Simon applied himself to fortifying his cities; and reducing the fortress of Acra; which he took, and levelled the mount on which it was built to the ground. Mithridates at last vanquished Demetrius, and after he had taken him prisoner, gave him his daughter Rhodaguna in marriage. Cleopatra, who had shut herself up in Seleucia, was so exasperated hereat, and seeing her husband prisoner, that, to secure her sclf from the tyranny of Tryphon, she ofers herself in marriage, with the crown, to Antiochus Soter, her brother-in-law, then in Crete Antiochus accepts the proposal and upon his landing in Syria with an army of mercenaries, he soon found himself so strengthened with a numerous accession of deserters from Tryphon's ar my, whose vices had rendered him o dious to his soldiers, thst he drove him out of Syria, besieged him in Dora, whence he fled into Apamea, near the mouth of the Orontes, where he was taken and put to death. Antiochus hereby became posses- ́ sed of his father's throne; assisted however herein by Simon, who had sent him 2000 men on this occasion; and whose friendship Antiochus sollicited by letters, and Pnised to reward it with many new privileges to be granted the Jews. But when Antiochus found himself secured from all opposition, he broke his word with Simon; and redemanded Joppa, Gazara, and the fortress of Jerusalem, or a thousand talents in lieu thereof. On Simon's refusal, Antiochus sent Cendebeus with an army to lay waste Judea. Simon, assisted by his sons Judas and John Hyrcanus, put his army to flight at the first onset, and killed a great number of them in the pursuit. After this, Simon and his sons Judas and Mattathias, traversing the cities of Judea, and taking care for their orderly government, came down to Jericho, where they were perfidiously murdered by Ptolemy, Simon's son-in-low, whom he had made governer of those parts, at an enter |