victory. danger, he difpofed his men for a brave defence; but the greatest part of them, being feized with a panic, forfook him, and fled; fo that he was left with only fifty refolute adherents, and two of his commanding officers, MattaHis brave, thias and Judas. With these he faced about, and fought defence and fo defperately, that the enemy began to give way; which being perceived at a diftance by his runaways, they rallied, and renewed the fight with fuch vigour, that they gained a complete victory, and purfued the Demetrians to their very camp at Cadefh; after this incident Jonathan fent his brother to befiege Bethfura, which had till then been garrifoned by heathens and renegado Jews, whilft he himself went and fecured fome of the principal cities of that province; particularly Afcalon, which opened its gates to him; Gaza, which he forced to furrender; and, in a word, all the towns from thence to Damafcus. Simon, on his fide, having made himself master of Bethfura, freed the neighbourhood from the continual infults of that garrifon, and returned to Jerufalem, whither he was foon followed by Jonathan. Gains feveral towns. Alliance with Rome renewed, and with Sparta. Thefe fucceffes of the two brothers abroad, had ftruck fuch a damp into their enemies at home, that they found all things in quietnefs at their return. However, Jonathan did not think fit to truft to the gratitude of the new king, to whom he had done fuch fignal fervices; but fet about means of preferving the peace and liberty of his nation on a more permanent footing. To this end he fent a new embaffy to Rome to renew his alliance with the fenate, which was executed with great readiness on their part. In their return, his ambaffadors were ordered to act the fame part with the Lacedæmonians, and other Grecian ftates, with whom they were in friendfhip; there too they executed their commiffion with all imaginable fuccefs. In their addrefs to the Lacedæmonians, the fubftance of which the reader will find in the note (O), they reminded g1 Macc. xi. 67, & feq. (O)" Jonathan, high-prieft, with the elders and priefts of the Jewish nation, unto the ephori, fenate, and people of Lacedæmon, their brethren, greeting: "Whereas we have found, among our records, a letter long fince written by Arius, one of your kings, to Onias, formerly high-priest of the Jews, wherein he expreffed your friendship and affinity to our nation, which affinity we acknowleged with greater honour, because we find it confirmed by our facred books: we have fent these our depu rians. reminded them of a letter formerly fent to their high-priest (Onias III.) by the Spartan king Arius, and inclofed a сору of it with their own. But whilft thefe alliances were tranfacting, news was brought to Jonathan, that the Demetrian generals, whom he had lately defeated, were advancing towards him with a more numerous army. To Invaded by prevent, therefore, their entering Judæa, he marched out the Sywith the utmoft expedition at the head of his forces, refolving, if poffible, to attack them in their own territories. He made fuch good fpeed, that he reached Amathis, a place on the frontiers of Syria, and encamped over-against them. Their defign, it feems, was to furprife his camp on the following night; but Jonathan, having timely notice of it, kept his men under arms all that night, ready to receive them; which vigilance being perceived by the enemy, they retired immediately into their camp; where They leave having lighted a good number of fires to conceal their their camp. flight, they forfook it, and marched off unperceived. When the morning gave the Jews notice of their flight, Jonathan ftrove in vain to purfue them; they were already far beyond the Eleutherus before he could reach that river. To make himself therefore fome amends for his difappointment, he fell upon fome Demetrian Arabs, Jonathan whom he defeated, and carried off a confiderable booty; plunders and from thence paffing through Damafcus, making excurfions all the way, he arrived at Jerufalem ". h1 Macc. xi. 62, ad fin. Antiq. lib. xiii. cap 9. ties to you, to renew the faid alliance and brotherly union with you, left we fhould be thought unmindful of it, by reafon of the long interval which has elapsed since the receipt of it. Be it therefore known unto you, that we have had you always in our minds, both in our folemn feftivals, and in our prayers and facrifices, as our brethren and allies, rejoicing at your fucceffes, and beholding with pleasure the profperity and fplendor of your republic. As for us, though we thought ourselves honoured by your friendship and alliance, (2) Jofeph. Antiq. lib. xiii. cap. 9. Simon's In the midst of thefe tranfactions, Simon, who had care of his been left to take care of Judæa and Galilee, kept a watchgarrijons. ful eye over thofe places he had lately fecured to Antiochus in the laft of thofe provinces. He reviewed the garrifons of Afcalon, and other fortreffes in that neighbourhood; and being told that the citizens of Joppa were inclined to receive a Demetrian governor, he reduced, and fecured it with a ftrong garrifon, and returned to join his brother at Judea and Jerufalem. Here they called a council, wherein it was Jerufalem refolved, that all the forts and fconces of Judæa fhould new-forti- be forthwith repaired; that others fhould be erected fied. Jonathan treacher ouly mur. dered by Tryphon. Yr. of Fl. 2208. Ante Chr. 144. Tryphon prepares to invade Judea. where they were wanted; that the wall of the city should be rebuilt; and a new wall be raised between Mount Sion and the reft of the city, of fuch a height, as might effectually cut off all communication between them; to the end that the garrifon of Acra, being thereby deprived of all future fupply, might be the fooner either forced to furrender or ftarve. All these refolutions were executed without loss of time; fo that the garrison of Acra was foon obliged to furrender. By this time Jonathan had governed the Jewish ftate near seventeen years, with great wisdom and fuccefs, when he was unhappily decoyed into the perfidious Tryphon's power, and foon after murdered. That traitor knew but too well how vain it would be to attempt to wreft the crown from the young monarch, whilft he had fo faithful and powerful an ally; and therefore spared neither promifes, oaths, nor any other treacherous means, to perfuade him to disband his numerous army, now become, as he pretended, useless and burdenfome. Jonathan, too easily prevailed upon to take that deftructive ftep, was foon after as unhappily decoyed into the city of Ptolemais, attended only by one thoufand of his men, who were all treacheroufly murdered by his order, and their chief only spared, till the villain had obtained a large fum from Judæa under the name of a ranfom, which was no fooñer paid, than Jonathan fuffered death. When the news of his being feized, and kept prifoner, and of the flaughter of his men, reached Jerufalem, the whole city was in the utmoft confternation. They doubted not but the perfidious murderer would foon be at their gates, and be joined by all the heathens and apoftate Jews, whom the bravery of their late leader had hitherto fuppreffed: and indeed their fears were but too well grounded; for Tryphon was making great preparations to march into Judæa, with full refolution to extirpate, if poffible, the whole whole nation. All their enemies, who had been till now kept in awe, exulted at Jonathan's fate. They began to express an impatient defire to see the land once more invaded, and to threaten the Jews with a fevere retaliation. Simon was now the only furviving fon of Mattathias; and the courage and conduct which he had fhewed hitherto, evinced him the only fit perfon to fucceed his brother. An affembly was therefore called in the outer court of the temple, in which he was, by their unanimous confent, defired to take the command upon him; a task which he Simon fucreadily undertook, not only as he was the next in fuccef- ceeds his fion, but that he might find fome means, either of releaf- brother. ing, or, at the worft, of revenging, his worthy brother. He was not only appointed commander in chief of their forces, but even promoted to the dignity of high-priest, in which office he was folemnly installed (P). His first care was to finifh the fortifications of the city with all speed, and to get together an army fufficient to cope with Tryphon, who was in full march against him. That traitor perceiving the Jews had taken fuch spirited measures for their defence, thought proper to temporize, and foon returned to Syria. As foon as he was gone, Si- Jonathan mon ordered the bodies of Antiochus and Jonathan, with Modin. his two fons, whom Tryphon had murdered, to be fetched Yr. of Fl. from the places where they died, and depofited in the 2205. fepulchre of his fathers at Modin, where a ftately monu- Ante Chr. ment was reared over them 1 (Q), i 1 Macc, xiii. 20, & feq. (P) How highly foever thofe Afmonean heroes may be admired on other accounts, yet there can be nothing faid in their excufe, except the neceffity and iniquity of the times they lived in, for acting in a two-fold oppofition to their law; to wit, ftripping the house of Judah of the royal power, by which that family became reduced to the loweft degree of poverty; and transferring the high-priesthood from that of Eleazar, the elder branch of the family of Aaron, into their Own. So that, upon the whole, thofe great men, though Antiq. ubi fupra. His extolled by their own writers to (Q) This noble piece of ar- H 3 alfo buried at 143. Alliance with Rome and Sparta renewed. His next care was to fend an embaffy to the Roman fenate, to notify to them the treacherous murder of his brother, with his fucceffion to his office, and to renew his alliance with them. They were to execute the fame commiflion at Lacedæmon; and in both places they were received with great honour. Both nations expreffed uncommon refentment at Tryphon's treachery, and chearfully renewed their friendship with Simon; to whom they fent letters of congratulation on his acceffion to the Jewish high-priesthood and government, together with the ratification of their alliance engraved on copper. All which being received, Simon caused them to be read before their great affembly; and then fet about fortifying afresh both Jerufalem and other places of Judæa, and raising new forces against any future invafion. Having thus far strengthened himself by alliances, and the land with men, arms, Embally to and other neceffary ftores, he fent an embaffy to Demetrius, whom Tryphon had, by this time, ftripped of almost his whole kingdom. He offered to acknowlege him king of Syria, and to affift him in the recovery of his kingdom from the ufurper, upon condition that he would confirm him in all his dignities, and his country in all their privileges and immunities. He reinforced his offers with a rich crown of gold, and fome other prefents. Demetrius, glad to accept the conditions, fent him a letter unJaver, and der the royal fignature, by which he granted all his de Demetrius. Demetri us's an large grants. mands, together with a general amnesty and oblivion for all paft hoftilities; conftituted Simon fovereign prince of the Jewish nation, and freed his land from all foreign yoke. From this time Simon took upon him the name and authority of prince and high-prieft of the Jews; which dignities having been confirmed to him, and to his defcendents, the next year, by an act of the fanhedrim, all public acts were ordered from thenceforward to be made in his name (R). alfo feven pyramids to be built Simon's top of it was adorned with fields, armour, fhips, and other fuch embellishments, curioufly carved. All which were still to be feen, not only in Jofephus, but in Eufebius and St. Jerom's time (3). (R) In pursuance and by virtue of this grant, the Jews (3) Eufeb, & Hier. loc. Hebr. from |