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+The Project Gutenberg EBook of The Hammer. A Story of the Maccabean Times
+by Alfred John Church and Richmond Seeley
+
+
+
+This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with almost no
+restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under
+the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or
+online at http://www.gutenberg.org/license
+
+
+
+Title: The Hammer. A Story of the Maccabean Times
+
+Author: Alfred John Church and Richmond Seeley
+
+Release Date: December 31, 2013 [Ebook #44550]
+
+Language: English
+
+Character set encoding: UTF‐8
+
+
+***START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE HAMMER. A STORY OF THE MACCABEAN TIMES***
+
+
+
+
+
+                               _THE HAMMER_
+
+
+
+
+
+              [Illustration: _The Cave among the Mountains._]
+
+
+
+
+
+                               THE HAMMER
+
+                    _A STORY OF THE MACCABEAN TIMES_
+
+
+                                   BY
+                         ALFRED J. CHURCH, M.A.
+       _Lately Professor of Latin in University College, London_
+                                  AND
+                             RICHMOND SEELEY
+
+
+
+_With Illustrations by __JOHN JELLICOE_
+
+
+LONDON
+SEELEY AND CO. LIMITED
+ESSEX STREET, STRAND
+1890
+
+
+
+
+
+                                 PREFACE
+
+
+It is not so very long since the Apocrypha was found in almost every copy
+of the English Bible, but in the present day it is seldom printed with it,
+and very seldom indeed read. One or two of the writings included under
+this name are trivial and even absurd; but, on the whole, the Apocryphal
+books deserve far more attention than they receive. Among the foremost, in
+point of interest and value, must be placed the First Book of Maccabees.
+Written within fifty years of the events which it records, at a time, it
+must be remembered, that was singularly barren of historical literature,
+it is a careful, sober, and consistent narrative. It is our principal, not
+unfrequently our sole, authority for the incidents of a very important
+period, a period that was in the highest degree critical in the history of
+the Jewish nation and of the world which that nation has so largely
+influenced. It is commonly said that the great visitation of the Captivity
+finally destroyed in the Hebrew mind the tendency to idolatry. But the
+denunciations of Ezekiel prove to us that the exiles carried into the land
+of their captivity the evil which they had cherished in the land of their
+birth, and it is no less certain that they brought it back with them on
+their return. It grew to its height in the early part of the Second
+Century B.C., along with the increasing influence of Greek civilization in
+Western Asia. The feeble Jewish Commonwealth was more and more dominated
+by the powerful kingdoms which had been established on the ruins of the
+empire of Alexander, and the national religion was attacked by an enemy at
+least as dangerous as the Phœnician Baal-worship had been in earlier days,
+an enemy which may be briefly described by the word Hellenism. The story
+of how Judas and his brothers led the movement which rescued the Jewish
+faith from this peril is the story which we have endeavoured to tell in
+this volume. Our plan has been to follow strictly the lines of the First
+Book of Maccabees, going to the Second, a far less trustworthy document,
+only for some picturesque incidents. The subsidiary characters are
+fictitious, but the narrative is, we believe, apart from casual errors,
+historically correct.
+
+We have to acknowledge special obligations to Captain Conder’s “Judas
+Maccabæus,” a volume of the series entitled “The New Plutarch.” We also
+owe much to Canon Rawlinson’s notes in the “Speaker’s Commentary on the
+Bible,” to Canon Westcott’s articles in the “Dictionary of the Bible,” and
+to Dean Stanley’s “Lectures on the Jewish Church.”
+
+If any reader should be curious as to the literary partnership announced
+on the title-page—a partnership that has grown, so to speak, out of
+another of many years’ standing, shared by the writers as author and
+publisher—he may be informed that the plan of the story and a detailed
+outline of it have been contributed by Richmond Seeley, and the story
+itself written for the most part by Alfred Church.
+
+LONDON,
+_Sept. 3, 1889._
+
+
+
+
+
+                                 CONTENTS
+
+
+  CHAP.                                         PAGE
+     I.   A NEW ORDER OF THINGS                    1
+    II.   ANTIOCHUS                               19
+   III.   MENELAÜS                                37
+    IV.   AT ANTIOCH                              49
+     V.   THE WRATH TO COME                       68
+    VI.   THE EVIL DAYS                           79
+   VII.   THE DARKNESS THICKENS                   90
+  VIII.   SHALLUM THE WINE-SELLER                101
+    IX.   THE PERSECUTION                        113
+     X.   IN THE MOUNTAINS                       124
+    XI.   NEWS BAD AND GOOD                      135
+   XII.   THE PATRIOT ARMY                       148
+  XIII.   GUERILLA WARFARE IN THE MOUNTAINS      159
+   XIV.   THE BURIAL OF MATTATHIAS               171
+    XV.   THE SWORD OF APOLLONIUS                184
+   XVI.   NEWS FROM THE BATTLE-FIELD             193
+  XVII.   THE BATTLE OF EMMAUS                   208
+ XVIII.   THE BATTLE OF BETH-ZUR                 225
+   XIX.   IN JERUSALEM                           235
+    XX.   THE CLEANSING OF THE TEMPLE            242
+   XXI.   THE DEDICATION OF THE TEMPLE           254
+  XXII.   WARS AND RUMOURS OF WARS               263
+ XXIII.   MORE VICTORIES                         274
+  XXIV.   THE SABBATICAL YEAR                    284
+   XXV.   REVERSES                               294
+  XXVI.   LIGHT OUT OF DARKNESS                  304
+ XXVII.   A PEACEFUL INTERVAL                    314
+XXVIII.   HOPES AND FEARS                        323
+  XXIX.   CIVIL WAR                              331
+   XXX.   NICANOR                                339
+  XXXI.   THE FALLING AWAY                       352
+ XXXII.   THE LAST BATTLE                        362
+XXXIII.   THE HOPE OF ISRAEL                     368
+
+
+
+
+
+                          LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS
+
+
+THE CAVE AMONG THE MOUNTAINS     _Frontispiece_
+ANTIOCHUS IN THE TAVERN                      32
+THE PERSECUTION                             118
+THE LAST CHARGE OF MATTATHIAS               168
+THE SWORD OF APOLLONIUS                     192
+FAREWELL TO THE MOUNTAINS                   232
+THE DEATH OF ELEAZAR                        302
+THE BOY KING                                314
+
+
+
+
+
+
+                                THE HAMMER
+
+
+
+
+
+                               CHAPTER I.
+
+                          A NEW ORDER OF THINGS.
+
+
+The time is the evening of a day in the early autumn of the year 174 B.C.
+There has been a great festival in Jerusalem. But it has been curiously
+unlike any festival that one would have expected to be held in that famous
+city. The people have not been crowding in from the country, and
+journeying from their far-off places of sojourn among the heathen, to keep
+one of the great feasts of the Law. Nothing could be further from the
+thoughts of the crowd that is streaming out of this new building which
+stands close under the walls of the Temple. What would they who built the
+Temple some two and a half centuries before have thought of this strange
+intruder on the sacred precincts? It is not difficult to imagine, for the
+new erection is nothing more or less than a Circus, built and furnished in
+the latest Greek fashion, and the spectacle which the crowd has been
+enjoying, or pretending to enjoy—for it is strange to all, and distasteful
+to some—is an imitation of the Olympian games. Things then, we see, have
+been curiously changed. Even the city has almost lost its identity. It is
+no longer the capital of the Jewish nation, but the chief town of an
+insignificant province in the Greek kingdom of Syria, one of the fragments
+into which the great dominion of Alexander had split some hundred and
+fifty years before. We shall understand something more about this
+marvellous change if we listen to a conversation that is going on in one
+of the houses that adjoin the Temple.
+
+“Well, Cleon, you will allow that our little show to-day has been fairly
+successful. We are but novices, you know; barbarians, I am afraid you will
+call us. But we hope to improve. You Greeks are wonderful teachers. You
+can give in a very short time a quite marvellous appearance of refinement
+to the merest savages. And we are not that; you would not call us savages,
+my dear friend.”
+
+“Savages! The gods forbid that such insolent folly should ever come from
+my tongue! You have a most elegant taste in art, my dear Jason. Our own
+Callias—he is our first _connoisseur_ at Athens; you must have heard me
+mention him—would not disdain to have some of the little things which you
+have about you here in his own apartment.”
+
+And, as he spoke, Cleon looked round the room, which, indeed, was very
+handsomely furnished in the latest Greek taste. The walls were covered
+with tapestry, showing on a purple ground a design, worked in silver and
+gold, which represented the triumphant return of the Wine-god from his
+Eastern campaigns. At one end of the room stood a sumptuously-carved
+bookcase, filled with volumes adorned by the most skilful binders of
+Alexandria. The bookcase was flanked on either side by a pedestal statue,
+one displaying the head of Hermes, the other the head of Athené. On a
+sideboard were ranged twelve silver goblets, on which had been worked in
+high relief the labours of Hercules. But probably the most precious object
+in the room—at least in its master’s estimation—was a replica, about half
+the size of life, of the statue that we know as the “Dying Gladiator.” It
+was the work of a sculptor of Pergamum, a special favourite of the
+art-loving dynasty of the Attali. It had been purchased for the enormous
+sum of half a talent of gold;(1) and Jason had thought himself especially
+fortunate in being allowed to secure it on any terms. The Pergamene artist
+was bound, in consideration of the handsome payment which he received from
+his royal patron, not to execute commissions for strangers, and it was
+only as a special favour, and not till a heavy bribe had been paid to some
+influential personage in the court, that the rule had been relaxed in
+favour of Jason.
+
+And who, it may be asked, was Jason?
+
+Jason was the Jewish high priest, the successor of Aaron, of Eleazar, of
+Jehoiada, of Hilkiah, and as unlike these worthies of the past in
+appearance, in speech, in ways of thinking, as it is possible to conceive.
+His costume, in the first place, was that of a Greek exquisite. He wore a
+purple tunic, showing at the neck a crimson under-shirt, and gathered up
+at the waist with a belt of the finest leather, clasped with a design in
+silver, which showed a dog laying hold of a fawn. His knees were bare, but
+the shins were covered with silk leggings of the same colour as the tunic,
+against which the gold fastenings of the sandals showed in gay relief. His
+hair was elaborately curled, and almost dripping with the richest of
+Syrian perfumes. The forefinger of the left hand showed the head of Zeus
+finely carved on an amethyst, that of the right was circled by a sapphire
+ring with the likeness of Apollo.
+
+His speech was Greek. Hebrew of course he knew, both in its classical and
+its conversational forms; but he was as careful to conceal his knowledge
+as an old-fashioned Roman of his time would have been careful to hide the
+fact, if he had happened to know any language besides his own. His very
+name, it will have been observed, had been changed to suit the new fashion
+which he was endeavouring to set to his countrymen. Really it was
+Joshua—no dishonourable appellation, one would think, seeing that it had
+been borne by the conqueror of Canaan, and by the most distinguished of
+the later high priests. But it did not please him, and he had changed it
+to Jason.
+
+As for his ways of thinking, these will become evident enough if we listen
+to a little more of his conversation.
+
+“And you think, Cleon,” he went on—Cleon was a Greek adventurer who gave
+himself out as an Athenian, but who was shrewdly suspected of coming from
+one of the smaller islands of the Ægean—“you think that our games went
+pretty well?”
+
+“Admirably, my dear Jason,” answered the Greek, who really had thought
+them a deplorable failure, but who valued too much his free quarters in
+the high priest’s sumptuous palace to give a candid expression of his
+opinion.
+
+“You see we had great difficulties to contend with. You can hardly
+imagine, for instance, how hard I found it to persuade our young men to
+run and wrestle naked. They quoted some ridiculous nonsense from the Law,
+as if we could be bound nowadays by some obsolete old rules that no
+sensible person would think for a moment of observing.(2) You saw, I dare
+say, to-day that I was obliged to allow some of them to wear a loin-cloth.
+They positively refused to come into the arena without it. Well, we shall
+educate them in time. They _must_ learn to admire the beauty of the human
+form, unspoilt by any of the trappings with which, for convenience sake,
+we are accustomed to conceal it. I don’t despair of our having a school of
+art here some day—not rivals, my dear Lysias, of your glorious Phidias and
+Praxiteles, but imitators, humble imitators, whom yet you won’t disdain to
+acknowledge.”
+
+“But, my dear sir, you forget the Commandment, ‘Thou shalt not make to
+thyself any graven image.’”
+
+The speaker was a young man who had hitherto taken no part in the
+conversation. He also had a Hebrew name and a Greek. His father, a rich
+priest who claimed descent from no less a person than the prophet Ezekiel,
+had called him Micah; but he had followed the fashion, and dubbed himself
+Menander. Still, Greek ways and habits did not sit over-easily upon him.
+Fashion has often a singular power over the young; but it could not quite
+drive out the obstinate patriotism of the Jew. He could still sometimes be
+scandalized at the thorough-going Hellenism of the high priest; and he was
+so scandalized now. The Commandment was one of the things which he had
+learnt at his mother’s knee, and which he had solemnly repeated when, at
+the age of twelve, he had been regularly admitted to the privileges of a
+“son of the Law.”
+
+“My dear Menander,” broke in the high priest, “what can you be thinking
+about? I had hoped better things of you. You do discourage me most
+terribly. ‘No graven image or likeness of anything that is in heaven or
+earth!’ Was there ever anything so hopelessly tasteless? Why, this is the
+one thing that has checked all growth of art among us? And without art
+where is the beauty of life? Now tell me, Menander, did you ever see
+anything so hideous as the Temple? There is a certain splendour about
+it—or was, till I had to strip off most of the gold for purposes of
+state—but of beauty or taste not a scrap. You, Cleon, have never seen the
+inside of it. Well, you have lost nothing. It would simply shock you after
+your lovely Parthenon. Bells and pomegranates—things that any moulder
+could make—and sham columns, and everything as bad as it can be. And then
+the dresses! You should see—though I should really be ashamed if you did
+see it—the absurd costume that some of them would make me wear as high
+priest. Anything more cumbrous and clumsy could not be. A man can hardly
+move in it; and as for showing any of the proportions of the figure—and I
+take it that dress is meant to reveal while it seems to hide them—one
+might as well be wrapped up in swaddling clothes.”
+
+“Did you ever wear it?” asked Cleon.
+
+“Once, and once only,” answered Jason. “That was on the day when I was
+admitted to the office. You see it had to be done. Some of my enemies—and
+I am afraid that I have enemies after all that I have done for this
+ungrateful people—might have said that things were not regular without it,
+and when one has paid twenty talents of gold for the office, it would be
+rank folly to risk it for a trifle. But I have never worn it since, and
+never mean to again. I did design something much lighter and neater,
+worthy the Greek fashion, but with just a tinge—it would be well to have a
+tinge—of our own in it; but it did not please the elders when I showed it
+to them, a bigoted set of fools!”
+
+“But your worship is very fine, I am told,” said the Greek.
+
+“Very tasteless, very tasteless,” answered the high-priest, “the singing
+and music as rude as possible. I tried to improve them when I first came
+into office. When I was at Antioch I saw some very pretty performances in
+the groves of Daphne, and I wanted to remodel our ceremonies on something
+of the same lines. Of course I could not transplant them just as they
+were: you will guess that there were one or two things that would hardly
+do here. I am not strait-laced, as you know, but there are limits.
+However, it all came to nothing. Our people are so clumsy and obstinate.
+So the only thing will be to let these antiquated ceremonies die out by
+degrees.”
+
+Micah broke in at this point. Disposed as he was to follow Jason’s lead,
+this was going too far. “Surely, my dear sir, if you take away from us all
+that is distinctive, where will be our reason for existence? After all is
+said, we are not Greeks and never can be Greeks; and if we cease to be
+Jews, what are we?”
+
+“_Jews!_ my dear fellow,” cried the high-priest, “why do you use the
+odious word? We are not Jews, we are Antiochenes. Do you know that I paid
+five talents to the treasurer of Antiochus for license to use the name?
+For Heaven’s sake, let us have our money’s worth. By the way,” he went on,
+turning to Cleon, “when does your Olympian festival next take place?”
+
+“In two years’ time,” said the Greek.
+
+“I propose to send an embassy with a handsome present for your great
+temple. I should like to establish friendly relations with your people at
+the head-quarters of your race. Do you think it is possible that our
+Menon—you saw him in the stadium just now—might be allowed to run? It
+would take all that your athletes know to beat him.”
+
+“Quite impossible. He could hardly make out a Greek pedigree, I suppose?”
+
+“No; he could not do that. But would not money smooth the way?”
+
+“It could not be. Money will do most things with us, as it will elsewhere,
+but not that. A man must show a pure Greek descent.”
+
+“But the embassy can go?”
+
+“Certainly,” replied the Greek, with a smile; “we are ready to take gifts
+from any one. But—excuse my obtruding the suggestion—is it quite wise to
+run counter to your people’s prejudices in this way? Couldn’t they get up
+an agitation against you?”
+
+“My dear Cleon, I feel quite easy on that score. I made the highest bid
+for the place, and it is mine, just as much as this ring is mine.”
+
+“But might not some one outbid you? I have heard of such things being
+done.”
+
+“Outbid me? Hardly. I have squeezed the uttermost farthing out of the
+people to pay the purchase-money and the tribute, and I defy my rivals,
+with all the best will in the world, to beat me. Why, my fellows, the
+tax-gatherers, are the most ingenious rascals in the world for putting on
+the screw. I make them bid against each other when I put the taxes up to
+auction, and they really go to figures that I should not have thought
+possible. And then, after all, they manage somehow or other to get a
+handsome margin of profit for themselves. I know the scoundrels always
+seem to have a great deal more money than I have.”
+
+Menander, somewhat revolted at his friend’s levity, rose to take leave.
+“Stop a moment,” said Jason, “I have a little commission for you, which
+will give you a pleasant outing and a score or two of shekels to put in
+your pocket.”
+
+“Well, the shekels will be welcome. Those are very charming fellows, those
+Greek friends of yours,” he went on, addressing Cleon, “but they have the
+most confounded luck with the dice that I ever knew. But what is it, sir,
+that you want me to do?”
+
+“I want to do a civil thing to our friends at Tyre. You know that we do a
+very brisk trade with them, and a little bit of politeness is never thrown
+away. Well, next month they have the great games of Hercules, and I want
+you to take a present to the Governor, and, as you will be there, just a
+trifle—a silver tripod, or something of the kind—for Hercules himself. The
+Tyrian people would take it amiss, I fancy, if you went quite
+empty-handed.”
+
+Micah—for at the moment he felt much more like a Micah than a
+Menander—flushed all over. “I take a present to the idol at Tyre! You must
+be joking; but, with all respect, sir, it is a joke which I do not
+appreciate.”
+
+“Come, my dear Menander,” said the high priest, with a laugh, “why all
+this fuss? You must excuse me for saying so, but you are really a little
+stupid this morning. What nonsense to talk about idols! The Greek heroes
+are really the same as our own. Hercules is nothing more or less than
+Samson under another name. You will find in every country the legend of
+some strong man who goes about killing wild beasts and slaying his
+enemies, and doing all kinds of wonders; and it does not become an
+enlightened man like yourself to fancy that our hero is anything better
+than another nation’s hero. However, think the matter over. If you don’t
+choose to go there are plenty who will, and Tyre, I am told, is still
+worth seeing, though, of course, it is nothing like what it was.”
+
+At this moment a servant burst somewhat unceremoniously into the room.
+
+“How now, fellow?” cried the high priest, “Where are your manners? Don’t
+you know that I have company and am not to be interrupted?”
+
+“Pardon, my lord,” said the man, in a breathless, agitated voice, “but the
+matter is urgent. Your nephew Asaph is dying, and has sent begging you to
+come to him.”
+
+“Asaph dying!” cried the high priest, turning pale. “How is that?”
+
+Asaph had been one of the performers in the exhibition of the day. A light
+weight, but an exceedingly active and skilful wrestler, he had entered the
+lists with a competitor much stronger and heavier than himself. The
+struggle between the two athletes had been protracted and fierce and had
+ended in a draw. There had been two bouts, but in neither had this or that
+antagonist been able to claim a decided success. In each, both wrestlers
+had fallen, Asaph being uppermost in the first, but underneath in the
+second. On rising from the ground he had complained of severe internal
+pains; but these had seemed to pass away, and he had been conveyed in a
+litter to his mother’s house. After a brief interval the pains had
+returned with increased severity; vomiting of blood had followed, and the
+physician had declared that the resources of his art were useless. The
+poor lad—he was but a few months over twenty—sent, in his agony, for his
+uncle the high priest. It was a forlorn hope—for how could such a man give
+comfort?—but it was the only one that occurred to him.
+
+No one was more conscious of the incongruity of the task thus imposed upon
+him, the task of administering consolation and comfort to the dying, than
+Jason himself. His first impulse was to refuse to go. But to do so would
+not only cause a scandal, but would also be the beginning of a family
+feud. And Jason, though selfish and hardened by base ambitions, was not
+wholly without a heart. He had some affection for his sister, a widow of
+large means, whose purse was always open to him when he wanted help, and
+Asaph—or Asius, as he preferred to call him—was his favourite nephew,
+possibly his successor in his office. He felt that he must go, but it was
+with a miserable sinking of heart that he felt it.
+
+“Lead on,” he said to the slave, “I will follow. You, my friends, must
+excuse me.”
+
+The worldly priest might well have dreaded to enter the house of woe to
+which he had been called.
+
+The unhappy mother met him at the door. “Oh, Joshua!” she cried, the
+foolish affectation of the Greek name being forgotten in the hour of
+trouble. “Can you help us? My dear Asaph is dying, and he is terribly
+distressed about his sins. You are high-priest. Have you not some power to
+do him good?”
+
+“Take me to him,” said Jason, “I will do all that I can for him.”
+
+The unhappy lad was lying on a couch, the deathly pallor of his face
+showing with a terrible contrast against the rich purple of the coverlet.
+His eyes were wide open, and there was a terror-stricken look in them that
+was inexpressibly painful to witness. As soon as he saw his uncle, he
+burst forth in tones of agonized entreaty. “I have sinned; I have sinned;
+I have followed in the ways of the heathen, and, see, my God hath called
+me into judgment. Help me! help me! Save me from the fire of Gehenna!”
+
+The high priest strove to say something; but his faltering lips seemed to
+refuse to do their office.
+
+“Speak! speak!” cried the young man. “It was you who told me to go into
+the arena. You said there was no harm in it; you encouraged me, and now
+you desert me. O help me!” and his voice, which had been raised to a loud,
+angry cry, sank again to low tones of entreaty. “You are high priest; you
+surely can do something with the Lord. Pray for me to Him. Quick! quick!
+the evil ones are clutching at me!” and, as he spoke, he turned his eyes
+with a fearful glance as if he saw some terrible presence which was
+invisible to the rest.
+
+His uncle, more unhappy than he had ever been before in his life, stood in
+dumb despair. It seemed impossible to mock this wretched creature with
+words in which he did not himself believe. And, indeed, the words
+themselves seemed to have fled altogether from his memory. At last, with a
+tremendous effort, he summoned up some of the words, once familiar to his
+lips, but which had not issued from them for years. It was what we know as
+the fifty-first Psalm in our psalter that he began—“_Have mercy upon me, O
+God, after Thy great goodness, according to the multitude of Thy mercies
+do away mine offences._” He began with a faltering and uncertain voice,
+which gathered strength as he went on. The dying man listened with an
+eagerly-strained attention, and the words seemed to have some soothing
+effect upon him. When the speaker came to the words, “Cast me not away
+from Thy presence,” he clasped his hands together. At the very moment of
+the act a strong convulsion shook his frame: a stream of blood gushed from
+his mouth; in another moment Asaph was dead.
+
+His unhappy mother had been carried fainting to her apartments, where her
+maids were endeavouring to restore her to consciousness. The high priest
+was almost glad that she was in such a state that there could be no
+question of attempting to administer to her any consolation. No one,
+indeed, could have felt less like a comforter than he did at that moment.
+As he walked slowly back to his palace he felt less satisfied with the
+Greek fashions, for which he had sacrificed the faith of his fathers, than
+he had done for many years.
+
+The news that he found awaiting him at home changed the current of his
+thoughts. A letter, carried, in Eastern fashion, by a succession of
+runners, had arrived from Joppa. It was as follows:—
+
+
+    “_Josedech, Chief of the Council of Joppa, to Joshua, Governor of
+                               Jerusalem._
+
+  “Know that a swift pinnace has arrived, bringing news that the fleet
+  of Antiochus the King is on its way hither. It will arrive, unless it
+  be hindered by weather or any other unforeseen cause, on the second
+  day. Let us know so soon as shall be possible how the heathen should
+  be received, whether we shall admit him into the city, and to whom we
+  shall assign the task of entertaining him. Farewell.”
+
+
+Jason’s face flushed as he read this curt and not very courteous epistle.
+“Governor of Jerusalem, indeed!” he muttered to himself. “So the old bigot
+won’t acknowledge me to be high priest. I shall have to give him a lesson,
+and teach him who he is and who I am. ‘How the heathen is to be received.’
+What is the fool thinking of? As if he could be shut out of the city if he
+chooses to come in! Well, I see plainly enough that there will be mischief
+here, if I don’t take care. It won’t be enough to write. I must send some
+of my own people to receive the king.”
+
+He pressed a hand-bell that stood on the table. “Send the letter-carrier
+here,” he said to the servant who answered the summons. In a few minutes
+the man appeared.
+
+“When can you start back with my answer?” asked the high priest.
+
+“This instant, my lord, if it should so please you.”
+
+“And the other posts are ready?”
+
+“Each at his place, my lord.”
+
+“And when will the letter be delivered in Joppa?”
+
+“Let me think,” said the messenger. “The distance should be about two
+hundred and eighty furlongs, and the way descends. ’Tis now scarcely the
+first hour of the night. I should say that the letter should be there an
+hour before midnight.”
+
+Jason at once sat down and wrote his answer:—
+
+
+  “_Jason, the High Priest, to Josedech, Chief of the Council of Joppa,
+                                greeting._
+
+  “I charge you that you do all honour to the most mighty and glorious
+  lord Antiochus. Let him have of the best, both in lodging and
+  entertainment, that your city affords. I doubt not your zeal and
+  goodwill, but that you may not fail for want of knowledge, I will send
+  certain of my own people, who will welcome the most august King in
+  such manner as shall be worthy both of his majesty and of our dignity.
+  Farewell.”
+
+
+The messenger, who had been standing by while this letter was being
+written, received the document with a salute, and placed it in his girdle.
+A few minutes afterwards he was on his way.
+
+“And now for the deputation to meet his Highness,” said Jason to himself.
+“I cannot expect them to get off quite so quickly as this good fellow. But
+they must not start later than noon to-morrow. And now, whom am I to send?
+Cleon, of course, and Menander——”
+
+He stopped short and reflected. “It’s really very hard to find a
+respectable person who is quite free from bigotry—if, indeed, it is
+bigotry.” For some minutes he seemed lost in thought. “Send the secretary
+to me,” he said, when the servant came. This official soon made his
+appearance, and we will leave him and his master to settle the details of
+the deputation.
+
+
+
+
+
+                               CHAPTER II.
+
+                                ANTIOCHUS.
+
+
+The greater part of the population of Joppa, which, like most seaside
+towns, was somewhat cosmopolitan in its habits and ways of thinking, had
+hurried down to the shore to watch the arrival of the great Syrian King.
+And, indeed, his fleet was a sight worth seeing. Thirty ships, all of them
+with three banks of oars, were formed in a semicircle, the arc of which
+was parallel with the line of the shore. They were war-vessels, the finest
+and swiftest that the Syrian fleet possessed, manned with picked crews,
+and now gay with all the sumptuous adornments that befitted a peaceful
+errand. The day was perfectly windless, and the sea as calm as a lake.
+This circumstance made it possible for the squadron to preserve the order
+of its advance with an exactitude which would not have been possible had
+it been moving under sail. On the prow of each vessel stood a
+flute-player, and the rowers dipped their oars in time to his music. Each
+player had his eyes fixed on a conductor who was posted on the royal
+vessel, a five-banked ship, which occupied a position slightly in advance
+of the semicircle. Time was thus kept throughout the squadron—a result,
+however, not obtained, as may easily be imagined, without a vast amount of
+practice. The sight of the thousands of oars, as they were dipped and
+lifted again in rhythmical regularity, with the sunshine flashing upon
+them, was beautiful in the extreme. As for the ship that carried King
+Antiochus, it was a gorgeous spectacle. The ropes were of gaily-coloured
+silk; the hull was brilliant with gold. The figure-head was the head and
+bust of a sea-nymph, exquisitely wrought in silver. The poop was covered
+with a crimson awning.
+
+As the squadron approached the harbour, a convenience which the Joppa of
+to-day no longer possesses, the royal ship fell back, allowing the leading
+vessels on either side of the semicircle to precede it to the pier. From
+these a company of troops, splendidly arrayed in gilded armour,
+disembarked, and formed two lines, between which the King was to walk.
+
+The Syrian King was a young man of about two-and-twenty years, tall, and
+well made, and not without a certain dignity of presence. His face, too,
+at first sight would have been pronounced handsome. It was of the true
+Greek type: the forehead and nose forming an almost uninterrupted straight
+line. This line, however, receded too much, giving something of an
+expression of weakness. But for this the features of the young Syrian king
+might have been described as bearing a singular resemblance to those of
+the great Alexander. Youthful as he was, his complexion, naturally of a
+beautiful delicacy, was already flushed with excess. But the most sinister
+characteristic of his face was to be found in the restless look of his
+prominent eyes. The descendants of the brilliant soldier, the ablest and
+most upright of the generals of Alexander, who had founded the Syrian
+kingdom, had sadly degenerated under the corrupting influences of power.
+The hideous example of lust and cruelty had been set and improved upon by
+generation after generation, till the fatal taint of madness, always the
+avenger of such wickedness, had been developed in the race.(3)
+
+The Council of Joppa had sent a deputation of their body, headed by their
+president, Josedech, to receive the visitor with such respect as might
+lawfully be shown to a heathen. Greeting and compliments could be
+exchanged without any loss of ceremonial purity. Nor would there be any
+harm in presenting a gift. To sit down to meat with an unbeliever, was, of
+course, out of the question; but this difficulty had been overcome by the
+complaisance of a wealthy Greek merchant, who, for sufficient reasons of
+his own, had offered to entertain the visitor.
+
+The councillors saluted the King, not with the extravagant form of “Live
+for ever!” but with the more moderate form of “Peace be with you.”
+Antiochus answered with a careless greeting. At the same time he turned to
+one of his courtiers, and said in a whisper which was heard, as it was
+meant to be heard, by others besides the persons addressed, “Look! what a
+set of he-goats. And faugh! how they smell!” The young King, who was
+exceedingly vain of his good looks, had the fancy of making himself up as
+the beardless Apollo, and, of course, the court followed the fashion that
+he set. The insulting words did not fail to reach the ears of the elders,
+but they affected not to have heard them. The president then proceeded to
+deliver his address of welcome. It was sufficiently civil, but, as may be
+supposed, not enthusiastic. The speaker hoped that friendly relations
+might continue to exist between the Jewish people and the kingdom of
+Syria. He was glad to receive on Jewish soil a powerful monarch who, he
+trusted, would be favourably impressed with what he should see and hear.
+If his subjects had any grievances they would find prompt redress; the
+King would doubtless do the same for Jewish merchants who considered
+themselves aggrieved.
+
+To this address, which, after the manner of such documents, was somewhat
+verbose and lengthy, Antiochus listened with ill-concealed impatience;
+perhaps it would be more correct to say, with impatience that was not
+concealed at all. He fidgeted about; he interjected disparaging remarks
+that must have been distinctly heard a long way off. He even corrected the
+speaker when he made a slip in Greek idiom. Still the elders preserved an
+imperturbable calm, though a keen observer might have seen the flush
+rising upon their faces.
+
+The address of welcome ended, it only remained to offer the customary
+present. An attendant stepped forward carrying a robe of honour, a piece
+of native manufacture, which, without being particularly splendid, was
+sufficiently handsome and valuable to be adequate to the occasion. But it
+did not please the young King, who, indeed, was scarcely in the humour to
+be pleased with anything. One of his followers received it from the hands
+of the attendant, and Antiochus, according to the usual etiquette, should
+have touched it, saying at the same time a few words of politeness. What
+he did was to take it from the hands of the courtier who had received it,
+shake it out, and hold it from him at arm’s length, eyeing it, at the same
+time, with an expression of undisguised contempt. Even this was not all.
+Turning his back upon the elders he dropped the robe on the head of one of
+his attendants, and, by a sudden movement, twisted it round his neck,
+bursting out at the same time into a loud horse-laugh. The laugh was, of
+course, dutifully echoed by his courtiers; but to the Joppa crowd it
+seemed no laughing matter. An angry murmur ran through it. The front ranks
+made a menacing movement forwards, while stones began to fly from behind.
+On the other hand, the soldiers of the King’s body-guard drew their
+swords, and began to form up behind him. They were not properly prepared,
+however, for a conflict; for, as they had come only on a service of
+ceremony, they had nothing with them but their swords and light ornamental
+breastplates.
+
+Everything wore a most threatening look, when there occurred an
+interruption that was probably welcome to every one, except, it may be,
+the hotheaded and reckless young sovereign himself. The deputation from
+Jerusalem had arrived. The high priest, anticipating, as we have seen,
+some trouble, had despatched them at the very earliest opportunity, and
+had urged them to make the best of their way to their destination. At the
+same time, that their presence might have something more than moral
+weight, he had sent a squadron of cavalry. The deputation, with their
+escort following close behind, now made their way through the crowd.
+
+The high priest was represented by his kinsman Phinehas—who had found a
+substitute for his unfashionable name in Phineus—by Menander, who has been
+already mentioned, and by two Greeks, of whom our acquaintance Cleon was
+one. Josedech and his companions willingly left the management of affairs
+in the hands of the new arrivals, and retired from the scene. Leaping from
+his horse, Phinehas, or Phineus, prostrated himself in Eastern fashion at
+the feet of Antiochus, and his companions followed his example, while the
+escort of cavalry saluted. “Rise,” said Antiochus, whose good humour began
+to return when he found himself treated with what he conceived to be
+proper respect. He even condescended to reach out his royal hand, and
+assist the envoy to recover his feet. Phineus proceeded to deliver an
+address of welcome which was certainly not wanting in florid compliment.
+It might even have been called profane, for Antiochus was described not
+only as magnificent, illustrious, victorious (to mention a few only of the
+speaker’s exuberant supply of epithets), but even as divine. The speech
+ended, an attendant presented a richly-chased casket of gold, filled with
+coins, fresh from the Syrian mint, and bearing the features and
+superscription of Antiochus himself. The King received it with something
+like _empressement_, and after speaking a few words of thanks, passed it
+to his treasurer. At the same time he took a bag of silver from one of his
+attendants, and condescended to scatter some of the pieces among the crowd
+that lined the quays, with his royal hands. As may be supposed, a vigorous
+scramble ensued, and not a few of the spectators were tumbled over the
+edge into the shallow water below. Others jumped in of their own accord
+after some of the pieces which had fallen short. A general burst of
+laughter was the result, and the situation lost the gravity which had been
+so alarming a few minutes before.
+
+The King now recognized an old acquaintance in Cleon. Antiochus, handed
+over in his childhood as a hostage by his father, had spent his boyhood
+and youth in Rome. The somewhat austere manners of that city had not
+pleased him, and he was glad to find in the young Greek an acquaintance
+more congenial than the young Marcelli, sons of the priest of that name,
+under whose charge he had been put. Cleon had come to Rome to seek his
+fortune, and had found employment in assisting the comic poet Cæcilius in
+making his translations from the Greek. Poets, however, were not so well
+paid as to be able to spare much for their assistants, and Cleon had been
+very glad to act as the young prince’s teacher, a post which his guardian
+the priest had found it very difficult to fill. Tutor and pupil had been
+on the most friendly terms. The elder man was indulgent, exacted no more
+than the youth was willing to learn, and, possibly thinking that all the
+necessary austerity was supplied by the Roman guardian, winked at various
+indulgences which would not have approved themselves to his employer.
+Antiochus retained a grateful recollection of the complaisant youth who
+had made things so agreeable for him in the days of his captivity.
+
+“Hail, Cleon, most delightful of teachers, behold the most thankful of
+pupils!”
+
+And he embraced the Greek, kissing him on both cheeks.
+
+“So you, too,” he went on, “have escaped from that dismal prison-house
+across the sea! Was there ever a place, think you, more unfit for a
+gentleman to live in? And how have you fared since I saw you? I hope that
+Fortune has had something pleasant in store for you.”
+
+“She could have done nothing better, Sire, than to thus give me the
+pleasure of seeing you.”
+
+“Oh, what a compliment! I see that your tongue has not lost its dexterous
+twist. But I suppose I must attend to this stupid business here. Why can’t
+they let one come quietly, and see what people really are. I dare say
+there are some good fellows here as elsewhere; but all these ceremonies
+and speech-making and fine clothes tire me to death. Well, we shall find a
+chance of having some talk together before long. Anyhow, you will come and
+see me at Antioch. I will make you court-poet, or general-in-chief, or
+high priest of Aphrodite! I know that you can do anything that you choose
+to turn your hand to.”
+
+While this conversation was going on the Greek merchant who had
+volunteered to entertain the royal visitor was waiting to be introduced.
+This ceremony performed by Phineus, he proceeded to give his invitation.
+
+“Will your Highness be pleased to accept such humble hospitality as I can
+offer? My house and all that is within it are at your service.”
+
+“Pleased! of course I shall be pleased,” returned the King, in boisterous
+good humour. “I know what your ‘humble hospitality’ means. It is you
+merchants that can afford to do things handsomely. You make the money, and
+we can only spend it. What with armies and fleets and legions of servants,
+who eat us up like so many locusts, we never have a drachma that we can
+call our own. As for me, I am easily satisfied. Give me a mullet, a piece
+of roast kid, a flask of good wine, and a pretty girl to hand the cup, and
+I want no more. Lead on.”
+
+The procession moved on to the merchant’s house. This reached, the King,
+who declared that he wanted his midday sleep, was at once shown to his
+apartments.
+
+It was some six hours later when the banquet, for which the host had made
+magnificent preparations, was ready. The company was assembled, and was
+fairly numerous, though it did not contain the true _élite_ of Joppa
+society. With one or two not very respectable exceptions, the
+representatives of the high-class Jewish families were absent. But there
+were plenty of strangers in the town, and the room was sufficiently full.
+The trading community was present in force: Greeks, Syrians, Egyptians,
+Carthaginians, and even a Greek-speaking Gaul from Marseilles, were
+present. Rome was represented by two Roman knights, who were doing a
+profitable business in money-lending, and who had the name of pretty
+nearly every noble in Syria on their books.
+
+But the guest of the evening was absent. The company waited with the
+patience with which royal personages are waited for on such occasions. At
+last, when an hour had gone beyond the time fixed for the entertainment,
+the host ventured to send up to the King’s apartment, with a humble
+reminder that the banquet was ready. But the apartment was empty!
+
+“What can have become of him?” was the thought in every one’s mind, not
+unaccompanied by a certain anxiety in the older courtiers, who had
+observed with dismay the reckless proceedings of their master.
+
+At last a thought struck Cleon. He took the chief of the King’s attendants
+aside and communicated to him his suspicions. “I saw something of his
+Highness’s ways at Rome,” he said, “and I can guess what has happened. He
+always had a fancy for disguises, for dressing himself up as a sailor or
+an artizan, and going to some very curious places in the city. Often and
+often have I been with him—to keep him out of mischief, you know—and, by
+the gods! it was well I did. I remember his being very nearly stabbed one
+night in a low wine-shop in the Suburra.(4) And now I remember that this
+morning his Highness said something about wanting to see what the people
+really were, without all this ceremony. Let us question the porter whether
+he has seen any one go out.”
+
+The porter was questioned accordingly. At first he could give no
+information. At last he remembered observing two young men in sailor’s
+dress passing the gate about three hours before. He had taken no heed of
+them. Sailors had been coming and going all day, with various articles
+which they were bringing up from the ship, and he had supposed that these
+were two of the number. Here the man’s wife struck in with the information
+that she had noticed the two sailors, thinking that there was something
+odd about their appearance; their clothes were very shabby, but they had a
+superior air. Neither the man nor his wife knew anything more; but they
+thought that the two had turned in the direction of the harbour after
+leaving the house.
+
+Under these circumstances search seemed hopeless, and might, indeed, do
+more harm than good. Perhaps the safest plan would be to let the young man
+find his way back for himself. After some discussion, however, it was
+resolved that Cleon, after first changing the dress which he had donned
+for the banquet for something less conspicuous, should look in at some of
+the wine-shops near the harbour, which were suggested as likely places for
+the search by the character of the King’s disguise.
+
+Cleon was successful beyond his expectation. His attention was attracted
+by the sound of boisterous laughter proceeding from a tavern whose windows
+fronted the place where the King had landed. The place was crowded to
+overflowing, and even the pavement before the house was thronged with
+idlers, who were content to hear what they could of the fun inside without
+having any score to pay. With no little difficulty Cleon edged his way
+into the principal room. It was a strange scene that met his eye. The room
+was crowded with Phœnician and Greek sailors, with here and there the
+swarthy face of a Moor among them. The guests sat on benches, closely
+packed together, and every one had a huge earthenware cup in his hand and
+a pitcher of wine at his feet. At the further end of the room was a small
+platform reserved for the performers who were accustomed to entertain the
+audience. A couple of dancing-girls had just exhibited a dance of the
+boisterous kind which was specially favoured by the seafaring spectators;
+and now his Syrian Majesty was doing his best to entertain the company
+with the burlesque of a Roman electioneering oration. He spoke in Greek,
+or, rather, the mixture of tongues, the _Lingua Franca_ of the time, which
+did duty for Greek in the seaport towns of the Eastern Mediterranean; and
+he used with considerable effect the broad Roman accent. His speech, could
+it be reproduced, would be dull or even unintelligible to us, but his
+audience found it highly entertaining. The Greeks, always quick-witted,
+caught the points with admirable readiness, and the others laughed, if not
+for any other reason, at least for sympathy. The most completely
+successful part was where the orator, who affected to be a candidate for
+the consulship, propounded a grand scheme, according to which the citizens
+of Rome were to live in idleness, supported by the contributions of the
+whole world. When the attention of the audience began to flag, the young
+Prince, with an audacious presence of mind that would have become a
+veteran performer, suddenly changed the entertainment. Sticking a tall cap
+on his head, he proceeded to give a ludicrous imitation of the solemn
+dance of the priests of Mars. Cleon had seen the original performance in
+Rome, and he could not but confess that the slow, awkward movement, and
+droning chant which the performer adapted to a popular song of a somewhat
+equivocal kind, was a very clever piece of work.
+
+  [Illustration: _Antiochus in the Tavern._]
+
+A few minutes afterwards Antiochus retired, breathless with his exertions,
+and Cleon made his way after him.
+
+“So you are here,” burst out the King. “Good, was it not?”
+
+“Excellent, my lord,” returned Cleon; “but you must excuse me if I ask you
+to come back. The banquet is ready, and the company are waiting for you.”
+
+“Confound the company; there is much better company here. I will stop
+where I am.”
+
+Cleon remonstrated and argued; at first, it seemed, with no effect.
+Finally, however, by a judicious mixture of flattery and promises, and
+specially, by enlarging on the opportunity that there would be of
+electrifying the _élite_ of Joppa by a display of eloquence, he induced
+the King to come away. Antiochus was eaten up with a vanity that was
+almost insane, and he was as proud of his capacity for serious oratory as
+he was of his talents as a buffoon.
+
+Unfortunately the eloquence was never displayed. The King had drunk
+largely of the heady wine which was a favourite with the nautical
+customers of the tavern, and he applied himself with equal diligence to
+the more refined vintages which he found on the table of Stratocles, his
+entertainer. The company drank his health in bumpers; and, not to be
+outdone, a huge capacity for drink being, as he thought, one of his most
+honourable distinctions, he pledged them in return by draining a cup of a
+royal size. This was a final effort. He spoke a few hesitating sentences,
+frequently interrupted by hiccoughs, staggered, and but for the prompt
+attention of his attendants, who had indeed observed his condition, would
+have fallen to the ground. Nothing remained but to carry him out of the
+banqueting hall.
+
+It was late in the afternoon of the following day before he was
+sufficiently recovered from the effects of his debauch to start for
+Jerusalem. A halt for the night was made about halfway, and late in the
+afternoon of the next day the cavalcade approached Jerusalem. Jason came
+out to meet his guest. He had done his utmost to bring a reputable company
+with him, but his efforts had not been very successful. The respectable
+part of the population of the city was conspicuously absent, a mixed
+multitude of strangers and half-breeds, brutal in manners and squalid in
+appearance, represented the Jewish nation. Fortunately it was dark, and
+the torchlight procession with which the King was escorted into the city
+did something to conceal by its picturesque effects the general meanness
+of the affair. Antiochus, however, did not fail to notice the character of
+the gathering, and indeed rallied his host on his ragged and disreputable
+followers. But his good humour did not seem to be disturbed. He admired
+the decorations of the palace, was loud in praise of Jason’s taste in art,
+and indeed admired one statuette so much that his host felt compelled to
+offer it for his acceptance, much against his will, for it was supposed to
+be an original by Scopas, and to be worth at least five talents. The next
+day came a visit to the Temple. The King shrugged his shoulders at what he
+was pleased to consider the tastelessness of its architecture, suggested
+to his host that he had better pull the whole place down and build it
+again in a better style, and offered him the services of his own architect
+and a painter who, he said, had a quite unequalled skill for such subjects
+as a dance of satyrs and nymphs, and would cover the walls of the new
+building with some really elegant designs. But if the architecture of the
+Temple did not please him, he expressed a genuine admiration for some of
+its contents. There was a greedy light in his eye as he looked at the rich
+furniture and gorgeous vessels—and this, though Jason, having certain
+views of his own, had the prudence not to show him the chamber which
+contained the most massive treasures of the place. But whatever Antiochus
+may have thought, he said nothing but what was civil and pleasant. It may
+be supposed, however, that a few days of such a guest would be enough, and
+it was with unmixed delight that at the end of a week Jason saw him depart
+for Phenicé.
+
+
+
+
+
+                              CHAPTER III.
+
+                                MENELAUS.
+
+
+Two years have passed, and the fate which Jason had declared to be beyond
+all limits of probability or possibility has actually overtaken him. One
+of his agents, named Oniah, who has assumed the name of Menelaüs, for the
+rage for Greek fashions still continues unabated, has outbidden him, and
+now reigns in his stead, occupying the palace on Mount Sion which he had
+been at such pains to adorn.
+
+If we look into his library we shall see not only the books and
+statuettes—the silver tankards are gone, melted down into money that was
+wanted for some sudden exigency—but our old acquaintance, Cleon. The
+supple Greek was not one of those who take their friends for better, for
+worse. Jason was wandering about among the hills of Ammon with scarcely a
+garment to his back or a shekel that he could call his own, and what use
+could he find for the company of an accomplished gentleman, who had as
+keen an eye as any one for a fine bit of sculpture or painting, and could
+not be rivalled, out of the profession, in his taste for wine? The
+accomplished gentleman knew where he was appreciated, where he was of use,
+and, naturally, where he was well off. Accordingly he had found means, as
+such people always do find means, of ingratiating himself with the new
+occupant of the palace, and was installed as his consulting connoisseur
+and chief adviser in matters of taste.
+
+“A poor creature, certainly,” he had replied to some depreciatory
+criticism which Menelaüs had passed on his predecessor, “but it must be
+allowed that he had a taste in art.”
+
+“Or was sensible enough to be guided by those who had,” said Menelaüs.
+
+Cleon acknowledged the compliment with a bow, and went on, “I never found
+him make any difficulty about the price. And, of course, if a man goes to
+work in that spirit, and has good advice, too, he is bound to make a fine
+collection.”
+
+Menelaüs received the observation with a grimace, and a significant shrug
+of the shoulders. “‘No difficulty about the price,’ you say. Of course
+not. Why should he? When a man doesn’t pay, he is apt to be easy about the
+amount. Do you know that the bills for half the things that you see in
+this room have been sent in to me? Sometimes he had to pay the money down.
+The ‘Gladiator’ there, from Pergamum could not have been got without ready
+cash; but wherever he could, he went on credit, and now the dealers are
+down upon me.”
+
+And he held up a sheaf of bills.
+
+“Here,” he went on, “is a pretty account from Theodotus of Alexandria, the
+bookseller, you know:
+
+“‘_A Manuscript of Anacreon_ (said to be   10   minæ.
+autograph)
+_The Milesian Tales_                        5   „
+_Drinking Songs from Cratinus_              2   „’
+
+And so it goes on, with a quantity of books which I am sure the old
+impostor never read. Two talents and twelve minæ it comes to altogether.
+Then here is ‘A Group of the Graces, 1 talent;’ ‘Silenus, 20 minæ;’ ‘Satyr
+and Nymphs, half a talent.’ ‘Set of Flagons, worked with the Labours of
+Hercules, 2 talents.’ These the villain melted down before he went. Fancy
+the rascality of that! Why, the silver by weight could not have been worth
+a fourth part of what it cost with the workmanship.”
+
+“Well,” said Cleon, “the fellows can wait. They can afford it; I know
+enough about these things to be sure that they get a very handsome profit.
+I used to travel, you know, for Cleisthenes of Syracuse, and so got to
+know something about the secrets of the trade. No, you need not be afraid
+of making them wait.”
+
+“Well, they have waited three years already,” returned Menelaüs; “and very
+likely will have to be out of their money for as many more. But here is a
+gentleman who won’t wait. Here is Sostratus” (Sostratus, it should be
+mentioned, was Governor of the Castle, which was garrisoned by Syrian
+troops, and so the representative of King Antiochus)—“here is Sostratus
+asking for the half-year’s tribute, and giving me a pretty strong hint
+that, if I don’t send it, he shall come and take it for himself. And where
+is the money to come from?”
+
+“Well,” said Cleon, with a little laugh, “I suppose there is one way to
+get milk, and that is to go to the cow, or the goat, or the sheep. You
+see, we have a certain choice between big and little. And so, if you want
+money, you must go to the people, I suppose.”
+
+“The people! they are squeezed absolutely dry, at least one would think
+so. I could tell you stories about the squeezing that would make you split
+your sides with laughing. There was old Levi, a Bethlehem farmer; they
+boiled him, or half-boiled him, because he would not pay his taxes—said
+that he couldn’t, the old villain! They put him in a caldron, you see, and
+kept heating it up, because he would not tell where he had hidden his
+money.”
+
+“Well, did they get it out of him?”
+
+“No, the obstinate old dog, he would not say a word; but before he was
+quite finished his wife brought the coins from her head-dress and bought
+him off. They say that he was the queerest figure when he came out of the
+water, with the skin hanging about him in folds. Well, at all events, it
+was a good washing for him. He had never been so clean in his life
+before.”
+
+“And did he recover?” asked Menander.
+
+“Upon my word, I can’t remember. But I do know that we got the money.”(5)
+
+“Well, I remember what your predecessor used to say. It was in this very
+room about two years ago that I asked him whether he felt quite safe. ‘Oh,
+yes!’ he answered, ‘I have got the last farthing that is to be got, and
+there is an end of it!’”
+
+“Well,” replied the high priest, “there are other ways of getting money
+besides taxes. I will allow that Jason worked the taxes as well as a man
+could. No one can eat or drink, lie down or get up, walk or ride, travel
+or stay at home, be born or marry, or be buried, without having to pay for
+it. No! I do not see room for another, and I am sure that it is not for
+want of looking. But, as I said, there are other ways. Now—can you keep a
+secret?”
+
+“A secret! I should say so—not the grave itself better!”
+
+“Hush! my friend, good words! good words!” cried the high priest, who
+felt, or affected to feel, the common Greek superstition against words
+that seemed to carry an evil omen with them. “Well, if you can, come
+here.”
+
+So saying, Menelaüs took his friend into an adjoining room, and opening a
+cupboard, secured, as the Greek observed, by an iron door and by a lock of
+elaborate construction, showed him a number of massive gold vases.
+
+“And where do these come from?” asked Cleon, almost dazzled by the
+splendid array.
+
+“Where should they come from, but from the Temple? Some of these have got
+a history of their own. You see that two-handled cup? King Artaxerxes gave
+it to Nehemiah: solid gold. And you see those splendid sapphires in the
+handles? The very biggest stones of the sort I have ever seen, and worth
+three talents each. Then there is that salver, Alexander of Macedon gave
+it to the Temple; and that casket there was a present from the first
+Ptolemy.”
+
+“But, my dear sir,” said the Greek, astonished at the audacity of the
+whole affair, “is not this going a little too far? Suppose the people were
+to find it out? Would there not be a rather formidable uproar?”
+
+“Well, of course; we cannot get anything without risk. But I have taken
+precautions. First, I have put a facsimile of every one of these in the
+Temple; gilded lead, which does perfectly well for all practical
+purposes.”
+
+“But the weight! Surely any one can tell the difference by the weight.”
+
+“Of course, my dear Cleon, I know that lead is little more than half as
+heavy as gold. But there are ways of making it up. You can put a great
+deal more metal in, without its being observed, and almost make up the
+difference. And, you see, the things are never allowed to be handled; can
+only be looked at. I have given very strict orders about that, you may be
+sure. Of course the treasurer is in the secret; but as he must sink or
+swim with me, he may be trusted. Besides, I am not going to run the risk
+of keeping them here. I can trust you, my good Cleon, as I can my own
+brother—in fact, when I come to think of it, a good deal more—yet I am not
+sure that I should have told you so much, but that the best of these are
+going to be packed off to-night. The fact is, they are sold already.”
+
+The Greek could only shrug his shoulders and say nothing. As my readers
+will have perceived, he was not a man of high principles—in fact, to put
+the matter plainly, he was an unscrupulous adventurer. But the reckless
+villainy of Menelaüs fairly disgusted him. His taste, quite apart from any
+question of principle or honesty, revolted at the notion that a man,
+placed as was the high priest of the Jewish people, should deal with these
+historic treasures as a vulgar burglar might deal with them. This was a
+refinement of feeling into which the vulgar cupidity of Menelaüs did not
+enter. He went on:
+
+“How wild that scoundrel Jason would be, if he knew of this, to think that
+he had lost such an opportunity, had these treasures in his hand, so to
+speak, and leave them to his worst enemy!”
+
+“Have you heard anything lately about him?” asked the Greek, not unwilling
+to change the subject.
+
+“Oh, yes,” replied Menelaüs, “he is wandering about somewhere in the
+country of the Ammonites, and at his wits’ end, I am told, how to live.”
+
+“Poor fellow!” said Cleon, _sotto voce_, “he was always very kind to me,
+and I can’t help being sorry for him.” He then went on aloud, “He will
+find it a great change from his way of living here.”
+
+“Yes, yes!” said Menelaüs; “but still, some of his old ways and habits
+will come in usefully. He was always great about training, you remember.
+Every one should be ready to fight a boxing-match or run a race. Cold,
+hunger, fatigue; these, he used to say, are the things to bring out a
+man’s muscles. And now he has got them in perfection. He might really
+carry off some prize, only, unluckily, he is getting a little too old for
+that sort of thing. And then, you recollect, how he would go on about the
+beauty of the human form. Clothes, especially the gorgeous clothes of our
+people, obscured so tastelessly its magnificent proportions. Well, he has
+not much to complain of, I imagine, on that score. By the last account
+that I had of him he had as little in the way of clothing as a man could
+well have. Anyhow, he may console himself with thinking that _his_
+magnificent proportions are not obscured. Well, I don’t pity him. A man
+who has managed to get into a good place and then cannot stick to it is
+nothing better than a fool, and richly deserves everything that he may
+get.”
+
+At this point in the conversation a servant announced the arrival of a
+message from Sostratus, Governor of the Castle.
+
+“All the gods and goddesses confound the man!” cried the high priest, in a
+rage. He was fond of garnishing his conversation with a little Greek
+profanity. “Another dunning message, I suppose. Well, he must wait. No man
+can get any water by squeezing out of a dry sponge; and that is about what
+I am!”
+
+The communication from Sostratus proved, however, to be on quite another
+subject, though it was, if possible, even more unwelcome. It ran thus:—
+
+
+   “_Sostratus, Vicegerent of the Divine King, Antiochus, to Menelaüs,
+                       the High Priest, greeting._
+
+  “Know that I have this day received the summons of the Divine King,
+  Antiochus, to attend him at his court at Antioch, within the space of
+  thirty days, there to inform his Highness more fully of affairs
+  concerning his province of Judæa. Know also that your presence is
+  required at the same place and time, whereof the writing herewith
+  enclosed, being sealed with the King’s seal, will be proof sufficient.
+  Farewell.”
+
+
+Menelaüs’s face visibly lengthened as he read this epistle. “By the dog!”
+(this was a Socratic oath which he sometimes affected, as giving to his
+conversation a certain philosophic tinge)—“By the dog! this is worse than
+being dunned! I like not a journey to Antioch. A very pretty place, but
+expensive, dreadfully expensive, especially when one has the honour of
+being entertained by the King.”
+
+Cleon felt a certain pleasure in the high priest’s discomfiture. The new
+patron was more overbearing, less considerate, and generally more
+difficult to get on with than the old. Jason, coxcomb as he was, had
+always been kind, and Cleon felt as kindly for him as it was in his nature
+to feel for any one. And then the exquisite propriety with which this
+disturbing news followed the man’s taunts and boasts was irresistible.
+
+“It is hard,” he said, as if to himself, “when a man has got into a good
+place——”
+
+Menelaüs darted an angry look at his friend, but the Greek’s face, which
+he knew how to keep under admirable control, expressed nothing but
+respectful sympathy. There was an unpleasant suggestion of mockery in what
+he had heard; but the Greek was a useful person; he had been trusted, too,
+and knew things which it would not do to have published. Altogether, the
+high priest concluded, it would not do to quarrel with him—anyhow, for the
+present; some day, perhaps, he might be got rid of.
+
+“I suppose, sir, you cannot make an excuse—important affairs of State, the
+King’s service to be attended to, or something of that kind?”
+
+Cleon made the suggestion, knowing perfectly well that it was quite out of
+the question. But he enjoyed the novel position of tormenting his patron,
+and was taking it out, so to speak, for not a few rudenesses and slights.
+
+“Excuse!” cried Menelaüs. “It would be as much as my head is worth to do
+anything of the kind. No! I must go. But this is not a journey which one
+cares to take empty-handed. Let me see what I can take—two or three of the
+most portable cups, as much coin as I can scrape together, and the
+jewels—jewels are always useful: it is so easy to hide them. Well, I shall
+leave you in charge; unless, indeed, you are very much set on going
+yourself.”
+
+Cleon was not at all set upon going; on the contrary, nothing short of the
+strongest inducements would have persuaded him to the journey. Going to
+Antioch was like putting one’s head into the lion’s mouth. There was no
+particular reason, indeed, why _his_ head should be bitten off; but lions
+are capricious, and sometimes use their teeth for the mere fun of the
+thing.
+
+“I am much obliged for the chance,” he said, “but my health has been
+suffering lately, and I do not feel quite equal to the journey.”
+
+“Well, then,” replied Menelaüs, “stop here, and keep things as straight as
+you can. And if you can sell some of these pretty things for ready money,
+do so—the usual commission for yourself, of course. But it must all be
+kept quiet.”
+
+The next day the high priest and the Governor, neither of them in very
+good spirits, were on their way to Antioch.
+
+
+
+
+
+                               CHAPTER IV.
+
+                               AT ANTIOCH.
+
+
+Antioch more than deserved the praise of “a very pretty place,” which
+Menelaüs had bestowed upon it. In fact, it was one of the finest cities of
+the world. The old town which the first Antiochus(6) had found had been
+improved away by him and his successors. All that could be done by a
+despotic power that made very short work with the wishes and even the
+rights of private owners of property, and by a lavish expenditure of
+money, had been done by five generations of rulers, and the result was
+magnificent. Broad streets ran from side to side; and those who grumbled
+that the narrow alleys of the old town gave at least a shelter from the
+sun were consoled by the rows of planes and limes, planted alternately,
+which shaded both sides of each thoroughfare. Rows of houses, which looked
+more like palaces than private dwellings, occupied the best quarter of the
+city, and even the poorest regions had nothing of the squalor of poverty.
+Even the filth so common in the East was conspicuously absent from
+Antioch, for every gutter ran with an unceasing stream of water, drawn
+from a higher point of the Orontes and carrying into that river at a lower
+point all the defilement of the streets. Temples, in which a whole
+pantheon of gods was worshipped, were to be seen on every hand. The pure
+and harmonious outlines of Greek architecture could be seen side by side
+with the _bizarre_ conceptions of Oriental art. If the kings and their
+Greek subjects worshipped Zeus and Apollo, and, above all, Aphrodité, who
+had here her famous grove of Daphne, so the Syrian population were
+faithful to Baal and Ashtaroth. A magnificent amphitheatre, capable of
+holding at least thirty thousand spectators, rose, a striking mass of
+white marble, on the north side of the city; a colonnade ran round the
+four sides of the market-place, gorgeous with the lavish colours of the
+East, for here the art of Greece had been superseded for once by the more
+ornate native taste. But the river, rushing down between its noble
+embankments of stone, was the chief ornament of the place. The Orontes had
+not gathered round it the splendid associations that clustered about the
+Tiber, but its broad, clear stream was in everything else more than a
+match for its Italian rival.
+
+Menelaüs and his companion, who, it may be guessed, had reasons of his own
+for regarding with anxiety the summons that brought him to the capital,
+were not a little relieved to find that the King had been called away by
+urgent affairs.
+
+Tarsus, one of the most important cities in his dominions, had rebelled.
+Its antiquity, its wealth, and its fame as a seat of culture, a character
+in which it claimed to be a rival of Athens itself, had combined to give
+the Tarsians a high opinion of themselves. Successive rulers, beginning
+with the Assyrian kings, its first founders, had allowed the city a
+certain independence; and its pride was grievously wounded when the young
+King, with the reckless levity that distinguished him, handed it over as a
+private possession to his mistress. The citizens pitched the lady’s
+collectors into the Cydnus, shut their gates, and defied their sovereign;
+Mallos, another Cilician city which had suffered the same indignity,
+following their example. The King had marched to reduce the rebels—a task,
+it was probable, of no little difficulty—leaving a certain Andronicus to
+act as his deputy, and specially to dispose of the charge on which
+Menelaüs and Sostratus had been summoned.
+
+This charge was one of a very formidable kind. Menelaüs’s dealings with
+the treasures of the Temple had not been so secret as he had hoped. Such
+things cannot be done without a certain number of confederates, and such
+confederates are very apt to give a finishing touch to their villainy by
+betraying their chief. In this instance one of the journeymen employed had
+considered himself insufficiently paid, rightly thinking, perhaps, that if
+sacrilege can be recompensed at all, it ought to be recompensed
+handsomely. Personally he was too insignificant to venture an attack on so
+great a potentate as the high priest, but he knew whither to carry his
+information. He told what he knew to a priest, who, besides being a devout
+Jew, was a member of the family to which the high priesthood properly
+belonged. The priest, after satisfying himself that the story was true, at
+once set about bringing the offender to justice.
+
+His course was plain. Menelaüs, we have seen, had supplanted Jason, and
+Jason had himself purchased the dignity. But Oniah, the rightful high
+priest, who had been displaced by Jason, was still alive. Antiochus,
+naturally fearing his influence with his countrymen, had kept him at his
+capital, treating him, strange to say, with remarkable consideration. But
+Oniah was one of those men who extort veneration even from the most
+reckless of profligates. His venerable figure, his face beaming with
+benevolence, his blameless life, and the charities which he dispensed up
+to and even beyond the limit of his means, had won for him the regard of
+all Antioch. Even the heathen would stop him in the streets and beg his
+blessing. Oniah was a power in Antioch for which even the reckless young
+profligate on the throne had an unfeigned respect.
+
+It may, then, be easily imagined that no little sensation was produced
+when this venerable personage appeared before Antiochus, and, in the
+presence of the Court, accused Menelaüs, whom he had steadfastly refused
+to acknowledge as high priest, of having embezzled much of the treasure of
+the Temple at Jerusalem. That Oniah, whose veracity and good faith were
+beyond all question, should make such a charge was _primâ facie_ evidence
+of its truth. As he was known to have many friends in Jerusalem, it was
+more than probable that evidence would be forthcoming. The King did not
+hesitate a moment in acting upon this probability. Of course, he did not
+look at the matter in at all the same light as that in which it was
+regarded by the devout Oniah. To the dispossessed high priest the robbery
+of the sacred vessels was a monstrous sacrilege, an offence of the deepest
+dye, not only against his country but against his God. Antiochus felt that
+it was he who had been wronged. The treasures of the Jerusalem Temple were
+_his_ treasures. He might be content to leave them, at all events for the
+present, where they were; but they must be ready to his hand whenever the
+occasion should arise, and any one who presumed to appropriate them was a
+traitor and a villain. Hence the urgent summons to Menelaüs and to
+Sostratus, who, as Governor, could hardly fail, thought Antiochus, to have
+been cognizant of the whole proceeding.
+
+Almost immediately after the despatch of the summons came the trouble with
+Tarsus. The King started to chastise in person his rebellious subjects,
+and left, as we have said, Andronicus in general charge of affairs, and
+with a special commission to hear the accusation which Oniah was bringing
+against Menelaüs. The choice was an unlucky one. Antiochus was sincerely
+anxious that justice should be done in the matter; but to get justice done
+in any particular case when it is not the rule of the administration is
+exceedingly difficult. Andronicus, to put the facts quite simply, was an
+unprincipled villain, ready to sell his decisions, when he could do so
+with impunity, to the highest bidder. He was an old acquaintance and
+confederate of Sostratus, and Menelaüs, who had established friendly
+relations with the Governor during their journey from Jerusalem to
+Antioch, soon received a hint as to how he should proceed. The hearing of
+the case had been appointed for the sixth day after his arrival. Before
+that date one of the sacred vessels which he had taken the precaution of
+bringing with him, had been exchanged for five hundred gold pieces, and
+the gold pieces had found their way into the pocket of Andronicus.
+
+On the day appointed Oniah, supported by the principal Jewish inhabitants
+of Antioch and by not a few of the most respectable Greeks, appeared to
+substantiate his charges against the usurper Menelaüs. The evidence
+appeared to be overwhelming. The artizan who had been employed to
+fabricate the worthless imitations of the precious vessels told the whole
+story of the fraud with a fulness of detail which seemed to bear all the
+stamp of truth. Another witness related how he had carried one of the
+original articles to a goldsmith at Sidon, and actually produced a rough
+memorandum of its weight, which had been made upon the spot, to be
+afterwards embodied in the formal receipt.
+
+The line of defence adopted was bold, not to say impudent. The whole
+affair, according to Menelaüs, was a conspiracy on the part of the
+irreconcilable Jews to overthrow a loyal subject of the King. The
+witnesses, he declared, had been suborned, the documents had been forged.
+He then went on to bring a counter-charge against his accuser. And here he
+found a certain advantage in the transparent honesty of Oniah.
+
+“Do you acknowledge,” he asked the ex-high priest, “the validity of the
+appointments which our most noble lord Antiochus has made to the office of
+high priest?”
+
+Oniah frankly confessed that he did not.
+
+“Do you consider yourself to be still, according to the Law, in rightful
+possession of that office?”
+
+“I do.”
+
+“And bound to assert that right?”
+
+“By lawful means.”
+
+“And you hold all means to be lawful that are enjoined in the Law of
+Moses?”
+
+“I do.”
+
+“And among such means you would count the banishment from the precincts of
+the Holy City of all such as do not worship the Lord God of Israel?”
+
+Oniah felt that he was becoming entangled in this artful web of questions,
+and made an effort to break loose. “I appeal,” he cried, “most excellent
+Andronicus, to all who, in this city of Antioch, for these four years past
+have known my manner of life. You see sundry of them, nor of my own nation
+only, in the court this day. Ask them whether I have not lived in all
+peace and quietness, not seeking to disturb, either by word or deed, the
+dominions of my lord the King.”
+
+Menelaüs, of course, had not come unprovided with witnesses. The old man
+had, to tell the truth, used language of an imprudent kind. He was a
+patriot and a believer. As such, he had his beliefs and his hopes, and it
+was part of his character to express such beliefs and hopes quite openly.
+He had talked of a day when the Holy Land should be no more the prey of
+the alien and the heathen, when a king of the House of David should rule
+in Mount Sion, when the Temple should regain all the sacredness and all
+the glory which had ever belonged to it. Such language, construed
+strictly, was not consistent with a thorough loyalty to the Syrian
+monarch. But no one who knew Oniah, a man of peace who had the good sense
+to recognize what was and what was not possible, could suppose that any
+scheme of revolt against existing authorities had ever entered into his
+mind. In fact he had not said a word that had not been said before by one
+or more of the prophets. Still, words which breathed a spirit of
+independence, when reported by witnesses, and acknowledged by Oniah—who
+was, indeed, too honest to deny them—gave Andronicus the occasion for
+which he had been looking. He gave his decision in the following terms:—
+
+“The charge against Menelaüs is postponed for further hearing. Meanwhile
+the documents produced and the witnesses will remain in the custody of the
+Court. As for Oniah, he must be reserved for the judgment of the King in
+person. I should myself have been disposed to release him; but in the
+absence of my lord, considering that the peace of the realm is so
+essentially concerned, I do not venture so far.”
+
+He was proceeding to give orders for the removal of Oniah, when an ominous
+murmur from the audience, with which the court was crowded, made him
+pause. Prisoners who saw the inside of an Antioch dungeon were sometimes
+not heard of again. The air had a certain power of developing very rapid
+diseases, so rapid that the sufferers were not only dead but buried before
+any tidings of the sickness reached their friends. Antioch was not
+disposed to see the man who was probably the most widely respected of all
+its inhabitants, exposed to such a risk. Andronicus, who could not even
+trust the soldiers to act against so venerable a person, drew back. He was
+willing, he said, to accept sureties in a sufficient amount for the due
+appearance of the accused. The sureties were forthcoming in a moment, in
+sums so great and so absolutely secure that Andronicus had no pretext for
+refusing them. He proceeded to adjourn the Court for fourteen days.
+
+During the interval he took the opportunity of making a change in the
+garrison of the capital. Troops recruited from some of the regions
+bordering on Judæa, and accordingly among the bitterest enemies of its
+people, replaced some Greek mercenaries. The strangers knew nothing about
+Oniah, except that he was a Jew, and, being a Jew, of course hateful. They
+could be relied upon to obey orders, and those who knew Andronicus were
+sure what orders he would issue.
+
+Oniah’s friends urged him to fly. He was too old and feeble, he replied;
+it would be better for him to die at his post. Then they implored him to
+take sanctuary.
+
+“What!” he cried, “take sanctuary in a heathen temple! There is none other
+in the place. I would sooner die a thousand times.”
+
+It was not in a temple, they explained, that he was to find shelter. It
+was in the Gardens of Daphne that they wished him to take refuge. And they
+proceeded to unfold an elaborate argument, the gist of which was that the
+Gardens were a civil, and not a religious, sanctuary; that there would be
+no occasion for him to enter the consecrated enclosure; he would be simply
+availing himself of a custom which forbad the entrance of the Minister of
+Justice into a place devoted to the amusement of the people. It is
+probable that they strained their argument beyond the limits of the truth.
+It was with great difficulty that Oniah could be made to yield. When he
+did so at last, on the urgent representations of his friends that the
+hopes of a free Israel were largely dependent on the preservation of his
+life, he could not help foreboding that the concession would not profit
+either himself or them.
+
+The world scarcely contained a more beautiful place—beautiful both by
+grace of nature and diligence of art—than the Gardens of Daphne; and
+certainly none that seemed more unlikely to shelter a devout Jew. Its
+avenues of cypress and laurels, its delicious depths of shade, its
+thousand streams, clear as crystal and untouched by the drought of the
+longest, most fiery summer, were but a part of its charms. Of some,
+perhaps the chief of its attractions, it is best not to speak; but there
+were others, less unseemly indeed, but such as must have been absolutely
+scandalous to such a man as Oniah. The curious thronged to see the
+gigantic statue of Apollo, a match both in size and costliness of material
+to that of Zeus in the plain of Olympia. (It was sixty feet in height, and
+wrought of gold and ivory.) To complete the resemblance to the famous
+meeting-place of the Greek race, there was a running ground and rings for
+wrestling and boxing. Finally, Daphne claimed to rival another great
+centre of Greek life in its special characteristic. It was stoutly
+maintained that the Apollo who haunted the laurel-groves of Daphne was as
+true a prophet as he who spoke through the lips of Pythia at Delphi.
+Crowds of men and women, eager to learn the secrets of the future, came to
+the groves of Antioch. The method by which they saw into the secrets of
+fate seemed singularly simple. The questioner dipped a laurel leaf into
+the stream that flowed by the shrine, and lo! the surface appeared written
+over with the intimations of fate. Simple it was, but the priests had
+spent a world of pains in acquiring the art of invisible writing, and they
+did their best to learn something about the history and prospects of the
+applicants.
+
+Such was Daphne, and no one could be more astonished than were its
+inhabitants and visitors at the strange figure whom they saw before them;
+strange to the place, indeed, rather than to them, for Oniah, as has been
+said, was one of the best-known personages in Antioch. The rumour of his
+coming had gone before him, and a crowd, half curious, half respectful,
+had gathered to meet him. In not a few, indeed, curiosity and respect were
+mingled with something of fear. The presence of this austere piety in this
+haunt of vicious pleasure, was thought to augur ill for its prosperity.
+Some of the priests were heard to murmur that one who was the avowed enemy
+of the gods ought not to be admitted. But they did not venture to deny to
+any one who sought them the privileges of sanctuary, while their fears
+were not of a kind which they could make their followers understand. They
+had, therefore, to acquiesce, and hope that the unwelcome visitor would
+bring with him no ill-luck.
+
+A little building, as remote as possible from the central temple, had been
+secured for the residence of Oniah. On reaching the gardens he had to make
+his way to it through two dense lines of eager spectators. The temple, the
+shrine of the oracle, the pavilions devoted to pleasure, were for the
+nonce deserted. The drunkards left their wine-cup, and, stranger still,
+the dice-players their gaming-tables, to gaze upon the holy man. As he
+walked up the narrow avenue that had been left for his passage, some of
+the women whose venal beauty was one of the attractions of the place,
+threw themselves at his feet. Unhappy creatures, they had been brought up
+from childhood to this life of degradation, which indeed had a certain
+hideous sanction of religious association about it; but they had not
+altogether lost the womanly veneration for goodness, and, like the
+Magdalen of a later time, seemed to forget themselves in its presence. The
+old man, unconscious of their character, or perhaps, with the Divine Guest
+of the Pharisee of Capernaum, ignoring it, stretched out his hands with
+the gesture of blessing, and, though it was technically a pollution to
+touch a heathen, he even laid them on some children who were almost thrust
+into his arms. There was hardly a heart that was not touched with this
+kindness, and when the priest, as he entered his new abode, turned and
+bade the multitude farewell, he was answered with shouts of enthusiasm.
+
+Menelaüs and his accomplices were dismayed at the escape of the victim. A
+witness who knew so much, and whose word was so implicitly believed, must
+be silenced at any cost. To take him by force from the sanctuary was
+impossible. Any attempt of the kind would certainly end in disaster. But
+it might be possible to draw him forth by fraud. Menelaüs knew enough of
+the old man’s character to be sure that he had gone reluctantly, and would
+gladly seize the opportunity of quitting a scene in which he must have
+felt himself so much out of place. Some such fraud it would not be
+difficult to contrive with the help of Andronicus. Accordingly another of
+the sacred vessels found its way to the dealer, and another purse of gold
+into the pocket of the viceroy, and in a few hours the plot was arranged.
+As Antiochus was on his way back from the north, there was no time to be
+lost.
+
+Two days after the arrival of Oniah at the gardens a visitor to him was
+announced. It was the viceroy himself.
+
+“Venerable sir,” he began, “it has grieved me beyond measure to find that
+you were distrustful of my honourable, and I may say friendly, intentions
+concerning you. Whoever accused me of ill-will towards you has wronged me
+most foully. And let me add that you also have been wronged no less in
+that you have been persuaded to come to a place so unworthy of your
+dignity. Your safety should be ensured, not by a sanctuary in which
+thieves and murderers find refuge, but by the inviolable precincts of the
+royal palace itself. Let me offer to you, in the name of the King, the
+hospitality of his abode. In the meanwhile I am willing to swear by any
+oaths that may suffice to satisfy you and your friends, that you shall
+suffer no injury from my hands.”
+
+One or two of Oniah’s friends strongly dissuaded him from trusting himself
+to the viceroy. But their caution was overborne by their companions and by
+the eagerness of the priest to quit so uncongenial a place. Andronicus
+took every oath known to Greek or Jew that he would treat the priest with
+all respect, and Oniah gladly bade farewell to the Gardens. His departure
+was made at the dead of night, and unknown to any of the inhabitants of
+Daphne. Had they been aware of his intention, it is probable, knowing as
+they did the character of Andronicus, that they would have hindered it by
+force.
+
+Almost at the moment of Oniah’s arrival at the palace a runner reached it
+from the King announcing his intended arrival on the next day.
+
+Speedy action was necessary, and Andronicus, though not without
+misgivings, determined to lose no time. A Court of Justice, so called, was
+hastily held. A creature of his own was called to preside over it.
+Witnesses whose testimony had been carefully prepared, deposed to
+preparations for rebellion to which Oniah had been privy, and to which he
+had lent his aid. The accused was not allowed to have an advocate, and
+scarcely even permitted to speak. Two hours sufficed for this mockery of a
+legal process, and two more for carrying into effect the sentence of death
+which was of course pronounced. Though the brutal Cilicians who formed the
+garrison of the palace were ready to carry out any order which their
+officer might give, it was judged well to avoid anything like a public
+execution. That very night Oniah was poisoned in his prison, and before
+dawn the next day his body was hastily consigned to the tomb.
+
+The punishment for this atrocious act of treachery and cruelty was not
+long delayed. One of the first acts of Antiochus, after his return to his
+capital, was to demand the presence of Oniah, and then the story had to be
+told. Andronicus did his best to put such a colour upon it as would
+deceive his master. The attempt was vain. The King saw in a moment through
+the idle charges which had been brought against the dead man. “What!” he
+cried, “Oniah rebel against _me_!” His vanity and self-confidence made the
+accusation seem the very height of absurdity.
+
+“Of course,” the King went on—“of course he did not acknowledge the
+priesthood of Jason or Menelaüs; he has told me so himself twenty times.
+He could not think otherwise, and he was as honest as the day. I only wish
+that he had left another as honest behind him. Zeus and all the gods of
+heaven and hell confound me if I do not avenge him to the uttermost. Tell
+me,” he cried, turning to the captain of the Cilicians, who stood by
+dismayed at his master’s rage—“tell me where you have buried him.”
+
+The captain described the place.
+
+“I will see him once more, and these villains shall see him too,” he said,
+pointing to the trembling pair, Andronicus and his creature the judge.
+
+He went on foot, his royal dress discarded for a mourner’s cloak. His
+courtiers followed him, and a guard of soldiers behind brought with them
+the guilty viceroy and judge.
+
+“Open the grave,” he said, when he reached the spot.
+
+It was soon done, for the murderers had hurried their victim into a
+shallow tomb. In a few minutes the body of the dead man was exposed to
+view. Decay had not commenced, and death had given fresh depth and beauty
+to the serenity which had been their habitual expression in life.
+Antiochus gazed awhile at the face; then, dropping on his knees, covered
+his head with his mantle, and burst into a passion of tears.
+
+In a few minutes he rose to his feet. Grief had given place to rage, and
+his eyes blazed with fury.
+
+“Bind that wretch!” he cried, pointing to the wretched Andronicus.
+
+He was bound, and stood waiting his doom.
+
+“He is not worth the blow of an honest sword,” cried the King; “strangle
+him, as if he were a dog. But first make him look at the man whom he has
+murdered.”
+
+Andronicus was forced to the edge of the grave and compelled to look at
+the dead. A halter was thrown round his neck, and the next moment he was a
+corpse. The judge shared his fate. “And you, sir,” said the King, turning
+to the captain who had administered the poison—“you, sir, though you are a
+barbarian, and know no better, must learn that you cannot rob the world of
+one who was worth a thousand such brutes as you. You are captain no more;
+that is your successor,” and he pointed to an officer in his train. “You
+can groom his horses, if you don’t want to starve. And think that you are
+lucky that you keep your head.”
+
+So the good Oniah was avenged.
+
+
+
+
+
+                               CHAPTER V.
+
+                            THE WRATH TO COME.
+
+
+A year has passed since the tragedy related in the last chapter. Menelaüs,
+thanks chiefly to the fickle temper of Antiochus, had escaped the fate
+which overtook his accomplice Andronicus, and had returned to pillage his
+unfortunate countrymen in Palestine. But his lease of power had come to an
+end. Jason, his dispossessed rival, had taken the opportunity of a report
+that Antiochus was dead, and attacked him. There could hardly be any
+choice between the two men. Both were equally rapacious; equally
+unfaithful to their religion and their country. But Jason had been out of
+power for two years, and his misdeeds had faded a little from the memory
+of the people; Menelaüs’s enormities were still fresh in their
+recollection. After a sharp conflict, the losses of which were utterly out
+of proportion to any gain that could possibly come from it, Jason had won
+the day, and his rival had been compelled to take refuge in the Castle.
+Then came the news that the report of the death of Antiochus was false. He
+had settled affairs in Egypt after his liking, and was now on his way
+northwards, furious at the trouble which this obstinate province was
+giving him, and resolved, as he said, to quiet it for good. Jason had fled
+in headlong haste, and his partisans, and, indeed, most of those who had
+the means to go, had followed his example. Meanwhile Jerusalem was
+awaiting the future with fear and trembling.
+
+It is an evening in the early summer, and the western wall of the city is
+crowded with men and women, who are gazing with awe-stricken faces on the
+strange appearance of the sunset. All day people had been talking of the
+marvellous shapes which had appeared the evening before in the western
+sky, and now a great multitude had assembled to see whether the marvel
+would be repeated, and, if so, to judge of it for themselves. Nor had they
+assembled in vain. Never, within the memory of man, had the heavens worn a
+stranger, a more terrifying look. Above the spot where the sun was just
+sinking to his rest the whole sky glowed with a red and angry light. On
+this background, so to speak, the clouds of a lower stratum had shaped
+themselves into the forms of two armies ready to engage in battle. The
+spectators seemed to be able to trace in one place the serried ranks of
+infantry, in another the massed array of chariots and horses. A space,
+brilliantly coloured, as it might seem, with something like the hue of
+blood, intervened between the two airy hosts. But these seemed to be
+slowly nearing each other, and the gazing people watched the lessening
+space, expecting, one might think, to hear the actual clash of arms when
+they should have met. But then the sun set, and with the sudden failing of
+light that marks the evening of more southern climes than ours, the whole
+pageant vanished from before the eyes of the spectators.
+
+Among the crowd is our old acquaintance Menander, or Micah, whom we last
+met in the library of Jason. Things have not gone well with him since
+then. He had cherished a belief that Greek culture, the brightness of
+Greek literature and art, would do something to amend the severity, and
+what he was pleased to call the tastelessness of Jewish life. To a certain
+extent it had been an honest belief, though the pleasure-loving nature of
+the man, in its revolt against the stern morality of the Law, had had
+something to do with developing it. But his experience of Greek culture
+and its works had not been encouraging. If the reforming doctrine had to
+be preached by such prophets as Jason, and Menelaüs, and the cruel and
+profligate young tyrant Antiochus, it was more than doubtful whether it
+would do any good. Hitherto, certainly, it had done no good at all. The
+people were more unhappy, more spiritless, more like slaves than they had
+ever been before; the rulers were more greedy and selfish, more absolutely
+careless of all that did not concern their own interests. Might he not, he
+began to think to himself, have made a mistake? Might not the old life,
+which was at least the life of free men, be better than the new?
+
+He was busy with such thoughts when he heard a woman’s voice behind him
+whisper “Micah.” He did not recognize it at once, but its tones were
+familiar to him, and they seemed to touch the same chord in his heart with
+which his thoughts were then busy. And the name, the old Hebrew name, that
+too was familiar, though it was long since he had heard it. He was
+“Menander” to his friends; for his friends were either Greeks, or else
+Jews who, like himself, had cast off the associations of his birth and
+race.
+
+“Micah,” said the voice again, and he turned to look at the speaker.
+
+She was a woman of some thirty years, plainly, almost poorly, dressed, but
+with all the air of gentle birth and breeding. Her face was beautiful, not
+with the brilliant loveliness of youth, but with that which is brought
+into the features by a pure and tender soul. There were the lines of many
+sorrows and cares upon her forehead, and round her eyes, and in the
+corners of mouth and cheek; but her eyes, save that they seemed almost too
+large for the thinner contours of the face, were as beautiful as they had
+been in the first glory of her youth.
+
+It was Hannah, his elder sister, who had been as a mother to him in his
+orphaned childhood, that Menander recognized. Years had passed since they
+met. There had been no quarrel, but circumstances had made a barrier
+between them. What Menander’s life had been we know, and Hannah was the
+wife of a faithful and devout Jew, Azariah by name, who, though still
+cherishing kindly thoughts for his young kinsman, had felt that, for the
+present at least, they were best apart.
+
+Brother and sister eagerly clasped hands, and Menander, or Micah, as we
+will call him, felt a lump rise in his own throat as he saw the tearful
+smile in Hannah’s lustrous eyes.
+
+“Micah,” she said—“for you will not mind my calling you Micah, though I
+hear you use another name; but you were always Micah to me—this is a
+strange sight on which we have been looking.”
+
+“Yes, sister,” he answered, with a gaiety of tone which was more than half
+assumed—“yes, sister, strange enough; but then we know that the clouds do
+take strange shapes at times. A current of air blows them this way or
+that, and, with our fancy to help, they become anything in heaven or earth
+that we may fancy.”
+
+“Nay, Micah, there is more than fancy here. You and I used to watch the
+clouds from the window in the old house, and to laugh at the odd shapes
+which we found in them—lions, and dogs, and whales, and such things—but we
+never saw such a sight as this.”
+
+“But we had not in those days such thoughts of our own to read into the
+sights of the skies. But tell me, Hannah, what do you think it means?”
+
+“What can it mean,” she answered, in a low voice, “but wrath—wrath upon us
+and upon our children?”
+
+“Wrath, perhaps,” he cried; “and the sky has, I must confess, an angry
+look. But why must it be upon us? Why not rather upon our enemies? I see
+nothing in the skies which tells us whether these sights be meant for us
+or for them.”
+
+“Nay, my brother, speak not thus, for you know better in your heart. The
+heavens give us these signs, or rather God gives them to us through the
+heavens, but He leaves it to our own hearts to interpret them. They tell
+us surely enough on whom this wrath must fall.”
+
+“But, sister, tell me why on us? Are we worse than our neighbours—than
+these robbers of Edomites and Ammonites, these sullen Romans, never
+satisfied except when they are fighting—these mongrel Syrians?”
+
+“They are heathen,” said Hannah, in a solemn voice, “and they do not sin
+against light. Let us leave them to the judgment of God. But ourselves we
+can judge. Look at this city; we call it the City of David—but where is
+the spirit of David? Have we not trampled the Law underfoot, making to
+ourselves graven images of things in heaven and earth and the water under
+the earth? Where is the honour of the Sabbath? Where is the morning and
+evening sacrifice? Where are the yearly feasts? Will our God deliver us
+again, when we will not thank Him for the deliverances that He hath
+wrought already? Oh, Micah, I do not seek to anger you; but are you such
+as our father, now in Abraham’s bosom, would rejoice to see you? And tell
+me, how was it that we Hebrews became a great people? A Syrian ready to
+perish was our father, and lo! before a thousand years were past, Solomon
+reigned from the great river to the Western sea. How came we by this
+might? Was it by aping Egyptian or Greek? Did we not keep to our own way,
+and walk after our own law, and worship our own God? Then it was well with
+us, and the nations round about feared us and honoured us; but now they
+laugh us to scorn, for we are ashamed of our own selves, and seek to be
+what they are, and cannot attain to it, and so fall short both of their
+greatness and of ours.”
+
+Micah stood dumb before this fierce torrent of words. Was this the gentle
+Hannah of his youth? There must be some mighty influence that could change
+the lamb into the lioness.
+
+She went on, in a gentler voice, “You are not angry with me, brother?”
+
+“Surely not.”
+
+“I must go, for my husband will be waiting for the evening meal. Come,
+children,” she went on, speaking to two little girls who had been clinging
+to their mother’s cloak, gazing open-eyed and half-terrified at this
+strange kinsman.
+
+“And are these my nieces?”
+
+“Yes; Miriam and Judith,” answered Hannah, pointing first to one and then
+to the other. “This, children, is your dear uncle, Micah.”
+
+The young man stooped and kissed the children.
+
+“You will not let it be so long before we see you again?” said Hannah.
+
+His answer was to wring her hand, and turn away. Her words had pricked him
+to the heart, and he did not know whether to thank her or be angry.
+
+We must now turn to another group which had also been drawn to the walls
+by the report of the marvellous sights that were to be seen in the
+heavens. A group it was that would have attracted attention anywhere, so
+remarkable were the contrasts and the resemblances which it presented.
+
+The principal figure was an old man dressed in the everyday garb of a
+priest. The burden of years had bowed his stately figure, for he had long
+since passed the limit which the Psalmist assigns to the life of man, but
+his eye was as brilliant as ever, and his voice, when he spoke, had lost
+none of its depth and fulness of tone. His three companions were men in
+the vigour of life. All surpassed the common stature, but yet none of them
+equalled the height of their father, for that they were father and sons
+the most casual observer must have seen. In age there was little
+difference between them. The eldest may have numbered about forty years,
+the youngest, perhaps, four less. Their dress was mainly that of the
+middle-class Jew, and so different from the old man’s priestly garb, but
+not without some distinctive marks that indicated the fact that they
+belonged to the House of Aaron. The multitude of priests was indeed so
+great that but a very small share in the services of the Temple, even when
+these were fully carried out, fell to the lot of any one man. These
+services had now been reduced to a minimum, and numbers of the priestly
+houses, while not repudiating their hereditary office, practically devoted
+themselves to the ordinary avocations of life. This had been done by the
+three sons of Mattathias of Modin, for such was the name and such the
+ancestral city of the aged priest.
+
+“Judas,” said the old man, addressing one of his sons, “these signs in the
+heavens are of a surety from the Lord.”
+
+The son addressed was the youngest of the three; but it was evident from
+the bearing of his brothers, and from the air of respect and attention
+with which they waited for him to speak, that they were accustomed to see
+him the first recipient of their father’s confidence. And indeed it was
+not difficult to see, under a superficial resemblance of figure and face,
+something that distinguished him from his companions. John, the eldest,
+was a plain, blunt soldier, raised above the average level of his
+profession, by the purity of his life and the depth of his religious
+convictions, but still essentially a soldier, one who saw no way of
+solving complicated questions save by a downright blow of the sword.
+Simon, the second in point of age, had a singularly mild and benevolent
+expression, though his eyes were full of intelligence and the lines of his
+mouth and chin seemed to show that he could be firm on occasion. But Judas
+had all the outward characteristics of a hero. A sturdier soldier never
+wielded sword, but he saw that there are difficulties to which the sword
+alone can bring no solution. Nor was he slow to follow all the subtleties
+of diplomacy; but, at the same time, he never lost his grasp of the
+principles which all the skill of the diplomatist is unable to change.
+
+“Father,” he now said, “that these signs are from the Lord I do not doubt.
+But what is your counsel?”
+
+“Speak you first, my son,” replied the old man; “’tis ever best so. You
+might be unwilling to differ from me and yet be in the right. This at
+least my years have taught me—that it is easy for any man to err.”
+
+“Let us stay,” said Judas. “’Tis true the air is stifling, such as a free
+man can scarcely bear to breathe. But there are many, father, that look to
+you for counsel and guidance, and we may scarcely leave them, at least
+till the call sounds more plainly in our ears.”
+
+“Nay,” cried John, the soldier, “I am not, as you know, one that would
+readily give his vote for flight. But here we are, methinks, as rats in a
+hole. May we not lawfully, and with good faith to God and our brethren,
+seek some place where we may at least have space to draw our swords and
+strike a blow?”
+
+“And you, Simon, what say you?” asked the old man, turning to his second
+son.
+
+“God knows that I would give much to be back at home. But our brethren
+need us here, and we may give them some comfort. Let us stay.”
+
+“Judas and Simon,” said the old man, after a pause, “you have spoken well,
+and I give my voice with yours. As yet our duty seems to keep us here.
+When it shall call us hence, we will follow it. And you, John, think not
+that you will long want for an occasion to strike with the sword. It shall
+come; but you will be readier for it if you make no haste to meet it.”
+
+With this the little party turned away from the wall, and made their way
+to their lodging in the city.
+
+
+
+
+
+                               CHAPTER VI.
+
+                              THE EVIL DAYS.
+
+
+It was not long before the portent which the terrified crowd had watched
+from the walls of Jerusalem found, or at least began to find, its
+fulfilment, for, indeed, many days were to pass before the wretched people
+had drained the cup of suffering to the dregs.
+
+First there was the actual arrival of the army, the rumour of whose
+approach had struck such terror into Jason. At its head came Antiochus in
+person, fresh from his successful campaigns in Egypt and in his train
+followed the renegade Menelaüs with a crowd of unscrupulous and profligate
+adventurers. There was no attempt at resistance. The gates were thrown
+open by the King’s adherents in the city. But if the citizens had hoped to
+soften the tyrant’s heart by their submissive attitude they were miserably
+disappointed. For days the streets of the city ran red with blood. The
+prominent members of the patriotic party were the first to perish. Then
+came all the private enemies of the returning renegades; and then a far
+greater multitude who were singled out for destruction by the possession
+of anything that excited the cupidity of the conquerors. Lastly, as ever
+happens at such times, the massacre that is suggested by hatred or greed
+was followed by the massacre that is the result of the merest wantonness.
+But there were victims more unhappy than those who thus perished by the
+sword of the heathen. The money found on the persons and in the houses of
+the victims did not satisfy the cupidity of their murderers. There were
+thousands who had indeed nothing of their own to lose, but who were in
+themselves a valuable property. These were sent off in droves to be sold,
+till the slave-markets of the Eastern Mediterranean were glutted with the
+Jewish youth.
+
+Still worse in the eyes of all pious Jews than the massacre or the
+captivity was the profanation of the Temple. The innermost shrine, the
+Holy of Holies, which the high priest himself was permitted by the Law to
+enter but once only in the year, was thrown open to the unhallowed gaze of
+a debauched heathen. With a horror that passes description the people saw
+the renegade Menelaüs, bound to be the guardian of the sanctity of the
+place, actually drawing aside the veil with his own hand, and conducting
+the King into the awful enclosure. They saw the most sacred treasures,
+gifts of the piety of many generations, treasures to which the revenue of
+the Persian kings, and even of the victorious Alexander himself had
+contributed, become the spoil of the sacrilegious intruders. The golden
+altar of incense and the table of the shew-bread were taken by the King,
+while the seven-branched candlestick of gold fell, as was commonly
+believed, to the high priest himself. They saw it, and it almost
+overturned their faith that no visible sign of the Divine wrath followed
+an impiety so terrible.
+
+So Antiochus came and went, leaving behind him as his deputy, Philip, the
+Phrygian, “in manners more barbarous than he who set him there.” The time
+that followed was one of grievous depression and sadness. Life went on, as
+it will even amidst the gloomiest circumstances, but all the joy and
+brightness were crushed out of it.
+
+Micah’s sister, the Hannah whom we have seen talking to him on the wall,
+gave birth to a son shortly after the departure of Antiochus. No feast was
+held on occasion of the rite that made the little one a member of the
+family of Abraham. When the forty days of purification were past, the
+mother was not taken to present her offspring in the Temple. The Temple,
+the haunt of pagans and apostates, was no place for faithful sons and
+daughters of Abraham. A visit to its courts could hardly be the seal of
+purification when it needed purifying so sorely itself.
+
+An occasion that should by right have been still more joyful was allowed
+to pass with the absence of festivity. A younger sister of Hannah, Ruth by
+name, had long before been promised to Seraiah, a friend and relative of
+her husband. Time after time the marriage had been postponed, under the
+pressure of evil times; and when at last it was performed, not even then
+without sore misgivings and anticipations of evil among all the elders of
+the family, the celebration was of the quietest kind. Not a guest beyond
+the few friends who attended on the bridegroom was invited; and it was in
+dead silence, not with the usual shouts of merriment and gay procession of
+torches, that the bride was taken to her husband’s home.
+
+And yet, as we shall see, even for these evils there was a compensating
+good.
+
+Micah, though he had affected to make light of the foreboding of evil
+which he had heard from his sister, had really been impressed by it—so
+much impressed, indeed, that he had left the city for a little country
+house at the northern end of the Lake of Galilee, that belonged to him. He
+had invited his relatives to accompany him, but they had declined. Their
+place, they said, was at home, among their poorer brethren, where they
+might do something to help and strengthen. All that Micah could do was to
+commend them to the protection of the Greek party in the city, with whom,
+in spite of his fast increasing disgust at their proceedings, he had not
+yet broken.
+
+He had now returned, and he lost no time in finding his way to his
+sister’s house. The ravages made by fire and sword were only too plainly
+visible as he walked along. Houses that he had known from his childhood,
+in which he had often been a guest, were now but blackened walls; others
+were shapeless ruins. Again and again he saw on fragments of stone and
+plaster hideous blotches which he knew to be of blood; and as he saw these
+things he cursed aloud the hands which had wrought these horrors, not
+without the bitterest self-reproach that his own hand might have grasped
+them in friendship.
+
+It was a great relief to find that his sister’s house had been spared any
+outrage. But when he demanded admittance in the usual way, by kicking the
+door, it became evident that there had been a reign of terror, and that
+the inmates of the dwelling were not sure that it was yet over. The door
+was not thrown open in the usual free fashion of Jewish hospitality, but
+he became aware by a slight movement of one of the closed lattices that he
+was being inspected from above. The inspection was apparently
+satisfactory, for in another minute there was a sound of undrawing bolts
+and unfastening chains, and the inhospitable door was at last open.
+Hannah, sadly aged in look her brother thought, met him in the hall, and
+greeted him with a silent embrace. After a pause, in which she seemed to
+be struggling with her tears, she said—
+
+“Welcome, dear Micah; while you and my husband and my children are left to
+me I feel that I cannot be unhappy. And perhaps you,” she added, with a
+wistful look in his face, “will draw nearer to us now. But come and see my
+dear ones.”
+
+She led the way to a room at the back of the house, looking out into a
+little garden shaded by a wide-branching fig-tree. Hannah noiselessly drew
+aside the curtain that served for a door, and the two stood by common
+consent and watched the scene that met their eyes. Azariah, the father of
+the family, was sitting with his back turned to them, holding on his knees
+a copy of the Law. On two stools at his feet sat his daughters, each
+holding in one hand a tablet covered with wax, and in the other a _stylus_
+or sharp-pointed iron pen. He was slowly dictating to them the words,
+“Hear, O Israel, the Lord thy God is one Lord,” and the little creatures
+were laboriously forming, not without many pauses for thought, the
+scarcely familiar letters.
+
+“Now read it, my children,” said Azariah, when the task was finished; and
+one after another the sweet, childish voices repeated the well-known
+words. Micah, as he listened, felt himself strangely touched. Presently he
+heard his sister murmur to herself, “In Thy Law will I meditate day and
+night,” and glancing at her face saw it illumined with a joy which he
+could scarcely have believed those wasted features capable of expressing.
+
+“’Tis well, Miriam; ’tis well, Judith,” said Azariah to the little girls,
+and putting his hands upon their heads, as they stood before him, for they
+had risen to repeat the holy words, he repeated, “The God of Abraham and
+Sarah bless you.” And then, for they were mere children after all, and not
+above childish rewards, gave each a ripe fig from a basket which stood on
+a table by his side.
+
+The lesson being over, Hannah advanced, and her brother followed. Azariah
+turned and greeted the new comer not unkindly, but with a certain reserve,
+for he could not forget that his visitor was a Menander as well as a
+Micah, and that he had been the friend of the traitorous Jason, and the
+yet more traitorous Menelaüs. The children, after their first feeling of
+alarm, for a strange face was seldom seen in that home, and when Miriam,
+the elder, had recognized her uncle, showed no reserve in their welcome.
+They clung about his neck, and kissed him. They insisted on his coming to
+see their pets—Miriam’s turtle-doves, and Judith’s dormice, and the little
+gazelle fawn which they owned in common. “They have not heard a word
+against me,” thought Micah to himself; and this affectionate loyalty
+touched him to the heart. From his sister he might, perhaps, have expected
+it, but that the stern Azariah, a narrow-minded bigot, without a kindly
+thought for any that did not walk in his way, as he had been accustomed to
+think of him—that Azariah himself should have dealt with him so
+mercifully, was a surprise as it was also a reproach.
+
+He stopped with them for the rest of the day, and after the evening meal,
+when the little ones had gone to bed, after making their uncle promise
+that he would soon come and see them again, the three had much serious
+talk together.
+
+Micah had, of course, the family history to hear, for, stranger as he had
+been to them for some years past, he knew scarcely anything about it. He
+learnt now for the first time that a little boy had been born who, had he
+lived, would have been about two years younger than Judith. The mother had
+much to say about his beauty and goodness, and his rare promise of
+intelligence. Micah was touched all the more because he could not forgive
+himself for the alienation which had prevented him from saying a word of
+comfort to his sister in the hour of her bereavement. “It was, indeed, a
+terrible loss,” and he rose from his seat and kissed her. He felt that
+this little proof of his love would be better than many words.
+
+“Nay,” she said, with a cheerfulness that almost startled him—“nay; you
+must not say that we have lost our dear little Joshua. I know that I have
+a son still, though he is not here. I confess that it was very hard to
+part with him. But he is quite safe in Abraham’s bosom, safer and better
+off,” she added, with a sad smile, “than he would be here; and some day I
+shall see him, and show him to you, dear Micah, and we shall be happy
+together.”
+
+After this the little party had much talk about the state of things in the
+present, and the prospects of the future. Again Micah was astonished to
+see the cheerfulness and courage which his sister and her husband kept up
+in the midst of circumstances which must have been most disheartening.
+
+“Ah!” said Azariah, when the conversation turned upon the desolation of
+the Temple, and the loss of all the ceremonial of worship, the daily
+sacrifice, and the great festivals of the year—“Ah! there are consolations
+even here. Perhaps we thought too much of these things in the old time. We
+were taken up with the outside, with the show and the splendour, the
+vessels of gold, and the clouds of incense smoke as they curled about the
+pillars and the roof, and we forgot what they meant. But now that the
+outside things are taken from us, we can give our hearts to that which is
+within. We have our gatherings still, though the Temple doors are shut.
+Every Sabbath-day we meet, and the Law and the Prophets are read in our
+ears—aye, and there are those who can expound them, and speak words that
+comfort and strengthen us. I, myself, have felt the Spirit move me once or
+twice to exhort and cheer the brethren. No, brother! believe me, it is not
+wholly loss that we cannot assemble any more in our beautiful house. Our
+fathers learnt much when they sat mourning by the waters of Babylon, and
+we also are learning much in this our second captivity.”
+
+This sounded strange to the young man, who, indeed, had dulled his
+understanding of spiritual things by his follies and excesses. Still he
+could not help feeling deeply impressed by the evident earnestness of the
+speaker. But he felt that he could say nothing. A trifler and unbeliever
+like himself could only remain silent in the presence of thoughts and
+feelings so much higher than anything to which he could reach.
+
+After a short pause Azariah went on—“The Lord has not seen fit to renew
+among us the spirit of prophecy, and we know not certainly of the things
+that are coming upon the earth. Yet a man, though he be no prophet, may
+read the signs of the times. Believe me, there are days to come more full
+of evil and darkness even than those that we have seen. My heart sometimes
+fails me when I think of this dear woman,” and as he spoke he laid his
+hand upon his wife’s shoulder, “and of the little ones whom God has given
+us. It will be a hard time for men to battle through—but for women and
+children——.” And his voice faltered.
+
+Hannah turned to him with her brave, cheerful smile—“‘As thy days, so
+shall thy strength be.’ The great prophet said it, did he not, to all his
+people—to the weak ones as well as to the strong?”
+
+Shortly after Micah took his leave. As he walked through the deserted
+streets he thought much of the words which he had heard that night, and
+still more of the cheerfulness and courage, ten times more eloquent than
+all words, which he had witnessed.
+
+“Is all this a delusion?” he asked himself. “Six months ago, perhaps even
+six hours ago, I should have had little doubt in saying so. But now—well,
+if it is a delusion, it is strangely like a reality. Anyhow its effects
+are real enough. Dear Hannah! always the best and kindest of sisters, but
+a timid creature, whom I used to amuse myself by frightening. But now—she
+is as bold as a lioness. Well, I can only hope that the truths which I
+have been learning, if they are truths, will stand me in as good stead
+when the need comes.”
+
+
+
+
+
+                              CHAPTER VII.
+
+                          THE DARKNESS THICKENS.
+
+
+Azariah had read the signs of the times aright. The darker days had come,
+days so full of trouble that the unhappy people looked back to the past
+that had seemed so sad and gloomy as to a time of rest. Things had not
+been going well with King Antiochus, for the Romans had driven him out of
+Egypt, and in his rage and fear he turned against his Jewish subjects with
+greater ferocity than ever. One of his motives was the brutal desire to
+wreak upon the feeble the vengeance which he could not exact from the
+strong; the other was a genuine fear lest he should lose another province
+as he had already lost Egypt. He saw that the policy of Rome was to stir
+up against him the national spirit of subject peoples, and he knew well
+enough that in the Jews, crushed though they had been by oppression and
+massacre, this national spirit was not by any means dead. Accordingly he
+set himself with relentless ferocity to extinguish it. Everything
+distinctive of the people was to be rooted out; that done they might
+become really submissive; there would be no more a land of the Jews, but
+simply a province of Southern Syria.
+
+The first thing, he conceived, would be to strike such terror into the
+hearts of the people that there should be no thought among them of
+resistance. For such a purpose nothing could be more effective than
+another massacre such as that which had already been perpetrated two years
+before under his own eyes: only this, he determined, should be more
+complete. He perceived with a devilish ingenuity that his orders would be
+more relentlessly carried out if he entrusted their execution to some one
+else, than if he were personally present. Appeals might be made to him to
+which he might yield out of sheer weariness, whereas a lieutenant, if he
+were only hard-hearted enough, would simply fall back upon the orders
+which he had received, and refuse all responsibility save that of seeing
+that these were fully carried out.
+
+Such a lieutenant he knew that he possessed in the person of a certain
+Apollonius, a Cretan mercenary, who had already given proofs enough that
+he was about as little troubled as any man could be with a conscience or
+with feelings of compassion. To Apollonius, accordingly, the commission
+was entrusted, and he proceeded to execute it in a particularly brutal and
+treacherous way.
+
+He marched to Jerusalem, taking with him a picked force of some five
+thousand men—picked, it may be said, quite as much for their unscrupulous
+and ferocious character, as for their strength and skill in arms. There
+would have been, in any case, little chance of resistance, but, to make
+his task the easier of accomplishment, he had so timed his coming that he
+approached the city two or three hours before the end of the Sabbath.
+Secret orders had been sent to Philip, the Phrygian, that he was to relax
+the severity of his rule; and the people had begun to breathe again after
+a long period of repression. The Temple was still shut, or virtually shut,
+but the synagogues were open, and were indeed frequented by throngs of
+fervent worshippers.
+
+It wanted a couple of hours to sunset when the news ran through the city
+that an armed force was approaching the walls. The first feeling aroused
+by the tidings was naturally one of alarm. The appearance of the soldiers,
+however, was such as to disarm all apprehensions. In the first place they
+were more like a crowd of men who happened to be carrying arms than an
+army. They were not marching in ranks, or indeed keeping any kind of
+order. A multitude of country-folk could be seen mingled among them,
+soldiers and civilians walking side by side in the most friendly and
+unconstrained fashion. Some of the new comers recognized old acquaintances
+among the townsfolk, and introduced their comrades to them; and though
+some of the sterner sort stood rigidly aloof, there were quite enough
+among the inhabitants of Jerusalem to give the visitors a general welcome.
+Apollonius himself, a conspicuous figure as he rode on his white charger
+up and down the streets of the city, was noticeably busy in renewing old
+acquaintanceships and making new ones.
+
+And then in a moment the whole scene was changed. A soldier and a citizen
+were standing on the wall, talking and laughing together, and that in a
+place where they could be seen by all observers. Suddenly, without there
+having been even the slightest sign of a quarrel, the soldier was seen to
+plunge his sword into the side of his companion. It was a preconcerted
+signal. The wretched inhabitants, who would have been defenceless in any
+case, were taken absolutely off their guard, and had but slender chances
+of escape. How many hundreds, possibly thousands, perished cannot be
+guessed. But the massacre was more general, more pitiless than that which
+had devastated the city two years before. Apollonius’s “picked” men showed
+themselves altogether worthy of his choice, so brutal and bloodthirsty
+were they. And Apollonius himself was to be seen everywhere urging his men
+to make short work with these “pestilent Jews,” as he called them, and not
+unfrequently striking a blow himself. He earned on that day such hatred
+that thereafter there was not to be found a Jew, save among the vilest
+renegades and traitors, but uttered a curse when his name was mentioned.
+
+Of course the soldiers had to be paid for their bloody day’s work, and
+they were paid by the plunder of the city. The houses were stripped, and
+the plunderers, when they had carried away everything that had roused
+their cupidity, often, out of sheer wantonness, completed the work of
+devastation, by setting fire to the desolated houses. Altogether Jerusalem
+presented such a spectacle as had not been seen since the days of the
+Babylonian conquest.
+
+The spirit of the people having been, as it would seem, thus effectually
+broken for the present, it remained to provide against its possible
+revival in the future.
+
+Long gaps were made in the line of wall, so long that it took not a few
+days to make them, and would certainly require as many weeks to repair.
+The town thus made defenceless was further overawed by the erection of a
+fort in the City of David, this fort being held by a strong garrison of
+Greeks and Asiatic mercenaries.
+
+The means of repression thus provided, the next thing was to extinguish
+all that was characteristic of the national life. First, the great centre
+of that life, the Temple, was formally desecrated. Already it had been
+subjected to such indignities that the pious Jew could scarcely bear to
+enter its precincts. But the final horror, the “abomination of
+desolation,” was yet to come. On the 15th of the month Chisleu (December)
+an altar of a Greek pattern, and consecrated to the Olympian Zeus, was
+placed on the great altar of sacrifice, and ten days afterwards a huge sow
+was slaughtered on this. Her blood, caught after the Greek fashion in a
+bowl, was sprinkled on the altar of incense and on the mercy-seat within
+the Holy of Holies—a hideous mockery of the sprinkling which the Law
+enjoined to be performed once in every year. From the animal’s flesh a
+mess of broth was prepared, and this was sprinkled on the copies of the
+Law. The Temple, thus dishonoured, was as if it had ceased to be.
+
+The meeting-houses, in which, as we have seen, the people had found a
+substitute for the Temple worship, were summarily closed. An edict was
+issued commanding that every one who possessed a copy of the Law, or of
+any one of the sacred books, should give it up without loss of time. To
+call in cupidity to the aid of fear in enforcing this edict, the King’s
+officers were instructed to pay a reasonable price for the manuscripts
+thus produced. It was made a capital offence to read or to recite any part
+of the proscribed writings. Then the practice of circumcision was
+forbidden. Death was to be the penalty for all who should take any part in
+performing this rite—for the circumciser, the mother, the father, even the
+babe itself.
+
+And then to the policy of repression Antiochus added the policy of bribery
+and temptation. Their own worship forbidden, the Jews were to be allured
+by the seductions of the worship of their masters. Hitherto little had
+been done in this way. Insults indeed, had been heaped upon the people;
+but little attempt had been made to attract them. The Temple gates, closed
+for more than a year, were again thrown open; and the courts, long silent,
+resounded with the mirth of sacrificial banquets and the gaiety of
+festivals. Not only all the splendours, but all the impure pleasures of
+heathen worship were called in to assist the attempt that was being made
+to sap what was left of the faith of the people.
+
+Antiochus, who, for all his wrath at Jewish obstinacy, could not help
+feeling a certain respect for it, took the trouble to send among the
+people a missionary, if he may be so called, who was to instruct them in
+the new religion which their King was so anxious to impose upon them.
+
+Theopompus, or Athenæus, to use the name which was commonly given him from
+his birthplace, was a follower of the philosophy of Epicurus. He had held
+a subordinate post, as lecturer in geometry, in the famous school of the
+Garden, but had found his modest income insufficient to meet his somewhat
+expensive tastes. If he had had but a tolerable competence, Athenæus would
+have made an ideal Epicurean. He was devoted to pleasure, but there was
+nothing unseemly or extravagant about his devotion. For the foolish people
+who ruined their constitutions and emptied their purses by exhausting
+excesses he had a genuine contempt. “Give me,” he would say, “a decent
+sufficiency of ‘outside things,’ and I am content.” As he had a fair
+smattering of culture, and a real acquaintance with geometry, and had a
+venerable appearance which happily hit the mean between hilarity and
+austerity, he might have been, but for a chronic want of money, a real
+success among the somewhat _dilettante_ philosophers of Athens. But
+circumstances were against him. Poverty did not ill become an Academic,
+and positively set off a Stoic; but an Epicurean seemed to have missed his
+vocation if he could not be always handsomely dressed and able to give
+elegant entertainments to his friends. Athenæus, who liked above all
+things to be on good terms both with himself and with every one else, felt
+this very acutely, and he was proportionately delighted when the Syrian
+King proposed to him that he should go as a teacher, not without a
+handsome salary, of Greek religion and Greek culture.
+
+His success was not encouraging. In the first place he had a difficulty in
+making himself understood. The pure Attic Greek on which he prided himself
+was strange to the ears of his new audience, and he could not bring
+himself to descend to the barbarous dialect to which they were accustomed.
+And when he was seriously called to account in the matter of his belief he
+found himself involved in difficulties from which he saw no way of escape.
+At Athens religion was politely ignored. The common people must, of
+course, have their gods and goddesses; and the wise man, if he were
+prudent, would say nothing—anyhow in public—to disturb their belief; but
+within the privileged walls of the schools the names of Zeus and Athené
+and Apollo were never so much as mentioned, except, perhaps, in the course
+of some antiquarian discussion.
+
+Among his new disciples, as he would fain have reckoned them, Athenæus
+found a very different temper. They were terribly in earnest; abstractions
+and phrases did not satisfy them; they pushed their questions home in a
+very perplexing way.
+
+One day at the conclusion of a lecture, the customary invitation to the
+audience to put any questions that might occur to them was accepted by a
+young man who sat on one of the front benches.
+
+“I would ask you, venerable sir,” he said, “some questions about the gods
+of your religion.”
+
+“Speak on,” replied Athenæus, with his usual courtesy; “I shall be
+delighted to satisfy you to the best of my power.”
+
+“Are we to believe the stories that are told us in this book?” and he held
+up, as he spoke, a little volume of popular mythology, filled from
+beginning to end with tales that, to say the least, were not edifying.
+“For, if these be true, these divine beings were such as would be banished
+from the society of all honest men and women. They are thieves,
+adulterers, murderers. It would be a thousand times better to have no gods
+at all than such as these.”
+
+“You are right, sir,” said the lecturer; “these stories are for the
+ignorant only, at least in their outward meaning, though they have an
+inner meaning also, which I will take some fitting occasion to expound.
+But not such are the gods whom we worship.”
+
+“Will you tell us something of them?” continued the questioner.
+
+“Willingly, for they are such that the wisest of men need not be ashamed
+of them. They dwell in some remote region, serene and happy. Wrath they
+feel not, nor sorrow, nor any of the passions that disturb the souls of
+men.”
+
+“And do they care for our doings upon earth?”
+
+“How so? They neither love nor hate; and both they must do, I take it, did
+they concern themselves with human affairs.”
+
+“What profit, then, is there in them? How are men the better for their
+being?”
+
+“That I know not; only that it is part of the order of things that they
+must be.”
+
+“Far be it from me,” exclaimed the young Jew, “to exchange for such idle
+existences the God of my fathers! He may smite us in His anger till we are
+well-nigh consumed, but at least He cares for us. He led our fathers
+through the sea and through the wilderness in the days of old. He has
+spoken to us by the prophets, and He has made His Presence to be seen in
+His Temple; and though He has hidden His face from us for a time, yet He
+will repent Him of His wrath, and devise the means by which He shall
+recall His banished unto Him. No, we will not change our God for yours!”
+
+A loud murmur of assent went round the benches when the speaker sat down,
+and Athenæus felt that he had made but small way with his audience.
+
+Finding his theology and philosophy but ill received, Athenæus bethought
+him of what seemed a more hopeful method of proselytizing. Could not a
+specially powerful attraction be found in the festival of Dionysus, the
+wine-god? Vintage feasts, he reflected, are common to every country where
+wine is produced, and it would not be difficult to ingraft the Greek
+characteristics on a celebration to which the Jews were already
+accustomed. Some of the less scrupulous might be tempted to take part in
+such a festival, a beginning would be made, and more would follow in due
+time. How the scheme prospered will be told in the next chapter.
+
+
+
+
+
+                              CHAPTER VIII.
+
+                         SHALLUM THE WINE-SELLER.
+
+
+“Things are growing worse and worse; only three customers yesterday, and
+not a single one to-day, though it must be at least an hour past noon. One
+would think that all the world had become Nazarites. Then, though there is
+next to nothing coming in, there is no stop to the going out. First comes
+the rascally tax-gatherer, and squeezes one as dry as a grape-skin in a
+press. And if, by chance, there happens to be a drop left, some snuffling
+priest is sure to turn up, and talk about one’s duty as a patriot and a
+Jew till he drags the last shekel out of one.”
+
+The speaker was one Shallum, a Benjamite, who kept a little wine-shop in
+the Lower City. When he had finished his grumble, he thrust his hand into
+an empty wine-jar, drew from it a little leathern bag, untied the string
+which was round the neck, poured out the scanty contents on the counter
+and counted them. He knew the amount perfectly well, for he had gone
+through the counting process at least ten times before that day. But when
+a man is desperately anxious to make two ends meet, he will measure them
+again and again, though he may know exactly by how much they are too
+short.
+
+“Twelve shekels and ten annas! And old Nahum will be here to-morrow,
+asking for his thirty shekels!”
+
+Nahum was a Lebanon wine-grower, whose long-suffering had been already
+tried to the utmost by the delays of the impecunious Shallum.
+
+At this moment his meditations were interrupted by the entrance of two
+visitors, who had been standing, listening and watching outside the door.
+They were traders in a small way, who had migrated from Joppa when they
+heard that Greek wares were becoming the fashion in Jerusalem.
+
+“Ho! Shallum,” cried one of them, “two cups of your best Lebanon; and make
+haste, for we have important business on hand.”
+
+“Shall I draw some water fresh from the well? This is a little too warm to
+be used.”
+
+“Water!” said the man. “Jew, don’t blaspheme. Mix water with our wine
+to-day, of all days in the year!”
+
+“And why not to-day?” said Shallum.
+
+“Because it is the feast of Dionysus, the wine-giver; and it would be the
+grossest impiety to profane his bounty with any mixture of meaner things.
+Commonly his godship winks at human weakness; but to-day it is different.
+May he confound me if I do him such dishonour!”
+
+“He will certainly confound you if you drink this heady wine undiluted,”
+muttered Shallum to himself, as he set the two cups before his guests.
+
+“Excellent! excellent!” cried Lycon, the elder of the two Greeks, as he
+set down his goblet, half empty. “But why the god vouchsafes such capital
+drink to these unbelieving dogs of Jews puzzles me beyond expression.”
+
+His companion broke out into a drinking-song:
+
+  “Fill the cup with ample measure,
+    Dionysus’ gift divine;
+  Earth and sea hold no such treasure
+    As the gleaming, sparkling wine.
+
+  All for youth are love’s caressings,
+    Gold and gems for princes shine;
+  All may share the wine-god’s blessings,
+    Rich and poor are glad with wine.”
+
+Shallum was fairly tolerant, as indeed a tavern-keeper can hardly fail to
+be, of the ways and manners of his customers; but to hear this praise of a
+false god, one of the odious demons that were worshipped by the heathen,
+was too much for his patience. He muttered a curse under his breath, and
+emphasized this expression of disgust by spitting on the floor.
+
+“Don’t talk to me of your gods and goddesses!” cried Shallum, goaded
+beyond all endurance, “a lewd, drunken crew that no respectable person
+would have anything to do with!”
+
+“Come, my friend,” said the Greek, “this is not the sort of talk which one
+expects to hear from a loyal subject of the pious Antiochus. We Greeks are
+not such bigots as you are, cursing every man, woman, or child that does
+not go exactly in our own way; but you must treat us and our belongings
+with respect. We are not going to have barbarians scoffing at what we
+think fit to worship. I have heard of men being crucified for less than
+you have said to-day. But hearken, Shallum, we did not come here to-day to
+quarrel with you. You are a good fellow, after all, and keep as capital a
+tap of wine as any that I know, King Tmolus(7) only excepted. We want you
+to come with us and have a jolly day. What is the good of quarrelling
+about words? You and we are quite agreed that there is something in wine
+that makes it one of the finest things under the sun. Suppose that we
+choose to call that something Dionysus the Wine-god, and you choose to say
+that your god has to do with it, what is the difference? We are really
+agreed. It is the goodness in wine that we both like, and I’m sure that a
+really honest fellow like you, that we can always rely on to give us the
+right stuff, should be the first to acknowledge it. Well, can’t we show an
+agreement? That is why we want you to come with us. A whole crowd of your
+countrymen are coming, I understand. It will be a pretty sight, and there
+will be some of the finest music that you ever heard, and dancing, and fun
+of all kinds, and, of course, as much wine as ever you want. Of course you
+will come, my dear Shallum?”
+
+“_I_ come?” growled the wine-seller. “Not I! What do I care about your
+dancing and singing? And as for wine, I can have as much as I want at
+home, and better stuff, too, than any that I am likely to get elsewhere.”
+
+Lycon, who was evidently bent on getting his way, did not suffer his good
+humour to be disturbed by the Jew’s churlishness. “Ah!” said he, “that
+reminds me. Stupid fellow that I am, I quite forgot the matter of business
+that really brought me here. To tell the truth, business and this old
+Lebanon don’t very well agree. But listen; Neocles, who is
+manager-in-chief of the whole festival, has quite made up his mind to have
+your wine, and none but yours, for all the better sort of people. He was
+to get some skins for the common folks from Zadok—do you know him?”
+
+“Know him?” said Shallum; “I should think I did—hasn’t got a drop of sound
+wine in his shop.”
+
+“So the Chief said. But we were to come to you for the good wine. What can
+you let us have? Mind that it must be the very best. We were not to haggle
+about the price, Neocles said, so long as we got it really good.”
+
+And Lycon pulled out of his pocket a money-bag that was evidently much
+better furnished than Shallum’s lean and hunger-bitten purse. Untying the
+neck, he poured into his hand, with an air of careless profusion, some ten
+or twelve gold pieces.
+
+Shallum’s keen eyes glistened at the sight. Here was enough to pay not
+only Nahum but all his creditors, and leave him a handsome sum over
+wherewith to tide over the hard times. His somewhat brusque manner changed
+in a moment. He was now the most obsequious of tradesmen.
+
+“Everything in my stores is at your disposal. And I have a better wine
+than this in my cellar, and only ten shekels a skin,” he went on, adding
+about three to the utmost he expected to get. “But wait a moment,
+gentlemen, you shall taste it for yourselves.”
+
+He took a small flagon from beneath the counter and disappeared. The two
+Greeks smiled to each other. “We have the fish fast,” one of them said;
+“after all there is nothing like a golden bait.”
+
+Shallum shortly reappeared with the wine, which was tasted and approved.
+
+“Well,” said Lycon, “we will say ten skins of this at ten shekels a piece,
+and five of the other sort at eight—that is the price; is it not?”
+
+Shallum nodded assent. As a matter of fact he would never have expected
+more than seven. But if these Greeks were so free with their money why
+should not an honest Jew have the benefit of it?
+
+“Of course you will come with us?” said Lycon.
+
+“You may take my word for it, there will be nothing to offend you.”
+
+Shallum hesitated for a moment, and then muttered an unwilling “Yes.”
+
+“And you won’t mind wearing this little twig of ivy, just twisted round
+your head? It means nothing—every one does it.”
+
+This was more than the wretched man was prepared for. “Not I,” he said; “I
+am not going to wear any of your idolatrous ornaments.”
+
+Lycon put the money-bag into his pocket again. “Then, my dear Shallum, I
+am afraid we shall not be able to do any business. ‘Give and take’ is our
+motto. We put a nice little bargain in your way; and you must humour us.
+However, if you are obstinate, there must be an end of it. I dare say
+Zadok can find us what we want. Come, Callicles,” he went on, turning to
+his companion, “we must be going.”
+
+Shallum saw his dreams of deliverance from his money-troubles vanishing
+into air, and grew desperate. “Stop,” he said to his guests, “let me think
+for a moment. You won’t ask me to do anything else. A few leaves can’t
+make much odds either way. I don’t remember ever hearing anything in the
+Law against wearing ivy. It isn’t like eating swine’s flesh, or those
+detestable scaleless eels that you Greeks are so fond of. Yes, I’ll wear
+the thing, if you want me to so much.”
+
+“That’s right, Shallum; I thought a sensible man like you would not throw
+away a good chance for a mere nothing.”
+
+So saying, Lycon stepped outside the shop, and whistled. In a minute or so
+a cart, which had been waiting round the corner, was driven up. The skins
+of wine were stowed away in it, and the two Greeks, with Shallum between
+them, all wearing the ivy-wreath, took their seats, and started for the
+Valley of the Cheesemongers, where it had been arranged that the festival
+should be held.
+
+The festival was scarcely a success, if it was meant, as it certainly was,
+to attract the Jewish population. A few hundreds, indeed, had been
+persuaded or compelled to be present. Most of them belonged to the lowest
+and most degraded class, wretched creatures whom any purchaser might
+secure for any purpose with a shekel or a flagon of wine. To-day they were
+“hail fellow well met” with their Greek neighbours, but to-morrow they
+would be perfectly ready to tear them in pieces. A few of somewhat better
+character had been bribed, as Shallum had been bribed, to come. These had
+little of the air of genuine holiday-makers. Their bursts of simulated
+gaiety did not conceal the shame which they really felt. Others, again,
+did not make even this pretence of hilarity. They had been actually
+compelled to come, and they had all the air of prisoners led in the
+triumphant procession of a victorious general. Their faces were ghastly
+pale. Some, with their teeth firmly clenched, seemed to be forcibly
+keeping in the curses which struggled to find utterance. Others, of a
+gentler temper, were weeping silently; and others, again, preserved a look
+of dogged indifference. The Greek part of the spectators, who could have
+enjoyed the humours of the scene with a good conscience, were depressed by
+the presence of these unwilling guests. In consequence, everything seemed
+to fail. The jesters, with their grotesque garb and faces hideously
+smeared with wine-lees, could scarcely get a laugh from their audience;
+the singing lacked heartiness, the dancing was dull and spiritless. It is
+only natural that revellers, who find the time passing slowly, should try
+to quicken its movement. There was little brightness or gaiety in this
+feast of the wine-god, and there was therefore all the more excess. Some
+seized the rare opportunity of intoxicating themselves without expense,
+while others drank to drown their shame or their anger. Shallum, whose
+occupation had somewhat seasoned him against the effects of wine, remained
+comparatively sober, but his Greek companions were less discreet or less
+strong-headed. They became, by a rapid succession of moods, boisterously
+gay, foolishly affectionate, and provokingly quarrelsome. It was not long
+before things came to a crisis. Lycon taunted the wine-seller with the
+quality of his wines; that did not affect him, for he was used to such
+complaints from his customers, and took them as part of his day’s work. He
+scoffed at the subjection of his nation to Greek rule; Shallum still kept
+his temper. The tipsy Greek was only encouraged to further insults by his
+companion’s self-restraint. He attempted to daub the Jew’s face with the
+dregs from a broken flagon. Shallum angrily shook him off, and he reeled
+back, just saving himself from a fall by catching at the trunk of an olive
+tree. “Hog of a Jew!” he cried, “do you lay hands on a free-born Greek?
+Come, Callicles,” he went on, turning to his companion, “let us teach the
+beast how to behave himself.” The two rushed at the Jew, aiming blows at
+his head with the staves which they carried in their hands. One of them
+stumbled against the stones of a ruined house, and fell so heavily that he
+was unable or unwilling to raise himself again. Shallum easily evaded the
+attack of the other, dealing him at the same time so fierce a stroke of
+the fist that it stretched him senseless on the ground. The deed done, he
+looked hastily round to see whether any spectator had witnessed it. To his
+great relief, he found himself alone. From the lower city came the sounds
+of furious revelry and the strains of the Bacchic chorus—
+
+  “Comrades, crown the bowl with wine,
+  Round your locks the ivy twine,
+  Deeper drink and join again
+  Bacchus and his reeling train.”
+
+His first impulse was to tear the ivy-wreath from his head. Then he
+reflected that if he could endure to wear it for a few moments longer, it
+might serve him as a passport. The event proved that he was right. He
+passed unquestioned through the crowd of revellers, left the precincts of
+the valley, and striking on an unfrequented path, hurried on at the top of
+his speed, not pausing till he had put at least six miles between himself
+and the scene of his late adventure. Then he threw himself on the ground
+and bewailed his grievous fall in an agony of shame and remorse. After a
+while the fatigue and excitement of the day, helped by the fumes of the
+wine, which his rapid movements had sent to his brain, overpowered him,
+and he sank into a heavy sleep.
+
+His slumbers lasted late into the day. When he woke, his head aching with
+the excess of the day before, he felt even more wretched, more hopeless.
+To return to the city was out of the question. But where was he to go?
+While he was debating this question with himself, and could find nothing
+in the least resembling an answer, he caught the sound of approaching
+footsteps. Mingled feelings of shame and fear suggested to him that he
+should hide himself, and he plunged into the bushes which lined the side
+of the road.
+
+The traveller approached. He was a renegade Jew, and Shallum recognized
+him as one who had taken an active part in the festivities of the
+preceding day. Just as he passed Shallum’s hiding-place an unlucky impulse
+made him burst forth into a snatch of the Bacchic chant—
+
+  “Deeper drink and join again
+  Bacchus and his reeling train.”
+
+His listener heard the words with mingled feelings of disgust and rage,
+and leaping down into the road felled him senseless to the ground.
+
+At first it seemed as if what he had done did not make his way plainer
+before him. But as he stood by the prostrate man a thought occurred to
+him. He took the purse which the man, in the usual traveller’s fashion,
+wore by way of girdle round his waist, and examined its contents. It held
+three gold pieces and some ten shekels. The gold he left; but half of the
+shekels he transferred to his own keeping. One of the shekels sufficed to
+purchase some bread and dried flesh at the neighbouring village. Thus
+recruited in strength the fugitive made his escape to the mountains.
+
+
+
+
+
+                               CHAPTER IX.
+
+                             THE PERSECUTION.
+
+
+Menander, or Micah—the young man still wavered between the two moods which
+were symbolized by these names—had been greatly moved, as we have said, by
+what he had seen and heard in his visit to his sister and her husband. But
+he could not shake himself free from the habits and prepossessions of
+years. Though he had always kept aloof from the worst excesses of his
+renegade and heathen friends, still his moral tone had been lowered, and
+even his physical nerve weakened by a frivolous and self-indulgent life.
+Sometimes he would half resolve to cast in his lot with his people.
+Sometimes, again, the cynical or doubting temper returned. What madness it
+would be, so the evil voice whispered to him, to sacrifice all that made
+life pleasant, and, very possibly, life itself, for what both philosophers
+and practical men of the world agreed in pronouncing to be a delusion!
+
+Till this question had been settled one way or the other, he found it
+impossible to rest. The city became odious to him, for he shrank from the
+sight of his fellow-men. Indeed, he did not know with whom to associate.
+His Greek or Greek-loving acquaintances, with their frivolities and vices,
+disgusted him; and the patriots regarded him with coldness and aversion.
+Solitude, he fancied, might suit him better, and he went again to his
+country house at Lebanon. But he found himself worse off than ever where
+there was nothing to come between his thoughts and himself, and he
+hastened back to Jerusalem. Then it suddenly occurred to him that his
+sister had been expecting shortly to become a mother, and he made his way
+to her house to inquire of her welfare. Azariah himself answered his
+knock.
+
+“How is Hannah?”
+
+“Thanks be to the Lord,” replied Azariah, “she is well. She had an easy
+travail.”
+
+“And the babe? A son or a daughter?”
+
+“The Lord has given us a son.”
+
+But he said it without the gladness that a Jewish father, newly blessed
+with the hope that there should be one to preserve his name in Israel,
+should have felt.
+
+“But you must come in and see him, for indeed he is of a singular beauty.”
+
+The young man followed his host into the chamber already described, and
+sat down to wait. Presently Azariah reappeared, holding the child in his
+arms. It was no father’s fondness that had made him speak of his singular
+beauty. The child was but five days old; but he had none of the
+“shapeless” look which is commonly to be seen in the newly born. His
+features were shaped with a regularity most uncommon at so tender an age,
+and his complexion beautifully clear, while his little head was surrounded
+with what may be called a halo of golden hair.
+
+Micah was loud in his admiration. “I never saw his equal for beauty. You
+are indeed a happy father to have the fairest son in all Israel.”
+
+The smile on Azariah’s face faded away.
+
+“I would not be thankless for the ‘gift that cometh from the Lord,’ nor
+wanting in faith; yet I sometimes cannot but think that in these days the
+childless are the happiest, or, I should rather say, the least unhappy.”
+
+“Of course you will be prudent,” said Micah, “and yield to the necessities
+of the time. Put off the circumcision of the child. There can be no harm
+in that. And when Hannah has got her strength again, you can come down to
+my place in the Lebanon, and it can be done quietly, without any one being
+the wiser.”
+
+Azariah said nothing. He turned away his face, but not before his
+brother-in-law had seen his eyes fill with tears. After leaving some
+loving messages for his sister the young man departed, hoping, though not
+without some serious doubt, that his advice would be followed.
+
+A week after, when the question, he knew, would have been decided one way
+or the other, he bent his steps again towards his sister’s house. As he
+walked through the streets he could see that the persecutors were busy at
+their work. Fires were burning here and there, and copies of the Law and
+the other holy books were being burned in them. From a house which he
+recognized as being the dwelling of a scribe of great learning, a party of
+Greek soldiers burst forth, as he passed, dragging behind them a
+richly-ornamented scroll of the Psalms. For a moment the wild impulse
+surged in his heart to rescue the sacred writing from the flames; but he
+recognized the hopelessness of the attempt; and, indeed, he sadly asked
+himself, was he fit to be a champion of holy things? A soldier gathered up
+the parchment in his arms, and tossed it in a heap on the fire. Part of it
+opened as it fell, and Micah saw for a few moments before the flames
+reached them, words which he never forgot till his dying day: “Princes
+have persecuted me without a cause, yet do I not swerve from Thy
+commandments.” As he stood and looked, with a rage in his heart which he
+could not express, two more soldiers came out of the house, holding
+between them the scribe himself, a venerable man, in whom Micah recognized
+an old friend of his father’s. They threw him down, face foremost, on the
+fire, and held him there till he was suffocated. But before the tragedy
+was finished, the young Jew had turned away, feeling in his heart that the
+question which he had been debating so long was being rapidly settled for
+him.
+
+The blow that was to clinch his conclusions was not long in falling. As he
+came near the bottom of the little hill on the top of which stood his
+sister’s house, he saw a cross, and, bound to it by cords, what seemed to
+be the figure of a woman, with a dead child hung round her neck. The sun
+had set, and the light was failing with the rapidity that is
+characteristic of a southern latitude.
+
+“Truly these Greeks have a strange way of showing their love of beauty. We
+have had sickening sights in Jerusalem of late enough to make their name
+stink in our nostrils for ever. What poor wretch is this? How has she
+offended our masters? And the child—what treason can he have been guilty
+of?”
+
+And as he spoke a dreadful fear shot through his heart. After all—for he
+knew what a dauntless spirit his sister had shown at their last
+meeting—after all they might have circumcised the child and brought down
+upon themselves the vengeance of the persecutors. He turned aside from the
+road and ran up to the terrible object. It was almost dark by the time he
+reached it, and he had to light a torch which he carried with him in case
+of need, before he could see what the object really was. Then one glance
+was enough. The features of the woman were black and swollen; but he
+recognized them in a moment. It was the face of Hannah, his sister. But a
+month before he had seen it beaming with light and love, and now—— Had he
+needed any confirmation he would have found it in the child. The features
+were beyond recognition; but the golden halo of hair was there; its
+brightness scarcely dimmed.
+
+He sank upon his knees, and lifting his hands to heaven he cursed the
+authors of this wickedness, and swore that he would give all his life to
+avenge the innocent blood. Then rising he hastened to the house of
+Azariah.
+
+He found a considerable company assembled. They were deep in debate about
+the course of action to be pursued when Micah, who had been met by Azariah
+at the door, was introduced into the room. Most of those present were
+acquainted with him, at least by reputation, and they were naturally
+disposed to consider his presence an intrusion. But it was soon manifest
+that the new comer was not indifferent, much less hostile, to their
+objects.
+
+“Hear me, brethren,” he cried, “if, indeed, one so unworthy as I may call
+you brethren,” and he went on to recount the struggles with which his mind
+had been agitated during the weeks just past. Then, after briefly touching
+on what he had just seen, he went on, “I have sinned; I have forsaken the
+Law of my God; I have defiled myself by a companionship with the heathen;
+and though I have not worshipped their false gods”—there was a sigh of
+relief from the company as he uttered these words with a solemn
+emphasis—“yet I have been a guest at the feasts of their temples. If,
+therefore, you judge me to have transgressed beyond all pardon, cast me
+out from your company; I can find some other way to do service for the
+country that I have betrayed, and the God whom I have denied. Yet, if you
+think me worthy of death, I do not refuse to die.” And he drew a dagger
+from his belt, and offering it to one who seemed to be a leader in the
+assembly, stood with bared breast before him.
+
+  [Illustration: _The Persecution._]
+
+A murmur of admiration ran through the meeting.
+
+“Nay, brother,” said the man whom he addressed, “this is not the time to
+take one soldier from the hosts of the Lord. You have sinned in the past;
+make amends in the future. There will be time and opportunity enough. And
+if you are the brother of her who has witnessed a good confession even
+unto death, you will not fail to use the occasion that shall come.”
+
+The company then resumed the debate which had been interrupted by Micah’s
+arrival. Little difference of opinion indeed remained among them, and when
+the president, Seraiah by name, brother-in-law of Azariah, as being the
+husband of his sister Ruth, stated his views they met with general assent.
+
+“We have seen enough,” he said, “and suffered enough. This city is
+polluted, and is no longer a fit abode for the faithful. Let them that are
+in Judæa flee unto the mountains. Meanwhile we will gather together such
+as have not bowed the knee to Baal, and will make head against the
+oppressor. But here we shall be struck down, and perish as a beast
+perishes in the pit into which he has fallen.”
+
+After this the company dispersed to make such preparation as they could
+for their departure, which was fixed for the night following. Micah and
+Seraiah remained behind in the house of mourning. Azariah withdrew to
+comfort his little girls, who were crying almost incessantly for their
+mother. Comfort he needed sorely for himself, and he found it, as far as
+it could be found, in this fatherly care. Every look and gesture of the
+little ones reminded him of her whom he had lost, and seemed to open the
+wound afresh. Yet it consoled him to talk to them about their mother, to
+tell the story of her early days, to remind them, though they did not need
+to be reminded, of all her goodness and love, and to picture her happiness
+where she sat in Paradise with the holy women of old, with Miriam, and
+Sarah, and Rachel.
+
+Meanwhile Seraiah told the story of Hannah’s end to Micah. “We came
+together,” he said, “on the eighth day after the birth of her child; but
+though all was prepared for the circumcision of the boy, we had not yet
+resolved what was to be done. I know that I wavered—I confess it with
+shame—and so did Azariah. And, indeed, I can scarcely find it in my heart
+to blame him. He had no thought of his own life, but to risk his wife’s
+and the child’s—that was terrible. And there were others who advised him
+to yield for the time; the risk was too terrible. Indeed, that was the
+feeling of most of us, and those who thought otherwise were unwilling to
+speak. We were assembled, you know, in your sister’s chamber. She sat on
+the bed, holding the little one in her arms. Her face was somewhat pale;
+but she had a calm and steadfast look, like the look of one who watches
+his adversary in the battle line of the enemy, and there was a fire in her
+eyes, such as I have never seen in the eye of woman before. When I had
+spoken, counselling delay and yielding for a while to the necessities of
+the time, I turned to her and said, ‘And you, Hannah, what think you?’
+
+“Then she spoke, and her voice never faltered for a moment, but was clear
+and full, though indeed she never raised it above the pitch that becomes
+the obedience and modesty of the woman. ‘Pardon me,’ she said, ‘fathers
+and brethren, if I seem, in differing from your counsel, to reproach you.
+I am but a weak woman, and know nothing of policy or of the needs of the
+time. But I know the thing that the Lord our God has commanded: “Every
+man-child among you shall be circumcised,” and “whosoever shall not be
+circumcised that soul shall be cut off from among his people.” The Lord
+hath given me this child, and shall I not do for him according to the
+commandment? Shall we fear man rather than God? And for myself, is it a
+new thing for a mother to give her life into the hand of God? Four times
+already have I so given it, and He has restored it to me. And if it be His
+will that it be taken, shall I not obey? What said the Holy Children when
+Nebuchadnezzar would have had them fall down and worship the golden image,
+lest they should be cast into the burning fiery furnace. “Our God whom we
+serve is able to deliver us out of thy hand, and He will deliver us out of
+thy hand, O King; but if not——”’
+
+“Then she turned to her husband, and said, ‘What shall be his name?’ as
+steadily and quietly as if there had been no question of danger or fear.
+‘Let his name be David,’ said the father, as he took the babe from its
+mother’s arms; for the sun was about to set, and in a few moments the due
+time would be past. So they carried the child into the next room. And when
+your sister heard his cry, she broke forth into blessings and
+thanksgiving. ‘Thanks be to Thee, O Lord,’ she cried, ‘in that Thou hast
+made him a child of the Covenant. And now I beseech Thee to grant that he
+may walk before Thee all the days of his life as walked Thy servant David,
+and that he may sit down with Abraham and Isaac and Jacob in the kingdom
+of heaven.’
+
+“After that she bade us stay and partake of the feast which she had caused
+to be prepared. Verily she had left nothing uncared for. Never was her
+table better spread, and, as you know, she was a notable housekeeper. And
+though, for her weakness, she could not sit at table with us, she was gay
+and cheerful even beyond her wont, so that we men, for very shame, had to
+banish the care from our faces, and laugh and be merry with her. But the
+next day the soldiers came and beat Azariah, as they thought, to death,
+and——” The speaker paused; indeed he could not speak for the choking
+tears. At last he said, in a broken voice, “What need to tell the rest?
+You know it.”
+
+The next night Azariah, Seraiah, Micah, and a company of some thirty men
+and women left Jerusalem. Part of them were on foot, but an ass had been
+found to carry Ruth, Seraiah’s wife, who was expecting shortly to become a
+mother. Their destination was the hill-country that went by the name of
+the Wilderness of Bethaven.
+
+
+
+
+
+                               CHAPTER X.
+
+                            IN THE MOUNTAINS.
+
+
+The time is evening; the place is a rocky pass between Bethel and
+Michmash. At the mouth of a cave which commands a view of the approach
+from the westward, are seated two men, in one of whom we may recognize
+Shallum, the quondam wine-seller of Jerusalem.
+
+“Well, comrade,” he is saying to his companion, “this business is not
+quite to my liking. It is all very well when we can relieve a Greek
+merchant, or, better still, a Syrian tax-gatherer, of his money-bags; but
+I hate robbing our own people. That poor fellow to-day, for instance, who
+was taking home his wages—he had been wood-cutting, he said, in Bashan—it
+really went to my heart to take the money from him.”
+
+The companion whom he addressed was a rough, savage-looking fellow, who
+certainly did not look as if he would feel very much for Shallum’s
+scruples. He had followed, indeed, the robber’s trade, it may be said,
+from his childhood, as his fathers had followed it before him, almost
+since the days of the Captivity.
+
+He now broke out into a loud, mocking laugh.
+
+“Ah! my friend Shallum,” he said, “you are a great deal too soft and
+tender-hearted. But then you are new to the business; when you have been
+at it as long as I have, you won’t have these scruples. Now, mark what I
+say; and if we are to be good friends, don’t let me hear any more of this
+nonsense. You are a stout fellow and a man of your hands; and as for
+myself, well, I rather think that a novice like you could hardly have come
+across a better teacher. I don’t doubt that we shall do very well
+together; and when we have made a little money, I shan’t blame you if you
+give up the business and become what they call an honest man. For myself,
+the ‘honest man’ line does not suit me—it is not in my blood, you know.
+But, meanwhile, if we are to work together, we must agree. Now, all is
+fish that comes to our net. Of course, I don’t mean the people about
+here—our neighbours, you know. We must not touch them; on the contrary,
+they must have a share of what we make. As long as they are our friends we
+are safe. But all strangers are lawful booty. And mind—for I see that you
+are a little wroth about this—mind, it is only dead men who tell no
+tales.”
+
+Benjamin’s words of wisdom—the more experienced of the two robbers was
+named Benjamin—were interrupted by an exclamation from his companion.
+
+“Hush!” he cried, “I hear a sound of voices from the pass.”
+
+The two men listened; Shallum was evidently right. A party of travellers
+were approaching from the west.
+
+“We are in luck,” said Benjamin; “it is not often that we do business so
+late in the day.”
+
+As he spoke the leaders of the party emerged into sight.
+
+“Shoot, Shallum!” said Benjamin; “strike one of those fellows down and we
+shall have the whole party in confusion.”
+
+“Nay, Benjamin; I hear the voices of women and children; and see—God
+wither my hand if I shoot at such helpless people as these.”
+
+The rest of the party was now in sight. Two men, one on either side of the
+ass, were supporting Ruth, who, worn out by the fatigues of the day, could
+with difficulty keep her seat on the animal. These were her husband and
+Azariah. Close behind came Micah, carrying on his shoulder the little
+Judith, who was fast asleep. Then followed Miriam, Judith’s elder sister.
+The poor child limped sadly along, for her city life had been but a poor
+training for that long day’s march, and she felt just a little envious of
+the good fortune which Judith enjoyed in being carried.
+
+Shallum recognized the figures of Seraiah and Ruth, with whom he happened
+to have had some slight acquaintance in Jerusalem, and from whom indeed he
+had received no little kindness.
+
+“Benjamin,” he said, in a determined voice, “I know these people, and if I
+can help it they shall suffer no harm.”
+
+“Well, well; have your way,” said his companion, who indeed was not quite
+as hard of heart as he would make himself out. “If, as you say, you know
+them, go down and make friends.”
+
+Shallum at once made his way down into the pass, and, standing in the
+path, greeted the travellers with the customary salutation, “Peace be with
+you!”
+
+“What, Shallum!” said Seraiah, “is that you? What brings you here?”
+
+“That were a long story,” returned the man, “and this is not the time to
+tell it. But can I serve you?”
+
+“Can you find shelter for my poor wife? But it is idle, I fear, to ask
+you. There can be no inn near this wild place.”
+
+“’Tis true, sir, there is no inn; yet if you can put up with such poor
+lodging as we can give, the lady will have at least shelter.”
+
+Ruth was lifted from her seat on the ass, and carried between her husband
+and Azariah up the rocky track that led to the cave, Shallum showing the
+way with a lighted torch in his hand, for by this time the night had
+fallen.
+
+Benjamin met the little party at the mouth of the cave. His life of crime
+had not quenched all kindly feeling in him. He felt, too, that he was a
+host; and the sense of hospitality, which keeps its hold on an Eastern
+heart as long as anything good is left to it, bade him do his best for his
+guests. And the sweet smile of thanks with which Ruth greeted him when she
+was laid on the couch of cloaks, which the two inmates of the cave had
+hastily arranged on a pile of heather, won him altogether.
+
+A minute or two afterwards Micah followed with the two children; Judith,
+still fast asleep, was put down by Ruth’s side, while Miriam forgot her
+fatigue in the delightful excitement of this new adventure. The new-comers
+had brought with them a slender store of provisions. These they proceeded
+to share, declining with thanks the dried flesh and wine which their
+entertainers offered. The rest of the party found shelter, under guidance
+of the robbers, in some of the many caves with which the rocks in the
+neighbourhood were honeycombed.
+
+Next morning the arrangements for housing the little colony were made.
+There was an abundance of caves to give shelter to all, and the
+accommodation though rough, at least protected them from the weather.
+Their life was simple in the extreme—simple even to hardness. They sought
+for herbs and roots, and from the neighbouring peasants they bought a few
+goats, to browse among the rocks, and a small quantity of corn, which they
+bruised between stones and baked. The mountain springs furnished their
+drink, a few flasks of wine being reserved for any cases of sickness.
+Twice a day the whole company met for worship. Seraiah read a portion
+first from the Law and then from the Prophets, for they had not forgotten
+to bring rolls of the Sacred Books. Then standing erect, with covered
+heads, their faces turned towards the Temple, they joined in prayer. In
+the words of one who himself in old time had found himself shut out for a
+while from the privileges of the Holy Place and was content to realize
+them by faith, the congregation uttered together the petition, “Let my
+prayer be set forth in Thy sight as the incense; and let the lifting up of
+my hands be an evening sacrifice.” One of the psalms of penitence
+followed; for surely they had all many sins to repent of—sins of which
+they were now suffering the penalty; and, after the psalm, a prayer for
+deliverance from the enemy, and for the setting up again of the throne of
+David, and for that without which neither deliverance nor a restored
+kingdom could profit them—purity and righteousness in their own hearts and
+souls.
+
+Nothing could be more simple and frugal than their daily fare. Wild fruits
+and herbs were largely used, and any little plots of fertile ground that
+could be found were planted with vegetables, some far-seeing member of the
+party having brought with him a small supply of garden seeds. When a few
+days after their arrival Ruth gave birth to a son it was much feared that
+the scanty supply of nourishing food might long delay her restoration to
+strength. This fear was not realized. The feeling of freedom and
+deliverance combined with the fine mountain air to bring her back to her
+wonted health, and she found herself able to go about her daily work long
+before she could have hoped to do so in the more enervating atmosphere of
+the city.
+
+One day she had gone to gather herbs for the daily mess, a work in which
+she was especially useful from the knowledge of plants which she had taken
+pains to acquire in her unmarried days. She had taken, of course, the
+new-born infant with her, and Miriam, who was delighted to perform, as far
+as her strength permitted, the office of nurse. The little Judith, whose
+night’s rest had been disturbed by some childish ailment, had been left at
+home to make up her allowance of sleep. The mother found on her return
+that a strange visitor had made herself at home in the cave. The little
+one was fast asleep on a bed of rugs which had been made up for her, and
+curled up at her side with one of her fore paws round her neck was a
+jackal. The two companions were roused together by the arrival of the
+party, and, wonderful to relate, neither showed any symptoms of alarm. The
+jackal rose from its resting-place, approached Ruth, and fawned at her
+feet, and the child came after its bedfellow and stroked affectionately
+its shaggy skin.
+
+When, two or three weeks afterwards, the new comer gave birth to a litter
+of cubs, the joy of the children was complete. The little animals soon
+learnt to play with the girls, and their dam sat by and watched their
+gambols, and sometimes even condescended to join in them herself.
+
+The little colony heard of the strange incident with delight, and saw in
+it a token of Divine favour. “Man rages cruelly against us,” they said,
+“but we find friends among the beasts of the field. Surely it is our God
+who hath changed the heart of this savage dweller in the wilderness, and
+we will trust that He will do yet greater things than these.”
+
+“Mother,” said Miriam one day to Ruth, “by what name shall we call our new
+friend?”
+
+The question puzzled her, and she referred it to her husband.
+
+“It does not seem fitting,” she said, “that we should give the name of a
+daughter of the Covenant to the beast, for though she is of kindly temper
+yet she is unclean.”
+
+Seraiah thought awhile.
+
+“You say truth, my wife. Let us call her Jael.”
+
+“But why Jael?”
+
+“Because the wife of Heber was of the unclean, for was she not of the
+house of the Kenite? Yet was she a friend of Israel, for she slew Sisera
+that was captain of the host of Jabin, King of Canaan.”
+
+So thenceforward the creature went by the name of Jael.
+
+It was not long before she justified her name by showing that she could be
+fierce on occasion.
+
+A wayfarer, who described himself as a discharged soldier and a Moabite by
+birth, asked for shelter and food. Scanty as were the means of the
+fugitives, they did not grudge the stranger a share of their meal. They
+gave him their best, adding to their daily fare the special luxury of some
+dried grapes. As he complained of being footsore, Ruth applied some simple
+remedies to the blisters on his feet. Altogether he was treated not only
+as a welcome but even as an honoured guest. On his part he professed a
+fervent sympathy with the hopes and plans of his hosts. The next morning
+he started as if to continue his journey. But the cupidity of the wretch
+had been roused by the sight of the handsome earrings—almost the sole
+remaining relic of former affluence—which he had spied in his hostess’s
+ears. About an hour before noon, when he judged that the men would be
+still busy about their daily work, he crept back to the cave. Ruth was
+sitting by a fire nursing her babe. The jackal lay asleep in a corner; the
+girls were playing with the cubs on a sunny little plot of ground outside.
+
+“Lady,” began the fellow, in a beggar’s wheedling voice, “can you spare a
+little money for a poor fellow who has not so much as a copper coin to buy
+him a piece of bread?”
+
+Ruth was startled at his re-appearance, but concealed her alarm.
+
+“Friend,” she said, “I have no money; but I will give you half a loaf if
+you want food, though you had done better, I should think, to keep on your
+way, for you can hardly find any that are poorer than we.”
+
+“But you have gold,” said the man.
+
+“Gold? Not I,” she answered.
+
+“Nay, lady,” he went on, with a perceptible tone of threatening in his
+voice, “those earrings that you wear are doubtless of true metal. They
+add, indeed, to your beauty, and it is a pity that you should lose them;
+but then there is no one to admire you in this wilderness, and they would
+keep a poor fellow like myself in flesh and wine for a month or more.”
+
+“My earrings?” said Ruth, stupefied by the man’s audacity.
+
+“Yes, your earrings, lady,” said the man. “I should advise you to take
+them out yourself, for if I have to do it I am afraid that I shall show
+myself a very rough tirewoman.”
+
+The spirit of Ruth, the same that had dwelt of old in a Miriam or a
+Deborah, was roused at the man’s insolent audacity. She seized a
+half-burnt brand from the fire and stood on her defence. The soldier,
+thinking that he had found an easy prey, approached. But he had not
+reckoned on an ally who was ready to help her in her need. Jael had been
+woke by the voices, and watched with glaring eyes the soldier’s movements,
+uttering every now and then a low growl, which, however, the man was too
+much occupied to heed. As soon as he came within reach, she sprang upon
+him from her lurking-place. The force with which she threw herself upon
+him overset him, and he fell backwards, his head striking on the
+mill-stone which formed part of the scanty furniture of the cave. In a
+moment her fangs were in his throat. In vain did Ruth, who saw the man’s
+danger and was unwilling that he should perish in his sins, call her by
+her name. All the savage instinct in her was roused by the taste of blood.
+Before two minutes had passed the freebooter was dead.
+
+“We did well to call her Jael,” said Seraiah that evening, as he helped to
+carry the corpse out of the cave. “The wretch has received the due reward
+of his deeds.”
+
+
+
+
+
+                               CHAPTER XI.
+
+                            NEWS BAD AND GOOD.
+
+
+As the weeks went by fugitives continued to arrive at the little asylum
+which Seraiah and Azariah had founded among the hills. There was not one
+of them but brought with him some dismal story of the cruelty of the
+heathen and the renegades who acted as their instruments, and of the
+sufferings of the faithful. We should weary our readers were we to relate
+them in their monotony of horror. One will suffice, for it is the most
+famous as it is the most tragic of all the tales of that reign of terror.
+
+One night the sentinels, whom the chiefs of the little colony were always
+careful to post, heard the sound of approaching footsteps. They challenged
+the new comer, and bade him stand, and tell them his errand. He could not
+articulate his answer, so spent was he with fatigue and distress; but it
+was evident that he was harmless, a mere youth, solitary, and unarmed.
+Unwilling to disturb the little colony at so late an hour—it was indeed
+past midnight—the sentinels bade the stranger rest before their
+watch-fire. He was so exhausted and weary that he could swallow but very
+little of the food which his entertainers offered him. A few mouthfuls of
+barley cake, and a draught of milk more than satisfied him. Then he sank
+down on the ground overpowered with sleep, and his hosts wrapped him in a
+cloak and left him to his repose. Yet, wearied as he was, his slumbers
+were broken. Again and again he started up with a cry of horror on his
+lips. Those who listened to him felt sure that he must be going over in
+his dreams some dreadful scenes which he had witnessed.
+
+The next day he could scarcely be recalled to consciousness. Indeed it was
+judged well to leave nature to recover herself. The women of the colony
+took it in turns to watch by his side, and were ready, when he awoke for a
+few moments, with a cup of milk, the only thing which he seemed to relish.
+By degrees his slumbers grew more peaceful, and on the morning of the
+second day after his arrival he woke calm and collected.
+
+It was Ruth who then happened to be on duty at his side. When he saw her,
+he said, “Lady, I have a story to tell, and the chief of this place should
+hear it. Let him make haste to come, for I feel that I cannot rest while
+it is untold.”
+
+Ruth sent one of her children to fetch her husband. The stranger refused
+to postpone his narrative till he should have gathered a little more
+strength. “Nay,” said he; “it is like a weight upon my soul, and I would
+lighten me of it by committing it to faithful ears.”
+
+“Speak on,” said Seraiah.
+
+Then the lad told his story.
+
+“My name is Abimelech, and I come from Jerusalem. My father and mother are
+dead; but I lived with my grandmother, the mother of my father, and his
+brethren, my uncles. There were seven of them, the eldest being some
+thirty-and-three years of age, and the youngest twenty; but my father that
+is dead was the first-born. On the first day of the month, coming home
+about the eleventh hour from the school of the Rabbi Zechariah——”
+
+“Are there then yet those who teach in the city?” interrupted Seraiah.
+
+“Yes,” answered the lad, “but they do it by stealth, for the reading of
+the Law is strictly forbidden by the Governor. But we learn it
+notwithstanding, and verily if the heathen should destroy every roll that
+there is of the Holy Books in the whole world there are those who could
+replace them from memory. I pretend not to so much; but I could say three
+out of the five books of Moses, the man of God.”
+
+“Praised be the Lord God of Israel,” cried Seraiah, “who hath not left
+Himself without a witness! But go on with your story.”
+
+“Coming home, then, from school I found the soldiers of Philip the
+Phrygian in the house, Philip himself being there. They had set forth a
+table in the court of the house, whereon they had placed abominable flesh.
+My uncles were standing bound, guarded by soldiers, and with them was my
+grandmother. Then said the Governor, Philip, to the eldest of the seven,
+whose name was Judah, ‘Pleasure me, my friend, by eating this excellent
+meat; ’tis of the most savoury, believe me.’ My uncle Judah answered, ‘I
+cannot obey thee in this matter, for it is forbidden by the Law.’ Philip
+said, ‘Maybe he lacks an appetite. Give him that which shall sharpen his
+taste.’ Thereupon the executioner stepped forth with his lash, and gave
+him ten stripes. ‘Dost feel hungry now?’ said the Governor. ‘I had sooner
+starve,’ said Judah, ‘than eat the abominable thing.’ ‘Nay,’ cried the
+Governor, ‘miscall not the good things which are provided for you at the
+charge of thy lord the King.’ Then he said to the executioner, ‘This
+fellow uses not his tongue for any good purpose, but only to rail against
+my lord. Cut it out, therefore.’ So they cut the tongue out of my uncle’s
+mouth; and after that they cut off his hands and his feet. And afterwards,
+he being yet alive, they put him in a pan and burnt him over the fire.
+Then the Governor said to the second in age, whose name was Eleazar, ‘Ah!
+friend, like you this better than the swine’s flesh? You may have your
+choice, if you will.’ But he answered nothing. Then they tortured him most
+cruelly till he died. And so they did to all, one after the other. What
+they did I cannot bear to tell; nor, indeed, do I know the whole truth,
+for when three had perished in this manner I fainted for the horror of the
+thing; nor did I come to myself till the sixth was ready to suffer. Him I
+heard say these words to the Governor—‘Be not deceived, or think that our
+God has abandoned us. He has given us over to your hand because we have
+offended against Him; nor do we suffer beyond what we have deserved. But
+as we have not escaped the punishment of our sins, so neither will you,
+but will perish miserably!’ After this he did not speak another word; nay,
+nor give a sign of pain, but stood steadfast and unmoved.
+
+“When there was but one of the seven left alive, Benjamin by name, the
+Governor seeing him, and, I take it, having some pity on his youth, for he
+was fair as a woman, said to him, ‘Young man, you see how all these have
+perished miserably, because of their pride and obstinacy. Learn, then, by
+their fate to behave yourself more wisely. And hark! I will give you
+riches, more than you can desire, and promote you to honour, if you will
+humour my lord the King in this small matter.’ Benjamin said, ‘Your gifts,
+my lord, be to another, and your honours to such as are worthy of them;
+but as for me, I will not depart from the law of my God.’ Then Philip said
+to the mother of the seven, ‘Persuade him, for I would not have you left
+childless, if there is any help. These your sons were stout fellows, and
+could have done good service for my lord if they had been better advised;
+and I would fain save this one that is left. Reason with him, then, that
+he save his life, and that you be not wholly bereaved.’ Then the woman
+said, ‘Trust me, my lord; I will reason with him.’ Then Philip smiled and
+said, ‘Your wisdom comes somewhat late’; and he whispered to one that
+stood by, ‘You see that I have prevailed at last.’ But the man shook his
+head. Then the woman said to her son, ‘O, my child, have pity on me, for I
+bore for you the pangs of childbirth, and spent on you the labour of
+nurture, bringing you up to this age. Repay me, therefore, for all that I
+have done.’ Then she paused awhile, and those that stood by scarcely knew
+what was in her heart. But the young man said, ‘Mother, how shall I repay
+you?’ And she answered, ‘By remembering that the Lord made heaven and
+earth, and all that is therein. Depart not from His Law, nor forget Him.
+Heed not this tormentor, who has power over your body for a short moment;
+but stand steadfast, as your brethren have stood steadfast; so shall I
+receive you with them into the everlasting glory.’ Then the young man
+smiled, as a bridegroom might smile when the veil is lifted from the face
+of his bride, and said, ‘Fear not, my mother; so it shall be, the Lord
+helping me.’ As for the Governor, he was mad with rage, and cried to the
+executioner, ‘Smite him, and this fool also.’ And the man, who indeed, I
+take it, was weary of his work, smote the youth and mother, and killed
+them, dealing each but one blow. So they escaped the torture.”
+
+On the following Sabbath Seraiah read to the congregation the story of the
+Three Children in the fire, and then delivered a stirring address on the
+faith and courage of the heroic mother and her sons. The people listened
+with a breathless attention, and when he had finished, drew, so to speak,
+together that deep sigh of relief which tells the speaker that he has been
+holding the hearts of his hearers. He was one of those trustful souls who
+amidst all dangers find their strength in quietness and confidence. But
+the other leaders of the settlement could not help feeling somewhat
+anxious as to the future. What was to be the end? This constancy under
+suffering was grand beyond all praise; but were they and their brethren to
+stand still and see the religion of their fathers trampled out in blood?
+Was there no one to strike a blow for their faith and their fatherland?
+For they could measure the average strength and depth of human nature, and
+knew that there are ten who are ready to do and dare for one who can
+suffer and be strong. “Do you remember,” said Seraiah to his
+brother-in-law, as they were talking over the position of affairs after
+the gathering for worship—“do you remember that day when we fought against
+the Edomites, how our line crumbled away while we had to stand still as a
+target for the Edomite arrows, and how it grew solid again in a moment
+when our general gave the signal to charge? One was ready before to think
+that half the men were cowards, and then one could almost have sworn that
+there was not a coward among them. Yes, Azariah, we must strike when the
+time comes; but when the time will come is more than I can tell.”
+
+The next day brought an answer to his question.
+
+The people were dispersing after the usual morning prayer when a stranger
+was seen hurrying up the pass. Arrived at the top, where a party of the
+men had gone to meet him, he threw himself breathless on the ground; at
+the same time he drew a small piece of folded parchment from the pouch
+which was fastened to his girdle, and handed it to one of the men. It ran
+thus: “Mattathias to Seraiah, in the wilderness of Bethaven, greeting.
+Listen to the young man who brings this present without doubting, for he
+is faithful, and speaks words of truth.” In a few moments Seraiah
+appeared. By this time the messenger had recovered his breath, and was
+ready to tell his tale.
+
+“What news bring you?” said Seraiah.
+
+“Great news; for the Lord has smitten His enemies hip and thigh by the
+hand of Mattathias, son of Asmon, and by the hand of his sons.”
+
+A murmur of delight ran through the little audience, and every eye
+brightened at the prospect of action.
+
+“Tell on. We hear!” cried Seraiah.
+
+“May I crave a drink of water? for the way is long, and I have been
+travelling since the sun set yesterday.”
+
+The water was fetched. When he had quenched his thirst, young Asaph—that
+was the messenger’s name—began his story.
+
+“You know Mattathias, the son of Asmon, and the five young men, his sons,
+how they dwelt at Modin? Two months since, Philip the Phrygian—may the
+Lord cut him off in his sins!” and the speaker paused, and spat upon the
+ground to emphasize his disgust. “This Phrygian, then, sent one of his
+officers two months since to build an altar to one of the false gods
+before whom these children of perdition bow down. So the altar was built,
+none hindering, for the people were without a leader. This being finished,
+the Governor’s officer proclaimed a sacrifice and a feast to one of the
+demons whom these heathen worship. I know not the evil thing’s name, and
+if I knew it, would not take the accursed word upon my lips. On the
+appointed day there was a great gathering of the inhabitants of Modin. It
+was about the tenth hour when the Governor’s deputy came, with his
+trumpeters and a small company of soldiers—it may be a score. When he had
+taken his seat the ministers brought up the ox that was for the sacrifice,
+a great beast, altogether white; and they had gilded his horns and put
+garlands of flowers about his neck, as their custom is. Then the deputy
+called to one Menahem, a usurer that dwelt in the village, and one of
+those who would sell their souls for a shekel. ‘Menon,’ he said—for they
+had changed his name after their fashion to one of their own
+tongue—‘Menon, come forth, and do your office.’ And then he turned to the
+people, and said, ‘Hearken to me, ye Jews. This Menon here, who is known
+to all of us, has been promoted to great honour, for my lord Philip, who
+is the lieutenant of the Divine Antiochus, has made him priest. Honour him
+henceforth accordingly. And be sure also that if you are obedient, and
+give up your own dull and senseless superstition, and worship henceforth
+as the King commands, it shall be well with you and your children.’ When
+he had ended, the fellow approached the altar, and cut some hairs from the
+forehead of the beast, and sprinkled some meal mingled with salt between
+its horns. And it chanced, or, I should rather say, it was ordered of the
+Lord, that as the man did this Mattathias and his sons passed by on the
+outskirts of the crowd. And when he perceived the abominable thing that
+was being done, and that he who did it was a Jew, his spirit was moved
+within him. Then he ran forward, he and his sons with him. And when they
+were come into the space before the altar the old man cried, ‘He that is
+on the Lord’s side come hither!’ And some threescore of the people that
+were there came to him, and the rest stood still, and did nothing, for
+they knew that the sons of Asmon were mighty men of valour. As for the
+deputy and his soldiers, they were astonished beyond measure, and before
+they came to themselves some of the company of Mattathias rushed upon them
+and disarmed them. But Mattathias himself, with Judas his son, laid hold
+on Menahem. Then that miserable creature fell on his knees and begged for
+pardon, saying that he had done this thing on compulsion. ‘Nay,’ said
+Mattathias, ‘the compulsion was of thy own evil and greedy heart. Thou
+hast sinned beyond all mercy of man; but the mercies of the Lord are past
+all measure. Die thou must; but I would have thee die in the faith of a
+son of Israel.’ Then the poor wretch—I had never thought to pity him, for
+he turned my own mother, when she lay dying, on to the public road, but no
+one could have refused him pity then—the wretch, I say, repeated with a
+stammering tongue, ‘Hear, O Israel, the Lord thy God is one Lord.’ And now
+he said, ‘I give thee for thy prayers to the All-Merciful, till the shadow
+of this staff come so far,’ and he planted a staff in the ground. And when
+the time was spent, the old man took his sword, and sheared off the
+wretch’s head with one blow. I had not thought that there was such
+strength in his arm. Then they brought the deputy and his soldiers to
+Mattathias. First he dealt with the deputy. ‘Slay him,’ he said, ‘for he
+has made the people of the Lord to transgress.’ So they slew him. Then
+they made the soldiers stand before him. Four out of their number were
+Jews. These he commanded to be slain, after giving them the same grace
+that he had given to Menahem. To the others he said, ‘You have not sinned
+as these your fellows, for you were born in darkness. Take, therefore,
+your choice: depart, and take good heed not to fall into our hands again,
+for, if you so fall, you die without further mercy; or, if ye will, stay
+with us. Only you must follow our ways, so far as it is commanded that the
+stranger should follow them.’ Half chose to depart, and half to stay.
+
+“After this, Mattathias chose some of the young men to go as messengers to
+the villages round about, and carry the tidings of what had been done, and
+to say, ‘The Lord hath lifted up His ensign; gather yourselves together
+unto it.’ Also he appointed a place where they should meet—that is to say,
+Michmash.”
+
+“And when may we look for his coming?” asked Seraiah.
+
+“Doubtless he will come to-morrow.”
+
+That night there was much rejoicing in the little colony. No one, indeed,
+deceived himself with the thought that he could look forward to easy and
+pleasant days. All knew perfectly well that a time of struggle and
+suffering was before them. But there was hope. The darkness had parted,
+and they saw a far-off gleam of light. At the least they would have the
+chance of striking a blow for their country and their God.
+
+
+
+
+
+                              CHAPTER XII.
+
+                            THE PATRIOT ARMY.
+
+
+Three days passed before Mattathias and his sons arrived; but when they
+came, they brought with them a considerable force. The news of the events
+at Modin had spread like wildfire through southern Judæa, and hundreds who
+had endured the rule of the heathen with ill-concealed impatience flocked
+to the standard of revolt. It was a strange array that might have been
+seen making its way up the mountain pass. A professional soldier would
+certainly at the first glance have thought meanly of its fighting
+capacities. Scarcely a score of the whole multitude was properly armed.
+Old weapons that had hung unused for a century or more had been taken down
+that they might strike another blow for the God of Israel. There had not
+been time to rub the rust from the sword-blades and the spear-heads, much
+less to hammer out upon the anvil the dents and notches left by the
+half-forgotten battles in which they had last been used. But it was only a
+few who had even these antiquated weapons. Most of the fighting men were
+armed as their fathers had been under the domination of the Canaanites in
+the days of Barak, or of the Philistines in the days of Saul. They carried
+mattocks and hoes, pruning-hooks and reaping-hooks tied to the ends of
+poles, or stakes shod with iron or even only hardened in the fire. But a
+nearer inspection would have changed the contempt of the military critic
+into something like admiration. These men had all that goes to the making
+of the soldier except the arms, and this want, after all, is the easiest
+to be supplied. They had on their faces the set, stern look of those who
+are fighting for a cause, and that a cause very near to their hearts.
+There were old men among them; but most were in the full vigour of youth
+and manhood. A real leader of men would have preferred to be followed by
+them than by the most handsomely equipped army of mercenaries.
+
+At the head of the column walked the aged Mattathias. Two of his sons,
+John and Judas, were with him, the other two being busy with the
+multifarious duties which fell upon the leaders of a force as yet so
+imperfectly organized. The old man—he had passed the threescore years and
+ten which are more commonly the limit of human existence, among the
+short-lived races of the East than among ourselves—had been carried in a
+litter for part of the way. This he had left at the entrance of the pass,
+being anxious not to give an impression of weakness. He now walked erect
+and with a firm step, his indomitable spirit supplying for the time all
+that was wanting in his physical strength. Nothing could be more
+enthusiastic than the reception which met him when he reached the little
+colony among the hills. He was the champion for whom they had been
+looking, and they received him as if he had been an “angel of God.”
+Azariah and Seraiah, who had been hitherto informal leaders, gladly
+resigned their power into his hands, and from thenceforwards acted under
+his orders.
+
+There was indeed much to do. The little post in the mountains was now to
+become a fortress, garrisoned by an army which was already considerable in
+numbers, and which daily increased in strength. Faithful Jews from all
+parts of the country flocked to the place which seemed the last refuge of
+patriotism and faith. Nor were there wanting less respectable adherents.
+There was not a few men who, like Benjamin and Shallum, had followed a
+life in which right and wrong, good motives and bad, were curiously mixed
+up and confounded. They were divided between patriotism and
+robbery—divided, of course, in very varying proportions. None were quite
+blameless, and none were quite bad. The most unprincipled had lurking
+somewhere in his heart a real regard for his country, and, to say the
+least, he found much more satisfaction in emptying the pockets of a
+heathen than in robbing his own people. The most honest, on the other
+hand, could not always guide his actions by any strict rule of integrity.
+He had to live, and if his enemies did not furnish him with the means, he
+must get them from his friends. Many of these men were genuinely attracted
+by the new movement, genuinely glad to lead a life which their consciences
+could heartily approve. Others found that their occupation was gone, and
+that they must enlist in the new patriot army or starve. The garrison thus
+gained a considerable number of recruits, but some of them were of a class
+that was likely to give no little trouble in the future.
+
+In strong contrast with these doubtful adherents, and yet, in some
+respects, even more difficult to control, were the Chasidim—the
+“religious,” “mighty men and voluntarily devoted to the Law”—the spiritual
+ancestors of the Pharisees of a later time, but actuated by a zeal far
+more sincere than what could commonly be found in their degenerate
+descendants. Men braver it would not have been possible to find; their
+courage amounted to something like recklessness; but they were
+enthusiasts, and held their tenets with a tenacity that sometimes made
+discipline almost impossible.
+
+An incident that occurred soon after the arrival of Mattathias and his
+sons exhibited these difficulties in a striking way. The scene of it was
+the extreme right of the position, where Abiathar, one of the Chasidim, an
+able soldier but a most uncompromising zealot, was in chief command. The
+whole of the population had assembled to take part in a Sabbath service.
+They had listened to the great chapter in Deuteronomy which proclaims the
+blessings that will follow obedience, the curses that will fall on those
+who disobey. They had sung together that Psalm “for the Sons of Korah,”
+which tells of triumph and of shame, in which Israel now thanks Him who
+has saved them from their enemies and now complains that He has made them
+a reproach to their neighbours’ scorn, and a derision to them that are
+round about. And they were listening to a stirring exhortation to quit
+them like men and be strong, from the soldier-priest who was in chief
+command, when an alarm was raised that the enemy were at hand. Some of the
+younger men were on the point of running to fetch their weapons, for they
+were of course unarmed, when the stern voice of their leader called them
+back. “Have you so soon forgotten the blessing and the curse which the
+Lord your God hath set before you? Has He not commanded you to keep holy
+the Sabbath-day, and will you profane it by smiting with the sword?” They
+obeyed the command, though not without some murmurs from those who had not
+been thoroughly schooled in the stern tenets of the Chasidim. Meanwhile
+the enemy, a strong force that had been sent out from the garrison at
+Jerusalem, had come up. A herald from the officer in command approached,
+and delivered a message in these terms:—
+
+“Philip the Governor, and Apollonius, captain of the King’s army, bid you
+come forth from your hiding-place and deliver yourselves up. Let your
+former transgressions against the King suffice, and do now according to
+his commandment. So will he have mercy upon you, and admit you to his
+grace.”
+
+The answer of the Jewish commander was brief and decisive: “We will not
+come forth, neither will we do according to the King’s commandment.”
+
+Then followed one of the strangest scenes recorded in history. The
+peremptory refusal of the proffered terms was followed in a few minutes by
+a shower of missiles from the hostile force. The crowd at which they were
+aimed made no attempt at resistance, or even at escape. They fell where
+they stood, without lifting a hand, almost without uttering a cry. There
+is no greater trial of an army’s discipline than to make it stand and see
+its ranks thinned without being able to strike a blow in return. But the
+soldiers who endure this trial endure it in the hope of an hour that
+cannot be long delayed, when they shall reap the reward of their patience
+in an assured victory. The Chasidim who followed Abiathar had no such
+support in their endurance. They stood like sheep for the slaughter,
+strong men as they were, and conscious that they could save themselves if
+they would. Not a stone did they throw in reply to the missiles that were
+showered upon them; and when the hostile ranks closed in, not till after
+some wondering delay, and began to finish the bloody work with their
+swords, they still held their ground with the same passive, unresisting
+courage.
+
+To one man at least the sword of the heathen brought that day a welcome
+release from his troubles. Shallum, the wine-seller of Jerusalem, had been
+consumed with remorse for the part which he had taken on the day when he
+followed “Bacchus and his reeling train.” The words haunted his mind with
+maddening repetition. The stern doctrines of the Chasidim had exercised a
+singular attraction for him, and though, stained as he was with sins for
+which he could scarcely hope purification, he did not even propose to join
+their ranks, he was a diligent attendant at their services and an
+attentive listener to their teaching. This day he had stood on the
+outskirts of the crowd, hearing with a rapt attention the promises and
+denunciations of the Law, and listening to, though not daring to join in,
+the chanted psalms. “Perhaps,” he said to himself, “the sound of the holy
+music will rid me of that accursed Bacchic chant which rings for ever in
+my ears.” For a moment, when the massacre began, that love of life which
+even the most miserable scarcely ever loses rose up strong in his heart.
+But he crushed it down. “I have transgressed too often,” he thought to
+himself, “the commandment of the Lord; let me obey it at least this once,
+though I die.” The next moment the stroke of a Greek sword levelled him to
+the ground, and the Bacchic chant vexed him no more.
+
+Not a single man of all that company—so strong was the contagion of
+enthusiasm among them—made any effort to escape the fate that overtook his
+companions. Still there was left a survivor to carry to Mattathias the
+news, at once so terrible and so glorious, of that day’s doings. One of
+the men had been felled to the ground by the blow of a stone at the first
+discharge of the enemy’s missiles, and had been left for dead upon the
+field. When he came to himself, late in the night, he found himself the
+only living being among masses of the slain. His first duty was obviously
+to carry tidings of the events to the commander-in-chief, and he made his
+way to head-quarters as quickly as his enfeebled condition permitted.
+
+Mattathias saw that this question of the Sabbath must be settled at once,
+and, if the war was to be carried on with any prospect of success, settled
+on the side of freedom. He called a council in the early morning of the
+next day—the news had reached him about two hours after midnight. His five
+sons were present, as were Azariah, and Seraiah, with others who held
+command in the patriot army. A long debate followed, for some of the
+Chasidim still clung to their rigid opinions, even in the face of the
+disaster which had happened, and the manifest probability, even certainty,
+of its happening again. They answered with stern iteration to each appeal
+that was made to them by the advocates of reason and moderation, “Thou
+shalt keep holy the Sabbath-day.” It was impossible to yield to them, and
+yet, such was their courage and devotion, almost equally impossible to
+break with them.
+
+Mattathias, who presided at the assembly, had left the debate to other
+speakers, and had contented himself with keeping the peace between them,
+as far as he could. At last he rose and delivered his opinion.
+
+“Brethren,” he said, “let us take heed that we break not the Law while we
+seem to keep it. The Lord hath commanded us that we shall not work our own
+works or do our own pleasure upon His day. Shall we take occasion thereby
+to neglect His work and leave undone His pleasure? The heathen have come
+into His inheritance and devoured it. Shall we suffer them to usurp it for
+ever? Say, too, ye that will not stretch out a finger to save the people
+of the Lord from destruction because it is the Sabbath, do ye not reach
+out your hand to save a brother or a sister or a neighbour, yea, even a
+stranger upon that day, if it so chance that they be overtaken by some
+instant need? Nay, more; do ye not pull out an ox or an ass, if it be
+fallen on that day into a pit? and will ye not pull out the Lord’s people
+from the pit which the malice of their enemies shall have digged for them?
+Listen, therefore, to my sentence. If the enemy come upon us upon the
+Sabbath we will beat him back, God helping. Nevertheless, if it may be so
+without damage to the Lord’s cause, we will not march against him on that
+day. If there be sin in this matter let it be upon me and my children.”
+
+And as he spoke the five young men, his sons, rose up in their places, and
+answered, _Amen_.
+
+The decision was generally accepted and acted upon, though to the last
+some of the more determined of the Chasidim avoided, as far as was
+possible, all military action on the Sabbath.
+
+The rule of Sabbath observance was, however, still very strictly kept. It
+was two or three days after the council described above had been held,
+when one of the half-bandit, half-patriot recruits was discovered busily
+employed in cleaning his armour on the Lord’s day. He was kept in
+confinement till sunset, when the Sabbath was considered to end; a council
+of war was hastily summoned to hear the case. The man pleaded the recent
+decision of Mattathias, which had, he said, relaxed the law of the
+Sabbath. It was answered to him that the cleaning of armour was no
+necessary work, and that the distinction must now be kept more strictly
+than before, lest the people should fall into sin. He then urged that his
+offence was an error, and might be atoned for by a sin-offering.
+
+“Alas! my son,” said Mattathias, “the Temple is profaned; nor can there be
+any more either sin-offering or peace-offering till it be purified. You
+must bear your iniquity yourself.”
+
+John the soldier, who was unwilling that the army should lose one whose
+offence, after all, had only been an excess of military zeal, and Simon,
+whose gentle soul always was inclined to the milder course, voted for a
+lighter punishment than death, but they were overruled. Even Judas voted
+against them, knowing that such an army as theirs could only be held
+together by the bond of an enthusiastic faith.
+
+“Give the glory to God,” said the aged president of the Court, when he had
+communicated his sentence to the prisoner, “and take your death patiently,
+knowing that though you be judged according to men in the flesh, you shall
+live according to God in the spirit.” The man bowed his head in
+submission, and repeated the confession of faith, “Hear, O Israel, the
+Lord thy God is one Lord.”
+
+“The Lord bless thee, my son,” said Mattathias, “and take thee into
+Abraham’s bosom.”
+
+So the transgressor died. And they buried him under a heap of stones to
+which every passer-by made it his duty to add his tribute.
+
+
+
+
+
+                              CHAPTER XIII.
+
+                    GUERILLA WARFARE IN THE MOUNTAINS.
+
+
+Some weeks had necessarily to pass before the patriot army could assume
+the offensive. Some kind of drill was necessary, though Judas, who had the
+chief direction of military affairs, did not attempt to teach his men any
+elaborate manœuvres. But practice in sword-play and in shooting with the
+bow was diligently attended to. A corps of slingers was also formed under
+the command of one Sheba, a Benjamite, who possessed that skill with his
+weapon which was characteristic of his tribe. The sling was admirably
+suited to the kind of warfare which they would have to wage. As long as
+there were stones there would not be wanting missiles for the slings,
+while the supply of arrows would be likely to fall short, and could not
+easily be renewed. Meanwhile some rude anvils had been fitted up, and
+every one who could work as a smith was pressed into the service of
+repairing old arms or making new ones. By degrees many of the fighting men
+obtained an equipment which, if not very handsome, was at least fairly
+effective. Some of the new arrivals, too, were old soldiers, and brought
+their arms with them. Jews who had enlisted in the armies of the various
+Asiatic kings flocked to the standard of independence, when once it had
+been set up. Even some of the well-paid mercenaries who formed the
+bodyguard of Antiochus were patriotic enough to prefer to their luxurious
+existence the privations of life among the mountains. It was a life which,
+at the least, they could lead without offence.
+
+It was winter when Mattathias and his sons reached the mountains; and with
+the first beginnings of spring the force under his command, now increased
+to a respectable strength, commenced active operations. These were
+extended over a considerable range of country to all the villages that had
+submitted to the edicts of the heathen rulers of the land. Even fortified
+towns, in several instances, were surprised, not, it may be guessed,
+without the connivance of the patriotic party within the walls. The idol
+altars which the King’s commissioners had set up were thrown down with
+every circumstance of indignity. All stores belonging to the usurping
+government were confiscated for the use of the national forces. But
+private property was respected. Arms, indeed, if they were likely to be
+useful, were taken, but always taken at a price.
+
+Severe as was the discipline, it met with a cheerful submission from the
+men, so commanding was the influence exercised by their leaders.
+Conspicuous among them were, of course, the sons of Mattathias. All were
+favourites, but Judas and Simon took the lead. The strength, the skill,
+and the daring of the first were such that he was absolutely idolized by
+his troops. There was no task, however perilous, which they would not
+attempt under his guidance, for there was nothing which he did not seem
+capable of achieving. His physical strength was enormous; and his
+fertility of resource unfailing. He had always some new device for
+outwitting the enemy; and when the crisis of an undertaking arrived, if an
+attacking party were to be helped up some almost inaccessible height, a
+gate to be broken open by main force, or a pass to be held against
+overwhelming odds, Judas was always ready and always, it seemed,
+successful. Scarcely less honoured, though in a different way, was the
+prudence and kindliness of Simon. If Judas never failed in an attempt it
+was, in part at least, because Simon’s advice was so uniformly sagacious,
+because he could measure so exactly the means at their command. And when
+the fighting was over, no one could be more unwearying in his attentions
+to the wounded. The voice which rang so loud and clear through the din of
+battle was now soft and caressing, and the touch of his hand was as gentle
+and tender as if it had been a woman’s.
+
+Such leaders could do anything with their troops, even when they had to
+task their obedience by the infliction of punishment. Even such men as the
+ex-robber Benjamin felt what may be called the infection of discipline. He
+had accompanied one of the expeditions, in which a select force of
+patriots, after marching forty miles within twenty-four hours, surprised a
+squadron of Greek cavalry in one of the towns of Galilee. A short but
+sharp conflict took place in the square of the town, and Benjamin had
+borne himself with conspicuous courage. The struggle over, the soldiers
+had received entertainment, not in every case very willingly given, from
+the inhabitants of the town. Benjamin happened to be quartered upon a
+particularly churlish host, and resenting the coarse and scanty fare, so
+unsuited to the wealth apparent in all the fittings of the house, had
+revenged himself by abstracting a rich cloak belonging to his miserly
+entertainer. The article was stowed away on his own person, but the keen
+eye of one of the Chasidim officers espied it; the thief was denounced
+when the force had reached the encampment, and brought before the council,
+which was held under the presidency of Judas. The culprit pleaded in vain
+the shabby treatment which he had received. It was not for him, he was
+told, to take the law into his own hands. When he urged that the man was a
+traitor to his country he was asked whether he had himself taken the cloak
+from patriotic motives. “Did you purpose,” said Judas, going to the point
+with characteristic directness, “to make this a common possession, or to
+take it for yourself?” Benjamin faltered under this searching question,
+and had no answer to give. Then Judas pronounced his sentence: “In old
+time he who had offended in this manner, as did Achan in the matter of the
+spoils of Jericho, died the death. These times are not equal to a justice
+so strict. But what the law enjoins that you will suffer. Were such sin as
+yours to go unpunished we could expect no blessing on our arms. We should
+become, not what we would be, the armies of the Lord, but a horde of
+robbers. You will receive forty stripes save one; if you offend again, you
+die.”
+
+Without a murmur the culprit bared his shoulders for the lash. When the
+whip had once fallen Judas stayed the executioner’s hand. “Benjamin,” he
+said, “you have done ill, but you have also done well. You saved from
+death our brother Seraiah as he lay wounded under the feet of the
+horsemen. For this good deed the rest of the punishment is remitted. Go,
+and sin no more.”
+
+Seraiah indeed had been so seriously wounded that he had to be carried
+back to the camp on a litter rudely constructed of boards, and Ruth was
+now nursing him in the cave which had been originally set apart for their
+dwelling, and which they still retained. It was a miserable abode, though
+it at least afforded shelter from the rain. Indeed the lot of the women
+and children in the patriot encampment was full of suffering. The men had
+the constant excitement of their warfare to cheer them, but the women had
+only to toil and to endure. In the day the drought consumed them, and the
+frost by night. They had none of the comforts of life. Their food was
+coarse in the extreme, and often very scanty. But, perhaps, their greatest
+trial was in the matter of clothes. The stock which they had brought with
+them from their homes was, for the most part, worn out, and it was only on
+rare occasions, when some property of the heathen fell into the hands of
+the patriots, that any part of it could be replenished. Sheepskins and
+goatskins dried in the sun were commonly used, what remained of their
+wardrobes being reserved for special occasions.
+
+Some time after the incident described above a serious trouble came upon
+Azariah. Miriam, his elder daughter, when she returned one day from her
+usual task of gathering herbs to eke out the family meal, complained of
+headache. It was evident that she was suffering from sunstroke. As the
+spring advanced the heat in some of the narrow mountain valleys became
+exceedingly oppressive, and the town-bred child felt it acutely. For some
+days her life was in danger, all the greater because she had neither
+medical attendance nor skilful nursing. Ruth did all she could for the
+little sufferer, but then Ruth had her own husband to attend to, for,
+though recovering from his wound, he needed much care, and her child was
+still too young to be left alone. One or two visits in the day was all
+that she could give. For the most part the girl’s father was her nurse,
+the little Judith giving such help as she could. Love gave a lightness and
+tenderness to his touch, and supplied the place of skill in that
+marvellous way which is so often possible to love. Day after day, as he
+sat by the bedside, and watched his charge, the girl’s face, now pale and
+wasted, and aged as it was with suffering, reminded him more and more of
+his lost Hannah. He lived over the happy past that they had known before
+the evil days began, the time when their first acquaintance as youth and
+maiden had ripened into love, and the early years of their wedded life.
+Thus he began to live in a world of imagination, while the sordid
+circumstances of the present seemed to make no impression upon him, though
+he always retained a punctual recollection of the duties that belonged to
+his attendance upon the sick.
+
+One day Ruth had come in to pay the daily visit for which, however
+engrossing her own occupations, she always contrived to find an
+opportunity. The patient was in a sound sleep, with the little Judith for
+her sole attendant, Azariah having received an urgent summons to attend a
+council of war, in which some subject with which he was especially
+acquainted was to be discussed.
+
+After a few minutes Azariah returned, but without any of the signs of
+agitation or haste that might be expected from one hurrying back to the
+performance of a duty that he had been compelled to neglect. His sister
+wondered to see him so calm, and she was still more surprised when he went
+on to say—
+
+“How like the child is growing to my dear Hannah!”
+
+Ruth had often thought the same, but had not ventured to say so, for
+Azariah had never mentioned his dead wife.
+
+“Yes,” she answered, “I have often thought so.”
+
+“I have had some happy times of late. Before I could not get out of my
+mind the dreadful sight of her face when I last saw it.” He paused for a
+moment, overpowered by the recollection, but soon resumed in a cheerful
+voice: “But now in this dear child I seem to see her as she was in those
+happy Bethlehem days before our marriage, and again in the still happier
+time we had together in Jerusalem.”
+
+“But does it not trouble you to leave the child alone?”
+
+“Nay, sister, she is not alone. Nor do I speak of our dear little Judith
+here.” And he stroked the little girl’s head, and bade her go and play
+outside, but be careful not to go into the sun.
+
+“Believe me,” he went on, “that when I am not here, Miriam’s angel is with
+her. Perhaps you will think me mad when I say that I have seen, and that
+not once or twice only, the flash of white garments vanishing in the
+darkness as I came into the cave. And last night, as I sat here, dreaming,
+it may be, but certainly seeing everything in the cave as plainly as I see
+it this moment, the angel came with the little babe—our little David that
+my Hannah took with her to Paradise—to kiss his sick sister. And when
+Miriam awoke about an hour after dawn, the fever had left her.”
+
+At this moment the girl opened her eyes. “Oh, father,” she cried, “did you
+indeed see little brother last night?—for I saw him too; but I did not see
+that an angel was carrying him. He seemed to be in the air somehow, with
+no one holding him up. And he had beautiful white clothes—not these nasty
+sheepskins and goatskins that we have to wear—and he stretched out his
+hands to me, and kissed me, and I felt that moment as if that dreadful
+burning had gone out of me. And oh! there was such a wonderful look upon
+his face. It was just like the look on dear mother’s face that evening
+when the sun was just setting, and you took little brother up in your
+arms, and said his name was David.”
+
+Ruth could only listen to such talk with wonder and awe. But she went back
+to her husband and child with a lighter heart than she had borne for many
+days.
+
+But a trouble was at hand which, though it had been for some time
+foreseen, was great enough to make private sorrows and anxieties seem
+inconsiderable. It was reported through the encampment that Mattathias,
+the father of his people, was dying.
+
+The old man’s health had been failing for some time. The hardships of his
+new life had told grievously upon it, all the more that he refused the
+exemption from labour which his age required. He had ceased to accompany
+the expeditions because he found that his presence hampered the movements
+of younger and stronger men, but the management of the multifarious
+affairs of the encampment—the home administration, as it may be called, of
+the patriotic movement—he kept in his own hands. Early and late he busied
+himself in this work, and before many weeks were past his labours wore him
+out.
+
+He was well aware that the end had come, and that all that remained for
+him to do was to appoint a successor who should accomplish, or at least
+carry on—for he did not deceive himself as to the difficulty of the
+work—the task which he had commenced. All the leaders were summoned to his
+presence, the wounded Seraiah, for whose capacity and serene courage the
+old chief had a high regard, being carried thither on a litter. The old
+man was propped in his bed on cushions, the difficulty of breathing making
+it impossible for him to lie down. On either side stood his five sons,
+John, the eldest, being at his right hand, with Eleazar and Jonathan near
+him, while Simon and Judas were on the left. A physician, the solitary
+professor of the healing art that the camp possessed, sat by the bed’s
+foot, with a cup of some cordial in his hand.
+
+  [Illustration: _The Last Charge of Mattathias._]
+
+The old man began by laying his hand on John’s head. “My son,” he said,
+“for your loyalty and faithful obedience I thank the Lord that gave me so
+excellent a son for my first-born. You know what it is in my mind to do
+with respect to the succession of my work, and I am assured that you
+approve. But for the sake of those that stand by,”—and he pointed to the
+assembled chiefs—“I solemnly declare that for no defect of courage or
+honesty I pass you by. And say if you are content to leave it according to
+what seems best to my judgment.”
+
+“Father,” said the faithful John, “I am content.”
+
+Simon beckoned to the physician, who handed the cup of cordial to the
+dying man. He swallowed a few drops, and then went on:
+
+“Hear, my friends and brethren. In the distribution of my worldly goods I
+follow custom and law. The inheritance of my fathers I give to my eldest
+born, according to the custom of the birthright; and I direct that the
+younger shall have such portions as are due to them. But I have that to
+give which has been entrusted to me of the Lord, and with which I must
+deal according to His pleasure, so far as it is given to me to know it.
+Simon, I will that thou be the father of the people. Care for them as for
+thy children. Do justice between man and man. Strive to the utmost that
+they keep the Law of the Lord their God. He has given thee prudence and
+discernment and knowledge of the customs of our fathers. See that thou use
+these things for the glory of the Lord and the good of the people. Judas,
+I will that thou be captain of the host. Be stout and of a good courage,
+and the Lord shall fight on thy side, and give thee the victory. The end
+is not yet, and maybe thou wilt not see it with thine eyes; but, though it
+tarry, wait for it. ‘For they that go on their way weeping, bearing
+precious seed, shall doubtless come again with joy, and bring their
+sheaves with them.’”
+
+He then addressed a few words to the two other sons, words of mingled
+encouragement and advice. This done he stretched out his hands, and, with
+a voice of surprising firmness in one so weak, blessed the whole assembly,
+repeated the usual profession of an Israelite’s faith, and then drew his
+last breath without a struggle.
+
+
+
+
+
+                              CHAPTER XIV.
+
+                        THE BURIAL OF MATTATHIAS.
+
+
+Judas and his brothers sat late into the night consulting about a daring
+scheme which the new captain of the host proposed.
+
+“It would be an unseemly thing,” he said, “that Mattathias, the son of
+Asmon, should be thrust into a hole among the rocks as if he were an
+outcast or a robber. Verily we will bury him with his fathers in the
+sepulchre of Asmon.”
+
+“’Twill be no easy matter to contrive,” said Jonathan, the man of many
+devices. “The sepulchre is hard by the town, and we can scarcely avoid the
+eyes of the people in coming and going.”
+
+“Nay, Jonathan, I have no purpose of doing the thing in secret. It would
+not be well to bury my father by stealth in his own sepulchre. It shall be
+done openly, and before the eyes of men.”
+
+The brothers, bold men as they were, were astonished at the hardihood of
+the plan. But their respect for the genius of Judas silenced any
+opposition. And then he had never failed in any enterprise. John was the
+first to speak.
+
+“’Tis well thought of, Judas. Lead the way, and I follow;” and he clasped
+his brother’s hand.
+
+The captain then developed his plan, which, when examined, seemed less
+audacious than it had appeared at first sight. It was to be a surprise,
+and the very unlikelihood of the attempt made its success more probable.
+Modin was not occupied by a garrison, and the townsfolk, even if their
+goodwill could not be counted on, would scarcely venture to resist. Only
+it would be necessary to act before any rumour of their intention could
+get about, and, the funeral march once begun, to hasten it to a completion
+as much as possible.
+
+The body was at once preserved against decay as far as the scanty means at
+the command of the patriots would allow. Then word was sent through the
+encampment that all who wished to take their last look at the dead hero
+must come at once. For three hours a constant stream of awestruck and
+weeping visitors passed through the tent in which he lay, attired in his
+priestly garb, the long white beard reaching almost to his waist, his
+wasted features settled into the majestic repose of death. Every visitor
+as he entered loosed his sandals from his feet, feeling that the place
+which he was entering was holy ground. Every one, as he took his last look
+on the hero’s face, prayed to the God of his fathers that his last end
+might be like his. Women brought their children that they might kiss the
+hem of his garment. It would be a distinction to them in their old age
+that they had been privileged to pay this honour to Mattathias, the son of
+Asmon.
+
+Before dawn the procession started. The body, in its rude coffin of wood,
+was placed upon a bier, thirty bearers taking it in turns to carry it. The
+thirty were divided into five relays of six, one of the sons of the dead
+being always among those who performed the duty. With the exception of a
+small force which was left for the protection of the women and children,
+all the fighting men of the settlement accompanied the body. In spite of
+the efforts which had been made to procure or manufacture arms, they were
+still but poorly equipped. Of military display, of the “pomp and
+circumstance of glorious war,” there was absolutely nothing. But the solid
+qualities of endurance and courage could be seen in their sinewy forms and
+resolute faces. To an observer who could look below the surface that
+squalid array had in it the capacity for achieving an heroic success.
+
+Judas had been quite right in predicting that the expedition would meet
+with little or no opposition. Its march, indeed, was absolutely unmolested
+by the enemy. The movement was wholly unexpected, and consequently no
+force had been collected to hinder it; while the garrisons of the two or
+three fortified places which the army passed on its route did not feel
+themselves strong enough to attempt any attack. Already, though as yet no
+pitched battle had been fought, these Jewish “Ironsides” had inspired
+their enemies with a wholesome dread of their prowess. Both Greeks and
+renegades knew that these ragged, ill-armed mountaineers stood as stoutly
+and plied their swords as fiercely as any soldiers in the world.
+
+No incident occurred in the course of the march save one, which, though
+little thought of at the time, was destined to lead to events of
+considerable importance. When the first halt was called, Benjamin, who was
+a well-known personage in the neighbourhood, and who in spite, perhaps in
+consequence, of his antecedents enjoyed not a little popularity, found
+entertainment in the house of an old acquaintance. The man was a farmer,
+who had been accustomed to make a handsome profit by supplying the bandits
+with useful information. Recognizing his old accomplice in the ranks of
+the patriot army, he invited him into his house, and entertained him with
+his best. Unfortunately this best happened to be some salted swine’s
+flesh. Benjamin had some scruple about eating it; but it was not strong
+enough to resist the claims of a ravenous hunger, supported as they were
+by his entertainer’s ridicule. The meal was washed down by the contents of
+two or three flasks of potent wine, and the friends were so busily
+occupied with discussing these, and with talking over old times, that the
+signal for assembly passed unnoticed. Then followed a search for
+stragglers, and Benjamin was discovered with the fragments of his meal
+before him; and though his hunger had stripped the bones bare enough, no
+one could doubt what was the animal to which they had belonged.
+
+The offender had been caught, so to speak, red-handed, and some voices
+were raised to demand his instant execution. But the officer in command of
+the detachment interposed. In any case he would have objected to a
+proceeding of which Judas would certainly have disapproved, and he had
+besides a certain kindness for Benjamin, of whose courage and dexterity he
+had been more than once a witness. Accordingly the offender was put under
+close arrest, and the army resumed its march.
+
+Benjamin had no need to be told that he was in very serious danger. The
+Chasidim, at least, would be more ready to overlook fifty thefts than one
+transgression in the matter of unclean food; and he felt sure that if he
+could not contrive to escape before the army returned to the encampment,
+possibly before they reached Modin, his days were numbered. While he was
+meditating on the chances of escape, one of the escort, an associate of
+former days, was thinking how he could help him. Happening to be in front
+of the prisoner, he purposely stumbled and fell. The prisoner fell over
+him, and in the confusion the soldier cut the cords that bound Benjamin’s
+hands. The prisoner was not a man to lose such an opportunity. Waiting
+till he reached a convenient spot on the march, he shook off his bonds,
+sprang to the side of the road, and, before his keepers could recover from
+their astonishment, was lost to sight in the woods which bordered it.
+
+When the army reached Modin no attempt was made to interfere with its
+proceedings. Our old acquaintance, Cleon, had been sent to replace the
+commissioner killed when Mattathias raised the standard of revolt, and
+Cleon was far too careful of himself to risk his safety in any foolhardy
+struggle against superior strength. When the body of armed men was first
+seen approaching the town, he had supposed that its object was to possess
+itself of any money, arms, or provisions that might be found in the place.
+A nearer view showed the funeral procession, and one of the townspeople
+was acute enough to guess the real purpose of the expedition. Cleon’s
+resolve was at once taken. He would make the best of circumstances which
+he could not control. Accordingly he went out of the town with a flag of
+truce in his hand, and meeting the vanguard of the approaching array,
+demanded an interview with its leader.
+
+He was brought into the presence of Judas.
+
+“May I ask,” he said, “the purpose of your coming?”
+
+“We are come to bury Mattathias, son of Asmon, in the sepulchre of his
+fathers,” was the brief reply.
+
+“And you, sir,” continued the Greek, with elaborate courtesy, “may I ask
+to whom I am speaking?”
+
+“I am Judas, son of Mattathias.”
+
+“Allow me, then,” answered Cleon, “to express my sympathy with you in the
+loss of so renowned a father, once, I believe, a distinguished citizen of
+this place, and to assure you that you will meet with no molestation in
+whatever honours you may see fit to render to his memory. I would myself
+willingly attend the obsequies, did I suppose that my presence would be
+welcome.”
+
+“We thank you, sir,” said Judas, who was inwardly chafing at this
+hypocritical politeness, but disdained to show his feelings; “we would
+sooner be alone.”
+
+Cleon saluted and withdrew.
+
+The funeral ceremonies were performed with an impressive solemnity. The
+stone which closed the entrance to the family tomb of the house of Asmon
+had been rolled away, and the dead body was placed in the niche which had
+been long ago prepared for its reception. Only the sons of Mattathias and
+a few of their best trusted counsellors and lieutenants entered the cave;
+the rest of the multitude stood without, waiting in profound silence till
+they should be told that the old warrior had been laid in his last
+resting-place.
+
+When the cave had been closed again John, as the eldest son of the
+deceased, spoke a few words to the army.
+
+“We have buried our dead,” he said, “out of our sight; but his memory
+lives and will live among us. Let us be true and faithful as he was, that
+we may be with him when he shall rise again at the last day, and sit down
+with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob at the supper of the people of God.
+Meanwhile let us follow and obey him whom with his last breath he named as
+his successor. Long live Judas, son of Mattathias, son of Asmon, the
+captain of the host of the Lord!”
+
+And all the army shouted their approval.
+
+Cleon had followed up his courtesies by an invitation addressed to Judas
+and his principal officers, in which he begged the honour of their company
+at a meal. Judas declined the invitation, but intimated that he would
+gladly purchase a supply of corn. The commissioner, well aware that his
+guests could take by force anything that was refused to them, at once
+acceded to the request, and Micah was selected, on account of his
+familiarity with the Greek language, to conduct the transaction.
+
+The details of the business arranged with the commissioner’s secretary,
+Micah received a message from the great man himself, begging for the
+pleasure of an interview.
+
+“What!” cried Cleon, affecting a surprise which he did not really feel,
+“is this my old friend Menander whom I see?”
+
+“My name is Micah,” said the Jew, not without a feeling of disgust and
+shame as his mind reverted to the past.
+
+“As you please,” said Cleon. “By whatever name you may please to call
+yourself, I hope that we shall always be good friends. But tell me, what
+is the meaning of this disguise?”
+
+“I know not what you mean by disguise.”
+
+“I mean these rags, which a scarecrow would hardly condescend to wear;
+that battered helmet, which looks as if the boys had been kicking it for a
+month about the market-place; that deplorably shabby sword, which even a
+rag-and-bone man would be ashamed to hang up in his shop. Is this the
+elegant Menander—I beg your pardon, the elegant Micah, who was once the
+very pink of neatness and fashion?”
+
+“As for my past follies, you may laugh at them as you will, nor can I deny
+that you are in the right. But of these rags, as you are pleased to call
+them, of these shabby arms, I am not ashamed. I have come to myself. The
+things that I once prized I count as dung, and for that which I once
+despised I would gladly die.”
+
+“Why, what madness is this? What have you got to live for? How can you
+support existence among this deplorable crew of beggars and outlaws, with
+not a man among them, I will warrant, who has the least taste of culture,
+or the faintest tincture of art?”
+
+“These ‘beggars and outlaws,’ as you call them, are the soldiers of the
+Lord; and you will find that they are enemies not to be despised, that
+these battered helmets can turn a blow, and these jagged swords can deal
+one that will make its way through all your finery.”
+
+“But, my dear friend—I may call you so, I suppose, in spite of any little
+difference of opinion there may be between us?”
+
+The Jew made no motion of assent.
+
+“Well, you cannot be deceiving yourself as to the utter hopelessness of
+your attempt. Why, when you come to meet our troops in regular battle, you
+will disappear like chaff before the wind. You may take a few places by
+surprise, but you have no more chance of winning a regular victory than a
+dove has of killing a kite. Come now, be reasonable; give up this silly
+affair, and be my guest, till we can find something suitable for you to
+do. I will set you up with some new clothes, to which you are perfectly
+welcome. And I will warrant that in a few days you will be wondering that
+you were ever foolish enough to undertake such a wildgoose business as
+this.”
+
+“Your gifts be to yourself. Nay, Cleon,” he soon went on to say, in a
+softer tone, “I would not speak harshly to you for the sake of old
+kindnesses which I doubt not you meant well in showing me. But be sure
+that I am in earnest. The old things are hateful to me. I have other
+desires, other hopes; and if they are not satisfied, not fulfilled, I can
+at least die for them.”
+
+“Die for them, indeed! _That_, my dear Micah, is only too likely, and die,
+I am afraid, in an exceedingly unpleasant way. It is simple madness to
+suppose that a crowd of ragamuffins, under a general—Apollo save the
+mark!—who has never seen a battle, can stand against the troops of the
+King. You used to be a very good fellow, Menander or Micah, or whatever
+you call yourself, but, as sure as you are sitting there, if you go on in
+this mad fashion, I shall have the pain of seeing you some day hanging on
+a cross.”
+
+At the sound of the word the young Jew started as if he had been stabbed.
+It opened the way for a flood of memories which, for a while, carried him
+out of himself. When he could command himself sufficiently to speak, he
+burst out—
+
+“Yes—hanging on a cross! Nothing more likely if only you and your friends
+get their way. You talk of taste, and art, and beauty: you have always
+plenty of fine words on your tongues, but when it comes to practice you
+are as brutal as the fiercest of the savages whom you profess to
+despise—nay, you are ten times worse, for you know what you are doing.
+Now, listen to me, Cleon. Some six months ago I was walking through
+Jerusalem after your teachers of culture and art had been busy giving
+their lessons. What think you I saw? I saw a woman hanging on a cross, and
+her little son, a babe of a few days old, fastened about her neck. Thank
+God they were dead. Some one of your people had in mercy—for you are not
+altogether without mercy—strangled her before they fastened her to the
+cross. And what was her offence? Was she unchaste, a thief, a murderer?
+Not so; no purer, gentler soul ever lived on the earth. No, she had done
+for her son as her fathers for a thousand years and more had done for
+their sons. And this was how your prophets of refinement and beauty dealt
+with her. Cleon, that woman was my sister. Do you think that such deeds as
+that will go unpunished? Surely not; whether your faith—if you have a
+faith—or mine be true, there is a vengeance that follows—slow, it may be,
+but sure of foot—the men who work such wickedness. And, for my part, I
+doubt not who the first minister of that vengeance will be. You sneer at
+our general; he is no general at all, you think; a mere leader of
+vagabonds, who has never seen a battle. He will see many a battle, yea,
+and the back of many a foe, before his work is done. He is a very Hammer
+of God, and he will break his enemies to pieces. And now, Cleon, hearken
+again to me. You and I have broken bread together as friends. That is past
+for ever. May the God of my fathers send down upon me all the plagues that
+He holds in the vials of His wrath, if I have any truce with the enemies
+of His people! But with you, as I would not join hands in friendship, so I
+would not cross them in anger. Pray, therefore, to your gods, as I will
+certainly pray to Him whom I worship, that we may never see each other
+again. And now farewell!”
+
+The expedition returned to the mountains without mishap.
+
+
+
+
+
+                               CHAPTER XV.
+
+                         THE SWORD OF APOLLONIUS.
+
+
+The daring action of Judas at Modin was a defiance to the rulers at
+Jerusalem, and felt to be so, not only by them, but by the whole country.
+It was followed up by active operations on the part of the patriots
+against the smaller towns of south-eastern Palestine. The population began
+to feel that it was safer to be on the side of the patriots than against
+them. Thanks to this feeling, to the genuine favour with which the
+movement was regarded, and to the perfect system of scouts which he had
+organized, Judas had early and trustworthy information of all the
+movements of the enemy. Apollonius had made up his mind that he must act
+if he was not to lose entirely his hold upon the country, and set about
+organizing a force so overwhelmingly strong that it must, he thought,
+sweep the insurgents before it. This intention, and indeed, it may almost
+be said, every detail of his preparations, was communicated to Judas. He,
+on his part, was determined that a heathen army should never again invade
+the mountain sanctuary. He would not await attack. His military instincts,
+which, indeed, were extraordinarily fine and true, warned him that
+boldness was now his best policy, and that he should go down and give
+battle to the enemy.
+
+It was on the eve of the departure of the patriot army, when Seraiah might
+have been seen making his way back from a conference of the chiefs to the
+cave which served him as a dwelling. He was now recovering from his wound,
+but he was still too weak to support the fatigues of a march. Accordingly
+Judas had left him in command of the little garrison, scarcely, indeed,
+containing one able-bodied man, which was to protect the encampment. When
+he reached his home he found his nieces, Miriam and Judith, sitting with
+his wife, and watching the infant that was slumbering by her side.
+
+“See,” said Judith, as the child smiled in his sleep, “his angel is
+whispering to him. Oh, uncle, have you ever seen the angel?”
+
+She prattled on without waiting for an answer. “Father sees angels, and
+they bring him words from mother, where she is in Paradise. And, do you
+know, uncle, last night he had a wonderful dream about a sword? He told it
+to us this morning. He often tells us his dreams. Sometimes he seems as if
+he were talking to mother; and he says that Miriam is so like her.”
+
+“Well, Judith, and what was the dream?” said Ruth.
+
+“Father saw a mighty angel—one of the cherubim, you know, that father says
+God sends abroad to do His errands—come flying down, and the angel had in
+his hand a great sword. And he stood by father’s bed, and showed him a
+name graven on the blade—it was the name which we may not speak, though it
+is part of father’s name(8)—and when he had done this he put the hilt in
+his hand and departed. Then father awoke, and found only his own old sword
+in his hand; and this, you know, is so hacked that it is not of much use,
+and is very weak, too, in the handle. Father never sleeps without it, and
+he must have drawn it out in his sleep, without knowing it, from under the
+pillow where he keeps it. But he says the dream will certainly come true.
+And now, Miriam,” she went on, turning to her sister, for the little
+maiden was of the true housewife temper, “we must be going back to get
+father’s dinner ready for him.”
+
+When they were left alone Seraiah said to Ruth, “It is as I feared—I am to
+stay behind.”
+
+Ruth felt a thrill of joy go through her, but was too wise a woman to show
+it.
+
+“Old Reuben will not hear of my going. He says that I should be more
+hindrance than help, and perhaps he is right. The Lord’s will be done,
+though I would fain have struck a blow in the battle that is to decide;
+for I am sure that as this battle goes, so will the end be. But I am to be
+in command of the garrison here.”
+
+“And you will not mind taking care of the women and children, dear
+husband?” said Ruth.
+
+“I should be ungrateful indeed if I did,” said Seraiah, as he kissed her.
+
+Meanwhile the excitement in the camp had risen to fever heat. Scouts had
+come racing in at headlong speed with tidings that the enemy’s army had
+started from Jerusalem, and that it numbered not less than twelve thousand
+regular troops, well-equipped, and furnished with a formidable supply of
+the engines of war. The patriots were in that state of exaltation in which
+men make little of the numbers opposed to them, and the disparity of
+forces roused no apprehensions. If any such were felt they gave way to
+rage when the messengers added that the hated Apollonius himself was in
+command of the hostile army.
+
+Azariah and Micah were among a small company of chiefs who were standing
+outside the tent of Judas, and were discussing the prospects of the war.
+
+“The curse of God light upon him!” cried Azariah. “Surely He will so order
+it that I may smite him down on the field of battle, and avenge the
+innocent blood! Surely the blood of my wife and my child cries against him
+from the earth!”
+
+“Nay, brother,” broke in Micah, “the task of the avenger of blood lies
+upon me, for I am next-of-kin to Hannah.”
+
+“Surely,” replied Azariah, with some heat, “there is no kinship so close
+as the tie which binds husband to wife! ’Tis I that should be Hannah’s
+avenger of blood.”
+
+“My brothers,” broke in the voice of Judas, who appeared in the door of
+his tent, “you think too much of your private wrongs. Great they are, I
+know—none greater. But is there one soldier in this army that has not lost
+wife, or child, or father, or brother by the hand of this evil man? We
+will go, one and all, as avengers of blood, and the Lord will deliver him
+into the hands of him whom He shall choose.”
+
+Next day the army set out. On the evening of the second day they came in
+sight of the forces of Apollonius. Some of the more fiery spirits were for
+an instant attack, but the prudence of Judas, which was not less
+conspicuous than his daring, restrained them. His men were wearied with a
+long day’s march, and they wanted food. And he himself had not had time to
+reconnoitre the enemy’s position or receive any intelligence from his
+scouts.
+
+Early next day the battle began. In one sense Judas was greatly
+overmatched. The enemy were superior in numbers—almost in the proportion
+of four to one—and in equipment. But, on the other hand, the Hebrew leader
+could rely implicitly on his soldiers. Anything that mortal man, inspired
+by zeal and the burning sense of wrong, could achieve, they might be
+trusted to do. To such a temper, of course, the policy of attack is best
+suited. Judas massed his best troops on his right wing, which happened to
+be opposed to what his eagle eye discerned to be the weakest part of the
+enemy’s line. Apollonius saw his intention, and commenced a movement of
+troops which was designed to strengthen the weak point in his array. But
+such a movement in the face of a hostile force cannot be carried out
+without confusion. Judas saw his opportunity, ordered his men to advance
+at the double, and closed fiercely with the foe.
+
+The Greek line broke almost at once, and the chief danger now was that the
+conquerors might press on too eagerly. The Greeks were not an
+undisciplined mob which could be treated with contempt. Some of them, at
+least, were veteran soldiers, in whom the sense of discipline was an
+instinct, and who, if not very enthusiastic in the cause for which they
+were fighting, were perfectly well aware that their best chance of
+personal safety was to be found in keeping together and holding their
+ground. Judas, in whom native genius seemed to supply the want of
+experience, appreciated the enemy with whom he had to deal, and kept his
+own men well in hand, though he was careful not unduly to check their
+courage.
+
+The fortune of the day continued to declare in favour of the patriots; but
+Apollonius himself, surrounded by a picked force of mercenaries, still
+held his ground. Shortly after noon Azariah and Micah, who had kept close
+together during the battle, and had both performed prodigies of valour,
+gathering a company of their immediate followers, made a determined rush
+in his direction. The bodyguard, terrified by the fierceness of this
+onset, wavered and fled, leaving but three or four faithful attendants,
+who refused to leave their commander.
+
+The Greek recognized Azariah, and called to him by his name. “Azariah, if
+you think that I have wronged you, I do not refuse you the opportunity of
+revenge. Come out from your companions, and I will meet you alone. You are
+a brave man, and would not take a soldier at unfair odds.”
+
+Azariah did not deign to answer; but one of his comrades replied, “Dog of
+a heathen! you forget where you are. We are not contending in your foolish
+games: we are the avengers of blood—the innocent blood which you have
+shed; and we will slay you as men slay a venomous snake. Such equity as
+you have dealt to others, we will show to you. Was it in fair fight that
+you slew women and children?”
+
+Apollonius looked on the ring of scowling faces that surrounded him, and
+saw that there was no mercy or even what he would have called the courtesy
+of war to be hoped from them. “I only wish,” he said, “that I had rooted
+out the whole cursed brood from the earth, and burnt the den of thieves
+which you call your city, and laid the shrine of the demon whom you call
+your God level with the ground!”
+
+“Silence, blasphemer!” cried Azariah, as he whirled his sword over his
+head.
+
+It was not the almost worthless weapon, with its dented edge and broken
+hilt, that he had carried into the battle. Early in the day he had cut
+down a Greek officer, and taken the sword of the dead man in exchange for
+his own.
+
+As he spoke he beckoned to his countrymen. They stood back, even Micah
+recognizing the right of the husband to strike the first blow at the
+murderer of his wife.
+
+Apollonius raised his sword to parry the stroke which he expected to be
+aimed at his head. With a rapid change of movement his adversary changed
+the blow into a thrust, and drove the point of his weapon through the
+Greek’s heart.
+
+Azariah was drawing out his weapon from the corpse, when Judas, who had
+been hastening to the spot not without some hope of himself crossing
+swords with the hated Apollonius, came up.
+
+“A mighty weapon that!” he exclaimed, as the conqueror wiped the blade on
+the dead man’s tunic. “Let me take it in my hands.”
+
+He poised it and judged its balance, tried the edge, and then narrowly
+scanned the markings on the blade.
+
+“Ah!” said he, “how came you by this sword? I had observed”—and indeed his
+eagle eye noted every detail—“that yours was but a poor weapon, unworthy
+of your strength, and I wished to find something better for you.”
+
+Azariah told him how he had taken it from a Greek on the field of battle.
+
+“And saw you this?” he went on, pointing to the Holy Name which had been
+engraved on the blade. “Doubtless this belonged to some Hebrew warrior in
+time past, for the fashion of the letters is somewhat antique; the heathen
+whom you slew had taken it, and now the Lord has given it back into the
+hands of the faithful.”
+
+Azariah then related his dream.
+
+“The angel whom you saw,” said Judas, “was, doubtless, the angel of
+battle, and the Lord has been faithful, as ever, to His promise.”
+
+He gave back the consecrated sword to Azariah, and took the weapon which
+was still grasped in the right hand of the dead Apollonius. “With this,”
+he said, “I will fight as long as I live.” And he broke out into the
+triumphal chant of the Psalmist—“The ungodly have drawn out the sword, and
+have bent the bow to cast down the poor and needy. Their sword shall go
+through their own heart and their bow shall be broken.”
+
+  [Illustration: _The Sword of Apollonius._]
+
+
+
+
+
+                              CHAPTER XVI.
+
+                       NEWS FROM THE BATTLE-FIELD.
+
+
+While the patriots, bivouacking on the field of battle, slept the sound
+sleep of those who have fought a good fight, the women, left, with the
+children and the sick, in charge of a small guard, only strong enough to
+protect them against casual robbers, felt the most intense anxiety. Ruth
+in her cave, with the children slumbering by her side, watched through the
+night, listening intently to every sound. At one time she could hear the
+bats which haunted the rocks flapping and fluttering as they went out to
+take their flights in the night air. Then from farther away came the
+moaning of the jackals, as they hunted for their prey, with now and then
+the deeper note of a wolf, or the sound, so strangely like to mocking
+laughter, of the hooting owls. Everything at that moment seemed very dark
+and hopeless to the anxious wife.
+
+“’Tis everywhere the same,” she thought to herself—“the stronger hunt and
+devour the weak. The lions roaring after their prey, do seek their meat
+from God. The lambs and the fawns are their prey, and God gives the
+helpless, innocent things into their jaws. And will he give us to the jaws
+of the heathen who are hunting us that they may devour us? Did He deliver
+the thousand who died that they might not profane His Sabbath? Not so. He
+suffered them to perish, to be a prey for the beasts of the field and the
+fowls of the air. ‘Verily our bones lie scattered before the pit, like as
+when one breaketh and heweth wood upon the earth.’”
+
+And then her thoughts travelled to those who were especially close to her
+heart. Azariah and Micah—where were they? How had it fared with them in
+the battle? Were they lying on the field of battle with stark faces turned
+to the stars of heaven, and the vultures preying on their limbs? And she
+shuddered, and hid her face in the coarse coverlet under which she lay, as
+if she would shut out the dreadful picture that her thoughts had conjured
+up before her.
+
+When she opened her eyes again, there was a faint suspicion of light in
+the darkness of the cave. The bats came flapping back from the outer air
+to their haunts in the roof. Jael, the jackal, who had been for her
+nightly prowl came back with her cubs, and lay down in her accustomed
+corner. The light grew rapidly stronger, and when Ruth stepped from the
+threshold of the cave into the fresh morning air, though the sun was not
+visible, its light had begun to touch the highest summits of the
+mountains.
+
+Looking to the head of the pass Ruth could see her husband where he stood
+at his post of observation, a spot which commanded a distant view of the
+westward approaches to the encampment. As she watched him she observed him
+make a signal that indicated that he had to make some important
+communication. A moment afterwards she could see other men hurrying to the
+spot. She bade Miriam and Judith, who were always her guests during their
+father’s absence, watch the still sleeping infant, and made all the haste
+she could to join her husband. When she reached him she found the little
+group of watchers straining their eyes as they gazed at a body of armed
+men that could be seen in the distance. “Who are they? foes or friends?”
+was the question that was in every heart, though none ventured to put it
+into words.
+
+As the vanguard of the approaching force came to an eastward turn in the
+path, a ray of sunshine touched the helmets of the men and made them
+glitter.
+
+“What is this?” said one of the men. “They went with caps of leather;
+whence come these helmets of brass and steel?”
+
+A shudder went through the hearts of Ruth and of the other women who by
+this time had joined her. If the patriots had been overpowered, and these
+armed men were heathen murderers and ravishers come to wreak their
+vengeance on those who had been left behind——
+
+“Whence come they?” said Seraiah. “They are the spoils of the heathen.”
+
+As he spoke the distant sound of singing was carried by the wind up the
+pass, and though the words could not as yet be heard it was recognized at
+once as one of the Temple chants. The little band of sentries and women
+raised a joyful shout, and hurried down the pass to meet the new comers.
+And now the noble voice of Judas could be heard leading the song of
+triumph. “Thou hast girded me with strength unto the battle; Thou shalt
+throw down mine enemies under me. Thou hast made mine enemies also to turn
+their backs upon me; and I shall destroy them that hate me.... I will beat
+them as small as the dust before the wind.” And now the good news had
+spread like wildfire through the camp. The rest of the women hastened down
+to meet and greet the deliverers, and among them Miriam and Judith,
+carrying Ruth’s infant child. The first thought of all was to do honour to
+the chief who had led the host of the Lord to victory. They kissed the hem
+of his robe, his hands, even his feet. It was only when they had satisfied
+these feelings of gratitude and reverence that they could think of private
+affections. And when the whole array, the women and children now mingling
+in the ranks with the armed men, reached the top of the pass, it halted
+for a few minutes. The name which Micah, in his talk with Cleon, had given
+to Judas had passed through the army, and had caught the popular fancy.
+There was scarcely a man among them but had seen him dealing death at
+every blow among the ranks of the heathen. “Hail, Judah Maccâbah! Hail,
+Hammer of God!” was the cry that went up from the assembled multitude. The
+title has been given in after times to other sturdy champions of the
+truth, notably to him who, in the Valley of Tours, turned back the tide of
+Paynim invasion;(9) but never has it been more honourably gained, or more
+worthily borne, than it was by Judas, the son of Mattathias.
+
+
+
+Great as was the exultation of the patriots over their victory, no one
+among them, and least of all their far-sighted general, deceived himself
+with the flattering notion that it had finished the war. Every one was
+well aware that the defeat and death of Apollonius was not only a disgrace
+that Antiochus and his lieutenants were bound to avenge, but a disaster
+that had to be repaired. It was without surprise, therefore, that Judas
+heard that Seron, Governor of Coele-Syria, was marching southwards over
+the great maritime plain known by the name of Sharon, with what rumour
+described as a vast host.
+
+Judas at once resolved to repeat the policy which had been found so
+successful in the conflict with Apollonius. The enemy would soon reach the
+passes that led into the hill-country of Eastern Palestine; and it was
+there that he must be met. To allow him to make good this movement without
+opposition would be to throw away a great advantage. The Jewish commander
+resolved, accordingly, to dispute the possession of the pass. With a
+boldness which seemed to some of his followers to verge upon rashness, he
+left Jerusalem, occupied as it was by a hostile garrison, behind him, and
+marched westward till he reached the range which looks over the Plain of
+Sharon to the Great Sea.
+
+This strategy was simple enough, though it was not wanting in boldness;
+but then came the difficult question, “What road will the enemy take—the
+ordinary route by Emmaüs,(10) or the more difficult way through the pass
+of Beth-horon?” The scouts were at fault, but it seemed likely that a
+general strange to the country would prefer the easier course. But
+scarcely had Judas acted on this probability and taken up his position on
+the plateau of Emmaüs, than a breathless messenger came rushing in with
+the intelligence that Beth-horon was to be the point of attack. The
+patriots had already been in motion since dawn, but another march was
+necessary, and, if it was to be of any avail, must be executed at full
+speed, and without any pause for food or rest. There had been just time to
+reach the head of the pass, and to hide the vanguard behind rocks and in
+the ravines that led into the main road, when the Greek force was seen to
+be approaching. It was still a mile distant, and as the road was steep,
+making a rise of not less than five hundred feet in the mile, its progress
+was slow. It was an anxious time of waiting as the patriots watched the
+hostile column drawing nearer and nearer. They could see its strength, its
+dense and numerous files, the discipline showed by the precision of its
+march, and its complete equipment, so different from their own imperfect
+supply of weapons and armour. And there were some whose hearts fainted
+within them at the sight. “How shall we, being so few, be able to stand up
+against so great and strong a multitude? And now we are worn with
+marching, and weak for want of bread.” Judas was indefatigable in cheering
+and encouraging them. “With the Lord our God,” he said, as he went from
+one company to another, “it is all one to deliver with a great multitude,
+or with a small company.” Then he pointed to Ajalon, and recalled to the
+thoughts of his hearers the famous associations of the place. “Do you not
+remember,” he said, “how Joshua, the son of Nun, smote the five kings of
+the Canaanites? The Lord was with him, staying even the sun and the moon
+in their course, that He might give to His people the heritage of the
+heathen, and surely He will be with us on this day, for His name’s sake,
+that he may restore to us this same heritage. His enemies come against us
+in the pride of their hearts to destroy us, and our wives, and our
+children. But the Lord is on our side; and He will overthrow them before
+our face. And as for you, be not afraid of them. Stand fast and quit you
+like men.” He had not completed the round of his force—and indeed there
+were some companies in it which he knew to be of temper so sturdy that
+they might safely be left to themselves—when the Greeks, slowly labouring
+in their heavy armour up the ascent, came within reach. Judas gave the
+signal, and with a loud cry, “The Hammer of God! The Hammer of God!” the
+patriots rose from their ambush, and threw themselves on the van of the
+enemy. The attack was entirely unexpected, for the Greek commander was
+ill-served by his scouts, and it met with no serious resistance. Almost in
+a moment the Greek line was broken, and a wild flight commenced. When the
+fugitives reached the plain they scattered themselves in all directions.
+With his usual prudence, Judas checked his men in their pursuit of the
+vanquished, but eight hundred lay dead or seriously wounded upon the
+plain.
+
+Seraiah, who had extorted from the old physician attached to the patriot
+army an unwilling permission to bear arms, had fallen fainting to the
+ground, close to the entrance to the pass. Near him lay six or seven Greek
+corpses. The tide of battle had passed elsewhere, and the place was
+deserted. This was exactly the opportunity which Benjamin and his
+associates—since his escape during the expedition to Modin he had gathered
+about him a small band—had been watching. They issued from their
+hiding-places among the rocks, and began to search the prostrate bodies
+for spoil. The first that they came to was a Greek sub-officer, somewhat
+richly attired. The man was still alive and groaned as they turned him
+over to get more conveniently at the silver ornaments of his belt. “Curse
+the villain!” cried Benjamin, as he drove his sword into his side; and
+when the poor wretch breathed his last, went on, “A brave man might have
+been left to take his chance, but such cowards as these ’tis positively a
+good work to despatch. Did you ever see such a scandalous flight?—and they
+were positively five to one at the very least.”
+
+It was now Seraiah’s turn to be stripped. He, too, gave signs of life, and
+one of the robbers, an Edomite, who hated Jews and Greeks impartially, was
+about to stab him, when Benjamin, who recognized his old comrade’s face,
+interfered.
+
+“Nay, man,” he said, “’tis one of the patriots, and an old friend of mine
+to boot. Look you after the others, and I will attend to this brave
+fellow.”
+
+Hastily and with a practised hand he bound up Seraiah’s wound, for the old
+place had broken out afresh. The injured man, consumed by the thirst that
+follows the loss of blood, begged for water. Benjamin supplied him with a
+draught from the bottle which he carried, and followed it up with some
+rough wine of the country in a wooden cup. By this time the robbers, who
+had finished their work of spoiling the dead, were ready to return to
+their hiding-place among the hills.
+
+“Come, captain,” said the Edomite, “’tis time to go; you had best leave
+your friend to himself, or you will see more of his countrymen than you
+will quite like.”
+
+“Go,” said Benjamin; “I will follow you soon.”
+
+Seraiah was now sufficiently revived to be able to sit up. The robber
+offered him bread and flesh. “’Tis clean meat,” he said. The wounded man,
+however, refused it. It might be of a lawful kind, but he did not know
+that it had been lawfully killed, and he contented himself with bread to
+which he added a few raisins with which he happened to have provided
+himself. Another draught of wine completed the repast.
+
+“Benjamin,” he said, when he had finished, “you are too good for this
+life, for these friends. Come with us and fight on our side, for be sure
+that it is the side of the Lord. I will intercede for you to our captain,
+and he is as merciful as he is strong.”
+
+“Nay, nay,” said Benjamin, “you are too confident; yours may be the side
+of the Lord, for I don’t know much about these things, but the side of the
+Lord, as far as I have been able to see, does not always win. I hate these
+Greeks. They robbed me of my house and everything that I had. May all the
+curses that are written in the Law overtake them! But they are very likely
+to get the best of it after all.”
+
+“Did you see how they fled to-day?” cried Seraiah.
+
+“Yes; you made them run,” said the robber, with a grim laugh. “It was rare
+sport to see them pelt helter-skelter down the pass, like so many sheep
+with a dog after them. But there are many more where these came from, and
+they will simply trample you down.”
+
+“That will not be done so easily as you think. Is Judas the Hammer—for
+that is what the people call him—a likely man to be so dealt with? Nay,
+Benjamin, he is another Joshua, another David, and I am as sure as if a
+prophet had told me that the Lord of Hosts is with him, and will deliver
+the heathen into his hands.”
+
+Benjamin was silent awhile. Then he said, in an altered tone, “You say the
+truth about Judas, the son of Mattathias. A better captain to lead, a
+better soldier to strike with the sword, I never saw. I would gladly
+follow him. And verily I would sooner fight for my people than for my own
+hand. But your ways are over-strict. I cannot put up with these
+‘religious’ as you call them. Why should I not eat pig’s flesh if I can
+get it? It has a good relish, and it has never harmed me yet.”
+
+“But ’tis forbidden, Benjamin,” gently answered Seraiah, now in good hopes
+of winning over this somewhat stubborn proselyte, “and you are too good a
+man to give up your country for a matter of meat or drink.”
+
+“Aye,” said the man, “but there are other things.”
+
+“Nothing surely that cannot be borne,” went on Seraiah. “Oh, Benjamin, you
+have saved my life to-day, and henceforth you are my brother; but I could
+almost wish, but for my wife and child’s sake—you remember Ruth and the
+babe?—that you had left me to die, if I am to see you return to the ways
+of death.”
+
+The cause was almost won when, at an unhappy moment, a party of Jewish
+soldiers returning from the pursuit came in sight. One of them immediately
+recognized Benjamin, and gave the alarm to his companions. They rushed to
+arrest him, but Benjamin divined their purpose and dashed up the rocks. To
+overtake him was impossible, for he was fleet of foot and unencumbered;
+but one of the Chasidim, for the soldiers belonged to this party, let fly
+an arrow which struck him in the left arm. It was but a slight wound, for
+the barb was not covered in the flesh; but it stirred him to a furious
+rage, which was all the fiercer because, by a great effort, he had just
+brought himself to yield to Seraiah’s arguments. He tore the arrow from
+the wound, hurled it at his pursuers with impotent rage, and crying, “All
+the plagues of Egypt consume you!” disappeared among the rocks.
+
+“You have lost a good recruit,” said Seraiah to his comrades when they
+returned to him.
+
+“What should this son of Belial profit us?” one of the Chasidim haughtily
+replied. “The Lord grant that my next arrow may be driven better home!”
+
+Seraiah made no answer, but painfully lifting himself from the ground made
+his way up the pass alone. He did not care for the company of his
+comrades, and they, on their part, though they could not help respecting
+him as a soldier, thought him sadly wanting in zeal for the Law and for
+the traditions of the elders.
+
+Late that night some of the fugitives, who had crossed the mountains
+somewhat further to the south, reached Jerusalem. They found the city
+anxiously expecting tidings of the battle; and two of their number who
+were officers were at once brought into the Governor’s house. He was
+indisposed, and Cleon, who had given up his post at Modin and was now
+attached to head-quarters, saw the new arrivals in his stead. When he had
+heard their story, he did not conceal his scorn for the mismanagement—or
+was it cowardice?—that had made a well-equipped and powerful army flee
+before a crowd of half-armed vagabonds.
+
+“It is easy to talk, my fine sir,” retorted one of the men, “when you have
+only got to stop at home and find fault; but if you had seen them to-day,
+you would be singing to a very different tune. By all the gods above and
+below, these Jews rushed on more like lions than men. And as to this
+Judas, son of Asmon, there is no standing against him. No man wants two
+blows from _his_ sword.”
+
+“A good soldier, I dare say,” said Cleon superciliously, “and a skilful
+swordsman. But there are others as good as he. And as for his army, if it
+is to be called an army, it is quite impossible that it can hold out very
+long. I was a little hasty in what I said just now. These fanatics have a
+way of giving some trouble at first, and it is quite possible for really
+good troops to be beaten by them. But it is quite out of the question to
+suppose that they can resist any serious attempt to deal with them. Of
+course we have made the usual mistake of making too light of them. That
+must not be done again. The next expedition will be made with overwhelming
+force, and will unquestionably bring this troublesome matter to an end. I
+hope to go with it myself.”
+
+“That will be as you please, sir,” said the officer, who had not by any
+means recovered his temper after the imputations cast on his courage, “but
+if I may venture to say so, I would recommend that you should not get in
+the way of Judas, the son of Asmon.”
+
+And, indeed, whatever men like Cleon may have pretended to think, from
+that time “began the fear of Judas and his brethren and an exceeding great
+dread to fall upon the nations round about them.”
+
+
+
+
+
+                              CHAPTER XVII.
+
+                          THE BATTLE OF EMMAUS.
+
+
+The effort to wipe out the disgrace of the two defeats and to restore the
+Greek supremacy was not long delayed; and when it was made, it was made
+with all the force which the lieutenants of Antiochus could command. The
+King himself was absent in Persia; but his vicegerent had _carte blanche_
+for the preparations which they were to make. Lysias, Governor of Syria,
+had collected forty thousand foot and seven thousand horse, and this force
+had been put under the command of Nicanor, Gorgias being his principal
+lieutenant. This time, it was intended, the work should be done
+thoroughly. This Jewish people, so obstinately troublesome, was to be
+absolutely extirpated. Not a single native inhabitant was to be left in
+Palestine, which was to be peopled in future by a more accommodating and
+manageable race.
+
+This scheme, if it was to be carried out, would involve huge dealings in
+human flesh, and the slave-merchants of the sea-coast cities were,
+naturally, vastly interested in its success. Anxious to do the business as
+cheaply and effectively as possible, they formed what, in the language of
+modern commerce, would be called a “Syndicate,” and sent parties of
+dealers to follow the two armies, and act as their agents when the scheme
+should begin to come into practical working.
+
+This was the occupation, then, of four repulsive-looking creatures who had
+obtained permission to follow the army of Nicanor, and whom we may see
+discussing a flagon of the best Chian wine—the trade was as profitable as
+it was odious—and canvassing the prospects of business.
+
+“Well,” said one of the four, pursuing the narrative of an interview which
+he had just been having with Lysias, “we had a long debate about terms.
+The Governor was quite firm about one thing: there must be no picking and
+choosing. ‘No,’ he said, ‘either you buy them all, or they shall be put up
+in the open market.’ ‘But what,’ I said, ‘am I to do with the old and the
+weak?’ ‘And what am I to do with them?’ he answered. ‘No; you must buy
+them all or none.’ There I could not move him. He could not be bothered
+with detail. For so many prisoners, so many talents, half paid down, half
+six months credit. Old men and women at their last gasp, and new-born
+babes were all to be counted in. Those were his terms and I had to accept
+them, or we should not have come to an agreement.”
+
+“That does not seem a good bargain,” interrupted another member of the
+company.
+
+“Wait a moment,” said the first speaker, “till you hear the price. I think
+you will agree that there is no reason to complain. At first he wanted a
+talent(11) for every fifty. That of course was out of the question on the
+‘take-all’ terms, and I told our friend so quite plainly. ‘No,’ I said, ‘a
+talent for every hundred is about the right price, and even then we may
+very well lose,’ which, you will allow, was sailing very near the wind
+indeed. Well, we had a long argument. First he would meet me half way. But
+I held out. You know they _must_ have money. There is Antiochus—the
+‘Glorious’ they call him—gone off to Persia on a wild goose chase after
+some treasures he has heard of. I’ll wager that he’ll spend more than he
+gets by a long way. I have friends at Court, and they tell me that the
+treasury is as empty as—well, we’ll say a wine jar, after our friend
+Nicias there has had it at his mouth for a minute. So I was firm. And at
+last—to make a long story short—we came to terms at a talent for ninety.
+And I can’t help thinking that it is not by any means a bad bargain.”
+
+“And what are we to do with the worthless ones?” said one of the dealers.
+“Surely having to keep them will take all the shine off our profits.”
+
+“Keeping them! Who talks about keeping them? We shall only have to bury
+them, and that does not cost very much. You have not been long in the
+trade, my good friend, and you don’t know how soon their food seems to
+disagree with the poor wretches whom we can’t sell.”
+
+He smiled an evil smile, and the others burst out into a laugh, in which,
+however, the young man who “had not been long in the trade” did not join.
+
+“And what becomes of all the money?” said one of the dealers, who had
+hitherto taken no part in the conversation.
+
+“Well, a part will be wanted for present expenses, pay of the troops,
+stores, and so forth; and that is to be paid in gold. But the greater part
+has to go to Rome—the King, you know, owes a great deal on the indemnity
+account. For that we shall find bills of exchange.”
+
+“Most of the money, then, is to go to Rome?”
+
+“Yes; and don’t you see the advantage of the arrangement? Of course most
+of it will come back into our pockets. Slaves from this part of the world
+are quite the fashion in Rome now; and I am very much mistaken if these
+Jewish slaves don’t turn out a great success. They are quite a novelty; I
+should think that they have hardly been seen in the Roman markets. And
+then they have a very distinguished look, and the girls are sometimes
+remarkably handsome. I don’t like to brag—and of course this is all
+between ourselves—but I think that we shall make a _very_ good business
+indeed out of this campaign.”
+
+“If our side wins, that is,” said the youngest of the dealers, who was
+evidently a little discomposed by what he had heard.
+
+“_If_, indeed! There is no ‘if’ in the matter. You don’t suppose this set
+of ragged beggars can stand against the army of Lysias?”
+
+“Well, they stood against Apollonius, and killed him; and they stood
+against Seron.”
+
+“Yes, but this is another matter altogether. Lysias has got fifty thousand
+as good troops as there are in the world, barring, of course, the Romans;
+and they _must_ win. And then we shall all make our fortunes as sure as
+the sun is in the sky.”
+
+And, indeed, as viewed from without, the prospects of success which seemed
+to lie before the forces of Antiochus were very great. The army was
+powerful—it numbered nearly eight times as many as that of the patriots—it
+was thoroughly well equipped, and it was led by men who at least had the
+reputation of being good soldiers.
+
+This time it was judged expedient to avoid the difficult pass of
+Beth-horon and to advance by the easier road of Emmaüs. At Emmaüs,
+accordingly, Nicanor had pitched his camp for the night, intending to move
+early the next day on Jerusalem, to occupy that city with overwhelming
+force, and to carry on the operations of the campaign from that base. He
+was the more hopeful of success because he had received exact information
+of the position of the patriot general. Benjamin had never forgiven the
+painful wound which he had received from the arrow of one of the Chasidim
+after the battle of Beth-horon. The injury had galled him all the more
+because his feelings had been really touched by the appeals of Seraiah,
+and he had seriously meditated throwing in his fortunes once more with the
+cause of his countrymen. He now made his way to the camp of Nicanor, and
+told him all that he knew of the position of Judas. The Greek general
+despatched his lieutenant with a picked force to attack him. While the
+enemy was thus occupied he should be able, he thought, to make the passage
+of the mountains without hindrance or loss.
+
+Judas was at Mizpeh, in command of a force more numerous than any he had
+before been able to collect, but still not amounting to more than six
+thousand men. But the sight that this six thousand saw from the Mizpeh
+ridge—the watch-tower, as it was called—was such as to rouse to fury the
+hearts of all who beheld it. For there, lying before them, was the city of
+their love, the city of David, of Solomon, of Josiah, of Hezekiah, of
+Ezra, and Nehemiah, and they could see, only too plainly in the clear
+sunset light, the horror of its desolation. The streets were empty; the
+walls, in old time thronged at evening by crowds of citizens and their
+families, were deserted; the gates were shut. The Temple could be seen,
+but its courts were silent and empty. And, rising above, in the City of
+David, in the very heart of the Jewish kingdom, was the fort of the Greek
+garrison—the hateful sign of the domination of the heathen. Then followed
+a touching ceremony, by which the servants of the Lord, banished from the
+courts of His House, yet sought to show the reverence and the love which
+they felt for its sacred precincts, for the Holy Place which they could
+see with their eyes, though they might not tread it with their feet. A
+numerous company of mourners, chosen to represent the whole people, ranged
+themselves on the ridge which commanded the prospect so sad and yet so
+dear. They were clad in garments of black sackcloth, itself ragged and
+tattered, and had strewn ashes on their heads. They spread out copies of
+the Law—that Law which the heathen had silenced in its own peculiar seat,
+and which they had insulted and profaned, picturing on its very pages the
+cruel and lustful demons whom they worshipped; the functions of the
+priests had ceased, but they could at least display within sight of the
+Sanctuary the garments which they wore; the sacrifices could not be
+offered, but they could at least show the bullocks and rams, the
+firstfruits of the cornfield and the vineyard, and present them in heart
+and will; vows could not be performed, but the Nazarites, with their
+unshorn locks, could stretch out their hands to the Sanctuary, and
+dedicate themselves in intention. And then from the whole multitude rose
+the cry, “What shall we do with these, and whither shall we carry them?
+For Thy Sanctuary is trodden down and profaned, and Thy priests are in
+heaviness and brought low. And lo! the heathen are assembled together
+against us to destroy us; what things they imagine against us, Thou
+knowest. How shall we be able to stand against them, except Thou, O God,
+be our help?”
+
+This done, the trumpets sounded, as if to remind the mourners that they
+were soldiers again, and the whole multitude fell at once into military
+order. Judas carefully inspected his force. Mindful of the old indulgence
+given by the Law, he proclaimed that any among his followers who were
+building a house, or planting a vineyard, or had left behind him at home a
+newly-married wife, should depart. Those were not days when houses were
+being built or vineyards planted, for the land, save for some barren
+mountain ranges, was in the power of the heathen; nor was it a time for
+marrying or giving in marriage. Scarcely a man out of the whole array
+claimed the exemption. And when the leader went on, “If any man be timid
+or of a faint heart, let him turn back, while there is time,” only two or
+three slunk away.
+
+To those that remained Judas addressed a few stirring words. “You have
+seen,” he said, “the city of your fathers from afar, how it lies desolate
+and dishonoured. Be bold and quit you like men, and the Lord will deliver
+it into your hands, for He can deliver both by many and by few. Arm
+yourselves at dawn, and we will fight with those nations who have defiled
+our sanctuary and have now come out to destroy us.”
+
+But the struggle was to come sooner than any one had looked for it.
+Azariah had been setting the sentinels who were to watch the northern side
+of the encampment, when he heard a voice that seemed to have a familiar
+sound.
+
+“Azariah!” it said, in a penetrating whisper.
+
+“I am here; say on;” and he felt sure that he recognized the voice of
+Benjamin.
+
+“Tell your captain that Gorgias has come out of the camp of Nicanor with
+six thousand men, the very choicest of his army, and that he will attack
+him this night. Farewell!”
+
+And before Azariah could answer he was out of sight and hearing. A quick
+remorse had overtaken the robber for his treacherous act, and he had done
+his best to remedy the wrong.
+
+Judas, on hearing the news, lost no time in making his resolve. It was
+bold, even audacious. He would not wait to be attacked, but would himself
+attack, and that not the detachment under Gorgias, which it was quite
+possible he might have some difficulty in meeting, but the main body
+itself. Here he would certainly have the advantage of being utterly
+unexpected. And a victory over this would be almost, if not absolutely,
+decisive.
+
+Accordingly he left his camp at Mizpeh without attempting to remove any of
+his belongings. In truth, they were scanty enough, and, if things went
+well with him, he should secure spoil of a hundredfold more value than all
+that he had left. With nothing but their arms, and such scanty provision
+as they could carry in their pouches, his men marched through the darkness
+down into the plain.
+
+The day was dawning when he came within sight of the camp of Nicanor.
+Though not regularly fortified, it was a place of considerable strength,
+which an army far more numerous and better equipped than that which Judas
+had under his command might hesitate to attack. The cavalry had bivouacked
+outside; the infantry were within the lines, but might be seen passing out
+of the gates.
+
+So formidable a task did it seem to attack a fortified camp, held by a
+vastly superior force, that even Judas’s band of heroes hesitated for a
+moment. He felt it at once, and at once addressed himself to check it. He
+called a halt, and bidding the ranks close in to as small a space as
+possible, he addressed them, sending his mighty voice in the still air of
+the morning with so commanding a power that it reached the very extremity
+of the crowd. In a few stirring words he reminded them of the deliverances
+which God had wrought in old time for His people. He spoke of the three
+hundred of Gideon, how they had discomfited the host of the Midianites, of
+the angel that had smitten with an unseen sword the legions of the haughty
+Sennacherib. He told them of the day when Macedonian and Jew had stood
+side by side against the Gallic invaders of Asia, and of how the Jew had
+stood firm while the Greek had fled before the fury of the barbarian
+onset. Finally he reminded them of the victories which they themselves had
+so lately won against overwhelming odds.
+
+When he had finished his harangue, he divided the host between himself and
+his brothers, John, Simon and Jonathan. Eleazar was to recite the Holy
+Book, and to give his name as the watchword of the day. These arrangements
+made, he gave a signal to the trumpeters. They blew a piercing blast.
+Then, with a shout, “The Help of God! The Help of God!”(12) the patriots
+charged. It might have seemed to an onlooker the strategy of despair, but
+it was successful, as it had been many a time in history before, as it has
+been many a time since.
+
+The Greeks stared at them, as they advanced, with astonishment. Were these
+men madmen, or were they fired by some Divine fury? In either case they
+would be dangerous antagonists. As the patriots drew nearer, without a
+sign of hesitation or holding back, the terror which had been creeping
+over the minds of the Greeks became insupportable. They broke and fled,
+and did not even, so complete was their demoralization, attempt to hold
+their camp. Though pursuit was shortened by the approach of the Sabbath,
+which Judas would not suffer to be infringed upon even to complete his
+victory, more than three thousand fell, and as the Greek line had not
+waited to receive the onset of the patriots, all of them perished in the
+flight.
+
+The work was not yet done, for the detachment under Gorgias had still to
+be accounted for. This, however, gave the conquerors very little trouble.
+That general had found the camp of Judas empty, and had naturally
+concluded that its occupants had been frightened away by his approach. He
+started in pursuit, but without being able to find any clear traces of the
+route which the supposed fugitives had taken. Probably, he thought, this
+would be in the direction of the mountain retreat from which they had
+issued. It was long before he satisfied himself that he was mistaken; but
+the peasants whom he questioned were evidently truthful when they declared
+that they had seen nothing of the force of which he was in search. He had
+to retrace his steps, and could not do this till he had given his men a
+rest, wearied as they were with almost incessant marching for a night and
+a day. It was late in the afternoon before he arrived in sight of the camp
+of the main body, and by that time Judas’s victory had been won. He was
+astonished and alarmed to see that part of it was on fire. Shortly
+afterwards a fugitive from the defeated army came in with news of what had
+happened. Neither Gorgias nor his men were in any humour to encounter the
+patriots; they hastily turned and made the best of their way to Jerusalem.
+
+Information of this retreat was soon brought to Judas by his scouts, and
+he felt that now at last he and his followers might enjoy their victory.
+The Sabbath was given, as usual, to rest and devotion. A great service was
+held, a prominent feature of it being the chanting of the great Psalm of
+Thanksgiving,(13) “O give thanks unto the Lord, for His mercy endureth for
+ever.” The marvels of creation, the deliverance from Egypt, the passage of
+the hosts of the Lord through the Red Sea, the fall of the Amorite kings
+who had sought to stop their way to the Promised Land, the possession of
+the inheritance which had been promised to the fathers—all these blessings
+were enumerated, and after each new theme, given by the clear voices of
+the singers, rose the thunderous chorus of reply from the multitude, “For
+His mercy endureth for ever.”
+
+On the first day of the week the spoils were divided. The division was
+made with scrupulous fairness, and with a reverent regard to the
+injunctions of the Law. The wounded received a special consideration for
+their sufferings; a share was reserved for the widows and orphans of the
+slain; and those to whom had been given the unwelcome duty of staying
+behind to guard the encampment were not forgotten. The rich furniture of
+the officers’ tents, the gold and silver plate, the many-coloured silks,
+and robes of Tyrian purple, with a well-furnished pay-chest, made together
+a splendid booty.
+
+Among the prisoners was the party of slave-dealers to whom our readers
+were introduced at the beginning of this chapter.
+
+“Who are you?” cried Judas, when they were brought before him, “and what
+do you here?”
+
+“We are merchants,” said their spokesman, “brought by business into the
+camp of his Excellency Nicanor.”
+
+“And in what merchandize do you deal?” asked Judas, though, as may be
+supposed, he was perfectly well acquainted with their occupation.
+
+“We deal in the prisoners of war,” answered the man. “Permit me, sir,” he
+went on, “to congratulate your Excellency on the splendid victory that you
+have won, and to beg the favour of your custom. We offer the best of
+prices for goods, and pay in ready money or in bills on the best houses,
+quite as safe as cash, I can assure you, and far more convenient to
+carry.”
+
+“Do you know this document?” asked Judas, holding up a piece of parchment
+which had been found among the property of the slave-dealers.
+
+The man turned pale and said nothing.
+
+Judas then proceeded to read aloud: “It is hereby covenanted between the
+most excellent Lysias, Governor of Syria, on the first part, and Theron
+and his Company, dealers in slaves, on the second part, that the said
+Lysias shall hand over, and that the said Theron and his Company shall
+take all persons that shall be captured in the operations now about to be
+begun by the army of the said Lysias. And it is further covenanted that
+the said Theron and Company shall pay to the said Lysias or such other
+persons as he shall appoint, the sum of one talent of gold for every
+ninety persons delivered alive into the hands of the said Theron and
+Company. Furthermore it is agreed that the said Theron and Company shall
+have no claim for a drawback for any such persons dying after they have
+been once delivered; but that a drawback shall be allowed at the rate of
+six _minæ_(14) for every person, who, as being a loyal subject of our lord
+and king Antiochus, or of any prince in friendship and alliance with him,
+shall have been wrongfully taken prisoner.”
+
+“Know you this document?”
+
+Theron stammered an assent. “It is but a common matter of business, my
+lord. Such covenants must be drawn up, and, doubtless, they sound somewhat
+harsh.”
+
+“Ye have digged a pit, and are fallen into the midst of it yourselves,”
+said Judas, in a voice of thunder. “Let them be taken with the followers
+of the camp to the slave-market of Sidon.”
+
+“Mercy, my lord!” cried the dealers, falling on their knees.
+
+“Such mercy as you have shown yourselves you shall have, and no more. Lead
+them away.”
+
+“Nay, my lord,” cried Theron, struggling away from the soldier who had
+grasped him by the arms, “you do ill to deal so harshly with men that have
+not borne arms against you.”
+
+“You have done tenfold worse,” was the answer. “I know your works. You
+sell our youths to the mines, where the young man grows old and decrepit
+before he has reached to middle age, and the maidens you sell to shame;
+and the old and sick you slay with the sword or poison. Take them away.”
+
+“Listen once more, my lord,” cried the man, in an agony of despair. “We
+have money; not here, of course, but with those whom we represent; if you
+should want a loan, we can find it for your Excellency, and at low
+interest, lower than you will find elsewhere.”
+
+“Take them away!” thundered Judas.
+
+And taken away they were, still screaming out, as they were dragged off,
+offers of ransom, or loans at five per cent. interest, or no interest at
+all.
+
+The next day Judas and his army, richly laden with spoils of every kind,
+returned to the sanctuary among the hills.
+
+
+
+
+
+                             CHAPTER XVIII.
+
+                         THE BATTLE OF BETH-ZUR.
+
+
+Several months have passed since the scenes described in the last chapter.
+During the winter Judas has been increasing and consolidating his army,
+and he has now a force both more numerous and better equipped than any
+that he had hitherto commanded. Again he has marched to encounter the
+Greeks, but he has no easy task before him. Lysias in person commands the
+Syrian army. Antiochus has sent him some veteran troops from the capital;
+he has raised fresh levies of his own, and he has enrolled in his ranks
+the remnants of the armies of Seron and Nicanor. Altogether he has
+collected an army of sixty thousand men, and must out-number his
+antagonists at least five times. The struggle will be of a critical kind,
+and the victory, if won at all, can hardly be won without grievous loss.
+The Greeks are fighting for their last stake. If they lose this they are
+disgraced.
+
+The experience of a soldier’s wife had not lessened the anxiety with which
+Ruth waited for news of the battle. This time all that were especially
+near and dear to her had gone with the army—her husband, her brother, and
+Azariah—all had run or were even then running deadly peril of their lives.
+When the news came it might find her utterly desolate, a widow indeed.
+
+During the night these terrors had had almost undisputed sway. It seemed
+impossible to her to recall the holy words which at other times brought
+comfort to her soul. Some dreadful picture of her dear ones lying cold and
+stark upon the battle-field would rise up before her eyes; and again and
+again the hideous laughing of the hyenas, echoed among the hills, seemed
+to her like the mocking triumph of the heathen.
+
+The light of morning brought, as it is wont to bring, if not cheerfulness,
+at least a more hopeful spirit. Anyhow she had not to lie in forced
+inaction. The daily duties had to be done; and she could find in them not
+forgetfulness, indeed, but the wholesome invigorating influence of work.
+Her first task was to fetch the daily ration of food. Miriam and Judith
+accompanied her, and her little boy was now old enough to toddle by her
+side. The girls had already begun to bear the burdens of a woman’s cares,
+but the child was in happy unconsciousness of trouble, and there was a
+certain infection of cheerfulness in his laughter and prattle.
+
+Ruth’s way to the store where the rations were distributed led past the
+point from which the best view of the pass could be obtained. She scanned
+the prospect eagerly as she went, but could see nothing. On her return she
+espied the figure of a man who seemed—for he was still almost too distant
+to be distinguished—to be approaching.
+
+“Look, girl,” she cried, “surely some one comes yonder, and he must be
+bringing tidings of the battle. Oh! if they are safe——”
+
+As she spoke she dropped the piece of flesh, which she was carrying, from
+her hand; and immediately a vulture swooped down and carried it off.
+
+The watchman had now descried the figure of the traveller, and made the
+signal which was to indicate to the inmates of the encampment the fact
+that tidings from the army was at hand. In an instant all that were able
+to move had poured out, and were hurrying to the top of the pass.
+
+The messenger was Micah, whom, as one of the fleetest runners in the army,
+Judas had selected to carry the news of his victory. He had traversed the
+distance, which could not have been less than thirty miles, at a pace
+which had sorely tried even his athletic frame. He flung himself on the
+ground, panting convulsively for breath, and unable to speak. One of the
+elders poured a few drops of cordial into his mouth, and by degrees he
+recovered his powers. His first act was to kneel and with outspread hands
+to thank the Lord of Hosts. “We thank thee, God of our fathers, that thou
+hast delivered us out of the hand of the enemy, and brought us unto the
+haven where we would be.” Then, amidst the breathless attention of the
+listening crowd, he told the story.
+
+“Judas the Hammer,” and as he said the name a murmur of blessing could be
+heard from the whole assembly—“Judas, the Hammer of God, has smitten the
+enemy to pieces. Two days since he met Lysias—for the Governor himself was
+in command—at Beth-zur. There by that valley of Elah, where David slew
+Goliah of Gath, has the Lord God of Israel proved again that the battle is
+not to the strong nor the race to the swift. Judas himself led the right
+wing; the left he had given to Seraiah and Azariah, whom I myself had the
+privilege of following. The lines of the two armies were about equal in
+length; nor, indeed, was there room on either side for more; but they had
+their ranks forty deep and more, and we but seven or eight at the most,
+for they were many times more numerous. But the Lord showed once again
+that He can deliver as surely by few as many. Our captain, than whom no
+man has a more generous temper, though he would gladly have been the first
+to advance against the enemy, granted that privilege to us. Then we
+shouted, as we did in the day of Emmaüs, ‘The Lord is our Help!’ and ran
+forward. While we were yet half a furlong from them, we saw them tremble
+and waver; and before we could cross our swords with them their line had
+broken. That done, their numbers availed them no more, but rather hindered
+them, so crowded and crushed together were they. We slew till we were
+weary of slaying.”
+
+“And what befell Lysias, the Governor?” asked one of the elders.
+
+“He had posted himself over against Judas himself, judging that there
+would be the most need of his presence. And indeed they say—for I myself
+did not see him, being, as I have said, on the other side of the
+field—that he bore himself as a brave soldier and a good captain. And
+Judas, when he saw him, pressed forward, seeking to meet him face to face.
+But Lysias was struck with terror and fled. He had not the heart to abide
+a stroke from the Hammer. He escaped with some hundred horsemen of his
+bodyguard from the field. The prisoners say that he is gone to Antioch to
+gather another army. Let him gather it. We will deal with it and him as we
+have dealt hitherto with the enemies of the Lord.”
+
+“And what does Judas now?” asked the elder.
+
+With a look of joy and triumph Micah lifted his head and said, “He is in
+Jerusalem. The Lord has given back into our hands the Holy City, the City
+of David His servant.”
+
+It is impossible to describe the delight with which this announcement was
+received. The women, even the men, wept for joy. This was indeed a
+glorious gain of victory. Last year they could only see the Holy City from
+afar, and weep over its desolation. Now they could pour out their love and
+their sorrow within its sacred precincts.
+
+“Yes,” he repeated, “Judas is in Jerusalem, and is making ready to purify
+the Temple. And you are to return as speedily as you can. The days of your
+exile are over. Our God has recalled His banished unto Him.”
+
+His public mission finished, Micah could give time to private affection.
+He went with Ruth and the children to their cave, and then, after sharing
+their morning meal, told them all they wanted to hear. Seraiah and Azariah
+were both safe, though both had had narrow escapes, Azariah’s helmet
+having been broken in by a sword-stroke from a gigantic Gaul, and Seraiah
+being saved by a little roll of the Prophecy of Daniel, which he always
+carried about with him—it was a gift from his wife—and which had stopped
+the point of a javelin that would otherwise have pierced his heart. Ruth
+and the children were never satisfied with asking questions and listening
+to his answers. Even the little Daniel seemed to understand something of
+what was being said, as he listened, with his baby-eyes wide open, to the
+talk of his elders.
+
+“And Cleon,” asked Ruth, “the Greek with whom you used to be so friendly
+in time past—did you see him? You met him, you told us, in Modin, and
+parted in anger; did you meet him again?”
+
+A cloud seemed to pass over Micah’s face at this question, and for a few
+moments he was silent.
+
+“Ah! Ruth,” he said, “the Lord be merciful to him, as He has been merciful
+to me! And did I not sin against Him tenfold more grievously than any
+heathen could have sinned? For was I not a child of the Covenant, and had
+I not light and knowledge, whereas he was born in ignorance and knew not
+of the mercies and deliverances which I knew, and knowing despised.”
+
+“Is he a prisoner, then?” asked Miriam, “and will Judas spare him?”
+
+“He needs no mercy from man, my child,” said Micah, solemnly. “In the
+battle I did not meet him. That was well. I should have been loath to
+cross swords with him; and yet I could hardly have failed to do so. But in
+the evening, when Lysias had fled eastward with the remnants of his host,
+and the victory was won, I saw him on the field of battle. The captain
+himself was with me, as we went among the wounded and the dead, looking
+for any to whom we could give such help as they needed. He had been
+pierced with a ghastly wound through the breast. And when Judas saw him,
+he said to me, ‘Ah! that is a brave soldier, and as good a swordsman as
+ever I met. I had a hard bout with him this morning, and had he not
+slipped in making a blow, it might have gone ill with me. Do you know
+him?’ ‘Yes;’ I said, ‘in the old time, when I mingled with the heathen and
+walked in their ways.’ ‘See, then, whether you can help him in any way; I
+love a brave man, be he heathen or no.’ I was willing enough to do
+anything that I could for him, you may be sure; one glance at that pale
+face was enough to chase away all the anger with which we had parted.
+‘Cleon!’ I said. And he knew me and smiled—a very wan and feeble smile,
+but still a smile. Then I tried to stanch the blood that was flowing from
+his wound. ‘Nay,’ said he, ‘’tis idle; I am past all help; let it flow,
+and I shall be sooner out of my pain. But, dear Menander—nay, pardon me, I
+should call you Micah—give me some water to drink, for I have a raging
+thirst.’ I had a leathern bottle of water, and gave him a draught. Then I
+rested his head upon my shoulder, and bathed his forehead with the water.
+Judas meanwhile had gone further, and I saw a party of the Chasidim
+ranging the field, and I thought that they could scarcely pass us by
+without seeing us, so I said to Cleon, ‘Let me lay you down till these are
+past; for if they know you as a friend of Jason they will not spare your
+life. ’Tis better to feign death than to meet it at their hands.’ Then he
+smiled and said, ‘No need, Micah, to feign death. Your Hammer has smitten
+me down, and I shall not need another stroke.’ And almost as he spoke the
+words, he died. And just then the captain came back, and we buried him
+where he had fallen. The Lord have mercy on him!”
+
+“But will He have mercy on the heathen?” said Miriam, who had begun to
+think.
+
+“Nay, child—who knows?” answered Micah. “Surely some of us need His pardon
+more than they, who have not known Him, nor have been called by His name.”
+
+  [Illustration: _Farewell to the Mountains._]
+
+The next day Micah returned, in obedience to orders, and two or three days
+afterwards all the party that had been left in the mountains followed him
+to Jerusalem. It was a happy day, but saddened, for the children at least,
+by one loss. The jackal, Jael, followed the party awhile, but when they
+reached the plain, stood still and watched them disappear, making mournful
+cries the while. Even the prospect of seeing their old home could not
+quite reconcile the children to the loss of this strange playmate, who had
+yet grown so dear to them.
+
+And so the rugged mountains which had afforded a refuge to the faithful
+remnant were left again to silence and solitude. But the memory of what
+the confessors and martyrs had endured in the evil days was never to
+perish. Generation after generation remembered with sympathy and reverence
+what men, aye, and weak women and children had borne for conscience’
+sake—cold and hunger and nakedness, and that anguish of soul which is
+harder to be endured than all bodily pain. Two centuries later, an
+inspired Hebrew, writing to Hebrews, commemorated the noble endurance of
+this faithful band in his famous roll of the triumphs of faith: “They
+wandered about in sheepskins and goatskins, being destitute, afflicted,
+tormented, of whom the world was not worthy; they wandered in deserts and
+mountains, and in dens and caves of the earth.”(15)
+
+
+
+
+
+                              CHAPTER XIX.
+
+                              IN JERUSALEM.
+
+
+Among those who watched the approach of Judas and his host to Jerusalem
+were two men, one in extreme old age, the other numbering, it would seem,
+about fifty years. They wore the priestly garments, old indeed and
+threadbare, but still clean and showing many signs of careful repair.
+Theirs was a strange history. For two years they had been in hiding in the
+city. When Apollonius had filled the streets of Jerusalem with blood, the
+murderers had sought with especial care for all priests and Levites. To
+them at least no mercy was to be shown. These two men—Shemaiah was the
+name of the elder of the two, and Joel that of the younger—had narrowly
+escaped death from the soldiers of Apollonius. They had taken refuge—so
+close was the pursuit—in a garden, the gate of which happened to be open,
+and had hidden themselves in the bushes till nightfall. Where they were,
+who or of what race was the owner of the house, whether they were likely
+to meet with more mercy from his hands than they could expect from the
+soldiers, they knew not. But that hiding-place was their only chance, and
+in their desperate strait they snatched at it. While they were debating in
+whispers whether they should throw themselves on the compassion of this
+unknown person, they saw—for it was a moonlight night—the figure of a
+woman walking down a path which passed close by their hiding-place. They
+could see from her features, which the brilliant moonlight of the East
+lighted up, that she was a countrywoman of their own, and they resolved to
+appeal to her for protection. Shemaiah, whose age and venerable appearance
+would, they judged, be less likely to alarm, threw himself on the ground
+at her feet. She started back in astonishment.
+
+“Lady,” he said, “I see that you are a daughter of Abraham. Can you help
+two servants of the Lord that have so far escaped from the sword of the
+Greeks?”
+
+She was reassured by a nearer view of the speaker. “Who are you?” she
+said. “Speak without fear, for there is no one to harm you.”
+
+Shemaiah told his story.
+
+“And your companion,” said Eglah—for that was the woman’s name—“where is
+he?”
+
+The old man called to Joel, who came forth at his bidding from his
+hiding-place.
+
+Eglah stood for a few minutes buried in thought. Then she spoke.
+
+“As I hope that the Lord will have mercy on me and pardon my sin, so will
+I help you even to the giving up of my life. But I am not worthy that you
+should come under my roof. Now listen to my story. When Antiochus—the Lord
+reward him for the evil that he has done to His people!—came to this city,
+I was seized and sold for a slave. And a certain Greek soldier, Glaucus by
+name, the captain of a company, bought me in the market. He had compassion
+on me, and dealt honourably with me, and made me his wife after the
+fashion of his people. And I consented to live with him, though I knew
+that it was a sin for a daughter of Abraham to be wife unto a man that was
+a heathen. But alas! sirs, what was I to do? for I was a weak woman, and
+there was no one to help me. Should I have slain him in his sleep, as
+Judith slew Holofernes? Once I thought to do so, and I took a dagger in my
+hand, but when I saw him I repented. Whether it was fear or love that
+turned me I know not. That I was afraid I know, for the very sight of the
+steel made me tremble. And I must confess that I loved him also, for he
+had been very kind and gentle with me; and there is not a goodlier man to
+look at in all Jerusalem.”
+
+“Be comforted, my daughter,” said Shemaiah, whose years had taught him a
+tolerance to which his younger companion had, perhaps, scarcely attained.
+“’Tis at least no sin for a wife to love her husband.”
+
+“Then you do not think me so wicked as to be beyond all hope?” cried poor
+Eglah, eagerly.
+
+“Nay, my daughter,” said the old man; “you were in a sore strait, and all
+women are not as Judith was.”
+
+“Then you will not refuse to come into my house? I have a large cellar
+where you can lie hid. ’Tis under the ground, indeed, but airy and dry,
+and you can make shift to live there. And I will feed you as best I may.
+My husband has an open hand, and never makes any question as to the money
+that I spend upon the house, and he will not know what I have done. I
+judge it best to keep the thing from him, not because I fear that he would
+betray you—for he is an honourable man and kindly, but it would go hard
+with him, being an officer in the army of the King, if it should be
+discovered that he knew it.”
+
+And so for two years Shemaiah and Joel had inhabited the cellar in Eglah’s
+house. Glaucus, the husband, was just the kindly, generous man whom his
+wife had described. Once or twice he had terrified her by some joking
+remark about the rapidity with which the provision purchased for the house
+disappeared. “When we dine together, my darling,” he said, on one
+occasion, “you eat what would be scarce enough for a well-favoured fly;
+but I am glad to think that you are hungry at other times.” “O husband,”
+she said, “there are many poor of my own people, and I cannot deny them.”
+She hoped as she said it that the falsehood would not be counted as
+another sin against her. “Nay, nay, darling,” said the good-natured man.
+“Give as much as thou wilt. Thank the gods and his Highness the King I
+have enough and to spare.”
+
+Glaucus, though allowed to live in his own house, had, of course, to spend
+much time upon his military duties, and was, consequently, often away.
+During his absence Eglah could bring out the two prisoners from their
+underground lodging, and allow them to enjoy the fresh air of the garden,
+which, happily, was not overlooked. She gave them the best food that her
+means would procure, and at the same time took pains, as has been said, to
+keep their garments scrupulously clean and neat. On the whole they passed
+the time of their captivity in tolerable comfort, and without much injury
+to their health. Latterly they had been cheered by the tidings, always
+given to them at the very earliest opportunity by their hostess, of the
+successes of Judas. Within the last few days Glaucus had told his wife
+that a decisive battle was expected, that it would probably be fought at
+Beth-zur, and that if her countrymen won it, there was nothing that could
+hinder them from taking possession of Jerusalem.
+
+Glaucus, who held a command in the garrison of the fort, had not been with
+Lysias at Beth-zur, but he had heard late on the evening of the day of the
+result of the battle and had, of course, told it to his wife, and she in
+turn had communicated it to her inmates. They had been scarcely able to
+sleep for joy, and had eagerly waited for news of the conqueror’s
+approach. Evening was come, and Eglah had not paid them the accustomed
+visit. The house was curiously silent; all day not a sound of voices or
+steps had reached their ears. And now the suspense had become unbearable.
+“Go forth,” said Shemaiah to his younger companion, “go forth, and bring
+me word again.” Joel crept out of his retreat. The streets were deserted;
+but the fortress was crowded. The garrison stood thickly clustered on the
+walls, and with them were many inhabitants of the city. It was easy to
+guess that what Glaucus had foretold had happened. Judas was on his way to
+take possession of Jerusalem, and all who had compromised themselves by
+resisting him, had either fled from the place altogether or had taken
+refuge in the fort. He returned to Shemaiah with a description of what he
+had seen, and the two at once hastened down to the walls to greet the
+deliverers.
+
+The sun was near its setting when they entered the city. Without turning
+to the right or left, though many must have been consumed with anxiety to
+hear the fate of kinsmen and friends, they marched to Mount Sion. It was
+an hour of triumph, the fruition of hopes passionately cherished through
+many a dark day of sorrow. To stand once more in the place which God had
+chosen to set His name there, how glorious. But it had its bitterness, as
+such hours will have, for it was a miserable sight that greeted them.
+Nothing, indeed, had been done of which they had not heard. There was
+nothing that they might not have expected or foreseen. Yet the actual view
+of the holy place in its dismal forlornness overpowered them. It was as if
+the sight had come upon them by surprise. “When they saw the Sanctuary
+desolate and the altar profaned, and the gates burnt with fire, and shrubs
+growing in the courts as in a forest or one of the mountains, and the
+chambers of the priests pulled down, they rent their clothes, and made
+great lamentations, and cast ashes upon their heads, and fell down flat to
+the ground upon their faces.”
+
+To repair this ruin, to put an end to this desolation, to purify the place
+which had been so shamefully polluted, was the first duty of the
+deliverers. But that the work might be done in peace it was necessary that
+the fortress of Acra, to use military language, should be masked. A strong
+force was told off to perform this duty; the rest would lend their aid to
+the great work of purification.
+
+
+
+
+
+                               CHAPTER XX.
+
+                       THE CLEANSING OF THE TEMPLE.
+
+
+Azariah and Micah had been put under John, the eldest of the five
+brothers, in command of the force employed to blockade the garrison of
+Acra. The night had passed quietly; the garrison had not attempted a
+sortie, and had not even harassed the besiegers with a discharge of
+missiles. And when the morning came they seemed inclined to continue the
+same inaction. From the high ground the two Jews looked down upon the
+Temple courts and saw the priests directing a crowd of eager helpers in
+the work of cleansing the Sanctuary, and labouring diligently with their
+own hands. The first task was to pull down the idol altar which had been
+erected on the altar of burnt-offering. This was done in a fury of haste.
+The hands of the workmen could not, it seemed, move fast enough in
+destroying the abominable thing. The stones were carried out of the temple
+with gestures of loathing and disgust, and afterwards taken to the Valley
+of Hinnom—unholy things to be cast away in an unholy place.
+
+But the stones of the holy altar itself had been polluted by the
+superstructure that had been erected upon them. What was to be done with
+them? At least it was manifest that they could not stand where they were.
+Sacrifice could not be offered upon them. They were reverently detached
+from the cement which bound them together, and then borne one by one to a
+chamber of the Temple, where they were to be laid up till a prophet should
+arise who should show what was to be done with them. The first duty of
+dealing with the altar completed, came the work of cleansing and repairing
+the courts and chambers. The long, trailing creepers were pulled down; the
+weeds and shrubs were rooted out. The place was still a ruin, but the
+manifest signs of its desolation and abandonment were removed. So numerous
+and so eager were the labourers that for this part of the work a few hours
+sufficed. The task of reparation would, of necessity, be longer and more
+tedious.
+
+Azariah and Micah had been watching the work with perhaps a more absorbing
+interest than was quite consistent with their duty of watching the
+garrison, when suddenly one of the sentries blew an alarm. Scarcely had it
+sounded when a flight of arrows from the garrison of the fortress fell
+among the besiegers. The Greeks had watched their opportunity, and when
+almost all eyes were turned on the work that was going on below, had sent
+a volley among the ranks of the enemy.
+
+This sudden attack did no little damage. One or two of the patriots were
+killed on the spot, several were seriously wounded; the others either
+covered themselves with their shields, a precaution which they ought not
+to have neglected, or sought refuge among the ruins.
+
+Azariah, though he had been caught a little off his guard, was not
+unprepared to deal with a manifestation of this kind. He had organized a
+company of slingers, and he now ordered them to advance and clear the wall
+of its defenders. They knelt with one knee upon the ground, and covered
+themselves with their shields. Under this shelter they loaded their
+slings. Then, rising rapidly at a preconcerted signal from their
+commander, they sent a simultaneous and well-directed shower of leaden
+bullets on the defenders of the wall. These missiles, sent with a skill
+and a strength in which the Jewish slingers were unsurpassed, had a
+marvellous effect. In a moment the wall was cleared, except that here and
+there along its length the dead and wounded might be seen. The survivors
+did not venture forth from shelter to carry them away. A fierce conflict
+followed. From the loopholes of the towers and from behind the battlements
+the Greek archers kept up the discharge of their arrows, and the Jewish
+slingers replied. No great damage was done on either side; but every now
+and then a skilful aim at some exposed body or limb was followed by a cry
+of pain from the wounded man, and the cry was taken up by a shout of
+triumph from the hostile force. In the course of the afternoon a storm
+came on, with thunder and lightning and a deluge of rain. Before it had
+cleared away the light had failed, and hostilities had perforce to be
+suspended.
+
+About the beginning of the second watch(16) Micah, who was making a round
+of the sentries, heard the sound of something that seemed to fall heavily
+upon the soft and plashy ground. The rain had ceased, and the sky had
+partially cleared; for a few minutes all was still; then Micah could hear
+a sighing which was not the sighing of the wind. He followed the guidance
+of the sound, and found a woman lying almost insensible upon the ground.
+He called one of the sentinels to help him, and together they carried her
+under shelter, and brought torches, by the light of which they might
+examine her injuries. That she was stunned by the fall was evident, for
+she did not speak, and when they attempted to move her she groaned with
+the pain. When left alone she did not seem to suffer much, and they judged
+it best to wait for the morning, administering meanwhile a little wine and
+water from time to time.
+
+The next morning four of the soldiers were told off to remove her on a
+litter that had been constructed for the use of the wounded to a deserted
+house in the Lower City—and of deserted houses there was only too great a
+choice. As the bearers put down their burden on the way to take a brief
+rest a strange figure came up to the party. It was a woman, young and
+still showing the remains of beauty, but with a miserably haggard look. It
+was easy to see from her uncertain gait and wandering eye that she was a
+lunatic.
+
+Huldah had been for some time a well-known figure in Jerusalem, and her
+story was of the saddest. She had been a servant in the house of Seraiah,
+and had been Ruth’s own waiting-maid. Returning home from some errand on
+which she had been sent one day at the beginning of Apollonius’s reign of
+terror, she had been seized by the attendants of the newly-dedicated
+Temple of Jupiter, and made a slave. Before many weeks had passed the
+cruel outrages to which she was subjected overthrew her reason. Thus
+become a trouble to her captors she was permitted to escape. Since then
+she had been accustomed to wander about the city. The horrors of the past
+still haunted her, and the recollection of the abominable idolatries in
+which she had been forced to serve. At every pool of water and fountain
+she would stay and wash. From every passer-by she would beg for something
+that might serve for her cleansing: it was the one craving of her soul to
+be rid of its defilement. For food or money she never asked; but a few
+kindly souls in the city gave her enough to support life, and sometimes
+would renew the garments, threadbare, but always scrupulously neat and
+clean, which she wore. Of these friends the kindest was Eglah, who had a
+fellow-feeling for the sufferer, and who was always on the watch to atone
+by her charitable deeds for what she believed to be the great offence of
+her life.
+
+Huldah cast a glance at the litter in passing, and at once recognized in
+the suffering woman her own benefactress. For indeed it was Eglah whom
+Micah had found under the fortress wall. The recognition made a marvellous
+change in the poor maniac. It turned her thoughts in another direction.
+She ceased to dwell upon her own sufferings, and, for the time at least,
+reason regained its sway.
+
+She knelt down by the side of the litter, and kissed one of the hands that
+hung listlessly down. Then, rising to her feet, she arranged the cushion
+on which Eglah lay so as to make it more comfortable. That done, she bade
+the bearers take up their burden, made a gesture of dissent when they were
+turning aside to the house to which they had been directed, and led the
+way to Eglah’s own dwelling.
+
+The unhappy creature was positively transformed by the charge which had
+thus been laid upon her. The most intelligent and thoughtful nurse could
+not have done better for her patient than did the poor distracted Huldah.
+A physician who was called in examined Eglah, and found that though she
+had been sadly bruised and shaken, no bones were broken. Whether any
+internal injury existed was more than he could positively say; that time
+alone would show. Meanwhile careful attention was all that could be done
+for her, and attention more careful than Huldah’s it would be impossible
+to imagine.
+
+The two priests who had found shelter in Eglah’s house were naturally
+among those whom Judas had summoned to take part in the cleansing of the
+Temple when he made proclamation for all such as, being of the House of
+Aaron, were “of blameless conversation and had pleasure in the Law.” Posts
+of special dignity were, indeed, conferred upon them, for both were men of
+high reputation for sanctity and learning, which was not a little
+increased by the romantic story of their long seclusion and marvellous
+escape. Judas assigned them quarters near to his own, and was accustomed
+to have frequent recourse to their advice. They thus found themselves
+almost constantly employed, and were unable for several days to find an
+opportunity of inquiring what had happened to their protectress.
+
+When at last they found their way to the house Eglah had sufficiently
+recovered her strength to be able to rise from her bed. She was sitting,
+busy with her needle. Huldah was watching her with an intense look of
+affection that was infinitely pathetic.
+
+The poor woman told her story with a voice that again and again was broken
+with sobs.
+
+“When I was preparing your morning meal in the kitchen my husband, whom I
+had never before known to set foot in the place, suddenly appeared. I was
+greatly terrified lest he should ask for whom I was getting the food
+ready, but he was too much occupied with other things to notice it at all.
+‘Eglah,’ he said, ‘you must come with me into the fort. Judas the Hammer
+has broken our army to pieces. Lysias has fled before him, no one knows
+whither, and within a few hours he will be in the city. I would have you
+here, for the fort is scarcely a place for a woman, but I fear your
+people. Haply they may slay you as having been yoked to a heathen. My
+darling,’ he went on—and here poor Eglah’s voice was choked with tears—‘I
+have done ill for you, I fear; but I meant it for the best. And now, I
+fear, you must cast in your lot with me. May the God whom you serve turn
+it for good.’ So I gathered a few things together, and went with him. I
+thought many times that we should scarcely have reached the fort alive,
+for the people cursed us as we went, the women especially casting many
+bitter words at me as one that had left her people to join herself to the
+heathen. But my husband had some six or seven soldiers with him; and they
+were brave men and well armed. We had not been many hours in the fort
+before there began a battle between the garrison and the soldiers of
+Judas. One of my husband’s men, who had gone in a spirit of folly and
+vanity to show his courage, was struck down with a stone, and my husband
+ran forth to drag him in. And just as he was returning, another stone from
+the slingers struck him on the back of his head. It was about the ninth
+hour of the day when he was wounded, and he lived till the beginning of
+the second watch, but he never spoke again.”
+
+Here the poor creature’s story became confused and broken, and her
+listeners could only guess what had followed. The tale of what followed
+must be told for her. “‘Ah!’ said one of the soldiers, ‘Glaucus has it. He
+will never move again, I reckon. A good fellow, but overstrict.’ ‘But how
+about the Jewish girl whom he calls his wife?’ said the other; ‘I shall
+take her.’ ‘Nay, nay; let there be fair play between us, comrade, as there
+has always been. Why you more than I?’ ‘Because I was the first to speak.’
+‘Not so; ’twas I that first spoke of her.’ ‘Well, we won’t quarrel,
+comrade. No woman is good enough to separate old friends. Let us cast the
+dice for her, and the man that wins shall stand treat for a flagon of
+wine.’ And then Eglah heard them cast the dice, and count the numbers—they
+would have twenty throws a-piece, they said—and curse and swear when they
+threw low. And when they had finished their dice-throwing they came in to
+see how Glaucus fared; and just as they entered the chamber, he drew a
+long breath and died. One of them put his hand upon his heart and said,
+‘’Tis all over with him; he will never toss a flagon or kiss a pretty girl
+again.’ And then he laid his hand upon Eglah’s shoulder, and said, ‘Cheer
+up; we will find another husband for thee as good as he.’ But the first
+said, ‘Nay, Timon, leave her alone. The women are not like us. You must
+give them a few hours to cry.’ ‘Well, well,’ said his comrade, ‘you were
+always soft-hearted. Let us come and have our flagon; there is no reason
+why we should wait for that.’” The comrades went on their errand and left
+the widow alone with her dead husband. She kissed him, and cut off a
+little curl of his hair, and then went forth on the wall—for the chamber
+in which he lay was in one of the wall-towers—and threw herself down to
+the ground. It was better, she thought, to die than to sin again.
+
+“Daughter,” said Joel, “you should thank the Lord that, without your own
+doing, the tie that bound you to this heathen man is broken.”
+
+“O sir,” broke out the poor woman, “do not say so. I cannot find it in my
+heart to thank Him, though I do try to say in my heart, ‘Thy will be
+done.’”
+
+“Brother,” said the old Shemaiah, “you are too hard upon her. ’Tis right
+that a wife should mourn for her husband, be he Jew or Greek. Before the
+Lord, I had thought ill of her had she been of the temper that you would
+have her.”
+
+Eglah turned to the old man a grateful look. “O sir,” she said, “you do
+not know how kind and good my Glaucus was. I never had an angry word from
+him. Nor did he ever hinder me from my prayers. Rather he would say when I
+went three times to my chamber to pray, ‘Speak a word for me, wife, if you
+will.’ And he would oftentimes speak to me about my God, and say that he
+liked Him better than the gods in whom _he_ had been taught to believe.
+And I used to tell him stories out of the Book, and how the Lord had
+delivered his people out of the land of Egypt, and had brought them into
+the land which He sware to Abraham to give him. And he never mocked or
+laughed, but listened with all his heart. And, sir, I do sometimes think
+that if he had been spared to live longer, he would have become one of us.
+But he is dead, and I shall never, never see him any more.”
+
+And the poor desolate widow burst out into a passion of tears, and threw
+herself prostrate on the couch, Huldah trying to comfort her, not with
+words—which, indeed, she could not command, and which, in any case, would
+have been of small avail—but with great demonstrations of love.
+
+After a while Eglah looked up, and turning to Shemaiah, in whose sympathy
+and charity she trusted, said, “O, sir, do you think that there is any
+hope for him? Must he go into that dreadful Gehenna? For indeed he was
+kind and good, and never thought of any woman but his wife, and never
+injured one of our people, but would help them and defend them when his
+fellows were rough with them. He was better than many Jews that I know. Is
+it not possible that God may have mercy upon him?”
+
+Joel was about to speak, but Shemaiah beckoned to him to hold his peace.
+“My daughter,” he said, “these things are too deep for us; but I would
+say, be of good hope for him that is gone, seeing that he was such as you
+say. Shall not the Judge of all the earth do right? To some He giveth much
+light, and to some but little; and He judgeth each according to that which
+He has given. Therefore I bid you be of good cheer.”
+
+“And may I pray for him?” asked Eglah.
+
+“Surely you may, for no prayer, so that it come out of an honest heart and
+pure lips, but finds some fulfilment.”(17)
+
+He rose and, giving her his blessing, departed, followed by Joel, whose
+narrow intelligence was not a little startled by what his old companion
+had said.
+
+
+
+
+
+                              CHAPTER XXI.
+
+                      THE DEDICATION OF THE TEMPLE.
+
+
+Jerusalem now began to assume an aspect very different from that which it
+had borne for some years past. Thousands, who had been driven away by the
+terrors of the evil days, now hastened to return. Many of the lower class,
+constrained by the necessity of poverty, had always remained, enduring
+persecution as best they could, and often, of course, escaping it by their
+obscurity. Now the wealthier inhabitants began to flock back from their
+hiding-places in the country and from foreign lands; the streets again
+began to be busy; the shopkeepers displayed the wares which there had been
+no one to purchase, or which they had been afraid to show; the long-shut
+markets were reopened and thronged with purchasers.
+
+The priests alone, gathered as they were from their abodes scattered
+throughout Palestine, made a considerable addition to the population of
+the city. They were a numerous class, far beyond any requirements of their
+sacrificial duties, and commonly remained at home, awaiting the rarely
+recurring occasion of services that called them to Jerusalem. But now a
+work was before them in which all could take part, for the Temple, having
+been cleansed and having received such repair as could be done at once,
+was to be dedicated afresh.
+
+The first necessary work was the construction of a new altar of sacrifice.
+This work was to be of the primitive kind, in strict conformity to the
+Law, and as unlike as possible to the elaborate erections of the alien
+worship, and it was to be done, from first to last, by the consecrated
+hands of the priests. They dug out of the earth of the valley rough
+stones. No tool of iron was to be used in raising them from their place;
+none was to be employed in hewing them into shape. It was the priests
+again who solemnly conveyed them into the Great Court of the Temple, who
+joined them together with mortar, and covered them with whitewash.
+Meanwhile other preparations for a wholly renovated service were being
+busily carried on. Most of the furniture of the Temple had been carried
+off by a succession of plunderers; if any of the less valuable and less
+easily removed articles had been left these had suffered an irremediable
+defilement. Everything therefore had to be replaced; and workmen were now
+busily employed in this work. The altar of incense, the candlestick with
+its seven branches, the table on which the loaves of the shew-bread were
+to be placed, the mercy-seat with the overshadowing cherubim that was the
+chief feature of the Holy of Holies, and the various curtains that were
+needed for the separation of the various parts of the building, were
+manufactured with all possible haste, some of the articles, from lack of
+time and materials, being intended to serve their purpose only till they
+could be more worthily replaced. Generally, however, it was time rather
+than means that was wanting, for in the late campaigns treasure almost
+enough to replace the spoliations of years had been taken from the Greeks,
+and this, after being duly purified and blessed, could be devoted to holy
+uses.
+
+And so came on the day that had been appointed for the Feast of
+Dedication. It was to be the 25th of the month Chisleu.(18) It was a
+memorable day, both for good and evil, in the annals of Jewish worship. On
+this day, ages before, Jerusalem, the newly-won capital of the nation, had
+been finally chosen as the place where God should set His name; for on
+this day David, as he made atonement in the day of pestilence, bought the
+threshing-floor of Araunah the Jebusite to be the future dwelling-place of
+the Presence of the Lord God of Israel. And on this day, again, five years
+ago, the first idol sacrifice had been offered within the consecrated
+precincts.
+
+In the early morning, before the sun had risen upon the earth, a spark was
+obtained by striking stone against stone, the fire was rekindled on the
+altar, the golden candlestick was lighted and the table of the shew-bread
+duly furnished with its twelve loaves.
+
+Meanwhile the rest of the people also had been busy in making preparations
+for the great celebration. Every family, even the poorest, was to keep
+festival on the day that was to be a new beginning of the national life.
+The women and children were early afoot, gathering branches of palms and
+other “goodly trees”; none of them having busier hands than Ruth and her
+nieces. Even the little Daniel would take his part in the work, tottering
+along by his mother’s side with his arms full of boughs. When they had
+gathered as great a burden as they could carry, Ruth gathered her little
+company about her, and told them, just as the rising sun began to flood
+the valley with its slanting rays, the story of the day—of the glory and
+the shame which it had brought to Israel.
+
+And now, as the time of the morning sacrifice drew near, the whole people
+moved in one great stream towards the Temple, and the Great Court was
+crowded. On the walls of the fortress the heathen soldiers of the garrison
+stood in throngs watching the solemnities of the day. Some of them, of
+course, were ready with their mockery; but most looked on in respectful
+silence. Many of them had witnessed the prowess of these strange fanatics
+in the field. They might be given over to a “senseless and tasteless
+superstition,” but they could deal shrewd blows with their swords, and
+therefore they were not to be despised. No truce had been arranged, but
+one was tacitly observed. The forbearance of the Greeks was partly due to
+a wholesome awe of the Jewish archers and slingers, partly to a curiosity
+that, as has been said, was not wholly unmixed with respect.
+
+Then came the solemn ritual of sacrifice. This ended, the whole
+congregation of the people united in solemn supplication to the Lord God
+of Israel. Usually it was the custom to stand during the office of prayer;
+sometimes the attitude of kneeling was used; now, as if to express the
+intensity of their feeling, they threw themselves flat upon their faces,
+and poured out their entreaty that evils such as they had endured in the
+past might never again come upon them in the future. “O Lord,”—this was
+the burden of their prayer,—“if we sin against Thee any more, do Thou
+chasten us Thyself with Thine own hand, after the multitude of Thy
+mercies. Make us suffer that which shall seem good to Thee here in our own
+land, but scatter us no more among the heathen, and deliver us not again
+unto the nations that blaspheme Thy holy name.”
+
+The prayer ended, came the great Psalm of Thanksgiving; and then the
+people dispersed to their houses to hold festival. Their mirth was
+prolonged far into the night, which, indeed, was almost turned into day
+throughout the streets of Jerusalem, so brilliant was the light that
+streamed from the lamps set in almost every window.
+
+For eight days the Feast of Dedication was continued. Each day the
+services began with the customary morning sacrifice. At earliest dawn the
+Master of the Temple summoned the priests who had been watching round the
+fire in the gate-house as they waited for his summons. Then they went out
+and fetched the lamb for the burnt-offering. The creature had already been
+examined on the previous day, and pronounced to be free from spot or
+blemish. This done, they went outside the court in which the great altar
+stood, and watched for the coming day. The Mount of Olives stood between
+them and the East, and far behind it were the mountains of Moab. Here the
+first streaks of the morning light were to show themselves. Then the
+priest whose turn it was to slay the victim of the day bathed in the great
+laver. Thus purified for the performance of his office, he stirred up the
+burning embers from under the ashes of the altar, and added fresh fuel.
+This done, he was joined by the other priests, and the morning sacrifice
+was offered. Then followed the special ceremonies of the festival, among
+them the prayer for deliverance from captivity, as already given, and the
+singing of the great Thanksgiving. And every day the public services were
+followed by private rejoicings. No one could have believed that the
+rejoicing city, gay with its brightly dressed throngs of merry-makers and
+resounding with the music of tabret and harp, was the desolate place so
+long trodden down by the heathen. There had been days in the past when the
+most hopeful could scarcely discern any light in the darkness. But now
+they could see the “silver lining of the cloud.” In this very Temple, now
+dedicated afresh with such joyous zeal, but a few years before, the
+priests “had left the sacrifices when the game of the Discus called them
+forth.” That deadly folly had been purged with blood. The brutal violence
+of Antiochus had saved the nation from an imminent relapse into
+heathenism.
+
+Among the many hearts that were gladdened by these rejoicings there was
+one, as sorely burdened as any, that had found a complete deliverance from
+the troubles of the past. The unhappy Huldah, in proportion as her charge
+gained strength, and her work became less absorbing, had seemed to be
+falling back into her old condition. For the time her thoughts had been
+concentrated on the suffering Eglah; now they were free to be turned upon
+herself, her own troubles, her own dismal memories. Eglah did all she
+could to keep her employed, and the girl’s gentle and affectionate nature
+still felt her influence. Yet it was evident that unless some remedy could
+be found the old madness would resume its sway.
+
+On the first day of the Dedication festival, the two were standing
+together in the Court of the Women. The priests, who were making a circuit
+of the whole building, sprinkling everywhere the blood of purification,
+came in due course to the spot. As they performed their office a drop fell
+upon the garment of Huldah, who had been joining in the prayers with an
+earnestness almost frenzied. The effect was marvellous. In a moment the
+excitement passed away. Her eyes lost their wandering look, and, in a tone
+calmer and more collected than any that she had ever before been known to
+use since the time of her trouble, she said, showing the crimson spot to
+Eglah—“He has heard my prayer; He has sprinkled me with the blood of
+cleansing.” She stood silent and collected until the whole ritual was
+finished, and when the time for the hymn of thanksgiving came round joined
+her voice with a quiet happiness to the voices of the congregation.
+
+When the people returned to their homes Huldah left the Temple in company
+with Eglah. But it was evident that her strength was exhausted. She could
+barely totter along with all the help that Eglah and a neighbour could
+give her, and when she came to the house of Seraiah and Ruth, which
+happened to lie in her way, she sank almost unconscious to the ground.
+Providentially at that moment Ruth came up with her husband and the little
+Daniel.
+
+“She seemed so much better in the Temple—was quite calm and peaceful
+again—and now I am afraid that she is going to be very ill,” said Eglah.
+
+Woman’s wit suggested to Ruth a happy thought for dealing with the
+sufferer.
+
+“Leave her to me,” she said. “She was happy here once, and here, if it
+please the Lord, she will be happy again.”
+
+Ruth and her husband carried her into the house, and laid her upon her bed
+in her old chamber. Once there she was able to swallow a little broth
+which had been hastily prepared, cast one grateful look of recognition at
+her old mistress, and then fell into a deep sleep. The next morning she
+awoke, entirely restored to reason, and, though still somewhat weak, able
+to go about the household tasks in which she had been once employed, and
+which she resumed at once without a question, and as if, indeed, they had
+never been interrupted for a day. The three years of misery were entirely
+blotted out of her memory; nor did any spectre from the past ever come
+back to trouble her.
+
+
+
+
+
+                              CHAPTER XXII.
+
+                        WARS AND RUMOURS OF WARS.
+
+
+The Feast of Dedication having been kept and made an ordinance in Israel
+for ever,(19) Judas’s next act was to fortify the restored Temple. It was
+exposed, even more than the rest of the city, to a sudden attack from the
+garrison of the fort, which might work irreparable mischief could it gain,
+even for an hour, possession of the sacred building. Accordingly a high
+wall, strengthened at intervals by towers, was now erected round it, and a
+force was told off from the army to watch it. This done, the patriot
+leader could attend without anxiety to other cares. At Beth-zur a fortress
+was erected and strongly garrisoned to guard the Eastern frontier
+especially against the attacks of the Idumeans, who, under their new name,
+inherited all the old Edomite jealousy of Israel. After personally
+superintending the erection of this stronghold, Judas marched against
+other tribes on the east and south, who had been taking advantage of the
+troublous times to plunder their Jewish neighbours. The Arabs of the
+Negeb, or South Country, were defeated at a pass near the Dead Sea, which
+bore the appropriate name of the Pass of the Scorpions; the Ammonites,
+another tribe whose kinship with the chosen people seems to have
+embittered their hereditary enmity, were defeated under their Greek
+leader, Timotheus.
+
+Meanwhile life at Jerusalem had been settling down into a peaceful order.
+The younger of the two priests whom Eglah had befriended had found scope
+for his energies by joining the army; Shemaiah, the elder, was again an
+inmate in the house which had sheltered him, where Eglah, who had never
+forgotten the charity with which he had spoken of her husband, tended him
+with all the care of a daughter. The old man was never tired of hearing
+the story of the two dismal years during which he had been in hiding.
+
+“Ah, father!” she said to him one day, “you were not so ill off in your
+poor prison after all. Had you had your liberty you would have seen altars
+to the false gods in every street. And it was not safe to pass them
+without showing some sign of reverence.”
+
+“And how did you fare, my daughter?” asked the old man.
+
+“I could avoid them, knowing where they were, by passing by on the other
+side, and my good Glaucus—the Lord have mercy on him!—was always kind and
+helpful. He would fetch the water regularly from the fountain, where there
+was an altar to the Naiad, as they called the demon of the spring, which I
+could not have avoided. The people used to laugh at him for doing a
+woman’s work, but he did not heed them. O why was he taken away before he
+could learn the truth? I think that he would have known it if he could
+have lived a little longer.”
+
+And the poor woman burst into a passion of tears. She was always haunted
+with this fear of her husband’s fate, and reproached herself with not
+having been earnest enough in speaking of the truth to her husband.
+
+“Peace, my daughter,” said the old man, gently; “the mercies of the Lord
+are without end, and His ways past finding out. Be sure that He will not
+forget the kindness that was showed to a daughter of Abraham. But tell
+me,” he went on, anxious to change the subject—“tell me how we came to
+find the courts of the Temple desolate and overgrown as though no one had
+entered them for months? Did you not say that there were sacrifices there,
+and feasts to the demons whom the Greeks worship?”
+
+“Yes, father; it was so for a time. But soon there were few or none to
+make sacrifices, for the city was utterly impoverished. So the priests,
+whom Philip the Phrygian and Apollonius—the curse of the Lord be upon
+him!—brought in to serve at the altars, went elsewhere, for, of a truth,
+they would have died of hunger had they stayed here. O father, it was a
+mournful existence; of a truth we were fed with the bread of affliction
+and the water of affliction.”
+
+As they talked Ruth came in with a troubled face.
+
+“O Eglah!” she cried, “I did hope that we should have peace and quiet, but
+there are wars and rumours of wars on every side. This morning letters
+came to the captain from our brethren in Gilead. That evil Timotheus—would
+to God he had not escaped out of the hand of Judas!—has gathered together
+a host of the Ammonites and slain some—a thousand, ’tis said, with their
+wives and children, and shut up the rest in the fortress of Dametha. And
+now my husband and my brother are in council with the captain, and I fear
+me much that they will be sent to the wars, for indeed,” she added, with a
+touch of a woman’s pride in those that are dear to her, “Judas esteems
+them highly, and will always have them in places of trust. Nor would I
+keep them back from helping the Lord’s people. But hark! I hear his step.”
+
+As she spoke Seraiah came in from the council.
+
+“How is it?” cried Ruth, with trembling voice, her fears again getting the
+upper hand. “Do you go? and Azariah?”
+
+“Yes, my dearest, I go, and next in command to the captain and his
+brothers.”
+
+Ruth flung her arms round her husband’s neck. “Oh! I am proud of you; but
+yet if you could have stayed, for our little Daniel is so young——”
+
+And she could say no more.
+
+“Nay, wife, be of good cheer, and do not grudge us to the Lord’s service,
+for indeed there is need of us all. Even while the letters from Gilead
+were being read there came messengers from Galilee with their clothes
+rent. From them we heard that the men of Ptolemaïs and of Tyre and Sidon
+and all Galilee of the Gentiles were gathered together. Then it was
+determined that Simon should go to Galilee with three thousand men, and
+Judas and Jonathan to Gilead.”
+
+“And what of Azariah?”
+
+“He and Joseph, the son of Zachariah, are to be left in the city with the
+remnant of the army as captains of the people. They are to have the
+Governor’s house, and you, with our little Daniel, will live there while I
+am away. This will be well for you, and for Miriam and Judith also, for
+there will be many coming and going, and Miriam is a fair maiden, as she
+should be, being kin to you.”
+
+Ruth smiled through her tears at the lover-like compliment.
+
+“Come now,” Seraiah went on, “and get ready what I shall want for my
+journey, for we set out at sunset.”
+
+The two women kissed each other, and the old priest blessed Seraiah. “The
+Lord give thee strength in the day of battle, and deliver thee out of the
+hand of the enemy, and bring thee back to the house of thy fathers.”
+
+At sunset exactly—for Judas was one of the commanders who are exactly and
+punctually obeyed—the two expeditions set forth.
+
+Their departure was, of course, observed by the garrison of the fort, who
+were encouraged by it to make some fierce sallies on the diminished forces
+of the patriots. These were as fiercely repelled, and in a few days things
+settled down again into the virtual truce which had existed for some time
+between besiegers and besieged.
+
+Eight days after the departure of the expeditions tidings of victory came
+from the main army under Judas. The captain of the host had taken Bozrah,
+in Edom. The place lay at least a hundred miles to the east; but the
+patriots had covered the distance with unexpected rapidity, and, reaching
+the place before there had been any notion of their approach, had taken it
+almost without resistance. The messenger had left, he said, as soon as the
+place was taken, but Judas had marched the same night to Dametha, which
+was in urgent need of relief.
+
+The next day came in tidings of further success. Dametha and its garrison,
+with the crowd of helpless fugitives which had sought shelter within its
+walls, was safe. The night march from Bozrah had been made just in time.
+Had it been delayed till morning it might well have been too late. The
+Ammonites had chosen that very day for a fierce assault upon the place.
+Just as the day was dawning and the assailants were close under the walls
+Judas had appeared. His approach had been observed by the besieged, who
+had watched it from the citadel, but the assailants were taken by
+surprise. Hemmed in between two attacking forces, the garrison who made a
+sortie from the town and the army of the patriots in the rear, they had
+been utterly routed. Timotheus had barely escaped with his life, and had
+fled northward, followed by Judas in hot pursuit. A few days afterwards
+came the news that the campaign was at an end—begun and finished within
+the space of two weeks. This time the captain had found time to write a
+despatch. It ran thus:—
+
+“Judas, Captain of the Lord’s host, to Azariah, greeting. Know that the
+Lord has delivered the enemy into our hands. Timotheus, having suffered
+defeat at Dametha, fled northward to a temple where the heathen worship
+the ‘Two-horned Ashtaroth,’ a strong place by nature and skilfully
+fortified. I judged it better that I should not spill the blood of the
+people of the Lord in assaulting it, and so, having cleared the walls of
+defenders by help of my slingers, I surrounded it with great quantities of
+faggots. To these I caused fire to be set, nor did my slingers suffer the
+Ammonites to approach to put out the flames. In the end the whole was
+consumed, and Timotheus perished in the fire. The Lord has rewarded him
+according to his deeds. So much for what has been done: now for what
+remains to do. This country is not as yet a safe dwelling-place, and will
+not be till the heathen shall be more thoroughly subdued. It is my
+purpose, therefore, to bring the people of this land to Jerusalem.
+Provide, to the best of your ability, for their food and lodging.
+Farewell!”
+
+The exultation felt by the people at Jerusalem when the tidings of their
+final victory reached them passes description. The times of David, they
+were sure, were about to return. The promise was once again to be
+fulfilled—“He shall reign from the flood [the Euphrates], unto the world’s
+end.” In the Temple chant of the day the words went—“I will not be afraid
+of ten thousands of the people that have set themselves against me round
+about. Up, Lord, and help me, O my God, for Thou smitest all Thine enemies
+upon the cheek-bone. Thou hast broken the teeth of the ungodly.”
+
+But when tidings of still further victories, won by Simon in Galilee, came
+in to swell the popular enthusiasm, there was a certain change of feeling,
+something of the jealousy that almost inevitably springs up when great
+deeds are done. Joseph and Azariah chafed at the life of inaction which
+they were forced to live at Jerusalem, and what they thought in their
+hearts the soldiers did not hesitate to express openly. “Let us also,” so
+ran the common talk—“let us also get for ourselves a name, and go and
+fight against the enemies of the Lord.”
+
+On the day after the tidings of Simon’s victories came in the two captains
+were waited upon by a deputation of soldiers, who came to urge that they
+might be relieved from the inaction to which they were condemned, an
+inaction made all the more hard to bear by the glories that were being won
+elsewhere. Azariah and Joseph listened with attention, and, indeed, were
+at no pains to hide their sympathy.
+
+“The men are right,” said Joseph, when the deputation had withdrawn. “They
+will lose all heart if we keep them idling here.”
+
+“In my heart I am inclined to agree with you,” answered his colleague;
+“but what did the captain say?—‘Watch the garrison of the heathen that
+they do no hurt to the city and the Holy Place while we are away.’ But he
+said nothing of going elsewhere, and I should be unwilling to disobey him,
+for, beyond all doubt, the Lord is with him.”
+
+“Nay, brother, you are too narrow in your thoughts of obeying. We obey him
+best if we do the best that we can for the cause of the Lord. And though I
+honour Judas greatly, yet he is but a captain in the Lord’s host, even as
+we are. Why should we not do as he has done? And tell me, Azariah,” he
+went on, “do you think that the vision which you saw when the angel of the
+Lord brought you a sword with the Name written on it has been altogether
+fulfilled? Shall this sword which he bade you use for the Lord always
+abide in the scabbard? Is this the life to which you are called?”
+
+“You speak truly,” said Azariah. “I can scarcely be faithful to my trust
+if I suffer the sword of the Lord to rust. But tell me, what think you we
+had best do?”
+
+“Gorgias,” said Joseph, “is encamped at Jamnia, and does great mischief to
+the land and the people; if we can drive him out we shall earn great
+thanks both from the captain and from our brethren.”
+
+The resolution of the commanders was heard with unmingled delight by their
+men, and with almost equal pleasure by the inhabitants of the city. Some
+of the more cautious disapproved, and Shemaiah even made his way to the
+Governor’s house—no easy task for his scanty strength—and remonstrated
+with Azariah. “My son,” said he, “your strength is to sit still. Make not
+too much speed, and be not over-bold.” He was listened to with respect,
+and even with some compunction on Azariah’s part. But it seemed too late
+to retreat. To hold back now would infallibly give rise to the charge of
+cowardice, and Azariah, brave as a lion against all outward danger, had
+not the rare moral courage which would have enabled him to face such an
+accusation.
+
+At sunrise on the day after the resolution had been taken, the expedition
+set out with confident expectation of victory, and watched from the walls
+by an eager multitude. At sunset a miserable remnant came straggling back
+into the city. They had fared, as their fathers had fared many centuries
+before, when, with the like unauthorized daring, they had assaulted the
+hill fortress of Ai, and had returned, bringing discouragement with them.
+Gorgias had sallied out from his hill fortress, had charged the Jewish
+force with full advantage of the ground, and had driven them in headlong
+flight before them. Azariah and Joseph had done all that leaders could do
+to turn the tide of battle, but their efforts had been in vain. Two
+thousand men had fallen, the wounded being, perforce, left to the mercy or
+cruelty of the enemy.
+
+The city was filled with mourning for the dead; and, of course, there was
+a rapid revulsion of feeling against the leaders whose rash action had
+ended in such disaster. “Who are these men,” was the general cry, “who
+have caused the people of the Lord to perish? They are not of the seed of
+those by whose hand deliverance is given to Israel.”
+
+
+
+
+
+                             CHAPTER XXIII.
+
+                             MORE VICTORIES.
+
+
+The heathen in the fort observed the return as they had observed the
+departure of the expedition that had ended so disastrously. Their sallies
+became fiercer and more frequent, and Azariah, his forces weakened by the
+loss of two thousand men, found it difficult to repel them. Nothing could
+have exceeded the energy with which he devoted himself to this duty, or
+the courage with which he executed it. Night and day he was at his post,
+for it was here only that he found a refuge from the anguish and doubt
+which tormented him; here only the reproaches of the widows of the slain
+could not follow him. He allowed himself no rest; sleep he seemed
+absolutely to do without, and food he hastily snatched at any moment when
+the opportunity offered.
+
+One remission only from this task he allowed himself, and this because it
+was a duty. He paid a daily visit to his children. They, too, poor little
+souls, had not escaped a share in the trouble. The life which they had led
+for the last two years had developed their understanding beyond their age,
+and they felt, if they did not fully appreciate, their father’s
+unhappiness. One consolation they had, the care of two little orphans—the
+father had fallen in the expedition, and the mother had been struck down
+by the news of her husband’s death—who had been taken into the house and
+put under the charge of the elderly kinswoman who looked after Azariah’s
+household.
+
+On one of these occasions he found the aged Shemaiah. His first impulse
+was to avoid the old man, but a few words of sympathy overcame him; his
+self-control broke down, and hiding his face in his robe he shed the rare
+and painful tears of a man.
+
+When the first outburst of grief was over he spoke.
+
+“Tell me, father, why has God forsaken His servant who trusted in Him. I
+went out in faith—and see the end. Would that I had died in the battle!”
+
+“My son, may it not be that you tempted the Lord? Did you count the cost
+when you went forth against Gorgias, whether you had force sufficient for
+the attack, or skill to handle it?”
+
+“Does faith, then, go for nothing? Had Judas men enough, as soldiers
+reckon in such matters, or skill enough, seeing that he had had no
+experience in war, when he overthrew Apollonius? Yet the Lord gave him the
+victory because he trusted in Him.”
+
+“My son, God gave the victory to Judas, having first given him not
+strength only and courage, but skill also and understanding. He gives not
+the same gifts to all: to Moses wisdom and learning, but to Aaron eloquent
+speech; to David the arts of war, but to Solomon the arts of peace. Think
+you that because you are a servant of the Lord, you are therefore to
+choose the service that you will do? You would be captain of the Lord’s
+host like Judas. Would you also indite psalms with David, and devise
+proverbs with Solomon? The Spirit of the Lord divideth to every man
+severally as He will. To Mattathias He gave discernment to see in Judas
+the leader and commander of the people, and the people were obedient to
+him. And so Judas discerned in you one who might be entrusted with the
+defence of the city, but not with the warfare against the heathen that are
+without. This was your service, but you were not content with it. Think
+not that the Lord has forgotten you, but rather that you have left the
+place in which you were set.”
+
+This was plain speaking, but given with such gentleness and sympathy that
+the rebuke healed more than it wounded. Humbled yet comforted, Azariah
+returned to his post before the fortress. But he could not forget that his
+great trial was yet to come. Nor was it long delayed. The next day it was
+evident that something was happening that had attracted the attention of
+the garrison. The highest tower was crowded with soldiers who were
+intently watching something that could not be seen from below. And indeed
+it was a remarkable spectacle. Judas was returning with his victorious
+army, escorting at the same time a vast crowd of non-combatants, men,
+women, and children, the whole population of the country beyond Jordan,
+which could no longer be inhabited with safety, and all Jerusalem had gone
+out to meet the champion. Then, in a moment, the tower was deserted, the
+gates were thrown open, and a furious sortie, the last that could be
+attempted with any hope of success, was made with the whole force of the
+garrison. It was with a desperate courage that Azariah repelled the
+attack. Never had he exposed himself so recklessly. He could almost have
+wished to fall in the fight; for now the dreaded meeting was at hand, and
+he had to render up to his chief the trust which he had so abused. The
+attack was repelled, and then Azariah had to remain in an inaction that
+was almost unbearable till he should be summoned to the interview with his
+chief.
+
+The sun was just setting when a soldier presented himself, and, after
+saluting, said, “The general seeks you.”
+
+“Has he summoned the council?” asked Azariah, who dreaded a public
+censure.
+
+“Nay,” said the man; “he is alone.”
+
+And Azariah followed him to the captain’s house, with such a tremor in his
+heart as no dangers of battle had ever caused.
+
+What followed at the meeting was never known, save as far as the result
+was concerned. Shemaiah was awaiting his return, and the first glance
+showed the old man that things had gone well with his friend. The burden
+of trouble was gone. Azariah looked brighter and more cheerful—so great is
+the force of reaction—than he had done since he had lost his Hannah.
+Shemaiah felt that there was no need to question him, and waited in
+silence for what his friend should please to tell him. What he heard was
+this:
+
+“The captain would have kept me in the office to which he appointed me
+when he departed. He said—and I repeat his words, not for my own glory,
+but for a proof of his generosity—‘No man could have better kept the
+heathen from the fort in check than you have done. Therefore, I would have
+you stay where you are. I must go again to the wars, for the Idumeans and
+the Philistines have to be subdued. And I shall go with a lighter heart,
+leaving the defence of the city in your hands.’ But I said to him, ‘O my
+lord, let me rather go with you. You have accomplished to the full the
+work unto which you were sent of God, and have come back, having redeemed
+from captivity and death our brethren from beyond the river, nor lost one
+of your own people. But I, going in the presumption of my heart to a
+warfare unto which I was not sent, have accomplished nothing; I have
+wrought no deliverance for my people, and the bones of two thousand of my
+brethren lie scattered on the plain. Henceforth I am but a sword in the
+hand of the servant of the Lord.’ But the captain said nothing. Let it be
+as he will. As for me, I am content, for I know that he has pardoned me.”
+
+Whatever the kind of service in which Judas might see fit to employ his
+lieutenant, it was clear that there would be no lack of work for him to
+do.
+
+The victories of Judas in Gilead had been followed by successes won by
+Simon in Galilee. And from Galilee, as from Gilead, there had been a great
+migration of the inhabitants, who sought in Jerusalem a safer home than
+they could find in their own country.
+
+And now, at the head of a more powerful army than he had hitherto been
+able to collect, Judas set out. His first object was Hebron, which had for
+some time past been in the possession of the Idumeans. He took it by
+assault; it might almost be said, so unexpected was his coming, by
+surprise. Indeed, one cause of his success was the extraordinary rapidity
+and secrecy of his movements. Almost the moment that his plans were
+formed, he was on his way to execute them. Even if there had been traitors
+or spies in his camp—and such were almost unknown—any information which
+they could send to the enemy was outstripped, so to speak, by his action.
+Hebron had to be abandoned after its capture, for he could not spare a
+sufficient garrison to hold it. All that could be done was to take care
+that it should not, for some time at least, become a stronghold of the
+enemy. Its citadel was destroyed; the towers on the wall burnt, and a
+furlong of the wall itself broken down.
+
+From Hebron the Jewish leader marched southward, and then turning eastward
+invaded the country of the Philistines. Azotus, which was supposed to be
+safe on account of its maritime position, and was, in consequence,
+negligently guarded, was assaulted with success, and its temples and
+altars destroyed, though Gorgias was still in force at Jamnia, only nine
+miles to the north. Several of the smaller Philistine towns were taken on
+the return march to Jerusalem; and altogether this people received a
+lesson which they were not likely soon to forget. All this was
+accomplished with very little loss. Joel, the priest, however, was killed
+at Azotus, where he had recklessly exposed himself in the attack.
+
+Great as was the popular rejoicing at these victories, it was nothing to
+the exultation caused by the next tidings that reached
+Jerusalem—Antiochus, the oppressor, the blasphemer—Antiochus was dead!
+
+The day after the return of the army a Syrian runner was caught while
+endeavouring to make his way into the fortress through the lines of the
+besiegers. He had been sent by Lysias with a despatch to the commander of
+the garrison. The document was of the briefest. It ran thus:
+
+
+          “_Lysias, the Governor, to the most valiant Eucrates._
+
+  “Know that our most excellent Lord and King, Antiochus, surnamed the
+  Illustrious, is dead in Persia. Let the soldiers that are with you
+  swear allegiance to the son of our departed master by the name of
+  Antiochus Eupator, which he has taken to himself in remembrance of the
+  glories of his father.”(20)
+
+
+The man, when questioned by Judas and the council, was able to supplement
+the bare news of the King’s death with some interesting details. He had
+had some talk with the messenger who had brought the tidings to Antioch,
+and had heard all that was as yet known. His story ran thus:
+
+“The King was in Persia when he heard how his armies had been defeated,
+not once or twice only, in the land of Judæa. Great was his rage—so great
+that for the space of three or four hours none dared to come near him.
+Then he summoned his counsellors to him, and said, ‘I will destroy this
+nation of rebels till there shall be not one of them left,’ and giving up
+all other plans he marched westward with all his army. But on his way he
+came to the city of Elymaïs, where there is a temple, the treasury of
+which is reputed to be more wealthy than any in the whole land of Persia,
+for it has never been spoiled within the memory of man. Even the great
+Alexander left it untouched, adding also much of the spoil which he had
+taken himself. This temple the father of the King had sought to plunder;
+but the people of the city rose against him, and drove him away. When the
+King came to this city he said, ‘Here is another nest of rebels. Did they
+not rise against the King, my father? Verily I will avenge his memory upon
+them.’ So he went into the city, having some five hundred soldiers with
+him. And the magistrates received him with honour. And when he said, ‘I
+would see your temple and its treasures,’ they consented. ‘Only,’ they
+said, ‘it is our custom that no armed man may come within the precincts.’
+‘Will you strip me of my sword?’ said the King. ‘Not so,’ they answered,
+‘but your followers must be without any, and not more than ten in number.’
+When the King heard this he was greatly wroth, and said to the magistrates
+of the city, ‘I will come in despite of you.’ So he went, he and his five
+hundred, to the square in which the temple stands. But he found the whole
+place filled with an armed multitude, and when he would have forced his
+way into the precincts he was beaten back, losing not a few of his
+soldiers, and being himself struck on the head with a stone. After this,
+whether it was from his rage, which became more terrible than ever, or
+from any other cause, I know not; but the King was smitten with some
+disease, and could no longer ride, as he had been wont, but was carried in
+a litter. And they say that the stench of his wounds was so great that the
+men who bore the litter could scarcely endure it, but were changed
+continually. So they brought him to Tabol, in the land of Persia, and
+there he died, being terribly tormented with pain. And I heard that when
+he was dying, he cried out with a most lamentable voice repenting him of
+the wrong that he had done against the gods in robbing their temples.”
+
+“Of what did he speak?” asked one of the council.
+
+“Nay,” said the man, “that I know not. Some said that he spoke of this
+Temple in Jerusalem, and some that it was the temple in Elymaïs, where men
+worship the moon-goddess, that was in his mind. But more I do not know.”
+
+Judas rose up in his place and repeated the last words of that great
+triumphal chant in which more than a thousand years before Deborah and
+Barak had celebrated the overthrow of another king who had mightily
+oppressed the children of Israel.
+
+“So let all Thine enemies perish, O Lord, but let them that love Him be as
+the sun when he goeth forth in his might.”
+
+
+
+
+
+                              CHAPTER XXIV.
+
+                           THE SABBATICAL YEAR.
+
+
+A time was now approaching to which the responsible leaders of the people
+looked forward, for the most part, with great anxiety. This was the
+Sabbatical year. During a whole twelve months it would not be lawful to
+carry on any offensive war, or, a far more serious matter, to till the
+ground. Debate ran high as to whether the Law could be observed in its
+strictness. There were many who asked, with no little show of reason,
+“Will it be possible in times so troublous to keep a year of rest? Moses,
+when he commanded it, thought of a people dwelling quietly in a land from
+which they had driven out all their enemies. As things are now, these
+enemies are about us, and even in the very midst of us. And then the
+harvest? Will it suffice to feed the people, already more than twice as
+numerous as in the previous year, and daily increasing?”
+
+The answer of the Chasidim was peremptory. “For what,” they asked, “have
+we suffered and fought? For what did the martyrs lay down their
+lives—Eleazar the priest, and the mother and her sons, and Hannah, the
+wife of Azariah, and others without number? For what did Mattathias wear
+out the remnant of his years? Was it not for the Law, that it might be
+kept whole and undefiled? Might we not have lived in peace, and stood high
+in favour with the King, if we had been content to forsake the law of the
+Lord our God? And now that He has given us the victory, and delivered us
+from the hand of the heathen, so that we may serve Him without fear, shall
+we cast His commandments behind our backs? Were we not few in number, and
+scarcely armed, and yet did He not give into our hands great armies, well
+equipped with shield and sword and spear? Were we not well-nigh perishing
+of hunger among the mountains, and did He not richly supply our needs?
+Surely the earth is the Lord’s and the fulness thereof, and, if He will,
+He can make that which it bringeth forth of itself to abound even as the
+fields which the sower has sowed and the reaper has reaped?”
+
+And the Chasidim had their way, as zealous men are wont to have it, when
+they know exactly their own minds and what they want. The Sabbatical year
+was proclaimed. There was to be no labour, no ploughing or sowing, no
+tendance of oliveyards and vineyards. The people were to live simply and
+wholly on the bounty of the earth.
+
+The first month of the Sabbatical year itself bore the name of the
+Sabbatical month. Into this were crowded three of the great feasts and
+celebrations of the year—the Feast of Trumpets, the Day of Atonement, and
+the Feast of Tabernacles. But the whole year was to be one round of
+religious celebrations. To the daily sacrifices in the Temple were added
+special services of intercession, praise, and thanksgiving. Nor did the
+Temple-worship alone satisfy the religious wants of the people. The
+synagogues were thronged, and that not on the Sabbath only but on every
+day of the week. The Law and the Prophets were read and expounded, not, we
+may be sure, without many stirring references to the events of the day.
+
+All this religious enthusiasm was wanted to support the people under the
+hardships of the time. Provisions, if they did not actually run short,
+began to rise in price. Judas and his council did their best to prevent
+it; but the selfish instincts of the possessors of corn could not be
+overcome; stores were held back from the market, and the poorer class,
+swollen as it was in numbers by the great immigration of the preceding
+year from Gilead and Galilee, began to suffer seriously.
+
+Meanwhile the insolence of the Greek garrison was increasing daily. The
+Jewish soldiers contented themselves, or endeavoured to content
+themselves, with repelling attack. This meant, of course, standing exposed
+to showers of missiles which they could not return, and it tried their
+patience to the uttermost. Even some of the Chasidim were heard to murmur
+that there must be some limits to this endurance; among the besiegers in
+general, who had not risen to the height of Chasidim zeal, a spirit of
+discontent was growing up that might well have become dangerous.
+
+Before long, however, the evil worked its own cure. One sabbath-day, about
+the beginning of the month which we should call November, there was a
+great solemnity in the Temple, and the outposts of the besieging force had
+been more than usually weakened. Ruth, with her little Daniel and her two
+nieces, was going towards the Temple, escorted by her husband and Micah,
+when one of the lower gates of the fortress was suddenly thrown open, and
+a party of Greeks rushed out upon the party. Seraiah and Micah were both
+armed, but for some minutes they had to make head against their assailants
+alone. One of the soldiers who had seized Ruth was promptly felled to the
+earth by a blow from Micah’s sword; and Seraiah did similar execution on
+another. But the odds were too great for them. Micah was brought to the
+ground, and it was only by desperate efforts that his brother-in-law could
+save him from being stabbed as he lay. Ruth, meanwhile, being left without
+help, was carried off to the very gates of the fortress. And then, just
+before it was too late, came the longed-for help. The two girls, who, with
+their little cousin, had been some distance behind, ran screaming towards
+the Temple, and happily met with their father, who was just about to
+change guard at one of the posts. He and his company ran at the top of
+their speed to the scene of the conflict, plunged recklessly through the
+missiles which were showered on them from the fortress, and reached the
+wall at the same moment with the ravishers, whose progress was impeded by
+the struggles of the captive, for, brave woman as she was, she never lost
+her presence of mind. A few of the party escaped into the fortress, the
+nearest gate of which was cautiously opened to receive them; but the
+greater number were instantly put to the sword. Ruth, whose strength broke
+down when she knew that she was safe, was carried home, sorely bruised and
+half-unconscious.
+
+Judas was profoundly moved when he heard of this outrage. He had long been
+chafing under the restrictions imposed upon his action by his rigid
+supporters, and this determined him to break through them. He had a great
+affection for Azariah and his kindred. The men were known to him for their
+loyalty and courage, and Ruth as an indefatigable worker among the sick
+and wounded. His resolution was taken, but with the prudence and soundness
+of judgment that were habitual to him he was careful to avoid any
+appearance of being peremptory or self-willed. He called to him one of his
+lieutenants, who was reputed to be a leader among the Chasidim.
+
+“Micaiah,” he said, “you remember when a thousand of our brethren were
+slain by the heathen, helpless and unarmed, because it was the sabbath?”
+
+“I remember,” replied the man.
+
+“And that it was determined by my father, as captain of the host, with
+full consent of all the princes and priests, that such a thing should
+happen no more?”
+
+“It was so determined.”
+
+“Think you, then, that there is one law for the seventh day, and another
+for the seventh year?”
+
+“I know nothing, save what I find in the traditions of the fathers.”
+
+“Our fathers had no such experience as we have had. No, Micaiah, we will
+not reap nor sow, trusting that the Lord will feed us. But I see not that
+the Law forbids us to strike with the sword when the heathen seek to carry
+our wives and our children into captivity, nor will I lay upon the people
+a burden that the Lord has not laid upon them. If I sin in this matter,
+let the punishment fall upon me and upon my father’s house.”
+
+Micaiah was not altogether content, but he did not feel sufficiently
+convinced to resist. And, indeed, the character and the exploits of Judas
+gave an overpowering weight to any conclusion at which he arrived.
+
+The next day an assembly of the soldiers was held, and Judas informed them
+that operations would be more vigorously conducted for the future. The
+announcement was received with great satisfaction, even by the stricter
+partisans of the Law. The insolence of the garrison was summarily checked.
+The sallies on which it ventured were repulsed so fiercely that they were
+soon discontinued, while relays of archers and slingers, succeeding each
+other without intermission from earliest dawn to nightfall, kept the walls
+clear.
+
+But though this difficulty was surmounted others not less serious
+remained. The privations resulting from the observance of the Sabbatical
+year were such as to overtask the endurance of all but enthusiasts. And,
+of course, under these circumstances it was inevitable that the
+regulations should be evaded. Huldah, with the children, was wandering one
+day among the gardens in the neighbourhood of the city. They were
+searching for some fruit for Ruth who was now making a very slow recovery
+from the injuries which she had received. They were at liberty to go where
+they pleased, for all right of property was at an end, at least for the
+time. But others had been before them, and it seemed as if everything had
+been gathered, even before it was ripe. They were returning home with but
+the scantiest results from this toil when they witnessed a scene of
+uproar. Some men had been discovered by the officers of the chief priests
+in the unlawful act of cultivating the ground. They had been sowing the
+seeds of some quick-growing plants, doing it in such an irregular fashion
+that what came up might seem to have been chance-sown, but they had been
+detected, and were now being led off in custody, angry and defiant, and
+loudly condemning the bigoted folly which, as they said, to carry out an
+obsolete enactment, condemned a whole people to starvation.
+
+A crowd speedily gathered and followed the officers and their prisoners to
+the house of one of the chief priests. Huldah and the children went with
+it. The case was tried, in Eastern fashion, in the open air and in public.
+The process was short, for the offenders had been caught in the act, and
+the law which they had transgressed was plain. The defence which they
+attempted on the plea of necessity was cut short by the judge. “The Word
+of God,” said he, “is of more account than meat and drink. Take these
+men,” he went on, speaking to an officer whom we should call the
+provost-marshal, “and see that they suffer each forty stripes save one.
+And you,” he added, turning to the prisoners, “know that if you offend
+again in this matter you shall be stoned with stones till you die.”
+
+The men were bound and flogged. That was a sight which Huldah and the
+children did not wait to see; but just as they were reaching their home
+the men passed them, furious at the indignity which they had suffered, and
+loudly proclaiming their determination to be revenged.
+
+The next morning they were missing from the city. A porter at one of the
+smaller gates was found tied and gagged. He said that he had been attacked
+by a party of men, some of whom could be identified by his description
+with the sufferers of the day before. The others were Greeks, apparently
+belonging to the garrison. They had surprised him, taken his keys from
+him, and had gone—so he judged from something that he had overheard—on the
+road to Antioch. This gave a serious aspect to the affair. The men had
+evidently deserted, and would put all the information that they had at the
+service of the enemy. Judas immediately ordered a pursuit. But though the
+party that he sent out was more than once close upon the tracks of the
+fugitives it did not succeed in overtaking them.
+
+Time went on. The Feast of the Dedication came round, and was kept with as
+much cheerfulness as the depressed spirits and scanty means of the people
+permitted. Spring succeeded winter, bringing with it in its milder
+temperature and in the abundance of its natural growths some alleviations
+of the common suffering. But the prospect, as a whole, was scarcely
+brighter. It was almost a relief when tidings reached the city that a
+struggle was at hand. It was better, thought many, to die on the field of
+battle than to sit still and starve. And, indeed, death on the
+battle-field seemed a likely prospect. Lysias, who had been making his
+preparations during the whole of the winter, was now, it was said, about
+to set forth. The force which he had under his command was reported to be
+overwhelmingly strong, numbering not less than 120,000 men. It was also
+said that he had with him thirty-two war-elephants. The boy-King—Eupator
+was not more than nine years old—was also said to be with him.
+
+
+
+
+
+                              CHAPTER XXV.
+
+                                REVERSES.
+
+
+Judas met the danger with his accustomed resolution. He waited in the city
+till he could be certain of the road which the invaders were taking. As
+soon as he knew that it was from the south that they were approaching, he
+collected all his available force, having for the purpose to raise the
+siege of the fortress, and marched forth to meet them.
+
+The fortress of Beth-zur, which was intended to be the first line in the
+defence of the capital, was in danger of falling into the hands of the
+enemy. Micah had received, early in the year, a commission to revictual
+it, but had found the task one that was difficult, if not impossible, to
+execute. There was a positive scarcity of food, and the scarcity was
+aggravated as usual by the practice of hoarding. It was to little purpose
+that Micah scoured the country, making requisitions of grain and other
+supplies. Some few, strong in their faith, gave up what they had, and
+committed themselves and their children to the Lord, whose law they were
+seeking to obey. Others met the demand with a flat refusal, and at the
+same time taunted Micah with the folly of enforcing an impracticable law
+in times of such difficulty. Many met him with the plea of poverty, and
+their wasted forms and sunken faces were proof enough that this plea was
+genuine. The work, therefore, for all the zeal that Micah displayed, went
+on but very slowly, and, indeed, was not half finished when the advanced
+guard of the army of Lysias appeared. Beth-zur was immediately invested.
+The engines, of which Lysias had a large stock, played fiercely upon the
+walls, and preparations was made for an assault. Micah, on the other hand,
+saw no hope that he would be able to stand a long siege. The garrison
+under his command was not large enough adequately to man the walls, while
+it was too large for the stock of provisions which he had been able to
+collect.
+
+Under these circumstances his resolution was soon taken. Before dawn on
+the second day of the investment the whole garrison made a desperate
+sally. Happily they had no non-combatants to care for, and as yet no sick
+or wounded. Fire was set to the engines. The besiegers, thinking that this
+was the object of the attack, and that the garrison would make their way
+back into the fortress, when this had been accomplished, occupied
+themselves chiefly in putting out the fire. But Micah had no intention of
+returning. He availed himself of the confusion caused by the burning of
+the camp, cut his way with desperate resolution through the enemy, and
+succeeded in reaching the camp of Judas with the larger part of his force.
+The rest were not able to follow him, but succeeded in regaining the
+fortress, which they continued to hold against the Greeks.
+
+The camp was at Beth-Zachariah, about nine miles south from Jerusalem, and
+on an elevated position, not less than three thousand feet above the level
+of the sea, which commanded the whole of the neighbouring country. Behind,
+to the north, could be seen the towers of Jerusalem, with Bethlehem, the
+City of David, in the nearer foreground, nestling among its oliveyards and
+vineyards. To the west lay the plain of Philistia, with the white cliff of
+Gath clearly visible in the extreme distance; to the east could be seen
+the purple mountains of Moab. The road from Hebron, by which the Greek
+army would approach, crept along the eastern side of the mountains. From
+his elevated position Judas could see the movements of his adversaries
+while they were still at a considerable distance. Observing that they
+pitched their camp on the further side of a narrow defile, with the
+character of which he was intimately acquainted, he conceived the idea of
+an ambush.
+
+He summoned Azariah to his tent and detailed his plan. Azariah also knew
+the place well, and entered into the scheme with enthusiasm—such
+enthusiasm, indeed, that Judas felt it necessary to give him a parting
+caution. “Remember,” he said, “if this scheme fails, that you come back to
+me immediately. If the ambush should be discovered, retreat at once. There
+must be no attack. I cannot spare a man. We shall want all that we have,
+if not more than all, to make head against the thousands of Lysias.”
+
+Azariah promised obedience, and lost no time in setting out on his errand.
+Shortly after sunset he started, having with him a picked force of a
+thousand men. Before midnight he had reached the place fixed upon by
+Judas, and there, in a hollow half-way up the side of the hill that formed
+one side of the pass, he laid his ambush.
+
+It was an anxious night for the little band. It was always an accepted
+maxim in ancient warfare that it was the most steadfast courage that was
+wanted for the ambush. Men who were brave enough when fighting in the open
+plain found their courage fail when they had to lie for hours watching for
+the moment of attack, crouched upon the ground, unable to move and
+scarcely venturing to talk. Azariah’s men were brave—indeed they had been
+carefully chosen for this very service—but they were not altogether
+insensible of the dangers of their position. They knew, too, and even
+exaggerated the strength of the advancing army. As they talked in whispers
+during the night, for, as may be imagined, few could sleep, they spoke of
+the chances of the coming day. The elephants, which had never before been
+seen on Jewish soil, were mentioned with special awe.
+
+“Strange and terrible beasts they are,” said one man to his neighbour;
+“savage as lions, and many times larger and stronger.”
+
+“Is it so?” said the other. “I heard once from an Arab, who had been
+driver of one of these creatures, that they are marvellously gentle and
+tame.”
+
+“Maybe they are by nature; but their drivers have ways of rousing them to
+fury before the battle.”
+
+“How so?”
+
+“They show them the blood of grapes and mulberries, and the creatures rage
+terribly. ’Tis said that one of them can tread down a whole company of
+men.”
+
+“Well, but ’tis possible, I know, to stand against them. King Antiochus,
+father to the madman whom the Lord smote for his sins, had an array of
+them in his army when he fought against the Romans at Magnesia, but they
+profited him little. So Simeon told me—you know the man, the old Benjamite
+who took service with the King. The Romans stood firm in their rank, and
+threw their javelins at the beasts’ trunks, and in the end, so Simeon
+said, they did more damage to their own people than to the enemy.”
+
+“The Lord grant that it be so to-morrow.”
+
+The sun had just risen when the approach of the Greek army became visible.
+And now the vanguard was almost within striking distance of the ambush
+which, to all appearance, was still undiscovered. Another few steps and
+they would be immediately below, at a point where they might be assailed
+with disastrous effect. Behind a little rock which was within a few yards
+of the pass Azariah knelt, sword in hand, waiting to give the signal to
+his men. Their fears had mostly vanished in the morning light, and the
+dreaded elephants did not form part of the advanced guard.
+
+But just as Azariah was about to give the signal to charge his quick ear
+caught the sound of tramping feet, which seemed to come from some place
+above his own position. The next moment he caught sight, in the slanting
+rays of the early sun, of the glitter of helmets and shields. A Greek
+force, fully equal in number to his own, was marching in a direction
+parallel to the pass but higher up the mountain-side. Lysias had learnt
+wisdom from experience. He no longer despised his enemy, but credited him
+with the military skill which, indeed, he had more than once proved
+himself to possess. He had foreseen the ambush, and had sent a force to
+guard against the danger. Azariah’s force, though out of sight of the
+road, could be seen from the higher ground, and the Greeks greeted their
+appearance with shouts of laughter. For one moment a wild desire to charge
+swept through the mind of the Jewish captain. He had hoped to blot out by
+some brilliant service the remembrance of his former disaster, and now he
+had failed again. True, it was not by his own fault; yet he had failed,
+and he would have to go back to Judas empty-handed. A single word would
+have sent his men in furious onset against the foe. Should he say it? Then
+there came back to his recollection the gentleness and forbearance of
+Judas. He could not disobey such a leader a second time. He gave the
+signal to retreat. His men heard it with disgust; but they knew that he
+was acting against his own desire as much as against theirs, and they
+obeyed without a murmur, or, if some of the youngest and fiercest among
+them complained of the order, it was only under their breath that they
+spoke.
+
+Azariah now made his way to Judas with all the haste that he could use.
+
+“I have failed,” he said. “The heathen seemed to know of our design
+beforehand. There could be no surprise, so I did not attack, but came back
+to you at once.”
+
+“You have done well,” said Judas, who knew what a sacrifice the fiery
+soldier had made. “A chance victory won by disobeying orders is worse than
+a defeat.”
+
+But Judas, though, as always, he did full justice to his lieutenant, was
+much depressed by the failure of the attempt, and he looked with a gloomy
+brow at the approaching host, as it came on in all the pomp and
+circumstance of war, the sunlight gleaming on the banners, the helmets of
+brass and gold, and on the long, slanting lines of spear-heads. As it came
+nearer the regular tread of the columns and the clang of arms, with now
+and then the shrill voice of a clarion or the deep note of a trumpet heard
+above the roar, moved even the stoutest warrior to something like fear.
+
+Judas followed once more the tactics which he had so often found
+successful. To stand on the defensive was hopeless; his few thousands
+would inevitably be trodden down under the feet of this huge multitude.
+His only hope was in attack. If he could but break the line at a single
+point his success might be again, as it had been before, the beginning of
+a panic, and the great host of Lysias might melt away as the host of
+Apollonius had melted; but the attack must be made while the enemy were
+yet upon ground where they had not space to make full use of their
+numbers. He charged with his accustomed fury before the vanguard of the
+enemy had emerged into the open. For a time it seemed as if his audacity
+was to be successful. The hostile army reeled under the shock of the
+patriots’ furious charge. In two or three places it broke. But there was
+in reserve a second line of veterans, the steadiest and best troops that
+could be found in the Syrian armies, for Lysias knew by this time that
+none but the very best could stand against Judas and his Ironsides. And
+then the numbers were overpowering. Step by step the Jewish column was
+forced back. They left six hundred of the enemy dead on the field behind
+them; but the attack had failed.
+
+Then, as the Greek army deployed upon the open ground which the retreat of
+the Jews left open to them, the elephants came upon the scene—the “huge,
+earth-shaking beasts,” which even the hardiest warrior could hardly see
+for the first time without some sinking of heart. Each animal was
+accompanied by picked bodies of horse and foot. Each carried a tower from
+which skilful marksmen, whose accurate aim was greatly helped by their
+elevated position, hurled missiles upon the ranks of the foe. The
+creatures themselves seemed to share in all the fury of the battle. They
+trumpeted loudly and furiously; at the bidding of the Indian drivers who
+were perched upon their necks they seized soldiers from among the Jewish
+ranks with their trunks, whirled them aloft, and then dashed them down,
+mangled and lifeless corpses, upon the ground.
+
+Then was done one of the heroic acts which stand out conspicuously on the
+pages of history. Eleazar, one of the Maccabee brothers, saw how his
+countrymen were being demoralized by the terror of these strange
+adversaries, and felt that it was a crisis that called for personal
+devotion. One of the elephants was conspicuous among the rest, not only
+for its superior size but for the splendour of its equipment. He felt sure
+that it must be the one that carried the boy-King himself. Immediately his
+resolve was taken. He made his way, striking furiously right and left, and
+dealing death with every blow, through the Syrian ranks, crept under the
+huge beast, and dealt him a mortal wound. Like another Samson, he perished
+by his own success. The creature fell with a suddenness that gave him no
+opportunity of escape, and he was crushed to death by its weight.
+
+  [Illustration: _The Death of Eleazar._]
+
+The hero did not accomplish his object, to rally his countrymen. One might
+rather say that their panic was heightened by the fall of one of the
+heroic brothers, a son of the great house to which they owed their
+liberty. But his deed was not forgotten. The fourth of the Maccabee
+brothers lived in the history of his people as Eleazar Avaran—Eleazar “the
+Beast Slayer.”
+
+But the battle was lost beyond all hope. The only thing left for Judas was
+to save as much as he could out of the wreck. He sounded the signal for
+retreat, drew off his men in good order, and, making his way back as
+rapidly as possible to Jerusalem, threw himself into the Temple fortress,
+resolved to stand a siege.
+
+
+
+
+
+                              CHAPTER XXVI.
+
+                          LIGHT OUT OF DARKNESS.
+
+
+For a time the prospects of the patriots seemed dark indeed. Beth-zur had
+fallen, and the only hope of the cause was in the Temple fortress. This
+was fiercely assailed by the garrison of the Greek stronghold of Mount
+Zion on the one side, and, on the other, by the army which had been
+victorious at Beth-Zachariah, and which now occupied the Lower City. The
+Temple fortress was strong; it was fairly well supplied with munitions of
+war; and the garrison was large—indeed, almost too large for the
+accommodation of the place. The fatal weakness of the position was the
+scanty supply of provisions. Only water was abundant, for the unsparing
+toil of former generations had provided for this want; had it not been for
+this the resistance of the garrison must very soon have come to an end,
+for food was scarce—so scarce, indeed, that the strength of the fighting
+men could hardly be maintained by the insufficient rations which were
+doled out to them, while the few non-combatants received barely enough to
+keep body and soul together.
+
+The condition of the Jewish population of the city was not as bad as might
+have been expected. The cruelties of the days of Apollonius and Philip
+were not repeated; for Lysias, who, as guardian of the boy-King, was
+practically supreme, favoured a policy of conciliation, and did his best
+to repress outrage. Indeed he sanctioned the establishment of what may be
+called a municipal guard or militia, which, while under obligation to give
+no assistance to the garrison of the Temple, was permitted to protect the
+peaceful inhabitants of the city. This guard was under the command of
+Seraiah.
+
+There was much, of course, that it was difficult for those to bear who
+looked to Judas and his brothers as the hope of Israel. Menelaüs had
+returned, and with him a whole troop of renegade Jews, whose insolence and
+impiety sorely tried the patience of the faithful population. And the
+scarcity of food was only less severe in the city than it was in the
+fortress.
+
+For some time Seraiah’s own household continued to receive mysterious
+supplies from some unknown source, which made them far more comfortable
+than their neighbours. Once a week, or even oftener, they would find a bag
+of corn or flour, a basket of dried grapes or other fruits, a bundle of
+salt fish, a string of doves or wood-pigeons, put in an outhouse, nor
+could they guess who their benefactor could be. But when this had gone on
+for nearly two months, the secret came out. Seraiah, returning from his
+military duties at an early hour in the morning, and entering by a little
+postern gate in order to avoid disturbing the household, saw a man drop
+from the garden wall. He seized him by the arm, and the stranger, turning
+sharply round, revealed the well-known features of Benjamin.
+
+“What do you here?” he asked.
+
+“I am come on an errand of my own,” answered the robber.
+
+“But in my house?”
+
+“Ask no more questions,” said the man; “but take my word—and I would not
+lie to you for all the kingdom of Antiochus—that I mean no harm to you or
+yours.”
+
+A thought flashed across Seraiah’s mind.
+
+“It is you, then, who have been bringing us, week after week, these
+supplies of food?”
+
+Benjamin said nothing.
+
+“I adjure you by God that you answer me,” said Seraiah.
+
+“Well, if you will know it, it is I who have done it. Why should not God
+use a man’s hands to feed His servants, as well as a raven’s beak?”
+
+“Tell me—how did you come by these things?”
+
+“In various ways.”
+
+“Lawfully?”
+
+“Well, I can hardly say; you and I might not agree about the matter.”
+
+“Tell me—did you buy them with your money?”
+
+“Nay; that is not my way. I do not buy or sell.”
+
+“Then you stole them.”
+
+“I told you that we should not agree. But this I know, that they to whom
+they belonged could do without them better than you and your children.”
+
+“Benjamin,” said Seraiah, “you mean well, and I thank you. But after this
+bring no more of these gifts, for I cannot receive them. I would not have
+my Judge say to me, ‘When thou sawest a thief, thou consentedst unto him.’
+I had sooner die of hunger—aye, and what is far worse, see my children
+die—than take that which has not been lawfully acquired.”
+
+“As you will have it,” said Benjamin; “if there were more like you, mayhap
+I should have been a better man. But meanwhile, the world being what it
+is, you and yours will have a hard time of it;” and he turned to go away.
+“And the captain,” he went on—“how does he fare? I hear that things are
+not going well with him. ’Tis a thousand pities, for a braver man never
+handled sword.”
+
+Seraiah told him briefly the story of recent events, and described the
+present condition of affairs, the other listening with an eager attention,
+and breaking in now and then with an exclamation of wonder and admiration.
+
+“Come, Benjamin,” he said, when he had finished, “why will you not throw
+in your lot with us? Things look dark just now; but they will brighten. He
+who has helped us so far will not desert us now.”
+
+“Sir,” said the man, “I would gladly follow the captain, whether he led me
+to life or to death. No man could ask a better lot than to be his soldier.
+But I like not all that are with him. They are over-strict, and make no
+allowance for such as have not their zeal. Once they beat me; another time
+they had stoned me to death but that I slipped out of their hands; and
+both for some miserable trifles which no man of sense would care about.
+No, sir; Judas I honour and love, but these bigots who give a man no peace
+I cannot away with. And now the day is beginning to break, and I must go.
+I am sorry that you will not take my poor gifts.”
+
+The next moment he had disappeared.
+
+And now came a time of grievous trouble for Ruth and her young charges,
+for she had naturally taken charge of Azariah’s two daughters. She did not
+question her husband’s refusal to share any longer the illicit gains of
+Benjamin, but she could not shut her eyes to the fact that the children
+were suffering grievously. For herself she could endure, as women can; the
+girls, too, were old enough to understand the cause of their suffering,
+though they could not enter into the reasons of what seemed so strange an
+observance—the Sabbatical year; but little Daniel was too young to know
+much beyond the fact that he was always terribly hungry, and though he was
+often brave enough to check his crying when he saw how it distressed his
+mother, there were times when the pangs of hunger were more than he could
+bear in silence. Poor Ruth denied herself everything but the few scraps
+that were absolutely necessary to keep body and soul together, and her
+physical weakness did not make it easier to keep up her hope and courage.
+Her hardest task, perhaps, was to hide, as far as it was possible, the
+true state of things from her husband. His strength must be kept up, for
+so much depended upon it; but the children, not to speak of herself, had
+to have their scanty share diminished that it might be so. This, of
+course, he was not allowed to know, and Ruth was at her wits’ end again
+and again to keep it from him.
+
+Within the Temple fortress, meanwhile, things had become almost desperate.
+A few shekels’ weight of flour was given out to each man daily, for Judas
+insisted that all should share alike. That even this scanty allowance
+might hold out the longer, numbers of the garrison made their escape every
+night under the cover of darkness that the remainder might prolong their
+resistance for yet a few days more.
+
+Before long came a time when absolutely nothing was left. “Their vessels
+were without victuals,” and Judas and the few that still remained with him
+met to hold a final deliberation.
+
+“My friends,” said the great captain, “you see the straits into which we
+are brought. There is no need to tell you of them, or to prove by words
+what we all know too well in fact. What, then, shall we do? Shall we stay
+here and perish slowly by hunger, or shall we fall upon our swords, or
+shall we sally forth from the gates, and, having slain as many of the
+heathen as we may, so perish ourselves? I had hoped that the Lord would
+give deliverance to Israel by my hand, and by the hand of my brothers. But
+if it be not so, His will be done. For He is not shut up to do that which
+it pleaseth Him by one man or another. He can call whomsoever He will, and
+give him strength for the work.”
+
+He paused for a moment, and Azariah broke in, “It is well said, O captain
+of the host. The Lord hath helped His people hitherto, and He will help
+them to the end. Only let us trust in Him, for”—and here, with an
+impetuous gesture, he struck his foot upon the rock—“they that put their
+trust in the Lord shall be even as this mountain, which may not be
+removed, but standeth fast for ever.”
+
+Judas was just rising to announce his resolve when the sound of a trumpet
+was heard at the gate of the fortress. It was a herald bringing a message
+from the young King.
+
+“Have you aught to say to me in private?” asked Judas, when the man was
+brought in.
+
+“Nay,” he answered; “my message is one that all may hear.”
+
+He then delivered it, reading the words from a parchment which he carried
+in his hand, and which bore the sign-manual (an impression of the
+seal-ring dipped in ink) of Antiochus Eupator, as well as that of Lysias.
+They ran thus:
+
+“Antiochus, surnamed Eupator, King of Syria and Egypt, offers to the
+people of the Jews peace and friendship. He permits them to worship God
+after the manners and customs of their fathers, and he hereby revokes all
+the edicts which the King, his father, having been misinformed by
+unfaithful advisers, issued against the said nation of the Jews.”
+
+Never was there a more surprising, a more unexpected change in the
+position of affairs. But it might have been foreseen by those who had
+watched with a full knowledge of the truth, the recent course of events.
+
+Despatches had reached Lysias from Antioch which convinced him that he and
+his young charge had enemies to reckon with who would be far more
+formidable than Judas and his followers. Philip had returned from Persia
+with the host of Epiphanes, and had assumed the management of affairs, and
+Philip was a dangerous rival. Were he to prevail, his own position as the
+chief adviser of the King would be untenable; and the King himself would
+very probably be dispossessed by some other claimant to the throne.
+
+He laid the case, or at least so much as it was necessary to explain,
+before the boy-King. The lad, who was indeed intelligent beyond his years,
+at once acquiesced in the advice, that easy conditions of peace should be
+offered to the garrison.
+
+Then an assembly of the soldiers was summoned. All the officers were
+invited by name, and, after the usual fashion of such gatherings, as many
+of the men as could crowd into the chambers were also present. To them
+Lysias said nothing about the news from Antioch, which it would be better,
+he thought, to conceal as long as possible; but he dwelt on the useless
+hardships which they were all enduring.
+
+“Famine and the pestilence are upon us,” he said, “and we decay daily. But
+the place to which we lay siege is strong, and we are no nearer to the
+taking of it than we were six months since. Now, therefore, let us offer
+to these men, who are neither robbers nor murderers, peace and liberty,
+that they may worship God after their own fashion, and live by their own
+laws. For, of a truth, it is far better, as many of yourselves know, that
+they should be our friends than our enemies.”
+
+An unanimous shout of approval was the answer; and hence the message which
+came so opportunely to Judas and his followers in the very crisis of their
+despair.
+
+
+
+
+
+                             CHAPTER XXVII.
+
+                           A PEACEFUL INTERVAL.
+
+
+It was one of the stipulations of the peace offered by the young
+Antiochus, and accepted by Judas, that the King should be admitted with
+due ceremony into the surrendered fortress. It was to be a formal
+acknowledgment of his authority, but nothing more. No change, it was
+understood, was to be made; the King and his attendants were not to go
+beyond the court which it was lawful for the Gentiles to enter.
+
+On the morrow, accordingly, the boy-King came with a splendid procession
+of nobles and officers. In front marched a company of soldiers, picked
+from the whole army for their beauty of feature and commanding stature,
+and gorgeous with their gilded arms. Then, in the order of their dignity,
+came the high officers of state; last, the young monarch himself, the
+Governor Lysias leading him by the hand.
+
+The approach to the Temple was thronged by a crowd of eager spectators,
+none of whom were more profoundly interested in the sight than the little
+Daniel, with his cousins, Miriam and Judith. The child’s fancy had been
+caught by all that he had heard of the young prince. It seemed strange to
+him, almost beyond belief, that a lad, a little older, it was true, than
+himself, but younger than Miriam, should have power to do so much harm.
+“Mother,” he said one day to Ruth, “why does God let him hurt so many
+people? It is all his doing that the brave soldiers are shut up in the
+Temple, and that we have so little to eat. Will he not be punished for it
+some day? I suppose, as he is a king, nobody can punish him except God.
+But He will, won’t He, mother?”
+
+  [Illustration: _The Boy King._]
+
+Then came the unexpected news of the peace; and nothing would satisfy
+little Daniel but that he must see the boy-King received in the Temple.
+Eagerly did the child watch him as he walked in his little suit of armour,
+which the most skilful artizans in Antioch had made so light as not to be
+too much for his strength, and great was his delight when Eupator,
+catching a sight of his eager face, kissed his hand to him with a pleasant
+smile. That smile he never forgot, though it is true that his old anger
+against the young king returned next day almost as vehemently as ever when
+he heard that orders had been given that the ramparts of the Temple
+fortress were to be broken down, and that the Greek soldiers, anxious to
+depart, had begun the work of destruction the very hour at which the edict
+had been published.
+
+Though this breach of faith was a great blow to the patriots, still they
+had much to console them. In the first place, to their intense relief, the
+Greek army marched away, and the Holy City was no more defiled by the
+presence of the heathen. Then the renegade Menelaüs, whom every faithful
+Jew hated with a more bitter hatred than he felt for the heathen
+themselves, went away, but not of his own free choice, with the King.
+Lysias had an honest man’s dislike for a traitor, and indeed did not
+scruple to say that this impostor, who was neither good Jew nor real
+Greek, had done more than any one else to cause the recent troubles.
+
+Not less welcome was the end of the Sabbatical year. This of itself would
+not, of course, have relieved the pressure of scarcity; but there was help
+from without which before had not been available. Hitherto the Jews had
+been under a ban; they were enemies of the Syrian King, and none who
+desired to be his friends would have any dealings with them. Now all was
+changed. The ban was removed. The people were in favour with Eupator and
+Lysias. A brisk trade commenced, and supplies of food came in abundance.
+With good heart and hope the people set themselves to their work. From
+being a city of mourning Jerusalem became gay and cheerful.
+
+The general gladness culminated in the Feast of Tabernacles, always the
+most joyous of Jewish festivals, and now celebrated with special
+manifestations of delight. Never had the people felt so keenly the
+pleasure of seeming at least to return to the simple life of earlier
+times, the rustic enjoyments of a nation that had not yet learnt to dwell
+in cities. It was the ordinance that for seven days the Israelite should
+dwell, not in his house, but in a booth of boughs. For days waggon-loads
+without number of the boughs of the olive, the palm, the pine, the myrtle,
+and other trees which had a foliage sufficiently thick for the purpose,
+were brought into the city. When a house had a roof of a convenient size
+and situation, the booth was built upon it; in many cases it was set up in
+the court. Those who had come from elsewhere to share in the festival set
+up their booths in the court of the Temple, in the street of the Water
+Gate, and in the street of the Gate of Ephraim. It was a beautiful sight
+at any time, and now the fresh foliage hid the scars of many a grievous
+wound that had been inflicted during the years of desolation.
+
+Every day, at the time of the morning sacrifice, each Israelite, gaily
+dressed in holiday attire, made his way to the Temple. Each carried in one
+hand a bundle of the same branches that were used in the building of the
+booths, and in the other a fruit of the citron tree. When all the company
+was assembled, and the parts of the victim had been laid upon the altar, a
+priest was seen approaching with a golden ewer in his hand. He had filled
+it at the pool of Siloam, and he brought it into the court of the Temple
+through the Water Gate. The trumpets sounded as he came in and ascended
+the slope of the altar. On each side of this were two silver basins; into
+that on the eastern side he poured the sacred water; while another priest
+poured wine into that on the western. Then the “Hallel”(21) was sung; when
+the singers came to the words, “O give thanks unto the Lord; for He is
+good, because His mercy endureth for ever,” each Israelite shook his
+bundle of branches; he did it again when they sang, “Save, Lord, I beseech
+Thee, O Lord: O Lord, I beseech Thee, send now prosperity;” and a third
+time at the words, “O give thanks unto the Lord; for He is good: for His
+mercy endureth for ever.” In the evening there was a grand illumination.
+Eight lamps, so large and so high that they sent their light over nearly
+the whole of the city, were set up in the court of the Temple, while many
+of the people carried flambeaux in their hands. Meanwhile a company of
+Levites, standing on the steps of the Court of the Women, chanted to the
+music of cymbal and the harp the fifteen “Songs of Degrees.”(22)
+
+These were the public rejoicings; the private festivities were on the most
+liberal scale. Never did the maxim that he who fails to contribute
+according to his means to the general joy is a sinner above other men meet
+with a more hearty acceptance.
+
+Azariah with his daughters and little Daniel were watching the ceremonies
+of the last and greatest day of the feast from the roof of the Governor’s
+house, where they were joined by Micah and by Joseph, who, it will be
+remembered, had shared with him the disastrous command of the city during
+the absence of Judas in Gilead. Joseph was exultant; Micah’s face was
+grave and even sad.
+
+“Thank the Lord, Azariah,” cried Joseph, “for He has dealt with the
+traitor after his deservings.”
+
+“Whom mean you?” asked Azariah; “for we have had more traitors here than
+one.”
+
+“Whom should I mean but Menelaüs, the false priest who sat in Aaron’s
+seat?”
+
+“And what has befallen him?”
+
+“The King has caused him to be put to death. He was in little favour when
+they took him home, for Lysias said that he had wrought all the mischief
+that had been done. And when they came to Antioch the matter of Oniah was
+brought against him, for there were many who loved the old man, and had
+taken it ill that his death had not been fully avenged. And when the young
+King heard the story, Menelaüs being present, and having nothing to say
+against it, he cried, ‘I wonder that the King, my father, suffered this
+murderer to escape, but he shall not go unpunished any more. Take him, and
+cast him alive into the Tower of Ashes.’ So they took him and did as the
+King had commanded.”
+
+“And what is the Tower of Ashes?” asked the little Daniel, who had been
+listening to this conversation with a sort of terrified interest.
+
+Micah answered his question. “At Berea is a tower, the bottom of which is
+full of ashes, and in the tower is a machine which revolves and plunges
+the criminal who is bound to it deep into the ashes until he is smothered.
+But as for this unhappy man, the Lord have mercy upon him!”
+
+Joseph turned fiercely upon him. “I marvel,” he said, “that you should
+pray for this fellow, who was worse than the heathen. He has but had his
+deservings.”
+
+“And where should I be, if I had had mine?” answered Micah. “I walked in
+the same way with this Menelaüs, and sinned against the Law, even as he
+sinned, and but that God had mercy upon me, surely I had come to the same
+end.”
+
+“Don’t be sorry, uncle,” said the boy, holding up his little face for a
+kiss; “I am sure that God has forgiven you, for He knows how bravely you
+have fought for Him, and how many of the heathen you have killed with your
+sword.”
+
+“May it be so, dear child! But though He has forgiven me, yet I must reap
+as I have sown.”
+
+“And who shall be high priest in this traitor’s place?” asked Joseph,
+after a pause. “For Oniah, the son of him that was slain at Antioch, is in
+the land of Egypt, and he takes part with the unfaithful brethren who
+would build another Temple among the temples of the heathen, leaving the
+place which the Lord has chosen to set His name there.”
+
+“And if the House of Zadok have perished, why should not Judas, son of
+Mattathias, be high priest?” said Azariah. “He is of a principal house
+among the sons of Aaron, and the Lord has been with him always.”
+
+Joseph had never forgiven Judas for his own disaster. His was one of those
+mean natures that justify the saying, “The injured may forgive, the
+injurer never.” The captain had treated him with the same generous
+kindness which he had showed to Azariah, but this kindness had not been
+received in the same temper. On the contrary it rankled in his mind, till
+by a strange, yet not uncommon, perversion of feeling, it had produced a
+positive sense of injury. He now broke out:
+
+“Nay, nay, my friend, you say too much. That he has won victories I deny
+not; but was the Lord with him when he fled before the face of the heathen
+at Beth-Zachariah, or when Beth-zur was yielded up to Lysias, or when we
+had well-nigh perished with famine in the siege, or when the King broke
+down the ramparts of the Temple? Not so: whatever the people may shout or
+sing in his praise, he too has known defeat, even as we have.”
+
+“This I know,” said Azariah, “that whereas we were trodden underfoot by
+the heathen till there was no life left in us, now we are risen and stand
+upright.”
+
+“And how long, think you,” returned Joseph, “will it be so with us? Did we
+drive away the King, or did he not rather depart of his own accord,
+because of what he and his counsellors had heard of the doings of Philip?
+And will he not return, and the end be worse than the beginning?”
+
+Azariah answered, with some heat, “As for that which may happen hereafter,
+I say nothing. These things are in the hand of God. But that the young
+Antiochus departed to his own land was, I doubt not at all, of the Lord’s
+doing. Why, even this child knows the story of Sennacherib, and the words
+which Isaiah the prophet spoke to Hezekiah when the King was
+faint-hearted, and could not see how there should be any deliverance for
+Israel. Did not the prophet say, ‘He shall hear a rumour, and shall return
+unto his own land?’”
+
+Joseph said nothing. With all his meanness and littleness he was a
+patriot, and really loved his country; and it went against his heart and
+conscience to prophesy evil against her.
+
+Then the little Daniel startled them all by saying, with flashing eyes,
+“And I will cause him to fall by the sword in his own land.”
+
+
+
+
+
+                             CHAPTER XXVIII.
+
+                             HOPES AND FEARS.
+
+
+A few weeks after the conversation recorded in the last chapter, Ruth was
+hearing her little boy repeat the Commandment when Seraiah came in,
+carrying in his hand an open letter.
+
+“There is news from Syria,” he said.
+
+“And is it good or bad?” asked his wife.
+
+“That I can hardly say,” was Seraiah’s reply. At the same time he
+signalled to his wife that she should take the child out of the room. The
+signal, however, was too late. The quick-witted little fellow had heard
+what had been said, and immediately jumped to the conclusion that
+something had been heard about the boy-King. His mind was occupied, it
+might almost be said, day and night with the thought of the young Eupator.
+He scarcely knew whether he hated or loved him; but the brilliant figure
+of the lad had caught his imagination. He lived, as imaginative children
+often will, a sort of second life in thinking of him.
+
+“Oh! father,” he now cried, “I am sure that you have something to tell me
+about the boy-King. Is he coming here again? I should like to see him,
+though he did break his promise so shamefully.”
+
+“My boy,” said his father, “you will never see him again.”
+
+“Oh! Why?”
+
+“He is dead. This letter tells me all about him.”
+
+The boy burst into a passionate fit of tears, which all his mother’s
+caresses and attempts at consolation were for some time unable to stop.
+When the violence of his grief had spent itself he said—
+
+“Oh! father, tell me about him. Were they very cruel to him? And how did
+it happen? I thought that kings killed people, but I did not know that any
+one could kill them.”
+
+“Listen, my child, and I will try to explain it to you. The father of
+Eupator, the boy who is just dead, was not rightfully King. He came after
+his elder brother, and this elder brother had a son named Demetrius, who
+ought to have succeeded his father. But this son had been sent to Rome as
+a hostage.”
+
+“What do you mean by a hostage, father?”
+
+“When you are going to trust some one about whom you do not feel quite
+sure, you take something from him that he values very much, and say, ‘You
+will lose this unless you behave well.’ So Demetrius’s father gave his son
+to the Romans to keep, and the Romans were sure that as long as they had
+the child his father would not do anything that they did not like. Well,
+as I told you, Demetrius was sent to Rome to be security for his father’s
+good behaviour, and there he lived all the time that Antiochus, whom they
+called Epiphanes, was King. And when Epiphanes died Demetrius asked the
+Romans to let him go, that he might claim the kingdom which, he said,
+belonged to him and which his cousin Eupator was too young to be able to
+govern. But they would not let him go, and I have been told that Lysias
+bribed some of the chief men among them, and these persuaded the rest. At
+last he got tired of waiting for leave, and he ran away from Rome without
+it, and landed at a place called Tripolis, not very far from Antioch, with
+only twenty or thirty men with him. But as soon as ever the soldiers at
+Antioch heard of his coming, they declared that they would have him for
+their King.”
+
+“But why?” put in Daniel.
+
+“Well, if they did not know much that was good about him, they knew
+nothing that was bad. Anyhow they all rose in his favour; and they seized
+the young King and Lysias the Governor and brought them to him, and asked
+him what they should do with them. He would not say, ‘Kill them,’ for,
+after all, the little boy was his cousin, and had not done him any harm.
+And he did not like to say, ‘Keep them alive,’ for he was afraid that his
+cousin might some day have his throne; so he only said to the soldiers,
+‘Take care that they do not see my face.’ So the soldiers—they were the
+young King’s own guard—took him and killed him, and Lysias with him.”
+
+When he had heard this the child allowed his mother to take him away. He
+saw that his father, usually so calm, was anxious and troubled, and, wise
+with a wisdom beyond his years—the fruit of the troubled life which he and
+his had been leading—would not ask him any more questions. But that night,
+when his mother came to give him the last kiss before he went to sleep, he
+had many things to say to her. Poor little fellow! he had seen many
+terrible sights, which all his parents’ care could not keep from his eyes,
+and had heard of many more, and he could not help asking again, “Did they
+hurt him very much?” and when she had comforted him as best she could on
+this score, he showed that there was another trouble in his mind. “Oh!
+mother,” he said, “do you remember that when he ordered the walls of the
+fortress to be pulled down, I prayed to God that he might be punished for
+breaking his promise? and only the other day, when Joseph was talking
+about his coming back, I said—something in me seemed to make me say it
+almost without my knowing—‘He shall fall by the sword in his own land.’
+And now he is punished, for he has fallen by the sword. Do you think that
+God listened to me, and did it because I said these things? But, mother, I
+did not hate him very much; sometimes I used to think I loved him; and oh!
+it would be dreadful to think that I had anything to do with his being
+killed!”
+
+“My son,” said Ruth, “do you remember what our father Abraham said, ‘Shall
+not the Judge of all the earth do right’?”
+
+“Yes, mother, I am sure that He will do right; and the King did deserve to
+be punished. But perhaps his counsellors told him to do it; and I am sure
+that if I was told to do something that was wrong by people that I loved,
+I should be very likely to do it.”
+
+When his mother came to see him some hours afterwards she found him
+asleep, but his pillow was wet with tears, and now and then a little sob
+showed how deeply the trouble had entered into his little heart.
+
+There was trouble in older and wiser hearts than his. The Jews had hoped
+much from the boy-King. His bad faith in the matter of the Temple fortress
+they had willingly put down to evil counsellors, and they could not forget
+that he had given them terms, good beyond all their hopes, when they were
+in the last extremity. The death of Lysias was a more serious loss. He was
+the pacificator; to his influence they ascribed the conciliatory policy of
+the young Antiochus. And now he was gone. Would his death be the signal of
+a change? Would Demetrius go back to the ways of the mad Antiochus? or had
+he learnt prudence, if not mercy, from his sojourn among the Romans and
+the bitter experience of an exile?
+
+Opinion was divided. Some hoped, some feared; but all were resolved that
+they would never give way, that they would defend to the last drop of
+their blood the freedom which they had won. Azariah, whose temper of mind
+had gathered a certain gloom from the unhappy experiences of his life,
+took a desponding view of the situation. Micah, on the contrary, was
+cheerful, and he had some strong arguments to back him up.
+
+“Remember,” he said to his brother-in-law one day, when the subject had
+been discussed at some length between them, “that I have had opportunities
+for forming a judgment which, happily for you, have not come in your way.
+I once saw much of these Greeks—I am ashamed to remember the time, but
+still it would be folly not to make use of what I then learnt—and I am
+sure that that madman Antiochus did not represent what they really feel.
+You don’t know how they despise all barbarians as they call them; and,
+despising them, they are disposed to let them alone. They don’t want us to
+worship their gods; they think that we are not good enough. But Antiochus
+was mad with pride and arrogance, and it is not likely that any one else
+should be found to follow his steps. We may have trouble; indeed I feel
+sure that we shall; but depend upon it there will not be another such
+attempt as the madman made to stamp out our religion.”
+
+And the tidings that soon after reached Jerusalem from Antioch seemed to
+justify this forecast. There seemed to be trouble ahead, but it was not
+trouble of the sort which had brought desolation upon the Holy City. A
+deputation from that party among the Jews which affected Greek habits and
+Greek practices had been admitted to the presence of the new King. They
+had accused Judas, the son of Mattathias, of having driven them from their
+land, and of being an enemy to the sovereignty of the Greeks. Demetrius
+had listened to their representations, and had conferred the office of
+high priest on Alcimus,(23) the leader of the malcontents, and had
+promised to send a force which would instal him in his office, and at the
+same time take vengeance on Judas and the Chasidim. This force was to be
+under the command of Bacchides, one of the most trusted of his
+counsellors.
+
+A high priest of the stamp of Menelaüs—for such Alcimus was known to
+be—would be anything but welcome. Probably it would be necessary to resist
+him and his proceedings by force. Still things were not as bad as they
+might have been. That King Demetrius should have appointed a high priest
+at all showed that he was not bent, as Epiphanes had been, on extirpating
+the Jewish faith. With such doubtful comfort as this assurance could give
+they were compelled to be satisfied and to await the development of
+events.
+
+
+
+
+
+                              CHAPTER XXIX.
+
+                                CIVIL WAR.
+
+
+The new high priest arrived at Jerusalem, escorted by a powerful force
+under the command of Bacchides. None but absolute renegades were glad to
+see Greek soldiers again lording it in the streets of Jerusalem; but
+otherwise there was a wide difference of opinion as to the duty of
+faithful Jews with regard to the reception of the stranger. Alcimus and
+his Greek companions were loud in their professions of good will. They
+intended, they said, nothing but benefits to the people. All would be well
+if they were only received in the same spirit in which they came.
+
+Judas and his brothers received these assurances with profound
+incredulity. They and their immediate followers had thought it prudent to
+leave the city. There had been no opportunity of properly repairing the
+walls of the Temple fortress, and without some such stronghold to serve as
+shelter in case of need, they would, they felt, be at the mercy of the
+Greeks. In the position to which they had withdrawn there was a hot
+discussion. Judas, as usual, urged the counsels of prudence and common
+sense. It was easy, he said, to make these professions of peace and good
+will—so easy that, without some substantial guarantee of their sincerity,
+it would be madness to risk anything on the strength of them. Alcimus, or
+Eliakim—he must own that he did not like or trust these double-named Jews,
+for they were often double-faced also—might be thinking of nothing but
+peace; but why did he come with an army behind him? He might have been
+sure, sprung as he was from the race of Aaron, that none of his countrymen
+would harm him. Why had he surrounded himself with a multitude of godless
+heathen who would be only too likely to harm them? “Let us wait”—this was
+his final advice—“till he and his friends give us some proof that they
+really mean what they say.”
+
+The Chasidim were loud and vehement in their opposition to this counsel.
+Joseph, whose bitterness and jealousy had not been weakened by the lapse
+of time, constituted himself their spokesman.
+
+“The Law,” he said, “plainly declares that there shall be a high priest.
+There are acts, acts of the highest importance, even necessity, which only
+he can perform. Our worship without him is maimed and imperfect. We cannot
+expect that there will be a blessing upon it, that, lacking this essential
+part, our sacrifices will be accepted or our prayers heard. And now we
+have a high priest that is of the race of Aaron. He promises—and why
+should we not believe him?—that his purposes towards us are for good and
+not for evil. Let us go to him, and do him the honour that is due to his
+office. If harm come of it, we shall have at least obeyed the commandment
+of God.”
+
+Judas and his brothers, with such faithful followers as Seraiah and Micah,
+stood resolutely aloof, but they could not control the action of the
+enthusiasts. A large body of the Chasidim paid to Alcimus a formal visit.
+They welcomed him to the seat of his office; they paid him their homage;
+intimating at the same time that there were grievances for which they
+asked redress and abuses which needed reform. Nothing could have exceeded
+the show of politeness and even friendship with which they were received.
+Alcimus made the most solemn protestations that neither they nor their
+friends should suffer any harm. He could only regret that unfounded
+suspicions had kept away the great soldier who had done so much for his
+country and whom he would have had so much pleasure in welcoming. They
+were invited to a banquet, which had been duly prepared, they were
+assured, in obedience to the requirements of the Law, and of which they
+could partake without any fear of contracting impurity.
+
+After the banquet there was to be a conference. The proceedings began, and
+were continued for some time without interruption, though Alcimus could
+scarcely control his impatience at what he thought the unreasonable
+demands of the bigots. Meanwhile Bacchides, who had hitherto kept himself
+in the background, was quietly surrounding the council-chamber with
+troops. Joseph was in the midst of an harangue when the doors were thrown
+open, a company of soldiers marched in, and arrested every member of the
+deputation. It was now the turn of Alcimus to retire into the background.
+He had served his purpose, acting, it may be said, as a decoy, and, thanks
+to him, some of the most inveterate enemies of the Greek party had been
+entrapped. The Greek commander made short work with his prisoners. Alcimus
+went through the farce of interceding for them, but he never expected,
+and, perhaps, never intended, to obtain his requests. Sixty of them were
+executed on the spot, and the rest were cast into prison. The bodies of
+the victims were hurriedly thrown into carts, drawn outside the city, and
+left to be the prey of the vulture and the wild dog.
+
+The horror and dismay which spread through the city with the news of the
+bloody deed were such as it would be impossible to describe. The victims
+were well-known men, and, for the most part, as much respected as they
+were known. There was a frantic rush to do honour to the remains of the
+martyred patriots. But Bacchides had foreseen that this would probably
+occur, and had surrounded the place with a cordon of soldiers. The people
+could do nothing but stand upon the walls while the birds and beasts of
+prey mangled the corpses, and mingle, in their impotent rage, curses on
+the murderers, with lamentations over the dead. In more than one of their
+national hymns they found a fitting expression of their grief; but none
+was more suitable to the circumstances of the time than the words of the
+seventy-ninth Psalm: “The dead bodies of Thy servants have they given to
+be meat unto the fowls of the heaven, and the flesh of Thy saints unto the
+beasts of the earth. Their blood have they shed like water round about
+Jerusalem, and there was none to bury them.”
+
+The conduct of Judas did not, as may be supposed, escape censure. It is
+the first impulse of a multitude in the presence of some great disaster to
+throw the blame upon its rulers, and the Jews, in their anger and grief,
+felt and yielded to it.
+
+“Yes,” said an old man, who had lost a brother and a son in the massacre,
+“he was too prudent to trust himself to the heathen; he stood aloof from
+their danger, and when they offered themselves up as a sacrifice, he was
+not there.”
+
+“And did he not well?” said a zealous partisan. “Did he not warn them and
+entreat them, and they took no heed to his words?”
+
+“But had he and his men of war gone with them,” returned the other, “they
+had not been left without defence. But now they went as sheep to the
+slaughter.”
+
+“What can you look for when the sheep will go where the shepherd does not
+lead them? And as for Judas, did he ever spare his life? Has he not taken
+it in his hand time after time, fighting with a few men against thousands
+of the heathen? And tell me now,” went on the speaker, “to whom should we
+have looked for deliverance had Judas also been slain with these? The Lord
+has had mercy upon His people, lest they should be utterly cast down, and
+has left unto them their captain.”
+
+On the whole, popular opinion was strongly in Judas’s favour. Then came
+another turn of events. The Greek general, weary of his sojourn among a
+people that hated him, marched out of Jerusalem, and encamped in one of
+the suburbs,(24) where he could keep his troops better in hand, and not
+expose them to the daily risk of collision with a hostile population. This
+place, too, he shortly evacuated, returning with the main part of his army
+to Antioch, though he left a small force to support Alcimus, who would
+now, he thought, with this help, be able to hold his own.
+
+But before he went he committed another deed only less atrocious than the
+treacherous massacre of the Chasidim. Every partisan, or supposed
+partisan, of Judas whom he could either entrap or seize was mercilessly
+slaughtered. Nor did Greeks, who, from motives of expediency or under
+pressure of superior force, had submitted to Judas, escape.
+
+If Bacchides imagined that these cruelties would strengthen the position
+of the renegade high priest he was greatly mistaken. Alcimus was more
+universally, more fervently hated than even Jason or Menelaüs had been.
+The disappointment caused by this renewal of troubles was all the more
+bitter because it had succeeded to hopes that seemed so well established.
+And every one felt that it was Alcimus who was to blame. His greed and
+ambition had disturbed the peace which they were beginning to enjoy. On
+his head was all the innocent blood that had been shed.
+
+And now a new horror was added to all that the unhappy country had
+endured. It was no longer Jew fighting against Greek, but Jew against Jew.
+Civil war, always more bitter, more ruthless than the very fiercest
+struggle between strangers, broke out. The renegades rallied to Alcimus.
+Their interests were bound up with his cause. Some of them had committed
+themselves so deeply that they could not hope for pardon from the
+patriots. Others had a genuine dislike for Jewish severity and a liking
+for Greek license, and fought for all that, as they thought, made life
+worth living. But the number of these philo-Greek partisans was but small,
+and the popular feeling was unmistakably against them, and Judas felt
+himself strong enough to assert his position vigorously. He was not now a
+partisan leader, raising the standard of revolt against established
+authority; he was himself the established authority, justified in
+punishing all that presumed to rebel against him. This judicious display
+of firmness, of what might even be called severity, vastly strengthened
+his position. The waverers who always go with the strongest, who care
+little for principle, but most for self-interest and safety, when they saw
+that the sword of Judas was a more immediate danger to his enemies than
+the sword of the Syrian King, hesitated no longer about joining him.
+Alcimus found himself deserted by all but a few desperate partisans. The
+commander of his Greek auxiliaries declared himself unable to give him
+sufficient help. Accordingly he had no alternative but to give up the
+unequal contest, and to hurry back to Antioch, where he might lay his
+complaints before King Demetrius.
+
+
+
+
+
+                              CHAPTER XXX.
+
+                                 NICANOR.
+
+
+The complaints which Alcimus carried to the Syrian King at Antioch were
+eagerly listened to. Demetrius was eager, as new rulers frequently are, to
+reverse the policy of his predecessor. Eupator had yielded to the
+persistency of these obstinate Jews, but he would show them that it was he
+and not they who was master. A new expedition should be sent, and this
+pestilent rebel, who, after all, had been shown not to be invincible,
+should be extinguished for ever. There was some doubt as to who should be
+put in command; but ultimately the King’s choice fell upon Nicanor, the
+same that had been associated with Gorgias in an earlier campaign. He had
+been since promoted to the exalted office of “Commander of the Elephants,”
+and was in high favour with Demetrius.
+
+Once more Judas found himself obliged to retire from Jerusalem, where he
+could not command the liberty of movement that was necessary for his
+safety; but he remained in the neighbourhood, and watched the development
+of events.
+
+Nicanor’s first idea was to repeat the treachery of Bacchides, and to get
+Judas and his brothers into his power. A letter, written in studiously
+friendly terms, was sent to the Jewish captain, suggesting a conference,
+at which the matters in dispute might easily be settled. Judas was not
+likely, especially after recent experience, to fall into the trap; but
+nevertheless he did not refuse the invitation. He came to the conference,
+but he came with a strong guard, and not till he had secured such
+conditions as seemed to make a treacherous surprise impossible. The
+meeting took place. Side by side, on two chairs of state, sat the two
+generals, each with their armed guard within call. On either side was a
+barrier, beyond which no one that did not belong to the stipulated number
+of attendants was allowed to pass. The conversation between the two was
+friendly and animated. Nicanor’s treacherous purpose did not prevent him
+from having a genuine admiration for the character and achievements of his
+great adversary; and the praises which he heaped upon him were perfectly
+sincere. But this feeling did not make him at all less anxious to get this
+formidable hero into his power.
+
+Negotiations had not proceeded very far, in fact had not got beyond the
+initial stage, when a preconcerted signal warned Judas that there was
+danger at hand. Self-possessed as ever, he showed no sign of having
+penetrated his companion’s intention. A point of some importance was
+raised by Nicanor, and Judas intimated that he could not deal with it
+until he had consulted his council. Rising from his seat, without allowing
+the least indication of disturbance to be seen in his manner, he bade the
+Greek general a courteous farewell, rejoined his guard, and was soon out
+of the reach of danger. But when he was again among his friends, he did
+not conceal his feelings. “He is a false liar,” he said, “and, so long as
+he lives, I will see his face again no more.” The words were to have a
+singularly close fulfilment.
+
+Nicanor, finding his attempted fraud unsuccessful, resolved to try force.
+He marched against Judas, who, for military reasons, had retired as far as
+Samaria, and gave him battle at Capharsalama. But the plans of Nicanor
+were conceived with more haste than prudence. He delivered his attack
+under unfavourable conditions, and received a crushing defeat in which he
+lost fully five thousand men.
+
+Thus baffled for a second time, he returned to Jerusalem in a frenzy of
+rage. On the day after his arrival he went, followed by an armed guard, to
+the Temple, and forced his way into the Great Court. It was the time of
+the morning sacrifice, and the trembling priests came down from the altar
+to salute him.
+
+“Rebels,” he cried, “you are praying to your God that the enemies of the
+King may prosper.”
+
+“Not so, my lord,” said the presiding priest, “we have but this moment
+offered the customary sacrifice for the health and welfare of the most
+excellent Demetrius.”
+
+“These are but words, and I ask for deeds. Let this pestilent fellow, this
+Judas, be delivered into my hands. Thus and thus only shall I know that
+you are faithful to my lord the King.”
+
+“But, my lord, you ask that which is impossible. How can we, that are men
+of peace, have power to lay hands upon this man of war?”
+
+“Ask me not how, but do the thing that I command, or it shall go ill with
+you and your city.”
+
+“Nay, my lord, speak not so. Ask that which is possible, and it shall be
+done to the uttermost of our power.”
+
+“Fair words! fair words! But I know well that, after the manner of your
+race, for you are the enemies of all men, you curse me behind my back. Now
+listen unto me. You will not deliver this traitor into my hands——”
+
+The priests attempted to speak, but he silenced them with an imperious
+gesture.
+
+“So be it. Then I will take him by force. And when I have taken him, and
+dealt with him after his deserts, then——” he paused for a moment, and held
+out his right hand with a threatening gesture towards the altar—“then I
+will burn this house with fire; even as the Chaldæans burnt it in the days
+of your fathers, so will I burn it. All the gods of heaven and hell
+confound me, if I do not burn it, as a man burns a brand in the fire.”
+
+So speaking he turned away, and without deigning to salute the terrified
+priests, quitted the precincts of the Temple.
+
+When he was gone the priests stood weeping and praying before the altar.
+“O Lord,” they said, “for the blasphemies wherewith Thine enemies
+blaspheme Thee, reward Thou them sevenfold into their bosom. Thou didst
+choose this house to be called by Thy name, and to be a house of prayer
+for Thy people. Avenge Thyself, therefore, of this man and his host, and
+cause them to fall by the sword.”
+
+Nicanor had sent to Antioch for reinforcements, for he would not fail
+again for lack of strength or due preparation, and marching out of
+Jerusalem, he awaited their arrival at the western end of the Pass of
+Beth-horon. Judas, who, after his victory near Samaria, had followed his
+beaten enemy, took up his position at Adasa, an elevated position about
+four miles to the north of Jerusalem. He thus put himself between Nicanor
+and the Holy City. But he had only three thousand men to match against a
+force three times as numerous.
+
+The fate of the Sanctuary of Israel now seemed to be trembling in the
+balance. If Nicanor was victorious its doom was sealed. He had vowed, with
+all the emphasis of an awful curse upon himself, that if he came again in
+peace he would utterly destroy it. Day after day the women and the old men
+left behind were continually in the Temple, which, perhaps, they might in
+a few days see destroyed before their eyes. And when at night the Temple
+gates were shut they sought their homes to fast and to renew in private
+their prayers for the deliverance of the Holy Place, and the victory of
+the armies of the Lord.
+
+By a notable coincidence the anniversary of a great danger and a great
+deliverance was approaching. Within a few days the Feast of Purim would be
+celebrated. Would the time bring with it a fresh cause for thanksgiving,
+or a disaster so terrible that all the deliverances of the past would seem
+to be of no avail?
+
+“Tell us, mother,” said little Daniel, one evening when they had returned
+from their daily visit to the Temple—“tell us about Mordecai and the
+wicked Haman.” He knew the story well, but, after the manner of children,
+liked it better the oftener he heard it.
+
+So Ruth told the familiar tale again—how the wicked Haman, wroth that the
+honest Mordecai would not pay him reverence, slandered the whole nation to
+the King till he obtained a decree for their slaughter, how Mordecai went
+to Esther the Queen, a Jewess herself, and bade her save her people,
+though she risked her own life to do it, how the wicked Haman was hanged
+on the gallows which he had made for his enemy, and the Jews had license
+given them by the King to slay their adversaries in every city of the
+kingdom of Persia.
+
+“And this Nicanor,” she went on, when she had finished her story—“this
+Nicanor is a new Haman. May the God against whom he has uttered his
+blasphemies cast him down and destroy him.”
+
+Meanwhile the hour of battle was drawing near. Judas and his little army
+were bivouacking on the hills of Adasa. It was the 12th day of the month
+Adar—about equivalent to the beginning of March—and on that high ground
+the night air was cold and piercing. Seraiah, Azariah, and Micah were
+sitting by a camp-fire, and talking over the chances of the coming
+struggle.
+
+It was the eve of the great Purim feast—the memorial which had been kept
+now for three hundred years of the great deliverance which God had wrought
+for His people by the hands of Mordecai and Esther. The thoughts of the
+comrades naturally turned to this memorable day.
+
+“Where and how,” said Micah to his companions, “shall we keep the Purim
+feast?”
+
+“Shall we keep it at all?” said Azariah, always somewhat disposed to take
+a gloomy view of their prospects. “A Mordecai we have, none more
+steadfast; and there is a Haman against us even more cruel and wicked than
+he of Persia. But Ahasuerus is against us, nor do I see who shall turn him
+from his purpose.”
+
+“Well,” said Seraiah, with a smile, “at least we can use our swords
+without his license.”
+
+While they were talking they observed a figure emerge from out the
+darkness into the circle of light made by the flames. They rose to their
+feet, for it was the captain himself.
+
+“Sit down, my friends,” he said, “we shall be on our feet enough
+to-morrow.” And as he spoke, he took his seat on the ground by their side.
+
+He went on, after a few minutes of silence, “So Azariah doubts what sort
+of a Purim festival we shall keep. As for myself I doubt not. But I have
+been thinking not so much of Mordecai and Haman—though it seems to me a
+happy thing that we shall fight on the day of that deliverance—as of
+Hezekiah and Rabshakeh. Did not the king his master send him to blaspheme
+the Holy City? And did not Hezekiah lay the letter before the Lord? And
+what was the end? In one night the host of the Assyrians was as if it had
+not been. So shall it be, I am persuaded in my heart, with this
+blaspheming Nicanor and his host. He and they shall be utterly destroyed.
+Yes, Azariah, we shall keep our Purim right joyously, after the manner of
+our fathers. But as for our enemies, the wine that they shall drink(25)
+will be the wine of the wrath of God.”
+
+He rose with these words, and passed away to spend the rest of the night
+in meditation and prayer. His face next morning, when in the early dawn he
+stood in front of his slender line, was as the face of one who has talked
+face to face with God. Not less rapt than his look was the tone of his
+voice as he poured out the words of his prayer—“O Lord, when they that
+were sent from the King of the Assyrians blasphemed, Thine angel went out
+and smote an hundred fourscore and five thousand of them. Even so destroy
+Thou this host before us this day, that the rest may know that he hath
+spoken blasphemously against Thy Sanctuary, and judge Thou him according
+to his wickedness.”
+
+A murmur of assent passed through the little army as he uttered these
+words in that clear, thrilling voice which was one of his many gifts as a
+born leader of men. The next moment the line advanced, for Judas followed
+again the successful tactic of attack. Never had his Ironsides advanced
+with a more determined courage; never did they deal fiercer blows. The
+enemy were scattered by their impetuous onset, as the dust is scattered
+before the wind. For all his brutality and falsehood, Nicanor was no
+coward. He stood in the very van of his army, giving such cheer as he
+could to his men, and though the lines behind him reeled and shook with
+that movement which is the sure presage of defeat to a soldier’s eye, at
+the approach of the Chasidim, he stood his ground with a dauntless
+courage. He was almost the first to fall, Azariah striking him to the
+ground with a sweeping blow of his sword. It was an appropriate ending to
+the blasphemer that he should receive his death-stroke from the weapon
+that bore the talisman of the Holy Name.
+
+The Greek line had been already beginning to break, but the death of the
+leader completed the rout.
+
+It was no common victory that Judas won that day. The pursuit was long and
+bloody. The beaten army fled in wild disorder over the country, only to
+find enemies on every hand. Before the sun set it was simply annihilated.
+The tradition of that awful slaughter still lingers in the place, and the
+valley is called “The Valley of Blood.”
+
+Their work done, the conquerors entered the city. The news of the great
+deliverance had already reached it, and the Feast of Purim was being kept
+in earnest. During the earlier part of the day the suspense and anxiety
+had been too great to admit of anything more than formal rejoicing. The
+customary sacrifices were offered, the customary prayers put up; but the
+thoughts of all were with Judas and his men on the battle-field of Adasa.
+Then came rumours, at first wholly vague and even fictitious—rumours first
+of victory, then of defeat, then of victory again. An hour or so after
+noon a swift runner came in with some authentic tidings. But he could not
+tell of all that happened. This was gradually learnt, and then, long after
+the darkness had closed in, came the advanced guard of the conquering
+army, and, close upon midnight, Judas himself. In spite of the darkness,
+multitudes thronged to meet him. With extravagant manifestations of
+delight, with shouting and singing, with mingled tears and laughter, they
+welcomed him home, the deliverer of the city and the Temple. Never before
+had he been so enthusiastically received. And it was well that it should
+be so, for this was his last return as a conqueror.
+
+The feast was continued with yet more hearty rejoicing into the next day.
+And indeed from thenceforth the two deliverances were to be celebrated
+together—the salvation which Judas had wrought for his people on the
+battle-field of Adasa, and that which Esther and Mordecai had accomplished
+in the presence-chamber of the Persian King.
+
+Ruth would gladly have stayed at home and expressed thankfulness in
+private, but the children were urgent with her that she should take them
+into the streets that they might see the people keep holiday. It was a
+request that, as the wife and sister of patriots, she could not refuse;
+and in the depth of her mother’s heart was the proud thought that the
+little Daniel was not an unworthy scion of the race, and that not a few
+would look with admiration on the son of Seraiah, the nephew of
+Azariah.(26) And indeed she did hear as she passed along not a few
+whispered praises, which made her pulses beat quick with thankfulness and
+joy.
+
+As they came in their rambling into the neighbourhood of the Temple, they
+found their way blocked by a dense crowd, which seemed eagerly pressing
+forward to see some spectacle of surpassing interest. “What is it?” she
+asked of one who had been, it seemed, successful in the struggle for a
+glimpse of this interesting sight, and was now turning away. She could not
+help shuddering at his answer, and called to the children to come away.
+But the quick ears of little Daniel had also caught the man’s reply, and
+he loudly objected.
+
+“Nay, mother,” he said, “I must see. Such things are not for women to
+see”—the little fellow of five or six had already caught the masculine
+tone of superiority—“but I am a soldier’s son, and shall not be afraid to
+look. And when I am a man I shall fight for God and for His Holy Temple.”
+
+“You are a brave lad, and if I mistake not, and you are the nephew of
+Azariah, there is no one here that has a better right to look at yonder
+sight than you. For ’twas your brave uncle, I am told, that slew that son
+of Belial with his sword.”
+
+So saying he lifted the child from the ground, and raised him till he
+could stand upon his shoulders. And what did the little Daniel see that
+made him shout and clap his hands? It was the head and hand of Nicanor
+nailed against the Temple wall. There were the pallid, distorted lips that
+had uttered such proud blasphemies against the Sanctuary of the Lord;
+there was the shrunken, bloodless hand that had been lifted up with
+threats and scorn against His Holy Place. The Lord had indeed punished the
+proud doer.
+
+
+
+
+
+                              CHAPTER XXXI.
+
+                            THE FALLING AWAY.
+
+
+Though Jerusalem was almost wild with joy—and, indeed, so utterly had the
+Greek army disappeared that deliverance was complete for the time—Judas’s
+heart was full of sad forebodings. Demetrius, he knew, had a steadfastness
+of purpose which augured ill for the future. He was not a madman like
+Epiphanes, nor a child like Eupator; but a cool-headed, resolute man, who
+had seen something of the world, and would carry out his plans with both
+perseverance and skill. Would he sit down under the defeats which he had
+received and recognize Jewish independence? Judas thought it unlikely. The
+vengeance might be laid aside, but it would be sure to come. Could he hope
+to repeat these victories again and again? Once before he had been reduced
+to the greatest straits, and had only escaped by an unexpected change in
+the purpose of the young Antiochus. Could he look for anything so
+marvellous again? Only one plan appeared to him to be possible, and he
+lost no time in calling a council of his principal followers and
+announcing it to them. It was certain, he told them, that there would be
+another war, and a war that would last for years, if only the Jewish
+people could hold out so long. “We warriors may endure it, and if the
+worst come to the worst, we can but fall on the field of battle. But what
+of the old and the weak? What of the women and children? And then we are
+not united. Our foes are of our own household. We have to fight not only
+against the Greek, but against the Jew also. And even in this assembly
+there are some,” he went on, with an emphasis which could not be mistaken,
+“who speak evil of me behind my back. What, then, shall we do? Speak, any
+one who has counsel to give.”
+
+The appeal was met with silence, and the speaker continued, “You have
+nothing to advise. Listen, therefore, to my counsel, and resist it not in
+haste because it seems strange. There is a nation that, rising from a
+beginning small as ours, has now made for itself a great dominion. They
+are stern to their enemies, but they are just and faithful to their
+friends. Like Israel in the earlier and better days, they have no king to
+rule them after his own pleasure, but an assembly that weighs every plan
+carefully and wisely. And in battle they cannot be resisted. Have you
+heard of such a people?”
+
+One or two voices answered with the word “Rome.”
+
+“You have said well,” he said; “it is of the Romans that I have been
+speaking. Let us make alliance with them. We shall be, as it were, an
+outpost for them against the King of Syria, against whom they have fought
+already, and, doubtless, will fight again. And they will be a protection
+to us. And with the Romans on our side, we need fear the Greeks no more.”
+
+One or two of the council were in Judas’s secret. Others had guessed, more
+or less correctly, what he was intending, but on most the announcement of
+his intention fell like a thunderbolt. For a few moments there was the
+pause of intense astonishment. Then followed a burst of indignation, in
+which, of course, the Chasidim led the way.
+
+“Say not,” cried one of their chief speakers, “the Romans are like to
+Israel because they have no king. Did not Samuel say to the people, when
+they fell away from their faith because of Nahash the Ammonite, and would
+have a king after the manner of the heathen round about, ‘The Lord your
+God is your King.’ And shall we, knowing that the Lord Jehovah is the King
+of the Jews, reject Him from reigning over us, and choose us for rulers an
+assembly of some three hundred idolaters. Will you set these men of sin to
+be lords over the City of God?”
+
+“Nay,” replied Judas, “you speak unadvisedly and rashly. We shall have our
+own rulers. We shall worship after our own way. The Romans will help us in
+war; and we shall help them as we only can. Did not David make friendship
+and alliance with Hiram, King of Tyre, and did not Solomon, in whose reign
+was peace, make that friendship and alliance yet closer?”
+
+The Chasidim replied, quoting the prophets and denunciations of the
+Egyptian alliance. “Even that accursed Rabshakeh,” they said, “spoke the
+truth, when he said that Pharaoh, King of Egypt, was a bruised reed which
+will go into a man’s hand and pierce it, if he lean upon it. So shall it
+be with thee, if thou lean upon Rome.”
+
+The war of words raged long and furiously. The Chasidim had the best of
+the argument, but to the majority of the council the prospect of a settled
+peace was irresistibly alluring. And the influence of Judas, too, was
+overpowering. By a large majority it was decided to send to Rome,
+Eupolemus, the son of John, and Jason, the son of Eleazar,(27) envoys who
+had been selected for the mission by Judas himself.
+
+When the resolution had been passed the council broke up, and the Chasidim
+dispersed with dark looks and saddened hearts. The next few days passed in
+uncertainty and gloom. No news had come from Antioch as to the movements
+or intentions of the King. But there was little doubt as to what he would
+do. Whatever they might try to believe in their secret hearts they could
+not but own that when the opportunity came Demetrius would deal them a
+blow into which he would put all his strength.
+
+And how would that blow be met? Would they be able to escape it, or parry
+it, or stand up against it? The Chasidim, the Ironsides, the men who had
+been the stay and strength of Judas’s armies, who had followed him to
+victory at Beth-zur, at Beth-horon, at Adasa, were miserably dejected. The
+embassy to Rome had broken their spirits. The issue, before so simple to
+these stern souls, narrow, perhaps, in their range of vision, but of a
+clear and single eye, was now confused. While they fought for the Lord
+against the gods of the heathen, they could confidently expect that He
+would show Himself greater than all gods, and this faith had made them
+irresistible. But now, if Jew and Roman were to fight side by side, with
+what confidence could they call upon the Lord of Hosts? Was He the Lord of
+_that_ host, in whose ranks were ranged the battalions of the
+uncircumcised?
+
+Some left the leader whom they now regarded as unfaithful to his trust,
+and departed to distant villages, hanging up the swords which they were
+steadfastly resolved not to draw side by side with the heathen. Others, in
+whom the military instinct of discipline, or the personal attachment to
+Judas, as the general who had led them so often to victory, were so strong
+as to overpower all other considerations, remained with him. Nothing could
+take them from his side, but they went with heavy hearts and with an
+outlook on the future that was almost hopeless.
+
+Meanwhile the embassy started. What the answer of the Romans would be
+Judas did not doubt. They would rejoice to secure the alliance of a people
+who could lend them aid so useful. But would the answer come in time to
+save the city and the Temple from the wrath of Demetrius?
+
+And indeed that wrath did not linger. Within a month Bacchides was on his
+way from Antioch with a force of twenty thousand foot and two thousand
+horse. The renegade Alcimus accompanied him, and was to be reinstated in
+his high-priesthood. Their line of march was through Galilee. On their way
+they took the fortified town of Masaloth, and put the garrison to the
+sword. It was about the time of the Passover feast that the invaders
+reached Jerusalem. There was some talk about attacking it; but Alcimus was
+urgent in resisting the proposal. “The King’s quarrel,” he said, “is with
+Judas, who is the cause of all this mischief, and Judas is not here. And
+the King has commanded that I should be replaced in my office; but what
+shall my office profit me if there be no city for me to govern, nor Temple
+in which I am to minister?” Bacchides yielded to these representations,
+and leaving the city unhurt marched to Beeroth (a few miles north-east of
+Jerusalem) and there pitched his camp.
+
+Among the patriots there was such doubt and dismay as had never been felt
+from the day when the aged Mattathias struck the first blow for freedom,
+not even in that dark hour when Judas and his famine-stricken followers
+were about to make their desperate sally from the Temple fortress. It was
+not that they were fighting against overwhelming odds, for they had faced
+as great before; it was that they had lost their unquestioning faith in
+their leader.
+
+“Ah!” said Micah to Azariah, when they were discussing the matter for the
+twentieth time—and indeed it was almost the only subject of their talk—“I
+have seen these heathen from near at hand—I say it with shame—and I know
+what they are better than you, better than Judas, who is so good that he
+can scarcely believe that other men are bad. ‘He that toucheth pitch shall
+be defiled,’ says Jesus, the son of Sirach, and though our captain is
+greater than other men, in this matter he is but as they are. What madness
+drove him to meddle with the accursed thing? God forgive me if I speak
+evil of the ruler of my people, but I must say that which is in my heart.”
+
+“Nay,” said Azariah, still loyal to his great-hearted chief, though he too
+had doubts which he had to crush down by sheer force of will—“nay, you go
+too far. Did not Jehoshaphat, the servant of the Lord, make alliance with
+the children of Edom when he fought against Mesha, the King of Moab?”
+
+“But the children of Edom,” answered Micah, “were akin to our people; but
+as for these Romans, they are utterly unclean. O, brother, I have often
+thought whether, as a faithful servant of the Law, I could remain any
+longer with the captain.”
+
+“You will not leave us?” cried Azariah—“it only wants that, and I shall be
+ready to fall on my own sword.”
+
+“No; I shall not go. If I am wrong the Lord pardon me; but I cannot go
+when so many are falling away. Yet if these Romans come—then I shall
+depart.”
+
+“They will not come—at least before the battle. Judas knows it, and it
+troubles him. As for me, I know not. But this I know, that he is the
+servant of the Lord, and I will follow him to the death. Nevertheless I
+cry day and night unto the God of Israel that He will not suffer His
+servants to be found fighting in the ranks of them that know Him not.”
+
+There were the same doubts among the faithful in the city. The aged
+Shemaiah had been in the Temple all day, assisting at the sacrifices which
+were being offered, and the prayers which were being put up for the
+success of Judas and his army. All night the services would be continued;
+but the old man was utterly worn out, and he had been led back by one of
+the Levites to Seraiah’s house.
+
+“Father,” said Ruth, “do you think that our prayers are heard? I know that
+God does not vouchsafe the visible signs of His presence in His Temple as
+He did in the days of old, and that He does not touch with fire from
+heaven the sacrifice that He accepts. But yet He sometimes seems to
+answer, and we feel in our hearts that He will give us what we ask. Has it
+been so to-day with you, father?”
+
+There was a touching eagerness in her manner, as she put the question. Not
+Miriam, not Deborah, had loved their country with a sincerer passion than
+did she; and then she had a husband and a brother in the camp, and she
+knew that before another sun had set, their fate and the fate of their
+country would be decided.
+
+The priest shook his head. “My daughter,” he said, “I can give you no
+comfort, for no comfort has been given to me. My heart was cold within me
+while I prayed, for I could not forget that the servant of the Lord had
+touched the accursed thing when he sought the alliance of the Romans.”
+
+“O sir,” broke in Huldah, who had been eagerly listening, “he did not do
+it for his own gain or advancement. He did but seek the peace of Israel.”
+
+“Daughter,” said the old man, solemnly, “there are that cry ‘Peace!
+Peace!’ when there is no peace; and that is no peace which can be got only
+by unlawful dealing with the heathen. It is God, and God only, that can
+give this blessing to His people. And He has greater blessings in store
+than this. Does Judas seek to be honoured and to make us honoured by the
+nations round about? If he would be in truth the servant of the Lord let
+him rather be content with the lot of which Isaiah the prophet speaks: ‘He
+is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows and acquainted with
+grief.’ So only shall he make many righteous; so only shall he be exalted
+of God. This is the lot of the chosen people: not to live at ease among
+the nations.”
+
+
+
+
+
+                             CHAPTER XXXII.
+
+                             THE LAST BATTLE.
+
+
+It was the night before the battle. Day by day and hour by hour the
+contagion of doubt and disaffection had been spreading through the little
+army that followed Judas. He had had three thousand men when he pitched
+his camp at Eleasa, and the three thousand had now dwindled down to less
+than one.
+
+Judas was sitting by one of the camp-fires with Azariah and Seraiah, when
+two soldiers came up, bringing bound between them a man who had
+endeavoured, they said, to make his way into the camp. He wore his hat
+drawn down over his forehead, and little of his face could be seen, but
+there was something in his figure that seemed familiar to Azariah.
+
+“Who are you?” said Judas, “and what want you in the camp? Are you for us
+or for our enemies?”
+
+“My lord,” said the man, “my name is Benjamin, and—for I will hide nothing
+from you—I am a robber. Once I was a soldier in your army, but I broke the
+law, and I fled lest I should be put to death. Now I am come, of my own
+accord, to make such amends for my transgression as I may. Slay me, if you
+will, as I stand here. There is no need of a trial. I have been tried and
+condemned, and I acknowledge that I deserve to die. But if you will be
+merciful, let me fight in the morning by your side; and on the morrow, if
+I yet live, let me suffer the due punishment. Life I ask not, but only
+that I may strike a blow for you before I die.”
+
+“Unbind him,” said Judas to the soldiers.
+
+The command was obeyed.
+
+“You are free to go or stay. But I would gladly have you at my side
+to-morrow, for I have forgotten all but that you are a brave man.”
+
+Benjamin stepped forward, and raising the hem of the captain’s robe to his
+lips, kissed it. He then knelt, and putting his head to the ground made as
+though he would have placed Judas’s foot upon his neck.
+
+“Nay,” said the captain, “we want not slaves, but brothers.” And he raised
+him from the ground. “And now,” he went on, “sit down and tell us what you
+know, for I make sure that you have not come empty of news.”
+
+Benjamin did indeed know all that could be known about the enemy, and,
+indeed, about the situation of affairs. To a question from Seraiah he
+replied that a surprise was impossible. The camp was too well guarded and
+watched.
+
+“Do they know our real numbers?” asked Judas.
+
+“Yes,” was the answer, “the deserters have told them.” And he proceeded to
+give a number of names of those who had gone over to the enemy, with a
+readiness and a precision that showed how diligent had been his watch.
+
+When he had told all his story, and understood that there was nothing more
+for him to do before the morrow, he wrapped himself in his cloak, and with
+characteristic indifference to the future, fell immediately into a
+profound and dreamless sleep.
+
+As soon as the first rays of light were seen Judas mustered his soldiers
+and hastily numbered them. There were about eight hundred in all, while
+the army of Bacchides, according to the calculations of Benjamin, which
+seemed to have been carefully made, could not be less than twenty
+thousand.
+
+Judas was not dismayed by this disparity of numbers, but was still true to
+his old strategy of attack. “Let us go up against our enemies,” was the
+exhortation that he addressed to the remnant that was still faithful to
+him. At first they shrank back. The odds were too vast; the attempt too
+desperate. An old soldier who had proved his valour on more than one
+battle-field was put forward as their spokesman.
+
+“This, sir,” he said, “will be to tempt God. Let us now save our lives.
+Hereafter we will return again, and fight with them. But now we are too
+few.”
+
+But Judas did not waver for a moment. “God forbid,” he cried, “that I
+should do this thing, and flee away from them. Not so; if our time is
+come, let us die manfully for our brethren, and not stain our honour.”
+
+His words roused once more an answering echo in the hearts of those who
+heard him. They replied with a cry of assent. Victory they could not hope
+for, but their captain they would follow whithersoever he should lead
+them, and as long as he lived they would guard his life with theirs.
+
+The little host was then divided into five companies, commanded by Judas
+and his two brothers, Simon and Jonathan, by Seraiah and Micah
+respectively. Azariah, whose standing in the army would have entitled him
+to a separate command, had made a special request that he might be allowed
+to fight by the side of Judas. Benjamin had begged and obtained the same
+privilege.
+
+On both sides the trumpets sounded, and both armies moved forward. It was
+with nothing less than astonishment that the Greeks saw the slender
+proportion of the force that was opposed to them. Most laughed aloud at
+the thought that such a handful of men should venture to stand up against
+their own well-appointed and numerous host. Others, who had before crossed
+swords with Judas’s men knew that that day’s battle, end as it might,
+would be no laughing matter. And indeed they were right. The little
+company of Jewish heroes fought as three centuries before Leonidas and his
+men had fought at Thermopylae.(28) The Greeks came on with the same
+arrogant confidence in their numbers as did the picked Persian force
+against the defenders of Greece, and met with a like disastrous repulse.
+Such was the fury of the Jewish soldiers, such their agility and strength,
+that they kept the attacking force in check during the whole day. When
+night approached the Greeks had made, it might almost be said, absolutely
+no way.
+
+But the resistance, successful as it had been, had cost lives, and Judas
+saw his force dwindling before his eyes. Then he made his last desperate
+effort. He threw himself on the right wing, where Bacchides commanded in
+person, broke the line, and drove it in confusion before him. Possibly he
+was too rash in his pursuit, but on such a day, when such odds are to be
+encountered, it is scarcely possible to distinguish between rashness and
+courage. Anyhow, it was but a brief success. The left wing closed in upon
+his rear, and he and his gallant band were surrounded. Judas was the mark
+of a hundred swords and spears. For a time he seemed to bear a charmed
+life. Azariah and Benjamin, at his right hand and his left, beat down the
+blows aimed at him, wholly careless of their own lives, while he with the
+long sweep of his fatal sword—the same that he had taken from the dead
+Apollonius on his first battle-field—dealt blow after blow, till the
+ground was covered with the corpses of his enemies. But a spear pierced
+the stout heart of Benjamin, and a sword-stroke laid Azariah in the dust;
+and just as the sun sank behind the rugged hills, the hero who had smitten
+the enemies of his country at Bethhoron and Emmaüs, at Elah and at Adasa,
+had struck his last blow. The Hammer lay broken on the rock.
+
+
+
+
+
+                             CHAPTER XXXIII.
+
+                           THE HOPE OF ISRAEL.
+
+
+A week had passed since the fatal day of Eleasa. Judas had been buried in
+peace in the grave where he had laid, five years before, the aged
+Mattathias. The Greek general had been so much impressed with the valour
+and generalship of the Jewish hero that he strictly ordered that no
+indignity should be offered to his remains; and when an envoy came from
+the surviving brothers to ask that the corpse should be given up for
+burial, made no difficulty about granting the request. It was only fitting
+that a brave man should be so honoured. The King, too, had been avenged on
+his enemy, nor did he imagine for a moment that the rebels, as he called
+them, would continue to hold out now that their leader had been taken from
+them. It was impossible for him to foresee that those undaunted brothers
+would maintain the desperate struggle until they had wrung from the Syrian
+king the recognition of Jewish independence. Accordingly he granted a
+truce for a fortnight, and even sent some of his troops to accompany the
+funeral procession. It had been a touching scene; and when the hero had
+been laid to rest in the sepulchre of his fathers, and the piercing voices
+of the women, many of whom had struggled over the long and toilsome way
+from Jerusalem to be present, raised the cry of lamentation, many of the
+Greek soldiers found themselves moved to tears. This had been the dirge
+that had been sung over the grave:—
+
+  “How is the valiant man fallen that delivered Israel.
+  In his acts he was like a lion, and like a lion’s whelp roaring for his
+              prey.
+  For he pursued the wicked, and sought them out, and burnt up those that
+              vexed his people.
+  Wherefore the wicked shrunk for fear of him, and all the workers of
+              iniquity were troubled, because salvation prospered in his
+              hand.
+  He grieved also many kings, and made Jacob glad with his acts, and his
+              memorial is blessed for ever.”
+
+And now once more the little company of those whom we have known by name
+are gathered in Seraiah’s house. The orphaned girls are there, Miriam and
+Judith, passionately grieving for their father, but yet exulting as
+passionately that he was at the side of Judas to the last, and that his
+hope had been at least so far fulfilled that he and the captain whom he
+loved had been saved from drawing sword among the legions of Rome. Little
+Daniel, too, is there, his childish heart sorely troubled with the
+darkness of a dispensation which he cannot understand; and Ruth,
+comforting herself and the children with the thought that he whom they had
+lost had rejoined his own Hannah, and half reproaching herself for her
+selfish joy in having her Seraiah still spared to her. Huldah and Eglah,
+who had been among the mourners at Modin, are there also, and the aged
+priest Shemaiah.
+
+“O father,” cried one of the women, “tell us why these things are so. Why
+does God so disappoint us of our hopes? We trusted that it had been he who
+should have delivered Israel, and now he is dead!”
+
+“We must wait,” said the old man, “for God’s good time, for He seeth not
+as we see. Did not David think that Solomon, his son, should be the
+promised king of Israel; and, behold, he turned aside to worship idols,
+and laid such burdens on the people that his kingdom was broken in twain?
+And now we, too, have built our hopes upon a man, and they have failed.
+Surely of Judas it might have been said, ‘He shall deliver the needy when
+he crieth, the poor also, and him that hath no helper; he shall redeem
+their soul from deceit and violence, and dear shall their blood be in his
+sight.’
+
+“We looked,” said Seraiah, “for the time when all kings should fall down
+before him, all nations should do him service. He seemed like the stone
+cut out of the mountain without hands that should smite all the kingdoms
+of evil, and we waited for the reign of Messiah the Prince.”
+
+“And will Messiah come?” cried little Daniel, who had been eagerly
+listening to these words, not understanding all, indeed, but catching
+their general purport.
+
+“Surely, my son,” said the old man; “but there are many things to be
+suffered first.”
+
+He was silent for a time, sitting with eyes that seemed to take no heed of
+the present, but to be gazing into a far futurity. At last he spoke.
+
+“He loved Israel with all his heart, but he has brought upon us a people
+of iron, harder than the brazen Greeks. He looked to them for help that he
+might build up the walls of Sion, and behold! in the days to come they
+will make Jerusalem a desolation and the inhabitants thereof a hissing.
+And yet, by the Lord’s help, he wrought a great deliverance for Israel. He
+recovered and cleansed the Temple, and by his hand the Lord changed the
+king’s commandment, so that we may once more worship Him in the beauty of
+holiness. And surely, had it not been for him, when he put to flight the
+hosts of Lysias, we should have been carried away again into captivity.
+For this was in the heart of our persecutors; only Judas stood in the way
+that it should not be done. The Lord reward him for it, and impute not his
+transgression unto him, for he did not transgress wilfully, or out of an
+evil heart. Nevertheless, I am persuaded that it shall not be so when
+Messiah shall come, for come He will at the appointed time, seeing that
+the Lord repenteth Him not of His promises. Verily He shall not do homage
+to any godless bestower of kingdoms, nor listen to the voice of the Evil
+One, though he promise Him all the world and the glory of it. With His own
+right hand and with His holy arm will He get Himself the victory!”
+
+
+
+
+
+
+                THE FAMILY OF THE ASMONEANS, OR MACCABEES.
+
+
+The name “Maccabee,” probably derived from a Hebrew word signifying a
+“Hammer,” was originally given to Judas, and afterwards extended to his
+four brothers. They came of a priestly family, belonging to the first and
+noblest of the twenty-four “courses,” taking its name from a certain Asmon
+or Chasmon, great-grandfather of Mattathias, father of Judas. The five
+heroic brothers all met with a violent death.
+
+That of Judas and Eleazar has been already described.
+
+John, the eldest, was killed in a skirmish, shortly after the death of
+Judas.
+
+Jonathan maintained himself in power by a clever policy of leaning on
+Rome, and taking part with various claimants to the Syrian crown. He
+became High-priest at some time after the year 153, and perished in 144 by
+the treachery of a certain Tryphon, who usurped for a time the throne of
+Syria.
+
+Simon succeeded to the High-priesthood, and governed the Jewish people for
+a period of eight years with great success. In B.C. 143 he obtained from
+the Syrian king a formal recognition of the independence of the Jews, and
+in the following year he got possession of the fortress in Jerusalem
+occupied by the Syrian faction. In 135 he was treacherously murdered by
+his son-in-law, Ptolemaeus.
+
+Simon, who had maintained the alliance with Rome, was succeeded by his son
+John Hyrcanus, who followed the same policy, and he again by his son
+Aristobulus, who assumed the title of King in 107.
+
+Mariamne, the unhappy wife of Herod the Great, belonged to the Maccabean
+House. With the death of her two sons it became extinct.
+
+
+
+
+
+                           The Gresham Press,
+                             UNWIN BROTHERS,
+                          CHILWORTH AND LONDON.
+
+
+
+
+
+                           BY THE SAME AUTHOR.
+
+                          ‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐
+
+STORIES FROM HOMER. With Coloured Illustrations. Eighteenth Thousand.
+Price 5s., cloth.
+
+“A book which ought to become an English classic. It is full of the pure
+Homeric flavour.”—_Spectator._
+
+
+STORIES FROM VIRGIL. With Coloured Illustrations. Fourteenth Thousand.
+Price 5s., cloth.
+
+“Superior to his ‘Stories from Homer,’ good as they were, and perhaps as
+perfect a specimen of that peculiar form of translation as could
+be.”—_Times._
+
+
+STORIES FROM THE GREEK TRAGEDIANS. With Coloured Illustrations. Eighth
+Thousand. Price 5s., cloth.
+
+“Not only a pleasant and entertaining book for the fireside, but a
+storehouse of facts from history to be of real service to them when they
+come to read a Greek play for themselves.”—_Standard._
+
+
+STORIES OF THE EAST FROM HERODOTUS. With Coloured Illustrations. Seventh
+Thousand. Price 5s., cloth.
+
+“For a school prize a more suitable book will hardly be found.”—_Literary
+Churchman._
+
+“A very quaint and delightful book.”—_Spectator._
+
+
+THE STORY OF THE PERSIAN WAR FROM HERODOTUS. With Coloured Illustrations.
+Fifth Thousand. Price 5s., cloth.
+
+“We are inclined to think this is the best volume of Professor Church’s
+series since the excellent ‘Stories from Homer.’”—_Athenæum._
+
+
+STORIES FROM LIVY. With Coloured Illustrations. Fifth Thousand. Price 5s.,
+cloth.
+
+“The lad who gets this book for a present will have got a genuine
+classical treasure.”—_Scotsman._
+
+
+ROMAN LIFE IN THE DAYS OF CICERO. With Coloured Illustrations. Fourth
+Thousand. Price 5s., cloth.
+
+“The best prize-book of the season.”—_Journal of Education._
+
+
+THE STORY OF THE LAST DAYS OF JERUSALEM FROM JOSEPHUS. With Coloured
+Illustrations. Fourth Thousand. Price 3s. 6d., cloth.
+
+“The execution of this work has been performed with that judiciousness of
+selection and felicity of language which have combined to raise Professor
+Church far above the fear of rivalry.”—_Academy._
+
+
+A TRAVELLER’S TRUE TALE FROM LUCIAN. With Coloured Illustrations. Third
+Thousand. Price 3s. 6d., cloth.
+
+“There can hardly be a more amusing book of marvels for young people than
+this.”—_Saturday Review._
+
+
+HEROES AND KINGS. Stories from the Greek. Fifth Thousand. Price 1s. 6d.,
+cloth.
+
+“This volume is quite a little triumph of neatness and taste.”—_Saturday
+Review._
+
+
+THE STORIES OF THE ILIAD AND THE ÆNEID. With Illustrations. Price 1s.,
+sewed, or 1s. 6d., cloth.
+
+“The attractive and scholar-like rendering of the story cannot fail, we
+feel sure, to make it a favourite at home as well as at
+school.”—_Educational Times._
+
+
+THE CHANTRY PRIEST OF BARNET: A Tale of the Two Roses. With Coloured
+Illustrations. Fourth Thousand. Price 5s.
+
+“This is likely to be a very useful book, as it is certainly very
+interesting and well got up.”—_Saturday Review._
+
+
+WITH THE KING AT OXFORD. A Story of the Great Rebellion. With Coloured
+Illustrations. Fourth Thousand. Price 5s.
+
+“Excellent sketches of the times.”—_Athenæum._
+
+
+THE COUNT OF THE SAXON SHORE. A Tale of the Departure of the Romans from
+Britain. With Sixteen Illustrations. Third Thousand. Price 5s.
+
+“A good stirring tale.”—_Daily News._
+
+
+STORIES OF THE MAGICIANS: THALABA; RUSTEM; THE CURSE OF KEHAMA. With
+Coloured Illustrations. Price 5s.
+
+“Worthy of all praise.”—_Pall Mall Gazette._
+
+
+THREE GREEK CHILDREN. A Story of Home in Old Time. With Twelve
+Illustrations. Price 3s. 6d.
+
+“This is a very fascinating little book.”—_Spectator._
+
+
+TO THE LIONS! A Tale of the Early Christians. With Sixteen Illustrations.
+Price 3s. 6d., cloth.
+
+“The picture of the life of the Early Christians is drawn with admirable
+simplicity and distinctness.”—_Guardian._
+
+
+
+
+
+                                FOOTNOTES
+
+
+    1 Nearly £2,000.
+
+    2 “The exceeding profaneness of Jason, that ungodly wretch, and no
+      high priest” (2 Macc. iv. 13).
+
+    3 Antiochus’s surname, self-assumed or given by the flattery of his
+      courtiers, of “Epiphanes” (the Illustrious), was jestingly changed
+      by his subjects through the alteration of a single letter into,
+      “Epimanes” (Madman).
+
+    4 The Suburra was one of the least reputable quarters in Rome.
+
+    5 “He came with the King’s mandate, bringing nothing worthy the high
+      priesthood, but having the fury of a cruel tyrant, and the rage of a
+      savage beast” (2 Macc. iv. 25).
+
+    6 Son and successor of Seleucus Nicator, the first of the dynasty of
+      the Greek Syrian kings.
+
+    7 The wine of Mount Tmolus, a mountain near Smyrna, before which, as
+      Virgil says (Georgics ii. 184), all other wines rise as before their
+      betters.
+
+    8 Azariah, holpen of Jehovah.
+
+    9 Charles Martel defeated the Saracens between Poictiers and Tours
+      (A.D. 732).
+
+   10 Not to be confounded with the village near Jerusalem.
+
+   11 The talent must have been a talent of gold, which may be reckoned as
+      equal to £3,300.
+
+   12 This is the meaning of the name Eleazar.
+
+   13 Psalm cxxxvi.
+
+   14 About £,24.
+
+   15 Hebrews xi. 37-38. Compare ii. Macc. x. vi. “When as they wandered
+      in the mountains and dens like beasts.”
+
+   16 Nine o’clock, p.m.
+
+   17 There seems to have been a belief among the Jews of this time in the
+      efficacy of prayers for the dead. So we read in 2 Maccabees xii. 45:
+      “Whereupon he made a reconciliation for the dead that they might be
+      delivered from sin.” This is probably the chief reason why the
+      Council of Trent included the Books of Maccabees and other
+      Apocryphal writings in the Canon of Scripture.
+
+   18 The month Chisleu about corresponds to our December.
+
+   19 See S. John x. 22, 23: “And it was at Jerusalem the Feast of the
+      Dedication, and it was winter. And Jesus walked in the Temple, in
+      Solomon’s porch.”
+
+   20 Eupator means “Born of a great father.”
+
+   21 Psalms cxiii.-cxviii.
+
+   22 Ibid. cxx.-cxxxiv.
+
+   23 Alcimus seems to have been an adaptation, not a little remote,
+      however, from the original, of the Hebrew name Eliakim.
+
+   24 “Bezeth,” it is called. Possibly it may be identified with Bezetha,
+      which was afterwards part of the city.
+
+   25 Copious draughts of wine were an important part of the customary
+      celebration of the Purim festival.
+
+   26 “Et pater Æneas et avunculus excitet Hector.”
+
+   27 Observe the Greek names of the two. In each case the father’s name
+      is Hebrew, and the son’s Greek. This seems to show how far the
+      Hellenization of the people had proceeded.
+
+   28 We commonly talk of the “three hundred” at Thermopylae. As a matter
+      of fact there were _a thousand_, not reckoning the Thebans, who are
+      said to have laid down their arms at once. But the seven hundred men
+      from Thespiae, a little Bœotian town, fought bravely to the end;
+      only their glory is swallowed up in that of the “three hundred”
+      Spartans. Canon Westcott speaks of this battle as the Jewish
+      Thermopylae (“Dictionary of the Bible”).
+
+
+
+
+
+                            TRANSCRIBER’S NOTE
+
+
+Variations in hyphenation have not been changed. In several places, wrong
+quotation marks have been silently corrected.
+
+Other changes, which have been made to the text:
+
+      page xi, “ELEAZER” changed to “ELEAZAR”
+      page 230, double “the” removed
+      page 354, “of” changed to “or”
+
+
+
+
+
+***END OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE HAMMER. A STORY OF THE MACCABEAN TIMES***
+
+
+
+                                 CREDITS
+
+
+December 31, 2013
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+            Project Gutenberg TEI edition 1
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+***FINIS***
+
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+The Project Gutenberg EBook of The Hammer. A Story of the Maccabean Times
+by Alfred John Church and Richmond Seeley
+
+
+
+This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with almost no
+restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under
+the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or
+online at http://www.gutenberg.org/license
+
+
+
+Title: The Hammer. A Story of the Maccabean Times
+
+Author: Alfred John Church and Richmond Seeley
+
+Release Date: December 31, 2013 [Ebook #44550]
+
+Language: English
+
+Character set encoding: ISO 8859-1
+
+
+***START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE HAMMER. A STORY OF THE MACCABEAN TIMES***
+
+
+
+
+
+                               _THE HAMMER_
+
+
+
+
+
+              [Illustration: _The Cave among the Mountains._]
+
+
+
+
+
+                               THE HAMMER
+
+                    _A STORY OF THE MACCABEAN TIMES_
+
+
+                                   BY
+                         ALFRED J. CHURCH, M.A.
+       _Lately Professor of Latin in University College, London_
+                                  AND
+                             RICHMOND SEELEY
+
+
+
+_With Illustrations by __JOHN JELLICOE_
+
+
+LONDON
+SEELEY AND CO. LIMITED
+ESSEX STREET, STRAND
+1890
+
+
+
+
+
+                                 PREFACE
+
+
+It is not so very long since the Apocrypha was found in almost every copy
+of the English Bible, but in the present day it is seldom printed with it,
+and very seldom indeed read. One or two of the writings included under
+this name are trivial and even absurd; but, on the whole, the Apocryphal
+books deserve far more attention than they receive. Among the foremost, in
+point of interest and value, must be placed the First Book of Maccabees.
+Written within fifty years of the events which it records, at a time, it
+must be remembered, that was singularly barren of historical literature,
+it is a careful, sober, and consistent narrative. It is our principal, not
+unfrequently our sole, authority for the incidents of a very important
+period, a period that was in the highest degree critical in the history of
+the Jewish nation and of the world which that nation has so largely
+influenced. It is commonly said that the great visitation of the Captivity
+finally destroyed in the Hebrew mind the tendency to idolatry. But the
+denunciations of Ezekiel prove to us that the exiles carried into the land
+of their captivity the evil which they had cherished in the land of their
+birth, and it is no less certain that they brought it back with them on
+their return. It grew to its height in the early part of the Second
+Century B.C., along with the increasing influence of Greek civilization in
+Western Asia. The feeble Jewish Commonwealth was more and more dominated
+by the powerful kingdoms which had been established on the ruins of the
+empire of Alexander, and the national religion was attacked by an enemy at
+least as dangerous as the Phoenician Baal-worship had been in earlier days,
+an enemy which may be briefly described by the word Hellenism. The story
+of how Judas and his brothers led the movement which rescued the Jewish
+faith from this peril is the story which we have endeavoured to tell in
+this volume. Our plan has been to follow strictly the lines of the First
+Book of Maccabees, going to the Second, a far less trustworthy document,
+only for some picturesque incidents. The subsidiary characters are
+fictitious, but the narrative is, we believe, apart from casual errors,
+historically correct.
+
+We have to acknowledge special obligations to Captain Conder's "Judas
+Maccab�us," a volume of the series entitled "The New Plutarch." We also
+owe much to Canon Rawlinson's notes in the "Speaker's Commentary on the
+Bible," to Canon Westcott's articles in the "Dictionary of the Bible," and
+to Dean Stanley's "Lectures on the Jewish Church."
+
+If any reader should be curious as to the literary partnership announced
+on the title-page--a partnership that has grown, so to speak, out of
+another of many years' standing, shared by the writers as author and
+publisher--he may be informed that the plan of the story and a detailed
+outline of it have been contributed by Richmond Seeley, and the story
+itself written for the most part by Alfred Church.
+
+LONDON,
+_Sept. 3, 1889._
+
+
+
+
+
+                                 CONTENTS
+
+
+  CHAP.                                         PAGE
+     I.   A NEW ORDER OF THINGS                    1
+    II.   ANTIOCHUS                               19
+   III.   MENELA�S                                37
+    IV.   AT ANTIOCH                              49
+     V.   THE WRATH TO COME                       68
+    VI.   THE EVIL DAYS                           79
+   VII.   THE DARKNESS THICKENS                   90
+  VIII.   SHALLUM THE WINE-SELLER                101
+    IX.   THE PERSECUTION                        113
+     X.   IN THE MOUNTAINS                       124
+    XI.   NEWS BAD AND GOOD                      135
+   XII.   THE PATRIOT ARMY                       148
+  XIII.   GUERILLA WARFARE IN THE MOUNTAINS      159
+   XIV.   THE BURIAL OF MATTATHIAS               171
+    XV.   THE SWORD OF APOLLONIUS                184
+   XVI.   NEWS FROM THE BATTLE-FIELD             193
+  XVII.   THE BATTLE OF EMMAUS                   208
+ XVIII.   THE BATTLE OF BETH-ZUR                 225
+   XIX.   IN JERUSALEM                           235
+    XX.   THE CLEANSING OF THE TEMPLE            242
+   XXI.   THE DEDICATION OF THE TEMPLE           254
+  XXII.   WARS AND RUMOURS OF WARS               263
+ XXIII.   MORE VICTORIES                         274
+  XXIV.   THE SABBATICAL YEAR                    284
+   XXV.   REVERSES                               294
+  XXVI.   LIGHT OUT OF DARKNESS                  304
+ XXVII.   A PEACEFUL INTERVAL                    314
+XXVIII.   HOPES AND FEARS                        323
+  XXIX.   CIVIL WAR                              331
+   XXX.   NICANOR                                339
+  XXXI.   THE FALLING AWAY                       352
+ XXXII.   THE LAST BATTLE                        362
+XXXIII.   THE HOPE OF ISRAEL                     368
+
+
+
+
+
+                          LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS
+
+
+THE CAVE AMONG THE MOUNTAINS     _Frontispiece_
+ANTIOCHUS IN THE TAVERN                      32
+THE PERSECUTION                             118
+THE LAST CHARGE OF MATTATHIAS               168
+THE SWORD OF APOLLONIUS                     192
+FAREWELL TO THE MOUNTAINS                   232
+THE DEATH OF ELEAZAR                        302
+THE BOY KING                                314
+
+
+
+
+
+
+                                THE HAMMER
+
+
+
+
+
+                               CHAPTER I.
+
+                          A NEW ORDER OF THINGS.
+
+
+The time is the evening of a day in the early autumn of the year 174 B.C.
+There has been a great festival in Jerusalem. But it has been curiously
+unlike any festival that one would have expected to be held in that famous
+city. The people have not been crowding in from the country, and
+journeying from their far-off places of sojourn among the heathen, to keep
+one of the great feasts of the Law. Nothing could be further from the
+thoughts of the crowd that is streaming out of this new building which
+stands close under the walls of the Temple. What would they who built the
+Temple some two and a half centuries before have thought of this strange
+intruder on the sacred precincts? It is not difficult to imagine, for the
+new erection is nothing more or less than a Circus, built and furnished in
+the latest Greek fashion, and the spectacle which the crowd has been
+enjoying, or pretending to enjoy--for it is strange to all, and distasteful
+to some--is an imitation of the Olympian games. Things then, we see, have
+been curiously changed. Even the city has almost lost its identity. It is
+no longer the capital of the Jewish nation, but the chief town of an
+insignificant province in the Greek kingdom of Syria, one of the fragments
+into which the great dominion of Alexander had split some hundred and
+fifty years before. We shall understand something more about this
+marvellous change if we listen to a conversation that is going on in one
+of the houses that adjoin the Temple.
+
+"Well, Cleon, you will allow that our little show to-day has been fairly
+successful. We are but novices, you know; barbarians, I am afraid you will
+call us. But we hope to improve. You Greeks are wonderful teachers. You
+can give in a very short time a quite marvellous appearance of refinement
+to the merest savages. And we are not that; you would not call us savages,
+my dear friend."
+
+"Savages! The gods forbid that such insolent folly should ever come from
+my tongue! You have a most elegant taste in art, my dear Jason. Our own
+Callias--he is our first _connoisseur_ at Athens; you must have heard me
+mention him--would not disdain to have some of the little things which you
+have about you here in his own apartment."
+
+And, as he spoke, Cleon looked round the room, which, indeed, was very
+handsomely furnished in the latest Greek taste. The walls were covered
+with tapestry, showing on a purple ground a design, worked in silver and
+gold, which represented the triumphant return of the Wine-god from his
+Eastern campaigns. At one end of the room stood a sumptuously-carved
+bookcase, filled with volumes adorned by the most skilful binders of
+Alexandria. The bookcase was flanked on either side by a pedestal statue,
+one displaying the head of Hermes, the other the head of Athen�. On a
+sideboard were ranged twelve silver goblets, on which had been worked in
+high relief the labours of Hercules. But probably the most precious object
+in the room--at least in its master's estimation--was a replica, about half
+the size of life, of the statue that we know as the "Dying Gladiator." It
+was the work of a sculptor of Pergamum, a special favourite of the
+art-loving dynasty of the Attali. It had been purchased for the enormous
+sum of half a talent of gold;(1) and Jason had thought himself especially
+fortunate in being allowed to secure it on any terms. The Pergamene artist
+was bound, in consideration of the handsome payment which he received from
+his royal patron, not to execute commissions for strangers, and it was
+only as a special favour, and not till a heavy bribe had been paid to some
+influential personage in the court, that the rule had been relaxed in
+favour of Jason.
+
+And who, it may be asked, was Jason?
+
+Jason was the Jewish high priest, the successor of Aaron, of Eleazar, of
+Jehoiada, of Hilkiah, and as unlike these worthies of the past in
+appearance, in speech, in ways of thinking, as it is possible to conceive.
+His costume, in the first place, was that of a Greek exquisite. He wore a
+purple tunic, showing at the neck a crimson under-shirt, and gathered up
+at the waist with a belt of the finest leather, clasped with a design in
+silver, which showed a dog laying hold of a fawn. His knees were bare, but
+the shins were covered with silk leggings of the same colour as the tunic,
+against which the gold fastenings of the sandals showed in gay relief. His
+hair was elaborately curled, and almost dripping with the richest of
+Syrian perfumes. The forefinger of the left hand showed the head of Zeus
+finely carved on an amethyst, that of the right was circled by a sapphire
+ring with the likeness of Apollo.
+
+His speech was Greek. Hebrew of course he knew, both in its classical and
+its conversational forms; but he was as careful to conceal his knowledge
+as an old-fashioned Roman of his time would have been careful to hide the
+fact, if he had happened to know any language besides his own. His very
+name, it will have been observed, had been changed to suit the new fashion
+which he was endeavouring to set to his countrymen. Really it was
+Joshua--no dishonourable appellation, one would think, seeing that it had
+been borne by the conqueror of Canaan, and by the most distinguished of
+the later high priests. But it did not please him, and he had changed it
+to Jason.
+
+As for his ways of thinking, these will become evident enough if we listen
+to a little more of his conversation.
+
+"And you think, Cleon," he went on--Cleon was a Greek adventurer who gave
+himself out as an Athenian, but who was shrewdly suspected of coming from
+one of the smaller islands of the �gean--"you think that our games went
+pretty well?"
+
+"Admirably, my dear Jason," answered the Greek, who really had thought
+them a deplorable failure, but who valued too much his free quarters in
+the high priest's sumptuous palace to give a candid expression of his
+opinion.
+
+"You see we had great difficulties to contend with. You can hardly
+imagine, for instance, how hard I found it to persuade our young men to
+run and wrestle naked. They quoted some ridiculous nonsense from the Law,
+as if we could be bound nowadays by some obsolete old rules that no
+sensible person would think for a moment of observing.(2) You saw, I dare
+say, to-day that I was obliged to allow some of them to wear a loin-cloth.
+They positively refused to come into the arena without it. Well, we shall
+educate them in time. They _must_ learn to admire the beauty of the human
+form, unspoilt by any of the trappings with which, for convenience sake,
+we are accustomed to conceal it. I don't despair of our having a school of
+art here some day--not rivals, my dear Lysias, of your glorious Phidias and
+Praxiteles, but imitators, humble imitators, whom yet you won't disdain to
+acknowledge."
+
+"But, my dear sir, you forget the Commandment, 'Thou shalt not make to
+thyself any graven image.'"
+
+The speaker was a young man who had hitherto taken no part in the
+conversation. He also had a Hebrew name and a Greek. His father, a rich
+priest who claimed descent from no less a person than the prophet Ezekiel,
+had called him Micah; but he had followed the fashion, and dubbed himself
+Menander. Still, Greek ways and habits did not sit over-easily upon him.
+Fashion has often a singular power over the young; but it could not quite
+drive out the obstinate patriotism of the Jew. He could still sometimes be
+scandalized at the thorough-going Hellenism of the high priest; and he was
+so scandalized now. The Commandment was one of the things which he had
+learnt at his mother's knee, and which he had solemnly repeated when, at
+the age of twelve, he had been regularly admitted to the privileges of a
+"son of the Law."
+
+"My dear Menander," broke in the high priest, "what can you be thinking
+about? I had hoped better things of you. You do discourage me most
+terribly. 'No graven image or likeness of anything that is in heaven or
+earth!' Was there ever anything so hopelessly tasteless? Why, this is the
+one thing that has checked all growth of art among us? And without art
+where is the beauty of life? Now tell me, Menander, did you ever see
+anything so hideous as the Temple? There is a certain splendour about
+it--or was, till I had to strip off most of the gold for purposes of
+state--but of beauty or taste not a scrap. You, Cleon, have never seen the
+inside of it. Well, you have lost nothing. It would simply shock you after
+your lovely Parthenon. Bells and pomegranates--things that any moulder
+could make--and sham columns, and everything as bad as it can be. And then
+the dresses! You should see--though I should really be ashamed if you did
+see it--the absurd costume that some of them would make me wear as high
+priest. Anything more cumbrous and clumsy could not be. A man can hardly
+move in it; and as for showing any of the proportions of the figure--and I
+take it that dress is meant to reveal while it seems to hide them--one
+might as well be wrapped up in swaddling clothes."
+
+"Did you ever wear it?" asked Cleon.
+
+"Once, and once only," answered Jason. "That was on the day when I was
+admitted to the office. You see it had to be done. Some of my enemies--and
+I am afraid that I have enemies after all that I have done for this
+ungrateful people--might have said that things were not regular without it,
+and when one has paid twenty talents of gold for the office, it would be
+rank folly to risk it for a trifle. But I have never worn it since, and
+never mean to again. I did design something much lighter and neater,
+worthy the Greek fashion, but with just a tinge--it would be well to have a
+tinge--of our own in it; but it did not please the elders when I showed it
+to them, a bigoted set of fools!"
+
+"But your worship is very fine, I am told," said the Greek.
+
+"Very tasteless, very tasteless," answered the high-priest, "the singing
+and music as rude as possible. I tried to improve them when I first came
+into office. When I was at Antioch I saw some very pretty performances in
+the groves of Daphne, and I wanted to remodel our ceremonies on something
+of the same lines. Of course I could not transplant them just as they
+were: you will guess that there were one or two things that would hardly
+do here. I am not strait-laced, as you know, but there are limits.
+However, it all came to nothing. Our people are so clumsy and obstinate.
+So the only thing will be to let these antiquated ceremonies die out by
+degrees."
+
+Micah broke in at this point. Disposed as he was to follow Jason's lead,
+this was going too far. "Surely, my dear sir, if you take away from us all
+that is distinctive, where will be our reason for existence? After all is
+said, we are not Greeks and never can be Greeks; and if we cease to be
+Jews, what are we?"
+
+"_Jews!_ my dear fellow," cried the high-priest, "why do you use the
+odious word? We are not Jews, we are Antiochenes. Do you know that I paid
+five talents to the treasurer of Antiochus for license to use the name?
+For Heaven's sake, let us have our money's worth. By the way," he went on,
+turning to Cleon, "when does your Olympian festival next take place?"
+
+"In two years' time," said the Greek.
+
+"I propose to send an embassy with a handsome present for your great
+temple. I should like to establish friendly relations with your people at
+the head-quarters of your race. Do you think it is possible that our
+Menon--you saw him in the stadium just now--might be allowed to run? It
+would take all that your athletes know to beat him."
+
+"Quite impossible. He could hardly make out a Greek pedigree, I suppose?"
+
+"No; he could not do that. But would not money smooth the way?"
+
+"It could not be. Money will do most things with us, as it will elsewhere,
+but not that. A man must show a pure Greek descent."
+
+"But the embassy can go?"
+
+"Certainly," replied the Greek, with a smile; "we are ready to take gifts
+from any one. But--excuse my obtruding the suggestion--is it quite wise to
+run counter to your people's prejudices in this way? Couldn't they get up
+an agitation against you?"
+
+"My dear Cleon, I feel quite easy on that score. I made the highest bid
+for the place, and it is mine, just as much as this ring is mine."
+
+"But might not some one outbid you? I have heard of such things being
+done."
+
+"Outbid me? Hardly. I have squeezed the uttermost farthing out of the
+people to pay the purchase-money and the tribute, and I defy my rivals,
+with all the best will in the world, to beat me. Why, my fellows, the
+tax-gatherers, are the most ingenious rascals in the world for putting on
+the screw. I make them bid against each other when I put the taxes up to
+auction, and they really go to figures that I should not have thought
+possible. And then, after all, they manage somehow or other to get a
+handsome margin of profit for themselves. I know the scoundrels always
+seem to have a great deal more money than I have."
+
+Menander, somewhat revolted at his friend's levity, rose to take leave.
+"Stop a moment," said Jason, "I have a little commission for you, which
+will give you a pleasant outing and a score or two of shekels to put in
+your pocket."
+
+"Well, the shekels will be welcome. Those are very charming fellows, those
+Greek friends of yours," he went on, addressing Cleon, "but they have the
+most confounded luck with the dice that I ever knew. But what is it, sir,
+that you want me to do?"
+
+"I want to do a civil thing to our friends at Tyre. You know that we do a
+very brisk trade with them, and a little bit of politeness is never thrown
+away. Well, next month they have the great games of Hercules, and I want
+you to take a present to the Governor, and, as you will be there, just a
+trifle--a silver tripod, or something of the kind--for Hercules himself. The
+Tyrian people would take it amiss, I fancy, if you went quite
+empty-handed."
+
+Micah--for at the moment he felt much more like a Micah than a
+Menander--flushed all over. "I take a present to the idol at Tyre! You must
+be joking; but, with all respect, sir, it is a joke which I do not
+appreciate."
+
+"Come, my dear Menander," said the high priest, with a laugh, "why all
+this fuss? You must excuse me for saying so, but you are really a little
+stupid this morning. What nonsense to talk about idols! The Greek heroes
+are really the same as our own. Hercules is nothing more or less than
+Samson under another name. You will find in every country the legend of
+some strong man who goes about killing wild beasts and slaying his
+enemies, and doing all kinds of wonders; and it does not become an
+enlightened man like yourself to fancy that our hero is anything better
+than another nation's hero. However, think the matter over. If you don't
+choose to go there are plenty who will, and Tyre, I am told, is still
+worth seeing, though, of course, it is nothing like what it was."
+
+At this moment a servant burst somewhat unceremoniously into the room.
+
+"How now, fellow?" cried the high priest, "Where are your manners? Don't
+you know that I have company and am not to be interrupted?"
+
+"Pardon, my lord," said the man, in a breathless, agitated voice, "but the
+matter is urgent. Your nephew Asaph is dying, and has sent begging you to
+come to him."
+
+"Asaph dying!" cried the high priest, turning pale. "How is that?"
+
+Asaph had been one of the performers in the exhibition of the day. A light
+weight, but an exceedingly active and skilful wrestler, he had entered the
+lists with a competitor much stronger and heavier than himself. The
+struggle between the two athletes had been protracted and fierce and had
+ended in a draw. There had been two bouts, but in neither had this or that
+antagonist been able to claim a decided success. In each, both wrestlers
+had fallen, Asaph being uppermost in the first, but underneath in the
+second. On rising from the ground he had complained of severe internal
+pains; but these had seemed to pass away, and he had been conveyed in a
+litter to his mother's house. After a brief interval the pains had
+returned with increased severity; vomiting of blood had followed, and the
+physician had declared that the resources of his art were useless. The
+poor lad--he was but a few months over twenty--sent, in his agony, for his
+uncle the high priest. It was a forlorn hope--for how could such a man give
+comfort?--but it was the only one that occurred to him.
+
+No one was more conscious of the incongruity of the task thus imposed upon
+him, the task of administering consolation and comfort to the dying, than
+Jason himself. His first impulse was to refuse to go. But to do so would
+not only cause a scandal, but would also be the beginning of a family
+feud. And Jason, though selfish and hardened by base ambitions, was not
+wholly without a heart. He had some affection for his sister, a widow of
+large means, whose purse was always open to him when he wanted help, and
+Asaph--or Asius, as he preferred to call him--was his favourite nephew,
+possibly his successor in his office. He felt that he must go, but it was
+with a miserable sinking of heart that he felt it.
+
+"Lead on," he said to the slave, "I will follow. You, my friends, must
+excuse me."
+
+The worldly priest might well have dreaded to enter the house of woe to
+which he had been called.
+
+The unhappy mother met him at the door. "Oh, Joshua!" she cried, the
+foolish affectation of the Greek name being forgotten in the hour of
+trouble. "Can you help us? My dear Asaph is dying, and he is terribly
+distressed about his sins. You are high-priest. Have you not some power to
+do him good?"
+
+"Take me to him," said Jason, "I will do all that I can for him."
+
+The unhappy lad was lying on a couch, the deathly pallor of his face
+showing with a terrible contrast against the rich purple of the coverlet.
+His eyes were wide open, and there was a terror-stricken look in them that
+was inexpressibly painful to witness. As soon as he saw his uncle, he
+burst forth in tones of agonized entreaty. "I have sinned; I have sinned;
+I have followed in the ways of the heathen, and, see, my God hath called
+me into judgment. Help me! help me! Save me from the fire of Gehenna!"
+
+The high priest strove to say something; but his faltering lips seemed to
+refuse to do their office.
+
+"Speak! speak!" cried the young man. "It was you who told me to go into
+the arena. You said there was no harm in it; you encouraged me, and now
+you desert me. O help me!" and his voice, which had been raised to a loud,
+angry cry, sank again to low tones of entreaty. "You are high priest; you
+surely can do something with the Lord. Pray for me to Him. Quick! quick!
+the evil ones are clutching at me!" and, as he spoke, he turned his eyes
+with a fearful glance as if he saw some terrible presence which was
+invisible to the rest.
+
+His uncle, more unhappy than he had ever been before in his life, stood in
+dumb despair. It seemed impossible to mock this wretched creature with
+words in which he did not himself believe. And, indeed, the words
+themselves seemed to have fled altogether from his memory. At last, with a
+tremendous effort, he summoned up some of the words, once familiar to his
+lips, but which had not issued from them for years. It was what we know as
+the fifty-first Psalm in our psalter that he began--"_Have mercy upon me, O
+God, after Thy great goodness, according to the multitude of Thy mercies
+do away mine offences._" He began with a faltering and uncertain voice,
+which gathered strength as he went on. The dying man listened with an
+eagerly-strained attention, and the words seemed to have some soothing
+effect upon him. When the speaker came to the words, "Cast me not away
+from Thy presence," he clasped his hands together. At the very moment of
+the act a strong convulsion shook his frame: a stream of blood gushed from
+his mouth; in another moment Asaph was dead.
+
+His unhappy mother had been carried fainting to her apartments, where her
+maids were endeavouring to restore her to consciousness. The high priest
+was almost glad that she was in such a state that there could be no
+question of attempting to administer to her any consolation. No one,
+indeed, could have felt less like a comforter than he did at that moment.
+As he walked slowly back to his palace he felt less satisfied with the
+Greek fashions, for which he had sacrificed the faith of his fathers, than
+he had done for many years.
+
+The news that he found awaiting him at home changed the current of his
+thoughts. A letter, carried, in Eastern fashion, by a succession of
+runners, had arrived from Joppa. It was as follows:--
+
+
+    "_Josedech, Chief of the Council of Joppa, to Joshua, Governor of
+                               Jerusalem._
+
+  "Know that a swift pinnace has arrived, bringing news that the fleet
+  of Antiochus the King is on its way hither. It will arrive, unless it
+  be hindered by weather or any other unforeseen cause, on the second
+  day. Let us know so soon as shall be possible how the heathen should
+  be received, whether we shall admit him into the city, and to whom we
+  shall assign the task of entertaining him. Farewell."
+
+
+Jason's face flushed as he read this curt and not very courteous epistle.
+"Governor of Jerusalem, indeed!" he muttered to himself. "So the old bigot
+won't acknowledge me to be high priest. I shall have to give him a lesson,
+and teach him who he is and who I am. 'How the heathen is to be received.'
+What is the fool thinking of? As if he could be shut out of the city if he
+chooses to come in! Well, I see plainly enough that there will be mischief
+here, if I don't take care. It won't be enough to write. I must send some
+of my own people to receive the king."
+
+He pressed a hand-bell that stood on the table. "Send the letter-carrier
+here," he said to the servant who answered the summons. In a few minutes
+the man appeared.
+
+"When can you start back with my answer?" asked the high priest.
+
+"This instant, my lord, if it should so please you."
+
+"And the other posts are ready?"
+
+"Each at his place, my lord."
+
+"And when will the letter be delivered in Joppa?"
+
+"Let me think," said the messenger. "The distance should be about two
+hundred and eighty furlongs, and the way descends. 'Tis now scarcely the
+first hour of the night. I should say that the letter should be there an
+hour before midnight."
+
+Jason at once sat down and wrote his answer:--
+
+
+  "_Jason, the High Priest, to Josedech, Chief of the Council of Joppa,
+                                greeting._
+
+  "I charge you that you do all honour to the most mighty and glorious
+  lord Antiochus. Let him have of the best, both in lodging and
+  entertainment, that your city affords. I doubt not your zeal and
+  goodwill, but that you may not fail for want of knowledge, I will send
+  certain of my own people, who will welcome the most august King in
+  such manner as shall be worthy both of his majesty and of our dignity.
+  Farewell."
+
+
+The messenger, who had been standing by while this letter was being
+written, received the document with a salute, and placed it in his girdle.
+A few minutes afterwards he was on his way.
+
+"And now for the deputation to meet his Highness," said Jason to himself.
+"I cannot expect them to get off quite so quickly as this good fellow. But
+they must not start later than noon to-morrow. And now, whom am I to send?
+Cleon, of course, and Menander----"
+
+He stopped short and reflected. "It's really very hard to find a
+respectable person who is quite free from bigotry--if, indeed, it is
+bigotry." For some minutes he seemed lost in thought. "Send the secretary
+to me," he said, when the servant came. This official soon made his
+appearance, and we will leave him and his master to settle the details of
+the deputation.
+
+
+
+
+
+                               CHAPTER II.
+
+                                ANTIOCHUS.
+
+
+The greater part of the population of Joppa, which, like most seaside
+towns, was somewhat cosmopolitan in its habits and ways of thinking, had
+hurried down to the shore to watch the arrival of the great Syrian King.
+And, indeed, his fleet was a sight worth seeing. Thirty ships, all of them
+with three banks of oars, were formed in a semicircle, the arc of which
+was parallel with the line of the shore. They were war-vessels, the finest
+and swiftest that the Syrian fleet possessed, manned with picked crews,
+and now gay with all the sumptuous adornments that befitted a peaceful
+errand. The day was perfectly windless, and the sea as calm as a lake.
+This circumstance made it possible for the squadron to preserve the order
+of its advance with an exactitude which would not have been possible had
+it been moving under sail. On the prow of each vessel stood a
+flute-player, and the rowers dipped their oars in time to his music. Each
+player had his eyes fixed on a conductor who was posted on the royal
+vessel, a five-banked ship, which occupied a position slightly in advance
+of the semicircle. Time was thus kept throughout the squadron--a result,
+however, not obtained, as may easily be imagined, without a vast amount of
+practice. The sight of the thousands of oars, as they were dipped and
+lifted again in rhythmical regularity, with the sunshine flashing upon
+them, was beautiful in the extreme. As for the ship that carried King
+Antiochus, it was a gorgeous spectacle. The ropes were of gaily-coloured
+silk; the hull was brilliant with gold. The figure-head was the head and
+bust of a sea-nymph, exquisitely wrought in silver. The poop was covered
+with a crimson awning.
+
+As the squadron approached the harbour, a convenience which the Joppa of
+to-day no longer possesses, the royal ship fell back, allowing the leading
+vessels on either side of the semicircle to precede it to the pier. From
+these a company of troops, splendidly arrayed in gilded armour,
+disembarked, and formed two lines, between which the King was to walk.
+
+The Syrian King was a young man of about two-and-twenty years, tall, and
+well made, and not without a certain dignity of presence. His face, too,
+at first sight would have been pronounced handsome. It was of the true
+Greek type: the forehead and nose forming an almost uninterrupted straight
+line. This line, however, receded too much, giving something of an
+expression of weakness. But for this the features of the young Syrian king
+might have been described as bearing a singular resemblance to those of
+the great Alexander. Youthful as he was, his complexion, naturally of a
+beautiful delicacy, was already flushed with excess. But the most sinister
+characteristic of his face was to be found in the restless look of his
+prominent eyes. The descendants of the brilliant soldier, the ablest and
+most upright of the generals of Alexander, who had founded the Syrian
+kingdom, had sadly degenerated under the corrupting influences of power.
+The hideous example of lust and cruelty had been set and improved upon by
+generation after generation, till the fatal taint of madness, always the
+avenger of such wickedness, had been developed in the race.(3)
+
+The Council of Joppa had sent a deputation of their body, headed by their
+president, Josedech, to receive the visitor with such respect as might
+lawfully be shown to a heathen. Greeting and compliments could be
+exchanged without any loss of ceremonial purity. Nor would there be any
+harm in presenting a gift. To sit down to meat with an unbeliever, was, of
+course, out of the question; but this difficulty had been overcome by the
+complaisance of a wealthy Greek merchant, who, for sufficient reasons of
+his own, had offered to entertain the visitor.
+
+The councillors saluted the King, not with the extravagant form of "Live
+for ever!" but with the more moderate form of "Peace be with you."
+Antiochus answered with a careless greeting. At the same time he turned to
+one of his courtiers, and said in a whisper which was heard, as it was
+meant to be heard, by others besides the persons addressed, "Look! what a
+set of he-goats. And faugh! how they smell!" The young King, who was
+exceedingly vain of his good looks, had the fancy of making himself up as
+the beardless Apollo, and, of course, the court followed the fashion that
+he set. The insulting words did not fail to reach the ears of the elders,
+but they affected not to have heard them. The president then proceeded to
+deliver his address of welcome. It was sufficiently civil, but, as may be
+supposed, not enthusiastic. The speaker hoped that friendly relations
+might continue to exist between the Jewish people and the kingdom of
+Syria. He was glad to receive on Jewish soil a powerful monarch who, he
+trusted, would be favourably impressed with what he should see and hear.
+If his subjects had any grievances they would find prompt redress; the
+King would doubtless do the same for Jewish merchants who considered
+themselves aggrieved.
+
+To this address, which, after the manner of such documents, was somewhat
+verbose and lengthy, Antiochus listened with ill-concealed impatience;
+perhaps it would be more correct to say, with impatience that was not
+concealed at all. He fidgeted about; he interjected disparaging remarks
+that must have been distinctly heard a long way off. He even corrected the
+speaker when he made a slip in Greek idiom. Still the elders preserved an
+imperturbable calm, though a keen observer might have seen the flush
+rising upon their faces.
+
+The address of welcome ended, it only remained to offer the customary
+present. An attendant stepped forward carrying a robe of honour, a piece
+of native manufacture, which, without being particularly splendid, was
+sufficiently handsome and valuable to be adequate to the occasion. But it
+did not please the young King, who, indeed, was scarcely in the humour to
+be pleased with anything. One of his followers received it from the hands
+of the attendant, and Antiochus, according to the usual etiquette, should
+have touched it, saying at the same time a few words of politeness. What
+he did was to take it from the hands of the courtier who had received it,
+shake it out, and hold it from him at arm's length, eyeing it, at the same
+time, with an expression of undisguised contempt. Even this was not all.
+Turning his back upon the elders he dropped the robe on the head of one of
+his attendants, and, by a sudden movement, twisted it round his neck,
+bursting out at the same time into a loud horse-laugh. The laugh was, of
+course, dutifully echoed by his courtiers; but to the Joppa crowd it
+seemed no laughing matter. An angry murmur ran through it. The front ranks
+made a menacing movement forwards, while stones began to fly from behind.
+On the other hand, the soldiers of the King's body-guard drew their
+swords, and began to form up behind him. They were not properly prepared,
+however, for a conflict; for, as they had come only on a service of
+ceremony, they had nothing with them but their swords and light ornamental
+breastplates.
+
+Everything wore a most threatening look, when there occurred an
+interruption that was probably welcome to every one, except, it may be,
+the hotheaded and reckless young sovereign himself. The deputation from
+Jerusalem had arrived. The high priest, anticipating, as we have seen,
+some trouble, had despatched them at the very earliest opportunity, and
+had urged them to make the best of their way to their destination. At the
+same time, that their presence might have something more than moral
+weight, he had sent a squadron of cavalry. The deputation, with their
+escort following close behind, now made their way through the crowd.
+
+The high priest was represented by his kinsman Phinehas--who had found a
+substitute for his unfashionable name in Phineus--by Menander, who has been
+already mentioned, and by two Greeks, of whom our acquaintance Cleon was
+one. Josedech and his companions willingly left the management of affairs
+in the hands of the new arrivals, and retired from the scene. Leaping from
+his horse, Phinehas, or Phineus, prostrated himself in Eastern fashion at
+the feet of Antiochus, and his companions followed his example, while the
+escort of cavalry saluted. "Rise," said Antiochus, whose good humour began
+to return when he found himself treated with what he conceived to be
+proper respect. He even condescended to reach out his royal hand, and
+assist the envoy to recover his feet. Phineus proceeded to deliver an
+address of welcome which was certainly not wanting in florid compliment.
+It might even have been called profane, for Antiochus was described not
+only as magnificent, illustrious, victorious (to mention a few only of the
+speaker's exuberant supply of epithets), but even as divine. The speech
+ended, an attendant presented a richly-chased casket of gold, filled with
+coins, fresh from the Syrian mint, and bearing the features and
+superscription of Antiochus himself. The King received it with something
+like _empressement_, and after speaking a few words of thanks, passed it
+to his treasurer. At the same time he took a bag of silver from one of his
+attendants, and condescended to scatter some of the pieces among the crowd
+that lined the quays, with his royal hands. As may be supposed, a vigorous
+scramble ensued, and not a few of the spectators were tumbled over the
+edge into the shallow water below. Others jumped in of their own accord
+after some of the pieces which had fallen short. A general burst of
+laughter was the result, and the situation lost the gravity which had been
+so alarming a few minutes before.
+
+The King now recognized an old acquaintance in Cleon. Antiochus, handed
+over in his childhood as a hostage by his father, had spent his boyhood
+and youth in Rome. The somewhat austere manners of that city had not
+pleased him, and he was glad to find in the young Greek an acquaintance
+more congenial than the young Marcelli, sons of the priest of that name,
+under whose charge he had been put. Cleon had come to Rome to seek his
+fortune, and had found employment in assisting the comic poet C�cilius in
+making his translations from the Greek. Poets, however, were not so well
+paid as to be able to spare much for their assistants, and Cleon had been
+very glad to act as the young prince's teacher, a post which his guardian
+the priest had found it very difficult to fill. Tutor and pupil had been
+on the most friendly terms. The elder man was indulgent, exacted no more
+than the youth was willing to learn, and, possibly thinking that all the
+necessary austerity was supplied by the Roman guardian, winked at various
+indulgences which would not have approved themselves to his employer.
+Antiochus retained a grateful recollection of the complaisant youth who
+had made things so agreeable for him in the days of his captivity.
+
+"Hail, Cleon, most delightful of teachers, behold the most thankful of
+pupils!"
+
+And he embraced the Greek, kissing him on both cheeks.
+
+"So you, too," he went on, "have escaped from that dismal prison-house
+across the sea! Was there ever a place, think you, more unfit for a
+gentleman to live in? And how have you fared since I saw you? I hope that
+Fortune has had something pleasant in store for you."
+
+"She could have done nothing better, Sire, than to thus give me the
+pleasure of seeing you."
+
+"Oh, what a compliment! I see that your tongue has not lost its dexterous
+twist. But I suppose I must attend to this stupid business here. Why can't
+they let one come quietly, and see what people really are. I dare say
+there are some good fellows here as elsewhere; but all these ceremonies
+and speech-making and fine clothes tire me to death. Well, we shall find a
+chance of having some talk together before long. Anyhow, you will come and
+see me at Antioch. I will make you court-poet, or general-in-chief, or
+high priest of Aphrodite! I know that you can do anything that you choose
+to turn your hand to."
+
+While this conversation was going on the Greek merchant who had
+volunteered to entertain the royal visitor was waiting to be introduced.
+This ceremony performed by Phineus, he proceeded to give his invitation.
+
+"Will your Highness be pleased to accept such humble hospitality as I can
+offer? My house and all that is within it are at your service."
+
+"Pleased! of course I shall be pleased," returned the King, in boisterous
+good humour. "I know what your 'humble hospitality' means. It is you
+merchants that can afford to do things handsomely. You make the money, and
+we can only spend it. What with armies and fleets and legions of servants,
+who eat us up like so many locusts, we never have a drachma that we can
+call our own. As for me, I am easily satisfied. Give me a mullet, a piece
+of roast kid, a flask of good wine, and a pretty girl to hand the cup, and
+I want no more. Lead on."
+
+The procession moved on to the merchant's house. This reached, the King,
+who declared that he wanted his midday sleep, was at once shown to his
+apartments.
+
+It was some six hours later when the banquet, for which the host had made
+magnificent preparations, was ready. The company was assembled, and was
+fairly numerous, though it did not contain the true _�lite_ of Joppa
+society. With one or two not very respectable exceptions, the
+representatives of the high-class Jewish families were absent. But there
+were plenty of strangers in the town, and the room was sufficiently full.
+The trading community was present in force: Greeks, Syrians, Egyptians,
+Carthaginians, and even a Greek-speaking Gaul from Marseilles, were
+present. Rome was represented by two Roman knights, who were doing a
+profitable business in money-lending, and who had the name of pretty
+nearly every noble in Syria on their books.
+
+But the guest of the evening was absent. The company waited with the
+patience with which royal personages are waited for on such occasions. At
+last, when an hour had gone beyond the time fixed for the entertainment,
+the host ventured to send up to the King's apartment, with a humble
+reminder that the banquet was ready. But the apartment was empty!
+
+"What can have become of him?" was the thought in every one's mind, not
+unaccompanied by a certain anxiety in the older courtiers, who had
+observed with dismay the reckless proceedings of their master.
+
+At last a thought struck Cleon. He took the chief of the King's attendants
+aside and communicated to him his suspicions. "I saw something of his
+Highness's ways at Rome," he said, "and I can guess what has happened. He
+always had a fancy for disguises, for dressing himself up as a sailor or
+an artizan, and going to some very curious places in the city. Often and
+often have I been with him--to keep him out of mischief, you know--and, by
+the gods! it was well I did. I remember his being very nearly stabbed one
+night in a low wine-shop in the Suburra.(4) And now I remember that this
+morning his Highness said something about wanting to see what the people
+really were, without all this ceremony. Let us question the porter whether
+he has seen any one go out."
+
+The porter was questioned accordingly. At first he could give no
+information. At last he remembered observing two young men in sailor's
+dress passing the gate about three hours before. He had taken no heed of
+them. Sailors had been coming and going all day, with various articles
+which they were bringing up from the ship, and he had supposed that these
+were two of the number. Here the man's wife struck in with the information
+that she had noticed the two sailors, thinking that there was something
+odd about their appearance; their clothes were very shabby, but they had a
+superior air. Neither the man nor his wife knew anything more; but they
+thought that the two had turned in the direction of the harbour after
+leaving the house.
+
+Under these circumstances search seemed hopeless, and might, indeed, do
+more harm than good. Perhaps the safest plan would be to let the young man
+find his way back for himself. After some discussion, however, it was
+resolved that Cleon, after first changing the dress which he had donned
+for the banquet for something less conspicuous, should look in at some of
+the wine-shops near the harbour, which were suggested as likely places for
+the search by the character of the King's disguise.
+
+Cleon was successful beyond his expectation. His attention was attracted
+by the sound of boisterous laughter proceeding from a tavern whose windows
+fronted the place where the King had landed. The place was crowded to
+overflowing, and even the pavement before the house was thronged with
+idlers, who were content to hear what they could of the fun inside without
+having any score to pay. With no little difficulty Cleon edged his way
+into the principal room. It was a strange scene that met his eye. The room
+was crowded with Phoenician and Greek sailors, with here and there the
+swarthy face of a Moor among them. The guests sat on benches, closely
+packed together, and every one had a huge earthenware cup in his hand and
+a pitcher of wine at his feet. At the further end of the room was a small
+platform reserved for the performers who were accustomed to entertain the
+audience. A couple of dancing-girls had just exhibited a dance of the
+boisterous kind which was specially favoured by the seafaring spectators;
+and now his Syrian Majesty was doing his best to entertain the company
+with the burlesque of a Roman electioneering oration. He spoke in Greek,
+or, rather, the mixture of tongues, the _Lingua Franca_ of the time, which
+did duty for Greek in the seaport towns of the Eastern Mediterranean; and
+he used with considerable effect the broad Roman accent. His speech, could
+it be reproduced, would be dull or even unintelligible to us, but his
+audience found it highly entertaining. The Greeks, always quick-witted,
+caught the points with admirable readiness, and the others laughed, if not
+for any other reason, at least for sympathy. The most completely
+successful part was where the orator, who affected to be a candidate for
+the consulship, propounded a grand scheme, according to which the citizens
+of Rome were to live in idleness, supported by the contributions of the
+whole world. When the attention of the audience began to flag, the young
+Prince, with an audacious presence of mind that would have become a
+veteran performer, suddenly changed the entertainment. Sticking a tall cap
+on his head, he proceeded to give a ludicrous imitation of the solemn
+dance of the priests of Mars. Cleon had seen the original performance in
+Rome, and he could not but confess that the slow, awkward movement, and
+droning chant which the performer adapted to a popular song of a somewhat
+equivocal kind, was a very clever piece of work.
+
+  [Illustration: _Antiochus in the Tavern._]
+
+A few minutes afterwards Antiochus retired, breathless with his exertions,
+and Cleon made his way after him.
+
+"So you are here," burst out the King. "Good, was it not?"
+
+"Excellent, my lord," returned Cleon; "but you must excuse me if I ask you
+to come back. The banquet is ready, and the company are waiting for you."
+
+"Confound the company; there is much better company here. I will stop
+where I am."
+
+Cleon remonstrated and argued; at first, it seemed, with no effect.
+Finally, however, by a judicious mixture of flattery and promises, and
+specially, by enlarging on the opportunity that there would be of
+electrifying the _�lite_ of Joppa by a display of eloquence, he induced
+the King to come away. Antiochus was eaten up with a vanity that was
+almost insane, and he was as proud of his capacity for serious oratory as
+he was of his talents as a buffoon.
+
+Unfortunately the eloquence was never displayed. The King had drunk
+largely of the heady wine which was a favourite with the nautical
+customers of the tavern, and he applied himself with equal diligence to
+the more refined vintages which he found on the table of Stratocles, his
+entertainer. The company drank his health in bumpers; and, not to be
+outdone, a huge capacity for drink being, as he thought, one of his most
+honourable distinctions, he pledged them in return by draining a cup of a
+royal size. This was a final effort. He spoke a few hesitating sentences,
+frequently interrupted by hiccoughs, staggered, and but for the prompt
+attention of his attendants, who had indeed observed his condition, would
+have fallen to the ground. Nothing remained but to carry him out of the
+banqueting hall.
+
+It was late in the afternoon of the following day before he was
+sufficiently recovered from the effects of his debauch to start for
+Jerusalem. A halt for the night was made about halfway, and late in the
+afternoon of the next day the cavalcade approached Jerusalem. Jason came
+out to meet his guest. He had done his utmost to bring a reputable company
+with him, but his efforts had not been very successful. The respectable
+part of the population of the city was conspicuously absent, a mixed
+multitude of strangers and half-breeds, brutal in manners and squalid in
+appearance, represented the Jewish nation. Fortunately it was dark, and
+the torchlight procession with which the King was escorted into the city
+did something to conceal by its picturesque effects the general meanness
+of the affair. Antiochus, however, did not fail to notice the character of
+the gathering, and indeed rallied his host on his ragged and disreputable
+followers. But his good humour did not seem to be disturbed. He admired
+the decorations of the palace, was loud in praise of Jason's taste in art,
+and indeed admired one statuette so much that his host felt compelled to
+offer it for his acceptance, much against his will, for it was supposed to
+be an original by Scopas, and to be worth at least five talents. The next
+day came a visit to the Temple. The King shrugged his shoulders at what he
+was pleased to consider the tastelessness of its architecture, suggested
+to his host that he had better pull the whole place down and build it
+again in a better style, and offered him the services of his own architect
+and a painter who, he said, had a quite unequalled skill for such subjects
+as a dance of satyrs and nymphs, and would cover the walls of the new
+building with some really elegant designs. But if the architecture of the
+Temple did not please him, he expressed a genuine admiration for some of
+its contents. There was a greedy light in his eye as he looked at the rich
+furniture and gorgeous vessels--and this, though Jason, having certain
+views of his own, had the prudence not to show him the chamber which
+contained the most massive treasures of the place. But whatever Antiochus
+may have thought, he said nothing but what was civil and pleasant. It may
+be supposed, however, that a few days of such a guest would be enough, and
+it was with unmixed delight that at the end of a week Jason saw him depart
+for Phenic�.
+
+
+
+
+
+                              CHAPTER III.
+
+                                MENELAUS.
+
+
+Two years have passed, and the fate which Jason had declared to be beyond
+all limits of probability or possibility has actually overtaken him. One
+of his agents, named Oniah, who has assumed the name of Menela�s, for the
+rage for Greek fashions still continues unabated, has outbidden him, and
+now reigns in his stead, occupying the palace on Mount Sion which he had
+been at such pains to adorn.
+
+If we look into his library we shall see not only the books and
+statuettes--the silver tankards are gone, melted down into money that was
+wanted for some sudden exigency--but our old acquaintance, Cleon. The
+supple Greek was not one of those who take their friends for better, for
+worse. Jason was wandering about among the hills of Ammon with scarcely a
+garment to his back or a shekel that he could call his own, and what use
+could he find for the company of an accomplished gentleman, who had as
+keen an eye as any one for a fine bit of sculpture or painting, and could
+not be rivalled, out of the profession, in his taste for wine? The
+accomplished gentleman knew where he was appreciated, where he was of use,
+and, naturally, where he was well off. Accordingly he had found means, as
+such people always do find means, of ingratiating himself with the new
+occupant of the palace, and was installed as his consulting connoisseur
+and chief adviser in matters of taste.
+
+"A poor creature, certainly," he had replied to some depreciatory
+criticism which Menela�s had passed on his predecessor, "but it must be
+allowed that he had a taste in art."
+
+"Or was sensible enough to be guided by those who had," said Menela�s.
+
+Cleon acknowledged the compliment with a bow, and went on, "I never found
+him make any difficulty about the price. And, of course, if a man goes to
+work in that spirit, and has good advice, too, he is bound to make a fine
+collection."
+
+Menela�s received the observation with a grimace, and a significant shrug
+of the shoulders. "'No difficulty about the price,' you say. Of course
+not. Why should he? When a man doesn't pay, he is apt to be easy about the
+amount. Do you know that the bills for half the things that you see in
+this room have been sent in to me? Sometimes he had to pay the money down.
+The 'Gladiator' there, from Pergamum could not have been got without ready
+cash; but wherever he could, he went on credit, and now the dealers are
+down upon me."
+
+And he held up a sheaf of bills.
+
+"Here," he went on, "is a pretty account from Theodotus of Alexandria, the
+bookseller, you know:
+
+"'_A Manuscript of Anacreon_ (said to be   10   min�.
+autograph)
+_The Milesian Tales_                        5   "
+_Drinking Songs from Cratinus_              2   "'
+
+And so it goes on, with a quantity of books which I am sure the old
+impostor never read. Two talents and twelve min� it comes to altogether.
+Then here is 'A Group of the Graces, 1 talent;' 'Silenus, 20 min�;' 'Satyr
+and Nymphs, half a talent.' 'Set of Flagons, worked with the Labours of
+Hercules, 2 talents.' These the villain melted down before he went. Fancy
+the rascality of that! Why, the silver by weight could not have been worth
+a fourth part of what it cost with the workmanship."
+
+"Well," said Cleon, "the fellows can wait. They can afford it; I know
+enough about these things to be sure that they get a very handsome profit.
+I used to travel, you know, for Cleisthenes of Syracuse, and so got to
+know something about the secrets of the trade. No, you need not be afraid
+of making them wait."
+
+"Well, they have waited three years already," returned Menela�s; "and very
+likely will have to be out of their money for as many more. But here is a
+gentleman who won't wait. Here is Sostratus" (Sostratus, it should be
+mentioned, was Governor of the Castle, which was garrisoned by Syrian
+troops, and so the representative of King Antiochus)--"here is Sostratus
+asking for the half-year's tribute, and giving me a pretty strong hint
+that, if I don't send it, he shall come and take it for himself. And where
+is the money to come from?"
+
+"Well," said Cleon, with a little laugh, "I suppose there is one way to
+get milk, and that is to go to the cow, or the goat, or the sheep. You
+see, we have a certain choice between big and little. And so, if you want
+money, you must go to the people, I suppose."
+
+"The people! they are squeezed absolutely dry, at least one would think
+so. I could tell you stories about the squeezing that would make you split
+your sides with laughing. There was old Levi, a Bethlehem farmer; they
+boiled him, or half-boiled him, because he would not pay his taxes--said
+that he couldn't, the old villain! They put him in a caldron, you see, and
+kept heating it up, because he would not tell where he had hidden his
+money."
+
+"Well, did they get it out of him?"
+
+"No, the obstinate old dog, he would not say a word; but before he was
+quite finished his wife brought the coins from her head-dress and bought
+him off. They say that he was the queerest figure when he came out of the
+water, with the skin hanging about him in folds. Well, at all events, it
+was a good washing for him. He had never been so clean in his life
+before."
+
+"And did he recover?" asked Menander.
+
+"Upon my word, I can't remember. But I do know that we got the money."(5)
+
+"Well, I remember what your predecessor used to say. It was in this very
+room about two years ago that I asked him whether he felt quite safe. 'Oh,
+yes!' he answered, 'I have got the last farthing that is to be got, and
+there is an end of it!'"
+
+"Well," replied the high priest, "there are other ways of getting money
+besides taxes. I will allow that Jason worked the taxes as well as a man
+could. No one can eat or drink, lie down or get up, walk or ride, travel
+or stay at home, be born or marry, or be buried, without having to pay for
+it. No! I do not see room for another, and I am sure that it is not for
+want of looking. But, as I said, there are other ways. Now--can you keep a
+secret?"
+
+"A secret! I should say so--not the grave itself better!"
+
+"Hush! my friend, good words! good words!" cried the high priest, who
+felt, or affected to feel, the common Greek superstition against words
+that seemed to carry an evil omen with them. "Well, if you can, come
+here."
+
+So saying, Menela�s took his friend into an adjoining room, and opening a
+cupboard, secured, as the Greek observed, by an iron door and by a lock of
+elaborate construction, showed him a number of massive gold vases.
+
+"And where do these come from?" asked Cleon, almost dazzled by the
+splendid array.
+
+"Where should they come from, but from the Temple? Some of these have got
+a history of their own. You see that two-handled cup? King Artaxerxes gave
+it to Nehemiah: solid gold. And you see those splendid sapphires in the
+handles? The very biggest stones of the sort I have ever seen, and worth
+three talents each. Then there is that salver, Alexander of Macedon gave
+it to the Temple; and that casket there was a present from the first
+Ptolemy."
+
+"But, my dear sir," said the Greek, astonished at the audacity of the
+whole affair, "is not this going a little too far? Suppose the people were
+to find it out? Would there not be a rather formidable uproar?"
+
+"Well, of course; we cannot get anything without risk. But I have taken
+precautions. First, I have put a facsimile of every one of these in the
+Temple; gilded lead, which does perfectly well for all practical
+purposes."
+
+"But the weight! Surely any one can tell the difference by the weight."
+
+"Of course, my dear Cleon, I know that lead is little more than half as
+heavy as gold. But there are ways of making it up. You can put a great
+deal more metal in, without its being observed, and almost make up the
+difference. And, you see, the things are never allowed to be handled; can
+only be looked at. I have given very strict orders about that, you may be
+sure. Of course the treasurer is in the secret; but as he must sink or
+swim with me, he may be trusted. Besides, I am not going to run the risk
+of keeping them here. I can trust you, my good Cleon, as I can my own
+brother--in fact, when I come to think of it, a good deal more--yet I am not
+sure that I should have told you so much, but that the best of these are
+going to be packed off to-night. The fact is, they are sold already."
+
+The Greek could only shrug his shoulders and say nothing. As my readers
+will have perceived, he was not a man of high principles--in fact, to put
+the matter plainly, he was an unscrupulous adventurer. But the reckless
+villainy of Menela�s fairly disgusted him. His taste, quite apart from any
+question of principle or honesty, revolted at the notion that a man,
+placed as was the high priest of the Jewish people, should deal with these
+historic treasures as a vulgar burglar might deal with them. This was a
+refinement of feeling into which the vulgar cupidity of Menela�s did not
+enter. He went on:
+
+"How wild that scoundrel Jason would be, if he knew of this, to think that
+he had lost such an opportunity, had these treasures in his hand, so to
+speak, and leave them to his worst enemy!"
+
+"Have you heard anything lately about him?" asked the Greek, not unwilling
+to change the subject.
+
+"Oh, yes," replied Menela�s, "he is wandering about somewhere in the
+country of the Ammonites, and at his wits' end, I am told, how to live."
+
+"Poor fellow!" said Cleon, _sotto voce_, "he was always very kind to me,
+and I can't help being sorry for him." He then went on aloud, "He will
+find it a great change from his way of living here."
+
+"Yes, yes!" said Menela�s; "but still, some of his old ways and habits
+will come in usefully. He was always great about training, you remember.
+Every one should be ready to fight a boxing-match or run a race. Cold,
+hunger, fatigue; these, he used to say, are the things to bring out a
+man's muscles. And now he has got them in perfection. He might really
+carry off some prize, only, unluckily, he is getting a little too old for
+that sort of thing. And then, you recollect, how he would go on about the
+beauty of the human form. Clothes, especially the gorgeous clothes of our
+people, obscured so tastelessly its magnificent proportions. Well, he has
+not much to complain of, I imagine, on that score. By the last account
+that I had of him he had as little in the way of clothing as a man could
+well have. Anyhow, he may console himself with thinking that _his_
+magnificent proportions are not obscured. Well, I don't pity him. A man
+who has managed to get into a good place and then cannot stick to it is
+nothing better than a fool, and richly deserves everything that he may
+get."
+
+At this point in the conversation a servant announced the arrival of a
+message from Sostratus, Governor of the Castle.
+
+"All the gods and goddesses confound the man!" cried the high priest, in a
+rage. He was fond of garnishing his conversation with a little Greek
+profanity. "Another dunning message, I suppose. Well, he must wait. No man
+can get any water by squeezing out of a dry sponge; and that is about what
+I am!"
+
+The communication from Sostratus proved, however, to be on quite another
+subject, though it was, if possible, even more unwelcome. It ran thus:--
+
+
+   "_Sostratus, Vicegerent of the Divine King, Antiochus, to Menela�s,
+                       the High Priest, greeting._
+
+  "Know that I have this day received the summons of the Divine King,
+  Antiochus, to attend him at his court at Antioch, within the space of
+  thirty days, there to inform his Highness more fully of affairs
+  concerning his province of Jud�a. Know also that your presence is
+  required at the same place and time, whereof the writing herewith
+  enclosed, being sealed with the King's seal, will be proof sufficient.
+  Farewell."
+
+
+Menela�s's face visibly lengthened as he read this epistle. "By the dog!"
+(this was a Socratic oath which he sometimes affected, as giving to his
+conversation a certain philosophic tinge)--"By the dog! this is worse than
+being dunned! I like not a journey to Antioch. A very pretty place, but
+expensive, dreadfully expensive, especially when one has the honour of
+being entertained by the King."
+
+Cleon felt a certain pleasure in the high priest's discomfiture. The new
+patron was more overbearing, less considerate, and generally more
+difficult to get on with than the old. Jason, coxcomb as he was, had
+always been kind, and Cleon felt as kindly for him as it was in his nature
+to feel for any one. And then the exquisite propriety with which this
+disturbing news followed the man's taunts and boasts was irresistible.
+
+"It is hard," he said, as if to himself, "when a man has got into a good
+place----"
+
+Menela�s darted an angry look at his friend, but the Greek's face, which
+he knew how to keep under admirable control, expressed nothing but
+respectful sympathy. There was an unpleasant suggestion of mockery in what
+he had heard; but the Greek was a useful person; he had been trusted, too,
+and knew things which it would not do to have published. Altogether, the
+high priest concluded, it would not do to quarrel with him--anyhow, for the
+present; some day, perhaps, he might be got rid of.
+
+"I suppose, sir, you cannot make an excuse--important affairs of State, the
+King's service to be attended to, or something of that kind?"
+
+Cleon made the suggestion, knowing perfectly well that it was quite out of
+the question. But he enjoyed the novel position of tormenting his patron,
+and was taking it out, so to speak, for not a few rudenesses and slights.
+
+"Excuse!" cried Menela�s. "It would be as much as my head is worth to do
+anything of the kind. No! I must go. But this is not a journey which one
+cares to take empty-handed. Let me see what I can take--two or three of the
+most portable cups, as much coin as I can scrape together, and the
+jewels--jewels are always useful: it is so easy to hide them. Well, I shall
+leave you in charge; unless, indeed, you are very much set on going
+yourself."
+
+Cleon was not at all set upon going; on the contrary, nothing short of the
+strongest inducements would have persuaded him to the journey. Going to
+Antioch was like putting one's head into the lion's mouth. There was no
+particular reason, indeed, why _his_ head should be bitten off; but lions
+are capricious, and sometimes use their teeth for the mere fun of the
+thing.
+
+"I am much obliged for the chance," he said, "but my health has been
+suffering lately, and I do not feel quite equal to the journey."
+
+"Well, then," replied Menela�s, "stop here, and keep things as straight as
+you can. And if you can sell some of these pretty things for ready money,
+do so--the usual commission for yourself, of course. But it must all be
+kept quiet."
+
+The next day the high priest and the Governor, neither of them in very
+good spirits, were on their way to Antioch.
+
+
+
+
+
+                               CHAPTER IV.
+
+                               AT ANTIOCH.
+
+
+Antioch more than deserved the praise of "a very pretty place," which
+Menela�s had bestowed upon it. In fact, it was one of the finest cities of
+the world. The old town which the first Antiochus(6) had found had been
+improved away by him and his successors. All that could be done by a
+despotic power that made very short work with the wishes and even the
+rights of private owners of property, and by a lavish expenditure of
+money, had been done by five generations of rulers, and the result was
+magnificent. Broad streets ran from side to side; and those who grumbled
+that the narrow alleys of the old town gave at least a shelter from the
+sun were consoled by the rows of planes and limes, planted alternately,
+which shaded both sides of each thoroughfare. Rows of houses, which looked
+more like palaces than private dwellings, occupied the best quarter of the
+city, and even the poorest regions had nothing of the squalor of poverty.
+Even the filth so common in the East was conspicuously absent from
+Antioch, for every gutter ran with an unceasing stream of water, drawn
+from a higher point of the Orontes and carrying into that river at a lower
+point all the defilement of the streets. Temples, in which a whole
+pantheon of gods was worshipped, were to be seen on every hand. The pure
+and harmonious outlines of Greek architecture could be seen side by side
+with the _bizarre_ conceptions of Oriental art. If the kings and their
+Greek subjects worshipped Zeus and Apollo, and, above all, Aphrodit�, who
+had here her famous grove of Daphne, so the Syrian population were
+faithful to Baal and Ashtaroth. A magnificent amphitheatre, capable of
+holding at least thirty thousand spectators, rose, a striking mass of
+white marble, on the north side of the city; a colonnade ran round the
+four sides of the market-place, gorgeous with the lavish colours of the
+East, for here the art of Greece had been superseded for once by the more
+ornate native taste. But the river, rushing down between its noble
+embankments of stone, was the chief ornament of the place. The Orontes had
+not gathered round it the splendid associations that clustered about the
+Tiber, but its broad, clear stream was in everything else more than a
+match for its Italian rival.
+
+Menela�s and his companion, who, it may be guessed, had reasons of his own
+for regarding with anxiety the summons that brought him to the capital,
+were not a little relieved to find that the King had been called away by
+urgent affairs.
+
+Tarsus, one of the most important cities in his dominions, had rebelled.
+Its antiquity, its wealth, and its fame as a seat of culture, a character
+in which it claimed to be a rival of Athens itself, had combined to give
+the Tarsians a high opinion of themselves. Successive rulers, beginning
+with the Assyrian kings, its first founders, had allowed the city a
+certain independence; and its pride was grievously wounded when the young
+King, with the reckless levity that distinguished him, handed it over as a
+private possession to his mistress. The citizens pitched the lady's
+collectors into the Cydnus, shut their gates, and defied their sovereign;
+Mallos, another Cilician city which had suffered the same indignity,
+following their example. The King had marched to reduce the rebels--a task,
+it was probable, of no little difficulty--leaving a certain Andronicus to
+act as his deputy, and specially to dispose of the charge on which
+Menela�s and Sostratus had been summoned.
+
+This charge was one of a very formidable kind. Menela�s's dealings with
+the treasures of the Temple had not been so secret as he had hoped. Such
+things cannot be done without a certain number of confederates, and such
+confederates are very apt to give a finishing touch to their villainy by
+betraying their chief. In this instance one of the journeymen employed had
+considered himself insufficiently paid, rightly thinking, perhaps, that if
+sacrilege can be recompensed at all, it ought to be recompensed
+handsomely. Personally he was too insignificant to venture an attack on so
+great a potentate as the high priest, but he knew whither to carry his
+information. He told what he knew to a priest, who, besides being a devout
+Jew, was a member of the family to which the high priesthood properly
+belonged. The priest, after satisfying himself that the story was true, at
+once set about bringing the offender to justice.
+
+His course was plain. Menela�s, we have seen, had supplanted Jason, and
+Jason had himself purchased the dignity. But Oniah, the rightful high
+priest, who had been displaced by Jason, was still alive. Antiochus,
+naturally fearing his influence with his countrymen, had kept him at his
+capital, treating him, strange to say, with remarkable consideration. But
+Oniah was one of those men who extort veneration even from the most
+reckless of profligates. His venerable figure, his face beaming with
+benevolence, his blameless life, and the charities which he dispensed up
+to and even beyond the limit of his means, had won for him the regard of
+all Antioch. Even the heathen would stop him in the streets and beg his
+blessing. Oniah was a power in Antioch for which even the reckless young
+profligate on the throne had an unfeigned respect.
+
+It may, then, be easily imagined that no little sensation was produced
+when this venerable personage appeared before Antiochus, and, in the
+presence of the Court, accused Menela�s, whom he had steadfastly refused
+to acknowledge as high priest, of having embezzled much of the treasure of
+the Temple at Jerusalem. That Oniah, whose veracity and good faith were
+beyond all question, should make such a charge was _prim� facie_ evidence
+of its truth. As he was known to have many friends in Jerusalem, it was
+more than probable that evidence would be forthcoming. The King did not
+hesitate a moment in acting upon this probability. Of course, he did not
+look at the matter in at all the same light as that in which it was
+regarded by the devout Oniah. To the dispossessed high priest the robbery
+of the sacred vessels was a monstrous sacrilege, an offence of the deepest
+dye, not only against his country but against his God. Antiochus felt that
+it was he who had been wronged. The treasures of the Jerusalem Temple were
+_his_ treasures. He might be content to leave them, at all events for the
+present, where they were; but they must be ready to his hand whenever the
+occasion should arise, and any one who presumed to appropriate them was a
+traitor and a villain. Hence the urgent summons to Menela�s and to
+Sostratus, who, as Governor, could hardly fail, thought Antiochus, to have
+been cognizant of the whole proceeding.
+
+Almost immediately after the despatch of the summons came the trouble with
+Tarsus. The King started to chastise in person his rebellious subjects,
+and left, as we have said, Andronicus in general charge of affairs, and
+with a special commission to hear the accusation which Oniah was bringing
+against Menela�s. The choice was an unlucky one. Antiochus was sincerely
+anxious that justice should be done in the matter; but to get justice done
+in any particular case when it is not the rule of the administration is
+exceedingly difficult. Andronicus, to put the facts quite simply, was an
+unprincipled villain, ready to sell his decisions, when he could do so
+with impunity, to the highest bidder. He was an old acquaintance and
+confederate of Sostratus, and Menela�s, who had established friendly
+relations with the Governor during their journey from Jerusalem to
+Antioch, soon received a hint as to how he should proceed. The hearing of
+the case had been appointed for the sixth day after his arrival. Before
+that date one of the sacred vessels which he had taken the precaution of
+bringing with him, had been exchanged for five hundred gold pieces, and
+the gold pieces had found their way into the pocket of Andronicus.
+
+On the day appointed Oniah, supported by the principal Jewish inhabitants
+of Antioch and by not a few of the most respectable Greeks, appeared to
+substantiate his charges against the usurper Menela�s. The evidence
+appeared to be overwhelming. The artizan who had been employed to
+fabricate the worthless imitations of the precious vessels told the whole
+story of the fraud with a fulness of detail which seemed to bear all the
+stamp of truth. Another witness related how he had carried one of the
+original articles to a goldsmith at Sidon, and actually produced a rough
+memorandum of its weight, which had been made upon the spot, to be
+afterwards embodied in the formal receipt.
+
+The line of defence adopted was bold, not to say impudent. The whole
+affair, according to Menela�s, was a conspiracy on the part of the
+irreconcilable Jews to overthrow a loyal subject of the King. The
+witnesses, he declared, had been suborned, the documents had been forged.
+He then went on to bring a counter-charge against his accuser. And here he
+found a certain advantage in the transparent honesty of Oniah.
+
+"Do you acknowledge," he asked the ex-high priest, "the validity of the
+appointments which our most noble lord Antiochus has made to the office of
+high priest?"
+
+Oniah frankly confessed that he did not.
+
+"Do you consider yourself to be still, according to the Law, in rightful
+possession of that office?"
+
+"I do."
+
+"And bound to assert that right?"
+
+"By lawful means."
+
+"And you hold all means to be lawful that are enjoined in the Law of
+Moses?"
+
+"I do."
+
+"And among such means you would count the banishment from the precincts of
+the Holy City of all such as do not worship the Lord God of Israel?"
+
+Oniah felt that he was becoming entangled in this artful web of questions,
+and made an effort to break loose. "I appeal," he cried, "most excellent
+Andronicus, to all who, in this city of Antioch, for these four years past
+have known my manner of life. You see sundry of them, nor of my own nation
+only, in the court this day. Ask them whether I have not lived in all
+peace and quietness, not seeking to disturb, either by word or deed, the
+dominions of my lord the King."
+
+Menela�s, of course, had not come unprovided with witnesses. The old man
+had, to tell the truth, used language of an imprudent kind. He was a
+patriot and a believer. As such, he had his beliefs and his hopes, and it
+was part of his character to express such beliefs and hopes quite openly.
+He had talked of a day when the Holy Land should be no more the prey of
+the alien and the heathen, when a king of the House of David should rule
+in Mount Sion, when the Temple should regain all the sacredness and all
+the glory which had ever belonged to it. Such language, construed
+strictly, was not consistent with a thorough loyalty to the Syrian
+monarch. But no one who knew Oniah, a man of peace who had the good sense
+to recognize what was and what was not possible, could suppose that any
+scheme of revolt against existing authorities had ever entered into his
+mind. In fact he had not said a word that had not been said before by one
+or more of the prophets. Still, words which breathed a spirit of
+independence, when reported by witnesses, and acknowledged by Oniah--who
+was, indeed, too honest to deny them--gave Andronicus the occasion for
+which he had been looking. He gave his decision in the following terms:--
+
+"The charge against Menela�s is postponed for further hearing. Meanwhile
+the documents produced and the witnesses will remain in the custody of the
+Court. As for Oniah, he must be reserved for the judgment of the King in
+person. I should myself have been disposed to release him; but in the
+absence of my lord, considering that the peace of the realm is so
+essentially concerned, I do not venture so far."
+
+He was proceeding to give orders for the removal of Oniah, when an ominous
+murmur from the audience, with which the court was crowded, made him
+pause. Prisoners who saw the inside of an Antioch dungeon were sometimes
+not heard of again. The air had a certain power of developing very rapid
+diseases, so rapid that the sufferers were not only dead but buried before
+any tidings of the sickness reached their friends. Antioch was not
+disposed to see the man who was probably the most widely respected of all
+its inhabitants, exposed to such a risk. Andronicus, who could not even
+trust the soldiers to act against so venerable a person, drew back. He was
+willing, he said, to accept sureties in a sufficient amount for the due
+appearance of the accused. The sureties were forthcoming in a moment, in
+sums so great and so absolutely secure that Andronicus had no pretext for
+refusing them. He proceeded to adjourn the Court for fourteen days.
+
+During the interval he took the opportunity of making a change in the
+garrison of the capital. Troops recruited from some of the regions
+bordering on Jud�a, and accordingly among the bitterest enemies of its
+people, replaced some Greek mercenaries. The strangers knew nothing about
+Oniah, except that he was a Jew, and, being a Jew, of course hateful. They
+could be relied upon to obey orders, and those who knew Andronicus were
+sure what orders he would issue.
+
+Oniah's friends urged him to fly. He was too old and feeble, he replied;
+it would be better for him to die at his post. Then they implored him to
+take sanctuary.
+
+"What!" he cried, "take sanctuary in a heathen temple! There is none other
+in the place. I would sooner die a thousand times."
+
+It was not in a temple, they explained, that he was to find shelter. It
+was in the Gardens of Daphne that they wished him to take refuge. And they
+proceeded to unfold an elaborate argument, the gist of which was that the
+Gardens were a civil, and not a religious, sanctuary; that there would be
+no occasion for him to enter the consecrated enclosure; he would be simply
+availing himself of a custom which forbad the entrance of the Minister of
+Justice into a place devoted to the amusement of the people. It is
+probable that they strained their argument beyond the limits of the truth.
+It was with great difficulty that Oniah could be made to yield. When he
+did so at last, on the urgent representations of his friends that the
+hopes of a free Israel were largely dependent on the preservation of his
+life, he could not help foreboding that the concession would not profit
+either himself or them.
+
+The world scarcely contained a more beautiful place--beautiful both by
+grace of nature and diligence of art--than the Gardens of Daphne; and
+certainly none that seemed more unlikely to shelter a devout Jew. Its
+avenues of cypress and laurels, its delicious depths of shade, its
+thousand streams, clear as crystal and untouched by the drought of the
+longest, most fiery summer, were but a part of its charms. Of some,
+perhaps the chief of its attractions, it is best not to speak; but there
+were others, less unseemly indeed, but such as must have been absolutely
+scandalous to such a man as Oniah. The curious thronged to see the
+gigantic statue of Apollo, a match both in size and costliness of material
+to that of Zeus in the plain of Olympia. (It was sixty feet in height, and
+wrought of gold and ivory.) To complete the resemblance to the famous
+meeting-place of the Greek race, there was a running ground and rings for
+wrestling and boxing. Finally, Daphne claimed to rival another great
+centre of Greek life in its special characteristic. It was stoutly
+maintained that the Apollo who haunted the laurel-groves of Daphne was as
+true a prophet as he who spoke through the lips of Pythia at Delphi.
+Crowds of men and women, eager to learn the secrets of the future, came to
+the groves of Antioch. The method by which they saw into the secrets of
+fate seemed singularly simple. The questioner dipped a laurel leaf into
+the stream that flowed by the shrine, and lo! the surface appeared written
+over with the intimations of fate. Simple it was, but the priests had
+spent a world of pains in acquiring the art of invisible writing, and they
+did their best to learn something about the history and prospects of the
+applicants.
+
+Such was Daphne, and no one could be more astonished than were its
+inhabitants and visitors at the strange figure whom they saw before them;
+strange to the place, indeed, rather than to them, for Oniah, as has been
+said, was one of the best-known personages in Antioch. The rumour of his
+coming had gone before him, and a crowd, half curious, half respectful,
+had gathered to meet him. In not a few, indeed, curiosity and respect were
+mingled with something of fear. The presence of this austere piety in this
+haunt of vicious pleasure, was thought to augur ill for its prosperity.
+Some of the priests were heard to murmur that one who was the avowed enemy
+of the gods ought not to be admitted. But they did not venture to deny to
+any one who sought them the privileges of sanctuary, while their fears
+were not of a kind which they could make their followers understand. They
+had, therefore, to acquiesce, and hope that the unwelcome visitor would
+bring with him no ill-luck.
+
+A little building, as remote as possible from the central temple, had been
+secured for the residence of Oniah. On reaching the gardens he had to make
+his way to it through two dense lines of eager spectators. The temple, the
+shrine of the oracle, the pavilions devoted to pleasure, were for the
+nonce deserted. The drunkards left their wine-cup, and, stranger still,
+the dice-players their gaming-tables, to gaze upon the holy man. As he
+walked up the narrow avenue that had been left for his passage, some of
+the women whose venal beauty was one of the attractions of the place,
+threw themselves at his feet. Unhappy creatures, they had been brought up
+from childhood to this life of degradation, which indeed had a certain
+hideous sanction of religious association about it; but they had not
+altogether lost the womanly veneration for goodness, and, like the
+Magdalen of a later time, seemed to forget themselves in its presence. The
+old man, unconscious of their character, or perhaps, with the Divine Guest
+of the Pharisee of Capernaum, ignoring it, stretched out his hands with
+the gesture of blessing, and, though it was technically a pollution to
+touch a heathen, he even laid them on some children who were almost thrust
+into his arms. There was hardly a heart that was not touched with this
+kindness, and when the priest, as he entered his new abode, turned and
+bade the multitude farewell, he was answered with shouts of enthusiasm.
+
+Menela�s and his accomplices were dismayed at the escape of the victim. A
+witness who knew so much, and whose word was so implicitly believed, must
+be silenced at any cost. To take him by force from the sanctuary was
+impossible. Any attempt of the kind would certainly end in disaster. But
+it might be possible to draw him forth by fraud. Menela�s knew enough of
+the old man's character to be sure that he had gone reluctantly, and would
+gladly seize the opportunity of quitting a scene in which he must have
+felt himself so much out of place. Some such fraud it would not be
+difficult to contrive with the help of Andronicus. Accordingly another of
+the sacred vessels found its way to the dealer, and another purse of gold
+into the pocket of the viceroy, and in a few hours the plot was arranged.
+As Antiochus was on his way back from the north, there was no time to be
+lost.
+
+Two days after the arrival of Oniah at the gardens a visitor to him was
+announced. It was the viceroy himself.
+
+"Venerable sir," he began, "it has grieved me beyond measure to find that
+you were distrustful of my honourable, and I may say friendly, intentions
+concerning you. Whoever accused me of ill-will towards you has wronged me
+most foully. And let me add that you also have been wronged no less in
+that you have been persuaded to come to a place so unworthy of your
+dignity. Your safety should be ensured, not by a sanctuary in which
+thieves and murderers find refuge, but by the inviolable precincts of the
+royal palace itself. Let me offer to you, in the name of the King, the
+hospitality of his abode. In the meanwhile I am willing to swear by any
+oaths that may suffice to satisfy you and your friends, that you shall
+suffer no injury from my hands."
+
+One or two of Oniah's friends strongly dissuaded him from trusting himself
+to the viceroy. But their caution was overborne by their companions and by
+the eagerness of the priest to quit so uncongenial a place. Andronicus
+took every oath known to Greek or Jew that he would treat the priest with
+all respect, and Oniah gladly bade farewell to the Gardens. His departure
+was made at the dead of night, and unknown to any of the inhabitants of
+Daphne. Had they been aware of his intention, it is probable, knowing as
+they did the character of Andronicus, that they would have hindered it by
+force.
+
+Almost at the moment of Oniah's arrival at the palace a runner reached it
+from the King announcing his intended arrival on the next day.
+
+Speedy action was necessary, and Andronicus, though not without
+misgivings, determined to lose no time. A Court of Justice, so called, was
+hastily held. A creature of his own was called to preside over it.
+Witnesses whose testimony had been carefully prepared, deposed to
+preparations for rebellion to which Oniah had been privy, and to which he
+had lent his aid. The accused was not allowed to have an advocate, and
+scarcely even permitted to speak. Two hours sufficed for this mockery of a
+legal process, and two more for carrying into effect the sentence of death
+which was of course pronounced. Though the brutal Cilicians who formed the
+garrison of the palace were ready to carry out any order which their
+officer might give, it was judged well to avoid anything like a public
+execution. That very night Oniah was poisoned in his prison, and before
+dawn the next day his body was hastily consigned to the tomb.
+
+The punishment for this atrocious act of treachery and cruelty was not
+long delayed. One of the first acts of Antiochus, after his return to his
+capital, was to demand the presence of Oniah, and then the story had to be
+told. Andronicus did his best to put such a colour upon it as would
+deceive his master. The attempt was vain. The King saw in a moment through
+the idle charges which had been brought against the dead man. "What!" he
+cried, "Oniah rebel against _me_!" His vanity and self-confidence made the
+accusation seem the very height of absurdity.
+
+"Of course," the King went on--"of course he did not acknowledge the
+priesthood of Jason or Menela�s; he has told me so himself twenty times.
+He could not think otherwise, and he was as honest as the day. I only wish
+that he had left another as honest behind him. Zeus and all the gods of
+heaven and hell confound me if I do not avenge him to the uttermost. Tell
+me," he cried, turning to the captain of the Cilicians, who stood by
+dismayed at his master's rage--"tell me where you have buried him."
+
+The captain described the place.
+
+"I will see him once more, and these villains shall see him too," he said,
+pointing to the trembling pair, Andronicus and his creature the judge.
+
+He went on foot, his royal dress discarded for a mourner's cloak. His
+courtiers followed him, and a guard of soldiers behind brought with them
+the guilty viceroy and judge.
+
+"Open the grave," he said, when he reached the spot.
+
+It was soon done, for the murderers had hurried their victim into a
+shallow tomb. In a few minutes the body of the dead man was exposed to
+view. Decay had not commenced, and death had given fresh depth and beauty
+to the serenity which had been their habitual expression in life.
+Antiochus gazed awhile at the face; then, dropping on his knees, covered
+his head with his mantle, and burst into a passion of tears.
+
+In a few minutes he rose to his feet. Grief had given place to rage, and
+his eyes blazed with fury.
+
+"Bind that wretch!" he cried, pointing to the wretched Andronicus.
+
+He was bound, and stood waiting his doom.
+
+"He is not worth the blow of an honest sword," cried the King; "strangle
+him, as if he were a dog. But first make him look at the man whom he has
+murdered."
+
+Andronicus was forced to the edge of the grave and compelled to look at
+the dead. A halter was thrown round his neck, and the next moment he was a
+corpse. The judge shared his fate. "And you, sir," said the King, turning
+to the captain who had administered the poison--"you, sir, though you are a
+barbarian, and know no better, must learn that you cannot rob the world of
+one who was worth a thousand such brutes as you. You are captain no more;
+that is your successor," and he pointed to an officer in his train. "You
+can groom his horses, if you don't want to starve. And think that you are
+lucky that you keep your head."
+
+So the good Oniah was avenged.
+
+
+
+
+
+                               CHAPTER V.
+
+                            THE WRATH TO COME.
+
+
+A year has passed since the tragedy related in the last chapter. Menela�s,
+thanks chiefly to the fickle temper of Antiochus, had escaped the fate
+which overtook his accomplice Andronicus, and had returned to pillage his
+unfortunate countrymen in Palestine. But his lease of power had come to an
+end. Jason, his dispossessed rival, had taken the opportunity of a report
+that Antiochus was dead, and attacked him. There could hardly be any
+choice between the two men. Both were equally rapacious; equally
+unfaithful to their religion and their country. But Jason had been out of
+power for two years, and his misdeeds had faded a little from the memory
+of the people; Menela�s's enormities were still fresh in their
+recollection. After a sharp conflict, the losses of which were utterly out
+of proportion to any gain that could possibly come from it, Jason had won
+the day, and his rival had been compelled to take refuge in the Castle.
+Then came the news that the report of the death of Antiochus was false. He
+had settled affairs in Egypt after his liking, and was now on his way
+northwards, furious at the trouble which this obstinate province was
+giving him, and resolved, as he said, to quiet it for good. Jason had fled
+in headlong haste, and his partisans, and, indeed, most of those who had
+the means to go, had followed his example. Meanwhile Jerusalem was
+awaiting the future with fear and trembling.
+
+It is an evening in the early summer, and the western wall of the city is
+crowded with men and women, who are gazing with awe-stricken faces on the
+strange appearance of the sunset. All day people had been talking of the
+marvellous shapes which had appeared the evening before in the western
+sky, and now a great multitude had assembled to see whether the marvel
+would be repeated, and, if so, to judge of it for themselves. Nor had they
+assembled in vain. Never, within the memory of man, had the heavens worn a
+stranger, a more terrifying look. Above the spot where the sun was just
+sinking to his rest the whole sky glowed with a red and angry light. On
+this background, so to speak, the clouds of a lower stratum had shaped
+themselves into the forms of two armies ready to engage in battle. The
+spectators seemed to be able to trace in one place the serried ranks of
+infantry, in another the massed array of chariots and horses. A space,
+brilliantly coloured, as it might seem, with something like the hue of
+blood, intervened between the two airy hosts. But these seemed to be
+slowly nearing each other, and the gazing people watched the lessening
+space, expecting, one might think, to hear the actual clash of arms when
+they should have met. But then the sun set, and with the sudden failing of
+light that marks the evening of more southern climes than ours, the whole
+pageant vanished from before the eyes of the spectators.
+
+Among the crowd is our old acquaintance Menander, or Micah, whom we last
+met in the library of Jason. Things have not gone well with him since
+then. He had cherished a belief that Greek culture, the brightness of
+Greek literature and art, would do something to amend the severity, and
+what he was pleased to call the tastelessness of Jewish life. To a certain
+extent it had been an honest belief, though the pleasure-loving nature of
+the man, in its revolt against the stern morality of the Law, had had
+something to do with developing it. But his experience of Greek culture
+and its works had not been encouraging. If the reforming doctrine had to
+be preached by such prophets as Jason, and Menela�s, and the cruel and
+profligate young tyrant Antiochus, it was more than doubtful whether it
+would do any good. Hitherto, certainly, it had done no good at all. The
+people were more unhappy, more spiritless, more like slaves than they had
+ever been before; the rulers were more greedy and selfish, more absolutely
+careless of all that did not concern their own interests. Might he not, he
+began to think to himself, have made a mistake? Might not the old life,
+which was at least the life of free men, be better than the new?
+
+He was busy with such thoughts when he heard a woman's voice behind him
+whisper "Micah." He did not recognize it at once, but its tones were
+familiar to him, and they seemed to touch the same chord in his heart with
+which his thoughts were then busy. And the name, the old Hebrew name, that
+too was familiar, though it was long since he had heard it. He was
+"Menander" to his friends; for his friends were either Greeks, or else
+Jews who, like himself, had cast off the associations of his birth and
+race.
+
+"Micah," said the voice again, and he turned to look at the speaker.
+
+She was a woman of some thirty years, plainly, almost poorly, dressed, but
+with all the air of gentle birth and breeding. Her face was beautiful, not
+with the brilliant loveliness of youth, but with that which is brought
+into the features by a pure and tender soul. There were the lines of many
+sorrows and cares upon her forehead, and round her eyes, and in the
+corners of mouth and cheek; but her eyes, save that they seemed almost too
+large for the thinner contours of the face, were as beautiful as they had
+been in the first glory of her youth.
+
+It was Hannah, his elder sister, who had been as a mother to him in his
+orphaned childhood, that Menander recognized. Years had passed since they
+met. There had been no quarrel, but circumstances had made a barrier
+between them. What Menander's life had been we know, and Hannah was the
+wife of a faithful and devout Jew, Azariah by name, who, though still
+cherishing kindly thoughts for his young kinsman, had felt that, for the
+present at least, they were best apart.
+
+Brother and sister eagerly clasped hands, and Menander, or Micah, as we
+will call him, felt a lump rise in his own throat as he saw the tearful
+smile in Hannah's lustrous eyes.
+
+"Micah," she said--"for you will not mind my calling you Micah, though I
+hear you use another name; but you were always Micah to me--this is a
+strange sight on which we have been looking."
+
+"Yes, sister," he answered, with a gaiety of tone which was more than half
+assumed--"yes, sister, strange enough; but then we know that the clouds do
+take strange shapes at times. A current of air blows them this way or
+that, and, with our fancy to help, they become anything in heaven or earth
+that we may fancy."
+
+"Nay, Micah, there is more than fancy here. You and I used to watch the
+clouds from the window in the old house, and to laugh at the odd shapes
+which we found in them--lions, and dogs, and whales, and such things--but we
+never saw such a sight as this."
+
+"But we had not in those days such thoughts of our own to read into the
+sights of the skies. But tell me, Hannah, what do you think it means?"
+
+"What can it mean," she answered, in a low voice, "but wrath--wrath upon us
+and upon our children?"
+
+"Wrath, perhaps," he cried; "and the sky has, I must confess, an angry
+look. But why must it be upon us? Why not rather upon our enemies? I see
+nothing in the skies which tells us whether these sights be meant for us
+or for them."
+
+"Nay, my brother, speak not thus, for you know better in your heart. The
+heavens give us these signs, or rather God gives them to us through the
+heavens, but He leaves it to our own hearts to interpret them. They tell
+us surely enough on whom this wrath must fall."
+
+"But, sister, tell me why on us? Are we worse than our neighbours--than
+these robbers of Edomites and Ammonites, these sullen Romans, never
+satisfied except when they are fighting--these mongrel Syrians?"
+
+"They are heathen," said Hannah, in a solemn voice, "and they do not sin
+against light. Let us leave them to the judgment of God. But ourselves we
+can judge. Look at this city; we call it the City of David--but where is
+the spirit of David? Have we not trampled the Law underfoot, making to
+ourselves graven images of things in heaven and earth and the water under
+the earth? Where is the honour of the Sabbath? Where is the morning and
+evening sacrifice? Where are the yearly feasts? Will our God deliver us
+again, when we will not thank Him for the deliverances that He hath
+wrought already? Oh, Micah, I do not seek to anger you; but are you such
+as our father, now in Abraham's bosom, would rejoice to see you? And tell
+me, how was it that we Hebrews became a great people? A Syrian ready to
+perish was our father, and lo! before a thousand years were past, Solomon
+reigned from the great river to the Western sea. How came we by this
+might? Was it by aping Egyptian or Greek? Did we not keep to our own way,
+and walk after our own law, and worship our own God? Then it was well with
+us, and the nations round about feared us and honoured us; but now they
+laugh us to scorn, for we are ashamed of our own selves, and seek to be
+what they are, and cannot attain to it, and so fall short both of their
+greatness and of ours."
+
+Micah stood dumb before this fierce torrent of words. Was this the gentle
+Hannah of his youth? There must be some mighty influence that could change
+the lamb into the lioness.
+
+She went on, in a gentler voice, "You are not angry with me, brother?"
+
+"Surely not."
+
+"I must go, for my husband will be waiting for the evening meal. Come,
+children," she went on, speaking to two little girls who had been clinging
+to their mother's cloak, gazing open-eyed and half-terrified at this
+strange kinsman.
+
+"And are these my nieces?"
+
+"Yes; Miriam and Judith," answered Hannah, pointing first to one and then
+to the other. "This, children, is your dear uncle, Micah."
+
+The young man stooped and kissed the children.
+
+"You will not let it be so long before we see you again?" said Hannah.
+
+His answer was to wring her hand, and turn away. Her words had pricked him
+to the heart, and he did not know whether to thank her or be angry.
+
+We must now turn to another group which had also been drawn to the walls
+by the report of the marvellous sights that were to be seen in the
+heavens. A group it was that would have attracted attention anywhere, so
+remarkable were the contrasts and the resemblances which it presented.
+
+The principal figure was an old man dressed in the everyday garb of a
+priest. The burden of years had bowed his stately figure, for he had long
+since passed the limit which the Psalmist assigns to the life of man, but
+his eye was as brilliant as ever, and his voice, when he spoke, had lost
+none of its depth and fulness of tone. His three companions were men in
+the vigour of life. All surpassed the common stature, but yet none of them
+equalled the height of their father, for that they were father and sons
+the most casual observer must have seen. In age there was little
+difference between them. The eldest may have numbered about forty years,
+the youngest, perhaps, four less. Their dress was mainly that of the
+middle-class Jew, and so different from the old man's priestly garb, but
+not without some distinctive marks that indicated the fact that they
+belonged to the House of Aaron. The multitude of priests was indeed so
+great that but a very small share in the services of the Temple, even when
+these were fully carried out, fell to the lot of any one man. These
+services had now been reduced to a minimum, and numbers of the priestly
+houses, while not repudiating their hereditary office, practically devoted
+themselves to the ordinary avocations of life. This had been done by the
+three sons of Mattathias of Modin, for such was the name and such the
+ancestral city of the aged priest.
+
+"Judas," said the old man, addressing one of his sons, "these signs in the
+heavens are of a surety from the Lord."
+
+The son addressed was the youngest of the three; but it was evident from
+the bearing of his brothers, and from the air of respect and attention
+with which they waited for him to speak, that they were accustomed to see
+him the first recipient of their father's confidence. And indeed it was
+not difficult to see, under a superficial resemblance of figure and face,
+something that distinguished him from his companions. John, the eldest,
+was a plain, blunt soldier, raised above the average level of his
+profession, by the purity of his life and the depth of his religious
+convictions, but still essentially a soldier, one who saw no way of
+solving complicated questions save by a downright blow of the sword.
+Simon, the second in point of age, had a singularly mild and benevolent
+expression, though his eyes were full of intelligence and the lines of his
+mouth and chin seemed to show that he could be firm on occasion. But Judas
+had all the outward characteristics of a hero. A sturdier soldier never
+wielded sword, but he saw that there are difficulties to which the sword
+alone can bring no solution. Nor was he slow to follow all the subtleties
+of diplomacy; but, at the same time, he never lost his grasp of the
+principles which all the skill of the diplomatist is unable to change.
+
+"Father," he now said, "that these signs are from the Lord I do not doubt.
+But what is your counsel?"
+
+"Speak you first, my son," replied the old man; "'tis ever best so. You
+might be unwilling to differ from me and yet be in the right. This at
+least my years have taught me--that it is easy for any man to err."
+
+"Let us stay," said Judas. "'Tis true the air is stifling, such as a free
+man can scarcely bear to breathe. But there are many, father, that look to
+you for counsel and guidance, and we may scarcely leave them, at least
+till the call sounds more plainly in our ears."
+
+"Nay," cried John, the soldier, "I am not, as you know, one that would
+readily give his vote for flight. But here we are, methinks, as rats in a
+hole. May we not lawfully, and with good faith to God and our brethren,
+seek some place where we may at least have space to draw our swords and
+strike a blow?"
+
+"And you, Simon, what say you?" asked the old man, turning to his second
+son.
+
+"God knows that I would give much to be back at home. But our brethren
+need us here, and we may give them some comfort. Let us stay."
+
+"Judas and Simon," said the old man, after a pause, "you have spoken well,
+and I give my voice with yours. As yet our duty seems to keep us here.
+When it shall call us hence, we will follow it. And you, John, think not
+that you will long want for an occasion to strike with the sword. It shall
+come; but you will be readier for it if you make no haste to meet it."
+
+With this the little party turned away from the wall, and made their way
+to their lodging in the city.
+
+
+
+
+
+                               CHAPTER VI.
+
+                              THE EVIL DAYS.
+
+
+It was not long before the portent which the terrified crowd had watched
+from the walls of Jerusalem found, or at least began to find, its
+fulfilment, for, indeed, many days were to pass before the wretched people
+had drained the cup of suffering to the dregs.
+
+First there was the actual arrival of the army, the rumour of whose
+approach had struck such terror into Jason. At its head came Antiochus in
+person, fresh from his successful campaigns in Egypt and in his train
+followed the renegade Menela�s with a crowd of unscrupulous and profligate
+adventurers. There was no attempt at resistance. The gates were thrown
+open by the King's adherents in the city. But if the citizens had hoped to
+soften the tyrant's heart by their submissive attitude they were miserably
+disappointed. For days the streets of the city ran red with blood. The
+prominent members of the patriotic party were the first to perish. Then
+came all the private enemies of the returning renegades; and then a far
+greater multitude who were singled out for destruction by the possession
+of anything that excited the cupidity of the conquerors. Lastly, as ever
+happens at such times, the massacre that is suggested by hatred or greed
+was followed by the massacre that is the result of the merest wantonness.
+But there were victims more unhappy than those who thus perished by the
+sword of the heathen. The money found on the persons and in the houses of
+the victims did not satisfy the cupidity of their murderers. There were
+thousands who had indeed nothing of their own to lose, but who were in
+themselves a valuable property. These were sent off in droves to be sold,
+till the slave-markets of the Eastern Mediterranean were glutted with the
+Jewish youth.
+
+Still worse in the eyes of all pious Jews than the massacre or the
+captivity was the profanation of the Temple. The innermost shrine, the
+Holy of Holies, which the high priest himself was permitted by the Law to
+enter but once only in the year, was thrown open to the unhallowed gaze of
+a debauched heathen. With a horror that passes description the people saw
+the renegade Menela�s, bound to be the guardian of the sanctity of the
+place, actually drawing aside the veil with his own hand, and conducting
+the King into the awful enclosure. They saw the most sacred treasures,
+gifts of the piety of many generations, treasures to which the revenue of
+the Persian kings, and even of the victorious Alexander himself had
+contributed, become the spoil of the sacrilegious intruders. The golden
+altar of incense and the table of the shew-bread were taken by the King,
+while the seven-branched candlestick of gold fell, as was commonly
+believed, to the high priest himself. They saw it, and it almost
+overturned their faith that no visible sign of the Divine wrath followed
+an impiety so terrible.
+
+So Antiochus came and went, leaving behind him as his deputy, Philip, the
+Phrygian, "in manners more barbarous than he who set him there." The time
+that followed was one of grievous depression and sadness. Life went on, as
+it will even amidst the gloomiest circumstances, but all the joy and
+brightness were crushed out of it.
+
+Micah's sister, the Hannah whom we have seen talking to him on the wall,
+gave birth to a son shortly after the departure of Antiochus. No feast was
+held on occasion of the rite that made the little one a member of the
+family of Abraham. When the forty days of purification were past, the
+mother was not taken to present her offspring in the Temple. The Temple,
+the haunt of pagans and apostates, was no place for faithful sons and
+daughters of Abraham. A visit to its courts could hardly be the seal of
+purification when it needed purifying so sorely itself.
+
+An occasion that should by right have been still more joyful was allowed
+to pass with the absence of festivity. A younger sister of Hannah, Ruth by
+name, had long before been promised to Seraiah, a friend and relative of
+her husband. Time after time the marriage had been postponed, under the
+pressure of evil times; and when at last it was performed, not even then
+without sore misgivings and anticipations of evil among all the elders of
+the family, the celebration was of the quietest kind. Not a guest beyond
+the few friends who attended on the bridegroom was invited; and it was in
+dead silence, not with the usual shouts of merriment and gay procession of
+torches, that the bride was taken to her husband's home.
+
+And yet, as we shall see, even for these evils there was a compensating
+good.
+
+Micah, though he had affected to make light of the foreboding of evil
+which he had heard from his sister, had really been impressed by it--so
+much impressed, indeed, that he had left the city for a little country
+house at the northern end of the Lake of Galilee, that belonged to him. He
+had invited his relatives to accompany him, but they had declined. Their
+place, they said, was at home, among their poorer brethren, where they
+might do something to help and strengthen. All that Micah could do was to
+commend them to the protection of the Greek party in the city, with whom,
+in spite of his fast increasing disgust at their proceedings, he had not
+yet broken.
+
+He had now returned, and he lost no time in finding his way to his
+sister's house. The ravages made by fire and sword were only too plainly
+visible as he walked along. Houses that he had known from his childhood,
+in which he had often been a guest, were now but blackened walls; others
+were shapeless ruins. Again and again he saw on fragments of stone and
+plaster hideous blotches which he knew to be of blood; and as he saw these
+things he cursed aloud the hands which had wrought these horrors, not
+without the bitterest self-reproach that his own hand might have grasped
+them in friendship.
+
+It was a great relief to find that his sister's house had been spared any
+outrage. But when he demanded admittance in the usual way, by kicking the
+door, it became evident that there had been a reign of terror, and that
+the inmates of the dwelling were not sure that it was yet over. The door
+was not thrown open in the usual free fashion of Jewish hospitality, but
+he became aware by a slight movement of one of the closed lattices that he
+was being inspected from above. The inspection was apparently
+satisfactory, for in another minute there was a sound of undrawing bolts
+and unfastening chains, and the inhospitable door was at last open.
+Hannah, sadly aged in look her brother thought, met him in the hall, and
+greeted him with a silent embrace. After a pause, in which she seemed to
+be struggling with her tears, she said--
+
+"Welcome, dear Micah; while you and my husband and my children are left to
+me I feel that I cannot be unhappy. And perhaps you," she added, with a
+wistful look in his face, "will draw nearer to us now. But come and see my
+dear ones."
+
+She led the way to a room at the back of the house, looking out into a
+little garden shaded by a wide-branching fig-tree. Hannah noiselessly drew
+aside the curtain that served for a door, and the two stood by common
+consent and watched the scene that met their eyes. Azariah, the father of
+the family, was sitting with his back turned to them, holding on his knees
+a copy of the Law. On two stools at his feet sat his daughters, each
+holding in one hand a tablet covered with wax, and in the other a _stylus_
+or sharp-pointed iron pen. He was slowly dictating to them the words,
+"Hear, O Israel, the Lord thy God is one Lord," and the little creatures
+were laboriously forming, not without many pauses for thought, the
+scarcely familiar letters.
+
+"Now read it, my children," said Azariah, when the task was finished; and
+one after another the sweet, childish voices repeated the well-known
+words. Micah, as he listened, felt himself strangely touched. Presently he
+heard his sister murmur to herself, "In Thy Law will I meditate day and
+night," and glancing at her face saw it illumined with a joy which he
+could scarcely have believed those wasted features capable of expressing.
+
+"'Tis well, Miriam; 'tis well, Judith," said Azariah to the little girls,
+and putting his hands upon their heads, as they stood before him, for they
+had risen to repeat the holy words, he repeated, "The God of Abraham and
+Sarah bless you." And then, for they were mere children after all, and not
+above childish rewards, gave each a ripe fig from a basket which stood on
+a table by his side.
+
+The lesson being over, Hannah advanced, and her brother followed. Azariah
+turned and greeted the new comer not unkindly, but with a certain reserve,
+for he could not forget that his visitor was a Menander as well as a
+Micah, and that he had been the friend of the traitorous Jason, and the
+yet more traitorous Menela�s. The children, after their first feeling of
+alarm, for a strange face was seldom seen in that home, and when Miriam,
+the elder, had recognized her uncle, showed no reserve in their welcome.
+They clung about his neck, and kissed him. They insisted on his coming to
+see their pets--Miriam's turtle-doves, and Judith's dormice, and the little
+gazelle fawn which they owned in common. "They have not heard a word
+against me," thought Micah to himself; and this affectionate loyalty
+touched him to the heart. From his sister he might, perhaps, have expected
+it, but that the stern Azariah, a narrow-minded bigot, without a kindly
+thought for any that did not walk in his way, as he had been accustomed to
+think of him--that Azariah himself should have dealt with him so
+mercifully, was a surprise as it was also a reproach.
+
+He stopped with them for the rest of the day, and after the evening meal,
+when the little ones had gone to bed, after making their uncle promise
+that he would soon come and see them again, the three had much serious
+talk together.
+
+Micah had, of course, the family history to hear, for, stranger as he had
+been to them for some years past, he knew scarcely anything about it. He
+learnt now for the first time that a little boy had been born who, had he
+lived, would have been about two years younger than Judith. The mother had
+much to say about his beauty and goodness, and his rare promise of
+intelligence. Micah was touched all the more because he could not forgive
+himself for the alienation which had prevented him from saying a word of
+comfort to his sister in the hour of her bereavement. "It was, indeed, a
+terrible loss," and he rose from his seat and kissed her. He felt that
+this little proof of his love would be better than many words.
+
+"Nay," she said, with a cheerfulness that almost startled him--"nay; you
+must not say that we have lost our dear little Joshua. I know that I have
+a son still, though he is not here. I confess that it was very hard to
+part with him. But he is quite safe in Abraham's bosom, safer and better
+off," she added, with a sad smile, "than he would be here; and some day I
+shall see him, and show him to you, dear Micah, and we shall be happy
+together."
+
+After this the little party had much talk about the state of things in the
+present, and the prospects of the future. Again Micah was astonished to
+see the cheerfulness and courage which his sister and her husband kept up
+in the midst of circumstances which must have been most disheartening.
+
+"Ah!" said Azariah, when the conversation turned upon the desolation of
+the Temple, and the loss of all the ceremonial of worship, the daily
+sacrifice, and the great festivals of the year--"Ah! there are consolations
+even here. Perhaps we thought too much of these things in the old time. We
+were taken up with the outside, with the show and the splendour, the
+vessels of gold, and the clouds of incense smoke as they curled about the
+pillars and the roof, and we forgot what they meant. But now that the
+outside things are taken from us, we can give our hearts to that which is
+within. We have our gatherings still, though the Temple doors are shut.
+Every Sabbath-day we meet, and the Law and the Prophets are read in our
+ears--aye, and there are those who can expound them, and speak words that
+comfort and strengthen us. I, myself, have felt the Spirit move me once or
+twice to exhort and cheer the brethren. No, brother! believe me, it is not
+wholly loss that we cannot assemble any more in our beautiful house. Our
+fathers learnt much when they sat mourning by the waters of Babylon, and
+we also are learning much in this our second captivity."
+
+This sounded strange to the young man, who, indeed, had dulled his
+understanding of spiritual things by his follies and excesses. Still he
+could not help feeling deeply impressed by the evident earnestness of the
+speaker. But he felt that he could say nothing. A trifler and unbeliever
+like himself could only remain silent in the presence of thoughts and
+feelings so much higher than anything to which he could reach.
+
+After a short pause Azariah went on--"The Lord has not seen fit to renew
+among us the spirit of prophecy, and we know not certainly of the things
+that are coming upon the earth. Yet a man, though he be no prophet, may
+read the signs of the times. Believe me, there are days to come more full
+of evil and darkness even than those that we have seen. My heart sometimes
+fails me when I think of this dear woman," and as he spoke he laid his
+hand upon his wife's shoulder, "and of the little ones whom God has given
+us. It will be a hard time for men to battle through--but for women and
+children----." And his voice faltered.
+
+Hannah turned to him with her brave, cheerful smile--"'As thy days, so
+shall thy strength be.' The great prophet said it, did he not, to all his
+people--to the weak ones as well as to the strong?"
+
+Shortly after Micah took his leave. As he walked through the deserted
+streets he thought much of the words which he had heard that night, and
+still more of the cheerfulness and courage, ten times more eloquent than
+all words, which he had witnessed.
+
+"Is all this a delusion?" he asked himself. "Six months ago, perhaps even
+six hours ago, I should have had little doubt in saying so. But now--well,
+if it is a delusion, it is strangely like a reality. Anyhow its effects
+are real enough. Dear Hannah! always the best and kindest of sisters, but
+a timid creature, whom I used to amuse myself by frightening. But now--she
+is as bold as a lioness. Well, I can only hope that the truths which I
+have been learning, if they are truths, will stand me in as good stead
+when the need comes."
+
+
+
+
+
+                              CHAPTER VII.
+
+                          THE DARKNESS THICKENS.
+
+
+Azariah had read the signs of the times aright. The darker days had come,
+days so full of trouble that the unhappy people looked back to the past
+that had seemed so sad and gloomy as to a time of rest. Things had not
+been going well with King Antiochus, for the Romans had driven him out of
+Egypt, and in his rage and fear he turned against his Jewish subjects with
+greater ferocity than ever. One of his motives was the brutal desire to
+wreak upon the feeble the vengeance which he could not exact from the
+strong; the other was a genuine fear lest he should lose another province
+as he had already lost Egypt. He saw that the policy of Rome was to stir
+up against him the national spirit of subject peoples, and he knew well
+enough that in the Jews, crushed though they had been by oppression and
+massacre, this national spirit was not by any means dead. Accordingly he
+set himself with relentless ferocity to extinguish it. Everything
+distinctive of the people was to be rooted out; that done they might
+become really submissive; there would be no more a land of the Jews, but
+simply a province of Southern Syria.
+
+The first thing, he conceived, would be to strike such terror into the
+hearts of the people that there should be no thought among them of
+resistance. For such a purpose nothing could be more effective than
+another massacre such as that which had already been perpetrated two years
+before under his own eyes: only this, he determined, should be more
+complete. He perceived with a devilish ingenuity that his orders would be
+more relentlessly carried out if he entrusted their execution to some one
+else, than if he were personally present. Appeals might be made to him to
+which he might yield out of sheer weariness, whereas a lieutenant, if he
+were only hard-hearted enough, would simply fall back upon the orders
+which he had received, and refuse all responsibility save that of seeing
+that these were fully carried out.
+
+Such a lieutenant he knew that he possessed in the person of a certain
+Apollonius, a Cretan mercenary, who had already given proofs enough that
+he was about as little troubled as any man could be with a conscience or
+with feelings of compassion. To Apollonius, accordingly, the commission
+was entrusted, and he proceeded to execute it in a particularly brutal and
+treacherous way.
+
+He marched to Jerusalem, taking with him a picked force of some five
+thousand men--picked, it may be said, quite as much for their unscrupulous
+and ferocious character, as for their strength and skill in arms. There
+would have been, in any case, little chance of resistance, but, to make
+his task the easier of accomplishment, he had so timed his coming that he
+approached the city two or three hours before the end of the Sabbath.
+Secret orders had been sent to Philip, the Phrygian, that he was to relax
+the severity of his rule; and the people had begun to breathe again after
+a long period of repression. The Temple was still shut, or virtually shut,
+but the synagogues were open, and were indeed frequented by throngs of
+fervent worshippers.
+
+It wanted a couple of hours to sunset when the news ran through the city
+that an armed force was approaching the walls. The first feeling aroused
+by the tidings was naturally one of alarm. The appearance of the soldiers,
+however, was such as to disarm all apprehensions. In the first place they
+were more like a crowd of men who happened to be carrying arms than an
+army. They were not marching in ranks, or indeed keeping any kind of
+order. A multitude of country-folk could be seen mingled among them,
+soldiers and civilians walking side by side in the most friendly and
+unconstrained fashion. Some of the new comers recognized old acquaintances
+among the townsfolk, and introduced their comrades to them; and though
+some of the sterner sort stood rigidly aloof, there were quite enough
+among the inhabitants of Jerusalem to give the visitors a general welcome.
+Apollonius himself, a conspicuous figure as he rode on his white charger
+up and down the streets of the city, was noticeably busy in renewing old
+acquaintanceships and making new ones.
+
+And then in a moment the whole scene was changed. A soldier and a citizen
+were standing on the wall, talking and laughing together, and that in a
+place where they could be seen by all observers. Suddenly, without there
+having been even the slightest sign of a quarrel, the soldier was seen to
+plunge his sword into the side of his companion. It was a preconcerted
+signal. The wretched inhabitants, who would have been defenceless in any
+case, were taken absolutely off their guard, and had but slender chances
+of escape. How many hundreds, possibly thousands, perished cannot be
+guessed. But the massacre was more general, more pitiless than that which
+had devastated the city two years before. Apollonius's "picked" men showed
+themselves altogether worthy of his choice, so brutal and bloodthirsty
+were they. And Apollonius himself was to be seen everywhere urging his men
+to make short work with these "pestilent Jews," as he called them, and not
+unfrequently striking a blow himself. He earned on that day such hatred
+that thereafter there was not to be found a Jew, save among the vilest
+renegades and traitors, but uttered a curse when his name was mentioned.
+
+Of course the soldiers had to be paid for their bloody day's work, and
+they were paid by the plunder of the city. The houses were stripped, and
+the plunderers, when they had carried away everything that had roused
+their cupidity, often, out of sheer wantonness, completed the work of
+devastation, by setting fire to the desolated houses. Altogether Jerusalem
+presented such a spectacle as had not been seen since the days of the
+Babylonian conquest.
+
+The spirit of the people having been, as it would seem, thus effectually
+broken for the present, it remained to provide against its possible
+revival in the future.
+
+Long gaps were made in the line of wall, so long that it took not a few
+days to make them, and would certainly require as many weeks to repair.
+The town thus made defenceless was further overawed by the erection of a
+fort in the City of David, this fort being held by a strong garrison of
+Greeks and Asiatic mercenaries.
+
+The means of repression thus provided, the next thing was to extinguish
+all that was characteristic of the national life. First, the great centre
+of that life, the Temple, was formally desecrated. Already it had been
+subjected to such indignities that the pious Jew could scarcely bear to
+enter its precincts. But the final horror, the "abomination of
+desolation," was yet to come. On the 15th of the month Chisleu (December)
+an altar of a Greek pattern, and consecrated to the Olympian Zeus, was
+placed on the great altar of sacrifice, and ten days afterwards a huge sow
+was slaughtered on this. Her blood, caught after the Greek fashion in a
+bowl, was sprinkled on the altar of incense and on the mercy-seat within
+the Holy of Holies--a hideous mockery of the sprinkling which the Law
+enjoined to be performed once in every year. From the animal's flesh a
+mess of broth was prepared, and this was sprinkled on the copies of the
+Law. The Temple, thus dishonoured, was as if it had ceased to be.
+
+The meeting-houses, in which, as we have seen, the people had found a
+substitute for the Temple worship, were summarily closed. An edict was
+issued commanding that every one who possessed a copy of the Law, or of
+any one of the sacred books, should give it up without loss of time. To
+call in cupidity to the aid of fear in enforcing this edict, the King's
+officers were instructed to pay a reasonable price for the manuscripts
+thus produced. It was made a capital offence to read or to recite any part
+of the proscribed writings. Then the practice of circumcision was
+forbidden. Death was to be the penalty for all who should take any part in
+performing this rite--for the circumciser, the mother, the father, even the
+babe itself.
+
+And then to the policy of repression Antiochus added the policy of bribery
+and temptation. Their own worship forbidden, the Jews were to be allured
+by the seductions of the worship of their masters. Hitherto little had
+been done in this way. Insults indeed, had been heaped upon the people;
+but little attempt had been made to attract them. The Temple gates, closed
+for more than a year, were again thrown open; and the courts, long silent,
+resounded with the mirth of sacrificial banquets and the gaiety of
+festivals. Not only all the splendours, but all the impure pleasures of
+heathen worship were called in to assist the attempt that was being made
+to sap what was left of the faith of the people.
+
+Antiochus, who, for all his wrath at Jewish obstinacy, could not help
+feeling a certain respect for it, took the trouble to send among the
+people a missionary, if he may be so called, who was to instruct them in
+the new religion which their King was so anxious to impose upon them.
+
+Theopompus, or Athen�us, to use the name which was commonly given him from
+his birthplace, was a follower of the philosophy of Epicurus. He had held
+a subordinate post, as lecturer in geometry, in the famous school of the
+Garden, but had found his modest income insufficient to meet his somewhat
+expensive tastes. If he had had but a tolerable competence, Athen�us would
+have made an ideal Epicurean. He was devoted to pleasure, but there was
+nothing unseemly or extravagant about his devotion. For the foolish people
+who ruined their constitutions and emptied their purses by exhausting
+excesses he had a genuine contempt. "Give me," he would say, "a decent
+sufficiency of 'outside things,' and I am content." As he had a fair
+smattering of culture, and a real acquaintance with geometry, and had a
+venerable appearance which happily hit the mean between hilarity and
+austerity, he might have been, but for a chronic want of money, a real
+success among the somewhat _dilettante_ philosophers of Athens. But
+circumstances were against him. Poverty did not ill become an Academic,
+and positively set off a Stoic; but an Epicurean seemed to have missed his
+vocation if he could not be always handsomely dressed and able to give
+elegant entertainments to his friends. Athen�us, who liked above all
+things to be on good terms both with himself and with every one else, felt
+this very acutely, and he was proportionately delighted when the Syrian
+King proposed to him that he should go as a teacher, not without a
+handsome salary, of Greek religion and Greek culture.
+
+His success was not encouraging. In the first place he had a difficulty in
+making himself understood. The pure Attic Greek on which he prided himself
+was strange to the ears of his new audience, and he could not bring
+himself to descend to the barbarous dialect to which they were accustomed.
+And when he was seriously called to account in the matter of his belief he
+found himself involved in difficulties from which he saw no way of escape.
+At Athens religion was politely ignored. The common people must, of
+course, have their gods and goddesses; and the wise man, if he were
+prudent, would say nothing--anyhow in public--to disturb their belief; but
+within the privileged walls of the schools the names of Zeus and Athen�
+and Apollo were never so much as mentioned, except, perhaps, in the course
+of some antiquarian discussion.
+
+Among his new disciples, as he would fain have reckoned them, Athen�us
+found a very different temper. They were terribly in earnest; abstractions
+and phrases did not satisfy them; they pushed their questions home in a
+very perplexing way.
+
+One day at the conclusion of a lecture, the customary invitation to the
+audience to put any questions that might occur to them was accepted by a
+young man who sat on one of the front benches.
+
+"I would ask you, venerable sir," he said, "some questions about the gods
+of your religion."
+
+"Speak on," replied Athen�us, with his usual courtesy; "I shall be
+delighted to satisfy you to the best of my power."
+
+"Are we to believe the stories that are told us in this book?" and he held
+up, as he spoke, a little volume of popular mythology, filled from
+beginning to end with tales that, to say the least, were not edifying.
+"For, if these be true, these divine beings were such as would be banished
+from the society of all honest men and women. They are thieves,
+adulterers, murderers. It would be a thousand times better to have no gods
+at all than such as these."
+
+"You are right, sir," said the lecturer; "these stories are for the
+ignorant only, at least in their outward meaning, though they have an
+inner meaning also, which I will take some fitting occasion to expound.
+But not such are the gods whom we worship."
+
+"Will you tell us something of them?" continued the questioner.
+
+"Willingly, for they are such that the wisest of men need not be ashamed
+of them. They dwell in some remote region, serene and happy. Wrath they
+feel not, nor sorrow, nor any of the passions that disturb the souls of
+men."
+
+"And do they care for our doings upon earth?"
+
+"How so? They neither love nor hate; and both they must do, I take it, did
+they concern themselves with human affairs."
+
+"What profit, then, is there in them? How are men the better for their
+being?"
+
+"That I know not; only that it is part of the order of things that they
+must be."
+
+"Far be it from me," exclaimed the young Jew, "to exchange for such idle
+existences the God of my fathers! He may smite us in His anger till we are
+well-nigh consumed, but at least He cares for us. He led our fathers
+through the sea and through the wilderness in the days of old. He has
+spoken to us by the prophets, and He has made His Presence to be seen in
+His Temple; and though He has hidden His face from us for a time, yet He
+will repent Him of His wrath, and devise the means by which He shall
+recall His banished unto Him. No, we will not change our God for yours!"
+
+A loud murmur of assent went round the benches when the speaker sat down,
+and Athen�us felt that he had made but small way with his audience.
+
+Finding his theology and philosophy but ill received, Athen�us bethought
+him of what seemed a more hopeful method of proselytizing. Could not a
+specially powerful attraction be found in the festival of Dionysus, the
+wine-god? Vintage feasts, he reflected, are common to every country where
+wine is produced, and it would not be difficult to ingraft the Greek
+characteristics on a celebration to which the Jews were already
+accustomed. Some of the less scrupulous might be tempted to take part in
+such a festival, a beginning would be made, and more would follow in due
+time. How the scheme prospered will be told in the next chapter.
+
+
+
+
+
+                              CHAPTER VIII.
+
+                         SHALLUM THE WINE-SELLER.
+
+
+"Things are growing worse and worse; only three customers yesterday, and
+not a single one to-day, though it must be at least an hour past noon. One
+would think that all the world had become Nazarites. Then, though there is
+next to nothing coming in, there is no stop to the going out. First comes
+the rascally tax-gatherer, and squeezes one as dry as a grape-skin in a
+press. And if, by chance, there happens to be a drop left, some snuffling
+priest is sure to turn up, and talk about one's duty as a patriot and a
+Jew till he drags the last shekel out of one."
+
+The speaker was one Shallum, a Benjamite, who kept a little wine-shop in
+the Lower City. When he had finished his grumble, he thrust his hand into
+an empty wine-jar, drew from it a little leathern bag, untied the string
+which was round the neck, poured out the scanty contents on the counter
+and counted them. He knew the amount perfectly well, for he had gone
+through the counting process at least ten times before that day. But when
+a man is desperately anxious to make two ends meet, he will measure them
+again and again, though he may know exactly by how much they are too
+short.
+
+"Twelve shekels and ten annas! And old Nahum will be here to-morrow,
+asking for his thirty shekels!"
+
+Nahum was a Lebanon wine-grower, whose long-suffering had been already
+tried to the utmost by the delays of the impecunious Shallum.
+
+At this moment his meditations were interrupted by the entrance of two
+visitors, who had been standing, listening and watching outside the door.
+They were traders in a small way, who had migrated from Joppa when they
+heard that Greek wares were becoming the fashion in Jerusalem.
+
+"Ho! Shallum," cried one of them, "two cups of your best Lebanon; and make
+haste, for we have important business on hand."
+
+"Shall I draw some water fresh from the well? This is a little too warm to
+be used."
+
+"Water!" said the man. "Jew, don't blaspheme. Mix water with our wine
+to-day, of all days in the year!"
+
+"And why not to-day?" said Shallum.
+
+"Because it is the feast of Dionysus, the wine-giver; and it would be the
+grossest impiety to profane his bounty with any mixture of meaner things.
+Commonly his godship winks at human weakness; but to-day it is different.
+May he confound me if I do him such dishonour!"
+
+"He will certainly confound you if you drink this heady wine undiluted,"
+muttered Shallum to himself, as he set the two cups before his guests.
+
+"Excellent! excellent!" cried Lycon, the elder of the two Greeks, as he
+set down his goblet, half empty. "But why the god vouchsafes such capital
+drink to these unbelieving dogs of Jews puzzles me beyond expression."
+
+His companion broke out into a drinking-song:
+
+  "Fill the cup with ample measure,
+    Dionysus' gift divine;
+  Earth and sea hold no such treasure
+    As the gleaming, sparkling wine.
+
+  All for youth are love's caressings,
+    Gold and gems for princes shine;
+  All may share the wine-god's blessings,
+    Rich and poor are glad with wine."
+
+Shallum was fairly tolerant, as indeed a tavern-keeper can hardly fail to
+be, of the ways and manners of his customers; but to hear this praise of a
+false god, one of the odious demons that were worshipped by the heathen,
+was too much for his patience. He muttered a curse under his breath, and
+emphasized this expression of disgust by spitting on the floor.
+
+"Don't talk to me of your gods and goddesses!" cried Shallum, goaded
+beyond all endurance, "a lewd, drunken crew that no respectable person
+would have anything to do with!"
+
+"Come, my friend," said the Greek, "this is not the sort of talk which one
+expects to hear from a loyal subject of the pious Antiochus. We Greeks are
+not such bigots as you are, cursing every man, woman, or child that does
+not go exactly in our own way; but you must treat us and our belongings
+with respect. We are not going to have barbarians scoffing at what we
+think fit to worship. I have heard of men being crucified for less than
+you have said to-day. But hearken, Shallum, we did not come here to-day to
+quarrel with you. You are a good fellow, after all, and keep as capital a
+tap of wine as any that I know, King Tmolus(7) only excepted. We want you
+to come with us and have a jolly day. What is the good of quarrelling
+about words? You and we are quite agreed that there is something in wine
+that makes it one of the finest things under the sun. Suppose that we
+choose to call that something Dionysus the Wine-god, and you choose to say
+that your god has to do with it, what is the difference? We are really
+agreed. It is the goodness in wine that we both like, and I'm sure that a
+really honest fellow like you, that we can always rely on to give us the
+right stuff, should be the first to acknowledge it. Well, can't we show an
+agreement? That is why we want you to come with us. A whole crowd of your
+countrymen are coming, I understand. It will be a pretty sight, and there
+will be some of the finest music that you ever heard, and dancing, and fun
+of all kinds, and, of course, as much wine as ever you want. Of course you
+will come, my dear Shallum?"
+
+"_I_ come?" growled the wine-seller. "Not I! What do I care about your
+dancing and singing? And as for wine, I can have as much as I want at
+home, and better stuff, too, than any that I am likely to get elsewhere."
+
+Lycon, who was evidently bent on getting his way, did not suffer his good
+humour to be disturbed by the Jew's churlishness. "Ah!" said he, "that
+reminds me. Stupid fellow that I am, I quite forgot the matter of business
+that really brought me here. To tell the truth, business and this old
+Lebanon don't very well agree. But listen; Neocles, who is
+manager-in-chief of the whole festival, has quite made up his mind to have
+your wine, and none but yours, for all the better sort of people. He was
+to get some skins for the common folks from Zadok--do you know him?"
+
+"Know him?" said Shallum; "I should think I did--hasn't got a drop of sound
+wine in his shop."
+
+"So the Chief said. But we were to come to you for the good wine. What can
+you let us have? Mind that it must be the very best. We were not to haggle
+about the price, Neocles said, so long as we got it really good."
+
+And Lycon pulled out of his pocket a money-bag that was evidently much
+better furnished than Shallum's lean and hunger-bitten purse. Untying the
+neck, he poured into his hand, with an air of careless profusion, some ten
+or twelve gold pieces.
+
+Shallum's keen eyes glistened at the sight. Here was enough to pay not
+only Nahum but all his creditors, and leave him a handsome sum over
+wherewith to tide over the hard times. His somewhat brusque manner changed
+in a moment. He was now the most obsequious of tradesmen.
+
+"Everything in my stores is at your disposal. And I have a better wine
+than this in my cellar, and only ten shekels a skin," he went on, adding
+about three to the utmost he expected to get. "But wait a moment,
+gentlemen, you shall taste it for yourselves."
+
+He took a small flagon from beneath the counter and disappeared. The two
+Greeks smiled to each other. "We have the fish fast," one of them said;
+"after all there is nothing like a golden bait."
+
+Shallum shortly reappeared with the wine, which was tasted and approved.
+
+"Well," said Lycon, "we will say ten skins of this at ten shekels a piece,
+and five of the other sort at eight--that is the price; is it not?"
+
+Shallum nodded assent. As a matter of fact he would never have expected
+more than seven. But if these Greeks were so free with their money why
+should not an honest Jew have the benefit of it?
+
+"Of course you will come with us?" said Lycon.
+
+"You may take my word for it, there will be nothing to offend you."
+
+Shallum hesitated for a moment, and then muttered an unwilling "Yes."
+
+"And you won't mind wearing this little twig of ivy, just twisted round
+your head? It means nothing--every one does it."
+
+This was more than the wretched man was prepared for. "Not I," he said; "I
+am not going to wear any of your idolatrous ornaments."
+
+Lycon put the money-bag into his pocket again. "Then, my dear Shallum, I
+am afraid we shall not be able to do any business. 'Give and take' is our
+motto. We put a nice little bargain in your way; and you must humour us.
+However, if you are obstinate, there must be an end of it. I dare say
+Zadok can find us what we want. Come, Callicles," he went on, turning to
+his companion, "we must be going."
+
+Shallum saw his dreams of deliverance from his money-troubles vanishing
+into air, and grew desperate. "Stop," he said to his guests, "let me think
+for a moment. You won't ask me to do anything else. A few leaves can't
+make much odds either way. I don't remember ever hearing anything in the
+Law against wearing ivy. It isn't like eating swine's flesh, or those
+detestable scaleless eels that you Greeks are so fond of. Yes, I'll wear
+the thing, if you want me to so much."
+
+"That's right, Shallum; I thought a sensible man like you would not throw
+away a good chance for a mere nothing."
+
+So saying, Lycon stepped outside the shop, and whistled. In a minute or so
+a cart, which had been waiting round the corner, was driven up. The skins
+of wine were stowed away in it, and the two Greeks, with Shallum between
+them, all wearing the ivy-wreath, took their seats, and started for the
+Valley of the Cheesemongers, where it had been arranged that the festival
+should be held.
+
+The festival was scarcely a success, if it was meant, as it certainly was,
+to attract the Jewish population. A few hundreds, indeed, had been
+persuaded or compelled to be present. Most of them belonged to the lowest
+and most degraded class, wretched creatures whom any purchaser might
+secure for any purpose with a shekel or a flagon of wine. To-day they were
+"hail fellow well met" with their Greek neighbours, but to-morrow they
+would be perfectly ready to tear them in pieces. A few of somewhat better
+character had been bribed, as Shallum had been bribed, to come. These had
+little of the air of genuine holiday-makers. Their bursts of simulated
+gaiety did not conceal the shame which they really felt. Others, again,
+did not make even this pretence of hilarity. They had been actually
+compelled to come, and they had all the air of prisoners led in the
+triumphant procession of a victorious general. Their faces were ghastly
+pale. Some, with their teeth firmly clenched, seemed to be forcibly
+keeping in the curses which struggled to find utterance. Others, of a
+gentler temper, were weeping silently; and others, again, preserved a look
+of dogged indifference. The Greek part of the spectators, who could have
+enjoyed the humours of the scene with a good conscience, were depressed by
+the presence of these unwilling guests. In consequence, everything seemed
+to fail. The jesters, with their grotesque garb and faces hideously
+smeared with wine-lees, could scarcely get a laugh from their audience;
+the singing lacked heartiness, the dancing was dull and spiritless. It is
+only natural that revellers, who find the time passing slowly, should try
+to quicken its movement. There was little brightness or gaiety in this
+feast of the wine-god, and there was therefore all the more excess. Some
+seized the rare opportunity of intoxicating themselves without expense,
+while others drank to drown their shame or their anger. Shallum, whose
+occupation had somewhat seasoned him against the effects of wine, remained
+comparatively sober, but his Greek companions were less discreet or less
+strong-headed. They became, by a rapid succession of moods, boisterously
+gay, foolishly affectionate, and provokingly quarrelsome. It was not long
+before things came to a crisis. Lycon taunted the wine-seller with the
+quality of his wines; that did not affect him, for he was used to such
+complaints from his customers, and took them as part of his day's work. He
+scoffed at the subjection of his nation to Greek rule; Shallum still kept
+his temper. The tipsy Greek was only encouraged to further insults by his
+companion's self-restraint. He attempted to daub the Jew's face with the
+dregs from a broken flagon. Shallum angrily shook him off, and he reeled
+back, just saving himself from a fall by catching at the trunk of an olive
+tree. "Hog of a Jew!" he cried, "do you lay hands on a free-born Greek?
+Come, Callicles," he went on, turning to his companion, "let us teach the
+beast how to behave himself." The two rushed at the Jew, aiming blows at
+his head with the staves which they carried in their hands. One of them
+stumbled against the stones of a ruined house, and fell so heavily that he
+was unable or unwilling to raise himself again. Shallum easily evaded the
+attack of the other, dealing him at the same time so fierce a stroke of
+the fist that it stretched him senseless on the ground. The deed done, he
+looked hastily round to see whether any spectator had witnessed it. To his
+great relief, he found himself alone. From the lower city came the sounds
+of furious revelry and the strains of the Bacchic chorus--
+
+  "Comrades, crown the bowl with wine,
+  Round your locks the ivy twine,
+  Deeper drink and join again
+  Bacchus and his reeling train."
+
+His first impulse was to tear the ivy-wreath from his head. Then he
+reflected that if he could endure to wear it for a few moments longer, it
+might serve him as a passport. The event proved that he was right. He
+passed unquestioned through the crowd of revellers, left the precincts of
+the valley, and striking on an unfrequented path, hurried on at the top of
+his speed, not pausing till he had put at least six miles between himself
+and the scene of his late adventure. Then he threw himself on the ground
+and bewailed his grievous fall in an agony of shame and remorse. After a
+while the fatigue and excitement of the day, helped by the fumes of the
+wine, which his rapid movements had sent to his brain, overpowered him,
+and he sank into a heavy sleep.
+
+His slumbers lasted late into the day. When he woke, his head aching with
+the excess of the day before, he felt even more wretched, more hopeless.
+To return to the city was out of the question. But where was he to go?
+While he was debating this question with himself, and could find nothing
+in the least resembling an answer, he caught the sound of approaching
+footsteps. Mingled feelings of shame and fear suggested to him that he
+should hide himself, and he plunged into the bushes which lined the side
+of the road.
+
+The traveller approached. He was a renegade Jew, and Shallum recognized
+him as one who had taken an active part in the festivities of the
+preceding day. Just as he passed Shallum's hiding-place an unlucky impulse
+made him burst forth into a snatch of the Bacchic chant--
+
+  "Deeper drink and join again
+  Bacchus and his reeling train."
+
+His listener heard the words with mingled feelings of disgust and rage,
+and leaping down into the road felled him senseless to the ground.
+
+At first it seemed as if what he had done did not make his way plainer
+before him. But as he stood by the prostrate man a thought occurred to
+him. He took the purse which the man, in the usual traveller's fashion,
+wore by way of girdle round his waist, and examined its contents. It held
+three gold pieces and some ten shekels. The gold he left; but half of the
+shekels he transferred to his own keeping. One of the shekels sufficed to
+purchase some bread and dried flesh at the neighbouring village. Thus
+recruited in strength the fugitive made his escape to the mountains.
+
+
+
+
+
+                               CHAPTER IX.
+
+                             THE PERSECUTION.
+
+
+Menander, or Micah--the young man still wavered between the two moods which
+were symbolized by these names--had been greatly moved, as we have said, by
+what he had seen and heard in his visit to his sister and her husband. But
+he could not shake himself free from the habits and prepossessions of
+years. Though he had always kept aloof from the worst excesses of his
+renegade and heathen friends, still his moral tone had been lowered, and
+even his physical nerve weakened by a frivolous and self-indulgent life.
+Sometimes he would half resolve to cast in his lot with his people.
+Sometimes, again, the cynical or doubting temper returned. What madness it
+would be, so the evil voice whispered to him, to sacrifice all that made
+life pleasant, and, very possibly, life itself, for what both philosophers
+and practical men of the world agreed in pronouncing to be a delusion!
+
+Till this question had been settled one way or the other, he found it
+impossible to rest. The city became odious to him, for he shrank from the
+sight of his fellow-men. Indeed, he did not know with whom to associate.
+His Greek or Greek-loving acquaintances, with their frivolities and vices,
+disgusted him; and the patriots regarded him with coldness and aversion.
+Solitude, he fancied, might suit him better, and he went again to his
+country house at Lebanon. But he found himself worse off than ever where
+there was nothing to come between his thoughts and himself, and he
+hastened back to Jerusalem. Then it suddenly occurred to him that his
+sister had been expecting shortly to become a mother, and he made his way
+to her house to inquire of her welfare. Azariah himself answered his
+knock.
+
+"How is Hannah?"
+
+"Thanks be to the Lord," replied Azariah, "she is well. She had an easy
+travail."
+
+"And the babe? A son or a daughter?"
+
+"The Lord has given us a son."
+
+But he said it without the gladness that a Jewish father, newly blessed
+with the hope that there should be one to preserve his name in Israel,
+should have felt.
+
+"But you must come in and see him, for indeed he is of a singular beauty."
+
+The young man followed his host into the chamber already described, and
+sat down to wait. Presently Azariah reappeared, holding the child in his
+arms. It was no father's fondness that had made him speak of his singular
+beauty. The child was but five days old; but he had none of the
+"shapeless" look which is commonly to be seen in the newly born. His
+features were shaped with a regularity most uncommon at so tender an age,
+and his complexion beautifully clear, while his little head was surrounded
+with what may be called a halo of golden hair.
+
+Micah was loud in his admiration. "I never saw his equal for beauty. You
+are indeed a happy father to have the fairest son in all Israel."
+
+The smile on Azariah's face faded away.
+
+"I would not be thankless for the 'gift that cometh from the Lord,' nor
+wanting in faith; yet I sometimes cannot but think that in these days the
+childless are the happiest, or, I should rather say, the least unhappy."
+
+"Of course you will be prudent," said Micah, "and yield to the necessities
+of the time. Put off the circumcision of the child. There can be no harm
+in that. And when Hannah has got her strength again, you can come down to
+my place in the Lebanon, and it can be done quietly, without any one being
+the wiser."
+
+Azariah said nothing. He turned away his face, but not before his
+brother-in-law had seen his eyes fill with tears. After leaving some
+loving messages for his sister the young man departed, hoping, though not
+without some serious doubt, that his advice would be followed.
+
+A week after, when the question, he knew, would have been decided one way
+or the other, he bent his steps again towards his sister's house. As he
+walked through the streets he could see that the persecutors were busy at
+their work. Fires were burning here and there, and copies of the Law and
+the other holy books were being burned in them. From a house which he
+recognized as being the dwelling of a scribe of great learning, a party of
+Greek soldiers burst forth, as he passed, dragging behind them a
+richly-ornamented scroll of the Psalms. For a moment the wild impulse
+surged in his heart to rescue the sacred writing from the flames; but he
+recognized the hopelessness of the attempt; and, indeed, he sadly asked
+himself, was he fit to be a champion of holy things? A soldier gathered up
+the parchment in his arms, and tossed it in a heap on the fire. Part of it
+opened as it fell, and Micah saw for a few moments before the flames
+reached them, words which he never forgot till his dying day: "Princes
+have persecuted me without a cause, yet do I not swerve from Thy
+commandments." As he stood and looked, with a rage in his heart which he
+could not express, two more soldiers came out of the house, holding
+between them the scribe himself, a venerable man, in whom Micah recognized
+an old friend of his father's. They threw him down, face foremost, on the
+fire, and held him there till he was suffocated. But before the tragedy
+was finished, the young Jew had turned away, feeling in his heart that the
+question which he had been debating so long was being rapidly settled for
+him.
+
+The blow that was to clinch his conclusions was not long in falling. As he
+came near the bottom of the little hill on the top of which stood his
+sister's house, he saw a cross, and, bound to it by cords, what seemed to
+be the figure of a woman, with a dead child hung round her neck. The sun
+had set, and the light was failing with the rapidity that is
+characteristic of a southern latitude.
+
+"Truly these Greeks have a strange way of showing their love of beauty. We
+have had sickening sights in Jerusalem of late enough to make their name
+stink in our nostrils for ever. What poor wretch is this? How has she
+offended our masters? And the child--what treason can he have been guilty
+of?"
+
+And as he spoke a dreadful fear shot through his heart. After all--for he
+knew what a dauntless spirit his sister had shown at their last
+meeting--after all they might have circumcised the child and brought down
+upon themselves the vengeance of the persecutors. He turned aside from the
+road and ran up to the terrible object. It was almost dark by the time he
+reached it, and he had to light a torch which he carried with him in case
+of need, before he could see what the object really was. Then one glance
+was enough. The features of the woman were black and swollen; but he
+recognized them in a moment. It was the face of Hannah, his sister. But a
+month before he had seen it beaming with light and love, and now---- Had he
+needed any confirmation he would have found it in the child. The features
+were beyond recognition; but the golden halo of hair was there; its
+brightness scarcely dimmed.
+
+He sank upon his knees, and lifting his hands to heaven he cursed the
+authors of this wickedness, and swore that he would give all his life to
+avenge the innocent blood. Then rising he hastened to the house of
+Azariah.
+
+He found a considerable company assembled. They were deep in debate about
+the course of action to be pursued when Micah, who had been met by Azariah
+at the door, was introduced into the room. Most of those present were
+acquainted with him, at least by reputation, and they were naturally
+disposed to consider his presence an intrusion. But it was soon manifest
+that the new comer was not indifferent, much less hostile, to their
+objects.
+
+"Hear me, brethren," he cried, "if, indeed, one so unworthy as I may call
+you brethren," and he went on to recount the struggles with which his mind
+had been agitated during the weeks just past. Then, after briefly touching
+on what he had just seen, he went on, "I have sinned; I have forsaken the
+Law of my God; I have defiled myself by a companionship with the heathen;
+and though I have not worshipped their false gods"--there was a sigh of
+relief from the company as he uttered these words with a solemn
+emphasis--"yet I have been a guest at the feasts of their temples. If,
+therefore, you judge me to have transgressed beyond all pardon, cast me
+out from your company; I can find some other way to do service for the
+country that I have betrayed, and the God whom I have denied. Yet, if you
+think me worthy of death, I do not refuse to die." And he drew a dagger
+from his belt, and offering it to one who seemed to be a leader in the
+assembly, stood with bared breast before him.
+
+  [Illustration: _The Persecution._]
+
+A murmur of admiration ran through the meeting.
+
+"Nay, brother," said the man whom he addressed, "this is not the time to
+take one soldier from the hosts of the Lord. You have sinned in the past;
+make amends in the future. There will be time and opportunity enough. And
+if you are the brother of her who has witnessed a good confession even
+unto death, you will not fail to use the occasion that shall come."
+
+The company then resumed the debate which had been interrupted by Micah's
+arrival. Little difference of opinion indeed remained among them, and when
+the president, Seraiah by name, brother-in-law of Azariah, as being the
+husband of his sister Ruth, stated his views they met with general assent.
+
+"We have seen enough," he said, "and suffered enough. This city is
+polluted, and is no longer a fit abode for the faithful. Let them that are
+in Jud�a flee unto the mountains. Meanwhile we will gather together such
+as have not bowed the knee to Baal, and will make head against the
+oppressor. But here we shall be struck down, and perish as a beast
+perishes in the pit into which he has fallen."
+
+After this the company dispersed to make such preparation as they could
+for their departure, which was fixed for the night following. Micah and
+Seraiah remained behind in the house of mourning. Azariah withdrew to
+comfort his little girls, who were crying almost incessantly for their
+mother. Comfort he needed sorely for himself, and he found it, as far as
+it could be found, in this fatherly care. Every look and gesture of the
+little ones reminded him of her whom he had lost, and seemed to open the
+wound afresh. Yet it consoled him to talk to them about their mother, to
+tell the story of her early days, to remind them, though they did not need
+to be reminded, of all her goodness and love, and to picture her happiness
+where she sat in Paradise with the holy women of old, with Miriam, and
+Sarah, and Rachel.
+
+Meanwhile Seraiah told the story of Hannah's end to Micah. "We came
+together," he said, "on the eighth day after the birth of her child; but
+though all was prepared for the circumcision of the boy, we had not yet
+resolved what was to be done. I know that I wavered--I confess it with
+shame--and so did Azariah. And, indeed, I can scarcely find it in my heart
+to blame him. He had no thought of his own life, but to risk his wife's
+and the child's--that was terrible. And there were others who advised him
+to yield for the time; the risk was too terrible. Indeed, that was the
+feeling of most of us, and those who thought otherwise were unwilling to
+speak. We were assembled, you know, in your sister's chamber. She sat on
+the bed, holding the little one in her arms. Her face was somewhat pale;
+but she had a calm and steadfast look, like the look of one who watches
+his adversary in the battle line of the enemy, and there was a fire in her
+eyes, such as I have never seen in the eye of woman before. When I had
+spoken, counselling delay and yielding for a while to the necessities of
+the time, I turned to her and said, 'And you, Hannah, what think you?'
+
+"Then she spoke, and her voice never faltered for a moment, but was clear
+and full, though indeed she never raised it above the pitch that becomes
+the obedience and modesty of the woman. 'Pardon me,' she said, 'fathers
+and brethren, if I seem, in differing from your counsel, to reproach you.
+I am but a weak woman, and know nothing of policy or of the needs of the
+time. But I know the thing that the Lord our God has commanded: "Every
+man-child among you shall be circumcised," and "whosoever shall not be
+circumcised that soul shall be cut off from among his people." The Lord
+hath given me this child, and shall I not do for him according to the
+commandment? Shall we fear man rather than God? And for myself, is it a
+new thing for a mother to give her life into the hand of God? Four times
+already have I so given it, and He has restored it to me. And if it be His
+will that it be taken, shall I not obey? What said the Holy Children when
+Nebuchadnezzar would have had them fall down and worship the golden image,
+lest they should be cast into the burning fiery furnace. "Our God whom we
+serve is able to deliver us out of thy hand, and He will deliver us out of
+thy hand, O King; but if not----"'
+
+"Then she turned to her husband, and said, 'What shall be his name?' as
+steadily and quietly as if there had been no question of danger or fear.
+'Let his name be David,' said the father, as he took the babe from its
+mother's arms; for the sun was about to set, and in a few moments the due
+time would be past. So they carried the child into the next room. And when
+your sister heard his cry, she broke forth into blessings and
+thanksgiving. 'Thanks be to Thee, O Lord,' she cried, 'in that Thou hast
+made him a child of the Covenant. And now I beseech Thee to grant that he
+may walk before Thee all the days of his life as walked Thy servant David,
+and that he may sit down with Abraham and Isaac and Jacob in the kingdom
+of heaven.'
+
+"After that she bade us stay and partake of the feast which she had caused
+to be prepared. Verily she had left nothing uncared for. Never was her
+table better spread, and, as you know, she was a notable housekeeper. And
+though, for her weakness, she could not sit at table with us, she was gay
+and cheerful even beyond her wont, so that we men, for very shame, had to
+banish the care from our faces, and laugh and be merry with her. But the
+next day the soldiers came and beat Azariah, as they thought, to death,
+and----" The speaker paused; indeed he could not speak for the choking
+tears. At last he said, in a broken voice, "What need to tell the rest?
+You know it."
+
+The next night Azariah, Seraiah, Micah, and a company of some thirty men
+and women left Jerusalem. Part of them were on foot, but an ass had been
+found to carry Ruth, Seraiah's wife, who was expecting shortly to become a
+mother. Their destination was the hill-country that went by the name of
+the Wilderness of Bethaven.
+
+
+
+
+
+                               CHAPTER X.
+
+                            IN THE MOUNTAINS.
+
+
+The time is evening; the place is a rocky pass between Bethel and
+Michmash. At the mouth of a cave which commands a view of the approach
+from the westward, are seated two men, in one of whom we may recognize
+Shallum, the quondam wine-seller of Jerusalem.
+
+"Well, comrade," he is saying to his companion, "this business is not
+quite to my liking. It is all very well when we can relieve a Greek
+merchant, or, better still, a Syrian tax-gatherer, of his money-bags; but
+I hate robbing our own people. That poor fellow to-day, for instance, who
+was taking home his wages--he had been wood-cutting, he said, in Bashan--it
+really went to my heart to take the money from him."
+
+The companion whom he addressed was a rough, savage-looking fellow, who
+certainly did not look as if he would feel very much for Shallum's
+scruples. He had followed, indeed, the robber's trade, it may be said,
+from his childhood, as his fathers had followed it before him, almost
+since the days of the Captivity.
+
+He now broke out into a loud, mocking laugh.
+
+"Ah! my friend Shallum," he said, "you are a great deal too soft and
+tender-hearted. But then you are new to the business; when you have been
+at it as long as I have, you won't have these scruples. Now, mark what I
+say; and if we are to be good friends, don't let me hear any more of this
+nonsense. You are a stout fellow and a man of your hands; and as for
+myself, well, I rather think that a novice like you could hardly have come
+across a better teacher. I don't doubt that we shall do very well
+together; and when we have made a little money, I shan't blame you if you
+give up the business and become what they call an honest man. For myself,
+the 'honest man' line does not suit me--it is not in my blood, you know.
+But, meanwhile, if we are to work together, we must agree. Now, all is
+fish that comes to our net. Of course, I don't mean the people about
+here--our neighbours, you know. We must not touch them; on the contrary,
+they must have a share of what we make. As long as they are our friends we
+are safe. But all strangers are lawful booty. And mind--for I see that you
+are a little wroth about this--mind, it is only dead men who tell no
+tales."
+
+Benjamin's words of wisdom--the more experienced of the two robbers was
+named Benjamin--were interrupted by an exclamation from his companion.
+
+"Hush!" he cried, "I hear a sound of voices from the pass."
+
+The two men listened; Shallum was evidently right. A party of travellers
+were approaching from the west.
+
+"We are in luck," said Benjamin; "it is not often that we do business so
+late in the day."
+
+As he spoke the leaders of the party emerged into sight.
+
+"Shoot, Shallum!" said Benjamin; "strike one of those fellows down and we
+shall have the whole party in confusion."
+
+"Nay, Benjamin; I hear the voices of women and children; and see--God
+wither my hand if I shoot at such helpless people as these."
+
+The rest of the party was now in sight. Two men, one on either side of the
+ass, were supporting Ruth, who, worn out by the fatigues of the day, could
+with difficulty keep her seat on the animal. These were her husband and
+Azariah. Close behind came Micah, carrying on his shoulder the little
+Judith, who was fast asleep. Then followed Miriam, Judith's elder sister.
+The poor child limped sadly along, for her city life had been but a poor
+training for that long day's march, and she felt just a little envious of
+the good fortune which Judith enjoyed in being carried.
+
+Shallum recognized the figures of Seraiah and Ruth, with whom he happened
+to have had some slight acquaintance in Jerusalem, and from whom indeed he
+had received no little kindness.
+
+"Benjamin," he said, in a determined voice, "I know these people, and if I
+can help it they shall suffer no harm."
+
+"Well, well; have your way," said his companion, who indeed was not quite
+as hard of heart as he would make himself out. "If, as you say, you know
+them, go down and make friends."
+
+Shallum at once made his way down into the pass, and, standing in the
+path, greeted the travellers with the customary salutation, "Peace be with
+you!"
+
+"What, Shallum!" said Seraiah, "is that you? What brings you here?"
+
+"That were a long story," returned the man, "and this is not the time to
+tell it. But can I serve you?"
+
+"Can you find shelter for my poor wife? But it is idle, I fear, to ask
+you. There can be no inn near this wild place."
+
+"'Tis true, sir, there is no inn; yet if you can put up with such poor
+lodging as we can give, the lady will have at least shelter."
+
+Ruth was lifted from her seat on the ass, and carried between her husband
+and Azariah up the rocky track that led to the cave, Shallum showing the
+way with a lighted torch in his hand, for by this time the night had
+fallen.
+
+Benjamin met the little party at the mouth of the cave. His life of crime
+had not quenched all kindly feeling in him. He felt, too, that he was a
+host; and the sense of hospitality, which keeps its hold on an Eastern
+heart as long as anything good is left to it, bade him do his best for his
+guests. And the sweet smile of thanks with which Ruth greeted him when she
+was laid on the couch of cloaks, which the two inmates of the cave had
+hastily arranged on a pile of heather, won him altogether.
+
+A minute or two afterwards Micah followed with the two children; Judith,
+still fast asleep, was put down by Ruth's side, while Miriam forgot her
+fatigue in the delightful excitement of this new adventure. The new-comers
+had brought with them a slender store of provisions. These they proceeded
+to share, declining with thanks the dried flesh and wine which their
+entertainers offered. The rest of the party found shelter, under guidance
+of the robbers, in some of the many caves with which the rocks in the
+neighbourhood were honeycombed.
+
+Next morning the arrangements for housing the little colony were made.
+There was an abundance of caves to give shelter to all, and the
+accommodation though rough, at least protected them from the weather.
+Their life was simple in the extreme--simple even to hardness. They sought
+for herbs and roots, and from the neighbouring peasants they bought a few
+goats, to browse among the rocks, and a small quantity of corn, which they
+bruised between stones and baked. The mountain springs furnished their
+drink, a few flasks of wine being reserved for any cases of sickness.
+Twice a day the whole company met for worship. Seraiah read a portion
+first from the Law and then from the Prophets, for they had not forgotten
+to bring rolls of the Sacred Books. Then standing erect, with covered
+heads, their faces turned towards the Temple, they joined in prayer. In
+the words of one who himself in old time had found himself shut out for a
+while from the privileges of the Holy Place and was content to realize
+them by faith, the congregation uttered together the petition, "Let my
+prayer be set forth in Thy sight as the incense; and let the lifting up of
+my hands be an evening sacrifice." One of the psalms of penitence
+followed; for surely they had all many sins to repent of--sins of which
+they were now suffering the penalty; and, after the psalm, a prayer for
+deliverance from the enemy, and for the setting up again of the throne of
+David, and for that without which neither deliverance nor a restored
+kingdom could profit them--purity and righteousness in their own hearts and
+souls.
+
+Nothing could be more simple and frugal than their daily fare. Wild fruits
+and herbs were largely used, and any little plots of fertile ground that
+could be found were planted with vegetables, some far-seeing member of the
+party having brought with him a small supply of garden seeds. When a few
+days after their arrival Ruth gave birth to a son it was much feared that
+the scanty supply of nourishing food might long delay her restoration to
+strength. This fear was not realized. The feeling of freedom and
+deliverance combined with the fine mountain air to bring her back to her
+wonted health, and she found herself able to go about her daily work long
+before she could have hoped to do so in the more enervating atmosphere of
+the city.
+
+One day she had gone to gather herbs for the daily mess, a work in which
+she was especially useful from the knowledge of plants which she had taken
+pains to acquire in her unmarried days. She had taken, of course, the
+new-born infant with her, and Miriam, who was delighted to perform, as far
+as her strength permitted, the office of nurse. The little Judith, whose
+night's rest had been disturbed by some childish ailment, had been left at
+home to make up her allowance of sleep. The mother found on her return
+that a strange visitor had made herself at home in the cave. The little
+one was fast asleep on a bed of rugs which had been made up for her, and
+curled up at her side with one of her fore paws round her neck was a
+jackal. The two companions were roused together by the arrival of the
+party, and, wonderful to relate, neither showed any symptoms of alarm. The
+jackal rose from its resting-place, approached Ruth, and fawned at her
+feet, and the child came after its bedfellow and stroked affectionately
+its shaggy skin.
+
+When, two or three weeks afterwards, the new comer gave birth to a litter
+of cubs, the joy of the children was complete. The little animals soon
+learnt to play with the girls, and their dam sat by and watched their
+gambols, and sometimes even condescended to join in them herself.
+
+The little colony heard of the strange incident with delight, and saw in
+it a token of Divine favour. "Man rages cruelly against us," they said,
+"but we find friends among the beasts of the field. Surely it is our God
+who hath changed the heart of this savage dweller in the wilderness, and
+we will trust that He will do yet greater things than these."
+
+"Mother," said Miriam one day to Ruth, "by what name shall we call our new
+friend?"
+
+The question puzzled her, and she referred it to her husband.
+
+"It does not seem fitting," she said, "that we should give the name of a
+daughter of the Covenant to the beast, for though she is of kindly temper
+yet she is unclean."
+
+Seraiah thought awhile.
+
+"You say truth, my wife. Let us call her Jael."
+
+"But why Jael?"
+
+"Because the wife of Heber was of the unclean, for was she not of the
+house of the Kenite? Yet was she a friend of Israel, for she slew Sisera
+that was captain of the host of Jabin, King of Canaan."
+
+So thenceforward the creature went by the name of Jael.
+
+It was not long before she justified her name by showing that she could be
+fierce on occasion.
+
+A wayfarer, who described himself as a discharged soldier and a Moabite by
+birth, asked for shelter and food. Scanty as were the means of the
+fugitives, they did not grudge the stranger a share of their meal. They
+gave him their best, adding to their daily fare the special luxury of some
+dried grapes. As he complained of being footsore, Ruth applied some simple
+remedies to the blisters on his feet. Altogether he was treated not only
+as a welcome but even as an honoured guest. On his part he professed a
+fervent sympathy with the hopes and plans of his hosts. The next morning
+he started as if to continue his journey. But the cupidity of the wretch
+had been roused by the sight of the handsome earrings--almost the sole
+remaining relic of former affluence--which he had spied in his hostess's
+ears. About an hour before noon, when he judged that the men would be
+still busy about their daily work, he crept back to the cave. Ruth was
+sitting by a fire nursing her babe. The jackal lay asleep in a corner; the
+girls were playing with the cubs on a sunny little plot of ground outside.
+
+"Lady," began the fellow, in a beggar's wheedling voice, "can you spare a
+little money for a poor fellow who has not so much as a copper coin to buy
+him a piece of bread?"
+
+Ruth was startled at his re-appearance, but concealed her alarm.
+
+"Friend," she said, "I have no money; but I will give you half a loaf if
+you want food, though you had done better, I should think, to keep on your
+way, for you can hardly find any that are poorer than we."
+
+"But you have gold," said the man.
+
+"Gold? Not I," she answered.
+
+"Nay, lady," he went on, with a perceptible tone of threatening in his
+voice, "those earrings that you wear are doubtless of true metal. They
+add, indeed, to your beauty, and it is a pity that you should lose them;
+but then there is no one to admire you in this wilderness, and they would
+keep a poor fellow like myself in flesh and wine for a month or more."
+
+"My earrings?" said Ruth, stupefied by the man's audacity.
+
+"Yes, your earrings, lady," said the man. "I should advise you to take
+them out yourself, for if I have to do it I am afraid that I shall show
+myself a very rough tirewoman."
+
+The spirit of Ruth, the same that had dwelt of old in a Miriam or a
+Deborah, was roused at the man's insolent audacity. She seized a
+half-burnt brand from the fire and stood on her defence. The soldier,
+thinking that he had found an easy prey, approached. But he had not
+reckoned on an ally who was ready to help her in her need. Jael had been
+woke by the voices, and watched with glaring eyes the soldier's movements,
+uttering every now and then a low growl, which, however, the man was too
+much occupied to heed. As soon as he came within reach, she sprang upon
+him from her lurking-place. The force with which she threw herself upon
+him overset him, and he fell backwards, his head striking on the
+mill-stone which formed part of the scanty furniture of the cave. In a
+moment her fangs were in his throat. In vain did Ruth, who saw the man's
+danger and was unwilling that he should perish in his sins, call her by
+her name. All the savage instinct in her was roused by the taste of blood.
+Before two minutes had passed the freebooter was dead.
+
+"We did well to call her Jael," said Seraiah that evening, as he helped to
+carry the corpse out of the cave. "The wretch has received the due reward
+of his deeds."
+
+
+
+
+
+                               CHAPTER XI.
+
+                            NEWS BAD AND GOOD.
+
+
+As the weeks went by fugitives continued to arrive at the little asylum
+which Seraiah and Azariah had founded among the hills. There was not one
+of them but brought with him some dismal story of the cruelty of the
+heathen and the renegades who acted as their instruments, and of the
+sufferings of the faithful. We should weary our readers were we to relate
+them in their monotony of horror. One will suffice, for it is the most
+famous as it is the most tragic of all the tales of that reign of terror.
+
+One night the sentinels, whom the chiefs of the little colony were always
+careful to post, heard the sound of approaching footsteps. They challenged
+the new comer, and bade him stand, and tell them his errand. He could not
+articulate his answer, so spent was he with fatigue and distress; but it
+was evident that he was harmless, a mere youth, solitary, and unarmed.
+Unwilling to disturb the little colony at so late an hour--it was indeed
+past midnight--the sentinels bade the stranger rest before their
+watch-fire. He was so exhausted and weary that he could swallow but very
+little of the food which his entertainers offered him. A few mouthfuls of
+barley cake, and a draught of milk more than satisfied him. Then he sank
+down on the ground overpowered with sleep, and his hosts wrapped him in a
+cloak and left him to his repose. Yet, wearied as he was, his slumbers
+were broken. Again and again he started up with a cry of horror on his
+lips. Those who listened to him felt sure that he must be going over in
+his dreams some dreadful scenes which he had witnessed.
+
+The next day he could scarcely be recalled to consciousness. Indeed it was
+judged well to leave nature to recover herself. The women of the colony
+took it in turns to watch by his side, and were ready, when he awoke for a
+few moments, with a cup of milk, the only thing which he seemed to relish.
+By degrees his slumbers grew more peaceful, and on the morning of the
+second day after his arrival he woke calm and collected.
+
+It was Ruth who then happened to be on duty at his side. When he saw her,
+he said, "Lady, I have a story to tell, and the chief of this place should
+hear it. Let him make haste to come, for I feel that I cannot rest while
+it is untold."
+
+Ruth sent one of her children to fetch her husband. The stranger refused
+to postpone his narrative till he should have gathered a little more
+strength. "Nay," said he; "it is like a weight upon my soul, and I would
+lighten me of it by committing it to faithful ears."
+
+"Speak on," said Seraiah.
+
+Then the lad told his story.
+
+"My name is Abimelech, and I come from Jerusalem. My father and mother are
+dead; but I lived with my grandmother, the mother of my father, and his
+brethren, my uncles. There were seven of them, the eldest being some
+thirty-and-three years of age, and the youngest twenty; but my father that
+is dead was the first-born. On the first day of the month, coming home
+about the eleventh hour from the school of the Rabbi Zechariah----"
+
+"Are there then yet those who teach in the city?" interrupted Seraiah.
+
+"Yes," answered the lad, "but they do it by stealth, for the reading of
+the Law is strictly forbidden by the Governor. But we learn it
+notwithstanding, and verily if the heathen should destroy every roll that
+there is of the Holy Books in the whole world there are those who could
+replace them from memory. I pretend not to so much; but I could say three
+out of the five books of Moses, the man of God."
+
+"Praised be the Lord God of Israel," cried Seraiah, "who hath not left
+Himself without a witness! But go on with your story."
+
+"Coming home, then, from school I found the soldiers of Philip the
+Phrygian in the house, Philip himself being there. They had set forth a
+table in the court of the house, whereon they had placed abominable flesh.
+My uncles were standing bound, guarded by soldiers, and with them was my
+grandmother. Then said the Governor, Philip, to the eldest of the seven,
+whose name was Judah, 'Pleasure me, my friend, by eating this excellent
+meat; 'tis of the most savoury, believe me.' My uncle Judah answered, 'I
+cannot obey thee in this matter, for it is forbidden by the Law.' Philip
+said, 'Maybe he lacks an appetite. Give him that which shall sharpen his
+taste.' Thereupon the executioner stepped forth with his lash, and gave
+him ten stripes. 'Dost feel hungry now?' said the Governor. 'I had sooner
+starve,' said Judah, 'than eat the abominable thing.' 'Nay,' cried the
+Governor, 'miscall not the good things which are provided for you at the
+charge of thy lord the King.' Then he said to the executioner, 'This
+fellow uses not his tongue for any good purpose, but only to rail against
+my lord. Cut it out, therefore.' So they cut the tongue out of my uncle's
+mouth; and after that they cut off his hands and his feet. And afterwards,
+he being yet alive, they put him in a pan and burnt him over the fire.
+Then the Governor said to the second in age, whose name was Eleazar, 'Ah!
+friend, like you this better than the swine's flesh? You may have your
+choice, if you will.' But he answered nothing. Then they tortured him most
+cruelly till he died. And so they did to all, one after the other. What
+they did I cannot bear to tell; nor, indeed, do I know the whole truth,
+for when three had perished in this manner I fainted for the horror of the
+thing; nor did I come to myself till the sixth was ready to suffer. Him I
+heard say these words to the Governor--'Be not deceived, or think that our
+God has abandoned us. He has given us over to your hand because we have
+offended against Him; nor do we suffer beyond what we have deserved. But
+as we have not escaped the punishment of our sins, so neither will you,
+but will perish miserably!' After this he did not speak another word; nay,
+nor give a sign of pain, but stood steadfast and unmoved.
+
+"When there was but one of the seven left alive, Benjamin by name, the
+Governor seeing him, and, I take it, having some pity on his youth, for he
+was fair as a woman, said to him, 'Young man, you see how all these have
+perished miserably, because of their pride and obstinacy. Learn, then, by
+their fate to behave yourself more wisely. And hark! I will give you
+riches, more than you can desire, and promote you to honour, if you will
+humour my lord the King in this small matter.' Benjamin said, 'Your gifts,
+my lord, be to another, and your honours to such as are worthy of them;
+but as for me, I will not depart from the law of my God.' Then Philip said
+to the mother of the seven, 'Persuade him, for I would not have you left
+childless, if there is any help. These your sons were stout fellows, and
+could have done good service for my lord if they had been better advised;
+and I would fain save this one that is left. Reason with him, then, that
+he save his life, and that you be not wholly bereaved.' Then the woman
+said, 'Trust me, my lord; I will reason with him.' Then Philip smiled and
+said, 'Your wisdom comes somewhat late'; and he whispered to one that
+stood by, 'You see that I have prevailed at last.' But the man shook his
+head. Then the woman said to her son, 'O, my child, have pity on me, for I
+bore for you the pangs of childbirth, and spent on you the labour of
+nurture, bringing you up to this age. Repay me, therefore, for all that I
+have done.' Then she paused awhile, and those that stood by scarcely knew
+what was in her heart. But the young man said, 'Mother, how shall I repay
+you?' And she answered, 'By remembering that the Lord made heaven and
+earth, and all that is therein. Depart not from His Law, nor forget Him.
+Heed not this tormentor, who has power over your body for a short moment;
+but stand steadfast, as your brethren have stood steadfast; so shall I
+receive you with them into the everlasting glory.' Then the young man
+smiled, as a bridegroom might smile when the veil is lifted from the face
+of his bride, and said, 'Fear not, my mother; so it shall be, the Lord
+helping me.' As for the Governor, he was mad with rage, and cried to the
+executioner, 'Smite him, and this fool also.' And the man, who indeed, I
+take it, was weary of his work, smote the youth and mother, and killed
+them, dealing each but one blow. So they escaped the torture."
+
+On the following Sabbath Seraiah read to the congregation the story of the
+Three Children in the fire, and then delivered a stirring address on the
+faith and courage of the heroic mother and her sons. The people listened
+with a breathless attention, and when he had finished, drew, so to speak,
+together that deep sigh of relief which tells the speaker that he has been
+holding the hearts of his hearers. He was one of those trustful souls who
+amidst all dangers find their strength in quietness and confidence. But
+the other leaders of the settlement could not help feeling somewhat
+anxious as to the future. What was to be the end? This constancy under
+suffering was grand beyond all praise; but were they and their brethren to
+stand still and see the religion of their fathers trampled out in blood?
+Was there no one to strike a blow for their faith and their fatherland?
+For they could measure the average strength and depth of human nature, and
+knew that there are ten who are ready to do and dare for one who can
+suffer and be strong. "Do you remember," said Seraiah to his
+brother-in-law, as they were talking over the position of affairs after
+the gathering for worship--"do you remember that day when we fought against
+the Edomites, how our line crumbled away while we had to stand still as a
+target for the Edomite arrows, and how it grew solid again in a moment
+when our general gave the signal to charge? One was ready before to think
+that half the men were cowards, and then one could almost have sworn that
+there was not a coward among them. Yes, Azariah, we must strike when the
+time comes; but when the time will come is more than I can tell."
+
+The next day brought an answer to his question.
+
+The people were dispersing after the usual morning prayer when a stranger
+was seen hurrying up the pass. Arrived at the top, where a party of the
+men had gone to meet him, he threw himself breathless on the ground; at
+the same time he drew a small piece of folded parchment from the pouch
+which was fastened to his girdle, and handed it to one of the men. It ran
+thus: "Mattathias to Seraiah, in the wilderness of Bethaven, greeting.
+Listen to the young man who brings this present without doubting, for he
+is faithful, and speaks words of truth." In a few moments Seraiah
+appeared. By this time the messenger had recovered his breath, and was
+ready to tell his tale.
+
+"What news bring you?" said Seraiah.
+
+"Great news; for the Lord has smitten His enemies hip and thigh by the
+hand of Mattathias, son of Asmon, and by the hand of his sons."
+
+A murmur of delight ran through the little audience, and every eye
+brightened at the prospect of action.
+
+"Tell on. We hear!" cried Seraiah.
+
+"May I crave a drink of water? for the way is long, and I have been
+travelling since the sun set yesterday."
+
+The water was fetched. When he had quenched his thirst, young Asaph--that
+was the messenger's name--began his story.
+
+"You know Mattathias, the son of Asmon, and the five young men, his sons,
+how they dwelt at Modin? Two months since, Philip the Phrygian--may the
+Lord cut him off in his sins!" and the speaker paused, and spat upon the
+ground to emphasize his disgust. "This Phrygian, then, sent one of his
+officers two months since to build an altar to one of the false gods
+before whom these children of perdition bow down. So the altar was built,
+none hindering, for the people were without a leader. This being finished,
+the Governor's officer proclaimed a sacrifice and a feast to one of the
+demons whom these heathen worship. I know not the evil thing's name, and
+if I knew it, would not take the accursed word upon my lips. On the
+appointed day there was a great gathering of the inhabitants of Modin. It
+was about the tenth hour when the Governor's deputy came, with his
+trumpeters and a small company of soldiers--it may be a score. When he had
+taken his seat the ministers brought up the ox that was for the sacrifice,
+a great beast, altogether white; and they had gilded his horns and put
+garlands of flowers about his neck, as their custom is. Then the deputy
+called to one Menahem, a usurer that dwelt in the village, and one of
+those who would sell their souls for a shekel. 'Menon,' he said--for they
+had changed his name after their fashion to one of their own
+tongue--'Menon, come forth, and do your office.' And then he turned to the
+people, and said, 'Hearken to me, ye Jews. This Menon here, who is known
+to all of us, has been promoted to great honour, for my lord Philip, who
+is the lieutenant of the Divine Antiochus, has made him priest. Honour him
+henceforth accordingly. And be sure also that if you are obedient, and
+give up your own dull and senseless superstition, and worship henceforth
+as the King commands, it shall be well with you and your children.' When
+he had ended, the fellow approached the altar, and cut some hairs from the
+forehead of the beast, and sprinkled some meal mingled with salt between
+its horns. And it chanced, or, I should rather say, it was ordered of the
+Lord, that as the man did this Mattathias and his sons passed by on the
+outskirts of the crowd. And when he perceived the abominable thing that
+was being done, and that he who did it was a Jew, his spirit was moved
+within him. Then he ran forward, he and his sons with him. And when they
+were come into the space before the altar the old man cried, 'He that is
+on the Lord's side come hither!' And some threescore of the people that
+were there came to him, and the rest stood still, and did nothing, for
+they knew that the sons of Asmon were mighty men of valour. As for the
+deputy and his soldiers, they were astonished beyond measure, and before
+they came to themselves some of the company of Mattathias rushed upon them
+and disarmed them. But Mattathias himself, with Judas his son, laid hold
+on Menahem. Then that miserable creature fell on his knees and begged for
+pardon, saying that he had done this thing on compulsion. 'Nay,' said
+Mattathias, 'the compulsion was of thy own evil and greedy heart. Thou
+hast sinned beyond all mercy of man; but the mercies of the Lord are past
+all measure. Die thou must; but I would have thee die in the faith of a
+son of Israel.' Then the poor wretch--I had never thought to pity him, for
+he turned my own mother, when she lay dying, on to the public road, but no
+one could have refused him pity then--the wretch, I say, repeated with a
+stammering tongue, 'Hear, O Israel, the Lord thy God is one Lord.' And now
+he said, 'I give thee for thy prayers to the All-Merciful, till the shadow
+of this staff come so far,' and he planted a staff in the ground. And when
+the time was spent, the old man took his sword, and sheared off the
+wretch's head with one blow. I had not thought that there was such
+strength in his arm. Then they brought the deputy and his soldiers to
+Mattathias. First he dealt with the deputy. 'Slay him,' he said, 'for he
+has made the people of the Lord to transgress.' So they slew him. Then
+they made the soldiers stand before him. Four out of their number were
+Jews. These he commanded to be slain, after giving them the same grace
+that he had given to Menahem. To the others he said, 'You have not sinned
+as these your fellows, for you were born in darkness. Take, therefore,
+your choice: depart, and take good heed not to fall into our hands again,
+for, if you so fall, you die without further mercy; or, if ye will, stay
+with us. Only you must follow our ways, so far as it is commanded that the
+stranger should follow them.' Half chose to depart, and half to stay.
+
+"After this, Mattathias chose some of the young men to go as messengers to
+the villages round about, and carry the tidings of what had been done, and
+to say, 'The Lord hath lifted up His ensign; gather yourselves together
+unto it.' Also he appointed a place where they should meet--that is to say,
+Michmash."
+
+"And when may we look for his coming?" asked Seraiah.
+
+"Doubtless he will come to-morrow."
+
+That night there was much rejoicing in the little colony. No one, indeed,
+deceived himself with the thought that he could look forward to easy and
+pleasant days. All knew perfectly well that a time of struggle and
+suffering was before them. But there was hope. The darkness had parted,
+and they saw a far-off gleam of light. At the least they would have the
+chance of striking a blow for their country and their God.
+
+
+
+
+
+                              CHAPTER XII.
+
+                            THE PATRIOT ARMY.
+
+
+Three days passed before Mattathias and his sons arrived; but when they
+came, they brought with them a considerable force. The news of the events
+at Modin had spread like wildfire through southern Jud�a, and hundreds who
+had endured the rule of the heathen with ill-concealed impatience flocked
+to the standard of revolt. It was a strange array that might have been
+seen making its way up the mountain pass. A professional soldier would
+certainly at the first glance have thought meanly of its fighting
+capacities. Scarcely a score of the whole multitude was properly armed.
+Old weapons that had hung unused for a century or more had been taken down
+that they might strike another blow for the God of Israel. There had not
+been time to rub the rust from the sword-blades and the spear-heads, much
+less to hammer out upon the anvil the dents and notches left by the
+half-forgotten battles in which they had last been used. But it was only a
+few who had even these antiquated weapons. Most of the fighting men were
+armed as their fathers had been under the domination of the Canaanites in
+the days of Barak, or of the Philistines in the days of Saul. They carried
+mattocks and hoes, pruning-hooks and reaping-hooks tied to the ends of
+poles, or stakes shod with iron or even only hardened in the fire. But a
+nearer inspection would have changed the contempt of the military critic
+into something like admiration. These men had all that goes to the making
+of the soldier except the arms, and this want, after all, is the easiest
+to be supplied. They had on their faces the set, stern look of those who
+are fighting for a cause, and that a cause very near to their hearts.
+There were old men among them; but most were in the full vigour of youth
+and manhood. A real leader of men would have preferred to be followed by
+them than by the most handsomely equipped army of mercenaries.
+
+At the head of the column walked the aged Mattathias. Two of his sons,
+John and Judas, were with him, the other two being busy with the
+multifarious duties which fell upon the leaders of a force as yet so
+imperfectly organized. The old man--he had passed the threescore years and
+ten which are more commonly the limit of human existence, among the
+short-lived races of the East than among ourselves--had been carried in a
+litter for part of the way. This he had left at the entrance of the pass,
+being anxious not to give an impression of weakness. He now walked erect
+and with a firm step, his indomitable spirit supplying for the time all
+that was wanting in his physical strength. Nothing could be more
+enthusiastic than the reception which met him when he reached the little
+colony among the hills. He was the champion for whom they had been
+looking, and they received him as if he had been an "angel of God."
+Azariah and Seraiah, who had been hitherto informal leaders, gladly
+resigned their power into his hands, and from thenceforwards acted under
+his orders.
+
+There was indeed much to do. The little post in the mountains was now to
+become a fortress, garrisoned by an army which was already considerable in
+numbers, and which daily increased in strength. Faithful Jews from all
+parts of the country flocked to the place which seemed the last refuge of
+patriotism and faith. Nor were there wanting less respectable adherents.
+There was not a few men who, like Benjamin and Shallum, had followed a
+life in which right and wrong, good motives and bad, were curiously mixed
+up and confounded. They were divided between patriotism and
+robbery--divided, of course, in very varying proportions. None were quite
+blameless, and none were quite bad. The most unprincipled had lurking
+somewhere in his heart a real regard for his country, and, to say the
+least, he found much more satisfaction in emptying the pockets of a
+heathen than in robbing his own people. The most honest, on the other
+hand, could not always guide his actions by any strict rule of integrity.
+He had to live, and if his enemies did not furnish him with the means, he
+must get them from his friends. Many of these men were genuinely attracted
+by the new movement, genuinely glad to lead a life which their consciences
+could heartily approve. Others found that their occupation was gone, and
+that they must enlist in the new patriot army or starve. The garrison thus
+gained a considerable number of recruits, but some of them were of a class
+that was likely to give no little trouble in the future.
+
+In strong contrast with these doubtful adherents, and yet, in some
+respects, even more difficult to control, were the Chasidim--the
+"religious," "mighty men and voluntarily devoted to the Law"--the spiritual
+ancestors of the Pharisees of a later time, but actuated by a zeal far
+more sincere than what could commonly be found in their degenerate
+descendants. Men braver it would not have been possible to find; their
+courage amounted to something like recklessness; but they were
+enthusiasts, and held their tenets with a tenacity that sometimes made
+discipline almost impossible.
+
+An incident that occurred soon after the arrival of Mattathias and his
+sons exhibited these difficulties in a striking way. The scene of it was
+the extreme right of the position, where Abiathar, one of the Chasidim, an
+able soldier but a most uncompromising zealot, was in chief command. The
+whole of the population had assembled to take part in a Sabbath service.
+They had listened to the great chapter in Deuteronomy which proclaims the
+blessings that will follow obedience, the curses that will fall on those
+who disobey. They had sung together that Psalm "for the Sons of Korah,"
+which tells of triumph and of shame, in which Israel now thanks Him who
+has saved them from their enemies and now complains that He has made them
+a reproach to their neighbours' scorn, and a derision to them that are
+round about. And they were listening to a stirring exhortation to quit
+them like men and be strong, from the soldier-priest who was in chief
+command, when an alarm was raised that the enemy were at hand. Some of the
+younger men were on the point of running to fetch their weapons, for they
+were of course unarmed, when the stern voice of their leader called them
+back. "Have you so soon forgotten the blessing and the curse which the
+Lord your God hath set before you? Has He not commanded you to keep holy
+the Sabbath-day, and will you profane it by smiting with the sword?" They
+obeyed the command, though not without some murmurs from those who had not
+been thoroughly schooled in the stern tenets of the Chasidim. Meanwhile
+the enemy, a strong force that had been sent out from the garrison at
+Jerusalem, had come up. A herald from the officer in command approached,
+and delivered a message in these terms:--
+
+"Philip the Governor, and Apollonius, captain of the King's army, bid you
+come forth from your hiding-place and deliver yourselves up. Let your
+former transgressions against the King suffice, and do now according to
+his commandment. So will he have mercy upon you, and admit you to his
+grace."
+
+The answer of the Jewish commander was brief and decisive: "We will not
+come forth, neither will we do according to the King's commandment."
+
+Then followed one of the strangest scenes recorded in history. The
+peremptory refusal of the proffered terms was followed in a few minutes by
+a shower of missiles from the hostile force. The crowd at which they were
+aimed made no attempt at resistance, or even at escape. They fell where
+they stood, without lifting a hand, almost without uttering a cry. There
+is no greater trial of an army's discipline than to make it stand and see
+its ranks thinned without being able to strike a blow in return. But the
+soldiers who endure this trial endure it in the hope of an hour that
+cannot be long delayed, when they shall reap the reward of their patience
+in an assured victory. The Chasidim who followed Abiathar had no such
+support in their endurance. They stood like sheep for the slaughter,
+strong men as they were, and conscious that they could save themselves if
+they would. Not a stone did they throw in reply to the missiles that were
+showered upon them; and when the hostile ranks closed in, not till after
+some wondering delay, and began to finish the bloody work with their
+swords, they still held their ground with the same passive, unresisting
+courage.
+
+To one man at least the sword of the heathen brought that day a welcome
+release from his troubles. Shallum, the wine-seller of Jerusalem, had been
+consumed with remorse for the part which he had taken on the day when he
+followed "Bacchus and his reeling train." The words haunted his mind with
+maddening repetition. The stern doctrines of the Chasidim had exercised a
+singular attraction for him, and though, stained as he was with sins for
+which he could scarcely hope purification, he did not even propose to join
+their ranks, he was a diligent attendant at their services and an
+attentive listener to their teaching. This day he had stood on the
+outskirts of the crowd, hearing with a rapt attention the promises and
+denunciations of the Law, and listening to, though not daring to join in,
+the chanted psalms. "Perhaps," he said to himself, "the sound of the holy
+music will rid me of that accursed Bacchic chant which rings for ever in
+my ears." For a moment, when the massacre began, that love of life which
+even the most miserable scarcely ever loses rose up strong in his heart.
+But he crushed it down. "I have transgressed too often," he thought to
+himself, "the commandment of the Lord; let me obey it at least this once,
+though I die." The next moment the stroke of a Greek sword levelled him to
+the ground, and the Bacchic chant vexed him no more.
+
+Not a single man of all that company--so strong was the contagion of
+enthusiasm among them--made any effort to escape the fate that overtook his
+companions. Still there was left a survivor to carry to Mattathias the
+news, at once so terrible and so glorious, of that day's doings. One of
+the men had been felled to the ground by the blow of a stone at the first
+discharge of the enemy's missiles, and had been left for dead upon the
+field. When he came to himself, late in the night, he found himself the
+only living being among masses of the slain. His first duty was obviously
+to carry tidings of the events to the commander-in-chief, and he made his
+way to head-quarters as quickly as his enfeebled condition permitted.
+
+Mattathias saw that this question of the Sabbath must be settled at once,
+and, if the war was to be carried on with any prospect of success, settled
+on the side of freedom. He called a council in the early morning of the
+next day--the news had reached him about two hours after midnight. His five
+sons were present, as were Azariah, and Seraiah, with others who held
+command in the patriot army. A long debate followed, for some of the
+Chasidim still clung to their rigid opinions, even in the face of the
+disaster which had happened, and the manifest probability, even certainty,
+of its happening again. They answered with stern iteration to each appeal
+that was made to them by the advocates of reason and moderation, "Thou
+shalt keep holy the Sabbath-day." It was impossible to yield to them, and
+yet, such was their courage and devotion, almost equally impossible to
+break with them.
+
+Mattathias, who presided at the assembly, had left the debate to other
+speakers, and had contented himself with keeping the peace between them,
+as far as he could. At last he rose and delivered his opinion.
+
+"Brethren," he said, "let us take heed that we break not the Law while we
+seem to keep it. The Lord hath commanded us that we shall not work our own
+works or do our own pleasure upon His day. Shall we take occasion thereby
+to neglect His work and leave undone His pleasure? The heathen have come
+into His inheritance and devoured it. Shall we suffer them to usurp it for
+ever? Say, too, ye that will not stretch out a finger to save the people
+of the Lord from destruction because it is the Sabbath, do ye not reach
+out your hand to save a brother or a sister or a neighbour, yea, even a
+stranger upon that day, if it so chance that they be overtaken by some
+instant need? Nay, more; do ye not pull out an ox or an ass, if it be
+fallen on that day into a pit? and will ye not pull out the Lord's people
+from the pit which the malice of their enemies shall have digged for them?
+Listen, therefore, to my sentence. If the enemy come upon us upon the
+Sabbath we will beat him back, God helping. Nevertheless, if it may be so
+without damage to the Lord's cause, we will not march against him on that
+day. If there be sin in this matter let it be upon me and my children."
+
+And as he spoke the five young men, his sons, rose up in their places, and
+answered, _Amen_.
+
+The decision was generally accepted and acted upon, though to the last
+some of the more determined of the Chasidim avoided, as far as was
+possible, all military action on the Sabbath.
+
+The rule of Sabbath observance was, however, still very strictly kept. It
+was two or three days after the council described above had been held,
+when one of the half-bandit, half-patriot recruits was discovered busily
+employed in cleaning his armour on the Lord's day. He was kept in
+confinement till sunset, when the Sabbath was considered to end; a council
+of war was hastily summoned to hear the case. The man pleaded the recent
+decision of Mattathias, which had, he said, relaxed the law of the
+Sabbath. It was answered to him that the cleaning of armour was no
+necessary work, and that the distinction must now be kept more strictly
+than before, lest the people should fall into sin. He then urged that his
+offence was an error, and might be atoned for by a sin-offering.
+
+"Alas! my son," said Mattathias, "the Temple is profaned; nor can there be
+any more either sin-offering or peace-offering till it be purified. You
+must bear your iniquity yourself."
+
+John the soldier, who was unwilling that the army should lose one whose
+offence, after all, had only been an excess of military zeal, and Simon,
+whose gentle soul always was inclined to the milder course, voted for a
+lighter punishment than death, but they were overruled. Even Judas voted
+against them, knowing that such an army as theirs could only be held
+together by the bond of an enthusiastic faith.
+
+"Give the glory to God," said the aged president of the Court, when he had
+communicated his sentence to the prisoner, "and take your death patiently,
+knowing that though you be judged according to men in the flesh, you shall
+live according to God in the spirit." The man bowed his head in
+submission, and repeated the confession of faith, "Hear, O Israel, the
+Lord thy God is one Lord."
+
+"The Lord bless thee, my son," said Mattathias, "and take thee into
+Abraham's bosom."
+
+So the transgressor died. And they buried him under a heap of stones to
+which every passer-by made it his duty to add his tribute.
+
+
+
+
+
+                              CHAPTER XIII.
+
+                    GUERILLA WARFARE IN THE MOUNTAINS.
+
+
+Some weeks had necessarily to pass before the patriot army could assume
+the offensive. Some kind of drill was necessary, though Judas, who had the
+chief direction of military affairs, did not attempt to teach his men any
+elaborate manoeuvres. But practice in sword-play and in shooting with the
+bow was diligently attended to. A corps of slingers was also formed under
+the command of one Sheba, a Benjamite, who possessed that skill with his
+weapon which was characteristic of his tribe. The sling was admirably
+suited to the kind of warfare which they would have to wage. As long as
+there were stones there would not be wanting missiles for the slings,
+while the supply of arrows would be likely to fall short, and could not
+easily be renewed. Meanwhile some rude anvils had been fitted up, and
+every one who could work as a smith was pressed into the service of
+repairing old arms or making new ones. By degrees many of the fighting men
+obtained an equipment which, if not very handsome, was at least fairly
+effective. Some of the new arrivals, too, were old soldiers, and brought
+their arms with them. Jews who had enlisted in the armies of the various
+Asiatic kings flocked to the standard of independence, when once it had
+been set up. Even some of the well-paid mercenaries who formed the
+bodyguard of Antiochus were patriotic enough to prefer to their luxurious
+existence the privations of life among the mountains. It was a life which,
+at the least, they could lead without offence.
+
+It was winter when Mattathias and his sons reached the mountains; and with
+the first beginnings of spring the force under his command, now increased
+to a respectable strength, commenced active operations. These were
+extended over a considerable range of country to all the villages that had
+submitted to the edicts of the heathen rulers of the land. Even fortified
+towns, in several instances, were surprised, not, it may be guessed,
+without the connivance of the patriotic party within the walls. The idol
+altars which the King's commissioners had set up were thrown down with
+every circumstance of indignity. All stores belonging to the usurping
+government were confiscated for the use of the national forces. But
+private property was respected. Arms, indeed, if they were likely to be
+useful, were taken, but always taken at a price.
+
+Severe as was the discipline, it met with a cheerful submission from the
+men, so commanding was the influence exercised by their leaders.
+Conspicuous among them were, of course, the sons of Mattathias. All were
+favourites, but Judas and Simon took the lead. The strength, the skill,
+and the daring of the first were such that he was absolutely idolized by
+his troops. There was no task, however perilous, which they would not
+attempt under his guidance, for there was nothing which he did not seem
+capable of achieving. His physical strength was enormous; and his
+fertility of resource unfailing. He had always some new device for
+outwitting the enemy; and when the crisis of an undertaking arrived, if an
+attacking party were to be helped up some almost inaccessible height, a
+gate to be broken open by main force, or a pass to be held against
+overwhelming odds, Judas was always ready and always, it seemed,
+successful. Scarcely less honoured, though in a different way, was the
+prudence and kindliness of Simon. If Judas never failed in an attempt it
+was, in part at least, because Simon's advice was so uniformly sagacious,
+because he could measure so exactly the means at their command. And when
+the fighting was over, no one could be more unwearying in his attentions
+to the wounded. The voice which rang so loud and clear through the din of
+battle was now soft and caressing, and the touch of his hand was as gentle
+and tender as if it had been a woman's.
+
+Such leaders could do anything with their troops, even when they had to
+task their obedience by the infliction of punishment. Even such men as the
+ex-robber Benjamin felt what may be called the infection of discipline. He
+had accompanied one of the expeditions, in which a select force of
+patriots, after marching forty miles within twenty-four hours, surprised a
+squadron of Greek cavalry in one of the towns of Galilee. A short but
+sharp conflict took place in the square of the town, and Benjamin had
+borne himself with conspicuous courage. The struggle over, the soldiers
+had received entertainment, not in every case very willingly given, from
+the inhabitants of the town. Benjamin happened to be quartered upon a
+particularly churlish host, and resenting the coarse and scanty fare, so
+unsuited to the wealth apparent in all the fittings of the house, had
+revenged himself by abstracting a rich cloak belonging to his miserly
+entertainer. The article was stowed away on his own person, but the keen
+eye of one of the Chasidim officers espied it; the thief was denounced
+when the force had reached the encampment, and brought before the council,
+which was held under the presidency of Judas. The culprit pleaded in vain
+the shabby treatment which he had received. It was not for him, he was
+told, to take the law into his own hands. When he urged that the man was a
+traitor to his country he was asked whether he had himself taken the cloak
+from patriotic motives. "Did you purpose," said Judas, going to the point
+with characteristic directness, "to make this a common possession, or to
+take it for yourself?" Benjamin faltered under this searching question,
+and had no answer to give. Then Judas pronounced his sentence: "In old
+time he who had offended in this manner, as did Achan in the matter of the
+spoils of Jericho, died the death. These times are not equal to a justice
+so strict. But what the law enjoins that you will suffer. Were such sin as
+yours to go unpunished we could expect no blessing on our arms. We should
+become, not what we would be, the armies of the Lord, but a horde of
+robbers. You will receive forty stripes save one; if you offend again, you
+die."
+
+Without a murmur the culprit bared his shoulders for the lash. When the
+whip had once fallen Judas stayed the executioner's hand. "Benjamin," he
+said, "you have done ill, but you have also done well. You saved from
+death our brother Seraiah as he lay wounded under the feet of the
+horsemen. For this good deed the rest of the punishment is remitted. Go,
+and sin no more."
+
+Seraiah indeed had been so seriously wounded that he had to be carried
+back to the camp on a litter rudely constructed of boards, and Ruth was
+now nursing him in the cave which had been originally set apart for their
+dwelling, and which they still retained. It was a miserable abode, though
+it at least afforded shelter from the rain. Indeed the lot of the women
+and children in the patriot encampment was full of suffering. The men had
+the constant excitement of their warfare to cheer them, but the women had
+only to toil and to endure. In the day the drought consumed them, and the
+frost by night. They had none of the comforts of life. Their food was
+coarse in the extreme, and often very scanty. But, perhaps, their greatest
+trial was in the matter of clothes. The stock which they had brought with
+them from their homes was, for the most part, worn out, and it was only on
+rare occasions, when some property of the heathen fell into the hands of
+the patriots, that any part of it could be replenished. Sheepskins and
+goatskins dried in the sun were commonly used, what remained of their
+wardrobes being reserved for special occasions.
+
+Some time after the incident described above a serious trouble came upon
+Azariah. Miriam, his elder daughter, when she returned one day from her
+usual task of gathering herbs to eke out the family meal, complained of
+headache. It was evident that she was suffering from sunstroke. As the
+spring advanced the heat in some of the narrow mountain valleys became
+exceedingly oppressive, and the town-bred child felt it acutely. For some
+days her life was in danger, all the greater because she had neither
+medical attendance nor skilful nursing. Ruth did all she could for the
+little sufferer, but then Ruth had her own husband to attend to, for,
+though recovering from his wound, he needed much care, and her child was
+still too young to be left alone. One or two visits in the day was all
+that she could give. For the most part the girl's father was her nurse,
+the little Judith giving such help as she could. Love gave a lightness and
+tenderness to his touch, and supplied the place of skill in that
+marvellous way which is so often possible to love. Day after day, as he
+sat by the bedside, and watched his charge, the girl's face, now pale and
+wasted, and aged as it was with suffering, reminded him more and more of
+his lost Hannah. He lived over the happy past that they had known before
+the evil days began, the time when their first acquaintance as youth and
+maiden had ripened into love, and the early years of their wedded life.
+Thus he began to live in a world of imagination, while the sordid
+circumstances of the present seemed to make no impression upon him, though
+he always retained a punctual recollection of the duties that belonged to
+his attendance upon the sick.
+
+One day Ruth had come in to pay the daily visit for which, however
+engrossing her own occupations, she always contrived to find an
+opportunity. The patient was in a sound sleep, with the little Judith for
+her sole attendant, Azariah having received an urgent summons to attend a
+council of war, in which some subject with which he was especially
+acquainted was to be discussed.
+
+After a few minutes Azariah returned, but without any of the signs of
+agitation or haste that might be expected from one hurrying back to the
+performance of a duty that he had been compelled to neglect. His sister
+wondered to see him so calm, and she was still more surprised when he went
+on to say--
+
+"How like the child is growing to my dear Hannah!"
+
+Ruth had often thought the same, but had not ventured to say so, for
+Azariah had never mentioned his dead wife.
+
+"Yes," she answered, "I have often thought so."
+
+"I have had some happy times of late. Before I could not get out of my
+mind the dreadful sight of her face when I last saw it." He paused for a
+moment, overpowered by the recollection, but soon resumed in a cheerful
+voice: "But now in this dear child I seem to see her as she was in those
+happy Bethlehem days before our marriage, and again in the still happier
+time we had together in Jerusalem."
+
+"But does it not trouble you to leave the child alone?"
+
+"Nay, sister, she is not alone. Nor do I speak of our dear little Judith
+here." And he stroked the little girl's head, and bade her go and play
+outside, but be careful not to go into the sun.
+
+"Believe me," he went on, "that when I am not here, Miriam's angel is with
+her. Perhaps you will think me mad when I say that I have seen, and that
+not once or twice only, the flash of white garments vanishing in the
+darkness as I came into the cave. And last night, as I sat here, dreaming,
+it may be, but certainly seeing everything in the cave as plainly as I see
+it this moment, the angel came with the little babe--our little David that
+my Hannah took with her to Paradise--to kiss his sick sister. And when
+Miriam awoke about an hour after dawn, the fever had left her."
+
+At this moment the girl opened her eyes. "Oh, father," she cried, "did you
+indeed see little brother last night?--for I saw him too; but I did not see
+that an angel was carrying him. He seemed to be in the air somehow, with
+no one holding him up. And he had beautiful white clothes--not these nasty
+sheepskins and goatskins that we have to wear--and he stretched out his
+hands to me, and kissed me, and I felt that moment as if that dreadful
+burning had gone out of me. And oh! there was such a wonderful look upon
+his face. It was just like the look on dear mother's face that evening
+when the sun was just setting, and you took little brother up in your
+arms, and said his name was David."
+
+Ruth could only listen to such talk with wonder and awe. But she went back
+to her husband and child with a lighter heart than she had borne for many
+days.
+
+But a trouble was at hand which, though it had been for some time
+foreseen, was great enough to make private sorrows and anxieties seem
+inconsiderable. It was reported through the encampment that Mattathias,
+the father of his people, was dying.
+
+The old man's health had been failing for some time. The hardships of his
+new life had told grievously upon it, all the more that he refused the
+exemption from labour which his age required. He had ceased to accompany
+the expeditions because he found that his presence hampered the movements
+of younger and stronger men, but the management of the multifarious
+affairs of the encampment--the home administration, as it may be called, of
+the patriotic movement--he kept in his own hands. Early and late he busied
+himself in this work, and before many weeks were past his labours wore him
+out.
+
+He was well aware that the end had come, and that all that remained for
+him to do was to appoint a successor who should accomplish, or at least
+carry on--for he did not deceive himself as to the difficulty of the
+work--the task which he had commenced. All the leaders were summoned to his
+presence, the wounded Seraiah, for whose capacity and serene courage the
+old chief had a high regard, being carried thither on a litter. The old
+man was propped in his bed on cushions, the difficulty of breathing making
+it impossible for him to lie down. On either side stood his five sons,
+John, the eldest, being at his right hand, with Eleazar and Jonathan near
+him, while Simon and Judas were on the left. A physician, the solitary
+professor of the healing art that the camp possessed, sat by the bed's
+foot, with a cup of some cordial in his hand.
+
+  [Illustration: _The Last Charge of Mattathias._]
+
+The old man began by laying his hand on John's head. "My son," he said,
+"for your loyalty and faithful obedience I thank the Lord that gave me so
+excellent a son for my first-born. You know what it is in my mind to do
+with respect to the succession of my work, and I am assured that you
+approve. But for the sake of those that stand by,"--and he pointed to the
+assembled chiefs--"I solemnly declare that for no defect of courage or
+honesty I pass you by. And say if you are content to leave it according to
+what seems best to my judgment."
+
+"Father," said the faithful John, "I am content."
+
+Simon beckoned to the physician, who handed the cup of cordial to the
+dying man. He swallowed a few drops, and then went on:
+
+"Hear, my friends and brethren. In the distribution of my worldly goods I
+follow custom and law. The inheritance of my fathers I give to my eldest
+born, according to the custom of the birthright; and I direct that the
+younger shall have such portions as are due to them. But I have that to
+give which has been entrusted to me of the Lord, and with which I must
+deal according to His pleasure, so far as it is given to me to know it.
+Simon, I will that thou be the father of the people. Care for them as for
+thy children. Do justice between man and man. Strive to the utmost that
+they keep the Law of the Lord their God. He has given thee prudence and
+discernment and knowledge of the customs of our fathers. See that thou use
+these things for the glory of the Lord and the good of the people. Judas,
+I will that thou be captain of the host. Be stout and of a good courage,
+and the Lord shall fight on thy side, and give thee the victory. The end
+is not yet, and maybe thou wilt not see it with thine eyes; but, though it
+tarry, wait for it. 'For they that go on their way weeping, bearing
+precious seed, shall doubtless come again with joy, and bring their
+sheaves with them.'"
+
+He then addressed a few words to the two other sons, words of mingled
+encouragement and advice. This done he stretched out his hands, and, with
+a voice of surprising firmness in one so weak, blessed the whole assembly,
+repeated the usual profession of an Israelite's faith, and then drew his
+last breath without a struggle.
+
+
+
+
+
+                              CHAPTER XIV.
+
+                        THE BURIAL OF MATTATHIAS.
+
+
+Judas and his brothers sat late into the night consulting about a daring
+scheme which the new captain of the host proposed.
+
+"It would be an unseemly thing," he said, "that Mattathias, the son of
+Asmon, should be thrust into a hole among the rocks as if he were an
+outcast or a robber. Verily we will bury him with his fathers in the
+sepulchre of Asmon."
+
+"'Twill be no easy matter to contrive," said Jonathan, the man of many
+devices. "The sepulchre is hard by the town, and we can scarcely avoid the
+eyes of the people in coming and going."
+
+"Nay, Jonathan, I have no purpose of doing the thing in secret. It would
+not be well to bury my father by stealth in his own sepulchre. It shall be
+done openly, and before the eyes of men."
+
+The brothers, bold men as they were, were astonished at the hardihood of
+the plan. But their respect for the genius of Judas silenced any
+opposition. And then he had never failed in any enterprise. John was the
+first to speak.
+
+"'Tis well thought of, Judas. Lead the way, and I follow;" and he clasped
+his brother's hand.
+
+The captain then developed his plan, which, when examined, seemed less
+audacious than it had appeared at first sight. It was to be a surprise,
+and the very unlikelihood of the attempt made its success more probable.
+Modin was not occupied by a garrison, and the townsfolk, even if their
+goodwill could not be counted on, would scarcely venture to resist. Only
+it would be necessary to act before any rumour of their intention could
+get about, and, the funeral march once begun, to hasten it to a completion
+as much as possible.
+
+The body was at once preserved against decay as far as the scanty means at
+the command of the patriots would allow. Then word was sent through the
+encampment that all who wished to take their last look at the dead hero
+must come at once. For three hours a constant stream of awestruck and
+weeping visitors passed through the tent in which he lay, attired in his
+priestly garb, the long white beard reaching almost to his waist, his
+wasted features settled into the majestic repose of death. Every visitor
+as he entered loosed his sandals from his feet, feeling that the place
+which he was entering was holy ground. Every one, as he took his last look
+on the hero's face, prayed to the God of his fathers that his last end
+might be like his. Women brought their children that they might kiss the
+hem of his garment. It would be a distinction to them in their old age
+that they had been privileged to pay this honour to Mattathias, the son of
+Asmon.
+
+Before dawn the procession started. The body, in its rude coffin of wood,
+was placed upon a bier, thirty bearers taking it in turns to carry it. The
+thirty were divided into five relays of six, one of the sons of the dead
+being always among those who performed the duty. With the exception of a
+small force which was left for the protection of the women and children,
+all the fighting men of the settlement accompanied the body. In spite of
+the efforts which had been made to procure or manufacture arms, they were
+still but poorly equipped. Of military display, of the "pomp and
+circumstance of glorious war," there was absolutely nothing. But the solid
+qualities of endurance and courage could be seen in their sinewy forms and
+resolute faces. To an observer who could look below the surface that
+squalid array had in it the capacity for achieving an heroic success.
+
+Judas had been quite right in predicting that the expedition would meet
+with little or no opposition. Its march, indeed, was absolutely unmolested
+by the enemy. The movement was wholly unexpected, and consequently no
+force had been collected to hinder it; while the garrisons of the two or
+three fortified places which the army passed on its route did not feel
+themselves strong enough to attempt any attack. Already, though as yet no
+pitched battle had been fought, these Jewish "Ironsides" had inspired
+their enemies with a wholesome dread of their prowess. Both Greeks and
+renegades knew that these ragged, ill-armed mountaineers stood as stoutly
+and plied their swords as fiercely as any soldiers in the world.
+
+No incident occurred in the course of the march save one, which, though
+little thought of at the time, was destined to lead to events of
+considerable importance. When the first halt was called, Benjamin, who was
+a well-known personage in the neighbourhood, and who in spite, perhaps in
+consequence, of his antecedents enjoyed not a little popularity, found
+entertainment in the house of an old acquaintance. The man was a farmer,
+who had been accustomed to make a handsome profit by supplying the bandits
+with useful information. Recognizing his old accomplice in the ranks of
+the patriot army, he invited him into his house, and entertained him with
+his best. Unfortunately this best happened to be some salted swine's
+flesh. Benjamin had some scruple about eating it; but it was not strong
+enough to resist the claims of a ravenous hunger, supported as they were
+by his entertainer's ridicule. The meal was washed down by the contents of
+two or three flasks of potent wine, and the friends were so busily
+occupied with discussing these, and with talking over old times, that the
+signal for assembly passed unnoticed. Then followed a search for
+stragglers, and Benjamin was discovered with the fragments of his meal
+before him; and though his hunger had stripped the bones bare enough, no
+one could doubt what was the animal to which they had belonged.
+
+The offender had been caught, so to speak, red-handed, and some voices
+were raised to demand his instant execution. But the officer in command of
+the detachment interposed. In any case he would have objected to a
+proceeding of which Judas would certainly have disapproved, and he had
+besides a certain kindness for Benjamin, of whose courage and dexterity he
+had been more than once a witness. Accordingly the offender was put under
+close arrest, and the army resumed its march.
+
+Benjamin had no need to be told that he was in very serious danger. The
+Chasidim, at least, would be more ready to overlook fifty thefts than one
+transgression in the matter of unclean food; and he felt sure that if he
+could not contrive to escape before the army returned to the encampment,
+possibly before they reached Modin, his days were numbered. While he was
+meditating on the chances of escape, one of the escort, an associate of
+former days, was thinking how he could help him. Happening to be in front
+of the prisoner, he purposely stumbled and fell. The prisoner fell over
+him, and in the confusion the soldier cut the cords that bound Benjamin's
+hands. The prisoner was not a man to lose such an opportunity. Waiting
+till he reached a convenient spot on the march, he shook off his bonds,
+sprang to the side of the road, and, before his keepers could recover from
+their astonishment, was lost to sight in the woods which bordered it.
+
+When the army reached Modin no attempt was made to interfere with its
+proceedings. Our old acquaintance, Cleon, had been sent to replace the
+commissioner killed when Mattathias raised the standard of revolt, and
+Cleon was far too careful of himself to risk his safety in any foolhardy
+struggle against superior strength. When the body of armed men was first
+seen approaching the town, he had supposed that its object was to possess
+itself of any money, arms, or provisions that might be found in the place.
+A nearer view showed the funeral procession, and one of the townspeople
+was acute enough to guess the real purpose of the expedition. Cleon's
+resolve was at once taken. He would make the best of circumstances which
+he could not control. Accordingly he went out of the town with a flag of
+truce in his hand, and meeting the vanguard of the approaching array,
+demanded an interview with its leader.
+
+He was brought into the presence of Judas.
+
+"May I ask," he said, "the purpose of your coming?"
+
+"We are come to bury Mattathias, son of Asmon, in the sepulchre of his
+fathers," was the brief reply.
+
+"And you, sir," continued the Greek, with elaborate courtesy, "may I ask
+to whom I am speaking?"
+
+"I am Judas, son of Mattathias."
+
+"Allow me, then," answered Cleon, "to express my sympathy with you in the
+loss of so renowned a father, once, I believe, a distinguished citizen of
+this place, and to assure you that you will meet with no molestation in
+whatever honours you may see fit to render to his memory. I would myself
+willingly attend the obsequies, did I suppose that my presence would be
+welcome."
+
+"We thank you, sir," said Judas, who was inwardly chafing at this
+hypocritical politeness, but disdained to show his feelings; "we would
+sooner be alone."
+
+Cleon saluted and withdrew.
+
+The funeral ceremonies were performed with an impressive solemnity. The
+stone which closed the entrance to the family tomb of the house of Asmon
+had been rolled away, and the dead body was placed in the niche which had
+been long ago prepared for its reception. Only the sons of Mattathias and
+a few of their best trusted counsellors and lieutenants entered the cave;
+the rest of the multitude stood without, waiting in profound silence till
+they should be told that the old warrior had been laid in his last
+resting-place.
+
+When the cave had been closed again John, as the eldest son of the
+deceased, spoke a few words to the army.
+
+"We have buried our dead," he said, "out of our sight; but his memory
+lives and will live among us. Let us be true and faithful as he was, that
+we may be with him when he shall rise again at the last day, and sit down
+with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob at the supper of the people of God.
+Meanwhile let us follow and obey him whom with his last breath he named as
+his successor. Long live Judas, son of Mattathias, son of Asmon, the
+captain of the host of the Lord!"
+
+And all the army shouted their approval.
+
+Cleon had followed up his courtesies by an invitation addressed to Judas
+and his principal officers, in which he begged the honour of their company
+at a meal. Judas declined the invitation, but intimated that he would
+gladly purchase a supply of corn. The commissioner, well aware that his
+guests could take by force anything that was refused to them, at once
+acceded to the request, and Micah was selected, on account of his
+familiarity with the Greek language, to conduct the transaction.
+
+The details of the business arranged with the commissioner's secretary,
+Micah received a message from the great man himself, begging for the
+pleasure of an interview.
+
+"What!" cried Cleon, affecting a surprise which he did not really feel,
+"is this my old friend Menander whom I see?"
+
+"My name is Micah," said the Jew, not without a feeling of disgust and
+shame as his mind reverted to the past.
+
+"As you please," said Cleon. "By whatever name you may please to call
+yourself, I hope that we shall always be good friends. But tell me, what
+is the meaning of this disguise?"
+
+"I know not what you mean by disguise."
+
+"I mean these rags, which a scarecrow would hardly condescend to wear;
+that battered helmet, which looks as if the boys had been kicking it for a
+month about the market-place; that deplorably shabby sword, which even a
+rag-and-bone man would be ashamed to hang up in his shop. Is this the
+elegant Menander--I beg your pardon, the elegant Micah, who was once the
+very pink of neatness and fashion?"
+
+"As for my past follies, you may laugh at them as you will, nor can I deny
+that you are in the right. But of these rags, as you are pleased to call
+them, of these shabby arms, I am not ashamed. I have come to myself. The
+things that I once prized I count as dung, and for that which I once
+despised I would gladly die."
+
+"Why, what madness is this? What have you got to live for? How can you
+support existence among this deplorable crew of beggars and outlaws, with
+not a man among them, I will warrant, who has the least taste of culture,
+or the faintest tincture of art?"
+
+"These 'beggars and outlaws,' as you call them, are the soldiers of the
+Lord; and you will find that they are enemies not to be despised, that
+these battered helmets can turn a blow, and these jagged swords can deal
+one that will make its way through all your finery."
+
+"But, my dear friend--I may call you so, I suppose, in spite of any little
+difference of opinion there may be between us?"
+
+The Jew made no motion of assent.
+
+"Well, you cannot be deceiving yourself as to the utter hopelessness of
+your attempt. Why, when you come to meet our troops in regular battle, you
+will disappear like chaff before the wind. You may take a few places by
+surprise, but you have no more chance of winning a regular victory than a
+dove has of killing a kite. Come now, be reasonable; give up this silly
+affair, and be my guest, till we can find something suitable for you to
+do. I will set you up with some new clothes, to which you are perfectly
+welcome. And I will warrant that in a few days you will be wondering that
+you were ever foolish enough to undertake such a wildgoose business as
+this."
+
+"Your gifts be to yourself. Nay, Cleon," he soon went on to say, in a
+softer tone, "I would not speak harshly to you for the sake of old
+kindnesses which I doubt not you meant well in showing me. But be sure
+that I am in earnest. The old things are hateful to me. I have other
+desires, other hopes; and if they are not satisfied, not fulfilled, I can
+at least die for them."
+
+"Die for them, indeed! _That_, my dear Micah, is only too likely, and die,
+I am afraid, in an exceedingly unpleasant way. It is simple madness to
+suppose that a crowd of ragamuffins, under a general--Apollo save the
+mark!--who has never seen a battle, can stand against the troops of the
+King. You used to be a very good fellow, Menander or Micah, or whatever
+you call yourself, but, as sure as you are sitting there, if you go on in
+this mad fashion, I shall have the pain of seeing you some day hanging on
+a cross."
+
+At the sound of the word the young Jew started as if he had been stabbed.
+It opened the way for a flood of memories which, for a while, carried him
+out of himself. When he could command himself sufficiently to speak, he
+burst out--
+
+"Yes--hanging on a cross! Nothing more likely if only you and your friends
+get their way. You talk of taste, and art, and beauty: you have always
+plenty of fine words on your tongues, but when it comes to practice you
+are as brutal as the fiercest of the savages whom you profess to
+despise--nay, you are ten times worse, for you know what you are doing.
+Now, listen to me, Cleon. Some six months ago I was walking through
+Jerusalem after your teachers of culture and art had been busy giving
+their lessons. What think you I saw? I saw a woman hanging on a cross, and
+her little son, a babe of a few days old, fastened about her neck. Thank
+God they were dead. Some one of your people had in mercy--for you are not
+altogether without mercy--strangled her before they fastened her to the
+cross. And what was her offence? Was she unchaste, a thief, a murderer?
+Not so; no purer, gentler soul ever lived on the earth. No, she had done
+for her son as her fathers for a thousand years and more had done for
+their sons. And this was how your prophets of refinement and beauty dealt
+with her. Cleon, that woman was my sister. Do you think that such deeds as
+that will go unpunished? Surely not; whether your faith--if you have a
+faith--or mine be true, there is a vengeance that follows--slow, it may be,
+but sure of foot--the men who work such wickedness. And, for my part, I
+doubt not who the first minister of that vengeance will be. You sneer at
+our general; he is no general at all, you think; a mere leader of
+vagabonds, who has never seen a battle. He will see many a battle, yea,
+and the back of many a foe, before his work is done. He is a very Hammer
+of God, and he will break his enemies to pieces. And now, Cleon, hearken
+again to me. You and I have broken bread together as friends. That is past
+for ever. May the God of my fathers send down upon me all the plagues that
+He holds in the vials of His wrath, if I have any truce with the enemies
+of His people! But with you, as I would not join hands in friendship, so I
+would not cross them in anger. Pray, therefore, to your gods, as I will
+certainly pray to Him whom I worship, that we may never see each other
+again. And now farewell!"
+
+The expedition returned to the mountains without mishap.
+
+
+
+
+
+                               CHAPTER XV.
+
+                         THE SWORD OF APOLLONIUS.
+
+
+The daring action of Judas at Modin was a defiance to the rulers at
+Jerusalem, and felt to be so, not only by them, but by the whole country.
+It was followed up by active operations on the part of the patriots
+against the smaller towns of south-eastern Palestine. The population began
+to feel that it was safer to be on the side of the patriots than against
+them. Thanks to this feeling, to the genuine favour with which the
+movement was regarded, and to the perfect system of scouts which he had
+organized, Judas had early and trustworthy information of all the
+movements of the enemy. Apollonius had made up his mind that he must act
+if he was not to lose entirely his hold upon the country, and set about
+organizing a force so overwhelmingly strong that it must, he thought,
+sweep the insurgents before it. This intention, and indeed, it may almost
+be said, every detail of his preparations, was communicated to Judas. He,
+on his part, was determined that a heathen army should never again invade
+the mountain sanctuary. He would not await attack. His military instincts,
+which, indeed, were extraordinarily fine and true, warned him that
+boldness was now his best policy, and that he should go down and give
+battle to the enemy.
+
+It was on the eve of the departure of the patriot army, when Seraiah might
+have been seen making his way back from a conference of the chiefs to the
+cave which served him as a dwelling. He was now recovering from his wound,
+but he was still too weak to support the fatigues of a march. Accordingly
+Judas had left him in command of the little garrison, scarcely, indeed,
+containing one able-bodied man, which was to protect the encampment. When
+he reached his home he found his nieces, Miriam and Judith, sitting with
+his wife, and watching the infant that was slumbering by her side.
+
+"See," said Judith, as the child smiled in his sleep, "his angel is
+whispering to him. Oh, uncle, have you ever seen the angel?"
+
+She prattled on without waiting for an answer. "Father sees angels, and
+they bring him words from mother, where she is in Paradise. And, do you
+know, uncle, last night he had a wonderful dream about a sword? He told it
+to us this morning. He often tells us his dreams. Sometimes he seems as if
+he were talking to mother; and he says that Miriam is so like her."
+
+"Well, Judith, and what was the dream?" said Ruth.
+
+"Father saw a mighty angel--one of the cherubim, you know, that father says
+God sends abroad to do His errands--come flying down, and the angel had in
+his hand a great sword. And he stood by father's bed, and showed him a
+name graven on the blade--it was the name which we may not speak, though it
+is part of father's name(8)--and when he had done this he put the hilt in
+his hand and departed. Then father awoke, and found only his own old sword
+in his hand; and this, you know, is so hacked that it is not of much use,
+and is very weak, too, in the handle. Father never sleeps without it, and
+he must have drawn it out in his sleep, without knowing it, from under the
+pillow where he keeps it. But he says the dream will certainly come true.
+And now, Miriam," she went on, turning to her sister, for the little
+maiden was of the true housewife temper, "we must be going back to get
+father's dinner ready for him."
+
+When they were left alone Seraiah said to Ruth, "It is as I feared--I am to
+stay behind."
+
+Ruth felt a thrill of joy go through her, but was too wise a woman to show
+it.
+
+"Old Reuben will not hear of my going. He says that I should be more
+hindrance than help, and perhaps he is right. The Lord's will be done,
+though I would fain have struck a blow in the battle that is to decide;
+for I am sure that as this battle goes, so will the end be. But I am to be
+in command of the garrison here."
+
+"And you will not mind taking care of the women and children, dear
+husband?" said Ruth.
+
+"I should be ungrateful indeed if I did," said Seraiah, as he kissed her.
+
+Meanwhile the excitement in the camp had risen to fever heat. Scouts had
+come racing in at headlong speed with tidings that the enemy's army had
+started from Jerusalem, and that it numbered not less than twelve thousand
+regular troops, well-equipped, and furnished with a formidable supply of
+the engines of war. The patriots were in that state of exaltation in which
+men make little of the numbers opposed to them, and the disparity of
+forces roused no apprehensions. If any such were felt they gave way to
+rage when the messengers added that the hated Apollonius himself was in
+command of the hostile army.
+
+Azariah and Micah were among a small company of chiefs who were standing
+outside the tent of Judas, and were discussing the prospects of the war.
+
+"The curse of God light upon him!" cried Azariah. "Surely He will so order
+it that I may smite him down on the field of battle, and avenge the
+innocent blood! Surely the blood of my wife and my child cries against him
+from the earth!"
+
+"Nay, brother," broke in Micah, "the task of the avenger of blood lies
+upon me, for I am next-of-kin to Hannah."
+
+"Surely," replied Azariah, with some heat, "there is no kinship so close
+as the tie which binds husband to wife! 'Tis I that should be Hannah's
+avenger of blood."
+
+"My brothers," broke in the voice of Judas, who appeared in the door of
+his tent, "you think too much of your private wrongs. Great they are, I
+know--none greater. But is there one soldier in this army that has not lost
+wife, or child, or father, or brother by the hand of this evil man? We
+will go, one and all, as avengers of blood, and the Lord will deliver him
+into the hands of him whom He shall choose."
+
+Next day the army set out. On the evening of the second day they came in
+sight of the forces of Apollonius. Some of the more fiery spirits were for
+an instant attack, but the prudence of Judas, which was not less
+conspicuous than his daring, restrained them. His men were wearied with a
+long day's march, and they wanted food. And he himself had not had time to
+reconnoitre the enemy's position or receive any intelligence from his
+scouts.
+
+Early next day the battle began. In one sense Judas was greatly
+overmatched. The enemy were superior in numbers--almost in the proportion
+of four to one--and in equipment. But, on the other hand, the Hebrew leader
+could rely implicitly on his soldiers. Anything that mortal man, inspired
+by zeal and the burning sense of wrong, could achieve, they might be
+trusted to do. To such a temper, of course, the policy of attack is best
+suited. Judas massed his best troops on his right wing, which happened to
+be opposed to what his eagle eye discerned to be the weakest part of the
+enemy's line. Apollonius saw his intention, and commenced a movement of
+troops which was designed to strengthen the weak point in his array. But
+such a movement in the face of a hostile force cannot be carried out
+without confusion. Judas saw his opportunity, ordered his men to advance
+at the double, and closed fiercely with the foe.
+
+The Greek line broke almost at once, and the chief danger now was that the
+conquerors might press on too eagerly. The Greeks were not an
+undisciplined mob which could be treated with contempt. Some of them, at
+least, were veteran soldiers, in whom the sense of discipline was an
+instinct, and who, if not very enthusiastic in the cause for which they
+were fighting, were perfectly well aware that their best chance of
+personal safety was to be found in keeping together and holding their
+ground. Judas, in whom native genius seemed to supply the want of
+experience, appreciated the enemy with whom he had to deal, and kept his
+own men well in hand, though he was careful not unduly to check their
+courage.
+
+The fortune of the day continued to declare in favour of the patriots; but
+Apollonius himself, surrounded by a picked force of mercenaries, still
+held his ground. Shortly after noon Azariah and Micah, who had kept close
+together during the battle, and had both performed prodigies of valour,
+gathering a company of their immediate followers, made a determined rush
+in his direction. The bodyguard, terrified by the fierceness of this
+onset, wavered and fled, leaving but three or four faithful attendants,
+who refused to leave their commander.
+
+The Greek recognized Azariah, and called to him by his name. "Azariah, if
+you think that I have wronged you, I do not refuse you the opportunity of
+revenge. Come out from your companions, and I will meet you alone. You are
+a brave man, and would not take a soldier at unfair odds."
+
+Azariah did not deign to answer; but one of his comrades replied, "Dog of
+a heathen! you forget where you are. We are not contending in your foolish
+games: we are the avengers of blood--the innocent blood which you have
+shed; and we will slay you as men slay a venomous snake. Such equity as
+you have dealt to others, we will show to you. Was it in fair fight that
+you slew women and children?"
+
+Apollonius looked on the ring of scowling faces that surrounded him, and
+saw that there was no mercy or even what he would have called the courtesy
+of war to be hoped from them. "I only wish," he said, "that I had rooted
+out the whole cursed brood from the earth, and burnt the den of thieves
+which you call your city, and laid the shrine of the demon whom you call
+your God level with the ground!"
+
+"Silence, blasphemer!" cried Azariah, as he whirled his sword over his
+head.
+
+It was not the almost worthless weapon, with its dented edge and broken
+hilt, that he had carried into the battle. Early in the day he had cut
+down a Greek officer, and taken the sword of the dead man in exchange for
+his own.
+
+As he spoke he beckoned to his countrymen. They stood back, even Micah
+recognizing the right of the husband to strike the first blow at the
+murderer of his wife.
+
+Apollonius raised his sword to parry the stroke which he expected to be
+aimed at his head. With a rapid change of movement his adversary changed
+the blow into a thrust, and drove the point of his weapon through the
+Greek's heart.
+
+Azariah was drawing out his weapon from the corpse, when Judas, who had
+been hastening to the spot not without some hope of himself crossing
+swords with the hated Apollonius, came up.
+
+"A mighty weapon that!" he exclaimed, as the conqueror wiped the blade on
+the dead man's tunic. "Let me take it in my hands."
+
+He poised it and judged its balance, tried the edge, and then narrowly
+scanned the markings on the blade.
+
+"Ah!" said he, "how came you by this sword? I had observed"--and indeed his
+eagle eye noted every detail--"that yours was but a poor weapon, unworthy
+of your strength, and I wished to find something better for you."
+
+Azariah told him how he had taken it from a Greek on the field of battle.
+
+"And saw you this?" he went on, pointing to the Holy Name which had been
+engraved on the blade. "Doubtless this belonged to some Hebrew warrior in
+time past, for the fashion of the letters is somewhat antique; the heathen
+whom you slew had taken it, and now the Lord has given it back into the
+hands of the faithful."
+
+Azariah then related his dream.
+
+"The angel whom you saw," said Judas, "was, doubtless, the angel of
+battle, and the Lord has been faithful, as ever, to His promise."
+
+He gave back the consecrated sword to Azariah, and took the weapon which
+was still grasped in the right hand of the dead Apollonius. "With this,"
+he said, "I will fight as long as I live." And he broke out into the
+triumphal chant of the Psalmist--"The ungodly have drawn out the sword, and
+have bent the bow to cast down the poor and needy. Their sword shall go
+through their own heart and their bow shall be broken."
+
+  [Illustration: _The Sword of Apollonius._]
+
+
+
+
+
+                              CHAPTER XVI.
+
+                       NEWS FROM THE BATTLE-FIELD.
+
+
+While the patriots, bivouacking on the field of battle, slept the sound
+sleep of those who have fought a good fight, the women, left, with the
+children and the sick, in charge of a small guard, only strong enough to
+protect them against casual robbers, felt the most intense anxiety. Ruth
+in her cave, with the children slumbering by her side, watched through the
+night, listening intently to every sound. At one time she could hear the
+bats which haunted the rocks flapping and fluttering as they went out to
+take their flights in the night air. Then from farther away came the
+moaning of the jackals, as they hunted for their prey, with now and then
+the deeper note of a wolf, or the sound, so strangely like to mocking
+laughter, of the hooting owls. Everything at that moment seemed very dark
+and hopeless to the anxious wife.
+
+"'Tis everywhere the same," she thought to herself--"the stronger hunt and
+devour the weak. The lions roaring after their prey, do seek their meat
+from God. The lambs and the fawns are their prey, and God gives the
+helpless, innocent things into their jaws. And will he give us to the jaws
+of the heathen who are hunting us that they may devour us? Did He deliver
+the thousand who died that they might not profane His Sabbath? Not so. He
+suffered them to perish, to be a prey for the beasts of the field and the
+fowls of the air. 'Verily our bones lie scattered before the pit, like as
+when one breaketh and heweth wood upon the earth.'"
+
+And then her thoughts travelled to those who were especially close to her
+heart. Azariah and Micah--where were they? How had it fared with them in
+the battle? Were they lying on the field of battle with stark faces turned
+to the stars of heaven, and the vultures preying on their limbs? And she
+shuddered, and hid her face in the coarse coverlet under which she lay, as
+if she would shut out the dreadful picture that her thoughts had conjured
+up before her.
+
+When she opened her eyes again, there was a faint suspicion of light in
+the darkness of the cave. The bats came flapping back from the outer air
+to their haunts in the roof. Jael, the jackal, who had been for her
+nightly prowl came back with her cubs, and lay down in her accustomed
+corner. The light grew rapidly stronger, and when Ruth stepped from the
+threshold of the cave into the fresh morning air, though the sun was not
+visible, its light had begun to touch the highest summits of the
+mountains.
+
+Looking to the head of the pass Ruth could see her husband where he stood
+at his post of observation, a spot which commanded a distant view of the
+westward approaches to the encampment. As she watched him she observed him
+make a signal that indicated that he had to make some important
+communication. A moment afterwards she could see other men hurrying to the
+spot. She bade Miriam and Judith, who were always her guests during their
+father's absence, watch the still sleeping infant, and made all the haste
+she could to join her husband. When she reached him she found the little
+group of watchers straining their eyes as they gazed at a body of armed
+men that could be seen in the distance. "Who are they? foes or friends?"
+was the question that was in every heart, though none ventured to put it
+into words.
+
+As the vanguard of the approaching force came to an eastward turn in the
+path, a ray of sunshine touched the helmets of the men and made them
+glitter.
+
+"What is this?" said one of the men. "They went with caps of leather;
+whence come these helmets of brass and steel?"
+
+A shudder went through the hearts of Ruth and of the other women who by
+this time had joined her. If the patriots had been overpowered, and these
+armed men were heathen murderers and ravishers come to wreak their
+vengeance on those who had been left behind----
+
+"Whence come they?" said Seraiah. "They are the spoils of the heathen."
+
+As he spoke the distant sound of singing was carried by the wind up the
+pass, and though the words could not as yet be heard it was recognized at
+once as one of the Temple chants. The little band of sentries and women
+raised a joyful shout, and hurried down the pass to meet the new comers.
+And now the noble voice of Judas could be heard leading the song of
+triumph. "Thou hast girded me with strength unto the battle; Thou shalt
+throw down mine enemies under me. Thou hast made mine enemies also to turn
+their backs upon me; and I shall destroy them that hate me.... I will beat
+them as small as the dust before the wind." And now the good news had
+spread like wildfire through the camp. The rest of the women hastened down
+to meet and greet the deliverers, and among them Miriam and Judith,
+carrying Ruth's infant child. The first thought of all was to do honour to
+the chief who had led the host of the Lord to victory. They kissed the hem
+of his robe, his hands, even his feet. It was only when they had satisfied
+these feelings of gratitude and reverence that they could think of private
+affections. And when the whole array, the women and children now mingling
+in the ranks with the armed men, reached the top of the pass, it halted
+for a few minutes. The name which Micah, in his talk with Cleon, had given
+to Judas had passed through the army, and had caught the popular fancy.
+There was scarcely a man among them but had seen him dealing death at
+every blow among the ranks of the heathen. "Hail, Judah Macc�bah! Hail,
+Hammer of God!" was the cry that went up from the assembled multitude. The
+title has been given in after times to other sturdy champions of the
+truth, notably to him who, in the Valley of Tours, turned back the tide of
+Paynim invasion;(9) but never has it been more honourably gained, or more
+worthily borne, than it was by Judas, the son of Mattathias.
+
+
+
+Great as was the exultation of the patriots over their victory, no one
+among them, and least of all their far-sighted general, deceived himself
+with the flattering notion that it had finished the war. Every one was
+well aware that the defeat and death of Apollonius was not only a disgrace
+that Antiochus and his lieutenants were bound to avenge, but a disaster
+that had to be repaired. It was without surprise, therefore, that Judas
+heard that Seron, Governor of Coele-Syria, was marching southwards over
+the great maritime plain known by the name of Sharon, with what rumour
+described as a vast host.
+
+Judas at once resolved to repeat the policy which had been found so
+successful in the conflict with Apollonius. The enemy would soon reach the
+passes that led into the hill-country of Eastern Palestine; and it was
+there that he must be met. To allow him to make good this movement without
+opposition would be to throw away a great advantage. The Jewish commander
+resolved, accordingly, to dispute the possession of the pass. With a
+boldness which seemed to some of his followers to verge upon rashness, he
+left Jerusalem, occupied as it was by a hostile garrison, behind him, and
+marched westward till he reached the range which looks over the Plain of
+Sharon to the Great Sea.
+
+This strategy was simple enough, though it was not wanting in boldness;
+but then came the difficult question, "What road will the enemy take--the
+ordinary route by Emma�s,(10) or the more difficult way through the pass
+of Beth-horon?" The scouts were at fault, but it seemed likely that a
+general strange to the country would prefer the easier course. But
+scarcely had Judas acted on this probability and taken up his position on
+the plateau of Emma�s, than a breathless messenger came rushing in with
+the intelligence that Beth-horon was to be the point of attack. The
+patriots had already been in motion since dawn, but another march was
+necessary, and, if it was to be of any avail, must be executed at full
+speed, and without any pause for food or rest. There had been just time to
+reach the head of the pass, and to hide the vanguard behind rocks and in
+the ravines that led into the main road, when the Greek force was seen to
+be approaching. It was still a mile distant, and as the road was steep,
+making a rise of not less than five hundred feet in the mile, its progress
+was slow. It was an anxious time of waiting as the patriots watched the
+hostile column drawing nearer and nearer. They could see its strength, its
+dense and numerous files, the discipline showed by the precision of its
+march, and its complete equipment, so different from their own imperfect
+supply of weapons and armour. And there were some whose hearts fainted
+within them at the sight. "How shall we, being so few, be able to stand up
+against so great and strong a multitude? And now we are worn with
+marching, and weak for want of bread." Judas was indefatigable in cheering
+and encouraging them. "With the Lord our God," he said, as he went from
+one company to another, "it is all one to deliver with a great multitude,
+or with a small company." Then he pointed to Ajalon, and recalled to the
+thoughts of his hearers the famous associations of the place. "Do you not
+remember," he said, "how Joshua, the son of Nun, smote the five kings of
+the Canaanites? The Lord was with him, staying even the sun and the moon
+in their course, that He might give to His people the heritage of the
+heathen, and surely He will be with us on this day, for His name's sake,
+that he may restore to us this same heritage. His enemies come against us
+in the pride of their hearts to destroy us, and our wives, and our
+children. But the Lord is on our side; and He will overthrow them before
+our face. And as for you, be not afraid of them. Stand fast and quit you
+like men." He had not completed the round of his force--and indeed there
+were some companies in it which he knew to be of temper so sturdy that
+they might safely be left to themselves--when the Greeks, slowly labouring
+in their heavy armour up the ascent, came within reach. Judas gave the
+signal, and with a loud cry, "The Hammer of God! The Hammer of God!" the
+patriots rose from their ambush, and threw themselves on the van of the
+enemy. The attack was entirely unexpected, for the Greek commander was
+ill-served by his scouts, and it met with no serious resistance. Almost in
+a moment the Greek line was broken, and a wild flight commenced. When the
+fugitives reached the plain they scattered themselves in all directions.
+With his usual prudence, Judas checked his men in their pursuit of the
+vanquished, but eight hundred lay dead or seriously wounded upon the
+plain.
+
+Seraiah, who had extorted from the old physician attached to the patriot
+army an unwilling permission to bear arms, had fallen fainting to the
+ground, close to the entrance to the pass. Near him lay six or seven Greek
+corpses. The tide of battle had passed elsewhere, and the place was
+deserted. This was exactly the opportunity which Benjamin and his
+associates--since his escape during the expedition to Modin he had gathered
+about him a small band--had been watching. They issued from their
+hiding-places among the rocks, and began to search the prostrate bodies
+for spoil. The first that they came to was a Greek sub-officer, somewhat
+richly attired. The man was still alive and groaned as they turned him
+over to get more conveniently at the silver ornaments of his belt. "Curse
+the villain!" cried Benjamin, as he drove his sword into his side; and
+when the poor wretch breathed his last, went on, "A brave man might have
+been left to take his chance, but such cowards as these 'tis positively a
+good work to despatch. Did you ever see such a scandalous flight?--and they
+were positively five to one at the very least."
+
+It was now Seraiah's turn to be stripped. He, too, gave signs of life, and
+one of the robbers, an Edomite, who hated Jews and Greeks impartially, was
+about to stab him, when Benjamin, who recognized his old comrade's face,
+interfered.
+
+"Nay, man," he said, "'tis one of the patriots, and an old friend of mine
+to boot. Look you after the others, and I will attend to this brave
+fellow."
+
+Hastily and with a practised hand he bound up Seraiah's wound, for the old
+place had broken out afresh. The injured man, consumed by the thirst that
+follows the loss of blood, begged for water. Benjamin supplied him with a
+draught from the bottle which he carried, and followed it up with some
+rough wine of the country in a wooden cup. By this time the robbers, who
+had finished their work of spoiling the dead, were ready to return to
+their hiding-place among the hills.
+
+"Come, captain," said the Edomite, "'tis time to go; you had best leave
+your friend to himself, or you will see more of his countrymen than you
+will quite like."
+
+"Go," said Benjamin; "I will follow you soon."
+
+Seraiah was now sufficiently revived to be able to sit up. The robber
+offered him bread and flesh. "'Tis clean meat," he said. The wounded man,
+however, refused it. It might be of a lawful kind, but he did not know
+that it had been lawfully killed, and he contented himself with bread to
+which he added a few raisins with which he happened to have provided
+himself. Another draught of wine completed the repast.
+
+"Benjamin," he said, when he had finished, "you are too good for this
+life, for these friends. Come with us and fight on our side, for be sure
+that it is the side of the Lord. I will intercede for you to our captain,
+and he is as merciful as he is strong."
+
+"Nay, nay," said Benjamin, "you are too confident; yours may be the side
+of the Lord, for I don't know much about these things, but the side of the
+Lord, as far as I have been able to see, does not always win. I hate these
+Greeks. They robbed me of my house and everything that I had. May all the
+curses that are written in the Law overtake them! But they are very likely
+to get the best of it after all."
+
+"Did you see how they fled to-day?" cried Seraiah.
+
+"Yes; you made them run," said the robber, with a grim laugh. "It was rare
+sport to see them pelt helter-skelter down the pass, like so many sheep
+with a dog after them. But there are many more where these came from, and
+they will simply trample you down."
+
+"That will not be done so easily as you think. Is Judas the Hammer--for
+that is what the people call him--a likely man to be so dealt with? Nay,
+Benjamin, he is another Joshua, another David, and I am as sure as if a
+prophet had told me that the Lord of Hosts is with him, and will deliver
+the heathen into his hands."
+
+Benjamin was silent awhile. Then he said, in an altered tone, "You say the
+truth about Judas, the son of Mattathias. A better captain to lead, a
+better soldier to strike with the sword, I never saw. I would gladly
+follow him. And verily I would sooner fight for my people than for my own
+hand. But your ways are over-strict. I cannot put up with these
+'religious' as you call them. Why should I not eat pig's flesh if I can
+get it? It has a good relish, and it has never harmed me yet."
+
+"But 'tis forbidden, Benjamin," gently answered Seraiah, now in good hopes
+of winning over this somewhat stubborn proselyte, "and you are too good a
+man to give up your country for a matter of meat or drink."
+
+"Aye," said the man, "but there are other things."
+
+"Nothing surely that cannot be borne," went on Seraiah. "Oh, Benjamin, you
+have saved my life to-day, and henceforth you are my brother; but I could
+almost wish, but for my wife and child's sake--you remember Ruth and the
+babe?--that you had left me to die, if I am to see you return to the ways
+of death."
+
+The cause was almost won when, at an unhappy moment, a party of Jewish
+soldiers returning from the pursuit came in sight. One of them immediately
+recognized Benjamin, and gave the alarm to his companions. They rushed to
+arrest him, but Benjamin divined their purpose and dashed up the rocks. To
+overtake him was impossible, for he was fleet of foot and unencumbered;
+but one of the Chasidim, for the soldiers belonged to this party, let fly
+an arrow which struck him in the left arm. It was but a slight wound, for
+the barb was not covered in the flesh; but it stirred him to a furious
+rage, which was all the fiercer because, by a great effort, he had just
+brought himself to yield to Seraiah's arguments. He tore the arrow from
+the wound, hurled it at his pursuers with impotent rage, and crying, "All
+the plagues of Egypt consume you!" disappeared among the rocks.
+
+"You have lost a good recruit," said Seraiah to his comrades when they
+returned to him.
+
+"What should this son of Belial profit us?" one of the Chasidim haughtily
+replied. "The Lord grant that my next arrow may be driven better home!"
+
+Seraiah made no answer, but painfully lifting himself from the ground made
+his way up the pass alone. He did not care for the company of his
+comrades, and they, on their part, though they could not help respecting
+him as a soldier, thought him sadly wanting in zeal for the Law and for
+the traditions of the elders.
+
+Late that night some of the fugitives, who had crossed the mountains
+somewhat further to the south, reached Jerusalem. They found the city
+anxiously expecting tidings of the battle; and two of their number who
+were officers were at once brought into the Governor's house. He was
+indisposed, and Cleon, who had given up his post at Modin and was now
+attached to head-quarters, saw the new arrivals in his stead. When he had
+heard their story, he did not conceal his scorn for the mismanagement--or
+was it cowardice?--that had made a well-equipped and powerful army flee
+before a crowd of half-armed vagabonds.
+
+"It is easy to talk, my fine sir," retorted one of the men, "when you have
+only got to stop at home and find fault; but if you had seen them to-day,
+you would be singing to a very different tune. By all the gods above and
+below, these Jews rushed on more like lions than men. And as to this
+Judas, son of Asmon, there is no standing against him. No man wants two
+blows from _his_ sword."
+
+"A good soldier, I dare say," said Cleon superciliously, "and a skilful
+swordsman. But there are others as good as he. And as for his army, if it
+is to be called an army, it is quite impossible that it can hold out very
+long. I was a little hasty in what I said just now. These fanatics have a
+way of giving some trouble at first, and it is quite possible for really
+good troops to be beaten by them. But it is quite out of the question to
+suppose that they can resist any serious attempt to deal with them. Of
+course we have made the usual mistake of making too light of them. That
+must not be done again. The next expedition will be made with overwhelming
+force, and will unquestionably bring this troublesome matter to an end. I
+hope to go with it myself."
+
+"That will be as you please, sir," said the officer, who had not by any
+means recovered his temper after the imputations cast on his courage, "but
+if I may venture to say so, I would recommend that you should not get in
+the way of Judas, the son of Asmon."
+
+And, indeed, whatever men like Cleon may have pretended to think, from
+that time "began the fear of Judas and his brethren and an exceeding great
+dread to fall upon the nations round about them."
+
+
+
+
+
+                              CHAPTER XVII.
+
+                          THE BATTLE OF EMMAUS.
+
+
+The effort to wipe out the disgrace of the two defeats and to restore the
+Greek supremacy was not long delayed; and when it was made, it was made
+with all the force which the lieutenants of Antiochus could command. The
+King himself was absent in Persia; but his vicegerent had _carte blanche_
+for the preparations which they were to make. Lysias, Governor of Syria,
+had collected forty thousand foot and seven thousand horse, and this force
+had been put under the command of Nicanor, Gorgias being his principal
+lieutenant. This time, it was intended, the work should be done
+thoroughly. This Jewish people, so obstinately troublesome, was to be
+absolutely extirpated. Not a single native inhabitant was to be left in
+Palestine, which was to be peopled in future by a more accommodating and
+manageable race.
+
+This scheme, if it was to be carried out, would involve huge dealings in
+human flesh, and the slave-merchants of the sea-coast cities were,
+naturally, vastly interested in its success. Anxious to do the business as
+cheaply and effectively as possible, they formed what, in the language of
+modern commerce, would be called a "Syndicate," and sent parties of
+dealers to follow the two armies, and act as their agents when the scheme
+should begin to come into practical working.
+
+This was the occupation, then, of four repulsive-looking creatures who had
+obtained permission to follow the army of Nicanor, and whom we may see
+discussing a flagon of the best Chian wine--the trade was as profitable as
+it was odious--and canvassing the prospects of business.
+
+"Well," said one of the four, pursuing the narrative of an interview which
+he had just been having with Lysias, "we had a long debate about terms.
+The Governor was quite firm about one thing: there must be no picking and
+choosing. 'No,' he said, 'either you buy them all, or they shall be put up
+in the open market.' 'But what,' I said, 'am I to do with the old and the
+weak?' 'And what am I to do with them?' he answered. 'No; you must buy
+them all or none.' There I could not move him. He could not be bothered
+with detail. For so many prisoners, so many talents, half paid down, half
+six months credit. Old men and women at their last gasp, and new-born
+babes were all to be counted in. Those were his terms and I had to accept
+them, or we should not have come to an agreement."
+
+"That does not seem a good bargain," interrupted another member of the
+company.
+
+"Wait a moment," said the first speaker, "till you hear the price. I think
+you will agree that there is no reason to complain. At first he wanted a
+talent(11) for every fifty. That of course was out of the question on the
+'take-all' terms, and I told our friend so quite plainly. 'No,' I said, 'a
+talent for every hundred is about the right price, and even then we may
+very well lose,' which, you will allow, was sailing very near the wind
+indeed. Well, we had a long argument. First he would meet me half way. But
+I held out. You know they _must_ have money. There is Antiochus--the
+'Glorious' they call him--gone off to Persia on a wild goose chase after
+some treasures he has heard of. I'll wager that he'll spend more than he
+gets by a long way. I have friends at Court, and they tell me that the
+treasury is as empty as--well, we'll say a wine jar, after our friend
+Nicias there has had it at his mouth for a minute. So I was firm. And at
+last--to make a long story short--we came to terms at a talent for ninety.
+And I can't help thinking that it is not by any means a bad bargain."
+
+"And what are we to do with the worthless ones?" said one of the dealers.
+"Surely having to keep them will take all the shine off our profits."
+
+"Keeping them! Who talks about keeping them? We shall only have to bury
+them, and that does not cost very much. You have not been long in the
+trade, my good friend, and you don't know how soon their food seems to
+disagree with the poor wretches whom we can't sell."
+
+He smiled an evil smile, and the others burst out into a laugh, in which,
+however, the young man who "had not been long in the trade" did not join.
+
+"And what becomes of all the money?" said one of the dealers, who had
+hitherto taken no part in the conversation.
+
+"Well, a part will be wanted for present expenses, pay of the troops,
+stores, and so forth; and that is to be paid in gold. But the greater part
+has to go to Rome--the King, you know, owes a great deal on the indemnity
+account. For that we shall find bills of exchange."
+
+"Most of the money, then, is to go to Rome?"
+
+"Yes; and don't you see the advantage of the arrangement? Of course most
+of it will come back into our pockets. Slaves from this part of the world
+are quite the fashion in Rome now; and I am very much mistaken if these
+Jewish slaves don't turn out a great success. They are quite a novelty; I
+should think that they have hardly been seen in the Roman markets. And
+then they have a very distinguished look, and the girls are sometimes
+remarkably handsome. I don't like to brag--and of course this is all
+between ourselves--but I think that we shall make a _very_ good business
+indeed out of this campaign."
+
+"If our side wins, that is," said the youngest of the dealers, who was
+evidently a little discomposed by what he had heard.
+
+"_If_, indeed! There is no 'if' in the matter. You don't suppose this set
+of ragged beggars can stand against the army of Lysias?"
+
+"Well, they stood against Apollonius, and killed him; and they stood
+against Seron."
+
+"Yes, but this is another matter altogether. Lysias has got fifty thousand
+as good troops as there are in the world, barring, of course, the Romans;
+and they _must_ win. And then we shall all make our fortunes as sure as
+the sun is in the sky."
+
+And, indeed, as viewed from without, the prospects of success which seemed
+to lie before the forces of Antiochus were very great. The army was
+powerful--it numbered nearly eight times as many as that of the patriots--it
+was thoroughly well equipped, and it was led by men who at least had the
+reputation of being good soldiers.
+
+This time it was judged expedient to avoid the difficult pass of
+Beth-horon and to advance by the easier road of Emma�s. At Emma�s,
+accordingly, Nicanor had pitched his camp for the night, intending to move
+early the next day on Jerusalem, to occupy that city with overwhelming
+force, and to carry on the operations of the campaign from that base. He
+was the more hopeful of success because he had received exact information
+of the position of the patriot general. Benjamin had never forgiven the
+painful wound which he had received from the arrow of one of the Chasidim
+after the battle of Beth-horon. The injury had galled him all the more
+because his feelings had been really touched by the appeals of Seraiah,
+and he had seriously meditated throwing in his fortunes once more with the
+cause of his countrymen. He now made his way to the camp of Nicanor, and
+told him all that he knew of the position of Judas. The Greek general
+despatched his lieutenant with a picked force to attack him. While the
+enemy was thus occupied he should be able, he thought, to make the passage
+of the mountains without hindrance or loss.
+
+Judas was at Mizpeh, in command of a force more numerous than any he had
+before been able to collect, but still not amounting to more than six
+thousand men. But the sight that this six thousand saw from the Mizpeh
+ridge--the watch-tower, as it was called--was such as to rouse to fury the
+hearts of all who beheld it. For there, lying before them, was the city of
+their love, the city of David, of Solomon, of Josiah, of Hezekiah, of
+Ezra, and Nehemiah, and they could see, only too plainly in the clear
+sunset light, the horror of its desolation. The streets were empty; the
+walls, in old time thronged at evening by crowds of citizens and their
+families, were deserted; the gates were shut. The Temple could be seen,
+but its courts were silent and empty. And, rising above, in the City of
+David, in the very heart of the Jewish kingdom, was the fort of the Greek
+garrison--the hateful sign of the domination of the heathen. Then followed
+a touching ceremony, by which the servants of the Lord, banished from the
+courts of His House, yet sought to show the reverence and the love which
+they felt for its sacred precincts, for the Holy Place which they could
+see with their eyes, though they might not tread it with their feet. A
+numerous company of mourners, chosen to represent the whole people, ranged
+themselves on the ridge which commanded the prospect so sad and yet so
+dear. They were clad in garments of black sackcloth, itself ragged and
+tattered, and had strewn ashes on their heads. They spread out copies of
+the Law--that Law which the heathen had silenced in its own peculiar seat,
+and which they had insulted and profaned, picturing on its very pages the
+cruel and lustful demons whom they worshipped; the functions of the
+priests had ceased, but they could at least display within sight of the
+Sanctuary the garments which they wore; the sacrifices could not be
+offered, but they could at least show the bullocks and rams, the
+firstfruits of the cornfield and the vineyard, and present them in heart
+and will; vows could not be performed, but the Nazarites, with their
+unshorn locks, could stretch out their hands to the Sanctuary, and
+dedicate themselves in intention. And then from the whole multitude rose
+the cry, "What shall we do with these, and whither shall we carry them?
+For Thy Sanctuary is trodden down and profaned, and Thy priests are in
+heaviness and brought low. And lo! the heathen are assembled together
+against us to destroy us; what things they imagine against us, Thou
+knowest. How shall we be able to stand against them, except Thou, O God,
+be our help?"
+
+This done, the trumpets sounded, as if to remind the mourners that they
+were soldiers again, and the whole multitude fell at once into military
+order. Judas carefully inspected his force. Mindful of the old indulgence
+given by the Law, he proclaimed that any among his followers who were
+building a house, or planting a vineyard, or had left behind him at home a
+newly-married wife, should depart. Those were not days when houses were
+being built or vineyards planted, for the land, save for some barren
+mountain ranges, was in the power of the heathen; nor was it a time for
+marrying or giving in marriage. Scarcely a man out of the whole array
+claimed the exemption. And when the leader went on, "If any man be timid
+or of a faint heart, let him turn back, while there is time," only two or
+three slunk away.
+
+To those that remained Judas addressed a few stirring words. "You have
+seen," he said, "the city of your fathers from afar, how it lies desolate
+and dishonoured. Be bold and quit you like men, and the Lord will deliver
+it into your hands, for He can deliver both by many and by few. Arm
+yourselves at dawn, and we will fight with those nations who have defiled
+our sanctuary and have now come out to destroy us."
+
+But the struggle was to come sooner than any one had looked for it.
+Azariah had been setting the sentinels who were to watch the northern side
+of the encampment, when he heard a voice that seemed to have a familiar
+sound.
+
+"Azariah!" it said, in a penetrating whisper.
+
+"I am here; say on;" and he felt sure that he recognized the voice of
+Benjamin.
+
+"Tell your captain that Gorgias has come out of the camp of Nicanor with
+six thousand men, the very choicest of his army, and that he will attack
+him this night. Farewell!"
+
+And before Azariah could answer he was out of sight and hearing. A quick
+remorse had overtaken the robber for his treacherous act, and he had done
+his best to remedy the wrong.
+
+Judas, on hearing the news, lost no time in making his resolve. It was
+bold, even audacious. He would not wait to be attacked, but would himself
+attack, and that not the detachment under Gorgias, which it was quite
+possible he might have some difficulty in meeting, but the main body
+itself. Here he would certainly have the advantage of being utterly
+unexpected. And a victory over this would be almost, if not absolutely,
+decisive.
+
+Accordingly he left his camp at Mizpeh without attempting to remove any of
+his belongings. In truth, they were scanty enough, and, if things went
+well with him, he should secure spoil of a hundredfold more value than all
+that he had left. With nothing but their arms, and such scanty provision
+as they could carry in their pouches, his men marched through the darkness
+down into the plain.
+
+The day was dawning when he came within sight of the camp of Nicanor.
+Though not regularly fortified, it was a place of considerable strength,
+which an army far more numerous and better equipped than that which Judas
+had under his command might hesitate to attack. The cavalry had bivouacked
+outside; the infantry were within the lines, but might be seen passing out
+of the gates.
+
+So formidable a task did it seem to attack a fortified camp, held by a
+vastly superior force, that even Judas's band of heroes hesitated for a
+moment. He felt it at once, and at once addressed himself to check it. He
+called a halt, and bidding the ranks close in to as small a space as
+possible, he addressed them, sending his mighty voice in the still air of
+the morning with so commanding a power that it reached the very extremity
+of the crowd. In a few stirring words he reminded them of the deliverances
+which God had wrought in old time for His people. He spoke of the three
+hundred of Gideon, how they had discomfited the host of the Midianites, of
+the angel that had smitten with an unseen sword the legions of the haughty
+Sennacherib. He told them of the day when Macedonian and Jew had stood
+side by side against the Gallic invaders of Asia, and of how the Jew had
+stood firm while the Greek had fled before the fury of the barbarian
+onset. Finally he reminded them of the victories which they themselves had
+so lately won against overwhelming odds.
+
+When he had finished his harangue, he divided the host between himself and
+his brothers, John, Simon and Jonathan. Eleazar was to recite the Holy
+Book, and to give his name as the watchword of the day. These arrangements
+made, he gave a signal to the trumpeters. They blew a piercing blast.
+Then, with a shout, "The Help of God! The Help of God!"(12) the patriots
+charged. It might have seemed to an onlooker the strategy of despair, but
+it was successful, as it had been many a time in history before, as it has
+been many a time since.
+
+The Greeks stared at them, as they advanced, with astonishment. Were these
+men madmen, or were they fired by some Divine fury? In either case they
+would be dangerous antagonists. As the patriots drew nearer, without a
+sign of hesitation or holding back, the terror which had been creeping
+over the minds of the Greeks became insupportable. They broke and fled,
+and did not even, so complete was their demoralization, attempt to hold
+their camp. Though pursuit was shortened by the approach of the Sabbath,
+which Judas would not suffer to be infringed upon even to complete his
+victory, more than three thousand fell, and as the Greek line had not
+waited to receive the onset of the patriots, all of them perished in the
+flight.
+
+The work was not yet done, for the detachment under Gorgias had still to
+be accounted for. This, however, gave the conquerors very little trouble.
+That general had found the camp of Judas empty, and had naturally
+concluded that its occupants had been frightened away by his approach. He
+started in pursuit, but without being able to find any clear traces of the
+route which the supposed fugitives had taken. Probably, he thought, this
+would be in the direction of the mountain retreat from which they had
+issued. It was long before he satisfied himself that he was mistaken; but
+the peasants whom he questioned were evidently truthful when they declared
+that they had seen nothing of the force of which he was in search. He had
+to retrace his steps, and could not do this till he had given his men a
+rest, wearied as they were with almost incessant marching for a night and
+a day. It was late in the afternoon before he arrived in sight of the camp
+of the main body, and by that time Judas's victory had been won. He was
+astonished and alarmed to see that part of it was on fire. Shortly
+afterwards a fugitive from the defeated army came in with news of what had
+happened. Neither Gorgias nor his men were in any humour to encounter the
+patriots; they hastily turned and made the best of their way to Jerusalem.
+
+Information of this retreat was soon brought to Judas by his scouts, and
+he felt that now at last he and his followers might enjoy their victory.
+The Sabbath was given, as usual, to rest and devotion. A great service was
+held, a prominent feature of it being the chanting of the great Psalm of
+Thanksgiving,(13) "O give thanks unto the Lord, for His mercy endureth for
+ever." The marvels of creation, the deliverance from Egypt, the passage of
+the hosts of the Lord through the Red Sea, the fall of the Amorite kings
+who had sought to stop their way to the Promised Land, the possession of
+the inheritance which had been promised to the fathers--all these blessings
+were enumerated, and after each new theme, given by the clear voices of
+the singers, rose the thunderous chorus of reply from the multitude, "For
+His mercy endureth for ever."
+
+On the first day of the week the spoils were divided. The division was
+made with scrupulous fairness, and with a reverent regard to the
+injunctions of the Law. The wounded received a special consideration for
+their sufferings; a share was reserved for the widows and orphans of the
+slain; and those to whom had been given the unwelcome duty of staying
+behind to guard the encampment were not forgotten. The rich furniture of
+the officers' tents, the gold and silver plate, the many-coloured silks,
+and robes of Tyrian purple, with a well-furnished pay-chest, made together
+a splendid booty.
+
+Among the prisoners was the party of slave-dealers to whom our readers
+were introduced at the beginning of this chapter.
+
+"Who are you?" cried Judas, when they were brought before him, "and what
+do you here?"
+
+"We are merchants," said their spokesman, "brought by business into the
+camp of his Excellency Nicanor."
+
+"And in what merchandize do you deal?" asked Judas, though, as may be
+supposed, he was perfectly well acquainted with their occupation.
+
+"We deal in the prisoners of war," answered the man. "Permit me, sir," he
+went on, "to congratulate your Excellency on the splendid victory that you
+have won, and to beg the favour of your custom. We offer the best of
+prices for goods, and pay in ready money or in bills on the best houses,
+quite as safe as cash, I can assure you, and far more convenient to
+carry."
+
+"Do you know this document?" asked Judas, holding up a piece of parchment
+which had been found among the property of the slave-dealers.
+
+The man turned pale and said nothing.
+
+Judas then proceeded to read aloud: "It is hereby covenanted between the
+most excellent Lysias, Governor of Syria, on the first part, and Theron
+and his Company, dealers in slaves, on the second part, that the said
+Lysias shall hand over, and that the said Theron and his Company shall
+take all persons that shall be captured in the operations now about to be
+begun by the army of the said Lysias. And it is further covenanted that
+the said Theron and Company shall pay to the said Lysias or such other
+persons as he shall appoint, the sum of one talent of gold for every
+ninety persons delivered alive into the hands of the said Theron and
+Company. Furthermore it is agreed that the said Theron and Company shall
+have no claim for a drawback for any such persons dying after they have
+been once delivered; but that a drawback shall be allowed at the rate of
+six _min�_(14) for every person, who, as being a loyal subject of our lord
+and king Antiochus, or of any prince in friendship and alliance with him,
+shall have been wrongfully taken prisoner."
+
+"Know you this document?"
+
+Theron stammered an assent. "It is but a common matter of business, my
+lord. Such covenants must be drawn up, and, doubtless, they sound somewhat
+harsh."
+
+"Ye have digged a pit, and are fallen into the midst of it yourselves,"
+said Judas, in a voice of thunder. "Let them be taken with the followers
+of the camp to the slave-market of Sidon."
+
+"Mercy, my lord!" cried the dealers, falling on their knees.
+
+"Such mercy as you have shown yourselves you shall have, and no more. Lead
+them away."
+
+"Nay, my lord," cried Theron, struggling away from the soldier who had
+grasped him by the arms, "you do ill to deal so harshly with men that have
+not borne arms against you."
+
+"You have done tenfold worse," was the answer. "I know your works. You
+sell our youths to the mines, where the young man grows old and decrepit
+before he has reached to middle age, and the maidens you sell to shame;
+and the old and sick you slay with the sword or poison. Take them away."
+
+"Listen once more, my lord," cried the man, in an agony of despair. "We
+have money; not here, of course, but with those whom we represent; if you
+should want a loan, we can find it for your Excellency, and at low
+interest, lower than you will find elsewhere."
+
+"Take them away!" thundered Judas.
+
+And taken away they were, still screaming out, as they were dragged off,
+offers of ransom, or loans at five per cent. interest, or no interest at
+all.
+
+The next day Judas and his army, richly laden with spoils of every kind,
+returned to the sanctuary among the hills.
+
+
+
+
+
+                             CHAPTER XVIII.
+
+                         THE BATTLE OF BETH-ZUR.
+
+
+Several months have passed since the scenes described in the last chapter.
+During the winter Judas has been increasing and consolidating his army,
+and he has now a force both more numerous and better equipped than any
+that he had hitherto commanded. Again he has marched to encounter the
+Greeks, but he has no easy task before him. Lysias in person commands the
+Syrian army. Antiochus has sent him some veteran troops from the capital;
+he has raised fresh levies of his own, and he has enrolled in his ranks
+the remnants of the armies of Seron and Nicanor. Altogether he has
+collected an army of sixty thousand men, and must out-number his
+antagonists at least five times. The struggle will be of a critical kind,
+and the victory, if won at all, can hardly be won without grievous loss.
+The Greeks are fighting for their last stake. If they lose this they are
+disgraced.
+
+The experience of a soldier's wife had not lessened the anxiety with which
+Ruth waited for news of the battle. This time all that were especially
+near and dear to her had gone with the army--her husband, her brother, and
+Azariah--all had run or were even then running deadly peril of their lives.
+When the news came it might find her utterly desolate, a widow indeed.
+
+During the night these terrors had had almost undisputed sway. It seemed
+impossible to her to recall the holy words which at other times brought
+comfort to her soul. Some dreadful picture of her dear ones lying cold and
+stark upon the battle-field would rise up before her eyes; and again and
+again the hideous laughing of the hyenas, echoed among the hills, seemed
+to her like the mocking triumph of the heathen.
+
+The light of morning brought, as it is wont to bring, if not cheerfulness,
+at least a more hopeful spirit. Anyhow she had not to lie in forced
+inaction. The daily duties had to be done; and she could find in them not
+forgetfulness, indeed, but the wholesome invigorating influence of work.
+Her first task was to fetch the daily ration of food. Miriam and Judith
+accompanied her, and her little boy was now old enough to toddle by her
+side. The girls had already begun to bear the burdens of a woman's cares,
+but the child was in happy unconsciousness of trouble, and there was a
+certain infection of cheerfulness in his laughter and prattle.
+
+Ruth's way to the store where the rations were distributed led past the
+point from which the best view of the pass could be obtained. She scanned
+the prospect eagerly as she went, but could see nothing. On her return she
+espied the figure of a man who seemed--for he was still almost too distant
+to be distinguished--to be approaching.
+
+"Look, girl," she cried, "surely some one comes yonder, and he must be
+bringing tidings of the battle. Oh! if they are safe----"
+
+As she spoke she dropped the piece of flesh, which she was carrying, from
+her hand; and immediately a vulture swooped down and carried it off.
+
+The watchman had now descried the figure of the traveller, and made the
+signal which was to indicate to the inmates of the encampment the fact
+that tidings from the army was at hand. In an instant all that were able
+to move had poured out, and were hurrying to the top of the pass.
+
+The messenger was Micah, whom, as one of the fleetest runners in the army,
+Judas had selected to carry the news of his victory. He had traversed the
+distance, which could not have been less than thirty miles, at a pace
+which had sorely tried even his athletic frame. He flung himself on the
+ground, panting convulsively for breath, and unable to speak. One of the
+elders poured a few drops of cordial into his mouth, and by degrees he
+recovered his powers. His first act was to kneel and with outspread hands
+to thank the Lord of Hosts. "We thank thee, God of our fathers, that thou
+hast delivered us out of the hand of the enemy, and brought us unto the
+haven where we would be." Then, amidst the breathless attention of the
+listening crowd, he told the story.
+
+"Judas the Hammer," and as he said the name a murmur of blessing could be
+heard from the whole assembly--"Judas, the Hammer of God, has smitten the
+enemy to pieces. Two days since he met Lysias--for the Governor himself was
+in command--at Beth-zur. There by that valley of Elah, where David slew
+Goliah of Gath, has the Lord God of Israel proved again that the battle is
+not to the strong nor the race to the swift. Judas himself led the right
+wing; the left he had given to Seraiah and Azariah, whom I myself had the
+privilege of following. The lines of the two armies were about equal in
+length; nor, indeed, was there room on either side for more; but they had
+their ranks forty deep and more, and we but seven or eight at the most,
+for they were many times more numerous. But the Lord showed once again
+that He can deliver as surely by few as many. Our captain, than whom no
+man has a more generous temper, though he would gladly have been the first
+to advance against the enemy, granted that privilege to us. Then we
+shouted, as we did in the day of Emma�s, 'The Lord is our Help!' and ran
+forward. While we were yet half a furlong from them, we saw them tremble
+and waver; and before we could cross our swords with them their line had
+broken. That done, their numbers availed them no more, but rather hindered
+them, so crowded and crushed together were they. We slew till we were
+weary of slaying."
+
+"And what befell Lysias, the Governor?" asked one of the elders.
+
+"He had posted himself over against Judas himself, judging that there
+would be the most need of his presence. And indeed they say--for I myself
+did not see him, being, as I have said, on the other side of the
+field--that he bore himself as a brave soldier and a good captain. And
+Judas, when he saw him, pressed forward, seeking to meet him face to face.
+But Lysias was struck with terror and fled. He had not the heart to abide
+a stroke from the Hammer. He escaped with some hundred horsemen of his
+bodyguard from the field. The prisoners say that he is gone to Antioch to
+gather another army. Let him gather it. We will deal with it and him as we
+have dealt hitherto with the enemies of the Lord."
+
+"And what does Judas now?" asked the elder.
+
+With a look of joy and triumph Micah lifted his head and said, "He is in
+Jerusalem. The Lord has given back into our hands the Holy City, the City
+of David His servant."
+
+It is impossible to describe the delight with which this announcement was
+received. The women, even the men, wept for joy. This was indeed a
+glorious gain of victory. Last year they could only see the Holy City from
+afar, and weep over its desolation. Now they could pour out their love and
+their sorrow within its sacred precincts.
+
+"Yes," he repeated, "Judas is in Jerusalem, and is making ready to purify
+the Temple. And you are to return as speedily as you can. The days of your
+exile are over. Our God has recalled His banished unto Him."
+
+His public mission finished, Micah could give time to private affection.
+He went with Ruth and the children to their cave, and then, after sharing
+their morning meal, told them all they wanted to hear. Seraiah and Azariah
+were both safe, though both had had narrow escapes, Azariah's helmet
+having been broken in by a sword-stroke from a gigantic Gaul, and Seraiah
+being saved by a little roll of the Prophecy of Daniel, which he always
+carried about with him--it was a gift from his wife--and which had stopped
+the point of a javelin that would otherwise have pierced his heart. Ruth
+and the children were never satisfied with asking questions and listening
+to his answers. Even the little Daniel seemed to understand something of
+what was being said, as he listened, with his baby-eyes wide open, to the
+talk of his elders.
+
+"And Cleon," asked Ruth, "the Greek with whom you used to be so friendly
+in time past--did you see him? You met him, you told us, in Modin, and
+parted in anger; did you meet him again?"
+
+A cloud seemed to pass over Micah's face at this question, and for a few
+moments he was silent.
+
+"Ah! Ruth," he said, "the Lord be merciful to him, as He has been merciful
+to me! And did I not sin against Him tenfold more grievously than any
+heathen could have sinned? For was I not a child of the Covenant, and had
+I not light and knowledge, whereas he was born in ignorance and knew not
+of the mercies and deliverances which I knew, and knowing despised."
+
+"Is he a prisoner, then?" asked Miriam, "and will Judas spare him?"
+
+"He needs no mercy from man, my child," said Micah, solemnly. "In the
+battle I did not meet him. That was well. I should have been loath to
+cross swords with him; and yet I could hardly have failed to do so. But in
+the evening, when Lysias had fled eastward with the remnants of his host,
+and the victory was won, I saw him on the field of battle. The captain
+himself was with me, as we went among the wounded and the dead, looking
+for any to whom we could give such help as they needed. He had been
+pierced with a ghastly wound through the breast. And when Judas saw him,
+he said to me, 'Ah! that is a brave soldier, and as good a swordsman as
+ever I met. I had a hard bout with him this morning, and had he not
+slipped in making a blow, it might have gone ill with me. Do you know
+him?' 'Yes;' I said, 'in the old time, when I mingled with the heathen and
+walked in their ways.' 'See, then, whether you can help him in any way; I
+love a brave man, be he heathen or no.' I was willing enough to do
+anything that I could for him, you may be sure; one glance at that pale
+face was enough to chase away all the anger with which we had parted.
+'Cleon!' I said. And he knew me and smiled--a very wan and feeble smile,
+but still a smile. Then I tried to stanch the blood that was flowing from
+his wound. 'Nay,' said he, ''tis idle; I am past all help; let it flow,
+and I shall be sooner out of my pain. But, dear Menander--nay, pardon me, I
+should call you Micah--give me some water to drink, for I have a raging
+thirst.' I had a leathern bottle of water, and gave him a draught. Then I
+rested his head upon my shoulder, and bathed his forehead with the water.
+Judas meanwhile had gone further, and I saw a party of the Chasidim
+ranging the field, and I thought that they could scarcely pass us by
+without seeing us, so I said to Cleon, 'Let me lay you down till these are
+past; for if they know you as a friend of Jason they will not spare your
+life. 'Tis better to feign death than to meet it at their hands.' Then he
+smiled and said, 'No need, Micah, to feign death. Your Hammer has smitten
+me down, and I shall not need another stroke.' And almost as he spoke the
+words, he died. And just then the captain came back, and we buried him
+where he had fallen. The Lord have mercy on him!"
+
+"But will He have mercy on the heathen?" said Miriam, who had begun to
+think.
+
+"Nay, child--who knows?" answered Micah. "Surely some of us need His pardon
+more than they, who have not known Him, nor have been called by His name."
+
+  [Illustration: _Farewell to the Mountains._]
+
+The next day Micah returned, in obedience to orders, and two or three days
+afterwards all the party that had been left in the mountains followed him
+to Jerusalem. It was a happy day, but saddened, for the children at least,
+by one loss. The jackal, Jael, followed the party awhile, but when they
+reached the plain, stood still and watched them disappear, making mournful
+cries the while. Even the prospect of seeing their old home could not
+quite reconcile the children to the loss of this strange playmate, who had
+yet grown so dear to them.
+
+And so the rugged mountains which had afforded a refuge to the faithful
+remnant were left again to silence and solitude. But the memory of what
+the confessors and martyrs had endured in the evil days was never to
+perish. Generation after generation remembered with sympathy and reverence
+what men, aye, and weak women and children had borne for conscience'
+sake--cold and hunger and nakedness, and that anguish of soul which is
+harder to be endured than all bodily pain. Two centuries later, an
+inspired Hebrew, writing to Hebrews, commemorated the noble endurance of
+this faithful band in his famous roll of the triumphs of faith: "They
+wandered about in sheepskins and goatskins, being destitute, afflicted,
+tormented, of whom the world was not worthy; they wandered in deserts and
+mountains, and in dens and caves of the earth."(15)
+
+
+
+
+
+                              CHAPTER XIX.
+
+                              IN JERUSALEM.
+
+
+Among those who watched the approach of Judas and his host to Jerusalem
+were two men, one in extreme old age, the other numbering, it would seem,
+about fifty years. They wore the priestly garments, old indeed and
+threadbare, but still clean and showing many signs of careful repair.
+Theirs was a strange history. For two years they had been in hiding in the
+city. When Apollonius had filled the streets of Jerusalem with blood, the
+murderers had sought with especial care for all priests and Levites. To
+them at least no mercy was to be shown. These two men--Shemaiah was the
+name of the elder of the two, and Joel that of the younger--had narrowly
+escaped death from the soldiers of Apollonius. They had taken refuge--so
+close was the pursuit--in a garden, the gate of which happened to be open,
+and had hidden themselves in the bushes till nightfall. Where they were,
+who or of what race was the owner of the house, whether they were likely
+to meet with more mercy from his hands than they could expect from the
+soldiers, they knew not. But that hiding-place was their only chance, and
+in their desperate strait they snatched at it. While they were debating in
+whispers whether they should throw themselves on the compassion of this
+unknown person, they saw--for it was a moonlight night--the figure of a
+woman walking down a path which passed close by their hiding-place. They
+could see from her features, which the brilliant moonlight of the East
+lighted up, that she was a countrywoman of their own, and they resolved to
+appeal to her for protection. Shemaiah, whose age and venerable appearance
+would, they judged, be less likely to alarm, threw himself on the ground
+at her feet. She started back in astonishment.
+
+"Lady," he said, "I see that you are a daughter of Abraham. Can you help
+two servants of the Lord that have so far escaped from the sword of the
+Greeks?"
+
+She was reassured by a nearer view of the speaker. "Who are you?" she
+said. "Speak without fear, for there is no one to harm you."
+
+Shemaiah told his story.
+
+"And your companion," said Eglah--for that was the woman's name--"where is
+he?"
+
+The old man called to Joel, who came forth at his bidding from his
+hiding-place.
+
+Eglah stood for a few minutes buried in thought. Then she spoke.
+
+"As I hope that the Lord will have mercy on me and pardon my sin, so will
+I help you even to the giving up of my life. But I am not worthy that you
+should come under my roof. Now listen to my story. When Antiochus--the Lord
+reward him for the evil that he has done to His people!--came to this city,
+I was seized and sold for a slave. And a certain Greek soldier, Glaucus by
+name, the captain of a company, bought me in the market. He had compassion
+on me, and dealt honourably with me, and made me his wife after the
+fashion of his people. And I consented to live with him, though I knew
+that it was a sin for a daughter of Abraham to be wife unto a man that was
+a heathen. But alas! sirs, what was I to do? for I was a weak woman, and
+there was no one to help me. Should I have slain him in his sleep, as
+Judith slew Holofernes? Once I thought to do so, and I took a dagger in my
+hand, but when I saw him I repented. Whether it was fear or love that
+turned me I know not. That I was afraid I know, for the very sight of the
+steel made me tremble. And I must confess that I loved him also, for he
+had been very kind and gentle with me; and there is not a goodlier man to
+look at in all Jerusalem."
+
+"Be comforted, my daughter," said Shemaiah, whose years had taught him a
+tolerance to which his younger companion had, perhaps, scarcely attained.
+"'Tis at least no sin for a wife to love her husband."
+
+"Then you do not think me so wicked as to be beyond all hope?" cried poor
+Eglah, eagerly.
+
+"Nay, my daughter," said the old man; "you were in a sore strait, and all
+women are not as Judith was."
+
+"Then you will not refuse to come into my house? I have a large cellar
+where you can lie hid. 'Tis under the ground, indeed, but airy and dry,
+and you can make shift to live there. And I will feed you as best I may.
+My husband has an open hand, and never makes any question as to the money
+that I spend upon the house, and he will not know what I have done. I
+judge it best to keep the thing from him, not because I fear that he would
+betray you--for he is an honourable man and kindly, but it would go hard
+with him, being an officer in the army of the King, if it should be
+discovered that he knew it."
+
+And so for two years Shemaiah and Joel had inhabited the cellar in Eglah's
+house. Glaucus, the husband, was just the kindly, generous man whom his
+wife had described. Once or twice he had terrified her by some joking
+remark about the rapidity with which the provision purchased for the house
+disappeared. "When we dine together, my darling," he said, on one
+occasion, "you eat what would be scarce enough for a well-favoured fly;
+but I am glad to think that you are hungry at other times." "O husband,"
+she said, "there are many poor of my own people, and I cannot deny them."
+She hoped as she said it that the falsehood would not be counted as
+another sin against her. "Nay, nay, darling," said the good-natured man.
+"Give as much as thou wilt. Thank the gods and his Highness the King I
+have enough and to spare."
+
+Glaucus, though allowed to live in his own house, had, of course, to spend
+much time upon his military duties, and was, consequently, often away.
+During his absence Eglah could bring out the two prisoners from their
+underground lodging, and allow them to enjoy the fresh air of the garden,
+which, happily, was not overlooked. She gave them the best food that her
+means would procure, and at the same time took pains, as has been said, to
+keep their garments scrupulously clean and neat. On the whole they passed
+the time of their captivity in tolerable comfort, and without much injury
+to their health. Latterly they had been cheered by the tidings, always
+given to them at the very earliest opportunity by their hostess, of the
+successes of Judas. Within the last few days Glaucus had told his wife
+that a decisive battle was expected, that it would probably be fought at
+Beth-zur, and that if her countrymen won it, there was nothing that could
+hinder them from taking possession of Jerusalem.
+
+Glaucus, who held a command in the garrison of the fort, had not been with
+Lysias at Beth-zur, but he had heard late on the evening of the day of the
+result of the battle and had, of course, told it to his wife, and she in
+turn had communicated it to her inmates. They had been scarcely able to
+sleep for joy, and had eagerly waited for news of the conqueror's
+approach. Evening was come, and Eglah had not paid them the accustomed
+visit. The house was curiously silent; all day not a sound of voices or
+steps had reached their ears. And now the suspense had become unbearable.
+"Go forth," said Shemaiah to his younger companion, "go forth, and bring
+me word again." Joel crept out of his retreat. The streets were deserted;
+but the fortress was crowded. The garrison stood thickly clustered on the
+walls, and with them were many inhabitants of the city. It was easy to
+guess that what Glaucus had foretold had happened. Judas was on his way to
+take possession of Jerusalem, and all who had compromised themselves by
+resisting him, had either fled from the place altogether or had taken
+refuge in the fort. He returned to Shemaiah with a description of what he
+had seen, and the two at once hastened down to the walls to greet the
+deliverers.
+
+The sun was near its setting when they entered the city. Without turning
+to the right or left, though many must have been consumed with anxiety to
+hear the fate of kinsmen and friends, they marched to Mount Sion. It was
+an hour of triumph, the fruition of hopes passionately cherished through
+many a dark day of sorrow. To stand once more in the place which God had
+chosen to set His name there, how glorious. But it had its bitterness, as
+such hours will have, for it was a miserable sight that greeted them.
+Nothing, indeed, had been done of which they had not heard. There was
+nothing that they might not have expected or foreseen. Yet the actual view
+of the holy place in its dismal forlornness overpowered them. It was as if
+the sight had come upon them by surprise. "When they saw the Sanctuary
+desolate and the altar profaned, and the gates burnt with fire, and shrubs
+growing in the courts as in a forest or one of the mountains, and the
+chambers of the priests pulled down, they rent their clothes, and made
+great lamentations, and cast ashes upon their heads, and fell down flat to
+the ground upon their faces."
+
+To repair this ruin, to put an end to this desolation, to purify the place
+which had been so shamefully polluted, was the first duty of the
+deliverers. But that the work might be done in peace it was necessary that
+the fortress of Acra, to use military language, should be masked. A strong
+force was told off to perform this duty; the rest would lend their aid to
+the great work of purification.
+
+
+
+
+
+                               CHAPTER XX.
+
+                       THE CLEANSING OF THE TEMPLE.
+
+
+Azariah and Micah had been put under John, the eldest of the five
+brothers, in command of the force employed to blockade the garrison of
+Acra. The night had passed quietly; the garrison had not attempted a
+sortie, and had not even harassed the besiegers with a discharge of
+missiles. And when the morning came they seemed inclined to continue the
+same inaction. From the high ground the two Jews looked down upon the
+Temple courts and saw the priests directing a crowd of eager helpers in
+the work of cleansing the Sanctuary, and labouring diligently with their
+own hands. The first task was to pull down the idol altar which had been
+erected on the altar of burnt-offering. This was done in a fury of haste.
+The hands of the workmen could not, it seemed, move fast enough in
+destroying the abominable thing. The stones were carried out of the temple
+with gestures of loathing and disgust, and afterwards taken to the Valley
+of Hinnom--unholy things to be cast away in an unholy place.
+
+But the stones of the holy altar itself had been polluted by the
+superstructure that had been erected upon them. What was to be done with
+them? At least it was manifest that they could not stand where they were.
+Sacrifice could not be offered upon them. They were reverently detached
+from the cement which bound them together, and then borne one by one to a
+chamber of the Temple, where they were to be laid up till a prophet should
+arise who should show what was to be done with them. The first duty of
+dealing with the altar completed, came the work of cleansing and repairing
+the courts and chambers. The long, trailing creepers were pulled down; the
+weeds and shrubs were rooted out. The place was still a ruin, but the
+manifest signs of its desolation and abandonment were removed. So numerous
+and so eager were the labourers that for this part of the work a few hours
+sufficed. The task of reparation would, of necessity, be longer and more
+tedious.
+
+Azariah and Micah had been watching the work with perhaps a more absorbing
+interest than was quite consistent with their duty of watching the
+garrison, when suddenly one of the sentries blew an alarm. Scarcely had it
+sounded when a flight of arrows from the garrison of the fortress fell
+among the besiegers. The Greeks had watched their opportunity, and when
+almost all eyes were turned on the work that was going on below, had sent
+a volley among the ranks of the enemy.
+
+This sudden attack did no little damage. One or two of the patriots were
+killed on the spot, several were seriously wounded; the others either
+covered themselves with their shields, a precaution which they ought not
+to have neglected, or sought refuge among the ruins.
+
+Azariah, though he had been caught a little off his guard, was not
+unprepared to deal with a manifestation of this kind. He had organized a
+company of slingers, and he now ordered them to advance and clear the wall
+of its defenders. They knelt with one knee upon the ground, and covered
+themselves with their shields. Under this shelter they loaded their
+slings. Then, rising rapidly at a preconcerted signal from their
+commander, they sent a simultaneous and well-directed shower of leaden
+bullets on the defenders of the wall. These missiles, sent with a skill
+and a strength in which the Jewish slingers were unsurpassed, had a
+marvellous effect. In a moment the wall was cleared, except that here and
+there along its length the dead and wounded might be seen. The survivors
+did not venture forth from shelter to carry them away. A fierce conflict
+followed. From the loopholes of the towers and from behind the battlements
+the Greek archers kept up the discharge of their arrows, and the Jewish
+slingers replied. No great damage was done on either side; but every now
+and then a skilful aim at some exposed body or limb was followed by a cry
+of pain from the wounded man, and the cry was taken up by a shout of
+triumph from the hostile force. In the course of the afternoon a storm
+came on, with thunder and lightning and a deluge of rain. Before it had
+cleared away the light had failed, and hostilities had perforce to be
+suspended.
+
+About the beginning of the second watch(16) Micah, who was making a round
+of the sentries, heard the sound of something that seemed to fall heavily
+upon the soft and plashy ground. The rain had ceased, and the sky had
+partially cleared; for a few minutes all was still; then Micah could hear
+a sighing which was not the sighing of the wind. He followed the guidance
+of the sound, and found a woman lying almost insensible upon the ground.
+He called one of the sentinels to help him, and together they carried her
+under shelter, and brought torches, by the light of which they might
+examine her injuries. That she was stunned by the fall was evident, for
+she did not speak, and when they attempted to move her she groaned with
+the pain. When left alone she did not seem to suffer much, and they judged
+it best to wait for the morning, administering meanwhile a little wine and
+water from time to time.
+
+The next morning four of the soldiers were told off to remove her on a
+litter that had been constructed for the use of the wounded to a deserted
+house in the Lower City--and of deserted houses there was only too great a
+choice. As the bearers put down their burden on the way to take a brief
+rest a strange figure came up to the party. It was a woman, young and
+still showing the remains of beauty, but with a miserably haggard look. It
+was easy to see from her uncertain gait and wandering eye that she was a
+lunatic.
+
+Huldah had been for some time a well-known figure in Jerusalem, and her
+story was of the saddest. She had been a servant in the house of Seraiah,
+and had been Ruth's own waiting-maid. Returning home from some errand on
+which she had been sent one day at the beginning of Apollonius's reign of
+terror, she had been seized by the attendants of the newly-dedicated
+Temple of Jupiter, and made a slave. Before many weeks had passed the
+cruel outrages to which she was subjected overthrew her reason. Thus
+become a trouble to her captors she was permitted to escape. Since then
+she had been accustomed to wander about the city. The horrors of the past
+still haunted her, and the recollection of the abominable idolatries in
+which she had been forced to serve. At every pool of water and fountain
+she would stay and wash. From every passer-by she would beg for something
+that might serve for her cleansing: it was the one craving of her soul to
+be rid of its defilement. For food or money she never asked; but a few
+kindly souls in the city gave her enough to support life, and sometimes
+would renew the garments, threadbare, but always scrupulously neat and
+clean, which she wore. Of these friends the kindest was Eglah, who had a
+fellow-feeling for the sufferer, and who was always on the watch to atone
+by her charitable deeds for what she believed to be the great offence of
+her life.
+
+Huldah cast a glance at the litter in passing, and at once recognized in
+the suffering woman her own benefactress. For indeed it was Eglah whom
+Micah had found under the fortress wall. The recognition made a marvellous
+change in the poor maniac. It turned her thoughts in another direction.
+She ceased to dwell upon her own sufferings, and, for the time at least,
+reason regained its sway.
+
+She knelt down by the side of the litter, and kissed one of the hands that
+hung listlessly down. Then, rising to her feet, she arranged the cushion
+on which Eglah lay so as to make it more comfortable. That done, she bade
+the bearers take up their burden, made a gesture of dissent when they were
+turning aside to the house to which they had been directed, and led the
+way to Eglah's own dwelling.
+
+The unhappy creature was positively transformed by the charge which had
+thus been laid upon her. The most intelligent and thoughtful nurse could
+not have done better for her patient than did the poor distracted Huldah.
+A physician who was called in examined Eglah, and found that though she
+had been sadly bruised and shaken, no bones were broken. Whether any
+internal injury existed was more than he could positively say; that time
+alone would show. Meanwhile careful attention was all that could be done
+for her, and attention more careful than Huldah's it would be impossible
+to imagine.
+
+The two priests who had found shelter in Eglah's house were naturally
+among those whom Judas had summoned to take part in the cleansing of the
+Temple when he made proclamation for all such as, being of the House of
+Aaron, were "of blameless conversation and had pleasure in the Law." Posts
+of special dignity were, indeed, conferred upon them, for both were men of
+high reputation for sanctity and learning, which was not a little
+increased by the romantic story of their long seclusion and marvellous
+escape. Judas assigned them quarters near to his own, and was accustomed
+to have frequent recourse to their advice. They thus found themselves
+almost constantly employed, and were unable for several days to find an
+opportunity of inquiring what had happened to their protectress.
+
+When at last they found their way to the house Eglah had sufficiently
+recovered her strength to be able to rise from her bed. She was sitting,
+busy with her needle. Huldah was watching her with an intense look of
+affection that was infinitely pathetic.
+
+The poor woman told her story with a voice that again and again was broken
+with sobs.
+
+"When I was preparing your morning meal in the kitchen my husband, whom I
+had never before known to set foot in the place, suddenly appeared. I was
+greatly terrified lest he should ask for whom I was getting the food
+ready, but he was too much occupied with other things to notice it at all.
+'Eglah,' he said, 'you must come with me into the fort. Judas the Hammer
+has broken our army to pieces. Lysias has fled before him, no one knows
+whither, and within a few hours he will be in the city. I would have you
+here, for the fort is scarcely a place for a woman, but I fear your
+people. Haply they may slay you as having been yoked to a heathen. My
+darling,' he went on--and here poor Eglah's voice was choked with tears--'I
+have done ill for you, I fear; but I meant it for the best. And now, I
+fear, you must cast in your lot with me. May the God whom you serve turn
+it for good.' So I gathered a few things together, and went with him. I
+thought many times that we should scarcely have reached the fort alive,
+for the people cursed us as we went, the women especially casting many
+bitter words at me as one that had left her people to join herself to the
+heathen. But my husband had some six or seven soldiers with him; and they
+were brave men and well armed. We had not been many hours in the fort
+before there began a battle between the garrison and the soldiers of
+Judas. One of my husband's men, who had gone in a spirit of folly and
+vanity to show his courage, was struck down with a stone, and my husband
+ran forth to drag him in. And just as he was returning, another stone from
+the slingers struck him on the back of his head. It was about the ninth
+hour of the day when he was wounded, and he lived till the beginning of
+the second watch, but he never spoke again."
+
+Here the poor creature's story became confused and broken, and her
+listeners could only guess what had followed. The tale of what followed
+must be told for her. "'Ah!' said one of the soldiers, 'Glaucus has it. He
+will never move again, I reckon. A good fellow, but overstrict.' 'But how
+about the Jewish girl whom he calls his wife?' said the other; 'I shall
+take her.' 'Nay, nay; let there be fair play between us, comrade, as there
+has always been. Why you more than I?' 'Because I was the first to speak.'
+'Not so; 'twas I that first spoke of her.' 'Well, we won't quarrel,
+comrade. No woman is good enough to separate old friends. Let us cast the
+dice for her, and the man that wins shall stand treat for a flagon of
+wine.' And then Eglah heard them cast the dice, and count the numbers--they
+would have twenty throws a-piece, they said--and curse and swear when they
+threw low. And when they had finished their dice-throwing they came in to
+see how Glaucus fared; and just as they entered the chamber, he drew a
+long breath and died. One of them put his hand upon his heart and said,
+''Tis all over with him; he will never toss a flagon or kiss a pretty girl
+again.' And then he laid his hand upon Eglah's shoulder, and said, 'Cheer
+up; we will find another husband for thee as good as he.' But the first
+said, 'Nay, Timon, leave her alone. The women are not like us. You must
+give them a few hours to cry.' 'Well, well,' said his comrade, 'you were
+always soft-hearted. Let us come and have our flagon; there is no reason
+why we should wait for that.'" The comrades went on their errand and left
+the widow alone with her dead husband. She kissed him, and cut off a
+little curl of his hair, and then went forth on the wall--for the chamber
+in which he lay was in one of the wall-towers--and threw herself down to
+the ground. It was better, she thought, to die than to sin again.
+
+"Daughter," said Joel, "you should thank the Lord that, without your own
+doing, the tie that bound you to this heathen man is broken."
+
+"O sir," broke out the poor woman, "do not say so. I cannot find it in my
+heart to thank Him, though I do try to say in my heart, 'Thy will be
+done.'"
+
+"Brother," said the old Shemaiah, "you are too hard upon her. 'Tis right
+that a wife should mourn for her husband, be he Jew or Greek. Before the
+Lord, I had thought ill of her had she been of the temper that you would
+have her."
+
+Eglah turned to the old man a grateful look. "O sir," she said, "you do
+not know how kind and good my Glaucus was. I never had an angry word from
+him. Nor did he ever hinder me from my prayers. Rather he would say when I
+went three times to my chamber to pray, 'Speak a word for me, wife, if you
+will.' And he would oftentimes speak to me about my God, and say that he
+liked Him better than the gods in whom _he_ had been taught to believe.
+And I used to tell him stories out of the Book, and how the Lord had
+delivered his people out of the land of Egypt, and had brought them into
+the land which He sware to Abraham to give him. And he never mocked or
+laughed, but listened with all his heart. And, sir, I do sometimes think
+that if he had been spared to live longer, he would have become one of us.
+But he is dead, and I shall never, never see him any more."
+
+And the poor desolate widow burst out into a passion of tears, and threw
+herself prostrate on the couch, Huldah trying to comfort her, not with
+words--which, indeed, she could not command, and which, in any case, would
+have been of small avail--but with great demonstrations of love.
+
+After a while Eglah looked up, and turning to Shemaiah, in whose sympathy
+and charity she trusted, said, "O, sir, do you think that there is any
+hope for him? Must he go into that dreadful Gehenna? For indeed he was
+kind and good, and never thought of any woman but his wife, and never
+injured one of our people, but would help them and defend them when his
+fellows were rough with them. He was better than many Jews that I know. Is
+it not possible that God may have mercy upon him?"
+
+Joel was about to speak, but Shemaiah beckoned to him to hold his peace.
+"My daughter," he said, "these things are too deep for us; but I would
+say, be of good hope for him that is gone, seeing that he was such as you
+say. Shall not the Judge of all the earth do right? To some He giveth much
+light, and to some but little; and He judgeth each according to that which
+He has given. Therefore I bid you be of good cheer."
+
+"And may I pray for him?" asked Eglah.
+
+"Surely you may, for no prayer, so that it come out of an honest heart and
+pure lips, but finds some fulfilment."(17)
+
+He rose and, giving her his blessing, departed, followed by Joel, whose
+narrow intelligence was not a little startled by what his old companion
+had said.
+
+
+
+
+
+                              CHAPTER XXI.
+
+                      THE DEDICATION OF THE TEMPLE.
+
+
+Jerusalem now began to assume an aspect very different from that which it
+had borne for some years past. Thousands, who had been driven away by the
+terrors of the evil days, now hastened to return. Many of the lower class,
+constrained by the necessity of poverty, had always remained, enduring
+persecution as best they could, and often, of course, escaping it by their
+obscurity. Now the wealthier inhabitants began to flock back from their
+hiding-places in the country and from foreign lands; the streets again
+began to be busy; the shopkeepers displayed the wares which there had been
+no one to purchase, or which they had been afraid to show; the long-shut
+markets were reopened and thronged with purchasers.
+
+The priests alone, gathered as they were from their abodes scattered
+throughout Palestine, made a considerable addition to the population of
+the city. They were a numerous class, far beyond any requirements of their
+sacrificial duties, and commonly remained at home, awaiting the rarely
+recurring occasion of services that called them to Jerusalem. But now a
+work was before them in which all could take part, for the Temple, having
+been cleansed and having received such repair as could be done at once,
+was to be dedicated afresh.
+
+The first necessary work was the construction of a new altar of sacrifice.
+This work was to be of the primitive kind, in strict conformity to the
+Law, and as unlike as possible to the elaborate erections of the alien
+worship, and it was to be done, from first to last, by the consecrated
+hands of the priests. They dug out of the earth of the valley rough
+stones. No tool of iron was to be used in raising them from their place;
+none was to be employed in hewing them into shape. It was the priests
+again who solemnly conveyed them into the Great Court of the Temple, who
+joined them together with mortar, and covered them with whitewash.
+Meanwhile other preparations for a wholly renovated service were being
+busily carried on. Most of the furniture of the Temple had been carried
+off by a succession of plunderers; if any of the less valuable and less
+easily removed articles had been left these had suffered an irremediable
+defilement. Everything therefore had to be replaced; and workmen were now
+busily employed in this work. The altar of incense, the candlestick with
+its seven branches, the table on which the loaves of the shew-bread were
+to be placed, the mercy-seat with the overshadowing cherubim that was the
+chief feature of the Holy of Holies, and the various curtains that were
+needed for the separation of the various parts of the building, were
+manufactured with all possible haste, some of the articles, from lack of
+time and materials, being intended to serve their purpose only till they
+could be more worthily replaced. Generally, however, it was time rather
+than means that was wanting, for in the late campaigns treasure almost
+enough to replace the spoliations of years had been taken from the Greeks,
+and this, after being duly purified and blessed, could be devoted to holy
+uses.
+
+And so came on the day that had been appointed for the Feast of
+Dedication. It was to be the 25th of the month Chisleu.(18) It was a
+memorable day, both for good and evil, in the annals of Jewish worship. On
+this day, ages before, Jerusalem, the newly-won capital of the nation, had
+been finally chosen as the place where God should set His name; for on
+this day David, as he made atonement in the day of pestilence, bought the
+threshing-floor of Araunah the Jebusite to be the future dwelling-place of
+the Presence of the Lord God of Israel. And on this day, again, five years
+ago, the first idol sacrifice had been offered within the consecrated
+precincts.
+
+In the early morning, before the sun had risen upon the earth, a spark was
+obtained by striking stone against stone, the fire was rekindled on the
+altar, the golden candlestick was lighted and the table of the shew-bread
+duly furnished with its twelve loaves.
+
+Meanwhile the rest of the people also had been busy in making preparations
+for the great celebration. Every family, even the poorest, was to keep
+festival on the day that was to be a new beginning of the national life.
+The women and children were early afoot, gathering branches of palms and
+other "goodly trees"; none of them having busier hands than Ruth and her
+nieces. Even the little Daniel would take his part in the work, tottering
+along by his mother's side with his arms full of boughs. When they had
+gathered as great a burden as they could carry, Ruth gathered her little
+company about her, and told them, just as the rising sun began to flood
+the valley with its slanting rays, the story of the day--of the glory and
+the shame which it had brought to Israel.
+
+And now, as the time of the morning sacrifice drew near, the whole people
+moved in one great stream towards the Temple, and the Great Court was
+crowded. On the walls of the fortress the heathen soldiers of the garrison
+stood in throngs watching the solemnities of the day. Some of them, of
+course, were ready with their mockery; but most looked on in respectful
+silence. Many of them had witnessed the prowess of these strange fanatics
+in the field. They might be given over to a "senseless and tasteless
+superstition," but they could deal shrewd blows with their swords, and
+therefore they were not to be despised. No truce had been arranged, but
+one was tacitly observed. The forbearance of the Greeks was partly due to
+a wholesome awe of the Jewish archers and slingers, partly to a curiosity
+that, as has been said, was not wholly unmixed with respect.
+
+Then came the solemn ritual of sacrifice. This ended, the whole
+congregation of the people united in solemn supplication to the Lord God
+of Israel. Usually it was the custom to stand during the office of prayer;
+sometimes the attitude of kneeling was used; now, as if to express the
+intensity of their feeling, they threw themselves flat upon their faces,
+and poured out their entreaty that evils such as they had endured in the
+past might never again come upon them in the future. "O Lord,"--this was
+the burden of their prayer,--"if we sin against Thee any more, do Thou
+chasten us Thyself with Thine own hand, after the multitude of Thy
+mercies. Make us suffer that which shall seem good to Thee here in our own
+land, but scatter us no more among the heathen, and deliver us not again
+unto the nations that blaspheme Thy holy name."
+
+The prayer ended, came the great Psalm of Thanksgiving; and then the
+people dispersed to their houses to hold festival. Their mirth was
+prolonged far into the night, which, indeed, was almost turned into day
+throughout the streets of Jerusalem, so brilliant was the light that
+streamed from the lamps set in almost every window.
+
+For eight days the Feast of Dedication was continued. Each day the
+services began with the customary morning sacrifice. At earliest dawn the
+Master of the Temple summoned the priests who had been watching round the
+fire in the gate-house as they waited for his summons. Then they went out
+and fetched the lamb for the burnt-offering. The creature had already been
+examined on the previous day, and pronounced to be free from spot or
+blemish. This done, they went outside the court in which the great altar
+stood, and watched for the coming day. The Mount of Olives stood between
+them and the East, and far behind it were the mountains of Moab. Here the
+first streaks of the morning light were to show themselves. Then the
+priest whose turn it was to slay the victim of the day bathed in the great
+laver. Thus purified for the performance of his office, he stirred up the
+burning embers from under the ashes of the altar, and added fresh fuel.
+This done, he was joined by the other priests, and the morning sacrifice
+was offered. Then followed the special ceremonies of the festival, among
+them the prayer for deliverance from captivity, as already given, and the
+singing of the great Thanksgiving. And every day the public services were
+followed by private rejoicings. No one could have believed that the
+rejoicing city, gay with its brightly dressed throngs of merry-makers and
+resounding with the music of tabret and harp, was the desolate place so
+long trodden down by the heathen. There had been days in the past when the
+most hopeful could scarcely discern any light in the darkness. But now
+they could see the "silver lining of the cloud." In this very Temple, now
+dedicated afresh with such joyous zeal, but a few years before, the
+priests "had left the sacrifices when the game of the Discus called them
+forth." That deadly folly had been purged with blood. The brutal violence
+of Antiochus had saved the nation from an imminent relapse into
+heathenism.
+
+Among the many hearts that were gladdened by these rejoicings there was
+one, as sorely burdened as any, that had found a complete deliverance from
+the troubles of the past. The unhappy Huldah, in proportion as her charge
+gained strength, and her work became less absorbing, had seemed to be
+falling back into her old condition. For the time her thoughts had been
+concentrated on the suffering Eglah; now they were free to be turned upon
+herself, her own troubles, her own dismal memories. Eglah did all she
+could to keep her employed, and the girl's gentle and affectionate nature
+still felt her influence. Yet it was evident that unless some remedy could
+be found the old madness would resume its sway.
+
+On the first day of the Dedication festival, the two were standing
+together in the Court of the Women. The priests, who were making a circuit
+of the whole building, sprinkling everywhere the blood of purification,
+came in due course to the spot. As they performed their office a drop fell
+upon the garment of Huldah, who had been joining in the prayers with an
+earnestness almost frenzied. The effect was marvellous. In a moment the
+excitement passed away. Her eyes lost their wandering look, and, in a tone
+calmer and more collected than any that she had ever before been known to
+use since the time of her trouble, she said, showing the crimson spot to
+Eglah--"He has heard my prayer; He has sprinkled me with the blood of
+cleansing." She stood silent and collected until the whole ritual was
+finished, and when the time for the hymn of thanksgiving came round joined
+her voice with a quiet happiness to the voices of the congregation.
+
+When the people returned to their homes Huldah left the Temple in company
+with Eglah. But it was evident that her strength was exhausted. She could
+barely totter along with all the help that Eglah and a neighbour could
+give her, and when she came to the house of Seraiah and Ruth, which
+happened to lie in her way, she sank almost unconscious to the ground.
+Providentially at that moment Ruth came up with her husband and the little
+Daniel.
+
+"She seemed so much better in the Temple--was quite calm and peaceful
+again--and now I am afraid that she is going to be very ill," said Eglah.
+
+Woman's wit suggested to Ruth a happy thought for dealing with the
+sufferer.
+
+"Leave her to me," she said. "She was happy here once, and here, if it
+please the Lord, she will be happy again."
+
+Ruth and her husband carried her into the house, and laid her upon her bed
+in her old chamber. Once there she was able to swallow a little broth
+which had been hastily prepared, cast one grateful look of recognition at
+her old mistress, and then fell into a deep sleep. The next morning she
+awoke, entirely restored to reason, and, though still somewhat weak, able
+to go about the household tasks in which she had been once employed, and
+which she resumed at once without a question, and as if, indeed, they had
+never been interrupted for a day. The three years of misery were entirely
+blotted out of her memory; nor did any spectre from the past ever come
+back to trouble her.
+
+
+
+
+
+                              CHAPTER XXII.
+
+                        WARS AND RUMOURS OF WARS.
+
+
+The Feast of Dedication having been kept and made an ordinance in Israel
+for ever,(19) Judas's next act was to fortify the restored Temple. It was
+exposed, even more than the rest of the city, to a sudden attack from the
+garrison of the fort, which might work irreparable mischief could it gain,
+even for an hour, possession of the sacred building. Accordingly a high
+wall, strengthened at intervals by towers, was now erected round it, and a
+force was told off from the army to watch it. This done, the patriot
+leader could attend without anxiety to other cares. At Beth-zur a fortress
+was erected and strongly garrisoned to guard the Eastern frontier
+especially against the attacks of the Idumeans, who, under their new name,
+inherited all the old Edomite jealousy of Israel. After personally
+superintending the erection of this stronghold, Judas marched against
+other tribes on the east and south, who had been taking advantage of the
+troublous times to plunder their Jewish neighbours. The Arabs of the
+Negeb, or South Country, were defeated at a pass near the Dead Sea, which
+bore the appropriate name of the Pass of the Scorpions; the Ammonites,
+another tribe whose kinship with the chosen people seems to have
+embittered their hereditary enmity, were defeated under their Greek
+leader, Timotheus.
+
+Meanwhile life at Jerusalem had been settling down into a peaceful order.
+The younger of the two priests whom Eglah had befriended had found scope
+for his energies by joining the army; Shemaiah, the elder, was again an
+inmate in the house which had sheltered him, where Eglah, who had never
+forgotten the charity with which he had spoken of her husband, tended him
+with all the care of a daughter. The old man was never tired of hearing
+the story of the two dismal years during which he had been in hiding.
+
+"Ah, father!" she said to him one day, "you were not so ill off in your
+poor prison after all. Had you had your liberty you would have seen altars
+to the false gods in every street. And it was not safe to pass them
+without showing some sign of reverence."
+
+"And how did you fare, my daughter?" asked the old man.
+
+"I could avoid them, knowing where they were, by passing by on the other
+side, and my good Glaucus--the Lord have mercy on him!--was always kind and
+helpful. He would fetch the water regularly from the fountain, where there
+was an altar to the Naiad, as they called the demon of the spring, which I
+could not have avoided. The people used to laugh at him for doing a
+woman's work, but he did not heed them. O why was he taken away before he
+could learn the truth? I think that he would have known it if he could
+have lived a little longer."
+
+And the poor woman burst into a passion of tears. She was always haunted
+with this fear of her husband's fate, and reproached herself with not
+having been earnest enough in speaking of the truth to her husband.
+
+"Peace, my daughter," said the old man, gently; "the mercies of the Lord
+are without end, and His ways past finding out. Be sure that He will not
+forget the kindness that was showed to a daughter of Abraham. But tell
+me," he went on, anxious to change the subject--"tell me how we came to
+find the courts of the Temple desolate and overgrown as though no one had
+entered them for months? Did you not say that there were sacrifices there,
+and feasts to the demons whom the Greeks worship?"
+
+"Yes, father; it was so for a time. But soon there were few or none to
+make sacrifices, for the city was utterly impoverished. So the priests,
+whom Philip the Phrygian and Apollonius--the curse of the Lord be upon
+him!--brought in to serve at the altars, went elsewhere, for, of a truth,
+they would have died of hunger had they stayed here. O father, it was a
+mournful existence; of a truth we were fed with the bread of affliction
+and the water of affliction."
+
+As they talked Ruth came in with a troubled face.
+
+"O Eglah!" she cried, "I did hope that we should have peace and quiet, but
+there are wars and rumours of wars on every side. This morning letters
+came to the captain from our brethren in Gilead. That evil Timotheus--would
+to God he had not escaped out of the hand of Judas!--has gathered together
+a host of the Ammonites and slain some--a thousand, 'tis said, with their
+wives and children, and shut up the rest in the fortress of Dametha. And
+now my husband and my brother are in council with the captain, and I fear
+me much that they will be sent to the wars, for indeed," she added, with a
+touch of a woman's pride in those that are dear to her, "Judas esteems
+them highly, and will always have them in places of trust. Nor would I
+keep them back from helping the Lord's people. But hark! I hear his step."
+
+As she spoke Seraiah came in from the council.
+
+"How is it?" cried Ruth, with trembling voice, her fears again getting the
+upper hand. "Do you go? and Azariah?"
+
+"Yes, my dearest, I go, and next in command to the captain and his
+brothers."
+
+Ruth flung her arms round her husband's neck. "Oh! I am proud of you; but
+yet if you could have stayed, for our little Daniel is so young----"
+
+And she could say no more.
+
+"Nay, wife, be of good cheer, and do not grudge us to the Lord's service,
+for indeed there is need of us all. Even while the letters from Gilead
+were being read there came messengers from Galilee with their clothes
+rent. From them we heard that the men of Ptolema�s and of Tyre and Sidon
+and all Galilee of the Gentiles were gathered together. Then it was
+determined that Simon should go to Galilee with three thousand men, and
+Judas and Jonathan to Gilead."
+
+"And what of Azariah?"
+
+"He and Joseph, the son of Zachariah, are to be left in the city with the
+remnant of the army as captains of the people. They are to have the
+Governor's house, and you, with our little Daniel, will live there while I
+am away. This will be well for you, and for Miriam and Judith also, for
+there will be many coming and going, and Miriam is a fair maiden, as she
+should be, being kin to you."
+
+Ruth smiled through her tears at the lover-like compliment.
+
+"Come now," Seraiah went on, "and get ready what I shall want for my
+journey, for we set out at sunset."
+
+The two women kissed each other, and the old priest blessed Seraiah. "The
+Lord give thee strength in the day of battle, and deliver thee out of the
+hand of the enemy, and bring thee back to the house of thy fathers."
+
+At sunset exactly--for Judas was one of the commanders who are exactly and
+punctually obeyed--the two expeditions set forth.
+
+Their departure was, of course, observed by the garrison of the fort, who
+were encouraged by it to make some fierce sallies on the diminished forces
+of the patriots. These were as fiercely repelled, and in a few days things
+settled down again into the virtual truce which had existed for some time
+between besiegers and besieged.
+
+Eight days after the departure of the expeditions tidings of victory came
+from the main army under Judas. The captain of the host had taken Bozrah,
+in Edom. The place lay at least a hundred miles to the east; but the
+patriots had covered the distance with unexpected rapidity, and, reaching
+the place before there had been any notion of their approach, had taken it
+almost without resistance. The messenger had left, he said, as soon as the
+place was taken, but Judas had marched the same night to Dametha, which
+was in urgent need of relief.
+
+The next day came in tidings of further success. Dametha and its garrison,
+with the crowd of helpless fugitives which had sought shelter within its
+walls, was safe. The night march from Bozrah had been made just in time.
+Had it been delayed till morning it might well have been too late. The
+Ammonites had chosen that very day for a fierce assault upon the place.
+Just as the day was dawning and the assailants were close under the walls
+Judas had appeared. His approach had been observed by the besieged, who
+had watched it from the citadel, but the assailants were taken by
+surprise. Hemmed in between two attacking forces, the garrison who made a
+sortie from the town and the army of the patriots in the rear, they had
+been utterly routed. Timotheus had barely escaped with his life, and had
+fled northward, followed by Judas in hot pursuit. A few days afterwards
+came the news that the campaign was at an end--begun and finished within
+the space of two weeks. This time the captain had found time to write a
+despatch. It ran thus:--
+
+"Judas, Captain of the Lord's host, to Azariah, greeting. Know that the
+Lord has delivered the enemy into our hands. Timotheus, having suffered
+defeat at Dametha, fled northward to a temple where the heathen worship
+the 'Two-horned Ashtaroth,' a strong place by nature and skilfully
+fortified. I judged it better that I should not spill the blood of the
+people of the Lord in assaulting it, and so, having cleared the walls of
+defenders by help of my slingers, I surrounded it with great quantities of
+faggots. To these I caused fire to be set, nor did my slingers suffer the
+Ammonites to approach to put out the flames. In the end the whole was
+consumed, and Timotheus perished in the fire. The Lord has rewarded him
+according to his deeds. So much for what has been done: now for what
+remains to do. This country is not as yet a safe dwelling-place, and will
+not be till the heathen shall be more thoroughly subdued. It is my
+purpose, therefore, to bring the people of this land to Jerusalem.
+Provide, to the best of your ability, for their food and lodging.
+Farewell!"
+
+The exultation felt by the people at Jerusalem when the tidings of their
+final victory reached them passes description. The times of David, they
+were sure, were about to return. The promise was once again to be
+fulfilled--"He shall reign from the flood [the Euphrates], unto the world's
+end." In the Temple chant of the day the words went--"I will not be afraid
+of ten thousands of the people that have set themselves against me round
+about. Up, Lord, and help me, O my God, for Thou smitest all Thine enemies
+upon the cheek-bone. Thou hast broken the teeth of the ungodly."
+
+But when tidings of still further victories, won by Simon in Galilee, came
+in to swell the popular enthusiasm, there was a certain change of feeling,
+something of the jealousy that almost inevitably springs up when great
+deeds are done. Joseph and Azariah chafed at the life of inaction which
+they were forced to live at Jerusalem, and what they thought in their
+hearts the soldiers did not hesitate to express openly. "Let us also," so
+ran the common talk--"let us also get for ourselves a name, and go and
+fight against the enemies of the Lord."
+
+On the day after the tidings of Simon's victories came in the two captains
+were waited upon by a deputation of soldiers, who came to urge that they
+might be relieved from the inaction to which they were condemned, an
+inaction made all the more hard to bear by the glories that were being won
+elsewhere. Azariah and Joseph listened with attention, and, indeed, were
+at no pains to hide their sympathy.
+
+"The men are right," said Joseph, when the deputation had withdrawn. "They
+will lose all heart if we keep them idling here."
+
+"In my heart I am inclined to agree with you," answered his colleague;
+"but what did the captain say?--'Watch the garrison of the heathen that
+they do no hurt to the city and the Holy Place while we are away.' But he
+said nothing of going elsewhere, and I should be unwilling to disobey him,
+for, beyond all doubt, the Lord is with him."
+
+"Nay, brother, you are too narrow in your thoughts of obeying. We obey him
+best if we do the best that we can for the cause of the Lord. And though I
+honour Judas greatly, yet he is but a captain in the Lord's host, even as
+we are. Why should we not do as he has done? And tell me, Azariah," he
+went on, "do you think that the vision which you saw when the angel of the
+Lord brought you a sword with the Name written on it has been altogether
+fulfilled? Shall this sword which he bade you use for the Lord always
+abide in the scabbard? Is this the life to which you are called?"
+
+"You speak truly," said Azariah. "I can scarcely be faithful to my trust
+if I suffer the sword of the Lord to rust. But tell me, what think you we
+had best do?"
+
+"Gorgias," said Joseph, "is encamped at Jamnia, and does great mischief to
+the land and the people; if we can drive him out we shall earn great
+thanks both from the captain and from our brethren."
+
+The resolution of the commanders was heard with unmingled delight by their
+men, and with almost equal pleasure by the inhabitants of the city. Some
+of the more cautious disapproved, and Shemaiah even made his way to the
+Governor's house--no easy task for his scanty strength--and remonstrated
+with Azariah. "My son," said he, "your strength is to sit still. Make not
+too much speed, and be not over-bold." He was listened to with respect,
+and even with some compunction on Azariah's part. But it seemed too late
+to retreat. To hold back now would infallibly give rise to the charge of
+cowardice, and Azariah, brave as a lion against all outward danger, had
+not the rare moral courage which would have enabled him to face such an
+accusation.
+
+At sunrise on the day after the resolution had been taken, the expedition
+set out with confident expectation of victory, and watched from the walls
+by an eager multitude. At sunset a miserable remnant came straggling back
+into the city. They had fared, as their fathers had fared many centuries
+before, when, with the like unauthorized daring, they had assaulted the
+hill fortress of Ai, and had returned, bringing discouragement with them.
+Gorgias had sallied out from his hill fortress, had charged the Jewish
+force with full advantage of the ground, and had driven them in headlong
+flight before them. Azariah and Joseph had done all that leaders could do
+to turn the tide of battle, but their efforts had been in vain. Two
+thousand men had fallen, the wounded being, perforce, left to the mercy or
+cruelty of the enemy.
+
+The city was filled with mourning for the dead; and, of course, there was
+a rapid revulsion of feeling against the leaders whose rash action had
+ended in such disaster. "Who are these men," was the general cry, "who
+have caused the people of the Lord to perish? They are not of the seed of
+those by whose hand deliverance is given to Israel."
+
+
+
+
+
+                             CHAPTER XXIII.
+
+                             MORE VICTORIES.
+
+
+The heathen in the fort observed the return as they had observed the
+departure of the expedition that had ended so disastrously. Their sallies
+became fiercer and more frequent, and Azariah, his forces weakened by the
+loss of two thousand men, found it difficult to repel them. Nothing could
+have exceeded the energy with which he devoted himself to this duty, or
+the courage with which he executed it. Night and day he was at his post,
+for it was here only that he found a refuge from the anguish and doubt
+which tormented him; here only the reproaches of the widows of the slain
+could not follow him. He allowed himself no rest; sleep he seemed
+absolutely to do without, and food he hastily snatched at any moment when
+the opportunity offered.
+
+One remission only from this task he allowed himself, and this because it
+was a duty. He paid a daily visit to his children. They, too, poor little
+souls, had not escaped a share in the trouble. The life which they had led
+for the last two years had developed their understanding beyond their age,
+and they felt, if they did not fully appreciate, their father's
+unhappiness. One consolation they had, the care of two little orphans--the
+father had fallen in the expedition, and the mother had been struck down
+by the news of her husband's death--who had been taken into the house and
+put under the charge of the elderly kinswoman who looked after Azariah's
+household.
+
+On one of these occasions he found the aged Shemaiah. His first impulse
+was to avoid the old man, but a few words of sympathy overcame him; his
+self-control broke down, and hiding his face in his robe he shed the rare
+and painful tears of a man.
+
+When the first outburst of grief was over he spoke.
+
+"Tell me, father, why has God forsaken His servant who trusted in Him. I
+went out in faith--and see the end. Would that I had died in the battle!"
+
+"My son, may it not be that you tempted the Lord? Did you count the cost
+when you went forth against Gorgias, whether you had force sufficient for
+the attack, or skill to handle it?"
+
+"Does faith, then, go for nothing? Had Judas men enough, as soldiers
+reckon in such matters, or skill enough, seeing that he had had no
+experience in war, when he overthrew Apollonius? Yet the Lord gave him the
+victory because he trusted in Him."
+
+"My son, God gave the victory to Judas, having first given him not
+strength only and courage, but skill also and understanding. He gives not
+the same gifts to all: to Moses wisdom and learning, but to Aaron eloquent
+speech; to David the arts of war, but to Solomon the arts of peace. Think
+you that because you are a servant of the Lord, you are therefore to
+choose the service that you will do? You would be captain of the Lord's
+host like Judas. Would you also indite psalms with David, and devise
+proverbs with Solomon? The Spirit of the Lord divideth to every man
+severally as He will. To Mattathias He gave discernment to see in Judas
+the leader and commander of the people, and the people were obedient to
+him. And so Judas discerned in you one who might be entrusted with the
+defence of the city, but not with the warfare against the heathen that are
+without. This was your service, but you were not content with it. Think
+not that the Lord has forgotten you, but rather that you have left the
+place in which you were set."
+
+This was plain speaking, but given with such gentleness and sympathy that
+the rebuke healed more than it wounded. Humbled yet comforted, Azariah
+returned to his post before the fortress. But he could not forget that his
+great trial was yet to come. Nor was it long delayed. The next day it was
+evident that something was happening that had attracted the attention of
+the garrison. The highest tower was crowded with soldiers who were
+intently watching something that could not be seen from below. And indeed
+it was a remarkable spectacle. Judas was returning with his victorious
+army, escorting at the same time a vast crowd of non-combatants, men,
+women, and children, the whole population of the country beyond Jordan,
+which could no longer be inhabited with safety, and all Jerusalem had gone
+out to meet the champion. Then, in a moment, the tower was deserted, the
+gates were thrown open, and a furious sortie, the last that could be
+attempted with any hope of success, was made with the whole force of the
+garrison. It was with a desperate courage that Azariah repelled the
+attack. Never had he exposed himself so recklessly. He could almost have
+wished to fall in the fight; for now the dreaded meeting was at hand, and
+he had to render up to his chief the trust which he had so abused. The
+attack was repelled, and then Azariah had to remain in an inaction that
+was almost unbearable till he should be summoned to the interview with his
+chief.
+
+The sun was just setting when a soldier presented himself, and, after
+saluting, said, "The general seeks you."
+
+"Has he summoned the council?" asked Azariah, who dreaded a public
+censure.
+
+"Nay," said the man; "he is alone."
+
+And Azariah followed him to the captain's house, with such a tremor in his
+heart as no dangers of battle had ever caused.
+
+What followed at the meeting was never known, save as far as the result
+was concerned. Shemaiah was awaiting his return, and the first glance
+showed the old man that things had gone well with his friend. The burden
+of trouble was gone. Azariah looked brighter and more cheerful--so great is
+the force of reaction--than he had done since he had lost his Hannah.
+Shemaiah felt that there was no need to question him, and waited in
+silence for what his friend should please to tell him. What he heard was
+this:
+
+"The captain would have kept me in the office to which he appointed me
+when he departed. He said--and I repeat his words, not for my own glory,
+but for a proof of his generosity--'No man could have better kept the
+heathen from the fort in check than you have done. Therefore, I would have
+you stay where you are. I must go again to the wars, for the Idumeans and
+the Philistines have to be subdued. And I shall go with a lighter heart,
+leaving the defence of the city in your hands.' But I said to him, 'O my
+lord, let me rather go with you. You have accomplished to the full the
+work unto which you were sent of God, and have come back, having redeemed
+from captivity and death our brethren from beyond the river, nor lost one
+of your own people. But I, going in the presumption of my heart to a
+warfare unto which I was not sent, have accomplished nothing; I have
+wrought no deliverance for my people, and the bones of two thousand of my
+brethren lie scattered on the plain. Henceforth I am but a sword in the
+hand of the servant of the Lord.' But the captain said nothing. Let it be
+as he will. As for me, I am content, for I know that he has pardoned me."
+
+Whatever the kind of service in which Judas might see fit to employ his
+lieutenant, it was clear that there would be no lack of work for him to
+do.
+
+The victories of Judas in Gilead had been followed by successes won by
+Simon in Galilee. And from Galilee, as from Gilead, there had been a great
+migration of the inhabitants, who sought in Jerusalem a safer home than
+they could find in their own country.
+
+And now, at the head of a more powerful army than he had hitherto been
+able to collect, Judas set out. His first object was Hebron, which had for
+some time past been in the possession of the Idumeans. He took it by
+assault; it might almost be said, so unexpected was his coming, by
+surprise. Indeed, one cause of his success was the extraordinary rapidity
+and secrecy of his movements. Almost the moment that his plans were
+formed, he was on his way to execute them. Even if there had been traitors
+or spies in his camp--and such were almost unknown--any information which
+they could send to the enemy was outstripped, so to speak, by his action.
+Hebron had to be abandoned after its capture, for he could not spare a
+sufficient garrison to hold it. All that could be done was to take care
+that it should not, for some time at least, become a stronghold of the
+enemy. Its citadel was destroyed; the towers on the wall burnt, and a
+furlong of the wall itself broken down.
+
+From Hebron the Jewish leader marched southward, and then turning eastward
+invaded the country of the Philistines. Azotus, which was supposed to be
+safe on account of its maritime position, and was, in consequence,
+negligently guarded, was assaulted with success, and its temples and
+altars destroyed, though Gorgias was still in force at Jamnia, only nine
+miles to the north. Several of the smaller Philistine towns were taken on
+the return march to Jerusalem; and altogether this people received a
+lesson which they were not likely soon to forget. All this was
+accomplished with very little loss. Joel, the priest, however, was killed
+at Azotus, where he had recklessly exposed himself in the attack.
+
+Great as was the popular rejoicing at these victories, it was nothing to
+the exultation caused by the next tidings that reached
+Jerusalem--Antiochus, the oppressor, the blasphemer--Antiochus was dead!
+
+The day after the return of the army a Syrian runner was caught while
+endeavouring to make his way into the fortress through the lines of the
+besiegers. He had been sent by Lysias with a despatch to the commander of
+the garrison. The document was of the briefest. It ran thus:
+
+
+          "_Lysias, the Governor, to the most valiant Eucrates._
+
+  "Know that our most excellent Lord and King, Antiochus, surnamed the
+  Illustrious, is dead in Persia. Let the soldiers that are with you
+  swear allegiance to the son of our departed master by the name of
+  Antiochus Eupator, which he has taken to himself in remembrance of the
+  glories of his father."(20)
+
+
+The man, when questioned by Judas and the council, was able to supplement
+the bare news of the King's death with some interesting details. He had
+had some talk with the messenger who had brought the tidings to Antioch,
+and had heard all that was as yet known. His story ran thus:
+
+"The King was in Persia when he heard how his armies had been defeated,
+not once or twice only, in the land of Jud�a. Great was his rage--so great
+that for the space of three or four hours none dared to come near him.
+Then he summoned his counsellors to him, and said, 'I will destroy this
+nation of rebels till there shall be not one of them left,' and giving up
+all other plans he marched westward with all his army. But on his way he
+came to the city of Elyma�s, where there is a temple, the treasury of
+which is reputed to be more wealthy than any in the whole land of Persia,
+for it has never been spoiled within the memory of man. Even the great
+Alexander left it untouched, adding also much of the spoil which he had
+taken himself. This temple the father of the King had sought to plunder;
+but the people of the city rose against him, and drove him away. When the
+King came to this city he said, 'Here is another nest of rebels. Did they
+not rise against the King, my father? Verily I will avenge his memory upon
+them.' So he went into the city, having some five hundred soldiers with
+him. And the magistrates received him with honour. And when he said, 'I
+would see your temple and its treasures,' they consented. 'Only,' they
+said, 'it is our custom that no armed man may come within the precincts.'
+'Will you strip me of my sword?' said the King. 'Not so,' they answered,
+'but your followers must be without any, and not more than ten in number.'
+When the King heard this he was greatly wroth, and said to the magistrates
+of the city, 'I will come in despite of you.' So he went, he and his five
+hundred, to the square in which the temple stands. But he found the whole
+place filled with an armed multitude, and when he would have forced his
+way into the precincts he was beaten back, losing not a few of his
+soldiers, and being himself struck on the head with a stone. After this,
+whether it was from his rage, which became more terrible than ever, or
+from any other cause, I know not; but the King was smitten with some
+disease, and could no longer ride, as he had been wont, but was carried in
+a litter. And they say that the stench of his wounds was so great that the
+men who bore the litter could scarcely endure it, but were changed
+continually. So they brought him to Tabol, in the land of Persia, and
+there he died, being terribly tormented with pain. And I heard that when
+he was dying, he cried out with a most lamentable voice repenting him of
+the wrong that he had done against the gods in robbing their temples."
+
+"Of what did he speak?" asked one of the council.
+
+"Nay," said the man, "that I know not. Some said that he spoke of this
+Temple in Jerusalem, and some that it was the temple in Elyma�s, where men
+worship the moon-goddess, that was in his mind. But more I do not know."
+
+Judas rose up in his place and repeated the last words of that great
+triumphal chant in which more than a thousand years before Deborah and
+Barak had celebrated the overthrow of another king who had mightily
+oppressed the children of Israel.
+
+"So let all Thine enemies perish, O Lord, but let them that love Him be as
+the sun when he goeth forth in his might."
+
+
+
+
+
+                              CHAPTER XXIV.
+
+                           THE SABBATICAL YEAR.
+
+
+A time was now approaching to which the responsible leaders of the people
+looked forward, for the most part, with great anxiety. This was the
+Sabbatical year. During a whole twelve months it would not be lawful to
+carry on any offensive war, or, a far more serious matter, to till the
+ground. Debate ran high as to whether the Law could be observed in its
+strictness. There were many who asked, with no little show of reason,
+"Will it be possible in times so troublous to keep a year of rest? Moses,
+when he commanded it, thought of a people dwelling quietly in a land from
+which they had driven out all their enemies. As things are now, these
+enemies are about us, and even in the very midst of us. And then the
+harvest? Will it suffice to feed the people, already more than twice as
+numerous as in the previous year, and daily increasing?"
+
+The answer of the Chasidim was peremptory. "For what," they asked, "have
+we suffered and fought? For what did the martyrs lay down their
+lives--Eleazar the priest, and the mother and her sons, and Hannah, the
+wife of Azariah, and others without number? For what did Mattathias wear
+out the remnant of his years? Was it not for the Law, that it might be
+kept whole and undefiled? Might we not have lived in peace, and stood high
+in favour with the King, if we had been content to forsake the law of the
+Lord our God? And now that He has given us the victory, and delivered us
+from the hand of the heathen, so that we may serve Him without fear, shall
+we cast His commandments behind our backs? Were we not few in number, and
+scarcely armed, and yet did He not give into our hands great armies, well
+equipped with shield and sword and spear? Were we not well-nigh perishing
+of hunger among the mountains, and did He not richly supply our needs?
+Surely the earth is the Lord's and the fulness thereof, and, if He will,
+He can make that which it bringeth forth of itself to abound even as the
+fields which the sower has sowed and the reaper has reaped?"
+
+And the Chasidim had their way, as zealous men are wont to have it, when
+they know exactly their own minds and what they want. The Sabbatical year
+was proclaimed. There was to be no labour, no ploughing or sowing, no
+tendance of oliveyards and vineyards. The people were to live simply and
+wholly on the bounty of the earth.
+
+The first month of the Sabbatical year itself bore the name of the
+Sabbatical month. Into this were crowded three of the great feasts and
+celebrations of the year--the Feast of Trumpets, the Day of Atonement, and
+the Feast of Tabernacles. But the whole year was to be one round of
+religious celebrations. To the daily sacrifices in the Temple were added
+special services of intercession, praise, and thanksgiving. Nor did the
+Temple-worship alone satisfy the religious wants of the people. The
+synagogues were thronged, and that not on the Sabbath only but on every
+day of the week. The Law and the Prophets were read and expounded, not, we
+may be sure, without many stirring references to the events of the day.
+
+All this religious enthusiasm was wanted to support the people under the
+hardships of the time. Provisions, if they did not actually run short,
+began to rise in price. Judas and his council did their best to prevent
+it; but the selfish instincts of the possessors of corn could not be
+overcome; stores were held back from the market, and the poorer class,
+swollen as it was in numbers by the great immigration of the preceding
+year from Gilead and Galilee, began to suffer seriously.
+
+Meanwhile the insolence of the Greek garrison was increasing daily. The
+Jewish soldiers contented themselves, or endeavoured to content
+themselves, with repelling attack. This meant, of course, standing exposed
+to showers of missiles which they could not return, and it tried their
+patience to the uttermost. Even some of the Chasidim were heard to murmur
+that there must be some limits to this endurance; among the besiegers in
+general, who had not risen to the height of Chasidim zeal, a spirit of
+discontent was growing up that might well have become dangerous.
+
+Before long, however, the evil worked its own cure. One sabbath-day, about
+the beginning of the month which we should call November, there was a
+great solemnity in the Temple, and the outposts of the besieging force had
+been more than usually weakened. Ruth, with her little Daniel and her two
+nieces, was going towards the Temple, escorted by her husband and Micah,
+when one of the lower gates of the fortress was suddenly thrown open, and
+a party of Greeks rushed out upon the party. Seraiah and Micah were both
+armed, but for some minutes they had to make head against their assailants
+alone. One of the soldiers who had seized Ruth was promptly felled to the
+earth by a blow from Micah's sword; and Seraiah did similar execution on
+another. But the odds were too great for them. Micah was brought to the
+ground, and it was only by desperate efforts that his brother-in-law could
+save him from being stabbed as he lay. Ruth, meanwhile, being left without
+help, was carried off to the very gates of the fortress. And then, just
+before it was too late, came the longed-for help. The two girls, who, with
+their little cousin, had been some distance behind, ran screaming towards
+the Temple, and happily met with their father, who was just about to
+change guard at one of the posts. He and his company ran at the top of
+their speed to the scene of the conflict, plunged recklessly through the
+missiles which were showered on them from the fortress, and reached the
+wall at the same moment with the ravishers, whose progress was impeded by
+the struggles of the captive, for, brave woman as she was, she never lost
+her presence of mind. A few of the party escaped into the fortress, the
+nearest gate of which was cautiously opened to receive them; but the
+greater number were instantly put to the sword. Ruth, whose strength broke
+down when she knew that she was safe, was carried home, sorely bruised and
+half-unconscious.
+
+Judas was profoundly moved when he heard of this outrage. He had long been
+chafing under the restrictions imposed upon his action by his rigid
+supporters, and this determined him to break through them. He had a great
+affection for Azariah and his kindred. The men were known to him for their
+loyalty and courage, and Ruth as an indefatigable worker among the sick
+and wounded. His resolution was taken, but with the prudence and soundness
+of judgment that were habitual to him he was careful to avoid any
+appearance of being peremptory or self-willed. He called to him one of his
+lieutenants, who was reputed to be a leader among the Chasidim.
+
+"Micaiah," he said, "you remember when a thousand of our brethren were
+slain by the heathen, helpless and unarmed, because it was the sabbath?"
+
+"I remember," replied the man.
+
+"And that it was determined by my father, as captain of the host, with
+full consent of all the princes and priests, that such a thing should
+happen no more?"
+
+"It was so determined."
+
+"Think you, then, that there is one law for the seventh day, and another
+for the seventh year?"
+
+"I know nothing, save what I find in the traditions of the fathers."
+
+"Our fathers had no such experience as we have had. No, Micaiah, we will
+not reap nor sow, trusting that the Lord will feed us. But I see not that
+the Law forbids us to strike with the sword when the heathen seek to carry
+our wives and our children into captivity, nor will I lay upon the people
+a burden that the Lord has not laid upon them. If I sin in this matter,
+let the punishment fall upon me and upon my father's house."
+
+Micaiah was not altogether content, but he did not feel sufficiently
+convinced to resist. And, indeed, the character and the exploits of Judas
+gave an overpowering weight to any conclusion at which he arrived.
+
+The next day an assembly of the soldiers was held, and Judas informed them
+that operations would be more vigorously conducted for the future. The
+announcement was received with great satisfaction, even by the stricter
+partisans of the Law. The insolence of the garrison was summarily checked.
+The sallies on which it ventured were repulsed so fiercely that they were
+soon discontinued, while relays of archers and slingers, succeeding each
+other without intermission from earliest dawn to nightfall, kept the walls
+clear.
+
+But though this difficulty was surmounted others not less serious
+remained. The privations resulting from the observance of the Sabbatical
+year were such as to overtask the endurance of all but enthusiasts. And,
+of course, under these circumstances it was inevitable that the
+regulations should be evaded. Huldah, with the children, was wandering one
+day among the gardens in the neighbourhood of the city. They were
+searching for some fruit for Ruth who was now making a very slow recovery
+from the injuries which she had received. They were at liberty to go where
+they pleased, for all right of property was at an end, at least for the
+time. But others had been before them, and it seemed as if everything had
+been gathered, even before it was ripe. They were returning home with but
+the scantiest results from this toil when they witnessed a scene of
+uproar. Some men had been discovered by the officers of the chief priests
+in the unlawful act of cultivating the ground. They had been sowing the
+seeds of some quick-growing plants, doing it in such an irregular fashion
+that what came up might seem to have been chance-sown, but they had been
+detected, and were now being led off in custody, angry and defiant, and
+loudly condemning the bigoted folly which, as they said, to carry out an
+obsolete enactment, condemned a whole people to starvation.
+
+A crowd speedily gathered and followed the officers and their prisoners to
+the house of one of the chief priests. Huldah and the children went with
+it. The case was tried, in Eastern fashion, in the open air and in public.
+The process was short, for the offenders had been caught in the act, and
+the law which they had transgressed was plain. The defence which they
+attempted on the plea of necessity was cut short by the judge. "The Word
+of God," said he, "is of more account than meat and drink. Take these
+men," he went on, speaking to an officer whom we should call the
+provost-marshal, "and see that they suffer each forty stripes save one.
+And you," he added, turning to the prisoners, "know that if you offend
+again in this matter you shall be stoned with stones till you die."
+
+The men were bound and flogged. That was a sight which Huldah and the
+children did not wait to see; but just as they were reaching their home
+the men passed them, furious at the indignity which they had suffered, and
+loudly proclaiming their determination to be revenged.
+
+The next morning they were missing from the city. A porter at one of the
+smaller gates was found tied and gagged. He said that he had been attacked
+by a party of men, some of whom could be identified by his description
+with the sufferers of the day before. The others were Greeks, apparently
+belonging to the garrison. They had surprised him, taken his keys from
+him, and had gone--so he judged from something that he had overheard--on the
+road to Antioch. This gave a serious aspect to the affair. The men had
+evidently deserted, and would put all the information that they had at the
+service of the enemy. Judas immediately ordered a pursuit. But though the
+party that he sent out was more than once close upon the tracks of the
+fugitives it did not succeed in overtaking them.
+
+Time went on. The Feast of the Dedication came round, and was kept with as
+much cheerfulness as the depressed spirits and scanty means of the people
+permitted. Spring succeeded winter, bringing with it in its milder
+temperature and in the abundance of its natural growths some alleviations
+of the common suffering. But the prospect, as a whole, was scarcely
+brighter. It was almost a relief when tidings reached the city that a
+struggle was at hand. It was better, thought many, to die on the field of
+battle than to sit still and starve. And, indeed, death on the
+battle-field seemed a likely prospect. Lysias, who had been making his
+preparations during the whole of the winter, was now, it was said, about
+to set forth. The force which he had under his command was reported to be
+overwhelmingly strong, numbering not less than 120,000 men. It was also
+said that he had with him thirty-two war-elephants. The boy-King--Eupator
+was not more than nine years old--was also said to be with him.
+
+
+
+
+
+                              CHAPTER XXV.
+
+                                REVERSES.
+
+
+Judas met the danger with his accustomed resolution. He waited in the city
+till he could be certain of the road which the invaders were taking. As
+soon as he knew that it was from the south that they were approaching, he
+collected all his available force, having for the purpose to raise the
+siege of the fortress, and marched forth to meet them.
+
+The fortress of Beth-zur, which was intended to be the first line in the
+defence of the capital, was in danger of falling into the hands of the
+enemy. Micah had received, early in the year, a commission to revictual
+it, but had found the task one that was difficult, if not impossible, to
+execute. There was a positive scarcity of food, and the scarcity was
+aggravated as usual by the practice of hoarding. It was to little purpose
+that Micah scoured the country, making requisitions of grain and other
+supplies. Some few, strong in their faith, gave up what they had, and
+committed themselves and their children to the Lord, whose law they were
+seeking to obey. Others met the demand with a flat refusal, and at the
+same time taunted Micah with the folly of enforcing an impracticable law
+in times of such difficulty. Many met him with the plea of poverty, and
+their wasted forms and sunken faces were proof enough that this plea was
+genuine. The work, therefore, for all the zeal that Micah displayed, went
+on but very slowly, and, indeed, was not half finished when the advanced
+guard of the army of Lysias appeared. Beth-zur was immediately invested.
+The engines, of which Lysias had a large stock, played fiercely upon the
+walls, and preparations was made for an assault. Micah, on the other hand,
+saw no hope that he would be able to stand a long siege. The garrison
+under his command was not large enough adequately to man the walls, while
+it was too large for the stock of provisions which he had been able to
+collect.
+
+Under these circumstances his resolution was soon taken. Before dawn on
+the second day of the investment the whole garrison made a desperate
+sally. Happily they had no non-combatants to care for, and as yet no sick
+or wounded. Fire was set to the engines. The besiegers, thinking that this
+was the object of the attack, and that the garrison would make their way
+back into the fortress, when this had been accomplished, occupied
+themselves chiefly in putting out the fire. But Micah had no intention of
+returning. He availed himself of the confusion caused by the burning of
+the camp, cut his way with desperate resolution through the enemy, and
+succeeded in reaching the camp of Judas with the larger part of his force.
+The rest were not able to follow him, but succeeded in regaining the
+fortress, which they continued to hold against the Greeks.
+
+The camp was at Beth-Zachariah, about nine miles south from Jerusalem, and
+on an elevated position, not less than three thousand feet above the level
+of the sea, which commanded the whole of the neighbouring country. Behind,
+to the north, could be seen the towers of Jerusalem, with Bethlehem, the
+City of David, in the nearer foreground, nestling among its oliveyards and
+vineyards. To the west lay the plain of Philistia, with the white cliff of
+Gath clearly visible in the extreme distance; to the east could be seen
+the purple mountains of Moab. The road from Hebron, by which the Greek
+army would approach, crept along the eastern side of the mountains. From
+his elevated position Judas could see the movements of his adversaries
+while they were still at a considerable distance. Observing that they
+pitched their camp on the further side of a narrow defile, with the
+character of which he was intimately acquainted, he conceived the idea of
+an ambush.
+
+He summoned Azariah to his tent and detailed his plan. Azariah also knew
+the place well, and entered into the scheme with enthusiasm--such
+enthusiasm, indeed, that Judas felt it necessary to give him a parting
+caution. "Remember," he said, "if this scheme fails, that you come back to
+me immediately. If the ambush should be discovered, retreat at once. There
+must be no attack. I cannot spare a man. We shall want all that we have,
+if not more than all, to make head against the thousands of Lysias."
+
+Azariah promised obedience, and lost no time in setting out on his errand.
+Shortly after sunset he started, having with him a picked force of a
+thousand men. Before midnight he had reached the place fixed upon by
+Judas, and there, in a hollow half-way up the side of the hill that formed
+one side of the pass, he laid his ambush.
+
+It was an anxious night for the little band. It was always an accepted
+maxim in ancient warfare that it was the most steadfast courage that was
+wanted for the ambush. Men who were brave enough when fighting in the open
+plain found their courage fail when they had to lie for hours watching for
+the moment of attack, crouched upon the ground, unable to move and
+scarcely venturing to talk. Azariah's men were brave--indeed they had been
+carefully chosen for this very service--but they were not altogether
+insensible of the dangers of their position. They knew, too, and even
+exaggerated the strength of the advancing army. As they talked in whispers
+during the night, for, as may be imagined, few could sleep, they spoke of
+the chances of the coming day. The elephants, which had never before been
+seen on Jewish soil, were mentioned with special awe.
+
+"Strange and terrible beasts they are," said one man to his neighbour;
+"savage as lions, and many times larger and stronger."
+
+"Is it so?" said the other. "I heard once from an Arab, who had been
+driver of one of these creatures, that they are marvellously gentle and
+tame."
+
+"Maybe they are by nature; but their drivers have ways of rousing them to
+fury before the battle."
+
+"How so?"
+
+"They show them the blood of grapes and mulberries, and the creatures rage
+terribly. 'Tis said that one of them can tread down a whole company of
+men."
+
+"Well, but 'tis possible, I know, to stand against them. King Antiochus,
+father to the madman whom the Lord smote for his sins, had an array of
+them in his army when he fought against the Romans at Magnesia, but they
+profited him little. So Simeon told me--you know the man, the old Benjamite
+who took service with the King. The Romans stood firm in their rank, and
+threw their javelins at the beasts' trunks, and in the end, so Simeon
+said, they did more damage to their own people than to the enemy."
+
+"The Lord grant that it be so to-morrow."
+
+The sun had just risen when the approach of the Greek army became visible.
+And now the vanguard was almost within striking distance of the ambush
+which, to all appearance, was still undiscovered. Another few steps and
+they would be immediately below, at a point where they might be assailed
+with disastrous effect. Behind a little rock which was within a few yards
+of the pass Azariah knelt, sword in hand, waiting to give the signal to
+his men. Their fears had mostly vanished in the morning light, and the
+dreaded elephants did not form part of the advanced guard.
+
+But just as Azariah was about to give the signal to charge his quick ear
+caught the sound of tramping feet, which seemed to come from some place
+above his own position. The next moment he caught sight, in the slanting
+rays of the early sun, of the glitter of helmets and shields. A Greek
+force, fully equal in number to his own, was marching in a direction
+parallel to the pass but higher up the mountain-side. Lysias had learnt
+wisdom from experience. He no longer despised his enemy, but credited him
+with the military skill which, indeed, he had more than once proved
+himself to possess. He had foreseen the ambush, and had sent a force to
+guard against the danger. Azariah's force, though out of sight of the
+road, could be seen from the higher ground, and the Greeks greeted their
+appearance with shouts of laughter. For one moment a wild desire to charge
+swept through the mind of the Jewish captain. He had hoped to blot out by
+some brilliant service the remembrance of his former disaster, and now he
+had failed again. True, it was not by his own fault; yet he had failed,
+and he would have to go back to Judas empty-handed. A single word would
+have sent his men in furious onset against the foe. Should he say it? Then
+there came back to his recollection the gentleness and forbearance of
+Judas. He could not disobey such a leader a second time. He gave the
+signal to retreat. His men heard it with disgust; but they knew that he
+was acting against his own desire as much as against theirs, and they
+obeyed without a murmur, or, if some of the youngest and fiercest among
+them complained of the order, it was only under their breath that they
+spoke.
+
+Azariah now made his way to Judas with all the haste that he could use.
+
+"I have failed," he said. "The heathen seemed to know of our design
+beforehand. There could be no surprise, so I did not attack, but came back
+to you at once."
+
+"You have done well," said Judas, who knew what a sacrifice the fiery
+soldier had made. "A chance victory won by disobeying orders is worse than
+a defeat."
+
+But Judas, though, as always, he did full justice to his lieutenant, was
+much depressed by the failure of the attempt, and he looked with a gloomy
+brow at the approaching host, as it came on in all the pomp and
+circumstance of war, the sunlight gleaming on the banners, the helmets of
+brass and gold, and on the long, slanting lines of spear-heads. As it came
+nearer the regular tread of the columns and the clang of arms, with now
+and then the shrill voice of a clarion or the deep note of a trumpet heard
+above the roar, moved even the stoutest warrior to something like fear.
+
+Judas followed once more the tactics which he had so often found
+successful. To stand on the defensive was hopeless; his few thousands
+would inevitably be trodden down under the feet of this huge multitude.
+His only hope was in attack. If he could but break the line at a single
+point his success might be again, as it had been before, the beginning of
+a panic, and the great host of Lysias might melt away as the host of
+Apollonius had melted; but the attack must be made while the enemy were
+yet upon ground where they had not space to make full use of their
+numbers. He charged with his accustomed fury before the vanguard of the
+enemy had emerged into the open. For a time it seemed as if his audacity
+was to be successful. The hostile army reeled under the shock of the
+patriots' furious charge. In two or three places it broke. But there was
+in reserve a second line of veterans, the steadiest and best troops that
+could be found in the Syrian armies, for Lysias knew by this time that
+none but the very best could stand against Judas and his Ironsides. And
+then the numbers were overpowering. Step by step the Jewish column was
+forced back. They left six hundred of the enemy dead on the field behind
+them; but the attack had failed.
+
+Then, as the Greek army deployed upon the open ground which the retreat of
+the Jews left open to them, the elephants came upon the scene--the "huge,
+earth-shaking beasts," which even the hardiest warrior could hardly see
+for the first time without some sinking of heart. Each animal was
+accompanied by picked bodies of horse and foot. Each carried a tower from
+which skilful marksmen, whose accurate aim was greatly helped by their
+elevated position, hurled missiles upon the ranks of the foe. The
+creatures themselves seemed to share in all the fury of the battle. They
+trumpeted loudly and furiously; at the bidding of the Indian drivers who
+were perched upon their necks they seized soldiers from among the Jewish
+ranks with their trunks, whirled them aloft, and then dashed them down,
+mangled and lifeless corpses, upon the ground.
+
+Then was done one of the heroic acts which stand out conspicuously on the
+pages of history. Eleazar, one of the Maccabee brothers, saw how his
+countrymen were being demoralized by the terror of these strange
+adversaries, and felt that it was a crisis that called for personal
+devotion. One of the elephants was conspicuous among the rest, not only
+for its superior size but for the splendour of its equipment. He felt sure
+that it must be the one that carried the boy-King himself. Immediately his
+resolve was taken. He made his way, striking furiously right and left, and
+dealing death with every blow, through the Syrian ranks, crept under the
+huge beast, and dealt him a mortal wound. Like another Samson, he perished
+by his own success. The creature fell with a suddenness that gave him no
+opportunity of escape, and he was crushed to death by its weight.
+
+  [Illustration: _The Death of Eleazar._]
+
+The hero did not accomplish his object, to rally his countrymen. One might
+rather say that their panic was heightened by the fall of one of the
+heroic brothers, a son of the great house to which they owed their
+liberty. But his deed was not forgotten. The fourth of the Maccabee
+brothers lived in the history of his people as Eleazar Avaran--Eleazar "the
+Beast Slayer."
+
+But the battle was lost beyond all hope. The only thing left for Judas was
+to save as much as he could out of the wreck. He sounded the signal for
+retreat, drew off his men in good order, and, making his way back as
+rapidly as possible to Jerusalem, threw himself into the Temple fortress,
+resolved to stand a siege.
+
+
+
+
+
+                              CHAPTER XXVI.
+
+                          LIGHT OUT OF DARKNESS.
+
+
+For a time the prospects of the patriots seemed dark indeed. Beth-zur had
+fallen, and the only hope of the cause was in the Temple fortress. This
+was fiercely assailed by the garrison of the Greek stronghold of Mount
+Zion on the one side, and, on the other, by the army which had been
+victorious at Beth-Zachariah, and which now occupied the Lower City. The
+Temple fortress was strong; it was fairly well supplied with munitions of
+war; and the garrison was large--indeed, almost too large for the
+accommodation of the place. The fatal weakness of the position was the
+scanty supply of provisions. Only water was abundant, for the unsparing
+toil of former generations had provided for this want; had it not been for
+this the resistance of the garrison must very soon have come to an end,
+for food was scarce--so scarce, indeed, that the strength of the fighting
+men could hardly be maintained by the insufficient rations which were
+doled out to them, while the few non-combatants received barely enough to
+keep body and soul together.
+
+The condition of the Jewish population of the city was not as bad as might
+have been expected. The cruelties of the days of Apollonius and Philip
+were not repeated; for Lysias, who, as guardian of the boy-King, was
+practically supreme, favoured a policy of conciliation, and did his best
+to repress outrage. Indeed he sanctioned the establishment of what may be
+called a municipal guard or militia, which, while under obligation to give
+no assistance to the garrison of the Temple, was permitted to protect the
+peaceful inhabitants of the city. This guard was under the command of
+Seraiah.
+
+There was much, of course, that it was difficult for those to bear who
+looked to Judas and his brothers as the hope of Israel. Menela�s had
+returned, and with him a whole troop of renegade Jews, whose insolence and
+impiety sorely tried the patience of the faithful population. And the
+scarcity of food was only less severe in the city than it was in the
+fortress.
+
+For some time Seraiah's own household continued to receive mysterious
+supplies from some unknown source, which made them far more comfortable
+than their neighbours. Once a week, or even oftener, they would find a bag
+of corn or flour, a basket of dried grapes or other fruits, a bundle of
+salt fish, a string of doves or wood-pigeons, put in an outhouse, nor
+could they guess who their benefactor could be. But when this had gone on
+for nearly two months, the secret came out. Seraiah, returning from his
+military duties at an early hour in the morning, and entering by a little
+postern gate in order to avoid disturbing the household, saw a man drop
+from the garden wall. He seized him by the arm, and the stranger, turning
+sharply round, revealed the well-known features of Benjamin.
+
+"What do you here?" he asked.
+
+"I am come on an errand of my own," answered the robber.
+
+"But in my house?"
+
+"Ask no more questions," said the man; "but take my word--and I would not
+lie to you for all the kingdom of Antiochus--that I mean no harm to you or
+yours."
+
+A thought flashed across Seraiah's mind.
+
+"It is you, then, who have been bringing us, week after week, these
+supplies of food?"
+
+Benjamin said nothing.
+
+"I adjure you by God that you answer me," said Seraiah.
+
+"Well, if you will know it, it is I who have done it. Why should not God
+use a man's hands to feed His servants, as well as a raven's beak?"
+
+"Tell me--how did you come by these things?"
+
+"In various ways."
+
+"Lawfully?"
+
+"Well, I can hardly say; you and I might not agree about the matter."
+
+"Tell me--did you buy them with your money?"
+
+"Nay; that is not my way. I do not buy or sell."
+
+"Then you stole them."
+
+"I told you that we should not agree. But this I know, that they to whom
+they belonged could do without them better than you and your children."
+
+"Benjamin," said Seraiah, "you mean well, and I thank you. But after this
+bring no more of these gifts, for I cannot receive them. I would not have
+my Judge say to me, 'When thou sawest a thief, thou consentedst unto him.'
+I had sooner die of hunger--aye, and what is far worse, see my children
+die--than take that which has not been lawfully acquired."
+
+"As you will have it," said Benjamin; "if there were more like you, mayhap
+I should have been a better man. But meanwhile, the world being what it
+is, you and yours will have a hard time of it;" and he turned to go away.
+"And the captain," he went on--"how does he fare? I hear that things are
+not going well with him. 'Tis a thousand pities, for a braver man never
+handled sword."
+
+Seraiah told him briefly the story of recent events, and described the
+present condition of affairs, the other listening with an eager attention,
+and breaking in now and then with an exclamation of wonder and admiration.
+
+"Come, Benjamin," he said, when he had finished, "why will you not throw
+in your lot with us? Things look dark just now; but they will brighten. He
+who has helped us so far will not desert us now."
+
+"Sir," said the man, "I would gladly follow the captain, whether he led me
+to life or to death. No man could ask a better lot than to be his soldier.
+But I like not all that are with him. They are over-strict, and make no
+allowance for such as have not their zeal. Once they beat me; another time
+they had stoned me to death but that I slipped out of their hands; and
+both for some miserable trifles which no man of sense would care about.
+No, sir; Judas I honour and love, but these bigots who give a man no peace
+I cannot away with. And now the day is beginning to break, and I must go.
+I am sorry that you will not take my poor gifts."
+
+The next moment he had disappeared.
+
+And now came a time of grievous trouble for Ruth and her young charges,
+for she had naturally taken charge of Azariah's two daughters. She did not
+question her husband's refusal to share any longer the illicit gains of
+Benjamin, but she could not shut her eyes to the fact that the children
+were suffering grievously. For herself she could endure, as women can; the
+girls, too, were old enough to understand the cause of their suffering,
+though they could not enter into the reasons of what seemed so strange an
+observance--the Sabbatical year; but little Daniel was too young to know
+much beyond the fact that he was always terribly hungry, and though he was
+often brave enough to check his crying when he saw how it distressed his
+mother, there were times when the pangs of hunger were more than he could
+bear in silence. Poor Ruth denied herself everything but the few scraps
+that were absolutely necessary to keep body and soul together, and her
+physical weakness did not make it easier to keep up her hope and courage.
+Her hardest task, perhaps, was to hide, as far as it was possible, the
+true state of things from her husband. His strength must be kept up, for
+so much depended upon it; but the children, not to speak of herself, had
+to have their scanty share diminished that it might be so. This, of
+course, he was not allowed to know, and Ruth was at her wits' end again
+and again to keep it from him.
+
+Within the Temple fortress, meanwhile, things had become almost desperate.
+A few shekels' weight of flour was given out to each man daily, for Judas
+insisted that all should share alike. That even this scanty allowance
+might hold out the longer, numbers of the garrison made their escape every
+night under the cover of darkness that the remainder might prolong their
+resistance for yet a few days more.
+
+Before long came a time when absolutely nothing was left. "Their vessels
+were without victuals," and Judas and the few that still remained with him
+met to hold a final deliberation.
+
+"My friends," said the great captain, "you see the straits into which we
+are brought. There is no need to tell you of them, or to prove by words
+what we all know too well in fact. What, then, shall we do? Shall we stay
+here and perish slowly by hunger, or shall we fall upon our swords, or
+shall we sally forth from the gates, and, having slain as many of the
+heathen as we may, so perish ourselves? I had hoped that the Lord would
+give deliverance to Israel by my hand, and by the hand of my brothers. But
+if it be not so, His will be done. For He is not shut up to do that which
+it pleaseth Him by one man or another. He can call whomsoever He will, and
+give him strength for the work."
+
+He paused for a moment, and Azariah broke in, "It is well said, O captain
+of the host. The Lord hath helped His people hitherto, and He will help
+them to the end. Only let us trust in Him, for"--and here, with an
+impetuous gesture, he struck his foot upon the rock--"they that put their
+trust in the Lord shall be even as this mountain, which may not be
+removed, but standeth fast for ever."
+
+Judas was just rising to announce his resolve when the sound of a trumpet
+was heard at the gate of the fortress. It was a herald bringing a message
+from the young King.
+
+"Have you aught to say to me in private?" asked Judas, when the man was
+brought in.
+
+"Nay," he answered; "my message is one that all may hear."
+
+He then delivered it, reading the words from a parchment which he carried
+in his hand, and which bore the sign-manual (an impression of the
+seal-ring dipped in ink) of Antiochus Eupator, as well as that of Lysias.
+They ran thus:
+
+"Antiochus, surnamed Eupator, King of Syria and Egypt, offers to the
+people of the Jews peace and friendship. He permits them to worship God
+after the manners and customs of their fathers, and he hereby revokes all
+the edicts which the King, his father, having been misinformed by
+unfaithful advisers, issued against the said nation of the Jews."
+
+Never was there a more surprising, a more unexpected change in the
+position of affairs. But it might have been foreseen by those who had
+watched with a full knowledge of the truth, the recent course of events.
+
+Despatches had reached Lysias from Antioch which convinced him that he and
+his young charge had enemies to reckon with who would be far more
+formidable than Judas and his followers. Philip had returned from Persia
+with the host of Epiphanes, and had assumed the management of affairs, and
+Philip was a dangerous rival. Were he to prevail, his own position as the
+chief adviser of the King would be untenable; and the King himself would
+very probably be dispossessed by some other claimant to the throne.
+
+He laid the case, or at least so much as it was necessary to explain,
+before the boy-King. The lad, who was indeed intelligent beyond his years,
+at once acquiesced in the advice, that easy conditions of peace should be
+offered to the garrison.
+
+Then an assembly of the soldiers was summoned. All the officers were
+invited by name, and, after the usual fashion of such gatherings, as many
+of the men as could crowd into the chambers were also present. To them
+Lysias said nothing about the news from Antioch, which it would be better,
+he thought, to conceal as long as possible; but he dwelt on the useless
+hardships which they were all enduring.
+
+"Famine and the pestilence are upon us," he said, "and we decay daily. But
+the place to which we lay siege is strong, and we are no nearer to the
+taking of it than we were six months since. Now, therefore, let us offer
+to these men, who are neither robbers nor murderers, peace and liberty,
+that they may worship God after their own fashion, and live by their own
+laws. For, of a truth, it is far better, as many of yourselves know, that
+they should be our friends than our enemies."
+
+An unanimous shout of approval was the answer; and hence the message which
+came so opportunely to Judas and his followers in the very crisis of their
+despair.
+
+
+
+
+
+                             CHAPTER XXVII.
+
+                           A PEACEFUL INTERVAL.
+
+
+It was one of the stipulations of the peace offered by the young
+Antiochus, and accepted by Judas, that the King should be admitted with
+due ceremony into the surrendered fortress. It was to be a formal
+acknowledgment of his authority, but nothing more. No change, it was
+understood, was to be made; the King and his attendants were not to go
+beyond the court which it was lawful for the Gentiles to enter.
+
+On the morrow, accordingly, the boy-King came with a splendid procession
+of nobles and officers. In front marched a company of soldiers, picked
+from the whole army for their beauty of feature and commanding stature,
+and gorgeous with their gilded arms. Then, in the order of their dignity,
+came the high officers of state; last, the young monarch himself, the
+Governor Lysias leading him by the hand.
+
+The approach to the Temple was thronged by a crowd of eager spectators,
+none of whom were more profoundly interested in the sight than the little
+Daniel, with his cousins, Miriam and Judith. The child's fancy had been
+caught by all that he had heard of the young prince. It seemed strange to
+him, almost beyond belief, that a lad, a little older, it was true, than
+himself, but younger than Miriam, should have power to do so much harm.
+"Mother," he said one day to Ruth, "why does God let him hurt so many
+people? It is all his doing that the brave soldiers are shut up in the
+Temple, and that we have so little to eat. Will he not be punished for it
+some day? I suppose, as he is a king, nobody can punish him except God.
+But He will, won't He, mother?"
+
+  [Illustration: _The Boy King._]
+
+Then came the unexpected news of the peace; and nothing would satisfy
+little Daniel but that he must see the boy-King received in the Temple.
+Eagerly did the child watch him as he walked in his little suit of armour,
+which the most skilful artizans in Antioch had made so light as not to be
+too much for his strength, and great was his delight when Eupator,
+catching a sight of his eager face, kissed his hand to him with a pleasant
+smile. That smile he never forgot, though it is true that his old anger
+against the young king returned next day almost as vehemently as ever when
+he heard that orders had been given that the ramparts of the Temple
+fortress were to be broken down, and that the Greek soldiers, anxious to
+depart, had begun the work of destruction the very hour at which the edict
+had been published.
+
+Though this breach of faith was a great blow to the patriots, still they
+had much to console them. In the first place, to their intense relief, the
+Greek army marched away, and the Holy City was no more defiled by the
+presence of the heathen. Then the renegade Menela�s, whom every faithful
+Jew hated with a more bitter hatred than he felt for the heathen
+themselves, went away, but not of his own free choice, with the King.
+Lysias had an honest man's dislike for a traitor, and indeed did not
+scruple to say that this impostor, who was neither good Jew nor real
+Greek, had done more than any one else to cause the recent troubles.
+
+Not less welcome was the end of the Sabbatical year. This of itself would
+not, of course, have relieved the pressure of scarcity; but there was help
+from without which before had not been available. Hitherto the Jews had
+been under a ban; they were enemies of the Syrian King, and none who
+desired to be his friends would have any dealings with them. Now all was
+changed. The ban was removed. The people were in favour with Eupator and
+Lysias. A brisk trade commenced, and supplies of food came in abundance.
+With good heart and hope the people set themselves to their work. From
+being a city of mourning Jerusalem became gay and cheerful.
+
+The general gladness culminated in the Feast of Tabernacles, always the
+most joyous of Jewish festivals, and now celebrated with special
+manifestations of delight. Never had the people felt so keenly the
+pleasure of seeming at least to return to the simple life of earlier
+times, the rustic enjoyments of a nation that had not yet learnt to dwell
+in cities. It was the ordinance that for seven days the Israelite should
+dwell, not in his house, but in a booth of boughs. For days waggon-loads
+without number of the boughs of the olive, the palm, the pine, the myrtle,
+and other trees which had a foliage sufficiently thick for the purpose,
+were brought into the city. When a house had a roof of a convenient size
+and situation, the booth was built upon it; in many cases it was set up in
+the court. Those who had come from elsewhere to share in the festival set
+up their booths in the court of the Temple, in the street of the Water
+Gate, and in the street of the Gate of Ephraim. It was a beautiful sight
+at any time, and now the fresh foliage hid the scars of many a grievous
+wound that had been inflicted during the years of desolation.
+
+Every day, at the time of the morning sacrifice, each Israelite, gaily
+dressed in holiday attire, made his way to the Temple. Each carried in one
+hand a bundle of the same branches that were used in the building of the
+booths, and in the other a fruit of the citron tree. When all the company
+was assembled, and the parts of the victim had been laid upon the altar, a
+priest was seen approaching with a golden ewer in his hand. He had filled
+it at the pool of Siloam, and he brought it into the court of the Temple
+through the Water Gate. The trumpets sounded as he came in and ascended
+the slope of the altar. On each side of this were two silver basins; into
+that on the eastern side he poured the sacred water; while another priest
+poured wine into that on the western. Then the "Hallel"(21) was sung; when
+the singers came to the words, "O give thanks unto the Lord; for He is
+good, because His mercy endureth for ever," each Israelite shook his
+bundle of branches; he did it again when they sang, "Save, Lord, I beseech
+Thee, O Lord: O Lord, I beseech Thee, send now prosperity;" and a third
+time at the words, "O give thanks unto the Lord; for He is good: for His
+mercy endureth for ever." In the evening there was a grand illumination.
+Eight lamps, so large and so high that they sent their light over nearly
+the whole of the city, were set up in the court of the Temple, while many
+of the people carried flambeaux in their hands. Meanwhile a company of
+Levites, standing on the steps of the Court of the Women, chanted to the
+music of cymbal and the harp the fifteen "Songs of Degrees."(22)
+
+These were the public rejoicings; the private festivities were on the most
+liberal scale. Never did the maxim that he who fails to contribute
+according to his means to the general joy is a sinner above other men meet
+with a more hearty acceptance.
+
+Azariah with his daughters and little Daniel were watching the ceremonies
+of the last and greatest day of the feast from the roof of the Governor's
+house, where they were joined by Micah and by Joseph, who, it will be
+remembered, had shared with him the disastrous command of the city during
+the absence of Judas in Gilead. Joseph was exultant; Micah's face was
+grave and even sad.
+
+"Thank the Lord, Azariah," cried Joseph, "for He has dealt with the
+traitor after his deservings."
+
+"Whom mean you?" asked Azariah; "for we have had more traitors here than
+one."
+
+"Whom should I mean but Menela�s, the false priest who sat in Aaron's
+seat?"
+
+"And what has befallen him?"
+
+"The King has caused him to be put to death. He was in little favour when
+they took him home, for Lysias said that he had wrought all the mischief
+that had been done. And when they came to Antioch the matter of Oniah was
+brought against him, for there were many who loved the old man, and had
+taken it ill that his death had not been fully avenged. And when the young
+King heard the story, Menela�s being present, and having nothing to say
+against it, he cried, 'I wonder that the King, my father, suffered this
+murderer to escape, but he shall not go unpunished any more. Take him, and
+cast him alive into the Tower of Ashes.' So they took him and did as the
+King had commanded."
+
+"And what is the Tower of Ashes?" asked the little Daniel, who had been
+listening to this conversation with a sort of terrified interest.
+
+Micah answered his question. "At Berea is a tower, the bottom of which is
+full of ashes, and in the tower is a machine which revolves and plunges
+the criminal who is bound to it deep into the ashes until he is smothered.
+But as for this unhappy man, the Lord have mercy upon him!"
+
+Joseph turned fiercely upon him. "I marvel," he said, "that you should
+pray for this fellow, who was worse than the heathen. He has but had his
+deservings."
+
+"And where should I be, if I had had mine?" answered Micah. "I walked in
+the same way with this Menela�s, and sinned against the Law, even as he
+sinned, and but that God had mercy upon me, surely I had come to the same
+end."
+
+"Don't be sorry, uncle," said the boy, holding up his little face for a
+kiss; "I am sure that God has forgiven you, for He knows how bravely you
+have fought for Him, and how many of the heathen you have killed with your
+sword."
+
+"May it be so, dear child! But though He has forgiven me, yet I must reap
+as I have sown."
+
+"And who shall be high priest in this traitor's place?" asked Joseph,
+after a pause. "For Oniah, the son of him that was slain at Antioch, is in
+the land of Egypt, and he takes part with the unfaithful brethren who
+would build another Temple among the temples of the heathen, leaving the
+place which the Lord has chosen to set His name there."
+
+"And if the House of Zadok have perished, why should not Judas, son of
+Mattathias, be high priest?" said Azariah. "He is of a principal house
+among the sons of Aaron, and the Lord has been with him always."
+
+Joseph had never forgiven Judas for his own disaster. His was one of those
+mean natures that justify the saying, "The injured may forgive, the
+injurer never." The captain had treated him with the same generous
+kindness which he had showed to Azariah, but this kindness had not been
+received in the same temper. On the contrary it rankled in his mind, till
+by a strange, yet not uncommon, perversion of feeling, it had produced a
+positive sense of injury. He now broke out:
+
+"Nay, nay, my friend, you say too much. That he has won victories I deny
+not; but was the Lord with him when he fled before the face of the heathen
+at Beth-Zachariah, or when Beth-zur was yielded up to Lysias, or when we
+had well-nigh perished with famine in the siege, or when the King broke
+down the ramparts of the Temple? Not so: whatever the people may shout or
+sing in his praise, he too has known defeat, even as we have."
+
+"This I know," said Azariah, "that whereas we were trodden underfoot by
+the heathen till there was no life left in us, now we are risen and stand
+upright."
+
+"And how long, think you," returned Joseph, "will it be so with us? Did we
+drive away the King, or did he not rather depart of his own accord,
+because of what he and his counsellors had heard of the doings of Philip?
+And will he not return, and the end be worse than the beginning?"
+
+Azariah answered, with some heat, "As for that which may happen hereafter,
+I say nothing. These things are in the hand of God. But that the young
+Antiochus departed to his own land was, I doubt not at all, of the Lord's
+doing. Why, even this child knows the story of Sennacherib, and the words
+which Isaiah the prophet spoke to Hezekiah when the King was
+faint-hearted, and could not see how there should be any deliverance for
+Israel. Did not the prophet say, 'He shall hear a rumour, and shall return
+unto his own land?'"
+
+Joseph said nothing. With all his meanness and littleness he was a
+patriot, and really loved his country; and it went against his heart and
+conscience to prophesy evil against her.
+
+Then the little Daniel startled them all by saying, with flashing eyes,
+"And I will cause him to fall by the sword in his own land."
+
+
+
+
+
+                             CHAPTER XXVIII.
+
+                             HOPES AND FEARS.
+
+
+A few weeks after the conversation recorded in the last chapter, Ruth was
+hearing her little boy repeat the Commandment when Seraiah came in,
+carrying in his hand an open letter.
+
+"There is news from Syria," he said.
+
+"And is it good or bad?" asked his wife.
+
+"That I can hardly say," was Seraiah's reply. At the same time he
+signalled to his wife that she should take the child out of the room. The
+signal, however, was too late. The quick-witted little fellow had heard
+what had been said, and immediately jumped to the conclusion that
+something had been heard about the boy-King. His mind was occupied, it
+might almost be said, day and night with the thought of the young Eupator.
+He scarcely knew whether he hated or loved him; but the brilliant figure
+of the lad had caught his imagination. He lived, as imaginative children
+often will, a sort of second life in thinking of him.
+
+"Oh! father," he now cried, "I am sure that you have something to tell me
+about the boy-King. Is he coming here again? I should like to see him,
+though he did break his promise so shamefully."
+
+"My boy," said his father, "you will never see him again."
+
+"Oh! Why?"
+
+"He is dead. This letter tells me all about him."
+
+The boy burst into a passionate fit of tears, which all his mother's
+caresses and attempts at consolation were for some time unable to stop.
+When the violence of his grief had spent itself he said--
+
+"Oh! father, tell me about him. Were they very cruel to him? And how did
+it happen? I thought that kings killed people, but I did not know that any
+one could kill them."
+
+"Listen, my child, and I will try to explain it to you. The father of
+Eupator, the boy who is just dead, was not rightfully King. He came after
+his elder brother, and this elder brother had a son named Demetrius, who
+ought to have succeeded his father. But this son had been sent to Rome as
+a hostage."
+
+"What do you mean by a hostage, father?"
+
+"When you are going to trust some one about whom you do not feel quite
+sure, you take something from him that he values very much, and say, 'You
+will lose this unless you behave well.' So Demetrius's father gave his son
+to the Romans to keep, and the Romans were sure that as long as they had
+the child his father would not do anything that they did not like. Well,
+as I told you, Demetrius was sent to Rome to be security for his father's
+good behaviour, and there he lived all the time that Antiochus, whom they
+called Epiphanes, was King. And when Epiphanes died Demetrius asked the
+Romans to let him go, that he might claim the kingdom which, he said,
+belonged to him and which his cousin Eupator was too young to be able to
+govern. But they would not let him go, and I have been told that Lysias
+bribed some of the chief men among them, and these persuaded the rest. At
+last he got tired of waiting for leave, and he ran away from Rome without
+it, and landed at a place called Tripolis, not very far from Antioch, with
+only twenty or thirty men with him. But as soon as ever the soldiers at
+Antioch heard of his coming, they declared that they would have him for
+their King."
+
+"But why?" put in Daniel.
+
+"Well, if they did not know much that was good about him, they knew
+nothing that was bad. Anyhow they all rose in his favour; and they seized
+the young King and Lysias the Governor and brought them to him, and asked
+him what they should do with them. He would not say, 'Kill them,' for,
+after all, the little boy was his cousin, and had not done him any harm.
+And he did not like to say, 'Keep them alive,' for he was afraid that his
+cousin might some day have his throne; so he only said to the soldiers,
+'Take care that they do not see my face.' So the soldiers--they were the
+young King's own guard--took him and killed him, and Lysias with him."
+
+When he had heard this the child allowed his mother to take him away. He
+saw that his father, usually so calm, was anxious and troubled, and, wise
+with a wisdom beyond his years--the fruit of the troubled life which he and
+his had been leading--would not ask him any more questions. But that night,
+when his mother came to give him the last kiss before he went to sleep, he
+had many things to say to her. Poor little fellow! he had seen many
+terrible sights, which all his parents' care could not keep from his eyes,
+and had heard of many more, and he could not help asking again, "Did they
+hurt him very much?" and when she had comforted him as best she could on
+this score, he showed that there was another trouble in his mind. "Oh!
+mother," he said, "do you remember that when he ordered the walls of the
+fortress to be pulled down, I prayed to God that he might be punished for
+breaking his promise? and only the other day, when Joseph was talking
+about his coming back, I said--something in me seemed to make me say it
+almost without my knowing--'He shall fall by the sword in his own land.'
+And now he is punished, for he has fallen by the sword. Do you think that
+God listened to me, and did it because I said these things? But, mother, I
+did not hate him very much; sometimes I used to think I loved him; and oh!
+it would be dreadful to think that I had anything to do with his being
+killed!"
+
+"My son," said Ruth, "do you remember what our father Abraham said, 'Shall
+not the Judge of all the earth do right'?"
+
+"Yes, mother, I am sure that He will do right; and the King did deserve to
+be punished. But perhaps his counsellors told him to do it; and I am sure
+that if I was told to do something that was wrong by people that I loved,
+I should be very likely to do it."
+
+When his mother came to see him some hours afterwards she found him
+asleep, but his pillow was wet with tears, and now and then a little sob
+showed how deeply the trouble had entered into his little heart.
+
+There was trouble in older and wiser hearts than his. The Jews had hoped
+much from the boy-King. His bad faith in the matter of the Temple fortress
+they had willingly put down to evil counsellors, and they could not forget
+that he had given them terms, good beyond all their hopes, when they were
+in the last extremity. The death of Lysias was a more serious loss. He was
+the pacificator; to his influence they ascribed the conciliatory policy of
+the young Antiochus. And now he was gone. Would his death be the signal of
+a change? Would Demetrius go back to the ways of the mad Antiochus? or had
+he learnt prudence, if not mercy, from his sojourn among the Romans and
+the bitter experience of an exile?
+
+Opinion was divided. Some hoped, some feared; but all were resolved that
+they would never give way, that they would defend to the last drop of
+their blood the freedom which they had won. Azariah, whose temper of mind
+had gathered a certain gloom from the unhappy experiences of his life,
+took a desponding view of the situation. Micah, on the contrary, was
+cheerful, and he had some strong arguments to back him up.
+
+"Remember," he said to his brother-in-law one day, when the subject had
+been discussed at some length between them, "that I have had opportunities
+for forming a judgment which, happily for you, have not come in your way.
+I once saw much of these Greeks--I am ashamed to remember the time, but
+still it would be folly not to make use of what I then learnt--and I am
+sure that that madman Antiochus did not represent what they really feel.
+You don't know how they despise all barbarians as they call them; and,
+despising them, they are disposed to let them alone. They don't want us to
+worship their gods; they think that we are not good enough. But Antiochus
+was mad with pride and arrogance, and it is not likely that any one else
+should be found to follow his steps. We may have trouble; indeed I feel
+sure that we shall; but depend upon it there will not be another such
+attempt as the madman made to stamp out our religion."
+
+And the tidings that soon after reached Jerusalem from Antioch seemed to
+justify this forecast. There seemed to be trouble ahead, but it was not
+trouble of the sort which had brought desolation upon the Holy City. A
+deputation from that party among the Jews which affected Greek habits and
+Greek practices had been admitted to the presence of the new King. They
+had accused Judas, the son of Mattathias, of having driven them from their
+land, and of being an enemy to the sovereignty of the Greeks. Demetrius
+had listened to their representations, and had conferred the office of
+high priest on Alcimus,(23) the leader of the malcontents, and had
+promised to send a force which would instal him in his office, and at the
+same time take vengeance on Judas and the Chasidim. This force was to be
+under the command of Bacchides, one of the most trusted of his
+counsellors.
+
+A high priest of the stamp of Menela�s--for such Alcimus was known to
+be--would be anything but welcome. Probably it would be necessary to resist
+him and his proceedings by force. Still things were not as bad as they
+might have been. That King Demetrius should have appointed a high priest
+at all showed that he was not bent, as Epiphanes had been, on extirpating
+the Jewish faith. With such doubtful comfort as this assurance could give
+they were compelled to be satisfied and to await the development of
+events.
+
+
+
+
+
+                              CHAPTER XXIX.
+
+                                CIVIL WAR.
+
+
+The new high priest arrived at Jerusalem, escorted by a powerful force
+under the command of Bacchides. None but absolute renegades were glad to
+see Greek soldiers again lording it in the streets of Jerusalem; but
+otherwise there was a wide difference of opinion as to the duty of
+faithful Jews with regard to the reception of the stranger. Alcimus and
+his Greek companions were loud in their professions of good will. They
+intended, they said, nothing but benefits to the people. All would be well
+if they were only received in the same spirit in which they came.
+
+Judas and his brothers received these assurances with profound
+incredulity. They and their immediate followers had thought it prudent to
+leave the city. There had been no opportunity of properly repairing the
+walls of the Temple fortress, and without some such stronghold to serve as
+shelter in case of need, they would, they felt, be at the mercy of the
+Greeks. In the position to which they had withdrawn there was a hot
+discussion. Judas, as usual, urged the counsels of prudence and common
+sense. It was easy, he said, to make these professions of peace and good
+will--so easy that, without some substantial guarantee of their sincerity,
+it would be madness to risk anything on the strength of them. Alcimus, or
+Eliakim--he must own that he did not like or trust these double-named Jews,
+for they were often double-faced also--might be thinking of nothing but
+peace; but why did he come with an army behind him? He might have been
+sure, sprung as he was from the race of Aaron, that none of his countrymen
+would harm him. Why had he surrounded himself with a multitude of godless
+heathen who would be only too likely to harm them? "Let us wait"--this was
+his final advice--"till he and his friends give us some proof that they
+really mean what they say."
+
+The Chasidim were loud and vehement in their opposition to this counsel.
+Joseph, whose bitterness and jealousy had not been weakened by the lapse
+of time, constituted himself their spokesman.
+
+"The Law," he said, "plainly declares that there shall be a high priest.
+There are acts, acts of the highest importance, even necessity, which only
+he can perform. Our worship without him is maimed and imperfect. We cannot
+expect that there will be a blessing upon it, that, lacking this essential
+part, our sacrifices will be accepted or our prayers heard. And now we
+have a high priest that is of the race of Aaron. He promises--and why
+should we not believe him?--that his purposes towards us are for good and
+not for evil. Let us go to him, and do him the honour that is due to his
+office. If harm come of it, we shall have at least obeyed the commandment
+of God."
+
+Judas and his brothers, with such faithful followers as Seraiah and Micah,
+stood resolutely aloof, but they could not control the action of the
+enthusiasts. A large body of the Chasidim paid to Alcimus a formal visit.
+They welcomed him to the seat of his office; they paid him their homage;
+intimating at the same time that there were grievances for which they
+asked redress and abuses which needed reform. Nothing could have exceeded
+the show of politeness and even friendship with which they were received.
+Alcimus made the most solemn protestations that neither they nor their
+friends should suffer any harm. He could only regret that unfounded
+suspicions had kept away the great soldier who had done so much for his
+country and whom he would have had so much pleasure in welcoming. They
+were invited to a banquet, which had been duly prepared, they were
+assured, in obedience to the requirements of the Law, and of which they
+could partake without any fear of contracting impurity.
+
+After the banquet there was to be a conference. The proceedings began, and
+were continued for some time without interruption, though Alcimus could
+scarcely control his impatience at what he thought the unreasonable
+demands of the bigots. Meanwhile Bacchides, who had hitherto kept himself
+in the background, was quietly surrounding the council-chamber with
+troops. Joseph was in the midst of an harangue when the doors were thrown
+open, a company of soldiers marched in, and arrested every member of the
+deputation. It was now the turn of Alcimus to retire into the background.
+He had served his purpose, acting, it may be said, as a decoy, and, thanks
+to him, some of the most inveterate enemies of the Greek party had been
+entrapped. The Greek commander made short work with his prisoners. Alcimus
+went through the farce of interceding for them, but he never expected,
+and, perhaps, never intended, to obtain his requests. Sixty of them were
+executed on the spot, and the rest were cast into prison. The bodies of
+the victims were hurriedly thrown into carts, drawn outside the city, and
+left to be the prey of the vulture and the wild dog.
+
+The horror and dismay which spread through the city with the news of the
+bloody deed were such as it would be impossible to describe. The victims
+were well-known men, and, for the most part, as much respected as they
+were known. There was a frantic rush to do honour to the remains of the
+martyred patriots. But Bacchides had foreseen that this would probably
+occur, and had surrounded the place with a cordon of soldiers. The people
+could do nothing but stand upon the walls while the birds and beasts of
+prey mangled the corpses, and mingle, in their impotent rage, curses on
+the murderers, with lamentations over the dead. In more than one of their
+national hymns they found a fitting expression of their grief; but none
+was more suitable to the circumstances of the time than the words of the
+seventy-ninth Psalm: "The dead bodies of Thy servants have they given to
+be meat unto the fowls of the heaven, and the flesh of Thy saints unto the
+beasts of the earth. Their blood have they shed like water round about
+Jerusalem, and there was none to bury them."
+
+The conduct of Judas did not, as may be supposed, escape censure. It is
+the first impulse of a multitude in the presence of some great disaster to
+throw the blame upon its rulers, and the Jews, in their anger and grief,
+felt and yielded to it.
+
+"Yes," said an old man, who had lost a brother and a son in the massacre,
+"he was too prudent to trust himself to the heathen; he stood aloof from
+their danger, and when they offered themselves up as a sacrifice, he was
+not there."
+
+"And did he not well?" said a zealous partisan. "Did he not warn them and
+entreat them, and they took no heed to his words?"
+
+"But had he and his men of war gone with them," returned the other, "they
+had not been left without defence. But now they went as sheep to the
+slaughter."
+
+"What can you look for when the sheep will go where the shepherd does not
+lead them? And as for Judas, did he ever spare his life? Has he not taken
+it in his hand time after time, fighting with a few men against thousands
+of the heathen? And tell me now," went on the speaker, "to whom should we
+have looked for deliverance had Judas also been slain with these? The Lord
+has had mercy upon His people, lest they should be utterly cast down, and
+has left unto them their captain."
+
+On the whole, popular opinion was strongly in Judas's favour. Then came
+another turn of events. The Greek general, weary of his sojourn among a
+people that hated him, marched out of Jerusalem, and encamped in one of
+the suburbs,(24) where he could keep his troops better in hand, and not
+expose them to the daily risk of collision with a hostile population. This
+place, too, he shortly evacuated, returning with the main part of his army
+to Antioch, though he left a small force to support Alcimus, who would
+now, he thought, with this help, be able to hold his own.
+
+But before he went he committed another deed only less atrocious than the
+treacherous massacre of the Chasidim. Every partisan, or supposed
+partisan, of Judas whom he could either entrap or seize was mercilessly
+slaughtered. Nor did Greeks, who, from motives of expediency or under
+pressure of superior force, had submitted to Judas, escape.
+
+If Bacchides imagined that these cruelties would strengthen the position
+of the renegade high priest he was greatly mistaken. Alcimus was more
+universally, more fervently hated than even Jason or Menela�s had been.
+The disappointment caused by this renewal of troubles was all the more
+bitter because it had succeeded to hopes that seemed so well established.
+And every one felt that it was Alcimus who was to blame. His greed and
+ambition had disturbed the peace which they were beginning to enjoy. On
+his head was all the innocent blood that had been shed.
+
+And now a new horror was added to all that the unhappy country had
+endured. It was no longer Jew fighting against Greek, but Jew against Jew.
+Civil war, always more bitter, more ruthless than the very fiercest
+struggle between strangers, broke out. The renegades rallied to Alcimus.
+Their interests were bound up with his cause. Some of them had committed
+themselves so deeply that they could not hope for pardon from the
+patriots. Others had a genuine dislike for Jewish severity and a liking
+for Greek license, and fought for all that, as they thought, made life
+worth living. But the number of these philo-Greek partisans was but small,
+and the popular feeling was unmistakably against them, and Judas felt
+himself strong enough to assert his position vigorously. He was not now a
+partisan leader, raising the standard of revolt against established
+authority; he was himself the established authority, justified in
+punishing all that presumed to rebel against him. This judicious display
+of firmness, of what might even be called severity, vastly strengthened
+his position. The waverers who always go with the strongest, who care
+little for principle, but most for self-interest and safety, when they saw
+that the sword of Judas was a more immediate danger to his enemies than
+the sword of the Syrian King, hesitated no longer about joining him.
+Alcimus found himself deserted by all but a few desperate partisans. The
+commander of his Greek auxiliaries declared himself unable to give him
+sufficient help. Accordingly he had no alternative but to give up the
+unequal contest, and to hurry back to Antioch, where he might lay his
+complaints before King Demetrius.
+
+
+
+
+
+                              CHAPTER XXX.
+
+                                 NICANOR.
+
+
+The complaints which Alcimus carried to the Syrian King at Antioch were
+eagerly listened to. Demetrius was eager, as new rulers frequently are, to
+reverse the policy of his predecessor. Eupator had yielded to the
+persistency of these obstinate Jews, but he would show them that it was he
+and not they who was master. A new expedition should be sent, and this
+pestilent rebel, who, after all, had been shown not to be invincible,
+should be extinguished for ever. There was some doubt as to who should be
+put in command; but ultimately the King's choice fell upon Nicanor, the
+same that had been associated with Gorgias in an earlier campaign. He had
+been since promoted to the exalted office of "Commander of the Elephants,"
+and was in high favour with Demetrius.
+
+Once more Judas found himself obliged to retire from Jerusalem, where he
+could not command the liberty of movement that was necessary for his
+safety; but he remained in the neighbourhood, and watched the development
+of events.
+
+Nicanor's first idea was to repeat the treachery of Bacchides, and to get
+Judas and his brothers into his power. A letter, written in studiously
+friendly terms, was sent to the Jewish captain, suggesting a conference,
+at which the matters in dispute might easily be settled. Judas was not
+likely, especially after recent experience, to fall into the trap; but
+nevertheless he did not refuse the invitation. He came to the conference,
+but he came with a strong guard, and not till he had secured such
+conditions as seemed to make a treacherous surprise impossible. The
+meeting took place. Side by side, on two chairs of state, sat the two
+generals, each with their armed guard within call. On either side was a
+barrier, beyond which no one that did not belong to the stipulated number
+of attendants was allowed to pass. The conversation between the two was
+friendly and animated. Nicanor's treacherous purpose did not prevent him
+from having a genuine admiration for the character and achievements of his
+great adversary; and the praises which he heaped upon him were perfectly
+sincere. But this feeling did not make him at all less anxious to get this
+formidable hero into his power.
+
+Negotiations had not proceeded very far, in fact had not got beyond the
+initial stage, when a preconcerted signal warned Judas that there was
+danger at hand. Self-possessed as ever, he showed no sign of having
+penetrated his companion's intention. A point of some importance was
+raised by Nicanor, and Judas intimated that he could not deal with it
+until he had consulted his council. Rising from his seat, without allowing
+the least indication of disturbance to be seen in his manner, he bade the
+Greek general a courteous farewell, rejoined his guard, and was soon out
+of the reach of danger. But when he was again among his friends, he did
+not conceal his feelings. "He is a false liar," he said, "and, so long as
+he lives, I will see his face again no more." The words were to have a
+singularly close fulfilment.
+
+Nicanor, finding his attempted fraud unsuccessful, resolved to try force.
+He marched against Judas, who, for military reasons, had retired as far as
+Samaria, and gave him battle at Capharsalama. But the plans of Nicanor
+were conceived with more haste than prudence. He delivered his attack
+under unfavourable conditions, and received a crushing defeat in which he
+lost fully five thousand men.
+
+Thus baffled for a second time, he returned to Jerusalem in a frenzy of
+rage. On the day after his arrival he went, followed by an armed guard, to
+the Temple, and forced his way into the Great Court. It was the time of
+the morning sacrifice, and the trembling priests came down from the altar
+to salute him.
+
+"Rebels," he cried, "you are praying to your God that the enemies of the
+King may prosper."
+
+"Not so, my lord," said the presiding priest, "we have but this moment
+offered the customary sacrifice for the health and welfare of the most
+excellent Demetrius."
+
+"These are but words, and I ask for deeds. Let this pestilent fellow, this
+Judas, be delivered into my hands. Thus and thus only shall I know that
+you are faithful to my lord the King."
+
+"But, my lord, you ask that which is impossible. How can we, that are men
+of peace, have power to lay hands upon this man of war?"
+
+"Ask me not how, but do the thing that I command, or it shall go ill with
+you and your city."
+
+"Nay, my lord, speak not so. Ask that which is possible, and it shall be
+done to the uttermost of our power."
+
+"Fair words! fair words! But I know well that, after the manner of your
+race, for you are the enemies of all men, you curse me behind my back. Now
+listen unto me. You will not deliver this traitor into my hands----"
+
+The priests attempted to speak, but he silenced them with an imperious
+gesture.
+
+"So be it. Then I will take him by force. And when I have taken him, and
+dealt with him after his deserts, then----" he paused for a moment, and held
+out his right hand with a threatening gesture towards the altar--"then I
+will burn this house with fire; even as the Chald�ans burnt it in the days
+of your fathers, so will I burn it. All the gods of heaven and hell
+confound me, if I do not burn it, as a man burns a brand in the fire."
+
+So speaking he turned away, and without deigning to salute the terrified
+priests, quitted the precincts of the Temple.
+
+When he was gone the priests stood weeping and praying before the altar.
+"O Lord," they said, "for the blasphemies wherewith Thine enemies
+blaspheme Thee, reward Thou them sevenfold into their bosom. Thou didst
+choose this house to be called by Thy name, and to be a house of prayer
+for Thy people. Avenge Thyself, therefore, of this man and his host, and
+cause them to fall by the sword."
+
+Nicanor had sent to Antioch for reinforcements, for he would not fail
+again for lack of strength or due preparation, and marching out of
+Jerusalem, he awaited their arrival at the western end of the Pass of
+Beth-horon. Judas, who, after his victory near Samaria, had followed his
+beaten enemy, took up his position at Adasa, an elevated position about
+four miles to the north of Jerusalem. He thus put himself between Nicanor
+and the Holy City. But he had only three thousand men to match against a
+force three times as numerous.
+
+The fate of the Sanctuary of Israel now seemed to be trembling in the
+balance. If Nicanor was victorious its doom was sealed. He had vowed, with
+all the emphasis of an awful curse upon himself, that if he came again in
+peace he would utterly destroy it. Day after day the women and the old men
+left behind were continually in the Temple, which, perhaps, they might in
+a few days see destroyed before their eyes. And when at night the Temple
+gates were shut they sought their homes to fast and to renew in private
+their prayers for the deliverance of the Holy Place, and the victory of
+the armies of the Lord.
+
+By a notable coincidence the anniversary of a great danger and a great
+deliverance was approaching. Within a few days the Feast of Purim would be
+celebrated. Would the time bring with it a fresh cause for thanksgiving,
+or a disaster so terrible that all the deliverances of the past would seem
+to be of no avail?
+
+"Tell us, mother," said little Daniel, one evening when they had returned
+from their daily visit to the Temple--"tell us about Mordecai and the
+wicked Haman." He knew the story well, but, after the manner of children,
+liked it better the oftener he heard it.
+
+So Ruth told the familiar tale again--how the wicked Haman, wroth that the
+honest Mordecai would not pay him reverence, slandered the whole nation to
+the King till he obtained a decree for their slaughter, how Mordecai went
+to Esther the Queen, a Jewess herself, and bade her save her people,
+though she risked her own life to do it, how the wicked Haman was hanged
+on the gallows which he had made for his enemy, and the Jews had license
+given them by the King to slay their adversaries in every city of the
+kingdom of Persia.
+
+"And this Nicanor," she went on, when she had finished her story--"this
+Nicanor is a new Haman. May the God against whom he has uttered his
+blasphemies cast him down and destroy him."
+
+Meanwhile the hour of battle was drawing near. Judas and his little army
+were bivouacking on the hills of Adasa. It was the 12th day of the month
+Adar--about equivalent to the beginning of March--and on that high ground
+the night air was cold and piercing. Seraiah, Azariah, and Micah were
+sitting by a camp-fire, and talking over the chances of the coming
+struggle.
+
+It was the eve of the great Purim feast--the memorial which had been kept
+now for three hundred years of the great deliverance which God had wrought
+for His people by the hands of Mordecai and Esther. The thoughts of the
+comrades naturally turned to this memorable day.
+
+"Where and how," said Micah to his companions, "shall we keep the Purim
+feast?"
+
+"Shall we keep it at all?" said Azariah, always somewhat disposed to take
+a gloomy view of their prospects. "A Mordecai we have, none more
+steadfast; and there is a Haman against us even more cruel and wicked than
+he of Persia. But Ahasuerus is against us, nor do I see who shall turn him
+from his purpose."
+
+"Well," said Seraiah, with a smile, "at least we can use our swords
+without his license."
+
+While they were talking they observed a figure emerge from out the
+darkness into the circle of light made by the flames. They rose to their
+feet, for it was the captain himself.
+
+"Sit down, my friends," he said, "we shall be on our feet enough
+to-morrow." And as he spoke, he took his seat on the ground by their side.
+
+He went on, after a few minutes of silence, "So Azariah doubts what sort
+of a Purim festival we shall keep. As for myself I doubt not. But I have
+been thinking not so much of Mordecai and Haman--though it seems to me a
+happy thing that we shall fight on the day of that deliverance--as of
+Hezekiah and Rabshakeh. Did not the king his master send him to blaspheme
+the Holy City? And did not Hezekiah lay the letter before the Lord? And
+what was the end? In one night the host of the Assyrians was as if it had
+not been. So shall it be, I am persuaded in my heart, with this
+blaspheming Nicanor and his host. He and they shall be utterly destroyed.
+Yes, Azariah, we shall keep our Purim right joyously, after the manner of
+our fathers. But as for our enemies, the wine that they shall drink(25)
+will be the wine of the wrath of God."
+
+He rose with these words, and passed away to spend the rest of the night
+in meditation and prayer. His face next morning, when in the early dawn he
+stood in front of his slender line, was as the face of one who has talked
+face to face with God. Not less rapt than his look was the tone of his
+voice as he poured out the words of his prayer--"O Lord, when they that
+were sent from the King of the Assyrians blasphemed, Thine angel went out
+and smote an hundred fourscore and five thousand of them. Even so destroy
+Thou this host before us this day, that the rest may know that he hath
+spoken blasphemously against Thy Sanctuary, and judge Thou him according
+to his wickedness."
+
+A murmur of assent passed through the little army as he uttered these
+words in that clear, thrilling voice which was one of his many gifts as a
+born leader of men. The next moment the line advanced, for Judas followed
+again the successful tactic of attack. Never had his Ironsides advanced
+with a more determined courage; never did they deal fiercer blows. The
+enemy were scattered by their impetuous onset, as the dust is scattered
+before the wind. For all his brutality and falsehood, Nicanor was no
+coward. He stood in the very van of his army, giving such cheer as he
+could to his men, and though the lines behind him reeled and shook with
+that movement which is the sure presage of defeat to a soldier's eye, at
+the approach of the Chasidim, he stood his ground with a dauntless
+courage. He was almost the first to fall, Azariah striking him to the
+ground with a sweeping blow of his sword. It was an appropriate ending to
+the blasphemer that he should receive his death-stroke from the weapon
+that bore the talisman of the Holy Name.
+
+The Greek line had been already beginning to break, but the death of the
+leader completed the rout.
+
+It was no common victory that Judas won that day. The pursuit was long and
+bloody. The beaten army fled in wild disorder over the country, only to
+find enemies on every hand. Before the sun set it was simply annihilated.
+The tradition of that awful slaughter still lingers in the place, and the
+valley is called "The Valley of Blood."
+
+Their work done, the conquerors entered the city. The news of the great
+deliverance had already reached it, and the Feast of Purim was being kept
+in earnest. During the earlier part of the day the suspense and anxiety
+had been too great to admit of anything more than formal rejoicing. The
+customary sacrifices were offered, the customary prayers put up; but the
+thoughts of all were with Judas and his men on the battle-field of Adasa.
+Then came rumours, at first wholly vague and even fictitious--rumours first
+of victory, then of defeat, then of victory again. An hour or so after
+noon a swift runner came in with some authentic tidings. But he could not
+tell of all that happened. This was gradually learnt, and then, long after
+the darkness had closed in, came the advanced guard of the conquering
+army, and, close upon midnight, Judas himself. In spite of the darkness,
+multitudes thronged to meet him. With extravagant manifestations of
+delight, with shouting and singing, with mingled tears and laughter, they
+welcomed him home, the deliverer of the city and the Temple. Never before
+had he been so enthusiastically received. And it was well that it should
+be so, for this was his last return as a conqueror.
+
+The feast was continued with yet more hearty rejoicing into the next day.
+And indeed from thenceforth the two deliverances were to be celebrated
+together--the salvation which Judas had wrought for his people on the
+battle-field of Adasa, and that which Esther and Mordecai had accomplished
+in the presence-chamber of the Persian King.
+
+Ruth would gladly have stayed at home and expressed thankfulness in
+private, but the children were urgent with her that she should take them
+into the streets that they might see the people keep holiday. It was a
+request that, as the wife and sister of patriots, she could not refuse;
+and in the depth of her mother's heart was the proud thought that the
+little Daniel was not an unworthy scion of the race, and that not a few
+would look with admiration on the son of Seraiah, the nephew of
+Azariah.(26) And indeed she did hear as she passed along not a few
+whispered praises, which made her pulses beat quick with thankfulness and
+joy.
+
+As they came in their rambling into the neighbourhood of the Temple, they
+found their way blocked by a dense crowd, which seemed eagerly pressing
+forward to see some spectacle of surpassing interest. "What is it?" she
+asked of one who had been, it seemed, successful in the struggle for a
+glimpse of this interesting sight, and was now turning away. She could not
+help shuddering at his answer, and called to the children to come away.
+But the quick ears of little Daniel had also caught the man's reply, and
+he loudly objected.
+
+"Nay, mother," he said, "I must see. Such things are not for women to
+see"--the little fellow of five or six had already caught the masculine
+tone of superiority--"but I am a soldier's son, and shall not be afraid to
+look. And when I am a man I shall fight for God and for His Holy Temple."
+
+"You are a brave lad, and if I mistake not, and you are the nephew of
+Azariah, there is no one here that has a better right to look at yonder
+sight than you. For 'twas your brave uncle, I am told, that slew that son
+of Belial with his sword."
+
+So saying he lifted the child from the ground, and raised him till he
+could stand upon his shoulders. And what did the little Daniel see that
+made him shout and clap his hands? It was the head and hand of Nicanor
+nailed against the Temple wall. There were the pallid, distorted lips that
+had uttered such proud blasphemies against the Sanctuary of the Lord;
+there was the shrunken, bloodless hand that had been lifted up with
+threats and scorn against His Holy Place. The Lord had indeed punished the
+proud doer.
+
+
+
+
+
+                              CHAPTER XXXI.
+
+                            THE FALLING AWAY.
+
+
+Though Jerusalem was almost wild with joy--and, indeed, so utterly had the
+Greek army disappeared that deliverance was complete for the time--Judas's
+heart was full of sad forebodings. Demetrius, he knew, had a steadfastness
+of purpose which augured ill for the future. He was not a madman like
+Epiphanes, nor a child like Eupator; but a cool-headed, resolute man, who
+had seen something of the world, and would carry out his plans with both
+perseverance and skill. Would he sit down under the defeats which he had
+received and recognize Jewish independence? Judas thought it unlikely. The
+vengeance might be laid aside, but it would be sure to come. Could he hope
+to repeat these victories again and again? Once before he had been reduced
+to the greatest straits, and had only escaped by an unexpected change in
+the purpose of the young Antiochus. Could he look for anything so
+marvellous again? Only one plan appeared to him to be possible, and he
+lost no time in calling a council of his principal followers and
+announcing it to them. It was certain, he told them, that there would be
+another war, and a war that would last for years, if only the Jewish
+people could hold out so long. "We warriors may endure it, and if the
+worst come to the worst, we can but fall on the field of battle. But what
+of the old and the weak? What of the women and children? And then we are
+not united. Our foes are of our own household. We have to fight not only
+against the Greek, but against the Jew also. And even in this assembly
+there are some," he went on, with an emphasis which could not be mistaken,
+"who speak evil of me behind my back. What, then, shall we do? Speak, any
+one who has counsel to give."
+
+The appeal was met with silence, and the speaker continued, "You have
+nothing to advise. Listen, therefore, to my counsel, and resist it not in
+haste because it seems strange. There is a nation that, rising from a
+beginning small as ours, has now made for itself a great dominion. They
+are stern to their enemies, but they are just and faithful to their
+friends. Like Israel in the earlier and better days, they have no king to
+rule them after his own pleasure, but an assembly that weighs every plan
+carefully and wisely. And in battle they cannot be resisted. Have you
+heard of such a people?"
+
+One or two voices answered with the word "Rome."
+
+"You have said well," he said; "it is of the Romans that I have been
+speaking. Let us make alliance with them. We shall be, as it were, an
+outpost for them against the King of Syria, against whom they have fought
+already, and, doubtless, will fight again. And they will be a protection
+to us. And with the Romans on our side, we need fear the Greeks no more."
+
+One or two of the council were in Judas's secret. Others had guessed, more
+or less correctly, what he was intending, but on most the announcement of
+his intention fell like a thunderbolt. For a few moments there was the
+pause of intense astonishment. Then followed a burst of indignation, in
+which, of course, the Chasidim led the way.
+
+"Say not," cried one of their chief speakers, "the Romans are like to
+Israel because they have no king. Did not Samuel say to the people, when
+they fell away from their faith because of Nahash the Ammonite, and would
+have a king after the manner of the heathen round about, 'The Lord your
+God is your King.' And shall we, knowing that the Lord Jehovah is the King
+of the Jews, reject Him from reigning over us, and choose us for rulers an
+assembly of some three hundred idolaters. Will you set these men of sin to
+be lords over the City of God?"
+
+"Nay," replied Judas, "you speak unadvisedly and rashly. We shall have our
+own rulers. We shall worship after our own way. The Romans will help us in
+war; and we shall help them as we only can. Did not David make friendship
+and alliance with Hiram, King of Tyre, and did not Solomon, in whose reign
+was peace, make that friendship and alliance yet closer?"
+
+The Chasidim replied, quoting the prophets and denunciations of the
+Egyptian alliance. "Even that accursed Rabshakeh," they said, "spoke the
+truth, when he said that Pharaoh, King of Egypt, was a bruised reed which
+will go into a man's hand and pierce it, if he lean upon it. So shall it
+be with thee, if thou lean upon Rome."
+
+The war of words raged long and furiously. The Chasidim had the best of
+the argument, but to the majority of the council the prospect of a settled
+peace was irresistibly alluring. And the influence of Judas, too, was
+overpowering. By a large majority it was decided to send to Rome,
+Eupolemus, the son of John, and Jason, the son of Eleazar,(27) envoys who
+had been selected for the mission by Judas himself.
+
+When the resolution had been passed the council broke up, and the Chasidim
+dispersed with dark looks and saddened hearts. The next few days passed in
+uncertainty and gloom. No news had come from Antioch as to the movements
+or intentions of the King. But there was little doubt as to what he would
+do. Whatever they might try to believe in their secret hearts they could
+not but own that when the opportunity came Demetrius would deal them a
+blow into which he would put all his strength.
+
+And how would that blow be met? Would they be able to escape it, or parry
+it, or stand up against it? The Chasidim, the Ironsides, the men who had
+been the stay and strength of Judas's armies, who had followed him to
+victory at Beth-zur, at Beth-horon, at Adasa, were miserably dejected. The
+embassy to Rome had broken their spirits. The issue, before so simple to
+these stern souls, narrow, perhaps, in their range of vision, but of a
+clear and single eye, was now confused. While they fought for the Lord
+against the gods of the heathen, they could confidently expect that He
+would show Himself greater than all gods, and this faith had made them
+irresistible. But now, if Jew and Roman were to fight side by side, with
+what confidence could they call upon the Lord of Hosts? Was He the Lord of
+_that_ host, in whose ranks were ranged the battalions of the
+uncircumcised?
+
+Some left the leader whom they now regarded as unfaithful to his trust,
+and departed to distant villages, hanging up the swords which they were
+steadfastly resolved not to draw side by side with the heathen. Others, in
+whom the military instinct of discipline, or the personal attachment to
+Judas, as the general who had led them so often to victory, were so strong
+as to overpower all other considerations, remained with him. Nothing could
+take them from his side, but they went with heavy hearts and with an
+outlook on the future that was almost hopeless.
+
+Meanwhile the embassy started. What the answer of the Romans would be
+Judas did not doubt. They would rejoice to secure the alliance of a people
+who could lend them aid so useful. But would the answer come in time to
+save the city and the Temple from the wrath of Demetrius?
+
+And indeed that wrath did not linger. Within a month Bacchides was on his
+way from Antioch with a force of twenty thousand foot and two thousand
+horse. The renegade Alcimus accompanied him, and was to be reinstated in
+his high-priesthood. Their line of march was through Galilee. On their way
+they took the fortified town of Masaloth, and put the garrison to the
+sword. It was about the time of the Passover feast that the invaders
+reached Jerusalem. There was some talk about attacking it; but Alcimus was
+urgent in resisting the proposal. "The King's quarrel," he said, "is with
+Judas, who is the cause of all this mischief, and Judas is not here. And
+the King has commanded that I should be replaced in my office; but what
+shall my office profit me if there be no city for me to govern, nor Temple
+in which I am to minister?" Bacchides yielded to these representations,
+and leaving the city unhurt marched to Beeroth (a few miles north-east of
+Jerusalem) and there pitched his camp.
+
+Among the patriots there was such doubt and dismay as had never been felt
+from the day when the aged Mattathias struck the first blow for freedom,
+not even in that dark hour when Judas and his famine-stricken followers
+were about to make their desperate sally from the Temple fortress. It was
+not that they were fighting against overwhelming odds, for they had faced
+as great before; it was that they had lost their unquestioning faith in
+their leader.
+
+"Ah!" said Micah to Azariah, when they were discussing the matter for the
+twentieth time--and indeed it was almost the only subject of their talk--"I
+have seen these heathen from near at hand--I say it with shame--and I know
+what they are better than you, better than Judas, who is so good that he
+can scarcely believe that other men are bad. 'He that toucheth pitch shall
+be defiled,' says Jesus, the son of Sirach, and though our captain is
+greater than other men, in this matter he is but as they are. What madness
+drove him to meddle with the accursed thing? God forgive me if I speak
+evil of the ruler of my people, but I must say that which is in my heart."
+
+"Nay," said Azariah, still loyal to his great-hearted chief, though he too
+had doubts which he had to crush down by sheer force of will--"nay, you go
+too far. Did not Jehoshaphat, the servant of the Lord, make alliance with
+the children of Edom when he fought against Mesha, the King of Moab?"
+
+"But the children of Edom," answered Micah, "were akin to our people; but
+as for these Romans, they are utterly unclean. O, brother, I have often
+thought whether, as a faithful servant of the Law, I could remain any
+longer with the captain."
+
+"You will not leave us?" cried Azariah--"it only wants that, and I shall be
+ready to fall on my own sword."
+
+"No; I shall not go. If I am wrong the Lord pardon me; but I cannot go
+when so many are falling away. Yet if these Romans come--then I shall
+depart."
+
+"They will not come--at least before the battle. Judas knows it, and it
+troubles him. As for me, I know not. But this I know, that he is the
+servant of the Lord, and I will follow him to the death. Nevertheless I
+cry day and night unto the God of Israel that He will not suffer His
+servants to be found fighting in the ranks of them that know Him not."
+
+There were the same doubts among the faithful in the city. The aged
+Shemaiah had been in the Temple all day, assisting at the sacrifices which
+were being offered, and the prayers which were being put up for the
+success of Judas and his army. All night the services would be continued;
+but the old man was utterly worn out, and he had been led back by one of
+the Levites to Seraiah's house.
+
+"Father," said Ruth, "do you think that our prayers are heard? I know that
+God does not vouchsafe the visible signs of His presence in His Temple as
+He did in the days of old, and that He does not touch with fire from
+heaven the sacrifice that He accepts. But yet He sometimes seems to
+answer, and we feel in our hearts that He will give us what we ask. Has it
+been so to-day with you, father?"
+
+There was a touching eagerness in her manner, as she put the question. Not
+Miriam, not Deborah, had loved their country with a sincerer passion than
+did she; and then she had a husband and a brother in the camp, and she
+knew that before another sun had set, their fate and the fate of their
+country would be decided.
+
+The priest shook his head. "My daughter," he said, "I can give you no
+comfort, for no comfort has been given to me. My heart was cold within me
+while I prayed, for I could not forget that the servant of the Lord had
+touched the accursed thing when he sought the alliance of the Romans."
+
+"O sir," broke in Huldah, who had been eagerly listening, "he did not do
+it for his own gain or advancement. He did but seek the peace of Israel."
+
+"Daughter," said the old man, solemnly, "there are that cry 'Peace!
+Peace!' when there is no peace; and that is no peace which can be got only
+by unlawful dealing with the heathen. It is God, and God only, that can
+give this blessing to His people. And He has greater blessings in store
+than this. Does Judas seek to be honoured and to make us honoured by the
+nations round about? If he would be in truth the servant of the Lord let
+him rather be content with the lot of which Isaiah the prophet speaks: 'He
+is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows and acquainted with
+grief.' So only shall he make many righteous; so only shall he be exalted
+of God. This is the lot of the chosen people: not to live at ease among
+the nations."
+
+
+
+
+
+                             CHAPTER XXXII.
+
+                             THE LAST BATTLE.
+
+
+It was the night before the battle. Day by day and hour by hour the
+contagion of doubt and disaffection had been spreading through the little
+army that followed Judas. He had had three thousand men when he pitched
+his camp at Eleasa, and the three thousand had now dwindled down to less
+than one.
+
+Judas was sitting by one of the camp-fires with Azariah and Seraiah, when
+two soldiers came up, bringing bound between them a man who had
+endeavoured, they said, to make his way into the camp. He wore his hat
+drawn down over his forehead, and little of his face could be seen, but
+there was something in his figure that seemed familiar to Azariah.
+
+"Who are you?" said Judas, "and what want you in the camp? Are you for us
+or for our enemies?"
+
+"My lord," said the man, "my name is Benjamin, and--for I will hide nothing
+from you--I am a robber. Once I was a soldier in your army, but I broke the
+law, and I fled lest I should be put to death. Now I am come, of my own
+accord, to make such amends for my transgression as I may. Slay me, if you
+will, as I stand here. There is no need of a trial. I have been tried and
+condemned, and I acknowledge that I deserve to die. But if you will be
+merciful, let me fight in the morning by your side; and on the morrow, if
+I yet live, let me suffer the due punishment. Life I ask not, but only
+that I may strike a blow for you before I die."
+
+"Unbind him," said Judas to the soldiers.
+
+The command was obeyed.
+
+"You are free to go or stay. But I would gladly have you at my side
+to-morrow, for I have forgotten all but that you are a brave man."
+
+Benjamin stepped forward, and raising the hem of the captain's robe to his
+lips, kissed it. He then knelt, and putting his head to the ground made as
+though he would have placed Judas's foot upon his neck.
+
+"Nay," said the captain, "we want not slaves, but brothers." And he raised
+him from the ground. "And now," he went on, "sit down and tell us what you
+know, for I make sure that you have not come empty of news."
+
+Benjamin did indeed know all that could be known about the enemy, and,
+indeed, about the situation of affairs. To a question from Seraiah he
+replied that a surprise was impossible. The camp was too well guarded and
+watched.
+
+"Do they know our real numbers?" asked Judas.
+
+"Yes," was the answer, "the deserters have told them." And he proceeded to
+give a number of names of those who had gone over to the enemy, with a
+readiness and a precision that showed how diligent had been his watch.
+
+When he had told all his story, and understood that there was nothing more
+for him to do before the morrow, he wrapped himself in his cloak, and with
+characteristic indifference to the future, fell immediately into a
+profound and dreamless sleep.
+
+As soon as the first rays of light were seen Judas mustered his soldiers
+and hastily numbered them. There were about eight hundred in all, while
+the army of Bacchides, according to the calculations of Benjamin, which
+seemed to have been carefully made, could not be less than twenty
+thousand.
+
+Judas was not dismayed by this disparity of numbers, but was still true to
+his old strategy of attack. "Let us go up against our enemies," was the
+exhortation that he addressed to the remnant that was still faithful to
+him. At first they shrank back. The odds were too vast; the attempt too
+desperate. An old soldier who had proved his valour on more than one
+battle-field was put forward as their spokesman.
+
+"This, sir," he said, "will be to tempt God. Let us now save our lives.
+Hereafter we will return again, and fight with them. But now we are too
+few."
+
+But Judas did not waver for a moment. "God forbid," he cried, "that I
+should do this thing, and flee away from them. Not so; if our time is
+come, let us die manfully for our brethren, and not stain our honour."
+
+His words roused once more an answering echo in the hearts of those who
+heard him. They replied with a cry of assent. Victory they could not hope
+for, but their captain they would follow whithersoever he should lead
+them, and as long as he lived they would guard his life with theirs.
+
+The little host was then divided into five companies, commanded by Judas
+and his two brothers, Simon and Jonathan, by Seraiah and Micah
+respectively. Azariah, whose standing in the army would have entitled him
+to a separate command, had made a special request that he might be allowed
+to fight by the side of Judas. Benjamin had begged and obtained the same
+privilege.
+
+On both sides the trumpets sounded, and both armies moved forward. It was
+with nothing less than astonishment that the Greeks saw the slender
+proportion of the force that was opposed to them. Most laughed aloud at
+the thought that such a handful of men should venture to stand up against
+their own well-appointed and numerous host. Others, who had before crossed
+swords with Judas's men knew that that day's battle, end as it might,
+would be no laughing matter. And indeed they were right. The little
+company of Jewish heroes fought as three centuries before Leonidas and his
+men had fought at Thermopylae.(28) The Greeks came on with the same
+arrogant confidence in their numbers as did the picked Persian force
+against the defenders of Greece, and met with a like disastrous repulse.
+Such was the fury of the Jewish soldiers, such their agility and strength,
+that they kept the attacking force in check during the whole day. When
+night approached the Greeks had made, it might almost be said, absolutely
+no way.
+
+But the resistance, successful as it had been, had cost lives, and Judas
+saw his force dwindling before his eyes. Then he made his last desperate
+effort. He threw himself on the right wing, where Bacchides commanded in
+person, broke the line, and drove it in confusion before him. Possibly he
+was too rash in his pursuit, but on such a day, when such odds are to be
+encountered, it is scarcely possible to distinguish between rashness and
+courage. Anyhow, it was but a brief success. The left wing closed in upon
+his rear, and he and his gallant band were surrounded. Judas was the mark
+of a hundred swords and spears. For a time he seemed to bear a charmed
+life. Azariah and Benjamin, at his right hand and his left, beat down the
+blows aimed at him, wholly careless of their own lives, while he with the
+long sweep of his fatal sword--the same that he had taken from the dead
+Apollonius on his first battle-field--dealt blow after blow, till the
+ground was covered with the corpses of his enemies. But a spear pierced
+the stout heart of Benjamin, and a sword-stroke laid Azariah in the dust;
+and just as the sun sank behind the rugged hills, the hero who had smitten
+the enemies of his country at Bethhoron and Emma�s, at Elah and at Adasa,
+had struck his last blow. The Hammer lay broken on the rock.
+
+
+
+
+
+                             CHAPTER XXXIII.
+
+                           THE HOPE OF ISRAEL.
+
+
+A week had passed since the fatal day of Eleasa. Judas had been buried in
+peace in the grave where he had laid, five years before, the aged
+Mattathias. The Greek general had been so much impressed with the valour
+and generalship of the Jewish hero that he strictly ordered that no
+indignity should be offered to his remains; and when an envoy came from
+the surviving brothers to ask that the corpse should be given up for
+burial, made no difficulty about granting the request. It was only fitting
+that a brave man should be so honoured. The King, too, had been avenged on
+his enemy, nor did he imagine for a moment that the rebels, as he called
+them, would continue to hold out now that their leader had been taken from
+them. It was impossible for him to foresee that those undaunted brothers
+would maintain the desperate struggle until they had wrung from the Syrian
+king the recognition of Jewish independence. Accordingly he granted a
+truce for a fortnight, and even sent some of his troops to accompany the
+funeral procession. It had been a touching scene; and when the hero had
+been laid to rest in the sepulchre of his fathers, and the piercing voices
+of the women, many of whom had struggled over the long and toilsome way
+from Jerusalem to be present, raised the cry of lamentation, many of the
+Greek soldiers found themselves moved to tears. This had been the dirge
+that had been sung over the grave:--
+
+  "How is the valiant man fallen that delivered Israel.
+  In his acts he was like a lion, and like a lion's whelp roaring for his
+              prey.
+  For he pursued the wicked, and sought them out, and burnt up those that
+              vexed his people.
+  Wherefore the wicked shrunk for fear of him, and all the workers of
+              iniquity were troubled, because salvation prospered in his
+              hand.
+  He grieved also many kings, and made Jacob glad with his acts, and his
+              memorial is blessed for ever."
+
+And now once more the little company of those whom we have known by name
+are gathered in Seraiah's house. The orphaned girls are there, Miriam and
+Judith, passionately grieving for their father, but yet exulting as
+passionately that he was at the side of Judas to the last, and that his
+hope had been at least so far fulfilled that he and the captain whom he
+loved had been saved from drawing sword among the legions of Rome. Little
+Daniel, too, is there, his childish heart sorely troubled with the
+darkness of a dispensation which he cannot understand; and Ruth,
+comforting herself and the children with the thought that he whom they had
+lost had rejoined his own Hannah, and half reproaching herself for her
+selfish joy in having her Seraiah still spared to her. Huldah and Eglah,
+who had been among the mourners at Modin, are there also, and the aged
+priest Shemaiah.
+
+"O father," cried one of the women, "tell us why these things are so. Why
+does God so disappoint us of our hopes? We trusted that it had been he who
+should have delivered Israel, and now he is dead!"
+
+"We must wait," said the old man, "for God's good time, for He seeth not
+as we see. Did not David think that Solomon, his son, should be the
+promised king of Israel; and, behold, he turned aside to worship idols,
+and laid such burdens on the people that his kingdom was broken in twain?
+And now we, too, have built our hopes upon a man, and they have failed.
+Surely of Judas it might have been said, 'He shall deliver the needy when
+he crieth, the poor also, and him that hath no helper; he shall redeem
+their soul from deceit and violence, and dear shall their blood be in his
+sight.'
+
+"We looked," said Seraiah, "for the time when all kings should fall down
+before him, all nations should do him service. He seemed like the stone
+cut out of the mountain without hands that should smite all the kingdoms
+of evil, and we waited for the reign of Messiah the Prince."
+
+"And will Messiah come?" cried little Daniel, who had been eagerly
+listening to these words, not understanding all, indeed, but catching
+their general purport.
+
+"Surely, my son," said the old man; "but there are many things to be
+suffered first."
+
+He was silent for a time, sitting with eyes that seemed to take no heed of
+the present, but to be gazing into a far futurity. At last he spoke.
+
+"He loved Israel with all his heart, but he has brought upon us a people
+of iron, harder than the brazen Greeks. He looked to them for help that he
+might build up the walls of Sion, and behold! in the days to come they
+will make Jerusalem a desolation and the inhabitants thereof a hissing.
+And yet, by the Lord's help, he wrought a great deliverance for Israel. He
+recovered and cleansed the Temple, and by his hand the Lord changed the
+king's commandment, so that we may once more worship Him in the beauty of
+holiness. And surely, had it not been for him, when he put to flight the
+hosts of Lysias, we should have been carried away again into captivity.
+For this was in the heart of our persecutors; only Judas stood in the way
+that it should not be done. The Lord reward him for it, and impute not his
+transgression unto him, for he did not transgress wilfully, or out of an
+evil heart. Nevertheless, I am persuaded that it shall not be so when
+Messiah shall come, for come He will at the appointed time, seeing that
+the Lord repenteth Him not of His promises. Verily He shall not do homage
+to any godless bestower of kingdoms, nor listen to the voice of the Evil
+One, though he promise Him all the world and the glory of it. With His own
+right hand and with His holy arm will He get Himself the victory!"
+
+
+
+
+
+
+                THE FAMILY OF THE ASMONEANS, OR MACCABEES.
+
+
+The name "Maccabee," probably derived from a Hebrew word signifying a
+"Hammer," was originally given to Judas, and afterwards extended to his
+four brothers. They came of a priestly family, belonging to the first and
+noblest of the twenty-four "courses," taking its name from a certain Asmon
+or Chasmon, great-grandfather of Mattathias, father of Judas. The five
+heroic brothers all met with a violent death.
+
+That of Judas and Eleazar has been already described.
+
+John, the eldest, was killed in a skirmish, shortly after the death of
+Judas.
+
+Jonathan maintained himself in power by a clever policy of leaning on
+Rome, and taking part with various claimants to the Syrian crown. He
+became High-priest at some time after the year 153, and perished in 144 by
+the treachery of a certain Tryphon, who usurped for a time the throne of
+Syria.
+
+Simon succeeded to the High-priesthood, and governed the Jewish people for
+a period of eight years with great success. In B.C. 143 he obtained from
+the Syrian king a formal recognition of the independence of the Jews, and
+in the following year he got possession of the fortress in Jerusalem
+occupied by the Syrian faction. In 135 he was treacherously murdered by
+his son-in-law, Ptolemaeus.
+
+Simon, who had maintained the alliance with Rome, was succeeded by his son
+John Hyrcanus, who followed the same policy, and he again by his son
+Aristobulus, who assumed the title of King in 107.
+
+Mariamne, the unhappy wife of Herod the Great, belonged to the Maccabean
+House. With the death of her two sons it became extinct.
+
+
+
+
+
+                           The Gresham Press,
+                             UNWIN BROTHERS,
+                          CHILWORTH AND LONDON.
+
+
+
+
+
+                           BY THE SAME AUTHOR.
+
+                          ----------------------
+
+STORIES FROM HOMER. With Coloured Illustrations. Eighteenth Thousand.
+Price 5s., cloth.
+
+"A book which ought to become an English classic. It is full of the pure
+Homeric flavour."--_Spectator._
+
+
+STORIES FROM VIRGIL. With Coloured Illustrations. Fourteenth Thousand.
+Price 5s., cloth.
+
+"Superior to his 'Stories from Homer,' good as they were, and perhaps as
+perfect a specimen of that peculiar form of translation as could
+be."--_Times._
+
+
+STORIES FROM THE GREEK TRAGEDIANS. With Coloured Illustrations. Eighth
+Thousand. Price 5s., cloth.
+
+"Not only a pleasant and entertaining book for the fireside, but a
+storehouse of facts from history to be of real service to them when they
+come to read a Greek play for themselves."--_Standard._
+
+
+STORIES OF THE EAST FROM HERODOTUS. With Coloured Illustrations. Seventh
+Thousand. Price 5s., cloth.
+
+"For a school prize a more suitable book will hardly be found."--_Literary
+Churchman._
+
+"A very quaint and delightful book."--_Spectator._
+
+
+THE STORY OF THE PERSIAN WAR FROM HERODOTUS. With Coloured Illustrations.
+Fifth Thousand. Price 5s., cloth.
+
+"We are inclined to think this is the best volume of Professor Church's
+series since the excellent 'Stories from Homer.'"--_Athen�um._
+
+
+STORIES FROM LIVY. With Coloured Illustrations. Fifth Thousand. Price 5s.,
+cloth.
+
+"The lad who gets this book for a present will have got a genuine
+classical treasure."--_Scotsman._
+
+
+ROMAN LIFE IN THE DAYS OF CICERO. With Coloured Illustrations. Fourth
+Thousand. Price 5s., cloth.
+
+"The best prize-book of the season."--_Journal of Education._
+
+
+THE STORY OF THE LAST DAYS OF JERUSALEM FROM JOSEPHUS. With Coloured
+Illustrations. Fourth Thousand. Price 3s. 6d., cloth.
+
+"The execution of this work has been performed with that judiciousness of
+selection and felicity of language which have combined to raise Professor
+Church far above the fear of rivalry."--_Academy._
+
+
+A TRAVELLER'S TRUE TALE FROM LUCIAN. With Coloured Illustrations. Third
+Thousand. Price 3s. 6d., cloth.
+
+"There can hardly be a more amusing book of marvels for young people than
+this."--_Saturday Review._
+
+
+HEROES AND KINGS. Stories from the Greek. Fifth Thousand. Price 1s. 6d.,
+cloth.
+
+"This volume is quite a little triumph of neatness and taste."--_Saturday
+Review._
+
+
+THE STORIES OF THE ILIAD AND THE �NEID. With Illustrations. Price 1s.,
+sewed, or 1s. 6d., cloth.
+
+"The attractive and scholar-like rendering of the story cannot fail, we
+feel sure, to make it a favourite at home as well as at
+school."--_Educational Times._
+
+
+THE CHANTRY PRIEST OF BARNET: A Tale of the Two Roses. With Coloured
+Illustrations. Fourth Thousand. Price 5s.
+
+"This is likely to be a very useful book, as it is certainly very
+interesting and well got up."--_Saturday Review._
+
+
+WITH THE KING AT OXFORD. A Story of the Great Rebellion. With Coloured
+Illustrations. Fourth Thousand. Price 5s.
+
+"Excellent sketches of the times."--_Athen�um._
+
+
+THE COUNT OF THE SAXON SHORE. A Tale of the Departure of the Romans from
+Britain. With Sixteen Illustrations. Third Thousand. Price 5s.
+
+"A good stirring tale."--_Daily News._
+
+
+STORIES OF THE MAGICIANS: THALABA; RUSTEM; THE CURSE OF KEHAMA. With
+Coloured Illustrations. Price 5s.
+
+"Worthy of all praise."--_Pall Mall Gazette._
+
+
+THREE GREEK CHILDREN. A Story of Home in Old Time. With Twelve
+Illustrations. Price 3s. 6d.
+
+"This is a very fascinating little book."--_Spectator._
+
+
+TO THE LIONS! A Tale of the Early Christians. With Sixteen Illustrations.
+Price 3s. 6d., cloth.
+
+"The picture of the life of the Early Christians is drawn with admirable
+simplicity and distinctness."--_Guardian._
+
+
+
+
+
+                                FOOTNOTES
+
+
+    1 Nearly �2,000.
+
+    2 "The exceeding profaneness of Jason, that ungodly wretch, and no
+      high priest" (2 Macc. iv. 13).
+
+    3 Antiochus's surname, self-assumed or given by the flattery of his
+      courtiers, of "Epiphanes" (the Illustrious), was jestingly changed
+      by his subjects through the alteration of a single letter into,
+      "Epimanes" (Madman).
+
+    4 The Suburra was one of the least reputable quarters in Rome.
+
+    5 "He came with the King's mandate, bringing nothing worthy the high
+      priesthood, but having the fury of a cruel tyrant, and the rage of a
+      savage beast" (2 Macc. iv. 25).
+
+    6 Son and successor of Seleucus Nicator, the first of the dynasty of
+      the Greek Syrian kings.
+
+    7 The wine of Mount Tmolus, a mountain near Smyrna, before which, as
+      Virgil says (Georgics ii. 184), all other wines rise as before their
+      betters.
+
+    8 Azariah, holpen of Jehovah.
+
+    9 Charles Martel defeated the Saracens between Poictiers and Tours
+      (A.D. 732).
+
+   10 Not to be confounded with the village near Jerusalem.
+
+   11 The talent must have been a talent of gold, which may be reckoned as
+      equal to �3,300.
+
+   12 This is the meaning of the name Eleazar.
+
+   13 Psalm cxxxvi.
+
+   14 About �,24.
+
+   15 Hebrews xi. 37-38. Compare ii. Macc. x. vi. "When as they wandered
+      in the mountains and dens like beasts."
+
+   16 Nine o'clock, p.m.
+
+   17 There seems to have been a belief among the Jews of this time in the
+      efficacy of prayers for the dead. So we read in 2 Maccabees xii. 45:
+      "Whereupon he made a reconciliation for the dead that they might be
+      delivered from sin." This is probably the chief reason why the
+      Council of Trent included the Books of Maccabees and other
+      Apocryphal writings in the Canon of Scripture.
+
+   18 The month Chisleu about corresponds to our December.
+
+   19 See S. John x. 22, 23: "And it was at Jerusalem the Feast of the
+      Dedication, and it was winter. And Jesus walked in the Temple, in
+      Solomon's porch."
+
+   20 Eupator means "Born of a great father."
+
+   21 Psalms cxiii.-cxviii.
+
+   22 Ibid. cxx.-cxxxiv.
+
+   23 Alcimus seems to have been an adaptation, not a little remote,
+      however, from the original, of the Hebrew name Eliakim.
+
+   24 "Bezeth," it is called. Possibly it may be identified with Bezetha,
+      which was afterwards part of the city.
+
+   25 Copious draughts of wine were an important part of the customary
+      celebration of the Purim festival.
+
+   26 "Et pater �neas et avunculus excitet Hector."
+
+   27 Observe the Greek names of the two. In each case the father's name
+      is Hebrew, and the son's Greek. This seems to show how far the
+      Hellenization of the people had proceeded.
+
+   28 We commonly talk of the "three hundred" at Thermopylae. As a matter
+      of fact there were _a thousand_, not reckoning the Thebans, who are
+      said to have laid down their arms at once. But the seven hundred men
+      from Thespiae, a little Boeotian town, fought bravely to the end;
+      only their glory is swallowed up in that of the "three hundred"
+      Spartans. Canon Westcott speaks of this battle as the Jewish
+      Thermopylae ("Dictionary of the Bible").
+
+
+
+
+
+                            TRANSCRIBER'S NOTE
+
+
+Variations in hyphenation have not been changed. In several places, wrong
+quotation marks have been silently corrected.
+
+Other changes, which have been made to the text:
+
+      page xi, "ELEAZER" changed to "ELEAZAR"
+      page 230, double "the" removed
+      page 354, "of" changed to "or"
+
+
+
+
+
+***END OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE HAMMER. A STORY OF THE MACCABEAN TIMES***
+
+
+
+                                 CREDITS
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+December 31, 2013
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+        "margin-bottom: 4.00em; margin-top: 4.00em">
+          <div class="tei tei-div" style=
+          "margin-bottom: 3.00em; margin-top: 3.00em">
+            <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 2.00em">The Project
+            Gutenberg EBook of The Hammer. A Story of the Maccabean Times by
+            Alfred John Church and Richmond Seeley</p>
+          </div>
+
+          <div class="tei tei-div" style=
+          "margin-bottom: 3.00em; margin-top: 3.00em">
+            <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em">This eBook is
+            for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with almost no
+            restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use
+            it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License <a href=
+            "#pglicense" class="tei tei-ref">included with this eBook</a> or
+            online at <a href="http://www.gutenberg.org/license" class=
+            "tei tei-xref">http://www.gutenberg.org/license</a></p>
+          </div>
+          <pre class="pre tei tei-div" style=
+          "margin-bottom: 3.00em; margin-top: 3.00em">
+Title: The Hammer. A Story of the Maccabean Times
+
+Author: Alfred John Church and Richmond Seeley
+
+Release Date: December 31, 2013 [Ebook #44550]
+
+Language: English
+
+Character set encoding: UTF-8
+
+
+***START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE HAMMER. A STORY OF THE MACCABEAN TIMES***
+</pre>
+        </div>
+      </div>
+
+      <div class="tei tei-div" style=
+      "margin-bottom: 5.00em; margin-top: 5.00em"></div>
+      <hr class="doublepage" />
+
+      <div class="tei tei-div" style=
+      "text-align: center; margin-bottom: 5.00em; margin-top: 5.00em">
+        <div class="tei tei-pb" style="text-align: center"></div>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style=
+        "text-align: center; margin-bottom: 1.00em"><span class="tei tei-hi"
+        style="text-align: center"><span style=
+        "font-size: 120%; font-style: italic">THE HAMMER</span></span></p>
+
+        <div class="tei tei-pb" style="text-align: center"></div>
+
+        <div class="tei tei-pb" style="text-align: center"></div><a name=
+        "Pgi" id="Pgi" class="tei tei-anchor" style="text-align: center"></a>
+      </div>
+      <hr class="page" />
+
+      <div class="tei tei-div" style=
+      "text-align: center; margin-bottom: 5.00em; margin-top: 5.00em">
+        <div class="tei tei-pb" style="text-align: center"></div><a name=
+        "Pgii" id="Pgii" class="tei tei-anchor" style=
+        "text-align: center"></a>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style=
+        "text-align: center; margin-bottom: 1.00em"><a name="i_004" id=
+        "i_004" class="tei tei-anchor" style=
+        "text-align: center"></a><a name="fig1" id="fig1"></a></p>
+
+        <div class="tei tei-figure" style="text-align: center">
+          <img src="images/i_004.jpg" alt="The Cave among the Mountains"
+          title="The Cave among the Mountains." />
+
+          <div class="tei tei-head" style=
+          "text-align: center; margin-bottom: 1.00em; margin-top: 1.00em">
+            <span class="tei tei-hi" style="text-align: center"><span style=
+            "font-style: italic">The Cave among the Mountains.</span></span>
+          </div>
+        </div>
+        <hr class="page" />
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style=
+        "text-align: center; margin-bottom: 1.00em"></p>
+
+        <div class="tei tei-figure" style="text-align: center"><img src=
+        "images/cover.jpg" alt="Cover image" /></div>
+      </div>
+      <hr class="doublepage" />
+
+      <div class="tei tei-titlePage" style="text-align: center">
+        <div class="tei tei-pb" style="text-align: center"></div><a name=
+        "Pgiii" id="Pgiii" class="tei tei-anchor" style=
+        "text-align: center"></a> <span class="tei tei-docTitle" style=
+        "text-align: center"><span class="tei tei-titlePart" style=
+        "text-align: center"><span style="font-size: 173%">THE
+        HAMMER</span></span><br />
+        <br />
+        <span class="tei tei-titlePart" style=
+        "text-align: center"><span class="tei tei-hi" style=
+        "text-align: center"><span style=
+        "font-size: 120%; font-style: italic; font-variant: small-caps">A
+        Story of the Maccabean Times</span></span></span></span><br />
+        <br />
+        <br />
+
+        <div class="tei tei-byline" style="text-align: center">
+          BY<br />
+          <span class="tei tei-docAuthor" style=
+          "text-align: center"><span style="font-size: 120%">ALFRED J.
+          CHURCH, M.A.</span></span><br />
+          <span class="tei tei-hi" style="text-align: center"><span style=
+          "font-style: italic">Lately Professor of Latin in University
+          College, London</span></span><br />
+          AND<br />
+          <span class="tei tei-docAuthor" style=
+          "text-align: center"><span style="font-size: 120%">RICHMOND
+          SEELEY</span></span>
+        </div><br />
+        <br />
+        <br />
+        <span class="tei tei-titlePart" style=
+        "text-align: center"><span class="tei tei-hi" style=
+        "text-align: center"><span style="font-style: italic">With
+        Illustrations by</span> <span class="tei tei-hi" style=
+        "text-align: center"><span style=
+        "font-style: italic; font-variant: small-caps">John
+        Jellicoe</span></span></span></span><br />
+        <br />
+        <br />
+        <span class="tei tei-docImprint" style=
+        "text-align: center"><span class="tei tei-pubPlace" style=
+        "text-align: center">LONDON</span><br />
+        <span class="tei tei-publisher" style="text-align: center">SEELEY AND
+        CO. LIMITED</span><br />
+        ESSEX STREET, STRAND<br />
+        <span class="tei tei-docDate" style=
+        "text-align: center">1890</span></span>
+
+        <div class="tei tei-pb" style="text-align: center"></div><a name=
+        "Pgiv" id="Pgiv" class="tei tei-anchor" style=
+        "text-align: center"></a>
+      </div>
+      <hr class="doublepage" />
+
+      <div class="tei tei-div" style=
+      "margin-bottom: 5.00em; margin-top: 5.00em">
+        <span class="tei tei-pb" id="pagev">[pg v]</span><a name="Pgv" id=
+        "Pgv" class="tei tei-anchor"></a> <a name="toc2" id="toc2"></a>
+        <a name="pdf3" id="pdf3"></a>
+
+        <h1 class="tei tei-head" style=
+        "text-align: center; margin-bottom: 3.46em; margin-top: 3.46em">
+        <span style="font-size: 173%">PREFACE</span></h1>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em">It is not so very
+        long since the Apocrypha was found in almost every copy of the
+        English Bible, but in the present day it is seldom printed with it,
+        and very seldom indeed read. One or two of the writings included
+        under this name are trivial and even absurd; but, on the whole, the
+        Apocryphal books deserve far more attention than they receive. Among
+        the foremost, in point of interest and value, must be placed the
+        First Book of Maccabees. Written within fifty years of the events
+        which it records, at a time, it must be remembered, that was
+        singularly barren of historical literature, it is a careful, sober,
+        and consistent narrative. It is our principal, not unfrequently our
+        sole, authority for the incidents of a very important period, a
+        period that was in the highest degree critical in the history of the
+        Jewish nation and of the world which that nation has so largely
+        influenced. It is commonly said that the great visitation of the
+        Captivity finally destroyed in the Hebrew mind the tendency to
+        <span class="tei tei-pb" id="pagevi">[pg vi]</span><a name="Pgvi" id=
+        "Pgvi" class="tei tei-anchor"></a>idolatry. But the denunciations of
+        Ezekiel prove to us that the exiles carried into the land of their
+        captivity the evil which they had cherished in the land of their
+        birth, and it is no less certain that they brought it back with them
+        on their return. It grew to its height in the early part of the
+        Second Century <span class="tei tei-hi"><span style=
+        "font-size: 75%">B.C.</span></span>, along with the increasing
+        influence of Greek civilization in Western Asia. The feeble Jewish
+        Commonwealth was more and more dominated by the powerful kingdoms
+        which had been established on the ruins of the empire of Alexander,
+        and the national religion was attacked by an enemy at least as
+        dangerous as the Phœnician Baal-worship had been in earlier days, an
+        enemy which may be briefly described by the word Hellenism. The story
+        of how Judas and his brothers led the movement which rescued the
+        Jewish faith from this peril is the story which we have endeavoured
+        to tell in this volume. Our plan has been to follow strictly the
+        lines of the First Book of Maccabees, going to the Second, a far less
+        trustworthy document, only for some picturesque incidents. The
+        subsidiary characters are fictitious, but the narrative is, we
+        believe, apart from casual errors, historically correct.</p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em">We have to
+        acknowledge special obligations to Captain Conder’s <span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“Judas Maccabæus,”</span> a volume of the series entitled
+        <span class="tei tei-q">“The New Plutarch.”</span> We also owe much
+        to Canon Rawlinson’s notes in the <span class="tei tei-q">“Speaker’s
+        Commentary on the Bible,”</span> to Canon <span class="tei tei-pb"
+        id="pagevii">[pg vii]</span><a name="Pgvii" id="Pgvii" class=
+        "tei tei-anchor"></a>Westcott’s articles in the <span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“Dictionary of the Bible,”</span> and to Dean Stanley’s
+        <span class="tei tei-q">“Lectures on the Jewish Church.”</span></p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em">If any reader
+        should be curious as to the literary partnership announced on the
+        title-page—a partnership that has grown, so to speak, out of another
+        of many years’ standing, shared by the writers as author and
+        publisher—he may be informed that the plan of the story and a
+        detailed outline of it have been contributed by Richmond Seeley, and
+        the story itself written for the most part by Alfred Church.</p>
+
+        <div class="tei tei-closer" style="text-align: left">
+          <div class="tei tei-dateline" style="text-align: left">
+            <span class="tei tei-name" style="text-align: left"><span class=
+            "tei tei-hi" style="text-align: left"><span style=
+            "font-variant: small-caps">London</span></span></span>,<br />
+            <span class="tei tei-date" style="text-align: left"><span class=
+            "tei tei-hi" style="text-align: left"><span style=
+            "font-style: italic">Sept. 3, 1889.</span></span></span>
+          </div>
+        </div>
+
+        <div class="tei tei-pb"></div><a name="Pgviii" id="Pgviii" class=
+        "tei tei-anchor"></a> <span class="tei tei-pb" id="pageix">[pg
+        ix]</span><a name="Pgix" id="Pgix" class="tei tei-anchor"></a>
+      </div>
+      <hr class="doublepage" />
+
+      <div class="tei tei-div" style=
+      "margin-bottom: 5.00em; margin-top: 5.00em">
+        <a name="toc4" id="toc4"></a> <a name="pdf5" id="pdf5"></a>
+
+        <h1 class="tei tei-head" style=
+        "text-align: center; margin-bottom: 3.46em; margin-top: 3.46em">
+        <span style="font-size: 173%">CONTENTS</span></h1><a name="Pgx" id=
+        "Pgx" class="tei tei-anchor"></a>
+
+        <table summary="This is a table" cellspacing="0" class=
+        "tei tei-table" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em">
+          <colgroup span="3"></colgroup>
+
+          <tbody>
+            <tr class="tei tei-row">
+              <td class="tei tei-cell" style="text-align: right"><span class=
+              "tei tei-hi" style="text-align: right"><span style=
+              "font-size: 75%">CHAP.</span></span></td>
+
+              <td class="tei tei-cell"></td>
+
+              <td class="tei tei-cell" style="text-align: right"><span class=
+              "tei tei-hi" style="text-align: right"><span style=
+              "font-size: 75%">PAGE</span></span></td>
+            </tr>
+
+            <tr class="tei tei-row">
+              <td class="tei tei-cell" style="text-align: right">I.</td>
+
+              <td class="tei tei-cell">A NEW ORDER OF THINGS</td>
+
+              <td class="tei tei-cell" style="text-align: right"><a href=
+              "#Pg001" class="tei tei-ref" style=
+              "text-align: right">1</a></td>
+            </tr>
+
+            <tr class="tei tei-row">
+              <td class="tei tei-cell" style="text-align: right">II.</td>
+
+              <td class="tei tei-cell">ANTIOCHUS</td>
+
+              <td class="tei tei-cell" style="text-align: right"><a href=
+              "#Pg019" class="tei tei-ref" style=
+              "text-align: right">19</a></td>
+            </tr>
+
+            <tr class="tei tei-row">
+              <td class="tei tei-cell" style="text-align: right">III.</td>
+
+              <td class="tei tei-cell">MENELAÜS</td>
+
+              <td class="tei tei-cell" style="text-align: right"><a href=
+              "#Pg037" class="tei tei-ref" style=
+              "text-align: right">37</a></td>
+            </tr>
+
+            <tr class="tei tei-row">
+              <td class="tei tei-cell" style="text-align: right">IV.</td>
+
+              <td class="tei tei-cell">AT ANTIOCH</td>
+
+              <td class="tei tei-cell" style="text-align: right"><a href=
+              "#Pg049" class="tei tei-ref" style=
+              "text-align: right">49</a></td>
+            </tr>
+
+            <tr class="tei tei-row">
+              <td class="tei tei-cell" style="text-align: right">V.</td>
+
+              <td class="tei tei-cell">THE WRATH TO COME</td>
+
+              <td class="tei tei-cell" style="text-align: right"><a href=
+              "#Pg068" class="tei tei-ref" style=
+              "text-align: right">68</a></td>
+            </tr>
+
+            <tr class="tei tei-row">
+              <td class="tei tei-cell" style="text-align: right">VI.</td>
+
+              <td class="tei tei-cell">THE EVIL DAYS</td>
+
+              <td class="tei tei-cell" style="text-align: right"><a href=
+              "#Pg079" class="tei tei-ref" style=
+              "text-align: right">79</a></td>
+            </tr>
+
+            <tr class="tei tei-row">
+              <td class="tei tei-cell" style="text-align: right">VII.</td>
+
+              <td class="tei tei-cell">THE DARKNESS THICKENS</td>
+
+              <td class="tei tei-cell" style="text-align: right"><a href=
+              "#Pg090" class="tei tei-ref" style=
+              "text-align: right">90</a></td>
+            </tr>
+
+            <tr class="tei tei-row">
+              <td class="tei tei-cell" style="text-align: right">VIII.</td>
+
+              <td class="tei tei-cell">SHALLUM THE WINE-SELLER</td>
+
+              <td class="tei tei-cell" style="text-align: right"><a href=
+              "#Pg101" class="tei tei-ref" style=
+              "text-align: right">101</a></td>
+            </tr>
+
+            <tr class="tei tei-row">
+              <td class="tei tei-cell" style="text-align: right">IX.</td>
+
+              <td class="tei tei-cell">THE PERSECUTION</td>
+
+              <td class="tei tei-cell" style="text-align: right"><a href=
+              "#Pg113" class="tei tei-ref" style=
+              "text-align: right">113</a></td>
+            </tr>
+
+            <tr class="tei tei-row">
+              <td class="tei tei-cell" style="text-align: right">X.</td>
+
+              <td class="tei tei-cell">IN THE MOUNTAINS</td>
+
+              <td class="tei tei-cell" style="text-align: right"><a href=
+              "#Pg124" class="tei tei-ref" style=
+              "text-align: right">124</a></td>
+            </tr>
+
+            <tr class="tei tei-row">
+              <td class="tei tei-cell" style="text-align: right">XI.</td>
+
+              <td class="tei tei-cell">NEWS BAD AND GOOD</td>
+
+              <td class="tei tei-cell" style="text-align: right"><a href=
+              "#Pg135" class="tei tei-ref" style=
+              "text-align: right">135</a></td>
+            </tr>
+
+            <tr class="tei tei-row">
+              <td class="tei tei-cell" style="text-align: right">XII.</td>
+
+              <td class="tei tei-cell">THE PATRIOT ARMY</td>
+
+              <td class="tei tei-cell" style="text-align: right"><a href=
+              "#Pg148" class="tei tei-ref" style=
+              "text-align: right">148</a></td>
+            </tr>
+
+            <tr class="tei tei-row">
+              <td class="tei tei-cell" style="text-align: right">XIII.</td>
+
+              <td class="tei tei-cell">GUERILLA WARFARE IN THE MOUNTAINS</td>
+
+              <td class="tei tei-cell" style="text-align: right"><a href=
+              "#Pg159" class="tei tei-ref" style=
+              "text-align: right">159</a></td>
+            </tr>
+
+            <tr class="tei tei-row">
+              <td class="tei tei-cell" style="text-align: right">XIV.</td>
+
+              <td class="tei tei-cell">THE BURIAL OF MATTATHIAS</td>
+
+              <td class="tei tei-cell" style="text-align: right"><a href=
+              "#Pg171" class="tei tei-ref" style=
+              "text-align: right">171</a></td>
+            </tr>
+
+            <tr class="tei tei-row">
+              <td class="tei tei-cell" style="text-align: right">XV.</td>
+
+              <td class="tei tei-cell">THE SWORD OF APOLLONIUS</td>
+
+              <td class="tei tei-cell" style="text-align: right"><a href=
+              "#Pg184" class="tei tei-ref" style=
+              "text-align: right">184</a></td>
+            </tr>
+
+            <tr class="tei tei-row">
+              <td class="tei tei-cell" style="text-align: right">XVI.</td>
+
+              <td class="tei tei-cell">NEWS FROM THE BATTLE-FIELD</td>
+
+              <td class="tei tei-cell" style="text-align: right"><a href=
+              "#Pg193" class="tei tei-ref" style=
+              "text-align: right">193</a></td>
+            </tr>
+
+            <tr class="tei tei-row">
+              <td class="tei tei-cell" style="text-align: right">XVII.</td>
+
+              <td class="tei tei-cell">THE BATTLE OF EMMAUS</td>
+
+              <td class="tei tei-cell" style="text-align: right"><a href=
+              "#Pg208" class="tei tei-ref" style=
+              "text-align: right">208</a></td>
+            </tr>
+
+            <tr class="tei tei-row">
+              <td class="tei tei-cell" style="text-align: right">XVIII.</td>
+
+              <td class="tei tei-cell">THE BATTLE OF BETH-ZUR</td>
+
+              <td class="tei tei-cell" style="text-align: right"><a href=
+              "#Pg225" class="tei tei-ref" style=
+              "text-align: right">225</a></td>
+            </tr>
+
+            <tr class="tei tei-row">
+              <td class="tei tei-cell" style="text-align: right">XIX.</td>
+
+              <td class="tei tei-cell">IN JERUSALEM</td>
+
+              <td class="tei tei-cell" style="text-align: right"><a href=
+              "#Pg235" class="tei tei-ref" style=
+              "text-align: right">235</a></td>
+            </tr>
+
+            <tr class="tei tei-row">
+              <td class="tei tei-cell" style="text-align: right">XX.</td>
+
+              <td class="tei tei-cell">THE CLEANSING OF THE TEMPLE</td>
+
+              <td class="tei tei-cell" style="text-align: right"><a href=
+              "#Pg242" class="tei tei-ref" style=
+              "text-align: right">242</a></td>
+            </tr>
+
+            <tr class="tei tei-row">
+              <td class="tei tei-cell" style="text-align: right">XXI.</td>
+
+              <td class="tei tei-cell">THE DEDICATION OF THE TEMPLE</td>
+
+              <td class="tei tei-cell" style="text-align: right"><a href=
+              "#Pg254" class="tei tei-ref" style=
+              "text-align: right">254</a></td>
+            </tr>
+
+            <tr class="tei tei-row">
+              <td class="tei tei-cell" style="text-align: right">XXII.</td>
+
+              <td class="tei tei-cell">WARS AND RUMOURS OF WARS</td>
+
+              <td class="tei tei-cell" style="text-align: right"><a href=
+              "#Pg263" class="tei tei-ref" style=
+              "text-align: right">263</a></td>
+            </tr>
+
+            <tr class="tei tei-row">
+              <td class="tei tei-cell" style="text-align: right">XXIII.</td>
+
+              <td class="tei tei-cell">MORE VICTORIES</td>
+
+              <td class="tei tei-cell" style="text-align: right"><a href=
+              "#Pg274" class="tei tei-ref" style=
+              "text-align: right">274</a></td>
+            </tr>
+
+            <tr class="tei tei-row">
+              <td class="tei tei-cell" style="text-align: right">XXIV.</td>
+
+              <td class="tei tei-cell">THE SABBATICAL YEAR</td>
+
+              <td class="tei tei-cell" style="text-align: right"><a href=
+              "#Pg284" class="tei tei-ref" style=
+              "text-align: right">284</a></td>
+            </tr>
+
+            <tr class="tei tei-row">
+              <td class="tei tei-cell" style="text-align: right">XXV.</td>
+
+              <td class="tei tei-cell">REVERSES</td>
+
+              <td class="tei tei-cell" style="text-align: right"><a href=
+              "#Pg294" class="tei tei-ref" style=
+              "text-align: right">294</a></td>
+            </tr>
+
+            <tr class="tei tei-row">
+              <td class="tei tei-cell" style="text-align: right">XXVI.</td>
+
+              <td class="tei tei-cell">LIGHT OUT OF DARKNESS</td>
+
+              <td class="tei tei-cell" style="text-align: right"><a href=
+              "#Pg304" class="tei tei-ref" style=
+              "text-align: right">304</a></td>
+            </tr>
+
+            <tr class="tei tei-row">
+              <td class="tei tei-cell" style="text-align: right">XXVII.</td>
+
+              <td class="tei tei-cell">A PEACEFUL INTERVAL</td>
+
+              <td class="tei tei-cell" style="text-align: right"><a href=
+              "#Pg314" class="tei tei-ref" style=
+              "text-align: right">314</a></td>
+            </tr>
+
+            <tr class="tei tei-row">
+              <td class="tei tei-cell" style="text-align: right">XXVIII.</td>
+
+              <td class="tei tei-cell">HOPES AND FEARS</td>
+
+              <td class="tei tei-cell" style="text-align: right"><a href=
+              "#Pg323" class="tei tei-ref" style=
+              "text-align: right">323</a></td>
+            </tr>
+
+            <tr class="tei tei-row">
+              <td class="tei tei-cell" style="text-align: right">XXIX.</td>
+
+              <td class="tei tei-cell">CIVIL WAR</td>
+
+              <td class="tei tei-cell" style="text-align: right"><a href=
+              "#Pg331" class="tei tei-ref" style=
+              "text-align: right">331</a></td>
+            </tr>
+
+            <tr class="tei tei-row">
+              <td class="tei tei-cell" style="text-align: right">XXX.</td>
+
+              <td class="tei tei-cell">NICANOR</td>
+
+              <td class="tei tei-cell" style="text-align: right"><a href=
+              "#Pg339" class="tei tei-ref" style=
+              "text-align: right">339</a></td>
+            </tr>
+
+            <tr class="tei tei-row">
+              <td class="tei tei-cell" style="text-align: right">XXXI.</td>
+
+              <td class="tei tei-cell">THE FALLING AWAY</td>
+
+              <td class="tei tei-cell" style="text-align: right"><a href=
+              "#Pg352" class="tei tei-ref" style=
+              "text-align: right">352</a></td>
+            </tr>
+
+            <tr class="tei tei-row">
+              <td class="tei tei-cell" style="text-align: right">XXXII.</td>
+
+              <td class="tei tei-cell">THE LAST BATTLE</td>
+
+              <td class="tei tei-cell" style="text-align: right"><a href=
+              "#Pg362" class="tei tei-ref" style=
+              "text-align: right">362</a></td>
+            </tr>
+
+            <tr class="tei tei-row">
+              <td class="tei tei-cell" style="text-align: right">XXXIII.</td>
+
+              <td class="tei tei-cell">THE HOPE OF ISRAEL</td>
+
+              <td class="tei tei-cell" style="text-align: right"><a href=
+              "#Pg368" class="tei tei-ref" style=
+              "text-align: right">368</a></td>
+            </tr>
+          </tbody>
+        </table><span class="tei tei-pb" id="pagexi">[pg xi]</span><a name=
+        "Pgxi" id="Pgxi" class="tei tei-anchor"></a>
+      </div>
+      <hr class="doublepage" />
+
+      <div class="tei tei-div" style=
+      "margin-bottom: 5.00em; margin-top: 5.00em">
+        <a name="toc6" id="toc6"></a> <a name="pdf7" id="pdf7"></a>
+
+        <h1 class="tei tei-head" style=
+        "text-align: center; margin-bottom: 3.46em; margin-top: 3.46em">
+        <span style="font-size: 173%">LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS</span></h1>
+
+        <table summary="This is a table" cellspacing="0" class=
+        "tei tei-table" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em">
+          <colgroup span="2"></colgroup>
+
+          <tbody>
+            <tr class="tei tei-row">
+              <td class="tei tei-cell">THE CAVE AMONG THE MOUNTAINS</td>
+
+              <td class="tei tei-cell" style="text-align: right"><a href=
+              "#i_004" class="tei tei-ref" style=
+              "text-align: right"><span class="tei tei-hi" style=
+              "text-align: right"><span style=
+              "font-style: italic">Frontispiece</span></span></a></td>
+            </tr>
+
+            <tr class="tei tei-row">
+              <td class="tei tei-cell">ANTIOCHUS IN THE TAVERN</td>
+
+              <td class="tei tei-cell" style="text-align: right"><a href=
+              "#i_047" class="tei tei-ref" style=
+              "text-align: right">32</a></td>
+            </tr>
+
+            <tr class="tei tei-row">
+              <td class="tei tei-cell">THE PERSECUTION</td>
+
+              <td class="tei tei-cell" style="text-align: right"><a href=
+              "#i_135" class="tei tei-ref" style=
+              "text-align: right">118</a></td>
+            </tr>
+
+            <tr class="tei tei-row">
+              <td class="tei tei-cell">THE LAST CHARGE OF MATTATHIAS</td>
+
+              <td class="tei tei-cell" style="text-align: right"><a href=
+              "#i_187" class="tei tei-ref" style=
+              "text-align: right">168</a></td>
+            </tr>
+
+            <tr class="tei tei-row">
+              <td class="tei tei-cell">THE SWORD OF APOLLONIUS</td>
+
+              <td class="tei tei-cell" style="text-align: right"><a href=
+              "#i_213" class="tei tei-ref" style=
+              "text-align: right">192</a></td>
+            </tr>
+
+            <tr class="tei tei-row">
+              <td class="tei tei-cell">FAREWELL TO THE MOUNTAINS</td>
+
+              <td class="tei tei-cell" style="text-align: right"><a href=
+              "#i_255" class="tei tei-ref" style=
+              "text-align: right">232</a></td>
+            </tr>
+
+            <tr class="tei tei-row">
+              <td class="tei tei-cell">THE DEATH OF <a name="corrxi" id=
+              "corrxi" class="tei tei-anchor"></a><span class=
+              "tei tei-corr">ELEAZAR</span></td>
+
+              <td class="tei tei-cell" style="text-align: right"><a href=
+              "#i_327" class="tei tei-ref" style=
+              "text-align: right">302</a></td>
+            </tr>
+
+            <tr class="tei tei-row">
+              <td class="tei tei-cell">THE BOY KING</td>
+
+              <td class="tei tei-cell" style="text-align: right"><a href=
+              "#i_341" class="tei tei-ref" style=
+              "text-align: right">314</a></td>
+            </tr>
+          </tbody>
+        </table>
+
+        <div class="tei tei-pb"></div><a name="Pgxii" id="Pgxii" class=
+        "tei tei-anchor"></a>
+      </div>
+    </div>
+    <hr class="doublepage" />
+
+    <div class="tei tei-body" style=
+    "margin-bottom: 6.00em; margin-top: 6.00em">
+      <span class="tei tei-pb" id="page1">[pg 1]</span><a name="Pg001" id=
+      "Pg001" class="tei tei-anchor"></a>
+
+      <p class="tei tei-p" style="text-align: center; margin-bottom: 1.73em">
+      <span style="font-size: 173%">THE HAMMER</span></p>
+
+      <div class="tei tei-div" style=
+      "margin-bottom: 5.00em; margin-top: 5.00em">
+        <a name="toc8" id="toc8"></a> <a name="pdf9" id="pdf9"></a>
+
+        <h1 class="tei tei-head" style=
+        "text-align: center; margin-bottom: 3.46em; margin-top: 3.46em">
+        <span style="font-size: 173%">CHAPTER I.</span><br />
+        <br />
+        <span class="tei tei-hi" style="text-align: center"><span style=
+        "font-size: 100%">A NEW ORDER OF THINGS.</span></span></h1>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em">The time is the
+        evening of a day in the early autumn of the year 174 <span class=
+        "tei tei-hi"><span style="font-size: 75%">B.C.</span></span> There
+        has been a great festival in Jerusalem. But it has been curiously
+        unlike any festival that one would have expected to be held in that
+        famous city. The people have not been crowding in from the country,
+        and journeying from their far-off places of sojourn among the
+        heathen, to keep one of the great feasts of the Law. Nothing could be
+        further from the thoughts of the crowd that is streaming out of this
+        new building which stands close under the walls of the Temple. What
+        would they who built the Temple some two and a half centuries before
+        have thought of this strange intruder on the sacred precincts? It is
+        not difficult to imagine, for the new erection is nothing more or
+        less than a Circus, <span class="tei tei-pb" id="page2">[pg
+        2]</span><a name="Pg002" id="Pg002" class="tei tei-anchor"></a>built
+        and furnished in the latest Greek fashion, and the spectacle which
+        the crowd has been enjoying, or pretending to enjoy—for it is strange
+        to all, and distasteful to some—is an imitation of the Olympian
+        games. Things then, we see, have been curiously changed. Even the
+        city has almost lost its identity. It is no longer the capital of the
+        Jewish nation, but the chief town of an insignificant province in the
+        Greek kingdom of Syria, one of the fragments into which the great
+        dominion of Alexander had split some hundred and fifty years before.
+        We shall understand something more about this marvellous change if we
+        listen to a conversation that is going on in one of the houses that
+        adjoin the Temple.</p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em"><span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“Well, Cleon, you will allow that our little show to-day
+        has been fairly successful. We are but novices, you know; barbarians,
+        I am afraid you will call us. But we hope to improve. You Greeks are
+        wonderful teachers. You can give in a very short time a quite
+        marvellous appearance of refinement to the merest savages. And we are
+        not that; you would not call us savages, my dear friend.”</span></p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em"><span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“Savages! The gods forbid that such insolent folly should
+        ever come from my tongue! You have a most elegant taste in art, my
+        dear Jason. Our own Callias—he is our first <span lang="fr" class=
+        "tei tei-foreign" xml:lang="fr"><span style=
+        "font-style: italic">connoisseur</span></span> at Athens; you must
+        have heard me mention him—would not disdain to have some of the
+        little things which you have about you here in his own
+        apartment.”</span></p><span class="tei tei-pb" id="page3">[pg
+        3]</span><a name="Pg003" id="Pg003" class="tei tei-anchor"></a>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em">And, as he spoke,
+        Cleon looked round the room, which, indeed, was very handsomely
+        furnished in the latest Greek taste. The walls were covered with
+        tapestry, showing on a purple ground a design, worked in silver and
+        gold, which represented the triumphant return of the Wine-god from
+        his Eastern campaigns. At one end of the room stood a
+        sumptuously-carved bookcase, filled with volumes adorned by the most
+        skilful binders of Alexandria. The bookcase was flanked on either
+        side by a pedestal statue, one displaying the head of Hermes, the
+        other the head of Athené. On a sideboard were ranged twelve silver
+        goblets, on which had been worked in high relief the labours of
+        Hercules. But probably the most precious object in the room—at least
+        in its master’s estimation—was a replica, about half the size of
+        life, of the statue that we know as the <span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“Dying Gladiator.”</span> It was the work of a sculptor
+        of Pergamum, a special favourite of the art-loving dynasty of the
+        Attali. It had been purchased for the enormous sum of half a talent
+        of gold;<a id="noteref_1" name="noteref_1" href=
+        "#note_1"><span class="tei tei-noteref"><span style=
+        "font-size: 60%; vertical-align: super">1</span></span></a> and Jason
+        had thought himself especially fortunate in being allowed to secure
+        it on any terms. The Pergamene artist was bound, in consideration of
+        the handsome payment which he received from his royal patron, not to
+        execute commissions for strangers, and it was only as a special
+        favour, and not till a heavy bribe had been <span class="tei tei-pb"
+        id="page4">[pg 4]</span><a name="Pg004" id="Pg004" class=
+        "tei tei-anchor"></a>paid to some influential personage in the court,
+        that the rule had been relaxed in favour of Jason.</p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em">And who, it may be
+        asked, was Jason?</p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em">Jason was the
+        Jewish high priest, the successor of Aaron, of Eleazar, of Jehoiada,
+        of Hilkiah, and as unlike these worthies of the past in appearance,
+        in speech, in ways of thinking, as it is possible to conceive. His
+        costume, in the first place, was that of a Greek exquisite. He wore a
+        purple tunic, showing at the neck a crimson under-shirt, and gathered
+        up at the waist with a belt of the finest leather, clasped with a
+        design in silver, which showed a dog laying hold of a fawn. His knees
+        were bare, but the shins were covered with silk leggings of the same
+        colour as the tunic, against which the gold fastenings of the sandals
+        showed in gay relief. His hair was elaborately curled, and almost
+        dripping with the richest of Syrian perfumes. The forefinger of the
+        left hand showed the head of Zeus finely carved on an amethyst, that
+        of the right was circled by a sapphire ring with the likeness of
+        Apollo.</p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em">His speech was
+        Greek. Hebrew of course he knew, both in its classical and its
+        conversational forms; but he was as careful to conceal his knowledge
+        as an old-fashioned Roman of his time would have been careful to hide
+        the fact, if he had happened to know any language besides his own.
+        His very name, it will have been observed, had been changed to suit
+        the new fashion which he was endeavouring <span class="tei tei-pb"
+        id="page5">[pg 5]</span><a name="Pg005" id="Pg005" class=
+        "tei tei-anchor"></a>to set to his countrymen. Really it was
+        Joshua—no dishonourable appellation, one would think, seeing that it
+        had been borne by the conqueror of Canaan, and by the most
+        distinguished of the later high priests. But it did not please him,
+        and he had changed it to Jason.</p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em">As for his ways of
+        thinking, these will become evident enough if we listen to a little
+        more of his conversation.</p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em"><span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“And you think, Cleon,”</span> he went on—Cleon was a
+        Greek adventurer who gave himself out as an Athenian, but who was
+        shrewdly suspected of coming from one of the smaller islands of the
+        Ægean—<span class="tei tei-q">“you think that our games went pretty
+        well?”</span></p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em"><span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“Admirably, my dear Jason,”</span> answered the Greek,
+        who really had thought them a deplorable failure, but who valued too
+        much his free quarters in the high priest’s sumptuous palace to give
+        a candid expression of his opinion.</p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em"><span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“You see we had great difficulties to contend with. You
+        can hardly imagine, for instance, how hard I found it to persuade our
+        young men to run and wrestle naked. They quoted some ridiculous
+        nonsense from the Law, as if we could be bound nowadays by some
+        obsolete old rules that no sensible person would think for a moment
+        of observing.<a id="noteref_2" name="noteref_2" href=
+        "#note_2"><span class="tei tei-noteref"><span style=
+        "font-size: 60%; vertical-align: super">2</span></span></a> You saw,
+        I dare say, to-day that I was <span class="tei tei-pb" id="page6">[pg
+        6]</span><a name="Pg006" id="Pg006" class=
+        "tei tei-anchor"></a>obliged to allow some of them to wear a
+        loin-cloth. They positively refused to come into the arena without
+        it. Well, we shall educate them in time. They <span class=
+        "tei tei-hi"><span style="font-style: italic">must</span></span>
+        learn to admire the beauty of the human form, unspoilt by any of the
+        trappings with which, for convenience sake, we are accustomed to
+        conceal it. I don’t despair of our having a school of art here some
+        day—not rivals, my dear <span class="tei tei-sic">Lysias</span>, of
+        your glorious Phidias and Praxiteles, but imitators, humble
+        imitators, whom yet you won’t disdain to acknowledge.”</span></p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em"><span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“But, my dear sir, you forget the Commandment,
+        <span class="tei tei-q">‘Thou shalt not make to thyself any graven
+        image.’</span> ”</span></p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em">The speaker was a
+        young man who had hitherto taken no part in the conversation. He also
+        had a Hebrew name and a Greek. His father, a rich priest who claimed
+        descent from no less a person than the prophet Ezekiel, had called
+        him Micah; but he had followed the fashion, and dubbed himself
+        Menander. Still, Greek ways and habits did not sit over-easily upon
+        him. Fashion has often a singular power over the young; but it could
+        not quite drive out the obstinate patriotism of the Jew. He could
+        still sometimes be scandalized at the thorough-going Hellenism of the
+        high priest; and he was so scandalized now. The Commandment was one
+        of the things which he had learnt at his mother’s knee, and which he
+        had solemnly repeated <span class="tei tei-pb" id="page7">[pg
+        7]</span><a name="Pg007" id="Pg007" class="tei tei-anchor"></a>when,
+        at the age of twelve, he had been regularly admitted to the
+        privileges of a <span class="tei tei-q">“son of the Law.”</span></p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em"><span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“My dear Menander,”</span> broke in the high priest,
+        <span class="tei tei-q">“what can you be thinking about? I had hoped
+        better things of you. You do discourage me most terribly.
+        <span class="tei tei-q">‘No graven image or likeness of anything that
+        is in heaven or earth!’</span> Was there ever anything so hopelessly
+        tasteless? Why, this is the one thing that has checked all growth of
+        art among us? And without art where is the beauty of life? Now tell
+        me, Menander, did you ever see anything so hideous as the Temple?
+        There is a certain splendour about it—or was, till I had to strip off
+        most of the gold for purposes of state—but of beauty or taste not a
+        scrap. You, Cleon, have never seen the inside of it. Well, you have
+        lost nothing. It would simply shock you after your lovely Parthenon.
+        Bells and pomegranates—things that any moulder could make—and sham
+        columns, and everything as bad as it can be. And then the dresses!
+        You should see—though I should really be ashamed if you did see
+        it—the absurd costume that some of them would make me wear as high
+        priest. Anything more cumbrous and clumsy could not be. A man can
+        hardly move in it; and as for showing any of the proportions of the
+        figure—and I take it that dress is meant to reveal while it seems to
+        hide them—one might as well be wrapped up in swaddling
+        clothes.”</span></p><span class="tei tei-pb" id="page8">[pg
+        8]</span><a name="Pg008" id="Pg008" class="tei tei-anchor"></a>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em"><span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“Did you ever wear it?”</span> asked Cleon.</p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em"><span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“Once, and once only,”</span> answered Jason.
+        <span class="tei tei-q">“That was on the day when I was admitted to
+        the office. You see it had to be done. Some of my enemies—and I am
+        afraid that I have enemies after all that I have done for this
+        ungrateful people—might have said that things were not regular
+        without it, and when one has paid twenty talents of gold for the
+        office, it would be rank folly to risk it for a trifle. But I have
+        never worn it since, and never mean to again. I did design something
+        much lighter and neater, worthy the Greek fashion, but with just a
+        tinge—it would be well to have a tinge—of our own in it; but it did
+        not please the elders when I showed it to them, a bigoted set of
+        fools!”</span></p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em"><span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“But your worship is very fine, I am told,”</span> said
+        the Greek.</p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em"><span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“Very tasteless, very tasteless,”</span> answered the
+        high-priest, <span class="tei tei-q">“the singing and music as rude
+        as possible. I tried to improve them when I first came into office.
+        When I was at Antioch I saw some very pretty performances in the
+        groves of Daphne, and I wanted to remodel our ceremonies on something
+        of the same lines. Of course I could not transplant them just as they
+        were: you will guess that there were one or two things that would
+        hardly do here. I am not strait-laced, as you know, but there are
+        limits. However, it all came to nothing. Our people are so clumsy and
+        obstinate. So the <span class="tei tei-pb" id="page9">[pg
+        9]</span><a name="Pg009" id="Pg009" class="tei tei-anchor"></a>only
+        thing will be to let these antiquated ceremonies die out by
+        degrees.”</span></p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em">Micah broke in at
+        this point. Disposed as he was to follow Jason’s lead, this was going
+        too far. <span class="tei tei-q">“Surely, my dear sir, if you take
+        away from us all that is distinctive, where will be our reason for
+        existence? After all is said, we are not Greeks and never can be
+        Greeks; and if we cease to be Jews, what are we?”</span></p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em"><span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“<span class="tei tei-hi"><span style=
+        "font-style: italic">Jews!</span></span> my dear fellow,”</span>
+        cried the high-priest, <span class="tei tei-q">“why do you use the
+        odious word? We are not Jews, we are Antiochenes. Do you know that I
+        paid five talents to the treasurer of Antiochus for license to use
+        the name? For Heaven’s sake, let us have our money’s worth. By the
+        way,”</span> he went on, turning to Cleon, <span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“when does your Olympian festival next take
+        place?”</span></p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em"><span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“In two years’ time,”</span> said the Greek.</p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em"><span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“I propose to send an embassy with a handsome present for
+        your great temple. I should like to establish friendly relations with
+        your people at the head-quarters of your race. Do you think it is
+        possible that our Menon—you saw him in the stadium just now—might be
+        allowed to run? It would take all that your athletes know to beat
+        him.”</span></p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em"><span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“Quite impossible. He could hardly make out a Greek
+        pedigree, I suppose?”</span></p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em"><span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“No; he could not do that. But would not money smooth the
+        way?”</span></p><span class="tei tei-pb" id="page10">[pg
+        10]</span><a name="Pg010" id="Pg010" class="tei tei-anchor"></a>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em"><span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“It could not be. Money will do most things with us, as
+        it will elsewhere, but not that. A man must show a pure Greek
+        descent.”</span></p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em"><span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“But the embassy can go?”</span></p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em"><span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“Certainly,”</span> replied the Greek, with a smile;
+        <span class="tei tei-q">“we are ready to take gifts from any one.
+        But—excuse my obtruding the suggestion—is it quite wise to run
+        counter to your people’s prejudices in this way? Couldn’t they get up
+        an agitation against you?”</span></p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em"><span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“My dear Cleon, I feel quite easy on that score. I made
+        the highest bid for the place, and it is mine, just as much as this
+        ring is mine.”</span></p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em"><span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“But might not some one outbid you? I have heard of such
+        things being done.”</span></p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em"><span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“Outbid me? Hardly. I have squeezed the uttermost
+        farthing out of the people to pay the purchase-money and the tribute,
+        and I defy my rivals, with all the best will in the world, to beat
+        me. Why, my fellows, the tax-gatherers, are the most ingenious
+        rascals in the world for putting on the screw. I make them bid
+        against each other when I put the taxes up to auction, and they
+        really go to figures that I should not have thought possible. And
+        then, after all, they manage somehow or other to get a handsome
+        margin of profit for themselves. I know the scoundrels always seem to
+        have a great deal more money than I have.”</span></p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em">Menander, somewhat
+        revolted at his friend’s levity, rose to take leave. <span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“Stop a moment,”</span> said Jason, <span class=
+        "tei tei-pb" id="page11">[pg 11]</span><a name="Pg011" id="Pg011"
+        class="tei tei-anchor"></a><span class="tei tei-q">“I have a little
+        commission for you, which will give you a pleasant outing and a score
+        or two of shekels to put in your pocket.”</span></p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em"><span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“Well, the shekels will be welcome. Those are very
+        charming fellows, those Greek friends of yours,”</span> he went on,
+        addressing Cleon, <span class="tei tei-q">“but they have the most
+        confounded luck with the dice that I ever knew. But what is it, sir,
+        that you want me to do?”</span></p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em"><span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“I want to do a civil thing to our friends at Tyre. You
+        know that we do a very brisk trade with them, and a little bit of
+        politeness is never thrown away. Well, next month they have the great
+        games of Hercules, and I want you to take a present to the Governor,
+        and, as you will be there, just a trifle—a silver tripod, or
+        something of the kind—for Hercules himself. The Tyrian people would
+        take it amiss, I fancy, if you went quite empty-handed.”</span></p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em">Micah—for at the
+        moment he felt much more like a Micah than a Menander—flushed all
+        over. <span class="tei tei-q">“I take a present to the idol at Tyre!
+        You must be joking; but, with all respect, sir, it is a joke which I
+        do not appreciate.”</span></p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em"><span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“Come, my dear Menander,”</span> said the high priest,
+        with a laugh, <span class="tei tei-q">“why all this fuss? You must
+        excuse me for saying so, but you are really a little stupid this
+        morning. What nonsense to talk about idols! The Greek heroes are
+        really the same as our own. Hercules is nothing more or less than
+        Samson <span class="tei tei-pb" id="page12">[pg 12]</span><a name=
+        "Pg012" id="Pg012" class="tei tei-anchor"></a>under another name. You
+        will find in every country the legend of some strong man who goes
+        about killing wild beasts and slaying his enemies, and doing all
+        kinds of wonders; and it does not become an enlightened man like
+        yourself to fancy that our hero is anything better than another
+        nation’s hero. However, think the matter over. If you don’t choose to
+        go there are plenty who will, and Tyre, I am told, is still worth
+        seeing, though, of course, it is nothing like what it
+        was.”</span></p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em">At this moment a
+        servant burst somewhat unceremoniously into the room.</p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em"><span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“How now, fellow?”</span> cried the high priest,
+        <span class="tei tei-q">“Where are your manners? Don’t you know that
+        I have company and am not to be interrupted?”</span></p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em"><span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“Pardon, my lord,”</span> said the man, in a breathless,
+        agitated voice, <span class="tei tei-q">“but the matter is urgent.
+        Your nephew Asaph is dying, and has sent begging you to come to
+        him.”</span></p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em"><span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“Asaph dying!”</span> cried the high priest, turning
+        pale. <span class="tei tei-q">“How is that?”</span></p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em">Asaph had been one
+        of the performers in the exhibition of the day. A light weight, but
+        an exceedingly active and skilful wrestler, he had entered the lists
+        with a competitor much stronger and heavier than himself. The
+        struggle between the two athletes had been protracted and fierce and
+        had ended in a draw. There had been two bouts, but in neither had
+        this or that antagonist been able <span class="tei tei-pb" id=
+        "page13">[pg 13]</span><a name="Pg013" id="Pg013" class=
+        "tei tei-anchor"></a>to claim a decided success. In each, both
+        wrestlers had fallen, Asaph being uppermost in the first, but
+        underneath in the second. On rising from the ground he had complained
+        of severe internal pains; but these had seemed to pass away, and he
+        had been conveyed in a litter to his mother’s house. After a brief
+        interval the pains had returned with increased severity; vomiting of
+        blood had followed, and the physician had declared that the resources
+        of his art were useless. The poor lad—he was but a few months over
+        twenty—sent, in his agony, for his uncle the high priest. It was a
+        forlorn hope—for how could such a man give comfort?—but it was the
+        only one that occurred to him.</p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em">No one was more
+        conscious of the incongruity of the task thus imposed upon him, the
+        task of administering consolation and comfort to the dying, than
+        Jason himself. His first impulse was to refuse to go. But to do so
+        would not only cause a scandal, but would also be the beginning of a
+        family feud. And Jason, though selfish and hardened by base
+        ambitions, was not wholly without a heart. He had some affection for
+        his sister, a widow of large means, whose purse was always open to
+        him when he wanted help, and Asaph—or Asius, as he preferred to call
+        him—was his favourite nephew, possibly his successor in his office.
+        He felt that he must go, but it was with a miserable sinking of heart
+        that he felt it.</p><span class="tei tei-pb" id="page14">[pg
+        14]</span><a name="Pg014" id="Pg014" class="tei tei-anchor"></a>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em"><span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“Lead on,”</span> he said to the slave, <span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“I will follow. You, my friends, must excuse
+        me.”</span></p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em">The worldly priest
+        might well have dreaded to enter the house of woe to which he had
+        been called.</p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em">The unhappy mother
+        met him at the door. <span class="tei tei-q">“Oh, Joshua!”</span> she
+        cried, the foolish affectation of the Greek name being forgotten in
+        the hour of trouble. <span class="tei tei-q">“Can you help us? My
+        dear Asaph is dying, and he is terribly distressed about his sins.
+        You are high-priest. Have you not some power to do him
+        good?”</span></p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em"><span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“Take me to him,”</span> said Jason, <span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“I will do all that I can for him.”</span></p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em">The unhappy lad
+        was lying on a couch, the deathly pallor of his face showing with a
+        terrible contrast against the rich purple of the coverlet. His eyes
+        were wide open, and there was a terror-stricken look in them that was
+        inexpressibly painful to witness. As soon as he saw his uncle, he
+        burst forth in tones of agonized entreaty. <span class="tei tei-q">“I
+        have sinned; I have sinned; I have followed in the ways of the
+        heathen, and, see, my God hath called me into judgment. Help me! help
+        me! Save me from the fire of Gehenna!”</span></p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em">The high priest
+        strove to say something; but his faltering lips seemed to refuse to
+        do their office.</p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em"><span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“Speak! speak!”</span> cried the young man. <span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“It was you who told me to go into the arena. You
+        <span class="tei tei-pb" id="page15">[pg 15]</span><a name="Pg015"
+        id="Pg015" class="tei tei-anchor"></a>said there was no harm in it;
+        you encouraged me, and now you desert me. O help me!”</span> and his
+        voice, which had been raised to a loud, angry cry, sank again to low
+        tones of entreaty. <span class="tei tei-q">“You are high priest; you
+        surely can do something with the Lord. Pray for me to Him. Quick!
+        quick! the evil ones are clutching at me!”</span> and, as he spoke,
+        he turned his eyes with a fearful glance as if he saw some terrible
+        presence which was invisible to the rest.</p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em">His uncle, more
+        unhappy than he had ever been before in his life, stood in dumb
+        despair. It seemed impossible to mock this wretched creature with
+        words in which he did not himself believe. And, indeed, the words
+        themselves seemed to have fled altogether from his memory. At last,
+        with a tremendous effort, he summoned up some of the words, once
+        familiar to his lips, but which had not issued from them for years.
+        It was what we know as the fifty-first Psalm in our psalter that he
+        began—<span class="tei tei-q">“<span class="tei tei-hi"><span style=
+        "font-style: italic">Have mercy upon me, O God, after Thy great
+        goodness, according to the multitude of Thy mercies do away mine
+        offences.</span></span>”</span> He began with a faltering and
+        uncertain voice, which gathered strength as he went on. The dying man
+        listened with an eagerly-strained attention, and the words seemed to
+        have some soothing effect upon him. When the speaker came to the
+        words, <span class="tei tei-q">“Cast me not away from Thy
+        presence,”</span> he clasped his hands together. At the very moment
+        of the act a strong <span class="tei tei-pb" id="page16">[pg
+        16]</span><a name="Pg016" id="Pg016" class=
+        "tei tei-anchor"></a>convulsion shook his frame: a stream of blood
+        gushed from his mouth; in another moment Asaph was dead.</p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em">His unhappy mother
+        had been carried fainting to her apartments, where her maids were
+        endeavouring to restore her to consciousness. The high priest was
+        almost glad that she was in such a state that there could be no
+        question of attempting to administer to her any consolation. No one,
+        indeed, could have felt less like a comforter than he did at that
+        moment. As he walked slowly back to his palace he felt less satisfied
+        with the Greek fashions, for which he had sacrificed the faith of his
+        fathers, than he had done for many years.</p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em">The news that he
+        found awaiting him at home changed the current of his thoughts. A
+        letter, carried, in Eastern fashion, by a succession of runners, had
+        arrived from Joppa. It was as follows:—</p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style=
+        "text-align: center; margin-bottom: 0.90em; margin-left: 1.80em; margin-top: 1.80em; margin-right: 1.80em">
+        <span class="tei tei-q" style="text-align: center"><span style=
+        "font-size: 90%">“</span><span class="tei tei-hi" style=
+        "text-align: center"><span style=
+        "font-size: 90%; font-style: italic">Josedech, Chief of the Council
+        of Joppa, to Joshua, Governor of Jerusalem.</span></span></span></p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style=
+        "margin-bottom: 1.80em; margin-left: 1.80em; margin-right: 1.80em">
+        <span class="tei tei-q"><span style=
+        "font-size: 90%">“</span><span style="font-size: 90%">Know that a
+        swift pinnace has arrived, bringing news that the fleet of Antiochus
+        the King is on its way hither. It will arrive, unless it be hindered
+        by weather or any other unforeseen cause, on the second day. Let us
+        know so soon as shall be possible how the heathen should be received,
+        whether we shall admit him into the city, and to whom we shall assign
+        the task of entertaining him. Farewell.</span><span style=
+        "font-size: 90%">”</span></span></p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em">Jason’s face
+        flushed as he read this curt and not very courteous epistle.
+        <span class="tei tei-q">“Governor of Jerusalem, indeed!”</span> he
+        muttered to himself. <span class="tei tei-q">“So the old bigot
+        <span class="tei tei-pb" id="page17">[pg 17]</span><a name="Pg017"
+        id="Pg017" class="tei tei-anchor"></a>won’t acknowledge me to be high
+        priest. I shall have to give him a lesson, and teach him who he is
+        and who I am. <span class="tei tei-q">‘How the heathen is to be
+        received.’</span> What is the fool thinking of? As if he could be
+        shut out of the city if he chooses to come in! Well, I see plainly
+        enough that there will be mischief here, if I don’t take care. It
+        won’t be enough to write. I must send some of my own people to
+        receive the king.”</span></p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em">He pressed a
+        hand-bell that stood on the table. <span class="tei tei-q">“Send the
+        letter-carrier here,”</span> he said to the servant who answered the
+        summons. In a few minutes the man appeared.</p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em"><span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“When can you start back with my answer?”</span> asked
+        the high priest.</p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em"><span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“This instant, my lord, if it should so please
+        you.”</span></p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em"><span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“And the other posts are ready?”</span></p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em"><span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“Each at his place, my lord.”</span></p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em"><span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“And when will the letter be delivered in
+        Joppa?”</span></p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em"><span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“Let me think,”</span> said the messenger. <span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“The distance should be about two hundred and eighty
+        furlongs, and the way descends. ’Tis now scarcely the first hour of
+        the night. I should say that the letter should be there an hour
+        before midnight.”</span></p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em">Jason at once sat
+        down and wrote his answer:—</p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style=
+        "text-align: center; margin-bottom: 0.90em; margin-left: 1.80em; margin-top: 1.80em; margin-right: 1.80em">
+        <span class="tei tei-q" style="text-align: center"><span style=
+        "font-size: 90%">“</span><span class="tei tei-hi" style=
+        "text-align: center"><span style=
+        "font-size: 90%; font-style: italic">Jason, the High Priest, to
+        Josedech, Chief of the Council of Joppa,
+        greeting.</span></span></span></p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style=
+        "margin-bottom: 1.80em; margin-left: 1.80em; margin-right: 1.80em">
+        <span class="tei tei-q"><span style=
+        "font-size: 90%">“</span><span style="font-size: 90%">I charge you
+        that you do all honour to the most mighty and</span> <span class=
+        "tei tei-pb" id="page18">[pg 18]</span><a name="Pg018" id="Pg018"
+        class="tei tei-anchor"></a><span style="font-size: 90%">glorious lord
+        Antiochus. Let him have of the best, both in lodging and
+        entertainment, that your city affords. I doubt not your zeal and
+        goodwill, but that you may not fail for want of knowledge, I will
+        send certain of my own people, who will welcome the most august King
+        in such manner as shall be worthy both of his majesty and of our
+        dignity. Farewell.</span><span style=
+        "font-size: 90%">”</span></span></p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em">The messenger, who
+        had been standing by while this letter was being written, received
+        the document with a salute, and placed it in his girdle. A few
+        minutes afterwards he was on his way.</p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em"><span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“And now for the deputation to meet his Highness,”</span>
+        said Jason to himself. <span class="tei tei-q">“I cannot expect them
+        to get off quite so quickly as this good fellow. But they must not
+        start later than noon to-morrow. And now, whom am I to send? Cleon,
+        of course, and Menander——”</span></p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em">He stopped short
+        and reflected. <span class="tei tei-q">“It’s really very hard to find
+        a respectable person who is quite free from bigotry—if, indeed, it is
+        bigotry.”</span> For some minutes he seemed lost in thought.
+        <span class="tei tei-q">“Send the secretary to me,”</span> he said,
+        when the servant came. This official soon made his appearance, and we
+        will leave him and his master to settle the details of the
+        deputation.</p>
+      </div>
+      <hr class="page" />
+
+      <div class="tei tei-div" style=
+      "margin-bottom: 5.00em; margin-top: 5.00em">
+        <span class="tei tei-pb" id="page19">[pg 19]</span><a name="Pg019"
+        id="Pg019" class="tei tei-anchor"></a> <a name="toc10" id=
+        "toc10"></a> <a name="pdf11" id="pdf11"></a>
+
+        <h1 class="tei tei-head" style=
+        "text-align: center; margin-bottom: 3.46em; margin-top: 3.46em">
+        <span style="font-size: 173%">CHAPTER II.</span><br />
+        <br />
+        <span class="tei tei-hi" style="text-align: center"><span style=
+        "font-size: 100%">ANTIOCHUS.</span></span></h1>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em">The greater part
+        of the population of Joppa, which, like most seaside towns, was
+        somewhat cosmopolitan in its habits and ways of thinking, had hurried
+        down to the shore to watch the arrival of the great Syrian King. And,
+        indeed, his fleet was a sight worth seeing. Thirty ships, all of them
+        with three banks of oars, were formed in a semicircle, the arc of
+        which was parallel with the line of the shore. They were war-vessels,
+        the finest and swiftest that the Syrian fleet possessed, manned with
+        picked crews, and now gay with all the sumptuous adornments that
+        befitted a peaceful errand. The day was perfectly windless, and the
+        sea as calm as a lake. This circumstance made it possible for the
+        squadron to preserve the order of its advance with an exactitude
+        which would not have been possible had it been moving under sail. On
+        the prow of each vessel stood a flute-player, and the rowers dipped
+        their <span class="tei tei-pb" id="page20">[pg 20]</span><a name=
+        "Pg020" id="Pg020" class="tei tei-anchor"></a>oars in time to his
+        music. Each player had his eyes fixed on a conductor who was posted
+        on the royal vessel, a five-banked ship, which occupied a position
+        slightly in advance of the semicircle. Time was thus kept throughout
+        the squadron—a result, however, not obtained, as may easily be
+        imagined, without a vast amount of practice. The sight of the
+        thousands of oars, as they were dipped and lifted again in rhythmical
+        regularity, with the sunshine flashing upon them, was beautiful in
+        the extreme. As for the ship that carried King Antiochus, it was a
+        gorgeous spectacle. The ropes were of gaily-coloured silk; the hull
+        was brilliant with gold. The figure-head was the head and bust of a
+        sea-nymph, exquisitely wrought in silver. The poop was covered with a
+        crimson awning.</p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em">As the squadron
+        approached the harbour, a convenience which the Joppa of to-day no
+        longer possesses, the royal ship fell back, allowing the leading
+        vessels on either side of the semicircle to precede it to the pier.
+        From these a company of troops, splendidly arrayed in gilded armour,
+        disembarked, and formed two lines, between which the King was to
+        walk.</p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em">The Syrian King
+        was a young man of about two-and-twenty years, tall, and well made,
+        and not without a certain dignity of presence. His face, too, at
+        first sight would have been pronounced handsome. It was of the true
+        Greek type: the forehead and <span class="tei tei-pb" id="page21">[pg
+        21]</span><a name="Pg021" id="Pg021" class="tei tei-anchor"></a>nose
+        forming an almost uninterrupted straight line. This line, however,
+        receded too much, giving something of an expression of weakness. But
+        for this the features of the young Syrian king might have been
+        described as bearing a singular resemblance to those of the great
+        Alexander. Youthful as he was, his complexion, naturally of a
+        beautiful delicacy, was already flushed with excess. But the most
+        sinister characteristic of his face was to be found in the restless
+        look of his prominent eyes. The descendants of the brilliant soldier,
+        the ablest and most upright of the generals of Alexander, who had
+        founded the Syrian kingdom, had sadly degenerated under the
+        corrupting influences of power. The hideous example of lust and
+        cruelty had been set and improved upon by generation after
+        generation, till the fatal taint of madness, always the avenger of
+        such wickedness, had been developed in the race.<a id="noteref_3"
+        name="noteref_3" href="#note_3"><span class=
+        "tei tei-noteref"><span style=
+        "font-size: 60%; vertical-align: super">3</span></span></a></p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em">The Council of
+        Joppa had sent a deputation of their body, headed by their president,
+        Josedech, to receive the visitor with such respect as might lawfully
+        be shown to a heathen. Greeting and compliments could be exchanged
+        without any loss of ceremonial purity. Nor would there be any harm in
+        presenting a gift. To sit down to meat with an <span class=
+        "tei tei-pb" id="page22">[pg 22]</span><a name="Pg022" id="Pg022"
+        class="tei tei-anchor"></a>unbeliever, was, of course, out of the
+        question; but this difficulty had been overcome by the complaisance
+        of a wealthy Greek merchant, who, for sufficient reasons of his own,
+        had offered to entertain the visitor.</p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em">The councillors
+        saluted the King, not with the extravagant form of <span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“Live for ever!”</span> but with the more moderate form
+        of <span class="tei tei-q">“Peace be with you.”</span> Antiochus
+        answered with a careless greeting. At the same time he turned to one
+        of his courtiers, and said in a whisper which was heard, as it was
+        meant to be heard, by others besides the persons addressed,
+        <span class="tei tei-q">“Look! what a set of he-goats. And faugh! how
+        they smell!”</span> The young King, who was exceedingly vain of his
+        good looks, had the fancy of making himself up as the beardless
+        Apollo, and, of course, the court followed the fashion that he set.
+        The insulting words did not fail to reach the ears of the elders, but
+        they affected not to have heard them. The president then proceeded to
+        deliver his address of welcome. It was sufficiently civil, but, as
+        may be supposed, not enthusiastic. The speaker hoped that friendly
+        relations might continue to exist between the Jewish people and the
+        kingdom of Syria. He was glad to receive on Jewish soil a powerful
+        monarch who, he trusted, would be favourably impressed with what he
+        should see and hear. If his subjects had any grievances they would
+        find <span class="tei tei-pb" id="page23">[pg 23]</span><a name=
+        "Pg023" id="Pg023" class="tei tei-anchor"></a>prompt redress; the
+        King would doubtless do the same for Jewish merchants who considered
+        themselves aggrieved.</p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em">To this address,
+        which, after the manner of such documents, was somewhat verbose and
+        lengthy, Antiochus listened with ill-concealed impatience; perhaps it
+        would be more correct to say, with impatience that was not concealed
+        at all. He fidgeted about; he interjected disparaging remarks that
+        must have been distinctly heard a long way off. He even corrected the
+        speaker when he made a slip in Greek idiom. Still the elders
+        preserved an imperturbable calm, though a keen observer might have
+        seen the flush rising upon their faces.</p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em">The address of
+        welcome ended, it only remained to offer the customary present. An
+        attendant stepped forward carrying a robe of honour, a piece of
+        native manufacture, which, without being particularly splendid, was
+        sufficiently handsome and valuable to be adequate to the occasion.
+        But it did not please the young King, who, indeed, was scarcely in
+        the humour to be pleased with anything. One of his followers received
+        it from the hands of the attendant, and Antiochus, according to the
+        usual etiquette, should have touched it, saying at the same time a
+        few words of politeness. What he did was to take it from the hands of
+        the courtier who had received it, shake it out, and hold it from him
+        at arm’s length, eyeing it, at <span class="tei tei-pb" id=
+        "page24">[pg 24]</span><a name="Pg024" id="Pg024" class=
+        "tei tei-anchor"></a>the same time, with an expression of undisguised
+        contempt. Even this was not all. Turning his back upon the elders he
+        dropped the robe on the head of one of his attendants, and, by a
+        sudden movement, twisted it round his neck, bursting out at the same
+        time into a loud horse-laugh. The laugh was, of course, dutifully
+        echoed by his courtiers; but to the Joppa crowd it seemed no laughing
+        matter. An angry murmur ran through it. The front ranks made a
+        menacing movement forwards, while stones began to fly from behind. On
+        the other hand, the soldiers of the King’s body-guard drew their
+        swords, and began to form up behind him. They were not properly
+        prepared, however, for a conflict; for, as they had come only on a
+        service of ceremony, they had nothing with them but their swords and
+        light ornamental breastplates.</p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em">Everything wore a
+        most threatening look, when there occurred an interruption that was
+        probably welcome to every one, except, it may be, the hotheaded and
+        reckless young sovereign himself. The deputation from Jerusalem had
+        arrived. The high priest, anticipating, as we have seen, some
+        trouble, had despatched them at the very earliest opportunity, and
+        had urged them to make the best of their way to their destination. At
+        the same time, that their presence might have something more than
+        moral weight, he had sent a squadron of cavalry. <span class=
+        "tei tei-pb" id="page25">[pg 25]</span><a name="Pg025" id="Pg025"
+        class="tei tei-anchor"></a>The deputation, with their escort
+        following close behind, now made their way through the crowd.</p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em">The high priest
+        was represented by his kinsman Phinehas—who had found a substitute
+        for his unfashionable name in Phineus—by Menander, who has been
+        already mentioned, and by two Greeks, of whom our acquaintance Cleon
+        was one. Josedech and his companions willingly left the management of
+        affairs in the hands of the new arrivals, and retired from the scene.
+        Leaping from his horse, Phinehas, or Phineus, prostrated himself in
+        Eastern fashion at the feet of Antiochus, and his companions followed
+        his example, while the escort of cavalry saluted. <span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“Rise,”</span> said Antiochus, whose good humour began to
+        return when he found himself treated with what he conceived to be
+        proper respect. He even condescended to reach out his royal hand, and
+        assist the envoy to recover his feet. Phineus proceeded to deliver an
+        address of welcome which was certainly not wanting in florid
+        compliment. It might even have been called profane, for Antiochus was
+        described not only as magnificent, illustrious, victorious (to
+        mention a few only of the speaker’s exuberant supply of epithets),
+        but even as divine. The speech ended, an attendant presented a
+        richly-chased casket of gold, filled with coins, fresh from the
+        Syrian mint, and bearing the features and superscription of Antiochus
+        himself. The King received it with <span class="tei tei-pb" id=
+        "page26">[pg 26]</span><a name="Pg026" id="Pg026" class=
+        "tei tei-anchor"></a>something like <span lang="fr" class=
+        "tei tei-foreign" xml:lang="fr"><span style=
+        "font-style: italic">empressement</span></span>, and after speaking a
+        few words of thanks, passed it to his treasurer. At the same time he
+        took a bag of silver from one of his attendants, and condescended to
+        scatter some of the pieces among the crowd that lined the quays, with
+        his royal hands. As may be supposed, a vigorous scramble ensued, and
+        not a few of the spectators were tumbled over the edge into the
+        shallow water below. Others jumped in of their own accord after some
+        of the pieces which had fallen short. A general burst of laughter was
+        the result, and the situation lost the gravity which had been so
+        alarming a few minutes before.</p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em">The King now
+        recognized an old acquaintance in Cleon. Antiochus, handed over in
+        his childhood as a hostage by his father, had spent his boyhood and
+        youth in Rome. The somewhat austere manners of that city had not
+        pleased him, and he was glad to find in the young Greek an
+        acquaintance more congenial than the young Marcelli, sons of the
+        priest of that name, under whose charge he had been put. Cleon had
+        come to Rome to seek his fortune, and had found employment in
+        assisting the comic poet Cæcilius in making his translations from the
+        Greek. Poets, however, were not so well paid as to be able to spare
+        much for their assistants, and Cleon had been very glad to act as the
+        young prince’s teacher, a post which his guardian the priest had
+        <span class="tei tei-pb" id="page27">[pg 27]</span><a name="Pg027"
+        id="Pg027" class="tei tei-anchor"></a>found it very difficult to
+        fill. Tutor and pupil had been on the most friendly terms. The elder
+        man was indulgent, exacted no more than the youth was willing to
+        learn, and, possibly thinking that all the necessary austerity was
+        supplied by the Roman guardian, winked at various indulgences which
+        would not have approved themselves to his employer. Antiochus
+        retained a grateful recollection of the complaisant youth who had
+        made things so agreeable for him in the days of his captivity.</p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em"><span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“Hail, Cleon, most delightful of teachers, behold the
+        most thankful of pupils!”</span></p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em">And he embraced
+        the Greek, kissing him on both cheeks.</p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em"><span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“So you, too,”</span> he went on, <span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“have escaped from that dismal prison-house across the
+        sea! Was there ever a place, think you, more unfit for a gentleman to
+        live in? And how have you fared since I saw you? I hope that Fortune
+        has had something pleasant in store for you.”</span></p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em"><span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“She could have done nothing better, Sire, than to thus
+        give me the pleasure of seeing you.”</span></p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em"><span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“Oh, what a compliment! I see that your tongue has not
+        lost its dexterous twist. But I suppose I must attend to this stupid
+        business here. Why can’t they let one come quietly, and see what
+        people really are. I dare say there are some good fellows here as
+        elsewhere; but all these ceremonies and speech-making and fine
+        clothes tire me to death. <span class="tei tei-pb" id="page28">[pg
+        28]</span><a name="Pg028" id="Pg028" class="tei tei-anchor"></a>Well,
+        we shall find a chance of having some talk together before long.
+        Anyhow, you will come and see me at Antioch. I will make you
+        court-poet, or general-in-chief, or high priest of Aphrodite! I know
+        that you can do anything that you choose to turn your hand
+        to.”</span></p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em">While this
+        conversation was going on the Greek merchant who had volunteered to
+        entertain the royal visitor was waiting to be introduced. This
+        ceremony performed by Phineus, he proceeded to give his
+        invitation.</p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em"><span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“Will your Highness be pleased to accept such humble
+        hospitality as I can offer? My house and all that is within it are at
+        your service.”</span></p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em"><span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“Pleased! of course I shall be pleased,”</span> returned
+        the King, in boisterous good humour. <span class="tei tei-q">“I know
+        what your <span class="tei tei-q">‘humble hospitality’</span> means.
+        It is you merchants that can afford to do things handsomely. You make
+        the money, and we can only spend it. What with armies and fleets and
+        legions of servants, who eat us up like so many locusts, we never
+        have a drachma that we can call our own. As for me, I am easily
+        satisfied. Give me a mullet, a piece of roast kid, a flask of good
+        wine, and a pretty girl to hand the cup, and I want no more. Lead
+        on.”</span></p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em">The procession
+        moved on to the merchant’s house. This reached, the King, who
+        declared that he wanted his midday sleep, was at once shown to his
+        apartments.</p><span class="tei tei-pb" id="page29">[pg
+        29]</span><a name="Pg029" id="Pg029" class="tei tei-anchor"></a>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em">It was some six
+        hours later when the banquet, for which the host had made magnificent
+        preparations, was ready. The company was assembled, and was fairly
+        numerous, though it did not contain the true <span lang="fr" class=
+        "tei tei-foreign" xml:lang="fr"><span style=
+        "font-style: italic">élite</span></span> of Joppa society. With one
+        or two not very respectable exceptions, the representatives of the
+        high-class Jewish families were absent. But there were plenty of
+        strangers in the town, and the room was sufficiently full. The
+        trading community was present in force: Greeks, Syrians, Egyptians,
+        Carthaginians, and even a Greek-speaking Gaul from Marseilles, were
+        present. Rome was represented by two Roman knights, who were doing a
+        profitable business in money-lending, and who had the name of pretty
+        nearly every noble in Syria on their books.</p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em">But the guest of
+        the evening was absent. The company waited with the patience with
+        which royal personages are waited for on such occasions. At last,
+        when an hour had gone beyond the time fixed for the entertainment,
+        the host ventured to send up to the King’s apartment, with a humble
+        reminder that the banquet was ready. But the apartment was empty!</p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em"><span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“What can have become of him?”</span> was the thought in
+        every one’s mind, not unaccompanied by a certain anxiety in the older
+        courtiers, who had observed with dismay the reckless proceedings of
+        their master.</p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em">At last a thought
+        struck Cleon. He took the <span class="tei tei-pb" id="page30">[pg
+        30]</span><a name="Pg030" id="Pg030" class="tei tei-anchor"></a>chief
+        of the King’s attendants aside and communicated to him his
+        suspicions. <span class="tei tei-q">“I saw something of his
+        Highness’s ways at Rome,”</span> he said, <span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“and I can guess what has happened. He always had a fancy
+        for disguises, for dressing himself up as a sailor or an artizan, and
+        going to some very curious places in the city. Often and often have I
+        been with him—to keep him out of mischief, you know—and, by the gods!
+        it was well I did. I remember his being very nearly stabbed one night
+        in a low wine-shop in the Suburra.<a id="noteref_4" name="noteref_4"
+        href="#note_4"><span class="tei tei-noteref"><span style=
+        "font-size: 60%; vertical-align: super">4</span></span></a> And now I
+        remember that this morning his Highness said something about wanting
+        to see what the people really were, without all this ceremony. Let us
+        question the porter whether he has seen any one go out.”</span></p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em">The porter was
+        questioned accordingly. At first he could give no information. At
+        last he remembered observing two young men in sailor’s dress passing
+        the gate about three hours before. He had taken no heed of them.
+        Sailors had been coming and going all day, with various articles
+        which they were bringing up from the ship, and he had supposed that
+        these were two of the number. Here the man’s wife struck in with the
+        information that she had noticed the two sailors, thinking that there
+        was something odd about their appearance; their clothes were very
+        shabby, but they had a superior <span class="tei tei-pb" id=
+        "page31">[pg 31]</span><a name="Pg031" id="Pg031" class=
+        "tei tei-anchor"></a>air. Neither the man nor his wife knew anything
+        more; but they thought that the two had turned in the direction of
+        the harbour after leaving the house.</p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em">Under these
+        circumstances search seemed hopeless, and might, indeed, do more harm
+        than good. Perhaps the safest plan would be to let the young man find
+        his way back for himself. After some discussion, however, it was
+        resolved that Cleon, after first changing the dress which he had
+        donned for the banquet for something less conspicuous, should look in
+        at some of the wine-shops near the harbour, which were suggested as
+        likely places for the search by the character of the King’s
+        disguise.</p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em">Cleon was
+        successful beyond his expectation. His attention was attracted by the
+        sound of boisterous laughter proceeding from a tavern whose windows
+        fronted the place where the King had landed. The place was crowded to
+        overflowing, and even the pavement before the house was thronged with
+        idlers, who were content to hear what they could of the fun inside
+        without having any score to pay. With no little difficulty Cleon
+        edged his way into the principal room. It was a strange scene that
+        met his eye. The room was crowded with Phœnician and Greek sailors,
+        with here and there the swarthy face of a Moor among them. The guests
+        sat on benches, closely packed together, and every one had a huge
+        earthenware cup in his hand and a pitcher of wine at his feet. At the
+        further end of the room <span class="tei tei-pb" id="page32">[pg
+        32]</span><a name="Pg032" id="Pg032" class="tei tei-anchor"></a>was a
+        small platform reserved for the performers who were accustomed to
+        entertain the audience. A couple of dancing-girls had just exhibited
+        a dance of the boisterous kind which was specially favoured by the
+        seafaring spectators; and now his Syrian Majesty was doing his best
+        to entertain the company with the burlesque of a Roman electioneering
+        oration. He spoke in Greek, or, rather, the mixture of tongues, the
+        <span class="tei tei-foreign"><span style="font-style: italic">Lingua
+        Franca</span></span> of the time, which did duty for Greek in the
+        seaport towns of the Eastern Mediterranean; and he used with
+        considerable effect the broad Roman accent. His speech, could it be
+        reproduced, would be dull or even unintelligible to us, but his
+        audience found it highly entertaining. The Greeks, always
+        quick-witted, caught the points with admirable readiness, and the
+        others laughed, if not for any other reason, at least for sympathy.
+        The most completely successful part was where the orator, who
+        affected to be a candidate for the consulship, propounded a grand
+        scheme, according to which the citizens of Rome were to live in
+        idleness, supported by the contributions of the whole world. When the
+        attention of the audience began to flag, the young Prince, with an
+        audacious presence of mind that would have become a veteran
+        performer, suddenly changed the entertainment. Sticking a tall cap on
+        his head, he proceeded to give a ludicrous imitation of the solemn
+        dance of the priests of Mars. Cleon had <span class="tei tei-pb" id=
+        "page33">[pg 33]</span><a name="Pg033" id="Pg033" class=
+        "tei tei-anchor"></a>seen the original performance in Rome, and he
+        could not but confess that the slow, awkward movement, and droning
+        chant which the performer adapted to a popular song of a somewhat
+        equivocal kind, was a very clever piece of work.</p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em"><a name="i_047"
+        id="i_047" class="tei tei-anchor"></a><a name="fig12" id=
+        "fig12"></a></p>
+
+        <div class="tei tei-figure" style="text-align: center">
+          <img src="images/i_047.jpg" alt="Antiochus in the Tavern" title=
+          "Antiochus in the Tavern." />
+
+          <div class="tei tei-head" style=
+          "text-align: center; margin-bottom: 1.00em; margin-top: 1.00em">
+            <span class="tei tei-hi" style="text-align: center"><span style=
+            "font-style: italic">Antiochus in the Tavern.</span></span>
+          </div>
+        </div>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em">A few minutes
+        afterwards Antiochus retired, breathless with his exertions, and
+        Cleon made his way after him.</p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em"><span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“So you are here,”</span> burst out the King.
+        <span class="tei tei-q">“Good, was it not?”</span></p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em"><span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“Excellent, my lord,”</span> returned Cleon; <span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“but you must excuse me if I ask you to come back. The
+        banquet is ready, and the company are waiting for you.”</span></p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em"><span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“Confound the company; there is much better company here.
+        I will stop where I am.”</span></p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em">Cleon remonstrated
+        and argued; at first, it seemed, with no effect. Finally, however, by
+        a judicious mixture of flattery and promises, and specially, by
+        enlarging on the opportunity that there would be of electrifying the
+        <span lang="fr" class="tei tei-foreign" xml:lang="fr"><span style=
+        "font-style: italic">élite</span></span> of Joppa by a display of
+        eloquence, he induced the King to come away. Antiochus was eaten up
+        with a vanity that was almost insane, and he was as proud of his
+        capacity for serious oratory as he was of his talents as a
+        buffoon.</p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em">Unfortunately the
+        eloquence was never displayed. The King had drunk largely of the
+        heady wine which was a favourite with the nautical customers of the
+        <span class="tei tei-pb" id="page34">[pg 34]</span><a name="Pg034"
+        id="Pg034" class="tei tei-anchor"></a>tavern, and he applied himself
+        with equal diligence to the more refined vintages which he found on
+        the table of Stratocles, his entertainer. The company drank his
+        health in bumpers; and, not to be outdone, a huge capacity for drink
+        being, as he thought, one of his most honourable distinctions, he
+        pledged them in return by draining a cup of a royal size. This was a
+        final effort. He spoke a few hesitating sentences, frequently
+        interrupted by hiccoughs, staggered, and but for the prompt attention
+        of his attendants, who had indeed observed his condition, would have
+        fallen to the ground. Nothing remained but to carry him out of the
+        banqueting hall.</p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em">It was late in the
+        afternoon of the following day before he was sufficiently recovered
+        from the effects of his debauch to start for Jerusalem. A halt for
+        the night was made about halfway, and late in the afternoon of the
+        next day the cavalcade approached Jerusalem. Jason came out to meet
+        his guest. He had done his utmost to bring a reputable company with
+        him, but his efforts had not been very successful. The respectable
+        part of the population of the city was conspicuously absent, a mixed
+        multitude of strangers and half-breeds, brutal in manners and squalid
+        in appearance, represented the Jewish nation. Fortunately it was
+        dark, and the torchlight procession with which the King was escorted
+        into the city did something to conceal <span class="tei tei-pb" id=
+        "page35">[pg 35]</span><a name="Pg035" id="Pg035" class=
+        "tei tei-anchor"></a>by its picturesque effects the general meanness
+        of the affair. Antiochus, however, did not fail to notice the
+        character of the gathering, and indeed rallied his host on his ragged
+        and disreputable followers. But his good humour did not seem to be
+        disturbed. He admired the decorations of the palace, was loud in
+        praise of Jason’s taste in art, and indeed admired one statuette so
+        much that his host felt compelled to offer it for his acceptance,
+        much against his will, for it was supposed to be an original by
+        Scopas, and to be worth at least five talents. The next day came a
+        visit to the Temple. The King shrugged his shoulders at what he was
+        pleased to consider the tastelessness of its architecture, suggested
+        to his host that he had better pull the whole place down and build it
+        again in a better style, and offered him the services of his own
+        architect and a painter who, he said, had a quite unequalled skill
+        for such subjects as a dance of satyrs and nymphs, and would cover
+        the walls of the new building with some really elegant designs. But
+        if the architecture of the Temple did not please him, he expressed a
+        genuine admiration for some of its contents. There was a greedy light
+        in his eye as he looked at the rich furniture and gorgeous
+        vessels—and this, though Jason, having certain views of his own, had
+        the prudence not to show him the chamber which contained the most
+        massive treasures of the place. But whatever Antiochus may have
+        thought, he said nothing but what was civil and <span class=
+        "tei tei-pb" id="page36">[pg 36]</span><a name="Pg036" id="Pg036"
+        class="tei tei-anchor"></a>pleasant. It may be supposed, however,
+        that a few days of such a guest would be enough, and it was with
+        unmixed delight that at the end of a week Jason saw him depart for
+        Phenicé.</p>
+      </div>
+      <hr class="page" />
+
+      <div class="tei tei-div" style=
+      "margin-bottom: 5.00em; margin-top: 5.00em">
+        <span class="tei tei-pb" id="page37">[pg 37]</span><a name="Pg037"
+        id="Pg037" class="tei tei-anchor"></a> <a name="toc13" id=
+        "toc13"></a> <a name="pdf14" id="pdf14"></a>
+
+        <h1 class="tei tei-head" style=
+        "text-align: center; margin-bottom: 3.46em; margin-top: 3.46em">
+        <span style="font-size: 173%">CHAPTER III.</span><br />
+        <br />
+        <span class="tei tei-hi" style="text-align: center"><span style=
+        "font-size: 100%">MENELAUS.</span></span></h1>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em">Two years have
+        passed, and the fate which Jason had declared to be beyond all limits
+        of probability or possibility has actually overtaken him. One of his
+        agents, named Oniah, who has assumed the name of Menelaüs, for the
+        rage for Greek fashions still continues unabated, has outbidden him,
+        and now reigns in his stead, occupying the palace on Mount Sion which
+        he had been at such pains to adorn.</p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em">If we look into
+        his library we shall see not only the books and statuettes—the silver
+        tankards are gone, melted down into money that was wanted for some
+        sudden exigency—but our old acquaintance, Cleon. The supple Greek was
+        not one of those who take their friends for better, for worse. Jason
+        was wandering about among the hills of Ammon with scarcely a garment
+        to his back or a shekel that he could call his own, and what use
+        could he find for the company of an accomplished gentleman, who had
+        <span class="tei tei-pb" id="page38">[pg 38]</span><a name="Pg038"
+        id="Pg038" class="tei tei-anchor"></a>as keen an eye as any one for a
+        fine bit of sculpture or painting, and could not be rivalled, out of
+        the profession, in his taste for wine? The accomplished gentleman
+        knew where he was appreciated, where he was of use, and, naturally,
+        where he was well off. Accordingly he had found means, as such people
+        always do find means, of ingratiating himself with the new occupant
+        of the palace, and was installed as his consulting connoisseur and
+        chief adviser in matters of taste.</p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em"><span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“A poor creature, certainly,”</span> he had replied to
+        some depreciatory criticism which Menelaüs had passed on his
+        predecessor, <span class="tei tei-q">“but it must be allowed that he
+        had a taste in art.”</span></p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em"><span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“Or was sensible enough to be guided by those who
+        had,”</span> said Menelaüs.</p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em">Cleon acknowledged
+        the compliment with a bow, and went on, <span class="tei tei-q">“I
+        never found him make any difficulty about the price. And, of course,
+        if a man goes to work in that spirit, and has good advice, too, he is
+        bound to make a fine collection.”</span></p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em">Menelaüs received
+        the observation with a grimace, and a significant shrug of the
+        shoulders. <span class="tei tei-q">“ <span class="tei tei-q">‘No
+        difficulty about the price,’</span> you say. Of course not. Why
+        should he? When a man doesn’t pay, he is apt to be easy about the
+        amount. Do you know that the bills for half the things that you see
+        in this room have been sent in to me? Sometimes he had to pay the
+        money down. The <span class="tei tei-q">‘Gladiator’</span> there,
+        from <span class="tei tei-pb" id="page39">[pg 39]</span><a name=
+        "Pg039" id="Pg039" class="tei tei-anchor"></a>Pergamum could not have
+        been got without ready cash; but wherever he could, he went on
+        credit, and now the dealers are down upon me.”</span></p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em">And he held up a
+        sheaf of bills.</p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em"><span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“Here,”</span> he went on, <span class="tei tei-q">“is a
+        pretty account from Theodotus of Alexandria, the bookseller, you
+        know:</span></p>
+
+        <table summary="This is a table" cellspacing="0" class=
+        "tei tei-table" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em">
+          <colgroup span="3"></colgroup>
+
+          <tbody>
+            <tr class="tei tei-row">
+              <td class="tei tei-cell"><span class="tei tei-q">“ <span class=
+              "tei tei-q">‘<span class="tei tei-hi"><span style=
+              "font-style: italic">A Manuscript of Anacreon</span></span>
+              (said to be autograph)</span></span></td>
+
+              <td class="tei tei-cell" style="text-align: right">10</td>
+
+              <td class="tei tei-cell">minæ.</td>
+            </tr>
+
+            <tr class="tei tei-row">
+              <td class="tei tei-cell"><span class="tei tei-hi"><span style=
+              "font-style: italic">The Milesian Tales</span></span></td>
+
+              <td class="tei tei-cell" style="text-align: right">5</td>
+
+              <td class="tei tei-cell">„</td>
+            </tr>
+
+            <tr class="tei tei-row">
+              <td class="tei tei-cell"><span class="tei tei-hi"><span style=
+              "font-style: italic">Drinking Songs from
+              Cratinus</span></span></td>
+
+              <td class="tei tei-cell" style="text-align: right">2</td>
+
+              <td class="tei tei-cell">„’</td>
+            </tr>
+          </tbody>
+        </table>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em"><span class=
+        "tei tei-q">And so it goes on, with a quantity of books which I am
+        sure the old impostor never read. Two talents and twelve minæ it
+        comes to altogether. Then here is <span class="tei tei-q">‘A Group of
+        the Graces, 1 talent;’</span> <span class="tei tei-q">‘Silenus, 20
+        minæ;’</span> <span class="tei tei-q">‘Satyr and Nymphs, half a
+        talent.’</span> <span class="tei tei-q">‘Set of Flagons, worked with
+        the Labours of Hercules, 2 talents.’</span> These the villain melted
+        down before he went. Fancy the rascality of that! Why, the silver by
+        weight could not have been worth a fourth part of what it cost with
+        the workmanship.”</span></p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em"><span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“Well,”</span> said Cleon, <span class="tei tei-q">“the
+        fellows can wait. They can afford it; I know enough about these
+        things to be sure that they get a very handsome profit. I used to
+        travel, you know, for Cleisthenes of Syracuse, and so got to know
+        something about the secrets of the trade. No, you need not be afraid
+        of making them wait.”</span></p><span class="tei tei-pb" id=
+        "page40">[pg 40]</span><a name="Pg040" id="Pg040" class=
+        "tei tei-anchor"></a>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em"><span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“Well, they have waited three years already,”</span>
+        returned Menelaüs; <span class="tei tei-q">“and very likely will have
+        to be out of their money for as many more. But here is a gentleman
+        who won’t wait. Here is Sostratus”</span> (Sostratus, it should be
+        mentioned, was Governor of the Castle, which was garrisoned by Syrian
+        troops, and so the representative of King Antiochus)—<span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“here is Sostratus asking for the half-year’s tribute,
+        and giving me a pretty strong hint that, if I don’t send it, he shall
+        come and take it for himself. And where is the money to come
+        from?”</span></p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em"><span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“Well,”</span> said Cleon, with a little laugh,
+        <span class="tei tei-q">“I suppose there is one way to get milk, and
+        that is to go to the cow, or the goat, or the sheep. You see, we have
+        a certain choice between big and little. And so, if you want money,
+        you must go to the people, I suppose.”</span></p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em"><span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“The people! they are squeezed absolutely dry, at least
+        one would think so. I could tell you stories about the squeezing that
+        would make you split your sides with laughing. There was old Levi, a
+        Bethlehem farmer; they boiled him, or half-boiled him, because he
+        would not pay his taxes—said that he couldn’t, the old villain! They
+        put him in a caldron, you see, and kept heating it up, because he
+        would not tell where he had hidden his money.”</span></p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em"><span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“Well, did they get it out of him?”</span></p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em"><span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“No, the obstinate old dog, he would not say a word; but
+        before he was quite finished his wife <span class="tei tei-pb" id=
+        "page41">[pg 41]</span><a name="Pg041" id="Pg041" class=
+        "tei tei-anchor"></a>brought the coins from her head-dress and bought
+        him off. They say that he was the queerest figure when he came out of
+        the water, with the skin hanging about him in folds. Well, at all
+        events, it was a good washing for him. He had never been so clean in
+        his life before.”</span></p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em"><span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“And did he recover?”</span> asked Menander.</p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em"><span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“Upon my word, I can’t remember. But I do know that we
+        got the money.”</span><a id="noteref_5" name="noteref_5" href=
+        "#note_5"><span class="tei tei-noteref"><span style=
+        "font-size: 60%; vertical-align: super">5</span></span></a></p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em"><span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“Well, I remember what your predecessor used to say. It
+        was in this very room about two years ago that I asked him whether he
+        felt quite safe. <span class="tei tei-q">‘Oh, yes!’</span> he
+        answered, <span class="tei tei-q">‘I have got the last farthing that
+        is to be got, and there is an end of it!’</span> ”</span></p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em"><span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“Well,”</span> replied the high priest, <span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“there are other ways of getting money besides taxes. I
+        will allow that Jason worked the taxes as well as a man could. No one
+        can eat or drink, lie down or get up, walk or ride, travel or stay at
+        home, be born or marry, or be buried, without having to pay for it.
+        No! I do not see room for another, and I am sure that it is not for
+        want of looking. But, as I said, there are other ways. Now—can you
+        keep a secret?”</span></p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em"><span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“A secret! I should say so—not the grave itself
+        better!”</span></p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em"><span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“Hush! my friend, good words! good words!”</span>
+        <span class="tei tei-pb" id="page42">[pg 42]</span><a name="Pg042"
+        id="Pg042" class="tei tei-anchor"></a>cried the high priest, who
+        felt, or affected to feel, the common Greek superstition against
+        words that seemed to carry an evil omen with them. <span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“Well, if you can, come here.”</span></p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em">So saying,
+        Menelaüs took his friend into an adjoining room, and opening a
+        cupboard, secured, as the Greek observed, by an iron door and by a
+        lock of elaborate construction, showed him a number of massive gold
+        vases.</p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em"><span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“And where do these come from?”</span> asked Cleon,
+        almost dazzled by the splendid array.</p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em"><span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“Where should they come from, but from the Temple? Some
+        of these have got a history of their own. You see that two-handled
+        cup? King Artaxerxes gave it to Nehemiah: solid gold. And you see
+        those splendid sapphires in the handles? The very biggest stones of
+        the sort I have ever seen, and worth three talents each. Then there
+        is that salver, Alexander of Macedon gave it to the Temple; and that
+        casket there was a present from the first Ptolemy.”</span></p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em"><span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“But, my dear sir,”</span> said the Greek, astonished at
+        the audacity of the whole affair, <span class="tei tei-q">“is not
+        this going a little too far? Suppose the people were to find it out?
+        Would there not be a rather formidable uproar?”</span></p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em"><span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“Well, of course; we cannot get anything without risk.
+        But I have taken precautions. First, I have put a facsimile of every
+        one of these in the Temple; <span class="tei tei-pb" id="page43">[pg
+        43]</span><a name="Pg043" id="Pg043" class=
+        "tei tei-anchor"></a>gilded lead, which does perfectly well for all
+        practical purposes.”</span></p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em"><span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“But the weight! Surely any one can tell the difference
+        by the weight.”</span></p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em"><span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“Of course, my dear Cleon, I know that lead is little
+        more than half as heavy as gold. But there are ways of making it up.
+        You can put a great deal more metal in, without its being observed,
+        and almost make up the difference. And, you see, the things are never
+        allowed to be handled; can only be looked at. I have given very
+        strict orders about that, you may be sure. Of course the treasurer is
+        in the secret; but as he must sink or swim with me, he may be
+        trusted. Besides, I am not going to run the risk of keeping them
+        here. I can trust you, my good Cleon, as I can my own brother—in
+        fact, when I come to think of it, a good deal more—yet I am not sure
+        that I should have told you so much, but that the best of these are
+        going to be packed off to-night. The fact is, they are sold
+        already.”</span></p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em">The Greek could
+        only shrug his shoulders and say nothing. As my readers will have
+        perceived, he was not a man of high principles—in fact, to put the
+        matter plainly, he was an unscrupulous adventurer. But the reckless
+        villainy of Menelaüs fairly disgusted him. His taste, quite apart
+        from any question of principle or honesty, revolted at the notion
+        that a man, placed as was the high priest of the Jewish people,
+        should deal with these historic <span class="tei tei-pb" id=
+        "page44">[pg 44]</span><a name="Pg044" id="Pg044" class=
+        "tei tei-anchor"></a>treasures as a vulgar burglar might deal with
+        them. This was a refinement of feeling into which the vulgar cupidity
+        of Menelaüs did not enter. He went on:</p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em"><span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“How wild that scoundrel Jason would be, if he knew of
+        this, to think that he had lost such an opportunity, had these
+        treasures in his hand, so to speak, and leave them to his worst
+        enemy!”</span></p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em"><span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“Have you heard anything lately about him?”</span> asked
+        the Greek, not unwilling to change the subject.</p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em"><span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“Oh, yes,”</span> replied Menelaüs, <span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“he is wandering about somewhere in the country of the
+        Ammonites, and at his wits’ end, I am told, how to live.”</span></p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em"><span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“Poor fellow!”</span> said Cleon, <span lang="it" class=
+        "tei tei-foreign" xml:lang="it"><span style=
+        "font-style: italic">sotto voce</span></span>, <span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“he was always very kind to me, and I can’t help being
+        sorry for him.”</span> He then went on aloud, <span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“He will find it a great change from his way of living
+        here.”</span></p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em"><span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“Yes, yes!”</span> said Menelaüs; <span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“but still, some of his old ways and habits will come in
+        usefully. He was always great about training, you remember. Every one
+        should be ready to fight a boxing-match or run a race. Cold, hunger,
+        fatigue; these, he used to say, are the things to bring out a man’s
+        muscles. And now he has got them in perfection. He might really carry
+        off some prize, only, unluckily, he is getting a little too old for
+        that sort of thing. And then, you recollect, how he would go on about
+        the <span class="tei tei-pb" id="page45">[pg 45]</span><a name=
+        "Pg045" id="Pg045" class="tei tei-anchor"></a>beauty of the human
+        form. Clothes, especially the gorgeous clothes of our people,
+        obscured so tastelessly its magnificent proportions. Well, he has not
+        much to complain of, I imagine, on that score. By the last account
+        that I had of him he had as little in the way of clothing as a man
+        could well have. Anyhow, he may console himself with thinking that
+        <span class="tei tei-hi"><span style=
+        "font-style: italic">his</span></span> magnificent proportions are
+        not obscured. Well, I don’t pity him. A man who has managed to get
+        into a good place and then cannot stick to it is nothing better than
+        a fool, and richly deserves everything that he may get.”</span></p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em">At this point in
+        the conversation a servant announced the arrival of a message from
+        Sostratus, Governor of the Castle.</p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em"><span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“All the gods and goddesses confound the man!”</span>
+        cried the high priest, in a rage. He was fond of garnishing his
+        conversation with a little Greek profanity. <span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“Another dunning message, I suppose. Well, he must wait.
+        No man can get any water by squeezing out of a dry sponge; and that
+        is about what I am!”</span></p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em">The communication
+        from Sostratus proved, however, to be on quite another subject,
+        though it was, if possible, even more unwelcome. It ran thus:—</p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style=
+        "text-align: center; margin-bottom: 0.90em; margin-left: 1.80em; margin-top: 1.80em; margin-right: 1.80em">
+        <span class="tei tei-q" style="text-align: center"><span style=
+        "font-size: 90%">“</span><span class="tei tei-hi" style=
+        "text-align: center"><span style=
+        "font-size: 90%; font-style: italic">Sostratus, Vicegerent of the
+        Divine King, Antiochus, to Menelaüs, the High Priest,
+        greeting.</span></span></span></p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style=
+        "margin-bottom: 1.80em; margin-left: 1.80em; margin-right: 1.80em">
+        <span class="tei tei-q"><span style=
+        "font-size: 90%">“</span><span style="font-size: 90%">Know that I
+        have this day received the summons of the Divine King, Antiochus, to
+        attend him at his court at Antioch, within the space of thirty days,
+        there to inform his Highness more fully of affairs</span>
+        <span class="tei tei-pb" id="page46">[pg 46]</span><a name="Pg046"
+        id="Pg046" class="tei tei-anchor"></a><span style=
+        "font-size: 90%">concerning his province of Judæa. Know also that
+        your presence is required at the same place and time, whereof the
+        writing herewith enclosed, being sealed with the King’s seal, will be
+        proof sufficient. Farewell.</span><span style=
+        "font-size: 90%">”</span></span></p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em">Menelaüs’s face
+        visibly lengthened as he read this epistle. <span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“By the dog!”</span> (this was a Socratic oath which he
+        sometimes affected, as giving to his conversation a certain
+        philosophic tinge)—<span class="tei tei-q">“By the dog! this is worse
+        than being dunned! I like not a journey to Antioch. A very pretty
+        place, but expensive, dreadfully expensive, especially when one has
+        the honour of being entertained by the King.”</span></p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em">Cleon felt a
+        certain pleasure in the high priest’s discomfiture. The new patron
+        was more overbearing, less considerate, and generally more difficult
+        to get on with than the old. Jason, coxcomb as he was, had always
+        been kind, and Cleon felt as kindly for him as it was in his nature
+        to feel for any one. And then the exquisite propriety with which this
+        disturbing news followed the man’s taunts and boasts was
+        irresistible.</p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em"><span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“It is hard,”</span> he said, as if to himself,
+        <span class="tei tei-q">“when a man has got into a good
+        place——”</span></p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em">Menelaüs darted an
+        angry look at his friend, but the Greek’s face, which he knew how to
+        keep under admirable control, expressed nothing but respectful
+        sympathy. There was an unpleasant suggestion of mockery in what he
+        had heard; but the Greek was <span class="tei tei-pb" id="page47">[pg
+        47]</span><a name="Pg047" id="Pg047" class="tei tei-anchor"></a>a
+        useful person; he had been trusted, too, and knew things which it
+        would not do to have published. Altogether, the high priest
+        concluded, it would not do to quarrel with him—anyhow, for the
+        present; some day, perhaps, he might be got rid of.</p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em"><span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“I suppose, sir, you cannot make an excuse—important
+        affairs of State, the King’s service to be attended to, or something
+        of that kind?”</span></p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em">Cleon made the
+        suggestion, knowing perfectly well that it was quite out of the
+        question. But he enjoyed the novel position of tormenting his patron,
+        and was taking it out, so to speak, for not a few rudenesses and
+        slights.</p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em"><span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“Excuse!”</span> cried Menelaüs. <span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“It would be as much as my head is worth to do anything
+        of the kind. No! I must go. But this is not a journey which one cares
+        to take empty-handed. Let me see what I can take—two or three of the
+        most portable cups, as much coin as I can scrape together, and the
+        jewels—jewels are always useful: it is so easy to hide them. Well, I
+        shall leave you in charge; unless, indeed, you are very much set on
+        going yourself.”</span></p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em">Cleon was not at
+        all set upon going; on the contrary, nothing short of the strongest
+        inducements would have persuaded him to the journey. Going to Antioch
+        was like putting one’s head into the lion’s mouth. There was no
+        particular reason, indeed, why <span class="tei tei-hi"><span style=
+        "font-style: italic">his</span></span> head should be bitten off; but
+        lions are <span class="tei tei-pb" id="page48">[pg 48]</span><a name=
+        "Pg048" id="Pg048" class="tei tei-anchor"></a>capricious, and
+        sometimes use their teeth for the mere fun of the thing.</p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em"><span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“I am much obliged for the chance,”</span> he said,
+        <span class="tei tei-q">“but my health has been suffering lately, and
+        I do not feel quite equal to the journey.”</span></p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em"><span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“Well, then,”</span> replied Menelaüs, <span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“stop here, and keep things as straight as you can. And
+        if you can sell some of these pretty things for ready money, do
+        so—the usual commission for yourself, of course. But it must all be
+        kept quiet.”</span></p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em">The next day the
+        high priest and the Governor, neither of them in very good spirits,
+        were on their way to Antioch.</p>
+      </div>
+      <hr class="page" />
+
+      <div class="tei tei-div" style=
+      "margin-bottom: 5.00em; margin-top: 5.00em">
+        <span class="tei tei-pb" id="page49">[pg 49]</span><a name="Pg049"
+        id="Pg049" class="tei tei-anchor"></a> <a name="toc15" id=
+        "toc15"></a> <a name="pdf16" id="pdf16"></a>
+
+        <h1 class="tei tei-head" style=
+        "text-align: center; margin-bottom: 3.46em; margin-top: 3.46em">
+        <span style="font-size: 173%">CHAPTER IV.</span><br />
+        <br />
+        <span class="tei tei-hi" style="text-align: center"><span style=
+        "font-size: 100%">AT ANTIOCH.</span></span></h1>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em">Antioch more than
+        deserved the praise of <span class="tei tei-q">“a very pretty
+        place,”</span> which Menelaüs had bestowed upon it. In fact, it was
+        one of the finest cities of the world. The old town which the first
+        Antiochus<a id="noteref_6" name="noteref_6" href=
+        "#note_6"><span class="tei tei-noteref"><span style=
+        "font-size: 60%; vertical-align: super">6</span></span></a> had found
+        had been improved away by him and his successors. All that could be
+        done by a despotic power that made very short work with the wishes
+        and even the rights of private owners of property, and by a lavish
+        expenditure of money, had been done by five generations of rulers,
+        and the result was magnificent. Broad streets ran from side to side;
+        and those who grumbled that the narrow alleys of the old town gave at
+        least a shelter from the sun were consoled by the rows of planes and
+        limes, planted alternately, which shaded both sides of each
+        thoroughfare. Rows of houses, which looked more like palaces than
+        private dwellings, <span class="tei tei-pb" id="page50">[pg
+        50]</span><a name="Pg050" id="Pg050" class=
+        "tei tei-anchor"></a>occupied the best quarter of the city, and even
+        the poorest regions had nothing of the squalor of poverty. Even the
+        filth so common in the East was conspicuously absent from Antioch,
+        for every gutter ran with an unceasing stream of water, drawn from a
+        higher point of the Orontes and carrying into that river at a lower
+        point all the defilement of the streets. Temples, in which a whole
+        pantheon of gods was worshipped, were to be seen on every hand. The
+        pure and harmonious outlines of Greek architecture could be seen side
+        by side with the <span class="tei tei-hi"><span style=
+        "font-style: italic">bizarre</span></span> conceptions of Oriental
+        art. If the kings and their Greek subjects worshipped Zeus and
+        Apollo, and, above all, Aphrodité, who had here her famous grove of
+        Daphne, so the Syrian population were faithful to Baal and Ashtaroth.
+        A magnificent amphitheatre, capable of holding at least thirty
+        thousand spectators, rose, a striking mass of white marble, on the
+        north side of the city; a colonnade ran round the four sides of the
+        market-place, gorgeous with the lavish colours of the East, for here
+        the art of Greece had been superseded for once by the more ornate
+        native taste. But the river, rushing down between its noble
+        embankments of stone, was the chief ornament of the place. The
+        Orontes had not gathered round it the splendid associations that
+        clustered about the Tiber, but its broad, clear stream was in
+        everything else more than a match for its Italian
+        rival.</p><span class="tei tei-pb" id="page51">[pg 51]</span><a name=
+        "Pg051" id="Pg051" class="tei tei-anchor"></a>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em">Menelaüs and his
+        companion, who, it may be guessed, had reasons of his own for
+        regarding with anxiety the summons that brought him to the capital,
+        were not a little relieved to find that the King had been called away
+        by urgent affairs.</p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em">Tarsus, one of the
+        most important cities in his dominions, had rebelled. Its antiquity,
+        its wealth, and its fame as a seat of culture, a character in which
+        it claimed to be a rival of Athens itself, had combined to give the
+        Tarsians a high opinion of themselves. Successive rulers, beginning
+        with the Assyrian kings, its first founders, had allowed the city a
+        certain independence; and its pride was grievously wounded when the
+        young King, with the reckless levity that distinguished him, handed
+        it over as a private possession to his mistress. The citizens pitched
+        the lady’s collectors into the Cydnus, shut their gates, and defied
+        their sovereign; Mallos, another Cilician city which had suffered the
+        same indignity, following their example. The King had marched to
+        reduce the rebels—a task, it was probable, of no little
+        difficulty—leaving a certain Andronicus to act as his deputy, and
+        specially to dispose of the charge on which Menelaüs and Sostratus
+        had been summoned.</p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em">This charge was
+        one of a very formidable kind. Menelaüs’s dealings with the treasures
+        of the Temple had not been so secret as he had hoped. Such things
+        cannot be done without a certain <span class="tei tei-pb" id=
+        "page52">[pg 52]</span><a name="Pg052" id="Pg052" class=
+        "tei tei-anchor"></a>number of confederates, and such confederates
+        are very apt to give a finishing touch to their villainy by betraying
+        their chief. In this instance one of the journeymen employed had
+        considered himself insufficiently paid, rightly thinking, perhaps,
+        that if sacrilege can be recompensed at all, it ought to be
+        recompensed handsomely. Personally he was too insignificant to
+        venture an attack on so great a potentate as the high priest, but he
+        knew whither to carry his information. He told what he knew to a
+        priest, who, besides being a devout Jew, was a member of the family
+        to which the high priesthood properly belonged. The priest, after
+        satisfying himself that the story was true, at once set about
+        bringing the offender to justice.</p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em">His course was
+        plain. Menelaüs, we have seen, had supplanted Jason, and Jason had
+        himself purchased the dignity. But Oniah, the rightful high priest,
+        who had been displaced by Jason, was still alive. Antiochus,
+        naturally fearing his influence with his countrymen, had kept him at
+        his capital, treating him, strange to say, with remarkable
+        consideration. But Oniah was one of those men who extort veneration
+        even from the most reckless of profligates. His venerable figure, his
+        face beaming with benevolence, his blameless life, and the charities
+        which he dispensed up to and even beyond the limit of his means, had
+        won for him the regard of all Antioch. Even the heathen would stop
+        him in the <span class="tei tei-pb" id="page53">[pg
+        53]</span><a name="Pg053" id="Pg053" class=
+        "tei tei-anchor"></a>streets and beg his blessing. Oniah was a power
+        in Antioch for which even the reckless young profligate on the throne
+        had an unfeigned respect.</p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em">It may, then, be
+        easily imagined that no little sensation was produced when this
+        venerable personage appeared before Antiochus, and, in the presence
+        of the Court, accused Menelaüs, whom he had steadfastly refused to
+        acknowledge as high priest, of having embezzled much of the treasure
+        of the Temple at Jerusalem. That Oniah, whose veracity and good faith
+        were beyond all question, should make such a charge was <span lang=
+        "la" class="tei tei-foreign" xml:lang="la"><span style=
+        "font-style: italic">primâ facie</span></span> evidence of its truth.
+        As he was known to have many friends in Jerusalem, it was more than
+        probable that evidence would be forthcoming. The King did not
+        hesitate a moment in acting upon this probability. Of course, he did
+        not look at the matter in at all the same light as that in which it
+        was regarded by the devout Oniah. To the dispossessed high priest the
+        robbery of the sacred vessels was a monstrous sacrilege, an offence
+        of the deepest dye, not only against his country but against his God.
+        Antiochus felt that it was he who had been wronged. The treasures of
+        the Jerusalem Temple were <span class="tei tei-hi"><span style=
+        "font-style: italic">his</span></span> treasures. He might be content
+        to leave them, at all events for the present, where they were; but
+        they must be ready to his hand whenever the occasion should arise,
+        and any one who presumed to appropriate them was a traitor and a
+        villain. Hence the urgent summons to <span class="tei tei-pb" id=
+        "page54">[pg 54]</span><a name="Pg054" id="Pg054" class=
+        "tei tei-anchor"></a>Menelaüs and to Sostratus, who, as Governor,
+        could hardly fail, thought Antiochus, to have been cognizant of the
+        whole proceeding.</p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em">Almost immediately
+        after the despatch of the summons came the trouble with Tarsus. The
+        King started to chastise in person his rebellious subjects, and left,
+        as we have said, Andronicus in general charge of affairs, and with a
+        special commission to hear the accusation which Oniah was bringing
+        against Menelaüs. The choice was an unlucky one. Antiochus was
+        sincerely anxious that justice should be done in the matter; but to
+        get justice done in any particular case when it is not the rule of
+        the administration is exceedingly difficult. Andronicus, to put the
+        facts quite simply, was an unprincipled villain, ready to sell his
+        decisions, when he could do so with impunity, to the highest bidder.
+        He was an old acquaintance and confederate of Sostratus, and
+        Menelaüs, who had established friendly relations with the Governor
+        during their journey from Jerusalem to Antioch, soon received a hint
+        as to how he should proceed. The hearing of the case had been
+        appointed for the sixth day after his arrival. Before that date one
+        of the sacred vessels which he had taken the precaution of bringing
+        with him, had been exchanged for five hundred gold pieces, and the
+        gold pieces had found their way into the pocket of Andronicus.</p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em">On the day
+        appointed Oniah, supported by the <span class="tei tei-pb" id=
+        "page55">[pg 55]</span><a name="Pg055" id="Pg055" class=
+        "tei tei-anchor"></a>principal Jewish inhabitants of Antioch and by
+        not a few of the most respectable Greeks, appeared to substantiate
+        his charges against the usurper Menelaüs. The evidence appeared to be
+        overwhelming. The artizan who had been employed to fabricate the
+        worthless imitations of the precious vessels told the whole story of
+        the fraud with a fulness of detail which seemed to bear all the stamp
+        of truth. Another witness related how he had carried one of the
+        original articles to a goldsmith at Sidon, and actually produced a
+        rough memorandum of its weight, which had been made upon the spot, to
+        be afterwards embodied in the formal receipt.</p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em">The line of
+        defence adopted was bold, not to say impudent. The whole affair,
+        according to Menelaüs, was a conspiracy on the part of the
+        irreconcilable Jews to overthrow a loyal subject of the King. The
+        witnesses, he declared, had been suborned, the documents had been
+        forged. He then went on to bring a counter-charge against his
+        accuser. And here he found a certain advantage in the transparent
+        honesty of Oniah.</p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em"><span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“Do you acknowledge,”</span> he asked the ex-high priest,
+        <span class="tei tei-q">“the validity of the appointments which our
+        most noble lord Antiochus has made to the office of high
+        priest?”</span></p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em">Oniah frankly
+        confessed that he did not.</p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em"><span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“Do you consider yourself to be still, according to the
+        Law, in rightful possession of that office?”</span></p><span class=
+        "tei tei-pb" id="page56">[pg 56]</span><a name="Pg056" id="Pg056"
+        class="tei tei-anchor"></a>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em"><span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“I do.”</span></p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em"><span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“And bound to assert that right?”</span></p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em"><span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“By lawful means.”</span></p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em"><span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“And you hold all means to be lawful that are enjoined in
+        the Law of Moses?”</span></p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em"><span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“I do.”</span></p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em"><span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“And among such means you would count the banishment from
+        the precincts of the Holy City of all such as do not worship the Lord
+        God of Israel?”</span></p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em">Oniah felt that he
+        was becoming entangled in this artful web of questions, and made an
+        effort to break loose. <span class="tei tei-q">“I appeal,”</span> he
+        cried, <span class="tei tei-q">“most excellent Andronicus, to all
+        who, in this city of Antioch, for these four years past have known my
+        manner of life. You see sundry of them, nor of my own nation only, in
+        the court this day. Ask them whether I have not lived in all peace
+        and quietness, not seeking to disturb, either by word or deed, the
+        dominions of my lord the King.”</span></p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em">Menelaüs, of
+        course, had not come unprovided with witnesses. The old man had, to
+        tell the truth, used language of an imprudent kind. He was a patriot
+        and a believer. As such, he had his beliefs and his hopes, and it was
+        part of his character to express such beliefs and hopes quite openly.
+        He had talked of a day when the Holy Land should be no more the prey
+        of the alien and the heathen, when a king of the House of David
+        should rule in Mount Sion, when the Temple should regain all the
+        sacred<span class="tei tei-pb" id="page57">[pg 57]</span><a name=
+        "Pg057" id="Pg057" class="tei tei-anchor"></a>ness and all the glory
+        which had ever belonged to it. Such language, construed strictly, was
+        not consistent with a thorough loyalty to the Syrian monarch. But no
+        one who knew Oniah, a man of peace who had the good sense to
+        recognize what was and what was not possible, could suppose that any
+        scheme of revolt against existing authorities had ever entered into
+        his mind. In fact he had not said a word that had not been said
+        before by one or more of the prophets. Still, words which breathed a
+        spirit of independence, when reported by witnesses, and acknowledged
+        by Oniah—who was, indeed, too honest to deny them—gave Andronicus the
+        occasion for which he had been looking. He gave his decision in the
+        following terms:—</p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em"><span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“The charge against Menelaüs is postponed for further
+        hearing. Meanwhile the documents produced and the witnesses will
+        remain in the custody of the Court. As for Oniah, he must be reserved
+        for the judgment of the King in person. I should myself have been
+        disposed to release him; but in the absence of my lord, considering
+        that the peace of the realm is so essentially concerned, I do not
+        venture so far.”</span></p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em">He was proceeding
+        to give orders for the removal of Oniah, when an ominous murmur from
+        the audience, with which the court was crowded, made him pause.
+        Prisoners who saw the inside of an Antioch dungeon were sometimes not
+        heard of again. The <span class="tei tei-pb" id="page58">[pg
+        58]</span><a name="Pg058" id="Pg058" class="tei tei-anchor"></a>air
+        had a certain power of developing very rapid diseases, so rapid that
+        the sufferers were not only dead but buried before any tidings of the
+        sickness reached their friends. Antioch was not disposed to see the
+        man who was probably the most widely respected of all its
+        inhabitants, exposed to such a risk. Andronicus, who could not even
+        trust the soldiers to act against so venerable a person, drew back.
+        He was willing, he said, to accept sureties in a sufficient amount
+        for the due appearance of the accused. The sureties were forthcoming
+        in a moment, in sums so great and so absolutely secure that
+        Andronicus had no pretext for refusing them. He proceeded to adjourn
+        the Court for fourteen days.</p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em">During the
+        interval he took the opportunity of making a change in the garrison
+        of the capital. Troops recruited from some of the regions bordering
+        on Judæa, and accordingly among the bitterest enemies of its people,
+        replaced some Greek mercenaries. The strangers knew nothing about
+        Oniah, except that he was a Jew, and, being a Jew, of course hateful.
+        They could be relied upon to obey orders, and those who knew
+        Andronicus were sure what orders he would issue.</p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em">Oniah’s friends
+        urged him to fly. He was too old and feeble, he replied; it would be
+        better for him to die at his post. Then they implored him to take
+        sanctuary.</p><span class="tei tei-pb" id="page59">[pg
+        59]</span><a name="Pg059" id="Pg059" class="tei tei-anchor"></a>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em"><span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“What!”</span> he cried, <span class="tei tei-q">“take
+        sanctuary in a heathen temple! There is none other in the place. I
+        would sooner die a thousand times.”</span></p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em">It was not in a
+        temple, they explained, that he was to find shelter. It was in the
+        Gardens of Daphne that they wished him to take refuge. And they
+        proceeded to unfold an elaborate argument, the gist of which was that
+        the Gardens were a civil, and not a religious, sanctuary; that there
+        would be no occasion for him to enter the consecrated enclosure; he
+        would be simply availing himself of a custom which forbad the
+        entrance of the Minister of Justice into a place devoted to the
+        amusement of the people. It is probable that they strained their
+        argument beyond the limits of the truth. It was with great difficulty
+        that Oniah could be made to yield. When he did so at last, on the
+        urgent representations of his friends that the hopes of a free Israel
+        were largely dependent on the preservation of his life, he could not
+        help foreboding that the concession would not profit either himself
+        or them.</p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em">The world scarcely
+        contained a more beautiful place—beautiful both by grace of nature
+        and diligence of art—than the Gardens of Daphne; and certainly none
+        that seemed more unlikely to shelter a devout Jew. Its avenues of
+        cypress and laurels, its delicious depths of shade, its thousand
+        streams, clear as crystal and untouched by the drought of the
+        longest, most fiery summer, were but a part of its <span class=
+        "tei tei-pb" id="page60">[pg 60]</span><a name="Pg060" id="Pg060"
+        class="tei tei-anchor"></a>charms. Of some, perhaps the chief of its
+        attractions, it is best not to speak; but there were others, less
+        unseemly indeed, but such as must have been absolutely scandalous to
+        such a man as Oniah. The curious thronged to see the gigantic statue
+        of Apollo, a match both in size and costliness of material to that of
+        Zeus in the plain of Olympia. (It was sixty feet in height, and
+        wrought of gold and ivory.) To complete the resemblance to the famous
+        meeting-place of the Greek race, there was a running ground and rings
+        for wrestling and boxing. Finally, Daphne claimed to rival another
+        great centre of Greek life in its special characteristic. It was
+        stoutly maintained that the Apollo who haunted the laurel-groves of
+        Daphne was as true a prophet as he who spoke through the lips of
+        Pythia at Delphi. Crowds of men and women, eager to learn the secrets
+        of the future, came to the groves of Antioch. The method by which
+        they saw into the secrets of fate seemed singularly simple. The
+        questioner dipped a laurel leaf into the stream that flowed by the
+        shrine, and lo! the surface appeared written over with the
+        intimations of fate. Simple it was, but the priests had spent a world
+        of pains in acquiring the art of invisible writing, and they did
+        their best to learn something about the history and prospects of the
+        applicants.</p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em">Such was Daphne,
+        and no one could be more astonished than were its inhabitants and
+        visitors <span class="tei tei-pb" id="page61">[pg 61]</span><a name=
+        "Pg061" id="Pg061" class="tei tei-anchor"></a>at the strange figure
+        whom they saw before them; strange to the place, indeed, rather than
+        to them, for Oniah, as has been said, was one of the best-known
+        personages in Antioch. The rumour of his coming had gone before him,
+        and a crowd, half curious, half respectful, had gathered to meet him.
+        In not a few, indeed, curiosity and respect were mingled with
+        something of fear. The presence of this austere piety in this haunt
+        of vicious pleasure, was thought to augur ill for its prosperity.
+        Some of the priests were heard to murmur that one who was the avowed
+        enemy of the gods ought not to be admitted. But they did not venture
+        to deny to any one who sought them the privileges of sanctuary, while
+        their fears were not of a kind which they could make their followers
+        understand. They had, therefore, to acquiesce, and hope that the
+        unwelcome visitor would bring with him no ill-luck.</p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em">A little building,
+        as remote as possible from the central temple, had been secured for
+        the residence of Oniah. On reaching the gardens he had to make his
+        way to it through two dense lines of eager spectators. The temple,
+        the shrine of the oracle, the pavilions devoted to pleasure, were for
+        the nonce deserted. The drunkards left their wine-cup, and, stranger
+        still, the dice-players their gaming-tables, to gaze upon the holy
+        man. As he walked up the narrow avenue that had been left for his
+        passage, some of the women whose venal beauty was one of <span class=
+        "tei tei-pb" id="page62">[pg 62]</span><a name="Pg062" id="Pg062"
+        class="tei tei-anchor"></a>the attractions of the place, threw
+        themselves at his feet. Unhappy creatures, they had been brought up
+        from childhood to this life of degradation, which indeed had a
+        certain hideous sanction of religious association about it; but they
+        had not altogether lost the womanly veneration for goodness, and,
+        like the Magdalen of a later time, seemed to forget themselves in its
+        presence. The old man, unconscious of their character, or perhaps,
+        with the Divine Guest of the Pharisee of Capernaum, ignoring it,
+        stretched out his hands with the gesture of blessing, and, though it
+        was technically a pollution to touch a heathen, he even laid them on
+        some children who were almost thrust into his arms. There was hardly
+        a heart that was not touched with this kindness, and when the priest,
+        as he entered his new abode, turned and bade the multitude farewell,
+        he was answered with shouts of enthusiasm.</p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em">Menelaüs and his
+        accomplices were dismayed at the escape of the victim. A witness who
+        knew so much, and whose word was so implicitly believed, must be
+        silenced at any cost. To take him by force from the sanctuary was
+        impossible. Any attempt of the kind would certainly end in disaster.
+        But it might be possible to draw him forth by fraud. Menelaüs knew
+        enough of the old man’s character to be sure that he had gone
+        reluctantly, and would gladly seize the opportunity of quitting a
+        scene in which he must have felt himself so much out of place. Some
+        such <span class="tei tei-pb" id="page63">[pg 63]</span><a name=
+        "Pg063" id="Pg063" class="tei tei-anchor"></a>fraud it would not be
+        difficult to contrive with the help of Andronicus. Accordingly
+        another of the sacred vessels found its way to the dealer, and
+        another purse of gold into the pocket of the viceroy, and in a few
+        hours the plot was arranged. As Antiochus was on his way back from
+        the north, there was no time to be lost.</p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em">Two days after the
+        arrival of Oniah at the gardens a visitor to him was announced. It
+        was the viceroy himself.</p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em"><span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“Venerable sir,”</span> he began, <span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“it has grieved me beyond measure to find that you were
+        distrustful of my honourable, and I may say friendly, intentions
+        concerning you. Whoever accused me of ill-will towards you has
+        wronged me most foully. And let me add that you also have been
+        wronged no less in that you have been persuaded to come to a place so
+        unworthy of your dignity. Your safety should be ensured, not by a
+        sanctuary in which thieves and murderers find refuge, but by the
+        inviolable precincts of the royal palace itself. Let me offer to you,
+        in the name of the King, the hospitality of his abode. In the
+        meanwhile I am willing to swear by any oaths that may suffice to
+        satisfy you and your friends, that you shall suffer no injury from my
+        hands.”</span></p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em">One or two of
+        Oniah’s friends strongly dissuaded him from trusting himself to the
+        viceroy. But their caution was overborne by their companions and by
+        the eagerness of the priest to quit so uncongenial a <span class=
+        "tei tei-pb" id="page64">[pg 64]</span><a name="Pg064" id="Pg064"
+        class="tei tei-anchor"></a>place. Andronicus took every oath known to
+        Greek or Jew that he would treat the priest with all respect, and
+        Oniah gladly bade farewell to the Gardens. His departure was made at
+        the dead of night, and unknown to any of the inhabitants of Daphne.
+        Had they been aware of his intention, it is probable, knowing as they
+        did the character of Andronicus, that they would have hindered it by
+        force.</p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em">Almost at the
+        moment of Oniah’s arrival at the palace a runner reached it from the
+        King announcing his intended arrival on the next day.</p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em">Speedy action was
+        necessary, and Andronicus, though not without misgivings, determined
+        to lose no time. A Court of Justice, so called, was hastily held. A
+        creature of his own was called to preside over it. Witnesses whose
+        testimony had been carefully prepared, deposed to preparations for
+        rebellion to which Oniah had been privy, and to which he had lent his
+        aid. The accused was not allowed to have an advocate, and scarcely
+        even permitted to speak. Two hours sufficed for this mockery of a
+        legal process, and two more for carrying into effect the sentence of
+        death which was of course pronounced. Though the brutal Cilicians who
+        formed the garrison of the palace were ready to carry out any order
+        which their officer might give, it was judged well to avoid anything
+        like a public execution. That very night Oniah was poisoned in his
+        <span class="tei tei-pb" id="page65">[pg 65]</span><a name="Pg065"
+        id="Pg065" class="tei tei-anchor"></a>prison, and before dawn the
+        next day his body was hastily consigned to the tomb.</p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em">The punishment for
+        this atrocious act of treachery and cruelty was not long delayed. One
+        of the first acts of Antiochus, after his return to his capital, was
+        to demand the presence of Oniah, and then the story had to be told.
+        Andronicus did his best to put such a colour upon it as would deceive
+        his master. The attempt was vain. The King saw in a moment through
+        the idle charges which had been brought against the dead man.
+        <span class="tei tei-q">“What!”</span> he cried, <span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“Oniah rebel against <span class=
+        "tei tei-hi"><span style="font-style: italic">me</span></span>!”</span>
+        His vanity and self-confidence made the accusation seem the very
+        height of absurdity.</p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em"><span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“Of course,”</span> the King went on—<span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“of course he did not acknowledge the priesthood of Jason
+        or Menelaüs; he has told me so himself twenty times. He could not
+        think otherwise, and he was as honest as the day. I only wish that he
+        had left another as honest behind him. Zeus and all the gods of
+        heaven and hell confound me if I do not avenge him to the uttermost.
+        Tell me,”</span> he cried, turning to the captain of the Cilicians,
+        who stood by dismayed at his master’s rage—<span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“tell me where you have buried him.”</span></p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em">The captain
+        described the place.</p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em"><span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“I will see him once more, and these villains shall see
+        him too,”</span> he said, pointing to the trembling pair, Andronicus
+        and his creature the judge.</p><span class="tei tei-pb" id=
+        "page66">[pg 66]</span><a name="Pg066" id="Pg066" class=
+        "tei tei-anchor"></a>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em">He went on foot,
+        his royal dress discarded for a mourner’s cloak. His courtiers
+        followed him, and a guard of soldiers behind brought with them the
+        guilty viceroy and judge.</p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em"><span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“Open the grave,”</span> he said, when he reached the
+        spot.</p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em">It was soon done,
+        for the murderers had hurried their victim into a shallow tomb. In a
+        few minutes the body of the dead man was exposed to view. Decay had
+        not commenced, and death had given fresh depth and beauty to the
+        serenity which had been their habitual expression in life. Antiochus
+        gazed awhile at the face; then, dropping on his knees, covered his
+        head with his mantle, and burst into a passion of tears.</p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em">In a few minutes
+        he rose to his feet. Grief had given place to rage, and his eyes
+        blazed with fury.</p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em"><span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“Bind that wretch!”</span> he cried, pointing to the
+        wretched Andronicus.</p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em">He was bound, and
+        stood waiting his doom.</p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em"><span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“He is not worth the blow of an honest sword,”</span>
+        cried the King; <span class="tei tei-q">“strangle him, as if he were
+        a dog. But first make him look at the man whom he has
+        murdered.”</span></p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em">Andronicus was
+        forced to the edge of the grave and compelled to look at the dead. A
+        halter was thrown round his neck, and the next moment he was a
+        corpse. The judge shared his fate. <span class="tei tei-q">“And you,
+        sir,”</span> said the King, turning to the captain who <span class=
+        "tei tei-pb" id="page67">[pg 67]</span><a name="Pg067" id="Pg067"
+        class="tei tei-anchor"></a>had administered the poison—<span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“you, sir, though you are a barbarian, and know no
+        better, must learn that you cannot rob the world of one who was worth
+        a thousand such brutes as you. You are captain no more; that is your
+        successor,”</span> and he pointed to an officer in his train.
+        <span class="tei tei-q">“You can groom his horses, if you don’t want
+        to starve. And think that you are lucky that you keep your
+        head.”</span></p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em">So the good Oniah
+        was avenged.</p>
+      </div>
+      <hr class="page" />
+
+      <div class="tei tei-div" style=
+      "margin-bottom: 5.00em; margin-top: 5.00em">
+        <span class="tei tei-pb" id="page68">[pg 68]</span><a name="Pg068"
+        id="Pg068" class="tei tei-anchor"></a> <a name="toc17" id=
+        "toc17"></a> <a name="pdf18" id="pdf18"></a>
+
+        <h1 class="tei tei-head" style=
+        "text-align: center; margin-bottom: 3.46em; margin-top: 3.46em">
+        <span style="font-size: 173%">CHAPTER V.</span><br />
+        <br />
+        <span class="tei tei-hi" style="text-align: center"><span style=
+        "font-size: 100%">THE WRATH TO COME.</span></span></h1>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em">A year has passed
+        since the tragedy related in the last chapter. Menelaüs, thanks
+        chiefly to the fickle temper of Antiochus, had escaped the fate which
+        overtook his accomplice Andronicus, and had returned to pillage his
+        unfortunate countrymen in Palestine. But his lease of power had come
+        to an end. Jason, his dispossessed rival, had taken the opportunity
+        of a report that Antiochus was dead, and attacked him. There could
+        hardly be any choice between the two men. Both were equally
+        rapacious; equally unfaithful to their religion and their country.
+        But Jason had been out of power for two years, and his misdeeds had
+        faded a little from the memory of the people; Menelaüs’s enormities
+        were still fresh in their recollection. After a sharp conflict, the
+        losses of which were utterly out of proportion to any gain that could
+        possibly come from it, Jason had won the day, and his rival had
+        <span class="tei tei-pb" id="page69">[pg 69]</span><a name="Pg069"
+        id="Pg069" class="tei tei-anchor"></a>been compelled to take refuge
+        in the Castle. Then came the news that the report of the death of
+        Antiochus was false. He had settled affairs in Egypt after his
+        liking, and was now on his way northwards, furious at the trouble
+        which this obstinate province was giving him, and resolved, as he
+        said, to quiet it for good. Jason had fled in headlong haste, and his
+        partisans, and, indeed, most of those who had the means to go, had
+        followed his example. Meanwhile Jerusalem was awaiting the future
+        with fear and trembling.</p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em">It is an evening
+        in the early summer, and the western wall of the city is crowded with
+        men and women, who are gazing with awe-stricken faces on the strange
+        appearance of the sunset. All day people had been talking of the
+        marvellous shapes which had appeared the evening before in the
+        western sky, and now a great multitude had assembled to see whether
+        the marvel would be repeated, and, if so, to judge of it for
+        themselves. Nor had they assembled in vain. Never, within the memory
+        of man, had the heavens worn a stranger, a more terrifying look.
+        Above the spot where the sun was just sinking to his rest the whole
+        sky glowed with a red and angry light. On this background, so to
+        speak, the clouds of a lower stratum had shaped themselves into the
+        forms of two armies ready to engage in battle. The spectators seemed
+        to be able to trace in one place the serried ranks of infantry, in
+        <span class="tei tei-pb" id="page70">[pg 70]</span><a name="Pg070"
+        id="Pg070" class="tei tei-anchor"></a>another the massed array of
+        chariots and horses. A space, brilliantly coloured, as it might seem,
+        with something like the hue of blood, intervened between the two airy
+        hosts. But these seemed to be slowly nearing each other, and the
+        gazing people watched the lessening space, expecting, one might
+        think, to hear the actual clash of arms when they should have met.
+        But then the sun set, and with the sudden failing of light that marks
+        the evening of more southern climes than ours, the whole pageant
+        vanished from before the eyes of the spectators.</p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em">Among the crowd is
+        our old acquaintance Menander, or Micah, whom we last met in the
+        library of Jason. Things have not gone well with him since then. He
+        had cherished a belief that Greek culture, the brightness of Greek
+        literature and art, would do something to amend the severity, and
+        what he was pleased to call the tastelessness of Jewish life. To a
+        certain extent it had been an honest belief, though the
+        pleasure-loving nature of the man, in its revolt against the stern
+        morality of the Law, had had something to do with developing it. But
+        his experience of Greek culture and its works had not been
+        encouraging. If the reforming doctrine had to be preached by such
+        prophets as Jason, and Menelaüs, and the cruel and profligate young
+        tyrant Antiochus, it was more than doubtful whether it would do any
+        good. Hitherto, certainly, it had done no good at all. The people
+        were more unhappy, more spirit<span class="tei tei-pb" id=
+        "page71">[pg 71]</span><a name="Pg071" id="Pg071" class=
+        "tei tei-anchor"></a>less, more like slaves than they had ever been
+        before; the rulers were more greedy and selfish, more absolutely
+        careless of all that did not concern their own interests. Might he
+        not, he began to think to himself, have made a mistake? Might not the
+        old life, which was at least the life of free men, be better than the
+        new?</p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em">He was busy with
+        such thoughts when he heard a woman’s voice behind him whisper
+        <span class="tei tei-q">“Micah.”</span> He did not recognize it at
+        once, but its tones were familiar to him, and they seemed to touch
+        the same chord in his heart with which his thoughts were then busy.
+        And the name, the old Hebrew name, that too was familiar, though it
+        was long since he had heard it. He was <span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“Menander”</span> to his friends; for his friends were
+        either Greeks, or else Jews who, like himself, had cast off the
+        associations of his birth and race.</p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em"><span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“Micah,”</span> said the voice again, and he turned to
+        look at the speaker.</p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em">She was a woman of
+        some thirty years, plainly, almost poorly, dressed, but with all the
+        air of gentle birth and breeding. Her face was beautiful, not with
+        the brilliant loveliness of youth, but with that which is brought
+        into the features by a pure and tender soul. There were the lines of
+        many sorrows and cares upon her forehead, and round her eyes, and in
+        the corners of mouth and cheek; but her eyes, save that they seemed
+        almost too large for the <span class="tei tei-pb" id="page72">[pg
+        72]</span><a name="Pg072" id="Pg072" class=
+        "tei tei-anchor"></a>thinner contours of the face, were as beautiful
+        as they had been in the first glory of her youth.</p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em">It was Hannah, his
+        elder sister, who had been as a mother to him in his orphaned
+        childhood, that Menander recognized. Years had passed since they met.
+        There had been no quarrel, but circumstances had made a barrier
+        between them. What Menander’s life had been we know, and Hannah was
+        the wife of a faithful and devout Jew, Azariah by name, who, though
+        still cherishing kindly thoughts for his young kinsman, had felt
+        that, for the present at least, they were best apart.</p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em">Brother and sister
+        eagerly clasped hands, and Menander, or Micah, as we will call him,
+        felt a lump rise in his own throat as he saw the tearful smile in
+        Hannah’s lustrous eyes.</p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em"><span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“Micah,”</span> she said—<span class="tei tei-q">“for you
+        will not mind my calling you Micah, though I hear you use another
+        name; but you were always Micah to me—this is a strange sight on
+        which we have been looking.”</span></p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em"><span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“Yes, sister,”</span> he answered, with a gaiety of tone
+        which was more than half assumed—<span class="tei tei-q">“yes,
+        sister, strange enough; but then we know that the clouds do take
+        strange shapes at times. A current of air blows them this way or
+        that, and, with our fancy to help, they become anything in heaven or
+        earth that we may fancy.”</span></p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em"><span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“Nay, Micah, there is more than fancy here. You and I
+        used to watch the clouds from the <span class="tei tei-pb" id=
+        "page73">[pg 73]</span><a name="Pg073" id="Pg073" class=
+        "tei tei-anchor"></a>window in the old house, and to laugh at the odd
+        shapes which we found in them—lions, and dogs, and whales, and such
+        things—but we never saw such a sight as this.”</span></p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em"><span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“But we had not in those days such thoughts of our own to
+        read into the sights of the skies. But tell me, Hannah, what do you
+        think it means?”</span></p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em"><span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“What can it mean,”</span> she answered, in a low voice,
+        <span class="tei tei-q">“but wrath—wrath upon us and upon our
+        children?”</span></p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em"><span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“Wrath, perhaps,”</span> he cried; <span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“and the sky has, I must confess, an angry look. But why
+        must it be upon us? Why not rather upon our enemies? I see nothing in
+        the skies which tells us whether these sights be meant for us or for
+        them.”</span></p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em"><span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“Nay, my brother, speak not thus, for you know better in
+        your heart. The heavens give us these signs, or rather God gives them
+        to us through the heavens, but He leaves it to our own hearts to
+        interpret them. They tell us surely enough on whom this wrath must
+        fall.”</span></p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em"><span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“But, sister, tell me why on us? Are we worse than our
+        neighbours—than these robbers of Edomites and Ammonites, these sullen
+        Romans, never satisfied except when they are fighting—these mongrel
+        Syrians?”</span></p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em"><span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“They are heathen,”</span> said Hannah, in a solemn
+        voice, <span class="tei tei-q">“and they do not sin against light.
+        Let us leave them to the judgment of God. But ourselves <span class=
+        "tei tei-pb" id="page74">[pg 74]</span><a name="Pg074" id="Pg074"
+        class="tei tei-anchor"></a>we can judge. Look at this city; we call
+        it the City of David—but where is the spirit of David? Have we not
+        trampled the Law underfoot, making to ourselves graven images of
+        things in heaven and earth and the water under the earth? Where is
+        the honour of the Sabbath? Where is the morning and evening
+        sacrifice? Where are the yearly feasts? Will our God deliver us
+        again, when we will not thank Him for the deliverances that He hath
+        wrought already? Oh, Micah, I do not seek to anger you; but are you
+        such as our father, now in Abraham’s bosom, would rejoice to see you?
+        And tell me, how was it that we Hebrews became a great people? A
+        Syrian ready to perish was our father, and lo! before a thousand
+        years were past, Solomon reigned from the great river to the Western
+        sea. How came we by this might? Was it by aping Egyptian or Greek?
+        Did we not keep to our own way, and walk after our own law, and
+        worship our own God? Then it was well with us, and the nations round
+        about feared us and honoured us; but now they laugh us to scorn, for
+        we are ashamed of our own selves, and seek to be what they are, and
+        cannot attain to it, and so fall short both of their greatness and of
+        ours.”</span></p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em">Micah stood dumb
+        before this fierce torrent of words. Was this the gentle Hannah of
+        his youth? There must be some mighty influence that could change the
+        lamb into the lioness.</p><span class="tei tei-pb" id="page75">[pg
+        75]</span><a name="Pg075" id="Pg075" class="tei tei-anchor"></a>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em">She went on, in a
+        gentler voice, <span class="tei tei-q">“You are not angry with me,
+        brother?”</span></p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em"><span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“Surely not.”</span></p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em"><span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“I must go, for my husband will be waiting for the
+        evening meal. Come, children,”</span> she went on, speaking to two
+        little girls who had been clinging to their mother’s cloak, gazing
+        open-eyed and half-terrified at this strange kinsman.</p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em"><span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“And are these my nieces?”</span></p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em"><span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“Yes; Miriam and Judith,”</span> answered Hannah,
+        pointing first to one and then to the other. <span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“This, children, is your dear uncle, Micah.”</span></p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em">The young man
+        stooped and kissed the children.</p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em"><span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“You will not let it be so long before we see you
+        again?”</span> said Hannah.</p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em">His answer was to
+        wring her hand, and turn away. Her words had pricked him to the
+        heart, and he did not know whether to thank her or be angry.</p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em">We must now turn
+        to another group which had also been drawn to the walls by the report
+        of the marvellous sights that were to be seen in the heavens. A group
+        it was that would have attracted attention anywhere, so remarkable
+        were the contrasts and the resemblances which it presented.</p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em">The principal
+        figure was an old man dressed in the everyday garb of a priest. The
+        burden of years had bowed his stately figure, for he had long since
+        passed the limit which the Psalmist assigns to the <span class=
+        "tei tei-pb" id="page76">[pg 76]</span><a name="Pg076" id="Pg076"
+        class="tei tei-anchor"></a>life of man, but his eye was as brilliant
+        as ever, and his voice, when he spoke, had lost none of its depth and
+        fulness of tone. His three companions were men in the vigour of life.
+        All surpassed the common stature, but yet none of them equalled the
+        height of their father, for that they were father and sons the most
+        casual observer must have seen. In age there was little difference
+        between them. The eldest may have numbered about forty years, the
+        youngest, perhaps, four less. Their dress was mainly that of the
+        middle-class Jew, and so different from the old man’s priestly garb,
+        but not without some distinctive marks that indicated the fact that
+        they belonged to the House of Aaron. The multitude of priests was
+        indeed so great that but a very small share in the services of the
+        Temple, even when these were fully carried out, fell to the lot of
+        any one man. These services had now been reduced to a minimum, and
+        numbers of the priestly houses, while not repudiating their
+        hereditary office, practically devoted themselves to the ordinary
+        avocations of life. This had been done by the three sons of
+        Mattathias of Modin, for such was the name and such the ancestral
+        city of the aged priest.</p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em"><span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“Judas,”</span> said the old man, addressing one of his
+        sons, <span class="tei tei-q">“these signs in the heavens are of a
+        surety from the Lord.”</span></p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em">The son addressed
+        was the youngest of the three; but it was evident from the bearing of
+        his brothers, <span class="tei tei-pb" id="page77">[pg
+        77]</span><a name="Pg077" id="Pg077" class="tei tei-anchor"></a>and
+        from the air of respect and attention with which they waited for him
+        to speak, that they were accustomed to see him the first recipient of
+        their father’s confidence. And indeed it was not difficult to see,
+        under a superficial resemblance of figure and face, something that
+        distinguished him from his companions. John, the eldest, was a plain,
+        blunt soldier, raised above the average level of his profession, by
+        the purity of his life and the depth of his religious convictions,
+        but still essentially a soldier, one who saw no way of solving
+        complicated questions save by a downright blow of the sword. Simon,
+        the second in point of age, had a singularly mild and benevolent
+        expression, though his eyes were full of intelligence and the lines
+        of his mouth and chin seemed to show that he could be firm on
+        occasion. But Judas had all the outward characteristics of a hero. A
+        sturdier soldier never wielded sword, but he saw that there are
+        difficulties to which the sword alone can bring no solution. Nor was
+        he slow to follow all the subtleties of diplomacy; but, at the same
+        time, he never lost his grasp of the principles which all the skill
+        of the diplomatist is unable to change.</p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em"><span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“Father,”</span> he now said, <span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“that these signs are from the Lord I do not doubt. But
+        what is your counsel?”</span></p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em"><span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“Speak you first, my son,”</span> replied the old man;
+        <span class="tei tei-q">“’tis ever best so. You might be unwilling to
+        differ from me and yet be in the right. This at least my <span class=
+        "tei tei-pb" id="page78">[pg 78]</span><a name="Pg078" id="Pg078"
+        class="tei tei-anchor"></a>years have taught me—that it is easy for
+        any man to err.”</span></p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em"><span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“Let us stay,”</span> said Judas. <span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“’Tis true the air is stifling, such as a free man can
+        scarcely bear to breathe. But there are many, father, that look to
+        you for counsel and guidance, and we may scarcely leave them, at
+        least till the call sounds more plainly in our ears.”</span></p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em"><span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“Nay,”</span> cried John, the soldier, <span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“I am not, as you know, one that would readily give his
+        vote for flight. But here we are, methinks, as rats in a hole. May we
+        not lawfully, and with good faith to God and our brethren, seek some
+        place where we may at least have space to draw our swords and strike
+        a blow?”</span></p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em"><span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“And you, Simon, what say you?”</span> asked the old man,
+        turning to his second son.</p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em"><span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“God knows that I would give much to be back at home. But
+        our brethren need us here, and we may give them some comfort. Let us
+        stay.”</span></p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em"><span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“Judas and Simon,”</span> said the old man, after a
+        pause, <span class="tei tei-q">“you have spoken well, and I give my
+        voice with yours. As yet our duty seems to keep us here. When it
+        shall call us hence, we will follow it. And you, John, think not that
+        you will long want for an occasion to strike with the sword. It shall
+        come; but you will be readier for it if you make no haste to meet
+        it.”</span></p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em">With this the
+        little party turned away from the wall, and made their way to their
+        lodging in the city.</p>
+      </div>
+      <hr class="page" />
+
+      <div class="tei tei-div" style=
+      "margin-bottom: 5.00em; margin-top: 5.00em">
+        <span class="tei tei-pb" id="page79">[pg 79]</span><a name="Pg079"
+        id="Pg079" class="tei tei-anchor"></a> <a name="toc19" id=
+        "toc19"></a> <a name="pdf20" id="pdf20"></a>
+
+        <h1 class="tei tei-head" style=
+        "text-align: center; margin-bottom: 3.46em; margin-top: 3.46em">
+        <span style="font-size: 173%">CHAPTER VI.</span><br />
+        <br />
+        <span class="tei tei-hi" style="text-align: center"><span style=
+        "font-size: 100%">THE EVIL DAYS.</span></span></h1>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em">It was not long
+        before the portent which the terrified crowd had watched from the
+        walls of Jerusalem found, or at least began to find, its fulfilment,
+        for, indeed, many days were to pass before the wretched people had
+        drained the cup of suffering to the dregs.</p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em">First there was
+        the actual arrival of the army, the rumour of whose approach had
+        struck such terror into Jason. At its head came Antiochus in person,
+        fresh from his successful campaigns in Egypt and in his train
+        followed the renegade Menelaüs with a crowd of unscrupulous and
+        profligate adventurers. There was no attempt at resistance. The gates
+        were thrown open by the King’s adherents in the city. But if the
+        citizens had hoped to soften the tyrant’s heart by their submissive
+        attitude they were miserably disappointed. For days the streets of
+        the city ran red with blood. The prominent members of the patriotic
+        party were the first to perish. Then <span class="tei tei-pb" id=
+        "page80">[pg 80]</span><a name="Pg080" id="Pg080" class=
+        "tei tei-anchor"></a>came all the private enemies of the returning
+        renegades; and then a far greater multitude who were singled out for
+        destruction by the possession of anything that excited the cupidity
+        of the conquerors. Lastly, as ever happens at such times, the
+        massacre that is suggested by hatred or greed was followed by the
+        massacre that is the result of the merest wantonness. But there were
+        victims more unhappy than those who thus perished by the sword of the
+        heathen. The money found on the persons and in the houses of the
+        victims did not satisfy the cupidity of their murderers. There were
+        thousands who had indeed nothing of their own to lose, but who were
+        in themselves a valuable property. These were sent off in droves to
+        be sold, till the slave-markets of the Eastern Mediterranean were
+        glutted with the Jewish youth.</p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em">Still worse in the
+        eyes of all pious Jews than the massacre or the captivity was the
+        profanation of the Temple. The innermost shrine, the Holy of Holies,
+        which the high priest himself was permitted by the Law to enter but
+        once only in the year, was thrown open to the unhallowed gaze of a
+        debauched heathen. With a horror that passes description the people
+        saw the renegade Menelaüs, bound to be the guardian of the sanctity
+        of the place, actually drawing aside the veil with his own hand, and
+        conducting the King into the awful enclosure. They saw the most
+        sacred treasures, gifts of the piety of many <span class="tei tei-pb"
+        id="page81">[pg 81]</span><a name="Pg081" id="Pg081" class=
+        "tei tei-anchor"></a>generations, treasures to which the revenue of
+        the Persian kings, and even of the victorious Alexander himself had
+        contributed, become the spoil of the sacrilegious intruders. The
+        golden altar of incense and the table of the shew-bread were taken by
+        the King, while the seven-branched candlestick of gold fell, as was
+        commonly believed, to the high priest himself. They saw it, and it
+        almost overturned their faith that no visible sign of the Divine
+        wrath followed an impiety so terrible.</p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em">So Antiochus came
+        and went, leaving behind him as his deputy, Philip, the Phrygian,
+        <span class="tei tei-q">“in manners more barbarous than he who set
+        him there.”</span> The time that followed was one of grievous
+        depression and sadness. Life went on, as it will even amidst the
+        gloomiest circumstances, but all the joy and brightness were crushed
+        out of it.</p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em">Micah’s sister,
+        the Hannah whom we have seen talking to him on the wall, gave birth
+        to a son shortly after the departure of Antiochus. No feast was held
+        on occasion of the rite that made the little one a member of the
+        family of Abraham. When the forty days of purification were past, the
+        mother was not taken to present her offspring in the Temple. The
+        Temple, the haunt of pagans and apostates, was no place for faithful
+        sons and daughters of Abraham. A visit to its courts could hardly be
+        the seal of purification when it needed purifying so sorely
+        itself.</p><span class="tei tei-pb" id="page82">[pg
+        82]</span><a name="Pg082" id="Pg082" class="tei tei-anchor"></a>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em">An occasion that
+        should by right have been still more joyful was allowed to pass with
+        the absence of festivity. A younger sister of Hannah, Ruth by name,
+        had long before been promised to Seraiah, a friend and relative of
+        her husband. Time after time the marriage had been postponed, under
+        the pressure of evil times; and when at last it was performed, not
+        even then without sore misgivings and anticipations of evil among all
+        the elders of the family, the celebration was of the quietest kind.
+        Not a guest beyond the few friends who attended on the bridegroom was
+        invited; and it was in dead silence, not with the usual shouts of
+        merriment and gay procession of torches, that the bride was taken to
+        her husband’s home.</p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em">And yet, as we
+        shall see, even for these evils there was a compensating good.</p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em">Micah, though he
+        had affected to make light of the foreboding of evil which he had
+        heard from his sister, had really been impressed by it—so much
+        impressed, indeed, that he had left the city for a little country
+        house at the northern end of the Lake of Galilee, that belonged to
+        him. He had invited his relatives to accompany him, but they had
+        declined. Their place, they said, was at home, among their poorer
+        brethren, where they might do something to help and strengthen. All
+        that Micah could do was to commend them to the protection of the
+        Greek party in the city, with whom, in spite of his <span class=
+        "tei tei-pb" id="page83">[pg 83]</span><a name="Pg083" id="Pg083"
+        class="tei tei-anchor"></a>fast increasing disgust at their
+        proceedings, he had not yet broken.</p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em">He had now
+        returned, and he lost no time in finding his way to his sister’s
+        house. The ravages made by fire and sword were only too plainly
+        visible as he walked along. Houses that he had known from his
+        childhood, in which he had often been a guest, were now but blackened
+        walls; others were shapeless ruins. Again and again he saw on
+        fragments of stone and plaster hideous blotches which he knew to be
+        of blood; and as he saw these things he cursed aloud the hands which
+        had wrought these horrors, not without the bitterest self-reproach
+        that his own hand might have grasped them in friendship.</p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em">It was a great
+        relief to find that his sister’s house had been spared any outrage.
+        But when he demanded admittance in the usual way, by kicking the
+        door, it became evident that there had been a reign of terror, and
+        that the inmates of the dwelling were not sure that it was yet over.
+        The door was not thrown open in the usual free fashion of Jewish
+        hospitality, but he became aware by a slight movement of one of the
+        closed lattices that he was being inspected from above. The
+        inspection was apparently satisfactory, for in another minute there
+        was a sound of undrawing bolts and unfastening chains, and the
+        inhospitable door was at last open. Hannah, sadly aged in look her
+        brother thought, met him in the hall, and greeted him with a silent
+        <span class="tei tei-pb" id="page84">[pg 84]</span><a name="Pg084"
+        id="Pg084" class="tei tei-anchor"></a>embrace. After a pause, in
+        which she seemed to be struggling with her tears, she said—</p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em"><span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“Welcome, dear Micah; while you and my husband and my
+        children are left to me I feel that I cannot be unhappy. And perhaps
+        you,”</span> she added, with a wistful look in his face, <span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“will draw nearer to us now. But come and see my dear
+        ones.”</span></p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em">She led the way to
+        a room at the back of the house, looking out into a little garden
+        shaded by a wide-branching fig-tree. Hannah noiselessly drew aside
+        the curtain that served for a door, and the two stood by common
+        consent and watched the scene that met their eyes. Azariah, the
+        father of the family, was sitting with his back turned to them,
+        holding on his knees a copy of the Law. On two stools at his feet sat
+        his daughters, each holding in one hand a tablet covered with wax,
+        and in the other a <span lang="la" class="tei tei-foreign" xml:lang=
+        "la"><span style="font-style: italic">stylus</span></span> or
+        sharp-pointed iron pen. He was slowly dictating to them the words,
+        <span class="tei tei-q">“Hear, O Israel, the Lord thy God is one
+        Lord,”</span> and the little creatures were laboriously forming, not
+        without many pauses for thought, the scarcely familiar letters.</p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em"><span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“Now read it, my children,”</span> said Azariah, when the
+        task was finished; and one after another the sweet, childish voices
+        repeated the well-known words. Micah, as he listened, felt himself
+        strangely touched. Presently he heard his sister murmur to herself,
+        <span class="tei tei-q">“In Thy Law will I meditate day and
+        night,”</span> and glancing at her face saw it illumined <span class=
+        "tei tei-pb" id="page85">[pg 85]</span><a name="Pg085" id="Pg085"
+        class="tei tei-anchor"></a>with a joy which he could scarcely have
+        believed those wasted features capable of expressing.</p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em"><span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“’Tis well, Miriam; ’tis well, Judith,”</span> said
+        Azariah to the little girls, and putting his hands upon their heads,
+        as they stood before him, for they had risen to repeat the holy
+        words, he repeated, <span class="tei tei-q">“The God of Abraham and
+        Sarah bless you.”</span> And then, for they were mere children after
+        all, and not above childish rewards, gave each a ripe fig from a
+        basket which stood on a table by his side.</p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em">The lesson being
+        over, Hannah advanced, and her brother followed. Azariah turned and
+        greeted the new comer not unkindly, but with a certain reserve, for
+        he could not forget that his visitor was a Menander as well as a
+        Micah, and that he had been the friend of the traitorous Jason, and
+        the yet more traitorous Menelaüs. The children, after their first
+        feeling of alarm, for a strange face was seldom seen in that home,
+        and when Miriam, the elder, had recognized her uncle, showed no
+        reserve in their welcome. They clung about his neck, and kissed him.
+        They insisted on his coming to see their pets—Miriam’s turtle-doves,
+        and Judith’s dormice, and the little gazelle fawn which they owned in
+        common. <span class="tei tei-q">“They have not heard a word against
+        me,”</span> thought Micah to himself; and this affectionate loyalty
+        touched him to the heart. From his sister he might, perhaps, have
+        expected it, but that the stern Azariah, a narrow-minded bigot,
+        without a kindly thought for <span class="tei tei-pb" id="page86">[pg
+        86]</span><a name="Pg086" id="Pg086" class="tei tei-anchor"></a>any
+        that did not walk in his way, as he had been accustomed to think of
+        him—that Azariah himself should have dealt with him so mercifully,
+        was a surprise as it was also a reproach.</p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em">He stopped with
+        them for the rest of the day, and after the evening meal, when the
+        little ones had gone to bed, after making their uncle promise that he
+        would soon come and see them again, the three had much serious talk
+        together.</p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em">Micah had, of
+        course, the family history to hear, for, stranger as he had been to
+        them for some years past, he knew scarcely anything about it. He
+        learnt now for the first time that a little boy had been born who,
+        had he lived, would have been about two years younger than Judith.
+        The mother had much to say about his beauty and goodness, and his
+        rare promise of intelligence. Micah was touched all the more because
+        he could not forgive himself for the alienation which had prevented
+        him from saying a word of comfort to his sister in the hour of her
+        bereavement. <span class="tei tei-q">“It was, indeed, a terrible
+        loss,”</span> and he rose from his seat and kissed her. He felt that
+        this little proof of his love would be better than many words.</p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em"><span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“Nay,”</span> she said, with a cheerfulness that almost
+        startled him—<span class="tei tei-q">“nay; you must not say that we
+        have lost our dear little Joshua. I know that I have a son still,
+        though he is not here. I confess that it was very hard to part with
+        him. But he is quite <span class="tei tei-pb" id="page87">[pg
+        87]</span><a name="Pg087" id="Pg087" class="tei tei-anchor"></a>safe
+        in Abraham’s bosom, safer and better off,”</span> she added, with a
+        sad smile, <span class="tei tei-q">“than he would be here; and some
+        day I shall see him, and show him to you, dear Micah, and we shall be
+        happy together.”</span></p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em">After this the
+        little party had much talk about the state of things in the present,
+        and the prospects of the future. Again Micah was astonished to see
+        the cheerfulness and courage which his sister and her husband kept up
+        in the midst of circumstances which must have been most
+        disheartening.</p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em"><span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“Ah!”</span> said Azariah, when the conversation turned
+        upon the desolation of the Temple, and the loss of all the ceremonial
+        of worship, the daily sacrifice, and the great festivals of the
+        year—<span class="tei tei-q">“Ah! there are consolations even here.
+        Perhaps we thought too much of these things in the old time. We were
+        taken up with the outside, with the show and the splendour, the
+        vessels of gold, and the clouds of incense smoke as they curled about
+        the pillars and the roof, and we forgot what they meant. But now that
+        the outside things are taken from us, we can give our hearts to that
+        which is within. We have our gatherings still, though the Temple
+        doors are shut. Every Sabbath-day we meet, and the Law and the
+        Prophets are read in our ears—aye, and there are those who can
+        expound them, and speak words that comfort and strengthen us. I,
+        myself, have felt the Spirit move me once or twice to exhort and
+        cheer the brethren. No, brother! believe me, <span class="tei tei-pb"
+        id="page88">[pg 88]</span><a name="Pg088" id="Pg088" class=
+        "tei tei-anchor"></a>it is not wholly loss that we cannot assemble
+        any more in our beautiful house. Our fathers learnt much when they
+        sat mourning by the waters of Babylon, and we also are learning much
+        in this our second captivity.”</span></p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em">This sounded
+        strange to the young man, who, indeed, had dulled his understanding
+        of spiritual things by his follies and excesses. Still he could not
+        help feeling deeply impressed by the evident earnestness of the
+        speaker. But he felt that he could say nothing. A trifler and
+        unbeliever like himself could only remain silent in the presence of
+        thoughts and feelings so much higher than anything to which he could
+        reach.</p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em">After a short
+        pause Azariah went on—<span class="tei tei-q">“The Lord has not seen
+        fit to renew among us the spirit of prophecy, and we know not
+        certainly of the things that are coming upon the earth. Yet a man,
+        though he be no prophet, may read the signs of the times. Believe me,
+        there are days to come more full of evil and darkness even than those
+        that we have seen. My heart sometimes fails me when I think of this
+        dear woman,”</span> and as he spoke he laid his hand upon his wife’s
+        shoulder, <span class="tei tei-q">“and of the little ones whom God
+        has given us. It will be a hard time for men to battle through—but
+        for women and children——.”</span> And his voice faltered.</p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em">Hannah turned to
+        him with her brave, cheerful smile—<span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“ <span class="tei tei-q">‘As thy days, so shall thy
+        strength be.’</span> The <span class="tei tei-pb" id="page89">[pg
+        89]</span><a name="Pg089" id="Pg089" class="tei tei-anchor"></a>great
+        prophet said it, did he not, to all his people—to the weak ones as
+        well as to the strong?”</span></p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em">Shortly after
+        Micah took his leave. As he walked through the deserted streets he
+        thought much of the words which he had heard that night, and still
+        more of the cheerfulness and courage, ten times more eloquent than
+        all words, which he had witnessed.</p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em"><span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“Is all this a delusion?”</span> he asked himself.
+        <span class="tei tei-q">“Six months ago, perhaps even six hours ago,
+        I should have had little doubt in saying so. But now—well, if it is a
+        delusion, it is strangely like a reality. Anyhow its effects are real
+        enough. Dear Hannah! always the best and kindest of sisters, but a
+        timid creature, whom I used to amuse myself by frightening. But
+        now—she is as bold as a lioness. Well, I can only hope that the
+        truths which I have been learning, if they are truths, will stand me
+        in as good stead when the need comes.”</span></p>
+      </div>
+      <hr class="page" />
+
+      <div class="tei tei-div" style=
+      "margin-bottom: 5.00em; margin-top: 5.00em">
+        <span class="tei tei-pb" id="page90">[pg 90]</span><a name="Pg090"
+        id="Pg090" class="tei tei-anchor"></a> <a name="toc21" id=
+        "toc21"></a> <a name="pdf22" id="pdf22"></a>
+
+        <h1 class="tei tei-head" style=
+        "text-align: center; margin-bottom: 3.46em; margin-top: 3.46em">
+        <span style="font-size: 173%">CHAPTER VII.</span><br />
+        <br />
+        <span class="tei tei-hi" style="text-align: center"><span style=
+        "font-size: 100%">THE DARKNESS THICKENS.</span></span></h1>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em">Azariah had read
+        the signs of the times aright. The darker days had come, days so full
+        of trouble that the unhappy people looked back to the past that had
+        seemed so sad and gloomy as to a time of rest. Things had not been
+        going well with King Antiochus, for the Romans had driven him out of
+        Egypt, and in his rage and fear he turned against his Jewish subjects
+        with greater ferocity than ever. One of his motives was the brutal
+        desire to wreak upon the feeble the vengeance which he could not
+        exact from the strong; the other was a genuine fear lest he should
+        lose another province as he had already lost Egypt. He saw that the
+        policy of Rome was to stir up against him the national spirit of
+        subject peoples, and he knew well enough that in the Jews, crushed
+        though they had been by oppression and massacre, this national spirit
+        was not by any means dead. Accordingly he set himself with relentless
+        ferocity to extinguish it. Everything distinctive <span class=
+        "tei tei-pb" id="page91">[pg 91]</span><a name="Pg091" id="Pg091"
+        class="tei tei-anchor"></a>of the people was to be rooted out; that
+        done they might become really submissive; there would be no more a
+        land of the Jews, but simply a province of Southern Syria.</p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em">The first thing,
+        he conceived, would be to strike such terror into the hearts of the
+        people that there should be no thought among them of resistance. For
+        such a purpose nothing could be more effective than another massacre
+        such as that which had already been perpetrated two years before
+        under his own eyes: only this, he determined, should be more
+        complete. He perceived with a devilish ingenuity that his orders
+        would be more relentlessly carried out if he entrusted their
+        execution to some one else, than if he were personally present.
+        Appeals might be made to him to which he might yield out of sheer
+        weariness, whereas a lieutenant, if he were only hard-hearted enough,
+        would simply fall back upon the orders which he had received, and
+        refuse all responsibility save that of seeing that these were fully
+        carried out.</p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em">Such a lieutenant
+        he knew that he possessed in the person of a certain Apollonius, a
+        Cretan mercenary, who had already given proofs enough that he was
+        about as little troubled as any man could be with a conscience or
+        with feelings of compassion. To Apollonius, accordingly, the
+        commission was entrusted, and he proceeded to execute it in a
+        particularly brutal and treacherous way.</p><span class="tei tei-pb"
+        id="page92">[pg 92]</span><a name="Pg092" id="Pg092" class=
+        "tei tei-anchor"></a>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em">He marched to
+        Jerusalem, taking with him a picked force of some five thousand
+        men—picked, it may be said, quite as much for their unscrupulous and
+        ferocious character, as for their strength and skill in arms. There
+        would have been, in any case, little chance of resistance, but, to
+        make his task the easier of accomplishment, he had so timed his
+        coming that he approached the city two or three hours before the end
+        of the Sabbath. Secret orders had been sent to Philip, the Phrygian,
+        that he was to relax the severity of his rule; and the people had
+        begun to breathe again after a long period of repression. The Temple
+        was still shut, or virtually shut, but the synagogues were open, and
+        were indeed frequented by throngs of fervent worshippers.</p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em">It wanted a couple
+        of hours to sunset when the news ran through the city that an armed
+        force was approaching the walls. The first feeling aroused by the
+        tidings was naturally one of alarm. The appearance of the soldiers,
+        however, was such as to disarm all apprehensions. In the first place
+        they were more like a crowd of men who happened to be carrying arms
+        than an army. They were not marching in ranks, or indeed keeping any
+        kind of order. A multitude of country-folk could be seen mingled
+        among them, soldiers and civilians walking side by side in the most
+        friendly and unconstrained fashion. Some of the new comers recognized
+        old acquaintances among the townsfolk, and introduced their
+        <span class="tei tei-pb" id="page93">[pg 93]</span><a name="Pg093"
+        id="Pg093" class="tei tei-anchor"></a>comrades to them; and though
+        some of the sterner sort stood rigidly aloof, there were quite enough
+        among the inhabitants of Jerusalem to give the visitors a general
+        welcome. Apollonius himself, a conspicuous figure as he rode on his
+        white charger up and down the streets of the city, was noticeably
+        busy in renewing old acquaintanceships and making new ones.</p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em">And then in a
+        moment the whole scene was changed. A soldier and a citizen were
+        standing on the wall, talking and laughing together, and that in a
+        place where they could be seen by all observers. Suddenly, without
+        there having been even the slightest sign of a quarrel, the soldier
+        was seen to plunge his sword into the side of his companion. It was a
+        preconcerted signal. The wretched inhabitants, who would have been
+        defenceless in any case, were taken absolutely off their guard, and
+        had but slender chances of escape. How many hundreds, possibly
+        thousands, perished cannot be guessed. But the massacre was more
+        general, more pitiless than that which had devastated the city two
+        years before. Apollonius’s <span class="tei tei-q">“picked”</span>
+        men showed themselves altogether worthy of his choice, so brutal and
+        bloodthirsty were they. And Apollonius himself was to be seen
+        everywhere urging his men to make short work with these <span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“pestilent Jews,”</span> as he called them, and not
+        unfrequently striking a blow himself. He earned on that day such
+        hatred that thereafter <span class="tei tei-pb" id="page94">[pg
+        94]</span><a name="Pg094" id="Pg094" class="tei tei-anchor"></a>there
+        was not to be found a Jew, save among the vilest renegades and
+        traitors, but uttered a curse when his name was mentioned.</p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em">Of course the
+        soldiers had to be paid for their bloody day’s work, and they were
+        paid by the plunder of the city. The houses were stripped, and the
+        plunderers, when they had carried away everything that had roused
+        their cupidity, often, out of sheer wantonness, completed the work of
+        devastation, by setting fire to the desolated houses. Altogether
+        Jerusalem presented such a spectacle as had not been seen since the
+        days of the Babylonian conquest.</p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em">The spirit of the
+        people having been, as it would seem, thus effectually broken for the
+        present, it remained to provide against its possible revival in the
+        future.</p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em">Long gaps were
+        made in the line of wall, so long that it took not a few days to make
+        them, and would certainly require as many weeks to repair. The town
+        thus made defenceless was further overawed by the erection of a fort
+        in the City of David, this fort being held by a strong garrison of
+        Greeks and Asiatic mercenaries.</p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em">The means of
+        repression thus provided, the next thing was to extinguish all that
+        was characteristic of the national life. First, the great centre of
+        that life, the Temple, was formally desecrated. Already it had been
+        subjected to such indignities that the pious Jew could scarcely bear
+        to enter <span class="tei tei-pb" id="page95">[pg 95]</span><a name=
+        "Pg095" id="Pg095" class="tei tei-anchor"></a>its precincts. But the
+        final horror, the <span class="tei tei-q">“abomination of
+        desolation,”</span> was yet to come. On the 15th of the month Chisleu
+        (December) an altar of a Greek pattern, and consecrated to the
+        Olympian Zeus, was placed on the great altar of sacrifice, and ten
+        days afterwards a huge sow was slaughtered on this. Her blood, caught
+        after the Greek fashion in a bowl, was sprinkled on the altar of
+        incense and on the mercy-seat within the Holy of Holies—a hideous
+        mockery of the sprinkling which the Law enjoined to be performed once
+        in every year. From the animal’s flesh a mess of broth was prepared,
+        and this was sprinkled on the copies of the Law. The Temple, thus
+        dishonoured, was as if it had ceased to be.</p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em">The
+        meeting-houses, in which, as we have seen, the people had found a
+        substitute for the Temple worship, were summarily closed. An edict
+        was issued commanding that every one who possessed a copy of the Law,
+        or of any one of the sacred books, should give it up without loss of
+        time. To call in cupidity to the aid of fear in enforcing this edict,
+        the King’s officers were instructed to pay a reasonable price for the
+        manuscripts thus produced. It was made a capital offence to read or
+        to recite any part of the proscribed writings. Then the practice of
+        circumcision was forbidden. Death was to be the penalty for all who
+        should take any part in performing this rite—for the circumciser, the
+        mother, the father, even the babe itself.</p><span class="tei tei-pb"
+        id="page96">[pg 96]</span><a name="Pg096" id="Pg096" class=
+        "tei tei-anchor"></a>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em">And then to the
+        policy of repression Antiochus added the policy of bribery and
+        temptation. Their own worship forbidden, the Jews were to be allured
+        by the seductions of the worship of their masters. Hitherto little
+        had been done in this way. Insults indeed, had been heaped upon the
+        people; but little attempt had been made to attract them. The Temple
+        gates, closed for more than a year, were again thrown open; and the
+        courts, long silent, resounded with the mirth of sacrificial banquets
+        and the gaiety of festivals. Not only all the splendours, but all the
+        impure pleasures of heathen worship were called in to assist the
+        attempt that was being made to sap what was left of the faith of the
+        people.</p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em">Antiochus, who,
+        for all his wrath at Jewish obstinacy, could not help feeling a
+        certain respect for it, took the trouble to send among the people a
+        missionary, if he may be so called, who was to instruct them in the
+        new religion which their King was so anxious to impose upon them.</p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em">Theopompus, or
+        Athenæus, to use the name which was commonly given him from his
+        birthplace, was a follower of the philosophy of Epicurus. He had held
+        a subordinate post, as lecturer in geometry, in the famous school of
+        the Garden, but had found his modest income insufficient to meet his
+        somewhat expensive tastes. If he had had but a tolerable competence,
+        Athenæus would have made an ideal <span class="tei tei-pb" id=
+        "page97">[pg 97]</span><a name="Pg097" id="Pg097" class=
+        "tei tei-anchor"></a>Epicurean. He was devoted to pleasure, but there
+        was nothing unseemly or extravagant about his devotion. For the
+        foolish people who ruined their constitutions and emptied their
+        purses by exhausting excesses he had a genuine contempt. <span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“Give me,”</span> he would say, <span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“a decent sufficiency of <span class="tei tei-q">‘outside
+        things,’</span> and I am content.”</span> As he had a fair smattering
+        of culture, and a real acquaintance with geometry, and had a
+        venerable appearance which happily hit the mean between hilarity and
+        austerity, he might have been, but for a chronic want of money, a
+        real success among the somewhat <span class=
+        "tei tei-foreign"><span style=
+        "font-style: italic">dilettante</span></span> philosophers of Athens.
+        But circumstances were against him. Poverty did not ill become an
+        Academic, and positively set off a Stoic; but an Epicurean seemed to
+        have missed his vocation if he could not be always handsomely dressed
+        and able to give elegant entertainments to his friends. Athenæus, who
+        liked above all things to be on good terms both with himself and with
+        every one else, felt this very acutely, and he was proportionately
+        delighted when the Syrian King proposed to him that he should go as a
+        teacher, not without a handsome salary, of Greek religion and Greek
+        culture.</p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em">His success was
+        not encouraging. In the first place he had a difficulty in making
+        himself understood. The pure Attic Greek on which he prided himself
+        was strange to the ears of his new audience, and he could not bring
+        himself to descend to the <span class="tei tei-pb" id="page98">[pg
+        98]</span><a name="Pg098" id="Pg098" class=
+        "tei tei-anchor"></a>barbarous dialect to which they were accustomed.
+        And when he was seriously called to account in the matter of his
+        belief he found himself involved in difficulties from which he saw no
+        way of escape. At Athens religion was politely ignored. The common
+        people must, of course, have their gods and goddesses; and the wise
+        man, if he were prudent, would say nothing—anyhow in public—to
+        disturb their belief; but within the privileged walls of the schools
+        the names of Zeus and Athené and Apollo were never so much as
+        mentioned, except, perhaps, in the course of some antiquarian
+        discussion.</p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em">Among his new
+        disciples, as he would fain have reckoned them, Athenæus found a very
+        different temper. They were terribly in earnest; abstractions and
+        phrases did not satisfy them; they pushed their questions home in a
+        very perplexing way.</p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em">One day at the
+        conclusion of a lecture, the customary invitation to the audience to
+        put any questions that might occur to them was accepted by a young
+        man who sat on one of the front benches.</p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em"><span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“I would ask you, venerable sir,”</span> he said,
+        <span class="tei tei-q">“some questions about the gods of your
+        religion.”</span></p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em"><span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“Speak on,”</span> replied Athenæus, with his usual
+        courtesy; <span class="tei tei-q">“I shall be delighted to satisfy
+        you to the best of my power.”</span></p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em"><span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“Are we to believe the stories that are told us in this
+        book?”</span> and he held up, as he spoke, a little volume of popular
+        mythology, filled from beginning to end <span class="tei tei-pb" id=
+        "page99">[pg 99]</span><a name="Pg099" id="Pg099" class=
+        "tei tei-anchor"></a>with tales that, to say the least, were not
+        edifying. <span class="tei tei-q">“For, if these be true, these
+        divine beings were such as would be banished from the society of all
+        honest men and women. They are thieves, adulterers, murderers. It
+        would be a thousand times better to have no gods at all than such as
+        these.”</span></p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em"><span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“You are right, sir,”</span> said the lecturer;
+        <span class="tei tei-q">“these stories are for the ignorant only, at
+        least in their outward meaning, though they have an inner meaning
+        also, which I will take some fitting occasion to expound. But not
+        such are the gods whom we worship.”</span></p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em"><span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“Will you tell us something of them?”</span> continued
+        the questioner.</p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em"><span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“Willingly, for they are such that the wisest of men need
+        not be ashamed of them. They dwell in some remote region, serene and
+        happy. Wrath they feel not, nor sorrow, nor any of the passions that
+        disturb the souls of men.”</span></p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em"><span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“And do they care for our doings upon earth?”</span></p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em"><span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“How so? They neither love nor hate; and both they must
+        do, I take it, did they concern themselves with human
+        affairs.”</span></p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em"><span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“What profit, then, is there in them? How are men the
+        better for their being?”</span></p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em"><span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“That I know not; only that it is part of the order of
+        things that they must be.”</span></p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em"><span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“Far be it from me,”</span> exclaimed the young Jew,
+        <span class="tei tei-q">“to exchange for such idle existences the God
+        of my <span class="tei tei-pb" id="page100">[pg 100]</span><a name=
+        "Pg100" id="Pg100" class="tei tei-anchor"></a>fathers! He may smite
+        us in His anger till we are well-nigh consumed, but at least He cares
+        for us. He led our fathers through the sea and through the wilderness
+        in the days of old. He has spoken to us by the prophets, and He has
+        made His Presence to be seen in His Temple; and though He has hidden
+        His face from us for a time, yet He will repent Him of His wrath, and
+        devise the means by which He shall recall His banished unto Him. No,
+        we will not change our God for yours!”</span></p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em">A loud murmur of
+        assent went round the benches when the speaker sat down, and Athenæus
+        felt that he had made but small way with his audience.</p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em">Finding his
+        theology and philosophy but ill received, Athenæus bethought him of
+        what seemed a more hopeful method of proselytizing. Could not a
+        specially powerful attraction be found in the festival of Dionysus,
+        the wine-god? Vintage feasts, he reflected, are common to every
+        country where wine is produced, and it would not be difficult to
+        ingraft the Greek characteristics on a celebration to which the Jews
+        were already accustomed. Some of the less scrupulous might be tempted
+        to take part in such a festival, a beginning would be made, and more
+        would follow in due time. How the scheme prospered will be told in
+        the next chapter.</p>
+      </div>
+      <hr class="page" />
+
+      <div class="tei tei-div" style=
+      "margin-bottom: 5.00em; margin-top: 5.00em">
+        <span class="tei tei-pb" id="page101">[pg 101]</span><a name="Pg101"
+        id="Pg101" class="tei tei-anchor"></a> <a name="toc23" id=
+        "toc23"></a> <a name="pdf24" id="pdf24"></a>
+
+        <h1 class="tei tei-head" style=
+        "text-align: center; margin-bottom: 3.46em; margin-top: 3.46em">
+        <span style="font-size: 173%">CHAPTER VIII.</span><br />
+        <br />
+        <span class="tei tei-hi" style="text-align: center"><span style=
+        "font-size: 100%">SHALLUM THE WINE-SELLER.</span></span></h1>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em"><span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“Things are growing worse and worse; only three customers
+        yesterday, and not a single one to-day, though it must be at least an
+        hour past noon. One would think that all the world had become
+        Nazarites. Then, though there is next to nothing coming in, there is
+        no stop to the going out. First comes the rascally tax-gatherer, and
+        squeezes one as dry as a grape-skin in a press. And if, by chance,
+        there happens to be a drop left, some snuffling priest is sure to
+        turn up, and talk about one’s duty as a patriot and a Jew till he
+        drags the last shekel out of one.”</span></p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em">The speaker was
+        one Shallum, a Benjamite, who kept a little wine-shop in the Lower
+        City. When he had finished his grumble, he thrust his hand into an
+        empty wine-jar, drew from it a little leathern bag, untied the string
+        which was round the neck, poured out the scanty contents on the
+        counter and counted them. He knew the amount perfectly well, for he
+        <span class="tei tei-pb" id="page102">[pg 102]</span><a name="Pg102"
+        id="Pg102" class="tei tei-anchor"></a>had gone through the counting
+        process at least ten times before that day. But when a man is
+        desperately anxious to make two ends meet, he will measure them again
+        and again, though he may know exactly by how much they are too
+        short.</p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em"><span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“Twelve shekels and ten annas! And old Nahum will be here
+        to-morrow, asking for his thirty shekels!”</span></p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em">Nahum was a
+        Lebanon wine-grower, whose long-suffering had been already tried to
+        the utmost by the delays of the impecunious Shallum.</p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em">At this moment his
+        meditations were interrupted by the entrance of two visitors, who had
+        been standing, listening and watching outside the door. They were
+        traders in a small way, who had migrated from Joppa when they heard
+        that Greek wares were becoming the fashion in Jerusalem.</p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em"><span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“Ho! Shallum,”</span> cried one of them, <span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“two cups of your best Lebanon; and make haste, for we
+        have important business on hand.”</span></p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em"><span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“Shall I draw some water fresh from the well? This is a
+        little too warm to be used.”</span></p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em"><span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“Water!”</span> said the man. <span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“Jew, don’t blaspheme. Mix water with our wine to-day, of
+        all days in the year!”</span></p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em"><span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“And why not to-day?”</span> said Shallum.</p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em"><span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“Because it is the feast of Dionysus, the wine-giver; and
+        it would be the grossest impiety to profane his bounty with any
+        mixture of meaner <span class="tei tei-pb" id="page103">[pg
+        103]</span><a name="Pg103" id="Pg103" class=
+        "tei tei-anchor"></a>things. Commonly his godship winks at human
+        weakness; but to-day it is different. May he confound me if I do him
+        such dishonour!”</span></p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em"><span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“He will certainly confound you if you drink this heady
+        wine undiluted,”</span> muttered Shallum to himself, as he set the
+        two cups before his guests.</p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em"><span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“Excellent! excellent!”</span> cried Lycon, the elder of
+        the two Greeks, as he set down his goblet, half empty. <span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“But why the god vouchsafes such capital drink to these
+        unbelieving dogs of Jews puzzles me beyond expression.”</span></p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em">His companion
+        broke out into a drinking-song:</p>
+
+        <div class="tei tei-lg" style=
+        "margin-bottom: 1.00em; margin-left: 2.00em; margin-top: 1.00em">
+          <div class="tei tei-l" style="text-align: left">
+            <span class="tei tei-q" style="text-align: left">“Fill the cup
+            with ample measure,</span>
+          </div>
+
+          <div class="tei tei-l" style=
+          "text-align: left; margin-left: 2.00em">
+            Dionysus’ gift divine;
+          </div>
+
+          <div class="tei tei-l" style="text-align: left">
+            Earth and sea hold no such treasure
+          </div>
+
+          <div class="tei tei-l" style=
+          "text-align: left; margin-left: 2.00em">
+            As the gleaming, sparkling wine.
+          </div>
+        </div>
+
+        <div class="tei tei-lg" style=
+        "margin-bottom: 1.00em; margin-left: 2.00em; margin-top: 1.00em">
+          <div class="tei tei-l" style="text-align: left">
+            All for youth are love’s caressings,
+          </div>
+
+          <div class="tei tei-l" style=
+          "text-align: left; margin-left: 2.00em">
+            Gold and gems for princes shine;
+          </div>
+
+          <div class="tei tei-l" style="text-align: left">
+            All may share the wine-god’s blessings,
+          </div>
+
+          <div class="tei tei-l" style=
+          "text-align: left; margin-left: 2.00em">
+            <span class="tei tei-q" style="text-align: left">Rich and poor
+            are glad with wine.”</span>
+          </div>
+        </div>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em">Shallum was fairly
+        tolerant, as indeed a tavern-keeper can hardly fail to be, of the
+        ways and manners of his customers; but to hear this praise of a false
+        god, one of the odious demons that were worshipped by the heathen,
+        was too much for his patience. He muttered a curse under his breath,
+        and emphasized this expression of disgust by spitting on the
+        floor.</p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em"><span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“Don’t talk to me of your gods and goddesses!”</span>
+        cried Shallum, goaded beyond all endurance, <span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“a <span class="tei tei-pb" id="page104">[pg
+        104]</span><a name="Pg104" id="Pg104" class=
+        "tei tei-anchor"></a>lewd, drunken crew that no respectable person
+        would have anything to do with!”</span></p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em"><span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“Come, my friend,”</span> said the Greek, <span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“this is not the sort of talk which one expects to hear
+        from a loyal subject of the pious Antiochus. We Greeks are not such
+        bigots as you are, cursing every man, woman, or child that does not
+        go exactly in our own way; but you must treat us and our belongings
+        with respect. We are not going to have barbarians scoffing at what we
+        think fit to worship. I have heard of men being crucified for less
+        than you have said to-day. But hearken, Shallum, we did not come here
+        to-day to quarrel with you. You are a good fellow, after all, and
+        keep as capital a tap of wine as any that I know, King Tmolus<a id=
+        "noteref_7" name="noteref_7" href="#note_7"><span class=
+        "tei tei-noteref"><span style=
+        "font-size: 60%; vertical-align: super">7</span></span></a> only
+        excepted. We want you to come with us and have a jolly day. What is
+        the good of quarrelling about words? You and we are quite agreed that
+        there is something in wine that makes it one of the finest things
+        under the sun. Suppose that we choose to call that something Dionysus
+        the Wine-god, and you choose to say that your god has to do with it,
+        what is the difference? We are really agreed. It is the goodness in
+        wine that we both like, and I’m sure that a really honest fellow like
+        you, that we can always rely on to give us the right stuff, should be
+        <span class="tei tei-pb" id="page105">[pg 105]</span><a name="Pg105"
+        id="Pg105" class="tei tei-anchor"></a>the first to acknowledge it.
+        Well, can’t we show an agreement? That is why we want you to come
+        with us. A whole crowd of your countrymen are coming, I understand.
+        It will be a pretty sight, and there will be some of the finest music
+        that you ever heard, and dancing, and fun of all kinds, and, of
+        course, as much wine as ever you want. Of course you will come, my
+        dear Shallum?”</span></p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em"><span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“<span class="tei tei-hi"><span style=
+        "font-style: italic">I</span></span> come?”</span> growled the
+        wine-seller. <span class="tei tei-q">“Not I! What do I care about
+        your dancing and singing? And as for wine, I can have as much as I
+        want at home, and better stuff, too, than any that I am likely to get
+        elsewhere.”</span></p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em">Lycon, who was
+        evidently bent on getting his way, did not suffer his good humour to
+        be disturbed by the Jew’s churlishness. <span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“Ah!”</span> said he, <span class="tei tei-q">“that
+        reminds me. Stupid fellow that I am, I quite forgot the matter of
+        business that really brought me here. To tell the truth, business and
+        this old Lebanon don’t very well agree. But listen; Neocles, who is
+        manager-in-chief of the whole festival, has quite made up his mind to
+        have your wine, and none but yours, for all the better sort of
+        people. He was to get some skins for the common folks from Zadok—do
+        you know him?”</span></p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em"><span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“Know him?”</span> said Shallum; <span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“I should think I did—hasn’t got a drop of sound wine in
+        his shop.”</span></p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em"><span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“So the Chief said. But we were to come to you for the
+        good wine. What can you let us have? <span class="tei tei-pb" id=
+        "page106">[pg 106]</span><a name="Pg106" id="Pg106" class=
+        "tei tei-anchor"></a>Mind that it must be the very best. We were not
+        to haggle about the price, Neocles said, so long as we got it really
+        good.”</span></p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em">And Lycon pulled
+        out of his pocket a money-bag that was evidently much better
+        furnished than Shallum’s lean and hunger-bitten purse. Untying the
+        neck, he poured into his hand, with an air of careless profusion,
+        some ten or twelve gold pieces.</p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em">Shallum’s keen
+        eyes glistened at the sight. Here was enough to pay not only Nahum
+        but all his creditors, and leave him a handsome sum over wherewith to
+        tide over the hard times. His somewhat brusque manner changed in a
+        moment. He was now the most obsequious of tradesmen.</p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em"><span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“Everything in my stores is at your disposal. And I have
+        a better wine than this in my cellar, and only ten shekels a
+        skin,”</span> he went on, adding about three to the utmost he
+        expected to get. <span class="tei tei-q">“But wait a moment,
+        gentlemen, you shall taste it for yourselves.”</span></p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em">He took a small
+        flagon from beneath the counter and disappeared. The two Greeks
+        smiled to each other. <span class="tei tei-q">“We have the fish
+        fast,”</span> one of them said; <span class="tei tei-q">“after all
+        there is nothing like a golden bait.”</span></p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em">Shallum shortly
+        reappeared with the wine, which was tasted and approved.</p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em"><span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“Well,”</span> said Lycon, <span class="tei tei-q">“we
+        will say ten skins of this at ten shekels a piece, and five of the
+        other sort at eight—that is the price; is it
+        not?”</span></p><span class="tei tei-pb" id="page107">[pg
+        107]</span><a name="Pg107" id="Pg107" class="tei tei-anchor"></a>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em">Shallum nodded
+        assent. As a matter of fact he would never have expected more than
+        seven. But if these Greeks were so free with their money why should
+        not an honest Jew have the benefit of it?</p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em"><span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“Of course you will come with us?”</span> said Lycon.</p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em"><span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“You may take my word for it, there will be nothing to
+        offend you.”</span></p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em">Shallum hesitated
+        for a moment, and then muttered an unwilling <span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“Yes.”</span></p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em"><span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“And you won’t mind wearing this little twig of ivy, just
+        twisted round your head? It means nothing—every one does
+        it.”</span></p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em">This was more than
+        the wretched man was prepared for. <span class="tei tei-q">“Not
+        I,”</span> he said; <span class="tei tei-q">“I am not going to wear
+        any of your idolatrous ornaments.”</span></p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em">Lycon put the
+        money-bag into his pocket again. <span class="tei tei-q">“Then, my
+        dear Shallum, I am afraid we shall not be able to do any business.
+        <span class="tei tei-q">‘Give and take’</span> is our motto. We put a
+        nice little bargain in your way; and you must humour us. However, if
+        you are obstinate, there must be an end of it. I dare say Zadok can
+        find us what we want. Come, Callicles,”</span> he went on, turning to
+        his companion, <span class="tei tei-q">“<span class=
+        "tei tei-corr">we</span> must be going.”</span></p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em">Shallum saw his
+        dreams of deliverance from his money-troubles vanishing into air, and
+        grew desperate. <span class="tei tei-q">“Stop,”</span> he said to his
+        guests, <span class="tei tei-q">“let me think for a moment. You won’t
+        ask me to do anything else. A few leaves can’t make much odds
+        <span class="tei tei-pb" id="page108">[pg 108]</span><a name="Pg108"
+        id="Pg108" class="tei tei-anchor"></a>either way. I don’t remember
+        ever hearing anything in the Law against wearing ivy. It isn’t like
+        eating swine’s flesh, or those detestable scaleless eels that you
+        Greeks are so fond of. Yes, I’ll wear the thing, if you want me to so
+        much.”</span></p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em"><span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“That’s right, Shallum; I thought a sensible man like you
+        would not throw away a good chance for a mere nothing.”</span></p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em">So saying, Lycon
+        stepped outside the shop, and whistled. In a minute or so a cart,
+        which had been waiting round the corner, was driven up. The skins of
+        wine were stowed away in it, and the two Greeks, with Shallum between
+        them, all wearing the ivy-wreath, took their seats, and started for
+        the Valley of the Cheesemongers, where it had been arranged that the
+        festival should be held.</p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em">The festival was
+        scarcely a success, if it was meant, as it certainly was, to attract
+        the Jewish population. A few hundreds, indeed, had been persuaded or
+        compelled to be present. Most of them belonged to the lowest and most
+        degraded class, wretched creatures whom any purchaser might secure
+        for any purpose with a shekel or a flagon of wine. To-day they were
+        <span class="tei tei-q">“hail fellow well met”</span> with their
+        Greek neighbours, but to-morrow they would be perfectly ready to tear
+        them in pieces. A few of somewhat better character had been bribed,
+        as Shallum had been bribed, to come. These had little of the air of
+        genuine holiday-makers. Their <span class="tei tei-pb" id=
+        "page109">[pg 109]</span><a name="Pg109" id="Pg109" class=
+        "tei tei-anchor"></a>bursts of simulated gaiety did not conceal the
+        shame which they really felt. Others, again, did not make even this
+        pretence of hilarity. They had been actually compelled to come, and
+        they had all the air of prisoners led in the triumphant procession of
+        a victorious general. Their faces were ghastly pale. Some, with their
+        teeth firmly clenched, seemed to be forcibly keeping in the curses
+        which struggled to find utterance. Others, of a gentler temper, were
+        weeping silently; and others, again, preserved a look of dogged
+        indifference. The Greek part of the spectators, who could have
+        enjoyed the humours of the scene with a good conscience, were
+        depressed by the presence of these unwilling guests. In consequence,
+        everything seemed to fail. The jesters, with their grotesque garb and
+        faces hideously smeared with wine-lees, could scarcely get a laugh
+        from their audience; the singing lacked heartiness, the dancing was
+        dull and spiritless. It is only natural that revellers, who find the
+        time passing slowly, should try to quicken its movement. There was
+        little brightness or gaiety in this feast of the wine-god, and there
+        was therefore all the more excess. Some seized the rare opportunity
+        of intoxicating themselves without expense, while others drank to
+        drown their shame or their anger. Shallum, whose occupation had
+        somewhat seasoned him against the effects of wine, remained
+        comparatively sober, but his Greek companions were less discreet
+        <span class="tei tei-pb" id="page110">[pg 110]</span><a name="Pg110"
+        id="Pg110" class="tei tei-anchor"></a>or less strong-headed. They
+        became, by a rapid succession of moods, boisterously gay, foolishly
+        affectionate, and provokingly quarrelsome. It was not long before
+        things came to a crisis. Lycon taunted the wine-seller with the
+        quality of his wines; that did not affect him, for he was used to
+        such complaints from his customers, and took them as part of his
+        day’s work. He scoffed at the subjection of his nation to Greek rule;
+        Shallum still kept his temper. The tipsy Greek was only encouraged to
+        further insults by his companion’s self-restraint. He attempted to
+        daub the Jew’s face with the dregs from a broken flagon. Shallum
+        angrily shook him off, and he reeled back, just saving himself from a
+        fall by catching at the trunk of an olive tree. <span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“Hog of a Jew!”</span> he cried, <span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“do you lay hands on a free-born Greek? Come,
+        Callicles,”</span> he went on, turning to his companion, <span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“let us teach the beast how to behave himself.”</span>
+        The two rushed at the Jew, aiming blows at his head with the staves
+        which they carried in their hands. One of them stumbled against the
+        stones of a ruined house, and fell so heavily that he was unable or
+        unwilling to raise himself again. Shallum easily evaded the attack of
+        the other, dealing him at the same time so fierce a stroke of the
+        fist that it stretched him senseless on the ground. The deed done, he
+        looked hastily round to see whether any spectator had witnessed it.
+        To his great relief, he <span class="tei tei-pb" id="page111">[pg
+        111]</span><a name="Pg111" id="Pg111" class=
+        "tei tei-anchor"></a>found himself alone. From the lower city came
+        the sounds of furious revelry and the strains of the Bacchic
+        chorus—</p>
+
+        <div class="tei tei-lg" style=
+        "margin-bottom: 1.00em; margin-left: 2.00em; margin-top: 1.00em">
+          <div class="tei tei-l" style="text-align: left">
+            <span class="tei tei-q" style="text-align: left">“Comrades, crown
+            the bowl with wine,</span>
+          </div>
+
+          <div class="tei tei-l" style="text-align: left">
+            Round your locks the ivy twine,
+          </div>
+
+          <div class="tei tei-l" style="text-align: left">
+            Deeper drink and join again
+          </div>
+
+          <div class="tei tei-l" style="text-align: left">
+            <span class="tei tei-q" style="text-align: left">Bacchus and his
+            reeling train.”</span>
+          </div>
+        </div>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em">His first impulse
+        was to tear the ivy-wreath from his head. Then he reflected that if
+        he could endure to wear it for a few moments longer, it might serve
+        him as a passport. The event proved that he was right. He passed
+        unquestioned through the crowd of revellers, left the precincts of
+        the valley, and striking on an unfrequented path, hurried on at the
+        top of his speed, not pausing till he had put at least six miles
+        between himself and the scene of his late adventure. Then he threw
+        himself on the ground and bewailed his grievous fall in an agony of
+        shame and remorse. After a while the fatigue and excitement of the
+        day, helped by the fumes of the wine, which his rapid movements had
+        sent to his brain, overpowered him, and he sank into a heavy
+        sleep.</p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em">His slumbers
+        lasted late into the day. When he woke, his head aching with the
+        excess of the day before, he felt even more wretched, more hopeless.
+        To return to the city was out of the question. But where was he to
+        go? While he was debating this question with himself, and could find
+        nothing in the <span class="tei tei-pb" id="page112">[pg
+        112]</span><a name="Pg112" id="Pg112" class=
+        "tei tei-anchor"></a>least resembling an answer, he caught the sound
+        of approaching footsteps. Mingled feelings of shame and fear
+        suggested to him that he should hide himself, and he plunged into the
+        bushes which lined the side of the road.</p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em">The traveller
+        approached. He was a renegade Jew, and Shallum recognized him as one
+        who had taken an active part in the festivities of the preceding day.
+        Just as he passed Shallum’s hiding-place an unlucky impulse made him
+        burst forth into a snatch of the Bacchic chant—</p>
+
+        <div class="tei tei-lg" style=
+        "margin-bottom: 1.00em; margin-left: 2.00em; margin-top: 1.00em">
+          <div class="tei tei-l" style="text-align: left">
+            <span class="tei tei-q" style="text-align: left">“Deeper drink
+            and join again</span>
+          </div>
+
+          <div class="tei tei-l" style="text-align: left">
+            <span class="tei tei-q" style="text-align: left">Bacchus and his
+            reeling train.”</span>
+          </div>
+        </div>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em">His listener heard
+        the words with mingled feelings of disgust and rage, and leaping down
+        into the road felled him senseless to the ground.</p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em">At first it seemed
+        as if what he had done did not make his way plainer before him. But
+        as he stood by the prostrate man a thought occurred to him. He took
+        the purse which the man, in the usual traveller’s fashion, wore by
+        way of girdle round his waist, and examined its contents. It held
+        three gold pieces and some ten shekels. The gold he left; but half of
+        the shekels he transferred to his own keeping. One of the shekels
+        sufficed to purchase some bread and dried flesh at the neighbouring
+        village. Thus recruited in strength the fugitive made his escape to
+        the mountains.</p>
+      </div>
+      <hr class="page" />
+
+      <div class="tei tei-div" style=
+      "margin-bottom: 5.00em; margin-top: 5.00em">
+        <span class="tei tei-pb" id="page113">[pg 113]</span><a name="Pg113"
+        id="Pg113" class="tei tei-anchor"></a> <a name="toc25" id=
+        "toc25"></a> <a name="pdf26" id="pdf26"></a>
+
+        <h1 class="tei tei-head" style=
+        "text-align: center; margin-bottom: 3.46em; margin-top: 3.46em">
+        <span style="font-size: 173%">CHAPTER IX.</span><br />
+        <br />
+        <span class="tei tei-hi" style="text-align: center"><span style=
+        "font-size: 100%">THE PERSECUTION.</span></span></h1>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em">Menander, or
+        Micah—the young man still wavered between the two moods which were
+        symbolized by these names—had been greatly moved, as we have said, by
+        what he had seen and heard in his visit to his sister and her
+        husband. But he could not shake himself free from the habits and
+        prepossessions of years. Though he had always kept aloof from the
+        worst excesses of his renegade and heathen friends, still his moral
+        tone had been lowered, and even his physical nerve weakened by a
+        frivolous and self-indulgent life. Sometimes he would half resolve to
+        cast in his lot with his people. Sometimes, again, the cynical or
+        doubting temper returned. What madness it would be, so the evil voice
+        whispered to him, to sacrifice all that made life pleasant, and, very
+        possibly, life itself, for what both philosophers and practical men
+        of the world agreed in pronouncing to be a delusion!</p><span class=
+        "tei tei-pb" id="page114">[pg 114]</span><a name="Pg114" id="Pg114"
+        class="tei tei-anchor"></a>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em">Till this question
+        had been settled one way or the other, he found it impossible to
+        rest. The city became odious to him, for he shrank from the sight of
+        his fellow-men. Indeed, he did not know with whom to associate. His
+        Greek or Greek-loving acquaintances, with their frivolities and
+        vices, disgusted him; and the patriots regarded him with coldness and
+        aversion. Solitude, he fancied, might suit him better, and he went
+        again to his country house at Lebanon. But he found himself worse off
+        than ever where there was nothing to come between his thoughts and
+        himself, and he hastened back to Jerusalem. Then it suddenly occurred
+        to him that his sister had been expecting shortly to become a mother,
+        and he made his way to her house to inquire of her welfare. Azariah
+        himself answered his knock.</p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em"><span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“How is Hannah?”</span></p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em"><span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“Thanks be to the Lord,”</span> replied Azariah,
+        <span class="tei tei-q">“she is well. She had an easy
+        travail.”</span></p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em"><span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“And the babe? A son or a daughter?”</span></p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em"><span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“The Lord has given us a son.”</span></p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em">But he said it
+        without the gladness that a Jewish father, newly blessed with the
+        hope that there should be one to preserve his name in Israel, should
+        have felt.</p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em"><span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“But you must come in and see him, for indeed he is of a
+        singular beauty.”</span></p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em">The young man
+        followed his host into the chamber already described, and sat down to
+        wait. Presently <span class="tei tei-pb" id="page115">[pg
+        115]</span><a name="Pg115" id="Pg115" class=
+        "tei tei-anchor"></a>Azariah reappeared, holding the child in his
+        arms. It was no father’s fondness that had made him speak of his
+        singular beauty. The child was but five days old; but he had none of
+        the <span class="tei tei-q">“shapeless”</span> look which is commonly
+        to be seen in the newly born. His features were shaped with a
+        regularity most uncommon at so tender an age, and his complexion
+        beautifully clear, while his little head was surrounded with what may
+        be called a halo of golden hair.</p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em">Micah was loud in
+        his admiration. <span class="tei tei-q">“I never saw his equal for
+        beauty. You are indeed a happy father to have the fairest son in all
+        Israel.”</span></p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em">The smile on
+        Azariah’s face faded away.</p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em"><span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“I would not be thankless for the <span class=
+        "tei tei-q">‘gift that cometh from the Lord,’</span> nor wanting in
+        faith; yet I sometimes cannot but think that in these days the
+        childless are the happiest, or, I should rather say, the least
+        unhappy.”</span></p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em"><span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“Of course you will be prudent,”</span> said Micah,
+        <span class="tei tei-q">“and yield to the necessities of the time.
+        Put off the circumcision of the child. There can be no harm in that.
+        And when Hannah has got her strength again, you can come down to my
+        place in the Lebanon, and it can be done quietly, without any one
+        being the wiser.”</span></p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em">Azariah said
+        nothing. He turned away his face, but not before his brother-in-law
+        had seen his eyes fill with tears. After leaving some loving messages
+        for his sister the young man departed, hoping, <span class=
+        "tei tei-pb" id="page116">[pg 116]</span><a name="Pg116" id="Pg116"
+        class="tei tei-anchor"></a>though not without some serious doubt,
+        that his advice would be followed.</p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em">A week after, when
+        the question, he knew, would have been decided one way or the other,
+        he bent his steps again towards his sister’s house. As he walked
+        through the streets he could see that the persecutors were busy at
+        their work. Fires were burning here and there, and copies of the Law
+        and the other holy books were being burned in them. From a house
+        which he recognized as being the dwelling of a scribe of great
+        learning, a party of Greek soldiers burst forth, as he passed,
+        dragging behind them a richly-ornamented scroll of the Psalms. For a
+        moment the wild impulse surged in his heart to rescue the sacred
+        writing from the flames; but he recognized the hopelessness of the
+        attempt; and, indeed, he sadly asked himself, was he fit to be a
+        champion of holy things? A soldier gathered up the parchment in his
+        arms, and tossed it in a heap on the fire. Part of it opened as it
+        fell, and Micah saw for a few moments before the flames reached them,
+        words which he never forgot till his dying day: <span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“Princes have persecuted me without a cause, yet do I not
+        swerve from Thy commandments.”</span> As he stood and looked, with a
+        rage in his heart which he could not express, two more soldiers came
+        out of the house, holding between them the scribe himself, a
+        venerable man, in whom Micah recognized an old friend of his
+        father’s. They threw him down, face foremost, on <span class=
+        "tei tei-pb" id="page117">[pg 117]</span><a name="Pg117" id="Pg117"
+        class="tei tei-anchor"></a>the fire, and held him there till he was
+        <span class="tei tei-corr">suffocated.</span> But before the tragedy
+        was finished, the young Jew had turned away, feeling in his heart
+        that the question which he had been debating so long was being
+        rapidly settled for him.</p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em">The blow that was
+        to clinch his conclusions was not long in falling. As he came near
+        the bottom of the little hill on the top of which stood his sister’s
+        house, he saw a cross, and, bound to it by cords, what seemed to be
+        the figure of a woman, with a dead child hung round her neck. The sun
+        had set, and the light was failing with the rapidity that is
+        characteristic of a southern latitude.</p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em"><span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“Truly these Greeks have a strange way of showing their
+        love of beauty. We have had sickening sights in Jerusalem of late
+        enough to make their name stink in our nostrils for ever. What poor
+        wretch is this? How has she offended our masters? And the child—what
+        treason can he have been guilty of?”</span></p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em">And as he spoke a
+        dreadful fear shot through his heart. After all—for he knew what a
+        dauntless spirit his sister had shown at their last meeting—after all
+        they might have circumcised the child and brought down upon
+        themselves the vengeance of the persecutors. He turned aside from the
+        road and ran up to the terrible object. It was almost dark by the
+        time he reached it, and he had to light a torch which he carried with
+        him in case of need, before he could <span class="tei tei-pb" id=
+        "page118">[pg 118]</span><a name="Pg118" id="Pg118" class=
+        "tei tei-anchor"></a>see what the object really was. Then one glance
+        was enough. The features of the woman were black and swollen; but he
+        recognized them in a moment. It was the face of Hannah, his sister.
+        But a month before he had seen it beaming with light and love, and
+        now—— Had he needed any confirmation he would have found it in the
+        child. The features were beyond recognition; but the golden halo of
+        hair was there; its brightness scarcely dimmed.</p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em">He sank upon his
+        knees, and lifting his hands to heaven he cursed the authors of this
+        wickedness, and swore that he would give all his life to avenge the
+        innocent blood. Then rising he hastened to the house of Azariah.</p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em">He found a
+        considerable company assembled. They were deep in debate about the
+        course of action to be pursued when Micah, who had been met by
+        Azariah at the door, was introduced into the room. Most of those
+        present were acquainted with him, at least by reputation, and they
+        were naturally disposed to consider his presence an intrusion. But it
+        was soon manifest that the new comer was not indifferent, much less
+        hostile, to their objects.</p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em"><span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“Hear me, brethren,”</span> he cried, <span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“if, indeed, one so unworthy as I may call you
+        brethren,”</span> and he went on to recount the struggles with which
+        his mind had been agitated during the weeks just past. Then, after
+        briefly touching on what he had just seen, he went on, <span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“I have sinned; I have forsaken the Law <span class=
+        "tei tei-pb" id="page119">[pg 119]</span><a name="Pg119" id="Pg119"
+        class="tei tei-anchor"></a>of my God; I have defiled myself by a
+        companionship with the heathen; and though I have not worshipped
+        their false gods”</span>—there was a sigh of relief from the company
+        as he uttered these words with a solemn emphasis—<span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“yet I have been a guest at the feasts of their temples.
+        If, therefore, you judge me to have transgressed beyond all pardon,
+        cast me out from your company; I can find some other way to do
+        service for the country that I have betrayed, and the God whom I have
+        denied. Yet, if you think me worthy of death, I do not refuse to
+        die.”</span> And he drew a dagger from his belt, and offering it to
+        one who seemed to be a leader in the assembly, stood with bared
+        breast before him.</p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em"><a name="i_135"
+        id="i_135" class="tei tei-anchor"></a><a name="fig27" id=
+        "fig27"></a></p>
+
+        <div class="tei tei-figure" style="text-align: center">
+          <img src="images/i_135.jpg" alt="The Persecution" title=
+          "The Persecution." />
+
+          <div class="tei tei-head" style=
+          "text-align: center; margin-bottom: 1.00em; margin-top: 1.00em">
+            <span class="tei tei-hi" style="text-align: center"><span style=
+            "font-style: italic">The Persecution.</span></span>
+          </div>
+        </div>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em">A murmur of
+        admiration ran through the meeting.</p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em"><span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“Nay, brother,”</span> said the man whom he addressed,
+        <span class="tei tei-q">“this is not the time to take one soldier
+        from the hosts of the Lord. You have sinned in the past; make amends
+        in the future. There will be time and opportunity enough. And if you
+        are the brother of her who has witnessed a good confession even unto
+        death, you will not fail to use the occasion that shall
+        come.”</span></p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em">The company then
+        resumed the debate which had been interrupted by Micah’s arrival.
+        Little difference of opinion indeed remained among them, and when the
+        president, Seraiah by name, brother-in-law of Azariah, as being the
+        husband of his sister Ruth, stated his views they met with general
+        assent.</p><span class="tei tei-pb" id="page120">[pg
+        120]</span><a name="Pg120" id="Pg120" class="tei tei-anchor"></a>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em"><span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“We have seen enough,”</span> he said, <span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“and suffered enough. This city is polluted, and is no
+        longer a fit abode for the faithful. Let them that are in Judæa flee
+        unto the mountains. Meanwhile we will gather together such as have
+        not bowed the knee to Baal, and will make head against the oppressor.
+        But here we shall be struck down, and perish as a beast perishes in
+        the pit into which he has fallen.”</span></p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em">After this the
+        company dispersed to make such preparation as they could for their
+        departure, which was fixed for the night following. Micah and Seraiah
+        remained behind in the house of mourning. Azariah withdrew to comfort
+        his little girls, who were crying almost incessantly for their
+        mother. Comfort he needed sorely for himself, and he found it, as far
+        as it could be found, in this fatherly care. Every look and gesture
+        of the little ones reminded him of her whom he had lost, and seemed
+        to open the wound afresh. Yet it consoled him to talk to them about
+        their mother, to tell the story of her early days, to remind them,
+        though they did not need to be reminded, of all her goodness and
+        love, and to picture her happiness where she sat in Paradise with the
+        holy women of old, with Miriam, and Sarah, and Rachel.</p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em">Meanwhile Seraiah
+        told the story of Hannah’s end to Micah. <span class="tei tei-q">“We
+        came together,”</span> he said, <span class="tei tei-q">“on the
+        eighth day after the birth of her child; but though all was prepared
+        for the circumcision of the boy, <span class="tei tei-pb" id=
+        "page121">[pg 121]</span><a name="Pg121" id="Pg121" class=
+        "tei tei-anchor"></a>we had not yet resolved what was to be done. I
+        know that I wavered—I confess it with shame—and so did Azariah. And,
+        indeed, I can scarcely find it in my heart to blame him. He had no
+        thought of his own life, but to risk his wife’s and the child’s—that
+        was terrible. And there were others who advised him to yield for the
+        time; the risk was too terrible. Indeed, that was the feeling of most
+        of us, and those who thought otherwise were unwilling to speak. We
+        were assembled, you know, in your sister’s chamber. She sat on the
+        bed, holding the little one in her arms. Her face was somewhat pale;
+        but she had a calm and steadfast look, like the look of one who
+        watches his adversary in the battle line of the enemy, and there was
+        a fire in her eyes, such as I have never seen in the eye of woman
+        before. When I had spoken, counselling delay and yielding for a while
+        to the necessities of the time, I turned to her and said,
+        <span class="tei tei-q">‘And you, Hannah, what think
+        you?’</span></span></p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em"><span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“Then she spoke, and her voice never faltered for a
+        moment, but was clear and full, though indeed she never raised it
+        above the pitch that becomes the obedience and modesty of the woman.
+        <span class="tei tei-q">‘Pardon me,’</span> she said, <span class=
+        "tei tei-q">‘fathers and brethren, if I seem, in differing from your
+        counsel, to reproach you. I am but a weak woman, and know nothing of
+        policy or of the needs of the time. But I know the thing that the
+        Lord our God has commanded: <span class="tei tei-q">“Every man-child
+        among you shall be circumcised,”</span> and <span class="tei tei-pb"
+        id="page122">[pg 122]</span><a name="Pg122" id="Pg122" class=
+        "tei tei-anchor"></a><span class="tei tei-q">“whosoever shall not be
+        circumcised that soul shall be cut off from among his people.”</span>
+        The Lord hath given me this child, and shall I not do for him
+        according to the commandment? Shall we fear man rather than God? And
+        for myself, is it a new thing for a mother to give her life into the
+        hand of God? Four times already have I so given it, and He has
+        restored it to me. And if it be His will that it be taken, shall I
+        not obey? What said the Holy Children when Nebuchadnezzar would have
+        had them fall down and worship the golden image, lest they should be
+        cast into the burning fiery furnace. <span class="tei tei-q">“Our God
+        whom we serve is able to deliver us out of thy hand, and He will
+        deliver us out of thy hand, O King; but if
+        not——”</span> ’</span></span></p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em"><span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“Then she turned to her husband, and said, <span class=
+        "tei tei-q">‘What shall be his name?’</span> as steadily and quietly
+        as if there had been no question of danger or fear. <span class=
+        "tei tei-q">‘Let his name be David,’</span> said the father, as he
+        took the babe from its mother’s arms; for the sun was about to set,
+        and in a few moments the due time would be past. So they carried the
+        child into the next room. And when your sister heard his cry, she
+        broke forth into blessings and thanksgiving. <span class=
+        "tei tei-q">‘Thanks be to Thee, O Lord,’</span> she cried,
+        <span class="tei tei-q">‘in that Thou hast made him a child of the
+        Covenant. And now I beseech Thee to grant that he may walk before
+        Thee all the days of his life as walked Thy servant David, and that
+        he may sit down with <span class="tei tei-pb" id="page123">[pg
+        123]</span><a name="Pg123" id="Pg123" class=
+        "tei tei-anchor"></a>Abraham and Isaac and Jacob in the kingdom of
+        heaven.’</span></span></p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em"><span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“After that she bade us stay and partake of the feast
+        which she had caused to be prepared. Verily she had left nothing
+        uncared for. Never was her table better spread, and, as you know, she
+        was a notable housekeeper. And though, for her weakness, she could
+        not sit at table with us, she was gay and cheerful even beyond her
+        wont, so that we men, for very shame, had to banish the care from our
+        faces, and laugh and be merry with her. But the next day the soldiers
+        came and beat Azariah, as they thought, to death, and——”</span> The
+        speaker paused; indeed he could not speak for the choking tears. At
+        last he said, in a broken voice, <span class="tei tei-q">“What need
+        to tell the rest? You know it.”</span></p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em">The next night
+        Azariah, Seraiah, Micah, and a company of some thirty men and women
+        left Jerusalem. Part of them were on foot, but an ass had been found
+        to carry Ruth, Seraiah’s wife, who was expecting shortly to become a
+        mother. Their destination was the hill-country that went by the name
+        of the Wilderness of Bethaven.</p>
+      </div>
+      <hr class="page" />
+
+      <div class="tei tei-div" style=
+      "margin-bottom: 5.00em; margin-top: 5.00em">
+        <span class="tei tei-pb" id="page124">[pg 124]</span><a name="Pg124"
+        id="Pg124" class="tei tei-anchor"></a> <a name="toc28" id=
+        "toc28"></a> <a name="pdf29" id="pdf29"></a>
+
+        <h1 class="tei tei-head" style=
+        "text-align: center; margin-bottom: 3.46em; margin-top: 3.46em">
+        <span style="font-size: 173%">CHAPTER X.</span><br />
+        <br />
+        <span class="tei tei-hi" style="text-align: center"><span style=
+        "font-size: 100%">IN THE MOUNTAINS.</span></span></h1>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em">The time is
+        evening; the place is a rocky pass between Bethel and Michmash. At
+        the mouth of a cave which commands a view of the approach from the
+        westward, are seated two men, in one of whom we may recognize
+        Shallum, the quondam wine-seller of Jerusalem.</p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em"><span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“Well, comrade,”</span> he is saying to his companion,
+        <span class="tei tei-q">“this business is not quite to my liking. It
+        is all very well when we can relieve a Greek merchant, or, better
+        still, a Syrian tax-gatherer, of his money-bags; but I hate robbing
+        our own people. That poor fellow to-day, for instance, who was taking
+        home his wages—he had been wood-cutting, he said, in Bashan—it really
+        went to my heart to take the money from him.”</span></p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em">The companion whom
+        he addressed was a rough, savage-looking fellow, who certainly did
+        not look as if he would feel very much for Shallum’s scruples.
+        <span class="tei tei-pb" id="page125">[pg 125]</span><a name="Pg125"
+        id="Pg125" class="tei tei-anchor"></a>He had followed, indeed, the
+        robber’s trade, it may be said, from his childhood, as his fathers
+        had followed it before him, almost since the days of the
+        Captivity.</p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em">He now broke out
+        into a loud, mocking laugh.</p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em"><span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“Ah! my friend Shallum,”</span> he said, <span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“you are a great deal too soft and tender-hearted. But
+        then you are new to the business; when you have been at it as long as
+        I have, you won’t have these scruples. Now, mark what I say; and if
+        we are to be good friends, don’t let me hear any more of this
+        nonsense. You are a stout fellow and a man of your hands; and as for
+        myself, well, I rather think that a novice like you could hardly have
+        come across a better teacher. I don’t doubt that we shall do very
+        well together; and when we have made a little money, I shan’t blame
+        you if you give up the business and become what they call an honest
+        man. For myself, the <span class="tei tei-q">‘honest man’</span> line
+        does not suit me—it is not in my blood, you know. But, meanwhile, if
+        we are to work together, we must agree. Now, all is fish that comes
+        to our net. Of course, I don’t mean the people about here—our
+        neighbours, you know. We must not touch them; on the contrary, they
+        must have a share of what we make. As long as they are our friends we
+        are safe. But all strangers are lawful booty. And mind—for I see that
+        you are a little wroth about this—mind, it is only dead men who tell
+        no tales.”</span></p><span class="tei tei-pb" id="page126">[pg
+        126]</span><a name="Pg126" id="Pg126" class="tei tei-anchor"></a>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em">Benjamin’s words
+        of wisdom—the more experienced of the two robbers was named
+        Benjamin—were interrupted by an exclamation from his companion.</p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em"><span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“Hush!”</span> he cried, <span class="tei tei-q">“I hear
+        a sound of voices from the pass.”</span></p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em">The two men
+        listened; Shallum was evidently right. A party of travellers were
+        approaching from the west.</p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em"><span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“We are in luck,”</span> said Benjamin; <span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“it is not often that we do business so late in the
+        day.”</span></p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em">As he spoke the
+        leaders of the party emerged into sight.</p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em"><span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“Shoot, Shallum!”</span> said Benjamin; <span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“strike one of those fellows down and we shall have the
+        whole party in confusion.”</span></p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em"><span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“Nay, Benjamin; I hear the voices of women and children;
+        and see—God wither my hand if I shoot at such helpless people as
+        these.”</span></p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em">The rest of the
+        party was now in sight. Two men, one on either side of the ass, were
+        supporting Ruth, who, worn out by the fatigues of the day, could with
+        difficulty keep her seat on the animal. These were her husband and
+        Azariah. Close behind came Micah, carrying on his shoulder the little
+        Judith, who was fast asleep. Then followed Miriam, Judith’s elder
+        sister. The poor child limped sadly along, for her city life had been
+        but a poor training for that long day’s march, and she felt just
+        <span class="tei tei-pb" id="page127">[pg 127]</span><a name="Pg127"
+        id="Pg127" class="tei tei-anchor"></a>a little envious of the good
+        fortune which Judith enjoyed in being carried.</p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em">Shallum recognized
+        the figures of Seraiah and Ruth, with whom he happened to have had
+        some slight acquaintance in Jerusalem, and from whom indeed he had
+        received no little kindness.</p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em"><span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“Benjamin,”</span> he said, in a determined voice,
+        <span class="tei tei-q">“I know these people, and if I can help it
+        they shall suffer no harm.”</span></p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em"><span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“Well, well; have your way,”</span> said his companion,
+        who indeed was not quite as hard of heart as he would make himself
+        out. <span class="tei tei-q">“If, as you say, you know them, go down
+        and make friends.”</span></p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em">Shallum at once
+        made his way down into the pass, and, standing in the path, greeted
+        the travellers with the customary salutation, <span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“Peace be with you!”</span></p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em"><span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“What, Shallum!”</span> said Seraiah, <span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“is that you? What brings you here?”</span></p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em"><span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“That were a long story,”</span> returned the man,
+        <span class="tei tei-q">“and this is not the time to tell it. But can
+        I serve you?”</span></p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em"><span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“Can you find shelter for my poor wife? But it is idle, I
+        fear, to ask you. There can be no inn near this wild
+        place.”</span></p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em"><span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“’Tis true, sir, there is no inn; yet if you can put up
+        with such poor lodging as we can give, the lady will have at least
+        shelter.”</span></p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em">Ruth was lifted
+        from her seat on the ass, and carried between her husband and Azariah
+        up the <span class="tei tei-pb" id="page128">[pg 128]</span><a name=
+        "Pg128" id="Pg128" class="tei tei-anchor"></a>rocky track that led to
+        the cave, Shallum showing the way with a lighted torch in his hand,
+        for by this time the night had fallen.</p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em">Benjamin met the
+        little party at the mouth of the cave. His life of crime had not
+        quenched all kindly feeling in him. He felt, too, that he was a host;
+        and the sense of hospitality, which keeps its hold on an Eastern
+        heart as long as anything good is left to it, bade him do his best
+        for his guests. And the sweet smile of thanks with which Ruth greeted
+        him when she was laid on the couch of cloaks, which the two inmates
+        of the cave had hastily arranged on a pile of heather, won him
+        altogether.</p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em">A minute or two
+        afterwards Micah followed with the two children; Judith, still fast
+        asleep, was put down by Ruth’s side, while Miriam forgot her fatigue
+        in the delightful excitement of this new adventure. The new-comers
+        had brought with them a slender store of provisions. These they
+        proceeded to share, declining with thanks the dried flesh and wine
+        which their entertainers offered. The rest of the party found
+        shelter, under guidance of the robbers, in some of the many caves
+        with which the rocks in the neighbourhood were honeycombed.</p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em">Next morning the
+        arrangements for housing the little colony were made. There was an
+        abundance of caves to give shelter to all, and the accommodation
+        though rough, at least protected them from the <span class=
+        "tei tei-pb" id="page129">[pg 129]</span><a name="Pg129" id="Pg129"
+        class="tei tei-anchor"></a>weather. Their life was simple in the
+        extreme—simple even to hardness. They sought for herbs and roots, and
+        from the neighbouring peasants they bought a few goats, to browse
+        among the rocks, and a small quantity of corn, which they bruised
+        between stones and baked. The mountain springs furnished their drink,
+        a few flasks of wine being reserved for any cases of sickness. Twice
+        a day the whole company met for worship. Seraiah read a portion first
+        from the Law and then from the Prophets, for they had not forgotten
+        to bring rolls of the Sacred Books. Then standing erect, with covered
+        heads, their faces turned towards the Temple, they joined in prayer.
+        In the words of one who himself in old time had found himself shut
+        out for a while from the privileges of the Holy Place and was content
+        to realize them by faith, the congregation uttered together the
+        petition, <span class="tei tei-q">“Let my prayer be set forth in Thy
+        sight as the incense; and let the lifting up of my hands be an
+        evening sacrifice.”</span> One of the psalms of penitence followed;
+        for surely they had all many sins to repent of—sins of which they
+        were now suffering the penalty; and, after the psalm, a prayer for
+        deliverance from the enemy, and for the setting up again of the
+        throne of David, and for that without which neither deliverance nor a
+        restored kingdom could profit them—purity and righteousness in their
+        own hearts and souls.</p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em">Nothing could be
+        more simple and frugal than <span class="tei tei-pb" id="page130">[pg
+        130]</span><a name="Pg130" id="Pg130" class=
+        "tei tei-anchor"></a>their daily fare. Wild fruits and herbs were
+        largely used, and any little plots of fertile ground that could be
+        found were planted with vegetables, some far-seeing member of the
+        party having brought with him a small supply of garden seeds. When a
+        few days after their arrival Ruth gave birth to a son it was much
+        feared that the scanty supply of nourishing food might long delay her
+        restoration to strength. This fear was not realized. The feeling of
+        freedom and deliverance combined with the fine mountain air to bring
+        her back to her wonted health, and she found herself able to go about
+        her daily work long before she could have hoped to do so in the more
+        enervating atmosphere of the city.</p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em">One day she had
+        gone to gather herbs for the daily mess, a work in which she was
+        especially useful from the knowledge of plants which she had taken
+        pains to acquire in her unmarried days. She had taken, of course, the
+        new-born infant with her, and Miriam, who was delighted to perform,
+        as far as her strength permitted, the office of nurse. The little
+        Judith, whose night’s rest had been disturbed by some childish
+        ailment, had been left at home to make up her allowance of sleep. The
+        mother found on her return that a strange visitor had made herself at
+        home in the cave. The little one was fast asleep on a bed of rugs
+        which had been made up for her, and curled up at her side with one of
+        her fore paws <span class="tei tei-pb" id="page131">[pg
+        131]</span><a name="Pg131" id="Pg131" class=
+        "tei tei-anchor"></a>round her neck was a jackal. The two companions
+        were roused together by the arrival of the party, and, wonderful to
+        relate, neither showed any symptoms of alarm. The jackal rose from
+        its resting-place, approached Ruth, and fawned at her feet, and the
+        child came after its bedfellow and stroked affectionately its shaggy
+        skin.</p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em">When, two or three
+        weeks afterwards, the new comer gave birth to a litter of cubs, the
+        joy of the children was complete. The little animals soon learnt to
+        play with the girls, and their dam sat by and watched their gambols,
+        and sometimes even condescended to join in them herself.</p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em">The little colony
+        heard of the strange incident with delight, and saw in it a token of
+        Divine favour. <span class="tei tei-q">“Man rages cruelly against
+        us,”</span> they said, <span class="tei tei-q">“but we find friends
+        among the beasts of the field. Surely it is our God who hath changed
+        the heart of this savage dweller in the wilderness, and we will trust
+        that He will do yet greater things than these.”</span></p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em"><span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“Mother,”</span> said Miriam one day to Ruth,
+        <span class="tei tei-q">“by what name shall we call our new
+        friend?”</span></p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em">The question
+        puzzled her, and she referred it to her husband.</p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em"><span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“It does not seem fitting,”</span> she said, <span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“that we should give the name of a daughter of the
+        Covenant to the beast, for though she is of kindly temper yet she is
+        unclean.”</span></p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em">Seraiah thought
+        awhile.</p><span class="tei tei-pb" id="page132">[pg
+        132]</span><a name="Pg132" id="Pg132" class="tei tei-anchor"></a>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em"><span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“You say truth, my wife. Let us call her
+        Jael.”</span></p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em"><span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“But why Jael?”</span></p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em"><span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“Because the wife of Heber was of the unclean, for was
+        she not of the house of the Kenite? Yet was she a friend of Israel,
+        for she slew Sisera that was captain of the host of Jabin, King of
+        Canaan.”</span></p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em">So thenceforward
+        the creature went by the name of Jael.</p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em">It was not long
+        before she justified her name by showing that she could be fierce on
+        occasion.</p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em">A wayfarer, who
+        described himself as a discharged soldier and a Moabite by birth,
+        asked for shelter and food. Scanty as were the means of the
+        fugitives, they did not grudge the stranger a share of their meal.
+        They gave him their best, adding to their daily fare the special
+        luxury of some dried grapes. As he complained of being footsore, Ruth
+        applied some simple remedies to the blisters on his feet. Altogether
+        he was treated not only as a welcome but even as an honoured guest.
+        On his part he professed a fervent sympathy with the hopes and plans
+        of his hosts. The next morning he started as if to continue his
+        journey. But the cupidity of the wretch had been roused by the sight
+        of the handsome earrings—almost the sole remaining relic of former
+        affluence—which he had spied in his hostess’s ears. About an hour
+        before noon, when he judged that the men would be still busy about
+        their daily work, he crept back to the cave. Ruth was sitting
+        <span class="tei tei-pb" id="page133">[pg 133]</span><a name="Pg133"
+        id="Pg133" class="tei tei-anchor"></a>by a fire nursing her babe. The
+        jackal lay asleep in a corner; the girls were playing with the cubs
+        on a sunny little plot of ground outside.</p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em"><span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“Lady,”</span> began the fellow, in a beggar’s wheedling
+        voice, <span class="tei tei-q">“can you spare a little money for a
+        poor fellow who has not so much as a copper coin to buy him a piece
+        of bread?”</span></p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em">Ruth was startled
+        at his re-appearance, but concealed her alarm.</p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em"><span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“Friend,”</span> she said, <span class="tei tei-q">“I
+        have no money; but I will give you half a loaf if you want food,
+        though you had done better, I should think, to keep on your way, for
+        you can hardly find any that are poorer than we.”</span></p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em"><span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“But you have gold,”</span> said the man.</p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em"><span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“Gold? Not I,”</span> she answered.</p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em"><span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“Nay, lady,”</span> he went on, with a perceptible tone
+        of threatening in his voice, <span class="tei tei-q">“those earrings
+        that you wear are doubtless of true metal. They add, indeed, to your
+        beauty, and it is a pity that you should lose them; but then there is
+        no one to admire you in this wilderness, and they would keep a poor
+        fellow like myself in flesh and wine for a month or more.”</span></p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em"><span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“My earrings?”</span> said Ruth, stupefied by the man’s
+        audacity.</p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em"><span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“Yes, your earrings, lady,”</span> said the man.
+        <span class="tei tei-q">“I should advise you to take them out
+        yourself, for if I have to do it I am afraid that I shall show myself
+        a very rough tirewoman.”</span></p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em">The spirit of
+        Ruth, the same that had dwelt of old <span class="tei tei-pb" id=
+        "page134">[pg 134]</span><a name="Pg134" id="Pg134" class=
+        "tei tei-anchor"></a>in a Miriam or a Deborah, was roused at the
+        man’s insolent audacity. She seized a half-burnt brand from the fire
+        and stood on her defence. The soldier, thinking that he had found an
+        easy prey, approached. But he had not reckoned on an ally who was
+        ready to help her in her need. Jael had been woke by the voices, and
+        watched with glaring eyes the soldier’s movements, uttering every now
+        and then a low growl, which, however, the man was too much occupied
+        to heed. As soon as he came within reach, she sprang upon him from
+        her lurking-place. The force with which she threw herself upon him
+        overset him, and he fell backwards, his head striking on the
+        mill-stone which formed part of the scanty furniture of the cave. In
+        a moment her fangs were in his throat. In vain did Ruth, who saw the
+        man’s danger and was unwilling that he should perish in his sins,
+        call her by her name. All the savage instinct in her was roused by
+        the taste of blood. Before two minutes had passed the freebooter was
+        dead.</p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em"><span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“We did well to call her Jael,”</span> said Seraiah that
+        evening, as he helped to carry the corpse out of the cave.
+        <span class="tei tei-q">“The wretch has received the due reward of
+        his deeds.”</span></p>
+      </div>
+      <hr class="page" />
+
+      <div class="tei tei-div" style=
+      "margin-bottom: 5.00em; margin-top: 5.00em">
+        <span class="tei tei-pb" id="page135">[pg 135]</span><a name="Pg135"
+        id="Pg135" class="tei tei-anchor"></a> <a name="toc30" id=
+        "toc30"></a> <a name="pdf31" id="pdf31"></a>
+
+        <h1 class="tei tei-head" style=
+        "text-align: center; margin-bottom: 3.46em; margin-top: 3.46em">
+        <span style="font-size: 173%">CHAPTER XI.</span><br />
+        <br />
+        <span class="tei tei-hi" style="text-align: center"><span style=
+        "font-size: 100%">NEWS BAD AND GOOD.</span></span></h1>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em">As the weeks went
+        by fugitives continued to arrive at the little asylum which Seraiah
+        and Azariah had founded among the hills. There was not one of them
+        but brought with him some dismal story of the cruelty of the heathen
+        and the renegades who acted as their instruments, and of the
+        sufferings of the faithful. We should weary our readers were we to
+        relate them in their monotony of horror. One will suffice, for it is
+        the most famous as it is the most tragic of all the tales of that
+        reign of terror.</p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em">One night the
+        sentinels, whom the chiefs of the little colony were always careful
+        to post, heard the sound of approaching footsteps. They challenged
+        the new comer, and bade him stand, and tell them his errand. He could
+        not articulate his answer, so spent was he with fatigue and distress;
+        but it was evident that he was harmless, a mere youth, solitary, and
+        unarmed. Unwilling to disturb the little colony at so late an hour—it
+        was indeed <span class="tei tei-pb" id="page136">[pg
+        136]</span><a name="Pg136" id="Pg136" class="tei tei-anchor"></a>past
+        midnight—the sentinels bade the stranger rest before their
+        watch-fire. He was so exhausted and weary that he could swallow but
+        very little of the food which his entertainers offered him. A few
+        mouthfuls of barley cake, and a draught of milk more than satisfied
+        him. Then he sank down on the ground overpowered with sleep, and his
+        hosts wrapped him in a cloak and left him to his repose. Yet, wearied
+        as he was, his slumbers were broken. Again and again he started up
+        with a cry of horror on his lips. Those who listened to him felt sure
+        that he must be going over in his dreams some dreadful scenes which
+        he had witnessed.</p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em">The next day he
+        could scarcely be recalled to consciousness. Indeed it was judged
+        well to leave nature to recover herself. The women of the colony took
+        it in turns to watch by his side, and were ready, when he awoke for a
+        few moments, with a cup of milk, the only thing which he seemed to
+        relish. By degrees his slumbers grew more peaceful, and on the
+        morning of the second day after his arrival he woke calm and
+        collected.</p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em">It was Ruth who
+        then happened to be on duty at his side. When he saw her, he said,
+        <span class="tei tei-q">“Lady, I have a story to tell, and the chief
+        of this place should hear it. Let him make haste to come, for I feel
+        that I cannot rest while it is untold.”</span></p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em">Ruth sent one of
+        her children to fetch her husband. The stranger refused to postpone
+        his narrative till <span class="tei tei-pb" id="page137">[pg
+        137]</span><a name="Pg137" id="Pg137" class="tei tei-anchor"></a>he
+        should have gathered a little more strength. <span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“Nay,”</span> said he; <span class="tei tei-q">“it is
+        like a weight upon my soul, and I would lighten me of it by
+        committing it to faithful ears.”</span></p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em"><span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“Speak on,”</span> said Seraiah.</p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em">Then the lad told
+        his story.</p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em"><span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“My name is Abimelech, and I come from Jerusalem. My
+        father and mother are dead; but I lived with my grandmother, the
+        mother of my father, and his brethren, my uncles. There were seven of
+        them, the eldest being some thirty-and-three years of age, and the
+        youngest twenty; but my father that is dead was the first-born. On
+        the first day of the month, coming home about the eleventh hour from
+        the school of the Rabbi Zechariah——”</span></p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em"><span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“Are there then yet those who teach in the city?”</span>
+        interrupted Seraiah.</p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em"><span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“Yes,”</span> answered the lad, <span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“but they do it by stealth, for the reading of the Law is
+        strictly forbidden by the Governor. But we learn it notwithstanding,
+        and verily if the heathen should destroy every roll that there is of
+        the Holy Books in the whole world there are those who could replace
+        them from memory. I pretend not to so much; but I could say three out
+        of the five books of Moses, the man of God.”</span></p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em"><span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“Praised be the Lord God of Israel,”</span> cried
+        Seraiah, <span class="tei tei-q">“who hath not left Himself without a
+        witness! But go on with your story.”</span></p><span class=
+        "tei tei-pb" id="page138">[pg 138]</span><a name="Pg138" id="Pg138"
+        class="tei tei-anchor"></a>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em"><span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“Coming home, then, from school I found the soldiers of
+        Philip the Phrygian in the house, Philip himself being there. They
+        had set forth a table in the court of the house, whereon they had
+        placed abominable flesh. My uncles were standing bound, guarded by
+        soldiers, and with them was my grandmother. Then said the Governor,
+        Philip, to the eldest of the seven, whose name was Judah,
+        <span class="tei tei-q">‘Pleasure me, my friend, by eating this
+        excellent meat; ’tis of the most savoury, believe me.’</span> My
+        uncle Judah answered, <span class="tei tei-q">‘I cannot obey thee in
+        this matter, for it is forbidden by the Law.’</span> Philip said,
+        <span class="tei tei-q">‘Maybe he lacks an appetite. Give him that
+        which shall sharpen his taste.’</span> Thereupon the executioner
+        stepped forth with his lash, and gave him ten stripes. <span class=
+        "tei tei-q">‘Dost feel hungry now?’</span> said the Governor.
+        <span class="tei tei-q">‘I had sooner starve,’</span> said Judah,
+        <span class="tei tei-q">‘than eat the abominable thing.’</span>
+        <span class="tei tei-q">‘Nay,’</span> cried the Governor,
+        <span class="tei tei-q">‘miscall not the good things which are
+        provided for you at the charge of thy lord the King.’</span> Then he
+        said to the executioner, <span class="tei tei-q">‘This fellow uses
+        not his tongue for any good purpose, but only to rail against my
+        lord. Cut it out, therefore.’</span> So they cut the tongue out of my
+        uncle’s mouth; and after that they cut off his hands and his feet.
+        And afterwards, he being yet alive, they put him in a pan and burnt
+        him over the fire. Then the Governor said to the second in age, whose
+        name was Eleazar, <span class="tei tei-q">‘Ah! friend, like you this
+        better than the swine’s flesh? You may have your <span class=
+        "tei tei-pb" id="page139">[pg 139]</span><a name="Pg139" id="Pg139"
+        class="tei tei-anchor"></a>choice, if you will.’</span> But he
+        answered nothing. Then they tortured him most cruelly till he died.
+        And so they did to all, one after the other. What they did I cannot
+        bear to tell; nor, indeed, do I know the whole truth, for when three
+        had perished in this manner I fainted for the horror of the thing;
+        nor did I come to myself till the sixth was ready to suffer. Him I
+        heard say these words to the Governor—<span class="tei tei-q">‘Be not
+        deceived, or think that our God has abandoned us. He has given us
+        over to your hand because we have offended against Him; nor do we
+        suffer beyond what we have deserved. But as we have not escaped the
+        punishment of our sins, so neither will you, but will perish
+        miserably!’</span> After this he did not speak another word; nay, nor
+        give a sign of pain, but stood steadfast and unmoved.</span></p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em"><span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“When there was but one of the seven left alive, Benjamin
+        by name, the Governor seeing him, and, I take it, having some pity on
+        his youth, for he was fair as a woman, said to him, <span class=
+        "tei tei-q">‘Young man, you see how all these have perished
+        miserably, because of their pride and obstinacy. Learn, then, by
+        their fate to behave yourself more wisely. And hark! I will give you
+        riches, more than you can desire, and promote you to honour, if you
+        will humour my lord the King in this small matter.’</span> Benjamin
+        said, <span class="tei tei-q">‘Your gifts, my lord, be to another,
+        and your honours to such as are worthy of them; but as for me, I will
+        <span class="tei tei-pb" id="page140">[pg 140]</span><a name="Pg140"
+        id="Pg140" class="tei tei-anchor"></a>not depart from the law of my
+        God.’</span> Then Philip said to the mother of the seven,
+        <span class="tei tei-q">‘Persuade him, for I would not have you left
+        childless, if there is any help. These your sons were stout fellows,
+        and could have done good service for my lord if they had been better
+        advised; and I would fain save this one that is left. Reason with
+        him, then, that he save his life, and that you be not wholly
+        bereaved.’</span> Then the woman said, <span class="tei tei-q">‘Trust
+        me, my lord; I will reason with him.’</span> Then Philip smiled and
+        said, <span class="tei tei-q">‘Your wisdom comes somewhat
+        late’</span>; and he whispered to one that stood by, <span class=
+        "tei tei-q">‘You see that I have prevailed at last.’</span> But the
+        man shook his head. Then the woman said to her son, <span class=
+        "tei tei-q">‘O, my child, have pity on me, for I bore for you the
+        pangs of childbirth, and spent on you the labour of nurture, bringing
+        you up to this age. Repay me, therefore, for all that I have
+        done.’</span> Then she paused awhile, and those that stood by
+        scarcely knew what was in her heart. But the young man said,
+        <span class="tei tei-q">‘Mother, how shall I repay you?’</span> And
+        she answered, <span class="tei tei-q">‘By remembering that the Lord
+        made heaven and earth, and all that is therein. Depart not from His
+        Law, nor forget Him. Heed not this tormentor, who has power over your
+        body for a short moment; but stand steadfast, as your brethren have
+        stood steadfast; so shall I receive you with them into the
+        everlasting glory.’</span> Then the young man smiled, as a bridegroom
+        might smile when the veil is lifted from the face of his <span class=
+        "tei tei-pb" id="page141">[pg 141]</span><a name="Pg141" id="Pg141"
+        class="tei tei-anchor"></a>bride, and said, <span class=
+        "tei tei-q">‘Fear not, my mother; so it shall be, the Lord helping
+        me.’</span> As for the Governor, he was mad with rage, and cried to
+        the executioner, <span class="tei tei-q">‘Smite him, and this fool
+        also.’</span> And the man, who indeed, I take it, was weary of his
+        work, smote the youth and mother, and killed them, dealing each but
+        one blow. So they escaped the torture.”</span></p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em">On the following
+        Sabbath Seraiah read to the congregation the story of the Three
+        Children in the fire, and then delivered a stirring address on the
+        faith and courage of the heroic mother and her sons. The people
+        listened with a breathless attention, and when he had finished, drew,
+        so to speak, together that deep sigh of relief which tells the
+        speaker that he has been holding the hearts of his hearers. He was
+        one of those trustful souls who amidst all dangers find their
+        strength in quietness and confidence. But the other leaders of the
+        settlement could not help feeling somewhat anxious as to the future.
+        What was to be the end? This constancy under suffering was grand
+        beyond all praise; but were they and their brethren to stand still
+        and see the religion of their fathers trampled out in blood? Was
+        there no one to strike a blow for their faith and their fatherland?
+        For they could measure the average strength and depth of human
+        nature, and knew that there are ten who are ready to do and dare for
+        one who can suffer and be strong. <span class="tei tei-q">“Do you
+        remember,”</span> said Seraiah to his brother-in-law, as they were
+        <span class="tei tei-pb" id="page142">[pg 142]</span><a name="Pg142"
+        id="Pg142" class="tei tei-anchor"></a>talking over the position of
+        affairs after the gathering for worship—<span class="tei tei-q">“do
+        you remember that day when we fought against the Edomites, how our
+        line crumbled away while we had to stand still as a target for the
+        Edomite arrows, and how it grew solid again in a moment when our
+        general gave the signal to charge? One was ready before to think that
+        half the men were cowards, and then one could almost have sworn that
+        there was not a coward among them. Yes, Azariah, we must strike when
+        the time comes; but when the time will come is more than I can
+        tell.”</span></p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em">The next day
+        brought an answer to his question.</p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em">The people were
+        dispersing after the usual morning prayer when a stranger was seen
+        hurrying up the pass. Arrived at the top, where a party of the men
+        had gone to meet him, he threw himself breathless on the ground; at
+        the same time he drew a small piece of folded parchment from the
+        pouch which was fastened to his girdle, and handed it to one of the
+        men. It ran thus: <span class="tei tei-q">“Mattathias to Seraiah, in
+        the wilderness of Bethaven, greeting. Listen to the young man who
+        brings this present without doubting, for he is faithful, and speaks
+        words of truth.”</span> In a few moments Seraiah appeared. By this
+        time the messenger had recovered his breath, and was ready to tell
+        his tale.</p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em"><span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“What news bring you?”</span> said Seraiah.</p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em"><span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“Great news; for the Lord has smitten His <span class=
+        "tei tei-pb" id="page143">[pg 143]</span><a name="Pg143" id="Pg143"
+        class="tei tei-anchor"></a>enemies hip and thigh by the hand of
+        Mattathias, son of Asmon, and by the hand of his sons.”</span></p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em">A murmur of
+        delight ran through the little audience, and every eye brightened at
+        the prospect of action.</p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em"><span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“Tell on. We hear!”</span> cried Seraiah.</p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em"><span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“May I crave a drink of water? for the way is long, and I
+        have been travelling since the sun set yesterday.”</span></p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em">The water was
+        fetched. When he had quenched his thirst, young Asaph—that was the
+        messenger’s name—began his story.</p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em"><span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“You know Mattathias, the son of Asmon, and the five
+        young men, his sons, how they dwelt at Modin? Two months since,
+        Philip the Phrygian—may the Lord cut him off in his sins!”</span> and
+        the speaker paused, and spat upon the ground to emphasize his
+        disgust. <span class="tei tei-q">“This Phrygian, then, sent one of
+        his officers two months since to build an altar to one of the false
+        gods before whom these children of perdition bow down. So the altar
+        was built, none hindering, for the people were without a leader. This
+        being finished, the Governor’s officer proclaimed a sacrifice and a
+        feast to one of the demons whom these heathen worship. I know not the
+        evil thing’s name, and if I knew it, would not take the accursed word
+        upon my lips. On the appointed day there was a great gathering of the
+        inhabitants of Modin. It was about the tenth hour <span class=
+        "tei tei-pb" id="page144">[pg 144]</span><a name="Pg144" id="Pg144"
+        class="tei tei-anchor"></a>when the Governor’s deputy came, with his
+        trumpeters and a small company of soldiers—it may be a score. When he
+        had taken his seat the ministers brought up the ox that was for the
+        sacrifice, a great beast, altogether white; and they had gilded his
+        horns and put garlands of flowers about his neck, as their custom is.
+        Then the deputy called to one Menahem, a usurer that dwelt in the
+        village, and one of those who would sell their souls for a shekel.
+        <span class="tei tei-q">‘Menon,’</span> he said—for they had changed
+        his name after their fashion to one of their own tongue—<span class=
+        "tei tei-q">‘Menon, come forth, and do your office.’</span> And then
+        he turned to the people, and said, <span class="tei tei-q">‘Hearken
+        to me, ye Jews. This Menon here, who is known to all of us, has been
+        promoted to great honour, for my lord Philip, who is the lieutenant
+        of the Divine Antiochus, has made him priest. Honour him henceforth
+        accordingly. And be sure also that if you are obedient, and give up
+        your own dull and senseless superstition, and worship henceforth as
+        the King commands, it shall be well with you and your
+        children.’</span> When he had ended, the fellow approached the altar,
+        and cut some hairs from the forehead of the beast, and sprinkled some
+        meal mingled with salt between its horns. And it chanced, or, I
+        should rather say, it was ordered of the Lord, that as the man did
+        this Mattathias and his sons passed by on the outskirts of the crowd.
+        And when he perceived the abominable thing that was being done, and
+        that he who <span class="tei tei-pb" id="page145">[pg
+        145]</span><a name="Pg145" id="Pg145" class="tei tei-anchor"></a>did
+        it was a Jew, his spirit was moved within him. Then he ran forward,
+        he and his sons with him. And when they were come into the space
+        before the altar the old man cried, <span class="tei tei-q">‘He that
+        is on the Lord’s side come hither!’</span> And some threescore of the
+        people that were there came to him, and the rest stood still, and did
+        nothing, for they knew that the sons of Asmon were mighty men of
+        valour. As for the deputy and his soldiers, they were astonished
+        beyond measure, and before they came to themselves some of the
+        company of Mattathias rushed upon them and disarmed them. But
+        Mattathias himself, with Judas his son, laid hold on Menahem. Then
+        that miserable creature fell on his knees and begged for pardon,
+        saying that he had done this thing on compulsion. <span class=
+        "tei tei-q">‘Nay,’</span> said Mattathias, <span class=
+        "tei tei-q">‘the compulsion was of thy own evil and greedy heart.
+        Thou hast sinned beyond all mercy of man; but the mercies of the Lord
+        are past all measure. Die thou must; but I would have thee die in the
+        faith of a son of Israel.’</span> Then the poor wretch—I had never
+        thought to pity him, for he turned my own mother, when she lay dying,
+        on to the public road, but no one could have refused him pity
+        then—the wretch, I say, repeated with a stammering tongue,
+        <span class="tei tei-q">‘Hear, O Israel, the Lord thy God is one
+        Lord.’</span> And now he said, <span class="tei tei-q">‘I give thee
+        for thy prayers to the All-Merciful, till the shadow of this staff
+        come so far,’</span> and he planted a staff in the ground. And
+        <span class="tei tei-pb" id="page146">[pg 146]</span><a name="Pg146"
+        id="Pg146" class="tei tei-anchor"></a>when the time was spent, the
+        old man took his sword, and sheared off the wretch’s head with one
+        blow. I had not thought that there was such strength in his arm. Then
+        they brought the deputy and his soldiers to Mattathias. First he
+        dealt with the deputy. <span class="tei tei-q">‘Slay him,’</span> he
+        said, <span class="tei tei-q">‘for he has made the people of the Lord
+        to transgress.’</span> So they slew him. Then they made the soldiers
+        stand before him. Four out of their number were Jews. These he
+        commanded to be slain, after giving them the same grace that he had
+        given to Menahem. To the others he said, <span class="tei tei-q">‘You
+        have not sinned as these your fellows, for you were born in darkness.
+        Take, therefore, your choice: depart, and take good heed not to fall
+        into our hands again, for, if you so fall, you die without further
+        mercy; or, if ye will, stay with us. Only you must follow our ways,
+        so far as it is commanded that the stranger should follow
+        them.’</span> Half chose to depart, and half to stay.</span></p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em"><span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“After this, Mattathias chose some of the young men to go
+        as messengers to the villages round about, and carry the tidings of
+        what had been done, and to say, <span class="tei tei-q">‘The Lord
+        hath lifted up His ensign; gather yourselves together unto
+        it.’</span> Also he appointed a place where they should meet—that is
+        to say, Michmash.”</span></p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em"><span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“And when may we look for his <span class=
+        "tei tei-corr">coming?</span>”</span> asked Seraiah.</p><span class=
+        "tei tei-pb" id="page147">[pg 147]</span><a name="Pg147" id="Pg147"
+        class="tei tei-anchor"></a>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em"><span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“Doubtless he will come to-morrow.”</span></p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em">That night there
+        was much rejoicing in the little colony. No one, indeed, deceived
+        himself with the thought that he could look forward to easy and
+        pleasant days. All knew perfectly well that a time of struggle and
+        suffering was before them. But there was hope. The darkness had
+        parted, and they saw a far-off gleam of light. At the least they
+        would have the chance of striking a blow for their country and their
+        God.</p>
+      </div>
+      <hr class="page" />
+
+      <div class="tei tei-div" style=
+      "margin-bottom: 5.00em; margin-top: 5.00em">
+        <span class="tei tei-pb" id="page148">[pg 148]</span><a name="Pg148"
+        id="Pg148" class="tei tei-anchor"></a> <a name="toc32" id=
+        "toc32"></a> <a name="pdf33" id="pdf33"></a>
+
+        <h1 class="tei tei-head" style=
+        "text-align: center; margin-bottom: 3.46em; margin-top: 3.46em">
+        <span style="font-size: 173%">CHAPTER XII.</span><br />
+        <br />
+        <span class="tei tei-hi" style="text-align: center"><span style=
+        "font-size: 100%">THE PATRIOT ARMY.</span></span></h1>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em">Three days passed
+        before Mattathias and his sons arrived; but when they came, they
+        brought with them a considerable force. The news of the events at
+        Modin had spread like wildfire through southern Judæa, and hundreds
+        who had endured the rule of the heathen with ill-concealed impatience
+        flocked to the standard of revolt. It was a strange array that might
+        have been seen making its way up the mountain pass. A professional
+        soldier would certainly at the first glance have thought meanly of
+        its fighting capacities. Scarcely a score of the whole multitude was
+        properly armed. Old weapons that had hung unused for a century or
+        more had been taken down that they might strike another blow for the
+        God of Israel. There had not been time to rub the rust from the
+        sword-blades and the spear-heads, much less to hammer out upon the
+        anvil the dents and notches left by the half-forgotten battles in
+        which they had <span class="tei tei-pb" id="page149">[pg
+        149]</span><a name="Pg149" id="Pg149" class="tei tei-anchor"></a>last
+        been used. But it was only a few who had even these antiquated
+        weapons. Most of the fighting men were armed as their fathers had
+        been under the domination of the Canaanites in the days of Barak, or
+        of the Philistines in the days of Saul. They carried mattocks and
+        hoes, pruning-hooks and reaping-hooks tied to the ends of poles, or
+        stakes shod with iron or even only hardened in the fire. But a nearer
+        inspection would have changed the contempt of the military critic
+        into something like admiration. These men had all that goes to the
+        making of the soldier except the arms, and this want, after all, is
+        the easiest to be supplied. They had on their faces the set, stern
+        look of those who are fighting for a cause, and that a cause very
+        near to their hearts. There were old men among them; but most were in
+        the full vigour of youth and manhood. A real leader of men would have
+        preferred to be followed by them than by the most handsomely equipped
+        army of mercenaries.</p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em">At the head of the
+        column walked the aged Mattathias. Two of his sons, John and Judas,
+        were with him, the other two being busy with the multifarious duties
+        which fell upon the leaders of a force as yet so imperfectly
+        organized. The old man—he had passed the threescore years and ten
+        which are more commonly the limit of human existence, among the
+        short-lived races of the East than among ourselves—had been carried
+        in a litter for part of the <span class="tei tei-pb" id="page150">[pg
+        150]</span><a name="Pg150" id="Pg150" class="tei tei-anchor"></a>way.
+        This he had left at the entrance of the pass, being anxious not to
+        give an impression of weakness. He now walked erect and with a firm
+        step, his indomitable spirit supplying for the time all that was
+        wanting in his physical strength. Nothing could be more enthusiastic
+        than the reception which met him when he reached the little colony
+        among the hills. He was the champion for whom they had been looking,
+        and they received him as if he had been an <span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“angel of God.”</span> Azariah and Seraiah, who had been
+        hitherto informal leaders, gladly resigned their power into his
+        hands, and from thenceforwards acted under his orders.</p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em">There was indeed
+        much to do. The little post in the mountains was now to become a
+        fortress, garrisoned by an army which was already considerable in
+        numbers, and which daily increased in strength. Faithful Jews from
+        all parts of the country flocked to the place which seemed the last
+        refuge of patriotism and faith. Nor were there wanting less
+        respectable adherents. There was not a few men who, like Benjamin and
+        Shallum, had followed a life in which right and wrong, good motives
+        and bad, were curiously mixed up and confounded. They were divided
+        between patriotism and robbery—divided, of course, in very varying
+        proportions. None were quite blameless, and none were quite bad. The
+        most unprincipled had lurking somewhere in his heart a real regard
+        for his country, and, to say the <span class="tei tei-pb" id=
+        "page151">[pg 151]</span><a name="Pg151" id="Pg151" class=
+        "tei tei-anchor"></a>least, he found much more satisfaction in
+        emptying the pockets of a heathen than in robbing his own people. The
+        most honest, on the other hand, could not always guide his actions by
+        any strict rule of integrity. He had to live, and if his enemies did
+        not furnish him with the means, he must get them from his friends.
+        Many of these men were genuinely attracted by the new movement,
+        genuinely glad to lead a life which their consciences could heartily
+        approve. Others found that their occupation was gone, and that they
+        must enlist in the new patriot army or starve. The garrison thus
+        gained a considerable number of recruits, but some of them were of a
+        class that was likely to give no little trouble in the future.</p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em">In strong contrast
+        with these doubtful adherents, and yet, in some respects, even more
+        difficult to control, were the Chasidim—the <span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“religious,”</span> <span class="tei tei-q">“mighty men
+        and voluntarily devoted to the Law”</span>—the spiritual ancestors of
+        the Pharisees of a later time, but actuated by a zeal far more
+        sincere than what could commonly be found in their degenerate
+        descendants. Men braver it would not have been possible to find;
+        their courage amounted to something like recklessness; but they were
+        enthusiasts, and held their tenets with a tenacity that sometimes
+        made discipline almost impossible.</p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em">An incident that
+        occurred soon after the arrival of Mattathias and his sons exhibited
+        these difficulties in <span class="tei tei-pb" id="page152">[pg
+        152]</span><a name="Pg152" id="Pg152" class="tei tei-anchor"></a>a
+        striking way. The scene of it was the extreme right of the position,
+        where Abiathar, one of the Chasidim, an able soldier but a most
+        uncompromising zealot, was in chief command. The whole of the
+        population had assembled to take part in a Sabbath service. They had
+        listened to the great chapter in Deuteronomy which proclaims the
+        blessings that will follow obedience, the curses that will fall on
+        those who disobey. They had sung together that Psalm <span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“for the Sons of Korah,”</span> which tells of triumph
+        and of shame, in which Israel now thanks Him who has saved them from
+        their enemies and now complains that He has made them a reproach to
+        their neighbours’ scorn, and a derision to them that are round about.
+        And they were listening to a stirring exhortation to quit them like
+        men and be strong, from the soldier-priest who was in chief command,
+        when an alarm was raised that the enemy were at hand. Some of the
+        younger men were on the point of running to fetch their weapons, for
+        they were of course unarmed, when the stern voice of their leader
+        called them back. <span class="tei tei-q">“Have you so soon forgotten
+        the blessing and the curse which the Lord your God hath set before
+        you? Has He not commanded you to keep holy the Sabbath-day, and will
+        you profane it by smiting with the sword?”</span> They obeyed the
+        command, though not without some murmurs from those who had not been
+        thoroughly schooled in the stern tenets of the Chasidim. Meanwhile
+        the enemy, a <span class="tei tei-pb" id="page153">[pg
+        153]</span><a name="Pg153" id="Pg153" class=
+        "tei tei-anchor"></a>strong force that had been sent out from the
+        garrison at Jerusalem, had come up. A herald from the officer in
+        command approached, and delivered a message in these terms:—</p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em"><span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“Philip the Governor, and Apollonius, captain of the
+        King’s army, bid you come forth from your hiding-place and deliver
+        yourselves up. Let your former transgressions against the King
+        suffice, and do now according to his commandment. So will he have
+        mercy upon you, and admit you to his grace.”</span></p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em">The answer of the
+        Jewish commander was brief and decisive: <span class="tei tei-q">“We
+        will not come forth, neither will we do according to the King’s
+        commandment.”</span></p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em">Then followed one
+        of the strangest scenes recorded in history. The peremptory refusal
+        of the proffered terms was followed in a few minutes by a shower of
+        missiles from the hostile force. The crowd at which they were aimed
+        made no attempt at resistance, or even at escape. They fell where
+        they stood, without lifting a hand, almost without uttering a cry.
+        There is no greater trial of an army’s discipline than to make it
+        stand and see its ranks thinned without being able to strike a blow
+        in return. But the soldiers who endure this trial endure it in the
+        hope of an hour that cannot be long delayed, when they shall reap the
+        reward of their patience in an assured victory. The Chasidim who
+        followed Abiathar had no such support in their endurance. They stood
+        like sheep for the slaughter, strong men <span class="tei tei-pb" id=
+        "page154">[pg 154]</span><a name="Pg154" id="Pg154" class=
+        "tei tei-anchor"></a>as they were, and conscious that they could save
+        themselves if they would. Not a stone did they throw in reply to the
+        missiles that were showered upon them; and when the hostile ranks
+        closed in, not till after some wondering delay, and began to finish
+        the bloody work with their swords, they still held their ground with
+        the same passive, unresisting courage.</p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em">To one man at
+        least the sword of the heathen brought that day a welcome release
+        from his troubles. Shallum, the wine-seller of Jerusalem, had been
+        consumed with remorse for the part which he had taken on the day when
+        he followed <span class="tei tei-q">“Bacchus and his reeling
+        train.”</span> The words haunted his mind with maddening repetition.
+        The stern doctrines of the Chasidim had exercised a singular
+        attraction for him, and though, stained as he was with sins for which
+        he could scarcely hope purification, he did not even propose to join
+        their ranks, he was a diligent attendant at their services and an
+        attentive listener to their teaching. This day he had stood on the
+        outskirts of the crowd, hearing with a rapt attention the promises
+        and denunciations of the Law, and listening to, though not daring to
+        join in, the chanted psalms. <span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“Perhaps,”</span> he said to himself, <span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“the sound of the holy music will rid me of that accursed
+        Bacchic chant which rings for ever in my ears.”</span> For a moment,
+        when the massacre began, that love of life which even the most
+        <span class="tei tei-pb" id="page155">[pg 155]</span><a name="Pg155"
+        id="Pg155" class="tei tei-anchor"></a>miserable scarcely ever loses
+        rose up strong in his heart. But he crushed it down. <span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“I have transgressed too often,”</span> he thought to
+        himself, <span class="tei tei-q">“the commandment of the Lord; let me
+        obey it at least this once, though I die.”</span> The next moment the
+        stroke of a Greek sword levelled him to the ground, and the Bacchic
+        chant vexed him no more.</p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em">Not a single man
+        of all that company—so strong was the contagion of enthusiasm among
+        them—made any effort to escape the fate that overtook his companions.
+        Still there was left a survivor to carry to Mattathias the news, at
+        once so terrible and so glorious, of that day’s doings. One of the
+        men had been felled to the ground by the blow of a stone at the first
+        discharge of the enemy’s missiles, and had been left for dead upon
+        the field. When he came to himself, late in the night, he found
+        himself the only living being among masses of the slain. His first
+        duty was obviously to carry tidings of the events to the
+        commander-in-chief, and he made his way to head-quarters as quickly
+        as his enfeebled condition permitted.</p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em">Mattathias saw
+        that this question of the Sabbath must be settled at once, and, if
+        the war was to be carried on with any prospect of success, settled on
+        the side of freedom. He called a council in the early morning of the
+        next day—the news had reached him about two hours after midnight. His
+        five sons were present, as were Azariah, and Seraiah, with
+        <span class="tei tei-pb" id="page156">[pg 156]</span><a name="Pg156"
+        id="Pg156" class="tei tei-anchor"></a>others who held command in the
+        patriot army. A long debate followed, for some of the Chasidim still
+        clung to their rigid opinions, even in the face of the disaster which
+        had happened, and the manifest probability, even certainty, of its
+        happening again. They answered with stern iteration to each appeal
+        that was made to them by the advocates of reason and moderation,
+        <span class="tei tei-q">“Thou shalt keep holy the
+        Sabbath-day.”</span> It was impossible to yield to them, and yet,
+        such was their courage and devotion, almost equally impossible to
+        break with them.</p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em">Mattathias, who
+        presided at the assembly, had left the debate to other speakers, and
+        had contented himself with keeping the peace between them, as far as
+        he could. At last he rose and delivered his opinion.</p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em"><span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“Brethren,”</span> he said, <span class="tei tei-q">“let
+        us take heed that we break not the Law while we seem to keep it. The
+        Lord hath commanded us that we shall not work our own works or do our
+        own pleasure upon His day. Shall we take occasion thereby to neglect
+        His work and leave undone His pleasure? The heathen have come into
+        His inheritance and devoured it. Shall we suffer them to usurp it for
+        ever? Say, too, ye that will not stretch out a finger to save the
+        people of the Lord from destruction because it is the Sabbath, do ye
+        not reach out your hand to save a brother or a sister or a neighbour,
+        yea, even a stranger upon that day, if it so chance that they be
+        overtaken by some instant need? Nay, more; do ye not pull
+        <span class="tei tei-pb" id="page157">[pg 157]</span><a name="Pg157"
+        id="Pg157" class="tei tei-anchor"></a>out an ox or an ass, if it be
+        fallen on that day into a pit? and will ye not pull out the Lord’s
+        people from the pit which the malice of their enemies shall have
+        digged for them? Listen, therefore, to my sentence. If the enemy come
+        upon us upon the Sabbath we will beat him back, God helping.
+        Nevertheless, if it may be so without damage to the Lord’s cause, we
+        will not march against him on that day. If there be sin in this
+        matter let it be upon me and my children.”</span></p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em">And as he spoke
+        the five young men, his sons, rose up in their places, and answered,
+        <span class="tei tei-hi"><span style=
+        "font-style: italic">Amen</span></span>.</p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em">The decision was
+        generally accepted and acted upon, though to the last some of the
+        more determined of the Chasidim avoided, as far as was possible, all
+        military action on the Sabbath.</p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em">The rule of
+        Sabbath observance was, however, still very strictly kept. It was two
+        or three days after the council described above had been held, when
+        one of the half-bandit, half-patriot recruits was discovered busily
+        employed in cleaning his armour on the Lord’s day. He was kept in
+        confinement till sunset, when the Sabbath was considered to end; a
+        council of war was hastily summoned to hear the case. The man pleaded
+        the recent decision of Mattathias, which had, he said, relaxed the
+        law of the Sabbath. It was answered to him that the cleaning of
+        armour was no necessary work, and that the distinction must now be
+        kept more strictly than <span class="tei tei-pb" id="page158">[pg
+        158]</span><a name="Pg158" id="Pg158" class=
+        "tei tei-anchor"></a>before, lest the people should fall into sin. He
+        then urged that his offence was an error, and might be atoned for by
+        a sin-offering.</p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em"><span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“Alas! my son,”</span> said Mattathias, <span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“the Temple is profaned; nor can there be any more either
+        sin-offering or peace-offering till it be purified. You must bear
+        your iniquity yourself.”</span></p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em">John the soldier,
+        who was unwilling that the army should lose one whose offence, after
+        all, had only been an excess of military zeal, and Simon, whose
+        gentle soul always was inclined to the milder course, voted for a
+        lighter punishment than death, but they were overruled. Even Judas
+        voted against them, knowing that such an army as theirs could only be
+        held together by the bond of an enthusiastic faith.</p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em"><span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“Give the glory to God,”</span> said the aged president
+        of the Court, when he had communicated his sentence to the prisoner,
+        <span class="tei tei-q">“and take your death patiently, knowing that
+        though you be judged according to men in the flesh, you shall live
+        according to God in the spirit.”</span> The man bowed his head in
+        submission, and repeated the confession of faith, <span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“Hear, O Israel, the Lord thy God is one
+        Lord.”</span></p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em"><span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“The Lord bless thee, my son,”</span> said Mattathias,
+        <span class="tei tei-q">“and take thee into Abraham’s
+        bosom.”</span></p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em">So the
+        transgressor died. And they buried him under a heap of stones to
+        which every passer-by made it his duty to add his tribute.</p>
+      </div>
+      <hr class="page" />
+
+      <div class="tei tei-div" style=
+      "margin-bottom: 5.00em; margin-top: 5.00em">
+        <span class="tei tei-pb" id="page159">[pg 159]</span><a name="Pg159"
+        id="Pg159" class="tei tei-anchor"></a> <a name="toc34" id=
+        "toc34"></a> <a name="pdf35" id="pdf35"></a>
+
+        <h1 class="tei tei-head" style=
+        "text-align: center; margin-bottom: 3.46em; margin-top: 3.46em">
+        <span style="font-size: 173%">CHAPTER XIII.</span><br />
+        <br />
+        <span class="tei tei-hi" style="text-align: center"><span style=
+        "font-size: 100%">GUERILLA WARFARE IN THE
+        MOUNTAINS.</span></span></h1>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em">Some weeks had
+        necessarily to pass before the patriot army could assume the
+        offensive. Some kind of drill was necessary, though Judas, who had
+        the chief direction of military affairs, did not attempt to teach his
+        men any elaborate manœuvres. But practice in sword-play and in
+        shooting with the bow was diligently attended to. A corps of slingers
+        was also formed under the command of one Sheba, a Benjamite, who
+        possessed that skill with his weapon which was characteristic of his
+        tribe. The sling was admirably suited to the kind of warfare which
+        they would have to wage. As long as there were stones there would not
+        be wanting missiles for the slings, while the supply of arrows would
+        be likely to fall short, and could not easily be renewed. Meanwhile
+        some rude anvils had been fitted up, and every one who could work as
+        a smith was pressed into the service of repairing old arms or making
+        new ones. <span class="tei tei-pb" id="page160">[pg
+        160]</span><a name="Pg160" id="Pg160" class="tei tei-anchor"></a>By
+        degrees many of the fighting men obtained an equipment which, if not
+        very handsome, was at least fairly effective. Some of the new
+        arrivals, too, were old soldiers, and brought their arms with them.
+        Jews who had enlisted in the armies of the various Asiatic kings
+        flocked to the standard of independence, when once it had been set
+        up. Even some of the well-paid mercenaries who formed the bodyguard
+        of Antiochus were patriotic enough to prefer to their luxurious
+        existence the privations of life among the mountains. It was a life
+        which, at the least, they could lead without offence.</p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em">It was winter when
+        Mattathias and his sons reached the mountains; and with the first
+        beginnings of spring the force under his command, now increased to a
+        respectable strength, commenced active operations. These were
+        extended over a considerable range of country to all the villages
+        that had submitted to the edicts of the heathen rulers of the land.
+        Even fortified towns, in several instances, were surprised, not, it
+        may be guessed, without the connivance of the patriotic party within
+        the walls. The idol altars which the King’s commissioners had set up
+        were thrown down with every circumstance of indignity. All stores
+        belonging to the usurping government were confiscated for the use of
+        the national forces. But private property was respected. Arms,
+        indeed, if they were likely to be useful, were taken, but always
+        taken at a price.</p><span class="tei tei-pb" id="page161">[pg
+        161]</span><a name="Pg161" id="Pg161" class="tei tei-anchor"></a>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em">Severe as was the
+        discipline, it met with a cheerful submission from the men, so
+        commanding was the influence exercised by their leaders. Conspicuous
+        among them were, of course, the sons of Mattathias. All were
+        favourites, but Judas and Simon took the lead. The strength, the
+        skill, and the daring of the first were such that he was absolutely
+        idolized by his troops. There was no task, however perilous, which
+        they would not attempt under his guidance, for there was nothing
+        which he did not seem capable of achieving. His physical strength was
+        enormous; and his fertility of resource unfailing. He had always some
+        new device for outwitting the enemy; and when the crisis of an
+        undertaking arrived, if an attacking party were to be helped up some
+        almost inaccessible height, a gate to be broken open by main force,
+        or a pass to be held against overwhelming odds, Judas was always
+        ready and always, it seemed, successful. Scarcely less honoured,
+        though in a different way, was the prudence and kindliness of Simon.
+        If Judas never failed in an attempt it was, in part at least, because
+        Simon’s advice was so uniformly sagacious, because he could measure
+        so exactly the means at their command. And when the fighting was
+        over, no one could be more unwearying in his attentions to the
+        wounded. The voice which rang so loud and clear through the din of
+        battle was now soft and caressing, and the touch <span class=
+        "tei tei-pb" id="page162">[pg 162]</span><a name="Pg162" id="Pg162"
+        class="tei tei-anchor"></a>of his hand was as gentle and tender as if
+        it had been a woman’s.</p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em">Such leaders could
+        do anything with their troops, even when they had to task their
+        obedience by the infliction of punishment. Even such men as the
+        ex-robber Benjamin felt what may be called the infection of
+        discipline. He had accompanied one of the expeditions, in which a
+        select force of patriots, after marching forty miles within
+        twenty-four hours, surprised a squadron of Greek cavalry in one of
+        the towns of Galilee. A short but sharp conflict took place in the
+        square of the town, and Benjamin had borne himself with conspicuous
+        courage. The struggle over, the soldiers had received entertainment,
+        not in every case very willingly given, from the inhabitants of the
+        town. Benjamin happened to be quartered upon a particularly churlish
+        host, and resenting the coarse and scanty fare, so unsuited to the
+        wealth apparent in all the fittings of the house, had revenged
+        himself by abstracting a rich cloak belonging to his miserly
+        entertainer. The article was stowed away on his own person, but the
+        keen eye of one of the Chasidim officers espied it; the thief was
+        denounced when the force had reached the encampment, and brought
+        before the council, which was held under the presidency of Judas. The
+        culprit pleaded in vain the shabby treatment which he had received.
+        It was not for him, he was told, to take the law into his own
+        <span class="tei tei-pb" id="page163">[pg 163]</span><a name="Pg163"
+        id="Pg163" class="tei tei-anchor"></a>hands. When he urged that the
+        man was a traitor to his country he was asked whether he had himself
+        taken the cloak from patriotic motives. <span class="tei tei-q">“Did
+        you purpose,”</span> said Judas, going to the point with
+        characteristic directness, <span class="tei tei-q">“to make this a
+        common possession, or to take it for yourself?”</span> Benjamin
+        faltered under this searching question, and had no answer to give.
+        Then Judas pronounced his sentence: <span class="tei tei-q">“In old
+        time he who had offended in this manner, as did Achan in the matter
+        of the spoils of Jericho, died the death. These times are not equal
+        to a justice so strict. But what the law enjoins that you will
+        suffer. Were such sin as yours to go unpunished we could expect no
+        blessing on our arms. We should become, not what we would be, the
+        armies of the Lord, but a horde of robbers. You will receive forty
+        stripes save one; if you offend again, you die.”</span></p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em">Without a murmur
+        the culprit bared his shoulders for the lash. When the whip had once
+        fallen Judas stayed the executioner’s hand. <span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“Benjamin,”</span> he said, <span class="tei tei-q">“you
+        have done ill, but you have also done well. You saved from death our
+        brother Seraiah as he lay wounded under the feet of the horsemen. For
+        this good deed the rest of the punishment is remitted. Go, and sin no
+        more.”</span></p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em">Seraiah indeed had
+        been so seriously wounded that he had to be carried back to the camp
+        on a litter rudely constructed of boards, and Ruth was now
+        <span class="tei tei-pb" id="page164">[pg 164]</span><a name="Pg164"
+        id="Pg164" class="tei tei-anchor"></a>nursing him in the cave which
+        had been originally set apart for their dwelling, and which they
+        still retained. It was a miserable abode, though it at least afforded
+        shelter from the rain. Indeed the lot of the women and children in
+        the patriot encampment was full of suffering. The men had the
+        constant excitement of their warfare to cheer them, but the women had
+        only to toil and to endure. In the day the drought consumed them, and
+        the frost by night. They had none of the comforts of life. Their food
+        was coarse in the extreme, and often very scanty. But, perhaps, their
+        greatest trial was in the matter of clothes. The stock which they had
+        brought with them from their homes was, for the most part, worn out,
+        and it was only on rare occasions, when some property of the heathen
+        fell into the hands of the patriots, that any part of it could be
+        replenished. Sheepskins and goatskins dried in the sun were commonly
+        used, what remained of their wardrobes being reserved for special
+        occasions.</p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em">Some time after
+        the incident described above a serious trouble came upon Azariah.
+        Miriam, his elder daughter, when she returned one day from her usual
+        task of gathering herbs to eke out the family meal, complained of
+        headache. It was evident that she was suffering from sunstroke. As
+        the spring advanced the heat in some of the narrow mountain valleys
+        became exceedingly oppressive, and the town-bred child felt it
+        acutely. For some <span class="tei tei-pb" id="page165">[pg
+        165]</span><a name="Pg165" id="Pg165" class="tei tei-anchor"></a>days
+        her life was in danger, all the greater because she had neither
+        medical attendance nor skilful nursing. Ruth did all she could for
+        the little sufferer, but then Ruth had her own husband to attend to,
+        for, though recovering from his wound, he needed much care, and her
+        child was still too young to be left alone. One or two visits in the
+        day was all that she could give. For the most part the girl’s father
+        was her nurse, the little Judith giving such help as she could. Love
+        gave a lightness and tenderness to his touch, and supplied the place
+        of skill in that marvellous way which is so often possible to love.
+        Day after day, as he sat by the bedside, and watched his charge, the
+        girl’s face, now pale and wasted, and aged as it was with suffering,
+        reminded him more and more of his lost Hannah. He lived over the
+        happy past that they had known before the evil days began, the time
+        when their first acquaintance as youth and maiden had ripened into
+        love, and the early years of their wedded life. Thus he began to live
+        in a world of imagination, while the sordid circumstances of the
+        present seemed to make no impression upon him, though he always
+        retained a punctual recollection of the duties that belonged to his
+        attendance upon the sick.</p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em">One day Ruth had
+        come in to pay the daily visit for which, however engrossing her own
+        occupations, she always contrived to find an opportunity. The
+        <span class="tei tei-pb" id="page166">[pg 166]</span><a name="Pg166"
+        id="Pg166" class="tei tei-anchor"></a>patient was in a sound sleep,
+        with the little Judith for her sole attendant, Azariah having
+        received an urgent summons to attend a council of war, in which some
+        subject with which he was especially acquainted was to be
+        discussed.</p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em">After a few
+        minutes Azariah returned, but without any of the signs of agitation
+        or haste that might be expected from one hurrying back to the
+        performance of a duty that he had been compelled to neglect. His
+        sister wondered to see him so calm, and she was still more surprised
+        when he went on to say—</p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em"><span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“How like the child is growing to my dear
+        Hannah!”</span></p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em">Ruth had often
+        thought the same, but had not ventured to say so, for Azariah had
+        never mentioned his dead wife.</p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em"><span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“Yes,”</span> she answered, <span class="tei tei-q">“I
+        have often thought so.”</span></p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em"><span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“I have had some happy times of late. Before I could not
+        get out of my mind the dreadful sight of her face when I last saw
+        it.”</span> He paused for a moment, overpowered by the recollection,
+        but soon resumed in a cheerful voice: <span class="tei tei-q">“But
+        now in this dear child I seem to see her as she was in those happy
+        Bethlehem days before our marriage, and again in the still happier
+        time we had together in Jerusalem.”</span></p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em"><span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“But does it not trouble you to leave the child
+        alone?”</span></p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em"><span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“Nay, sister, she is not alone. Nor do I speak of
+        <span class="tei tei-pb" id="page167">[pg 167]</span><a name="Pg167"
+        id="Pg167" class="tei tei-anchor"></a>our dear little Judith
+        here.”</span> And he stroked the little girl’s head, and bade her go
+        and play outside, but be careful not to go into the sun.</p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em"><span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“Believe me,”</span> he went on, <span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“that when I am not here, Miriam’s angel is with her.
+        Perhaps you will think me mad when I say that I have seen, and that
+        not once or twice only, the flash of white garments vanishing in the
+        darkness as I came into the cave. And last night, as I sat here,
+        dreaming, it may be, but certainly seeing everything in the cave as
+        plainly as I see it this moment, the angel came with the little
+        babe—our little David that my Hannah took with her to Paradise—to
+        kiss his sick sister. And when Miriam awoke about an hour after dawn,
+        the fever had left her.”</span></p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em">At this moment the
+        girl opened her eyes. <span class="tei tei-q">“Oh, father,”</span>
+        she cried, <span class="tei tei-q">“did you indeed see little brother
+        last night?—for I saw him too; but I did not see that an angel was
+        carrying him. He seemed to be in the air somehow, with no one holding
+        him up. And he had beautiful white clothes—not these nasty sheepskins
+        and goatskins that we have to wear—and he stretched out his hands to
+        me, and kissed me, and I felt that moment as if that dreadful burning
+        had gone out of me. And oh! there was such a wonderful look upon his
+        face. It was just like the look on dear mother’s face that evening
+        when the sun was just setting, and you took little brother up in your
+        arms, and said his name was David.”</span></p><span class=
+        "tei tei-pb" id="page168">[pg 168]</span><a name="Pg168" id="Pg168"
+        class="tei tei-anchor"></a>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em">Ruth could only
+        listen to such talk with wonder and awe. But she went back to her
+        husband and child with a lighter heart than she had borne for many
+        days.</p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em">But a trouble was
+        at hand which, though it had been for some time foreseen, was great
+        enough to make private sorrows and anxieties seem inconsiderable. It
+        was reported through the encampment that Mattathias, the father of
+        his people, was dying.</p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em">The old man’s
+        health had been failing for some time. The hardships of his new life
+        had told grievously upon it, all the more that he refused the
+        exemption from labour which his age required. He had ceased to
+        accompany the expeditions because he found that his presence hampered
+        the movements of younger and stronger men, but the management of the
+        multifarious affairs of the encampment—the home administration, as it
+        may be called, of the patriotic movement—he kept in his own hands.
+        Early and late he busied himself in this work, and before many weeks
+        were past his labours wore him out.</p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em">He was well aware
+        that the end had come, and that all that remained for him to do was
+        to appoint a successor who should accomplish, or at least carry
+        on—for he did not deceive himself as to the difficulty of the
+        work—the task which he had commenced. All the leaders were summoned
+        to his <span class="tei tei-pb" id="page169">[pg 169]</span><a name=
+        "Pg169" id="Pg169" class="tei tei-anchor"></a>presence, the wounded
+        Seraiah, for whose capacity and serene courage the old chief had a
+        high regard, being carried thither on a litter. The old man was
+        propped in his bed on cushions, the difficulty of breathing making it
+        impossible for him to lie down. On either side stood his five sons,
+        John, the eldest, being at his right hand, with Eleazar and Jonathan
+        near him, while Simon and Judas were on the left. A physician, the
+        solitary professor of the healing art that the camp possessed, sat by
+        the bed’s foot, with a cup of some cordial in his hand.</p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em"><a name="i_187"
+        id="i_187" class="tei tei-anchor"></a><a name="fig36" id=
+        "fig36"></a></p>
+
+        <div class="tei tei-figure" style="text-align: center">
+          <img src="images/i_187.jpg" alt="The Last Charge of Mattathias"
+          title="The Last Charge of Mattathias." />
+
+          <div class="tei tei-head" style=
+          "text-align: center; margin-bottom: 1.00em; margin-top: 1.00em">
+            <span class="tei tei-hi" style="text-align: center"><span style=
+            "font-style: italic">The Last Charge of Mattathias.</span></span>
+          </div>
+        </div>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em">The old man began
+        by laying his hand on John’s head. <span class="tei tei-q">“My
+        son,”</span> he said, <span class="tei tei-q">“for your loyalty and
+        faithful obedience I thank the Lord that gave me so excellent a son
+        for my first-born. You know what it is in my mind to do with respect
+        to the succession of my work, and I am assured that you approve. But
+        for the sake of those that stand by,”</span>—and he pointed to the
+        assembled chiefs—<span class="tei tei-q">“I solemnly declare that for
+        no defect of courage or honesty I pass you by. And say if you are
+        content to leave it according to what seems best to my
+        judgment.”</span></p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em"><span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“Father,”</span> said the faithful John, <span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“I am content.”</span></p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em">Simon beckoned to
+        the physician, who handed the cup of cordial to the dying man. He
+        swallowed a few drops, and then went on:</p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em"><span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“Hear, my friends and brethren. In the distribution of my
+        worldly goods I follow custom and law. The inheritance of my fathers
+        I give to my <span class="tei tei-pb" id="page170">[pg
+        170]</span><a name="Pg170" id="Pg170" class=
+        "tei tei-anchor"></a>eldest born, according to the custom of the
+        birthright; and I direct that the younger shall have such portions as
+        are due to them. But I have that to give which has been entrusted to
+        me of the Lord, and with which I must deal according to His pleasure,
+        so far as it is given to me to know it. Simon, I will that thou be
+        the father of the people. Care for them as for thy children. Do
+        justice between man and man. Strive to the utmost that they keep the
+        Law of the Lord their God. He has given thee prudence and discernment
+        and knowledge of the customs of our fathers. See that thou use these
+        things for the glory of the Lord and the good of the people. Judas, I
+        will that thou be captain of the host. Be stout and of a good
+        courage, and the Lord shall fight on thy side, and give thee the
+        victory. The end is not yet, and maybe thou wilt not see it with
+        thine eyes; but, though it tarry, wait for it. <span class=
+        "tei tei-q">‘For they that go on their way weeping, bearing precious
+        seed, shall doubtless come again with joy, and bring their sheaves
+        with them.’</span> ”</span></p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em">He then addressed
+        a few words to the two other sons, words of mingled encouragement and
+        advice. This done he stretched out his hands, and, with a voice of
+        surprising firmness in one so weak, blessed the whole assembly,
+        repeated the usual profession of an Israelite’s faith, and then drew
+        his last breath without a struggle.</p>
+      </div>
+      <hr class="page" />
+
+      <div class="tei tei-div" style=
+      "margin-bottom: 5.00em; margin-top: 5.00em">
+        <span class="tei tei-pb" id="page171">[pg 171]</span><a name="Pg171"
+        id="Pg171" class="tei tei-anchor"></a> <a name="toc37" id=
+        "toc37"></a> <a name="pdf38" id="pdf38"></a>
+
+        <h1 class="tei tei-head" style=
+        "text-align: center; margin-bottom: 3.46em; margin-top: 3.46em">
+        <span style="font-size: 173%">CHAPTER XIV.</span><br />
+        <br />
+        <span class="tei tei-hi" style="text-align: center"><span style=
+        "font-size: 100%">THE BURIAL OF MATTATHIAS.</span></span></h1>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em">Judas and his
+        brothers sat late into the night consulting about a daring scheme
+        which the new captain of the host proposed.</p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em"><span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“It would be an unseemly thing,”</span> he said,
+        <span class="tei tei-q">“that Mattathias, the son of Asmon, should be
+        thrust into a hole among the rocks as if he were an outcast or a
+        robber. Verily we will bury him with his fathers in the sepulchre of
+        Asmon.”</span></p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em"><span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“’Twill be no easy matter to contrive,”</span> said
+        Jonathan, the man of many devices. <span class="tei tei-q">“The
+        sepulchre is hard by the town, and we can scarcely avoid the eyes of
+        the people in coming and going.”</span></p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em"><span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“Nay, Jonathan, I have no purpose of doing the thing in
+        secret. It would not be well to bury my father by stealth in his own
+        sepulchre. It shall be done openly, and before the eyes of
+        men.”</span></p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em">The brothers, bold
+        men as they were, were aston<span class="tei tei-pb" id="page172">[pg
+        172]</span><a name="Pg172" id="Pg172" class=
+        "tei tei-anchor"></a>ished at the hardihood of the plan. But their
+        respect for the genius of Judas silenced any opposition. And then he
+        had never failed in any enterprise. John was the first to speak.</p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em"><span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“’Tis well thought of, Judas. Lead the way, and I
+        follow;”</span> and he clasped his brother’s hand.</p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em">The captain then
+        developed his plan, which, when examined, seemed less audacious than
+        it had appeared at first sight. It was to be a surprise, and the very
+        unlikelihood of the attempt made its success more probable. Modin was
+        not occupied by a garrison, and the townsfolk, even if their goodwill
+        could not be counted on, would scarcely venture to resist. Only it
+        would be necessary to act before any rumour of their intention could
+        get about, and, the funeral march once begun, to hasten it to a
+        completion as much as possible.</p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em">The body was at
+        once preserved against decay as far as the scanty means at the
+        command of the patriots would allow. Then word was sent through the
+        encampment that all who wished to take their last look at the dead
+        hero must come at once. For three hours a constant stream of
+        awestruck and weeping visitors passed through the tent in which he
+        lay, attired in his priestly garb, the long white beard reaching
+        almost to his waist, his wasted features settled into the majestic
+        repose of death. Every visitor as he entered loosed his sandals from
+        his feet, feeling that the place which he was entering was
+        <span class="tei tei-pb" id="page173">[pg 173]</span><a name="Pg173"
+        id="Pg173" class="tei tei-anchor"></a>holy ground. Every one, as he
+        took his last look on the hero’s face, prayed to the God of his
+        fathers that his last end might be like his. Women brought their
+        children that they might kiss the hem of his garment. It would be a
+        distinction to them in their old age that they had been privileged to
+        pay this honour to Mattathias, the son of Asmon.</p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em">Before dawn the
+        procession started. The body, in its rude coffin of wood, was placed
+        upon a bier, thirty bearers taking it in turns to carry it. The
+        thirty were divided into five relays of six, one of the sons of the
+        dead being always among those who performed the duty. With the
+        exception of a small force which was left for the protection of the
+        women and children, all the fighting men of the settlement
+        accompanied the body. In spite of the efforts which had been made to
+        procure or manufacture arms, they were still but poorly equipped. Of
+        military display, of the <span class="tei tei-q">“pomp and
+        circumstance of glorious war,”</span> there was absolutely nothing.
+        But the solid qualities of endurance and courage could be seen in
+        their sinewy forms and resolute faces. To an observer who could look
+        below the surface that squalid array had in it the capacity for
+        achieving an heroic success.</p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em">Judas had been
+        quite right in predicting that the expedition would meet with little
+        or no opposition. Its march, indeed, was absolutely unmolested by the
+        enemy. The movement was wholly unexpected, and <span class=
+        "tei tei-pb" id="page174">[pg 174]</span><a name="Pg174" id="Pg174"
+        class="tei tei-anchor"></a>consequently no force had been collected
+        to hinder it; while the garrisons of the two or three fortified
+        places which the army passed on its route did not feel themselves
+        strong enough to attempt any attack. Already, though as yet no
+        pitched battle had been fought, these Jewish <span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“Ironsides”</span> had inspired their enemies with a
+        wholesome dread of their prowess. Both Greeks and renegades knew that
+        these ragged, ill-armed mountaineers stood as stoutly and plied their
+        swords as fiercely as any soldiers in the world.</p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em">No incident
+        occurred in the course of the march save one, which, though little
+        thought of at the time, was destined to lead to events of
+        considerable importance. When the first halt was called, Benjamin,
+        who was a well-known personage in the neighbourhood, and who in
+        spite, perhaps in consequence, of his antecedents enjoyed not a
+        little popularity, found entertainment in the house of an old
+        acquaintance. The man was a farmer, who had been accustomed to make a
+        handsome profit by supplying the bandits with useful information.
+        Recognizing his old accomplice in the ranks of the patriot army, he
+        invited him into his house, and entertained him with his best.
+        Unfortunately this best happened to be some salted swine’s flesh.
+        Benjamin had some scruple about eating it; but it was not strong
+        enough to resist the claims of a ravenous hunger, supported as they
+        were by his entertainer’s ridicule. <span class="tei tei-pb" id=
+        "page175">[pg 175]</span><a name="Pg175" id="Pg175" class=
+        "tei tei-anchor"></a>The meal was washed down by the contents of two
+        or three flasks of potent wine, and the friends were so busily
+        occupied with discussing these, and with talking over old times, that
+        the signal for assembly passed unnoticed. Then followed a search for
+        stragglers, and Benjamin was discovered with the fragments of his
+        meal before him; and though his hunger had stripped the bones bare
+        enough, no one could doubt what was the animal to which they had
+        belonged.</p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em">The offender had
+        been caught, so to speak, red-handed, and some voices were raised to
+        demand his instant execution. But the officer in command of the
+        detachment interposed. In any case he would have objected to a
+        proceeding of which Judas would certainly have disapproved, and he
+        had besides a certain kindness for Benjamin, of whose courage and
+        dexterity he had been more than once a witness. Accordingly the
+        offender was put under close arrest, and the army resumed its
+        march.</p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em">Benjamin had no
+        need to be told that he was in very serious danger. The Chasidim, at
+        least, would be more ready to overlook fifty thefts than one
+        transgression in the matter of unclean food; and he felt sure that if
+        he could not contrive to escape before the army returned to the
+        encampment, possibly before they reached Modin, his days were
+        numbered. While he was meditating on the chances of escape, one of
+        the escort, an associate of former days, was <span class="tei tei-pb"
+        id="page176">[pg 176]</span><a name="Pg176" id="Pg176" class=
+        "tei tei-anchor"></a>thinking how he could help him. Happening to be
+        in front of the prisoner, he purposely stumbled and fell. The
+        prisoner fell over him, and in the confusion the soldier cut the
+        cords that bound Benjamin’s hands. The prisoner was not a man to lose
+        such an opportunity. Waiting till he reached a convenient spot on the
+        march, he shook off his bonds, sprang to the side of the road, and,
+        before his keepers could recover from their astonishment, was lost to
+        sight in the woods which bordered it.</p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em">When the army
+        reached Modin no attempt was made to interfere with its proceedings.
+        Our old acquaintance, Cleon, had been sent to replace the
+        commissioner killed when Mattathias raised the standard of revolt,
+        and Cleon was far too careful of himself to risk his safety in any
+        foolhardy struggle against superior strength. When the body of armed
+        men was first seen approaching the town, he had supposed that its
+        object was to possess itself of any money, arms, or provisions that
+        might be found in the place. A nearer view showed the funeral
+        procession, and one of the townspeople was acute enough to guess the
+        real purpose of the expedition. Cleon’s resolve was at once taken. He
+        would make the best of circumstances which he could not control.
+        Accordingly he went out of the town with a flag of truce in his hand,
+        and meeting the vanguard of the approaching array, demanded an
+        interview with its leader.</p><span class="tei tei-pb" id=
+        "page177">[pg 177]</span><a name="Pg177" id="Pg177" class=
+        "tei tei-anchor"></a>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em">He was brought
+        into the presence of Judas.</p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em"><span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“May I ask,”</span> he said, <span class="tei tei-q">“the
+        purpose of your coming?”</span></p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em"><span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“We are come to bury Mattathias, son of Asmon, in the
+        sepulchre of his fathers,”</span> was the brief reply.</p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em"><span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“And you, sir,”</span> continued the Greek, with
+        elaborate courtesy, <span class="tei tei-q">“may I ask to whom I am
+        speaking?”</span></p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em"><span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“I am Judas, son of Mattathias.”</span></p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em"><span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“Allow me, then,”</span> answered Cleon, <span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“to express my sympathy with you in the loss of so
+        renowned a father, once, I believe, a distinguished citizen of this
+        place, and to assure you that you will meet with no molestation in
+        whatever honours you may see fit to render to his memory. I would
+        myself willingly attend the obsequies, did I suppose that my presence
+        would be welcome.”</span></p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em"><span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“We thank you, sir,”</span> said Judas, who was inwardly
+        chafing at this hypocritical politeness, but disdained to show his
+        feelings; <span class="tei tei-q">“we would sooner be
+        alone.”</span></p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em">Cleon saluted and
+        withdrew.</p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em">The funeral
+        ceremonies were performed with an impressive solemnity. The stone
+        which closed the entrance to the family tomb of the house of Asmon
+        had been rolled away, and the dead body was placed in the niche which
+        had been long ago prepared for its reception. Only the sons of
+        Mattathias and a few <span class="tei tei-pb" id="page178">[pg
+        178]</span><a name="Pg178" id="Pg178" class="tei tei-anchor"></a>of
+        their best trusted counsellors and lieutenants entered the cave; the
+        rest of the multitude stood without, waiting in profound silence till
+        they should be told that the old warrior had been laid in his last
+        resting-place.</p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em">When the cave had
+        been closed again John, as the eldest son of the deceased, spoke a
+        few words to the army.</p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em"><span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“We have buried our dead,”</span> he said, <span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“out of our sight; but his memory lives and will live
+        among us. Let us be true and faithful as he was, that we may be with
+        him when he shall rise again at the last day, and sit down with
+        Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob at the supper of the people of God.
+        Meanwhile let us follow and obey him whom with his last breath he
+        named as his successor. Long live Judas, son of Mattathias, son of
+        Asmon, the captain of the host of the Lord!”</span></p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em">And all the army
+        shouted their approval.</p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em">Cleon had followed
+        up his courtesies by an invitation addressed to Judas and his
+        principal officers, in which he begged the honour of their company at
+        a meal. Judas declined the invitation, but intimated that he would
+        gladly purchase a supply of corn. The commissioner, well aware that
+        his guests could take by force anything that was refused to them, at
+        once acceded to the request, and Micah was selected, on account of
+        his familiarity with the Greek language, to conduct the
+        transaction.</p><span class="tei tei-pb" id="page179">[pg
+        179]</span><a name="Pg179" id="Pg179" class="tei tei-anchor"></a>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em">The details of the
+        business arranged with the commissioner’s secretary, Micah received a
+        message from the great man himself, begging for the pleasure of an
+        interview.</p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em"><span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“What!”</span> cried Cleon, affecting a surprise which he
+        did not really feel, <span class="tei tei-q">“is this my old friend
+        Menander whom I see?”</span></p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em"><span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“My name is Micah,”</span> said the Jew, not without a
+        feeling of disgust and shame as his mind reverted to the past.</p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em"><span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“As you please,”</span> said Cleon. <span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“By whatever name you may please to call yourself, I hope
+        that we shall always be good friends. But tell me, what is the
+        meaning of this disguise?”</span></p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em"><span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“I know not what you mean by disguise.”</span></p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em"><span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“I mean these rags, which a scarecrow would hardly
+        condescend to wear; that battered helmet, which looks as if the boys
+        had been kicking it for a month about the market-place; that
+        deplorably shabby sword, which even a rag-and-bone man would be
+        ashamed to hang up in his shop. Is this the elegant Menander—I beg
+        your pardon, the elegant Micah, who was once the very pink of
+        neatness and fashion?”</span></p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em"><span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“As for my past follies, you may laugh at them as you
+        will, nor can I deny that you are in the right. But of these rags, as
+        you are pleased to call them, of these shabby arms, I am not ashamed.
+        I have come to myself. The things that I once prized I <span class=
+        "tei tei-pb" id="page180">[pg 180]</span><a name="Pg180" id="Pg180"
+        class="tei tei-anchor"></a>count as dung, and for that which I once
+        despised I would gladly die.”</span></p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em"><span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“Why, what madness is this? What have you got to live
+        for? How can you support existence among this deplorable crew of
+        beggars and outlaws, with not a man among them, I will warrant, who
+        has the least taste of culture, or the faintest tincture of
+        art?”</span></p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em"><span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“These <span class="tei tei-q">‘beggars and
+        outlaws,’</span> as you call them, are the soldiers of the Lord; and
+        you will find that they are enemies not to be despised, that these
+        battered helmets can turn a blow, and these jagged swords can deal
+        one that will make its way through all your finery.”</span></p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em"><span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“But, my dear friend—I may call you so, I suppose, in
+        spite of any little difference of opinion there may be between
+        us?”</span></p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em">The Jew made no
+        motion of assent.</p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em"><span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“Well, you cannot be deceiving yourself as to the utter
+        hopelessness of your attempt. Why, when you come to meet our troops
+        in regular battle, you will disappear like chaff before the wind. You
+        may take a few places by surprise, but you have no more chance of
+        winning a regular victory than a dove has of killing a kite. Come
+        now, be reasonable; give up this silly affair, and be my guest, till
+        we can find something suitable for you to do. I will set you up with
+        some new clothes, to which you are perfectly welcome. And I will
+        warrant that in a few days <span class="tei tei-pb" id="page181">[pg
+        181]</span><a name="Pg181" id="Pg181" class="tei tei-anchor"></a>you
+        will be wondering that you were ever foolish enough to undertake such
+        a wildgoose business as this.”</span></p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em"><span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“Your gifts be to yourself. Nay, Cleon,”</span> he soon
+        went on to say, in a softer tone, <span class="tei tei-q">“I would
+        not speak harshly to you for the sake of old kindnesses which I doubt
+        not you meant well in showing me. But be sure that I am in earnest.
+        The old things are hateful to me. I have other desires, other hopes;
+        and if they are not satisfied, not fulfilled, I can at least die for
+        them.”</span></p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em"><span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“Die for them, indeed! <span class=
+        "tei tei-hi"><span style="font-style: italic">That</span></span>, my
+        dear Micah, is only too likely, and die, I am afraid, in an
+        exceedingly unpleasant way. It is simple madness to suppose that a
+        crowd of ragamuffins, under a general—Apollo save the mark!—who has
+        never seen a battle, can stand against the troops of the King. You
+        used to be a very good fellow, Menander or Micah, or whatever you
+        call yourself, but, as sure as you are sitting there, if you go on in
+        this mad fashion, I shall have the pain of seeing you some day
+        hanging on a cross.”</span></p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em">At the sound of
+        the word the young Jew started as if he had been stabbed. It opened
+        the way for a flood of memories which, for a while, carried him out
+        of himself. When he could command himself sufficiently to speak, he
+        burst out—</p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em"><span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“Yes—hanging on a cross! Nothing more likely if only you
+        and your friends get their way. You talk <span class="tei tei-pb" id=
+        "page182">[pg 182]</span><a name="Pg182" id="Pg182" class=
+        "tei tei-anchor"></a>of taste, and art, and beauty: you have always
+        plenty of fine words on your tongues, but when it comes to practice
+        you are as brutal as the fiercest of the savages whom you profess to
+        despise—nay, you are ten times worse, for you know what you are
+        doing. Now, listen to me, Cleon. Some six months ago I was walking
+        through Jerusalem after your teachers of culture and art had been
+        busy giving their lessons. What think you I saw? I saw a woman
+        hanging on a cross, and her little son, a babe of a few days old,
+        fastened about her neck. Thank God they were dead. Some one of your
+        people had in mercy—for you are not altogether without
+        mercy—strangled her before they fastened her to the cross. And what
+        was her offence? Was she unchaste, a thief, a murderer? Not so; no
+        purer, gentler soul ever lived on the earth. No, she had done for her
+        son as her fathers for a thousand years and more had done for their
+        sons. And this was how your prophets of refinement and beauty dealt
+        with her. Cleon, that woman was my sister. Do you think that such
+        deeds as that will go unpunished? Surely not; whether your faith—if
+        you have a faith—or mine be true, there is a vengeance that
+        follows—slow, it may be, but sure of foot—the men who work such
+        wickedness. And, for my part, I doubt not who the first minister of
+        that vengeance will be. You sneer at our general; he is no general at
+        all, you think; a mere leader of <span class="tei tei-pb" id=
+        "page183">[pg 183]</span><a name="Pg183" id="Pg183" class=
+        "tei tei-anchor"></a>vagabonds, who has never seen a battle. He will
+        see many a battle, yea, and the back of many a foe, before his work
+        is done. He is a very Hammer of God, and he will break his enemies to
+        pieces. And now, Cleon, hearken again to me. You and I have broken
+        bread together as friends. That is past for ever. May the God of my
+        fathers send down upon me all the plagues that He holds in the vials
+        of His wrath, if I have any truce with the enemies of His people! But
+        with you, as I would not join hands in friendship, so I would not
+        cross them in anger. Pray, therefore, to your gods, as I will
+        certainly pray to Him whom I worship, that we may never see each
+        other again. And now farewell!”</span></p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em">The expedition
+        returned to the mountains without mishap.</p>
+      </div>
+      <hr class="page" />
+
+      <div class="tei tei-div" style=
+      "margin-bottom: 5.00em; margin-top: 5.00em">
+        <span class="tei tei-pb" id="page184">[pg 184]</span><a name="Pg184"
+        id="Pg184" class="tei tei-anchor"></a> <a name="toc39" id=
+        "toc39"></a> <a name="pdf40" id="pdf40"></a>
+
+        <h1 class="tei tei-head" style=
+        "text-align: center; margin-bottom: 3.46em; margin-top: 3.46em">
+        <span style="font-size: 173%">CHAPTER XV.</span><br />
+        <br />
+        <span class="tei tei-hi" style="text-align: center"><span style=
+        "font-size: 100%">THE SWORD OF APOLLONIUS.</span></span></h1>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em">The daring action
+        of Judas at Modin was a defiance to the rulers at Jerusalem, and felt
+        to be so, not only by them, but by the whole country. It was followed
+        up by active operations on the part of the patriots against the
+        smaller towns of south-eastern Palestine. The population began to
+        feel that it was safer to be on the side of the patriots than against
+        them. Thanks to this feeling, to the genuine favour with which the
+        movement was regarded, and to the perfect system of scouts which he
+        had organized, Judas had early and trustworthy information of all the
+        movements of the enemy. Apollonius had made up his mind that he must
+        act if he was not to lose entirely his hold upon the country, and set
+        about organizing a force so overwhelmingly strong that it must, he
+        thought, sweep the insurgents before it. This intention, and indeed,
+        it may almost be said, every detail of his preparations, was
+        communicated to Judas. He, on his part, was determined that a
+        <span class="tei tei-pb" id="page185">[pg 185]</span><a name="Pg185"
+        id="Pg185" class="tei tei-anchor"></a>heathen army should never again
+        invade the mountain sanctuary. He would not await attack. His
+        military instincts, which, indeed, were extraordinarily fine and
+        true, warned him that boldness was now his best policy, and that he
+        should go down and give battle to the enemy.</p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em">It was on the eve
+        of the departure of the patriot army, when Seraiah might have been
+        seen making his way back from a conference of the chiefs to the cave
+        which served him as a dwelling. He was now recovering from his wound,
+        but he was still too weak to support the fatigues of a march.
+        Accordingly Judas had left him in command of the little garrison,
+        scarcely, indeed, containing one able-bodied man, which was to
+        protect the encampment. When he reached his home he found his nieces,
+        Miriam and Judith, sitting with his wife, and watching the infant
+        that was slumbering by her side.</p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em"><span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“See,”</span> said Judith, as the child smiled in his
+        sleep, <span class="tei tei-q">“his angel is whispering to him. Oh,
+        uncle, have you ever seen the angel?”</span></p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em">She prattled on
+        without waiting for an answer. <span class="tei tei-q">“Father sees
+        angels, and they bring him words from mother, where she is in
+        Paradise. And, do you know, uncle, last night he had a wonderful
+        dream about a sword? He told it to us this morning. He often tells us
+        his dreams. Sometimes he seems as if he were talking to mother; and
+        he says that Miriam is so like her.”</span></p><span class=
+        "tei tei-pb" id="page186">[pg 186]</span><a name="Pg186" id="Pg186"
+        class="tei tei-anchor"></a>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em"><span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“Well, Judith, and what was the dream?”</span> said
+        Ruth.</p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em"><span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“Father saw a mighty angel—one of the cherubim, you know,
+        that father says God sends abroad to do His errands—come flying down,
+        and the angel had in his hand a great sword. And he stood by father’s
+        bed, and showed him a name graven on the blade—it was the name which
+        we may not speak, though it is part of father’s name<a id="noteref_8"
+        name="noteref_8" href="#note_8"><span class=
+        "tei tei-noteref"><span style=
+        "font-size: 60%; vertical-align: super">8</span></span></a>—and when
+        he had done this he put the hilt in his hand and departed. Then
+        father awoke, and found only his own old sword in his hand; and this,
+        you know, is so hacked that it is not of much use, and is very weak,
+        too, in the handle. Father never sleeps without it, and he must have
+        drawn it out in his sleep, without knowing it, from under the pillow
+        where he keeps it. But he says the dream will certainly come true.
+        And now, Miriam,”</span> she went on, turning to her sister, for the
+        little maiden was of the true housewife temper, <span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“we must be going back to get father’s dinner ready for
+        him.”</span></p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em">When they were
+        left alone Seraiah said to Ruth, <span class="tei tei-q">“It is as I
+        feared—I am to stay behind.”</span></p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em">Ruth felt a thrill
+        of joy go through her, but was too wise a woman to show it.</p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em"><span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“Old Reuben will not hear of my going. He says that I
+        should be more hindrance than help, and perhaps he is right. The
+        Lord’s will be done, <span class="tei tei-pb" id="page187">[pg
+        187]</span><a name="Pg187" id="Pg187" class=
+        "tei tei-anchor"></a>though I would fain have struck a blow in the
+        battle that is to decide; for I am sure that as this battle goes, so
+        will the end be. But I am to be in command of the garrison
+        here.”</span></p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em"><span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“And you will not mind taking care of the women and
+        children, dear husband?”</span> said Ruth.</p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em"><span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“I should be ungrateful indeed if I did,”</span> said
+        Seraiah, as he kissed her.</p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em">Meanwhile the
+        excitement in the camp had risen to fever heat. Scouts had come
+        racing in at headlong speed with tidings that the enemy’s army had
+        started from Jerusalem, and that it numbered not less than twelve
+        thousand regular troops, well-equipped, and furnished with a
+        formidable supply of the engines of war. The patriots were in that
+        state of exaltation in which men make little of the numbers opposed
+        to them, and the disparity of forces roused no apprehensions. If any
+        such were felt they gave way to rage when the messengers added that
+        the hated Apollonius himself was in command of the hostile army.</p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em">Azariah and Micah
+        were among a small company of chiefs who were standing outside the
+        tent of Judas, and were discussing the prospects of the war.</p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em"><span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“The curse of God light upon him!”</span> cried Azariah.
+        <span class="tei tei-q">“Surely He will so order it that I may smite
+        him down on the field of battle, and avenge the innocent blood!
+        Surely the blood of my wife and my child cries against him from the
+        earth!”</span></p><span class="tei tei-pb" id="page188">[pg
+        188]</span><a name="Pg188" id="Pg188" class="tei tei-anchor"></a>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em"><span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“Nay, brother,”</span> broke in Micah, <span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“the task of the avenger of blood lies upon me, for I am
+        next-of-kin to Hannah.”</span></p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em"><span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“Surely,”</span> replied Azariah, with some heat,
+        <span class="tei tei-q">“there is no kinship so close as the tie
+        which binds husband to wife! ’Tis I that should be Hannah’s avenger
+        of blood.”</span></p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em"><span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“My brothers,”</span> broke in the voice of Judas, who
+        appeared in the door of his tent, <span class="tei tei-q">“you think
+        too much of your private wrongs. Great they are, I know—none greater.
+        But is there one soldier in this army that has not lost wife, or
+        child, or father, or brother by the hand of this evil man? We will
+        go, one and all, as avengers of blood, and the Lord will deliver him
+        into the hands of him whom He shall choose.”</span></p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em">Next day the army
+        set out. On the evening of the second day they came in sight of the
+        forces of Apollonius. Some of the more fiery spirits were for an
+        instant attack, but the prudence of Judas, which was not less
+        conspicuous than his daring, restrained them. His men were wearied
+        with a long day’s march, and they wanted food. And he himself had not
+        had time to reconnoitre the enemy’s position or receive any
+        intelligence from his scouts.</p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em">Early next day the
+        battle began. In one sense Judas was greatly overmatched. The enemy
+        were superior in numbers—almost in the proportion of four to one—and
+        in equipment. But, on the other hand, <span class="tei tei-pb" id=
+        "page189">[pg 189]</span><a name="Pg189" id="Pg189" class=
+        "tei tei-anchor"></a>the Hebrew leader could rely implicitly on his
+        soldiers. Anything that mortal man, inspired by zeal and the burning
+        sense of wrong, could achieve, they might be trusted to do. To such a
+        temper, of course, the policy of attack is best suited. Judas massed
+        his best troops on his right wing, which happened to be opposed to
+        what his eagle eye discerned to be the weakest part of the enemy’s
+        line. Apollonius saw his intention, and commenced a movement of
+        troops which was designed to strengthen the weak point in his array.
+        But such a movement in the face of a hostile force cannot be carried
+        out without confusion. Judas saw his opportunity, ordered his men to
+        advance at the double, and closed fiercely with the foe.</p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em">The Greek line
+        broke almost at once, and the chief danger now was that the
+        conquerors might press on too eagerly. The Greeks were not an
+        undisciplined mob which could be treated with contempt. Some of them,
+        at least, were veteran soldiers, in whom the sense of discipline was
+        an instinct, and who, if not very enthusiastic in the cause for which
+        they were fighting, were perfectly well aware that their best chance
+        of personal safety was to be found in keeping together and holding
+        their ground. Judas, in whom native genius seemed to supply the want
+        of experience, appreciated the enemy with whom he had to deal, and
+        kept his own men well in hand, though he was careful not unduly to
+        check their courage.</p><span class="tei tei-pb" id="page190">[pg
+        190]</span><a name="Pg190" id="Pg190" class="tei tei-anchor"></a>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em">The fortune of the
+        day continued to declare in favour of the patriots; but Apollonius
+        himself, surrounded by a picked force of mercenaries, still held his
+        ground. Shortly after noon Azariah and Micah, who had kept close
+        together during the battle, and had both performed prodigies of
+        valour, gathering a company of their immediate followers, made a
+        determined rush in his direction. The bodyguard, terrified by the
+        fierceness of this onset, wavered and fled, leaving but three or four
+        faithful attendants, who refused to leave their commander.</p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em">The Greek
+        recognized Azariah, and called to him by his name. <span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“Azariah, if you think that I have wronged you, I do not
+        refuse you the opportunity of revenge. Come out from your companions,
+        and I will meet you alone. You are a brave man, and would not take a
+        soldier at unfair odds.”</span></p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em">Azariah did not
+        deign to answer; but one of his comrades replied, <span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“Dog of a heathen! you forget where you are. We are not
+        contending in your foolish games: we are the avengers of blood—the
+        innocent blood which you have shed; and we will slay you as men slay
+        a venomous snake. Such equity as you have dealt to others, we will
+        show to you. Was it in fair fight that you slew women and
+        children?”</span></p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em">Apollonius looked
+        on the ring of scowling faces that surrounded him, and saw that there
+        was no mercy or even what he would have called the <span class=
+        "tei tei-pb" id="page191">[pg 191]</span><a name="Pg191" id="Pg191"
+        class="tei tei-anchor"></a>courtesy of war to be hoped from them.
+        <span class="tei tei-q">“I only wish,”</span> he said, <span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“that I had rooted out the whole cursed brood from the
+        earth, and burnt the den of thieves which you call your city, and
+        laid the shrine of the demon whom you call your God level with the
+        ground!”</span></p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em"><span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“Silence, blasphemer!”</span> cried Azariah, as he
+        whirled his sword over his head.</p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em">It was not the
+        almost worthless weapon, with its dented edge and broken hilt, that
+        he had carried into the battle. Early in the day he had cut down a
+        Greek officer, and taken the sword of the dead man in exchange for
+        his own.</p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em">As he spoke he
+        beckoned to his countrymen. They stood back, even Micah recognizing
+        the right of the husband to strike the first blow at the murderer of
+        his wife.</p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em">Apollonius raised
+        his sword to parry the stroke which he expected to be aimed at his
+        head. With a rapid change of movement his adversary changed the blow
+        into a thrust, and drove the point of his weapon through the Greek’s
+        heart.</p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em">Azariah was
+        drawing out his weapon from the corpse, when Judas, who had been
+        hastening to the spot not without some hope of himself crossing
+        swords with the hated Apollonius, came up.</p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em"><span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“A mighty weapon that!”</span> he exclaimed, as the
+        conqueror wiped the blade on the dead man’s tunic. <span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“Let me take it in my hands.”</span></p><span class=
+        "tei tei-pb" id="page192">[pg 192]</span><a name="Pg192" id="Pg192"
+        class="tei tei-anchor"></a>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em">He poised it and
+        judged its balance, tried the edge, and then narrowly scanned the
+        markings on the blade.</p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em"><span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“Ah!”</span> said he, <span class="tei tei-q">“how came
+        you by this sword? I had observed”</span>—and indeed his eagle eye
+        noted every detail—<span class="tei tei-q">“that yours was but a poor
+        weapon, unworthy of your strength, and I wished to find something
+        better for you.”</span></p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em">Azariah told him
+        how he had taken it from a Greek on the field of battle.</p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em"><span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“And saw you this?”</span> he went on, pointing to the
+        Holy Name which had been engraved on the blade. <span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“Doubtless this belonged to some Hebrew warrior in time
+        past, for the fashion of the letters is somewhat antique; the heathen
+        whom you slew had taken it, and now the Lord has given it back into
+        the hands of the faithful.”</span></p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em">Azariah then
+        related his dream.</p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em"><span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“The angel whom you saw,”</span> said Judas, <span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“was, doubtless, the angel of battle, and the Lord has
+        been faithful, as ever, to His promise.”</span></p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em">He gave back the
+        consecrated sword to Azariah, and took the weapon which was still
+        grasped in the right hand of the dead Apollonius. <span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“With this,”</span> he said, <span class="tei tei-q">“I
+        will fight as long as I live.”</span> And he broke out into the
+        triumphal chant of the Psalmist—<span class="tei tei-q">“The ungodly
+        have drawn out the sword, and have bent the bow to cast down the poor
+        and needy. Their sword shall go through their own heart and their bow
+        shall be broken.”</span></p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em"><a name="i_213"
+        id="i_213" class="tei tei-anchor"></a><a name="fig41" id=
+        "fig41"></a></p>
+
+        <div class="tei tei-figure" style="text-align: center">
+          <img src="images/i_213.jpg" alt="The Sword of Apollonius" title=
+          "The Sword of Apollonius." />
+
+          <div class="tei tei-head" style=
+          "text-align: center; margin-bottom: 1.00em; margin-top: 1.00em">
+            <span class="tei tei-hi" style="text-align: center"><span style=
+            "font-style: italic">The Sword of Apollonius.</span></span>
+          </div>
+        </div>
+      </div>
+      <hr class="page" />
+
+      <div class="tei tei-div" style=
+      "margin-bottom: 5.00em; margin-top: 5.00em">
+        <span class="tei tei-pb" id="page193">[pg 193]</span><a name="Pg193"
+        id="Pg193" class="tei tei-anchor"></a> <a name="toc42" id=
+        "toc42"></a> <a name="pdf43" id="pdf43"></a>
+
+        <h1 class="tei tei-head" style=
+        "text-align: center; margin-bottom: 3.46em; margin-top: 3.46em">
+        <span style="font-size: 173%">CHAPTER XVI.</span><br />
+        <br />
+        <span class="tei tei-hi" style="text-align: center"><span style=
+        "font-size: 100%">NEWS FROM THE BATTLE-FIELD.</span></span></h1>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em">While the
+        patriots, bivouacking on the field of battle, slept the sound sleep
+        of those who have fought a good fight, the women, left, with the
+        children and the sick, in charge of a small guard, only strong enough
+        to protect them against casual robbers, felt the most intense
+        anxiety. Ruth in her cave, with the children slumbering by her side,
+        watched through the night, listening intently to every sound. At one
+        time she could hear the bats which haunted the rocks flapping and
+        fluttering as they went out to take their flights in the night air.
+        Then from farther away came the moaning of the jackals, as they
+        hunted for their prey, with now and then the deeper note of a wolf,
+        or the sound, so strangely like to mocking laughter, of the hooting
+        owls. Everything at that moment seemed very dark and hopeless to the
+        anxious wife.</p><span class="tei tei-pb" id="page194">[pg
+        194]</span><a name="Pg194" id="Pg194" class="tei tei-anchor"></a>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em"><span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“’Tis everywhere the same,”</span> she thought to
+        herself—<span class="tei tei-q">“the stronger hunt and devour the
+        weak. The lions roaring after their prey, do seek their meat from
+        God. The lambs and the fawns are their prey, and God gives the
+        helpless, innocent things into their jaws. And will he give us to the
+        jaws of the heathen who are hunting us that they may devour us? Did
+        He deliver the thousand who died that they might not profane His
+        Sabbath? Not so. He suffered them to perish, to be a prey for the
+        beasts of the field and the fowls of the air. <span class=
+        "tei tei-q">‘Verily our bones lie scattered before the pit, like as
+        when one breaketh and heweth wood upon the
+        earth.’</span> ”</span></p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em">And then her
+        thoughts travelled to those who were especially close to her heart.
+        Azariah and Micah—where were they? How had it fared with them in the
+        battle? Were they lying on the field of battle with stark faces
+        turned to the stars of heaven, and the vultures preying on their
+        limbs? And she shuddered, and hid her face in the coarse coverlet
+        under which she lay, as if she would shut out the dreadful picture
+        that her thoughts had conjured up before her.</p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em">When she opened
+        her eyes again, there was a faint suspicion of light in the darkness
+        of the cave. The bats came flapping back from the outer air to their
+        haunts in the roof. Jael, the jackal, who had been for her nightly
+        prowl came back with her cubs, and lay down in her accustomed corner.
+        The <span class="tei tei-pb" id="page195">[pg 195]</span><a name=
+        "Pg195" id="Pg195" class="tei tei-anchor"></a>light grew rapidly
+        stronger, and when Ruth stepped from the threshold of the cave into
+        the fresh morning air, though the sun was not visible, its light had
+        begun to touch the highest summits of the mountains.</p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em">Looking to the
+        head of the pass Ruth could see her husband where he stood at his
+        post of observation, a spot which commanded a distant view of the
+        westward approaches to the encampment. As she watched him she
+        observed him make a signal that indicated that he had to make some
+        important communication. A moment afterwards she could see other men
+        hurrying to the spot. She bade Miriam and Judith, who were always her
+        guests during their father’s absence, watch the still sleeping
+        infant, and made all the haste she could to join her husband. When
+        she reached him she found the little group of watchers straining
+        their eyes as they gazed at a body of armed men that could be seen in
+        the distance. <span class="tei tei-q">“Who are they? foes or
+        friends?”</span> was the question that was in every heart, though
+        none ventured to put it into words.</p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em">As the vanguard of
+        the approaching force came to an eastward turn in the path, a ray of
+        sunshine touched the helmets of the men and made them glitter.</p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em"><span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“What is this?”</span> said one of the men. <span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“They went with caps of leather; whence come these
+        helmets of brass and steel?”</span></p><span class="tei tei-pb" id=
+        "page196">[pg 196]</span><a name="Pg196" id="Pg196" class=
+        "tei tei-anchor"></a>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em">A shudder went
+        through the hearts of Ruth and of the other women who by this time
+        had joined her. If the patriots had been overpowered, and these armed
+        men were heathen murderers and ravishers come to wreak their
+        vengeance on those who had been left behind——</p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em"><span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“Whence come they?”</span> said Seraiah. <span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“They are the spoils of the heathen.”</span></p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em">As he spoke the
+        distant sound of singing was carried by the wind up the pass, and
+        though the words could not as yet be heard it was recognized at once
+        as one of the Temple chants. The little band of sentries and women
+        raised a joyful shout, and hurried down the pass to meet the new
+        comers. And now the noble voice of Judas could be heard leading the
+        song of triumph. <span class="tei tei-q">“Thou hast girded me with
+        strength unto the battle; Thou shalt throw down mine enemies under
+        me. Thou hast made mine enemies also to turn their backs upon me; and
+        I shall destroy them that hate me.... I will beat them as small as
+        the dust before the wind.”</span> And now the good news had spread
+        like wildfire through the camp. The rest of the women hastened down
+        to meet and greet the deliverers, and among them Miriam and Judith,
+        carrying Ruth’s infant child. The first thought of all was to do
+        honour to the chief who had led the host of the Lord to victory. They
+        kissed the hem of his robe, his hands, even his feet. It was only
+        when they had satisfied <span class="tei tei-pb" id="page197">[pg
+        197]</span><a name="Pg197" id="Pg197" class=
+        "tei tei-anchor"></a>these feelings of gratitude and reverence that
+        they could think of private affections. And when the whole array, the
+        women and children now mingling in the ranks with the armed men,
+        reached the top of the pass, it halted for a few minutes. The name
+        which Micah, in his talk with Cleon, had given to Judas had passed
+        through the army, and had caught the popular fancy. There was
+        scarcely a man among them but had seen him dealing death at every
+        blow among the ranks of the heathen. <span class="tei tei-q">“Hail,
+        Judah Maccâbah! Hail, Hammer of God!”</span> was the cry that went up
+        from the assembled multitude. The title has been given in after times
+        to other sturdy champions of the truth, notably to him who, in the
+        Valley of Tours, turned back the tide of Paynim invasion;<a id=
+        "noteref_9" name="noteref_9" href="#note_9"><span class=
+        "tei tei-noteref"><span style=
+        "font-size: 60%; vertical-align: super">9</span></span></a> but never
+        has it been more honourably gained, or more worthily borne, than it
+        was by Judas, the son of Mattathias.</p>
+
+        <div class="tei tei-tb">
+          &nbsp;
+        </div>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em">Great as was the
+        exultation of the patriots over their victory, no one among them, and
+        least of all their far-sighted general, deceived himself with the
+        flattering notion that it had finished the war. Every one was well
+        aware that the defeat and death of Apollonius was not only a disgrace
+        that Antiochus and his lieutenants were bound to avenge, but a
+        disaster that had to be repaired. It was with<span class="tei tei-pb"
+        id="page198">[pg 198]</span><a name="Pg198" id="Pg198" class=
+        "tei tei-anchor"></a>out surprise, therefore, that Judas heard that
+        Seron, Governor of Coele-Syria, was marching southwards over the
+        great maritime plain known by the name of Sharon, with what rumour
+        described as a vast host.</p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em">Judas at once
+        resolved to repeat the policy which had been found so successful in
+        the conflict with Apollonius. The enemy would soon reach the passes
+        that led into the hill-country of Eastern Palestine; and it was there
+        that he must be met. To allow him to make good this movement without
+        opposition would be to throw away a great advantage. The Jewish
+        commander resolved, accordingly, to dispute the possession of the
+        pass. With a boldness which seemed to some of his followers to verge
+        upon rashness, he left Jerusalem, occupied as it was by a hostile
+        garrison, behind him, and marched westward till he reached the range
+        which looks over the Plain of Sharon to the Great Sea.</p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em">This strategy was
+        simple enough, though it was not wanting in boldness; but then came
+        the difficult question, <span class="tei tei-q">“What road will the
+        enemy take—the ordinary route by Emmaüs,<a id="noteref_10" name=
+        "noteref_10" href="#note_10"><span class=
+        "tei tei-noteref"><span style=
+        "font-size: 60%; vertical-align: super">10</span></span></a> or the
+        more difficult way through the pass of Beth-horon?”</span> The scouts
+        were at fault, but it seemed likely that a general strange to the
+        country would prefer the easier course. But scarcely had Judas acted
+        on this probability and taken up his position on the plateau
+        <span class="tei tei-pb" id="page199">[pg 199]</span><a name="Pg199"
+        id="Pg199" class="tei tei-anchor"></a>of Emmaüs, than a breathless
+        messenger came rushing in with the intelligence that Beth-horon was
+        to be the point of attack. The patriots had already been in motion
+        since dawn, but another march was necessary, and, if it was to be of
+        any avail, must be executed at full speed, and without any pause for
+        food or rest. There had been just time to reach the head of the pass,
+        and to hide the vanguard behind rocks and in the ravines that led
+        into the main road, when the Greek force was seen to be approaching.
+        It was still a mile distant, and as the road was steep, making a rise
+        of not less than five hundred feet in the mile, its progress was
+        slow. It was an anxious time of waiting as the patriots watched the
+        hostile column drawing nearer and nearer. They could see its
+        strength, its dense and numerous files, the discipline showed by the
+        precision of its march, and its complete equipment, so different from
+        their own imperfect supply of weapons and armour. And there were some
+        whose hearts fainted within them at the sight. <span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“How shall we, being so few, be able to stand up against
+        so great and strong a multitude? And now we are worn with marching,
+        and weak for want of bread.”</span> Judas was indefatigable in
+        cheering and encouraging them. <span class="tei tei-q">“With the Lord
+        our God,”</span> he said, as he went from one company to another,
+        <span class="tei tei-q">“it is all one to deliver with a great
+        multitude, or with a small company.”</span> Then he pointed to
+        Ajalon, and recalled to <span class="tei tei-pb" id="page200">[pg
+        200]</span><a name="Pg200" id="Pg200" class="tei tei-anchor"></a>the
+        thoughts of his hearers the famous associations of the place.
+        <span class="tei tei-q">“Do you not remember,”</span> he said,
+        <span class="tei tei-q">“how Joshua, the son of Nun, smote the five
+        kings of the Canaanites? The Lord was with him, staying even the sun
+        and the moon in their course, that He might give to His people the
+        heritage of the heathen, and surely He will be with us on this day,
+        for His name’s sake, that he may restore to us this same heritage.
+        His enemies come against us in the pride of their hearts to destroy
+        us, and our wives, and our children. But the Lord is on our side; and
+        He will overthrow them before our face. And as for you, be not afraid
+        of them. Stand fast and quit you like men.”</span> He had not
+        completed the round of his force—and indeed there were some companies
+        in it which he knew to be of temper so sturdy that they might safely
+        be left to themselves—when the Greeks, slowly labouring in their
+        heavy armour up the ascent, came within reach. Judas gave the signal,
+        and with a loud cry, <span class="tei tei-q">“The Hammer of God! The
+        Hammer of God!”</span> the patriots rose from their ambush, and threw
+        themselves on the van of the enemy. The attack was entirely
+        unexpected, for the Greek commander was ill-served by his scouts, and
+        it met with no serious resistance. Almost in a moment the Greek line
+        was broken, and a wild flight commenced. When the fugitives reached
+        the plain they scattered themselves in all directions. With his usual
+        prudence, Judas checked <span class="tei tei-pb" id="page201">[pg
+        201]</span><a name="Pg201" id="Pg201" class="tei tei-anchor"></a>his
+        men in their pursuit of the vanquished, but eight hundred lay dead or
+        seriously wounded upon the plain.</p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em">Seraiah, who had
+        extorted from the old physician attached to the patriot army an
+        unwilling permission to bear arms, had fallen fainting to the ground,
+        close to the entrance to the pass. Near him lay six or seven Greek
+        corpses. The tide of battle had passed elsewhere, and the place was
+        deserted. This was exactly the opportunity which Benjamin and his
+        associates—since his escape during the expedition to Modin he had
+        gathered about him a small band—had been watching. They issued from
+        their hiding-places among the rocks, and began to search the
+        prostrate bodies for spoil. The first that they came to was a Greek
+        sub-officer, somewhat richly attired. The man was still alive and
+        groaned as they turned him over to get more conveniently at the
+        silver ornaments of his belt. <span class="tei tei-q">“Curse the
+        villain!”</span> cried Benjamin, as he drove his sword into his side;
+        and when the poor wretch breathed his last, went on, <span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“A brave man might have been left to take his chance, but
+        such cowards as these ’tis positively a good work to despatch. Did
+        you ever see such a scandalous flight?—and they were positively five
+        to one at the very least.”</span></p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em">It was now
+        Seraiah’s turn to be stripped. He, too, gave signs of life, and one
+        of the robbers, an Edomite, who hated Jews and Greeks impartially,
+        <span class="tei tei-pb" id="page202">[pg 202]</span><a name="Pg202"
+        id="Pg202" class="tei tei-anchor"></a>was about to stab him, when
+        Benjamin, who recognized his old comrade’s face, interfered.</p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em"><span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“Nay, man,”</span> he said, <span class="tei tei-q">“’tis
+        one of the patriots, and an old friend of mine to boot. Look you
+        after the others, and I will attend to this brave fellow.”</span></p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em">Hastily and with a
+        practised hand he bound up Seraiah’s wound, for the old place had
+        broken out afresh. The injured man, consumed by the thirst that
+        follows the loss of blood, begged for water. Benjamin supplied him
+        with a draught from the bottle which he carried, and followed it up
+        with some rough wine of the country in a wooden cup. By this time the
+        robbers, who had finished their work of spoiling the dead, were ready
+        to return to their hiding-place among the hills.</p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em"><span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“Come, captain,”</span> said the Edomite, <span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“’tis time to go; you had best leave your friend to
+        himself, or you will see more of his countrymen than you will quite
+        like.”</span></p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em"><span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“Go,”</span> said Benjamin; <span class="tei tei-q">“I
+        will follow you soon.”</span></p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em">Seraiah was now
+        sufficiently revived to be able to sit up. The robber offered him
+        bread and flesh. <span class="tei tei-q">“’Tis clean meat,”</span> he
+        said. The wounded man, however, refused it. It might be of a lawful
+        kind, but he did not know that it had been lawfully killed, and he
+        contented himself with bread to which he added a few raisins with
+        which he happened to have provided himself. Another draught of wine
+        completed the repast.</p><span class="tei tei-pb" id="page203">[pg
+        203]</span><a name="Pg203" id="Pg203" class="tei tei-anchor"></a>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em"><span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“Benjamin,”</span> he said, when he had finished,
+        <span class="tei tei-q">“you are too good for this life, for these
+        friends. Come with us and fight on our side, for be sure that it is
+        the side of the Lord. I will intercede for you to our captain, and he
+        is as merciful as he is strong.”</span></p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em"><span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“Nay, nay,”</span> said Benjamin, <span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“you are too confident; yours may be the side of the
+        Lord, for I don’t know much about these things, but the side of the
+        Lord, as far as I have been able to see, does not always win. I hate
+        these Greeks. They robbed me of my house and everything that I had.
+        May all the curses that are written in the Law overtake them! But
+        they are very likely to get the best of it after all.”</span></p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em"><span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“Did you see how they fled to-day?”</span> cried
+        Seraiah.</p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em"><span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“Yes; you made them run,”</span> said the robber, with a
+        grim laugh. <span class="tei tei-q">“It was rare sport to see them
+        pelt helter-skelter down the pass, like so many sheep with a dog
+        after them. But there are many more where these came from, and they
+        will simply trample you down.”</span></p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em"><span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“That will not be done so easily as you think. Is Judas
+        the Hammer—for that is what the people call him—a likely man to be so
+        dealt with? Nay, Benjamin, he is another Joshua, another David, and I
+        am as sure as if a prophet had told me that the Lord of Hosts is with
+        him, and will deliver the heathen into his
+        hands.”</span></p><span class="tei tei-pb" id="page204">[pg
+        204]</span><a name="Pg204" id="Pg204" class="tei tei-anchor"></a>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em">Benjamin was
+        silent awhile. Then he said, in an altered tone, <span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“You say the truth about Judas, the son of Mattathias. A
+        better captain to lead, a better soldier to strike with the sword, I
+        never saw. I would gladly follow him. And verily I would sooner fight
+        for my people than for my own hand. But your ways are over-strict. I
+        cannot put up with these <span class="tei tei-q">‘<span class=
+        "tei tei-corr">religious</span>’</span> as you call them. Why should
+        I not eat pig’s flesh if I can get it? It has a good relish, and it
+        has never harmed me yet.”</span></p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em"><span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“But ’tis forbidden, Benjamin,”</span> gently answered
+        Seraiah, now in good hopes of winning over this somewhat stubborn
+        proselyte, <span class="tei tei-q">“and you are too good a man to
+        give up your country for a matter of meat or drink.”</span></p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em"><span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“Aye,”</span> said the man, <span class="tei tei-q">“but
+        there are other things.”</span></p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em"><span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“Nothing surely that cannot be borne,”</span> went on
+        Seraiah. <span class="tei tei-q">“Oh, Benjamin, you have saved my
+        life to-day, and henceforth you are my brother; but I could almost
+        wish, but for my wife and child’s sake—you remember Ruth and the
+        babe?—that you had left me to die, if I am to see you return to the
+        ways of death.”</span></p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em">The cause was
+        almost won when, at an unhappy moment, a party of Jewish soldiers
+        returning from the pursuit came in sight. One of them immediately
+        recognized Benjamin, and gave the alarm <span class="tei tei-pb" id=
+        "page205">[pg 205]</span><a name="Pg205" id="Pg205" class=
+        "tei tei-anchor"></a>to his companions. They rushed to arrest him,
+        but Benjamin divined their purpose and dashed up the rocks. To
+        overtake him was impossible, for he was fleet of foot and
+        unencumbered; but one of the Chasidim, for the soldiers belonged to
+        this party, let fly an arrow which struck him in the left arm. It was
+        but a slight wound, for the barb was not covered in the flesh; but it
+        stirred him to a furious rage, which was all the fiercer because, by
+        a great effort, he had just brought himself to yield to Seraiah’s
+        arguments. He tore the arrow from the wound, hurled it at his
+        pursuers with impotent rage, and crying, <span class="tei tei-q">“All
+        the plagues of Egypt consume you!”</span> disappeared among the
+        rocks.</p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em"><span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“You have lost a good recruit,”</span> said Seraiah to
+        his comrades when they returned to him.</p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em"><span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“What should this son of Belial profit us?”</span> one of
+        the Chasidim haughtily replied. <span class="tei tei-q">“The Lord
+        grant that my next arrow may be driven better home!”</span></p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em">Seraiah made no
+        answer, but painfully lifting himself from the ground made his way up
+        the pass alone. He did not care for the company of his comrades, and
+        they, on their part, though they could not help respecting him as a
+        soldier, thought him sadly wanting in zeal for the Law and for the
+        traditions of the elders.</p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em">Late that night
+        some of the fugitives, who had crossed the mountains somewhat further
+        to the <span class="tei tei-pb" id="page206">[pg 206]</span><a name=
+        "Pg206" id="Pg206" class="tei tei-anchor"></a>south, reached
+        Jerusalem. They found the city anxiously expecting tidings of the
+        battle; and two of their number who were officers were at once
+        brought into the Governor’s house. He was indisposed, and Cleon, who
+        had given up his post at Modin and was now attached to head-quarters,
+        saw the new arrivals in his stead. When he had heard their story, he
+        did not conceal his scorn for the mismanagement—or was it
+        cowardice?—that had made a well-equipped and powerful army flee
+        before a crowd of half-armed vagabonds.</p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em"><span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“It is easy to talk, my fine sir,”</span> retorted one of
+        the men, <span class="tei tei-q">“when you have only got to stop at
+        home and find fault; but if you had seen them to-day, you would be
+        singing to a very different tune. By all the gods above and below,
+        these Jews rushed on more like lions than men. And as to this Judas,
+        son of Asmon, there is no standing against him. No man wants two
+        blows from <span class="tei tei-hi"><span style=
+        "font-style: italic">his</span></span> sword.”</span></p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em"><span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“A good soldier, I dare say,”</span> said Cleon
+        superciliously, <span class="tei tei-q">“and a skilful swordsman. But
+        there are others as good as he. And as for his army, if it is to be
+        called an army, it is quite impossible that it can hold out very
+        long. I was a little hasty in what I said just now. These fanatics
+        have a way of giving some trouble at first, and it is quite possible
+        for really good troops to be beaten by them. But it is quite out of
+        the question to suppose that they can resist any serious attempt to
+        deal with them. <span class="tei tei-pb" id="page207">[pg
+        207]</span><a name="Pg207" id="Pg207" class="tei tei-anchor"></a>Of
+        course we have made the usual mistake of making too light of them.
+        That must not be done again. The next expedition will be made with
+        overwhelming force, and will unquestionably bring this troublesome
+        matter to an end. I hope to go with it myself.”</span></p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em"><span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“That will be as you please, sir,”</span> said the
+        officer, who had not by any means recovered his temper after the
+        imputations cast on his courage, <span class="tei tei-q">“but if I
+        may venture to say so, I would recommend that you should not get in
+        the way of Judas, the son of Asmon.”</span></p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em">And, indeed,
+        whatever men like Cleon may have pretended to think, from that time
+        <span class="tei tei-q">“began the fear of Judas and his brethren and
+        an exceeding great dread to fall upon the nations round about
+        them.”</span></p>
+      </div>
+      <hr class="page" />
+
+      <div class="tei tei-div" style=
+      "margin-bottom: 5.00em; margin-top: 5.00em">
+        <span class="tei tei-pb" id="page208">[pg 208]</span><a name="Pg208"
+        id="Pg208" class="tei tei-anchor"></a> <a name="toc44" id=
+        "toc44"></a> <a name="pdf45" id="pdf45"></a>
+
+        <h1 class="tei tei-head" style=
+        "text-align: center; margin-bottom: 3.46em; margin-top: 3.46em">
+        <span style="font-size: 173%">CHAPTER XVII.</span><br />
+        <br />
+        <span class="tei tei-hi" style="text-align: center"><span style=
+        "font-size: 100%">THE BATTLE OF EMMAUS.</span></span></h1>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em">The effort to wipe
+        out the disgrace of the two defeats and to restore the Greek
+        supremacy was not long delayed; and when it was made, it was made
+        with all the force which the lieutenants of Antiochus could command.
+        The King himself was absent in Persia; but his vicegerent had
+        <span lang="fr" class="tei tei-foreign" xml:lang="fr"><span style=
+        "font-style: italic">carte blanche</span></span> for the preparations
+        which they were to make. Lysias, Governor of Syria, had collected
+        forty thousand foot and seven thousand horse, and this force had been
+        put under the command of Nicanor, Gorgias being his principal
+        lieutenant. This time, it was intended, the work should be done
+        thoroughly. This Jewish people, so obstinately troublesome, was to be
+        absolutely extirpated. Not a single native inhabitant was to be left
+        in Palestine, which was to be peopled in future by a more
+        accommodating and manageable race.</p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em">This scheme, if it
+        was to be carried out, would <span class="tei tei-pb" id=
+        "page209">[pg 209]</span><a name="Pg209" id="Pg209" class=
+        "tei tei-anchor"></a>involve huge dealings in human flesh, and the
+        slave-merchants of the sea-coast cities were, naturally, vastly
+        interested in its success. Anxious to do the business as cheaply and
+        effectively as possible, they formed what, in the language of modern
+        commerce, would be called a <span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“Syndicate,”</span> and sent parties of dealers to follow
+        the two armies, and act as their agents when the scheme should begin
+        to come into practical working.</p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em">This was the
+        occupation, then, of four repulsive-looking creatures who had
+        obtained permission to follow the army of Nicanor, and whom we may
+        see discussing a flagon of the best Chian wine—the trade was as
+        profitable as it was odious—and canvassing the prospects of
+        business.</p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em"><span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“Well,”</span> said one of the four, pursuing the
+        narrative of an interview which he had just been having with Lysias,
+        <span class="tei tei-q">“we had a long debate about terms. The
+        Governor was quite firm about one thing: there must be no picking and
+        choosing. <span class="tei tei-q">‘No,’</span> he said, <span class=
+        "tei tei-q">‘either you buy them all, or they shall be put up in the
+        open market.’</span> <span class="tei tei-q">‘But what,’</span> I
+        said, <span class="tei tei-q">‘am I to do with the old and the
+        weak?’</span> <span class="tei tei-q">‘And what am I to do with
+        them?’</span> he answered. <span class="tei tei-q">‘No; you must buy
+        them all or none.’</span> There I could not move him. He could not be
+        bothered with detail. For so many prisoners, so many talents, half
+        paid down, half six months credit. Old men and women at their last
+        gasp, and new-born babes <span class="tei tei-pb" id="page210">[pg
+        210]</span><a name="Pg210" id="Pg210" class="tei tei-anchor"></a>were
+        all to be counted in. Those were his terms and I had to accept them,
+        or we should not have come to an agreement.”</span></p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em"><span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“That does not seem a good bargain,”</span> interrupted
+        another member of the company.</p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em"><span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“Wait a moment,”</span> said the first speaker,
+        <span class="tei tei-q">“till you hear the price. I think you will
+        agree that there is no reason to complain. At first he wanted a
+        talent<a id="noteref_11" name="noteref_11" href=
+        "#note_11"><span class="tei tei-noteref"><span style=
+        "font-size: 60%; vertical-align: super">11</span></span></a> for
+        every fifty. That of course was out of the question on the
+        <span class="tei tei-q">‘take-all’</span> terms, and I told our
+        friend so quite plainly. <span class="tei tei-q">‘No,’</span> I said,
+        <span class="tei tei-q">‘a talent for every hundred is about the
+        right price, and even then we may very well lose,’</span> which, you
+        will allow, was sailing very near the wind indeed. Well, we had a
+        long argument. First he would meet me half way. But I held out. You
+        know they <span class="tei tei-hi"><span style=
+        "font-style: italic">must</span></span> have money. There is
+        Antiochus—the <span class="tei tei-q">‘Glorious’</span> they call
+        him—gone off to Persia on a wild goose chase after some treasures he
+        has heard of. I’ll wager that he’ll spend more than he gets by a long
+        way. I have friends at Court, and they tell me that the treasury is
+        as empty as—well, we’ll say a wine jar, after our friend Nicias there
+        has had it at his mouth for a minute. So I was firm. And at last—to
+        make a long story short—we came to terms at a talent for ninety. And
+        I can’t help thinking that it is not by any means a bad
+        bargain.”</span></p><span class="tei tei-pb" id="page211">[pg
+        211]</span><a name="Pg211" id="Pg211" class="tei tei-anchor"></a>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em"><span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“And what are we to do with the worthless ones?”</span>
+        said one of the dealers. <span class="tei tei-q">“Surely having to
+        keep them will take all the shine off our profits.”</span></p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em"><span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“Keeping them! Who talks about keeping them? We shall
+        only have to bury them, and that does not cost very much. You have
+        not been long in the trade, my good friend, and you don’t know how
+        soon their food seems to disagree with the poor wretches whom we
+        can’t sell.”</span></p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em">He smiled an evil
+        smile, and the others burst out into a laugh, in which, however, the
+        young man who <span class="tei tei-q">“had not been long in the
+        trade”</span> did not join.</p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em"><span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“And what becomes of all the money?”</span> said one of
+        the dealers, who had hitherto taken no part in the conversation.</p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em"><span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“Well, a part will be wanted for present expenses, pay of
+        the troops, stores, and so forth; and that is to be paid in gold. But
+        the greater part has to go to Rome—the King, you know, owes a great
+        deal on the indemnity account. For that we shall find bills of
+        exchange.”</span></p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em"><span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“Most of the money, then, is to go to Rome?”</span></p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em"><span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“Yes; and don’t you see the advantage of the arrangement?
+        Of course most of it will come back into our pockets. Slaves from
+        this part of the world are quite the fashion in Rome now; and I am
+        very much mistaken if these Jewish slaves don’t turn out a great
+        success. They are quite a novelty; I should think that they have
+        hardly been seen in the Roman <span class="tei tei-pb" id=
+        "page212">[pg 212]</span><a name="Pg212" id="Pg212" class=
+        "tei tei-anchor"></a>markets. And then they have a very distinguished
+        look, and the girls are sometimes remarkably handsome. I don’t like
+        to brag—and of course this is all between ourselves—but I think that
+        we shall make a <span class="tei tei-hi"><span style=
+        "font-style: italic">very</span></span> good business indeed out of
+        this campaign.”</span></p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em"><span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“If our side wins, that is,”</span> said the youngest of
+        the dealers, who was evidently a little discomposed by what he had
+        heard.</p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em"><span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“<span class="tei tei-hi"><span style=
+        "font-style: italic">If</span></span>, indeed! There is no
+        <span class="tei tei-q">‘if’</span> in the matter. You don’t suppose
+        this set of ragged beggars can stand against the army of
+        Lysias?”</span></p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em"><span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“Well, they stood against Apollonius, and killed him; and
+        they stood against Seron.”</span></p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em"><span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“Yes, but this is another matter altogether. Lysias has
+        got fifty thousand as good troops as there are in the world, barring,
+        of course, the Romans; and they <span class="tei tei-hi"><span style=
+        "font-style: italic">must</span></span> win. And then we shall all
+        make our fortunes as sure as the sun is in the sky.”</span></p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em">And, indeed, as
+        viewed from without, the prospects of success which seemed to lie
+        before the forces of Antiochus were very great. The army was
+        powerful—it numbered nearly eight times as many as that of the
+        patriots—it was thoroughly well equipped, and it was led by men who
+        at least had the reputation of being good soldiers.</p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em">This time it was
+        judged expedient to avoid the difficult pass of Beth-horon and to
+        advance by the easier road of Emmaüs. At Emmaüs, accordingly,
+        <span class="tei tei-pb" id="page213">[pg 213]</span><a name="Pg213"
+        id="Pg213" class="tei tei-anchor"></a>Nicanor had pitched his camp
+        for the night, intending to move early the next day on Jerusalem, to
+        occupy that city with overwhelming force, and to carry on the
+        operations of the campaign from that base. He was the more hopeful of
+        success because he had received exact information of the position of
+        the patriot general. Benjamin had never forgiven the painful wound
+        which he had received from the arrow of one of the Chasidim after the
+        battle of Beth-horon. The injury had galled him all the more because
+        his feelings had been really touched by the appeals of Seraiah, and
+        he had seriously meditated throwing in his fortunes once more with
+        the cause of his countrymen. He now made his way to the camp of
+        Nicanor, and told him all that he knew of the position of Judas. The
+        Greek general despatched his lieutenant with a picked force to attack
+        him. While the enemy was thus occupied he should be able, he thought,
+        to make the passage of the mountains without hindrance or loss.</p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em">Judas was at
+        Mizpeh, in command of a force more numerous than any he had before
+        been able to collect, but still not amounting to more than six
+        thousand men. But the sight that this six thousand saw from the
+        Mizpeh ridge—the watch-tower, as it was called—was such as to rouse
+        to fury the hearts of all who beheld it. For there, lying before
+        them, was the city of their love, the city of David, of Solomon, of
+        Josiah, of Hezekiah, of Ezra, and Nehe<span class="tei tei-pb" id=
+        "page214">[pg 214]</span><a name="Pg214" id="Pg214" class=
+        "tei tei-anchor"></a>miah, and they could see, only too plainly in
+        the clear sunset light, the horror of its desolation. The streets
+        were empty; the walls, in old time thronged at evening by crowds of
+        citizens and their families, were deserted; the gates were shut. The
+        Temple could be seen, but its courts were silent and empty. And,
+        rising above, in the City of David, in the very heart of the Jewish
+        kingdom, was the fort of the Greek garrison—the hateful sign of the
+        domination of the heathen. Then followed a touching ceremony, by
+        which the servants of the Lord, banished from the courts of His
+        House, yet sought to show the reverence and the love which they felt
+        for its sacred precincts, for the Holy Place which they could see
+        with their eyes, though they might not tread it with their feet. A
+        numerous company of mourners, chosen to represent the whole people,
+        ranged themselves on the ridge which commanded the prospect so sad
+        and yet so dear. They were clad in garments of black sackcloth,
+        itself ragged and tattered, and had strewn ashes on their heads. They
+        spread out copies of the Law—that Law which the heathen had silenced
+        in its own peculiar seat, and which they had insulted and profaned,
+        picturing on its very pages the cruel and lustful demons whom they
+        worshipped; the functions of the priests had ceased, but they could
+        at least display within sight of the Sanctuary the garments which
+        they wore; the sacrifices could not be offered, but they could at
+        least show the bullocks <span class="tei tei-pb" id="page215">[pg
+        215]</span><a name="Pg215" id="Pg215" class="tei tei-anchor"></a>and
+        rams, the firstfruits of the cornfield and the vineyard, and present
+        them in heart and will; vows could not be performed, but the
+        Nazarites, with their unshorn locks, could stretch out their hands to
+        the Sanctuary, and dedicate themselves in intention. And then from
+        the whole multitude rose the cry, <span class="tei tei-q">“What shall
+        we do with these, and whither shall we carry them? For Thy Sanctuary
+        is trodden down and profaned, and Thy priests are in heaviness and
+        brought low. And lo! the heathen are assembled together against us to
+        destroy us; what things they imagine against us, Thou knowest. How
+        shall we be able to stand against them, except Thou, O God, be our
+        help?”</span></p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em">This done, the
+        trumpets sounded, as if to remind the mourners that they were
+        soldiers again, and the whole multitude fell at once into military
+        order. Judas carefully inspected his force. Mindful of the old
+        indulgence given by the Law, he proclaimed that any among his
+        followers who were building a house, or planting a vineyard, or had
+        left behind him at home a newly-married wife, should depart. Those
+        were not days when houses were being built or vineyards planted, for
+        the land, save for some barren mountain ranges, was in the power of
+        the heathen; nor was it a time for marrying or giving in marriage.
+        Scarcely a man out of the whole array claimed the exemption. And when
+        the leader went on, <span class="tei tei-q">“If any man be timid or
+        of a faint heart, let him turn <span class="tei tei-pb" id=
+        "page216">[pg 216]</span><a name="Pg216" id="Pg216" class=
+        "tei tei-anchor"></a>back, while there is time,”</span> only two or
+        three slunk away.</p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em">To those that
+        remained Judas addressed a few stirring words. <span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“You have seen,”</span> he said, <span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“the city of your fathers from afar, how it lies desolate
+        and dishonoured. Be bold and quit you like men, and the Lord will
+        deliver it into your hands, for He can deliver both by many and by
+        few. Arm yourselves at dawn, and we will fight with those nations who
+        have defiled our sanctuary and have now come out to destroy
+        us.”</span></p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em">But the struggle
+        was to come sooner than any one had looked for it. Azariah had been
+        setting the sentinels who were to watch the northern side of the
+        encampment, when he heard a voice that seemed to have a familiar
+        sound.</p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em"><span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“Azariah!”</span> it said, in a penetrating whisper.</p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em"><span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“I am here; say on;”</span> and he felt sure that he
+        recognized the voice of Benjamin.</p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em"><span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“Tell your captain that Gorgias has come out of the camp
+        of Nicanor with six thousand men, the very choicest of his army, and
+        that he will attack him this night. Farewell!”</span></p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em">And before Azariah
+        could answer he was out of sight and hearing. A quick remorse had
+        overtaken the robber for his treacherous act, and he had done his
+        best to remedy the wrong.</p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em">Judas, on hearing
+        the news, lost no time in making his resolve. It was bold, even
+        audacious. <span class="tei tei-pb" id="page217">[pg
+        217]</span><a name="Pg217" id="Pg217" class="tei tei-anchor"></a>He
+        would not wait to be attacked, but would himself attack, and that not
+        the detachment under Gorgias, which it was quite possible he might
+        have some difficulty in meeting, but the main body itself. Here he
+        would certainly have the advantage of being utterly unexpected. And a
+        victory over this would be almost, if not absolutely, decisive.</p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em">Accordingly he
+        left his camp at Mizpeh without attempting to remove any of his
+        belongings. In truth, they were scanty enough, and, if things went
+        well with him, he should secure spoil of a hundredfold more value
+        than all that he had left. With nothing but their arms, and such
+        scanty provision as they could carry in their pouches, his men
+        marched through the darkness down into the plain.</p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em">The day was
+        dawning when he came within sight of the camp of Nicanor. Though not
+        regularly fortified, it was a place of considerable strength, which
+        an army far more numerous and better equipped than that which Judas
+        had under his command might hesitate to attack. The cavalry had
+        bivouacked outside; the infantry were within the lines, but might be
+        seen passing out of the gates.</p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em">So formidable a
+        task did it seem to attack a fortified camp, held by a vastly
+        superior force, that even Judas’s band of heroes hesitated for a
+        moment. He felt it at once, and at once addressed himself to check
+        it. He called a halt, and bidding the ranks close in to as small a
+        space as possible, he addressed <span class="tei tei-pb" id=
+        "page218">[pg 218]</span><a name="Pg218" id="Pg218" class=
+        "tei tei-anchor"></a>them, sending his mighty voice in the still air
+        of the morning with so commanding a power that it reached the very
+        extremity of the crowd. In a few stirring words he reminded them of
+        the deliverances which God had wrought in old time for His people. He
+        spoke of the three hundred of Gideon, how they had discomfited the
+        host of the Midianites, of the angel that had smitten with an unseen
+        sword the legions of the haughty Sennacherib. He told them of the day
+        when Macedonian and Jew had stood side by side against the Gallic
+        invaders of Asia, and of how the Jew had stood firm while the Greek
+        had fled before the fury of the barbarian onset. Finally he reminded
+        them of the victories which they themselves had so lately won against
+        overwhelming odds.</p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em">When he had
+        finished his harangue, he divided the host between himself and his
+        brothers, John, Simon and Jonathan. Eleazar was to recite the Holy
+        Book, and to give his name as the watchword of the day. These
+        arrangements made, he gave a signal to the trumpeters. They blew a
+        piercing blast. Then, with a shout, <span class="tei tei-q">“The Help
+        of God! The Help of God!”</span><a id="noteref_12" name="noteref_12"
+        href="#note_12"><span class="tei tei-noteref"><span style=
+        "font-size: 60%; vertical-align: super">12</span></span></a> the
+        patriots charged. It might have seemed to an onlooker the strategy of
+        despair, but it was successful, as it had been many a time in history
+        before, as it has been many a time since.</p><span class="tei tei-pb"
+        id="page219">[pg 219]</span><a name="Pg219" id="Pg219" class=
+        "tei tei-anchor"></a>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em">The Greeks stared
+        at them, as they advanced, with astonishment. Were these men madmen,
+        or were they fired by some Divine fury? In either case they would be
+        dangerous antagonists. As the patriots drew nearer, without a sign of
+        hesitation or holding back, the terror which had been creeping over
+        the minds of the Greeks became insupportable. They broke and fled,
+        and did not even, so complete was their demoralization, attempt to
+        hold their camp. Though pursuit was shortened by the approach of the
+        Sabbath, which Judas would not suffer to be infringed upon even to
+        complete his victory, more than three thousand fell, and as the Greek
+        line had not waited to receive the onset of the patriots, all of them
+        perished in the flight.</p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em">The work was not
+        yet done, for the detachment under Gorgias had still to be accounted
+        for. This, however, gave the conquerors very little trouble. That
+        general had found the camp of Judas empty, and had naturally
+        concluded that its occupants had been frightened away by his
+        approach. He started in pursuit, but without being able to find any
+        clear traces of the route which the supposed fugitives had taken.
+        Probably, he thought, this would be in the direction of the mountain
+        retreat from which they had issued. It was long before he satisfied
+        himself that he was mistaken; but the peasants whom he questioned
+        were evidently truthful when they declared that they had seen nothing
+        of the force <span class="tei tei-pb" id="page220">[pg
+        220]</span><a name="Pg220" id="Pg220" class="tei tei-anchor"></a>of
+        which he was in search. He had to retrace his steps, and could not do
+        this till he had given his men a rest, wearied as they were with
+        almost incessant marching for a night and a day. It was late in the
+        afternoon before he arrived in sight of the camp of the main body,
+        and by that time Judas’s victory had been won. He was astonished and
+        alarmed to see that part of it was on fire. Shortly afterwards a
+        fugitive from the defeated army came in with news of what had
+        happened. Neither Gorgias nor his men were in any humour to encounter
+        the patriots; they hastily turned and made the best of their way to
+        Jerusalem.</p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em">Information of
+        this retreat was soon brought to Judas by his scouts, and he felt
+        that now at last he and his followers might enjoy their victory. The
+        Sabbath was given, as usual, to rest and devotion. A great service
+        was held, a prominent feature of it being the chanting of the great
+        Psalm of Thanksgiving,<a id="noteref_13" name="noteref_13" href=
+        "#note_13"><span class="tei tei-noteref"><span style=
+        "font-size: 60%; vertical-align: super">13</span></span></a>
+        <span class="tei tei-q">“O give thanks unto the Lord, for His mercy
+        endureth for ever.”</span> The marvels of creation, the deliverance
+        from Egypt, the passage of the hosts of the Lord through the Red Sea,
+        the fall of the Amorite kings who had sought to stop their way to the
+        Promised Land, the possession of the inheritance which had been
+        promised to the fathers—all these blessings were enumerated, and
+        after each new theme, given by the clear voices of the singers, rose
+        <span class="tei tei-pb" id="page221">[pg 221]</span><a name="Pg221"
+        id="Pg221" class="tei tei-anchor"></a>the thunderous chorus of reply
+        from the multitude, <span class="tei tei-q">“For His mercy endureth
+        for ever.”</span></p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em">On the first day
+        of the week the spoils were divided. The division was made with
+        scrupulous fairness, and with a reverent regard to the injunctions of
+        the Law. The wounded received a special consideration for their
+        sufferings; a share was reserved for the widows and orphans of the
+        slain; and those to whom had been given the unwelcome duty of staying
+        behind to guard the encampment were not forgotten. The rich furniture
+        of the officers’ tents, the gold and silver plate, the many-coloured
+        silks, and robes of Tyrian purple, with a well-furnished pay-chest,
+        made together a splendid booty.</p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em">Among the
+        prisoners was the party of slave-dealers to whom our readers were
+        introduced at the beginning of this chapter.</p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em"><span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“Who are you?”</span> cried Judas, when they were brought
+        before him, <span class="tei tei-q">“and what do you
+        here?”</span></p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em"><span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“We are merchants,”</span> said their spokesman,
+        <span class="tei tei-q">“brought by business into the camp of his
+        Excellency Nicanor.”</span></p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em"><span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“And in what merchandize do you deal?”</span> asked
+        Judas, though, as may be supposed, he was perfectly well acquainted
+        with their occupation.</p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em"><span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“We deal in the prisoners of war,”</span> answered the
+        man. <span class="tei tei-q">“Permit me, sir,”</span> he went on,
+        <span class="tei tei-q">“to congratulate your Excellency on the
+        splendid victory <span class="tei tei-pb" id="page222">[pg
+        222]</span><a name="Pg222" id="Pg222" class="tei tei-anchor"></a>that
+        you have won, and to beg the favour of your custom. We offer the best
+        of prices for goods, and pay in ready money or in bills on the best
+        houses, quite as safe as cash, I can assure you, and far more
+        convenient to carry.”</span></p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em"><span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“Do you know this document?”</span> asked Judas, holding
+        up a piece of parchment which had been found among the property of
+        the slave-dealers.</p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em">The man turned
+        pale and said nothing.</p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em">Judas then
+        proceeded to read aloud: <span class="tei tei-q">“It is hereby
+        covenanted between the most excellent Lysias, Governor of Syria, on
+        the first part, and Theron and his Company, dealers in slaves, on the
+        second part, that the said Lysias shall hand over, and that the said
+        Theron and his Company shall take all persons that shall be captured
+        in the operations now about to be begun by the army of the said
+        Lysias. And it is further covenanted that the said Theron and Company
+        shall pay to the said Lysias or such other persons as he shall
+        appoint, the sum of one talent of gold for every ninety persons
+        delivered alive into the hands of the said Theron and Company.
+        Furthermore it is agreed that the said Theron and Company shall have
+        no claim for a drawback for any such persons dying after they have
+        been once delivered; but that a drawback shall be allowed at the rate
+        of six <span class="tei tei-foreign"><span style=
+        "font-style: italic">minæ</span></span><a id="noteref_14" name=
+        "noteref_14" href="#note_14"><span class=
+        "tei tei-noteref"><span style=
+        "font-size: 60%; vertical-align: super">14</span></span></a> for
+        every person, who, as being a loyal subject of our lord and king
+        Antiochus, or of <span class="tei tei-pb" id="page223">[pg
+        223]</span><a name="Pg223" id="Pg223" class="tei tei-anchor"></a>any
+        prince in friendship and alliance with him, shall have been
+        wrongfully taken prisoner.”</span></p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em"><span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“Know you this document?”</span></p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em">Theron stammered
+        an assent. <span class="tei tei-q">“It is but a common matter of
+        business, my lord. Such covenants must be drawn up, and, doubtless,
+        they sound somewhat harsh.”</span></p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em"><span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“Ye have digged a pit, and are fallen into the midst of
+        it yourselves,”</span> said Judas, in a voice of thunder.
+        <span class="tei tei-q">“Let them be taken with the followers of the
+        camp to the slave-market of Sidon.”</span></p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em"><span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“Mercy, my lord!”</span> cried the dealers, falling on
+        their knees.</p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em"><span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“Such mercy as you have shown yourselves you shall have,
+        and no more. Lead them away.”</span></p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em"><span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“Nay, my lord,”</span> cried Theron, struggling away from
+        the soldier who had grasped him by the arms, <span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“you do ill to deal so harshly with men that have not
+        borne arms against you.”</span></p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em"><span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“You have done tenfold worse,”</span> was the answer.
+        <span class="tei tei-q">“I know your works. You sell our youths to
+        the mines, where the young man grows old and decrepit before he has
+        reached to middle age, and the maidens you sell to shame; and the old
+        and sick you slay with the sword or poison. Take them
+        away.”</span></p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em"><span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“Listen once more, my lord,”</span> cried the man, in an
+        agony of despair. <span class="tei tei-q">“We have money; not here,
+        of course, but with those whom we represent; if <span class=
+        "tei tei-pb" id="page224">[pg 224]</span><a name="Pg224" id="Pg224"
+        class="tei tei-anchor"></a>you should want a loan, we can find it for
+        your Excellency, and at low interest, lower than you will find
+        elsewhere.”</span></p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em"><span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“Take them away!”</span> thundered Judas.</p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em">And taken away
+        they were, still screaming out, as they were dragged off, offers of
+        ransom, or loans at five per cent. interest, or no interest at
+        all.</p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em">The next day Judas
+        and his army, richly laden with spoils of every kind, returned to the
+        sanctuary among the hills.</p>
+      </div>
+      <hr class="page" />
+
+      <div class="tei tei-div" style=
+      "margin-bottom: 5.00em; margin-top: 5.00em">
+        <span class="tei tei-pb" id="page225">[pg 225]</span><a name="Pg225"
+        id="Pg225" class="tei tei-anchor"></a> <a name="toc46" id=
+        "toc46"></a> <a name="pdf47" id="pdf47"></a>
+
+        <h1 class="tei tei-head" style=
+        "text-align: center; margin-bottom: 3.46em; margin-top: 3.46em">
+        <span style="font-size: 173%">CHAPTER XVIII.</span><br />
+        <br />
+        <span class="tei tei-hi" style="text-align: center"><span style=
+        "font-size: 100%">THE BATTLE OF BETH-ZUR.</span></span></h1>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em">Several months
+        have passed since the scenes described in the last chapter. During
+        the winter Judas has been increasing and consolidating his army, and
+        he has now a force both more numerous and better equipped than any
+        that he had hitherto commanded. Again he has marched to encounter the
+        Greeks, but he has no easy task before him. Lysias in person commands
+        the Syrian army. Antiochus has sent him some veteran troops from the
+        capital; he has raised fresh levies of his own, and he has enrolled
+        in his ranks the remnants of the armies of Seron and Nicanor.
+        Altogether he has collected an army of sixty thousand men, and must
+        out-number his antagonists at least five times. The struggle will be
+        of a critical kind, and the victory, if won at all, can hardly be won
+        without grievous loss. The Greeks are fighting for their last stake.
+        If they lose this they are disgraced.</p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em">The experience of
+        a soldier’s wife had not lessened <span class="tei tei-pb" id=
+        "page226">[pg 226]</span><a name="Pg226" id="Pg226" class=
+        "tei tei-anchor"></a>the anxiety with which Ruth waited for news of
+        the battle. This time all that were especially near and dear to her
+        had gone with the army—her husband, her brother, and Azariah—all had
+        run or were even then running deadly peril of their lives. When the
+        news came it might find her utterly desolate, a widow indeed.</p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em">During the night
+        these terrors had had almost undisputed sway. It seemed impossible to
+        her to recall the holy words which at other times brought comfort to
+        her soul. Some dreadful picture of her dear ones lying cold and stark
+        upon the battle-field would rise up before her eyes; and again and
+        again the hideous laughing of the hyenas, echoed among the hills,
+        seemed to her like the mocking triumph of the heathen.</p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em">The light of
+        morning brought, as it is wont to bring, if not cheerfulness, at
+        least a more hopeful spirit. Anyhow she had not to lie in forced
+        inaction. The daily duties had to be done; and she could find in them
+        not forgetfulness, indeed, but the wholesome invigorating influence
+        of work. Her first task was to fetch the daily ration of food. Miriam
+        and Judith accompanied her, and her little boy was now old enough to
+        toddle by her side. The girls had already begun to bear the burdens
+        of a woman’s cares, but the child was in happy unconsciousness of
+        trouble, and there was a certain infection of cheerfulness in his
+        laughter and prattle.</p><span class="tei tei-pb" id="page227">[pg
+        227]</span><a name="Pg227" id="Pg227" class="tei tei-anchor"></a>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em">Ruth’s way to the
+        store where the rations were distributed led past the point from
+        which the best view of the pass could be obtained. She scanned the
+        prospect eagerly as she went, but could see nothing. On her return
+        she espied the figure of a man who seemed—for he was still almost too
+        distant to be distinguished—to be approaching.</p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em"><span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“Look, girl,”</span> she cried, <span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“surely some one comes yonder, and he must be bringing
+        tidings of the battle. Oh! if they are safe——”</span></p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em">As she spoke she
+        dropped the piece of flesh, which she was carrying, from her hand;
+        and immediately a vulture swooped down and carried it off.</p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em">The watchman had
+        now descried the figure of the traveller, and made the signal which
+        was to indicate to the inmates of the encampment the fact that
+        tidings from the army was at hand. In an instant all that were able
+        to move had poured out, and were hurrying to the top of the pass.</p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em">The messenger was
+        Micah, whom, as one of the fleetest runners in the army, Judas had
+        selected to carry the news of his victory. He had traversed the
+        distance, which could not have been less than thirty miles, at a pace
+        which had sorely tried even his athletic frame. He flung himself on
+        the ground, panting convulsively for breath, and unable to speak. One
+        of the elders poured a few drops of cordial into his mouth, and by
+        degrees he recovered his powers. His first act was to kneel and with
+        outspread hands <span class="tei tei-pb" id="page228">[pg
+        228]</span><a name="Pg228" id="Pg228" class="tei tei-anchor"></a>to
+        thank the Lord of Hosts. <span class="tei tei-q">“We thank thee, God
+        of our fathers, that thou hast delivered us out of the hand of the
+        enemy, and brought us unto the haven where we would be.”</span> Then,
+        amidst the breathless attention of the listening crowd, he told the
+        story.</p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em"><span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“Judas the Hammer,”</span> and as he said the name a
+        murmur of blessing could be heard from the whole
+        assembly—<span class="tei tei-q">“Judas, the Hammer of God, has
+        smitten the enemy to pieces. Two days since he met Lysias—for the
+        Governor himself was in command—at Beth-zur. There by that valley of
+        Elah, where David slew Goliah of Gath, has the Lord God of Israel
+        proved again that the battle is not to the strong nor the race to the
+        swift. Judas himself led the right wing; the left he had given to
+        Seraiah and Azariah, whom I myself had the privilege of following.
+        The lines of the two armies were about equal in length; nor, indeed,
+        was there room on either side for more; but they had their ranks
+        forty deep and more, and we but seven or eight at the most, for they
+        were many times more numerous. But the Lord showed once again that He
+        can deliver as surely by few as many. Our captain, than whom no man
+        has a more generous temper, though he would gladly have been the
+        first to advance against the enemy, granted that privilege to us.
+        Then we shouted, as we did in the day of Emmaüs, <span class=
+        "tei tei-q">‘<span class="tei tei-corr">The Lord is our
+        Help!</span>’</span> and ran forward. While we were yet half a
+        furlong from them, we saw them tremble <span class="tei tei-pb" id=
+        "page229">[pg 229]</span><a name="Pg229" id="Pg229" class=
+        "tei tei-anchor"></a>and waver; and before we could cross our swords
+        with them their line had broken. That done, their numbers availed
+        them no more, but rather hindered them, so crowded and crushed
+        together were they. We slew till we were weary of
+        slaying.”</span></p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em"><span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“And what befell Lysias, the Governor?”</span> asked one
+        of the elders.</p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em"><span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“He had posted himself over against Judas himself,
+        judging that there would be the most need of his presence. And indeed
+        they say—for I myself did not see him, being, as I have said, on the
+        other side of the field—that he bore himself as a brave soldier and a
+        good captain. And Judas, when he saw him, pressed forward, seeking to
+        meet him face to face. But Lysias was struck with terror and fled. He
+        had not the heart to abide a stroke from the Hammer. He escaped with
+        some hundred horsemen of his bodyguard from the field. The prisoners
+        say that he is gone to Antioch to gather another army. Let him gather
+        it. We will deal with it and him as we have dealt hitherto with the
+        enemies of the Lord.”</span></p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em"><span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“And what does Judas now?”</span> asked the elder.</p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em">With a look of joy
+        and triumph Micah lifted his head and said, <span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“He is in Jerusalem. The Lord has given back into our
+        hands the Holy City, the City of David His servant.”</span></p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em">It is impossible
+        to describe the delight with which this announcement was received.
+        The women, even <span class="tei tei-pb" id="page230">[pg
+        230]</span><a name="Pg230" id="Pg230" class="tei tei-anchor"></a>the
+        men, wept for joy. This was indeed a glorious gain of victory. Last
+        year they could only see the Holy City from afar, and weep over its
+        desolation. Now they could pour out their love and their sorrow
+        within its sacred precincts.</p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em"><span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“Yes,”</span> he repeated, <span class="tei tei-q">“Judas
+        is in Jerusalem, and is making ready to purify the Temple. And you
+        are to return as speedily as you can. The days of your exile are
+        over. Our God has recalled His banished unto Him.”</span></p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em">His public mission
+        finished, Micah could give time to private affection. He went with
+        Ruth and <a name="corr230" id="corr230" class=
+        "tei tei-anchor"></a><span class="tei tei-corr">the</span> children
+        to their cave, and then, after sharing their morning meal, told them
+        all they wanted to hear. Seraiah and Azariah were both safe, though
+        both had had narrow escapes, Azariah’s helmet having been broken in
+        by a sword-stroke from a gigantic Gaul, and Seraiah being saved by a
+        little roll of the Prophecy of Daniel, which he always carried about
+        with him—it was a gift from his wife—and which had stopped the point
+        of a javelin that would otherwise have pierced his heart. Ruth and
+        the children were never satisfied with asking questions and listening
+        to his answers. Even the little Daniel seemed to understand something
+        of what was being said, as he listened, with his baby-eyes wide open,
+        to the talk of his elders.</p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em"><span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“And Cleon,”</span> asked Ruth, <span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“the Greek with whom you used to be so friendly in time
+        past—did <span class="tei tei-pb" id="page231">[pg
+        231]</span><a name="Pg231" id="Pg231" class="tei tei-anchor"></a>you
+        see him? You met him, you told us, in Modin, and parted in anger; did
+        you meet him again?”</span></p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em">A cloud seemed to
+        pass over Micah’s face at this question, and for a few moments he was
+        silent.</p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em"><span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“Ah! Ruth,”</span> he said, <span class="tei tei-q">“the
+        Lord be merciful to him, as He has been merciful to me! And did I not
+        sin against Him tenfold more grievously than any heathen could have
+        sinned? For was I not a child of the Covenant, and had I not light
+        and knowledge, whereas he was born in ignorance and knew not of the
+        mercies and deliverances which I knew, and knowing
+        despised.”</span></p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em"><span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“Is he a prisoner, then?”</span> asked Miriam,
+        <span class="tei tei-q">“and will Judas spare him?”</span></p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em"><span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“He needs no mercy from man, my child,”</span> said
+        Micah, solemnly. <span class="tei tei-q">“In the battle I did not
+        meet him. That was well. I should have been loath to cross swords
+        with him; and yet I could hardly have failed to do so. But in the
+        evening, when Lysias had fled eastward with the remnants of his host,
+        and the victory was won, I saw him on the field of battle. The
+        captain himself was with me, as we went among the wounded and the
+        dead, looking for any to whom we could give such help as they needed.
+        He had been pierced with a ghastly wound through the breast. And when
+        Judas saw him, he said to me, <span class="tei tei-q">‘Ah! that is a
+        brave soldier, and as good a swordsman as ever I met. I had a hard
+        bout with him this morning, and had he not slipped in making
+        <span class="tei tei-pb" id="page232">[pg 232]</span><a name="Pg232"
+        id="Pg232" class="tei tei-anchor"></a>a blow, it might have gone ill
+        with me. Do you know him?’</span> <span class=
+        "tei tei-q">‘Yes;’</span> I said, <span class="tei tei-q">‘in the old
+        time, when I mingled with the heathen and walked in their
+        ways.’</span> <span class="tei tei-q">‘See, then, whether you can
+        help him in any way; I love a brave man, be he heathen or no.’</span>
+        I was willing enough to do anything that I could for him, you may be
+        sure; one glance at that pale face was enough to chase away all the
+        anger with which we had parted. <span class=
+        "tei tei-q">‘Cleon!’</span> I said. And he knew me and smiled—a very
+        wan and feeble smile, but still a smile. Then I tried to stanch the
+        blood that was flowing from his wound. <span class=
+        "tei tei-q">‘Nay,’</span> said he, <span class="tei tei-q">‘’tis
+        idle; I am past all help; let it flow, and I shall be sooner out of
+        my pain. But, dear Menander—nay, pardon me, I should call you
+        Micah—give me some water to drink, for I have a raging
+        thirst.’</span> I had a leathern bottle of water, and gave him a
+        draught. Then I rested his head upon my shoulder, and bathed his
+        forehead with the water. Judas meanwhile had gone further, and I saw
+        a party of the Chasidim ranging the field, and I thought that they
+        could scarcely pass us by without seeing us, so I said to Cleon,
+        <span class="tei tei-q">‘Let me lay you down till these are past; for
+        if they know you as a friend of Jason they will not spare your life.
+        ’Tis better to feign death than to meet it at their hands.’</span>
+        Then he smiled and said, <span class="tei tei-q">‘No need, Micah, to
+        feign death. Your Hammer has smitten me down, and I shall not need
+        another stroke.’</span> And almost as he spoke the <span class=
+        "tei tei-pb" id="page233">[pg 233]</span><a name="Pg233" id="Pg233"
+        class="tei tei-anchor"></a>words, he died. And just then the captain
+        came back, and we buried him where he had fallen. The Lord have mercy
+        on him!”</span></p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em"><span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“But will He have mercy on the heathen?”</span> said
+        Miriam, who had begun to think.</p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em"><span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“Nay, child—who knows?”</span> answered Micah.
+        <span class="tei tei-q">“Surely some of us need His pardon more than
+        they, who have not known Him, nor have been called by His
+        name.”</span></p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em"><a name="i_255"
+        id="i_255" class="tei tei-anchor"></a><a name="fig48" id=
+        "fig48"></a></p>
+
+        <div class="tei tei-figure" style="text-align: center">
+          <img src="images/i_255.jpg" alt="Farewell to the Mountains" title=
+          "Farewell to the Mountains." />
+
+          <div class="tei tei-head" style=
+          "text-align: center; margin-bottom: 1.00em; margin-top: 1.00em">
+            <span class="tei tei-hi" style="text-align: center"><span style=
+            "font-style: italic">Farewell to the Mountains.</span></span>
+          </div>
+        </div>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em">The next day Micah
+        returned, in obedience to orders, and two or three days afterwards
+        all the party that had been left in the mountains followed him to
+        Jerusalem. It was a happy day, but saddened, for the children at
+        least, by one loss. The jackal, Jael, followed the party awhile, but
+        when they reached the plain, stood still and watched them disappear,
+        making mournful cries the while. Even the prospect of seeing their
+        old home could not quite reconcile the children to the loss of this
+        strange playmate, who had yet grown so dear to them.</p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em">And so the rugged
+        mountains which had afforded a refuge to the faithful remnant were
+        left again to silence and solitude. But the memory of what the
+        confessors and martyrs had endured in the evil days was never to
+        perish. Generation after generation remembered with sympathy and
+        reverence what men, aye, and weak women and children had borne for
+        conscience’ sake—cold and hunger and nakedness, and that anguish of
+        soul which is harder to <span class="tei tei-pb" id="page234">[pg
+        234]</span><a name="Pg234" id="Pg234" class="tei tei-anchor"></a>be
+        endured than all bodily pain. Two centuries later, an inspired
+        Hebrew, writing to Hebrews, commemorated the noble endurance of this
+        faithful band in his famous roll of the triumphs of faith:
+        <span class="tei tei-q">“They wandered about in sheepskins and
+        goatskins, being destitute, afflicted, tormented, of whom the world
+        was not worthy; they wandered in deserts and mountains, and in dens
+        and caves of the earth.”</span><a id="noteref_15" name="noteref_15"
+        href="#note_15"><span class="tei tei-noteref"><span style=
+        "font-size: 60%; vertical-align: super">15</span></span></a></p>
+      </div>
+      <hr class="page" />
+
+      <div class="tei tei-div" style=
+      "margin-bottom: 5.00em; margin-top: 5.00em">
+        <span class="tei tei-pb" id="page235">[pg 235]</span><a name="Pg235"
+        id="Pg235" class="tei tei-anchor"></a> <a name="toc49" id=
+        "toc49"></a> <a name="pdf50" id="pdf50"></a>
+
+        <h1 class="tei tei-head" style=
+        "text-align: center; margin-bottom: 3.46em; margin-top: 3.46em">
+        <span style="font-size: 173%">CHAPTER XIX.</span><br />
+        <br />
+        <span class="tei tei-hi" style="text-align: center"><span style=
+        "font-size: 100%">IN JERUSALEM.</span></span></h1>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em">Among those who
+        watched the approach of Judas and his host to Jerusalem were two men,
+        one in extreme old age, the other numbering, it would seem, about
+        fifty years. They wore the priestly garments, old indeed and
+        threadbare, but still clean and showing many signs of careful repair.
+        Theirs was a strange history. For two years they had been in hiding
+        in the city. When Apollonius had filled the streets of Jerusalem with
+        blood, the murderers had sought with especial care for all priests
+        and Levites. To them at least no mercy was to be shown. These two
+        men—Shemaiah was the name of the elder of the two, and Joel that of
+        the younger—had narrowly escaped death from the soldiers of
+        Apollonius. They had taken refuge—so close was the pursuit—in a
+        garden, the gate of which happened to be open, and had hidden
+        themselves in the bushes till nightfall. Where they were, who or of
+        what <span class="tei tei-pb" id="page236">[pg 236]</span><a name=
+        "Pg236" id="Pg236" class="tei tei-anchor"></a>race was the owner of
+        the house, whether they were likely to meet with more mercy from his
+        hands than they could expect from the soldiers, they knew not. But
+        that hiding-place was their only chance, and in their desperate
+        strait they snatched at it. While they were debating in whispers
+        whether they should throw themselves on the compassion of this
+        unknown person, they saw—for it was a moonlight night—the figure of a
+        woman walking down a path which passed close by their hiding-place.
+        They could see from her features, which the brilliant moonlight of
+        the East lighted up, that she was a countrywoman of their own, and
+        they resolved to appeal to her for protection. Shemaiah, whose age
+        and venerable appearance would, they judged, be less likely to alarm,
+        threw himself on the ground at her feet. She started back in
+        astonishment.</p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em"><span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“Lady,”</span> he said, <span class="tei tei-q">“I see
+        that you are a daughter of Abraham. Can you help two servants of the
+        Lord that have so far escaped from the sword of the
+        Greeks?”</span></p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em">She was reassured
+        by a nearer view of the speaker. <span class="tei tei-q">“Who are
+        you?”</span> she said. <span class="tei tei-q">“Speak without fear,
+        for there is no one to harm you.”</span></p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em">Shemaiah told his
+        story.</p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em"><span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“And your companion,”</span> said Eglah—for that was the
+        woman’s name—<span class="tei tei-q">“where is he?”</span></p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em">The old man called
+        to Joel, who came forth at his bidding from his
+        hiding-place.</p><span class="tei tei-pb" id="page237">[pg
+        237]</span><a name="Pg237" id="Pg237" class="tei tei-anchor"></a>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em">Eglah stood for a
+        few minutes buried in thought. Then she spoke.</p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em"><span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“As I hope that the Lord will have mercy on me and pardon
+        my sin, so will I help you even to the giving up of my life. But I am
+        not worthy that you should come under my roof. Now listen to my
+        story. When Antiochus—the Lord reward him for the evil that he has
+        done to His people!—came to this city, I was seized and sold for a
+        slave. And a certain Greek soldier, Glaucus by name, the captain of a
+        company, bought me in the market. He had compassion on me, and dealt
+        honourably with me, and made me his wife after the fashion of his
+        people. And I consented to live with him, though I knew that it was a
+        sin for a daughter of Abraham to be wife unto a man that was a
+        heathen. But alas! sirs, what was I to do? for I was a weak woman,
+        and there was no one to help me. Should I have slain him in his
+        sleep, as Judith slew Holofernes? Once I thought to do so, and I took
+        a dagger in my hand, but when I saw him I repented. Whether it was
+        fear or love that turned me I know not. That I was afraid I know, for
+        the very sight of the steel made me tremble. And I must confess that
+        I loved him also, for he had been very kind and gentle with me; and
+        there is not a goodlier man to look at in all Jerusalem.”</span></p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em"><span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“Be comforted, my daughter,”</span> said Shemaiah, whose
+        years had taught him a tolerance to which <span class="tei tei-pb"
+        id="page238">[pg 238]</span><a name="Pg238" id="Pg238" class=
+        "tei tei-anchor"></a>his younger companion had, perhaps, scarcely
+        attained. <span class="tei tei-q">“’Tis at least no sin for a wife to
+        love her husband.”</span></p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em"><span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“Then you do not think me so wicked as to be beyond all
+        hope?”</span> cried poor Eglah, eagerly.</p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em"><span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“Nay, my daughter,”</span> said the old man; <span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“you were in a sore strait, and all women are not as
+        Judith was.”</span></p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em"><span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“Then you will not refuse to come into my house? I have a
+        large cellar where you can lie hid. ’Tis under the ground, indeed,
+        but airy and dry, and you can make shift to live there. And I will
+        feed you as best I may. My husband has an open hand, and never makes
+        any question as to the money that I spend upon the house, and he will
+        not know what I have done. I judge it best to keep the thing from
+        him, not because I fear that he would betray you—for he is an
+        honourable man and kindly, but it would go hard with him, being an
+        officer in the army of the King, if it should be discovered that he
+        knew it.”</span></p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em">And so for two
+        years Shemaiah and Joel had inhabited the cellar in Eglah’s house.
+        Glaucus, the husband, was just the kindly, generous man whom his wife
+        had described. Once or twice he had terrified her by some joking
+        remark about the rapidity with which the provision purchased for the
+        house disappeared. <span class="tei tei-q">“When we dine together, my
+        darling,”</span> he said, on one occasion, <span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“you eat what would be scarce enough for a well-favoured
+        fly; <span class="tei tei-pb" id="page239">[pg 239]</span><a name=
+        "Pg239" id="Pg239" class="tei tei-anchor"></a>but I am glad to think
+        that you are hungry at other times.”</span> <span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“O husband,”</span> she said, <span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“there are many poor of my own people, and I cannot deny
+        them.”</span> She hoped as she said it that the falsehood would not
+        be counted as another sin against her. <span class="tei tei-q">“Nay,
+        nay, darling,”</span> said the good-natured man. <span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“Give as much as thou wilt. Thank the gods and his
+        Highness the King I have enough and to spare.”</span></p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em">Glaucus, though
+        allowed to live in his own house, had, of course, to spend much time
+        upon his military duties, and was, consequently, often away. During
+        his absence Eglah could bring out the two prisoners from their
+        underground lodging, and allow them to enjoy the fresh air of the
+        garden, which, happily, was not overlooked. She gave them the best
+        food that her means would procure, and at the same time took pains,
+        as has been said, to keep their garments scrupulously clean and neat.
+        On the whole they passed the time of their captivity in tolerable
+        comfort, and without much injury to their health. Latterly they had
+        been cheered by the tidings, always given to them at the very
+        earliest opportunity by their hostess, of the successes of Judas.
+        Within the last few days Glaucus had told his wife that a decisive
+        battle was expected, that it would probably be fought at Beth-zur,
+        and that if her countrymen won it, there was nothing that could
+        hinder them from taking possession of Jerusalem.</p><span class=
+        "tei tei-pb" id="page240">[pg 240]</span><a name="Pg240" id="Pg240"
+        class="tei tei-anchor"></a>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em">Glaucus, who held
+        a command in the garrison of the fort, had not been with Lysias at
+        Beth-zur, but he had heard late on the evening of the day of the
+        result of the battle and had, of course, told it to his wife, and she
+        in turn had communicated it to her inmates. They had been scarcely
+        able to sleep for joy, and had eagerly waited for news of the
+        conqueror’s approach. Evening was come, and Eglah had not paid them
+        the accustomed visit. The house was curiously silent; all day not a
+        sound of voices or steps had reached their ears. And now the suspense
+        had become unbearable. <span class="tei tei-q">“Go forth,”</span>
+        said Shemaiah to his younger companion, <span class="tei tei-q">“go
+        forth, and bring me word again.”</span> Joel crept out of his
+        retreat. The streets were deserted; but the fortress was crowded. The
+        garrison stood thickly clustered on the walls, and with them were
+        many inhabitants of the city. It was easy to guess that what Glaucus
+        had foretold had happened. Judas was on his way to take possession of
+        Jerusalem, and all who had compromised themselves by resisting him,
+        had either fled from the place altogether or had taken refuge in the
+        fort. He returned to Shemaiah with a description of what he had seen,
+        and the two at once hastened down to the walls to greet the
+        deliverers.</p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em">The sun was near
+        its setting when they entered the city. Without turning to the right
+        or left, though many must have been consumed with <span class=
+        "tei tei-pb" id="page241">[pg 241]</span><a name="Pg241" id="Pg241"
+        class="tei tei-anchor"></a>anxiety to hear the fate of kinsmen and
+        friends, they marched to Mount Sion. It was an hour of triumph, the
+        fruition of hopes passionately cherished through many a dark day of
+        sorrow. To stand once more in the place which God had chosen to set
+        His name there, how glorious. But it had its bitterness, as such
+        hours will have, for it was a miserable sight that greeted them.
+        Nothing, indeed, had been done of which they had not heard. There was
+        nothing that they might not have expected or foreseen. Yet the actual
+        view of the holy place in its dismal forlornness overpowered them. It
+        was as if the sight had come upon them by surprise. <span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“When they saw the Sanctuary desolate and the altar
+        profaned, and the gates burnt with fire, and shrubs growing in the
+        courts as in a forest or one of the mountains, and the chambers of
+        the priests pulled down, they rent their clothes, and made great
+        lamentations, and cast ashes upon their heads, and fell down flat to
+        the ground upon their faces.”</span></p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em">To repair this
+        ruin, to put an end to this desolation, to purify the place which had
+        been so shamefully polluted, was the first duty of the deliverers.
+        But that the work might be done in peace it was necessary that the
+        fortress of Acra, to use military language, should be masked. A
+        strong force was told off to perform this duty; the rest would lend
+        their aid to the great work of purification.</p>
+      </div>
+      <hr class="page" />
+
+      <div class="tei tei-div" style=
+      "margin-bottom: 5.00em; margin-top: 5.00em">
+        <span class="tei tei-pb" id="page242">[pg 242]</span><a name="Pg242"
+        id="Pg242" class="tei tei-anchor"></a> <a name="toc51" id=
+        "toc51"></a> <a name="pdf52" id="pdf52"></a>
+
+        <h1 class="tei tei-head" style=
+        "text-align: center; margin-bottom: 3.46em; margin-top: 3.46em">
+        <span style="font-size: 173%">CHAPTER XX.</span><br />
+        <br />
+        <span class="tei tei-hi" style="text-align: center"><span style=
+        "font-size: 100%">THE CLEANSING OF THE TEMPLE.</span></span></h1>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em">Azariah and Micah
+        had been put under John, the eldest of the five brothers, in command
+        of the force employed to blockade the garrison of Acra. The night had
+        passed quietly; the garrison had not attempted a sortie, and had not
+        even harassed the besiegers with a discharge of missiles. And when
+        the morning came they seemed inclined to continue the same inaction.
+        From the high ground the two Jews looked down upon the Temple courts
+        and saw the priests directing a crowd of eager helpers in the work of
+        cleansing the Sanctuary, and labouring diligently with their own
+        hands. The first task was to pull down the idol altar which had been
+        erected on the altar of burnt-offering. This was done in a fury of
+        haste. The hands of the workmen could not, it seemed, move fast
+        enough in destroying the abominable thing. The stones were carried
+        out of the temple with gestures of loathing and disgust, <span class=
+        "tei tei-pb" id="page243">[pg 243]</span><a name="Pg243" id="Pg243"
+        class="tei tei-anchor"></a>and afterwards taken to the Valley of
+        Hinnom—unholy things to be cast away in an unholy place.</p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em">But the stones of
+        the holy altar itself had been polluted by the superstructure that
+        had been erected upon them. What was to be done with them? At least
+        it was manifest that they could not stand where they were. Sacrifice
+        could not be offered upon them. They were reverently detached from
+        the cement which bound them together, and then borne one by one to a
+        chamber of the Temple, where they were to be laid up till a prophet
+        should arise who should show what was to be done with them. The first
+        duty of dealing with the altar completed, came the work of cleansing
+        and repairing the courts and chambers. The long, trailing creepers
+        were pulled down; the weeds and shrubs were rooted out. The place was
+        still a ruin, but the manifest signs of its desolation and
+        abandonment were removed. So numerous and so eager were the labourers
+        that for this part of the work a few hours sufficed. The task of
+        reparation would, of necessity, be longer and more tedious.</p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em">Azariah and Micah
+        had been watching the work with perhaps a more absorbing interest
+        than was quite consistent with their duty of watching the garrison,
+        when suddenly one of the sentries blew an alarm. Scarcely had it
+        sounded when a flight of arrows from the garrison of the fortress
+        fell among the besiegers. The Greeks had watched <span class=
+        "tei tei-pb" id="page244">[pg 244]</span><a name="Pg244" id="Pg244"
+        class="tei tei-anchor"></a>their opportunity, and when almost all
+        eyes were turned on the work that was going on below, had sent a
+        volley among the ranks of the enemy.</p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em">This sudden attack
+        did no little damage. One or two of the patriots were killed on the
+        spot, several were seriously wounded; the others either covered
+        themselves with their shields, a precaution which they ought not to
+        have neglected, or sought refuge among the ruins.</p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em">Azariah, though he
+        had been caught a little off his guard, was not unprepared to deal
+        with a manifestation of this kind. He had organized a company of
+        slingers, and he now ordered them to advance and clear the wall of
+        its defenders. They knelt with one knee upon the ground, and covered
+        themselves with their shields. Under this shelter they loaded their
+        slings. Then, rising rapidly at a preconcerted signal from their
+        commander, they sent a simultaneous and well-directed shower of
+        leaden bullets on the defenders of the wall. These missiles, sent
+        with a skill and a strength in which the Jewish slingers were
+        unsurpassed, had a marvellous effect. In a moment the wall was
+        cleared, except that here and there along its length the dead and
+        wounded might be seen. The survivors did not venture forth from
+        shelter to carry them away. A fierce conflict followed. From the
+        loopholes of the towers and from behind the battlements the Greek
+        archers kept up the discharge of their arrows, and the Jewish
+        <span class="tei tei-pb" id="page245">[pg 245]</span><a name="Pg245"
+        id="Pg245" class="tei tei-anchor"></a>slingers replied. No great
+        damage was done on either side; but every now and then a skilful aim
+        at some exposed body or limb was followed by a cry of pain from the
+        wounded man, and the cry was taken up by a shout of triumph from the
+        hostile force. In the course of the afternoon a storm came on, with
+        thunder and lightning and a deluge of rain. Before it had cleared
+        away the light had failed, and hostilities had perforce to be
+        suspended.</p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em">About the
+        beginning of the second watch<a id="noteref_16" name="noteref_16"
+        href="#note_16"><span class="tei tei-noteref"><span style=
+        "font-size: 60%; vertical-align: super">16</span></span></a> Micah,
+        who was making a round of the sentries, heard the sound of something
+        that seemed to fall heavily upon the soft and plashy ground. The rain
+        had ceased, and the sky had partially cleared; for a few minutes all
+        was still; then Micah could hear a sighing which was not the sighing
+        of the wind. He followed the guidance of the sound, and found a woman
+        lying almost insensible upon the ground. He called one of the
+        sentinels to help him, and together they carried her under shelter,
+        and brought torches, by the light of which they might examine her
+        injuries. That she was stunned by the fall was evident, for she did
+        not speak, and when they attempted to move her she groaned with the
+        pain. When left alone she did not seem to suffer much, and they
+        judged it best to wait for the morning, administering meanwhile a
+        little wine and water from time to time.</p><span class="tei tei-pb"
+        id="page246">[pg 246]</span><a name="Pg246" id="Pg246" class=
+        "tei tei-anchor"></a>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em">The next morning
+        four of the soldiers were told off to remove her on a litter that had
+        been constructed for the use of the wounded to a deserted house in
+        the Lower City—and of deserted houses there was only too great a
+        choice. As the bearers put down their burden on the way to take a
+        brief rest a strange figure came up to the party. It was a woman,
+        young and still showing the remains of beauty, but with a miserably
+        haggard look. It was easy to see from her uncertain gait and
+        wandering eye that she was a lunatic.</p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em">Huldah had been
+        for some time a well-known figure in Jerusalem, and her story was of
+        the saddest. She had been a servant in the house of Seraiah, and had
+        been Ruth’s own waiting-maid. Returning home from some errand on
+        which she had been sent one day at the beginning of Apollonius’s
+        reign of terror, she had been seized by the attendants of the
+        newly-dedicated Temple of Jupiter, and made a slave. Before many
+        weeks had passed the cruel outrages to which she was subjected
+        overthrew her reason. Thus become a trouble to her captors she was
+        permitted to escape. Since then she had been accustomed to wander
+        about the city. The horrors of the past still haunted her, and the
+        recollection of the abominable idolatries in which she had been
+        forced to serve. At every pool of water and fountain she would stay
+        and wash. From every passer-by she would beg for something that might
+        <span class="tei tei-pb" id="page247">[pg 247]</span><a name="Pg247"
+        id="Pg247" class="tei tei-anchor"></a>serve for her cleansing: it was
+        the one craving of her soul to be rid of its defilement. For food or
+        money she never asked; but a few kindly souls in the city gave her
+        enough to support life, and sometimes would renew the garments,
+        threadbare, but always scrupulously neat and clean, which she wore.
+        Of these friends the kindest was Eglah, who had a fellow-feeling for
+        the sufferer, and who was always on the watch to atone by her
+        charitable deeds for what she believed to be the great offence of her
+        life.</p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em">Huldah cast a
+        glance at the litter in passing, and at once recognized in the
+        suffering woman her own benefactress. For indeed it was Eglah whom
+        Micah had found under the fortress wall. The recognition made a
+        marvellous change in the poor maniac. It turned her thoughts in
+        another direction. She ceased to dwell upon her own sufferings, and,
+        for the time at least, reason regained its sway.</p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em">She knelt down by
+        the side of the litter, and kissed one of the hands that hung
+        listlessly down. Then, rising to her feet, she arranged the cushion
+        on which Eglah lay so as to make it more comfortable. That done, she
+        bade the bearers take up their burden, made a gesture of dissent when
+        they were turning aside to the house to which they had been directed,
+        and led the way to Eglah’s own dwelling.</p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em">The unhappy
+        creature was positively transformed by the charge which had thus been
+        laid upon her. The most intelligent and thoughtful nurse could not
+        <span class="tei tei-pb" id="page248">[pg 248]</span><a name="Pg248"
+        id="Pg248" class="tei tei-anchor"></a>have done better for her
+        patient than did the poor distracted Huldah. A physician who was
+        called in examined Eglah, and found that though she had been sadly
+        bruised and shaken, no bones were broken. Whether any internal injury
+        existed was more than he could positively say; that time alone would
+        show. Meanwhile careful attention was all that could be done for her,
+        and attention more careful than Huldah’s it would be impossible to
+        imagine.</p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em">The two priests
+        who had found shelter in Eglah’s house were naturally among those
+        whom Judas had summoned to take part in the cleansing of the Temple
+        when he made proclamation for all such as, being of the House of
+        Aaron, were <span class="tei tei-q">“of blameless conversation and
+        had pleasure in the Law.”</span> Posts of special dignity were,
+        indeed, conferred upon them, for both were men of high reputation for
+        sanctity and learning, which was not a little increased by the
+        romantic story of their long seclusion and marvellous escape. Judas
+        assigned them quarters near to his own, and was accustomed to have
+        frequent recourse to their advice. They thus found themselves almost
+        constantly employed, and were unable for several days to find an
+        opportunity of inquiring what had happened to their protectress.</p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em">When at last they
+        found their way to the house Eglah had sufficiently recovered her
+        strength to be able to rise from her bed. She was sitting, busy with
+        her needle. Huldah was watching her with <span class="tei tei-pb" id=
+        "page249">[pg 249]</span><a name="Pg249" id="Pg249" class=
+        "tei tei-anchor"></a>an intense look of affection that was infinitely
+        pathetic.</p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em">The poor woman
+        told her story with a voice that again and again was broken with
+        sobs.</p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em"><span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“When I was preparing your morning meal in the kitchen my
+        husband, whom I had never before known to set foot in the place,
+        suddenly appeared. I was greatly terrified lest he should ask for
+        whom I was getting the food ready, but he was too much occupied with
+        other things to notice it at all. <span class=
+        "tei tei-q">‘Eglah,’</span> he said, <span class="tei tei-q">‘you
+        must come with me into the fort. Judas the Hammer has broken our army
+        to pieces. Lysias has fled before him, no one knows whither, and
+        within a few hours he will be in the city. I would have you here, for
+        the fort is scarcely a place for a woman, but I fear your people.
+        Haply they may slay you as having been yoked to a heathen. My
+        darling,’</span> he went on—and here poor Eglah’s voice was choked
+        with tears—<span class="tei tei-q">‘I have done ill for you, I fear;
+        but I meant it for the best. And now, I fear, you must cast in your
+        lot with me. May the God whom you serve turn it for good.’</span> So
+        I gathered a few things together, and went with him. I thought many
+        times that we should scarcely have reached the fort alive, for the
+        people cursed us as we went, the women especially casting many bitter
+        words at me as one that had left her people to join herself to the
+        heathen. But my husband had some six or seven soldiers with him; and
+        they were brave men and <span class="tei tei-pb" id="page250">[pg
+        250]</span><a name="Pg250" id="Pg250" class="tei tei-anchor"></a>well
+        armed. We had not been many hours in the fort before there began a
+        battle between the garrison and the soldiers of Judas. One of my
+        husband’s men, who had gone in a spirit of folly and vanity to show
+        his courage, was struck down with a stone, and my husband ran forth
+        to drag him in. And just as he was returning, another stone from the
+        slingers struck him on the back of his head. It was about the ninth
+        hour of the day when he was wounded, and he lived till the beginning
+        of the second watch, but he never spoke again.”</span></p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em">Here the poor
+        creature’s story became confused and broken, and her listeners could
+        only guess what had followed. The tale of what followed must be told
+        for her. <span class="tei tei-q">“ <span class=
+        "tei tei-q">‘Ah!’</span> said one of the soldiers, <span class=
+        "tei tei-q">‘Glaucus has it. He will never move again, I reckon. A
+        good fellow, but overstrict.’</span> <span class="tei tei-q">‘But how
+        about the Jewish girl whom he calls his wife?’</span> said the other;
+        <span class="tei tei-q">‘I shall take her.’</span> <span class=
+        "tei tei-q">‘Nay, nay; let there be fair play between us, comrade, as
+        there has always been. Why you more than I?’</span> <span class=
+        "tei tei-q">‘Because I was the first to speak.’</span> <span class=
+        "tei tei-q">‘Not so; ’twas I that first spoke of her.’</span>
+        <span class="tei tei-q">‘Well, we won’t quarrel, comrade. No woman is
+        good enough to separate old friends. Let us cast the dice for her,
+        and the man that wins shall stand treat for a flagon of wine.’</span>
+        And then Eglah heard them cast the dice, and count the numbers—they
+        would have twenty throws a-piece, they said—and curse and swear when
+        they <span class="tei tei-pb" id="page251">[pg 251]</span><a name=
+        "Pg251" id="Pg251" class="tei tei-anchor"></a>threw low. And when
+        they had finished their dice-throwing they came in to see how Glaucus
+        fared; and just as they entered the chamber, he drew a long breath
+        and died. One of them put his hand upon his heart and said,
+        <span class="tei tei-q">‘’Tis all over with him; he will never toss a
+        flagon or kiss a pretty girl again.’</span> And then he laid his hand
+        upon Eglah’s shoulder, and said, <span class="tei tei-q">‘Cheer up;
+        we will find another husband for thee as good as he.’</span> But the
+        first said, <span class="tei tei-q">‘Nay, Timon, leave her alone. The
+        women are not like us. You must give them a few hours to cry.’</span>
+        <span class="tei tei-q">‘Well, well,’</span> said his comrade,
+        <span class="tei tei-q">‘you were always soft-hearted. Let us come
+        and have our flagon; there is no reason why we should wait for
+        that.’</span> ”</span> The comrades went on their errand and left the
+        widow alone with her dead husband. She kissed him, and cut off a
+        little curl of his hair, and then went forth on the wall—for the
+        chamber in which he lay was in one of the wall-towers—and threw
+        herself down to the ground. It was better, she thought, to die than
+        to sin again.</p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em"><span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“Daughter,”</span> said Joel, <span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“you should thank the Lord that, without your own doing,
+        the tie that bound you to this heathen man is broken.”</span></p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em"><span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“O sir,”</span> broke out the poor woman, <span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“do not say so. I cannot find it in my heart to thank
+        Him, though I do try to say in my heart, <span class="tei tei-q">‘Thy
+        will be done.’</span> ”</span></p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em"><span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“Brother,”</span> said the old Shemaiah, <span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“you are too hard upon her. ’Tis right that a wife should
+        mourn <span class="tei tei-pb" id="page252">[pg 252]</span><a name=
+        "Pg252" id="Pg252" class="tei tei-anchor"></a>for her husband, be he
+        Jew or Greek. Before the Lord, I had thought ill of her had she been
+        of the temper that you would have her.”</span></p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em">Eglah turned to
+        the old man a grateful look. <span class="tei tei-q">“O sir,”</span>
+        she said, <span class="tei tei-q">“you do not know how kind and good
+        my Glaucus was. I never had an angry word from him. Nor did he ever
+        hinder me from my prayers. Rather he would say when I went three
+        times to my chamber to pray, <span class="tei tei-q">‘Speak a word
+        for me, wife, if you will.’</span> And he would oftentimes speak to
+        me about my God, and say that he liked Him better than the gods in
+        whom <span class="tei tei-hi"><span style=
+        "font-style: italic">he</span></span> had been taught to believe. And
+        I used to tell him stories out of the Book, and how the Lord had
+        delivered his people out of the land of Egypt, and had brought them
+        into the land which He sware to Abraham to give him. And he never
+        mocked or laughed, but listened with all his heart. And, sir, I do
+        sometimes think that if he had been spared to live longer, he would
+        have become one of us. But he is dead, and I shall never, never see
+        him any more.”</span></p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em">And the poor
+        desolate widow burst out into a passion of tears, and threw herself
+        prostrate on the couch, Huldah trying to comfort her, not with
+        words—which, indeed, she could not command, and which, in any case,
+        would have been of small avail—but with great demonstrations of
+        love.</p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em">After a while
+        Eglah looked up, and turning to Shemaiah, in whose sympathy and
+        charity she <span class="tei tei-pb" id="page253">[pg
+        253]</span><a name="Pg253" id="Pg253" class=
+        "tei tei-anchor"></a>trusted, said, <span class="tei tei-q">“O, sir,
+        do you think that there is any hope for him? Must he go into that
+        dreadful Gehenna? For indeed he was kind and good, and never thought
+        of any woman but his wife, and never injured one of our people, but
+        would help them and defend them when his fellows were rough with
+        them. He was better than many Jews that I know. Is it not possible
+        that God may have mercy upon him?”</span></p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em">Joel was about to
+        speak, but Shemaiah beckoned to him to hold his peace. <span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“My daughter,”</span> he said, <span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“these things are too deep for us; but I would say, be of
+        good hope for him that is gone, seeing that he was such as you say.
+        Shall not the Judge of all the earth do right? To some He giveth much
+        light, and to some but little; and He judgeth each according to that
+        which He has given. Therefore I bid you be of good cheer.”</span></p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em"><span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“And may I pray for him?”</span> asked Eglah.</p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em"><span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“Surely you may, for no prayer, so that it come out of an
+        honest heart and pure lips, but finds some fulfilment.”</span><a id=
+        "noteref_17" name="noteref_17" href="#note_17"><span class=
+        "tei tei-noteref"><span style=
+        "font-size: 60%; vertical-align: super">17</span></span></a></p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em">He rose and,
+        giving her his blessing, departed, followed by Joel, whose narrow
+        intelligence was not a little startled by what his old companion had
+        said.</p>
+      </div>
+      <hr class="page" />
+
+      <div class="tei tei-div" style=
+      "margin-bottom: 5.00em; margin-top: 5.00em">
+        <span class="tei tei-pb" id="page254">[pg 254]</span><a name="Pg254"
+        id="Pg254" class="tei tei-anchor"></a> <a name="toc53" id=
+        "toc53"></a> <a name="pdf54" id="pdf54"></a>
+
+        <h1 class="tei tei-head" style=
+        "text-align: center; margin-bottom: 3.46em; margin-top: 3.46em">
+        <span style="font-size: 173%">CHAPTER XXI.</span><br />
+        <br />
+        <span class="tei tei-hi" style="text-align: center"><span style=
+        "font-size: 100%">THE DEDICATION OF THE TEMPLE.</span></span></h1>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em">Jerusalem now
+        began to assume an aspect very different from that which it had borne
+        for some years past. Thousands, who had been driven away by the
+        terrors of the evil days, now hastened to return. Many of the lower
+        class, constrained by the necessity of poverty, had always remained,
+        enduring persecution as best they could, and often, of course,
+        escaping it by their obscurity. Now the wealthier inhabitants began
+        to flock back from their hiding-places in the country and from
+        foreign lands; the streets again began to be busy; the shopkeepers
+        displayed the wares which there had been no one to purchase, or which
+        they had been afraid to show; the long-shut markets were reopened and
+        thronged with purchasers.</p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em">The priests alone,
+        gathered as they were from their abodes scattered throughout
+        Palestine, made a considerable addition to the population of the
+        <span class="tei tei-pb" id="page255">[pg 255]</span><a name="Pg255"
+        id="Pg255" class="tei tei-anchor"></a>city. They were a numerous
+        class, far beyond any requirements of their sacrificial duties, and
+        commonly remained at home, awaiting the rarely recurring occasion of
+        services that called them to Jerusalem. But now a work was before
+        them in which all could take part, for the Temple, having been
+        cleansed and having received such repair as could be done at once,
+        was to be dedicated afresh.</p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em">The first
+        necessary work was the construction of a new altar of sacrifice. This
+        work was to be of the primitive kind, in strict conformity to the
+        Law, and as unlike as possible to the elaborate erections of the
+        alien worship, and it was to be done, from first to last, by the
+        consecrated hands of the priests. They dug out of the earth of the
+        valley rough stones. No tool of iron was to be used in raising them
+        from their place; none was to be employed in hewing them into shape.
+        It was the priests again who solemnly conveyed them into the Great
+        Court of the Temple, who joined them together with mortar, and
+        covered them with whitewash. Meanwhile other preparations for a
+        wholly renovated service were being busily carried on. Most of the
+        furniture of the Temple had been carried off by a succession of
+        plunderers; if any of the less valuable and less easily removed
+        articles had been left these had suffered an irremediable defilement.
+        Everything therefore had to be replaced; and workmen were now busily
+        employed <span class="tei tei-pb" id="page256">[pg
+        256]</span><a name="Pg256" id="Pg256" class="tei tei-anchor"></a>in
+        this work. The altar of incense, the candlestick with its seven
+        branches, the table on which the loaves of the shew-bread were to be
+        placed, the mercy-seat with the overshadowing cherubim that was the
+        chief feature of the Holy of Holies, and the various curtains that
+        were needed for the separation of the various parts of the building,
+        were manufactured with all possible haste, some of the articles, from
+        lack of time and materials, being intended to serve their purpose
+        only till they could be more worthily replaced. Generally, however,
+        it was time rather than means that was wanting, for in the late
+        campaigns treasure almost enough to replace the spoliations of years
+        had been taken from the Greeks, and this, after being duly purified
+        and blessed, could be devoted to holy uses.</p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em">And so came on the
+        day that had been appointed for the Feast of Dedication. It was to be
+        the 25th of the month Chisleu.<a id="noteref_18" name="noteref_18"
+        href="#note_18"><span class="tei tei-noteref"><span style=
+        "font-size: 60%; vertical-align: super">18</span></span></a> It was a
+        memorable day, both for good and evil, in the annals of Jewish
+        worship. On this day, ages before, Jerusalem, the newly-won capital
+        of the nation, had been finally chosen as the place where God should
+        set His name; for on this day David, as he made atonement in the day
+        of pestilence, bought the threshing-floor of Araunah the Jebusite to
+        be the future dwelling-place of the Presence of the Lord God of
+        Israel. And on this day, again, five years ago, the first
+        <span class="tei tei-pb" id="page257">[pg 257]</span><a name="Pg257"
+        id="Pg257" class="tei tei-anchor"></a>idol sacrifice had been offered
+        within the consecrated precincts.</p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em">In the early
+        morning, before the sun had risen upon the earth, a spark was
+        obtained by striking stone against stone, the fire was rekindled on
+        the altar, the golden candlestick was lighted and the table of the
+        shew-bread duly furnished with its twelve loaves.</p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em">Meanwhile the rest
+        of the people also had been busy in making preparations for the great
+        celebration. Every family, even the poorest, was to keep festival on
+        the day that was to be a new beginning of the national life. The
+        women and children were early afoot, gathering branches of palms and
+        other <span class="tei tei-q">“goodly trees”</span>; none of them
+        having busier hands than Ruth and her nieces. Even the little Daniel
+        would take his part in the work, tottering along by his mother’s side
+        with his arms full of boughs. When they had gathered as great a
+        burden as they could carry, Ruth gathered her little company about
+        her, and told them, just as the rising sun began to flood the valley
+        with its slanting rays, the story of the day—of the glory and the
+        shame which it had brought to Israel.</p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em">And now, as the
+        time of the morning sacrifice drew near, the whole people moved in
+        one great stream towards the Temple, and the Great Court was crowded.
+        On the walls of the fortress the heathen soldiers of the garrison
+        stood in throngs watching the solemnities of the day. Some of them,
+        <span class="tei tei-pb" id="page258">[pg 258]</span><a name="Pg258"
+        id="Pg258" class="tei tei-anchor"></a>of course, were ready with
+        their mockery; but most looked on in respectful silence. Many of them
+        had witnessed the prowess of these strange fanatics in the field.
+        They might be given over to a <span class="tei tei-q">“senseless and
+        tasteless superstition,”</span> but they could deal shrewd blows with
+        their swords, and therefore they were not to be despised. No truce
+        had been arranged, but one was tacitly observed. The forbearance of
+        the Greeks was partly due to a wholesome awe of the Jewish archers
+        and slingers, partly to a curiosity that, as has been said, was not
+        wholly unmixed with respect.</p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em">Then came the
+        solemn ritual of sacrifice. This ended, the whole congregation of the
+        people united in solemn supplication to the Lord God of Israel.
+        Usually it was the custom to stand during the office of prayer;
+        sometimes the attitude of kneeling was used; now, as if to express
+        the intensity of their feeling, they threw themselves flat upon their
+        faces, and poured out their entreaty that evils such as they had
+        endured in the past might never again come upon them in the future.
+        <span class="tei tei-q">“O Lord,”</span>—this was the burden of their
+        prayer,—<span class="tei tei-q">“if we sin against Thee any more, do
+        Thou chasten us Thyself with Thine own hand, after the multitude of
+        Thy mercies. Make us suffer that which shall seem good to Thee here
+        in our own land, but scatter us no more among the heathen, and
+        deliver us not again unto the nations that blaspheme Thy holy
+        name.”</span></p><span class="tei tei-pb" id="page259">[pg
+        259]</span><a name="Pg259" id="Pg259" class="tei tei-anchor"></a>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em">The prayer ended,
+        came the great Psalm of Thanksgiving; and then the people dispersed
+        to their houses to hold festival. Their mirth was prolonged far into
+        the night, which, indeed, was almost turned into day throughout the
+        streets of Jerusalem, so brilliant was the light that streamed from
+        the lamps set in almost every window.</p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em">For eight days the
+        Feast of Dedication was continued. Each day the services began with
+        the customary morning sacrifice. At earliest dawn the Master of the
+        Temple summoned the priests who had been watching round the fire in
+        the gate-house as they waited for his summons. Then they went out and
+        fetched the lamb for the burnt-offering. The creature had already
+        been examined on the previous day, and pronounced to be free from
+        spot or blemish. This done, they went outside the court in which the
+        great altar stood, and watched for the coming day. The Mount of
+        Olives stood between them and the East, and far behind it were the
+        mountains of Moab. Here the first streaks of the morning light were
+        to show themselves. Then the priest whose turn it was to slay the
+        victim of the day bathed in the great laver. Thus purified for the
+        performance of his office, he stirred up the burning embers from
+        under the ashes of the altar, and added fresh fuel. This done, he was
+        joined by the other priests, and the morning sacrifice was offered.
+        Then followed the special ceremonies of the festival, <span class=
+        "tei tei-pb" id="page260">[pg 260]</span><a name="Pg260" id="Pg260"
+        class="tei tei-anchor"></a>among them the prayer for deliverance from
+        captivity, as already given, and the singing of the great
+        Thanksgiving. And every day the public services were followed by
+        private rejoicings. No one could have believed that the rejoicing
+        city, gay with its brightly dressed throngs of merry-makers and
+        resounding with the music of tabret and harp, was the desolate place
+        so long trodden down by the heathen. There had been days in the past
+        when the most hopeful could scarcely discern any light in the
+        darkness. But now they could see the <span class="tei tei-q">“silver
+        lining of the cloud.”</span> In this very Temple, now dedicated
+        afresh with such joyous zeal, but a few years before, the priests
+        <span class="tei tei-q">“had left the sacrifices when the game of the
+        Discus called them forth.”</span> That deadly folly had been purged
+        with blood. The brutal violence of Antiochus had saved the nation
+        from an imminent relapse into heathenism.</p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em">Among the many
+        hearts that were gladdened by these rejoicings there was one, as
+        sorely burdened as any, that had found a complete deliverance from
+        the troubles of the past. The unhappy Huldah, in proportion as her
+        charge gained strength, and her work became less absorbing, had
+        seemed to be falling back into her old condition. For the time her
+        thoughts had been concentrated on the suffering Eglah; now they were
+        free to be turned upon herself, her own troubles, her own dismal
+        memories. Eglah did all she could to keep her employed, and
+        <span class="tei tei-pb" id="page261">[pg 261]</span><a name="Pg261"
+        id="Pg261" class="tei tei-anchor"></a>the girl’s gentle and
+        affectionate nature still felt her influence. Yet it was evident that
+        unless some remedy could be found the old madness would resume its
+        sway.</p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em">On the first day
+        of the Dedication festival, the two were standing together in the
+        Court of the Women. The priests, who were making a circuit of the
+        whole building, sprinkling everywhere the blood of purification, came
+        in due course to the spot. As they performed their office a drop fell
+        upon the garment of Huldah, who had been joining in the prayers with
+        an earnestness almost frenzied. The effect was marvellous. In a
+        moment the excitement passed away. Her eyes lost their wandering
+        look, and, in a tone calmer and more collected than any that she had
+        ever before been known to use since the time of her trouble, she
+        said, showing the crimson spot to Eglah—<span class="tei tei-q">“He
+        has heard my prayer; He has sprinkled me with the blood of
+        cleansing.”</span> She stood silent and collected until the whole
+        ritual was finished, and when the time for the hymn of thanksgiving
+        came round joined her voice with a quiet happiness to the voices of
+        the congregation.</p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em">When the people
+        returned to their homes Huldah left the Temple in company with Eglah.
+        But it was evident that her strength was exhausted. She could barely
+        totter along with all the help that Eglah and a neighbour could give
+        her, and when she came to the house of Seraiah and Ruth, which
+        happened <span class="tei tei-pb" id="page262">[pg
+        262]</span><a name="Pg262" id="Pg262" class="tei tei-anchor"></a>to
+        lie in her way, she sank almost unconscious to the ground.
+        Providentially at that moment Ruth came up with her husband and the
+        little Daniel.</p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em"><span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“She seemed so much better in the Temple—was quite calm
+        and peaceful again—and now I am afraid that she is going to be very
+        ill,”</span> said Eglah.</p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em">Woman’s wit
+        suggested to Ruth a happy thought for dealing with the sufferer.</p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em"><span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“Leave her to me,”</span> she said. <span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“She was happy here once, and here, if it please the
+        Lord, she will be happy again.”</span></p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em">Ruth and her
+        husband carried her into the house, and laid her upon her bed in her
+        old chamber. Once there she was able to swallow a little broth which
+        had been hastily prepared, cast one grateful look of recognition at
+        her old mistress, and then fell into a deep sleep. The next morning
+        she awoke, entirely restored to reason, and, though still somewhat
+        weak, able to go about the household tasks in which she had been once
+        employed, and which she resumed at once without a question, and as
+        if, indeed, they had never been interrupted for a day. The three
+        years of misery were entirely blotted out of her memory; nor did any
+        spectre from the past ever come back to trouble her.</p>
+      </div>
+      <hr class="page" />
+
+      <div class="tei tei-div" style=
+      "margin-bottom: 5.00em; margin-top: 5.00em">
+        <span class="tei tei-pb" id="page263">[pg 263]</span><a name="Pg263"
+        id="Pg263" class="tei tei-anchor"></a> <a name="toc55" id=
+        "toc55"></a> <a name="pdf56" id="pdf56"></a>
+
+        <h1 class="tei tei-head" style=
+        "text-align: center; margin-bottom: 3.46em; margin-top: 3.46em">
+        <span style="font-size: 173%">CHAPTER XXII.</span><br />
+        <br />
+        <span class="tei tei-hi" style="text-align: center"><span style=
+        "font-size: 100%">WARS AND RUMOURS OF WARS.</span></span></h1>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em">The Feast of
+        Dedication having been kept and made an ordinance in Israel for
+        ever,<a id="noteref_19" name="noteref_19" href=
+        "#note_19"><span class="tei tei-noteref"><span style=
+        "font-size: 60%; vertical-align: super">19</span></span></a> Judas’s
+        next act was to fortify the restored Temple. It was exposed, even
+        more than the rest of the city, to a sudden attack from the garrison
+        of the fort, which might work irreparable mischief could it gain,
+        even for an hour, possession of the sacred building. Accordingly a
+        high wall, strengthened at intervals by towers, was now erected round
+        it, and a force was told off from the army to watch it. This done,
+        the patriot leader could attend without anxiety to other cares. At
+        Beth-zur a fortress was erected and strongly garrisoned to guard the
+        Eastern frontier especially against the attacks of the Idumeans, who,
+        under their new name, inherited all the old Edomite jealousy of
+        Israel. After personally superintending <span class="tei tei-pb" id=
+        "page264">[pg 264]</span><a name="Pg264" id="Pg264" class=
+        "tei tei-anchor"></a>the erection of this stronghold, Judas marched
+        against other tribes on the east and south, who had been taking
+        advantage of the troublous times to plunder their Jewish neighbours.
+        The Arabs of the Negeb, or South Country, were defeated at a pass
+        near the Dead Sea, which bore the appropriate name of the Pass of the
+        Scorpions; the Ammonites, another tribe whose kinship with the chosen
+        people seems to have embittered their hereditary enmity, were
+        defeated under their Greek leader, Timotheus.</p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em">Meanwhile life at
+        Jerusalem had been settling down into a peaceful order. The younger
+        of the two priests whom Eglah had befriended had found scope for his
+        energies by joining the army; Shemaiah, the elder, was again an
+        inmate in the house which had sheltered him, where Eglah, who had
+        never forgotten the charity with which he had spoken of her husband,
+        tended him with all the care of a daughter. The old man was never
+        tired of hearing the story of the two dismal years during which he
+        had been in hiding.</p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em"><span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“Ah, father!”</span> she said to him one day,
+        <span class="tei tei-q">“you were not so ill off in your poor prison
+        after all. Had you had your liberty you would have seen altars to the
+        false gods in every street. And it was not safe to pass them without
+        showing some sign of reverence.”</span></p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em"><span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“And how did you fare, my daughter?”</span> asked the old
+        man.</p><span class="tei tei-pb" id="page265">[pg 265]</span><a name=
+        "Pg265" id="Pg265" class="tei tei-anchor"></a>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em"><span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“I could avoid them, knowing where they were, by passing
+        by on the other side, and my good Glaucus—the Lord have mercy on
+        him!—was always kind and helpful. He would fetch the water regularly
+        from the fountain, where there was an altar to the Naiad, as they
+        called the demon of the spring, which I could not have avoided. The
+        people used to laugh at him for doing a woman’s work, but he did not
+        heed them. O why was he taken away before he could learn the truth? I
+        think that he would have known it if he could have lived a little
+        longer.”</span></p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em">And the poor woman
+        burst into a passion of tears. She was always haunted with this fear
+        of her husband’s fate, and reproached herself with not having been
+        earnest enough in speaking of the truth to her husband.</p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em"><span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“Peace, my daughter,”</span> said the old man, gently;
+        <span class="tei tei-q">“the mercies of the Lord are without end, and
+        His ways past finding out. Be sure that He will not forget the
+        kindness that was showed to a daughter of Abraham. But tell
+        me,”</span> he went on, anxious to change the subject—<span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“tell me how we came to find the courts of the Temple
+        desolate and overgrown as though no one had entered them for months?
+        Did you not say that there were sacrifices there, and feasts to the
+        demons whom the Greeks worship?”</span></p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em"><span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“Yes, father; it was so for a time. But soon there were
+        few or none to make sacrifices, for the <span class="tei tei-pb" id=
+        "page266">[pg 266]</span><a name="Pg266" id="Pg266" class=
+        "tei tei-anchor"></a>city was utterly impoverished. So the priests,
+        whom Philip the Phrygian and Apollonius—the curse of the Lord be upon
+        him!—brought in to serve at the altars, went elsewhere, for, of a
+        truth, they would have died of hunger had they stayed here. O father,
+        it was a mournful existence; of a truth we were fed with the bread of
+        affliction and the water of affliction.”</span></p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em">As they talked
+        Ruth came in with a troubled face.</p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em"><span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“O Eglah!”</span> she cried, <span class="tei tei-q">“I
+        did hope that we should have peace and quiet, but there are wars and
+        rumours of wars on every side. This morning letters came to the
+        captain from our brethren in Gilead. That evil Timotheus—would to God
+        he had not escaped out of the hand of Judas!—has gathered together a
+        host of the Ammonites and slain some—a thousand, ’tis said, with
+        their wives and children, and shut up the rest in the fortress of
+        Dametha. And now my husband and my brother are in council with the
+        captain, and I fear me much that they will be sent to the wars, for
+        indeed,”</span> she added, with a touch of a woman’s pride in those
+        that are dear to her, <span class="tei tei-q">“Judas esteems them
+        highly, and will always have them in places of trust. Nor would I
+        keep them back from helping the Lord’s people. But hark! I hear his
+        step.”</span></p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em">As she spoke
+        Seraiah came in from the council.</p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em"><span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“How is it?”</span> cried Ruth, with trembling voice,
+        <span class="tei tei-pb" id="page267">[pg 267]</span><a name="Pg267"
+        id="Pg267" class="tei tei-anchor"></a>her fears again getting the
+        upper hand. <span class="tei tei-q">“Do you go? and
+        Azariah?”</span></p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em"><span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“Yes, my dearest, I go, and next in command to the
+        captain and his brothers.”</span></p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em">Ruth flung her
+        arms round her husband’s neck. <span class="tei tei-q">“Oh! I am
+        proud of you; but yet if you could have stayed, for our little Daniel
+        is so young——”</span></p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em">And she could say
+        no more.</p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em"><span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“Nay, wife, be of good cheer, and do not grudge us to the
+        Lord’s service, for indeed there is need of us all. Even while the
+        letters from Gilead were being read there came messengers from
+        Galilee with their clothes rent. From them we heard that the men of
+        Ptolemaïs and of Tyre and Sidon and all Galilee of the Gentiles were
+        gathered together. Then it was determined that Simon should go to
+        Galilee with three thousand men, and Judas and Jonathan to
+        Gilead.”</span></p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em"><span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“And what of Azariah?”</span></p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em"><span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“He and Joseph, the son of Zachariah, are to be left in
+        the city with the remnant of the army as captains of the people. They
+        are to have the Governor’s house, and you, with our little Daniel,
+        will live there while I am away. This will be well for you, and for
+        Miriam and Judith also, for there will be many coming and going, and
+        Miriam is a fair maiden, as she should be, being kin to
+        you.”</span></p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em">Ruth smiled
+        through her tears at the lover-like compliment.</p><span class=
+        "tei tei-pb" id="page268">[pg 268]</span><a name="Pg268" id="Pg268"
+        class="tei tei-anchor"></a>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em"><span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“Come now,”</span> Seraiah went on, <span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“and get ready what I shall want for my journey, for we
+        set out at sunset.”</span></p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em">The two women
+        kissed each other, and the old priest blessed Seraiah. <span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“The Lord give thee strength in the day of battle, and
+        deliver thee out of the hand of the enemy, and bring thee back to the
+        house of thy fathers.”</span></p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em">At sunset
+        exactly—for Judas was one of the commanders who are exactly and
+        punctually obeyed—the two expeditions set forth.</p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em">Their departure
+        was, of course, observed by the garrison of the fort, who were
+        encouraged by it to make some fierce sallies on the diminished forces
+        of the patriots. These were as fiercely repelled, and in a few days
+        things settled down again into the virtual truce which had existed
+        for some time between besiegers and besieged.</p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em">Eight days after
+        the departure of the expeditions tidings of victory came from the
+        main army under Judas. The captain of the host had taken Bozrah, in
+        Edom. The place lay at least a hundred miles to the east; but the
+        patriots had covered the distance with unexpected rapidity, and,
+        reaching the place before there had been any notion of their
+        approach, had taken it almost without resistance. The messenger had
+        left, he said, as soon as the place was taken, but Judas had marched
+        the same night to Dametha, which was in urgent need of
+        relief.</p><span class="tei tei-pb" id="page269">[pg
+        269]</span><a name="Pg269" id="Pg269" class="tei tei-anchor"></a>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em">The next day came
+        in tidings of further success. Dametha and its garrison, with the
+        crowd of helpless fugitives which had sought shelter within its
+        walls, was safe. The night march from Bozrah had been made just in
+        time. Had it been delayed till morning it might well have been too
+        late. The Ammonites had chosen that very day for a fierce assault
+        upon the place. Just as the day was dawning and the assailants were
+        close under the walls Judas had appeared. His approach had been
+        observed by the besieged, who had watched it from the citadel, but
+        the assailants were taken by surprise. Hemmed in between two
+        attacking forces, the garrison who made a sortie from the town and
+        the army of the patriots in the rear, they had been utterly routed.
+        Timotheus had barely escaped with his life, and had fled northward,
+        followed by Judas in hot pursuit. A few days afterwards came the news
+        that the campaign was at an end—begun and finished within the space
+        of two weeks. This time the captain had found time to write a
+        despatch. It ran thus:—</p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em"><span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“Judas, Captain of the Lord’s host, to Azariah, greeting.
+        Know that the Lord has delivered the enemy into our hands. Timotheus,
+        having suffered defeat at Dametha, fled northward to a temple where
+        the heathen worship the <span class="tei tei-q">‘Two-horned
+        Ashtaroth,’</span> a strong place by nature and skilfully fortified.
+        I judged it better that I should not spill the blood of <span class=
+        "tei tei-pb" id="page270">[pg 270]</span><a name="Pg270" id="Pg270"
+        class="tei tei-anchor"></a>the people of the Lord in assaulting it,
+        and so, having cleared the walls of defenders by help of my slingers,
+        I surrounded it with great quantities of faggots. To these I caused
+        fire to be set, nor did my slingers suffer the Ammonites to approach
+        to put out the flames. In the end the whole was consumed, and
+        Timotheus perished in the fire. The Lord has rewarded him according
+        to his deeds. So much for what has been done: now for what remains to
+        do. This country is not as yet a safe dwelling-place, and will not be
+        till the heathen shall be more thoroughly subdued. It is my purpose,
+        therefore, to bring the people of this land to Jerusalem. Provide, to
+        the best of your ability, for their food and <span class=
+        "tei tei-corr">lodging.</span> Farewell!”</span></p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em">The exultation
+        felt by the people at Jerusalem when the tidings of their final
+        victory reached them passes description. The times of David, they
+        were sure, were about to return. The promise was once again to be
+        fulfilled—<span class="tei tei-q">“He shall reign from the flood [the
+        Euphrates], unto the world’s end.”</span> In the Temple chant of the
+        day the words went—<span class="tei tei-q">“I will not be afraid of
+        ten thousands of the people that have set themselves against me round
+        about. Up, Lord, and help me, O my God, for Thou smitest all Thine
+        enemies upon the cheek-bone. Thou hast broken the teeth of the
+        ungodly.”</span></p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em">But when tidings
+        of still further victories, won by Simon in Galilee, came in to swell
+        the popular <span class="tei tei-pb" id="page271">[pg
+        271]</span><a name="Pg271" id="Pg271" class=
+        "tei tei-anchor"></a>enthusiasm, there was a certain change of
+        feeling, something of the jealousy that almost inevitably springs up
+        when great deeds are done. Joseph and Azariah chafed at the life of
+        inaction which they were forced to live at Jerusalem, and what they
+        thought in their hearts the soldiers did not hesitate to express
+        openly. <span class="tei tei-q">“Let us also,”</span> so ran the
+        common talk—<span class="tei tei-q">“let us also get for ourselves a
+        name, and go and fight against the enemies of the Lord.”</span></p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em">On the day after
+        the tidings of Simon’s victories came in the two captains were waited
+        upon by a deputation of soldiers, who came to urge that they might be
+        relieved from the inaction to which they were condemned, an inaction
+        made all the more hard to bear by the glories that were being won
+        elsewhere. Azariah and Joseph listened with attention, and, indeed,
+        were at no pains to hide their sympathy.</p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em"><span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“The men are right,”</span> said Joseph, when the
+        deputation had withdrawn. <span class="tei tei-q">“They will lose all
+        heart if we keep them idling here.”</span></p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em"><span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“In my heart I am inclined to agree with you,”</span>
+        answered his colleague; <span class="tei tei-q">“but what did the
+        captain say?—<span class="tei tei-q">‘Watch the garrison of the
+        heathen that they do no hurt to the city and the Holy Place while we
+        are away.’</span> But he said nothing of going elsewhere, and I
+        should be unwilling to disobey him, for, beyond all doubt, the Lord
+        is with him.”</span></p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em"><span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“Nay, brother, you are too narrow in your <span class=
+        "tei tei-pb" id="page272">[pg 272]</span><a name="Pg272" id="Pg272"
+        class="tei tei-anchor"></a>thoughts of obeying. We obey him best if
+        we do the best that we can for the cause of the Lord. And though I
+        honour Judas greatly, yet he is but a captain in the Lord’s host,
+        even as we are. Why should we not do as he has done? And tell me,
+        Azariah,”</span> he went on, <span class="tei tei-q">“do you think
+        that the vision which you saw when the angel of the Lord brought you
+        a sword with the Name written on it has been altogether fulfilled?
+        Shall this sword which he bade you use for the Lord always abide in
+        the scabbard? Is this the life to which you are called?”</span></p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em"><span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“You speak truly,”</span> said Azariah. <span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“I can scarcely be faithful to my trust if I suffer the
+        sword of the Lord to rust. But tell me, what think you we had best
+        do?”</span></p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em"><span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“Gorgias,”</span> said Joseph, <span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“is encamped at Jamnia, and does great mischief to the
+        land and the people; if we can drive him out we shall earn great
+        thanks both from the captain and from our brethren.”</span></p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em">The resolution of
+        the commanders was heard with unmingled delight by their men, and
+        with almost equal pleasure by the inhabitants of the city. Some of
+        the more cautious disapproved, and Shemaiah even made his way to the
+        Governor’s house—no easy task for his scanty strength—and
+        remonstrated with Azariah. <span class="tei tei-q">“My son,”</span>
+        said he, <span class="tei tei-q">“your strength is to sit still. Make
+        not too much speed, and be not over-bold.”</span> He was listened to
+        with respect, and <span class="tei tei-pb" id="page273">[pg
+        273]</span><a name="Pg273" id="Pg273" class="tei tei-anchor"></a>even
+        with some compunction on Azariah’s part. But it seemed too late to
+        retreat. To hold back now would infallibly give rise to the charge of
+        cowardice, and Azariah, brave as a lion against all outward danger,
+        had not the rare moral courage which would have enabled him to face
+        such an accusation.</p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em">At sunrise on the
+        day after the resolution had been taken, the expedition set out with
+        confident expectation of victory, and watched from the walls by an
+        eager multitude. At sunset a miserable remnant came straggling back
+        into the city. They had fared, as their fathers had fared many
+        centuries before, when, with the like unauthorized daring, they had
+        assaulted the hill fortress of Ai, and had returned, bringing
+        discouragement with them. Gorgias had sallied out from his hill
+        fortress, had charged the Jewish force with full advantage of the
+        ground, and had driven them in headlong flight before them. Azariah
+        and Joseph had done all that leaders could do to turn the tide of
+        battle, but their efforts had been in vain. Two thousand men had
+        fallen, the wounded being, perforce, left to the mercy or cruelty of
+        the enemy.</p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em">The city was
+        filled with mourning for the dead; and, of course, there was a rapid
+        revulsion of feeling against the leaders whose rash action had ended
+        in such disaster. <span class="tei tei-q">“Who are these men,”</span>
+        was the general cry, <span class="tei tei-q">“who have caused the
+        people of the Lord to perish? They are not of the seed of those by
+        whose hand deliverance is given to Israel.”</span></p>
+      </div>
+      <hr class="page" />
+
+      <div class="tei tei-div" style=
+      "margin-bottom: 5.00em; margin-top: 5.00em">
+        <span class="tei tei-pb" id="page274">[pg 274]</span><a name="Pg274"
+        id="Pg274" class="tei tei-anchor"></a> <a name="toc57" id=
+        "toc57"></a> <a name="pdf58" id="pdf58"></a>
+
+        <h1 class="tei tei-head" style=
+        "text-align: center; margin-bottom: 3.46em; margin-top: 3.46em">
+        <span style="font-size: 173%">CHAPTER XXIII.</span><br />
+        <br />
+        <span class="tei tei-hi" style="text-align: center"><span style=
+        "font-size: 100%">MORE VICTORIES.</span></span></h1>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em">The heathen in the
+        fort observed the return as they had observed the departure of the
+        expedition that had ended so disastrously. Their sallies became
+        fiercer and more frequent, and Azariah, his forces weakened by the
+        loss of two thousand men, found it difficult to repel them. Nothing
+        could have exceeded the energy with which he devoted himself to this
+        duty, or the courage with which he executed it. Night and day he was
+        at his post, for it was here only that he found a refuge from the
+        anguish and doubt which tormented him; here only the reproaches of
+        the widows of the slain could not follow him. He allowed himself no
+        rest; sleep he seemed absolutely to do without, and food he hastily
+        snatched at any moment when the opportunity offered.</p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em">One remission only
+        from this task he allowed himself, and this because it was a duty. He
+        paid a daily visit to his children. They, too, poor little souls, had
+        not escaped a share in the trouble. The <span class="tei tei-pb" id=
+        "page275">[pg 275]</span><a name="Pg275" id="Pg275" class=
+        "tei tei-anchor"></a>life which they had led for the last two years
+        had developed their understanding beyond their age, and they felt, if
+        they did not fully appreciate, their father’s unhappiness. One
+        consolation they had, the care of two little orphans—the father had
+        fallen in the expedition, and the mother had been struck down by the
+        news of her husband’s death—who had been taken into the house and put
+        under the charge of the elderly kinswoman who looked after Azariah’s
+        household.</p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em">On one of these
+        occasions he found the aged Shemaiah. His first impulse was to avoid
+        the old man, but a few words of sympathy overcame him; his
+        self-control broke down, and hiding his face in his robe he shed the
+        rare and painful tears of a man.</p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em">When the first
+        outburst of grief was over he spoke.</p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em"><span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“Tell me, father, why has God forsaken His servant who
+        trusted in Him. I went out in faith—and see the end. Would that I had
+        died in the battle!”</span></p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em"><span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“My son, may it not be that you tempted the Lord? Did you
+        count the cost when you went forth against Gorgias, whether you had
+        force sufficient for the attack, or skill to handle it?”</span></p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em"><span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“Does faith, then, go for nothing? Had Judas men enough,
+        as soldiers reckon in such matters, or skill enough, seeing that he
+        had had no experience in war, when he overthrew Apollonius?
+        <span class="tei tei-pb" id="page276">[pg 276]</span><a name="Pg276"
+        id="Pg276" class="tei tei-anchor"></a>Yet the Lord gave him the
+        victory because he trusted in Him.”</span></p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em"><span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“My son, God gave the victory to Judas, having first
+        given him not strength only and courage, but skill also and
+        understanding. He gives not the same gifts to all: to Moses wisdom
+        and learning, but to Aaron eloquent speech; to David the arts of war,
+        but to Solomon the arts of peace. Think you that because you are a
+        servant of the Lord, you are therefore to choose the service that you
+        will do? You would be captain of the Lord’s host like Judas. Would
+        you also indite psalms with David, and devise proverbs with Solomon?
+        The Spirit of the Lord divideth to every man severally as He will. To
+        Mattathias He gave discernment to see in Judas the leader and
+        commander of the people, and the people were obedient to him. And so
+        Judas discerned in you one who might be entrusted with the defence of
+        the city, but not with the warfare against the heathen that are
+        without. This was your service, but you were not content with it.
+        Think not that the Lord has forgotten you, but rather that you have
+        left the place in which you were set.”</span></p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em">This was plain
+        speaking, but given with such gentleness and sympathy that the rebuke
+        healed more than it wounded. Humbled yet comforted, Azariah returned
+        to his post before the fortress. But he could not forget that his
+        great trial was yet to come. Nor was it long delayed. The next day
+        <span class="tei tei-pb" id="page277">[pg 277]</span><a name="Pg277"
+        id="Pg277" class="tei tei-anchor"></a>it was evident that something
+        was happening that had attracted the attention of the garrison. The
+        highest tower was crowded with soldiers who were intently watching
+        something that could not be seen from below. And indeed it was a
+        remarkable spectacle. Judas was returning with his victorious army,
+        escorting at the same time a vast crowd of non-combatants, men,
+        women, and children, the whole population of the country beyond
+        Jordan, which could no longer be inhabited with safety, and all
+        Jerusalem had gone out to meet the champion. Then, in a moment, the
+        tower was deserted, the gates were thrown open, and a furious sortie,
+        the last that could be attempted with any hope of success, was made
+        with the whole force of the garrison. It was with a desperate courage
+        that Azariah repelled the attack. Never had he exposed himself so
+        recklessly. He could almost have wished to fall in the fight; for now
+        the dreaded meeting was at hand, and he had to render up to his chief
+        the trust which he had so abused. The attack was repelled, and then
+        Azariah had to remain in an inaction that was almost unbearable till
+        he should be summoned to the interview with his chief.</p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em">The sun was just
+        setting when a soldier presented himself, and, after saluting, said,
+        <span class="tei tei-q">“The general seeks you.”</span></p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em"><span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“Has he summoned the council?”</span> asked Azariah, who
+        dreaded a public censure.</p><span class="tei tei-pb" id=
+        "page278">[pg 278]</span><a name="Pg278" id="Pg278" class=
+        "tei tei-anchor"></a>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em"><span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“Nay,”</span> said the man; <span class="tei tei-q">“he
+        is alone.”</span></p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em">And Azariah
+        followed him to the captain’s house, with such a tremor in his heart
+        as no dangers of battle had ever caused.</p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em">What followed at
+        the meeting was never known, save as far as the result was concerned.
+        Shemaiah was awaiting his return, and the first glance showed the old
+        man that things had gone well with his friend. The burden of trouble
+        was gone. Azariah looked brighter and more cheerful—so great is the
+        force of reaction—than he had done since he had lost his Hannah.
+        Shemaiah felt that there was no need to question him, and waited in
+        silence for what his friend should please to tell him. What he heard
+        was this:</p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em"><span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“The captain would have kept me in the office to which he
+        appointed me when he departed. He said—and I repeat his words, not
+        for my own glory, but for a proof of his generosity—<span class=
+        "tei tei-q">‘No man could have better kept the heathen from the fort
+        in check than you have done. Therefore, I would have you stay where
+        you are. I must go again to the wars, for the Idumeans and the
+        Philistines have to be subdued. And I shall go with a lighter heart,
+        leaving the defence of the city in your hands.’</span> But I said to
+        him, <span class="tei tei-q">‘O my lord, let me rather go with you.
+        You have accomplished to the full the work unto which you were sent
+        of God, and have come back, having redeemed from captivity and death
+        our <span class="tei tei-pb" id="page279">[pg 279]</span><a name=
+        "Pg279" id="Pg279" class="tei tei-anchor"></a>brethren from beyond
+        the river, nor lost one of your own people. But I, going in the
+        presumption of my heart to a warfare unto which I was not sent, have
+        accomplished nothing; I have wrought no deliverance for my people,
+        and the bones of two thousand of my brethren lie scattered on the
+        plain. Henceforth I am but a sword in the hand of the servant of the
+        Lord.’</span> But the captain said nothing. Let it be as he will. As
+        for me, I am content, for I know that he has pardoned me.”</span></p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em">Whatever the kind
+        of service in which Judas might see fit to employ his lieutenant, it
+        was clear that there would be no lack of work for him to do.</p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em">The victories of
+        Judas in Gilead had been followed by successes won by Simon in
+        Galilee. And from Galilee, as from Gilead, there had been a great
+        migration of the inhabitants, who sought in Jerusalem a safer home
+        than they could find in their own country.</p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em">And now, at the
+        head of a more powerful army than he had hitherto been able to
+        collect, Judas set out. His first object was Hebron, which had for
+        some time past been in the possession of the Idumeans. He took it by
+        assault; it might almost be said, so unexpected was his coming, by
+        surprise. Indeed, one cause of his success was the extraordinary
+        rapidity and secrecy of his movements. Almost the moment that his
+        plans were formed, he <span class="tei tei-pb" id="page280">[pg
+        280]</span><a name="Pg280" id="Pg280" class="tei tei-anchor"></a>was
+        on his way to execute them. Even if there had been traitors or spies
+        in his camp—and such were almost unknown—any information which they
+        could send to the enemy was outstripped, so to speak, by his action.
+        Hebron had to be abandoned after its capture, for he could not spare
+        a sufficient garrison to hold it. All that could be done was to take
+        care that it should not, for some time at least, become a stronghold
+        of the enemy. Its citadel was destroyed; the towers on the wall
+        burnt, and a furlong of the wall itself broken down.</p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em">From Hebron the
+        Jewish leader marched southward, and then turning eastward invaded
+        the country of the Philistines. Azotus, which was supposed to be safe
+        on account of its maritime position, and was, in consequence,
+        negligently guarded, was assaulted with success, and its temples and
+        altars destroyed, though Gorgias was still in force at Jamnia, only
+        nine miles to the north. Several of the smaller Philistine towns were
+        taken on the return march to Jerusalem; and altogether this people
+        received a lesson which they were not likely soon to forget. All this
+        was accomplished with very little loss. Joel, the priest, however,
+        was killed at Azotus, where he had recklessly exposed himself in the
+        attack.</p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em">Great as was the
+        popular rejoicing at these victories, it was nothing to the
+        exultation caused by the next tidings that reached
+        Jerusalem—<span class="tei tei-pb" id="page281">[pg
+        281]</span><a name="Pg281" id="Pg281" class=
+        "tei tei-anchor"></a>Antiochus, the oppressor, the
+        blasphemer—Antiochus was dead!</p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em">The day after the
+        return of the army a Syrian runner was caught while endeavouring to
+        make his way into the fortress through the lines of the besiegers. He
+        had been sent by Lysias with a despatch to the commander of the
+        garrison. The document was of the briefest. It ran thus:</p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style=
+        "text-align: center; margin-bottom: 0.90em; margin-left: 1.80em; margin-top: 1.80em; margin-right: 1.80em">
+        <span class="tei tei-q" style="text-align: center"><span style=
+        "font-size: 90%">“</span><span class="tei tei-hi" style=
+        "text-align: center"><span style=
+        "font-size: 90%; font-style: italic">Lysias, the Governor, to the
+        most valiant Eucrates.</span></span></span></p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style=
+        "margin-bottom: 1.80em; margin-left: 1.80em; margin-right: 1.80em">
+        <span class="tei tei-q"><span style=
+        "font-size: 90%">“</span><span style="font-size: 90%">Know that our
+        most excellent Lord and King, Antiochus, surnamed the Illustrious, is
+        dead in Persia. Let the soldiers that are with you swear allegiance
+        to the son of our departed master by the name of Antiochus Eupator,
+        which he has taken to himself in remembrance of the glories of his
+        father.</span><span style="font-size: 90%">”</span></span><a id=
+        "noteref_20" name="noteref_20" href="#note_20"><span class=
+        "tei tei-noteref"><span style=
+        "font-size: 60%; vertical-align: super">20</span></span></a></p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em">The man, when
+        questioned by Judas and the council, was able to supplement the bare
+        news of the King’s death with some interesting details. He had had
+        some talk with the messenger who had brought the tidings to Antioch,
+        and had heard all that was as yet known. His story ran thus:</p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em"><span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“The King was in Persia when he heard how his armies had
+        been defeated, not once or twice only, in the land of Judæa. Great
+        was his rage—so great that for the space of three or four hours none
+        dared to come near him. Then he summoned his counsellors to him, and
+        said, <span class="tei tei-q">‘I will destroy this nation of rebels
+        till there shall be not one of them left,’</span> and giving up all
+        other plans he marched westward <span class="tei tei-pb" id=
+        "page282">[pg 282]</span><a name="Pg282" id="Pg282" class=
+        "tei tei-anchor"></a>with all his army. But on his way he came to the
+        city of Elymaïs, where there is a temple, the treasury of which is
+        reputed to be more wealthy than any in the whole land of Persia, for
+        it has never been spoiled within the memory of man. Even the great
+        Alexander left it untouched, adding also much of the spoil which he
+        had taken himself. This temple the father of the King had sought to
+        plunder; but the people of the city rose against him, and drove him
+        away. When the King came to this city he said, <span class=
+        "tei tei-q">‘Here is another nest of rebels. Did they not rise
+        against the King, my father? Verily I will avenge his memory upon
+        them.’</span> So he went into the city, having some five hundred
+        soldiers with him. And the magistrates received him with honour. And
+        when he said, <span class="tei tei-q">‘I would see your temple and
+        its treasures,’</span> they consented. <span class=
+        "tei tei-q">‘Only,’</span> they said, <span class="tei tei-q">‘it is
+        our custom that no armed man may come within the precincts.’</span>
+        <span class="tei tei-q">‘Will you strip me of my sword?’</span> said
+        the King. <span class="tei tei-q">‘Not so,’</span> they answered,
+        <span class="tei tei-q">‘but your followers must be without any, and
+        not more than ten in number.’</span> When the King heard this he was
+        greatly wroth, and said to the magistrates of the city, <span class=
+        "tei tei-q">‘I will come in despite of you.’</span> So he went, he
+        and his five hundred, to the square in which the temple stands. But
+        he found the whole place filled with an armed multitude, and when he
+        would have forced his way into the precincts he was beaten back,
+        losing not <span class="tei tei-pb" id="page283">[pg
+        283]</span><a name="Pg283" id="Pg283" class="tei tei-anchor"></a>a
+        few of his soldiers, and being himself struck on the head with a
+        stone. After this, whether it was from his rage, which became more
+        terrible than ever, or from any other cause, I know not; but the King
+        was smitten with some disease, and could no longer ride, as he had
+        been wont, but was carried in a litter. And they say that the stench
+        of his wounds was so great that the men who bore the litter could
+        scarcely endure it, but were changed continually. So they brought him
+        to Tabol, in the land of Persia, and there he died, being terribly
+        tormented with pain. And I heard that when he was dying, he cried out
+        with a most lamentable voice repenting him of the wrong that he had
+        done against the gods in robbing their temples.”</span></p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em"><span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“Of what did he speak?”</span> asked one of the
+        council.</p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em"><span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“Nay,”</span> said the man, <span class="tei tei-q">“that
+        I know not. Some said that he spoke of this Temple in Jerusalem, and
+        some that it was the temple in Elymaïs, where men worship the
+        moon-goddess, that was in his mind. But more I do not
+        know.”</span></p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em">Judas rose up in
+        his place and repeated the last words of that great triumphal chant
+        in which more than a thousand years before Deborah and Barak had
+        celebrated the overthrow of another king who had mightily oppressed
+        the children of Israel.</p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em"><span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“So let all Thine enemies perish, O Lord, but let them
+        that love Him be as the sun when he goeth forth in his
+        might.”</span></p>
+      </div>
+      <hr class="page" />
+
+      <div class="tei tei-div" style=
+      "margin-bottom: 5.00em; margin-top: 5.00em">
+        <span class="tei tei-pb" id="page284">[pg 284]</span><a name="Pg284"
+        id="Pg284" class="tei tei-anchor"></a> <a name="toc59" id=
+        "toc59"></a> <a name="pdf60" id="pdf60"></a>
+
+        <h1 class="tei tei-head" style=
+        "text-align: center; margin-bottom: 3.46em; margin-top: 3.46em">
+        <span style="font-size: 173%">CHAPTER XXIV.</span><br />
+        <br />
+        <span class="tei tei-hi" style="text-align: center"><span style=
+        "font-size: 100%">THE SABBATICAL YEAR.</span></span></h1>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em">A time was now
+        approaching to which the responsible leaders of the people looked
+        forward, for the most part, with great anxiety. This was the
+        Sabbatical year. During a whole twelve months it would not be lawful
+        to carry on any offensive war, or, a far more serious matter, to till
+        the ground. Debate ran high as to whether the Law could be observed
+        in its strictness. There were many who asked, with no little show of
+        reason, <span class="tei tei-q">“Will it be possible in times so
+        troublous to keep a year of rest? Moses, when he commanded it,
+        thought of a people dwelling quietly in a land from which they had
+        driven out all their enemies. As things are now, these enemies are
+        about us, and even in the very midst of us. And then the harvest?
+        Will it suffice to feed the people, already more than twice as
+        numerous as in the previous year, and daily
+        increasing?”</span></p><span class="tei tei-pb" id="page285">[pg
+        285]</span><a name="Pg285" id="Pg285" class="tei tei-anchor"></a>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em">The answer of the
+        Chasidim was peremptory. <span class="tei tei-q">“For what,”</span>
+        they asked, <span class="tei tei-q">“have we suffered and fought? For
+        what did the martyrs lay down their lives—Eleazar the priest, and the
+        mother and her sons, and Hannah, the wife of Azariah, and others
+        without number? For what did Mattathias wear out the remnant of his
+        years? Was it not for the Law, that it might be kept whole and
+        undefiled? Might we not have lived in peace, and stood high in favour
+        with the King, if we had been content to forsake the law of the Lord
+        our God? And now that He has given us the victory, and delivered us
+        from the hand of the heathen, so that we may serve Him without fear,
+        shall we cast His commandments behind our backs? Were we not few in
+        number, and scarcely armed, and yet did He not give into our hands
+        great armies, well equipped with shield and sword and spear? Were we
+        not well-nigh perishing of hunger among the mountains, and did He not
+        richly supply our needs? Surely the earth is the Lord’s and the
+        fulness thereof, and, if He will, He can make that which it bringeth
+        forth of itself to abound even as the fields which the sower has
+        sowed and the reaper has reaped?”</span></p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em">And the Chasidim
+        had their way, as zealous men are wont to have it, when they know
+        exactly their own minds and what they want. The Sabbatical year was
+        proclaimed. There was to be no labour, no ploughing or sowing, no
+        tendance of oliveyards <span class="tei tei-pb" id="page286">[pg
+        286]</span><a name="Pg286" id="Pg286" class="tei tei-anchor"></a>and
+        vineyards. The people were to live simply and wholly on the bounty of
+        the earth.</p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em">The first month of
+        the Sabbatical year itself bore the name of the Sabbatical month.
+        Into this were crowded three of the great feasts and celebrations of
+        the year—the Feast of Trumpets, the Day of Atonement, and the Feast
+        of Tabernacles. But the whole year was to be one round of religious
+        celebrations. To the daily sacrifices in the Temple were added
+        special services of intercession, praise, and thanksgiving. Nor did
+        the Temple-worship alone satisfy the religious wants of the people.
+        The synagogues were thronged, and that not on the Sabbath only but on
+        every day of the week. The Law and the Prophets were read and
+        expounded, not, we may be sure, without many stirring references to
+        the events of the day.</p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em">All this religious
+        enthusiasm was wanted to support the people under the hardships of
+        the time. Provisions, if they did not actually run short, began to
+        rise in price. Judas and his council did their best to prevent it;
+        but the selfish instincts of the possessors of corn could not be
+        overcome; stores were held back from the market, and the poorer
+        class, swollen as it was in numbers by the great immigration of the
+        preceding year from Gilead and Galilee, began to suffer
+        seriously.</p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em">Meanwhile the
+        insolence of the Greek garrison was increasing daily. The Jewish
+        soldiers contented <span class="tei tei-pb" id="page287">[pg
+        287]</span><a name="Pg287" id="Pg287" class=
+        "tei tei-anchor"></a>themselves, or endeavoured to content
+        themselves, with repelling attack. This meant, of course, standing
+        exposed to showers of missiles which they could not return, and it
+        tried their patience to the uttermost. Even some of the Chasidim were
+        heard to murmur that there must be some limits to this endurance;
+        among the besiegers in general, who had not risen to the height of
+        Chasidim zeal, a spirit of discontent was growing up that might well
+        have become dangerous.</p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em">Before long,
+        however, the evil worked its own cure. One sabbath-day, about the
+        beginning of the month which we should call November, there was a
+        great solemnity in the Temple, and the outposts of the besieging
+        force had been more than usually weakened. Ruth, with her little
+        Daniel and her two nieces, was going towards the Temple, escorted by
+        her husband and Micah, when one of the lower gates of the fortress
+        was suddenly thrown open, and a party of Greeks rushed out upon the
+        party. Seraiah and Micah were both armed, but for some minutes they
+        had to make head against their assailants alone. One of the soldiers
+        who had seized Ruth was promptly felled to the earth by a blow from
+        Micah’s sword; and Seraiah did similar execution on another. But the
+        odds were too great for them. Micah was brought to the ground, and it
+        was only by desperate efforts that his brother-in-law could save him
+        from being stabbed as he lay. Ruth, <span class="tei tei-pb" id=
+        "page288">[pg 288]</span><a name="Pg288" id="Pg288" class=
+        "tei tei-anchor"></a>meanwhile, being left without help, was carried
+        off to the very gates of the fortress. And then, just before it was
+        too late, came the longed-for help. The two girls, who, with their
+        little cousin, had been some distance behind, ran screaming towards
+        the Temple, and happily met with their father, who was just about to
+        change guard at one of the posts. He and his company ran at the top
+        of their speed to the scene of the conflict, plunged recklessly
+        through the missiles which were showered on them from the fortress,
+        and reached the wall at the same moment with the ravishers, whose
+        progress was impeded by the struggles of the captive, for, brave
+        woman as she was, she never lost her presence of mind. A few of the
+        party escaped into the fortress, the nearest gate of which was
+        cautiously opened to receive them; but the greater number were
+        instantly put to the sword. Ruth, whose strength broke down when she
+        knew that she was safe, was carried home, sorely bruised and
+        half-unconscious.</p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em">Judas was
+        profoundly moved when he heard of this outrage. He had long been
+        chafing under the restrictions imposed upon his action by his rigid
+        supporters, and this determined him to break through them. He had a
+        great affection for Azariah and his kindred. The men were known to
+        him for their loyalty and courage, and Ruth as an indefatigable
+        worker among the sick and wounded. His resolution was taken, but with
+        the prudence and soundness of <span class="tei tei-pb" id=
+        "page289">[pg 289]</span><a name="Pg289" id="Pg289" class=
+        "tei tei-anchor"></a>judgment that were habitual to him he was
+        careful to avoid any appearance of being peremptory or self-willed.
+        He called to him one of his lieutenants, who was reputed to be a
+        leader among the Chasidim.</p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em"><span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“Micaiah,”</span> he said, <span class="tei tei-q">“you
+        remember when a thousand of our brethren were slain by the heathen,
+        helpless and unarmed, because it was the sabbath?”</span></p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em"><span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“I remember,”</span> replied the man.</p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em"><span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“And that it was determined by my father, as captain of
+        the host, with full consent of all the princes and priests, that such
+        a thing should happen no more?”</span></p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em"><span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“It was so determined.”</span></p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em"><span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“Think you, then, that there is one law for the seventh
+        day, and another for the seventh year?”</span></p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em"><span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“I know nothing, save what I find in the traditions of
+        the fathers.”</span></p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em"><span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“Our fathers had no such experience as we have had. No,
+        Micaiah, we will not reap nor sow, trusting that the Lord will feed
+        us. But I see not that the Law forbids us to strike with the sword
+        when the heathen seek to carry our wives and our children into
+        captivity, nor will I lay upon the people a burden that the Lord has
+        not laid upon them. If I sin in this matter, let the punishment fall
+        upon me and upon my father’s house.”</span></p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em">Micaiah was not
+        altogether content, but he did not feel sufficiently convinced to
+        resist. And, indeed, the <span class="tei tei-pb" id="page290">[pg
+        290]</span><a name="Pg290" id="Pg290" class=
+        "tei tei-anchor"></a>character and the exploits of Judas gave an
+        overpowering weight to any conclusion at which he arrived.</p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em">The next day an
+        assembly of the soldiers was held, and Judas informed them that
+        operations would be more vigorously conducted for the future. The
+        announcement was received with great satisfaction, even by the
+        stricter partisans of the Law. The insolence of the garrison was
+        summarily checked. The sallies on which it ventured were repulsed so
+        fiercely that they were soon discontinued, while relays of archers
+        and slingers, succeeding each other without intermission from
+        earliest dawn to nightfall, kept the walls clear.</p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em">But though this
+        difficulty was surmounted others not less serious remained. The
+        privations resulting from the observance of the Sabbatical year were
+        such as to overtask the endurance of all but enthusiasts. And, of
+        course, under these circumstances it was inevitable that the
+        regulations should be evaded. Huldah, with the children, was
+        wandering one day among the gardens in the neighbourhood of the city.
+        They were searching for some fruit for Ruth who was now making a very
+        slow recovery from the injuries which she had received. They were at
+        liberty to go where they pleased, for all right of property was at an
+        end, at least for the time. But others had been before them, and it
+        seemed as if everything had been gathered, even before it was
+        <span class="tei tei-pb" id="page291">[pg 291]</span><a name="Pg291"
+        id="Pg291" class="tei tei-anchor"></a>ripe. They were returning home
+        with but the scantiest results from this toil when they witnessed a
+        scene of uproar. Some men had been discovered by the officers of the
+        chief priests in the unlawful act of cultivating the ground. They had
+        been sowing the seeds of some quick-growing plants, doing it in such
+        an irregular fashion that what came up might seem to have been
+        chance-sown, but they had been detected, and were now being led off
+        in custody, angry and defiant, and loudly condemning the bigoted
+        folly which, as they said, to carry out an obsolete enactment,
+        condemned a whole people to starvation.</p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em">A crowd speedily
+        gathered and followed the officers and their prisoners to the house
+        of one of the chief priests. Huldah and the children went with it.
+        The case was tried, in Eastern fashion, in the open air and in
+        public. The process was short, for the offenders had been caught in
+        the act, and the law which they had transgressed was plain. The
+        defence which they attempted on the plea of necessity was cut short
+        by the judge. <span class="tei tei-q">“The Word of God,”</span> said
+        he, <span class="tei tei-q">“is of more account than meat and drink.
+        Take these men,”</span> he went on, speaking to an officer whom we
+        should call the provost-marshal, <span class="tei tei-q">“and see
+        that they suffer each forty stripes save one. And you,”</span> he
+        added, turning to the prisoners, <span class="tei tei-q">“know that
+        if you offend again in this matter you shall be stoned with stones
+        till you die.”</span></p><span class="tei tei-pb" id="page292">[pg
+        292]</span><a name="Pg292" id="Pg292" class="tei tei-anchor"></a>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em">The men were bound
+        and flogged. That was a sight which Huldah and the children did not
+        wait to see; but just as they were reaching their home the men passed
+        them, furious at the indignity which they had suffered, and loudly
+        proclaiming their determination to be revenged.</p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em">The next morning
+        they were missing from the city. A porter at one of the smaller gates
+        was found tied and gagged. He said that he had been attacked by a
+        party of men, some of whom could be identified by his description
+        with the sufferers of the day before. The others were Greeks,
+        apparently belonging to the garrison. They had surprised him, taken
+        his keys from him, and had gone—so he judged from something that he
+        had overheard—on the road to Antioch. This gave a serious aspect to
+        the affair. The men had evidently deserted, and would put all the
+        information that they had at the service of the enemy. Judas
+        immediately ordered a pursuit. But though the party that he sent out
+        was more than once close upon the tracks of the fugitives it did not
+        succeed in overtaking them.</p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em">Time went on. The
+        Feast of the Dedication came round, and was kept with as much
+        cheerfulness as the depressed spirits and scanty means of the people
+        permitted. Spring succeeded winter, bringing with it in its milder
+        temperature and in the abundance of its natural growths some
+        alleviations of the common suffering. But the prospect, <span class=
+        "tei tei-pb" id="page293">[pg 293]</span><a name="Pg293" id="Pg293"
+        class="tei tei-anchor"></a>as a whole, was scarcely brighter. It was
+        almost a relief when tidings reached the city that a struggle was at
+        hand. It was better, thought many, to die on the field of battle than
+        to sit still and starve. And, indeed, death on the battle-field
+        seemed a likely prospect. Lysias, who had been making his
+        preparations during the whole of the winter, was now, it was said,
+        about to set forth. The force which he had under his command was
+        reported to be overwhelmingly strong, numbering not less than 120,000
+        men. It was also said that he had with him thirty-two war-elephants.
+        The boy-King—Eupator was not more than nine years old—was also said
+        to be with him.</p>
+      </div>
+      <hr class="page" />
+
+      <div class="tei tei-div" style=
+      "margin-bottom: 5.00em; margin-top: 5.00em">
+        <span class="tei tei-pb" id="page294">[pg 294]</span><a name="Pg294"
+        id="Pg294" class="tei tei-anchor"></a> <a name="toc61" id=
+        "toc61"></a> <a name="pdf62" id="pdf62"></a>
+
+        <h1 class="tei tei-head" style=
+        "text-align: center; margin-bottom: 3.46em; margin-top: 3.46em">
+        <span style="font-size: 173%">CHAPTER XXV.</span><br />
+        <br />
+        <span class="tei tei-hi" style="text-align: center"><span style=
+        "font-size: 100%">REVERSES.</span></span></h1>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em">Judas met the
+        danger with his accustomed resolution. He waited in the city till he
+        could be certain of the road which the invaders were taking. As soon
+        as he knew that it was from the south that they were approaching, he
+        collected all his available force, having for the purpose to raise
+        the siege of the fortress, and marched forth to meet them.</p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em">The fortress of
+        Beth-zur, which was intended to be the first line in the defence of
+        the capital, was in danger of falling into the hands of the enemy.
+        Micah had received, early in the year, a commission to revictual it,
+        but had found the task one that was difficult, if not impossible, to
+        execute. There was a positive scarcity of food, and the scarcity was
+        aggravated as usual by the practice of hoarding. It was to little
+        purpose that Micah scoured the country, making requisitions of grain
+        and other supplies. Some few, strong in their faith, gave up what
+        they had, and committed themselves and their children to the
+        <span class="tei tei-pb" id="page295">[pg 295]</span><a name="Pg295"
+        id="Pg295" class="tei tei-anchor"></a>Lord, whose law they were
+        seeking to obey. Others met the demand with a flat refusal, and at
+        the same time taunted Micah with the folly of enforcing an
+        impracticable law in times of such difficulty. Many met him with the
+        plea of poverty, and their wasted forms and sunken faces were proof
+        enough that this plea was genuine. The work, therefore, for all the
+        zeal that Micah displayed, went on but very slowly, and, indeed, was
+        not half finished when the advanced guard of the army of Lysias
+        appeared. Beth-zur was immediately invested. The engines, of which
+        Lysias had a large stock, played fiercely upon the walls, and
+        preparations was made for an assault. Micah, on the other hand, saw
+        no hope that he would be able to stand a long siege. The garrison
+        under his command was not large enough adequately to man the walls,
+        while it was too large for the stock of provisions which he had been
+        able to collect.</p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em">Under these
+        circumstances his resolution was soon taken. Before dawn on the
+        second day of the investment the whole garrison made a desperate
+        sally. Happily they had no non-combatants to care for, and as yet no
+        sick or wounded. Fire was set to the engines. The besiegers, thinking
+        that this was the object of the attack, and that the garrison would
+        make their way back into the fortress, when this had been
+        accomplished, occupied themselves chiefly in putting out the fire.
+        But Micah had no intention of returning. He availed himself of the
+        <span class="tei tei-pb" id="page296">[pg 296]</span><a name="Pg296"
+        id="Pg296" class="tei tei-anchor"></a>confusion caused by the burning
+        of the camp, cut his way with desperate resolution through the enemy,
+        and succeeded in reaching the camp of Judas with the larger part of
+        his force. The rest were not able to follow him, but succeeded in
+        regaining the fortress, which they continued to hold against the
+        Greeks.</p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em">The camp was at
+        Beth-Zachariah, about nine miles south from Jerusalem, and on an
+        elevated position, not less than three thousand feet above the level
+        of the sea, which commanded the whole of the neighbouring country.
+        Behind, to the north, could be seen the towers of Jerusalem, with
+        Bethlehem, the City of David, in the nearer foreground, nestling
+        among its oliveyards and vineyards. To the west lay the plain of
+        Philistia, with the white cliff of Gath clearly visible in the
+        extreme distance; to the east could be seen the purple mountains of
+        Moab. The road from Hebron, by which the Greek army would approach,
+        crept along the eastern side of the mountains. From his elevated
+        position Judas could see the movements of his adversaries while they
+        were still at a considerable distance. Observing that they pitched
+        their camp on the further side of a narrow defile, with the character
+        of which he was intimately acquainted, he conceived the idea of an
+        ambush.</p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em">He summoned
+        Azariah to his tent and detailed his plan. Azariah also knew the
+        place well, and <span class="tei tei-pb" id="page297">[pg
+        297]</span><a name="Pg297" id="Pg297" class=
+        "tei tei-anchor"></a>entered into the scheme with enthusiasm—such
+        enthusiasm, indeed, that Judas felt it necessary to give him a
+        parting caution. <span class="tei tei-q">“Remember,”</span> he said,
+        <span class="tei tei-q">“if this scheme fails, that you come back to
+        me immediately. If the ambush should be discovered, retreat at once.
+        There must be no attack. I cannot spare a man. We shall want all that
+        we have, if not more than all, to make head against the thousands of
+        Lysias.”</span></p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em">Azariah promised
+        obedience, and lost no time in setting out on his errand. Shortly
+        after sunset he started, having with him a picked force of a thousand
+        men. Before midnight he had reached the place fixed upon by Judas,
+        and there, in a hollow half-way up the side of the hill that formed
+        one side of the pass, he laid his ambush.</p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em">It was an anxious
+        night for the little band. It was always an accepted maxim in ancient
+        warfare that it was the most steadfast courage that was wanted for
+        the ambush. Men who were brave enough when fighting in the open plain
+        found their courage fail when they had to lie for hours watching for
+        the moment of attack, crouched upon the ground, unable to move and
+        scarcely venturing to talk. Azariah’s men were brave—indeed they had
+        been carefully chosen for this very service—but they were not
+        altogether insensible of the dangers of their position. They knew,
+        too, and even exaggerated the strength of the advancing army. As
+        <span class="tei tei-pb" id="page298">[pg 298]</span><a name="Pg298"
+        id="Pg298" class="tei tei-anchor"></a>they talked in whispers during
+        the night, for, as may be imagined, few could sleep, they spoke of
+        the chances of the coming day. The elephants, which had never before
+        been seen on Jewish soil, were mentioned with special awe.</p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em"><span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“Strange and terrible beasts they are,”</span> said one
+        man to his neighbour; <span class="tei tei-q">“savage as lions, and
+        many times larger and stronger.”</span></p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em"><span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“Is it so?”</span> said the other. <span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“I heard once from an Arab, who had been driver of one of
+        these creatures, that they are marvellously gentle and
+        tame.”</span></p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em"><span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“Maybe they are by nature; but their drivers have ways of
+        rousing them to fury before the battle.”</span></p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em"><span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“How so?”</span></p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em"><span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“They show them the blood of grapes and mulberries, and
+        the creatures rage terribly. ’Tis said that one of them can tread
+        down a whole company of men.”</span></p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em"><span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“Well, but ’tis possible, I know, to stand against them.
+        King Antiochus, father to the madman whom the Lord smote for his
+        sins, had an array of them in his army when he fought against the
+        Romans at Magnesia, but they profited him little. So Simeon told
+        me—you know the man, the old Benjamite who took service with the
+        King. The Romans stood firm in their rank, and threw their javelins
+        at the beasts’ trunks, and in the end, so Simeon said, they did more
+        damage to their own people than to the enemy.”</span></p><span class=
+        "tei tei-pb" id="page299">[pg 299]</span><a name="Pg299" id="Pg299"
+        class="tei tei-anchor"></a>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em"><span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“The Lord grant that it be so to-morrow.”</span></p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em">The sun had just
+        risen when the approach of the Greek army became visible. And now the
+        vanguard was almost within striking distance of the ambush which, to
+        all appearance, was still undiscovered. Another few steps and they
+        would be immediately below, at a point where they might be assailed
+        with disastrous effect. Behind a little rock which was within a few
+        yards of the pass Azariah knelt, sword in hand, waiting to give the
+        signal to his men. Their fears had mostly vanished in the morning
+        light, and the dreaded elephants did not form part of the advanced
+        guard.</p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em">But just as
+        Azariah was about to give the signal to charge his quick ear caught
+        the sound of tramping feet, which seemed to come from some place
+        above his own position. The next moment he caught sight, in the
+        slanting rays of the early sun, of the glitter of helmets and
+        shields. A Greek force, fully equal in number to his own, was
+        marching in a direction parallel to the pass but higher up the
+        mountain-side. Lysias had learnt wisdom from experience. He no longer
+        despised his enemy, but credited him with the military skill which,
+        indeed, he had more than once proved himself to possess. He had
+        foreseen the ambush, and had sent a force to guard against the
+        danger. Azariah’s force, though out of sight of the road, could be
+        seen from the higher ground, and the Greeks greeted their
+        appear<span class="tei tei-pb" id="page300">[pg 300]</span><a name=
+        "Pg300" id="Pg300" class="tei tei-anchor"></a>ance with shouts of
+        laughter. For one moment a wild desire to charge swept through the
+        mind of the Jewish captain. He had hoped to blot out by some
+        brilliant service the remembrance of his former disaster, and now he
+        had failed again. True, it was not by his own fault; yet he had
+        failed, and he would have to go back to Judas empty-handed. A single
+        word would have sent his men in furious onset against the foe. Should
+        he say it? Then there came back to his recollection the gentleness
+        and forbearance of Judas. He could not disobey such a leader a second
+        time. He gave the signal to retreat. His men heard it with disgust;
+        but they knew that he was acting against his own desire as much as
+        against theirs, and they obeyed without a murmur, or, if some of the
+        youngest and fiercest among them complained of the order, it was only
+        under their breath that they spoke.</p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em">Azariah now made
+        his way to Judas with all the haste that he could use.</p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em"><span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“I have failed,”</span> he said. <span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“The heathen seemed to know of our design beforehand.
+        There could be no surprise, so I did not attack, but came back to you
+        at once.”</span></p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em"><span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“You have done well,”</span> said Judas, who knew what a
+        sacrifice the fiery soldier had made. <span class="tei tei-q">“A
+        chance victory won by disobeying orders is worse than a
+        defeat.”</span></p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em">But Judas, though,
+        as always, he did full justice <span class="tei tei-pb" id=
+        "page301">[pg 301]</span><a name="Pg301" id="Pg301" class=
+        "tei tei-anchor"></a>to his lieutenant, was much depressed by the
+        failure of the attempt, and he looked with a gloomy brow at the
+        approaching host, as it came on in all the pomp and circumstance of
+        war, the sunlight gleaming on the banners, the helmets of brass and
+        gold, and on the long, slanting lines of spear-heads. As it came
+        nearer the regular tread of the columns and the clang of arms, with
+        now and then the shrill voice of a clarion or the deep note of a
+        trumpet heard above the roar, moved even the stoutest warrior to
+        something like fear.</p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em">Judas followed
+        once more the tactics which he had so often found successful. To
+        stand on the defensive was hopeless; his few thousands would
+        inevitably be trodden down under the feet of this huge multitude. His
+        only hope was in attack. If he could but break the line at a single
+        point his success might be again, as it had been before, the
+        beginning of a panic, and the great host of Lysias might melt away as
+        the host of Apollonius had melted; but the attack must be made while
+        the enemy were yet upon ground where they had not space to make full
+        use of their numbers. He charged with his accustomed fury before the
+        vanguard of the enemy had emerged into the open. For a time it seemed
+        as if his audacity was to be successful. The hostile army reeled
+        under the shock of the patriots’ furious charge. In two or three
+        places it broke. But there was in reserve a second line of
+        <span class="tei tei-pb" id="page302">[pg 302]</span><a name="Pg302"
+        id="Pg302" class="tei tei-anchor"></a>veterans, the steadiest and
+        best troops that could be found in the Syrian armies, for Lysias knew
+        by this time that none but the very best could stand against Judas
+        and his Ironsides. And then the numbers were overpowering. Step by
+        step the Jewish column was forced back. They left six hundred of the
+        enemy dead on the field behind them; but the attack had failed.</p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em">Then, as the Greek
+        army deployed upon the open ground which the retreat of the Jews left
+        open to them, the elephants came upon the scene—the <span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“huge, earth-shaking beasts,”</span> which even the
+        hardiest warrior could hardly see for the first time without some
+        sinking of heart. Each animal was accompanied by picked bodies of
+        horse and foot. Each carried a tower from which skilful marksmen,
+        whose accurate aim was greatly helped by their elevated position,
+        hurled missiles upon the ranks of the foe. The creatures themselves
+        seemed to share in all the fury of the battle. They trumpeted loudly
+        and furiously; at the bidding of the Indian drivers who were perched
+        upon their necks they seized soldiers from among the Jewish ranks
+        with their trunks, whirled them aloft, and then dashed them down,
+        mangled and lifeless corpses, upon the ground.</p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em">Then was done one
+        of the heroic acts which stand out conspicuously on the pages of
+        history. Eleazar, one of the Maccabee brothers, saw how his
+        country<span class="tei tei-pb" id="page303">[pg 303]</span><a name=
+        "Pg303" id="Pg303" class="tei tei-anchor"></a>men were being
+        demoralized by the terror of these strange adversaries, and felt that
+        it was a crisis that called for personal devotion. One of the
+        elephants was conspicuous among the rest, not only for its superior
+        size but for the splendour of its equipment. He felt sure that it
+        must be the one that carried the boy-King himself. Immediately his
+        resolve was taken. He made his way, striking furiously right and
+        left, and dealing death with every blow, through the Syrian ranks,
+        crept under the huge beast, and dealt him a mortal wound. Like
+        another Samson, he perished by his own success. The creature fell
+        with a suddenness that gave him no opportunity of escape, and he was
+        crushed to death by its weight.</p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em"><a name="i_327"
+        id="i_327" class="tei tei-anchor"></a><a name="fig63" id=
+        "fig63"></a></p>
+
+        <div class="tei tei-figure" style="text-align: center">
+          <img src="images/i_327.jpg" alt="The Death of Eleazar" title=
+          "The Death of Eleazar." />
+
+          <div class="tei tei-head" style=
+          "text-align: center; margin-bottom: 1.00em; margin-top: 1.00em">
+            <span class="tei tei-hi" style="text-align: center"><span style=
+            "font-style: italic">The Death of Eleazar.</span></span>
+          </div>
+        </div>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em">The hero did not
+        accomplish his object, to rally his countrymen. One might rather say
+        that their panic was heightened by the fall of one of the heroic
+        brothers, a son of the great house to which they owed their liberty.
+        But his deed was not forgotten. The fourth of the Maccabee brothers
+        lived in the history of his people as Eleazar Avaran—Eleazar
+        <span class="tei tei-q">“the Beast Slayer.”</span></p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em">But the battle was
+        lost beyond all hope. The only thing left for Judas was to save as
+        much as he could out of the wreck. He sounded the signal for retreat,
+        drew off his men in good order, and, making his way back as rapidly
+        as possible to Jerusalem, threw himself into the Temple fortress,
+        resolved to stand a siege.</p>
+      </div>
+      <hr class="page" />
+
+      <div class="tei tei-div" style=
+      "margin-bottom: 5.00em; margin-top: 5.00em">
+        <span class="tei tei-pb" id="page304">[pg 304]</span><a name="Pg304"
+        id="Pg304" class="tei tei-anchor"></a> <a name="toc64" id=
+        "toc64"></a> <a name="pdf65" id="pdf65"></a>
+
+        <h1 class="tei tei-head" style=
+        "text-align: center; margin-bottom: 3.46em; margin-top: 3.46em">
+        <span style="font-size: 173%">CHAPTER XXVI.</span><br />
+        <br />
+        <span class="tei tei-hi" style="text-align: center"><span style=
+        "font-size: 100%">LIGHT OUT OF DARKNESS.</span></span></h1>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em">For a time the
+        prospects of the patriots seemed dark indeed. Beth-zur had fallen,
+        and the only hope of the cause was in the Temple fortress. This was
+        fiercely assailed by the garrison of the Greek stronghold of Mount
+        Zion on the one side, and, on the other, by the army which had been
+        victorious at Beth-Zachariah, and which now occupied the Lower City.
+        The Temple fortress was strong; it was fairly well supplied with
+        munitions of war; and the garrison was large—indeed, almost too large
+        for the accommodation of the place. The fatal weakness of the
+        position was the scanty supply of provisions. Only water was
+        abundant, for the unsparing toil of former generations had provided
+        for this want; had it not been for this the resistance of the
+        garrison must very soon have come to an end, for food was scarce—so
+        scarce, indeed, that the strength of the fighting men could hardly be
+        maintained by the in<span class="tei tei-pb" id="page305">[pg
+        305]</span><a name="Pg305" id="Pg305" class=
+        "tei tei-anchor"></a>sufficient rations which were doled out to them,
+        while the few non-combatants received barely enough to keep body and
+        soul together.</p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em">The condition of
+        the Jewish population of the city was not as bad as might have been
+        expected. The cruelties of the days of Apollonius and Philip were not
+        repeated; for Lysias, who, as guardian of the boy-King, was
+        practically supreme, favoured a policy of conciliation, and did his
+        best to repress outrage. Indeed he sanctioned the establishment of
+        what may be called a municipal guard or militia, which, while under
+        obligation to give no assistance to the garrison of the Temple, was
+        permitted to protect the peaceful inhabitants of the city. This guard
+        was under the command of Seraiah.</p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em">There was much, of
+        course, that it was difficult for those to bear who looked to Judas
+        and his brothers as the hope of Israel. Menelaüs had returned, and
+        with him a whole troop of renegade Jews, whose insolence and impiety
+        sorely tried the patience of the faithful population. And the
+        scarcity of food was only less severe in the city than it was in the
+        fortress.</p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em">For some time
+        Seraiah’s own household continued to receive mysterious supplies from
+        some unknown source, which made them far more comfortable than their
+        neighbours. Once a week, or even oftener, they would find a bag of
+        corn or flour, a basket of dried grapes or other fruits, a bundle of
+        salt fish, a string <span class="tei tei-pb" id="page306">[pg
+        306]</span><a name="Pg306" id="Pg306" class="tei tei-anchor"></a>of
+        doves or wood-pigeons, put in an outhouse, nor could they guess who
+        their benefactor could be. But when this had gone on for nearly two
+        months, the secret came out. Seraiah, returning from his military
+        duties at an early hour in the morning, and entering by a little
+        postern gate in order to avoid disturbing the household, saw a man
+        drop from the garden wall. He seized him by the arm, and the
+        stranger, turning sharply round, revealed the well-known features of
+        Benjamin.</p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em"><span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“What do you here?”</span> he asked.</p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em"><span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“I am come on an errand of my own,”</span> answered the
+        robber.</p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em"><span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“But in my house?”</span></p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em"><span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“Ask no more questions,”</span> said the man;
+        <span class="tei tei-q">“but take my word—and I would not lie to you
+        for all the kingdom of Antiochus—that I mean no harm to you or
+        yours.”</span></p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em">A thought flashed
+        across Seraiah’s mind.</p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em"><span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“It is you, then, who have been bringing us, week after
+        week, these supplies of food?”</span></p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em">Benjamin said
+        nothing.</p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em"><span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“I adjure you by God that you answer me,”</span> said
+        Seraiah.</p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em"><span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“Well, if you will know it, it is I who have done it. Why
+        should not God use a man’s hands to feed His servants, as well as a
+        raven’s beak?”</span></p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em"><span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“Tell me—how did you come by these things?”</span></p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em"><span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“In various ways.”</span></p><span class="tei tei-pb" id=
+        "page307">[pg 307]</span><a name="Pg307" id="Pg307" class=
+        "tei tei-anchor"></a>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em"><span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“Lawfully?”</span></p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em"><span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“Well, I can hardly say; you and I might not agree about
+        the matter.”</span></p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em"><span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“Tell me—did you buy them with your money?”</span></p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em"><span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“Nay; that is not my way. I do not buy or
+        sell.”</span></p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em"><span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“Then you stole them.”</span></p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em"><span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“I told you that we should not agree. But this I know,
+        that they to whom they belonged could do without them better than you
+        and your children.”</span></p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em"><span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“Benjamin,”</span> said Seraiah, <span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“you mean well, and I thank you. But after this bring no
+        more of these gifts, for I cannot receive them. I would not have my
+        Judge say to me, <span class="tei tei-q">‘When thou sawest a thief,
+        thou consentedst unto him.’</span> I had sooner die of hunger—aye,
+        and what is far worse, see my children die—than take that which has
+        not been lawfully acquired.”</span></p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em"><span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“As you will have it,”</span> said Benjamin; <span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“if there were more like you, mayhap I should have been a
+        better man. But meanwhile, the world being what it is, you and yours
+        will have a hard time of it;”</span> and he turned to go away.
+        <span class="tei tei-q">“And the captain,”</span> he went
+        on—<span class="tei tei-q">“how does he fare? I hear that things are
+        not going well with him. ’Tis a thousand pities, for a braver man
+        never handled sword.”</span></p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em">Seraiah told him
+        briefly the story of recent events, and described the present
+        condition of affairs, the other listening with an eager attention,
+        and breaking <span class="tei tei-pb" id="page308">[pg
+        308]</span><a name="Pg308" id="Pg308" class="tei tei-anchor"></a>in
+        now and then with an exclamation of wonder and admiration.</p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em"><span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“Come, Benjamin,”</span> he said, when he had finished,
+        <span class="tei tei-q">“why will you not throw in your lot with us?
+        Things look dark just now; but they will brighten. He who has helped
+        us so far will not desert us now.”</span></p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em"><span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“Sir,”</span> said the man, <span class="tei tei-q">“I
+        would gladly follow the captain, whether he led me to life or to
+        death. No man could ask a better lot than to be his soldier. But I
+        like not all that are with him. They are over-strict, and make no
+        allowance for such as have not their zeal. Once they beat me; another
+        time they had stoned me to death but that I slipped out of their
+        hands; and both for some miserable trifles which no man of sense
+        would care about. No, sir; Judas I honour and love, but these bigots
+        who give a man no peace I cannot away with. And now the day is
+        beginning to break, and I must go. I am sorry that you will not take
+        my poor gifts.”</span></p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em">The next moment he
+        had disappeared.</p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em">And now came a
+        time of grievous trouble for Ruth and her young charges, for she had
+        naturally taken charge of Azariah’s two daughters. She did not
+        question her husband’s refusal to share any longer the illicit gains
+        of Benjamin, but she could not shut her eyes to the fact that the
+        children were suffering grievously. For herself she could endure, as
+        women can; the girls, too, were old enough to understand <span class=
+        "tei tei-pb" id="page309">[pg 309]</span><a name="Pg309" id="Pg309"
+        class="tei tei-anchor"></a>the cause of their suffering, though they
+        could not enter into the reasons of what seemed so strange an
+        observance—the Sabbatical year; but little Daniel was too young to
+        know much beyond the fact that he was always terribly hungry, and
+        though he was often brave enough to check his crying when he saw how
+        it distressed his mother, there were times when the pangs of hunger
+        were more than he could bear in silence. Poor Ruth denied herself
+        everything but the few scraps that were absolutely necessary to keep
+        body and soul together, and her physical weakness did not make it
+        easier to keep up her hope and courage. Her hardest task, perhaps,
+        was to hide, as far as it was possible, the true state of things from
+        her husband. His strength must be kept up, for so much depended upon
+        it; but the children, not to speak of herself, had to have their
+        scanty share diminished that it might be so. This, of course, he was
+        not allowed to know, and Ruth was at her wits’ end again and again to
+        keep it from him.</p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em">Within the Temple
+        fortress, meanwhile, things had become almost desperate. A few
+        shekels’ weight of flour was given out to each man daily, for Judas
+        insisted that all should share alike. That even this scanty allowance
+        might hold out the longer, numbers of the garrison made their escape
+        every night under the cover of darkness that the remainder might
+        prolong their resistance for yet a few days more.</p><span class=
+        "tei tei-pb" id="page310">[pg 310]</span><a name="Pg310" id="Pg310"
+        class="tei tei-anchor"></a>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em">Before long came a
+        time when absolutely nothing was left. <span class="tei tei-q">“Their
+        vessels were without victuals,”</span> and Judas and the few that
+        still remained with him met to hold a final deliberation.</p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em"><span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“My friends,”</span> said the great captain, <span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“you see the straits into which we are brought. There is
+        no need to tell you of them, or to prove by words what we all know
+        too well in fact. What, then, shall we do? Shall we stay here and
+        perish slowly by hunger, or shall we fall upon our swords, or shall
+        we sally forth from the gates, and, having slain as many of the
+        heathen as we may, so perish ourselves? I had hoped that the Lord
+        would give deliverance to Israel by my hand, and by the hand of my
+        brothers. But if it be not so, His will be done. For He is not shut
+        up to do that which it pleaseth Him by one man or another. He can
+        call whomsoever He will, and give him strength for the
+        work.”</span></p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em">He paused for a
+        moment, and Azariah broke in, <span class="tei tei-q">“It is well
+        said, O captain of the host. The Lord hath helped His people
+        hitherto, and He will help them to the end. Only let us trust in Him,
+        for”</span>—and here, with an impetuous gesture, he struck his foot
+        upon the rock—<span class="tei tei-q">“they that put their trust in
+        the Lord shall be even as this mountain, which may not be removed,
+        but standeth fast for ever.”</span></p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em">Judas was just
+        rising to announce his resolve when the sound of a trumpet was heard
+        at the gate <span class="tei tei-pb" id="page311">[pg
+        311]</span><a name="Pg311" id="Pg311" class="tei tei-anchor"></a>of
+        the fortress. It was a herald bringing a message from the young
+        King.</p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em"><span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“Have you aught to say to me in private?”</span> asked
+        Judas, when the man was brought in.</p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em"><span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“Nay,”</span> he answered; <span class="tei tei-q">“my
+        message is one that all may hear.”</span></p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em">He then delivered
+        it, reading the words from a parchment which he carried in his hand,
+        and which bore the sign-manual (an impression of the seal-ring dipped
+        in ink) of Antiochus Eupator, as well as that of Lysias. They ran
+        thus:</p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em"><span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“Antiochus, surnamed Eupator, King of Syria and Egypt,
+        offers to the people of the Jews peace and friendship. He permits
+        them to worship God after the manners and customs of their fathers,
+        and he hereby revokes all the edicts which the King, his father,
+        having been misinformed by unfaithful advisers, issued against the
+        said nation of the Jews.”</span></p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em">Never was there a
+        more surprising, a more unexpected change in the position of affairs.
+        But it might have been foreseen by those who had watched with a full
+        knowledge of the truth, the recent course of events.</p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em">Despatches had
+        reached Lysias from Antioch which convinced him that he and his young
+        charge had enemies to reckon with who would be far more formidable
+        than Judas and his followers. Philip had returned from Persia with
+        the host of Epiphanes, and had assumed the management of affairs, and
+        <span class="tei tei-pb" id="page312">[pg 312]</span><a name="Pg312"
+        id="Pg312" class="tei tei-anchor"></a>Philip was a dangerous rival.
+        Were he to prevail, his own position as the chief adviser of the King
+        would be untenable; and the King himself would very probably be
+        dispossessed by some other claimant to the throne.</p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em">He laid the case,
+        or at least so much as it was necessary to explain, before the
+        boy-King. The lad, who was indeed intelligent beyond his years, at
+        once acquiesced in the advice, that easy conditions of peace should
+        be offered to the garrison.</p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em">Then an assembly
+        of the soldiers was summoned. All the officers were invited by name,
+        and, after the usual fashion of such gatherings, as many of the men
+        as could crowd into the chambers were also present. To them Lysias
+        said nothing about the news from Antioch, which it would be better,
+        he thought, to conceal as long as possible; but he dwelt on the
+        useless hardships which they were all enduring.</p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em"><span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“Famine and the pestilence are upon us,”</span> he said,
+        <span class="tei tei-q">“and we decay daily. But the place to which
+        we lay siege is strong, and we are no nearer to the taking of it than
+        we were six months since. Now, therefore, let us offer to these men,
+        who are neither robbers nor murderers, peace and liberty, that they
+        may worship God after their own fashion, and live by their own laws.
+        For, of a truth, it is far better, as many of yourselves know, that
+        they should be our friends than our enemies.”</span></p><span class=
+        "tei tei-pb" id="page313">[pg 313]</span><a name="Pg313" id="Pg313"
+        class="tei tei-anchor"></a>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em">An unanimous shout
+        of approval was the answer; and hence the message which came so
+        opportunely to Judas and his followers in the very crisis of their
+        despair.</p>
+      </div>
+      <hr class="page" />
+
+      <div class="tei tei-div" style=
+      "margin-bottom: 5.00em; margin-top: 5.00em">
+        <span class="tei tei-pb" id="page314">[pg 314]</span><a name="Pg314"
+        id="Pg314" class="tei tei-anchor"></a> <a name="toc66" id=
+        "toc66"></a> <a name="pdf67" id="pdf67"></a>
+
+        <h1 class="tei tei-head" style=
+        "text-align: center; margin-bottom: 3.46em; margin-top: 3.46em">
+        <span style="font-size: 173%">CHAPTER XXVII.</span><br />
+        <br />
+        <span class="tei tei-hi" style="text-align: center"><span style=
+        "font-size: 100%">A PEACEFUL INTERVAL.</span></span></h1>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em">It was one of the
+        stipulations of the peace offered by the young Antiochus, and
+        accepted by Judas, that the King should be admitted with due ceremony
+        into the surrendered fortress. It was to be a formal acknowledgment
+        of his authority, but nothing more. No change, it was understood, was
+        to be made; the King and his attendants were not to go beyond the
+        court which it was lawful for the Gentiles to enter.</p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em">On the morrow,
+        accordingly, the boy-King came with a splendid procession of nobles
+        and officers. In front marched a company of soldiers, picked from the
+        whole army for their beauty of feature and commanding stature, and
+        gorgeous with their gilded arms. Then, in the order of their dignity,
+        came the high officers of state; last, the young monarch himself, the
+        Governor Lysias leading him by the hand.</p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em">The approach to
+        the Temple was thronged by a crowd of eager spectators, none of whom
+        were more profoundly interested in the sight than the little Daniel,
+        with his cousins, Miriam and Judith. The <span class="tei tei-pb" id=
+        "page315">[pg 315]</span><a name="Pg315" id="Pg315" class=
+        "tei tei-anchor"></a>child’s fancy had been caught by all that he had
+        heard of the young prince. It seemed strange to him, almost beyond
+        belief, that a lad, a little older, it was true, than himself, but
+        younger than Miriam, should have power to do so much harm.
+        <span class="tei tei-q">“Mother,”</span> he said one day to Ruth,
+        <span class="tei tei-q">“why does God let him hurt so many people? It
+        is all his doing that the brave soldiers are shut up in the Temple,
+        and that we have so little to eat. Will he not be punished for it
+        some day? I suppose, as he is a king, nobody can punish him except
+        God. But He will, won’t He, mother?”</span></p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em"><a name="i_341"
+        id="i_341" class="tei tei-anchor"></a><a name="fig68" id=
+        "fig68"></a></p>
+
+        <div class="tei tei-figure" style="text-align: center">
+          <img src="images/i_341.jpg" alt="The Boy King" title=
+          "The Boy King." />
+
+          <div class="tei tei-head" style=
+          "text-align: center; margin-bottom: 1.00em; margin-top: 1.00em">
+            <span class="tei tei-hi" style="text-align: center"><span style=
+            "font-style: italic">The Boy King.</span></span>
+          </div>
+        </div>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em">Then came the
+        unexpected news of the peace; and nothing would satisfy little Daniel
+        but that he must see the boy-King received in the Temple. Eagerly did
+        the child watch him as he walked in his little suit of armour, which
+        the most skilful artizans in Antioch had made so light as not to be
+        too much for his strength, and great was his delight when Eupator,
+        catching a sight of his eager face, kissed his hand to him with a
+        pleasant smile. That smile he never forgot, though it is true that
+        his old anger against the young king returned next day almost as
+        vehemently as ever when he heard that orders had been given that the
+        ramparts of the Temple fortress were to be broken down, and that the
+        Greek soldiers, anxious to depart, had begun the work of destruction
+        the very hour at which the edict had been published.</p><span class=
+        "tei tei-pb" id="page316">[pg 316]</span><a name="Pg316" id="Pg316"
+        class="tei tei-anchor"></a>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em">Though this breach
+        of faith was a great blow to the patriots, still they had much to
+        console them. In the first place, to their intense relief, the Greek
+        army marched away, and the Holy City was no more defiled by the
+        presence of the heathen. Then the renegade Menelaüs, whom every
+        faithful Jew hated with a more bitter hatred than he felt for the
+        heathen themselves, went away, but not of his own free choice, with
+        the King. Lysias had an honest man’s dislike for a traitor, and
+        indeed did not scruple to say that this impostor, who was neither
+        good Jew nor real Greek, had done more than any one else to cause the
+        recent troubles.</p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em">Not less welcome
+        was the end of the Sabbatical year. This of itself would not, of
+        course, have relieved the pressure of scarcity; but there was help
+        from without which before had not been available. Hitherto the Jews
+        had been under a ban; they were enemies of the Syrian King, and none
+        who desired to be his friends would have any dealings with them. Now
+        all was changed. The ban was removed. The people were in favour with
+        Eupator and Lysias. A brisk trade commenced, and supplies of food
+        came in abundance. With good heart and hope the people set themselves
+        to their work. From being a city of mourning Jerusalem became gay and
+        cheerful.</p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em">The general
+        gladness culminated in the Feast of Tabernacles, always the most
+        joyous of Jewish <span class="tei tei-pb" id="page317">[pg
+        317]</span><a name="Pg317" id="Pg317" class=
+        "tei tei-anchor"></a>festivals, and now celebrated with special
+        manifestations of delight. Never had the people felt so keenly the
+        pleasure of seeming at least to return to the simple life of earlier
+        times, the rustic enjoyments of a nation that had not yet learnt to
+        dwell in cities. It was the ordinance that for seven days the
+        Israelite should dwell, not in his house, but in a booth of boughs.
+        For days waggon-loads without number of the boughs of the olive, the
+        palm, the pine, the myrtle, and other trees which had a foliage
+        sufficiently thick for the purpose, were brought into the city. When
+        a house had a roof of a convenient size and situation, the booth was
+        built upon it; in many cases it was set up in the court. Those who
+        had come from elsewhere to share in the festival set up their booths
+        in the court of the Temple, in the street of the Water Gate, and in
+        the street of the Gate of Ephraim. It was a beautiful sight at any
+        time, and now the fresh foliage hid the scars of many a grievous
+        wound that had been inflicted during the years of desolation.</p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em">Every day, at the
+        time of the morning sacrifice, each Israelite, gaily dressed in
+        holiday attire, made his way to the Temple. Each carried in one hand
+        a bundle of the same branches that were used in the building of the
+        booths, and in the other a fruit of the citron tree. When all the
+        company was assembled, and the parts of the victim had been laid upon
+        the altar, a priest was seen approaching with a <span class=
+        "tei tei-pb" id="page318">[pg 318]</span><a name="Pg318" id="Pg318"
+        class="tei tei-anchor"></a>golden ewer in his hand. He had filled it
+        at the pool of Siloam, and he brought it into the court of the Temple
+        through the Water Gate. The trumpets sounded as he came in and
+        ascended the slope of the altar. On each side of this were two silver
+        basins; into that on the eastern side he poured the sacred water;
+        while another priest poured wine into that on the western. Then the
+        <span class="tei tei-q">“Hallel”</span><a id="noteref_21" name=
+        "noteref_21" href="#note_21"><span class=
+        "tei tei-noteref"><span style=
+        "font-size: 60%; vertical-align: super">21</span></span></a> was
+        sung; when the singers came to the words, <span class="tei tei-q">“O
+        give thanks unto the Lord; for He is good, because His mercy endureth
+        for ever,”</span> each Israelite shook his bundle of branches; he did
+        it again when they sang, <span class="tei tei-q">“Save, Lord, I
+        beseech Thee, O Lord: O Lord, I beseech Thee, send now
+        prosperity;”</span> and a third time at the words, <span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“O give thanks unto the Lord; for He is good: for His
+        mercy endureth for ever.”</span> In the evening there was a grand
+        illumination. Eight lamps, so large and so high that they sent their
+        light over nearly the whole of the city, were set up in the court of
+        the Temple, while many of the people carried flambeaux in their
+        hands. Meanwhile a company of Levites, standing on the steps of the
+        Court of the Women, chanted to the music of cymbal and the harp the
+        fifteen <span class="tei tei-q">“Songs of Degrees.”</span><a id=
+        "noteref_22" name="noteref_22" href="#note_22"><span class=
+        "tei tei-noteref"><span style=
+        "font-size: 60%; vertical-align: super">22</span></span></a></p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em">These were the
+        public rejoicings; the private festivities were on the most liberal
+        scale. Never did <span class="tei tei-pb" id="page319">[pg
+        319]</span><a name="Pg319" id="Pg319" class="tei tei-anchor"></a>the
+        maxim that he who fails to contribute according to his means to the
+        general joy is a sinner above other men meet with a more hearty
+        acceptance.</p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em">Azariah with his
+        daughters and little Daniel were watching the ceremonies of the last
+        and greatest day of the feast from the roof of the Governor’s house,
+        where they were joined by Micah and by Joseph, who, it will be
+        remembered, had shared with him the disastrous command of the city
+        during the absence of Judas in Gilead. Joseph was exultant; Micah’s
+        face was grave and even sad.</p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em"><span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“Thank the Lord, Azariah,”</span> cried Joseph,
+        <span class="tei tei-q">“for He has dealt with the traitor after his
+        deservings.”</span></p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em"><span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“Whom mean you?”</span> asked Azariah; <span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“for we have had more traitors here than one.”</span></p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em"><span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“Whom should I mean but Menelaüs, the false priest who
+        sat in Aaron’s seat?”</span></p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em"><span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“And what has befallen him?”</span></p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em"><span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“The King has caused him to be put to death. He was in
+        little favour when they took him home, for Lysias said that he had
+        wrought all the mischief that had been done. And when they came to
+        Antioch the matter of Oniah was brought against him, for there were
+        many who loved the old man, and had taken it ill that his death had
+        not been fully avenged. And when the young King heard the story,
+        Menelaüs being present, and having nothing to say against it, he
+        cried, <span class="tei tei-q">‘I wonder that the King, my father,
+        suffered this murderer to escape, but he shall <span class=
+        "tei tei-pb" id="page320">[pg 320]</span><a name="Pg320" id="Pg320"
+        class="tei tei-anchor"></a>not go unpunished any more. Take him, and
+        cast him alive into the Tower of Ashes.’</span> So they took him and
+        did as the King had commanded.”</span></p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em"><span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“And what is the Tower of Ashes?”</span> asked the little
+        Daniel, who had been listening to this conversation with a sort of
+        terrified interest.</p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em">Micah answered his
+        question. <span class="tei tei-q">“At Berea is a tower, the bottom of
+        which is full of ashes, and in the tower is a machine which revolves
+        and plunges the criminal who is bound to it deep into the ashes until
+        he is smothered. But as for this unhappy man, the Lord have mercy
+        upon him!”</span></p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em">Joseph turned
+        fiercely upon him. <span class="tei tei-q">“I marvel,”</span> he
+        said, <span class="tei tei-q">“that you should pray for this fellow,
+        who was worse than the heathen. He has but had his
+        deservings.”</span></p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em"><span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“And where should I be, if I had had mine?”</span>
+        answered Micah. <span class="tei tei-q">“I walked in the same way
+        with this Menelaüs, and sinned against the Law, even as he sinned,
+        and but that God had mercy upon me, surely I had come to the same
+        end.”</span></p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em"><span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“Don’t be sorry, uncle,”</span> said the boy, holding up
+        his little face for a kiss; <span class="tei tei-q">“I am sure that
+        God has forgiven you, for He knows how bravely you have fought for
+        Him, and how many of the heathen you have killed with your
+        sword.”</span></p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em"><span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“May it be so, dear child! But though He has forgiven me,
+        yet I must reap as I have sown.”</span></p><span class="tei tei-pb"
+        id="page321">[pg 321]</span><a name="Pg321" id="Pg321" class=
+        "tei tei-anchor"></a>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em"><span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“And who shall be high priest in this traitor’s
+        place?”</span> asked Joseph, after a pause. <span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“For Oniah, the son of him that was slain at Antioch, is
+        in the land of Egypt, and he takes part with the unfaithful brethren
+        who would build another Temple among the temples of the heathen,
+        leaving the place which the Lord has chosen to set His name
+        there.”</span></p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em"><span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“And if the House of Zadok have perished, why should not
+        Judas, son of Mattathias, be high priest?”</span> said Azariah.
+        <span class="tei tei-q">“He is of a principal house among the sons of
+        Aaron, and the Lord has been with him always.”</span></p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em">Joseph had never
+        forgiven Judas for his own disaster. His was one of those mean
+        natures that justify the saying, <span class="tei tei-q">“The injured
+        may forgive, the injurer never.”</span> The captain had treated him
+        with the same generous kindness which he had showed to Azariah, but
+        this kindness had not been received in the same temper. On the
+        contrary it rankled in his mind, till by a strange, yet not uncommon,
+        perversion of feeling, it had produced a positive sense of injury. He
+        now broke out:</p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em"><span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“Nay, nay, my friend, you say too much. That he has won
+        victories I deny not; but was the Lord with him when he fled before
+        the face of the heathen at Beth-Zachariah, or when Beth-zur was
+        yielded up to Lysias, or when we had well-nigh perished with famine
+        in the siege, or when the King broke down the ramparts of the Temple?
+        Not so: what<span class="tei tei-pb" id="page322">[pg
+        322]</span><a name="Pg322" id="Pg322" class="tei tei-anchor"></a>ever
+        the people may shout or sing in his praise, he too has known defeat,
+        even as we have.”</span></p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em"><span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“This I know,”</span> said Azariah, <span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“that whereas we were trodden underfoot by the heathen
+        till there was no life left in us, now we are risen and stand
+        upright.”</span></p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em"><span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“And how long, think you,”</span> returned Joseph,
+        <span class="tei tei-q">“will it be so with us? Did we drive away the
+        King, or did he not rather depart of his own accord, because of what
+        he and his counsellors had heard of the doings of Philip? And will he
+        not return, and the end be worse than the beginning?”</span></p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em">Azariah answered,
+        with some heat, <span class="tei tei-q">“As for that which may happen
+        hereafter, I say nothing. These things are in the hand of God. But
+        that the young Antiochus departed to his own land was, I doubt not at
+        all, of the Lord’s doing. Why, even this child knows the story of
+        Sennacherib, and the words which Isaiah the prophet spoke to Hezekiah
+        when the King was faint-hearted, and could not see how there should
+        be any deliverance for Israel. Did not the prophet say, <span class=
+        "tei tei-q">‘He shall hear a rumour, and shall return unto his own
+        land?’</span> ”</span></p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em">Joseph said
+        nothing. With all his meanness and littleness he was a patriot, and
+        really loved his country; and it went against his heart and
+        conscience to prophesy evil against her.</p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em">Then the little
+        Daniel startled them all by saying, with flashing eyes, <span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“And I will cause him to fall by the sword in his own
+        land.”</span></p>
+      </div>
+      <hr class="page" />
+
+      <div class="tei tei-div" style=
+      "margin-bottom: 5.00em; margin-top: 5.00em">
+        <span class="tei tei-pb" id="page323">[pg 323]</span><a name="Pg323"
+        id="Pg323" class="tei tei-anchor"></a> <a name="toc69" id=
+        "toc69"></a> <a name="pdf70" id="pdf70"></a>
+
+        <h1 class="tei tei-head" style=
+        "text-align: center; margin-bottom: 3.46em; margin-top: 3.46em">
+        <span style="font-size: 173%">CHAPTER XXVIII.</span><br />
+        <br />
+        <span class="tei tei-hi" style="text-align: center"><span style=
+        "font-size: 100%">HOPES AND FEARS.</span></span></h1>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em">A few weeks after
+        the conversation recorded in the last chapter, Ruth was hearing her
+        little boy repeat the Commandment when Seraiah came in, carrying in
+        his hand an open letter.</p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em"><span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“There is news from Syria,”</span> he said.</p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em"><span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“And is it good or bad?”</span> asked his wife.</p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em"><span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“That I can hardly say,”</span> was Seraiah’s reply. At
+        the same time he signalled to his wife that she should take the child
+        out of the room. The signal, however, was too late. The quick-witted
+        little fellow had heard what had been said, and immediately jumped to
+        the conclusion that something had been heard about the boy-King. His
+        mind was occupied, it might almost be said, day and night with the
+        thought of the young Eupator. He scarcely knew whether he hated or
+        loved him; but the brilliant figure of the lad had caught his
+        imagination. He lived, as imaginative children often will, a sort of
+        second life in thinking of him.</p><span class="tei tei-pb" id=
+        "page324">[pg 324]</span><a name="Pg324" id="Pg324" class=
+        "tei tei-anchor"></a>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em"><span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“Oh! father,”</span> he now cried, <span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“I am sure that you have something to tell me about the
+        boy-King. Is he coming here again? I should like to see him, though
+        he did break his promise so shamefully.”</span></p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em"><span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“My boy,”</span> said his father, <span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“you will never see him again.”</span></p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em"><span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“Oh! Why?”</span></p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em"><span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“He is dead. This letter tells me all about
+        him.”</span></p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em">The boy burst into
+        a passionate fit of tears, which all his mother’s caresses and
+        attempts at consolation were for some time unable to stop. When the
+        violence of his grief had spent itself he said—</p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em"><span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“Oh! father, tell me about him. Were they very cruel to
+        him? And how did it happen? I thought that kings killed people, but I
+        did not know that any one could kill them.”</span></p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em"><span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“Listen, my child, and I will try to explain it to you.
+        The father of Eupator, the boy who is just dead, was not rightfully
+        King. He came after his elder brother, and this elder brother had a
+        son named Demetrius, who ought to have succeeded his father. But this
+        son had been sent to Rome as a hostage.”</span></p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em"><span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“What do you mean by a hostage, father?”</span></p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em"><span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“When you are going to trust some one about whom you do
+        not feel quite sure, you take something from him that he values very
+        much, and say, <span class="tei tei-q">‘You will lose this unless you
+        behave well.’</span> So Demetrius’s father gave his son to the Romans
+        <span class="tei tei-pb" id="page325">[pg 325]</span><a name="Pg325"
+        id="Pg325" class="tei tei-anchor"></a>to keep, and the Romans were
+        sure that as long as they had the child his father would not do
+        anything that they did not like. Well, as I told you, Demetrius was
+        sent to Rome to be security for his father’s good behaviour, and
+        there he lived all the time that Antiochus, whom they called
+        Epiphanes, was King. And when Epiphanes died Demetrius asked the
+        Romans to let him go, that he might claim the kingdom which, he said,
+        belonged to him and which his cousin Eupator was too young to be able
+        to govern. But they would not let him go, and I have been told that
+        Lysias bribed some of the chief men among them, and these persuaded
+        the rest. At last he got tired of waiting for leave, and he ran away
+        from Rome without it, and landed at a place called Tripolis, not very
+        far from Antioch, with only twenty or thirty men with him. But as
+        soon as ever the soldiers at Antioch heard of his coming, they
+        declared that they would have him for their King.”</span></p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em"><span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“But why?”</span> put in Daniel.</p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em"><span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“Well, if they did not know much that was good about him,
+        they knew nothing that was bad. Anyhow they all rose in his favour;
+        and they seized the young King and Lysias the Governor and brought
+        them to him, and asked him what they should do with them. He would
+        not say, <span class="tei tei-q">‘Kill them,’</span> for, after all,
+        the little boy was his cousin, and had not done him any harm. And he
+        did not <span class="tei tei-pb" id="page326">[pg 326]</span><a name=
+        "Pg326" id="Pg326" class="tei tei-anchor"></a>like to say,
+        <span class="tei tei-q">‘Keep them alive,’</span> for he was afraid
+        that his cousin might some day have his throne; so he only said to
+        the soldiers, <span class="tei tei-q">‘Take care that they do not see
+        my face.’</span> So the soldiers—they were the young King’s own
+        guard—took him and killed him, and Lysias with him.”</span></p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em">When he had heard
+        this the child allowed his mother to take him away. He saw that his
+        father, usually so calm, was anxious and troubled, and, wise with a
+        wisdom beyond his years—the fruit of the troubled life which he and
+        his had been leading—would not ask him any more questions. But that
+        night, when his mother came to give him the last kiss before he went
+        to sleep, he had many things to say to her. Poor little fellow! he
+        had seen many terrible sights, which all his parents’ care could not
+        keep from his eyes, and had heard of many more, and he could not help
+        asking again, <span class="tei tei-q">“Did they hurt him very
+        much?”</span> and when she had comforted him as best she could on
+        this score, he showed that there was another trouble in his mind.
+        <span class="tei tei-q">“Oh! mother,”</span> he said, <span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“do you remember that when he ordered the walls of the
+        fortress to be pulled down, I prayed to God that he might be punished
+        for breaking his promise? and only the other day, when Joseph was
+        talking about his coming back, I said—something in me seemed to make
+        me say it almost without my knowing—<span class="tei tei-q">‘He shall
+        fall by the sword in his own land.’</span> And now he is <span class=
+        "tei tei-pb" id="page327">[pg 327]</span><a name="Pg327" id="Pg327"
+        class="tei tei-anchor"></a>punished, for he has fallen by the sword.
+        Do you think that God listened to me, and did it because I said these
+        things? But, mother, I did not hate him very much; sometimes I used
+        to think I loved him; and oh! it would be dreadful to think that I
+        had anything to do with his being killed!”</span></p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em"><span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“My son,”</span> said Ruth, <span class="tei tei-q">“do
+        you remember what our father Abraham said, <span class=
+        "tei tei-q">‘Shall not the Judge of all the earth do
+        right’</span>?”</span></p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em"><span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“Yes, mother, I am sure that He will do right; and the
+        King did deserve to be punished. But perhaps his counsellors told him
+        to do it; and I am sure that if I was told to do something that was
+        wrong by people that I loved, I should be very likely to do
+        it.”</span></p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em">When his mother
+        came to see him some hours afterwards she found him asleep, but his
+        pillow was wet with tears, and now and then a little sob showed how
+        deeply the trouble had entered into his little heart.</p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em">There was trouble
+        in older and wiser hearts than his. The Jews had hoped much from the
+        boy-King. His bad faith in the matter of the Temple fortress they had
+        willingly put down to evil counsellors, and they could not forget
+        that he had given them terms, good beyond all their hopes, when they
+        were in the last extremity. The death of Lysias was a more serious
+        loss. He was <span class="tei tei-pb" id="page328">[pg
+        328]</span><a name="Pg328" id="Pg328" class="tei tei-anchor"></a>the
+        pacificator; to his influence they ascribed the conciliatory policy
+        of the young Antiochus. And now he was gone. Would his death be the
+        signal of a change? Would Demetrius go back to the ways of the mad
+        Antiochus? or had he learnt prudence, if not mercy, from his sojourn
+        among the Romans and the bitter experience of an exile?</p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em">Opinion was
+        divided. Some hoped, some feared; but all were resolved that they
+        would never give way, that they would defend to the last drop of
+        their blood the freedom which they had won. Azariah, whose temper of
+        mind had gathered a certain gloom from the unhappy experiences of his
+        life, took a desponding view of the situation. Micah, on the
+        contrary, was cheerful, and he had some strong arguments to back him
+        up.</p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em"><span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“Remember,”</span> he said to his brother-in-law one day,
+        when the subject had been discussed at some length between them,
+        <span class="tei tei-q">“that I have had opportunities for forming a
+        judgment which, happily for you, have not come in your way. I once
+        saw much of these Greeks—I am ashamed to remember the time, but still
+        it would be folly not to make use of what I then learnt—and I am sure
+        that that madman Antiochus did not represent what they really feel.
+        You don’t know how they despise all barbarians as they call them;
+        and, despising them, they are disposed to let them alone. They don’t
+        want us to worship their gods; they think that we are not
+        <span class="tei tei-pb" id="page329">[pg 329]</span><a name="Pg329"
+        id="Pg329" class="tei tei-anchor"></a>good enough. But Antiochus was
+        mad with pride and arrogance, and it is not likely that any one else
+        should be found to follow his steps. We may have trouble; indeed I
+        feel sure that we shall; but depend upon it there will not be another
+        such attempt as the madman made to stamp out our
+        religion.”</span></p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em">And the tidings
+        that soon after reached Jerusalem from Antioch seemed to justify this
+        forecast. There seemed to be trouble ahead, but it was not trouble of
+        the sort which had brought desolation upon the Holy City. A
+        deputation from that party among the Jews which affected Greek habits
+        and Greek practices had been admitted to the presence of the new
+        King. They had accused Judas, the son of Mattathias, of having driven
+        them from their land, and of being an enemy to the sovereignty of the
+        Greeks. Demetrius had listened to their representations, and had
+        conferred the office of high priest on Alcimus,<a id="noteref_23"
+        name="noteref_23" href="#note_23"><span class=
+        "tei tei-noteref"><span style=
+        "font-size: 60%; vertical-align: super">23</span></span></a> the
+        leader of the malcontents, and had promised to send a force which
+        would instal him in his office, and at the same time take vengeance
+        on Judas and the Chasidim. This force was to be under the command of
+        Bacchides, one of the most trusted of his counsellors.</p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em">A high priest of
+        the stamp of Menelaüs—for such Alcimus was known to be—would be
+        anything but <span class="tei tei-pb" id="page330">[pg
+        330]</span><a name="Pg330" id="Pg330" class=
+        "tei tei-anchor"></a>welcome. Probably it would be necessary to
+        resist him and his proceedings by force. Still things were not as bad
+        as they might have been. That King Demetrius should have appointed a
+        high priest at all showed that he was not bent, as Epiphanes had
+        been, on extirpating the Jewish faith. With such doubtful comfort as
+        this assurance could give they were compelled to be satisfied and to
+        await the development of events.</p>
+      </div>
+      <hr class="page" />
+
+      <div class="tei tei-div" style=
+      "margin-bottom: 5.00em; margin-top: 5.00em">
+        <span class="tei tei-pb" id="page331">[pg 331]</span><a name="Pg331"
+        id="Pg331" class="tei tei-anchor"></a> <a name="toc71" id=
+        "toc71"></a> <a name="pdf72" id="pdf72"></a>
+
+        <h1 class="tei tei-head" style=
+        "text-align: center; margin-bottom: 3.46em; margin-top: 3.46em">
+        <span style="font-size: 173%">CHAPTER XXIX.</span><br />
+        <br />
+        <span class="tei tei-hi" style="text-align: center"><span style=
+        "font-size: 100%">CIVIL WAR.</span></span></h1>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em">The new high
+        priest arrived at Jerusalem, escorted by a powerful force under the
+        command of Bacchides. None but absolute renegades were glad to see
+        Greek soldiers again lording it in the streets of Jerusalem; but
+        otherwise there was a wide difference of opinion as to the duty of
+        faithful Jews with regard to the reception of the stranger. Alcimus
+        and his Greek companions were loud in their professions of good will.
+        They intended, they said, nothing but benefits to the people. All
+        would be well if they were only received in the same spirit in which
+        they came.</p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em">Judas and his
+        brothers received these assurances with profound incredulity. They
+        and their immediate followers had thought it prudent to leave the
+        city. There had been no opportunity of properly repairing the walls
+        of the Temple fortress, and without some such stronghold to serve as
+        shelter in case of need, they would, they felt, be at the mercy of
+        the <span class="tei tei-pb" id="page332">[pg 332]</span><a name=
+        "Pg332" id="Pg332" class="tei tei-anchor"></a>Greeks. In the position
+        to which they had withdrawn there was a hot discussion. Judas, as
+        usual, urged the counsels of prudence and common sense. It was easy,
+        he said, to make these professions of peace and good will—so easy
+        that, without some substantial guarantee of their sincerity, it would
+        be madness to risk anything on the strength of them. Alcimus, or
+        Eliakim—he must own that he did not like or trust these double-named
+        Jews, for they were often double-faced also—might be thinking of
+        nothing but peace; but why did he come with an army behind him? He
+        might have been sure, sprung as he was from the race of Aaron, that
+        none of his countrymen would harm him. Why had he surrounded himself
+        with a multitude of godless heathen who would be only too likely to
+        harm them? <span class="tei tei-q">“Let us wait”</span>—this was his
+        final advice—<span class="tei tei-q">“till he and his friends give us
+        some proof that they really mean what they say.”</span></p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em">The Chasidim were
+        loud and vehement in their opposition to this counsel. Joseph, whose
+        bitterness and jealousy had not been weakened by the lapse of time,
+        constituted himself their spokesman.</p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em"><span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“The Law,”</span> he said, <span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“plainly declares that there shall be a high priest.
+        There are acts, acts of the highest importance, even necessity, which
+        only he can perform. Our worship without him is maimed and imperfect.
+        We cannot expect that there will be a blessing upon it, that, lacking
+        this essential part, our sacrifices will be accepted or our prayers
+        heard. <span class="tei tei-pb" id="page333">[pg 333]</span><a name=
+        "Pg333" id="Pg333" class="tei tei-anchor"></a>And now we have a high
+        priest that is of the race of Aaron. He promises—and why should we
+        not believe him?—that his purposes towards us are for good and not
+        for evil. Let us go to him, and do him the honour that is due to his
+        office. If harm come of it, we shall have at least obeyed the
+        commandment of God.”</span></p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em">Judas and his
+        brothers, with such faithful followers as Seraiah and Micah, stood
+        resolutely aloof, but they could not control the action of the
+        enthusiasts. A large body of the Chasidim paid to Alcimus a formal
+        visit. They welcomed him to the seat of his office; they paid him
+        their homage; intimating at the same time that there were grievances
+        for which they asked redress and abuses which needed reform. Nothing
+        could have exceeded the show of politeness and even friendship with
+        which they were received. Alcimus made the most solemn protestations
+        that neither they nor their friends should suffer any harm. He could
+        only regret that unfounded suspicions had kept away the great soldier
+        who had done so much for his country and whom he would have had so
+        much pleasure in welcoming. They were invited to a banquet, which had
+        been duly prepared, they were assured, in obedience to the
+        requirements of the Law, and of which they could partake without any
+        fear of contracting impurity.</p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em">After the banquet
+        there was to be a conference. The proceedings began, and were
+        continued for some <span class="tei tei-pb" id="page334">[pg
+        334]</span><a name="Pg334" id="Pg334" class="tei tei-anchor"></a>time
+        without interruption, though Alcimus could scarcely control his
+        impatience at what he thought the unreasonable demands of the bigots.
+        Meanwhile Bacchides, who had hitherto kept himself in the background,
+        was quietly surrounding the council-chamber with troops. Joseph was
+        in the midst of an harangue when the doors were thrown open, a
+        company of soldiers marched in, and arrested every member of the
+        deputation. It was now the turn of Alcimus to retire into the
+        background. He had served his purpose, acting, it may be said, as a
+        decoy, and, thanks to him, some of the most inveterate enemies of the
+        Greek party had been entrapped. The Greek commander made short work
+        with his prisoners. Alcimus went through the farce of interceding for
+        them, but he never expected, and, perhaps, never intended, to obtain
+        his requests. Sixty of them were executed on the spot, and the rest
+        were cast into prison. The bodies of the victims were hurriedly
+        thrown into carts, drawn outside the city, and left to be the prey of
+        the vulture and the wild dog.</p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em">The horror and
+        dismay which spread through the city with the news of the bloody deed
+        were such as it would be impossible to describe. The victims were
+        well-known men, and, for the most part, as much respected as they
+        were known. There was a frantic rush to do honour to the remains of
+        the martyred patriots. But Bacchides had foreseen that <span class=
+        "tei tei-pb" id="page335">[pg 335]</span><a name="Pg335" id="Pg335"
+        class="tei tei-anchor"></a>this would probably occur, and had
+        surrounded the place with a cordon of soldiers. The people could do
+        nothing but stand upon the walls while the birds and beasts of prey
+        mangled the corpses, and mingle, in their impotent rage, curses on
+        the murderers, with lamentations over the dead. In more than one of
+        their national hymns they found a fitting expression of their grief;
+        but none was more suitable to the circumstances of the time than the
+        words of the seventy-ninth Psalm: <span class="tei tei-q">“The dead
+        bodies of Thy servants have they given to be meat unto the fowls of
+        the heaven, and the flesh of Thy saints unto the beasts of the earth.
+        Their blood have they shed like water round about Jerusalem, and
+        there was none to bury them.”</span></p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em">The conduct of
+        Judas did not, as may be supposed, escape censure. It is the first
+        impulse of a multitude in the presence of some great disaster to
+        throw the blame upon its rulers, and the Jews, in their anger and
+        grief, felt and yielded to it.</p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em"><span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“Yes,”</span> said an old man, who had lost a brother and
+        a son in the massacre, <span class="tei tei-q">“he was too prudent to
+        trust himself to the heathen; he stood aloof from their danger, and
+        when they offered themselves up as a sacrifice, he was not
+        there.”</span></p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em"><span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“And did he not well?”</span> said a zealous partisan.
+        <span class="tei tei-q">“Did he not warn them and entreat them, and
+        they took no heed to his words?”</span></p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em"><span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“But had he and his men of war gone with <span class=
+        "tei tei-pb" id="page336">[pg 336]</span><a name="Pg336" id="Pg336"
+        class="tei tei-anchor"></a>them,”</span> returned the other,
+        <span class="tei tei-q">“they had not been left without defence. But
+        now they went as sheep to the slaughter.”</span></p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em"><span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“What can you look for when the sheep will go where the
+        shepherd does not lead them? And as for Judas, did he ever spare his
+        life? Has he not taken it in his hand time after time, fighting with
+        a few men against thousands of the heathen? And tell me now,”</span>
+        went on the speaker, <span class="tei tei-q">“to whom should we have
+        looked for deliverance had Judas also been slain with these? The Lord
+        has had mercy upon His people, lest they should be utterly cast down,
+        and has left unto them their captain.”</span></p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em">On the whole,
+        popular opinion was strongly in Judas’s favour. Then came another
+        turn of events. The Greek general, weary of his sojourn among a
+        people that hated him, marched out of Jerusalem, and encamped in one
+        of the suburbs,<a id="noteref_24" name="noteref_24" href=
+        "#note_24"><span class="tei tei-noteref"><span style=
+        "font-size: 60%; vertical-align: super">24</span></span></a> where he
+        could keep his troops better in hand, and not expose them to the
+        daily risk of collision with a hostile population. This place, too,
+        he shortly evacuated, returning with the main part of his army to
+        Antioch, though he left a small force to support Alcimus, who would
+        now, he thought, with this help, be able to hold his own.</p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em">But before he went
+        he committed another deed only less atrocious than the treacherous
+        massacre <span class="tei tei-pb" id="page337">[pg
+        337]</span><a name="Pg337" id="Pg337" class="tei tei-anchor"></a>of
+        the Chasidim. Every partisan, or supposed partisan, of Judas whom he
+        could either entrap or seize was mercilessly slaughtered. Nor did
+        Greeks, who, from motives of expediency or under pressure of superior
+        force, had submitted to Judas, escape.</p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em">If Bacchides
+        imagined that these cruelties would strengthen the position of the
+        renegade high priest he was greatly mistaken. Alcimus was more
+        universally, more fervently hated than even Jason or Menelaüs had
+        been. The disappointment caused by this renewal of troubles was all
+        the more bitter because it had succeeded to hopes that seemed so well
+        established. And every one felt that it was Alcimus who was to blame.
+        His greed and ambition had disturbed the peace which they were
+        beginning to enjoy. On his head was all the innocent blood that had
+        been shed.</p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em">And now a new
+        horror was added to all that the unhappy country had endured. It was
+        no longer Jew fighting against Greek, but Jew against Jew. Civil war,
+        always more bitter, more ruthless than the very fiercest struggle
+        between strangers, broke out. The renegades rallied to Alcimus. Their
+        interests were bound up with his cause. Some of them had committed
+        themselves so deeply that they could not hope for pardon from the
+        patriots. Others had a genuine dislike for Jewish severity and a
+        liking for Greek license, and fought for all that, as they thought,
+        made life worth living. But the number <span class="tei tei-pb" id=
+        "page338">[pg 338]</span><a name="Pg338" id="Pg338" class=
+        "tei tei-anchor"></a>of these philo-Greek partisans was but small,
+        and the popular feeling was unmistakably against them, and Judas felt
+        himself strong enough to assert his position vigorously. He was not
+        now a partisan leader, raising the standard of revolt against
+        established authority; he was himself the established authority,
+        justified in punishing all that presumed to rebel against him. This
+        judicious display of firmness, of what might even be called severity,
+        vastly strengthened his position. The waverers who always go with the
+        strongest, who care little for principle, but most for self-interest
+        and safety, when they saw that the sword of Judas was a more
+        immediate danger to his enemies than the sword of the Syrian King,
+        hesitated no longer about joining him. Alcimus found himself deserted
+        by all but a few desperate partisans. The commander of his Greek
+        auxiliaries declared himself unable to give him sufficient help.
+        Accordingly he had no alternative but to give up the unequal contest,
+        and to hurry back to Antioch, where he might lay his complaints
+        before King Demetrius.</p>
+      </div>
+      <hr class="page" />
+
+      <div class="tei tei-div" style=
+      "margin-bottom: 5.00em; margin-top: 5.00em">
+        <span class="tei tei-pb" id="page339">[pg 339]</span><a name="Pg339"
+        id="Pg339" class="tei tei-anchor"></a> <a name="toc73" id=
+        "toc73"></a> <a name="pdf74" id="pdf74"></a>
+
+        <h1 class="tei tei-head" style=
+        "text-align: center; margin-bottom: 3.46em; margin-top: 3.46em">
+        <span style="font-size: 173%">CHAPTER XXX.</span><br />
+        <br />
+        <span class="tei tei-hi" style="text-align: center"><span style=
+        "font-size: 100%">NICANOR.</span></span></h1>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em">The complaints
+        which Alcimus carried to the Syrian King at Antioch were eagerly
+        listened to. Demetrius was eager, as new rulers frequently are, to
+        reverse the policy of his predecessor. Eupator had yielded to the
+        persistency of these obstinate Jews, but he would show them that it
+        was he and not they who was master. A new expedition should be sent,
+        and this pestilent rebel, who, after all, had been shown not to be
+        invincible, should be extinguished for ever. There was some doubt as
+        to who should be put in command; but ultimately the King’s choice
+        fell upon Nicanor, the same that had been associated with Gorgias in
+        an earlier campaign. He had been since promoted to the exalted office
+        of <span class="tei tei-q">“Commander of the Elephants,”</span> and
+        was in high favour with Demetrius.</p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em">Once more Judas
+        found himself obliged to retire from Jerusalem, where he could not
+        command the <span class="tei tei-pb" id="page340">[pg
+        340]</span><a name="Pg340" id="Pg340" class=
+        "tei tei-anchor"></a>liberty of movement that was necessary for his
+        safety; but he remained in the neighbourhood, and watched the
+        development of events.</p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em">Nicanor’s first
+        idea was to repeat the treachery of Bacchides, and to get Judas and
+        his brothers into his power. A letter, written in studiously friendly
+        terms, was sent to the Jewish captain, suggesting a conference, at
+        which the matters in dispute might easily be settled. Judas was not
+        likely, especially after recent experience, to fall into the trap;
+        but nevertheless he did not refuse the invitation. He came to the
+        conference, but he came with a strong guard, and not till he had
+        secured such conditions as seemed to make a treacherous surprise
+        impossible. The meeting took place. Side by side, on two chairs of
+        state, sat the two generals, each with their armed guard within call.
+        On either side was a barrier, beyond which no one that did not belong
+        to the stipulated number of attendants was allowed to pass. The
+        conversation between the two was friendly and animated. Nicanor’s
+        treacherous purpose did not prevent him from having a genuine
+        admiration for the character and achievements of his great adversary;
+        and the praises which he heaped upon him were perfectly sincere. But
+        this feeling did not make him at all less anxious to get this
+        formidable hero into his power.</p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em">Negotiations had
+        not proceeded very far, in fact had not got beyond the initial stage,
+        when a pre<span class="tei tei-pb" id="page341">[pg
+        341]</span><a name="Pg341" id="Pg341" class=
+        "tei tei-anchor"></a>concerted signal warned Judas that there was
+        danger at hand. Self-possessed as ever, he showed no sign of having
+        penetrated his companion’s intention. A point of some importance was
+        raised by Nicanor, and Judas intimated that he could not deal with it
+        until he had consulted his council. Rising from his seat, without
+        allowing the least indication of disturbance to be seen in his
+        manner, he bade the Greek general a courteous farewell, rejoined his
+        guard, and was soon out of the reach of danger. But when he was again
+        among his friends, he did not conceal his feelings. <span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“He is a false liar,”</span> he said, <span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“and, so long as he lives, I will see his face again no
+        more.”</span> The words were to have a singularly close
+        fulfilment.</p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em">Nicanor, finding
+        his attempted fraud unsuccessful, resolved to try force. He marched
+        against Judas, who, for military reasons, had retired as far as
+        Samaria, and gave him battle at Capharsalama. But the plans of
+        Nicanor were conceived with more haste than prudence. He delivered
+        his attack under unfavourable conditions, and received a crushing
+        defeat in which he lost fully five thousand men.</p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em">Thus baffled for a
+        second time, he returned to Jerusalem in a frenzy of rage. On the day
+        after his arrival he went, followed by an armed guard, to the Temple,
+        and forced his way into the Great Court. It was the time of the
+        morning sacrifice, and the trembling priests came down from the altar
+        to salute him.</p><span class="tei tei-pb" id="page342">[pg
+        342]</span><a name="Pg342" id="Pg342" class="tei tei-anchor"></a>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em"><span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“Rebels,”</span> he cried, <span class="tei tei-q">“you
+        are praying to your God that the enemies of the King may
+        prosper.”</span></p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em"><span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“Not so, my lord,”</span> said the presiding priest,
+        <span class="tei tei-q">“we have but this moment offered the
+        customary sacrifice for the health and welfare of the most excellent
+        Demetrius.”</span></p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em"><span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“These are but words, and I ask for deeds. Let this
+        pestilent fellow, this Judas, be delivered into my hands. Thus and
+        thus only shall I know that you are faithful to my lord the
+        King.”</span></p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em"><span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“But, my lord, you ask that which is impossible. How can
+        we, that are men of peace, have power to lay hands upon this man of
+        war?”</span></p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em"><span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“Ask me not how, but do the thing that I command, or it
+        shall go ill with you and your city.”</span></p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em"><span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“Nay, my lord, speak not so. Ask that which is possible,
+        and it shall be done to the uttermost of our power.”</span></p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em"><span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“Fair words! fair words! But I know well that, after the
+        manner of your race, for you are the enemies of all men, you curse me
+        behind my back. Now listen unto me. You will not deliver this traitor
+        into my hands——”</span></p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em">The priests
+        attempted to speak, but he silenced them with an imperious
+        gesture.</p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em"><span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“So be it. Then I will take him by force. And when I have
+        taken him, and dealt with him after his deserts, then——”</span> he
+        paused for a moment, and held out his right hand with a threatening
+        gesture <span class="tei tei-pb" id="page343">[pg 343]</span><a name=
+        "Pg343" id="Pg343" class="tei tei-anchor"></a>towards the
+        altar—<span class="tei tei-q">“then I will burn this house with fire;
+        even as the Chaldæans burnt it in the days of your fathers, so will I
+        burn it. All the gods of heaven and hell confound me, if I do not
+        burn it, as a man burns a brand in the fire.”</span></p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em">So speaking he
+        turned away, and without deigning to salute the terrified priests,
+        quitted the precincts of the Temple.</p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em">When he was gone
+        the priests stood weeping and praying before the altar. <span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“O Lord,”</span> they said, <span class="tei tei-q">“for
+        the blasphemies wherewith Thine enemies blaspheme Thee, reward Thou
+        them sevenfold into their bosom. Thou didst choose this house to be
+        called by Thy name, and to be a house of prayer for Thy people.
+        Avenge Thyself, therefore, of this man and his host, and cause them
+        to fall by the sword.”</span></p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em">Nicanor had sent
+        to Antioch for reinforcements, for he would not fail again for lack
+        of strength or due preparation, and marching out of Jerusalem, he
+        awaited their arrival at the western end of the Pass of Beth-horon.
+        Judas, who, after his victory near Samaria, had followed his beaten
+        enemy, took up his position at Adasa, an elevated position about four
+        miles to the north of Jerusalem. He thus put himself between Nicanor
+        and the Holy City. But he had only three thousand men to match
+        against a force three times as numerous.</p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em">The fate of the
+        Sanctuary of Israel now seemed <span class="tei tei-pb" id=
+        "page344">[pg 344]</span><a name="Pg344" id="Pg344" class=
+        "tei tei-anchor"></a>to be trembling in the balance. If Nicanor was
+        victorious its doom was sealed. He had vowed, with all the emphasis
+        of an awful curse upon himself, that if he came again in peace he
+        would utterly destroy it. Day after day the women and the old men
+        left behind were continually in the Temple, which, perhaps, they
+        might in a few days see destroyed before their eyes. And when at
+        night the Temple gates were shut they sought their homes to fast and
+        to renew in private their prayers for the deliverance of the Holy
+        Place, and the victory of the armies of the Lord.</p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em">By a notable
+        coincidence the anniversary of a great danger and a great deliverance
+        was approaching. Within a few days the Feast of Purim would be
+        celebrated. Would the time bring with it a fresh cause for
+        thanksgiving, or a disaster so terrible that all the deliverances of
+        the past would seem to be of no <span class=
+        "tei tei-corr">avail?</span></p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em"><span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“Tell us, mother,”</span> said little Daniel, one evening
+        when they had returned from their daily visit to the
+        Temple—<span class="tei tei-q">“tell us about Mordecai and the wicked
+        Haman.”</span> He knew the story well, but, after the manner of
+        children, liked it better the oftener he heard it.</p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em">So Ruth told the
+        familiar tale again—how the wicked Haman, wroth that the honest
+        Mordecai would not pay him reverence, slandered the whole nation to
+        the King till he obtained a decree for their <span class="tei tei-pb"
+        id="page345">[pg 345]</span><a name="Pg345" id="Pg345" class=
+        "tei tei-anchor"></a>slaughter, how Mordecai went to Esther the
+        Queen, a Jewess herself, and bade her save her people, though she
+        risked her own life to do it, how the wicked Haman was hanged on the
+        gallows which he had made for his enemy, and the Jews had license
+        given them by the King to slay their adversaries in every city of the
+        kingdom of Persia.</p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em"><span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“And this Nicanor,”</span> she went on, when she had
+        finished her story—<span class="tei tei-q">“this Nicanor is a new
+        Haman. May the God against whom he has uttered his blasphemies cast
+        him down and destroy him.”</span></p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em">Meanwhile the hour
+        of battle was drawing near. Judas and his little army were
+        bivouacking on the hills of Adasa. It was the 12th day of the month
+        Adar—about equivalent to the beginning of March—and on that high
+        ground the night air was cold and piercing. Seraiah, Azariah, and
+        Micah were sitting by a camp-fire, and talking over the chances of
+        the coming struggle.</p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em">It was the eve of
+        the great Purim feast—the memorial which had been kept now for three
+        hundred years of the great deliverance which God had wrought for His
+        people by the hands of Mordecai and Esther. The thoughts of the
+        comrades naturally turned to this memorable day.</p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em"><span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“Where and how,”</span> said Micah to his companions,
+        <span class="tei tei-q">“shall we keep the Purim feast?”</span></p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em"><span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“Shall we keep it at all?”</span> said Azariah, always
+        somewhat disposed to take a gloomy view of their <span class=
+        "tei tei-pb" id="page346">[pg 346]</span><a name="Pg346" id="Pg346"
+        class="tei tei-anchor"></a>prospects. <span class="tei tei-q">“A
+        Mordecai we have, none more steadfast; and there is a Haman against
+        us even more cruel and wicked than he of Persia. But Ahasuerus is
+        against us, nor do I see who shall turn him from his
+        purpose.”</span></p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em"><span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“Well,”</span> said Seraiah, with a smile, <span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“at least we can use our swords without his
+        license.”</span></p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em">While they were
+        talking they observed a figure emerge from out the darkness into the
+        circle of light made by the flames. They rose to their feet, for it
+        was the captain himself.</p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em"><span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“Sit down, my friends,”</span> he said, <span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“we shall be on our feet enough to-morrow.”</span> And as
+        he spoke, he took his seat on the ground by their side.</p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em">He went on, after
+        a few minutes of silence, <span class="tei tei-q">“So Azariah doubts
+        what sort of a Purim festival we shall keep. As for myself I doubt
+        not. But I have been thinking not so much of Mordecai and
+        Haman—though it seems to me a happy thing that we shall fight on the
+        day of that deliverance—as of Hezekiah and Rabshakeh. Did not the
+        king his master send him to blaspheme the Holy City? And did not
+        Hezekiah lay the letter before the Lord? And what was the end? In one
+        night the host of the Assyrians was as if it had not been. So shall
+        it be, I am persuaded in my heart, with this blaspheming Nicanor and
+        his host. He and they shall be utterly destroyed. Yes, Azariah, we
+        shall keep our Purim right joyously, after the manner of our fathers.
+        <span class="tei tei-pb" id="page347">[pg 347]</span><a name="Pg347"
+        id="Pg347" class="tei tei-anchor"></a>But as for our enemies, the
+        wine that they shall drink<a id="noteref_25" name="noteref_25" href=
+        "#note_25"><span class="tei tei-noteref"><span style=
+        "font-size: 60%; vertical-align: super">25</span></span></a> will be
+        the wine of the wrath of God.”</span></p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em">He rose with these
+        words, and passed away to spend the rest of the night in meditation
+        and prayer. His face next morning, when in the early dawn he stood in
+        front of his slender line, was as the face of one who has talked face
+        to face with God. Not less rapt than his look was the tone of his
+        voice as he poured out the words of his prayer—<span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“O Lord, when they that were sent from the King of the
+        Assyrians blasphemed, Thine angel went out and smote an hundred
+        fourscore and five thousand of them. Even so destroy Thou this host
+        before us this day, that the rest may know that he hath spoken
+        blasphemously against Thy Sanctuary, and judge Thou him according to
+        his wickedness.”</span></p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em">A murmur of assent
+        passed through the little army as he uttered these words in that
+        clear, thrilling voice which was one of his many gifts as a born
+        leader of men. The next moment the line advanced, for Judas followed
+        again the successful tactic of attack. Never had his Ironsides
+        advanced with a more determined courage; never did they deal fiercer
+        blows. The enemy were scattered by their impetuous onset, as the dust
+        is scattered before the wind. For all his brutality and falsehood,
+        Nicanor was no coward. He stood in the very van of his army,
+        <span class="tei tei-pb" id="page348">[pg 348]</span><a name="Pg348"
+        id="Pg348" class="tei tei-anchor"></a>giving such cheer as he could
+        to his men, and though the lines behind him reeled and shook with
+        that movement which is the sure presage of defeat to a soldier’s eye,
+        at the approach of the Chasidim, he stood his ground with a dauntless
+        courage. He was almost the first to fall, Azariah striking him to the
+        ground with a sweeping blow of his sword. It was an appropriate
+        ending to the blasphemer that he should receive his death-stroke from
+        the weapon that bore the talisman of the Holy Name.</p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em">The Greek line had
+        been already beginning to break, but the death of the leader
+        completed the rout.</p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em">It was no common
+        victory that Judas won that day. The pursuit was long and bloody. The
+        beaten army fled in wild disorder over the country, only to find
+        enemies on every hand. Before the sun set it was simply annihilated.
+        The tradition of that awful slaughter still lingers in the place, and
+        the valley is called <span class="tei tei-q">“The Valley of
+        Blood.”</span></p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em">Their work done,
+        the conquerors entered the city. The news of the great deliverance
+        had already reached it, and the Feast of Purim was being kept in
+        earnest. During the earlier part of the day the suspense and anxiety
+        had been too great to admit of anything more than formal rejoicing.
+        The customary sacrifices were offered, the customary prayers put up;
+        but the thoughts of all were with Judas and <span class="tei tei-pb"
+        id="page349">[pg 349]</span><a name="Pg349" id="Pg349" class=
+        "tei tei-anchor"></a>his men on the battle-field of Adasa. Then came
+        rumours, at first wholly vague and even fictitious—rumours first of
+        victory, then of defeat, then of victory again. An hour or so after
+        noon a swift runner came in with some authentic tidings. But he could
+        not tell of all that happened. This was gradually learnt, and then,
+        long after the darkness had closed in, came the advanced guard of the
+        conquering army, and, close upon midnight, Judas himself. In spite of
+        the darkness, multitudes thronged to meet him. With extravagant
+        manifestations of delight, with shouting and singing, with mingled
+        tears and laughter, they welcomed him home, the deliverer of the city
+        and the Temple. Never before had he been so enthusiastically
+        received. And it was well that it should be so, for this was his last
+        return as a conqueror.</p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em">The feast was
+        continued with yet more hearty rejoicing into the next day. And
+        indeed from thenceforth the two deliverances were to be celebrated
+        together—the salvation which Judas had wrought for his people on the
+        battle-field of Adasa, and that which Esther and Mordecai had
+        accomplished in the presence-chamber of the Persian King.</p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em">Ruth would gladly
+        have stayed at home and expressed thankfulness in private, but the
+        children were urgent with her that she should take them into the
+        streets that they might see the people <span class="tei tei-pb" id=
+        "page350">[pg 350]</span><a name="Pg350" id="Pg350" class=
+        "tei tei-anchor"></a>keep holiday. It was a request that, as the wife
+        and sister of patriots, she could not refuse; and in the depth of her
+        mother’s heart was the proud thought that the little Daniel was not
+        an unworthy scion of the race, and that not a few would look with
+        admiration on the son of Seraiah, the nephew of Azariah.<a id=
+        "noteref_26" name="noteref_26" href="#note_26"><span class=
+        "tei tei-noteref"><span style=
+        "font-size: 60%; vertical-align: super">26</span></span></a> And
+        indeed she did hear as she passed along not a few whispered praises,
+        which made her pulses beat quick with thankfulness and joy.</p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em">As they came in
+        their rambling into the neighbourhood of the Temple, they found their
+        way blocked by a dense crowd, which seemed eagerly pressing forward
+        to see some spectacle of surpassing interest. <span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“What is it?”</span> she asked of one who had been, it
+        seemed, successful in the struggle for a glimpse of this interesting
+        sight, and was now turning away. She could not help shuddering at his
+        answer, and called to the children to come away. But the quick ears
+        of little Daniel had also caught the man’s reply, and he loudly
+        objected.</p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em"><span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“Nay, mother,”</span> he said, <span class="tei tei-q">“I
+        must see. Such things are not for women to see”</span>—the little
+        fellow of five or six had already caught the masculine tone of
+        superiority—<span class="tei tei-q">“but I am a soldier’s son, and
+        shall not be afraid to look. And when I am a man I shall fight for
+        God and for His Holy Temple.”</span></p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em"><span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“You are a brave lad, and if I mistake not, and you are
+        the nephew of Azariah, there is no one here <span class="tei tei-pb"
+        id="page351">[pg 351]</span><a name="Pg351" id="Pg351" class=
+        "tei tei-anchor"></a>that has a better right to look at yonder sight
+        than you. For ’twas your brave uncle, I am told, that slew that son
+        of Belial with his sword.”</span></p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em">So saying he
+        lifted the child from the ground, and raised him till he could stand
+        upon his shoulders. And what did the little Daniel see that made him
+        shout and clap his hands? It was the head and hand of Nicanor nailed
+        against the Temple wall. There were the pallid, distorted lips that
+        had uttered such proud blasphemies against the Sanctuary of the Lord;
+        there was the shrunken, bloodless hand that had been lifted up with
+        threats and scorn against His Holy Place. The Lord had indeed
+        punished the proud doer.</p>
+      </div>
+      <hr class="page" />
+
+      <div class="tei tei-div" style=
+      "margin-bottom: 5.00em; margin-top: 5.00em">
+        <span class="tei tei-pb" id="page352">[pg 352]</span><a name="Pg352"
+        id="Pg352" class="tei tei-anchor"></a> <a name="toc75" id=
+        "toc75"></a> <a name="pdf76" id="pdf76"></a>
+
+        <h1 class="tei tei-head" style=
+        "text-align: center; margin-bottom: 3.46em; margin-top: 3.46em">
+        <span style="font-size: 173%">CHAPTER XXXI.</span><br />
+        <br />
+        <span class="tei tei-hi" style="text-align: center"><span style=
+        "font-size: 100%">THE FALLING AWAY.</span></span></h1>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em">Though Jerusalem
+        was almost wild with joy—and, indeed, so utterly had the Greek army
+        disappeared that deliverance was complete for the time—Judas’s heart
+        was full of sad forebodings. Demetrius, he knew, had a steadfastness
+        of purpose which augured ill for the future. He was not a madman like
+        Epiphanes, nor a child like Eupator; but a cool-headed, resolute man,
+        who had seen something of the world, and would carry out his plans
+        with both perseverance and skill. Would he sit down under the defeats
+        which he had received and recognize Jewish independence? Judas
+        thought it unlikely. The vengeance might be laid aside, but it would
+        be sure to come. Could he hope to repeat these victories again and
+        again? Once before he had been reduced to the greatest straits, and
+        had only escaped by an unexpected change in the purpose of the young
+        Antiochus. Could he look for anything so marvel<span class=
+        "tei tei-pb" id="page353">[pg 353]</span><a name="Pg353" id="Pg353"
+        class="tei tei-anchor"></a>lous again? Only one plan appeared to him
+        to be possible, and he lost no time in calling a council of his
+        principal followers and announcing it to them. It was certain, he
+        told them, that there would be another war, and a war that would last
+        for years, if only the Jewish people could hold out so long.
+        <span class="tei tei-q">“We warriors may endure it, and if the worst
+        come to the worst, we can but fall on the field of battle. But what
+        of the old and the weak? What of the women and children? And then we
+        are not united. Our foes are of our own household. We have to fight
+        not only against the Greek, but against the Jew also. And even in
+        this assembly there are some,”</span> he went on, with an emphasis
+        which could not be mistaken, <span class="tei tei-q">“who speak evil
+        of me behind my back. What, then, shall we do? Speak, any one who has
+        counsel to give.”</span></p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em">The appeal was met
+        with silence, and the speaker continued, <span class="tei tei-q">“You
+        have nothing to advise. Listen, therefore, to my counsel, and resist
+        it not in haste because it seems strange. There is a nation that,
+        rising from a beginning small as ours, has now made for itself a
+        great dominion. They are stern to their enemies, but they are just
+        and faithful to their friends. Like Israel in the earlier and better
+        days, they have no king to rule them after his own pleasure, but an
+        assembly that weighs every plan carefully and wisely. And in battle
+        they cannot be resisted. Have you heard of such a
+        people?”</span></p><span class="tei tei-pb" id="page354">[pg
+        354]</span><a name="Pg354" id="Pg354" class="tei tei-anchor"></a>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em">One or two voices
+        answered with the word <span class="tei tei-q">“Rome.”</span></p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em"><span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“You have said well,”</span> he said; <span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“it is of the Romans that I have been speaking. Let us
+        make alliance with them. We shall be, as it were, an outpost for them
+        against the King of Syria, against whom they have fought already,
+        and, doubtless, will fight again. And they will be a protection to
+        us. And with the Romans on our side, we need fear the Greeks no
+        more.”</span></p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em">One <a name=
+        "corr354" id="corr354" class="tei tei-anchor"></a><span class=
+        "tei tei-corr">or</span> two of the council were in Judas’s secret.
+        Others had guessed, more or less correctly, what he was intending,
+        but on most the announcement of his intention fell like a
+        thunderbolt. For a few moments there was the pause of intense
+        astonishment. Then followed a burst of indignation, in which, of
+        course, the Chasidim led the way.</p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em"><span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“Say not,”</span> cried one of their chief speakers,
+        <span class="tei tei-q">“the Romans are like to Israel because they
+        have no king. Did not Samuel say to the people, when they fell away
+        from their faith because of Nahash the Ammonite, and would have a
+        king after the manner of the heathen round about, <span class=
+        "tei tei-q">‘The Lord your God is your King.’</span> And shall we,
+        knowing that the Lord Jehovah is the King of the Jews, reject Him
+        from reigning over us, and choose us for rulers an assembly of some
+        three hundred idolaters. Will you set these men of sin to be lords
+        over the City of God?”</span></p><span class="tei tei-pb" id=
+        "page355">[pg 355]</span><a name="Pg355" id="Pg355" class=
+        "tei tei-anchor"></a>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em"><span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“Nay,”</span> replied Judas, <span class="tei tei-q">“you
+        speak unadvisedly and rashly. We shall have our own rulers. We shall
+        worship after our own way. The Romans will help us in war; and we
+        shall help them as we only can. Did not David make friendship and
+        alliance with Hiram, King of Tyre, and did not Solomon, in whose
+        reign was peace, make that friendship and alliance yet
+        closer?”</span></p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em">The Chasidim
+        replied, quoting the prophets and denunciations of the Egyptian
+        alliance. <span class="tei tei-q">“Even that accursed
+        Rabshakeh,”</span> they said, <span class="tei tei-q">“spoke the
+        truth, when he said that Pharaoh, King of Egypt, was a bruised reed
+        which will go into a man’s hand and pierce it, if he lean upon it. So
+        shall it be with thee, if thou lean upon Rome.”</span></p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em">The war of words
+        raged long and furiously. The Chasidim had the best of the argument,
+        but to the majority of the council the prospect of a settled peace
+        was irresistibly alluring. And the influence of Judas, too, was
+        overpowering. By a large majority it was decided to send to Rome,
+        Eupolemus, the son of John, and Jason, the son of Eleazar,<a id=
+        "noteref_27" name="noteref_27" href="#note_27"><span class=
+        "tei tei-noteref"><span style=
+        "font-size: 60%; vertical-align: super">27</span></span></a> envoys
+        who had been selected for the mission by Judas himself.</p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em">When the
+        resolution had been passed the council broke up, and the Chasidim
+        dispersed with dark <span class="tei tei-pb" id="page356">[pg
+        356]</span><a name="Pg356" id="Pg356" class=
+        "tei tei-anchor"></a>looks and saddened hearts. The next few days
+        passed in uncertainty and gloom. No news had come from Antioch as to
+        the movements or intentions of the King. But there was little doubt
+        as to what he would do. Whatever they might try to believe in their
+        secret hearts they could not but own that when the opportunity came
+        Demetrius would deal them a blow into which he would put all his
+        strength.</p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em">And how would that
+        blow be met? Would they be able to escape it, or parry it, or stand
+        up against it? The Chasidim, the Ironsides, the men who had been the
+        stay and strength of Judas’s armies, who had followed him to victory
+        at Beth-zur, at Beth-horon, at Adasa, were miserably dejected. The
+        embassy to Rome had broken their spirits. The issue, before so simple
+        to these stern souls, narrow, perhaps, in their range of vision, but
+        of a clear and single eye, was now confused. While they fought for
+        the Lord against the gods of the heathen, they could confidently
+        expect that He would show Himself greater than all gods, and this
+        faith had made them irresistible. But now, if Jew and Roman were to
+        fight side by side, with what confidence could they call upon the
+        Lord of Hosts? Was He the Lord of <span class=
+        "tei tei-hi"><span style="font-style: italic">that</span></span>
+        host, in whose ranks were ranged the battalions of the
+        uncircumcised?</p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em">Some left the
+        leader whom they now regarded as unfaithful to his trust, and
+        departed to distant <span class="tei tei-pb" id="page357">[pg
+        357]</span><a name="Pg357" id="Pg357" class=
+        "tei tei-anchor"></a>villages, hanging up the swords which they were
+        steadfastly resolved not to draw side by side with the heathen.
+        Others, in whom the military instinct of discipline, or the personal
+        attachment to Judas, as the general who had led them so often to
+        victory, were so strong as to overpower all other considerations,
+        remained with him. Nothing could take them from his side, but they
+        went with heavy hearts and with an outlook on the future that was
+        almost hopeless.</p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em">Meanwhile the
+        embassy started. What the answer of the Romans would be Judas did not
+        doubt. They would rejoice to secure the alliance of a people who
+        could lend them aid so useful. But would the answer come in time to
+        save the city and the Temple from the wrath of Demetrius?</p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em">And indeed that
+        wrath did not linger. Within a month Bacchides was on his way from
+        Antioch with a force of twenty thousand foot and two thousand horse.
+        The renegade Alcimus accompanied him, and was to be reinstated in his
+        high-priesthood. Their line of march was through Galilee. On their
+        way they took the fortified town of Masaloth, and put the garrison to
+        the sword. It was about the time of the Passover feast that the
+        invaders reached Jerusalem. There was some talk about attacking it;
+        but Alcimus was urgent in resisting the proposal. <span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“The King’s quarrel,”</span> he said, <span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“is with Judas, who is the cause of all this mischief,
+        and <span class="tei tei-pb" id="page358">[pg 358]</span><a name=
+        "Pg358" id="Pg358" class="tei tei-anchor"></a>Judas is not here. And
+        the King has commanded that I should be replaced in my office; but
+        what shall my office profit me if there be no city for me to govern,
+        nor Temple in which I am to minister?”</span> Bacchides yielded to
+        these representations, and leaving the city unhurt marched to Beeroth
+        (a few miles north-east of Jerusalem) and there pitched his camp.</p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em">Among the patriots
+        there was such doubt and dismay as had never been felt from the day
+        when the aged Mattathias struck the first blow for freedom, not even
+        in that dark hour when Judas and his famine-stricken followers were
+        about to make their desperate sally from the Temple fortress. It was
+        not that they were fighting against overwhelming odds, for they had
+        faced as great before; it was that they had lost their unquestioning
+        faith in their leader.</p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em"><span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“Ah!”</span> said Micah to Azariah, when they were
+        discussing the matter for the twentieth time—and indeed it was almost
+        the only subject of their talk—<span class="tei tei-q">“I have seen
+        these heathen from near at hand—I say it with shame—and I know
+        <span class="tei tei-sic">what</span> they are better than you,
+        better than Judas, who is so good that he can scarcely believe that
+        other men are bad. <span class="tei tei-q">‘<span class=
+        "tei tei-corr">He that toucheth pitch shall be
+        defiled,</span>’</span> says Jesus, the son of Sirach, and though our
+        captain is greater than other men, in this matter he is but as they
+        are. What madness drove him to meddle with <span class="tei tei-pb"
+        id="page359">[pg 359]</span><a name="Pg359" id="Pg359" class=
+        "tei tei-anchor"></a>the accursed thing? God forgive me if I speak
+        evil of the ruler of my people, but I must say that which is in my
+        heart.”</span></p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em"><span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“Nay,”</span> said Azariah, still loyal to his
+        great-hearted chief, though he too had doubts which he had to crush
+        down by sheer force of will—<span class="tei tei-q">“nay, you go too
+        far. Did not Jehoshaphat, the servant of the Lord, make alliance with
+        the children of Edom when he fought against Mesha, the King of
+        Moab?”</span></p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em"><span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“But the children of Edom,”</span> answered Micah,
+        <span class="tei tei-q">“were akin to our people; but as for these
+        Romans, they are utterly unclean. O, brother, I have often thought
+        whether, as a faithful servant of the Law, I could remain any longer
+        with the captain.”</span></p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em"><span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“You will not leave us?”</span> cried
+        Azariah—<span class="tei tei-q">“it only wants that, and I shall be
+        ready to fall on my own sword.”</span></p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em"><span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“No; I shall not go. If I am wrong the Lord pardon me;
+        but I cannot go when so many are falling away. Yet if these Romans
+        come—then I shall depart.”</span></p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em"><span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“They will not come—at least before the battle. Judas
+        knows it, and it troubles him. As for me, I know not. But this I
+        know, that he is the servant of the Lord, and I will follow him to
+        the death. Nevertheless I cry day and night unto the God of Israel
+        that He will not suffer His servants to be found fighting in the
+        ranks of them that know Him not.”</span></p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em">There were the
+        same doubts among the faithful <span class="tei tei-pb" id=
+        "page360">[pg 360]</span><a name="Pg360" id="Pg360" class=
+        "tei tei-anchor"></a>in the city. The aged Shemaiah had been in the
+        Temple all day, assisting at the sacrifices which were being offered,
+        and the prayers which were being put up for the success of Judas and
+        his army. All night the services would be continued; but the old man
+        was utterly worn out, and he had been led back by one of the Levites
+        to Seraiah’s house.</p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em"><span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“Father,”</span> said Ruth, <span class="tei tei-q">“do
+        you think that our prayers are heard? I know that God does not
+        vouchsafe the visible signs of His presence in His Temple as He did
+        in the days of old, and that He does not touch with fire from heaven
+        the sacrifice that He accepts. But yet He sometimes seems to answer,
+        and we feel in our hearts that He will give us what we ask. Has it
+        been so to-day with you, father?”</span></p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em">There was a
+        touching eagerness in her manner, as she put the question. Not
+        Miriam, not Deborah, had loved their country with a sincerer passion
+        than did she; and then she had a husband and a brother in the camp,
+        and she knew that before another sun had set, their fate and the fate
+        of their country would be decided.</p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em">The priest shook
+        his head. <span class="tei tei-q">“My daughter,”</span> he said,
+        <span class="tei tei-q">“I can give you no comfort, for no comfort
+        has been given to me. My heart was cold within me while I prayed, for
+        I could not forget that the servant of the Lord had touched the
+        accursed thing when he sought the alliance of the
+        Romans.”</span></p><span class="tei tei-pb" id="page361">[pg
+        361]</span><a name="Pg361" id="Pg361" class="tei tei-anchor"></a>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em"><span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“O sir,”</span> broke in Huldah, who had been eagerly
+        listening, <span class="tei tei-q">“he did not do it for his own gain
+        or advancement. He did but seek the peace of Israel.”</span></p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em"><span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“Daughter,”</span> said the old man, solemnly,
+        <span class="tei tei-q">“there are that cry <span class=
+        "tei tei-q">‘Peace! Peace!’</span> when there is no peace; and that
+        is no peace which can be got only by unlawful dealing with the
+        heathen. It is God, and God only, that can give this blessing to His
+        people. And He has greater blessings in store than this. Does Judas
+        seek to be honoured and to make us honoured by the nations round
+        about? If he would be in truth the servant of the Lord let him rather
+        be content with the lot of which Isaiah the prophet speaks:
+        <span class="tei tei-q">‘He is despised and rejected of men; a man of
+        sorrows and acquainted with grief.’</span> So only shall he make many
+        righteous; so only shall he be exalted of God. This is the lot of the
+        chosen people: not to live at ease among the nations.”</span></p>
+      </div>
+      <hr class="page" />
+
+      <div class="tei tei-div" style=
+      "margin-bottom: 5.00em; margin-top: 5.00em">
+        <span class="tei tei-pb" id="page362">[pg 362]</span><a name="Pg362"
+        id="Pg362" class="tei tei-anchor"></a> <a name="toc77" id=
+        "toc77"></a> <a name="pdf78" id="pdf78"></a>
+
+        <h1 class="tei tei-head" style=
+        "text-align: center; margin-bottom: 3.46em; margin-top: 3.46em">
+        <span style="font-size: 173%">CHAPTER XXXII.</span><br />
+        <br />
+        <span class="tei tei-hi" style="text-align: center"><span style=
+        "font-size: 100%">THE LAST BATTLE.</span></span></h1>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em">It was the night
+        before the battle. Day by day and hour by hour the contagion of doubt
+        and disaffection had been spreading through the little army that
+        followed Judas. He had had three thousand men when he pitched his
+        camp at Eleasa, and the three thousand had now dwindled down to less
+        than one.</p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em">Judas was sitting
+        by one of the camp-fires with Azariah and Seraiah, when two soldiers
+        came up, bringing bound between them a man who had endeavoured, they
+        said, to make his way into the camp. He wore his hat drawn down over
+        his forehead, and little of his face could be seen, but there was
+        something in his figure that seemed familiar to Azariah.</p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em"><span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“Who are you?”</span> said Judas, <span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“and what want you in the camp? Are you for us or for our
+        enemies?”</span></p><span class="tei tei-pb" id="page363">[pg
+        363]</span><a name="Pg363" id="Pg363" class="tei tei-anchor"></a>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em"><span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“My lord,”</span> said the man, <span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“my name is Benjamin, and—for I will hide nothing from
+        you—I am a robber. Once I was a soldier in your army, but I broke the
+        law, and I fled lest I should be put to death. Now I am come, of my
+        own accord, to make such amends for my transgression as I may. Slay
+        me, if you will, as I stand here. There is no need of a trial. I have
+        been tried and condemned, and I acknowledge that I deserve to die.
+        But if you will be merciful, let me fight in the morning by your
+        side; and on the morrow, if I yet live, let me suffer the due
+        punishment. Life I ask not, but only that I may strike a blow for you
+        before I die.”</span></p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em"><span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“Unbind him,”</span> said Judas to the soldiers.</p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em">The command was
+        obeyed.</p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em"><span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“You are free to go or stay. But I would gladly have you
+        at my side to-morrow, for I have forgotten all but that you are a
+        brave man.”</span></p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em">Benjamin stepped
+        forward, and raising the hem of the captain’s robe to his lips,
+        kissed it. He then knelt, and putting his head to the ground made as
+        though he would have placed Judas’s foot upon his neck.</p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em"><span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“Nay,”</span> said the captain, <span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“we want not slaves, but brothers.”</span> And he raised
+        him from the ground. <span class="tei tei-q">“And now,”</span> he
+        went on, <span class="tei tei-q">“sit down and tell us what you know,
+        for I make sure that you have not come empty of news.”</span></p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em">Benjamin did
+        indeed know all that could be known <span class="tei tei-pb" id=
+        "page364">[pg 364]</span><a name="Pg364" id="Pg364" class=
+        "tei tei-anchor"></a>about the enemy, and, indeed, about the
+        situation of affairs. To a question from Seraiah he replied that a
+        surprise was impossible. The camp was too well guarded and
+        watched.</p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em"><span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“Do they know our real numbers?”</span> asked Judas.</p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em"><span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“Yes,”</span> was the answer, <span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“the deserters have told them.”</span> And he proceeded
+        to give a number of names of those who had gone over to the enemy,
+        with a readiness and a precision that showed how diligent had been
+        his watch.</p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em">When he had told
+        all his story, and understood that there was nothing more for him to
+        do before the morrow, he wrapped himself in his cloak, and with
+        characteristic indifference to the future, fell immediately into a
+        profound and dreamless sleep.</p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em">As soon as the
+        first rays of light were seen Judas mustered his soldiers and hastily
+        numbered them. There were about eight hundred in all, while the army
+        of Bacchides, according to the calculations of Benjamin, which seemed
+        to have been carefully made, could not be less than twenty
+        thousand.</p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em">Judas was not
+        dismayed by this disparity of numbers, but was still true to his old
+        strategy of attack. <span class="tei tei-q">“Let us go up against our
+        enemies,”</span> was the exhortation that he addressed to the remnant
+        that was still faithful to him. At first they shrank back. The odds
+        were too vast; the attempt too desperate. An old soldier who had
+        proved his valour <span class="tei tei-pb" id="page365">[pg
+        365]</span><a name="Pg365" id="Pg365" class="tei tei-anchor"></a>on
+        more than one battle-field was put forward as their spokesman.</p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em"><span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“This, sir,”</span> he said, <span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“will be to tempt God. Let us now save our lives.
+        Hereafter we will return again, and fight with them. But now we are
+        too few.”</span></p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em">But Judas did not
+        waver for a moment. <span class="tei tei-q">“God forbid,”</span> he
+        cried, <span class="tei tei-q">“that I should do this thing, and flee
+        away from them. Not so; if our time is come, let us die manfully for
+        our brethren, and not stain our honour.”</span></p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em">His words roused
+        once more an answering echo in the hearts of those who heard him.
+        They replied with a cry of assent. Victory they could not hope for,
+        but their captain they would follow whithersoever he should lead
+        them, and as long as he lived they would guard his life with
+        theirs.</p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em">The little host
+        was then divided into five companies, commanded by Judas and his two
+        brothers, Simon and Jonathan, by Seraiah and Micah respectively.
+        Azariah, whose standing in the army would have entitled him to a
+        separate command, had made a special request that he might be allowed
+        to fight by the side of Judas. Benjamin had begged and obtained the
+        same privilege.</p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em">On both sides the
+        trumpets sounded, and both armies moved forward. It was with nothing
+        less than astonishment that the Greeks saw the slender proportion of
+        the force that was opposed to them. <span class="tei tei-pb" id=
+        "page366">[pg 366]</span><a name="Pg366" id="Pg366" class=
+        "tei tei-anchor"></a>Most laughed aloud at the thought that such a
+        handful of men should venture to stand up against their own
+        well-appointed and numerous host. Others, who had before crossed
+        swords with Judas’s men knew that that day’s battle, end as it might,
+        would be no laughing matter. And indeed they were right. The little
+        company of Jewish heroes fought as three centuries before Leonidas
+        and his men had fought at Thermopylae.<a id="noteref_28" name=
+        "noteref_28" href="#note_28"><span class=
+        "tei tei-noteref"><span style=
+        "font-size: 60%; vertical-align: super">28</span></span></a> The
+        Greeks came on with the same arrogant confidence in their numbers as
+        did the picked Persian force against the defenders of Greece, and met
+        with a like disastrous repulse. Such was the fury of the Jewish
+        soldiers, such their agility and strength, that they kept the
+        attacking force in check during the whole day. When night approached
+        the Greeks had made, it might almost be said, absolutely no way.</p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em">But the
+        resistance, successful as it had been, had cost lives, and Judas saw
+        his force dwindling before his eyes. Then he made his last desperate
+        effort. He threw himself on the right wing, where Bacchides commanded
+        in person, broke the line, and drove it in confusion before him.
+        Possibly he <span class="tei tei-pb" id="page367">[pg
+        367]</span><a name="Pg367" id="Pg367" class="tei tei-anchor"></a>was
+        too rash in his pursuit, but on such a day, when such odds are to be
+        encountered, it is scarcely possible to distinguish between rashness
+        and courage. Anyhow, it was but a brief success. The left wing closed
+        in upon his rear, and he and his gallant band were surrounded. Judas
+        was the mark of a hundred swords and spears. For a time he seemed to
+        bear a charmed life. Azariah and Benjamin, at his right hand and his
+        left, beat down the blows aimed at him, wholly careless of their own
+        lives, while he with the long sweep of his fatal sword—the same that
+        he had taken from the dead Apollonius on his first battle-field—dealt
+        blow after blow, till the ground was covered with the corpses of his
+        enemies. But a spear pierced the stout heart of Benjamin, and a
+        sword-stroke laid Azariah in the dust; and just as the sun sank
+        behind the rugged hills, the hero who had smitten the enemies of his
+        country at Bethhoron and Emmaüs, at Elah and at Adasa, had struck his
+        last blow. The Hammer lay broken on the rock.</p>
+      </div>
+      <hr class="page" />
+
+      <div class="tei tei-div" style=
+      "margin-bottom: 5.00em; margin-top: 5.00em">
+        <span class="tei tei-pb" id="page368">[pg 368]</span><a name="Pg368"
+        id="Pg368" class="tei tei-anchor"></a> <a name="toc79" id=
+        "toc79"></a> <a name="pdf80" id="pdf80"></a>
+
+        <h1 class="tei tei-head" style=
+        "text-align: center; margin-bottom: 3.46em; margin-top: 3.46em">
+        <span style="font-size: 173%">CHAPTER XXXIII.</span><br />
+        <br />
+        <span class="tei tei-hi" style="text-align: center"><span style=
+        "font-size: 100%">THE HOPE OF ISRAEL.</span></span></h1>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em">A week had passed
+        since the fatal day of Eleasa. Judas had been buried in peace in the
+        grave where he had laid, five years before, the aged Mattathias. The
+        Greek general had been so much impressed with the valour and
+        generalship of the Jewish hero that he strictly ordered that no
+        indignity should be offered to his remains; and when an envoy came
+        from the surviving brothers to ask that the corpse should be given up
+        for burial, made no difficulty about granting the request. It was
+        only fitting that a brave man should be so honoured. The King, too,
+        had been avenged on his enemy, nor did he imagine for a moment that
+        the rebels, as he called them, would continue to hold out now that
+        their leader had been taken from them. It was impossible for him to
+        foresee that those undaunted brothers would maintain the desperate
+        struggle until they had wrung from the Syrian king the recognition of
+        Jewish <span class="tei tei-pb" id="page369">[pg 369]</span><a name=
+        "Pg369" id="Pg369" class="tei tei-anchor"></a>independence.
+        Accordingly he granted a truce for a fortnight, and even sent some of
+        his troops to accompany the funeral procession. It had been a
+        touching scene; and when the hero had been laid to rest in the
+        sepulchre of his fathers, and the piercing voices of the women, many
+        of whom had struggled over the long and toilsome way from Jerusalem
+        to be present, raised the cry of lamentation, many of the Greek
+        soldiers found themselves moved to tears. This had been the dirge
+        that had been sung over the grave:—</p>
+
+        <div class="tei tei-lg" style=
+        "margin-bottom: 1.00em; margin-left: 2.00em; margin-top: 1.00em">
+          <div class="tei tei-l" style="text-align: left">
+            <span class="tei tei-q" style="text-align: left">“How is the
+            valiant man fallen that delivered Israel.</span>
+          </div>
+
+          <div class="tei tei-l" style="text-align: left">
+            In his acts he was like a lion, and like a lion’s whelp roaring
+            for his prey.
+          </div>
+
+          <div class="tei tei-l" style="text-align: left">
+            For he pursued the wicked, and sought them out, and burnt up
+            those that vexed his people.
+          </div>
+
+          <div class="tei tei-l" style="text-align: left">
+            Wherefore the wicked shrunk for fear of him, and all the workers
+            of iniquity were troubled, because salvation prospered in his
+            hand.
+          </div>
+
+          <div class="tei tei-l" style="text-align: left">
+            <span class="tei tei-q" style="text-align: left">He grieved also
+            many kings, and made Jacob glad with his acts, and his memorial
+            is blessed for ever.”</span>
+          </div>
+        </div>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em">And now once more
+        the little company of those whom we have known by name are gathered
+        in Seraiah’s house. The orphaned girls are there, Miriam and Judith,
+        passionately grieving for their father, but yet exulting as
+        passionately that he was at the side of Judas to the last, and that
+        his hope had been at least so far fulfilled that he and the captain
+        whom he loved had been saved from drawing sword among the legions of
+        Rome. Little Daniel, <span class="tei tei-pb" id="page370">[pg
+        370]</span><a name="Pg370" id="Pg370" class="tei tei-anchor"></a>too,
+        is there, his childish heart sorely troubled with the darkness of a
+        dispensation which he cannot understand; and Ruth, comforting herself
+        and the children with the thought that he whom they had lost had
+        rejoined his own Hannah, and half reproaching herself for her selfish
+        joy in having her Seraiah still spared to her. Huldah and Eglah, who
+        had been among the mourners at Modin, are there also, and the aged
+        priest Shemaiah.</p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em"><span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“O father,”</span> cried one of the women, <span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“tell us why these things are so. Why does God so
+        disappoint us of our hopes? We trusted that it had been he who should
+        have delivered Israel, and now he is dead!”</span></p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em"><span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“We must wait,”</span> said the old man, <span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“for God’s good time, for He seeth not as we see. Did not
+        David think that Solomon, his son, should be the promised king of
+        Israel; and, behold, he turned aside to worship idols, and laid such
+        burdens on the people that his kingdom was broken in twain? And now
+        we, too, have built our hopes upon a man, and they have failed.
+        Surely of Judas it might have been said, <span class="tei tei-q">‘He
+        shall deliver the needy when he crieth, the poor also, and him that
+        hath no helper; he shall redeem their soul from deceit and violence,
+        and dear shall their blood be in his sight.’</span></span></p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em"><span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“We looked,”</span> said Seraiah, <span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“for the time when all kings should fall down before him,
+        all nations should do him service. He seemed like the stone cut out
+        of the mountain without hands that should <span class="tei tei-pb"
+        id="page371">[pg 371]</span><a name="Pg371" id="Pg371" class=
+        "tei tei-anchor"></a>smite all the kingdoms of evil, and we waited
+        for the reign of Messiah the Prince.”</span></p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em"><span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“And will Messiah come?”</span> cried little Daniel, who
+        had been eagerly listening to these words, not understanding all,
+        indeed, but catching their general purport.</p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em"><span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“Surely, my son,”</span> said the old man; <span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“but there are many things to be suffered
+        first.”</span></p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em">He was silent for
+        a time, sitting with eyes that seemed to take no heed of the present,
+        but to be gazing into a far futurity. At last he spoke.</p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em"><span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“He loved Israel with all his heart, but he has brought
+        upon us a people of iron, harder than the brazen Greeks. He looked to
+        them for help that he might build up the walls of Sion, and behold!
+        in the days to come they will make Jerusalem a desolation and the
+        inhabitants thereof a hissing. And yet, by the Lord’s help, he
+        wrought a great deliverance for Israel. He recovered and cleansed the
+        Temple, and by his hand the Lord changed the king’s commandment, so
+        that we may once more worship Him in the beauty of holiness. And
+        surely, had it not been for him, when he put to flight the hosts of
+        Lysias, we should have been carried away again into captivity. For
+        this was in the heart of our persecutors; only Judas stood in the way
+        that it should not be done. The Lord reward him for it, and impute
+        not his transgression unto him, for he did not transgress wilfully,
+        or out of an evil heart. <span class="tei tei-pb" id="page372">[pg
+        372]</span><a name="Pg372" id="Pg372" class=
+        "tei tei-anchor"></a>Nevertheless, I am persuaded that it shall not
+        be so when Messiah shall come, for come He will at the appointed
+        time, seeing that the Lord repenteth Him not of His promises. Verily
+        He shall not do homage to any godless bestower of kingdoms, nor
+        listen to the voice of the Evil One, though he promise Him all the
+        world and the glory of it. With His own right hand and with His holy
+        arm will He get Himself the victory!”</span></p>
+      </div>
+    </div>
+    <hr class="page" />
+
+    <div class="tei tei-back" style=
+    "margin-bottom: 2.00em; margin-top: 6.00em">
+      <div class="tei tei-div" style=
+      "margin-bottom: 5.00em; margin-top: 5.00em">
+        <span class="tei tei-pb" id="page373">[pg 373]</span><a name="Pg373"
+        id="Pg373" class="tei tei-anchor"></a>
+
+        <h1 class="tei tei-head" style=
+        "text-align: center; margin-bottom: 3.46em; margin-top: 3.46em">
+        <span style="font-size: 173%">THE FAMILY OF THE ASMONEANS, OR
+        MACCABEES.</span></h1>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em">The name
+        <span class="tei tei-q">“Maccabee,”</span> probably derived from a
+        Hebrew word signifying a <span class="tei tei-q">“Hammer,”</span> was
+        originally given to Judas, and afterwards extended to his four
+        brothers. They came of a priestly family, belonging to the first and
+        noblest of the twenty-four <span class="tei tei-q">“courses,”</span>
+        taking its name from a certain Asmon or Chasmon, great-grandfather of
+        Mattathias, father of Judas. The five heroic brothers all met with a
+        violent death.</p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em">That of Judas and
+        Eleazar has been already described.</p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em">John, the eldest,
+        was killed in a skirmish, shortly after the death of Judas.</p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em">Jonathan
+        maintained himself in power by a clever policy of leaning on Rome,
+        and taking part with various claimants to the Syrian crown. He became
+        High-priest at some time after the year 153, and perished in 144 by
+        the treachery of a certain Tryphon, who usurped for a time the throne
+        of Syria.</p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em">Simon succeeded to
+        the High-priesthood, and governed the Jewish people for a period of
+        eight years with great success. In <span class=
+        "tei tei-hi"><span style="font-size: 75%">B.C.</span></span> 143 he
+        obtained from the Syrian king a formal recognition of the
+        independence of the Jews, and in the following year he got possession
+        of the fortress in Jerusalem occupied by the Syrian faction. In 135
+        he was treacherously murdered by his son-in-law, Ptolemaeus.</p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em">Simon, who had
+        maintained the alliance with Rome, was succeeded by his son John
+        Hyrcanus, who followed the same policy, and he again by his son
+        Aristobulus, who assumed the title of King in 107.</p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em">Mariamne, the
+        unhappy wife of Herod the Great, belonged to the Maccabean House.
+        With the death of her two sons it became extinct.</p>
+      </div>
+      <hr class="page" />
+
+      <div class="tei tei-div" style=
+      "margin-bottom: 5.00em; margin-top: 5.00em">
+        <div class="tei tei-pb"></div><a name="Pg374" id="Pg374" class=
+        "tei tei-anchor"></a>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style=
+        "text-align: center; margin-bottom: 1.00em">The Gresham Press,<br />
+        <span class="tei tei-hi" style="text-align: center"><span style=
+        "font-size: 75%">UNWIN BROTHERS</span></span>,<br />
+        <span class="tei tei-hi" style="text-align: center"><span style=
+        "font-size: 75%">CHILWORTH AND LONDON</span></span>.</p>
+      </div>
+      <hr class="page" />
+
+      <div class="tei tei-div" style=
+      "margin-bottom: 5.00em; margin-top: 5.00em">
+        <div class="tei tei-pb"></div><a name="Pg375" id="Pg375" class=
+        "tei tei-anchor"></a>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style=
+        "text-align: center; margin-bottom: 1.00em">BY THE SAME AUTHOR.</p>
+
+        <div class="tei tei-tb">
+          <hr style="width: 30%" />
+        </div>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em">STORIES FROM
+        HOMER. With Coloured Illustrations. Eighteenth Thousand. Price 5s.,
+        cloth.</p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em"><span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“A book which ought to become an English classic. It is
+        full of the pure Homeric flavour.”</span>—<span class=
+        "tei tei-hi"><span style=
+        "font-style: italic">Spectator.</span></span></p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style=
+        "margin-bottom: 1.00em; margin-top: 2.00em">STORIES FROM VIRGIL. With
+        Coloured Illustrations. Fourteenth Thousand. Price 5s., cloth.</p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em"><span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“Superior to his <span class="tei tei-q">‘Stories from
+        Homer,’</span> good as they were, and perhaps as perfect a specimen
+        of that peculiar form of translation as could
+        be.”</span>—<span class="tei tei-hi"><span style=
+        "font-style: italic">Times.</span></span></p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style=
+        "margin-bottom: 1.00em; margin-top: 2.00em">STORIES FROM THE GREEK
+        TRAGEDIANS. With Coloured Illustrations. Eighth Thousand. Price 5s.,
+        cloth.</p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em"><span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“Not only a pleasant and entertaining book for the
+        fireside, but a storehouse of facts from history to be of real
+        service to them when they come to read a Greek play for
+        themselves.”</span>—<span class="tei tei-hi"><span style=
+        "font-style: italic">Standard.</span></span></p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style=
+        "margin-bottom: 1.00em; margin-top: 2.00em">STORIES OF THE EAST FROM
+        HERODOTUS. With Coloured Illustrations. Seventh Thousand. Price 5s.,
+        cloth.</p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em"><span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“For a school prize a more suitable book will hardly be
+        found.”</span>—<span class="tei tei-hi"><span style=
+        "font-style: italic">Literary Churchman.</span></span></p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em"><span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“A very quaint and delightful book.”</span>—<span class=
+        "tei tei-hi"><span style=
+        "font-style: italic">Spectator.</span></span></p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style=
+        "margin-bottom: 1.00em; margin-top: 2.00em">THE STORY OF THE PERSIAN
+        WAR FROM HERODOTUS. With Coloured Illustrations. Fifth Thousand.
+        Price 5s., cloth.</p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em"><span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“We are inclined to think this is the best volume of
+        Professor Church’s series since the excellent <span class=
+        "tei tei-q">‘Stories from Homer.’</span> ”</span>—<span class=
+        "tei tei-hi"><span style=
+        "font-style: italic">Athenæum.</span></span></p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style=
+        "margin-bottom: 1.00em; margin-top: 2.00em">STORIES FROM LIVY. With
+        Coloured Illustrations. Fifth Thousand. Price 5s., cloth.</p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em"><span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“The lad who gets this book for a present will have got a
+        genuine classical treasure.”</span>—<span class=
+        "tei tei-hi"><span style=
+        "font-style: italic">Scotsman.</span></span></p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style=
+        "margin-bottom: 1.00em; margin-top: 2.00em">ROMAN LIFE IN THE DAYS OF
+        CICERO. With Coloured Illustrations. Fourth Thousand. Price 5s.,
+        cloth.</p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em"><span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“The best prize-book of the season.”</span>—<span class=
+        "tei tei-hi"><span style="font-style: italic">Journal of
+        Education.</span></span></p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style=
+        "margin-bottom: 1.00em; margin-top: 2.00em">THE STORY OF THE LAST
+        DAYS OF JERUSALEM FROM JOSEPHUS. With Coloured Illustrations. Fourth
+        Thousand. Price 3s. <span class="tei tei-corr">6d.,</span> cloth.</p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em"><span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“The execution of this work has been performed with that
+        judiciousness of selection and felicity of language which have
+        combined to raise Professor Church far above the fear of
+        rivalry.”</span>—<span class="tei tei-hi"><span style=
+        "font-style: italic">Academy.</span></span></p>
+
+        <div class="tei tei-pb"></div><a name="Pg376" id="Pg376" class=
+        "tei tei-anchor"></a>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style=
+        "margin-bottom: 1.00em; margin-top: 2.00em">A TRAVELLER’S TRUE TALE
+        FROM LUCIAN. With Coloured Illustrations. Third Thousand. Price 3s.
+        6d., cloth.</p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em"><span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“There can hardly be a more amusing book of marvels for
+        young people than this.”</span>—<span class="tei tei-hi"><span style=
+        "font-style: italic">Saturday Review.</span></span></p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style=
+        "margin-bottom: 1.00em; margin-top: 2.00em">HEROES AND KINGS. Stories
+        from the Greek. Fifth Thousand. Price 1s. 6d., cloth.</p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em"><span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“This volume is quite a little triumph of neatness and
+        taste.”</span>—<span class="tei tei-hi"><span style=
+        "font-style: italic">Saturday Review.</span></span></p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style=
+        "margin-bottom: 1.00em; margin-top: 2.00em">THE STORIES OF THE ILIAD
+        AND THE ÆNEID. With Illustrations. Price 1s., sewed, or 1s. 6d.,
+        cloth.</p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em"><span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“The attractive and scholar-like rendering of the story
+        cannot fail, we feel sure, to make it a favourite at home as well as
+        at school.”</span>—<span class="tei tei-hi"><span style=
+        "font-style: italic">Educational Times.</span></span></p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style=
+        "margin-bottom: 1.00em; margin-top: 2.00em">THE CHANTRY PRIEST OF
+        BARNET: A Tale of the Two Roses. With Coloured Illustrations. Fourth
+        Thousand. Price 5s.</p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em"><span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“This is likely to be a very useful book, as it is
+        certainly very interesting and well got up.”</span>—<span class=
+        "tei tei-hi"><span style="font-style: italic">Saturday
+        Review.</span></span></p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style=
+        "margin-bottom: 1.00em; margin-top: 2.00em">WITH THE KING AT OXFORD.
+        A Story of the Great Rebellion. With Coloured Illustrations. Fourth
+        Thousand. Price 5s.</p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em"><span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“Excellent sketches of the times.”</span>—<span class=
+        "tei tei-hi"><span style=
+        "font-style: italic">Athenæum.</span></span></p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style=
+        "margin-bottom: 1.00em; margin-top: 2.00em">THE COUNT OF THE SAXON
+        SHORE. A Tale of the Departure of the Romans from Britain. With
+        Sixteen Illustrations. Third Thousand. Price 5s.</p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em"><span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“A good stirring tale.”</span>—<span class=
+        "tei tei-hi"><span style="font-style: italic">Daily
+        News.</span></span></p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style=
+        "margin-bottom: 1.00em; margin-top: 2.00em">STORIES OF THE MAGICIANS:
+        <span class="tei tei-hi"><span style=
+        "font-variant: small-caps">Thalaba</span></span>; <span class=
+        "tei tei-hi"><span style=
+        "font-variant: small-caps">Rustem</span></span>; <span class=
+        "tei tei-hi"><span style="font-variant: small-caps">The Curse of
+        Kehama</span></span>. With Coloured Illustrations. Price 5s.</p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em"><span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“Worthy of all praise.”</span>—<span class=
+        "tei tei-hi"><span style="font-style: italic">Pall Mall
+        Gazette.</span></span></p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style=
+        "margin-bottom: 1.00em; margin-top: 2.00em">THREE GREEK CHILDREN. A
+        Story of Home in Old Time. With Twelve Illustrations. Price 3s.
+        6d.</p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em"><span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“This is a very fascinating little
+        book.”</span>—<span class="tei tei-hi"><span style=
+        "font-style: italic">Spectator.</span></span></p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style=
+        "margin-bottom: 1.00em; margin-top: 2.00em">TO THE LIONS! A Tale of
+        the Early Christians. With Sixteen Illustrations. Price 3s. 6d.,
+        cloth.</p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em"><span class=
+        "tei tei-q">“The picture of the life of the Early Christians is drawn
+        with admirable simplicity and distinctness.”</span>—<span class=
+        "tei tei-hi"><span style=
+        "font-style: italic">Guardian.</span></span></p>
+      </div>
+
+      <div class="tei tei-div" style=
+      "margin-bottom: 5.00em; margin-top: 5.00em">
+        <hr class="doublepage" />
+
+        <div id="footnotes" class="tei tei-div" style=
+        "margin-bottom: 4.00em; margin-top: 4.00em">
+          <a name="toc81" id="toc81"></a>
+
+          <h1 class="tei tei-head" style=
+          "text-align: center; margin-bottom: 3.46em; margin-top: 3.46em">
+          <span style="font-size: 173%">Footnotes</span></h1>
+
+          <dl class="tei tei-list-footnotes">
+            <dt class="tei tei-notelabel"><a id="note_1" name="note_1" href=
+            "#noteref_1">1.</a></dt>
+
+            <dd class="tei tei-notetext">Nearly £2,000.</dd>
+
+            <dt class="tei tei-notelabel"><a id="note_2" name="note_2" href=
+            "#noteref_2">2.</a></dt>
+
+            <dd class="tei tei-notetext"><span class="tei tei-q">“The
+            exceeding profaneness of Jason, that ungodly wretch, and no high
+            priest”</span> (2 Macc. iv. 13).</dd>
+
+            <dt class="tei tei-notelabel"><a id="note_3" name="note_3" href=
+            "#noteref_3">3.</a></dt>
+
+            <dd class="tei tei-notetext">Antiochus’s surname, self-assumed or
+            given by the flattery of his courtiers, of <span class=
+            "tei tei-q">“Epiphanes”</span> (the Illustrious), was jestingly
+            changed by his subjects through the alteration of a single letter
+            into, <span class="tei tei-q">“Epimanes”</span> (Madman).</dd>
+
+            <dt class="tei tei-notelabel"><a id="note_4" name="note_4" href=
+            "#noteref_4">4.</a></dt>
+
+            <dd class="tei tei-notetext">The Suburra was one of the least
+            reputable quarters in Rome.</dd>
+
+            <dt class="tei tei-notelabel"><a id="note_5" name="note_5" href=
+            "#noteref_5">5.</a></dt>
+
+            <dd class="tei tei-notetext"><span class="tei tei-q">“He came
+            with the King’s mandate, bringing nothing worthy the high
+            priesthood, but having the fury of a cruel tyrant, and the rage
+            of a savage beast”</span> (2 Macc. iv. 25).</dd>
+
+            <dt class="tei tei-notelabel"><a id="note_6" name="note_6" href=
+            "#noteref_6">6.</a></dt>
+
+            <dd class="tei tei-notetext">Son and successor of Seleucus
+            Nicator, the first of the dynasty of the Greek Syrian kings.</dd>
+
+            <dt class="tei tei-notelabel"><a id="note_7" name="note_7" href=
+            "#noteref_7">7.</a></dt>
+
+            <dd class="tei tei-notetext">The wine of Mount Tmolus, a mountain
+            near Smyrna, before which, as Virgil says (Georgics ii. 184), all
+            other wines rise as before their betters.</dd>
+
+            <dt class="tei tei-notelabel"><a id="note_8" name="note_8" href=
+            "#noteref_8">8.</a></dt>
+
+            <dd class="tei tei-notetext">Azariah, holpen of Jehovah.</dd>
+
+            <dt class="tei tei-notelabel"><a id="note_9" name="note_9" href=
+            "#noteref_9">9.</a></dt>
+
+            <dd class="tei tei-notetext">Charles Martel defeated the Saracens
+            between Poictiers and Tours (<span class=
+            "tei tei-hi"><span style="font-size: 75%">A.D.</span></span>
+            732).</dd>
+
+            <dt class="tei tei-notelabel"><a id="note_10" name="note_10"
+            href="#noteref_10">10.</a></dt>
+
+            <dd class="tei tei-notetext">Not to be confounded with the
+            village near Jerusalem.</dd>
+
+            <dt class="tei tei-notelabel"><a id="note_11" name="note_11"
+            href="#noteref_11">11.</a></dt>
+
+            <dd class="tei tei-notetext">The talent must have been a talent
+            of gold, which may be reckoned as equal to £3,300.</dd>
+
+            <dt class="tei tei-notelabel"><a id="note_12" name="note_12"
+            href="#noteref_12">12.</a></dt>
+
+            <dd class="tei tei-notetext">This is the meaning of the name
+            Eleazar.</dd>
+
+            <dt class="tei tei-notelabel"><a id="note_13" name="note_13"
+            href="#noteref_13">13.</a></dt>
+
+            <dd class="tei tei-notetext">Psalm cxxxvi.</dd>
+
+            <dt class="tei tei-notelabel"><a id="note_14" name="note_14"
+            href="#noteref_14">14.</a></dt>
+
+            <dd class="tei tei-notetext">About £,24.</dd>
+
+            <dt class="tei tei-notelabel"><a id="note_15" name="note_15"
+            href="#noteref_15">15.</a></dt>
+
+            <dd class="tei tei-notetext">Hebrews xi. 37-38. Compare ii. Macc.
+            x. vi. <span class="tei tei-q">“When as they wandered in the
+            mountains and dens like beasts.”</span></dd>
+
+            <dt class="tei tei-notelabel"><a id="note_16" name="note_16"
+            href="#noteref_16">16.</a></dt>
+
+            <dd class="tei tei-notetext">Nine o’clock, p.m.</dd>
+
+            <dt class="tei tei-notelabel"><a id="note_17" name="note_17"
+            href="#noteref_17">17.</a></dt>
+
+            <dd class="tei tei-notetext">There seems to have been a belief
+            among the Jews of this time in the efficacy of prayers for the
+            dead. So we read in 2 Maccabees xii. 45: <span class=
+            "tei tei-q">“Whereupon he made a reconciliation for the dead that
+            they might be delivered from sin.”</span> This is probably the
+            chief reason why the Council of Trent included the Books of
+            Maccabees and other Apocryphal writings in the Canon of
+            Scripture.</dd>
+
+            <dt class="tei tei-notelabel"><a id="note_18" name="note_18"
+            href="#noteref_18">18.</a></dt>
+
+            <dd class="tei tei-notetext">The month Chisleu about corresponds
+            to our December.</dd>
+
+            <dt class="tei tei-notelabel"><a id="note_19" name="note_19"
+            href="#noteref_19">19.</a></dt>
+
+            <dd class="tei tei-notetext">See S. John x. 22, 23: <span class=
+            "tei tei-q">“And it was at Jerusalem the Feast of the Dedication,
+            and it was winter. And Jesus walked in the Temple, in Solomon’s
+            <span class="tei tei-corr">porch.</span>”</span></dd>
+
+            <dt class="tei tei-notelabel"><a id="note_20" name="note_20"
+            href="#noteref_20">20.</a></dt>
+
+            <dd class="tei tei-notetext">Eupator means <span class=
+            "tei tei-q">“Born of a great father.”</span></dd>
+
+            <dt class="tei tei-notelabel"><a id="note_21" name="note_21"
+            href="#noteref_21">21.</a></dt>
+
+            <dd class="tei tei-notetext">Psalms cxiii.-cxviii.</dd>
+
+            <dt class="tei tei-notelabel"><a id="note_22" name="note_22"
+            href="#noteref_22">22.</a></dt>
+
+            <dd class="tei tei-notetext">Ibid. cxx.-cxxxiv.</dd>
+
+            <dt class="tei tei-notelabel"><a id="note_23" name="note_23"
+            href="#noteref_23">23.</a></dt>
+
+            <dd class="tei tei-notetext">Alcimus seems to have been an
+            adaptation, not a little remote, however, from the original, of
+            the Hebrew name Eliakim.</dd>
+
+            <dt class="tei tei-notelabel"><a id="note_24" name="note_24"
+            href="#noteref_24">24.</a></dt>
+
+            <dd class="tei tei-notetext"><span class=
+            "tei tei-q">“Bezeth,”</span> it is called. Possibly it may be
+            identified with Bezetha, which was afterwards part of the
+            city.</dd>
+
+            <dt class="tei tei-notelabel"><a id="note_25" name="note_25"
+            href="#noteref_25">25.</a></dt>
+
+            <dd class="tei tei-notetext">Copious draughts of wine were an
+            important part of the customary celebration of the Purim
+            festival.</dd>
+
+            <dt class="tei tei-notelabel"><a id="note_26" name="note_26"
+            href="#noteref_26">26.</a></dt>
+
+            <dd class="tei tei-notetext"><span class="tei tei-q">“Et pater
+            Æneas et avunculus excitet Hector.”</span></dd>
+
+            <dt class="tei tei-notelabel"><a id="note_27" name="note_27"
+            href="#noteref_27">27.</a></dt>
+
+            <dd class="tei tei-notetext">Observe the Greek names of the two.
+            In each case the father’s name is Hebrew, and the son’s Greek.
+            This seems to show how far the Hellenization of the people had
+            proceeded.</dd>
+
+            <dt class="tei tei-notelabel"><a id="note_28" name="note_28"
+            href="#noteref_28">28.</a></dt>
+
+            <dd class="tei tei-notetext">We commonly talk of the <span class=
+            "tei tei-q">“three hundred”</span> at Thermopylae. As a matter of
+            fact there were <span class="tei tei-hi"><span style=
+            "font-style: italic">a thousand</span></span>, not reckoning the
+            Thebans, who are said to have laid down their arms at once. But
+            the seven hundred men from Thespiae, a little Bœotian town,
+            fought bravely to the end; only their glory is swallowed up in
+            that of the <span class="tei tei-q">“three hundred”</span>
+            Spartans. Canon Westcott speaks of this battle as the Jewish
+            Thermopylae (<span class="tei tei-q">“Dictionary of the
+            Bible”</span>).</dd>
+          </dl>
+        </div>
+      </div>
+      <hr class="doublepage" />
+
+      <div class="boxed tei tei-div" style=
+      "margin-bottom: 5.00em; margin-top: 5.00em">
+        <a name="pdf82" id="pdf82"></a><a name="toc83" id="toc83"></a>
+
+        <h1 class="tei tei-head" style=
+        "text-align: center; margin-bottom: 3.46em; margin-top: 3.46em">
+        <span style="font-size: 173%">Transcriber’s Note</span></h1>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em">Variations in
+        hyphenation have not been changed. In several places, wrong quotation
+        marks have been silently corrected.</p>
+
+        <p class="tei tei-p" style="margin-bottom: 1.00em">Other changes,
+        which have been made to the text:</p>
+
+        <table summary="This is a list." class="tei tei-list" style=
+        "margin-bottom: 1.00em; margin-top: 1.00em">
+          <tbody>
+            <tr class="tei tei-labelitem">
+              <th class="tei tei-label"></th>
+
+              <td class="tei tei-item"><a href="#corrxi" class=
+              "tei tei-ref">page xi</a>, <span class=
+              "tei tei-q">“ELEAZER”</span> changed to <span class=
+              "tei tei-q">“ELEAZAR”</span></td>
+            </tr>
+
+            <tr class="tei tei-labelitem">
+              <th class="tei tei-label"></th>
+
+              <td class="tei tei-item"><a href="#corr230" class=
+              "tei tei-ref">page 230</a>, double <span class=
+              "tei tei-q">“the”</span> removed</td>
+            </tr>
+
+            <tr class="tei tei-labelitem">
+              <th class="tei tei-label"></th>
+
+              <td class="tei tei-item"><a href="#corr354" class=
+              "tei tei-ref">page 354</a>, <span class="tei tei-q">“of”</span>
+              changed to <span class="tei tei-q">“or”</span></td>
+            </tr>
+          </tbody>
+        </table>
+      </div>
+      <hr class="doublepage" />
+
+      <div class="tei tei-div" style=
+      "margin-bottom: 5.00em; margin-top: 5.00em">
+        <div id="pgfooter" class="tei tei-div" style=
+        "margin-bottom: 4.00em; margin-top: 4.00em">
+          <pre class="pre tei tei-div" style=
+          "margin-bottom: 3.00em; margin-top: 3.00em">
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+                <title>The Hammer. A Story of the Maccabean Times</title>
+                <author><name reg="Church, Alfred John">Alfred John Church</name></author>
+                <author><name reg="Seeley, Richmond">Richmond Seeley</name></author>
+            </titleStmt>
+            <publicationStmt>
+                <publisher>Project Gutenberg</publisher>
+                <date value="2013-12-31">December 31, 2013</date>
+                <idno type='etext-no'>44550</idno>
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+                  <title>The Hammer. A Story of the Maccabean Times</title>
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+<hi rend='italic; font-size: large'>THE HAMMER</hi>
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+<pgIf output='txt'><then>
+  <p rend="ill">[Illustration: <hi rend='italic'>The Cave among the Mountains.</hi>]</p>
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+<index index="fig" level1="The Cave among the Mountains"/>
+<head><hi rend='italic'>The Cave among the Mountains.</hi></head>
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+  <titlePart type="main" rend="font-size: xx-large">THE HAMMER</titlePart>
+<lb/><lb/>
+<titlePart type="sub" rend="font-size: large"><hi rend='smallcaps; italic'>A Story of the Maccabean Times</hi></titlePart>
+</docTitle>
+<lb/><lb/><lb/>
+<byline>
+BY
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+<docAuthor rend="font-size: large">ALFRED J. CHURCH, M.A.</docAuthor>
+<lb/>
+<hi rend='italic'>Lately Professor of Latin in University College, London</hi>
+<lb/>
+AND
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+<docAuthor rend="font-size: large">RICHMOND SEELEY</docAuthor>
+</byline>
+<lb/>
+<lb/>
+<lb/>
+<titlePart><hi rend='italic'>With Illustrations by <hi rend='smallcaps'>John Jellicoe</hi></hi></titlePart>
+<lb/>
+<lb/>
+<lb/>
+<docImprint>
+<pubPlace>LONDON</pubPlace>
+<lb/>
+<publisher>SEELEY AND CO. LIMITED</publisher>
+<lb/>
+ESSEX STREET, STRAND
+<lb/>
+<docDate>1890</docDate>
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+<index index="toc" level1="Preface"/>
+<index index="pdf" level1="Preface"/>
+<head>PREFACE</head>
+
+<p>
+It is not so very long since the Apocrypha was found
+in almost every copy of the English Bible, but in
+the present day it is seldom printed with it, and very
+seldom indeed read. One or two of the writings
+included under this name are trivial and even
+absurd; but, on the whole, the Apocryphal books
+deserve far more attention than they receive.
+Among the foremost, in point of interest and value,
+must be placed the First Book of Maccabees.
+Written within fifty years of the events which it
+records, at a time, it must be remembered, that was
+singularly barren of historical literature, it is a
+careful, sober, and consistent narrative. It is our
+principal, not unfrequently our sole, authority for
+the incidents of a very important period, a period
+that was in the highest degree critical in the history
+of the Jewish nation and of the world which that
+nation has so largely influenced. It is commonly
+said that the great visitation of the Captivity finally
+destroyed in the Hebrew mind the tendency to
+<pb n='vi'/><anchor id='Pgvi'/>idolatry. But the denunciations of Ezekiel prove to
+us that the exiles carried into the land of their
+captivity the evil which they had cherished in the
+land of their birth, and it is no less certain that they
+brought it back with them on their return. It grew
+to its height in the early part of the Second Century
+<hi rend='small'>B.C.</hi>, along with the increasing influence of Greek
+civilization in Western Asia. The feeble Jewish
+Commonwealth was more and more dominated by
+the powerful kingdoms which had been established
+on the ruins of the empire of Alexander, and the
+national religion was attacked by an enemy at least
+as dangerous as the Phœnician Baal-worship had
+been in earlier days, an enemy which may be briefly
+described by the word Hellenism. The story of how
+Judas and his brothers led the movement which
+rescued the Jewish faith from this peril is the story
+which we have endeavoured to tell in this volume.
+Our plan has been to follow strictly the lines of the
+First Book of Maccabees, going to the Second,
+a far less trustworthy document, only for some
+picturesque incidents. The subsidiary characters
+are fictitious, but the narrative is, we believe, apart
+from casual errors, historically correct.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+We have to acknowledge special obligations to
+Captain Conder’s <q>Judas Maccabæus,</q> a volume of
+the series entitled <q>The New Plutarch.</q> We also
+owe much to Canon Rawlinson’s notes in the
+<q>Speaker’s Commentary on the Bible,</q> to Canon
+<pb n='vii'/><anchor id='Pgvii'/>Westcott’s articles in the <q>Dictionary of the Bible,</q>
+and to Dean Stanley’s <q>Lectures on the Jewish
+Church.</q>
+</p>
+
+<p>
+If any reader should be curious as to the literary
+partnership announced on the title-page—a partnership
+that has grown, so to speak, out of another of
+many years’ standing, shared by the writers as author
+and publisher—he may be informed that the plan
+of the story and a detailed outline of it have been
+contributed by Richmond Seeley, and the story itself
+written for the most part by Alfred Church.
+</p>
+
+<closer rend="text-align:left">
+<dateline><name><hi rend='smallcaps'>London</hi></name>,<lb/>
+<date><hi rend='italic'>Sept. 3, 1889.</hi></date></dateline>
+</closer>
+
+<pb/><anchor id='Pgviii'/>
+
+<pb n='ix'/><anchor id='Pgix'/>
+</div>
+<div rend="page-break-before: right">
+<index index="toc" level1="Contents"/>
+<index index="pdf" level1="Contents"/>
+<head>CONTENTS</head>
+
+<table rend="latexcolumns: 'rp{6cm}r'; tblcolumns: 'r lw(35m) r'">
+  <row>
+<cell rend="text-align: right"><hi rend="small">CHAP.</hi></cell>
+<cell></cell>
+<cell rend="text-align: right"><hi rend="small">PAGE</hi></cell>
+</row>
+  <row>
+<cell rend="text-align: right">I.</cell>
+<cell>A NEW ORDER OF THINGS</cell>
+<cell rend="text-align: right"><ref target="Pg001">1</ref></cell>
+</row>
+  <row>
+<cell rend="text-align: right">II.</cell>
+<cell>ANTIOCHUS</cell>
+<cell rend="text-align: right"><ref target="Pg019">19</ref></cell>
+</row>
+  <row>
+<cell rend="text-align: right">III.</cell>
+<cell>MENELAÜS</cell>
+<cell rend="text-align: right"><ref target="Pg037">37</ref></cell>
+</row>
+  <row>
+<cell rend="text-align: right">IV.</cell>
+<cell>AT ANTIOCH</cell>
+<cell rend="text-align: right"><ref target="Pg049">49</ref></cell>
+</row>
+  <row>
+<cell rend="text-align: right">V.</cell>
+<cell>THE WRATH TO COME</cell>
+<cell rend="text-align: right"><ref target="Pg068">68</ref></cell>
+</row>
+  <row>
+<cell rend="text-align: right">VI.</cell>
+<cell>THE EVIL DAYS</cell>
+<cell rend="text-align: right"><ref target="Pg079">79</ref></cell>
+</row>
+  <row>
+<cell rend="text-align: right">VII.</cell>
+<cell>THE DARKNESS THICKENS</cell>
+<cell rend="text-align: right"><ref target="Pg090">90</ref></cell>
+</row>
+  <row>
+<cell rend="text-align: right">VIII.</cell>
+<cell>SHALLUM THE WINE-SELLER</cell>
+<cell rend="text-align: right"><ref target="Pg101">101</ref></cell>
+</row>
+  <row>
+<cell rend="text-align: right">IX.</cell>
+<cell>THE PERSECUTION</cell>
+<cell rend="text-align: right"><ref target="Pg113">113</ref></cell>
+</row>
+  <row>
+<cell rend="text-align: right">X.</cell>
+<cell>IN THE MOUNTAINS</cell>
+<cell rend="text-align: right"><ref target="Pg124">124</ref></cell>
+</row>
+  <row>
+<cell rend="text-align: right">XI.</cell>
+<cell>NEWS BAD AND GOOD</cell>
+<cell rend="text-align: right"><ref target="Pg135">135</ref></cell>
+</row>
+  <row>
+<cell rend="text-align: right">XII.</cell>
+<cell>THE PATRIOT ARMY</cell>
+<cell rend="text-align: right"><ref target="Pg148">148</ref></cell>
+</row>
+  <row>
+<cell rend="text-align: right">XIII.</cell>
+<cell>GUERILLA WARFARE IN THE MOUNTAINS</cell>
+<cell rend="text-align: right"><ref target="Pg159">159</ref></cell>
+</row>
+  <row>
+<cell rend="text-align: right">XIV.</cell>
+<cell>THE BURIAL OF MATTATHIAS</cell>
+<cell rend="text-align: right"><ref target="Pg171">171</ref></cell>
+</row>
+  <pb n='x'/><anchor id='Pgx'/><row>
+<cell rend="text-align: right">XV.</cell>
+<cell>THE SWORD OF APOLLONIUS</cell>
+<cell rend="text-align: right"><ref target="Pg184">184</ref></cell>
+</row>
+  <row>
+<cell rend="text-align: right">XVI.</cell>
+<cell>NEWS FROM THE BATTLE-FIELD</cell>
+<cell rend="text-align: right"><ref target="Pg193">193</ref></cell>
+</row>
+  <row>
+<cell rend="text-align: right">XVII.</cell>
+<cell>THE BATTLE OF EMMAUS</cell>
+<cell rend="text-align: right"><ref target="Pg208">208</ref></cell>
+</row>
+  <row>
+<cell rend="text-align: right">XVIII.</cell>
+<cell>THE BATTLE OF BETH-ZUR</cell>
+<cell rend="text-align: right"><ref target="Pg225">225</ref></cell>
+</row>
+  <row>
+<cell rend="text-align: right">XIX.</cell>
+<cell>IN JERUSALEM</cell>
+<cell rend="text-align: right"><ref target="Pg235">235</ref></cell>
+</row>
+  <row>
+<cell rend="text-align: right">XX.</cell>
+<cell>THE CLEANSING OF THE TEMPLE</cell>
+<cell rend="text-align: right"><ref target="Pg242">242</ref></cell>
+</row>
+  <row>
+<cell rend="text-align: right">XXI.</cell>
+<cell>THE DEDICATION OF THE TEMPLE</cell>
+<cell rend="text-align: right"><ref target="Pg254">254</ref></cell>
+</row>
+  <row>
+<cell rend="text-align: right">XXII.</cell>
+<cell>WARS AND RUMOURS OF WARS</cell>
+<cell rend="text-align: right"><ref target="Pg263">263</ref></cell>
+</row>
+  <row>
+<cell rend="text-align: right">XXIII.</cell>
+<cell>MORE VICTORIES</cell>
+<cell rend="text-align: right"><ref target="Pg274">274</ref></cell>
+</row>
+  <row>
+<cell rend="text-align: right">XXIV.</cell>
+<cell>THE SABBATICAL YEAR</cell>
+<cell rend="text-align: right"><ref target="Pg284">284</ref></cell>
+</row>
+  <row>
+<cell rend="text-align: right">XXV.</cell>
+<cell>REVERSES</cell>
+<cell rend="text-align: right"><ref target="Pg294">294</ref></cell>
+</row>
+  <row>
+<cell rend="text-align: right">XXVI.</cell>
+<cell>LIGHT OUT OF DARKNESS</cell>
+<cell rend="text-align: right"><ref target="Pg304">304</ref></cell>
+</row>
+  <row>
+<cell rend="text-align: right">XXVII.</cell>
+<cell>A PEACEFUL INTERVAL</cell>
+<cell rend="text-align: right"><ref target="Pg314">314</ref></cell>
+</row>
+  <row>
+<cell rend="text-align: right">XXVIII.</cell>
+<cell>HOPES AND FEARS</cell>
+<cell rend="text-align: right"><ref target="Pg323">323</ref></cell>
+</row>
+  <row>
+<cell rend="text-align: right">XXIX.</cell>
+<cell>CIVIL WAR</cell>
+<cell rend="text-align: right"><ref target="Pg331">331</ref></cell>
+</row>
+  <row>
+<cell rend="text-align: right">XXX.</cell>
+<cell>NICANOR</cell>
+<cell rend="text-align: right"><ref target="Pg339">339</ref></cell>
+</row>
+  <row>
+<cell rend="text-align: right">XXXI.</cell>
+<cell>THE FALLING AWAY</cell>
+<cell rend="text-align: right"><ref target="Pg352">352</ref></cell>
+</row>
+  <row>
+<cell rend="text-align: right">XXXII.</cell>
+<cell>THE LAST BATTLE</cell>
+<cell rend="text-align: right"><ref target="Pg362">362</ref></cell>
+</row>
+  <row>
+<cell rend="text-align: right">XXXIII.</cell>
+<cell>THE HOPE OF ISRAEL</cell>
+<cell rend="text-align: right"><ref target="Pg368">368</ref></cell>
+</row>
+</table>
+
+<pb n='xi'/><anchor id='Pgxi'/>
+</div>
+<div rend="page-break-before: right">
+<index index="toc" level1="List of Illustrations"/>
+<index index="pdf" level1="List of Illustrations"/>
+<head>LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS</head>
+
+<table rend="latexcolumns: 'p{5.8cm}r'; tblcolumns: 'lw(30m) r'">
+  <row>
+<cell>THE CAVE AMONG THE MOUNTAINS</cell>
+<cell rend="text-align: right"><ref target="i_004"><hi rend='italic'>Frontispiece</hi></ref></cell>
+</row>
+  <row>
+<cell>ANTIOCHUS IN THE TAVERN</cell>
+<cell rend="text-align: right"><ref target="i_047">32</ref></cell>
+</row>
+  <row>
+<cell>THE PERSECUTION</cell>
+<cell rend="text-align: right"><ref target="i_135">118</ref></cell>
+</row>
+  <row>
+<cell>THE LAST CHARGE OF MATTATHIAS</cell>
+<cell rend="text-align: right"><ref target="i_187">168</ref></cell>
+</row>
+  <row>
+<cell>THE SWORD OF APOLLONIUS</cell>
+<cell rend="text-align: right"><ref target="i_213">192</ref></cell>
+</row>
+  <row>
+<cell>FAREWELL TO THE MOUNTAINS</cell>
+<cell rend="text-align: right"><ref target="i_255">232</ref></cell>
+</row>
+  <row>
+<cell>THE DEATH OF <anchor id="corrxi"/><corr sic="ELEAZER">ELEAZAR</corr></cell>
+<cell rend="text-align: right"><ref target="i_327">302</ref></cell>
+</row>
+  <row>
+<cell>THE BOY KING</cell>
+<cell rend="text-align: right"><ref target="i_341">314</ref></cell>
+</row>
+</table>
+  
+<pb/><anchor id='Pgxii'/>
+
+</div>
+
+</front>
+<body rend="page-break-before: right">
+
+<pb n='1'/><anchor id='Pg001'/>
+
+<p rend="center; font-size: xx-large">
+THE HAMMER
+</p>
+<div type="chapter" n="1">
+<index index="toc" level1="I. A New Order of Things"/>
+<index index="pdf" level1="I. A New Order of Things"/>
+<head>CHAPTER I.<lb/><lb/>
+<hi rend="smaller">A NEW ORDER OF THINGS.</hi></head>
+
+<p>
+The time is the evening of a day in the early
+autumn of the year 174 <hi rend='small'>B.C.</hi> There has been a
+great festival in Jerusalem. But it has been
+curiously unlike any festival that one would have
+expected to be held in that famous city. The
+people have not been crowding in from the country,
+and journeying from their far-off places of sojourn
+among the heathen, to keep one of the great feasts
+of the Law. Nothing could be further from the
+thoughts of the crowd that is streaming out of this
+new building which stands close under the walls
+of the Temple. What would they who built the
+Temple some two and a half centuries before have
+thought of this strange intruder on the sacred
+precincts? It is not difficult to imagine, for the
+new erection is nothing more or less than a Circus,
+<pb n='2'/><anchor id='Pg002'/>built and furnished in the latest Greek fashion, and
+the spectacle which the crowd has been enjoying, or
+pretending to enjoy—for it is strange to all, and
+distasteful to some—is an imitation of the Olympian
+games. Things then, we see, have been curiously
+changed. Even the city has almost lost its identity.
+It is no longer the capital of the Jewish nation,
+but the chief town of an insignificant province in
+the Greek kingdom of Syria, one of the fragments
+into which the great dominion of Alexander had
+split some hundred and fifty years before. We shall
+understand something more about this marvellous
+change if we listen to a conversation that is going
+on in one of the houses that adjoin the Temple.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+<q>Well, Cleon, you will allow that our little show
+to-day has been fairly successful. We are but
+novices, you know; barbarians, I am afraid you
+will call us. But we hope to improve. You Greeks
+are wonderful teachers. You can give in a very
+short time a quite marvellous appearance of refinement
+to the merest savages. And we are not that;
+you would not call us savages, my dear friend.</q>
+</p>
+
+<p>
+<q>Savages! The gods forbid that such insolent
+folly should ever come from my tongue! You have
+a most elegant taste in art, my dear Jason. Our
+own Callias—he is our first <foreign rend='italic' lang="fr">connoisseur</foreign> at Athens;
+you must have heard me mention him—would not
+disdain to have some of the little things which you
+have about you here in his own apartment.</q>
+</p>
+
+<pb n='3'/><anchor id='Pg003'/>
+
+<p>
+And, as he spoke, Cleon looked round the room,
+which, indeed, was very handsomely furnished in
+the latest Greek taste. The walls were covered
+with tapestry, showing on a purple ground a design,
+worked in silver and gold, which represented the
+triumphant return of the Wine-god from his Eastern
+campaigns. At one end of the room stood a sumptuously-carved
+bookcase, filled with volumes adorned
+by the most skilful binders of Alexandria. The
+bookcase was flanked on either side by a pedestal
+statue, one displaying the head of Hermes, the
+other the head of Athené. On a sideboard were
+ranged twelve silver goblets, on which had been
+worked in high relief the labours of Hercules. But
+probably the most precious object in the room—at
+least in its master’s estimation—was a replica, about
+half the size of life, of the statue that we know as
+the <q>Dying Gladiator.</q> It was the work of a
+sculptor of Pergamum, a special favourite of the
+art-loving dynasty of the Attali. It had been purchased
+for the enormous sum of half a talent of
+gold;<note place="foot">Nearly £2,000.</note> and Jason had thought himself especially
+fortunate in being allowed to secure it on any
+terms. The Pergamene artist was bound, in consideration
+of the handsome payment which he
+received from his royal patron, not to execute
+commissions for strangers, and it was only as a
+special favour, and not till a heavy bribe had been
+<pb n='4'/><anchor id='Pg004'/>paid to some influential personage in the court, that
+the rule had been relaxed in favour of Jason.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+And who, it may be asked, was Jason?
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Jason was the Jewish high priest, the successor of
+Aaron, of Eleazar, of Jehoiada, of Hilkiah, and as
+unlike these worthies of the past in appearance, in
+speech, in ways of thinking, as it is possible to conceive.
+His costume, in the first place, was that of a
+Greek exquisite. He wore a purple tunic, showing
+at the neck a crimson under-shirt, and gathered up
+at the waist with a belt of the finest leather, clasped
+with a design in silver, which showed a dog laying
+hold of a fawn. His knees were bare, but the shins
+were covered with silk leggings of the same colour as
+the tunic, against which the gold fastenings of the
+sandals showed in gay relief. His hair was elaborately
+curled, and almost dripping with the richest
+of Syrian perfumes. The forefinger of the left hand
+showed the head of Zeus finely carved on an
+amethyst, that of the right was circled by a sapphire
+ring with the likeness of Apollo.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+His speech was Greek. Hebrew of course he
+knew, both in its classical and its conversational
+forms; but he was as careful to conceal his knowledge
+as an old-fashioned Roman of his time would
+have been careful to hide the fact, if he had happened
+to know any language besides his own. His very
+name, it will have been observed, had been changed
+to suit the new fashion which he was endeavouring
+<pb n='5'/><anchor id='Pg005'/>to set to his countrymen. Really it was Joshua—no
+dishonourable appellation, one would think, seeing
+that it had been borne by the conqueror of Canaan,
+and by the most distinguished of the later high
+priests. But it did not please him, and he had
+changed it to Jason.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+As for his ways of thinking, these will become
+evident enough if we listen to a little more of his
+conversation.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+<q>And you think, Cleon,</q> he went on—Cleon
+was a Greek adventurer who gave himself out as
+an Athenian, but who was shrewdly suspected of
+coming from one of the smaller islands of the
+Ægean—<q>you think that our games went pretty
+well?</q>
+</p>
+
+<p>
+<q>Admirably, my dear Jason,</q> answered the
+Greek, who really had thought them a deplorable
+failure, but who valued too much his free quarters in
+the high priest’s sumptuous palace to give a candid
+expression of his opinion.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+<q>You see we had great difficulties to contend
+with. You can hardly imagine, for instance, how
+hard I found it to persuade our young men to run
+and wrestle naked. They quoted some ridiculous
+nonsense from the Law, as if we could be bound
+nowadays by some obsolete old rules that no
+sensible person would think for a moment of observing.<note place="foot"><q>The exceeding profaneness of Jason, that ungodly wretch, and
+no high priest</q> (2 Macc. iv. 13).</note>
+You saw, I dare say, to-day that I was
+<pb n='6'/><anchor id='Pg006'/>obliged to allow some of them to wear a loin-cloth.
+They positively refused to come into the arena
+without it. Well, we shall educate them in time.
+They <hi rend='italic'>must</hi> learn to admire the beauty of the human
+form, unspoilt by any of the trappings with which,
+for convenience sake, we are accustomed to conceal
+it. I don’t despair of our having a school of art
+here some day—not rivals, my dear <sic>Lysias</sic>, of your
+glorious Phidias and Praxiteles, but imitators,
+humble imitators, whom yet you won’t disdain to
+acknowledge.</q>
+</p>
+
+<p>
+<q>But, my dear sir, you forget the Commandment,
+<q>Thou shalt not make to thyself any graven
+image.</q></q>
+</p>
+
+<p>
+The speaker was a young man who had hitherto
+taken no part in the conversation. He also had a
+Hebrew name and a Greek. His father, a rich
+priest who claimed descent from no less a person
+than the prophet Ezekiel, had called him Micah;
+but he had followed the fashion, and dubbed himself
+Menander. Still, Greek ways and habits did
+not sit over-easily upon him. Fashion has often
+a singular power over the young; but it could not
+quite drive out the obstinate patriotism of the Jew.
+He could still sometimes be scandalized at the
+thorough-going Hellenism of the high priest; and
+he was so scandalized now. The Commandment
+was one of the things which he had learnt at his
+mother’s knee, and which he had solemnly repeated
+<pb n='7'/><anchor id='Pg007'/>when, at the age of twelve, he had been regularly
+admitted to the privileges of a <q>son of the Law.</q>
+</p>
+
+<p>
+<q>My dear Menander,</q> broke in the high priest,
+<q>what can you be thinking about? I had hoped
+better things of you. You do discourage me most
+terribly. <q>No graven image or likeness of anything
+that is in heaven or earth!</q> Was there ever anything
+so hopelessly tasteless? Why, this is the
+one thing that has checked all growth of art
+among us? And without art where is the beauty
+of life? Now tell me, Menander, did you ever see
+anything so hideous as the Temple? There is a
+certain splendour about it—or was, till I had to
+strip off most of the gold for purposes of state—but
+of beauty or taste not a scrap. You, Cleon, have
+never seen the inside of it. Well, you have lost
+nothing. It would simply shock you after your
+lovely Parthenon. Bells and pomegranates—things
+that any moulder could make—and sham columns,
+and everything as bad as it can be. And then the
+dresses! You should see—though I should really
+be ashamed if you did see it—the absurd costume
+that some of them would make me wear as high
+priest. Anything more cumbrous and clumsy could
+not be. A man can hardly move in it; and as for
+showing any of the proportions of the figure—and
+I take it that dress is meant to reveal while it seems
+to hide them—one might as well be wrapped up in
+swaddling clothes.</q>
+</p>
+
+<pb n='8'/><anchor id='Pg008'/>
+
+<p>
+<q>Did you ever wear it?</q> asked Cleon.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+<q>Once, and once only,</q> answered Jason. <q>That
+was on the day when I was admitted to the office.
+You see it had to be done. Some of my enemies—and
+I am afraid that I have enemies after all that
+I have done for this ungrateful people—might have
+said that things were not regular without it, and
+when one has paid twenty talents of gold for the
+office, it would be rank folly to risk it for a trifle.
+But I have never worn it since, and never mean to
+again. I did design something much lighter and
+neater, worthy the Greek fashion, but with just a
+tinge—it would be well to have a tinge—of our own
+in it; but it did not please the elders when I
+showed it to them, a bigoted set of fools!</q>
+</p>
+
+<p>
+<q>But your worship is very fine, I am told,</q> said
+the Greek.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+<q>Very tasteless, very tasteless,</q> answered the
+high-priest, <q>the singing and music as rude as
+possible. I tried to improve them when I first came
+into office. When I was at Antioch I saw some
+very pretty performances in the groves of Daphne,
+and I wanted to remodel our ceremonies on something
+of the same lines. Of course I could not
+transplant them just as they were: you will guess
+that there were one or two things that would hardly
+do here. I am not strait-laced, as you know, but
+there are limits. However, it all came to nothing.
+Our people are so clumsy and obstinate. So the
+<pb n='9'/><anchor id='Pg009'/>only thing will be to let these antiquated ceremonies
+die out by degrees.</q>
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Micah broke in at this point. Disposed as he
+was to follow Jason’s lead, this was going too far.
+<q>Surely, my dear sir, if you take away from us
+all that is distinctive, where will be our reason for
+existence? After all is said, we are not Greeks and
+never can be Greeks; and if we cease to be Jews,
+what are we?</q>
+</p>
+
+<p>
+<q><hi rend='italic'>Jews!</hi> my dear fellow,</q> cried the high-priest,
+<q>why do you use the odious word? We are not
+Jews, we are Antiochenes. Do you know that I
+paid five talents to the treasurer of Antiochus for
+license to use the name? For Heaven’s sake, let us
+have our money’s worth. By the way,</q> he went on,
+turning to Cleon, <q>when does your Olympian festival
+next take place?</q>
+</p>
+
+<p>
+<q>In two years’ time,</q> said the Greek.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+<q>I propose to send an embassy with a handsome
+present for your great temple. I should like to
+establish friendly relations with your people at the
+head-quarters of your race. Do you think it is
+possible that our Menon—you saw him in the
+stadium just now—might be allowed to run? It
+would take all that your athletes know to beat him.</q>
+</p>
+
+<p>
+<q>Quite impossible. He could hardly make out a
+Greek pedigree, I suppose?</q>
+</p>
+
+<p>
+<q>No; he could not do that. But would not
+money smooth the way?</q>
+</p>
+
+<pb n='10'/><anchor id='Pg010'/>
+
+<p>
+<q>It could not be. Money will do most things
+with us, as it will elsewhere, but not that. A man
+must show a pure Greek descent.</q>
+</p>
+
+<p>
+<q>But the embassy can go?</q>
+</p>
+
+<p>
+<q>Certainly,</q> replied the Greek, with a smile; <q>we
+are ready to take gifts from any one. But—excuse
+my obtruding the suggestion—is it quite wise to
+run counter to your people’s prejudices in this way?
+Couldn’t they get up an agitation against you?</q>
+</p>
+
+<p>
+<q>My dear Cleon, I feel quite easy on that score.
+I made the highest bid for the place, and it is mine,
+just as much as this ring is mine.</q>
+</p>
+
+<p>
+<q>But might not some one outbid you? I have
+heard of such things being done.</q>
+</p>
+
+<p>
+<q>Outbid me? Hardly. I have squeezed the uttermost
+farthing out of the people to pay the purchase-money
+and the tribute, and I defy my rivals, with all
+the best will in the world, to beat me. Why, my
+fellows, the tax-gatherers, are the most ingenious
+rascals in the world for putting on the screw. I
+make them bid against each other when I put the
+taxes up to auction, and they really go to figures
+that I should not have thought possible. And then,
+after all, they manage somehow or other to get a
+handsome margin of profit for themselves. I know
+the scoundrels always seem to have a great deal
+more money than I have.</q>
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Menander, somewhat revolted at his friend’s levity,
+rose to take leave. <q>Stop a moment,</q> said Jason,
+<pb n='11'/><anchor id='Pg011'/><q>I have a little commission for you, which will
+give you a pleasant outing and a score or two of
+shekels to put in your pocket.</q>
+</p>
+
+<p>
+<q>Well, the shekels will be welcome. Those are
+very charming fellows, those Greek friends of yours,</q>
+he went on, addressing Cleon, <q>but they have the
+most confounded luck with the dice that I ever
+knew. But what is it, sir, that you want me to
+do?</q>
+</p>
+
+<p>
+<q>I want to do a civil thing to our friends at Tyre.
+You know that we do a very brisk trade with them,
+and a little bit of politeness is never thrown away.
+Well, next month they have the great games of
+Hercules, and I want you to take a present to the
+Governor, and, as you will be there, just a trifle—a
+silver tripod, or something of the kind—for Hercules
+himself. The Tyrian people would take it amiss, I
+fancy, if you went quite empty-handed.</q>
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Micah—for at the moment he felt much more like
+a Micah than a Menander—flushed all over. <q>I
+take a present to the idol at Tyre! You must
+be joking; but, with all respect, sir, it is a joke
+which I do not appreciate.</q>
+</p>
+
+<p>
+<q>Come, my dear Menander,</q> said the high priest,
+with a laugh, <q>why all this fuss? You must excuse
+me for saying so, but you are really a little stupid
+this morning. What nonsense to talk about idols!
+The Greek heroes are really the same as our own.
+Hercules is nothing more or less than Samson
+<pb n='12'/><anchor id='Pg012'/>under another name. You will find in every country
+the legend of some strong man who goes about
+killing wild beasts and slaying his enemies, and
+doing all kinds of wonders; and it does not become
+an enlightened man like yourself to fancy that our
+hero is anything better than another nation’s hero.
+However, think the matter over. If you don’t
+choose to go there are plenty who will, and Tyre, I
+am told, is still worth seeing, though, of course, it is
+nothing like what it was.</q>
+</p>
+
+<p>
+At this moment a servant burst somewhat unceremoniously
+into the room.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+<q>How now, fellow?</q> cried the high priest,
+<q>Where are your manners? Don’t you know that
+I have company and am not to be interrupted?</q>
+</p>
+
+<p>
+<q>Pardon, my lord,</q> said the man, in a breathless,
+agitated voice, <q>but the matter is urgent. Your
+nephew Asaph is dying, and has sent begging you
+to come to him.</q>
+</p>
+
+<p>
+<q>Asaph dying!</q> cried the high priest, turning
+pale. <q>How is that?</q>
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Asaph had been one of the performers in the
+exhibition of the day. A light weight, but an
+exceedingly active and skilful wrestler, he had
+entered the lists with a competitor much stronger
+and heavier than himself. The struggle between
+the two athletes had been protracted and fierce and
+had ended in a draw. There had been two bouts,
+but in neither had this or that antagonist been able
+<pb n='13'/><anchor id='Pg013'/>to claim a decided success. In each, both wrestlers
+had fallen, Asaph being uppermost in the first, but
+underneath in the second. On rising from the
+ground he had complained of severe internal pains;
+but these had seemed to pass away, and he had been
+conveyed in a litter to his mother’s house. After a
+brief interval the pains had returned with increased
+severity; vomiting of blood had followed, and the
+physician had declared that the resources of his art
+were useless. The poor lad—he was but a few
+months over twenty—sent, in his agony, for his
+uncle the high priest. It was a forlorn hope—for
+how could such a man give comfort?—but it was
+the only one that occurred to him.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+No one was more conscious of the incongruity
+of the task thus imposed upon him, the task of
+administering consolation and comfort to the dying,
+than Jason himself. His first impulse was to refuse
+to go. But to do so would not only cause a scandal,
+but would also be the beginning of a family feud.
+And Jason, though selfish and hardened by base
+ambitions, was not wholly without a heart. He had
+some affection for his sister, a widow of large means,
+whose purse was always open to him when he
+wanted help, and Asaph—or Asius, as he preferred
+to call him—was his favourite nephew, possibly his
+successor in his office. He felt that he must go,
+but it was with a miserable sinking of heart that he
+felt it.
+</p>
+
+<pb n='14'/><anchor id='Pg014'/>
+
+<p>
+<q>Lead on,</q> he said to the slave, <q>I will follow.
+You, my friends, must excuse me.</q>
+</p>
+
+<p>
+The worldly priest might well have dreaded to
+enter the house of woe to which he had been
+called.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+The unhappy mother met him at the door. <q>Oh,
+Joshua!</q> she cried, the foolish affectation of the
+Greek name being forgotten in the hour of trouble.
+<q>Can you help us? My dear Asaph is dying, and
+he is terribly distressed about his sins. You are
+high-priest. Have you not some power to do him
+good?</q>
+</p>
+
+<p>
+<q>Take me to him,</q> said Jason, <q>I will do all that
+I can for him.</q>
+</p>
+
+<p>
+The unhappy lad was lying on a couch, the
+deathly pallor of his face showing with a terrible
+contrast against the rich purple of the coverlet.
+His eyes were wide open, and there was a terror-stricken
+look in them that was inexpressibly painful
+to witness. As soon as he saw his uncle, he burst
+forth in tones of agonized entreaty. <q>I have
+sinned; I have sinned; I have followed in the
+ways of the heathen, and, see, my God hath called
+me into judgment. Help me! help me! Save me
+from the fire of Gehenna!</q>
+</p>
+
+<p>
+The high priest strove to say something; but
+his faltering lips seemed to refuse to do their office.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+<q>Speak! speak!</q> cried the young man. <q>It
+was you who told me to go into the arena. You
+<pb n='15'/><anchor id='Pg015'/>said there was no harm in it; you encouraged me,
+and now you desert me. O help me!</q> and his
+voice, which had been raised to a loud, angry cry,
+sank again to low tones of entreaty. <q>You are
+high priest; you surely can do something with the
+Lord. Pray for me to Him. Quick! quick! the evil
+ones are clutching at me!</q> and, as he spoke, he
+turned his eyes with a fearful glance as if he saw
+some terrible presence which was invisible to the
+rest.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+His uncle, more unhappy than he had ever been
+before in his life, stood in dumb despair. It seemed
+impossible to mock this wretched creature with words
+in which he did not himself believe. And, indeed,
+the words themselves seemed to have fled altogether
+from his memory. At last, with a tremendous effort,
+he summoned up some of the words, once familiar
+to his lips, but which had not issued from them for
+years. It was what we know as the fifty-first Psalm
+in our psalter that he began—<q><hi rend='italic'>Have mercy upon me,
+O God, after Thy great goodness, according to the multitude
+of Thy mercies do away mine offences.</hi></q> He began
+with a faltering and uncertain voice, which gathered
+strength as he went on. The dying man listened
+with an eagerly-strained attention, and the words
+seemed to have some soothing effect upon him.
+When the speaker came to the words, <q>Cast me not
+away from Thy presence,</q> he clasped his hands together.
+At the very moment of the act a strong
+<pb n='16'/><anchor id='Pg016'/>convulsion shook his frame: a stream of blood
+gushed from his mouth; in another moment Asaph
+was dead.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+His unhappy mother had been carried fainting to
+her apartments, where her maids were endeavouring
+to restore her to consciousness. The high priest
+was almost glad that she was in such a state that
+there could be no question of attempting to administer
+to her any consolation. No one, indeed, could
+have felt less like a comforter than he did at that
+moment. As he walked slowly back to his palace
+he felt less satisfied with the Greek fashions, for
+which he had sacrificed the faith of his fathers,
+than he had done for many years.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+The news that he found awaiting him at home
+changed the current of his thoughts. A letter,
+carried, in Eastern fashion, by a succession of
+runners, had arrived from Joppa. It was as
+follows:—
+</p>
+
+<p rend="margin-top: 2; margin-left: 2; margin-right: 2; center; font-size: small"><q rend="post: none"><hi rend='italic'>Josedech, Chief of the Council of Joppa, to Joshua, Governor of Jerusalem.</hi></q>
+</p><p rend="margin-bottom: 2; margin-left: 2; margin-right: 2; font-size: small">
+<q>Know that a swift pinnace has arrived, bringing news that the
+fleet of Antiochus the King is on its way hither. It will arrive, unless
+it be hindered by weather or any other unforeseen cause, on the second
+day. Let us know so soon as shall be possible how the heathen should
+be received, whether we shall admit him into the city, and to whom
+we shall assign the task of entertaining him. Farewell.</q>
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Jason’s face flushed as he read this curt and not
+very courteous epistle. <q>Governor of Jerusalem, indeed!</q>
+he muttered to himself. <q>So the old bigot
+<pb n='17'/><anchor id='Pg017'/>won’t acknowledge me to be high priest. I shall
+have to give him a lesson, and teach him who he is
+and who I am. <q>How the heathen is to be received.</q>
+What is the fool thinking of? As if he could be shut
+out of the city if he chooses to come in! Well, I
+see plainly enough that there will be mischief here,
+if I don’t take care. It won’t be enough to write.
+I must send some of my own people to receive the
+king.</q>
+</p>
+
+<p>
+He pressed a hand-bell that stood on the table.
+<q>Send the letter-carrier here,</q> he said to the servant
+who answered the summons. In a few minutes
+the man appeared.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+<q>When can you start back with my answer?</q>
+asked the high priest.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+<q>This instant, my lord, if it should so please
+you.</q>
+</p>
+
+<p>
+<q>And the other posts are ready?</q>
+</p>
+
+<p>
+<q>Each at his place, my lord.</q>
+</p>
+
+<p>
+<q>And when will the letter be delivered in Joppa?</q>
+</p>
+
+<p>
+<q>Let me think,</q> said the messenger. <q>The
+distance should be about two hundred and eighty
+furlongs, and the way descends. ’Tis now scarcely
+the first hour of the night. I should say that the
+letter should be there an hour before midnight.</q>
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Jason at once sat down and wrote his answer:—
+</p>
+
+<p rend="margin-top: 2; margin-left: 2; margin-right: 2; center; font-size: small"><q rend="post: none"><hi rend='italic'>Jason, the High Priest, to Josedech, Chief of the Council of Joppa, greeting.</hi></q>
+</p><p rend="margin-bottom: 2; margin-left: 2; margin-right: 2; font-size: small">
+<q>I charge you that you do all honour to the most mighty and
+<pb n='18'/><anchor id='Pg018'/>glorious lord Antiochus. Let him have of the best, both in lodging
+and entertainment, that your city affords. I doubt not your zeal and
+goodwill, but that you may not fail for want of knowledge, I will send
+certain of my own people, who will welcome the most august King in
+such manner as shall be worthy both of his majesty and of our dignity.
+Farewell.</q>
+</p>
+
+<p>
+The messenger, who had been standing by while
+this letter was being written, received the document
+with a salute, and placed it in his girdle. A few
+minutes afterwards he was on his way.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+<q>And now for the deputation to meet his Highness,</q>
+said Jason to himself. <q>I cannot expect
+them to get off quite so quickly as this good fellow.
+But they must not start later than noon to-morrow.
+And now, whom am I to send? Cleon, of course,
+and Menander——</q>
+</p>
+
+<p>
+He stopped short and reflected. <q>It’s really very
+hard to find a respectable person who is quite free
+from bigotry—if, indeed, it is bigotry.</q> For some
+minutes he seemed lost in thought. <q>Send the
+secretary to me,</q> he said, when the servant came.
+This official soon made his appearance, and we will
+leave him and his master to settle the details of the
+deputation.
+</p>
+
+</div><div type="chapter" n="2" rend="page-break-before: always">
+<pb n='19'/><anchor id='Pg019'/>
+<index index="toc" level1="II. Antiochus"/>
+<index index="pdf" level1="II. Antiochus"/>
+<head>CHAPTER II.<lb/><lb/><hi rend="smaller">ANTIOCHUS.</hi>
+</head>
+
+<p>
+The greater part of the population of Joppa, which,
+like most seaside towns, was somewhat cosmopolitan
+in its habits and ways of thinking, had hurried down
+to the shore to watch the arrival of the great Syrian
+King. And, indeed, his fleet was a sight worth
+seeing. Thirty ships, all of them with three banks
+of oars, were formed in a semicircle, the arc of which
+was parallel with the line of the shore. They were
+war-vessels, the finest and swiftest that the Syrian
+fleet possessed, manned with picked crews, and now
+gay with all the sumptuous adornments that
+befitted a peaceful errand. The day was perfectly
+windless, and the sea as calm as a lake. This
+circumstance made it possible for the squadron to
+preserve the order of its advance with an exactitude
+which would not have been possible had it been
+moving under sail. On the prow of each vessel
+stood a flute-player, and the rowers dipped their
+<pb n='20'/><anchor id='Pg020'/>oars in time to his music. Each player had his
+eyes fixed on a conductor who was posted on the
+royal vessel, a five-banked ship, which occupied a
+position slightly in advance of the semicircle. Time
+was thus kept throughout the squadron—a result,
+however, not obtained, as may easily be imagined,
+without a vast amount of practice. The sight of the
+thousands of oars, as they were dipped and lifted
+again in rhythmical regularity, with the sunshine
+flashing upon them, was beautiful in the extreme.
+As for the ship that carried King Antiochus, it was
+a gorgeous spectacle. The ropes were of gaily-coloured
+silk; the hull was brilliant with gold.
+The figure-head was the head and bust of a sea-nymph,
+exquisitely wrought in silver. The poop
+was covered with a crimson awning.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+As the squadron approached the harbour, a convenience
+which the Joppa of to-day no longer
+possesses, the royal ship fell back, allowing the
+leading vessels on either side of the semicircle to
+precede it to the pier. From these a company of
+troops, splendidly arrayed in gilded armour, disembarked,
+and formed two lines, between which the
+King was to walk.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+The Syrian King was a young man of about two-and-twenty
+years, tall, and well made, and not without
+a certain dignity of presence. His face, too, at
+first sight would have been pronounced handsome.
+It was of the true Greek type: the forehead and
+<pb n='21'/><anchor id='Pg021'/>nose forming an almost uninterrupted straight line.
+This line, however, receded too much, giving something
+of an expression of weakness. But for this
+the features of the young Syrian king might have
+been described as bearing a singular resemblance to
+those of the great Alexander. Youthful as he was,
+his complexion, naturally of a beautiful delicacy,
+was already flushed with excess. But the most
+sinister characteristic of his face was to be found
+in the restless look of his prominent eyes. The
+descendants of the brilliant soldier, the ablest and
+most upright of the generals of Alexander, who had
+founded the Syrian kingdom, had sadly degenerated
+under the corrupting influences of power. The
+hideous example of lust and cruelty had been set
+and improved upon by generation after generation,
+till the fatal taint of madness, always the avenger
+of such wickedness, had been developed in the
+race.<note place="foot">Antiochus’s surname, self-assumed or given by the flattery of his
+courtiers, of <q>Epiphanes</q> (the Illustrious), was jestingly changed by his
+subjects through the alteration of a single letter into, <q>Epimanes</q>
+(Madman).</note>
+</p>
+
+<p>
+The Council of Joppa had sent a deputation of
+their body, headed by their president, Josedech, to
+receive the visitor with such respect as might lawfully
+be shown to a heathen. Greeting and compliments
+could be exchanged without any loss of
+ceremonial purity. Nor would there be any harm
+in presenting a gift. To sit down to meat with an
+<pb n='22'/><anchor id='Pg022'/>unbeliever, was, of course, out of the question; but
+this difficulty had been overcome by the complaisance
+of a wealthy Greek merchant, who, for sufficient
+reasons of his own, had offered to entertain the
+visitor.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+The councillors saluted the King, not with
+the extravagant form of <q>Live for ever!</q> but
+with the more moderate form of <q>Peace be with
+you.</q> Antiochus answered with a careless greeting.
+At the same time he turned to one of his
+courtiers, and said in a whisper which was heard,
+as it was meant to be heard, by others besides
+the persons addressed, <q>Look! what a set of
+he-goats. And faugh! how they smell!</q> The
+young King, who was exceedingly vain of his good
+looks, had the fancy of making himself up as the
+beardless Apollo, and, of course, the court followed
+the fashion that he set. The insulting words did
+not fail to reach the ears of the elders, but they
+affected not to have heard them. The president
+then proceeded to deliver his address of welcome.
+It was sufficiently civil, but, as may be supposed,
+not enthusiastic. The speaker hoped that friendly
+relations might continue to exist between the
+Jewish people and the kingdom of Syria. He
+was glad to receive on Jewish soil a powerful
+monarch who, he trusted, would be favourably
+impressed with what he should see and hear. If
+his subjects had any grievances they would find
+<pb n='23'/><anchor id='Pg023'/>prompt redress; the King would doubtless do the
+same for Jewish merchants who considered themselves
+aggrieved.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+To this address, which, after the manner of such
+documents, was somewhat verbose and lengthy,
+Antiochus listened with ill-concealed impatience;
+perhaps it would be more correct to say, with impatience
+that was not concealed at all. He fidgeted
+about; he interjected disparaging remarks that must
+have been distinctly heard a long way off. He
+even corrected the speaker when he made a slip in
+Greek idiom. Still the elders preserved an imperturbable
+calm, though a keen observer might have
+seen the flush rising upon their faces.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+The address of welcome ended, it only remained
+to offer the customary present. An attendant
+stepped forward carrying a robe of honour, a piece
+of native manufacture, which, without being particularly
+splendid, was sufficiently handsome and
+valuable to be adequate to the occasion. But it
+did not please the young King, who, indeed, was
+scarcely in the humour to be pleased with anything.
+One of his followers received it from the hands of
+the attendant, and Antiochus, according to the
+usual etiquette, should have touched it, saying at
+the same time a few words of politeness. What
+he did was to take it from the hands of the
+courtier who had received it, shake it out, and
+hold it from him at arm’s length, eyeing it, at
+<pb n='24'/><anchor id='Pg024'/>the same time, with an expression of undisguised
+contempt. Even this was not all. Turning his
+back upon the elders he dropped the robe on the
+head of one of his attendants, and, by a sudden
+movement, twisted it round his neck, bursting out
+at the same time into a loud horse-laugh. The
+laugh was, of course, dutifully echoed by his
+courtiers; but to the Joppa crowd it seemed no
+laughing matter. An angry murmur ran through
+it. The front ranks made a menacing movement
+forwards, while stones began to fly from behind.
+On the other hand, the soldiers of the King’s
+body-guard drew their swords, and began to form
+up behind him. They were not properly prepared,
+however, for a conflict; for, as they had come
+only on a service of ceremony, they had nothing
+with them but their swords and light ornamental
+breastplates.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Everything wore a most threatening look, when
+there occurred an interruption that was probably
+welcome to every one, except, it may be, the hotheaded
+and reckless young sovereign himself. The
+deputation from Jerusalem had arrived. The high
+priest, anticipating, as we have seen, some trouble,
+had despatched them at the very earliest opportunity,
+and had urged them to make the best of their
+way to their destination. At the same time, that
+their presence might have something more than
+moral weight, he had sent a squadron of cavalry.
+<pb n='25'/><anchor id='Pg025'/>The deputation, with their escort following close
+behind, now made their way through the crowd.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+The high priest was represented by his kinsman
+Phinehas—who had found a substitute for his unfashionable
+name in Phineus—by Menander, who
+has been already mentioned, and by two Greeks,
+of whom our acquaintance Cleon was one. Josedech
+and his companions willingly left the management
+of affairs in the hands of the new arrivals, and
+retired from the scene. Leaping from his horse,
+Phinehas, or Phineus, prostrated himself in Eastern
+fashion at the feet of Antiochus, and his companions
+followed his example, while the escort of
+cavalry saluted. <q>Rise,</q> said Antiochus, whose
+good humour began to return when he found himself
+treated with what he conceived to be proper
+respect. He even condescended to reach out his
+royal hand, and assist the envoy to recover his
+feet. Phineus proceeded to deliver an address of
+welcome which was certainly not wanting in florid
+compliment. It might even have been called
+profane, for Antiochus was described not only as
+magnificent, illustrious, victorious (to mention a
+few only of the speaker’s exuberant supply of
+epithets), but even as divine. The speech ended,
+an attendant presented a richly-chased casket of
+gold, filled with coins, fresh from the Syrian mint,
+and bearing the features and superscription of
+Antiochus himself. The King received it with
+<pb n='26'/><anchor id='Pg026'/>something like <foreign rend='italic' lang="fr">empressement</foreign>, and after speaking
+a few words of thanks, passed it to his treasurer.
+At the same time he took a bag of silver from
+one of his attendants, and condescended to scatter
+some of the pieces among the crowd that lined
+the quays, with his royal hands. As may be
+supposed, a vigorous scramble ensued, and not a
+few of the spectators were tumbled over the edge
+into the shallow water below. Others jumped in
+of their own accord after some of the pieces which
+had fallen short. A general burst of laughter was
+the result, and the situation lost the gravity which
+had been so alarming a few minutes before.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+The King now recognized an old acquaintance
+in Cleon. Antiochus, handed over in his childhood
+as a hostage by his father, had spent his
+boyhood and youth in Rome. The somewhat
+austere manners of that city had not pleased him,
+and he was glad to find in the young Greek
+an acquaintance more congenial than the young
+Marcelli, sons of the priest of that name, under
+whose charge he had been put. Cleon had come
+to Rome to seek his fortune, and had found
+employment in assisting the comic poet Cæcilius
+in making his translations from the Greek. Poets,
+however, were not so well paid as to be able
+to spare much for their assistants, and Cleon had
+been very glad to act as the young prince’s
+teacher, a post which his guardian the priest had
+<pb n='27'/><anchor id='Pg027'/>found it very difficult to fill. Tutor and pupil
+had been on the most friendly terms. The elder
+man was indulgent, exacted no more than the
+youth was willing to learn, and, possibly thinking
+that all the necessary austerity was supplied by
+the Roman guardian, winked at various indulgences
+which would not have approved themselves to his
+employer. Antiochus retained a grateful recollection
+of the complaisant youth who had made things
+so agreeable for him in the days of his captivity.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+<q>Hail, Cleon, most delightful of teachers, behold
+the most thankful of pupils!</q>
+</p>
+
+<p>
+And he embraced the Greek, kissing him on
+both cheeks.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+<q>So you, too,</q> he went on, <q>have escaped from
+that dismal prison-house across the sea! Was
+there ever a place, think you, more unfit for a
+gentleman to live in? And how have you fared
+since I saw you? I hope that Fortune has had
+something pleasant in store for you.</q>
+</p>
+
+<p>
+<q>She could have done nothing better, Sire, than
+to thus give me the pleasure of seeing you.</q>
+</p>
+
+<p>
+<q>Oh, what a compliment! I see that your tongue
+has not lost its dexterous twist. But I suppose I
+must attend to this stupid business here. Why
+can’t they let one come quietly, and see what people
+really are. I dare say there are some good fellows
+here as elsewhere; but all these ceremonies and
+speech-making and fine clothes tire me to death.
+<pb n='28'/><anchor id='Pg028'/>Well, we shall find a chance of having some talk
+together before long. Anyhow, you will come and
+see me at Antioch. I will make you court-poet, or
+general-in-chief, or high priest of Aphrodite! I
+know that you can do anything that you choose
+to turn your hand to.</q>
+</p>
+
+<p>
+While this conversation was going on the Greek
+merchant who had volunteered to entertain the royal
+visitor was waiting to be introduced. This ceremony
+performed by Phineus, he proceeded to give
+his invitation.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+<q>Will your Highness be pleased to accept such
+humble hospitality as I can offer? My house and
+all that is within it are at your service.</q>
+</p>
+
+<p>
+<q>Pleased! of course I shall be pleased,</q> returned
+the King, in boisterous good humour. <q>I know
+what your <q>humble hospitality</q> means. It is you
+merchants that can afford to do things handsomely.
+You make the money, and we can only spend it.
+What with armies and fleets and legions of servants,
+who eat us up like so many locusts, we never have a
+drachma that we can call our own. As for me, I am
+easily satisfied. Give me a mullet, a piece of roast
+kid, a flask of good wine, and a pretty girl to hand
+the cup, and I want no more. Lead on.</q>
+</p>
+
+<p>
+The procession moved on to the merchant’s
+house. This reached, the King, who declared that
+he wanted his midday sleep, was at once shown to
+his apartments.
+</p>
+
+<pb n='29'/><anchor id='Pg029'/>
+
+<p>
+It was some six hours later when the banquet, for
+which the host had made magnificent preparations,
+was ready. The company was assembled, and was
+fairly numerous, though it did not contain the true
+<foreign rend='italic' lang="fr">élite</foreign> of Joppa society. With one or two not very
+respectable exceptions, the representatives of the
+high-class Jewish families were absent. But there
+were plenty of strangers in the town, and the room
+was sufficiently full. The trading community was
+present in force: Greeks, Syrians, Egyptians, Carthaginians,
+and even a Greek-speaking Gaul from
+Marseilles, were present. Rome was represented by
+two Roman knights, who were doing a profitable
+business in money-lending, and who had the name
+of pretty nearly every noble in Syria on their books.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+But the guest of the evening was absent. The
+company waited with the patience with which royal
+personages are waited for on such occasions. At
+last, when an hour had gone beyond the time fixed
+for the entertainment, the host ventured to send up
+to the King’s apartment, with a humble reminder
+that the banquet was ready. But the apartment
+was empty!
+</p>
+
+<p>
+<q>What can have become of him?</q> was the
+thought in every one’s mind, not unaccompanied by
+a certain anxiety in the older courtiers, who had
+observed with dismay the reckless proceedings of
+their master.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+At last a thought struck Cleon. He took the
+<pb n='30'/><anchor id='Pg030'/>chief of the King’s attendants aside and communicated
+to him his suspicions. <q>I saw something
+of his Highness’s ways at Rome,</q> he said,
+<q>and I can guess what has happened. He always
+had a fancy for disguises, for dressing himself up as
+a sailor or an artizan, and going to some very
+curious places in the city. Often and often have I
+been with him—to keep him out of mischief, you
+know—and, by the gods! it was well I did. I
+remember his being very nearly stabbed one night
+in a low wine-shop in the Suburra.<note place="foot">The Suburra was one of the least reputable quarters in Rome.</note> And now I
+remember that this morning his Highness said
+something about wanting to see what the people
+really were, without all this ceremony. Let us
+question the porter whether he has seen any one go
+out.</q>
+</p>
+
+<p>
+The porter was questioned accordingly. At first
+he could give no information. At last he remembered
+observing two young men in sailor’s dress passing
+the gate about three hours before. He had taken no
+heed of them. Sailors had been coming and going
+all day, with various articles which they were bringing
+up from the ship, and he had supposed that
+these were two of the number. Here the man’s
+wife struck in with the information that she had
+noticed the two sailors, thinking that there was
+something odd about their appearance; their
+clothes were very shabby, but they had a superior
+<pb n='31'/><anchor id='Pg031'/>air. Neither the man nor his wife knew anything
+more; but they thought that the two had turned in
+the direction of the harbour after leaving the house.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Under these circumstances search seemed hopeless,
+and might, indeed, do more harm than good.
+Perhaps the safest plan would be to let the young
+man find his way back for himself. After some discussion,
+however, it was resolved that Cleon, after
+first changing the dress which he had donned for the
+banquet for something less conspicuous, should look
+in at some of the wine-shops near the harbour, which
+were suggested as likely places for the search by the
+character of the King’s disguise.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Cleon was successful beyond his expectation. His
+attention was attracted by the sound of boisterous
+laughter proceeding from a tavern whose windows
+fronted the place where the King had landed. The
+place was crowded to overflowing, and even the
+pavement before the house was thronged with idlers,
+who were content to hear what they could of the
+fun inside without having any score to pay. With
+no little difficulty Cleon edged his way into the
+principal room. It was a strange scene that met
+his eye. The room was crowded with Phœnician
+and Greek sailors, with here and there the swarthy
+face of a Moor among them. The guests sat on
+benches, closely packed together, and every one had
+a huge earthenware cup in his hand and a pitcher of
+wine at his feet. At the further end of the room
+<pb n='32'/><anchor id='Pg032'/>was a small platform reserved for the performers
+who were accustomed to entertain the audience. A
+couple of dancing-girls had just exhibited a dance of
+the boisterous kind which was specially favoured
+by the seafaring spectators; and now his Syrian
+Majesty was doing his best to entertain the company
+with the burlesque of a Roman electioneering
+oration. He spoke in Greek, or, rather, the mixture
+of tongues, the <foreign rend='italic'>Lingua Franca</foreign> of the time, which
+did duty for Greek in the seaport towns of the
+Eastern Mediterranean; and he used with considerable
+effect the broad Roman accent. His speech,
+could it be reproduced, would be dull or even unintelligible
+to us, but his audience found it highly
+entertaining. The Greeks, always quick-witted,
+caught the points with admirable readiness, and the
+others laughed, if not for any other reason, at least
+for sympathy. The most completely successful part
+was where the orator, who affected to be a candidate
+for the consulship, propounded a grand scheme,
+according to which the citizens of Rome were to
+live in idleness, supported by the contributions of
+the whole world. When the attention of the audience
+began to flag, the young Prince, with an
+audacious presence of mind that would have become
+a veteran performer, suddenly changed the entertainment.
+Sticking a tall cap on his head, he
+proceeded to give a ludicrous imitation of the
+solemn dance of the priests of Mars. Cleon had
+<pb n='33'/><anchor id='Pg033'/>seen the original performance in Rome, and he could
+not but confess that the slow, awkward movement,
+and droning chant which the performer adapted to a
+popular song of a somewhat equivocal kind, was a
+very clever piece of work.
+</p>
+<pgIf output='txt'><then>
+  <p rend="ill">[Illustration: <hi rend='italic'>Antiochus in the Tavern.</hi>]</p>
+</then><else>
+  <p><anchor id="i_047"/><figure url="images/i_047.jpg" rend="w80">
+<index index="fig" level1="Antiochus in the Tavern"/>
+<head><hi rend='italic'>Antiochus in the Tavern.</hi></head>
+<figDesc>Antiochus in the Tavern</figDesc></figure></p>
+</else></pgIf>
+<p>
+A few minutes afterwards Antiochus retired,
+breathless with his exertions, and Cleon made his
+way after him.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+<q>So you are here,</q> burst out the King. <q>Good,
+was it not?</q>
+</p>
+
+<p>
+<q>Excellent, my lord,</q> returned Cleon; <q>but you
+must excuse me if I ask you to come back. The
+banquet is ready, and the company are waiting for
+you.</q>
+</p>
+
+<p>
+<q>Confound the company; there is much better
+company here. I will stop where I am.</q>
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Cleon remonstrated and argued; at first, it seemed,
+with no effect. Finally, however, by a judicious
+mixture of flattery and promises, and specially, by
+enlarging on the opportunity that there would be
+of electrifying the <foreign rend='italic' lang="fr">élite</foreign> of Joppa by a display of
+eloquence, he induced the King to come away.
+Antiochus was eaten up with a vanity that was
+almost insane, and he was as proud of his capacity
+for serious oratory as he was of his talents as a
+buffoon.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Unfortunately the eloquence was never displayed.
+The King had drunk largely of the heady wine which
+was a favourite with the nautical customers of the
+<pb n='34'/><anchor id='Pg034'/>tavern, and he applied himself with equal diligence
+to the more refined vintages which he found on the
+table of Stratocles, his entertainer. The company
+drank his health in bumpers; and, not to be outdone,
+a huge capacity for drink being, as he thought, one
+of his most honourable distinctions, he pledged them
+in return by draining a cup of a royal size. This
+was a final effort. He spoke a few hesitating sentences,
+frequently interrupted by hiccoughs, staggered,
+and but for the prompt attention of his
+attendants, who had indeed observed his condition,
+would have fallen to the ground. Nothing
+remained but to carry him out of the banqueting
+hall.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+It was late in the afternoon of the following day
+before he was sufficiently recovered from the effects
+of his debauch to start for Jerusalem. A halt for
+the night was made about halfway, and late in
+the afternoon of the next day the cavalcade
+approached Jerusalem. Jason came out to meet
+his guest. He had done his utmost to bring a
+reputable company with him, but his efforts had not
+been very successful. The respectable part of the
+population of the city was conspicuously absent,
+a mixed multitude of strangers and half-breeds,
+brutal in manners and squalid in appearance, represented
+the Jewish nation. Fortunately it was dark,
+and the torchlight procession with which the King
+was escorted into the city did something to conceal
+<pb n='35'/><anchor id='Pg035'/>by its picturesque effects the general meanness of the
+affair. Antiochus, however, did not fail to notice the
+character of the gathering, and indeed rallied his
+host on his ragged and disreputable followers. But
+his good humour did not seem to be disturbed. He
+admired the decorations of the palace, was loud in
+praise of Jason’s taste in art, and indeed admired
+one statuette so much that his host felt compelled to
+offer it for his acceptance, much against his will, for
+it was supposed to be an original by Scopas, and to
+be worth at least five talents. The next day came a
+visit to the Temple. The King shrugged his shoulders
+at what he was pleased to consider the tastelessness
+of its architecture, suggested to his host that he
+had better pull the whole place down and build it
+again in a better style, and offered him the services
+of his own architect and a painter who, he said, had
+a quite unequalled skill for such subjects as a dance
+of satyrs and nymphs, and would cover the walls of
+the new building with some really elegant designs.
+But if the architecture of the Temple did not please
+him, he expressed a genuine admiration for some of
+its contents. There was a greedy light in his eye
+as he looked at the rich furniture and gorgeous
+vessels—and this, though Jason, having certain views
+of his own, had the prudence not to show him the
+chamber which contained the most massive treasures
+of the place. But whatever Antiochus may have
+thought, he said nothing but what was civil and
+<pb n='36'/><anchor id='Pg036'/>pleasant. It may be supposed, however, that a few
+days of such a guest would be enough, and it was
+with unmixed delight that at the end of a week Jason
+saw him depart for Phenicé.
+</p>
+
+</div><div type="chapter" n="3" rend="page-break-before: always">
+<pb n='37'/><anchor id='Pg037'/>
+<index index="toc" level1="III. Menelaus"/>
+<index index="pdf" level1="III. Menelaus"/>
+<head>CHAPTER III.<lb/><lb/><hi rend="smaller">MENELAUS.</hi></head>
+
+<p>
+Two years have passed, and the fate which Jason
+had declared to be beyond all limits of probability
+or possibility has actually overtaken him. One of
+his agents, named Oniah, who has assumed the
+name of Menelaüs, for the rage for Greek fashions
+still continues unabated, has outbidden him, and now
+reigns in his stead, occupying the palace on Mount
+Sion which he had been at such pains to adorn.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+If we look into his library we shall see not only
+the books and statuettes—the silver tankards are
+gone, melted down into money that was wanted for
+some sudden exigency—but our old acquaintance,
+Cleon. The supple Greek was not one of those who
+take their friends for better, for worse. Jason was
+wandering about among the hills of Ammon with
+scarcely a garment to his back or a shekel that he
+could call his own, and what use could he find for
+the company of an accomplished gentleman, who had
+<pb n='38'/><anchor id='Pg038'/>as keen an eye as any one for a fine bit of sculpture
+or painting, and could not be rivalled, out of the profession,
+in his taste for wine? The accomplished
+gentleman knew where he was appreciated, where
+he was of use, and, naturally, where he was well off.
+Accordingly he had found means, as such people
+always do find means, of ingratiating himself with
+the new occupant of the palace, and was installed
+as his consulting connoisseur and chief adviser in
+matters of taste.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+<q>A poor creature, certainly,</q> he had replied to
+some depreciatory criticism which Menelaüs had
+passed on his predecessor, <q>but it must be allowed
+that he had a taste in art.</q>
+</p>
+
+<p>
+<q>Or was sensible enough to be guided by those
+who had,</q> said Menelaüs.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Cleon acknowledged the compliment with a bow,
+and went on, <q>I never found him make any difficulty
+about the price. And, of course, if a man goes to
+work in that spirit, and has good advice, too, he is
+bound to make a fine collection.</q>
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Menelaüs received the observation with a grimace,
+and a significant shrug of the shoulders. <q><q>No
+difficulty about the price,</q> you say. Of course not.
+Why should he? When a man doesn’t pay, he is
+apt to be easy about the amount. Do you know that
+the bills for half the things that you see in this room
+have been sent in to me? Sometimes he had to pay
+the money down. The <q>Gladiator</q> there, from
+<pb n='39'/><anchor id='Pg039'/>Pergamum could not have been got without ready
+cash; but wherever he could, he went on credit, and
+now the dealers are down upon me.</q>
+</p>
+
+<p>
+And he held up a sheaf of bills.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+<q>Here,</q> he went on, <q rend="post: none">is a pretty account from
+Theodotus of Alexandria, the bookseller, you know:</q>
+</p>
+
+<table rend="latexcolumns: 'p{5.2cm}rl'; tblcolumns: 'lw(40m) r l'">
+  <row>
+<cell><q rend="post: none"><q rend="post: none"><hi rend='italic'>A Manuscript of Anacreon</hi> (said to be autograph)</q></q></cell>
+<cell rend="text-align: right">10</cell>
+<cell>minæ.</cell>
+</row>
+  <row>
+<cell><hi rend='italic'>The Milesian Tales</hi></cell>
+<cell rend="text-align: right">5</cell>
+<cell>„</cell>
+</row>
+  <row>
+<cell><hi rend='italic'>Drinking Songs from Cratinus</hi></cell>
+<cell rend="text-align: right">2</cell>
+<cell>„’</cell>
+</row>
+</table>
+ 
+<p>
+<q rend="pre: none">And so it goes on, with a quantity of books which
+I am sure the old impostor never read. Two talents
+and twelve minæ it comes to altogether. Then
+here is <q>A Group of the Graces, 1 talent;</q> <q>Silenus,
+20 minæ;</q> <q>Satyr and Nymphs, half a talent.</q> <q>Set
+of Flagons, worked with the Labours of Hercules,
+2 talents.</q> These the villain melted down before
+he went. Fancy the rascality of that! Why, the
+silver by weight could not have been worth a
+fourth part of what it cost with the workmanship.</q>
+</p>
+
+<p>
+<q>Well,</q> said Cleon, <q>the fellows can wait. They
+can afford it; I know enough about these things to
+be sure that they get a very handsome profit. I used
+to travel, you know, for Cleisthenes of Syracuse,
+and so got to know something about the secrets
+of the trade. No, you need not be afraid of making
+them wait.</q>
+</p>
+
+<pb n='40'/><anchor id='Pg040'/>
+
+<p>
+<q>Well, they have waited three years already,</q>
+returned Menelaüs; <q>and very likely will have to be
+out of their money for as many more. But here is
+a gentleman who won’t wait. Here is Sostratus</q>
+(Sostratus, it should be mentioned, was Governor of
+the Castle, which was garrisoned by Syrian troops,
+and so the representative of King Antiochus)—<q>here
+is Sostratus asking for the half-year’s tribute,
+and giving me a pretty strong hint that, if
+I don’t send it, he shall come and take it for
+himself. And where is the money to come from?</q>
+</p>
+
+<p>
+<q>Well,</q> said Cleon, with a little laugh, <q>I
+suppose there is one way to get milk, and that is
+to go to the cow, or the goat, or the sheep. You
+see, we have a certain choice between big and little.
+And so, if you want money, you must go to the
+people, I suppose.</q>
+</p>
+
+<p>
+<q>The people! they are squeezed absolutely dry,
+at least one would think so. I could tell you stories
+about the squeezing that would make you split your
+sides with laughing. There was old Levi, a Bethlehem
+farmer; they boiled him, or half-boiled him,
+because he would not pay his taxes—said that he
+couldn’t, the old villain! They put him in a caldron,
+you see, and kept heating it up, because he would
+not tell where he had hidden his money.</q>
+</p>
+
+<p>
+<q>Well, did they get it out of him?</q>
+</p>
+
+<p>
+<q>No, the obstinate old dog, he would not say a
+word; but before he was quite finished his wife
+<pb n='41'/><anchor id='Pg041'/>brought the coins from her head-dress and bought
+him off. They say that he was the queerest figure
+when he came out of the water, with the skin
+hanging about him in folds. Well, at all events, it
+was a good washing for him. He had never been so
+clean in his life before.</q>
+</p>
+
+<p>
+<q>And did he recover?</q> asked Menander.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+<q>Upon my word, I can’t remember. But I do
+know that we got the money.</q><note place="foot"><q>He came with the King’s mandate, bringing nothing worthy the
+high priesthood, but having the fury of a cruel tyrant, and the rage of
+a savage beast</q> (2 Macc. iv. 25).</note>
+</p>
+
+<p>
+<q>Well, I remember what your predecessor used to
+say. It was in this very room about two years ago
+that I asked him whether he felt quite safe. <q>Oh,
+yes!</q> he answered, <q>I have got the last farthing that
+is to be got, and there is an end of it!</q></q>
+</p>
+
+<p>
+<q>Well,</q> replied the high priest, <q>there are other
+ways of getting money besides taxes. I will allow
+that Jason worked the taxes as well as a man could.
+No one can eat or drink, lie down or get up, walk
+or ride, travel or stay at home, be born or marry,
+or be buried, without having to pay for it. No! I
+do not see room for another, and I am sure that it is
+not for want of looking. But, as I said, there are
+other ways. Now—can you keep a secret?</q>
+</p>
+
+<p>
+<q>A secret! I should say so—not the grave itself
+better!</q>
+</p>
+
+<p>
+<q>Hush! my friend, good words! good words!</q>
+<pb n='42'/><anchor id='Pg042'/>cried the high priest, who felt, or affected to feel,
+the common Greek superstition against words that
+seemed to carry an evil omen with them. <q>Well, if
+you can, come here.</q>
+</p>
+
+<p>
+So saying, Menelaüs took his friend into an
+adjoining room, and opening a cupboard, secured,
+as the Greek observed, by an iron door and by a lock
+of elaborate construction, showed him a number of
+massive gold vases.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+<q>And where do these come from?</q> asked Cleon,
+almost dazzled by the splendid array.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+<q>Where should they come from, but from the
+Temple? Some of these have got a history of
+their own. You see that two-handled cup? King
+Artaxerxes gave it to Nehemiah: solid gold. And
+you see those splendid sapphires in the handles?
+The very biggest stones of the sort I have ever
+seen, and worth three talents each. Then there is
+that salver, Alexander of Macedon gave it to
+the Temple; and that casket there was a present
+from the first Ptolemy.</q>
+</p>
+
+<p>
+<q>But, my dear sir,</q> said the Greek, astonished at
+the audacity of the whole affair, <q>is not this going
+a little too far? Suppose the people were to find
+it out? Would there not be a rather formidable
+uproar?</q>
+</p>
+
+<p>
+<q>Well, of course; we cannot get anything without
+risk. But I have taken precautions. First, I have
+put a facsimile of every one of these in the Temple;
+<pb n='43'/><anchor id='Pg043'/>gilded lead, which does perfectly well for all practical
+purposes.</q>
+</p>
+
+<p>
+<q>But the weight! Surely any one can tell the
+difference by the weight.</q>
+</p>
+
+<p>
+<q>Of course, my dear Cleon, I know that lead is
+little more than half as heavy as gold. But there
+are ways of making it up. You can put a great deal
+more metal in, without its being observed, and
+almost make up the difference. And, you see, the
+things are never allowed to be handled; can only
+be looked at. I have given very strict orders about
+that, you may be sure. Of course the treasurer is
+in the secret; but as he must sink or swim with me,
+he may be trusted. Besides, I am not going to run
+the risk of keeping them here. I can trust you,
+my good Cleon, as I can my own brother—in fact,
+when I come to think of it, a good deal more—yet
+I am not sure that I should have told you so much,
+but that the best of these are going to be packed off
+to-night. The fact is, they are sold already.</q>
+</p>
+
+<p>
+The Greek could only shrug his shoulders and say
+nothing. As my readers will have perceived, he was
+not a man of high principles—in fact, to put the
+matter plainly, he was an unscrupulous adventurer.
+But the reckless villainy of Menelaüs fairly disgusted
+him. His taste, quite apart from any
+question of principle or honesty, revolted at the
+notion that a man, placed as was the high priest
+of the Jewish people, should deal with these historic
+<pb n='44'/><anchor id='Pg044'/>treasures as a vulgar burglar might deal with them.
+This was a refinement of feeling into which the
+vulgar cupidity of Menelaüs did not enter. He went
+on:
+</p>
+
+<p>
+<q>How wild that scoundrel Jason would be, if he
+knew of this, to think that he had lost such an
+opportunity, had these treasures in his hand, so to
+speak, and leave them to his worst enemy!</q>
+</p>
+
+<p>
+<q>Have you heard anything lately about him?</q>
+asked the Greek, not unwilling to change the subject.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+<q>Oh, yes,</q> replied Menelaüs, <q>he is wandering
+about somewhere in the country of the Ammonites,
+and at his wits’ end, I am told, how to live.</q>
+</p>
+
+<p>
+<q>Poor fellow!</q> said Cleon, <foreign rend='italic' lang="it">sotto voce</foreign>, <q>he
+was always very kind to me, and I can’t help
+being sorry for him.</q> He then went on aloud,
+<q>He will find it a great change from his way of
+living here.</q>
+</p>
+
+<p>
+<q>Yes, yes!</q> said Menelaüs; <q>but still, some of his
+old ways and habits will come in usefully. He was
+always great about training, you remember. Every
+one should be ready to fight a boxing-match or run
+a race. Cold, hunger, fatigue; these, he used to say,
+are the things to bring out a man’s muscles. And
+now he has got them in perfection. He might
+really carry off some prize, only, unluckily, he is
+getting a little too old for that sort of thing. And
+then, you recollect, how he would go on about the
+<pb n='45'/><anchor id='Pg045'/>beauty of the human form. Clothes, especially the
+gorgeous clothes of our people, obscured so tastelessly
+its magnificent proportions. Well, he has
+not much to complain of, I imagine, on that score.
+By the last account that I had of him he had as
+little in the way of clothing as a man could well
+have. Anyhow, he may console himself with
+thinking that <hi rend='italic'>his</hi> magnificent proportions are not
+obscured. Well, I don’t pity him. A man who has
+managed to get into a good place and then cannot
+stick to it is nothing better than a fool, and richly
+deserves everything that he may get.</q>
+</p>
+
+<p>
+At this point in the conversation a servant announced
+the arrival of a message from Sostratus,
+Governor of the Castle.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+<q>All the gods and goddesses confound the
+man!</q> cried the high priest, in a rage. He was
+fond of garnishing his conversation with a little
+Greek profanity. <q>Another dunning message, I
+suppose. Well, he must wait. No man can get
+any water by squeezing out of a dry sponge; and
+that is about what I am!</q>
+</p>
+
+<p>
+The communication from Sostratus proved, however,
+to be on quite another subject, though it was,
+if possible, even more unwelcome. It ran thus:—
+</p>
+
+<p rend="margin-top: 2; margin-left: 2; margin-right: 2; center; font-size: small"><q rend="post: none"><hi rend='italic'>Sostratus, Vicegerent of the Divine King, Antiochus, to Menelaüs, the High Priest, greeting.</hi></q></p>
+
+<p rend="margin-bottom: 2; margin-left: 2; margin-right: 2; font-size: small">
+<q>Know that I have this day received the summons of the Divine
+King, Antiochus, to attend him at his court at Antioch, within the
+space of thirty days, there to inform his Highness more fully of affairs
+<pb n='46'/><anchor id='Pg046'/>concerning his province of Judæa. Know also that your presence is
+required at the same place and time, whereof the writing herewith
+enclosed, being sealed with the King’s seal, will be proof sufficient.
+Farewell.</q>
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Menelaüs’s face visibly lengthened as he read
+this epistle. <q>By the dog!</q> (this was a Socratic
+oath which he sometimes affected, as giving to
+his conversation a certain philosophic tinge)—<q>By
+the dog! this is worse than being dunned!
+I like not a journey to Antioch. A very pretty
+place, but expensive, dreadfully expensive, especially
+when one has the honour of being entertained by
+the King.</q>
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Cleon felt a certain pleasure in the high priest’s
+discomfiture. The new patron was more overbearing,
+less considerate, and generally more difficult
+to get on with than the old. Jason, coxcomb as
+he was, had always been kind, and Cleon felt as
+kindly for him as it was in his nature to feel
+for any one. And then the exquisite propriety with
+which this disturbing news followed the man’s
+taunts and boasts was irresistible.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+<q>It is hard,</q> he said, as if to himself, <q>when a
+man has got into a good place——</q>
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Menelaüs darted an angry look at his friend, but
+the Greek’s face, which he knew how to keep under
+admirable control, expressed nothing but respectful
+sympathy. There was an unpleasant suggestion of
+mockery in what he had heard; but the Greek was
+<pb n='47'/><anchor id='Pg047'/>a useful person; he had been trusted, too, and
+knew things which it would not do to have published.
+Altogether, the high priest concluded, it
+would not do to quarrel with him—anyhow, for the
+present; some day, perhaps, he might be got rid of.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+<q>I suppose, sir, you cannot make an excuse—important
+affairs of State, the King’s service to be
+attended to, or something of that kind?</q>
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Cleon made the suggestion, knowing perfectly
+well that it was quite out of the question. But he
+enjoyed the novel position of tormenting his patron,
+and was taking it out, so to speak, for not a few
+rudenesses and slights.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+<q>Excuse!</q> cried Menelaüs. <q>It would be as much
+as my head is worth to do anything of the kind.
+No! I must go. But this is not a journey which one
+cares to take empty-handed. Let me see what I
+can take—two or three of the most portable cups,
+as much coin as I can scrape together, and the
+jewels—jewels are always useful: it is so easy to
+hide them. Well, I shall leave you in charge;
+unless, indeed, you are very much set on going
+yourself.</q>
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Cleon was not at all set upon going; on the contrary,
+nothing short of the strongest inducements
+would have persuaded him to the journey. Going
+to Antioch was like putting one’s head into the lion’s
+mouth. There was no particular reason, indeed,
+why <hi rend='italic'>his</hi> head should be bitten off; but lions are
+<pb n='48'/><anchor id='Pg048'/>capricious, and sometimes use their teeth for the
+mere fun of the thing.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+<q>I am much obliged for the chance,</q> he said,
+<q>but my health has been suffering lately, and I do
+not feel quite equal to the journey.</q>
+</p>
+
+<p>
+<q>Well, then,</q> replied Menelaüs, <q>stop here, and
+keep things as straight as you can. And if you can
+sell some of these pretty things for ready money,
+do so—the usual commission for yourself, of course.
+But it must all be kept quiet.</q>
+</p>
+
+<p>
+The next day the high priest and the Governor,
+neither of them in very good spirits, were on their
+way to Antioch.
+</p>
+
+</div><div type="chapter" n="4" rend="page-break-before: always">
+<pb n='49'/><anchor id='Pg049'/>
+<index index="toc" level1="IV. At Antioch"/>
+<index index="pdf" level1="IV. At Antioch"/>
+<head>CHAPTER IV.<lb/><lb/><hi rend="smaller">AT ANTIOCH.</hi></head>
+
+<p>
+Antioch more than deserved the praise of <q>a very
+pretty place,</q> which Menelaüs had bestowed upon
+it. In fact, it was one of the finest cities of the
+world. The old town which the first Antiochus<note place="foot">Son and successor of Seleucus Nicator, the first of the dynasty of
+the Greek Syrian kings.</note>
+had found had been improved away by him and his
+successors. All that could be done by a despotic
+power that made very short work with the wishes
+and even the rights of private owners of property,
+and by a lavish expenditure of money, had been
+done by five generations of rulers, and the result
+was magnificent. Broad streets ran from side to
+side; and those who grumbled that the narrow
+alleys of the old town gave at least a shelter from
+the sun were consoled by the rows of planes and
+limes, planted alternately, which shaded both sides
+of each thoroughfare. Rows of houses, which
+looked more like palaces than private dwellings,
+<pb n='50'/><anchor id='Pg050'/>occupied the best quarter of the city, and even
+the poorest regions had nothing of the squalor of
+poverty. Even the filth so common in the East was
+conspicuously absent from Antioch, for every gutter
+ran with an unceasing stream of water, drawn from
+a higher point of the Orontes and carrying into that
+river at a lower point all the defilement of the
+streets. Temples, in which a whole pantheon of
+gods was worshipped, were to be seen on every
+hand. The pure and harmonious outlines of Greek
+architecture could be seen side by side with the
+<hi rend='italic'>bizarre</hi> conceptions of Oriental art. If the kings
+and their Greek subjects worshipped Zeus and
+Apollo, and, above all, Aphrodité, who had here her
+famous grove of Daphne, so the Syrian population
+were faithful to Baal and Ashtaroth. A magnificent
+amphitheatre, capable of holding at least thirty
+thousand spectators, rose, a striking mass of white
+marble, on the north side of the city; a colonnade
+ran round the four sides of the market-place,
+gorgeous with the lavish colours of the East, for
+here the art of Greece had been superseded for once
+by the more ornate native taste. But the river,
+rushing down between its noble embankments of
+stone, was the chief ornament of the place. The
+Orontes had not gathered round it the splendid
+associations that clustered about the Tiber, but its
+broad, clear stream was in everything else more than
+a match for its Italian rival.
+</p>
+
+<pb n='51'/><anchor id='Pg051'/>
+
+<p>
+Menelaüs and his companion, who, it may be
+guessed, had reasons of his own for regarding with
+anxiety the summons that brought him to the
+capital, were not a little relieved to find that the
+King had been called away by urgent affairs.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Tarsus, one of the most important cities in his
+dominions, had rebelled. Its antiquity, its wealth,
+and its fame as a seat of culture, a character in
+which it claimed to be a rival of Athens itself, had
+combined to give the Tarsians a high opinion of
+themselves. Successive rulers, beginning with the
+Assyrian kings, its first founders, had allowed the
+city a certain independence; and its pride was
+grievously wounded when the young King, with the
+reckless levity that distinguished him, handed it over
+as a private possession to his mistress. The citizens
+pitched the lady’s collectors into the Cydnus, shut
+their gates, and defied their sovereign; Mallos,
+another Cilician city which had suffered the same
+indignity, following their example. The King had
+marched to reduce the rebels—a task, it was probable,
+of no little difficulty—leaving a certain Andronicus
+to act as his deputy, and specially to dispose of the
+charge on which Menelaüs and Sostratus had been
+summoned.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+This charge was one of a very formidable kind.
+Menelaüs’s dealings with the treasures of the
+Temple had not been so secret as he had hoped.
+Such things cannot be done without a certain
+<pb n='52'/><anchor id='Pg052'/>number of confederates, and such confederates are
+very apt to give a finishing touch to their villainy by
+betraying their chief. In this instance one of the
+journeymen employed had considered himself insufficiently
+paid, rightly thinking, perhaps, that if
+sacrilege can be recompensed at all, it ought to be
+recompensed handsomely. Personally he was too
+insignificant to venture an attack on so great a
+potentate as the high priest, but he knew whither
+to carry his information. He told what he knew to
+a priest, who, besides being a devout Jew, was a
+member of the family to which the high priesthood
+properly belonged. The priest, after satisfying himself
+that the story was true, at once set about
+bringing the offender to justice.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+His course was plain. Menelaüs, we have seen,
+had supplanted Jason, and Jason had himself purchased
+the dignity. But Oniah, the rightful high
+priest, who had been displaced by Jason, was still
+alive. Antiochus, naturally fearing his influence
+with his countrymen, had kept him at his capital,
+treating him, strange to say, with remarkable consideration.
+But Oniah was one of those men who
+extort veneration even from the most reckless of
+profligates. His venerable figure, his face beaming
+with benevolence, his blameless life, and the charities
+which he dispensed up to and even beyond the limit
+of his means, had won for him the regard of all
+Antioch. Even the heathen would stop him in the
+<pb n='53'/><anchor id='Pg053'/>streets and beg his blessing. Oniah was a power in
+Antioch for which even the reckless young profligate
+on the throne had an unfeigned respect.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+It may, then, be easily imagined that no little
+sensation was produced when this venerable personage
+appeared before Antiochus, and, in the presence
+of the Court, accused Menelaüs, whom he had
+steadfastly refused to acknowledge as high priest,
+of having embezzled much of the treasure of the
+Temple at Jerusalem. That Oniah, whose veracity
+and good faith were beyond all question, should
+make such a charge was <foreign rend='italic' lang="la">primâ facie</foreign> evidence of its
+truth. As he was known to have many friends in
+Jerusalem, it was more than probable that evidence
+would be forthcoming. The King did not hesitate a
+moment in acting upon this probability. Of course,
+he did not look at the matter in at all the same light
+as that in which it was regarded by the devout
+Oniah. To the dispossessed high priest the robbery
+of the sacred vessels was a monstrous sacrilege, an
+offence of the deepest dye, not only against his
+country but against his God. Antiochus felt that
+it was he who had been wronged. The treasures of
+the Jerusalem Temple were <hi rend='italic'>his</hi> treasures. He might
+be content to leave them, at all events for the
+present, where they were; but they must be ready
+to his hand whenever the occasion should arise, and
+any one who presumed to appropriate them was a
+traitor and a villain. Hence the urgent summons to
+<pb n='54'/><anchor id='Pg054'/>Menelaüs and to Sostratus, who, as Governor, could
+hardly fail, thought Antiochus, to have been cognizant
+of the whole proceeding.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Almost immediately after the despatch of the
+summons came the trouble with Tarsus. The King
+started to chastise in person his rebellious subjects,
+and left, as we have said, Andronicus in general charge
+of affairs, and with a special commission to hear the
+accusation which Oniah was bringing against Menelaüs.
+The choice was an unlucky one. Antiochus
+was sincerely anxious that justice should be done in
+the matter; but to get justice done in any particular
+case when it is not the rule of the administration is
+exceedingly difficult. Andronicus, to put the facts
+quite simply, was an unprincipled villain, ready to
+sell his decisions, when he could do so with impunity,
+to the highest bidder. He was an old
+acquaintance and confederate of Sostratus, and
+Menelaüs, who had established friendly relations
+with the Governor during their journey from Jerusalem
+to Antioch, soon received a hint as to how he
+should proceed. The hearing of the case had been
+appointed for the sixth day after his arrival. Before
+that date one of the sacred vessels which he had
+taken the precaution of bringing with him, had been
+exchanged for five hundred gold pieces, and the
+gold pieces had found their way into the pocket of
+Andronicus.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+On the day appointed Oniah, supported by the
+<pb n='55'/><anchor id='Pg055'/>principal Jewish inhabitants of Antioch and by not
+a few of the most respectable Greeks, appeared to
+substantiate his charges against the usurper Menelaüs.
+The evidence appeared to be overwhelming.
+The artizan who had been employed to fabricate the
+worthless imitations of the precious vessels told the
+whole story of the fraud with a fulness of detail
+which seemed to bear all the stamp of truth. Another
+witness related how he had carried one of the original
+articles to a goldsmith at Sidon, and actually produced
+a rough memorandum of its weight, which
+had been made upon the spot, to be afterwards
+embodied in the formal receipt.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+The line of defence adopted was bold, not to say
+impudent. The whole affair, according to Menelaüs,
+was a conspiracy on the part of the irreconcilable
+Jews to overthrow a loyal subject of the King. The
+witnesses, he declared, had been suborned, the
+documents had been forged. He then went on to
+bring a counter-charge against his accuser. And here
+he found a certain advantage in the transparent
+honesty of Oniah.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+<q>Do you acknowledge,</q> he asked the ex-high
+priest, <q>the validity of the appointments which our
+most noble lord Antiochus has made to the office of
+high priest?</q>
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Oniah frankly confessed that he did not.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+<q>Do you consider yourself to be still, according to
+the Law, in rightful possession of that office?</q>
+</p>
+
+<pb n='56'/><anchor id='Pg056'/>
+
+<p>
+<q>I do.</q>
+</p>
+
+<p>
+<q>And bound to assert that right?</q>
+</p>
+
+<p>
+<q>By lawful means.</q>
+</p>
+
+<p>
+<q>And you hold all means to be lawful that are
+enjoined in the Law of Moses?</q>
+</p>
+
+<p>
+<q>I do.</q>
+</p>
+
+<p>
+<q>And among such means you would count the
+banishment from the precincts of the Holy City of
+all such as do not worship the Lord God of Israel?</q>
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Oniah felt that he was becoming entangled in this
+artful web of questions, and made an effort to break
+loose. <q>I appeal,</q> he cried, <q>most excellent Andronicus,
+to all who, in this city of Antioch, for these four
+years past have known my manner of life. You see
+sundry of them, nor of my own nation only, in the
+court this day. Ask them whether I have not lived
+in all peace and quietness, not seeking to disturb,
+either by word or deed, the dominions of my lord
+the King.</q>
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Menelaüs, of course, had not come unprovided
+with witnesses. The old man had, to tell the truth,
+used language of an imprudent kind. He was a
+patriot and a believer. As such, he had his beliefs
+and his hopes, and it was part of his character to
+express such beliefs and hopes quite openly. He had
+talked of a day when the Holy Land should be no
+more the prey of the alien and the heathen, when a
+king of the House of David should rule in Mount
+Sion, when the Temple should regain all the
+sacred<pb n='57'/><anchor id='Pg057'/>ness and all the glory which had ever belonged to it.
+Such language, construed strictly, was not consistent
+with a thorough loyalty to the Syrian monarch. But
+no one who knew Oniah, a man of peace who had
+the good sense to recognize what was and what was
+not possible, could suppose that any scheme of revolt
+against existing authorities had ever entered into his
+mind. In fact he had not said a word that had not
+been said before by one or more of the prophets.
+Still, words which breathed a spirit of independence,
+when reported by witnesses, and acknowledged by
+Oniah—who was, indeed, too honest to deny them—gave
+Andronicus the occasion for which he had been
+looking. He gave his decision in the following
+terms:—
+</p>
+
+<p>
+<q>The charge against Menelaüs is postponed for
+further hearing. Meanwhile the documents produced
+and the witnesses will remain in the custody of the
+Court. As for Oniah, he must be reserved for the
+judgment of the King in person. I should myself
+have been disposed to release him; but in the
+absence of my lord, considering that the peace of the
+realm is so essentially concerned, I do not venture
+so far.</q>
+</p>
+
+<p>
+He was proceeding to give orders for the removal
+of Oniah, when an ominous murmur from the audience,
+with which the court was crowded, made him
+pause. Prisoners who saw the inside of an Antioch
+dungeon were sometimes not heard of again. The
+<pb n='58'/><anchor id='Pg058'/>air had a certain power of developing very rapid
+diseases, so rapid that the sufferers were not only
+dead but buried before any tidings of the sickness
+reached their friends. Antioch was not disposed to
+see the man who was probably the most widely
+respected of all its inhabitants, exposed to such a
+risk. Andronicus, who could not even trust the
+soldiers to act against so venerable a person, drew
+back. He was willing, he said, to accept sureties in
+a sufficient amount for the due appearance of the
+accused. The sureties were forthcoming in a
+moment, in sums so great and so absolutely secure
+that Andronicus had no pretext for refusing them.
+He proceeded to adjourn the Court for fourteen
+days.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+During the interval he took the opportunity of
+making a change in the garrison of the capital.
+Troops recruited from some of the regions bordering
+on Judæa, and accordingly among the bitterest
+enemies of its people, replaced some Greek mercenaries.
+The strangers knew nothing about Oniah,
+except that he was a Jew, and, being a Jew, of
+course hateful. They could be relied upon to obey
+orders, and those who knew Andronicus were sure
+what orders he would issue.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Oniah’s friends urged him to fly. He was too old
+and feeble, he replied; it would be better for him to
+die at his post. Then they implored him to take
+sanctuary.
+</p>
+
+<pb n='59'/><anchor id='Pg059'/>
+
+<p>
+<q>What!</q> he cried, <q>take sanctuary in a heathen
+temple! There is none other in the place. I would
+sooner die a thousand times.</q>
+</p>
+
+<p>
+It was not in a temple, they explained, that he
+was to find shelter. It was in the Gardens of Daphne
+that they wished him to take refuge. And they proceeded
+to unfold an elaborate argument, the gist of
+which was that the Gardens were a civil, and not a
+religious, sanctuary; that there would be no occasion
+for him to enter the consecrated enclosure; he would
+be simply availing himself of a custom which forbad
+the entrance of the Minister of Justice into a place
+devoted to the amusement of the people. It is
+probable that they strained their argument beyond
+the limits of the truth. It was with great difficulty
+that Oniah could be made to yield. When he did so
+at last, on the urgent representations of his friends
+that the hopes of a free Israel were largely dependent
+on the preservation of his life, he could not help
+foreboding that the concession would not profit
+either himself or them.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+The world scarcely contained a more beautiful
+place—beautiful both by grace of nature and diligence
+of art—than the Gardens of Daphne; and
+certainly none that seemed more unlikely to shelter
+a devout Jew. Its avenues of cypress and laurels,
+its delicious depths of shade, its thousand streams,
+clear as crystal and untouched by the drought of the
+longest, most fiery summer, were but a part of its
+<pb n='60'/><anchor id='Pg060'/>charms. Of some, perhaps the chief of its attractions,
+it is best not to speak; but there were others, less
+unseemly indeed, but such as must have been
+absolutely scandalous to such a man as Oniah. The
+curious thronged to see the gigantic statue of Apollo,
+a match both in size and costliness of material to
+that of Zeus in the plain of Olympia. (It was sixty
+feet in height, and wrought of gold and ivory.) To
+complete the resemblance to the famous meeting-place
+of the Greek race, there was a running ground
+and rings for wrestling and boxing. Finally, Daphne
+claimed to rival another great centre of Greek life
+in its special characteristic. It was stoutly maintained
+that the Apollo who haunted the laurel-groves
+of Daphne was as true a prophet as he who spoke
+through the lips of Pythia at Delphi. Crowds of
+men and women, eager to learn the secrets of the
+future, came to the groves of Antioch. The
+method by which they saw into the secrets of fate
+seemed singularly simple. The questioner dipped a
+laurel leaf into the stream that flowed by the shrine,
+and lo! the surface appeared written over with the
+intimations of fate. Simple it was, but the priests
+had spent a world of pains in acquiring the art of
+invisible writing, and they did their best to learn
+something about the history and prospects of the
+applicants.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Such was Daphne, and no one could be more
+astonished than were its inhabitants and visitors
+<pb n='61'/><anchor id='Pg061'/>at the strange figure whom they saw before them;
+strange to the place, indeed, rather than to them, for
+Oniah, as has been said, was one of the best-known
+personages in Antioch. The rumour of his coming
+had gone before him, and a crowd, half curious, half
+respectful, had gathered to meet him. In not a few,
+indeed, curiosity and respect were mingled with
+something of fear. The presence of this austere
+piety in this haunt of vicious pleasure, was thought
+to augur ill for its prosperity. Some of the priests
+were heard to murmur that one who was the avowed
+enemy of the gods ought not to be admitted. But
+they did not venture to deny to any one who sought
+them the privileges of sanctuary, while their fears
+were not of a kind which they could make their
+followers understand. They had, therefore, to
+acquiesce, and hope that the unwelcome visitor
+would bring with him no ill-luck.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+A little building, as remote as possible from the
+central temple, had been secured for the residence
+of Oniah. On reaching the gardens he had to make
+his way to it through two dense lines of eager spectators.
+The temple, the shrine of the oracle, the
+pavilions devoted to pleasure, were for the nonce
+deserted. The drunkards left their wine-cup, and,
+stranger still, the dice-players their gaming-tables,
+to gaze upon the holy man. As he walked up the
+narrow avenue that had been left for his passage,
+some of the women whose venal beauty was one of
+<pb n='62'/><anchor id='Pg062'/>the attractions of the place, threw themselves at his
+feet. Unhappy creatures, they had been brought up
+from childhood to this life of degradation, which
+indeed had a certain hideous sanction of religious
+association about it; but they had not altogether
+lost the womanly veneration for goodness, and, like
+the Magdalen of a later time, seemed to forget themselves
+in its presence. The old man, unconscious of
+their character, or perhaps, with the Divine Guest
+of the Pharisee of Capernaum, ignoring it, stretched
+out his hands with the gesture of blessing, and,
+though it was technically a pollution to touch a
+heathen, he even laid them on some children who
+were almost thrust into his arms. There was hardly
+a heart that was not touched with this kindness,
+and when the priest, as he entered his new abode,
+turned and bade the multitude farewell, he was
+answered with shouts of enthusiasm.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Menelaüs and his accomplices were dismayed at
+the escape of the victim. A witness who knew so
+much, and whose word was so implicitly believed,
+must be silenced at any cost. To take him by force
+from the sanctuary was impossible. Any attempt of
+the kind would certainly end in disaster. But it might
+be possible to draw him forth by fraud. Menelaüs
+knew enough of the old man’s character to be sure
+that he had gone reluctantly, and would gladly seize
+the opportunity of quitting a scene in which he must
+have felt himself so much out of place. Some such
+<pb n='63'/><anchor id='Pg063'/>fraud it would not be difficult to contrive with the help
+of Andronicus. Accordingly another of the sacred
+vessels found its way to the dealer, and another purse
+of gold into the pocket of the viceroy, and in a few
+hours the plot was arranged. As Antiochus was on
+his way back from the north, there was no time to
+be lost.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Two days after the arrival of Oniah at the gardens
+a visitor to him was announced. It was the viceroy
+himself.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+<q>Venerable sir,</q> he began, <q>it has grieved me
+beyond measure to find that you were distrustful of
+my honourable, and I may say friendly, intentions
+concerning you. Whoever accused me of ill-will
+towards you has wronged me most foully. And let
+me add that you also have been wronged no less in
+that you have been persuaded to come to a place so
+unworthy of your dignity. Your safety should be
+ensured, not by a sanctuary in which thieves and
+murderers find refuge, but by the inviolable precincts
+of the royal palace itself. Let me offer to you, in the
+name of the King, the hospitality of his abode. In
+the meanwhile I am willing to swear by any oaths
+that may suffice to satisfy you and your friends, that
+you shall suffer no injury from my hands.</q>
+</p>
+
+<p>
+One or two of Oniah’s friends strongly dissuaded
+him from trusting himself to the viceroy. But their
+caution was overborne by their companions and by
+the eagerness of the priest to quit so uncongenial a
+<pb n='64'/><anchor id='Pg064'/>place. Andronicus took every oath known to Greek
+or Jew that he would treat the priest with all
+respect, and Oniah gladly bade farewell to the
+Gardens. His departure was made at the dead of
+night, and unknown to any of the inhabitants of
+Daphne. Had they been aware of his intention, it
+is probable, knowing as they did the character of
+Andronicus, that they would have hindered it by
+force.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Almost at the moment of Oniah’s arrival at the
+palace a runner reached it from the King announcing
+his intended arrival on the next day.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Speedy action was necessary, and Andronicus,
+though not without misgivings, determined to lose
+no time. A Court of Justice, so called, was hastily
+held. A creature of his own was called to preside
+over it. Witnesses whose testimony had been carefully
+prepared, deposed to preparations for rebellion
+to which Oniah had been privy, and to which he
+had lent his aid. The accused was not allowed to
+have an advocate, and scarcely even permitted to speak.
+Two hours sufficed for this mockery of
+a legal process, and two more for carrying into
+effect the sentence of death which was of course
+pronounced. Though the brutal Cilicians who formed
+the garrison of the palace were ready to carry out
+any order which their officer might give, it was
+judged well to avoid anything like a public execution.
+That very night Oniah was poisoned in his
+<pb n='65'/><anchor id='Pg065'/>prison, and before dawn the next day his body was
+hastily consigned to the tomb.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+The punishment for this atrocious act of treachery
+and cruelty was not long delayed. One of the first
+acts of Antiochus, after his return to his capital, was
+to demand the presence of Oniah, and then the story
+had to be told. Andronicus did his best to put such
+a colour upon it as would deceive his master. The
+attempt was vain. The King saw in a moment
+through the idle charges which had been brought
+against the dead man. <q>What!</q> he cried, <q>Oniah
+rebel against <hi rend='italic'>me</hi>!</q> His vanity and self-confidence
+made the accusation seem the very height of
+absurdity.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+<q>Of course,</q> the King went on—<q>of course he did
+not acknowledge the priesthood of Jason or Menelaüs;
+he has told me so himself twenty times.
+He could not think otherwise, and he was as honest
+as the day. I only wish that he had left another as
+honest behind him. Zeus and all the gods of heaven
+and hell confound me if I do not avenge him to the
+uttermost. Tell me,</q> he cried, turning to the captain
+of the Cilicians, who stood by dismayed at his
+master’s rage—<q>tell me where you have buried
+him.</q>
+</p>
+
+<p>
+The captain described the place.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+<q>I will see him once more, and these villains shall
+see him too,</q> he said, pointing to the trembling pair,
+Andronicus and his creature the judge.
+</p>
+
+<pb n='66'/><anchor id='Pg066'/>
+
+<p>
+He went on foot, his royal dress discarded for a
+mourner’s cloak. His courtiers followed him, and a
+guard of soldiers behind brought with them the
+guilty viceroy and judge.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+<q>Open the grave,</q> he said, when he reached the
+spot.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+It was soon done, for the murderers had hurried
+their victim into a shallow tomb. In a few minutes
+the body of the dead man was exposed to view.
+Decay had not commenced, and death had given
+fresh depth and beauty to the serenity which had
+been their habitual expression in life. Antiochus
+gazed awhile at the face; then, dropping on his
+knees, covered his head with his mantle, and burst
+into a passion of tears.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+In a few minutes he rose to his feet. Grief had
+given place to rage, and his eyes blazed with fury.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+<q>Bind that wretch!</q> he cried, pointing to the
+wretched Andronicus.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+He was bound, and stood waiting his doom.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+<q>He is not worth the blow of an honest sword,</q>
+cried the King; <q>strangle him, as if he were a dog.
+But first make him look at the man whom he has
+murdered.</q>
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Andronicus was forced to the edge of the grave
+and compelled to look at the dead. A halter was
+thrown round his neck, and the next moment he was
+a corpse. The judge shared his fate. <q>And you,
+sir,</q> said the King, turning to the captain who
+<pb n='67'/><anchor id='Pg067'/>had administered the poison—<q>you, sir, though you
+are a barbarian, and know no better, must learn that
+you cannot rob the world of one who was worth a
+thousand such brutes as you. You are captain no
+more; that is your successor,</q> and he pointed to an
+officer in his train. <q>You can groom his horses, if
+you don’t want to starve. And think that you are
+lucky that you keep your head.</q>
+</p>
+
+<p>
+So the good Oniah was avenged.
+</p>
+
+</div><div type="chapter" n="5" rend="page-break-before: always">
+<pb n='68'/><anchor id='Pg068'/>
+<index index="toc" level1="V. The Wrath to Come"/>
+<index index="pdf" level1="V. The Wrath to Come"/>
+<head>CHAPTER V.<lb/><lb/><hi rend="smaller">THE WRATH TO COME.</hi></head>
+
+<p>
+A year has passed since the tragedy related in the
+last chapter. Menelaüs, thanks chiefly to the
+fickle temper of Antiochus, had escaped the fate
+which overtook his accomplice Andronicus, and had
+returned to pillage his unfortunate countrymen in
+Palestine. But his lease of power had come to an
+end. Jason, his dispossessed rival, had taken the
+opportunity of a report that Antiochus was dead,
+and attacked him. There could hardly be any
+choice between the two men. Both were equally
+rapacious; equally unfaithful to their religion and
+their country. But Jason had been out of power
+for two years, and his misdeeds had faded a little
+from the memory of the people; Menelaüs’s enormities
+were still fresh in their recollection. After a
+sharp conflict, the losses of which were utterly out
+of proportion to any gain that could possibly come
+from it, Jason had won the day, and his rival had
+<pb n='69'/><anchor id='Pg069'/>been compelled to take refuge in the Castle.
+Then came the news that the report of the death of
+Antiochus was false. He had settled affairs in
+Egypt after his liking, and was now on his way
+northwards, furious at the trouble which this obstinate
+province was giving him, and resolved, as he
+said, to quiet it for good. Jason had fled in headlong
+haste, and his partisans, and, indeed, most of
+those who had the means to go, had followed his
+example. Meanwhile Jerusalem was awaiting the
+future with fear and trembling.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+It is an evening in the early summer, and the
+western wall of the city is crowded with men and
+women, who are gazing with awe-stricken faces on
+the strange appearance of the sunset. All day
+people had been talking of the marvellous shapes
+which had appeared the evening before in the
+western sky, and now a great multitude had assembled
+to see whether the marvel would be repeated,
+and, if so, to judge of it for themselves. Nor had
+they assembled in vain. Never, within the memory
+of man, had the heavens worn a stranger, a more
+terrifying look. Above the spot where the sun was
+just sinking to his rest the whole sky glowed with a
+red and angry light. On this background, so to
+speak, the clouds of a lower stratum had shaped
+themselves into the forms of two armies ready to
+engage in battle. The spectators seemed to be able
+to trace in one place the serried ranks of infantry, in
+<pb n='70'/><anchor id='Pg070'/>another the massed array of chariots and horses. A
+space, brilliantly coloured, as it might seem, with
+something like the hue of blood, intervened between
+the two airy hosts. But these seemed to be slowly
+nearing each other, and the gazing people watched
+the lessening space, expecting, one might think, to
+hear the actual clash of arms when they should
+have met. But then the sun set, and with the
+sudden failing of light that marks the evening of
+more southern climes than ours, the whole pageant
+vanished from before the eyes of the spectators.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Among the crowd is our old acquaintance Menander,
+or Micah, whom we last met in the library of
+Jason. Things have not gone well with him since
+then. He had cherished a belief that Greek culture,
+the brightness of Greek literature and art, would do
+something to amend the severity, and what he was
+pleased to call the tastelessness of Jewish life. To a
+certain extent it had been an honest belief, though
+the pleasure-loving nature of the man, in its revolt
+against the stern morality of the Law, had had something
+to do with developing it. But his experience
+of Greek culture and its works had not been
+encouraging. If the reforming doctrine had to be
+preached by such prophets as Jason, and Menelaüs,
+and the cruel and profligate young tyrant Antiochus,
+it was more than doubtful whether it would do any
+good. Hitherto, certainly, it had done no good at
+all. The people were more unhappy, more
+spirit<pb n='71'/><anchor id='Pg071'/>less, more like slaves than they had ever been
+before; the rulers were more greedy and selfish,
+more absolutely careless of all that did not concern
+their own interests. Might he not, he began to
+think to himself, have made a mistake? Might not
+the old life, which was at least the life of free men,
+be better than the new?
+</p>
+
+<p>
+He was busy with such thoughts when he heard a
+woman’s voice behind him whisper <q>Micah.</q> He
+did not recognize it at once, but its tones were
+familiar to him, and they seemed to touch the same
+chord in his heart with which his thoughts were
+then busy. And the name, the old Hebrew name,
+that too was familiar, though it was long since he
+had heard it. He was <q>Menander</q> to his friends;
+for his friends were either Greeks, or else Jews who,
+like himself, had cast off the associations of his
+birth and race.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+<q>Micah,</q> said the voice again, and he turned to
+look at the speaker.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+She was a woman of some thirty years, plainly,
+almost poorly, dressed, but with all the air of gentle
+birth and breeding. Her face was beautiful, not
+with the brilliant loveliness of youth, but with that
+which is brought into the features by a pure and
+tender soul. There were the lines of many sorrows
+and cares upon her forehead, and round her eyes,
+and in the corners of mouth and cheek; but her
+eyes, save that they seemed almost too large for the
+<pb n='72'/><anchor id='Pg072'/>thinner contours of the face, were as beautiful as they
+had been in the first glory of her youth.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+It was Hannah, his elder sister, who had been as
+a mother to him in his orphaned childhood, that
+Menander recognized. Years had passed since they
+met. There had been no quarrel, but circumstances
+had made a barrier between them. What Menander’s
+life had been we know, and Hannah was the
+wife of a faithful and devout Jew, Azariah by name,
+who, though still cherishing kindly thoughts for his
+young kinsman, had felt that, for the present at
+least, they were best apart.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Brother and sister eagerly clasped hands, and
+Menander, or Micah, as we will call him, felt a lump
+rise in his own throat as he saw the tearful smile in
+Hannah’s lustrous eyes.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+<q>Micah,</q> she said—<q>for you will not mind my
+calling you Micah, though I hear you use another
+name; but you were always Micah to me—this is a
+strange sight on which we have been looking.</q>
+</p>
+
+<p>
+<q>Yes, sister,</q> he answered, with a gaiety of tone
+which was more than half assumed—<q>yes, sister,
+strange enough; but then we know that the clouds
+do take strange shapes at times. A current of air
+blows them this way or that, and, with our fancy to
+help, they become anything in heaven or earth that
+we may fancy.</q>
+</p>
+
+<p>
+<q>Nay, Micah, there is more than fancy here.
+You and I used to watch the clouds from the
+<pb n='73'/><anchor id='Pg073'/>window in the old house, and to laugh at the odd
+shapes which we found in them—lions, and dogs,
+and whales, and such things—but we never saw such
+a sight as this.</q>
+</p>
+
+<p>
+<q>But we had not in those days such thoughts of
+our own to read into the sights of the skies. But
+tell me, Hannah, what do you think it means?</q>
+</p>
+
+<p>
+<q>What can it mean,</q> she answered, in a low
+voice, <q>but wrath—wrath upon us and upon our
+children?</q>
+</p>
+
+<p>
+<q>Wrath, perhaps,</q> he cried; <q>and the sky has,
+I must confess, an angry look. But why must it be
+upon us? Why not rather upon our enemies? I
+see nothing in the skies which tells us whether these
+sights be meant for us or for them.</q>
+</p>
+
+<p>
+<q>Nay, my brother, speak not thus, for you know
+better in your heart. The heavens give us these
+signs, or rather God gives them to us through the
+heavens, but He leaves it to our own hearts to interpret
+them. They tell us surely enough on whom
+this wrath must fall.</q>
+</p>
+
+<p>
+<q>But, sister, tell me why on us? Are we worse
+than our neighbours—than these robbers of Edomites
+and Ammonites, these sullen Romans, never satisfied
+except when they are fighting—these mongrel
+Syrians?</q>
+</p>
+
+<p>
+<q>They are heathen,</q> said Hannah, in a solemn
+voice, <q>and they do not sin against light. Let us
+leave them to the judgment of God. But ourselves
+<pb n='74'/><anchor id='Pg074'/>we can judge. Look at this city; we call it the City
+of David—but where is the spirit of David? Have
+we not trampled the Law underfoot, making to ourselves
+graven images of things in heaven and earth
+and the water under the earth? Where is the
+honour of the Sabbath? Where is the morning and
+evening sacrifice? Where are the yearly feasts?
+Will our God deliver us again, when we will not
+thank Him for the deliverances that He hath wrought
+already? Oh, Micah, I do not seek to anger you;
+but are you such as our father, now in Abraham’s
+bosom, would rejoice to see you? And tell me, how
+was it that we Hebrews became a great people? A
+Syrian ready to perish was our father, and lo! before
+a thousand years were past, Solomon reigned from
+the great river to the Western sea. How came we by
+this might? Was it by aping Egyptian or Greek?
+Did we not keep to our own way, and walk after our
+own law, and worship our own God? Then it
+was well with us, and the nations round about feared
+us and honoured us; but now they laugh us to
+scorn, for we are ashamed of our own selves, and
+seek to be what they are, and cannot attain to it,
+and so fall short both of their greatness and of
+ours.</q>
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Micah stood dumb before this fierce torrent of
+words. Was this the gentle Hannah of his youth?
+There must be some mighty influence that could
+change the lamb into the lioness.
+</p>
+
+<pb n='75'/><anchor id='Pg075'/>
+
+<p>
+She went on, in a gentler voice, <q>You are not
+angry with me, brother?</q>
+</p>
+
+<p>
+<q>Surely not.</q>
+</p>
+
+<p>
+<q>I must go, for my husband will be waiting for
+the evening meal. Come, children,</q> she went on,
+speaking to two little girls who had been clinging
+to their mother’s cloak, gazing open-eyed and half-terrified
+at this strange kinsman.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+<q>And are these my nieces?</q>
+</p>
+
+<p>
+<q>Yes; Miriam and Judith,</q> answered Hannah,
+pointing first to one and then to the other. <q>This,
+children, is your dear uncle, Micah.</q>
+</p>
+
+<p>
+The young man stooped and kissed the children.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+<q>You will not let it be so long before we see you
+again?</q> said Hannah.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+His answer was to wring her hand, and turn
+away. Her words had pricked him to the heart,
+and he did not know whether to thank her or be
+angry.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+We must now turn to another group which had
+also been drawn to the walls by the report of the
+marvellous sights that were to be seen in the heavens.
+A group it was that would have attracted attention
+anywhere, so remarkable were the contrasts and the
+resemblances which it presented.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+The principal figure was an old man dressed in the
+everyday garb of a priest. The burden of years
+had bowed his stately figure, for he had long since
+passed the limit which the Psalmist assigns to the
+<pb n='76'/><anchor id='Pg076'/>life of man, but his eye was as brilliant as ever, and
+his voice, when he spoke, had lost none of its depth
+and fulness of tone. His three companions were
+men in the vigour of life. All surpassed the common
+stature, but yet none of them equalled the height of
+their father, for that they were father and sons the
+most casual observer must have seen. In age there
+was little difference between them. The eldest may
+have numbered about forty years, the youngest, perhaps,
+four less. Their dress was mainly that of
+the middle-class Jew, and so different from the old
+man’s priestly garb, but not without some distinctive
+marks that indicated the fact that they belonged to
+the House of Aaron. The multitude of priests was
+indeed so great that but a very small share in the
+services of the Temple, even when these were fully
+carried out, fell to the lot of any one man. These
+services had now been reduced to a minimum, and
+numbers of the priestly houses, while not repudiating
+their hereditary office, practically devoted themselves
+to the ordinary avocations of life. This had been
+done by the three sons of Mattathias of Modin, for
+such was the name and such the ancestral city of
+the aged priest.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+<q>Judas,</q> said the old man, addressing one of his
+sons, <q>these signs in the heavens are of a surety
+from the Lord.</q>
+</p>
+
+<p>
+The son addressed was the youngest of the three;
+but it was evident from the bearing of his brothers,
+<pb n='77'/><anchor id='Pg077'/>and from the air of respect and attention with which
+they waited for him to speak, that they were accustomed
+to see him the first recipient of their father’s
+confidence. And indeed it was not difficult to see,
+under a superficial resemblance of figure and face,
+something that distinguished him from his companions.
+John, the eldest, was a plain, blunt soldier,
+raised above the average level of his profession, by
+the purity of his life and the depth of his religious
+convictions, but still essentially a soldier, one who
+saw no way of solving complicated questions save by
+a downright blow of the sword. Simon, the second
+in point of age, had a singularly mild and benevolent
+expression, though his eyes were full of intelligence
+and the lines of his mouth and chin seemed to show
+that he could be firm on occasion. But Judas had
+all the outward characteristics of a hero. A sturdier
+soldier never wielded sword, but he saw that there
+are difficulties to which the sword alone can bring no
+solution. Nor was he slow to follow all the subtleties
+of diplomacy; but, at the same time, he never lost
+his grasp of the principles which all the skill of the
+diplomatist is unable to change.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+<q>Father,</q> he now said, <q>that these signs are
+from the Lord I do not doubt. But what is your
+counsel?</q>
+</p>
+
+<p>
+<q>Speak you first, my son,</q> replied the old man;
+<q>’tis ever best so. You might be unwilling to differ
+from me and yet be in the right. This at least my
+<pb n='78'/><anchor id='Pg078'/>years have taught me—that it is easy for any man
+to err.</q>
+</p>
+
+<p>
+<q>Let us stay,</q> said Judas. <q>’Tis true the air is
+stifling, such as a free man can scarcely bear to
+breathe. But there are many, father, that look to
+you for counsel and guidance, and we may scarcely
+leave them, at least till the call sounds more plainly
+in our ears.</q>
+</p>
+
+<p>
+<q>Nay,</q> cried John, the soldier, <q>I am not, as you
+know, one that would readily give his vote for flight.
+But here we are, methinks, as rats in a hole. May
+we not lawfully, and with good faith to God and our
+brethren, seek some place where we may at least
+have space to draw our swords and strike a blow?</q>
+</p>
+
+<p>
+<q>And you, Simon, what say you?</q> asked the old
+man, turning to his second son.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+<q>God knows that I would give much to be back
+at home. But our brethren need us here, and we
+may give them some comfort. Let us stay.</q>
+</p>
+
+<p>
+<q>Judas and Simon,</q> said the old man, after a
+pause, <q>you have spoken well, and I give my voice
+with yours. As yet our duty seems to keep us here.
+When it shall call us hence, we will follow it. And
+you, John, think not that you will long want for an
+occasion to strike with the sword. It shall come;
+but you will be readier for it if you make no haste
+to meet it.</q>
+</p>
+
+<p>
+With this the little party turned away from the
+wall, and made their way to their lodging in the city.
+</p>
+
+</div><div type="chapter" n="6" rend="page-break-before: always">
+<pb n='79'/><anchor id='Pg079'/>
+<index index="toc" level1="VI. The Evil Days"/>
+<index index="pdf" level1="VI. The Evil Days"/>
+<head>CHAPTER VI.<lb/><lb/><hi rend="smaller">THE EVIL DAYS.</hi></head>
+
+<p>
+It was not long before the portent which the terrified
+crowd had watched from the walls of Jerusalem
+found, or at least began to find, its fulfilment, for,
+indeed, many days were to pass before the wretched
+people had drained the cup of suffering to the dregs.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+First there was the actual arrival of the army,
+the rumour of whose approach had struck such
+terror into Jason. At its head came Antiochus in
+person, fresh from his successful campaigns in Egypt
+and in his train followed the renegade Menelaüs
+with a crowd of unscrupulous and profligate adventurers.
+There was no attempt at resistance. The
+gates were thrown open by the King’s adherents in
+the city. But if the citizens had hoped to soften the
+tyrant’s heart by their submissive attitude they were
+miserably disappointed. For days the streets of the
+city ran red with blood. The prominent members
+of the patriotic party were the first to perish. Then
+<pb n='80'/><anchor id='Pg080'/>came all the private enemies of the returning
+renegades; and then a far greater multitude who
+were singled out for destruction by the possession
+of anything that excited the cupidity of the conquerors.
+Lastly, as ever happens at such times,
+the massacre that is suggested by hatred or greed
+was followed by the massacre that is the result of
+the merest wantonness. But there were victims
+more unhappy than those who thus perished by
+the sword of the heathen. The money found on the
+persons and in the houses of the victims did not
+satisfy the cupidity of their murderers. There were
+thousands who had indeed nothing of their own to
+lose, but who were in themselves a valuable property.
+These were sent off in droves to be sold, till the
+slave-markets of the Eastern Mediterranean were
+glutted with the Jewish youth.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Still worse in the eyes of all pious Jews than the
+massacre or the captivity was the profanation of the
+Temple. The innermost shrine, the Holy of Holies,
+which the high priest himself was permitted by the
+Law to enter but once only in the year, was thrown
+open to the unhallowed gaze of a debauched heathen.
+With a horror that passes description the people
+saw the renegade Menelaüs, bound to be the
+guardian of the sanctity of the place, actually drawing
+aside the veil with his own hand, and conducting
+the King into the awful enclosure. They saw the
+most sacred treasures, gifts of the piety of many
+<pb n='81'/><anchor id='Pg081'/>generations, treasures to which the revenue of the
+Persian kings, and even of the victorious Alexander
+himself had contributed, become the spoil of the
+sacrilegious intruders. The golden altar of incense
+and the table of the shew-bread were taken by the
+King, while the seven-branched candlestick of gold
+fell, as was commonly believed, to the high priest
+himself. They saw it, and it almost overturned
+their faith that no visible sign of the Divine wrath
+followed an impiety so terrible.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+So Antiochus came and went, leaving behind him
+as his deputy, Philip, the Phrygian, <q>in manners
+more barbarous than he who set him there.</q> The
+time that followed was one of grievous depression
+and sadness. Life went on, as it will even amidst
+the gloomiest circumstances, but all the joy and
+brightness were crushed out of it.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Micah’s sister, the Hannah whom we have seen
+talking to him on the wall, gave birth to a son
+shortly after the departure of Antiochus. No feast
+was held on occasion of the rite that made the little
+one a member of the family of Abraham. When the
+forty days of purification were past, the mother was
+not taken to present her offspring in the Temple.
+The Temple, the haunt of pagans and apostates,
+was no place for faithful sons and daughters of
+Abraham. A visit to its courts could hardly be
+the seal of purification when it needed purifying
+so sorely itself.
+</p>
+
+<pb n='82'/><anchor id='Pg082'/>
+
+<p>
+An occasion that should by right have been
+still more joyful was allowed to pass with the
+absence of festivity. A younger sister of Hannah,
+Ruth by name, had long before been promised to
+Seraiah, a friend and relative of her husband.
+Time after time the marriage had been postponed,
+under the pressure of evil times; and when at
+last it was performed, not even then without sore
+misgivings and anticipations of evil among all the
+elders of the family, the celebration was of the
+quietest kind. Not a guest beyond the few friends
+who attended on the bridegroom was invited; and
+it was in dead silence, not with the usual shouts of
+merriment and gay procession of torches, that the
+bride was taken to her husband’s home.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+And yet, as we shall see, even for these evils
+there was a compensating good.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Micah, though he had affected to make light of
+the foreboding of evil which he had heard from his
+sister, had really been impressed by it—so much impressed,
+indeed, that he had left the city for a little
+country house at the northern end of the Lake of
+Galilee, that belonged to him. He had invited his
+relatives to accompany him, but they had declined.
+Their place, they said, was at home, among their
+poorer brethren, where they might do something
+to help and strengthen. All that Micah could do
+was to commend them to the protection of the
+Greek party in the city, with whom, in spite of his
+<pb n='83'/><anchor id='Pg083'/>fast increasing disgust at their proceedings, he had
+not yet broken.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+He had now returned, and he lost no time in
+finding his way to his sister’s house. The ravages
+made by fire and sword were only too plainly visible
+as he walked along. Houses that he had known
+from his childhood, in which he had often been a
+guest, were now but blackened walls; others were
+shapeless ruins. Again and again he saw on fragments
+of stone and plaster hideous blotches which
+he knew to be of blood; and as he saw these things
+he cursed aloud the hands which had wrought these
+horrors, not without the bitterest self-reproach that
+his own hand might have grasped them in friendship.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+It was a great relief to find that his sister’s house
+had been spared any outrage. But when he demanded
+admittance in the usual way, by kicking
+the door, it became evident that there had been a
+reign of terror, and that the inmates of the dwelling
+were not sure that it was yet over. The door
+was not thrown open in the usual free fashion of
+Jewish hospitality, but he became aware by a slight
+movement of one of the closed lattices that he was
+being inspected from above. The inspection was
+apparently satisfactory, for in another minute there
+was a sound of undrawing bolts and unfastening
+chains, and the inhospitable door was at last open.
+Hannah, sadly aged in look her brother thought,
+met him in the hall, and greeted him with a silent
+<pb n='84'/><anchor id='Pg084'/>embrace. After a pause, in which she seemed to be
+struggling with her tears, she said—
+</p>
+
+<p>
+<q>Welcome, dear Micah; while you and my husband
+and my children are left to me I feel that
+I cannot be unhappy. And perhaps you,</q> she
+added, with a wistful look in his face, <q>will draw
+nearer to us now. But come and see my dear ones.</q>
+</p>
+
+<p>
+She led the way to a room at the back of the
+house, looking out into a little garden shaded by a
+wide-branching fig-tree. Hannah noiselessly drew
+aside the curtain that served for a door, and the two
+stood by common consent and watched the scene that
+met their eyes. Azariah, the father of the family,
+was sitting with his back turned to them, holding on
+his knees a copy of the Law. On two stools at his
+feet sat his daughters, each holding in one hand a
+tablet covered with wax, and in the other a <foreign rend='italic' lang="la">stylus</foreign> or
+sharp-pointed iron pen. He was slowly dictating
+to them the words, <q>Hear, O Israel, the Lord thy
+God is one Lord,</q> and the little creatures were
+laboriously forming, not without many pauses for
+thought, the scarcely familiar letters.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+<q>Now read it, my children,</q> said Azariah, when
+the task was finished; and one after another the
+sweet, childish voices repeated the well-known
+words. Micah, as he listened, felt himself strangely
+touched. Presently he heard his sister murmur
+to herself, <q>In Thy Law will I meditate day and
+night,</q> and glancing at her face saw it illumined
+<pb n='85'/><anchor id='Pg085'/>with a joy which he could scarcely have believed
+those wasted features capable of expressing.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+<q>’Tis well, Miriam; ’tis well, Judith,</q> said
+Azariah to the little girls, and putting his hands
+upon their heads, as they stood before him, for they
+had risen to repeat the holy words, he repeated,
+<q>The God of Abraham and Sarah bless you.</q> And
+then, for they were mere children after all, and not
+above childish rewards, gave each a ripe fig from
+a basket which stood on a table by his side.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+The lesson being over, Hannah advanced, and her
+brother followed. Azariah turned and greeted the
+new comer not unkindly, but with a certain reserve,
+for he could not forget that his visitor was a
+Menander as well as a Micah, and that he had been
+the friend of the traitorous Jason, and the yet more
+traitorous Menelaüs. The children, after their first
+feeling of alarm, for a strange face was seldom seen
+in that home, and when Miriam, the elder, had recognized
+her uncle, showed no reserve in their welcome.
+They clung about his neck, and kissed him. They
+insisted on his coming to see their pets—Miriam’s
+turtle-doves, and Judith’s dormice, and the little
+gazelle fawn which they owned in common. <q>They
+have not heard a word against me,</q> thought Micah
+to himself; and this affectionate loyalty touched him
+to the heart. From his sister he might, perhaps,
+have expected it, but that the stern Azariah, a
+narrow-minded bigot, without a kindly thought for
+<pb n='86'/><anchor id='Pg086'/>any that did not walk in his way, as he had been
+accustomed to think of him—that Azariah himself
+should have dealt with him so mercifully, was a
+surprise as it was also a reproach.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+He stopped with them for the rest of the day, and
+after the evening meal, when the little ones had
+gone to bed, after making their uncle promise that
+he would soon come and see them again, the three
+had much serious talk together.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Micah had, of course, the family history to hear,
+for, stranger as he had been to them for some years
+past, he knew scarcely anything about it. He learnt
+now for the first time that a little boy had been
+born who, had he lived, would have been about two
+years younger than Judith. The mother had much
+to say about his beauty and goodness, and his rare
+promise of intelligence. Micah was touched all the
+more because he could not forgive himself for the
+alienation which had prevented him from saying
+a word of comfort to his sister in the hour of her
+bereavement. <q>It was, indeed, a terrible loss,</q> and
+he rose from his seat and kissed her. He felt that
+this little proof of his love would be better than
+many words.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+<q>Nay,</q> she said, with a cheerfulness that almost
+startled him—<q>nay; you must not say that we have
+lost our dear little Joshua. I know that I have a
+son still, though he is not here. I confess that it
+was very hard to part with him. But he is quite
+<pb n='87'/><anchor id='Pg087'/>safe in Abraham’s bosom, safer and better off,</q> she
+added, with a sad smile, <q>than he would be here;
+and some day I shall see him, and show him to
+you, dear Micah, and we shall be happy together.</q>
+</p>
+
+<p>
+After this the little party had much talk about the
+state of things in the present, and the prospects of
+the future. Again Micah was astonished to see the
+cheerfulness and courage which his sister and her
+husband kept up in the midst of circumstances
+which must have been most disheartening.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+<q>Ah!</q> said Azariah, when the conversation turned
+upon the desolation of the Temple, and the loss of all
+the ceremonial of worship, the daily sacrifice, and
+the great festivals of the year—<q>Ah! there are
+consolations even here. Perhaps we thought too
+much of these things in the old time. We were
+taken up with the outside, with the show and the
+splendour, the vessels of gold, and the clouds of
+incense smoke as they curled about the pillars and
+the roof, and we forgot what they meant. But now
+that the outside things are taken from us, we can
+give our hearts to that which is within. We have
+our gatherings still, though the Temple doors are
+shut. Every Sabbath-day we meet, and the Law
+and the Prophets are read in our ears—aye, and
+there are those who can expound them, and speak
+words that comfort and strengthen us. I, myself,
+have felt the Spirit move me once or twice to exhort
+and cheer the brethren. No, brother! believe me,
+<pb n='88'/><anchor id='Pg088'/>it is not wholly loss that we cannot assemble any
+more in our beautiful house. Our fathers learnt
+much when they sat mourning by the waters of
+Babylon, and we also are learning much in this
+our second captivity.</q>
+</p>
+
+<p>
+This sounded strange to the young man, who,
+indeed, had dulled his understanding of spiritual
+things by his follies and excesses. Still he could not
+help feeling deeply impressed by the evident earnestness
+of the speaker. But he felt that he could say
+nothing. A trifler and unbeliever like himself could
+only remain silent in the presence of thoughts and
+feelings so much higher than anything to which he
+could reach.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+After a short pause Azariah went on—<q>The
+Lord has not seen fit to renew among us the spirit
+of prophecy, and we know not certainly of the
+things that are coming upon the earth. Yet a man,
+though he be no prophet, may read the signs of the
+times. Believe me, there are days to come more full
+of evil and darkness even than those that we have
+seen. My heart sometimes fails me when I think of
+this dear woman,</q> and as he spoke he laid his hand
+upon his wife’s shoulder, <q>and of the little ones
+whom God has given us. It will be a hard time
+for men to battle through—but for women and
+children——.</q> And his voice faltered.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Hannah turned to him with her brave, cheerful
+smile—<q><q>As thy days, so shall thy strength be.</q> The
+<pb n='89'/><anchor id='Pg089'/>great prophet said it, did he not, to all his people—to
+the weak ones as well as to the strong?</q>
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Shortly after Micah took his leave. As he walked
+through the deserted streets he thought much of the
+words which he had heard that night, and still more
+of the cheerfulness and courage, ten times more
+eloquent than all words, which he had witnessed.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+<q>Is all this a delusion?</q> he asked himself. <q>Six
+months ago, perhaps even six hours ago, I should
+have had little doubt in saying so. But now—well,
+if it is a delusion, it is strangely like a reality. Anyhow
+its effects are real enough. Dear Hannah!
+always the best and kindest of sisters, but a timid
+creature, whom I used to amuse myself by frightening.
+But now—she is as bold as a lioness. Well,
+I can only hope that the truths which I have been
+learning, if they are truths, will stand me in as good
+stead when the need comes.</q>
+</p>
+
+</div><div type="chapter" n="7" rend="page-break-before: always">
+<pb n='90'/><anchor id='Pg090'/>
+<index index="toc" level1="VII. The Darkness Thickens"/>
+<index index="pdf" level1="VII. The Darkness Thickens"/>
+<head>CHAPTER VII.<lb/><lb/><hi rend="smaller">THE DARKNESS THICKENS.</hi></head>
+
+<p>
+Azariah had read the signs of the times aright.
+The darker days had come, days so full of trouble
+that the unhappy people looked back to the past
+that had seemed so sad and gloomy as to a time
+of rest. Things had not been going well with King
+Antiochus, for the Romans had driven him out of
+Egypt, and in his rage and fear he turned against
+his Jewish subjects with greater ferocity than ever.
+One of his motives was the brutal desire to wreak
+upon the feeble the vengeance which he could not
+exact from the strong; the other was a genuine
+fear lest he should lose another province as he had
+already lost Egypt. He saw that the policy of Rome
+was to stir up against him the national spirit of subject
+peoples, and he knew well enough that in the
+Jews, crushed though they had been by oppression
+and massacre, this national spirit was not by any
+means dead. Accordingly he set himself with relentless
+ferocity to extinguish it. Everything distinctive
+<pb n='91'/><anchor id='Pg091'/>of the people was to be rooted out; that done they
+might become really submissive; there would be
+no more a land of the Jews, but simply a province
+of Southern Syria.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+The first thing, he conceived, would be to strike
+such terror into the hearts of the people that there
+should be no thought among them of resistance.
+For such a purpose nothing could be more effective
+than another massacre such as that which had
+already been perpetrated two years before under his
+own eyes: only this, he determined, should be
+more complete. He perceived with a devilish ingenuity
+that his orders would be more relentlessly
+carried out if he entrusted their execution to some
+one else, than if he were personally present. Appeals
+might be made to him to which he might yield out
+of sheer weariness, whereas a lieutenant, if he were
+only hard-hearted enough, would simply fall back
+upon the orders which he had received, and refuse
+all responsibility save that of seeing that these were
+fully carried out.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Such a lieutenant he knew that he possessed in
+the person of a certain Apollonius, a Cretan mercenary,
+who had already given proofs enough that
+he was about as little troubled as any man could
+be with a conscience or with feelings of compassion.
+To Apollonius, accordingly, the commission was
+entrusted, and he proceeded to execute it in a
+particularly brutal and treacherous way.
+</p>
+
+<pb n='92'/><anchor id='Pg092'/>
+
+<p>
+He marched to Jerusalem, taking with him a
+picked force of some five thousand men—picked, it
+may be said, quite as much for their unscrupulous
+and ferocious character, as for their strength and
+skill in arms. There would have been, in any case,
+little chance of resistance, but, to make his task
+the easier of accomplishment, he had so timed his
+coming that he approached the city two or three
+hours before the end of the Sabbath. Secret orders
+had been sent to Philip, the Phrygian, that he was
+to relax the severity of his rule; and the people
+had begun to breathe again after a long period of
+repression. The Temple was still shut, or virtually
+shut, but the synagogues were open, and were indeed
+frequented by throngs of fervent worshippers.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+It wanted a couple of hours to sunset when the
+news ran through the city that an armed force was
+approaching the walls. The first feeling aroused
+by the tidings was naturally one of alarm. The
+appearance of the soldiers, however, was such as to
+disarm all apprehensions. In the first place they
+were more like a crowd of men who happened to be
+carrying arms than an army. They were not marching
+in ranks, or indeed keeping any kind of order.
+A multitude of country-folk could be seen mingled
+among them, soldiers and civilians walking side by
+side in the most friendly and unconstrained fashion.
+Some of the new comers recognized old acquaintances
+among the townsfolk, and introduced their
+<pb n='93'/><anchor id='Pg093'/>comrades to them; and though some of the sterner
+sort stood rigidly aloof, there were quite enough
+among the inhabitants of Jerusalem to give the
+visitors a general welcome. Apollonius himself,
+a conspicuous figure as he rode on his white
+charger up and down the streets of the city, was
+noticeably busy in renewing old acquaintanceships
+and making new ones.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+And then in a moment the whole scene was
+changed. A soldier and a citizen were standing on
+the wall, talking and laughing together, and that
+in a place where they could be seen by all observers.
+Suddenly, without there having been even the
+slightest sign of a quarrel, the soldier was seen to
+plunge his sword into the side of his companion.
+It was a preconcerted signal. The wretched inhabitants,
+who would have been defenceless in any
+case, were taken absolutely off their guard, and had
+but slender chances of escape. How many hundreds,
+possibly thousands, perished cannot be guessed. But
+the massacre was more general, more pitiless than
+that which had devastated the city two years before.
+Apollonius’s <q>picked</q> men showed themselves altogether
+worthy of his choice, so brutal and bloodthirsty
+were they. And Apollonius himself was to
+be seen everywhere urging his men to make short
+work with these <q>pestilent Jews,</q> as he called them,
+and not unfrequently striking a blow himself. He
+earned on that day such hatred that thereafter
+<pb n='94'/><anchor id='Pg094'/>there was not to be found a Jew, save among the
+vilest renegades and traitors, but uttered a curse
+when his name was mentioned.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Of course the soldiers had to be paid for their
+bloody day’s work, and they were paid by the
+plunder of the city. The houses were stripped, and
+the plunderers, when they had carried away everything
+that had roused their cupidity, often, out of
+sheer wantonness, completed the work of devastation,
+by setting fire to the desolated houses. Altogether
+Jerusalem presented such a spectacle as had not
+been seen since the days of the Babylonian conquest.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+The spirit of the people having been, as it would
+seem, thus effectually broken for the present, it
+remained to provide against its possible revival in
+the future.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Long gaps were made in the line of wall, so long
+that it took not a few days to make them, and
+would certainly require as many weeks to repair.
+The town thus made defenceless was further overawed
+by the erection of a fort in the City of David,
+this fort being held by a strong garrison of Greeks
+and Asiatic mercenaries.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+The means of repression thus provided, the next
+thing was to extinguish all that was characteristic
+of the national life. First, the great centre of
+that life, the Temple, was formally desecrated.
+Already it had been subjected to such indignities
+that the pious Jew could scarcely bear to enter
+<pb n='95'/><anchor id='Pg095'/>its precincts. But the final horror, the <q>abomination
+of desolation,</q> was yet to come. On the
+15th of the month Chisleu (December) an altar
+of a Greek pattern, and consecrated to the Olympian
+Zeus, was placed on the great altar of sacrifice,
+and ten days afterwards a huge sow was
+slaughtered on this. Her blood, caught after the
+Greek fashion in a bowl, was sprinkled on the altar
+of incense and on the mercy-seat within the Holy
+of Holies—a hideous mockery of the sprinkling
+which the Law enjoined to be performed once in
+every year. From the animal’s flesh a mess of
+broth was prepared, and this was sprinkled on the
+copies of the Law. The Temple, thus dishonoured,
+was as if it had ceased to be.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+The meeting-houses, in which, as we have seen,
+the people had found a substitute for the Temple
+worship, were summarily closed. An edict was
+issued commanding that every one who possessed
+a copy of the Law, or of any one of the sacred
+books, should give it up without loss of time. To
+call in cupidity to the aid of fear in enforcing this
+edict, the King’s officers were instructed to pay a
+reasonable price for the manuscripts thus produced.
+It was made a capital offence to read or to recite
+any part of the proscribed writings. Then the
+practice of circumcision was forbidden. Death was
+to be the penalty for all who should take any part
+in performing this rite—for the circumciser, the
+mother, the father, even the babe itself.
+</p>
+
+<pb n='96'/><anchor id='Pg096'/>
+
+<p>
+And then to the policy of repression Antiochus
+added the policy of bribery and temptation. Their
+own worship forbidden, the Jews were to be allured
+by the seductions of the worship of their masters.
+Hitherto little had been done in this way. Insults
+indeed, had been heaped upon the people; but little
+attempt had been made to attract them. The
+Temple gates, closed for more than a year, were
+again thrown open; and the courts, long silent, resounded
+with the mirth of sacrificial banquets and
+the gaiety of festivals. Not only all the splendours,
+but all the impure pleasures of heathen
+worship were called in to assist the attempt
+that was being made to sap what was left of the
+faith of the people.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Antiochus, who, for all his wrath at Jewish
+obstinacy, could not help feeling a certain respect
+for it, took the trouble to send among the people a
+missionary, if he may be so called, who was to
+instruct them in the new religion which their King
+was so anxious to impose upon them.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Theopompus, or Athenæus, to use the name which
+was commonly given him from his birthplace, was a
+follower of the philosophy of Epicurus. He had
+held a subordinate post, as lecturer in geometry, in
+the famous school of the Garden, but had found his
+modest income insufficient to meet his somewhat
+expensive tastes. If he had had but a tolerable
+competence, Athenæus would have made an ideal
+<pb n='97'/><anchor id='Pg097'/>Epicurean. He was devoted to pleasure, but there
+was nothing unseemly or extravagant about his
+devotion. For the foolish people who ruined their
+constitutions and emptied their purses by exhausting
+excesses he had a genuine contempt. <q>Give me,</q>
+he would say, <q>a decent sufficiency of <q>outside
+things,</q> and I am content.</q> As he had a fair
+smattering of culture, and a real acquaintance with
+geometry, and had a venerable appearance which
+happily hit the mean between hilarity and austerity,
+he might have been, but for a chronic want of money,
+a real success among the somewhat <foreign rend='italic'>dilettante</foreign>
+philosophers of Athens. But circumstances were
+against him. Poverty did not ill become an
+Academic, and positively set off a Stoic; but an
+Epicurean seemed to have missed his vocation if he
+could not be always handsomely dressed and able
+to give elegant entertainments to his friends.
+Athenæus, who liked above all things to be on good
+terms both with himself and with every one else,
+felt this very acutely, and he was proportionately
+delighted when the Syrian King proposed to him that
+he should go as a teacher, not without a handsome
+salary, of Greek religion and Greek culture.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+His success was not encouraging. In the first
+place he had a difficulty in making himself understood.
+The pure Attic Greek on which he prided
+himself was strange to the ears of his new audience,
+and he could not bring himself to descend to the
+<pb n='98'/><anchor id='Pg098'/>barbarous dialect to which they were accustomed.
+And when he was seriously called to account in the
+matter of his belief he found himself involved in
+difficulties from which he saw no way of escape. At
+Athens religion was politely ignored. The common
+people must, of course, have their gods and goddesses;
+and the wise man, if he were prudent, would
+say nothing—anyhow in public—to disturb their
+belief; but within the privileged walls of the schools
+the names of Zeus and Athené and Apollo were never
+so much as mentioned, except, perhaps, in the course
+of some antiquarian discussion.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Among his new disciples, as he would fain have
+reckoned them, Athenæus found a very different
+temper. They were terribly in earnest; abstractions
+and phrases did not satisfy them; they pushed their
+questions home in a very perplexing way.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+One day at the conclusion of a lecture, the customary
+invitation to the audience to put any questions
+that might occur to them was accepted by a
+young man who sat on one of the front benches.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+<q>I would ask you, venerable sir,</q> he said, <q>some
+questions about the gods of your religion.</q>
+</p>
+
+<p>
+<q>Speak on,</q> replied Athenæus, with his usual
+courtesy; <q>I shall be delighted to satisfy you to the
+best of my power.</q>
+</p>
+
+<p>
+<q>Are we to believe the stories that are told us in this
+book?</q> and he held up, as he spoke, a little volume
+of popular mythology, filled from beginning to end
+<pb n='99'/><anchor id='Pg099'/>with tales that, to say the least, were not edifying.
+<q>For, if these be true, these divine beings were such
+as would be banished from the society of all honest
+men and women. They are thieves, adulterers,
+murderers. It would be a thousand times better to
+have no gods at all than such as these.</q>
+</p>
+
+<p>
+<q>You are right, sir,</q> said the lecturer; <q>these
+stories are for the ignorant only, at least in their outward
+meaning, though they have an inner meaning
+also, which I will take some fitting occasion to
+expound. But not such are the gods whom we
+worship.</q>
+</p>
+
+<p>
+<q>Will you tell us something of them?</q> continued
+the questioner.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+<q>Willingly, for they are such that the wisest of
+men need not be ashamed of them. They dwell in
+some remote region, serene and happy. Wrath they
+feel not, nor sorrow, nor any of the passions that
+disturb the souls of men.</q>
+</p>
+
+<p>
+<q>And do they care for our doings upon earth?</q>
+</p>
+
+<p>
+<q>How so? They neither love nor hate; and both
+they must do, I take it, did they concern themselves
+with human affairs.</q>
+</p>
+
+<p>
+<q>What profit, then, is there in them? How are
+men the better for their being?</q>
+</p>
+
+<p>
+<q>That I know not; only that it is part of the
+order of things that they must be.</q>
+</p>
+
+<p>
+<q>Far be it from me,</q> exclaimed the young Jew,
+<q>to exchange for such idle existences the God of my
+<pb n='100'/><anchor id='Pg100'/>fathers! He may smite us in His anger till we are
+well-nigh consumed, but at least He cares for us.
+He led our fathers through the sea and through the
+wilderness in the days of old. He has spoken to us
+by the prophets, and He has made His Presence to
+be seen in His Temple; and though He has hidden
+His face from us for a time, yet He will repent
+Him of His wrath, and devise the means by which
+He shall recall His banished unto Him. No, we
+will not change our God for yours!</q>
+</p>
+
+<p>
+A loud murmur of assent went round the benches
+when the speaker sat down, and Athenæus felt that
+he had made but small way with his audience.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Finding his theology and philosophy but ill received,
+Athenæus bethought him of what seemed a
+more hopeful method of proselytizing. Could not
+a specially powerful attraction be found in the festival
+of Dionysus, the wine-god? Vintage feasts, he
+reflected, are common to every country where wine
+is produced, and it would not be difficult to ingraft
+the Greek characteristics on a celebration to which
+the Jews were already accustomed. Some of the less
+scrupulous might be tempted to take part in such
+a festival, a beginning would be made, and more
+would follow in due time. How the scheme prospered
+will be told in the next chapter.
+</p>
+
+</div><div type="chapter" n="8" rend="page-break-before: always">
+<pb n='101'/><anchor id='Pg101'/>
+<index index="toc" level1="VIII. Shallum the Wine-Seller"/>
+<index index="pdf" level1="VIII. Shallum the Wine-Seller"/>
+<head>CHAPTER VIII.<lb/><lb/><hi rend="smaller">SHALLUM THE WINE-SELLER.</hi></head>
+
+<p>
+<q>Things are growing worse and worse; only three
+customers yesterday, and not a single one to-day,
+though it must be at least an hour past noon. One
+would think that all the world had become Nazarites.
+Then, though there is next to nothing coming in,
+there is no stop to the going out. First comes the
+rascally tax-gatherer, and squeezes one as dry as a
+grape-skin in a press. And if, by chance, there
+happens to be a drop left, some snuffling priest is
+sure to turn up, and talk about one’s duty as a
+patriot and a Jew till he drags the last shekel out
+of one.</q>
+</p>
+
+<p>
+The speaker was one Shallum, a Benjamite, who
+kept a little wine-shop in the Lower City. When he
+had finished his grumble, he thrust his hand into an
+empty wine-jar, drew from it a little leathern bag,
+untied the string which was round the neck, poured
+out the scanty contents on the counter and counted
+them. He knew the amount perfectly well, for he
+<pb n='102'/><anchor id='Pg102'/>had gone through the counting process at least
+ten times before that day. But when a man is
+desperately anxious to make two ends meet, he
+will measure them again and again, though he may
+know exactly by how much they are too short.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+<q>Twelve shekels and ten annas! And old Nahum
+will be here to-morrow, asking for his thirty
+shekels!</q>
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Nahum was a Lebanon wine-grower, whose long-suffering
+had been already tried to the utmost by the
+delays of the impecunious Shallum.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+At this moment his meditations were interrupted
+by the entrance of two visitors, who had been
+standing, listening and watching outside the door.
+They were traders in a small way, who had migrated
+from Joppa when they heard that Greek wares were
+becoming the fashion in Jerusalem.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+<q>Ho! Shallum,</q> cried one of them, <q>two cups of
+your best Lebanon; and make haste, for we have
+important business on hand.</q>
+</p>
+
+<p>
+<q>Shall I draw some water fresh from the well?
+This is a little too warm to be used.</q>
+</p>
+
+<p>
+<q>Water!</q> said the man. <q>Jew, don’t blaspheme.
+Mix water with our wine to-day, of all days in the
+year!</q>
+</p>
+
+<p>
+<q>And why not to-day?</q> said Shallum.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+<q>Because it is the feast of Dionysus, the wine-giver;
+and it would be the grossest impiety to
+profane his bounty with any mixture of meaner
+<pb n='103'/><anchor id='Pg103'/>things. Commonly his godship winks at human
+weakness; but to-day it is different. May he
+confound me if I do him such dishonour!</q>
+</p>
+
+<p>
+<q>He will certainly confound you if you drink this
+heady wine undiluted,</q> muttered Shallum to himself,
+as he set the two cups before his guests.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+<q>Excellent! excellent!</q> cried Lycon, the elder
+of the two Greeks, as he set down his goblet, half
+empty. <q>But why the god vouchsafes such capital
+drink to these unbelieving dogs of Jews puzzles me
+beyond expression.</q>
+</p>
+
+<p>
+His companion broke out into a drinking-song:
+</p>
+
+<lg>
+<l><q rend="post: none">Fill the cup with ample measure,</q></l>
+<l rend='margin-left: 2'>Dionysus’ gift divine;</l>
+<l>Earth and sea hold no such treasure</l>
+<l rend='margin-left: 2'>As the gleaming, sparkling wine.</l>
+</lg>
+
+<lg>
+<l>All for youth are love’s caressings,</l>
+<l rend='margin-left: 2'>Gold and gems for princes shine;</l>
+<l>All may share the wine-god’s blessings,</l>
+<l rend='margin-left: 2'><q rend="pre: none">Rich and poor are glad with wine.</q></l>
+</lg>
+
+<p>
+Shallum was fairly tolerant, as indeed a tavern-keeper
+can hardly fail to be, of the ways and manners
+of his customers; but to hear this praise of a false
+god, one of the odious demons that were worshipped
+by the heathen, was too much for his patience. He
+muttered a curse under his breath, and emphasized
+this expression of disgust by spitting on the floor.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+<q>Don’t talk to me of your gods and goddesses!</q>
+cried Shallum, goaded beyond all endurance, <q>a
+<pb n='104'/><anchor id='Pg104'/>lewd, drunken crew that no respectable person
+would have anything to do with!</q>
+</p>
+
+<p>
+<q>Come, my friend,</q> said the Greek, <q>this is not
+the sort of talk which one expects to hear from a
+loyal subject of the pious Antiochus. We Greeks
+are not such bigots as you are, cursing every man,
+woman, or child that does not go exactly in our own
+way; but you must treat us and our belongings with
+respect. We are not going to have barbarians
+scoffing at what we think fit to worship. I have
+heard of men being crucified for less than you have
+said to-day. But hearken, Shallum, we did not
+come here to-day to quarrel with you. You are a
+good fellow, after all, and keep as capital a tap of
+wine as any that I know, King Tmolus<note place="foot">The wine of Mount Tmolus, a mountain near Smyrna, before
+which, as Virgil says (Georgics ii. 184), all other wines rise as before
+their betters.</note> only
+excepted. We want you to come with us and have
+a jolly day. What is the good of quarrelling about
+words? You and we are quite agreed that there is
+something in wine that makes it one of the finest
+things under the sun. Suppose that we choose to
+call that something Dionysus the Wine-god, and you
+choose to say that your god has to do with it, what
+is the difference? We are really agreed. It is the
+goodness in wine that we both like, and I’m sure
+that a really honest fellow like you, that we can
+always rely on to give us the right stuff, should be
+<pb n='105'/><anchor id='Pg105'/>the first to acknowledge it. Well, can’t we show an
+agreement? That is why we want you to come with
+us. A whole crowd of your countrymen are coming,
+I understand. It will be a pretty sight, and there
+will be some of the finest music that you ever heard,
+and dancing, and fun of all kinds, and, of course, as
+much wine as ever you want. Of course you will
+come, my dear Shallum?</q>
+</p>
+
+<p>
+<q><hi rend='italic'>I</hi> come?</q> growled the wine-seller. <q>Not I!
+What do I care about your dancing and singing?
+And as for wine, I can have as much as I want at
+home, and better stuff, too, than any that I am
+likely to get elsewhere.</q>
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Lycon, who was evidently bent on getting his way,
+did not suffer his good humour to be disturbed by
+the Jew’s churlishness. <q>Ah!</q> said he, <q>that
+reminds me. Stupid fellow that I am, I quite
+forgot the matter of business that really brought
+me here. To tell the truth, business and this old
+Lebanon don’t very well agree. But listen;
+Neocles, who is manager-in-chief of the whole
+festival, has quite made up his mind to have your
+wine, and none but yours, for all the better sort of
+people. He was to get some skins for the common
+folks from Zadok—do you know him?</q>
+</p>
+
+<p>
+<q>Know him?</q> said Shallum; <q>I should think I
+did—hasn’t got a drop of sound wine in his shop.</q>
+</p>
+
+<p>
+<q>So the Chief said. But we were to come to you
+for the good wine. What can you let us have?
+<pb n='106'/><anchor id='Pg106'/>Mind that it must be the very best. We were not
+to haggle about the price, Neocles said, so long
+as we got it really good.</q>
+</p>
+
+<p>
+And Lycon pulled out of his pocket a money-bag
+that was evidently much better furnished than
+Shallum’s lean and hunger-bitten purse. Untying
+the neck, he poured into his hand, with an air of
+careless profusion, some ten or twelve gold pieces.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Shallum’s keen eyes glistened at the sight. Here
+was enough to pay not only Nahum but all his
+creditors, and leave him a handsome sum over
+wherewith to tide over the hard times. His somewhat
+brusque manner changed in a moment. He
+was now the most obsequious of tradesmen.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+<q>Everything in my stores is at your disposal.
+And I have a better wine than this in my cellar, and
+only ten shekels a skin,</q> he went on, adding about
+three to the utmost he expected to get. <q>But wait
+a moment, gentlemen, you shall taste it for yourselves.</q>
+</p>
+
+<p>
+He took a small flagon from beneath the counter
+and disappeared. The two Greeks smiled to each
+other. <q>We have the fish fast,</q> one of them said;
+<q>after all there is nothing like a golden bait.</q>
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Shallum shortly reappeared with the wine, which
+was tasted and approved.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+<q>Well,</q> said Lycon, <q>we will say ten skins of this
+at ten shekels a piece, and five of the other sort at
+eight—that is the price; is it not?</q>
+</p>
+
+<pb n='107'/><anchor id='Pg107'/>
+
+<p>
+Shallum nodded assent. As a matter of fact he
+would never have expected more than seven. But
+if these Greeks were so free with their money why
+should not an honest Jew have the benefit of it?
+</p>
+
+<p>
+<q>Of course you will come with us?</q> said Lycon.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+<q>You may take my word for it, there will be nothing
+to offend you.</q>
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Shallum hesitated for a moment, and then muttered
+an unwilling <q>Yes.</q>
+</p>
+
+<p>
+<q>And you won’t mind wearing this little twig of
+ivy, just twisted round your head? It means nothing—every
+one does it.</q>
+</p>
+
+<p>
+This was more than the wretched man was prepared
+for. <q>Not I,</q> he said; <q>I am not going to
+wear any of your idolatrous ornaments.</q>
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Lycon put the money-bag into his pocket again.
+<q>Then, my dear Shallum, I am afraid we shall not
+be able to do any business. <q>Give and take</q> is our
+motto. We put a nice little bargain in your way;
+and you must humour us. However, if you are
+obstinate, there must be an end of it. I dare say
+Zadok can find us what we want. Come,
+Callicles,</q> he went on, turning to his companion,
+<q><corr sic="(no quote mark)">we</corr> must be going.</q>
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Shallum saw his dreams of deliverance from his
+money-troubles vanishing into air, and grew desperate.
+<q>Stop,</q> he said to his guests, <q>let me
+think for a moment. You won’t ask me to do anything
+else. A few leaves can’t make much odds
+<pb n='108'/><anchor id='Pg108'/>either way. I don’t remember ever hearing anything
+in the Law against wearing ivy. It isn’t like
+eating swine’s flesh, or those detestable scaleless
+eels that you Greeks are so fond of. Yes, I’ll wear
+the thing, if you want me to so much.</q>
+</p>
+
+<p>
+<q>That’s right, Shallum; I thought a sensible
+man like you would not throw away a good chance
+for a mere nothing.</q>
+</p>
+
+<p>
+So saying, Lycon stepped outside the shop, and
+whistled. In a minute or so a cart, which had been
+waiting round the corner, was driven up. The skins
+of wine were stowed away in it, and the two Greeks,
+with Shallum between them, all wearing the ivy-wreath,
+took their seats, and started for the Valley
+of the Cheesemongers, where it had been arranged
+that the festival should be held.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+The festival was scarcely a success, if it was
+meant, as it certainly was, to attract the Jewish
+population. A few hundreds, indeed, had been persuaded
+or compelled to be present. Most of them
+belonged to the lowest and most degraded class,
+wretched creatures whom any purchaser might
+secure for any purpose with a shekel or a flagon
+of wine. To-day they were <q>hail fellow well met</q>
+with their Greek neighbours, but to-morrow they
+would be perfectly ready to tear them in pieces. A
+few of somewhat better character had been bribed,
+as Shallum had been bribed, to come. These had
+little of the air of genuine holiday-makers. Their
+<pb n='109'/><anchor id='Pg109'/>bursts of simulated gaiety did not conceal the shame
+which they really felt. Others, again, did not make
+even this pretence of hilarity. They had been
+actually compelled to come, and they had all the air
+of prisoners led in the triumphant procession of a
+victorious general. Their faces were ghastly pale.
+Some, with their teeth firmly clenched, seemed to be
+forcibly keeping in the curses which struggled to
+find utterance. Others, of a gentler temper, were
+weeping silently; and others, again, preserved a
+look of dogged indifference. The Greek part of the
+spectators, who could have enjoyed the humours
+of the scene with a good conscience, were depressed
+by the presence of these unwilling guests.
+In consequence, everything seemed to fail. The
+jesters, with their grotesque garb and faces
+hideously smeared with wine-lees, could scarcely
+get a laugh from their audience; the singing lacked
+heartiness, the dancing was dull and spiritless. It
+is only natural that revellers, who find the time
+passing slowly, should try to quicken its movement.
+There was little brightness or gaiety in this feast of
+the wine-god, and there was therefore all the more
+excess. Some seized the rare opportunity of intoxicating
+themselves without expense, while others
+drank to drown their shame or their anger. Shallum,
+whose occupation had somewhat seasoned him
+against the effects of wine, remained comparatively
+sober, but his Greek companions were less discreet
+<pb n='110'/><anchor id='Pg110'/>or less strong-headed. They became, by a rapid
+succession of moods, boisterously gay, foolishly
+affectionate, and provokingly quarrelsome. It was
+not long before things came to a crisis. Lycon
+taunted the wine-seller with the quality of his
+wines; that did not affect him, for he was used to
+such complaints from his customers, and took them
+as part of his day’s work. He scoffed at the subjection
+of his nation to Greek rule; Shallum still kept
+his temper. The tipsy Greek was only encouraged
+to further insults by his companion’s self-restraint.
+He attempted to daub the Jew’s face with the dregs
+from a broken flagon. Shallum angrily shook him
+off, and he reeled back, just saving himself from a
+fall by catching at the trunk of an olive tree.
+<q>Hog of a Jew!</q> he cried, <q>do you lay hands on a
+free-born Greek? Come, Callicles,</q> he went on,
+turning to his companion, <q>let us teach the beast
+how to behave himself.</q> The two rushed at the
+Jew, aiming blows at his head with the staves
+which they carried in their hands. One of them
+stumbled against the stones of a ruined house,
+and fell so heavily that he was unable or unwilling
+to raise himself again. Shallum easily
+evaded the attack of the other, dealing him at the
+same time so fierce a stroke of the fist that it
+stretched him senseless on the ground. The deed
+done, he looked hastily round to see whether any
+spectator had witnessed it. To his great relief, he
+<pb n='111'/><anchor id='Pg111'/>found himself alone. From the lower city came the
+sounds of furious revelry and the strains of the
+Bacchic chorus—
+</p>
+
+<lg>
+<l><q rend="post: none">Comrades, crown the bowl with wine,</q></l>
+<l>Round your locks the ivy twine,</l>
+<l>Deeper drink and join again</l>
+<l><q rend="pre: none">Bacchus and his reeling train.</q></l>
+</lg>
+
+<p>
+His first impulse was to tear the ivy-wreath from
+his head. Then he reflected that if he could
+endure to wear it for a few moments longer, it
+might serve him as a passport. The event
+proved that he was right. He passed unquestioned
+through the crowd of revellers, left the
+precincts of the valley, and striking on an unfrequented
+path, hurried on at the top of his speed, not
+pausing till he had put at least six miles between
+himself and the scene of his late adventure. Then
+he threw himself on the ground and bewailed his
+grievous fall in an agony of shame and remorse.
+After a while the fatigue and excitement of the day,
+helped by the fumes of the wine, which his rapid
+movements had sent to his brain, overpowered him,
+and he sank into a heavy sleep.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+His slumbers lasted late into the day. When he
+woke, his head aching with the excess of the day
+before, he felt even more wretched, more hopeless.
+To return to the city was out of the question. But
+where was he to go? While he was debating this
+question with himself, and could find nothing in the
+<pb n='112'/><anchor id='Pg112'/>least resembling an answer, he caught the sound of
+approaching footsteps. Mingled feelings of shame
+and fear suggested to him that he should hide himself,
+and he plunged into the bushes which lined the
+side of the road.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+The traveller approached. He was a renegade
+Jew, and Shallum recognized him as one who had
+taken an active part in the festivities of the preceding
+day. Just as he passed Shallum’s hiding-place
+an unlucky impulse made him burst forth into a
+snatch of the Bacchic chant—
+</p>
+
+<lg>
+<l><q rend="post: none">Deeper drink and join again</q></l>
+<l><q rend="pre: none">Bacchus and his reeling train.</q></l>
+</lg>
+
+<p>
+His listener heard the words with mingled feelings
+of disgust and rage, and leaping down into the road
+felled him senseless to the ground.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+At first it seemed as if what he had done did not
+make his way plainer before him. But as he stood
+by the prostrate man a thought occurred to him.
+He took the purse which the man, in the usual
+traveller’s fashion, wore by way of girdle round his
+waist, and examined its contents. It held three gold
+pieces and some ten shekels. The gold he left; but
+half of the shekels he transferred to his own keeping.
+One of the shekels sufficed to purchase some bread
+and dried flesh at the neighbouring village. Thus
+recruited in strength the fugitive made his escape
+to the mountains.
+</p>
+
+</div><div type="chapter" n="9" rend="page-break-before: always">
+<pb n='113'/><anchor id='Pg113'/>
+<index index="toc" level1="IX. The Persecution"/>
+<index index="pdf" level1="IX. The Persecution"/>
+<head>CHAPTER IX.<lb/><lb/><hi rend="smaller">THE PERSECUTION.</hi></head>
+
+<p>
+Menander, or Micah—the young man still wavered
+between the two moods which were symbolized by
+these names—had been greatly moved, as we have
+said, by what he had seen and heard in his visit to
+his sister and her husband. But he could not shake
+himself free from the habits and prepossessions of
+years. Though he had always kept aloof from the
+worst excesses of his renegade and heathen friends,
+still his moral tone had been lowered, and even his
+physical nerve weakened by a frivolous and self-indulgent
+life. Sometimes he would half resolve to
+cast in his lot with his people. Sometimes, again,
+the cynical or doubting temper returned. What
+madness it would be, so the evil voice whispered to
+him, to sacrifice all that made life pleasant, and,
+very possibly, life itself, for what both philosophers
+and practical men of the world agreed in pronouncing
+to be a delusion!
+</p>
+
+<pb n='114'/><anchor id='Pg114'/>
+
+<p>
+Till this question had been settled one way or
+the other, he found it impossible to rest. The city
+became odious to him, for he shrank from the sight
+of his fellow-men. Indeed, he did not know with
+whom to associate. His Greek or Greek-loving
+acquaintances, with their frivolities and vices, disgusted
+him; and the patriots regarded him with coldness
+and aversion. Solitude, he fancied, might suit
+him better, and he went again to his country house
+at Lebanon. But he found himself worse off than
+ever where there was nothing to come between his
+thoughts and himself, and he hastened back to
+Jerusalem. Then it suddenly occurred to him that
+his sister had been expecting shortly to become a
+mother, and he made his way to her house to inquire
+of her welfare. Azariah himself answered his knock.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+<q>How is Hannah?</q>
+</p>
+
+<p>
+<q>Thanks be to the Lord,</q> replied Azariah, <q>she
+is well. She had an easy travail.</q>
+</p>
+
+<p>
+<q>And the babe? A son or a daughter?</q>
+</p>
+
+<p>
+<q>The Lord has given us a son.</q>
+</p>
+
+<p>
+But he said it without the gladness that a Jewish
+father, newly blessed with the hope that there
+should be one to preserve his name in Israel, should
+have felt.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+<q>But you must come in and see him, for indeed
+he is of a singular beauty.</q>
+</p>
+
+<p>
+The young man followed his host into the chamber
+already described, and sat down to wait. Presently
+<pb n='115'/><anchor id='Pg115'/>Azariah reappeared, holding the child in his arms.
+It was no father’s fondness that had made him speak
+of his singular beauty. The child was but five days
+old; but he had none of the <q>shapeless</q> look which
+is commonly to be seen in the newly born. His
+features were shaped with a regularity most uncommon
+at so tender an age, and his complexion
+beautifully clear, while his little head was surrounded
+with what may be called a halo of golden hair.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Micah was loud in his admiration. <q>I never saw
+his equal for beauty. You are indeed a happy
+father to have the fairest son in all Israel.</q>
+</p>
+
+<p>
+The smile on Azariah’s face faded away.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+<q>I would not be thankless for the <q>gift that
+cometh from the Lord,</q> nor wanting in faith; yet I
+sometimes cannot but think that in these days the
+childless are the happiest, or, I should rather say,
+the least unhappy.</q>
+</p>
+
+<p>
+<q>Of course you will be prudent,</q> said Micah,
+<q>and yield to the necessities of the time. Put off
+the circumcision of the child. There can be no
+harm in that. And when Hannah has got her
+strength again, you can come down to my place in
+the Lebanon, and it can be done quietly, without
+any one being the wiser.</q>
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Azariah said nothing. He turned away his face,
+but not before his brother-in-law had seen his eyes
+fill with tears. After leaving some loving messages
+for his sister the young man departed, hoping,
+<pb n='116'/><anchor id='Pg116'/>though not without some serious doubt, that his
+advice would be followed.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+A week after, when the question, he knew, would
+have been decided one way or the other, he bent his
+steps again towards his sister’s house. As he walked
+through the streets he could see that the persecutors
+were busy at their work. Fires were burning here
+and there, and copies of the Law and the other holy
+books were being burned in them. From a house
+which he recognized as being the dwelling of a scribe
+of great learning, a party of Greek soldiers burst
+forth, as he passed, dragging behind them a richly-ornamented
+scroll of the Psalms. For a moment the
+wild impulse surged in his heart to rescue the sacred
+writing from the flames; but he recognized the
+hopelessness of the attempt; and, indeed, he sadly
+asked himself, was he fit to be a champion of holy
+things? A soldier gathered up the parchment in his
+arms, and tossed it in a heap on the fire. Part of
+it opened as it fell, and Micah saw for a few moments
+before the flames reached them, words which he
+never forgot till his dying day: <q>Princes have
+persecuted me without a cause, yet do I not swerve
+from Thy commandments.</q> As he stood and looked,
+with a rage in his heart which he could not express,
+two more soldiers came out of the house, holding
+between them the scribe himself, a venerable man,
+in whom Micah recognized an old friend of his
+father’s. They threw him down, face foremost, on
+<pb n='117'/><anchor id='Pg117'/>the fire, and held him there till he was 
+<corr sic="suffocated">suffocated.</corr>
+But before the tragedy was finished, the young Jew
+had turned away, feeling in his heart that the
+question which he had been debating so long was
+being rapidly settled for him.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+The blow that was to clinch his conclusions was
+not long in falling. As he came near the bottom
+of the little hill on the top of which stood his
+sister’s house, he saw a cross, and, bound to it by
+cords, what seemed to be the figure of a woman,
+with a dead child hung round her neck. The sun
+had set, and the light was failing with the rapidity
+that is characteristic of a southern latitude.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+<q>Truly these Greeks have a strange way of
+showing their love of beauty. We have had
+sickening sights in Jerusalem of late enough to
+make their name stink in our nostrils for ever.
+What poor wretch is this? How has she offended
+our masters? And the child—what treason can he
+have been guilty of?</q>
+</p>
+
+<p>
+And as he spoke a dreadful fear shot through his
+heart. After all—for he knew what a dauntless
+spirit his sister had shown at their last meeting—after
+all they might have circumcised the child and
+brought down upon themselves the vengeance of the
+persecutors. He turned aside from the road and ran
+up to the terrible object. It was almost dark by the
+time he reached it, and he had to light a torch which
+he carried with him in case of need, before he could
+<pb n='118'/><anchor id='Pg118'/>see what the object really was. Then one glance
+was enough. The features of the woman were black
+and swollen; but he recognized them in a moment.
+It was the face of Hannah, his sister. But a month
+before he had seen it beaming with light and love,
+and now—— Had he needed any confirmation he
+would have found it in the child. The features were
+beyond recognition; but the golden halo of hair was
+there; its brightness scarcely dimmed.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+He sank upon his knees, and lifting his hands to
+heaven he cursed the authors of this wickedness,
+and swore that he would give all his life to avenge
+the innocent blood. Then rising he hastened to the
+house of Azariah.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+He found a considerable company assembled.
+They were deep in debate about the course of action
+to be pursued when Micah, who had been met by
+Azariah at the door, was introduced into the room.
+Most of those present were acquainted with him, at
+least by reputation, and they were naturally disposed
+to consider his presence an intrusion. But it was
+soon manifest that the new comer was not indifferent,
+much less hostile, to their objects.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+<q>Hear me, brethren,</q> he cried, <q>if, indeed, one so
+unworthy as I may call you brethren,</q> and he went
+on to recount the struggles with which his mind had
+been agitated during the weeks just past. Then,
+after briefly touching on what he had just seen, he
+went on, <q>I have sinned; I have forsaken the Law
+<pb n='119'/><anchor id='Pg119'/>of my God; I have defiled myself by a companionship
+with the heathen; and though I have not worshipped
+their false gods</q>—there was a sigh of relief
+from the company as he uttered these words with a
+solemn emphasis—<q>yet I have been a guest at the
+feasts of their temples. If, therefore, you judge me
+to have transgressed beyond all pardon, cast me out
+from your company; I can find some other way to
+do service for the country that I have betrayed, and
+the God whom I have denied. Yet, if you think
+me worthy of death, I do not refuse to die.</q> And he
+drew a dagger from his belt, and offering it to one
+who seemed to be a leader in the assembly, stood
+with bared breast before him.
+</p>
+<pgIf output='txt'><then>
+  <p rend="ill">[Illustration: <hi rend='italic'>The Persecution.</hi>]</p>
+</then><else>
+  <p><anchor id="i_135"/><figure url="images/i_135.jpg" rend="w80">
+<index index="fig" level1="The Persecution"/>
+<head><hi rend='italic'>The Persecution.</hi></head>
+<figDesc>The Persecution</figDesc></figure></p>
+</else></pgIf>
+<p>
+A murmur of admiration ran through the meeting.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+<q>Nay, brother,</q> said the man whom he addressed,
+<q>this is not the time to take one soldier from the
+hosts of the Lord. You have sinned in the past;
+make amends in the future. There will be time and
+opportunity enough. And if you are the brother of
+her who has witnessed a good confession even unto
+death, you will not fail to use the occasion that shall
+come.</q>
+</p>
+
+<p>
+The company then resumed the debate which had
+been interrupted by Micah’s arrival. Little difference
+of opinion indeed remained among them, and when
+the president, Seraiah by name, brother-in-law of
+Azariah, as being the husband of his sister Ruth,
+stated his views they met with general assent.
+</p>
+
+<pb n='120'/><anchor id='Pg120'/>
+
+<p>
+<q>We have seen enough,</q> he said, <q>and suffered
+enough. This city is polluted, and is no longer a fit
+abode for the faithful. Let them that are in Judæa
+flee unto the mountains. Meanwhile we will gather
+together such as have not bowed the knee to Baal,
+and will make head against the oppressor. But
+here we shall be struck down, and perish as a beast
+perishes in the pit into which he has fallen.</q>
+</p>
+
+<p>
+After this the company dispersed to make such
+preparation as they could for their departure, which
+was fixed for the night following. Micah and
+Seraiah remained behind in the house of mourning.
+Azariah withdrew to comfort his little girls, who
+were crying almost incessantly for their mother.
+Comfort he needed sorely for himself, and he found
+it, as far as it could be found, in this fatherly care.
+Every look and gesture of the little ones reminded
+him of her whom he had lost, and seemed to open the
+wound afresh. Yet it consoled him to talk to them
+about their mother, to tell the story of her early
+days, to remind them, though they did not need to
+be reminded, of all her goodness and love, and to
+picture her happiness where she sat in Paradise with
+the holy women of old, with Miriam, and Sarah,
+and Rachel.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Meanwhile Seraiah told the story of Hannah’s end
+to Micah. <q>We came together,</q> he said, <q rend="post: none">on the
+eighth day after the birth of her child; but though
+all was prepared for the circumcision of the boy,
+<pb n='121'/><anchor id='Pg121'/>we had not yet resolved what was to be done. I
+know that I wavered—I confess it with shame—and
+so did Azariah. And, indeed, I can scarcely find
+it in my heart to blame him. He had no thought of
+his own life, but to risk his wife’s and the child’s—that
+was terrible. And there were others who
+advised him to yield for the time; the risk was too
+terrible. Indeed, that was the feeling of most of us,
+and those who thought otherwise were unwilling to
+speak. We were assembled, you know, in your sister’s
+chamber. She sat on the bed, holding the little one
+in her arms. Her face was somewhat pale; but she
+had a calm and steadfast look, like the look of one
+who watches his adversary in the battle line of the
+enemy, and there was a fire in her eyes, such as I
+have never seen in the eye of woman before. When
+I had spoken, counselling delay and yielding for a
+while to the necessities of the time, I turned to her
+and said, <q>And you, Hannah, what think you?</q></q>
+</p>
+
+<p>
+<q rend="post: none">Then she spoke, and her voice never faltered for a
+moment, but was clear and full, though indeed she
+never raised it above the pitch that becomes the
+obedience and modesty of the woman. <q>Pardon
+me,</q> she said, <q>fathers and brethren, if I seem, in
+differing from your counsel, to reproach you. I am
+but a weak woman, and know nothing of policy or
+of the needs of the time. But I know the thing
+that the Lord our God has commanded: <q>Every
+man-child among you shall be circumcised,</q> and
+<pb n='122'/><anchor id='Pg122'/><q>whosoever shall not be circumcised that soul
+shall be cut off from among his people.</q> The Lord
+hath given me this child, and shall I not do for him
+according to the commandment? Shall we fear
+man rather than God? And for myself, is it a new
+thing for a mother to give her life into the hand of
+God? Four times already have I so given it, and
+He has restored it to me. And if it be His will that
+it be taken, shall I not obey? What said the Holy
+Children when Nebuchadnezzar would have had
+them fall down and worship the golden image, lest
+they should be cast into the burning fiery furnace.
+<q>Our God whom we serve is able to deliver us out
+of thy hand, and He will deliver us out of thy hand,
+O King; but if not——</q></q></q>
+</p>
+
+<p>
+<q rend="post: none">Then she turned to her husband, and said, <q>What
+shall be his name?</q> as steadily and quietly as if
+there had been no question of danger or fear.
+<q>Let his name be David,</q> said the father, as he
+took the babe from its mother’s arms; for the sun
+was about to set, and in a few moments the due
+time would be past. So they carried the child into
+the next room. And when your sister heard his cry,
+she broke forth into blessings and thanksgiving.
+<q>Thanks be to Thee, O Lord,</q> she cried, <q>in that
+Thou hast made him a child of the Covenant. And
+now I beseech Thee to grant that he may walk
+before Thee all the days of his life as walked Thy
+servant David, and that he may sit down with
+<pb n='123'/><anchor id='Pg123'/>Abraham and Isaac and Jacob in the kingdom of
+heaven.</q></q>
+</p>
+
+<p>
+<q>After that she bade us stay and partake of the
+feast which she had caused to be prepared. Verily
+she had left nothing uncared for. Never was her
+table better spread, and, as you know, she was a
+notable housekeeper. And though, for her weakness,
+she could not sit at table with us, she was gay
+and cheerful even beyond her wont, so that we men,
+for very shame, had to banish the care from our
+faces, and laugh and be merry with her. But the
+next day the soldiers came and beat Azariah, as they
+thought, to death, and——</q> The speaker paused;
+indeed he could not speak for the choking tears. At
+last he said, in a broken voice, <q>What need to tell
+the rest? You know it.</q>
+</p>
+
+<p>
+The next night Azariah, Seraiah, Micah, and a
+company of some thirty men and women left Jerusalem.
+Part of them were on foot, but an ass had
+been found to carry Ruth, Seraiah’s wife, who was
+expecting shortly to become a mother. Their destination
+was the hill-country that went by the name
+of the Wilderness of Bethaven.
+</p>
+
+</div><div type="chapter" n="10" rend="page-break-before: always">
+<pb n='124'/><anchor id='Pg124'/>
+<index index="toc" level1="X. In the Mountains"/>
+<index index="pdf" level1="X. In the Mountains"/>
+<head>CHAPTER X.<lb/><lb/><hi rend="smaller">IN THE MOUNTAINS.</hi></head>
+
+<p>
+The time is evening; the place is a rocky pass
+between Bethel and Michmash. At the mouth of
+a cave which commands a view of the approach
+from the westward, are seated two men, in one of
+whom we may recognize Shallum, the quondam
+wine-seller of Jerusalem.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+<q>Well, comrade,</q> he is saying to his companion,
+<q>this business is not quite to my liking. It is all
+very well when we can relieve a Greek merchant,
+or, better still, a Syrian tax-gatherer, of his money-bags;
+but I hate robbing our own people. That
+poor fellow to-day, for instance, who was taking
+home his wages—he had been wood-cutting, he
+said, in Bashan—it really went to my heart to take
+the money from him.</q>
+</p>
+
+<p>
+The companion whom he addressed was a rough,
+savage-looking fellow, who certainly did not look as
+if he would feel very much for Shallum’s scruples.
+<pb n='125'/><anchor id='Pg125'/>He had followed, indeed, the robber’s trade, it may
+be said, from his childhood, as his fathers had
+followed it before him, almost since the days of
+the Captivity.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+He now broke out into a loud, mocking laugh.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+<q>Ah! my friend Shallum,</q> he said, <q>you are a
+great deal too soft and tender-hearted. But then
+you are new to the business; when you have been
+at it as long as I have, you won’t have these
+scruples. Now, mark what I say; and if we are
+to be good friends, don’t let me hear any more of
+this nonsense. You are a stout fellow and a man
+of your hands; and as for myself, well, I rather
+think that a novice like you could hardly have come
+across a better teacher. I don’t doubt that we shall
+do very well together; and when we have made a
+little money, I shan’t blame you if you give up the
+business and become what they call an honest man.
+For myself, the <q>honest man</q> line does not suit
+me—it is not in my blood, you know. But, meanwhile,
+if we are to work together, we must agree.
+Now, all is fish that comes to our net. Of course,
+I don’t mean the people about here—our neighbours,
+you know. We must not touch them; on the
+contrary, they must have a share of what we make.
+As long as they are our friends we are safe. But
+all strangers are lawful booty. And mind—for I
+see that you are a little wroth about this—mind, it
+is only dead men who tell no tales.</q>
+</p>
+
+<pb n='126'/><anchor id='Pg126'/>
+
+<p>
+Benjamin’s words of wisdom—the more experienced
+of the two robbers was named Benjamin—were
+interrupted by an exclamation from his
+companion.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+<q>Hush!</q> he cried, <q>I hear a sound of voices
+from the pass.</q>
+</p>
+
+<p>
+The two men listened; Shallum was evidently
+right. A party of travellers were approaching from
+the west.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+<q>We are in luck,</q> said Benjamin; <q>it is not
+often that we do business so late in the day.</q>
+</p>
+
+<p>
+As he spoke the leaders of the party emerged into
+sight.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+<q>Shoot, Shallum!</q> said Benjamin; <q>strike one of
+those fellows down and we shall have the whole
+party in confusion.</q>
+</p>
+
+<p>
+<q>Nay, Benjamin; I hear the voices of women
+and children; and see—God wither my hand if I
+shoot at such helpless people as these.</q>
+</p>
+
+<p>
+The rest of the party was now in sight. Two
+men, one on either side of the ass, were supporting
+Ruth, who, worn out by the fatigues of the day,
+could with difficulty keep her seat on the animal.
+These were her husband and Azariah. Close
+behind came Micah, carrying on his shoulder the
+little Judith, who was fast asleep. Then followed
+Miriam, Judith’s elder sister. The poor child limped
+sadly along, for her city life had been but a poor
+training for that long day’s march, and she felt just
+<pb n='127'/><anchor id='Pg127'/>a little envious of the good fortune which Judith
+enjoyed in being carried.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Shallum recognized the figures of Seraiah and
+Ruth, with whom he happened to have had some
+slight acquaintance in Jerusalem, and from whom
+indeed he had received no little kindness.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+<q>Benjamin,</q> he said, in a determined voice, <q>I
+know these people, and if I can help it they shall
+suffer no harm.</q>
+</p>
+
+<p>
+<q>Well, well; have your way,</q> said his companion,
+who indeed was not quite as hard of heart
+as he would make himself out. <q>If, as you say,
+you know them, go down and make friends.</q>
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Shallum at once made his way down into the pass,
+and, standing in the path, greeted the travellers with
+the customary salutation, <q>Peace be with you!</q>
+</p>
+
+<p>
+<q>What, Shallum!</q> said Seraiah, <q>is that you?
+What brings you here?</q>
+</p>
+
+<p>
+<q>That were a long story,</q> returned the man,
+<q>and this is not the time to tell it. But can I
+serve you?</q>
+</p>
+
+<p>
+<q>Can you find shelter for my poor wife? But it
+is idle, I fear, to ask you. There can be no inn
+near this wild place.</q>
+</p>
+
+<p>
+<q>’Tis true, sir, there is no inn; yet if you can
+put up with such poor lodging as we can give,
+the lady will have at least shelter.</q>
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Ruth was lifted from her seat on the ass, and
+carried between her husband and Azariah up the
+<pb n='128'/><anchor id='Pg128'/>rocky track that led to the cave, Shallum showing
+the way with a lighted torch in his hand, for by
+this time the night had fallen.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Benjamin met the little party at the mouth of the
+cave. His life of crime had not quenched all kindly
+feeling in him. He felt, too, that he was a host;
+and the sense of hospitality, which keeps its hold
+on an Eastern heart as long as anything good is
+left to it, bade him do his best for his guests.
+And the sweet smile of thanks with which Ruth
+greeted him when she was laid on the couch of
+cloaks, which the two inmates of the cave had
+hastily arranged on a pile of heather, won him
+altogether.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+A minute or two afterwards Micah followed with
+the two children; Judith, still fast asleep, was put
+down by Ruth’s side, while Miriam forgot her fatigue
+in the delightful excitement of this new adventure.
+The new-comers had brought with them a slender
+store of provisions. These they proceeded to share,
+declining with thanks the dried flesh and wine which
+their entertainers offered. The rest of the party
+found shelter, under guidance of the robbers, in
+some of the many caves with which the rocks in
+the neighbourhood were honeycombed.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Next morning the arrangements for housing the
+little colony were made. There was an abundance
+of caves to give shelter to all, and the accommodation
+though rough, at least protected them from the
+<pb n='129'/><anchor id='Pg129'/>weather. Their life was simple in the extreme—simple
+even to hardness. They sought for herbs
+and roots, and from the neighbouring peasants they
+bought a few goats, to browse among the rocks, and
+a small quantity of corn, which they bruised between
+stones and baked. The mountain springs furnished
+their drink, a few flasks of wine being reserved for any
+cases of sickness. Twice a day the whole company
+met for worship. Seraiah read a portion first from
+the Law and then from the Prophets, for they had
+not forgotten to bring rolls of the Sacred Books.
+Then standing erect, with covered heads, their faces
+turned towards the Temple, they joined in prayer.
+In the words of one who himself in old time had
+found himself shut out for a while from the privileges
+of the Holy Place and was content to realize them
+by faith, the congregation uttered together the
+petition, <q>Let my prayer be set forth in Thy sight
+as the incense; and let the lifting up of my hands
+be an evening sacrifice.</q> One of the psalms of
+penitence followed; for surely they had all many
+sins to repent of—sins of which they were now
+suffering the penalty; and, after the psalm, a prayer
+for deliverance from the enemy, and for the setting
+up again of the throne of David, and for that
+without which neither deliverance nor a restored
+kingdom could profit them—purity and righteousness
+in their own hearts and souls.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Nothing could be more simple and frugal than
+<pb n='130'/><anchor id='Pg130'/>their daily fare. Wild fruits and herbs were largely
+used, and any little plots of fertile ground that could
+be found were planted with vegetables, some far-seeing
+member of the party having brought with
+him a small supply of garden seeds. When a few
+days after their arrival Ruth gave birth to a
+son it was much feared that the scanty supply of
+nourishing food might long delay her restoration
+to strength. This fear was not realized. The
+feeling of freedom and deliverance combined with
+the fine mountain air to bring her back to her
+wonted health, and she found herself able to go
+about her daily work long before she could have
+hoped to do so in the more enervating atmosphere
+of the city.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+One day she had gone to gather herbs for the
+daily mess, a work in which she was especially
+useful from the knowledge of plants which she had
+taken pains to acquire in her unmarried days. She
+had taken, of course, the new-born infant with her,
+and Miriam, who was delighted to perform, as far as
+her strength permitted, the office of nurse. The little
+Judith, whose night’s rest had been disturbed by
+some childish ailment, had been left at home to
+make up her allowance of sleep. The mother found
+on her return that a strange visitor had made herself
+at home in the cave. The little one was fast asleep
+on a bed of rugs which had been made up for her,
+and curled up at her side with one of her fore paws
+<pb n='131'/><anchor id='Pg131'/>round her neck was a jackal. The two companions
+were roused together by the arrival of the party,
+and, wonderful to relate, neither showed any symptoms
+of alarm. The jackal rose from its resting-place,
+approached Ruth, and fawned at her feet, and
+the child came after its bedfellow and stroked affectionately
+its shaggy skin.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+When, two or three weeks afterwards, the new
+comer gave birth to a litter of cubs, the joy of the
+children was complete. The little animals soon
+learnt to play with the girls, and their dam sat by
+and watched their gambols, and sometimes even
+condescended to join in them herself.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+The little colony heard of the strange incident
+with delight, and saw in it a token of Divine favour.
+<q>Man rages cruelly against us,</q> they said, <q>but we
+find friends among the beasts of the field. Surely it
+is our God who hath changed the heart of this
+savage dweller in the wilderness, and we will trust
+that He will do yet greater things than these.</q>
+</p>
+
+<p>
+<q>Mother,</q> said Miriam one day to Ruth, <q>by
+what name shall we call our new friend?</q>
+</p>
+
+<p>
+The question puzzled her, and she referred it to
+her husband.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+<q>It does not seem fitting,</q> she said, <q>that we
+should give the name of a daughter of the Covenant
+to the beast, for though she is of kindly temper yet
+she is unclean.</q>
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Seraiah thought awhile.
+</p>
+
+<pb n='132'/><anchor id='Pg132'/>
+
+<p>
+<q>You say truth, my wife. Let us call her Jael.</q>
+</p>
+
+<p>
+<q>But why Jael?</q>
+</p>
+
+<p>
+<q>Because the wife of Heber was of the unclean,
+for was she not of the house of the Kenite? Yet
+was she a friend of Israel, for she slew Sisera that
+was captain of the host of Jabin, King of Canaan.</q>
+</p>
+
+<p>
+So thenceforward the creature went by the name
+of Jael.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+It was not long before she justified her name by
+showing that she could be fierce on occasion.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+A wayfarer, who described himself as a discharged
+soldier and a Moabite by birth, asked for shelter and
+food. Scanty as were the means of the fugitives,
+they did not grudge the stranger a share of their
+meal. They gave him their best, adding to their
+daily fare the special luxury of some dried grapes.
+As he complained of being footsore, Ruth applied
+some simple remedies to the blisters on his feet.
+Altogether he was treated not only as a welcome
+but even as an honoured guest. On his part he professed
+a fervent sympathy with the hopes and plans
+of his hosts. The next morning he started as if
+to continue his journey. But the cupidity of the
+wretch had been roused by the sight of the handsome
+earrings—almost the sole remaining relic of
+former affluence—which he had spied in his hostess’s
+ears. About an hour before noon, when he judged
+that the men would be still busy about their daily
+work, he crept back to the cave. Ruth was sitting
+<pb n='133'/><anchor id='Pg133'/>by a fire nursing her babe. The jackal lay asleep
+in a corner; the girls were playing with the cubs
+on a sunny little plot of ground outside.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+<q>Lady,</q> began the fellow, in a beggar’s wheedling
+voice, <q>can you spare a little money for a poor
+fellow who has not so much as a copper coin to
+buy him a piece of bread?</q>
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Ruth was startled at his re-appearance, but concealed
+her alarm.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+<q>Friend,</q> she said, <q>I have no money; but I will
+give you half a loaf if you want food, though you had
+done better, I should think, to keep on your way,
+for you can hardly find any that are poorer than we.</q>
+</p>
+
+<p>
+<q>But you have gold,</q> said the man.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+<q>Gold? Not I,</q> she answered.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+<q>Nay, lady,</q> he went on, with a perceptible tone
+of threatening in his voice, <q>those earrings that you
+wear are doubtless of true metal. They add, indeed,
+to your beauty, and it is a pity that you should lose
+them; but then there is no one to admire you in
+this wilderness, and they would keep a poor fellow
+like myself in flesh and wine for a month or more.</q>
+</p>
+
+<p>
+<q>My earrings?</q> said Ruth, stupefied by the
+man’s audacity.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+<q>Yes, your earrings, lady,</q> said the man. <q>I
+should advise you to take them out yourself, for if I
+have to do it I am afraid that I shall show myself a
+very rough tirewoman.</q>
+</p>
+
+<p>
+The spirit of Ruth, the same that had dwelt of old
+<pb n='134'/><anchor id='Pg134'/>in a Miriam or a Deborah, was roused at the man’s
+insolent audacity. She seized a half-burnt brand
+from the fire and stood on her defence. The soldier,
+thinking that he had found an easy prey, approached.
+But he had not reckoned on an ally who was ready
+to help her in her need. Jael had been woke by the
+voices, and watched with glaring eyes the soldier’s
+movements, uttering every now and then a low growl,
+which, however, the man was too much occupied to
+heed. As soon as he came within reach, she sprang
+upon him from her lurking-place. The force with
+which she threw herself upon him overset him, and
+he fell backwards, his head striking on the mill-stone
+which formed part of the scanty furniture of
+the cave. In a moment her fangs were in his throat.
+In vain did Ruth, who saw the man’s danger and
+was unwilling that he should perish in his sins, call
+her by her name. All the savage instinct in her
+was roused by the taste of blood. Before two
+minutes had passed the freebooter was dead.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+<q>We did well to call her Jael,</q> said Seraiah that
+evening, as he helped to carry the corpse out of the
+cave. <q>The wretch has received the due reward of
+his deeds.</q>
+</p>
+
+</div><div type="chapter" n="11" rend="page-break-before: always">
+<pb n='135'/><anchor id='Pg135'/>
+<index index="toc" level1="XI. News Bad and Good"/>
+<index index="pdf" level1="XI. News Bad and Good"/>
+<head>CHAPTER XI.<lb/><lb/><hi rend="smaller">NEWS BAD AND GOOD.</hi></head>
+
+<p>
+As the weeks went by fugitives continued to arrive
+at the little asylum which Seraiah and Azariah had
+founded among the hills. There was not one of
+them but brought with him some dismal story of the
+cruelty of the heathen and the renegades who acted
+as their instruments, and of the sufferings of the
+faithful. We should weary our readers were we to
+relate them in their monotony of horror. One will
+suffice, for it is the most famous as it is the most
+tragic of all the tales of that reign of terror.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+One night the sentinels, whom the chiefs of the
+little colony were always careful to post, heard the
+sound of approaching footsteps. They challenged
+the new comer, and bade him stand, and tell them
+his errand. He could not articulate his answer,
+so spent was he with fatigue and distress; but it
+was evident that he was harmless, a mere youth,
+solitary, and unarmed. Unwilling to disturb the
+little colony at so late an hour—it was indeed
+<pb n='136'/><anchor id='Pg136'/>past midnight—the sentinels bade the stranger
+rest before their watch-fire. He was so exhausted
+and weary that he could swallow but very little of
+the food which his entertainers offered him. A few
+mouthfuls of barley cake, and a draught of milk
+more than satisfied him. Then he sank down on
+the ground overpowered with sleep, and his hosts
+wrapped him in a cloak and left him to his repose.
+Yet, wearied as he was, his slumbers were broken.
+Again and again he started up with a cry of horror
+on his lips. Those who listened to him felt sure
+that he must be going over in his dreams some
+dreadful scenes which he had witnessed.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+The next day he could scarcely be recalled to
+consciousness. Indeed it was judged well to leave
+nature to recover herself. The women of the colony
+took it in turns to watch by his side, and were
+ready, when he awoke for a few moments, with a
+cup of milk, the only thing which he seemed to
+relish. By degrees his slumbers grew more peaceful,
+and on the morning of the second day after his
+arrival he woke calm and collected.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+It was Ruth who then happened to be on duty at
+his side. When he saw her, he said, <q>Lady, I
+have a story to tell, and the chief of this place
+should hear it. Let him make haste to come, for
+I feel that I cannot rest while it is untold.</q>
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Ruth sent one of her children to fetch her husband.
+The stranger refused to postpone his narrative till
+<pb n='137'/><anchor id='Pg137'/>he should have gathered a little more strength.
+<q>Nay,</q> said he; <q>it is like a weight upon my soul,
+and I would lighten me of it by committing it to
+faithful ears.</q>
+</p>
+
+<p>
+<q>Speak on,</q> said Seraiah.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Then the lad told his story.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+<q>My name is Abimelech, and I come from Jerusalem.
+My father and mother are dead; but I lived
+with my grandmother, the mother of my father, and
+his brethren, my uncles. There were seven of them,
+the eldest being some thirty-and-three years of age,
+and the youngest twenty; but my father that is dead
+was the first-born. On the first day of the month,
+coming home about the eleventh hour from the
+school of the Rabbi Zechariah——</q>
+</p>
+
+<p>
+<q>Are there then yet those who teach in the city?</q>
+interrupted Seraiah.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+<q>Yes,</q> answered the lad, <q>but they do it by
+stealth, for the reading of the Law is strictly forbidden
+by the Governor. But we learn it notwithstanding,
+and verily if the heathen should destroy
+every roll that there is of the Holy Books in the
+whole world there are those who could replace them
+from memory. I pretend not to so much; but I
+could say three out of the five books of Moses, the
+man of God.</q>
+</p>
+
+<p>
+<q>Praised be the Lord God of Israel,</q> cried
+Seraiah, <q>who hath not left Himself without a
+witness! But go on with your story.</q>
+</p>
+
+<pb n='138'/><anchor id='Pg138'/>
+
+<p>
+<q rend="post: none">Coming home, then, from school I found the
+soldiers of Philip the Phrygian in the house, Philip
+himself being there. They had set forth a table in
+the court of the house, whereon they had placed
+abominable flesh. My uncles were standing bound,
+guarded by soldiers, and with them was my grandmother.
+Then said the Governor, Philip, to the
+eldest of the seven, whose name was Judah,
+<q>Pleasure me, my friend, by eating this excellent
+meat; ’tis of the most savoury, believe me.</q> My
+uncle Judah answered, <q>I cannot obey thee in this
+matter, for it is forbidden by the Law.</q> Philip said,
+<q>Maybe he lacks an appetite. Give him that which
+shall sharpen his taste.</q> Thereupon the executioner
+stepped forth with his lash, and gave him ten stripes.
+<q>Dost feel hungry now?</q> said the Governor. <q>I had
+sooner starve,</q> said Judah, <q>than eat the abominable
+thing.</q> <q>Nay,</q> cried the Governor, <q>miscall not
+the good things which are provided for you at the
+charge of thy lord the King.</q> Then he said to the
+executioner, <q>This fellow uses not his tongue for any
+good purpose, but only to rail against my lord.
+Cut it out, therefore.</q> So they cut the tongue out
+of my uncle’s mouth; and after that they cut off his
+hands and his feet. And afterwards, he being yet
+alive, they put him in a pan and burnt him over the
+fire. Then the Governor said to the second in age,
+whose name was Eleazar, <q>Ah! friend, like you this
+better than the swine’s flesh? You may have your
+<pb n='139'/><anchor id='Pg139'/>choice, if you will.</q> But he answered nothing.
+Then they tortured him most cruelly till he died.
+And so they did to all, one after the other. What
+they did I cannot bear to tell; nor, indeed, do I
+know the whole truth, for when three had perished
+in this manner I fainted for the horror of the
+thing; nor did I come to myself till the sixth was
+ready to suffer. Him I heard say these words
+to the Governor—<q>Be not deceived, or think that
+our God has abandoned us. He has given us over
+to your hand because we have offended against
+Him; nor do we suffer beyond what we have
+deserved. But as we have not escaped the punishment
+of our sins, so neither will you, but will perish
+miserably!</q> After this he did not speak another
+word; nay, nor give a sign of pain, but stood steadfast
+and unmoved.</q>
+</p>
+
+<p>
+<q>When there was but one of the seven left alive,
+Benjamin by name, the Governor seeing him, and, I
+take it, having some pity on his youth, for he was
+fair as a woman, said to him, <q>Young man, you see
+how all these have perished miserably, because of
+their pride and obstinacy. Learn, then, by their fate
+to behave yourself more wisely. And hark! I will
+give you riches, more than you can desire, and promote
+you to honour, if you will humour my lord the
+King in this small matter.</q> Benjamin said, <q>Your
+gifts, my lord, be to another, and your honours to
+such as are worthy of them; but as for me, I will
+<pb n='140'/><anchor id='Pg140'/>not depart from the law of my God.</q> Then Philip
+said to the mother of the seven, <q>Persuade him, for
+I would not have you left childless, if there is any
+help. These your sons were stout fellows, and could
+have done good service for my lord if they had
+been better advised; and I would fain save this
+one that is left. Reason with him, then, that he save
+his life, and that you be not wholly bereaved.</q> Then
+the woman said, <q>Trust me, my lord; I will reason
+with him.</q> Then Philip smiled and said, <q>Your
+wisdom comes somewhat late</q>; and he whispered
+to one that stood by, <q>You see that I have prevailed
+at last.</q> But the man shook his head. Then the
+woman said to her son, <q>O, my child, have pity on
+me, for I bore for you the pangs of childbirth, and
+spent on you the labour of nurture, bringing you up
+to this age. Repay me, therefore, for all that I have
+done.</q> Then she paused awhile, and those that
+stood by scarcely knew what was in her heart.
+But the young man said, <q>Mother, how shall I
+repay you?</q> And she answered, <q>By remembering
+that the Lord made heaven and earth, and all that
+is therein. Depart not from His Law, nor forget
+Him. Heed not this tormentor, who has power over
+your body for a short moment; but stand steadfast,
+as your brethren have stood steadfast; so shall I
+receive you with them into the everlasting glory.</q>
+Then the young man smiled, as a bridegroom might
+smile when the veil is lifted from the face of his
+<pb n='141'/><anchor id='Pg141'/>bride, and said, <q>Fear not, my mother; so it shall
+be, the Lord helping me.</q> As for the Governor, he
+was mad with rage, and cried to the executioner,
+<q>Smite him, and this fool also.</q> And the man, who
+indeed, I take it, was weary of his work, smote the
+youth and mother, and killed them, dealing each but
+one blow. So they escaped the torture.</q>
+</p>
+
+<p>
+On the following Sabbath Seraiah read to the
+congregation the story of the Three Children in the
+fire, and then delivered a stirring address on the
+faith and courage of the heroic mother and her sons.
+The people listened with a breathless attention, and
+when he had finished, drew, so to speak, together
+that deep sigh of relief which tells the speaker that
+he has been holding the hearts of his hearers. He
+was one of those trustful souls who amidst all
+dangers find their strength in quietness and confidence.
+But the other leaders of the settlement could
+not help feeling somewhat anxious as to the future.
+What was to be the end? This constancy under
+suffering was grand beyond all praise; but were
+they and their brethren to stand still and see the
+religion of their fathers trampled out in blood? Was
+there no one to strike a blow for their faith and their
+fatherland? For they could measure the average
+strength and depth of human nature, and knew that
+there are ten who are ready to do and dare for one
+who can suffer and be strong. <q>Do you remember,</q>
+said Seraiah to his brother-in-law, as they were
+<pb n='142'/><anchor id='Pg142'/>talking over the position of affairs after the gathering
+for worship—<q>do you remember that day when
+we fought against the Edomites, how our line
+crumbled away while we had to stand still as a
+target for the Edomite arrows, and how it grew solid
+again in a moment when our general gave the signal
+to charge? One was ready before to think that half
+the men were cowards, and then one could almost
+have sworn that there was not a coward among
+them. Yes, Azariah, we must strike when the time
+comes; but when the time will come is more than I
+can tell.</q>
+</p>
+
+<p>
+The next day brought an answer to his question.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+The people were dispersing after the usual morning
+prayer when a stranger was seen hurrying up
+the pass. Arrived at the top, where a party of the
+men had gone to meet him, he threw himself breathless
+on the ground; at the same time he drew a
+small piece of folded parchment from the pouch
+which was fastened to his girdle, and handed it to
+one of the men. It ran thus: <q>Mattathias to
+Seraiah, in the wilderness of Bethaven, greeting.
+Listen to the young man who brings this present
+without doubting, for he is faithful, and speaks words
+of truth.</q> In a few moments Seraiah appeared. By
+this time the messenger had recovered his breath,
+and was ready to tell his tale.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+<q>What news bring you?</q> said Seraiah.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+<q>Great news; for the Lord has smitten His
+<pb n='143'/><anchor id='Pg143'/>enemies hip and thigh by the hand of Mattathias,
+son of Asmon, and by the hand of his sons.</q>
+</p>
+
+<p>
+A murmur of delight ran through the little
+audience, and every eye brightened at the prospect
+of action.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+<q>Tell on. We hear!</q> cried Seraiah.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+<q>May I crave a drink of water? for the way is
+long, and I have been travelling since the sun set
+yesterday.</q>
+</p>
+
+<p>
+The water was fetched. When he had quenched
+his thirst, young Asaph—that was the messenger’s
+name—began his story.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+<q>You know Mattathias, the son of Asmon, and
+the five young men, his sons, how they dwelt at
+Modin? Two months since, Philip the Phrygian—may
+the Lord cut him off in his sins!</q> and the
+speaker paused, and spat upon the ground to
+emphasize his disgust. <q rend="post: none">This Phrygian, then,
+sent one of his officers two months since to build
+an altar to one of the false gods before whom these
+children of perdition bow down. So the altar was
+built, none hindering, for the people were without
+a leader. This being finished, the Governor’s officer
+proclaimed a sacrifice and a feast to one of the
+demons whom these heathen worship. I know not
+the evil thing’s name, and if I knew it, would not
+take the accursed word upon my lips. On the
+appointed day there was a great gathering of the
+inhabitants of Modin. It was about the tenth hour
+<pb n='144'/><anchor id='Pg144'/>when the Governor’s deputy came, with his trumpeters
+and a small company of soldiers—it may be a
+score. When he had taken his seat the ministers
+brought up the ox that was for the sacrifice, a great
+beast, altogether white; and they had gilded his
+horns and put garlands of flowers about his neck,
+as their custom is. Then the deputy called to one
+Menahem, a usurer that dwelt in the village, and
+one of those who would sell their souls for a shekel.
+<q>Menon,</q> he said—for they had changed his name
+after their fashion to one of their own tongue—<q>Menon,
+come forth, and do your office.</q> And then
+he turned to the people, and said, <q>Hearken to me,
+ye Jews. This Menon here, who is known to all of
+us, has been promoted to great honour, for my lord
+Philip, who is the lieutenant of the Divine Antiochus,
+has made him priest. Honour him henceforth
+accordingly. And be sure also that if you are obedient,
+and give up your own dull and senseless superstition,
+and worship henceforth as the King commands,
+it shall be well with you and your children.</q> When
+he had ended, the fellow approached the altar, and
+cut some hairs from the forehead of the beast, and
+sprinkled some meal mingled with salt between its
+horns. And it chanced, or, I should rather say, it
+was ordered of the Lord, that as the man did this
+Mattathias and his sons passed by on the outskirts
+of the crowd. And when he perceived the abominable
+thing that was being done, and that he who
+<pb n='145'/><anchor id='Pg145'/>did it was a Jew, his spirit was moved within him.
+Then he ran forward, he and his sons with him.
+And when they were come into the space before the
+altar the old man cried, <q>He that is on the Lord’s
+side come hither!</q> And some threescore of the
+people that were there came to him, and the rest
+stood still, and did nothing, for they knew that the
+sons of Asmon were mighty men of valour. As for
+the deputy and his soldiers, they were astonished
+beyond measure, and before they came to themselves
+some of the company of Mattathias rushed upon
+them and disarmed them. But Mattathias himself,
+with Judas his son, laid hold on Menahem. Then
+that miserable creature fell on his knees and begged
+for pardon, saying that he had done this thing on
+compulsion. <q>Nay,</q> said Mattathias, <q>the compulsion
+was of thy own evil and greedy heart. Thou
+hast sinned beyond all mercy of man; but the
+mercies of the Lord are past all measure. Die
+thou must; but I would have thee die in the faith
+of a son of Israel.</q> Then the poor wretch—I had
+never thought to pity him, for he turned my own
+mother, when she lay dying, on to the public road,
+but no one could have refused him pity then—the
+wretch, I say, repeated with a stammering
+tongue, <q>Hear, O Israel, the Lord thy God is one
+Lord.</q> And now he said, <q>I give thee for thy prayers
+to the All-Merciful, till the shadow of this staff come
+so far,</q> and he planted a staff in the ground. And
+<pb n='146'/><anchor id='Pg146'/>when the time was spent, the old man took his
+sword, and sheared off the wretch’s head with one
+blow. I had not thought that there was such
+strength in his arm. Then they brought the
+deputy and his soldiers to Mattathias. First he
+dealt with the deputy. <q>Slay him,</q> he said, <q>for
+he has made the people of the Lord to transgress.</q>
+So they slew him. Then they made the soldiers
+stand before him. Four out of their number were
+Jews. These he commanded to be slain, after
+giving them the same grace that he had given to
+Menahem. To the others he said, <q>You have not
+sinned as these your fellows, for you were born in
+darkness. Take, therefore, your choice: depart,
+and take good heed not to fall into our hands again,
+for, if you so fall, you die without further mercy;
+or, if ye will, stay with us. Only you must follow our
+ways, so far as it is commanded that the stranger
+should follow them.</q> Half chose to depart, and
+half to stay.</q>
+</p>
+
+<p>
+<q>After this, Mattathias chose some of the young
+men to go as messengers to the villages round about,
+and carry the tidings of what had been done, and to
+say, <q>The Lord hath lifted up His ensign; gather
+yourselves together unto it.</q> Also he appointed a
+place where they should meet—that is to say,
+Michmash.</q>
+</p>
+
+<p>
+<q>And when may we look for his <corr sic="(single quote)">coming?</corr></q> asked
+Seraiah.
+</p>
+
+<pb n='147'/><anchor id='Pg147'/>
+
+<p>
+<q>Doubtless he will come to-morrow.</q>
+</p>
+
+<p>
+That night there was much rejoicing in the little
+colony. No one, indeed, deceived himself with the
+thought that he could look forward to easy and
+pleasant days. All knew perfectly well that a time
+of struggle and suffering was before them. But
+there was hope. The darkness had parted, and
+they saw a far-off gleam of light. At the least they
+would have the chance of striking a blow for their
+country and their God.
+</p>
+
+</div><div type="chapter" n="12" rend="page-break-before: always">
+<pb n='148'/><anchor id='Pg148'/>
+<index index="toc" level1="XII. The Patriot Army"/>
+<index index="pdf" level1="XII. The Patriot Army"/>
+<head>CHAPTER XII.<lb/><lb/><hi rend="smaller">THE PATRIOT ARMY.</hi></head>
+
+<p>
+Three days passed before Mattathias and his sons
+arrived; but when they came, they brought with
+them a considerable force. The news of the events
+at Modin had spread like wildfire through southern
+Judæa, and hundreds who had endured the rule of
+the heathen with ill-concealed impatience flocked to
+the standard of revolt. It was a strange array that
+might have been seen making its way up the mountain
+pass. A professional soldier would certainly at
+the first glance have thought meanly of its fighting
+capacities. Scarcely a score of the whole multitude
+was properly armed. Old weapons that had hung
+unused for a century or more had been taken down
+that they might strike another blow for the God of
+Israel. There had not been time to rub the rust from
+the sword-blades and the spear-heads, much less to
+hammer out upon the anvil the dents and notches
+left by the half-forgotten battles in which they had
+<pb n='149'/><anchor id='Pg149'/>last been used. But it was only a few who had even
+these antiquated weapons. Most of the fighting
+men were armed as their fathers had been under the
+domination of the Canaanites in the days of Barak,
+or of the Philistines in the days of Saul. They
+carried mattocks and hoes, pruning-hooks and
+reaping-hooks tied to the ends of poles, or stakes
+shod with iron or even only hardened in the fire.
+But a nearer inspection would have changed the
+contempt of the military critic into something like
+admiration. These men had all that goes to the
+making of the soldier except the arms, and this
+want, after all, is the easiest to be supplied. They
+had on their faces the set, stern look of those who
+are fighting for a cause, and that a cause very near
+to their hearts. There were old men among them;
+but most were in the full vigour of youth and manhood.
+A real leader of men would have preferred to
+be followed by them than by the most handsomely
+equipped army of mercenaries.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+At the head of the column walked the aged Mattathias.
+Two of his sons, John and Judas, were
+with him, the other two being busy with the multifarious
+duties which fell upon the leaders of a force
+as yet so imperfectly organized. The old man—he
+had passed the threescore years and ten which are
+more commonly the limit of human existence, among
+the short-lived races of the East than among ourselves—had
+been carried in a litter for part of the
+<pb n='150'/><anchor id='Pg150'/>way. This he had left at the entrance of the pass,
+being anxious not to give an impression of weakness.
+He now walked erect and with a firm step, his
+indomitable spirit supplying for the time all that
+was wanting in his physical strength. Nothing
+could be more enthusiastic than the reception which
+met him when he reached the little colony among
+the hills. He was the champion for whom they had
+been looking, and they received him as if he had
+been an <q>angel of God.</q> Azariah and Seraiah,
+who had been hitherto informal leaders, gladly
+resigned their power into his hands, and from
+thenceforwards acted under his orders.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+There was indeed much to do. The little post in
+the mountains was now to become a fortress, garrisoned
+by an army which was already considerable
+in numbers, and which daily increased in strength.
+Faithful Jews from all parts of the country flocked
+to the place which seemed the last refuge of patriotism
+and faith. Nor were there wanting less respectable
+adherents. There was not a few men who, like
+Benjamin and Shallum, had followed a life in which
+right and wrong, good motives and bad, were
+curiously mixed up and confounded. They were
+divided between patriotism and robbery—divided, of
+course, in very varying proportions. None were
+quite blameless, and none were quite bad. The
+most unprincipled had lurking somewhere in his
+heart a real regard for his country, and, to say the
+<pb n='151'/><anchor id='Pg151'/>least, he found much more satisfaction in emptying
+the pockets of a heathen than in robbing his own
+people. The most honest, on the other hand, could
+not always guide his actions by any strict rule of
+integrity. He had to live, and if his enemies did
+not furnish him with the means, he must get them
+from his friends. Many of these men were genuinely
+attracted by the new movement, genuinely glad to
+lead a life which their consciences could heartily
+approve. Others found that their occupation was
+gone, and that they must enlist in the new patriot
+army or starve. The garrison thus gained a considerable
+number of recruits, but some of them were
+of a class that was likely to give no little trouble in
+the future.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+In strong contrast with these doubtful adherents,
+and yet, in some respects, even more difficult to
+control, were the Chasidim—the <q>religious,</q>
+<q>mighty men and voluntarily devoted to the Law</q>—the
+spiritual ancestors of the Pharisees of a later
+time, but actuated by a zeal far more sincere than
+what could commonly be found in their degenerate
+descendants. Men braver it would not have been
+possible to find; their courage amounted to something
+like recklessness; but they were enthusiasts,
+and held their tenets with a tenacity that sometimes
+made discipline almost impossible.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+An incident that occurred soon after the arrival of
+Mattathias and his sons exhibited these difficulties in
+<pb n='152'/><anchor id='Pg152'/>a striking way. The scene of it was the extreme right
+of the position, where Abiathar, one of the Chasidim,
+an able soldier but a most uncompromising zealot, was
+in chief command. The whole of the population had
+assembled to take part in a Sabbath service. They
+had listened to the great chapter in Deuteronomy
+which proclaims the blessings that will follow obedience,
+the curses that will fall on those who disobey.
+They had sung together that Psalm <q>for the Sons
+of Korah,</q> which tells of triumph and of shame, in
+which Israel now thanks Him who has saved them
+from their enemies and now complains that He has
+made them a reproach to their neighbours’ scorn,
+and a derision to them that are round about. And
+they were listening to a stirring exhortation to quit
+them like men and be strong, from the soldier-priest
+who was in chief command, when an alarm was
+raised that the enemy were at hand. Some of the
+younger men were on the point of running to fetch
+their weapons, for they were of course unarmed,
+when the stern voice of their leader called them
+back. <q>Have you so soon forgotten the blessing
+and the curse which the Lord your God hath set
+before you? Has He not commanded you to keep
+holy the Sabbath-day, and will you profane it by
+smiting with the sword?</q> They obeyed the command,
+though not without some murmurs from those
+who had not been thoroughly schooled in the stern
+tenets of the Chasidim. Meanwhile the enemy, a
+<pb n='153'/><anchor id='Pg153'/>strong force that had been sent out from the garrison
+at Jerusalem, had come up. A herald from the
+officer in command approached, and delivered a
+message in these terms:—
+</p>
+
+<p>
+<q>Philip the Governor, and Apollonius, captain of
+the King’s army, bid you come forth from your
+hiding-place and deliver yourselves up. Let your
+former transgressions against the King suffice, and
+do now according to his commandment. So will he
+have mercy upon you, and admit you to his grace.</q>
+</p>
+
+<p>
+The answer of the Jewish commander was brief
+and decisive: <q>We will not come forth, neither
+will we do according to the King’s commandment.</q>
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Then followed one of the strangest scenes recorded
+in history. The peremptory refusal of the proffered
+terms was followed in a few minutes by a shower
+of missiles from the hostile force. The crowd at
+which they were aimed made no attempt at resistance,
+or even at escape. They fell where they stood,
+without lifting a hand, almost without uttering a
+cry. There is no greater trial of an army’s discipline
+than to make it stand and see its ranks thinned
+without being able to strike a blow in return. But
+the soldiers who endure this trial endure it in the
+hope of an hour that cannot be long delayed, when
+they shall reap the reward of their patience in an
+assured victory. The Chasidim who followed
+Abiathar had no such support in their endurance.
+They stood like sheep for the slaughter, strong men
+<pb n='154'/><anchor id='Pg154'/>as they were, and conscious that they could save
+themselves if they would. Not a stone did they
+throw in reply to the missiles that were showered
+upon them; and when the hostile ranks closed in,
+not till after some wondering delay, and began to
+finish the bloody work with their swords, they still
+held their ground with the same passive, unresisting
+courage.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+To one man at least the sword of the heathen
+brought that day a welcome release from his troubles.
+Shallum, the wine-seller of Jerusalem, had been
+consumed with remorse for the part which he had
+taken on the day when he followed <q>Bacchus
+and his reeling train.</q> The words haunted his
+mind with maddening repetition. The stern doctrines
+of the Chasidim had exercised a singular
+attraction for him, and though, stained as he was
+with sins for which he could scarcely hope purification,
+he did not even propose to join their ranks, he
+was a diligent attendant at their services and an
+attentive listener to their teaching. This day he
+had stood on the outskirts of the crowd, hearing
+with a rapt attention the promises and denunciations
+of the Law, and listening to, though not daring to
+join in, the chanted psalms. <q>Perhaps,</q> he said to
+himself, <q>the sound of the holy music will rid me
+of that accursed Bacchic chant which rings for ever
+in my ears.</q> For a moment, when the massacre
+began, that love of life which even the most
+<pb n='155'/><anchor id='Pg155'/>miserable scarcely ever loses rose up strong in his
+heart. But he crushed it down. <q>I have transgressed
+too often,</q> he thought to himself, <q>the
+commandment of the Lord; let me obey it at least
+this once, though I die.</q> The next moment the
+stroke of a Greek sword levelled him to the ground,
+and the Bacchic chant vexed him no more.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Not a single man of all that company—so strong
+was the contagion of enthusiasm among them—made
+any effort to escape the fate that overtook his companions.
+Still there was left a survivor to carry to
+Mattathias the news, at once so terrible and so
+glorious, of that day’s doings. One of the men had
+been felled to the ground by the blow of a stone at
+the first discharge of the enemy’s missiles, and had
+been left for dead upon the field. When he came
+to himself, late in the night, he found himself the
+only living being among masses of the slain. His
+first duty was obviously to carry tidings of the events
+to the commander-in-chief, and he made his way to
+head-quarters as quickly as his enfeebled condition
+permitted.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Mattathias saw that this question of the Sabbath
+must be settled at once, and, if the war was to be
+carried on with any prospect of success, settled on
+the side of freedom. He called a council in the early
+morning of the next day—the news had reached
+him about two hours after midnight. His five sons
+were present, as were Azariah, and Seraiah, with
+<pb n='156'/><anchor id='Pg156'/>others who held command in the patriot army. A
+long debate followed, for some of the Chasidim still
+clung to their rigid opinions, even in the face of
+the disaster which had happened, and the manifest
+probability, even certainty, of its happening again.
+They answered with stern iteration to each appeal
+that was made to them by the advocates of reason
+and moderation, <q>Thou shalt keep holy the Sabbath-day.</q>
+It was impossible to yield to them, and yet,
+such was their courage and devotion, almost equally
+impossible to break with them.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Mattathias, who presided at the assembly, had left
+the debate to other speakers, and had contented himself
+with keeping the peace between them, as far as
+he could. At last he rose and delivered his opinion.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+<q>Brethren,</q> he said, <q>let us take heed that we
+break not the Law while we seem to keep it. The
+Lord hath commanded us that we shall not work
+our own works or do our own pleasure upon His
+day. Shall we take occasion thereby to neglect His
+work and leave undone His pleasure? The heathen
+have come into His inheritance and devoured it.
+Shall we suffer them to usurp it for ever? Say, too,
+ye that will not stretch out a finger to save the
+people of the Lord from destruction because it is the
+Sabbath, do ye not reach out your hand to save a
+brother or a sister or a neighbour, yea, even a stranger
+upon that day, if it so chance that they be overtaken
+by some instant need? Nay, more; do ye not pull
+<pb n='157'/><anchor id='Pg157'/>out an ox or an ass, if it be fallen on that day into a
+pit? and will ye not pull out the Lord’s people from
+the pit which the malice of their enemies shall have
+digged for them? Listen, therefore, to my sentence.
+If the enemy come upon us upon the Sabbath we
+will beat him back, God helping. Nevertheless, if
+it may be so without damage to the Lord’s cause,
+we will not march against him on that day. If
+there be sin in this matter let it be upon me and my
+children.</q>
+</p>
+
+<p>
+And as he spoke the five young men, his sons,
+rose up in their places, and answered, <hi rend='italic'>Amen</hi>.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+The decision was generally accepted and acted
+upon, though to the last some of the more determined
+of the Chasidim avoided, as far as was
+possible, all military action on the Sabbath.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+The rule of Sabbath observance was, however,
+still very strictly kept. It was two or three days
+after the council described above had been held,
+when one of the half-bandit, half-patriot recruits
+was discovered busily employed in cleaning his
+armour on the Lord’s day. He was kept in confinement
+till sunset, when the Sabbath was considered to
+end; a council of war was hastily summoned to hear
+the case. The man pleaded the recent decision of
+Mattathias, which had, he said, relaxed the law of
+the Sabbath. It was answered to him that the
+cleaning of armour was no necessary work, and that
+the distinction must now be kept more strictly than
+<pb n='158'/><anchor id='Pg158'/>before, lest the people should fall into sin. He then
+urged that his offence was an error, and might be
+atoned for by a sin-offering.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+<q>Alas! my son,</q> said Mattathias, <q>the Temple
+is profaned; nor can there be any more either sin-offering
+or peace-offering till it be purified. You
+must bear your iniquity yourself.</q>
+</p>
+
+<p>
+John the soldier, who was unwilling that the army
+should lose one whose offence, after all, had only
+been an excess of military zeal, and Simon, whose
+gentle soul always was inclined to the milder course,
+voted for a lighter punishment than death, but they
+were overruled. Even Judas voted against them,
+knowing that such an army as theirs could only
+be held together by the bond of an enthusiastic faith.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+<q>Give the glory to God,</q> said the aged president
+of the Court, when he had communicated his sentence
+to the prisoner, <q>and take your death patiently,
+knowing that though you be judged according to men
+in the flesh, you shall live according to God in the
+spirit.</q> The man bowed his head in submission,
+and repeated the confession of faith, <q>Hear, O Israel,
+the Lord thy God is one Lord.</q>
+</p>
+
+<p>
+<q>The Lord bless thee, my son,</q> said Mattathias,
+<q>and take thee into Abraham’s bosom.</q>
+</p>
+
+<p>
+So the transgressor died. And they buried him
+under a heap of stones to which every passer-by
+made it his duty to add his tribute.
+</p>
+
+</div><div type="chapter" n="13" rend="page-break-before: always">
+<pb n='159'/><anchor id='Pg159'/>
+<index index="toc" level1="XIII. Guerilla Warfare in the Mountains"/>
+<index index="pdf" level1="XIII. Guerilla Warfare in the Mountains"/>
+<head>CHAPTER XIII.<lb/><lb/><hi rend="smaller">GUERILLA WARFARE IN THE MOUNTAINS.</hi></head>
+
+<p>
+Some weeks had necessarily to pass before the
+patriot army could assume the offensive. Some
+kind of drill was necessary, though Judas, who had
+the chief direction of military affairs, did not attempt
+to teach his men any elaborate manœuvres. But
+practice in sword-play and in shooting with the bow
+was diligently attended to. A corps of slingers was
+also formed under the command of one Sheba, a
+Benjamite, who possessed that skill with his weapon
+which was characteristic of his tribe. The sling was
+admirably suited to the kind of warfare which they
+would have to wage. As long as there were stones
+there would not be wanting missiles for the slings,
+while the supply of arrows would be likely to fall
+short, and could not easily be renewed. Meanwhile
+some rude anvils had been fitted up, and every one
+who could work as a smith was pressed into the
+service of repairing old arms or making new ones.
+<pb n='160'/><anchor id='Pg160'/>By degrees many of the fighting men obtained an
+equipment which, if not very handsome, was at least
+fairly effective. Some of the new arrivals, too, were
+old soldiers, and brought their arms with them.
+Jews who had enlisted in the armies of the various
+Asiatic kings flocked to the standard of independence,
+when once it had been set up. Even some of the
+well-paid mercenaries who formed the bodyguard of
+Antiochus were patriotic enough to prefer to their
+luxurious existence the privations of life among the
+mountains. It was a life which, at the least, they
+could lead without offence.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+It was winter when Mattathias and his sons
+reached the mountains; and with the first beginnings
+of spring the force under his command, now increased
+to a respectable strength, commenced active operations.
+These were extended over a considerable
+range of country to all the villages that had submitted
+to the edicts of the heathen rulers of the land.
+Even fortified towns, in several instances, were surprised,
+not, it may be guessed, without the connivance
+of the patriotic party within the walls. The idol
+altars which the King’s commissioners had set up
+were thrown down with every circumstance of
+indignity. All stores belonging to the usurping
+government were confiscated for the use of the
+national forces. But private property was respected.
+Arms, indeed, if they were likely to be useful, were
+taken, but always taken at a price.
+</p>
+
+<pb n='161'/><anchor id='Pg161'/>
+
+<p>
+Severe as was the discipline, it met with a
+cheerful submission from the men, so commanding
+was the influence exercised by their leaders. Conspicuous
+among them were, of course, the sons of
+Mattathias. All were favourites, but Judas and
+Simon took the lead. The strength, the skill, and
+the daring of the first were such that he was
+absolutely idolized by his troops. There was no
+task, however perilous, which they would not
+attempt under his guidance, for there was nothing
+which he did not seem capable of achieving. His
+physical strength was enormous; and his fertility
+of resource unfailing. He had always some new
+device for outwitting the enemy; and when the
+crisis of an undertaking arrived, if an attacking
+party were to be helped up some almost inaccessible
+height, a gate to be broken open by main force,
+or a pass to be held against overwhelming odds,
+Judas was always ready and always, it seemed,
+successful. Scarcely less honoured, though in a
+different way, was the prudence and kindliness of
+Simon. If Judas never failed in an attempt it
+was, in part at least, because Simon’s advice was
+so uniformly sagacious, because he could measure
+so exactly the means at their command. And when
+the fighting was over, no one could be more unwearying
+in his attentions to the wounded. The
+voice which rang so loud and clear through the din
+of battle was now soft and caressing, and the touch
+<pb n='162'/><anchor id='Pg162'/>of his hand was as gentle and tender as if it had
+been a woman’s.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Such leaders could do anything with their troops,
+even when they had to task their obedience by the
+infliction of punishment. Even such men as the
+ex-robber Benjamin felt what may be called the
+infection of discipline. He had accompanied one
+of the expeditions, in which a select force of patriots,
+after marching forty miles within twenty-four hours,
+surprised a squadron of Greek cavalry in one of the
+towns of Galilee. A short but sharp conflict took
+place in the square of the town, and Benjamin
+had borne himself with conspicuous courage. The
+struggle over, the soldiers had received entertainment,
+not in every case very willingly given, from
+the inhabitants of the town. Benjamin happened
+to be quartered upon a particularly churlish host,
+and resenting the coarse and scanty fare, so unsuited
+to the wealth apparent in all the fittings of
+the house, had revenged himself by abstracting a
+rich cloak belonging to his miserly entertainer.
+The article was stowed away on his own person,
+but the keen eye of one of the Chasidim officers
+espied it; the thief was denounced when the force
+had reached the encampment, and brought before
+the council, which was held under the presidency
+of Judas. The culprit pleaded in vain the shabby
+treatment which he had received. It was not for
+him, he was told, to take the law into his own
+<pb n='163'/><anchor id='Pg163'/>hands. When he urged that the man was a traitor
+to his country he was asked whether he had himself
+taken the cloak from patriotic motives. <q>Did
+you purpose,</q> said Judas, going to the point with
+characteristic directness, <q>to make this a common
+possession, or to take it for yourself?</q> Benjamin
+faltered under this searching question, and had
+no answer to give. Then Judas pronounced his
+sentence: <q>In old time he who had offended
+in this manner, as did Achan in the matter of the
+spoils of Jericho, died the death. These times are
+not equal to a justice so strict. But what the law
+enjoins that you will suffer. Were such sin as
+yours to go unpunished we could expect no blessing
+on our arms. We should become, not what we
+would be, the armies of the Lord, but a horde
+of robbers. You will receive forty stripes save one;
+if you offend again, you die.</q>
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Without a murmur the culprit bared his shoulders
+for the lash. When the whip had once fallen Judas
+stayed the executioner’s hand. <q>Benjamin,</q> he
+said, <q>you have done ill, but you have also done
+well. You saved from death our brother Seraiah
+as he lay wounded under the feet of the horsemen.
+For this good deed the rest of the punishment
+is remitted. Go, and sin no more.</q>
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Seraiah indeed had been so seriously wounded that
+he had to be carried back to the camp on a litter
+rudely constructed of boards, and Ruth was now
+<pb n='164'/><anchor id='Pg164'/>nursing him in the cave which had been originally
+set apart for their dwelling, and which they still
+retained. It was a miserable abode, though it
+at least afforded shelter from the rain. Indeed
+the lot of the women and children in the patriot
+encampment was full of suffering. The men had
+the constant excitement of their warfare to cheer
+them, but the women had only to toil and to endure.
+In the day the drought consumed them, and the frost
+by night. They had none of the comforts of life.
+Their food was coarse in the extreme, and often
+very scanty. But, perhaps, their greatest trial was
+in the matter of clothes. The stock which they had
+brought with them from their homes was, for the
+most part, worn out, and it was only on rare occasions,
+when some property of the heathen fell into
+the hands of the patriots, that any part of it could
+be replenished. Sheepskins and goatskins dried in
+the sun were commonly used, what remained of
+their wardrobes being reserved for special occasions.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Some time after the incident described above a
+serious trouble came upon Azariah. Miriam, his
+elder daughter, when she returned one day from her
+usual task of gathering herbs to eke out the family
+meal, complained of headache. It was evident
+that she was suffering from sunstroke. As the
+spring advanced the heat in some of the narrow
+mountain valleys became exceedingly oppressive,
+and the town-bred child felt it acutely. For some
+<pb n='165'/><anchor id='Pg165'/>days her life was in danger, all the greater because
+she had neither medical attendance nor skilful
+nursing. Ruth did all she could for the little
+sufferer, but then Ruth had her own husband to
+attend to, for, though recovering from his wound, he
+needed much care, and her child was still too young
+to be left alone. One or two visits in the day was
+all that she could give. For the most part the
+girl’s father was her nurse, the little Judith giving
+such help as she could. Love gave a lightness
+and tenderness to his touch, and supplied the place
+of skill in that marvellous way which is so often
+possible to love. Day after day, as he sat by the
+bedside, and watched his charge, the girl’s face,
+now pale and wasted, and aged as it was with
+suffering, reminded him more and more of his lost
+Hannah. He lived over the happy past that they
+had known before the evil days began, the time
+when their first acquaintance as youth and maiden
+had ripened into love, and the early years of their
+wedded life. Thus he began to live in a world
+of imagination, while the sordid circumstances of
+the present seemed to make no impression upon
+him, though he always retained a punctual recollection
+of the duties that belonged to his attendance
+upon the sick.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+One day Ruth had come in to pay the daily visit
+for which, however engrossing her own occupations,
+she always contrived to find an opportunity. The
+<pb n='166'/><anchor id='Pg166'/>patient was in a sound sleep, with the little Judith
+for her sole attendant, Azariah having received an
+urgent summons to attend a council of war, in
+which some subject with which he was especially
+acquainted was to be discussed.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+After a few minutes Azariah returned, but without
+any of the signs of agitation or haste that might be
+expected from one hurrying back to the performance
+of a duty that he had been compelled to neglect.
+His sister wondered to see him so calm, and she
+was still more surprised when he went on to say—
+</p>
+
+<p>
+<q>How like the child is growing to my dear
+Hannah!</q>
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Ruth had often thought the same, but had not
+ventured to say so, for Azariah had never mentioned
+his dead wife.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+<q>Yes,</q> she answered, <q>I have often thought so.</q>
+</p>
+
+<p>
+<q>I have had some happy times of late. Before
+I could not get out of my mind the dreadful sight
+of her face when I last saw it.</q> He paused for a
+moment, overpowered by the recollection, but soon
+resumed in a cheerful voice: <q>But now in this
+dear child I seem to see her as she was in those
+happy Bethlehem days before our marriage, and
+again in the still happier time we had together in
+Jerusalem.</q>
+</p>
+
+<p>
+<q>But does it not trouble you to leave the child
+alone?</q>
+</p>
+
+<p>
+<q>Nay, sister, she is not alone. Nor do I speak of
+<pb n='167'/><anchor id='Pg167'/>our dear little Judith here.</q> And he stroked the
+little girl’s head, and bade her go and play outside,
+but be careful not to go into the sun.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+<q>Believe me,</q> he went on, <q>that when I am not
+here, Miriam’s angel is with her. Perhaps you will
+think me mad when I say that I have seen, and that
+not once or twice only, the flash of white garments
+vanishing in the darkness as I came into the cave.
+And last night, as I sat here, dreaming, it may be,
+but certainly seeing everything in the cave as
+plainly as I see it this moment, the angel came with
+the little babe—our little David that my Hannah
+took with her to Paradise—to kiss his sick sister.
+And when Miriam awoke about an hour after dawn,
+the fever had left her.</q>
+</p>
+
+<p>
+At this moment the girl opened her eyes. <q>Oh,
+father,</q> she cried, <q>did you indeed see little brother
+last night?—for I saw him too; but I did not see that
+an angel was carrying him. He seemed to be in
+the air somehow, with no one holding him up. And
+he had beautiful white clothes—not these nasty
+sheepskins and goatskins that we have to wear—and
+he stretched out his hands to me, and kissed me,
+and I felt that moment as if that dreadful burning
+had gone out of me. And oh! there was such a
+wonderful look upon his face. It was just like the
+look on dear mother’s face that evening when the
+sun was just setting, and you took little brother
+up in your arms, and said his name was David.</q>
+</p>
+
+<pb n='168'/><anchor id='Pg168'/>
+
+<p>
+Ruth could only listen to such talk with wonder
+and awe. But she went back to her husband and
+child with a lighter heart than she had borne for
+many days.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+But a trouble was at hand which, though it had
+been for some time foreseen, was great enough to
+make private sorrows and anxieties seem inconsiderable.
+It was reported through the encampment
+that Mattathias, the father of his people, was
+dying.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+The old man’s health had been failing for some
+time. The hardships of his new life had told
+grievously upon it, all the more that he refused
+the exemption from labour which his age required.
+He had ceased to accompany the expeditions because
+he found that his presence hampered the movements
+of younger and stronger men, but the management
+of the multifarious affairs of the encampment—the
+home administration, as it may be called,
+of the patriotic movement—he kept in his own hands.
+Early and late he busied himself in this work, and
+before many weeks were past his labours wore him
+out.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+He was well aware that the end had come, and
+that all that remained for him to do was to appoint
+a successor who should accomplish, or at least carry
+on—for he did not deceive himself as to the difficulty
+of the work—the task which he had commenced.
+All the leaders were summoned to his
+<pb n='169'/><anchor id='Pg169'/>presence, the wounded Seraiah, for whose capacity
+and serene courage the old chief had a high regard,
+being carried thither on a litter. The old man was
+propped in his bed on cushions, the difficulty of
+breathing making it impossible for him to lie down.
+On either side stood his five sons, John, the eldest,
+being at his right hand, with Eleazar and Jonathan
+near him, while Simon and Judas were on the left.
+A physician, the solitary professor of the healing art
+that the camp possessed, sat by the bed’s foot, with
+a cup of some cordial in his hand.
+</p>
+<pgIf output='txt'><then>
+  <p rend="ill">[Illustration: <hi rend='italic'>The Last Charge of Mattathias.</hi>]</p>
+</then><else>
+  <p><anchor id="i_187"/><figure url="images/i_187.jpg" rend="w100">
+<index index="fig" level1="The Last Charge of Mattathias"/>
+<head><hi rend='italic'>The Last Charge of Mattathias.</hi></head>
+<figDesc>The Last Charge of Mattathias</figDesc></figure></p>
+</else></pgIf>
+<p>
+The old man began by laying his hand on John’s
+head. <q>My son,</q> he said, <q>for your loyalty and
+faithful obedience I thank the Lord that gave me so
+excellent a son for my first-born. You know what it
+is in my mind to do with respect to the succession
+of my work, and I am assured that you approve.
+But for the sake of those that stand by,</q>—and he
+pointed to the assembled chiefs—<q>I solemnly declare
+that for no defect of courage or honesty I pass you
+by. And say if you are content to leave it according
+to what seems best to my judgment.</q>
+</p>
+
+<p>
+<q>Father,</q> said the faithful John, <q>I am content.</q>
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Simon beckoned to the physician, who handed
+the cup of cordial to the dying man. He swallowed
+a few drops, and then went on:
+</p>
+
+<p>
+<q>Hear, my friends and brethren. In the distribution
+of my worldly goods I follow custom and
+law. The inheritance of my fathers I give to my
+<pb n='170'/><anchor id='Pg170'/>eldest born, according to the custom of the birthright;
+and I direct that the younger shall have such
+portions as are due to them. But I have that to
+give which has been entrusted to me of the Lord,
+and with which I must deal according to His
+pleasure, so far as it is given to me to know it.
+Simon, I will that thou be the father of the people.
+Care for them as for thy children. Do justice
+between man and man. Strive to the utmost that
+they keep the Law of the Lord their God. He has
+given thee prudence and discernment and knowledge
+of the customs of our fathers. See that thou use
+these things for the glory of the Lord and the good
+of the people. Judas, I will that thou be captain
+of the host. Be stout and of a good courage,
+and the Lord shall fight on thy side, and give thee
+the victory. The end is not yet, and maybe thou
+wilt not see it with thine eyes; but, though it tarry,
+wait for it. <q>For they that go on their way weeping,
+bearing precious seed, shall doubtless come again
+with joy, and bring their sheaves with them.</q></q>
+</p>
+
+<p>
+He then addressed a few words to the two other
+sons, words of mingled encouragement and advice.
+This done he stretched out his hands, and, with a
+voice of surprising firmness in one so weak, blessed
+the whole assembly, repeated the usual profession
+of an Israelite’s faith, and then drew his last breath
+without a struggle.
+</p>
+
+</div><div type="chapter" n="14" rend="page-break-before: always">
+<pb n='171'/><anchor id='Pg171'/>
+<index index="toc" level1="XIV. The Burial of Mattathias"/>
+<index index="pdf" level1="XIV. The Burial of Mattathias"/>
+<head>CHAPTER XIV.<lb/><lb/><hi rend="smaller">THE BURIAL OF MATTATHIAS.</hi></head>
+
+<p>
+Judas and his brothers sat late into the night consulting
+about a daring scheme which the new
+captain of the host proposed.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+<q>It would be an unseemly thing,</q> he said, <q>that
+Mattathias, the son of Asmon, should be thrust into
+a hole among the rocks as if he were an outcast or
+a robber. Verily we will bury him with his fathers
+in the sepulchre of Asmon.</q>
+</p>
+
+<p>
+<q>’Twill be no easy matter to contrive,</q> said
+Jonathan, the man of many devices. <q>The sepulchre
+is hard by the town, and we can scarcely avoid
+the eyes of the people in coming and going.</q>
+</p>
+
+<p>
+<q>Nay, Jonathan, I have no purpose of doing the
+thing in secret. It would not be well to bury my
+father by stealth in his own sepulchre. It shall be
+done openly, and before the eyes of men.</q>
+</p>
+
+<p>
+The brothers, bold men as they were, were
+aston<pb n='172'/><anchor id='Pg172'/>ished at the hardihood of the plan. But their
+respect for the genius of Judas silenced any opposition.
+And then he had never failed in any enterprise.
+John was the first to speak.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+<q>’Tis well thought of, Judas. Lead the way, and
+I follow;</q> and he clasped his brother’s hand.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+The captain then developed his plan, which,
+when examined, seemed less audacious than it had
+appeared at first sight. It was to be a surprise,
+and the very unlikelihood of the attempt made its
+success more probable. Modin was not occupied by
+a garrison, and the townsfolk, even if their goodwill
+could not be counted on, would scarcely venture to
+resist. Only it would be necessary to act before any
+rumour of their intention could get about, and, the
+funeral march once begun, to hasten it to a completion
+as much as possible.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+The body was at once preserved against decay as
+far as the scanty means at the command of the
+patriots would allow. Then word was sent through
+the encampment that all who wished to take their
+last look at the dead hero must come at once. For
+three hours a constant stream of awestruck and
+weeping visitors passed through the tent in which he
+lay, attired in his priestly garb, the long white beard
+reaching almost to his waist, his wasted features
+settled into the majestic repose of death. Every
+visitor as he entered loosed his sandals from his feet,
+feeling that the place which he was entering was
+<pb n='173'/><anchor id='Pg173'/>holy ground. Every one, as he took his last look on
+the hero’s face, prayed to the God of his fathers that
+his last end might be like his. Women brought
+their children that they might kiss the hem of his
+garment. It would be a distinction to them in their
+old age that they had been privileged to pay this
+honour to Mattathias, the son of Asmon.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Before dawn the procession started. The body, in
+its rude coffin of wood, was placed upon a bier,
+thirty bearers taking it in turns to carry it. The
+thirty were divided into five relays of six, one of the
+sons of the dead being always among those who
+performed the duty. With the exception of a small
+force which was left for the protection of the women
+and children, all the fighting men of the settlement
+accompanied the body. In spite of the efforts
+which had been made to procure or manufacture
+arms, they were still but poorly equipped. Of
+military display, of the <q>pomp and circumstance
+of glorious war,</q> there was absolutely nothing.
+But the solid qualities of endurance and courage
+could be seen in their sinewy forms and resolute
+faces. To an observer who could look below the
+surface that squalid array had in it the capacity for
+achieving an heroic success.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Judas had been quite right in predicting that the
+expedition would meet with little or no opposition.
+Its march, indeed, was absolutely unmolested by the
+enemy. The movement was wholly unexpected, and
+<pb n='174'/><anchor id='Pg174'/>consequently no force had been collected to hinder
+it; while the garrisons of the two or three fortified
+places which the army passed on its route did not
+feel themselves strong enough to attempt any attack.
+Already, though as yet no pitched battle had been
+fought, these Jewish <q>Ironsides</q> had inspired their
+enemies with a wholesome dread of their prowess.
+Both Greeks and renegades knew that these
+ragged, ill-armed mountaineers stood as stoutly
+and plied their swords as fiercely as any soldiers
+in the world.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+No incident occurred in the course of the march
+save one, which, though little thought of at the
+time, was destined to lead to events of considerable
+importance. When the first halt was called, Benjamin,
+who was a well-known personage in the neighbourhood,
+and who in spite, perhaps in consequence,
+of his antecedents enjoyed not a little popularity,
+found entertainment in the house of an old acquaintance.
+The man was a farmer, who had been accustomed
+to make a handsome profit by supplying
+the bandits with useful information. Recognizing
+his old accomplice in the ranks of the patriot army,
+he invited him into his house, and entertained him
+with his best. Unfortunately this best happened to
+be some salted swine’s flesh. Benjamin had some
+scruple about eating it; but it was not strong
+enough to resist the claims of a ravenous hunger,
+supported as they were by his entertainer’s ridicule.
+<pb n='175'/><anchor id='Pg175'/>The meal was washed down by the contents of two
+or three flasks of potent wine, and the friends were
+so busily occupied with discussing these, and with
+talking over old times, that the signal for assembly
+passed unnoticed. Then followed a search for
+stragglers, and Benjamin was discovered with the
+fragments of his meal before him; and though his
+hunger had stripped the bones bare enough, no one
+could doubt what was the animal to which they had
+belonged.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+The offender had been caught, so to speak, red-handed,
+and some voices were raised to demand his
+instant execution. But the officer in command of
+the detachment interposed. In any case he would
+have objected to a proceeding of which Judas would
+certainly have disapproved, and he had besides a
+certain kindness for Benjamin, of whose courage and
+dexterity he had been more than once a witness.
+Accordingly the offender was put under close arrest,
+and the army resumed its march.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Benjamin had no need to be told that he was in
+very serious danger. The Chasidim, at least, would
+be more ready to overlook fifty thefts than one transgression
+in the matter of unclean food; and he felt
+sure that if he could not contrive to escape before
+the army returned to the encampment, possibly
+before they reached Modin, his days were numbered.
+While he was meditating on the chances of escape,
+one of the escort, an associate of former days, was
+<pb n='176'/><anchor id='Pg176'/>thinking how he could help him. Happening to be
+in front of the prisoner, he purposely stumbled and
+fell. The prisoner fell over him, and in the confusion
+the soldier cut the cords that bound Benjamin’s
+hands. The prisoner was not a man to lose such an
+opportunity. Waiting till he reached a convenient
+spot on the march, he shook off his bonds, sprang
+to the side of the road, and, before his keepers could
+recover from their astonishment, was lost to sight
+in the woods which bordered it.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+When the army reached Modin no attempt was
+made to interfere with its proceedings. Our old
+acquaintance, Cleon, had been sent to replace the
+commissioner killed when Mattathias raised the
+standard of revolt, and Cleon was far too careful of
+himself to risk his safety in any foolhardy struggle
+against superior strength. When the body of armed
+men was first seen approaching the town, he had
+supposed that its object was to possess itself of any
+money, arms, or provisions that might be found in
+the place. A nearer view showed the funeral procession,
+and one of the townspeople was acute
+enough to guess the real purpose of the expedition.
+Cleon’s resolve was at once taken. He would make
+the best of circumstances which he could not control.
+Accordingly he went out of the town with a
+flag of truce in his hand, and meeting the vanguard
+of the approaching array, demanded an interview
+with its leader.
+</p>
+
+<pb n='177'/><anchor id='Pg177'/>
+
+<p>
+He was brought into the presence of Judas.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+<q>May I ask,</q> he said, <q>the purpose of your
+coming?</q>
+</p>
+
+<p>
+<q>We are come to bury Mattathias, son of Asmon,
+in the sepulchre of his fathers,</q> was the brief
+reply.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+<q>And you, sir,</q> continued the Greek, with
+elaborate courtesy, <q>may I ask to whom I am
+speaking?</q>
+</p>
+
+<p>
+<q>I am Judas, son of Mattathias.</q>
+</p>
+
+<p>
+<q>Allow me, then,</q> answered Cleon, <q>to express
+my sympathy with you in the loss of so renowned a
+father, once, I believe, a distinguished citizen of this
+place, and to assure you that you will meet with no
+molestation in whatever honours you may see fit to
+render to his memory. I would myself willingly
+attend the obsequies, did I suppose that my presence
+would be welcome.</q>
+</p>
+
+<p>
+<q>We thank you, sir,</q> said Judas, who was inwardly
+chafing at this hypocritical politeness, but
+disdained to show his feelings; <q>we would sooner
+be alone.</q>
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Cleon saluted and withdrew.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+The funeral ceremonies were performed with an
+impressive solemnity. The stone which closed the
+entrance to the family tomb of the house of Asmon
+had been rolled away, and the dead body was placed
+in the niche which had been long ago prepared for
+its reception. Only the sons of Mattathias and a few
+<pb n='178'/><anchor id='Pg178'/>of their best trusted counsellors and lieutenants
+entered the cave; the rest of the multitude stood
+without, waiting in profound silence till they should
+be told that the old warrior had been laid in his last
+resting-place.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+When the cave had been closed again John, as
+the eldest son of the deceased, spoke a few words to
+the army.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+<q>We have buried our dead,</q> he said, <q>out of our
+sight; but his memory lives and will live among us.
+Let us be true and faithful as he was, that we may
+be with him when he shall rise again at the last day,
+and sit down with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob at the
+supper of the people of God. Meanwhile let us
+follow and obey him whom with his last breath he
+named as his successor. Long live Judas, son of
+Mattathias, son of Asmon, the captain of the host
+of the Lord!</q>
+</p>
+
+<p>
+And all the army shouted their approval.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Cleon had followed up his courtesies by an invitation
+addressed to Judas and his principal officers, in
+which he begged the honour of their company at a
+meal. Judas declined the invitation, but intimated
+that he would gladly purchase a supply of corn.
+The commissioner, well aware that his guests could
+take by force anything that was refused to them, at
+once acceded to the request, and Micah was selected,
+on account of his familiarity with the Greek language,
+to conduct the transaction.
+</p>
+
+<pb n='179'/><anchor id='Pg179'/>
+
+<p>
+The details of the business arranged with the
+commissioner’s secretary, Micah received a message
+from the great man himself, begging for the pleasure
+of an interview.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+<q>What!</q> cried Cleon, affecting a surprise which
+he did not really feel, <q>is this my old friend
+Menander whom I see?</q>
+</p>
+
+<p>
+<q>My name is Micah,</q> said the Jew, not without a
+feeling of disgust and shame as his mind reverted
+to the past.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+<q>As you please,</q> said Cleon. <q>By whatever
+name you may please to call yourself, I hope that we
+shall always be good friends. But tell me, what is
+the meaning of this disguise?</q>
+</p>
+
+<p>
+<q>I know not what you mean by disguise.</q>
+</p>
+
+<p>
+<q>I mean these rags, which a scarecrow would
+hardly condescend to wear; that battered helmet,
+which looks as if the boys had been kicking it for
+a month about the market-place; that deplorably
+shabby sword, which even a rag-and-bone man
+would be ashamed to hang up in his shop. Is this
+the elegant Menander—I beg your pardon, the
+elegant Micah, who was once the very pink of
+neatness and fashion?</q>
+</p>
+
+<p>
+<q>As for my past follies, you may laugh at them
+as you will, nor can I deny that you are in the right.
+But of these rags, as you are pleased to call them,
+of these shabby arms, I am not ashamed. I have
+come to myself. The things that I once prized I
+<pb n='180'/><anchor id='Pg180'/>count as dung, and for that which I once despised
+I would gladly die.</q>
+</p>
+
+<p>
+<q>Why, what madness is this? What have you
+got to live for? How can you support existence
+among this deplorable crew of beggars and outlaws,
+with not a man among them, I will warrant, who
+has the least taste of culture, or the faintest tincture
+of art?</q>
+</p>
+
+<p>
+<q>These <q>beggars and outlaws,</q> as you call them,
+are the soldiers of the Lord; and you will find that
+they are enemies not to be despised, that these
+battered helmets can turn a blow, and these jagged
+swords can deal one that will make its way through
+all your finery.</q>
+</p>
+
+<p>
+<q>But, my dear friend—I may call you so, I
+suppose, in spite of any little difference of opinion
+there may be between us?</q>
+</p>
+
+<p>
+The Jew made no motion of assent.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+<q>Well, you cannot be deceiving yourself as to the
+utter hopelessness of your attempt. Why, when
+you come to meet our troops in regular battle, you
+will disappear like chaff before the wind. You may
+take a few places by surprise, but you have no more
+chance of winning a regular victory than a dove has
+of killing a kite. Come now, be reasonable; give
+up this silly affair, and be my guest, till we can find
+something suitable for you to do. I will set you up
+with some new clothes, to which you are perfectly
+welcome. And I will warrant that in a few days
+<pb n='181'/><anchor id='Pg181'/>you will be wondering that you were ever foolish
+enough to undertake such a wildgoose business as
+this.</q>
+</p>
+
+<p>
+<q>Your gifts be to yourself. Nay, Cleon,</q> he soon
+went on to say, in a softer tone, <q>I would not speak
+harshly to you for the sake of old kindnesses which
+I doubt not you meant well in showing me. But be
+sure that I am in earnest. The old things are hateful
+to me. I have other desires, other hopes; and
+if they are not satisfied, not fulfilled, I can at least
+die for them.</q>
+</p>
+
+<p>
+<q>Die for them, indeed! <hi rend='italic'>That</hi>, my dear Micah, is
+only too likely, and die, I am afraid, in an exceedingly
+unpleasant way. It is simple madness to
+suppose that a crowd of ragamuffins, under a
+general—Apollo save the mark!—who has never seen
+a battle, can stand against the troops of the King.
+You used to be a very good fellow, Menander or
+Micah, or whatever you call yourself, but, as sure as
+you are sitting there, if you go on in this mad
+fashion, I shall have the pain of seeing you some
+day hanging on a cross.</q>
+</p>
+
+<p>
+At the sound of the word the young Jew started
+as if he had been stabbed. It opened the way for a
+flood of memories which, for a while, carried him out
+of himself. When he could command himself sufficiently
+to speak, he burst out—
+</p>
+
+<p>
+<q>Yes—hanging on a cross! Nothing more likely
+if only you and your friends get their way. You talk
+<pb n='182'/><anchor id='Pg182'/>of taste, and art, and beauty: you have always
+plenty of fine words on your tongues, but when
+it comes to practice you are as brutal as the
+fiercest of the savages whom you profess to despise—nay,
+you are ten times worse, for you know what
+you are doing. Now, listen to me, Cleon. Some
+six months ago I was walking through Jerusalem
+after your teachers of culture and art had been busy
+giving their lessons. What think you I saw? I saw
+a woman hanging on a cross, and her little son, a
+babe of a few days old, fastened about her neck.
+Thank God they were dead. Some one of your
+people had in mercy—for you are not altogether
+without mercy—strangled her before they fastened
+her to the cross. And what was her offence? Was
+she unchaste, a thief, a murderer? Not so; no
+purer, gentler soul ever lived on the earth. No, she
+had done for her son as her fathers for a thousand
+years and more had done for their sons. And this
+was how your prophets of refinement and beauty
+dealt with her. Cleon, that woman was my sister.
+Do you think that such deeds as that will go unpunished?
+Surely not; whether your faith—if you
+have a faith—or mine be true, there is a vengeance
+that follows—slow, it may be, but sure of foot—the
+men who work such wickedness. And, for my
+part, I doubt not who the first minister of that
+vengeance will be. You sneer at our general; he
+is no general at all, you think; a mere leader of
+<pb n='183'/><anchor id='Pg183'/>vagabonds, who has never seen a battle. He will
+see many a battle, yea, and the back of many a foe,
+before his work is done. He is a very Hammer of
+God, and he will break his enemies to pieces. And
+now, Cleon, hearken again to me. You and I have
+broken bread together as friends. That is past for
+ever. May the God of my fathers send down upon
+me all the plagues that He holds in the vials of
+His wrath, if I have any truce with the enemies of
+His people! But with you, as I would not join
+hands in friendship, so I would not cross them in
+anger. Pray, therefore, to your gods, as I will certainly
+pray to Him whom I worship, that we may
+never see each other again. And now farewell!</q>
+</p>
+
+<p>
+The expedition returned to the mountains without
+mishap.
+</p>
+
+</div><div type="chapter" n="15" rend="page-break-before: always">
+<pb n='184'/><anchor id='Pg184'/>
+<index index="toc" level1="XV. The Sword of Apollonius"/>
+<index index="pdf" level1="XV. The Sword of Apollonius"/>
+<head>CHAPTER XV.<lb/><lb/><hi rend="smaller">THE SWORD OF APOLLONIUS.</hi></head>
+
+<p>
+The daring action of Judas at Modin was a defiance
+to the rulers at Jerusalem, and felt to be so, not only
+by them, but by the whole country. It was followed
+up by active operations on the part of the patriots
+against the smaller towns of south-eastern Palestine.
+The population began to feel that it was safer
+to be on the side of the patriots than against them.
+Thanks to this feeling, to the genuine favour with
+which the movement was regarded, and to the perfect
+system of scouts which he had organized, Judas
+had early and trustworthy information of all the
+movements of the enemy. Apollonius had made up
+his mind that he must act if he was not to lose
+entirely his hold upon the country, and set about
+organizing a force so overwhelmingly strong that it
+must, he thought, sweep the insurgents before it.
+This intention, and indeed, it may almost be said,
+every detail of his preparations, was communicated
+to Judas. He, on his part, was determined that a
+<pb n='185'/><anchor id='Pg185'/>heathen army should never again invade the mountain
+sanctuary. He would not await attack. His
+military instincts, which, indeed, were extraordinarily
+fine and true, warned him that boldness was now his
+best policy, and that he should go down and give
+battle to the enemy.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+It was on the eve of the departure of the patriot
+army, when Seraiah might have been seen making
+his way back from a conference of the chiefs to the
+cave which served him as a dwelling. He was now
+recovering from his wound, but he was still too weak
+to support the fatigues of a march. Accordingly
+Judas had left him in command of the little garrison,
+scarcely, indeed, containing one able-bodied man,
+which was to protect the encampment. When he
+reached his home he found his nieces, Miriam and
+Judith, sitting with his wife, and watching the infant
+that was slumbering by her side.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+<q>See,</q> said Judith, as the child smiled in his
+sleep, <q>his angel is whispering to him. Oh, uncle,
+have you ever seen the angel?</q>
+</p>
+
+<p>
+She prattled on without waiting for an answer.
+<q>Father sees angels, and they bring him words from
+mother, where she is in Paradise. And, do you
+know, uncle, last night he had a wonderful dream
+about a sword? He told it to us this morning. He
+often tells us his dreams. Sometimes he seems as if
+he were talking to mother; and he says that Miriam
+is so like her.</q>
+</p>
+
+<pb n='186'/><anchor id='Pg186'/>
+
+<p>
+<q>Well, Judith, and what was the dream?</q> said
+Ruth.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+<q>Father saw a mighty angel—one of the cherubim,
+you know, that father says God sends abroad to do
+His errands—come flying down, and the angel had
+in his hand a great sword. And he stood by father’s
+bed, and showed him a name graven on the blade—it
+was the name which we may not speak, though it
+is part of father’s name<note place="foot">Azariah, holpen of Jehovah.</note>—and when he had done this
+he put the hilt in his hand and departed. Then
+father awoke, and found only his own old sword in
+his hand; and this, you know, is so hacked that it is
+not of much use, and is very weak, too, in the
+handle. Father never sleeps without it, and he
+must have drawn it out in his sleep, without knowing
+it, from under the pillow where he keeps it. But he
+says the dream will certainly come true. And now,
+Miriam,</q> she went on, turning to her sister, for the
+little maiden was of the true housewife temper, <q>we
+must be going back to get father’s dinner ready for
+him.</q>
+</p>
+
+<p>
+When they were left alone Seraiah said to Ruth,
+<q>It is as I feared—I am to stay behind.</q>
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Ruth felt a thrill of joy go through her, but was
+too wise a woman to show it.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+<q>Old Reuben will not hear of my going. He
+says that I should be more hindrance than help, and
+perhaps he is right. The Lord’s will be done,
+<pb n='187'/><anchor id='Pg187'/>though I would fain have struck a blow in the battle
+that is to decide; for I am sure that as this battle
+goes, so will the end be. But I am to be in
+command of the garrison here.</q>
+</p>
+
+<p>
+<q>And you will not mind taking care of the women
+and children, dear husband?</q> said Ruth.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+<q>I should be ungrateful indeed if I did,</q> said
+Seraiah, as he kissed her.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Meanwhile the excitement in the camp had risen
+to fever heat. Scouts had come racing in at headlong
+speed with tidings that the enemy’s army had
+started from Jerusalem, and that it numbered not
+less than twelve thousand regular troops, well-equipped,
+and furnished with a formidable supply
+of the engines of war. The patriots were in that
+state of exaltation in which men make little of the
+numbers opposed to them, and the disparity of forces
+roused no apprehensions. If any such were felt
+they gave way to rage when the messengers added
+that the hated Apollonius himself was in command
+of the hostile army.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Azariah and Micah were among a small company
+of chiefs who were standing outside the tent of
+Judas, and were discussing the prospects of the war.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+<q>The curse of God light upon him!</q> cried
+Azariah. <q>Surely He will so order it that I may
+smite him down on the field of battle, and avenge
+the innocent blood! Surely the blood of my wife
+and my child cries against him from the earth!</q>
+</p>
+
+<pb n='188'/><anchor id='Pg188'/>
+
+<p>
+<q>Nay, brother,</q> broke in Micah, <q>the task of the
+avenger of blood lies upon me, for I am next-of-kin
+to Hannah.</q>
+</p>
+
+<p>
+<q>Surely,</q> replied Azariah, with some heat, <q>there
+is no kinship so close as the tie which binds husband
+to wife! ’Tis I that should be Hannah’s avenger of
+blood.</q>
+</p>
+
+<p>
+<q>My brothers,</q> broke in the voice of Judas, who
+appeared in the door of his tent, <q>you think too
+much of your private wrongs. Great they are, I
+know—none greater. But is there one soldier in
+this army that has not lost wife, or child, or father,
+or brother by the hand of this evil man? We will
+go, one and all, as avengers of blood, and the Lord
+will deliver him into the hands of him whom He
+shall choose.</q>
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Next day the army set out. On the evening of the
+second day they came in sight of the forces of Apollonius.
+Some of the more fiery spirits were for an
+instant attack, but the prudence of Judas, which
+was not less conspicuous than his daring, restrained
+them. His men were wearied with a long day’s
+march, and they wanted food. And he himself had
+not had time to reconnoitre the enemy’s position or
+receive any intelligence from his scouts.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Early next day the battle began. In one sense
+Judas was greatly overmatched. The enemy were
+superior in numbers—almost in the proportion of four
+to one—and in equipment. But, on the other hand,
+<pb n='189'/><anchor id='Pg189'/>the Hebrew leader could rely implicitly on his
+soldiers. Anything that mortal man, inspired by
+zeal and the burning sense of wrong, could achieve,
+they might be trusted to do. To such a temper,
+of course, the policy of attack is best suited.
+Judas massed his best troops on his right wing,
+which happened to be opposed to what his eagle eye
+discerned to be the weakest part of the enemy’s
+line. Apollonius saw his intention, and commenced
+a movement of troops which was designed to
+strengthen the weak point in his array. But such
+a movement in the face of a hostile force cannot be
+carried out without confusion. Judas saw his opportunity,
+ordered his men to advance at the double,
+and closed fiercely with the foe.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+The Greek line broke almost at once, and the
+chief danger now was that the conquerors might
+press on too eagerly. The Greeks were not an undisciplined
+mob which could be treated with contempt.
+Some of them, at least, were veteran soldiers, in
+whom the sense of discipline was an instinct, and
+who, if not very enthusiastic in the cause for which
+they were fighting, were perfectly well aware that
+their best chance of personal safety was to be found
+in keeping together and holding their ground. Judas,
+in whom native genius seemed to supply the want of
+experience, appreciated the enemy with whom he had
+to deal, and kept his own men well in hand, though
+he was careful not unduly to check their courage.
+</p>
+
+<pb n='190'/><anchor id='Pg190'/>
+
+<p>
+The fortune of the day continued to declare in
+favour of the patriots; but Apollonius himself, surrounded
+by a picked force of mercenaries, still held
+his ground. Shortly after noon Azariah and Micah,
+who had kept close together during the battle, and
+had both performed prodigies of valour, gathering a
+company of their immediate followers, made a determined
+rush in his direction. The bodyguard, terrified
+by the fierceness of this onset, wavered and fled,
+leaving but three or four faithful attendants, who
+refused to leave their commander.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+The Greek recognized Azariah, and called to him
+by his name. <q>Azariah, if you think that I have
+wronged you, I do not refuse you the opportunity of
+revenge. Come out from your companions, and I
+will meet you alone. You are a brave man, and
+would not take a soldier at unfair odds.</q>
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Azariah did not deign to answer; but one of his
+comrades replied, <q>Dog of a heathen! you forget
+where you are. We are not contending in your
+foolish games: we are the avengers of blood—the
+innocent blood which you have shed; and we will
+slay you as men slay a venomous snake. Such
+equity as you have dealt to others, we will show to
+you. Was it in fair fight that you slew women and
+children?</q>
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Apollonius looked on the ring of scowling faces
+that surrounded him, and saw that there was no
+mercy or even what he would have called the
+<pb n='191'/><anchor id='Pg191'/>courtesy of war to be hoped from them. <q>I only
+wish,</q> he said, <q>that I had rooted out the whole
+cursed brood from the earth, and burnt the den of
+thieves which you call your city, and laid the shrine
+of the demon whom you call your God level with the
+ground!</q>
+</p>
+
+<p>
+<q>Silence, blasphemer!</q> cried Azariah, as he
+whirled his sword over his head.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+It was not the almost worthless weapon, with its
+dented edge and broken hilt, that he had carried into
+the battle. Early in the day he had cut down a
+Greek officer, and taken the sword of the dead man
+in exchange for his own.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+As he spoke he beckoned to his countrymen.
+They stood back, even Micah recognizing the right
+of the husband to strike the first blow at the murderer
+of his wife.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Apollonius raised his sword to parry the stroke
+which he expected to be aimed at his head. With
+a rapid change of movement his adversary changed
+the blow into a thrust, and drove the point of his
+weapon through the Greek’s heart.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Azariah was drawing out his weapon from the
+corpse, when Judas, who had been hastening to the
+spot not without some hope of himself crossing
+swords with the hated Apollonius, came up.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+<q>A mighty weapon that!</q> he exclaimed, as the
+conqueror wiped the blade on the dead man’s tunic.
+<q>Let me take it in my hands.</q>
+</p>
+
+<pb n='192'/><anchor id='Pg192'/>
+
+<p>
+He poised it and judged its balance, tried the
+edge, and then narrowly scanned the markings on
+the blade.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+<q>Ah!</q> said he, <q>how came you by this sword?
+I had observed</q>—and indeed his eagle eye noted
+every detail—<q>that yours was but a poor weapon,
+unworthy of your strength, and I wished to find
+something better for you.</q>
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Azariah told him how he had taken it from a
+Greek on the field of battle.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+<q>And saw you this?</q> he went on, pointing to the
+Holy Name which had been engraved on the blade.
+<q>Doubtless this belonged to some Hebrew warrior
+in time past, for the fashion of the letters is somewhat
+antique; the heathen whom you slew had
+taken it, and now the Lord has given it back into
+the hands of the faithful.</q>
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Azariah then related his dream.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+<q>The angel whom you saw,</q> said Judas, <q>was,
+doubtless, the angel of battle, and the Lord has been
+faithful, as ever, to His promise.</q>
+</p>
+
+<p>
+He gave back the consecrated sword to Azariah,
+and took the weapon which was still grasped in the
+right hand of the dead Apollonius. <q>With this,</q>
+he said, <q>I will fight as long as I live.</q> And he
+broke out into the triumphal chant of the Psalmist—<q>The
+ungodly have drawn out the sword, and have
+bent the bow to cast down the poor and needy.
+Their sword shall go through their own heart and
+their bow shall be broken.</q>
+</p>
+<pgIf output='txt'><then>
+  <p rend="ill">[Illustration: <hi rend='italic'>The Sword of Apollonius.</hi>]</p>
+</then><else>
+  <p><anchor id="i_213"/><figure url="images/i_213.jpg" rend="w80">
+<index index="fig" level1="The Sword of Apollonius"/>
+<head><hi rend='italic'>The Sword of Apollonius.</hi></head>
+<figDesc>The Sword of Apollonius</figDesc></figure></p>
+</else></pgIf>
+</div><div type="chapter" n="16" rend="page-break-before: always">
+<pb n='193'/><anchor id='Pg193'/>
+<index index="toc" level1="XVI. News from the Battle-Field"/>
+<index index="pdf" level1="XVI. News from the Battle-Field"/>
+<head>CHAPTER XVI.<lb/><lb/><hi rend="smaller">NEWS FROM THE BATTLE-FIELD.</hi></head>
+
+<p>
+While the patriots, bivouacking on the field of
+battle, slept the sound sleep of those who have
+fought a good fight, the women, left, with the
+children and the sick, in charge of a small guard,
+only strong enough to protect them against casual
+robbers, felt the most intense anxiety. Ruth in
+her cave, with the children slumbering by her
+side, watched through the night, listening intently
+to every sound. At one time she could hear
+the bats which haunted the rocks flapping and
+fluttering as they went out to take their flights
+in the night air. Then from farther away came
+the moaning of the jackals, as they hunted for their
+prey, with now and then the deeper note of a wolf,
+or the sound, so strangely like to mocking laughter,
+of the hooting owls. Everything at that moment
+seemed very dark and hopeless to the anxious
+wife.
+</p>
+
+<pb n='194'/><anchor id='Pg194'/>
+
+<p>
+<q>’Tis everywhere the same,</q> she thought to herself—<q>the
+stronger hunt and devour the weak. The
+lions roaring after their prey, do seek their meat
+from God. The lambs and the fawns are their prey,
+and God gives the helpless, innocent things into
+their jaws. And will he give us to the jaws of the
+heathen who are hunting us that they may devour
+us? Did He deliver the thousand who died that
+they might not profane His Sabbath? Not so. He
+suffered them to perish, to be a prey for the beasts
+of the field and the fowls of the air. <q>Verily our
+bones lie scattered before the pit, like as when one
+breaketh and heweth wood upon the earth.</q></q>
+</p>
+
+<p>
+And then her thoughts travelled to those who
+were especially close to her heart. Azariah and
+Micah—where were they? How had it fared with
+them in the battle? Were they lying on the field
+of battle with stark faces turned to the stars of
+heaven, and the vultures preying on their limbs?
+And she shuddered, and hid her face in the coarse
+coverlet under which she lay, as if she would shut
+out the dreadful picture that her thoughts had conjured
+up before her.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+When she opened her eyes again, there was a
+faint suspicion of light in the darkness of the cave.
+The bats came flapping back from the outer air
+to their haunts in the roof. Jael, the jackal, who
+had been for her nightly prowl came back with her
+cubs, and lay down in her accustomed corner. The
+<pb n='195'/><anchor id='Pg195'/>light grew rapidly stronger, and when Ruth stepped
+from the threshold of the cave into the fresh morning
+air, though the sun was not visible, its light
+had begun to touch the highest summits of the
+mountains.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Looking to the head of the pass Ruth could see
+her husband where he stood at his post of observation,
+a spot which commanded a distant view of
+the westward approaches to the encampment. As
+she watched him she observed him make a signal
+that indicated that he had to make some important
+communication. A moment afterwards she could
+see other men hurrying to the spot. She bade
+Miriam and Judith, who were always her guests
+during their father’s absence, watch the still sleeping
+infant, and made all the haste she could to join
+her husband. When she reached him she found
+the little group of watchers straining their eyes
+as they gazed at a body of armed men that could
+be seen in the distance. <q>Who are they? foes
+or friends?</q> was the question that was in every
+heart, though none ventured to put it into words.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+As the vanguard of the approaching force came to
+an eastward turn in the path, a ray of sunshine
+touched the helmets of the men and made them
+glitter.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+<q>What is this?</q> said one of the men. <q>They
+went with caps of leather; whence come these
+helmets of brass and steel?</q>
+</p>
+
+<pb n='196'/><anchor id='Pg196'/>
+
+<p>
+A shudder went through the hearts of Ruth and
+of the other women who by this time had joined
+her. If the patriots had been overpowered, and
+these armed men were heathen murderers and
+ravishers come to wreak their vengeance on those
+who had been left behind——
+</p>
+
+<p>
+<q>Whence come they?</q> said Seraiah. <q>They are
+the spoils of the heathen.</q>
+</p>
+
+<p>
+As he spoke the distant sound of singing was
+carried by the wind up the pass, and though the
+words could not as yet be heard it was recognized
+at once as one of the Temple chants. The little
+band of sentries and women raised a joyful shout,
+and hurried down the pass to meet the new comers.
+And now the noble voice of Judas could be heard
+leading the song of triumph. <q>Thou hast girded
+me with strength unto the battle; Thou shalt throw
+down mine enemies under me. Thou hast made
+mine enemies also to turn their backs upon me;
+and I shall destroy them that hate me.... I will
+beat them as small as the dust before the wind.</q>
+And now the good news had spread like wildfire
+through the camp. The rest of the women hastened
+down to meet and greet the deliverers, and among
+them Miriam and Judith, carrying Ruth’s infant
+child. The first thought of all was to do honour
+to the chief who had led the host of the Lord to
+victory. They kissed the hem of his robe, his hands,
+even his feet. It was only when they had satisfied
+<pb n='197'/><anchor id='Pg197'/>these feelings of gratitude and reverence that they
+could think of private affections. And when the
+whole array, the women and children now mingling
+in the ranks with the armed men, reached the top of
+the pass, it halted for a few minutes. The name
+which Micah, in his talk with Cleon, had given to
+Judas had passed through the army, and had caught
+the popular fancy. There was scarcely a man among
+them but had seen him dealing death at every blow
+among the ranks of the heathen. <q>Hail, Judah
+Maccâbah! Hail, Hammer of God!</q> was the cry
+that went up from the assembled multitude. The
+title has been given in after times to other sturdy
+champions of the truth, notably to him who, in the
+Valley of Tours, turned back the tide of Paynim
+invasion;<note place="foot">Charles Martel defeated the Saracens between Poictiers and
+Tours (<hi rend='small'>A.D.</hi> 732).</note> but never has it been more honourably
+gained, or more worthily borne, than it was by
+Judas, the son of Mattathias.
+</p>
+
+<milestone unit="tb"/>
+
+<p>
+Great as was the exultation of the patriots over
+their victory, no one among them, and least of all
+their far-sighted general, deceived himself with the
+flattering notion that it had finished the war.
+Every one was well aware that the defeat and death
+of Apollonius was not only a disgrace that Antiochus
+and his lieutenants were bound to avenge,
+but a disaster that had to be repaired. It was
+with<pb n='198'/><anchor id='Pg198'/>out surprise, therefore, that Judas heard that Seron,
+Governor of Coele-Syria, was marching southwards
+over the great maritime plain known by the name
+of Sharon, with what rumour described as a vast
+host.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Judas at once resolved to repeat the policy which
+had been found so successful in the conflict with
+Apollonius. The enemy would soon reach the
+passes that led into the hill-country of Eastern
+Palestine; and it was there that he must be met.
+To allow him to make good this movement without
+opposition would be to throw away a great advantage.
+The Jewish commander resolved, accordingly,
+to dispute the possession of the pass. With
+a boldness which seemed to some of his followers
+to verge upon rashness, he left Jerusalem, occupied
+as it was by a hostile garrison, behind him, and
+marched westward till he reached the range which
+looks over the Plain of Sharon to the Great Sea.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+This strategy was simple enough, though it was
+not wanting in boldness; but then came the difficult
+question, <q>What road will the enemy take—the
+ordinary route by Emmaüs,<note place="foot">Not to be confounded with the village near Jerusalem.</note> or the more difficult
+way through the pass of Beth-horon?</q> The scouts
+were at fault, but it seemed likely that a general
+strange to the country would prefer the easier
+course. But scarcely had Judas acted on this
+probability and taken up his position on the plateau
+<pb n='199'/><anchor id='Pg199'/>of Emmaüs, than a breathless messenger came
+rushing in with the intelligence that Beth-horon was
+to be the point of attack. The patriots had already
+been in motion since dawn, but another march was
+necessary, and, if it was to be of any avail, must
+be executed at full speed, and without any pause
+for food or rest. There had been just time to
+reach the head of the pass, and to hide the vanguard
+behind rocks and in the ravines that led into the
+main road, when the Greek force was seen to be
+approaching. It was still a mile distant, and as the
+road was steep, making a rise of not less than five
+hundred feet in the mile, its progress was slow. It
+was an anxious time of waiting as the patriots
+watched the hostile column drawing nearer and
+nearer. They could see its strength, its dense and
+numerous files, the discipline showed by the precision
+of its march, and its complete equipment,
+so different from their own imperfect supply of
+weapons and armour. And there were some whose
+hearts fainted within them at the sight. <q>How
+shall we, being so few, be able to stand up against
+so great and strong a multitude? And now we are
+worn with marching, and weak for want of bread.</q>
+Judas was indefatigable in cheering and encouraging
+them. <q>With the Lord our God,</q> he said, as
+he went from one company to another, <q>it is all one
+to deliver with a great multitude, or with a small company.</q>
+Then he pointed to Ajalon, and recalled to
+<pb n='200'/><anchor id='Pg200'/>the thoughts of his hearers the famous associations
+of the place. <q>Do you not remember,</q> he said,
+<q>how Joshua, the son of Nun, smote the five kings
+of the Canaanites? The Lord was with him, staying
+even the sun and the moon in their course, that
+He might give to His people the heritage of the
+heathen, and surely He will be with us on this day,
+for His name’s sake, that he may restore to us this
+same heritage. His enemies come against us in the
+pride of their hearts to destroy us, and our wives,
+and our children. But the Lord is on our side;
+and He will overthrow them before our face. And
+as for you, be not afraid of them. Stand fast and quit
+you like men.</q> He had not completed the round
+of his force—and indeed there were some companies
+in it which he knew to be of temper so sturdy that
+they might safely be left to themselves—when the
+Greeks, slowly labouring in their heavy armour up
+the ascent, came within reach. Judas gave the
+signal, and with a loud cry, <q>The Hammer of
+God! The Hammer of God!</q> the patriots rose
+from their ambush, and threw themselves on the
+van of the enemy. The attack was entirely unexpected,
+for the Greek commander was ill-served by
+his scouts, and it met with no serious resistance.
+Almost in a moment the Greek line was broken,
+and a wild flight commenced. When the fugitives
+reached the plain they scattered themselves in all
+directions. With his usual prudence, Judas checked
+<pb n='201'/><anchor id='Pg201'/>his men in their pursuit of the vanquished, but eight
+hundred lay dead or seriously wounded upon the
+plain.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Seraiah, who had extorted from the old physician
+attached to the patriot army an unwilling permission
+to bear arms, had fallen fainting to the ground,
+close to the entrance to the pass. Near him lay six
+or seven Greek corpses. The tide of battle had passed
+elsewhere, and the place was deserted. This was
+exactly the opportunity which Benjamin and his
+associates—since his escape during the expedition to
+Modin he had gathered about him a small band—had
+been watching. They issued from their
+hiding-places among the rocks, and began to search
+the prostrate bodies for spoil. The first that they
+came to was a Greek sub-officer, somewhat richly
+attired. The man was still alive and groaned as
+they turned him over to get more conveniently at
+the silver ornaments of his belt. <q>Curse the
+villain!</q> cried Benjamin, as he drove his sword
+into his side; and when the poor wretch breathed
+his last, went on, <q>A brave man might have been
+left to take his chance, but such cowards as these
+’tis positively a good work to despatch. Did you
+ever see such a scandalous flight?—and they were
+positively five to one at the very least.</q>
+</p>
+
+<p>
+It was now Seraiah’s turn to be stripped. He,
+too, gave signs of life, and one of the robbers, an
+Edomite, who hated Jews and Greeks impartially,
+<pb n='202'/><anchor id='Pg202'/>was about to stab him, when Benjamin, who recognized
+his old comrade’s face, interfered.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+<q>Nay, man,</q> he said, <q>’tis one of the patriots,
+and an old friend of mine to boot. Look you after
+the others, and I will attend to this brave fellow.</q>
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Hastily and with a practised hand he bound up
+Seraiah’s wound, for the old place had broken out
+afresh. The injured man, consumed by the thirst
+that follows the loss of blood, begged for water.
+Benjamin supplied him with a draught from the
+bottle which he carried, and followed it up with
+some rough wine of the country in a wooden cup.
+By this time the robbers, who had finished their
+work of spoiling the dead, were ready to return
+to their hiding-place among the hills.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+<q>Come, captain,</q> said the Edomite, <q>’tis time
+to go; you had best leave your friend to himself,
+or you will see more of his countrymen than you
+will quite like.</q>
+</p>
+
+<p>
+<q>Go,</q> said Benjamin; <q>I will follow you soon.</q>
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Seraiah was now sufficiently revived to be able
+to sit up. The robber offered him bread and flesh.
+<q>’Tis clean meat,</q> he said. The wounded man,
+however, refused it. It might be of a lawful kind,
+but he did not know that it had been lawfully
+killed, and he contented himself with bread to which
+he added a few raisins with which he happened
+to have provided himself. Another draught of wine
+completed the repast.
+</p>
+
+<pb n='203'/><anchor id='Pg203'/>
+
+<p>
+<q>Benjamin,</q> he said, when he had finished, <q>you
+are too good for this life, for these friends. Come
+with us and fight on our side, for be sure that it
+is the side of the Lord. I will intercede for you to
+our captain, and he is as merciful as he is strong.</q>
+</p>
+
+<p>
+<q>Nay, nay,</q> said Benjamin, <q>you are too confident;
+yours may be the side of the Lord, for I
+don’t know much about these things, but the side
+of the Lord, as far as I have been able to see,
+does not always win. I hate these Greeks. They
+robbed me of my house and everything that I had.
+May all the curses that are written in the Law
+overtake them! But they are very likely to get
+the best of it after all.</q>
+</p>
+
+<p>
+<q>Did you see how they fled to-day?</q> cried
+Seraiah.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+<q>Yes; you made them run,</q> said the robber, with
+a grim laugh. <q>It was rare sport to see them pelt
+helter-skelter down the pass, like so many sheep
+with a dog after them. But there are many more
+where these came from, and they will simply
+trample you down.</q>
+</p>
+
+<p>
+<q>That will not be done so easily as you think.
+Is Judas the Hammer—for that is what the people
+call him—a likely man to be so dealt with? Nay,
+Benjamin, he is another Joshua, another David,
+and I am as sure as if a prophet had told me that
+the Lord of Hosts is with him, and will deliver the
+heathen into his hands.</q>
+</p>
+
+<pb n='204'/><anchor id='Pg204'/>
+
+<p>
+Benjamin was silent awhile. Then he said, in an
+altered tone, <q>You say the truth about Judas, the
+son of Mattathias. A better captain to lead, a
+better soldier to strike with the sword, I never saw.
+I would gladly follow him. And verily I would
+sooner fight for my people than for my own hand.
+But your ways are over-strict. I cannot put up
+with these <q><corr sic="(double quotes)">religious</corr></q> as you call them. Why
+should I not eat pig’s flesh if I can get it? It
+has a good relish, and it has never harmed me
+yet.</q>
+</p>
+
+<p>
+<q>But ’tis forbidden, Benjamin,</q> gently answered
+Seraiah, now in good hopes of winning over this
+somewhat stubborn proselyte, <q>and you are too
+good a man to give up your country for a matter
+of meat or drink.</q>
+</p>
+
+<p>
+<q>Aye,</q> said the man, <q>but there are other
+things.</q>
+</p>
+
+<p>
+<q>Nothing surely that cannot be borne,</q> went on
+Seraiah. <q>Oh, Benjamin, you have saved my life
+to-day, and henceforth you are my brother; but I
+could almost wish, but for my wife and child’s sake—you
+remember Ruth and the babe?—that you had
+left me to die, if I am to see you return to the
+ways of death.</q>
+</p>
+
+<p>
+The cause was almost won when, at an unhappy
+moment, a party of Jewish soldiers returning from
+the pursuit came in sight. One of them immediately
+recognized Benjamin, and gave the alarm
+<pb n='205'/><anchor id='Pg205'/>to his companions. They rushed to arrest him,
+but Benjamin divined their purpose and dashed
+up the rocks. To overtake him was impossible,
+for he was fleet of foot and unencumbered; but one
+of the Chasidim, for the soldiers belonged to this
+party, let fly an arrow which struck him in the
+left arm. It was but a slight wound, for the barb
+was not covered in the flesh; but it stirred him
+to a furious rage, which was all the fiercer because,
+by a great effort, he had just brought himself to yield
+to Seraiah’s arguments. He tore the arrow from
+the wound, hurled it at his pursuers with impotent
+rage, and crying, <q>All the plagues of Egypt consume
+you!</q> disappeared among the rocks.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+<q>You have lost a good recruit,</q> said Seraiah
+to his comrades when they returned to him.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+<q>What should this son of Belial profit us?</q>
+one of the Chasidim haughtily replied. <q>The Lord
+grant that my next arrow may be driven better
+home!</q>
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Seraiah made no answer, but painfully lifting
+himself from the ground made his way up the
+pass alone. He did not care for the company of
+his comrades, and they, on their part, though they
+could not help respecting him as a soldier, thought
+him sadly wanting in zeal for the Law and for the
+traditions of the elders.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Late that night some of the fugitives, who had
+crossed the mountains somewhat further to the
+<pb n='206'/><anchor id='Pg206'/>south, reached Jerusalem. They found the city
+anxiously expecting tidings of the battle; and two of
+their number who were officers were at once brought
+into the Governor’s house. He was indisposed, and
+Cleon, who had given up his post at Modin and
+was now attached to head-quarters, saw the new
+arrivals in his stead. When he had heard their
+story, he did not conceal his scorn for the mismanagement—or
+was it cowardice?—that had made
+a well-equipped and powerful army flee before a
+crowd of half-armed vagabonds.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+<q>It is easy to talk, my fine sir,</q> retorted one of
+the men, <q>when you have only got to stop at home
+and find fault; but if you had seen them to-day,
+you would be singing to a very different tune. By
+all the gods above and below, these Jews rushed on
+more like lions than men. And as to this Judas,
+son of Asmon, there is no standing against him.
+No man wants two blows from <hi rend='italic'>his</hi> sword.</q>
+</p>
+
+<p>
+<q>A good soldier, I dare say,</q> said Cleon superciliously,
+<q>and a skilful swordsman. But there are
+others as good as he. And as for his army, if it is
+to be called an army, it is quite impossible that it
+can hold out very long. I was a little hasty in what
+I said just now. These fanatics have a way of
+giving some trouble at first, and it is quite possible
+for really good troops to be beaten by them. But
+it is quite out of the question to suppose that they
+can resist any serious attempt to deal with them.
+<pb n='207'/><anchor id='Pg207'/>Of course we have made the usual mistake of
+making too light of them. That must not be
+done again. The next expedition will be made
+with overwhelming force, and will unquestionably
+bring this troublesome matter to an end. I hope to
+go with it myself.</q>
+</p>
+
+<p>
+<q>That will be as you please, sir,</q> said the officer,
+who had not by any means recovered his temper
+after the imputations cast on his courage, <q>but if
+I may venture to say so, I would recommend that
+you should not get in the way of Judas, the son of
+Asmon.</q>
+</p>
+
+<p>
+And, indeed, whatever men like Cleon may have
+pretended to think, from that time <q>began the
+fear of Judas and his brethren and an exceeding
+great dread to fall upon the nations round about
+them.</q>
+</p>
+
+</div><div type="chapter" n="17" rend="page-break-before: always">
+<pb n='208'/><anchor id='Pg208'/>
+<index index="toc" level1="XVII. The Battle of Emmaüs"/>
+<index index="pdf" level1="XVII. The Battle of Emmaus"/>
+<head>CHAPTER XVII.<lb/><lb/><hi rend="smaller">THE BATTLE OF EMMAUS.</hi></head>
+
+<p>
+The effort to wipe out the disgrace of the two
+defeats and to restore the Greek supremacy was
+not long delayed; and when it was made, it was
+made with all the force which the lieutenants of
+Antiochus could command. The King himself was
+absent in Persia; but his vicegerent had <foreign rend='italic' lang="fr">carte
+blanche</foreign> for the preparations which they were to
+make. Lysias, Governor of Syria, had collected
+forty thousand foot and seven thousand horse, and
+this force had been put under the command of
+Nicanor, Gorgias being his principal lieutenant.
+This time, it was intended, the work should be
+done thoroughly. This Jewish people, so obstinately
+troublesome, was to be absolutely extirpated.
+Not a single native inhabitant was to be left in
+Palestine, which was to be peopled in future by a
+more accommodating and manageable race.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+This scheme, if it was to be carried out, would
+<pb n='209'/><anchor id='Pg209'/>involve huge dealings in human flesh, and the slave-merchants
+of the sea-coast cities were, naturally,
+vastly interested in its success. Anxious to do the
+business as cheaply and effectively as possible, they
+formed what, in the language of modern commerce,
+would be called a <q>Syndicate,</q> and sent parties of
+dealers to follow the two armies, and act as their
+agents when the scheme should begin to come into
+practical working.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+This was the occupation, then, of four repulsive-looking
+creatures who had obtained permission to
+follow the army of Nicanor, and whom we may
+see discussing a flagon of the best Chian wine—the
+trade was as profitable as it was odious—and
+canvassing the prospects of business.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+<q>Well,</q> said one of the four, pursuing the
+narrative of an interview which he had just been
+having with Lysias, <q>we had a long debate about
+terms. The Governor was quite firm about one
+thing: there must be no picking and choosing.
+<q>No,</q> he said, <q>either you buy them all, or they
+shall be put up in the open market.</q> <q>But what,</q>
+I said, <q>am I to do with the old and the weak?</q>
+<q>And what am I to do with them?</q> he answered.
+<q>No; you must buy them all or none.</q> There I
+could not move him. He could not be bothered with
+detail. For so many prisoners, so many talents,
+half paid down, half six months credit. Old men
+and women at their last gasp, and new-born babes
+<pb n='210'/><anchor id='Pg210'/>were all to be counted in. Those were his terms
+and I had to accept them, or we should not have
+come to an agreement.</q>
+</p>
+
+<p>
+<q>That does not seem a good bargain,</q> interrupted
+another member of the company.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+<q>Wait a moment,</q> said the first speaker, <q>till
+you hear the price. I think you will agree that
+there is no reason to complain. At first he wanted
+a talent<note place="foot">The talent must have been a talent of gold, which may be reckoned
+as equal to £3,300.</note> for every fifty. That of course was out of
+the question on the <q>take-all</q> terms, and I told our
+friend so quite plainly. <q>No,</q> I said, <q>a talent for
+every hundred is about the right price, and even
+then we may very well lose,</q> which, you will allow,
+was sailing very near the wind indeed. Well, we
+had a long argument. First he would meet me half
+way. But I held out. You know they <hi rend='italic'>must</hi> have
+money. There is Antiochus—the <q>Glorious</q> they
+call him—gone off to Persia on a wild goose chase
+after some treasures he has heard of. I’ll wager
+that he’ll spend more than he gets by a long way.
+I have friends at Court, and they tell me that the
+treasury is as empty as—well, we’ll say a wine jar,
+after our friend Nicias there has had it at his mouth
+for a minute. So I was firm. And at last—to make
+a long story short—we came to terms at a talent for
+ninety. And I can’t help thinking that it is not by
+any means a bad bargain.</q>
+</p>
+
+<pb n='211'/><anchor id='Pg211'/>
+
+<p>
+<q>And what are we to do with the worthless
+ones?</q> said one of the dealers. <q>Surely having to
+keep them will take all the shine off our profits.</q>
+</p>
+
+<p>
+<q>Keeping them! Who talks about keeping them?
+We shall only have to bury them, and that does not
+cost very much. You have not been long in the
+trade, my good friend, and you don’t know how soon
+their food seems to disagree with the poor wretches
+whom we can’t sell.</q>
+</p>
+
+<p>
+He smiled an evil smile, and the others burst out
+into a laugh, in which, however, the young man
+who <q>had not been long in the trade</q> did not join.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+<q>And what becomes of all the money?</q> said one
+of the dealers, who had hitherto taken no part in the
+conversation.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+<q>Well, a part will be wanted for present expenses,
+pay of the troops, stores, and so forth; and that is
+to be paid in gold. But the greater part has to go
+to Rome—the King, you know, owes a great deal on
+the indemnity account. For that we shall find bills
+of exchange.</q>
+</p>
+
+<p>
+<q>Most of the money, then, is to go to Rome?</q>
+</p>
+
+<p>
+<q>Yes; and don’t you see the advantage of the
+arrangement? Of course most of it will come back
+into our pockets. Slaves from this part of the world
+are quite the fashion in Rome now; and I am very
+much mistaken if these Jewish slaves don’t turn out
+a great success. They are quite a novelty; I should
+think that they have hardly been seen in the Roman
+<pb n='212'/><anchor id='Pg212'/>markets. And then they have a very distinguished
+look, and the girls are sometimes remarkably handsome.
+I don’t like to brag—and of course this is all
+between ourselves—but I think that we shall make
+a <hi rend='italic'>very</hi> good business indeed out of this campaign.</q>
+</p>
+
+<p>
+<q>If our side wins, that is,</q> said the youngest of the
+dealers, who was evidently a little discomposed by
+what he had heard.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+<q><hi rend='italic'>If</hi>, indeed! There is no <q>if</q> in the matter. You
+don’t suppose this set of ragged beggars can stand
+against the army of Lysias?</q>
+</p>
+
+<p>
+<q>Well, they stood against Apollonius, and killed
+him; and they stood against Seron.</q>
+</p>
+
+<p>
+<q>Yes, but this is another matter altogether.
+Lysias has got fifty thousand as good troops as
+there are in the world, barring, of course, the
+Romans; and they <hi rend='italic'>must</hi> win. And then we shall
+all make our fortunes as sure as the sun is in the
+sky.</q>
+</p>
+
+<p>
+And, indeed, as viewed from without, the prospects
+of success which seemed to lie before the forces of
+Antiochus were very great. The army was powerful—it
+numbered nearly eight times as many as that
+of the patriots—it was thoroughly well equipped,
+and it was led by men who at least had the reputation
+of being good soldiers.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+This time it was judged expedient to avoid the
+difficult pass of Beth-horon and to advance by the
+easier road of Emmaüs. At Emmaüs, accordingly,
+<pb n='213'/><anchor id='Pg213'/>Nicanor had pitched his camp for the night, intending
+to move early the next day on Jerusalem, to
+occupy that city with overwhelming force, and to
+carry on the operations of the campaign from that
+base. He was the more hopeful of success because
+he had received exact information of the position of
+the patriot general. Benjamin had never forgiven
+the painful wound which he had received from the
+arrow of one of the Chasidim after the battle of
+Beth-horon. The injury had galled him all the more
+because his feelings had been really touched by the
+appeals of Seraiah, and he had seriously meditated
+throwing in his fortunes once more with the cause
+of his countrymen. He now made his way to the
+camp of Nicanor, and told him all that he knew of
+the position of Judas. The Greek general despatched
+his lieutenant with a picked force to attack him.
+While the enemy was thus occupied he should be
+able, he thought, to make the passage of the
+mountains without hindrance or loss.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Judas was at Mizpeh, in command of a force
+more numerous than any he had before been able
+to collect, but still not amounting to more than six
+thousand men. But the sight that this six thousand
+saw from the Mizpeh ridge—the watch-tower, as it
+was called—was such as to rouse to fury the hearts
+of all who beheld it. For there, lying before them,
+was the city of their love, the city of David, of
+Solomon, of Josiah, of Hezekiah, of Ezra, and
+Nehe<pb n='214'/><anchor id='Pg214'/>miah, and they could see, only too plainly in the
+clear sunset light, the horror of its desolation. The
+streets were empty; the walls, in old time thronged
+at evening by crowds of citizens and their families,
+were deserted; the gates were shut. The Temple
+could be seen, but its courts were silent and empty.
+And, rising above, in the City of David, in the very
+heart of the Jewish kingdom, was the fort of the
+Greek garrison—the hateful sign of the domination
+of the heathen. Then followed a touching ceremony,
+by which the servants of the Lord, banished from
+the courts of His House, yet sought to show the
+reverence and the love which they felt for its sacred
+precincts, for the Holy Place which they could see
+with their eyes, though they might not tread it with
+their feet. A numerous company of mourners, chosen
+to represent the whole people, ranged themselves on
+the ridge which commanded the prospect so sad and
+yet so dear. They were clad in garments of black
+sackcloth, itself ragged and tattered, and had strewn
+ashes on their heads. They spread out copies of the
+Law—that Law which the heathen had silenced in
+its own peculiar seat, and which they had insulted
+and profaned, picturing on its very pages the cruel
+and lustful demons whom they worshipped; the
+functions of the priests had ceased, but they could
+at least display within sight of the Sanctuary the
+garments which they wore; the sacrifices could not
+be offered, but they could at least show the bullocks
+<pb n='215'/><anchor id='Pg215'/>and rams, the firstfruits of the cornfield and the
+vineyard, and present them in heart and will; vows
+could not be performed, but the Nazarites, with their
+unshorn locks, could stretch out their hands to the
+Sanctuary, and dedicate themselves in intention.
+And then from the whole multitude rose the cry,
+<q>What shall we do with these, and whither shall
+we carry them? For Thy Sanctuary is trodden down
+and profaned, and Thy priests are in heaviness and
+brought low. And lo! the heathen are assembled
+together against us to destroy us; what things they
+imagine against us, Thou knowest. How shall we
+be able to stand against them, except Thou, O God,
+be our help?</q>
+</p>
+
+<p>
+This done, the trumpets sounded, as if to remind
+the mourners that they were soldiers again, and the
+whole multitude fell at once into military order.
+Judas carefully inspected his force. Mindful of the
+old indulgence given by the Law, he proclaimed that
+any among his followers who were building a house,
+or planting a vineyard, or had left behind him at
+home a newly-married wife, should depart. Those
+were not days when houses were being built or vineyards
+planted, for the land, save for some barren
+mountain ranges, was in the power of the heathen;
+nor was it a time for marrying or giving in marriage.
+Scarcely a man out of the whole array claimed the
+exemption. And when the leader went on, <q>If any
+man be timid or of a faint heart, let him turn
+<pb n='216'/><anchor id='Pg216'/>back, while there is time,</q> only two or three slunk
+away.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+To those that remained Judas addressed a few
+stirring words. <q>You have seen,</q> he said, <q>the
+city of your fathers from afar, how it lies desolate
+and dishonoured. Be bold and quit you like men,
+and the Lord will deliver it into your hands, for He
+can deliver both by many and by few. Arm yourselves
+at dawn, and we will fight with those nations
+who have defiled our sanctuary and have now come
+out to destroy us.</q>
+</p>
+
+<p>
+But the struggle was to come sooner than any one
+had looked for it. Azariah had been setting the
+sentinels who were to watch the northern side of
+the encampment, when he heard a voice that seemed
+to have a familiar sound.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+<q>Azariah!</q> it said, in a penetrating whisper.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+<q>I am here; say on;</q> and he felt sure that he
+recognized the voice of Benjamin.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+<q>Tell your captain that Gorgias has come out of
+the camp of Nicanor with six thousand men, the
+very choicest of his army, and that he will attack
+him this night. Farewell!</q>
+</p>
+
+<p>
+And before Azariah could answer he was out of
+sight and hearing. A quick remorse had overtaken
+the robber for his treacherous act, and he had done
+his best to remedy the wrong.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Judas, on hearing the news, lost no time in
+making his resolve. It was bold, even audacious.
+<pb n='217'/><anchor id='Pg217'/>He would not wait to be attacked, but would himself
+attack, and that not the detachment under Gorgias,
+which it was quite possible he might have some
+difficulty in meeting, but the main body itself. Here
+he would certainly have the advantage of being
+utterly unexpected. And a victory over this would
+be almost, if not absolutely, decisive.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Accordingly he left his camp at Mizpeh without
+attempting to remove any of his belongings. In
+truth, they were scanty enough, and, if things went
+well with him, he should secure spoil of a hundredfold
+more value than all that he had left. With
+nothing but their arms, and such scanty provision as
+they could carry in their pouches, his men marched
+through the darkness down into the plain.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+The day was dawning when he came within sight
+of the camp of Nicanor. Though not regularly
+fortified, it was a place of considerable strength,
+which an army far more numerous and better
+equipped than that which Judas had under his
+command might hesitate to attack. The cavalry
+had bivouacked outside; the infantry were within
+the lines, but might be seen passing out of the gates.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+So formidable a task did it seem to attack a
+fortified camp, held by a vastly superior force, that
+even Judas’s band of heroes hesitated for a moment.
+He felt it at once, and at once addressed himself to
+check it. He called a halt, and bidding the ranks
+close in to as small a space as possible, he addressed
+<pb n='218'/><anchor id='Pg218'/>them, sending his mighty voice in the still air of the
+morning with so commanding a power that it
+reached the very extremity of the crowd. In a
+few stirring words he reminded them of the
+deliverances which God had wrought in old time
+for His people. He spoke of the three hundred of
+Gideon, how they had discomfited the host of the
+Midianites, of the angel that had smitten with an
+unseen sword the legions of the haughty Sennacherib.
+He told them of the day when Macedonian
+and Jew had stood side by side against the Gallic
+invaders of Asia, and of how the Jew had stood firm
+while the Greek had fled before the fury of the barbarian
+onset. Finally he reminded them of the
+victories which they themselves had so lately won
+against overwhelming odds.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+When he had finished his harangue, he divided
+the host between himself and his brothers, John,
+Simon and Jonathan. Eleazar was to recite the
+Holy Book, and to give his name as the watchword
+of the day. These arrangements made, he gave a
+signal to the trumpeters. They blew a piercing
+blast. Then, with a shout, <q>The Help of God!
+The Help of God!</q><note place="foot">This is the meaning of the name Eleazar.</note> the patriots charged. It
+might have seemed to an onlooker the strategy of
+despair, but it was successful, as it had been many a
+time in history before, as it has been many a time
+since.
+</p>
+
+<pb n='219'/><anchor id='Pg219'/>
+
+<p>
+The Greeks stared at them, as they advanced, with
+astonishment. Were these men madmen, or were
+they fired by some Divine fury? In either case they
+would be dangerous antagonists. As the patriots
+drew nearer, without a sign of hesitation or holding
+back, the terror which had been creeping over the
+minds of the Greeks became insupportable. They
+broke and fled, and did not even, so complete was
+their demoralization, attempt to hold their camp.
+Though pursuit was shortened by the approach
+of the Sabbath, which Judas would not suffer to
+be infringed upon even to complete his victory,
+more than three thousand fell, and as the Greek
+line had not waited to receive the onset of the
+patriots, all of them perished in the flight.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+The work was not yet done, for the detachment
+under Gorgias had still to be accounted for. This,
+however, gave the conquerors very little trouble.
+That general had found the camp of Judas empty,
+and had naturally concluded that its occupants had
+been frightened away by his approach. He started
+in pursuit, but without being able to find any clear
+traces of the route which the supposed fugitives had
+taken. Probably, he thought, this would be in the
+direction of the mountain retreat from which they
+had issued. It was long before he satisfied himself
+that he was mistaken; but the peasants whom he
+questioned were evidently truthful when they
+declared that they had seen nothing of the force
+<pb n='220'/><anchor id='Pg220'/>of which he was in search. He had to retrace his
+steps, and could not do this till he had given his men
+a rest, wearied as they were with almost incessant
+marching for a night and a day. It was late in the
+afternoon before he arrived in sight of the camp of
+the main body, and by that time Judas’s victory had
+been won. He was astonished and alarmed to see
+that part of it was on fire. Shortly afterwards a
+fugitive from the defeated army came in with news
+of what had happened. Neither Gorgias nor his
+men were in any humour to encounter the patriots;
+they hastily turned and made the best of their way
+to Jerusalem.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Information of this retreat was soon brought to
+Judas by his scouts, and he felt that now at last he
+and his followers might enjoy their victory. The
+Sabbath was given, as usual, to rest and devotion.
+A great service was held, a prominent feature of it
+being the chanting of the great Psalm of Thanksgiving,<note place="foot">Psalm cxxxvi.</note>
+<q>O give thanks unto the Lord, for His mercy
+endureth for ever.</q> The marvels of creation, the
+deliverance from Egypt, the passage of the hosts
+of the Lord through the Red Sea, the fall of the
+Amorite kings who had sought to stop their way to
+the Promised Land, the possession of the inheritance
+which had been promised to the fathers—all these
+blessings were enumerated, and after each new
+theme, given by the clear voices of the singers, rose
+<pb n='221'/><anchor id='Pg221'/>the thunderous chorus of reply from the multitude,
+<q>For His mercy endureth for ever.</q>
+</p>
+
+<p>
+On the first day of the week the spoils were
+divided. The division was made with scrupulous
+fairness, and with a reverent regard to the injunctions
+of the Law. The wounded received a special
+consideration for their sufferings; a share was reserved
+for the widows and orphans of the slain; and
+those to whom had been given the unwelcome duty
+of staying behind to guard the encampment were
+not forgotten. The rich furniture of the officers’
+tents, the gold and silver plate, the many-coloured
+silks, and robes of Tyrian purple, with a well-furnished
+pay-chest, made together a splendid
+booty.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Among the prisoners was the party of slave-dealers
+to whom our readers were introduced at the
+beginning of this chapter.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+<q>Who are you?</q> cried Judas, when they were
+brought before him, <q>and what do you here?</q>
+</p>
+
+<p>
+<q>We are merchants,</q> said their spokesman,
+<q>brought by business into the camp of his Excellency
+Nicanor.</q>
+</p>
+
+<p>
+<q>And in what merchandize do you deal?</q> asked
+Judas, though, as may be supposed, he was perfectly
+well acquainted with their occupation.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+<q>We deal in the prisoners of war,</q> answered the
+man. <q>Permit me, sir,</q> he went on, <q>to congratulate
+your Excellency on the splendid victory
+<pb n='222'/><anchor id='Pg222'/>that you have won, and to beg the favour of your
+custom. We offer the best of prices for goods, and
+pay in ready money or in bills on the best houses,
+quite as safe as cash, I can assure you, and far
+more convenient to carry.</q>
+</p>
+
+<p>
+<q>Do you know this document?</q> asked Judas,
+holding up a piece of parchment which had been
+found among the property of the slave-dealers.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+The man turned pale and said nothing.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Judas then proceeded to read aloud: <q>It is hereby
+covenanted between the most excellent Lysias,
+Governor of Syria, on the first part, and Theron and
+his Company, dealers in slaves, on the second part,
+that the said Lysias shall hand over, and that the
+said Theron and his Company shall take all persons
+that shall be captured in the operations now about
+to be begun by the army of the said Lysias. And
+it is further covenanted that the said Theron and
+Company shall pay to the said Lysias or such other
+persons as he shall appoint, the sum of one talent of
+gold for every ninety persons delivered alive into
+the hands of the said Theron and Company.
+Furthermore it is agreed that the said Theron and
+Company shall have no claim for a drawback for
+any such persons dying after they have been once
+delivered; but that a drawback shall be allowed at
+the rate of six <foreign rend='italic'>minæ</foreign><note place="foot">About £,24.</note> for every person, who, as being
+a loyal subject of our lord and king Antiochus, or of
+<pb n='223'/><anchor id='Pg223'/>any prince in friendship and alliance with him, shall
+have been wrongfully taken prisoner.</q>
+</p>
+
+<p>
+<q>Know you this document?</q>
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Theron stammered an assent. <q>It is but a
+common matter of business, my lord. Such covenants
+must be drawn up, and, doubtless, they sound
+somewhat harsh.</q>
+</p>
+
+<p>
+<q>Ye have digged a pit, and are fallen into the
+midst of it yourselves,</q> said Judas, in a voice of
+thunder. <q>Let them be taken with the followers
+of the camp to the slave-market of Sidon.</q>
+</p>
+
+<p>
+<q>Mercy, my lord!</q> cried the dealers, falling on
+their knees.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+<q>Such mercy as you have shown yourselves you
+shall have, and no more. Lead them away.</q>
+</p>
+
+<p>
+<q>Nay, my lord,</q> cried Theron, struggling away
+from the soldier who had grasped him by the arms,
+<q>you do ill to deal so harshly with men that have
+not borne arms against you.</q>
+</p>
+
+<p>
+<q>You have done tenfold worse,</q> was the answer.
+<q>I know your works. You sell our youths to the
+mines, where the young man grows old and decrepit
+before he has reached to middle age, and the
+maidens you sell to shame; and the old and sick
+you slay with the sword or poison. Take them
+away.</q>
+</p>
+
+<p>
+<q>Listen once more, my lord,</q> cried the man, in
+an agony of despair. <q>We have money; not here,
+of course, but with those whom we represent; if
+<pb n='224'/><anchor id='Pg224'/>you should want a loan, we can find it for your
+Excellency, and at low interest, lower than you will
+find elsewhere.</q>
+</p>
+
+<p>
+<q>Take them away!</q> thundered Judas.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+And taken away they were, still screaming out, as
+they were dragged off, offers of ransom, or loans at
+five per cent. interest, or no interest at all.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+The next day Judas and his army, richly laden
+with spoils of every kind, returned to the sanctuary
+among the hills.
+</p>
+
+</div><div type="chapter" n="18" rend="page-break-before: always">
+<pb n='225'/><anchor id='Pg225'/>
+<index index="toc" level1="XVIII. The Battle of Beth-zur"/>
+<index index="pdf" level1="XVIII. The Battle of Beth-zur"/>
+<head>CHAPTER XVIII.<lb/><lb/><hi rend="smaller">THE BATTLE OF BETH-ZUR.</hi></head>
+
+<p>
+Several months have passed since the scenes described
+in the last chapter. During the winter Judas
+has been increasing and consolidating his army, and
+he has now a force both more numerous and better
+equipped than any that he had hitherto commanded.
+Again he has marched to encounter the Greeks, but
+he has no easy task before him. Lysias in person
+commands the Syrian army. Antiochus has sent
+him some veteran troops from the capital; he has
+raised fresh levies of his own, and he has enrolled in
+his ranks the remnants of the armies of Seron and
+Nicanor. Altogether he has collected an army of
+sixty thousand men, and must out-number his antagonists
+at least five times. The struggle will be of
+a critical kind, and the victory, if won at all, can
+hardly be won without grievous loss. The Greeks
+are fighting for their last stake. If they lose this
+they are disgraced.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+The experience of a soldier’s wife had not lessened
+<pb n='226'/><anchor id='Pg226'/>the anxiety with which Ruth waited for news of the
+battle. This time all that were especially near and
+dear to her had gone with the army—her husband,
+her brother, and Azariah—all had run or were even
+then running deadly peril of their lives. When the
+news came it might find her utterly desolate, a
+widow indeed.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+During the night these terrors had had almost
+undisputed sway. It seemed impossible to her to
+recall the holy words which at other times brought
+comfort to her soul. Some dreadful picture of her
+dear ones lying cold and stark upon the battle-field
+would rise up before her eyes; and again and again
+the hideous laughing of the hyenas, echoed among
+the hills, seemed to her like the mocking triumph of
+the heathen.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+The light of morning brought, as it is wont to
+bring, if not cheerfulness, at least a more hopeful
+spirit. Anyhow she had not to lie in forced inaction.
+The daily duties had to be done; and she could find
+in them not forgetfulness, indeed, but the wholesome
+invigorating influence of work. Her first task was
+to fetch the daily ration of food. Miriam and Judith
+accompanied her, and her little boy was now old
+enough to toddle by her side. The girls had already
+begun to bear the burdens of a woman’s cares, but
+the child was in happy unconsciousness of trouble,
+and there was a certain infection of cheerfulness in
+his laughter and prattle.
+</p>
+
+<pb n='227'/><anchor id='Pg227'/>
+
+<p>
+Ruth’s way to the store where the rations were
+distributed led past the point from which the best
+view of the pass could be obtained. She scanned
+the prospect eagerly as she went, but could see
+nothing. On her return she espied the figure of a
+man who seemed—for he was still almost too distant
+to be distinguished—to be approaching.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+<q>Look, girl,</q> she cried, <q>surely some one comes
+yonder, and he must be bringing tidings of the
+battle. Oh! if they are safe——</q>
+</p>
+
+<p>
+As she spoke she dropped the piece of flesh, which
+she was carrying, from her hand; and immediately
+a vulture swooped down and carried it off.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+The watchman had now descried the figure of
+the traveller, and made the signal which was to
+indicate to the inmates of the encampment the fact
+that tidings from the army was at hand. In an
+instant all that were able to move had poured out,
+and were hurrying to the top of the pass.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+The messenger was Micah, whom, as one of the
+fleetest runners in the army, Judas had selected to
+carry the news of his victory. He had traversed the
+distance, which could not have been less than thirty
+miles, at a pace which had sorely tried even his
+athletic frame. He flung himself on the ground,
+panting convulsively for breath, and unable to speak.
+One of the elders poured a few drops of cordial into
+his mouth, and by degrees he recovered his powers.
+His first act was to kneel and with outspread hands
+<pb n='228'/><anchor id='Pg228'/>to thank the Lord of Hosts. <q>We thank thee, God
+of our fathers, that thou hast delivered us out of the
+hand of the enemy, and brought us unto the haven
+where we would be.</q> Then, amidst the breathless
+attention of the listening crowd, he told the story.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+<q>Judas the Hammer,</q> and as he said the name a
+murmur of blessing could be heard from the whole
+assembly—<q>Judas, the Hammer of God, has smitten
+the enemy to pieces. Two days since he met Lysias—for
+the Governor himself was in command—at
+Beth-zur. There by that valley of Elah, where
+David slew Goliah of Gath, has the Lord God of
+Israel proved again that the battle is not to the
+strong nor the race to the swift. Judas himself led
+the right wing; the left he had given to Seraiah and
+Azariah, whom I myself had the privilege of following.
+The lines of the two armies were about equal
+in length; nor, indeed, was there room on either
+side for more; but they had their ranks forty deep
+and more, and we but seven or eight at the most, for
+they were many times more numerous. But the
+Lord showed once again that He can deliver as
+surely by few as many. Our captain, than whom
+no man has a more generous temper, though he
+would gladly have been the first to advance against
+the enemy, granted that privilege to us. Then we
+shouted, as we did in the day of Emmaüs, <q><corr sic="(double quotes)">The
+Lord is our Help!</corr></q> and ran forward. While we were
+yet half a furlong from them, we saw them tremble
+<pb n='229'/><anchor id='Pg229'/>and waver; and before we could cross our swords
+with them their line had broken. That done, their
+numbers availed them no more, but rather hindered
+them, so crowded and crushed together were they.
+We slew till we were weary of slaying.</q>
+</p>
+
+<p>
+<q>And what befell Lysias, the Governor?</q> asked
+one of the elders.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+<q>He had posted himself over against Judas himself,
+judging that there would be the most need of
+his presence. And indeed they say—for I myself did
+not see him, being, as I have said, on the other side
+of the field—that he bore himself as a brave soldier
+and a good captain. And Judas, when he saw him,
+pressed forward, seeking to meet him face to face.
+But Lysias was struck with terror and fled. He
+had not the heart to abide a stroke from the
+Hammer. He escaped with some hundred horsemen
+of his bodyguard from the field. The prisoners
+say that he is gone to Antioch to gather another
+army. Let him gather it. We will deal with it and
+him as we have dealt hitherto with the enemies of
+the Lord.</q>
+</p>
+
+<p>
+<q>And what does Judas now?</q> asked the elder.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+With a look of joy and triumph Micah lifted his
+head and said, <q>He is in Jerusalem. The Lord has
+given back into our hands the Holy City, the City
+of David His servant.</q>
+</p>
+
+<p>
+It is impossible to describe the delight with which
+this announcement was received. The women, even
+<pb n='230'/><anchor id='Pg230'/>the men, wept for joy. This was indeed a glorious
+gain of victory. Last year they could only see the
+Holy City from afar, and weep over its desolation.
+Now they could pour out their love and their sorrow
+within its sacred precincts.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+<q>Yes,</q> he repeated, <q>Judas is in Jerusalem, and
+is making ready to purify the Temple. And you are
+to return as speedily as you can. The days of your
+exile are over. Our God has recalled His banished
+unto Him.</q>
+</p>
+
+<p>
+His public mission finished, Micah could give time
+to private affection. He went with Ruth and <anchor id="corr230"/><corr sic="the the">the</corr>
+children to their cave, and then, after sharing
+their morning meal, told them all they wanted to
+hear. Seraiah and Azariah were both safe, though
+both had had narrow escapes, Azariah’s helmet
+having been broken in by a sword-stroke from a
+gigantic Gaul, and Seraiah being saved by a little
+roll of the Prophecy of Daniel, which he always
+carried about with him—it was a gift from his wife—and
+which had stopped the point of a javelin that
+would otherwise have pierced his heart. Ruth and
+the children were never satisfied with asking questions
+and listening to his answers. Even the little
+Daniel seemed to understand something of what
+was being said, as he listened, with his baby-eyes
+wide open, to the talk of his elders.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+<q>And Cleon,</q> asked Ruth, <q>the Greek with
+whom you used to be so friendly in time past—did
+<pb n='231'/><anchor id='Pg231'/>you see him? You met him, you told us, in Modin,
+and parted in anger; did you meet him again?</q>
+</p>
+
+<p>
+A cloud seemed to pass over Micah’s face at this
+question, and for a few moments he was silent.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+<q>Ah! Ruth,</q> he said, <q>the Lord be merciful to
+him, as He has been merciful to me! And did I not
+sin against Him tenfold more grievously than any
+heathen could have sinned? For was I not a child
+of the Covenant, and had I not light and knowledge,
+whereas he was born in ignorance and knew not of
+the mercies and deliverances which I knew, and
+knowing despised.</q>
+</p>
+
+<p>
+<q>Is he a prisoner, then?</q> asked Miriam, <q>and
+will Judas spare him?</q>
+</p>
+
+<p>
+<q>He needs no mercy from man, my child,</q> said
+Micah, solemnly. <q>In the battle I did not meet
+him. That was well. I should have been loath to
+cross swords with him; and yet I could hardly
+have failed to do so. But in the evening, when
+Lysias had fled eastward with the remnants of his
+host, and the victory was won, I saw him on the
+field of battle. The captain himself was with me,
+as we went among the wounded and the dead, looking
+for any to whom we could give such help as they
+needed. He had been pierced with a ghastly wound
+through the breast. And when Judas saw him, he
+said to me, <q>Ah! that is a brave soldier, and as good
+a swordsman as ever I met. I had a hard bout with
+him this morning, and had he not slipped in making
+<pb n='232'/><anchor id='Pg232'/>a blow, it might have gone ill with me. Do you
+know him?</q> <q>Yes;</q> I said, <q>in the old time, when I
+mingled with the heathen and walked in their ways.</q>
+<q>See, then, whether you can help him in any way;
+I love a brave man, be he heathen or no.</q> I was
+willing enough to do anything that I could for him,
+you may be sure; one glance at that pale face was
+enough to chase away all the anger with which we
+had parted. <q>Cleon!</q> I said. And he knew me
+and smiled—a very wan and feeble smile, but still a
+smile. Then I tried to stanch the blood that was
+flowing from his wound. <q>Nay,</q> said he, <q>’tis idle;
+I am past all help; let it flow, and I shall be
+sooner out of my pain. But, dear Menander—nay,
+pardon me, I should call you Micah—give me some
+water to drink, for I have a raging thirst.</q> I had a
+leathern bottle of water, and gave him a draught.
+Then I rested his head upon my shoulder, and
+bathed his forehead with the water. Judas meanwhile
+had gone further, and I saw a party of the
+Chasidim ranging the field, and I thought that they
+could scarcely pass us by without seeing us, so I said
+to Cleon, <q>Let me lay you down till these are past;
+for if they know you as a friend of Jason they will
+not spare your life. ’Tis better to feign death than
+to meet it at their hands.</q> Then he smiled and
+said, <q>No need, Micah, to feign death. Your
+Hammer has smitten me down, and I shall not
+need another stroke.</q> And almost as he spoke the
+<pb n='233'/><anchor id='Pg233'/>words, he died. And just then the captain came
+back, and we buried him where he had fallen. The
+Lord have mercy on him!</q>
+</p>
+
+<p>
+<q>But will He have mercy on the heathen?</q> said
+Miriam, who had begun to think.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+<q>Nay, child—who knows?</q> answered Micah.
+<q>Surely some of us need His pardon more than
+they, who have not known Him, nor have been
+called by His name.</q>
+</p>
+<pgIf output='txt'><then>
+  <p rend="ill">[Illustration: <hi rend='italic'>Farewell to the Mountains.</hi>]</p>
+</then><else>
+  <p><anchor id="i_255"/><figure url="images/i_255.jpg" rend="w80">
+<index index="fig" level1="Farewell to the Mountains"/>
+<head><hi rend='italic'>Farewell to the Mountains.</hi></head>
+<figDesc>Farewell to the Mountains</figDesc></figure></p>
+</else></pgIf>
+<p>
+The next day Micah returned, in obedience to
+orders, and two or three days afterwards all the
+party that had been left in the mountains followed
+him to Jerusalem. It was a happy day, but saddened,
+for the children at least, by one loss. The jackal,
+Jael, followed the party awhile, but when they
+reached the plain, stood still and watched them
+disappear, making mournful cries the while. Even
+the prospect of seeing their old home could not quite
+reconcile the children to the loss of this strange
+playmate, who had yet grown so dear to them.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+And so the rugged mountains which had afforded
+a refuge to the faithful remnant were left again to
+silence and solitude. But the memory of what the
+confessors and martyrs had endured in the evil days
+was never to perish. Generation after generation
+remembered with sympathy and reverence what
+men, aye, and weak women and children had borne
+for conscience’ sake—cold and hunger and nakedness,
+and that anguish of soul which is harder to
+<pb n='234'/><anchor id='Pg234'/>be endured than all bodily pain. Two centuries
+later, an inspired Hebrew, writing to Hebrews, commemorated
+the noble endurance of this faithful band
+in his famous roll of the triumphs of faith: <q>They
+wandered about in sheepskins and goatskins, being
+destitute, afflicted, tormented, of whom the world
+was not worthy; they wandered in deserts and
+mountains, and in dens and caves of the earth.</q><note place="foot">Hebrews xi. 37-38. Compare ii. Macc. x. vi. <q>When as they
+wandered in the mountains and dens like beasts.</q></note>
+</p>
+</div><div type="chapter" n="19" rend="page-break-before: always">
+<pb n='235'/><anchor id='Pg235'/>
+<index index="toc" level1="XIX. In Jerusalem"/>
+<index index="pdf" level1="XIX. In Jerusalem"/>
+<head>CHAPTER XIX.<lb/><lb/><hi rend="smaller">IN JERUSALEM.</hi></head>
+
+<p>
+Among those who watched the approach of Judas
+and his host to Jerusalem were two men, one in
+extreme old age, the other numbering, it would
+seem, about fifty years. They wore the priestly
+garments, old indeed and threadbare, but still clean
+and showing many signs of careful repair. Theirs
+was a strange history. For two years they had
+been in hiding in the city. When Apollonius had
+filled the streets of Jerusalem with blood, the murderers
+had sought with especial care for all priests
+and Levites. To them at least no mercy was to be
+shown. These two men—Shemaiah was the name
+of the elder of the two, and Joel that of the younger—had
+narrowly escaped death from the soldiers of
+Apollonius. They had taken refuge—so close was
+the pursuit—in a garden, the gate of which happened
+to be open, and had hidden themselves in the bushes
+till nightfall. Where they were, who or of what
+<pb n='236'/><anchor id='Pg236'/>race was the owner of the house, whether they were
+likely to meet with more mercy from his hands than
+they could expect from the soldiers, they knew not.
+But that hiding-place was their only chance, and
+in their desperate strait they snatched at it. While
+they were debating in whispers whether they should
+throw themselves on the compassion of this unknown
+person, they saw—for it was a moonlight
+night—the figure of a woman walking down a path
+which passed close by their hiding-place. They could
+see from her features, which the brilliant moonlight
+of the East lighted up, that she was a countrywoman
+of their own, and they resolved to appeal to her for
+protection. Shemaiah, whose age and venerable
+appearance would, they judged, be less likely to
+alarm, threw himself on the ground at her feet.
+She started back in astonishment.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+<q>Lady,</q> he said, <q>I see that you are a daughter
+of Abraham. Can you help two servants of the
+Lord that have so far escaped from the sword of
+the Greeks?</q>
+</p>
+
+<p>
+She was reassured by a nearer view of the speaker.
+<q>Who are you?</q> she said. <q>Speak without fear,
+for there is no one to harm you.</q>
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Shemaiah told his story.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+<q>And your companion,</q> said Eglah—for that
+was the woman’s name—<q>where is he?</q>
+</p>
+
+<p>
+The old man called to Joel, who came forth at his
+bidding from his hiding-place.
+</p>
+
+<pb n='237'/><anchor id='Pg237'/>
+
+<p>
+Eglah stood for a few minutes buried in thought.
+Then she spoke.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+<q>As I hope that the Lord will have mercy on me
+and pardon my sin, so will I help you even to
+the giving up of my life. But I am not worthy that
+you should come under my roof. Now listen to my
+story. When Antiochus—the Lord reward him for
+the evil that he has done to His people!—came to
+this city, I was seized and sold for a slave. And a
+certain Greek soldier, Glaucus by name, the captain
+of a company, bought me in the market. He had
+compassion on me, and dealt honourably with me,
+and made me his wife after the fashion of his people.
+And I consented to live with him, though I knew
+that it was a sin for a daughter of Abraham to be
+wife unto a man that was a heathen. But alas! sirs,
+what was I to do? for I was a weak woman, and
+there was no one to help me. Should I have slain
+him in his sleep, as Judith slew Holofernes? Once
+I thought to do so, and I took a dagger in my hand,
+but when I saw him I repented. Whether it was
+fear or love that turned me I know not. That I was
+afraid I know, for the very sight of the steel made
+me tremble. And I must confess that I loved him
+also, for he had been very kind and gentle with me;
+and there is not a goodlier man to look at in all
+Jerusalem.</q>
+</p>
+
+<p>
+<q>Be comforted, my daughter,</q> said Shemaiah,
+whose years had taught him a tolerance to which
+<pb n='238'/><anchor id='Pg238'/>his younger companion had, perhaps, scarcely
+attained. <q>’Tis at least no sin for a wife to love
+her husband.</q>
+</p>
+
+<p>
+<q>Then you do not think me so wicked as to be
+beyond all hope?</q> cried poor Eglah, eagerly.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+<q>Nay, my daughter,</q> said the old man; <q>you
+were in a sore strait, and all women are not as Judith
+was.</q>
+</p>
+
+<p>
+<q>Then you will not refuse to come into my house?
+I have a large cellar where you can lie hid. ’Tis
+under the ground, indeed, but airy and dry, and you
+can make shift to live there. And I will feed you as
+best I may. My husband has an open hand, and
+never makes any question as to the money that I
+spend upon the house, and he will not know what I
+have done. I judge it best to keep the thing from
+him, not because I fear that he would betray you—for
+he is an honourable man and kindly, but it would
+go hard with him, being an officer in the army of the
+King, if it should be discovered that he knew it.</q>
+</p>
+
+<p>
+And so for two years Shemaiah and Joel had
+inhabited the cellar in Eglah’s house. Glaucus,
+the husband, was just the kindly, generous man
+whom his wife had described. Once or twice he
+had terrified her by some joking remark about the
+rapidity with which the provision purchased for the
+house disappeared. <q>When we dine together, my
+darling,</q> he said, on one occasion, <q>you eat what
+would be scarce enough for a well-favoured fly;
+<pb n='239'/><anchor id='Pg239'/>but I am glad to think that you are hungry at
+other times.</q> <q>O husband,</q> she said, <q>there are
+many poor of my own people, and I cannot deny
+them.</q> She hoped as she said it that the falsehood
+would not be counted as another sin against her.
+<q>Nay, nay, darling,</q> said the good-natured man.
+<q>Give as much as thou wilt. Thank the gods
+and his Highness the King I have enough and to
+spare.</q>
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Glaucus, though allowed to live in his own house,
+had, of course, to spend much time upon his military
+duties, and was, consequently, often away. During
+his absence Eglah could bring out the two prisoners
+from their underground lodging, and allow them to
+enjoy the fresh air of the garden, which, happily,
+was not overlooked. She gave them the best food
+that her means would procure, and at the same time
+took pains, as has been said, to keep their garments
+scrupulously clean and neat. On the whole they
+passed the time of their captivity in tolerable
+comfort, and without much injury to their health.
+Latterly they had been cheered by the tidings,
+always given to them at the very earliest opportunity
+by their hostess, of the successes of Judas.
+Within the last few days Glaucus had told his wife
+that a decisive battle was expected, that it would
+probably be fought at Beth-zur, and that if her
+countrymen won it, there was nothing that could
+hinder them from taking possession of Jerusalem.
+</p>
+
+<pb n='240'/><anchor id='Pg240'/>
+
+<p>
+Glaucus, who held a command in the garrison of
+the fort, had not been with Lysias at Beth-zur, but
+he had heard late on the evening of the day of the
+result of the battle and had, of course, told it to his
+wife, and she in turn had communicated it to her
+inmates. They had been scarcely able to sleep for
+joy, and had eagerly waited for news of the conqueror’s
+approach. Evening was come, and Eglah
+had not paid them the accustomed visit. The
+house was curiously silent; all day not a sound of
+voices or steps had reached their ears. And now
+the suspense had become unbearable. <q>Go forth,</q>
+said Shemaiah to his younger companion, <q>go
+forth, and bring me word again.</q> Joel crept out
+of his retreat. The streets were deserted; but the
+fortress was crowded. The garrison stood thickly
+clustered on the walls, and with them were many
+inhabitants of the city. It was easy to guess that
+what Glaucus had foretold had happened. Judas was
+on his way to take possession of Jerusalem, and all
+who had compromised themselves by resisting him,
+had either fled from the place altogether or had taken
+refuge in the fort. He returned to Shemaiah with
+a description of what he had seen, and the two
+at once hastened down to the walls to greet the
+deliverers.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+The sun was near its setting when they entered
+the city. Without turning to the right or left,
+though many must have been consumed with
+<pb n='241'/><anchor id='Pg241'/>anxiety to hear the fate of kinsmen and friends,
+they marched to Mount Sion. It was an hour of
+triumph, the fruition of hopes passionately cherished
+through many a dark day of sorrow. To stand once
+more in the place which God had chosen to set His
+name there, how glorious. But it had its bitterness,
+as such hours will have, for it was a miserable
+sight that greeted them. Nothing, indeed, had
+been done of which they had not heard. There
+was nothing that they might not have expected
+or foreseen. Yet the actual view of the holy place
+in its dismal forlornness overpowered them. It was
+as if the sight had come upon them by surprise.
+<q>When they saw the Sanctuary desolate and the
+altar profaned, and the gates burnt with fire, and
+shrubs growing in the courts as in a forest or one
+of the mountains, and the chambers of the priests
+pulled down, they rent their clothes, and made great
+lamentations, and cast ashes upon their heads, and
+fell down flat to the ground upon their faces.</q>
+</p>
+
+<p>
+To repair this ruin, to put an end to this desolation,
+to purify the place which had been so shamefully
+polluted, was the first duty of the deliverers.
+But that the work might be done in peace it was
+necessary that the fortress of Acra, to use military
+language, should be masked. A strong force was
+told off to perform this duty; the rest would lend
+their aid to the great work of purification.
+</p>
+
+</div><div type="chapter" n="20" rend="page-break-before: always">
+<pb n='242'/><anchor id='Pg242'/>
+<index index="toc" level1="XX. The Cleansing of the Temple"/>
+<index index="pdf" level1="XX. The Cleansing of the Temple"/>
+<head>CHAPTER XX.<lb/><lb/><hi rend="smaller">THE CLEANSING OF THE TEMPLE.</hi></head>
+
+<p>
+Azariah and Micah had been put under John, the
+eldest of the five brothers, in command of the force
+employed to blockade the garrison of Acra. The
+night had passed quietly; the garrison had not
+attempted a sortie, and had not even harassed the
+besiegers with a discharge of missiles. And when
+the morning came they seemed inclined to continue
+the same inaction. From the high ground the two
+Jews looked down upon the Temple courts and saw
+the priests directing a crowd of eager helpers in the
+work of cleansing the Sanctuary, and labouring
+diligently with their own hands. The first task was
+to pull down the idol altar which had been erected
+on the altar of burnt-offering. This was done in a
+fury of haste. The hands of the workmen could
+not, it seemed, move fast enough in destroying the
+abominable thing. The stones were carried out of
+the temple with gestures of loathing and disgust,
+<pb n='243'/><anchor id='Pg243'/>and afterwards taken to the Valley of Hinnom—unholy
+things to be cast away in an unholy place.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+But the stones of the holy altar itself had been
+polluted by the superstructure that had been erected
+upon them. What was to be done with them? At
+least it was manifest that they could not stand where
+they were. Sacrifice could not be offered upon them.
+They were reverently detached from the cement
+which bound them together, and then borne one by
+one to a chamber of the Temple, where they were
+to be laid up till a prophet should arise who should
+show what was to be done with them. The first
+duty of dealing with the altar completed, came the
+work of cleansing and repairing the courts and
+chambers. The long, trailing creepers were pulled
+down; the weeds and shrubs were rooted out. The
+place was still a ruin, but the manifest signs of its
+desolation and abandonment were removed. So
+numerous and so eager were the labourers that for
+this part of the work a few hours sufficed. The
+task of reparation would, of necessity, be longer and
+more tedious.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Azariah and Micah had been watching the work
+with perhaps a more absorbing interest than was
+quite consistent with their duty of watching the
+garrison, when suddenly one of the sentries blew
+an alarm. Scarcely had it sounded when a flight
+of arrows from the garrison of the fortress fell
+among the besiegers. The Greeks had watched
+<pb n='244'/><anchor id='Pg244'/>their opportunity, and when almost all eyes were
+turned on the work that was going on below, had
+sent a volley among the ranks of the enemy.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+This sudden attack did no little damage. One or
+two of the patriots were killed on the spot, several
+were seriously wounded; the others either covered
+themselves with their shields, a precaution which
+they ought not to have neglected, or sought refuge
+among the ruins.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Azariah, though he had been caught a little off
+his guard, was not unprepared to deal with a
+manifestation of this kind. He had organized a
+company of slingers, and he now ordered them to
+advance and clear the wall of its defenders. They
+knelt with one knee upon the ground, and covered
+themselves with their shields. Under this shelter
+they loaded their slings. Then, rising rapidly at a
+preconcerted signal from their commander, they sent
+a simultaneous and well-directed shower of leaden
+bullets on the defenders of the wall. These missiles,
+sent with a skill and a strength in which the Jewish
+slingers were unsurpassed, had a marvellous effect.
+In a moment the wall was cleared, except that here
+and there along its length the dead and wounded
+might be seen. The survivors did not venture forth
+from shelter to carry them away. A fierce conflict
+followed. From the loopholes of the towers and
+from behind the battlements the Greek archers kept
+up the discharge of their arrows, and the Jewish
+<pb n='245'/><anchor id='Pg245'/>slingers replied. No great damage was done on
+either side; but every now and then a skilful aim
+at some exposed body or limb was followed by a cry
+of pain from the wounded man, and the cry was
+taken up by a shout of triumph from the hostile
+force. In the course of the afternoon a storm came
+on, with thunder and lightning and a deluge of rain.
+Before it had cleared away the light had failed, and
+hostilities had perforce to be suspended.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+About the beginning of the second watch<note place="foot">Nine o’clock, p.m.</note> Micah,
+who was making a round of the sentries, heard the
+sound of something that seemed to fall heavily upon
+the soft and plashy ground. The rain had ceased,
+and the sky had partially cleared; for a few minutes
+all was still; then Micah could hear a sighing
+which was not the sighing of the wind. He
+followed the guidance of the sound, and found a
+woman lying almost insensible upon the ground.
+He called one of the sentinels to help him, and
+together they carried her under shelter, and brought
+torches, by the light of which they might examine
+her injuries. That she was stunned by the fall was
+evident, for she did not speak, and when they
+attempted to move her she groaned with the pain.
+When left alone she did not seem to suffer much,
+and they judged it best to wait for the morning,
+administering meanwhile a little wine and water
+from time to time.
+</p>
+
+<pb n='246'/><anchor id='Pg246'/>
+
+<p>
+The next morning four of the soldiers were told
+off to remove her on a litter that had been constructed
+for the use of the wounded to a deserted
+house in the Lower City—and of deserted houses
+there was only too great a choice. As the bearers
+put down their burden on the way to take a brief
+rest a strange figure came up to the party. It was
+a woman, young and still showing the remains of
+beauty, but with a miserably haggard look. It was
+easy to see from her uncertain gait and wandering
+eye that she was a lunatic.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Huldah had been for some time a well-known
+figure in Jerusalem, and her story was of the saddest.
+She had been a servant in the house of Seraiah,
+and had been Ruth’s own waiting-maid. Returning
+home from some errand on which she had been sent
+one day at the beginning of Apollonius’s reign of
+terror, she had been seized by the attendants of the
+newly-dedicated Temple of Jupiter, and made a
+slave. Before many weeks had passed the cruel
+outrages to which she was subjected overthrew her
+reason. Thus become a trouble to her captors she
+was permitted to escape. Since then she had been
+accustomed to wander about the city. The horrors
+of the past still haunted her, and the recollection
+of the abominable idolatries in which she had
+been forced to serve. At every pool of water and
+fountain she would stay and wash. From every
+passer-by she would beg for something that might
+<pb n='247'/><anchor id='Pg247'/>serve for her cleansing: it was the one craving of
+her soul to be rid of its defilement. For food or
+money she never asked; but a few kindly souls
+in the city gave her enough to support life, and
+sometimes would renew the garments, threadbare,
+but always scrupulously neat and clean, which she
+wore. Of these friends the kindest was Eglah, who
+had a fellow-feeling for the sufferer, and who was
+always on the watch to atone by her charitable deeds
+for what she believed to be the great offence of her life.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Huldah cast a glance at the litter in passing, and
+at once recognized in the suffering woman her own
+benefactress. For indeed it was Eglah whom
+Micah had found under the fortress wall. The
+recognition made a marvellous change in the poor
+maniac. It turned her thoughts in another direction.
+She ceased to dwell upon her own sufferings,
+and, for the time at least, reason regained its sway.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+She knelt down by the side of the litter, and
+kissed one of the hands that hung listlessly down.
+Then, rising to her feet, she arranged the cushion
+on which Eglah lay so as to make it more comfortable.
+That done, she bade the bearers take up their
+burden, made a gesture of dissent when they were
+turning aside to the house to which they had been
+directed, and led the way to Eglah’s own dwelling.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+The unhappy creature was positively transformed
+by the charge which had thus been laid upon her.
+The most intelligent and thoughtful nurse could not
+<pb n='248'/><anchor id='Pg248'/>have done better for her patient than did the poor
+distracted Huldah. A physician who was called in
+examined Eglah, and found that though she had
+been sadly bruised and shaken, no bones were broken.
+Whether any internal injury existed was more than
+he could positively say; that time alone would
+show. Meanwhile careful attention was all that
+could be done for her, and attention more careful
+than Huldah’s it would be impossible to imagine.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+The two priests who had found shelter in Eglah’s
+house were naturally among those whom Judas had
+summoned to take part in the cleansing of the
+Temple when he made proclamation for all such
+as, being of the House of Aaron, were <q>of blameless
+conversation and had pleasure in the Law.</q> Posts
+of special dignity were, indeed, conferred upon them,
+for both were men of high reputation for sanctity
+and learning, which was not a little increased by the
+romantic story of their long seclusion and marvellous
+escape. Judas assigned them quarters near to his
+own, and was accustomed to have frequent recourse
+to their advice. They thus found themselves almost
+constantly employed, and were unable for several
+days to find an opportunity of inquiring what had
+happened to their protectress.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+When at last they found their way to the house
+Eglah had sufficiently recovered her strength to be
+able to rise from her bed. She was sitting, busy
+with her needle. Huldah was watching her with
+<pb n='249'/><anchor id='Pg249'/>an intense look of affection that was infinitely
+pathetic.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+The poor woman told her story with a voice that
+again and again was broken with sobs.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+<q>When I was preparing your morning meal in the
+kitchen my husband, whom I had never before
+known to set foot in the place, suddenly appeared.
+I was greatly terrified lest he should ask for whom I
+was getting the food ready, but he was too much occupied
+with other things to notice it at all. <q>Eglah,</q>
+he said, <q>you must come with me into the fort.
+Judas the Hammer has broken our army to pieces.
+Lysias has fled before him, no one knows whither,
+and within a few hours he will be in the city. I
+would have you here, for the fort is scarcely a place
+for a woman, but I fear your people. Haply they
+may slay you as having been yoked to a heathen.
+My darling,</q> he went on—and here poor Eglah’s
+voice was choked with tears—<q>I have done ill for
+you, I fear; but I meant it for the best. And now,
+I fear, you must cast in your lot with me. May the
+God whom you serve turn it for good.</q> So I gathered
+a few things together, and went with him. I thought
+many times that we should scarcely have reached the
+fort alive, for the people cursed us as we went, the
+women especially casting many bitter words at me
+as one that had left her people to join herself to the
+heathen. But my husband had some six or seven
+soldiers with him; and they were brave men and
+<pb n='250'/><anchor id='Pg250'/>well armed. We had not been many hours in the
+fort before there began a battle between the garrison
+and the soldiers of Judas. One of my husband’s
+men, who had gone in a spirit of folly and vanity
+to show his courage, was struck down with a stone,
+and my husband ran forth to drag him in. And just
+as he was returning, another stone from the slingers
+struck him on the back of his head. It was about
+the ninth hour of the day when he was wounded,
+and he lived till the beginning of the second watch,
+but he never spoke again.</q>
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Here the poor creature’s story became confused
+and broken, and her listeners could only guess what
+had followed. The tale of what followed must be
+told for her. <q><q>Ah!</q> said one of the soldiers,
+<q>Glaucus has it. He will never move again, I
+reckon. A good fellow, but overstrict.</q> <q>But how
+about the Jewish girl whom he calls his wife?</q>
+said the other; <q>I shall take her.</q> <q>Nay, nay;
+let there be fair play between us, comrade, as
+there has always been. Why you more than I?</q>
+<q>Because I was the first to speak.</q> <q>Not so; ’twas
+I that first spoke of her.</q> <q>Well, we won’t quarrel,
+comrade. No woman is good enough to separate
+old friends. Let us cast the dice for her, and the
+man that wins shall stand treat for a flagon of wine.</q>
+And then Eglah heard them cast the dice, and
+count the numbers—they would have twenty throws
+a-piece, they said—and curse and swear when they
+<pb n='251'/><anchor id='Pg251'/>threw low. And when they had finished their dice-throwing
+they came in to see how Glaucus fared;
+and just as they entered the chamber, he drew a long
+breath and died. One of them put his hand upon
+his heart and said, <q>’Tis all over with him; he will
+never toss a flagon or kiss a pretty girl again.</q> And
+then he laid his hand upon Eglah’s shoulder, and
+said, <q>Cheer up; we will find another husband for
+thee as good as he.</q> But the first said, <q>Nay, Timon,
+leave her alone. The women are not like us. You
+must give them a few hours to cry.</q> <q>Well, well,</q>
+said his comrade, <q>you were always soft-hearted.
+Let us come and have our flagon; there is no reason
+why we should wait for that.</q></q> The comrades went
+on their errand and left the widow alone with her
+dead husband. She kissed him, and cut off a little
+curl of his hair, and then went forth on the wall—for
+the chamber in which he lay was in one of the wall-towers—and
+threw herself down to the ground. It
+was better, she thought, to die than to sin again.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+<q>Daughter,</q> said Joel, <q>you should thank the
+Lord that, without your own doing, the tie that
+bound you to this heathen man is broken.</q>
+</p>
+
+<p>
+<q>O sir,</q> broke out the poor woman, <q>do not say
+so. I cannot find it in my heart to thank Him,
+though I do try to say in my heart, <q>Thy will be
+done.</q></q>
+</p>
+
+<p>
+<q>Brother,</q> said the old Shemaiah, <q>you are too
+hard upon her. ’Tis right that a wife should mourn
+<pb n='252'/><anchor id='Pg252'/>for her husband, be he Jew or Greek. Before the
+Lord, I had thought ill of her had she been of the
+temper that you would have her.</q>
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Eglah turned to the old man a grateful look. <q>O
+sir,</q> she said, <q>you do not know how kind and good
+my Glaucus was. I never had an angry word from
+him. Nor did he ever hinder me from my prayers.
+Rather he would say when I went three times to my
+chamber to pray, <q>Speak a word for me, wife, if you
+will.</q> And he would oftentimes speak to me about
+my God, and say that he liked Him better than the
+gods in whom <hi rend='italic'>he</hi> had been taught to believe. And I
+used to tell him stories out of the Book, and how the
+Lord had delivered his people out of the land of
+Egypt, and had brought them into the land which
+He sware to Abraham to give him. And he never
+mocked or laughed, but listened with all his heart.
+And, sir, I do sometimes think that if he had been
+spared to live longer, he would have become one of
+us. But he is dead, and I shall never, never see him
+any more.</q>
+</p>
+
+<p>
+And the poor desolate widow burst out into a
+passion of tears, and threw herself prostrate on the
+couch, Huldah trying to comfort her, not with
+words—which, indeed, she could not command,
+and which, in any case, would have been of small
+avail—but with great demonstrations of love.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+After a while Eglah looked up, and turning to
+Shemaiah, in whose sympathy and charity she
+<pb n='253'/><anchor id='Pg253'/>trusted, said, <q>O, sir, do you think that there is
+any hope for him? Must he go into that dreadful
+Gehenna? For indeed he was kind and good, and
+never thought of any woman but his wife, and never
+injured one of our people, but would help them and
+defend them when his fellows were rough with them.
+He was better than many Jews that I know. Is it
+not possible that God may have mercy upon him?</q>
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Joel was about to speak, but Shemaiah beckoned
+to him to hold his peace. <q>My daughter,</q> he said,
+<q>these things are too deep for us; but I would say,
+be of good hope for him that is gone, seeing that he
+was such as you say. Shall not the Judge of all the
+earth do right? To some He giveth much light,
+and to some but little; and He judgeth each
+according to that which He has given. Therefore
+I bid you be of good cheer.</q>
+</p>
+
+<p>
+<q>And may I pray for him?</q> asked Eglah.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+<q>Surely you may, for no prayer, so that it come
+out of an honest heart and pure lips, but finds some
+fulfilment.</q><note place="foot">There seems to have been a belief among the Jews of this time in
+the efficacy of prayers for the dead. So we read in 2 Maccabees xii.
+45: <q>Whereupon he made a reconciliation for the dead that they
+might be delivered from sin.</q> This is probably the chief reason why
+the Council of Trent included the Books of Maccabees and other
+Apocryphal writings in the Canon of Scripture.</note>
+</p>
+
+<p>
+He rose and, giving her his blessing, departed,
+followed by Joel, whose narrow intelligence was not
+a little startled by what his old companion had said.
+</p>
+</div><div type="chapter" n="21" rend="page-break-before: always">
+<pb n='254'/><anchor id='Pg254'/>
+<index index="toc" level1="XXI. The Dedication of the Temple"/>
+<index index="pdf" level1="XXI. The Dedication of the Temple"/>
+<head>CHAPTER XXI.<lb/><lb/><hi rend="smaller">THE DEDICATION OF THE TEMPLE.</hi></head>
+
+<p>
+Jerusalem now began to assume an aspect very
+different from that which it had borne for some
+years past. Thousands, who had been driven away
+by the terrors of the evil days, now hastened to
+return. Many of the lower class, constrained by
+the necessity of poverty, had always remained,
+enduring persecution as best they could, and often,
+of course, escaping it by their obscurity. Now the
+wealthier inhabitants began to flock back from their
+hiding-places in the country and from foreign lands;
+the streets again began to be busy; the shopkeepers
+displayed the wares which there had been
+no one to purchase, or which they had been afraid
+to show; the long-shut markets were reopened and
+thronged with purchasers.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+The priests alone, gathered as they were from
+their abodes scattered throughout Palestine, made
+a considerable addition to the population of the
+<pb n='255'/><anchor id='Pg255'/>city. They were a numerous class, far beyond
+any requirements of their sacrificial duties, and
+commonly remained at home, awaiting the rarely
+recurring occasion of services that called them to
+Jerusalem. But now a work was before them in
+which all could take part, for the Temple, having
+been cleansed and having received such repair as
+could be done at once, was to be dedicated afresh.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+The first necessary work was the construction
+of a new altar of sacrifice. This work was to be
+of the primitive kind, in strict conformity to the
+Law, and as unlike as possible to the elaborate
+erections of the alien worship, and it was to be
+done, from first to last, by the consecrated hands
+of the priests. They dug out of the earth of the
+valley rough stones. No tool of iron was to be
+used in raising them from their place; none was
+to be employed in hewing them into shape. It was
+the priests again who solemnly conveyed them into
+the Great Court of the Temple, who joined them
+together with mortar, and covered them with whitewash.
+Meanwhile other preparations for a wholly
+renovated service were being busily carried on.
+Most of the furniture of the Temple had been
+carried off by a succession of plunderers; if any of
+the less valuable and less easily removed articles
+had been left these had suffered an irremediable
+defilement. Everything therefore had to be replaced;
+and workmen were now busily employed
+<pb n='256'/><anchor id='Pg256'/>in this work. The altar of incense, the candlestick
+with its seven branches, the table on which the
+loaves of the shew-bread were to be placed, the
+mercy-seat with the overshadowing cherubim that
+was the chief feature of the Holy of Holies, and
+the various curtains that were needed for the
+separation of the various parts of the building,
+were manufactured with all possible haste, some
+of the articles, from lack of time and materials,
+being intended to serve their purpose only till they
+could be more worthily replaced. Generally, however,
+it was time rather than means that was
+wanting, for in the late campaigns treasure almost
+enough to replace the spoliations of years had been
+taken from the Greeks, and this, after being duly
+purified and blessed, could be devoted to holy uses.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+And so came on the day that had been appointed
+for the Feast of Dedication. It was to be the 25th
+of the month Chisleu.<note place="foot">The month Chisleu about corresponds to our December.</note> It was a memorable day,
+both for good and evil, in the annals of Jewish
+worship. On this day, ages before, Jerusalem, the
+newly-won capital of the nation, had been finally
+chosen as the place where God should set His
+name; for on this day David, as he made atonement
+in the day of pestilence, bought the threshing-floor
+of Araunah the Jebusite to be the future dwelling-place
+of the Presence of the Lord God of Israel.
+And on this day, again, five years ago, the first
+<pb n='257'/><anchor id='Pg257'/>idol sacrifice had been offered within the consecrated
+precincts.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+In the early morning, before the sun had risen upon
+the earth, a spark was obtained by striking stone
+against stone, the fire was rekindled on the altar,
+the golden candlestick was lighted and the table of
+the shew-bread duly furnished with its twelve loaves.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Meanwhile the rest of the people also had been
+busy in making preparations for the great celebration.
+Every family, even the poorest, was to keep
+festival on the day that was to be a new beginning
+of the national life. The women and children were
+early afoot, gathering branches of palms and other
+<q>goodly trees</q>; none of them having busier hands
+than Ruth and her nieces. Even the little Daniel
+would take his part in the work, tottering along
+by his mother’s side with his arms full of boughs.
+When they had gathered as great a burden as they
+could carry, Ruth gathered her little company about
+her, and told them, just as the rising sun began
+to flood the valley with its slanting rays, the story
+of the day—of the glory and the shame which it
+had brought to Israel.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+And now, as the time of the morning sacrifice
+drew near, the whole people moved in one great
+stream towards the Temple, and the Great Court
+was crowded. On the walls of the fortress the
+heathen soldiers of the garrison stood in throngs
+watching the solemnities of the day. Some of them,
+<pb n='258'/><anchor id='Pg258'/>of course, were ready with their mockery; but most
+looked on in respectful silence. Many of them had
+witnessed the prowess of these strange fanatics in
+the field. They might be given over to a <q>senseless
+and tasteless superstition,</q> but they could
+deal shrewd blows with their swords, and therefore
+they were not to be despised. No truce had been
+arranged, but one was tacitly observed. The forbearance
+of the Greeks was partly due to a wholesome
+awe of the Jewish archers and slingers, partly
+to a curiosity that, as has been said, was not wholly
+unmixed with respect.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Then came the solemn ritual of sacrifice. This
+ended, the whole congregation of the people united
+in solemn supplication to the Lord God of Israel.
+Usually it was the custom to stand during the office
+of prayer; sometimes the attitude of kneeling was
+used; now, as if to express the intensity of their
+feeling, they threw themselves flat upon their faces,
+and poured out their entreaty that evils such as
+they had endured in the past might never again
+come upon them in the future. <q>O Lord,</q>—this
+was the burden of their prayer,—<q>if we sin against
+Thee any more, do Thou chasten us Thyself with
+Thine own hand, after the multitude of Thy mercies.
+Make us suffer that which shall seem good to Thee
+here in our own land, but scatter us no more among
+the heathen, and deliver us not again unto the nations
+that blaspheme Thy holy name.</q>
+</p>
+
+<pb n='259'/><anchor id='Pg259'/>
+
+<p>
+The prayer ended, came the great Psalm of Thanksgiving;
+and then the people dispersed to their houses
+to hold festival. Their mirth was prolonged far into
+the night, which, indeed, was almost turned into day
+throughout the streets of Jerusalem, so brilliant was
+the light that streamed from the lamps set in almost
+every window.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+For eight days the Feast of Dedication was continued.
+Each day the services began with the
+customary morning sacrifice. At earliest dawn the
+Master of the Temple summoned the priests who
+had been watching round the fire in the gate-house
+as they waited for his summons. Then they went
+out and fetched the lamb for the burnt-offering.
+The creature had already been examined on the
+previous day, and pronounced to be free from spot or
+blemish. This done, they went outside the court in
+which the great altar stood, and watched for the
+coming day. The Mount of Olives stood between
+them and the East, and far behind it were the
+mountains of Moab. Here the first streaks of the
+morning light were to show themselves. Then the
+priest whose turn it was to slay the victim of the day
+bathed in the great laver. Thus purified for the
+performance of his office, he stirred up the burning
+embers from under the ashes of the altar, and added
+fresh fuel. This done, he was joined by the other
+priests, and the morning sacrifice was offered. Then
+followed the special ceremonies of the festival,
+<pb n='260'/><anchor id='Pg260'/>among them the prayer for deliverance from captivity,
+as already given, and the singing of the great
+Thanksgiving. And every day the public services
+were followed by private rejoicings. No one could
+have believed that the rejoicing city, gay with its
+brightly dressed throngs of merry-makers and resounding
+with the music of tabret and harp, was the
+desolate place so long trodden down by the heathen.
+There had been days in the past when the most
+hopeful could scarcely discern any light in the darkness.
+But now they could see the <q>silver lining of
+the cloud.</q> In this very Temple, now dedicated
+afresh with such joyous zeal, but a few years before,
+the priests <q>had left the sacrifices when the game
+of the Discus called them forth.</q> That deadly folly
+had been purged with blood. The brutal violence
+of Antiochus had saved the nation from an imminent
+relapse into heathenism.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Among the many hearts that were gladdened by
+these rejoicings there was one, as sorely burdened
+as any, that had found a complete deliverance from
+the troubles of the past. The unhappy Huldah, in
+proportion as her charge gained strength, and her
+work became less absorbing, had seemed to be falling
+back into her old condition. For the time her
+thoughts had been concentrated on the suffering
+Eglah; now they were free to be turned upon herself,
+her own troubles, her own dismal memories.
+Eglah did all she could to keep her employed, and
+<pb n='261'/><anchor id='Pg261'/>the girl’s gentle and affectionate nature still felt
+her influence. Yet it was evident that unless some
+remedy could be found the old madness would resume
+its sway.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+On the first day of the Dedication festival, the two
+were standing together in the Court of the Women.
+The priests, who were making a circuit of the whole
+building, sprinkling everywhere the blood of purification,
+came in due course to the spot. As they
+performed their office a drop fell upon the garment
+of Huldah, who had been joining in the prayers
+with an earnestness almost frenzied. The effect was
+marvellous. In a moment the excitement passed
+away. Her eyes lost their wandering look, and, in a
+tone calmer and more collected than any that she
+had ever before been known to use since the time of
+her trouble, she said, showing the crimson spot to
+Eglah—<q>He has heard my prayer; He has sprinkled
+me with the blood of cleansing.</q> She stood silent
+and collected until the whole ritual was finished, and
+when the time for the hymn of thanksgiving came
+round joined her voice with a quiet happiness to the
+voices of the congregation.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+When the people returned to their homes Huldah
+left the Temple in company with Eglah. But it was
+evident that her strength was exhausted. She could
+barely totter along with all the help that Eglah
+and a neighbour could give her, and when she came
+to the house of Seraiah and Ruth, which happened
+<pb n='262'/><anchor id='Pg262'/>to lie in her way, she sank almost unconscious to
+the ground. Providentially at that moment Ruth
+came up with her husband and the little Daniel.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+<q>She seemed so much better in the Temple—was
+quite calm and peaceful again—and now I am afraid
+that she is going to be very ill,</q> said Eglah.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Woman’s wit suggested to Ruth a happy thought
+for dealing with the sufferer.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+<q>Leave her to me,</q> she said. <q>She was happy
+here once, and here, if it please the Lord, she will
+be happy again.</q>
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Ruth and her husband carried her into the house,
+and laid her upon her bed in her old chamber.
+Once there she was able to swallow a little broth
+which had been hastily prepared, cast one grateful
+look of recognition at her old mistress, and then fell
+into a deep sleep. The next morning she awoke,
+entirely restored to reason, and, though still somewhat
+weak, able to go about the household tasks in
+which she had been once employed, and which she
+resumed at once without a question, and as if, indeed,
+they had never been interrupted for a day. The
+three years of misery were entirely blotted out of her
+memory; nor did any spectre from the past ever
+come back to trouble her.
+</p>
+
+</div><div type="chapter" n="22" rend="page-break-before: always">
+<pb n='263'/><anchor id='Pg263'/>
+<index index="toc" level1="XXII. Wars and Rumours of Wars"/>
+<index index="pdf" level1="XXII. Wars and Rumours of Wars"/>
+<head>CHAPTER XXII.<lb/><lb/><hi rend="smaller">WARS AND RUMOURS OF WARS.</hi></head>
+
+<p>
+The Feast of Dedication having been kept and
+made an ordinance in Israel for ever,<note place="foot">See S. John x. 22, 23: <q>And it was at Jerusalem the Feast of the
+Dedication, and it was winter. And Jesus walked in the Temple, in
+Solomon’s <corr sic="(no end quote)">porch.</corr></q></note> Judas’s next
+act was to fortify the restored Temple. It was
+exposed, even more than the rest of the city, to a
+sudden attack from the garrison of the fort, which
+might work irreparable mischief could it gain, even
+for an hour, possession of the sacred building. Accordingly
+a high wall, strengthened at intervals by
+towers, was now erected round it, and a force was
+told off from the army to watch it. This done, the
+patriot leader could attend without anxiety to other
+cares. At Beth-zur a fortress was erected and
+strongly garrisoned to guard the Eastern frontier
+especially against the attacks of the Idumeans, who,
+under their new name, inherited all the old Edomite
+jealousy of Israel. After personally superintending
+<pb n='264'/><anchor id='Pg264'/>the erection of this stronghold, Judas marched
+against other tribes on the east and south, who had
+been taking advantage of the troublous times to
+plunder their Jewish neighbours. The Arabs of the
+Negeb, or South Country, were defeated at a pass
+near the Dead Sea, which bore the appropriate name
+of the Pass of the Scorpions; the Ammonites,
+another tribe whose kinship with the chosen people
+seems to have embittered their hereditary enmity,
+were defeated under their Greek leader, Timotheus.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Meanwhile life at Jerusalem had been settling
+down into a peaceful order. The younger of the
+two priests whom Eglah had befriended had found
+scope for his energies by joining the army;
+Shemaiah, the elder, was again an inmate in the
+house which had sheltered him, where Eglah, who
+had never forgotten the charity with which he had
+spoken of her husband, tended him with all the care
+of a daughter. The old man was never tired of
+hearing the story of the two dismal years during
+which he had been in hiding.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+<q>Ah, father!</q> she said to him one day, <q>you
+were not so ill off in your poor prison after all.
+Had you had your liberty you would have seen
+altars to the false gods in every street. And it
+was not safe to pass them without showing some
+sign of reverence.</q>
+</p>
+
+<p>
+<q>And how did you fare, my daughter?</q> asked the
+old man.
+</p>
+
+<pb n='265'/><anchor id='Pg265'/>
+
+<p>
+<q>I could avoid them, knowing where they were,
+by passing by on the other side, and my good
+Glaucus—the Lord have mercy on him!—was
+always kind and helpful. He would fetch the water
+regularly from the fountain, where there was an altar
+to the Naiad, as they called the demon of the spring,
+which I could not have avoided. The people used
+to laugh at him for doing a woman’s work, but he
+did not heed them. O why was he taken away
+before he could learn the truth? I think that he
+would have known it if he could have lived a little
+longer.</q>
+</p>
+
+<p>
+And the poor woman burst into a passion of tears.
+She was always haunted with this fear of her husband’s
+fate, and reproached herself with not having
+been earnest enough in speaking of the truth to her
+husband.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+<q>Peace, my daughter,</q> said the old man, gently;
+<q>the mercies of the Lord are without end, and His
+ways past finding out. Be sure that He will not
+forget the kindness that was showed to a daughter
+of Abraham. But tell me,</q> he went on, anxious to
+change the subject—<q>tell me how we came to find
+the courts of the Temple desolate and overgrown as
+though no one had entered them for months? Did
+you not say that there were sacrifices there, and
+feasts to the demons whom the Greeks worship?</q>
+</p>
+
+<p>
+<q>Yes, father; it was so for a time. But soon
+there were few or none to make sacrifices, for the
+<pb n='266'/><anchor id='Pg266'/>city was utterly impoverished. So the priests, whom
+Philip the Phrygian and Apollonius—the curse of
+the Lord be upon him!—brought in to serve at the
+altars, went elsewhere, for, of a truth, they would
+have died of hunger had they stayed here. O
+father, it was a mournful existence; of a truth we
+were fed with the bread of affliction and the water
+of affliction.</q>
+</p>
+
+<p>
+As they talked Ruth came in with a troubled
+face.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+<q>O Eglah!</q> she cried, <q>I did hope that we
+should have peace and quiet, but there are wars and
+rumours of wars on every side. This morning letters
+came to the captain from our brethren in Gilead.
+That evil Timotheus—would to God he had not
+escaped out of the hand of Judas!—has gathered
+together a host of the Ammonites and slain some—a
+thousand, ’tis said, with their wives and children,
+and shut up the rest in the fortress of Dametha.
+And now my husband and my brother are in council
+with the captain, and I fear me much that they will
+be sent to the wars, for indeed,</q> she added, with a
+touch of a woman’s pride in those that are dear to
+her, <q>Judas esteems them highly, and will always
+have them in places of trust. Nor would I keep
+them back from helping the Lord’s people. But
+hark! I hear his step.</q>
+</p>
+
+<p>
+As she spoke Seraiah came in from the council.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+<q>How is it?</q> cried Ruth, with trembling voice,
+<pb n='267'/><anchor id='Pg267'/>her fears again getting the upper hand. <q>Do you
+go? and Azariah?</q>
+</p>
+
+<p>
+<q>Yes, my dearest, I go, and next in command to
+the captain and his brothers.</q>
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Ruth flung her arms round her husband’s neck.
+<q>Oh! I am proud of you; but yet if you could have
+stayed, for our little Daniel is so young——</q>
+</p>
+
+<p>
+And she could say no more.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+<q>Nay, wife, be of good cheer, and do not grudge
+us to the Lord’s service, for indeed there is need of
+us all. Even while the letters from Gilead were
+being read there came messengers from Galilee with
+their clothes rent. From them we heard that the
+men of Ptolemaïs and of Tyre and Sidon and all
+Galilee of the Gentiles were gathered together.
+Then it was determined that Simon should go to
+Galilee with three thousand men, and Judas and
+Jonathan to Gilead.</q>
+</p>
+
+<p>
+<q>And what of Azariah?</q>
+</p>
+
+<p>
+<q>He and Joseph, the son of Zachariah, are to be
+left in the city with the remnant of the army as
+captains of the people. They are to have the
+Governor’s house, and you, with our little Daniel,
+will live there while I am away. This will be well
+for you, and for Miriam and Judith also, for there
+will be many coming and going, and Miriam is a fair
+maiden, as she should be, being kin to you.</q>
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Ruth smiled through her tears at the lover-like
+compliment.
+</p>
+
+<pb n='268'/><anchor id='Pg268'/>
+
+<p>
+<q>Come now,</q> Seraiah went on, <q>and get ready
+what I shall want for my journey, for we set out
+at sunset.</q>
+</p>
+
+<p>
+The two women kissed each other, and the old
+priest blessed Seraiah. <q>The Lord give thee strength
+in the day of battle, and deliver thee out of the hand
+of the enemy, and bring thee back to the house of
+thy fathers.</q>
+</p>
+
+<p>
+At sunset exactly—for Judas was one of the
+commanders who are exactly and punctually obeyed—the
+two expeditions set forth.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Their departure was, of course, observed by the
+garrison of the fort, who were encouraged by it to
+make some fierce sallies on the diminished forces
+of the patriots. These were as fiercely repelled, and
+in a few days things settled down again into the
+virtual truce which had existed for some time
+between besiegers and besieged.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Eight days after the departure of the expeditions
+tidings of victory came from the main army under
+Judas. The captain of the host had taken Bozrah,
+in Edom. The place lay at least a hundred miles
+to the east; but the patriots had covered the distance
+with unexpected rapidity, and, reaching the
+place before there had been any notion of their
+approach, had taken it almost without resistance.
+The messenger had left, he said, as soon as the place
+was taken, but Judas had marched the same night to
+Dametha, which was in urgent need of relief.
+</p>
+
+<pb n='269'/><anchor id='Pg269'/>
+
+<p>
+The next day came in tidings of further success.
+Dametha and its garrison, with the crowd of helpless
+fugitives which had sought shelter within its
+walls, was safe. The night march from Bozrah
+had been made just in time. Had it been delayed
+till morning it might well have been too late.
+The Ammonites had chosen that very day for a
+fierce assault upon the place. Just as the day was
+dawning and the assailants were close under the
+walls Judas had appeared. His approach had been
+observed by the besieged, who had watched it from
+the citadel, but the assailants were taken by surprise.
+Hemmed in between two attacking forces, the
+garrison who made a sortie from the town and the
+army of the patriots in the rear, they had been
+utterly routed. Timotheus had barely escaped with
+his life, and had fled northward, followed by Judas
+in hot pursuit. A few days afterwards came the
+news that the campaign was at an end—begun and
+finished within the space of two weeks. This time
+the captain had found time to write a despatch. It
+ran thus:—
+</p>
+
+<p>
+<q>Judas, Captain of the Lord’s host, to Azariah,
+greeting. Know that the Lord has delivered the
+enemy into our hands. Timotheus, having suffered
+defeat at Dametha, fled northward to a temple where
+the heathen worship the <q>Two-horned Ashtaroth,</q>
+a strong place by nature and skilfully fortified. I
+judged it better that I should not spill the blood of
+<pb n='270'/><anchor id='Pg270'/>the people of the Lord in assaulting it, and so,
+having cleared the walls of defenders by help of my
+slingers, I surrounded it with great quantities of
+faggots. To these I caused fire to be set, nor did
+my slingers suffer the Ammonites to approach to put
+out the flames. In the end the whole was consumed,
+and Timotheus perished in the fire. The Lord has
+rewarded him according to his deeds. So much
+for what has been done: now for what remains to
+do. This country is not as yet a safe dwelling-place,
+and will not be till the heathen shall be
+more thoroughly subdued. It is my purpose, therefore,
+to bring the people of this land to Jerusalem.
+Provide, to the best of your ability, for their food and
+<corr sic="lodging">lodging.</corr> Farewell!</q>
+</p>
+
+<p>
+The exultation felt by the people at Jerusalem when
+the tidings of their final victory reached them passes
+description. The times of David, they were sure,
+were about to return. The promise was once again
+to be fulfilled—<q>He shall reign from the flood
+[the Euphrates], unto the world’s end.</q> In the
+Temple chant of the day the words went—<q>I will
+not be afraid of ten thousands of the people that
+have set themselves against me round about.
+Up, Lord, and help me, O my God, for Thou
+smitest all Thine enemies upon the cheek-bone.
+Thou hast broken the teeth of the ungodly.</q>
+</p>
+
+<p>
+But when tidings of still further victories, won by
+Simon in Galilee, came in to swell the popular
+<pb n='271'/><anchor id='Pg271'/>enthusiasm, there was a certain change of feeling,
+something of the jealousy that almost inevitably
+springs up when great deeds are done. Joseph and
+Azariah chafed at the life of inaction which they
+were forced to live at Jerusalem, and what they
+thought in their hearts the soldiers did not hesitate
+to express openly. <q>Let us also,</q> so ran the common
+talk—<q>let us also get for ourselves a name,
+and go and fight against the enemies of the Lord.</q>
+</p>
+
+<p>
+On the day after the tidings of Simon’s victories
+came in the two captains were waited upon by a
+deputation of soldiers, who came to urge that they
+might be relieved from the inaction to which they
+were condemned, an inaction made all the more
+hard to bear by the glories that were being won
+elsewhere. Azariah and Joseph listened with attention,
+and, indeed, were at no pains to hide their
+sympathy.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+<q>The men are right,</q> said Joseph, when the
+deputation had withdrawn. <q>They will lose all
+heart if we keep them idling here.</q>
+</p>
+
+<p>
+<q>In my heart I am inclined to agree with you,</q>
+answered his colleague; <q>but what did the captain
+say?—<q>Watch the garrison of the heathen that they
+do no hurt to the city and the Holy Place while we
+are away.</q> But he said nothing of going elsewhere,
+and I should be unwilling to disobey him, for, beyond
+all doubt, the Lord is with him.</q>
+</p>
+
+<p>
+<q>Nay, brother, you are too narrow in your
+<pb n='272'/><anchor id='Pg272'/>thoughts of obeying. We obey him best if we do
+the best that we can for the cause of the Lord.
+And though I honour Judas greatly, yet he is but a
+captain in the Lord’s host, even as we are. Why
+should we not do as he has done? And tell me,
+Azariah,</q> he went on, <q>do you think that the vision
+which you saw when the angel of the Lord brought
+you a sword with the Name written on it has been
+altogether fulfilled? Shall this sword which he
+bade you use for the Lord always abide in the
+scabbard? Is this the life to which you are
+called?</q>
+</p>
+
+<p>
+<q>You speak truly,</q> said Azariah. <q>I can scarcely
+be faithful to my trust if I suffer the sword of the
+Lord to rust. But tell me, what think you we had
+best do?</q>
+</p>
+
+<p>
+<q>Gorgias,</q> said Joseph, <q>is encamped at Jamnia,
+and does great mischief to the land and the people;
+if we can drive him out we shall earn great thanks
+both from the captain and from our brethren.</q>
+</p>
+
+<p>
+The resolution of the commanders was heard with
+unmingled delight by their men, and with almost
+equal pleasure by the inhabitants of the city. Some
+of the more cautious disapproved, and Shemaiah
+even made his way to the Governor’s house—no easy
+task for his scanty strength—and remonstrated with
+Azariah. <q>My son,</q> said he, <q>your strength is to
+sit still. Make not too much speed, and be not
+over-bold.</q> He was listened to with respect, and
+<pb n='273'/><anchor id='Pg273'/>even with some compunction on Azariah’s part.
+But it seemed too late to retreat. To hold back now
+would infallibly give rise to the charge of cowardice,
+and Azariah, brave as a lion against all outward
+danger, had not the rare moral courage which would
+have enabled him to face such an accusation.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+At sunrise on the day after the resolution had been
+taken, the expedition set out with confident expectation
+of victory, and watched from the walls by an
+eager multitude. At sunset a miserable remnant
+came straggling back into the city. They had fared,
+as their fathers had fared many centuries before,
+when, with the like unauthorized daring, they had
+assaulted the hill fortress of Ai, and had returned,
+bringing discouragement with them. Gorgias had
+sallied out from his hill fortress, had charged the
+Jewish force with full advantage of the ground, and
+had driven them in headlong flight before them.
+Azariah and Joseph had done all that leaders could
+do to turn the tide of battle, but their efforts had
+been in vain. Two thousand men had fallen, the
+wounded being, perforce, left to the mercy or cruelty
+of the enemy.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+The city was filled with mourning for the dead;
+and, of course, there was a rapid revulsion of feeling
+against the leaders whose rash action had ended in
+such disaster. <q>Who are these men,</q> was the
+general cry, <q>who have caused the people of the
+Lord to perish? They are not of the seed of those
+by whose hand deliverance is given to Israel.</q>
+</p>
+
+</div><div type="chapter" n="23" rend="page-break-before: always">
+<pb n='274'/><anchor id='Pg274'/>
+<index index="toc" level1="XXIII. More Victories"/>
+<index index="pdf" level1="XXIII. More Victories"/>
+<head>CHAPTER XXIII.<lb/><lb/><hi rend="smaller">MORE VICTORIES.</hi></head>
+
+<p>
+The heathen in the fort observed the return as they
+had observed the departure of the expedition that
+had ended so disastrously. Their sallies became
+fiercer and more frequent, and Azariah, his forces
+weakened by the loss of two thousand men, found it
+difficult to repel them. Nothing could have exceeded
+the energy with which he devoted himself to this
+duty, or the courage with which he executed it.
+Night and day he was at his post, for it was here
+only that he found a refuge from the anguish and
+doubt which tormented him; here only the reproaches
+of the widows of the slain could not follow
+him. He allowed himself no rest; sleep he seemed
+absolutely to do without, and food he hastily snatched
+at any moment when the opportunity offered.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+One remission only from this task he allowed himself,
+and this because it was a duty. He paid a
+daily visit to his children. They, too, poor little
+souls, had not escaped a share in the trouble. The
+<pb n='275'/><anchor id='Pg275'/>life which they had led for the last two years had
+developed their understanding beyond their age, and
+they felt, if they did not fully appreciate, their
+father’s unhappiness. One consolation they had,
+the care of two little orphans—the father had fallen
+in the expedition, and the mother had been struck
+down by the news of her husband’s death—who had
+been taken into the house and put under the charge
+of the elderly kinswoman who looked after Azariah’s
+household.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+On one of these occasions he found the aged
+Shemaiah. His first impulse was to avoid the old
+man, but a few words of sympathy overcame him;
+his self-control broke down, and hiding his face in
+his robe he shed the rare and painful tears of a man.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+When the first outburst of grief was over he
+spoke.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+<q>Tell me, father, why has God forsaken His
+servant who trusted in Him. I went out in faith—and
+see the end. Would that I had died in the
+battle!</q>
+</p>
+
+<p>
+<q>My son, may it not be that you tempted the
+Lord? Did you count the cost when you went
+forth against Gorgias, whether you had force sufficient
+for the attack, or skill to handle it?</q>
+</p>
+
+<p>
+<q>Does faith, then, go for nothing? Had Judas
+men enough, as soldiers reckon in such matters,
+or skill enough, seeing that he had had no experience
+in war, when he overthrew Apollonius?
+<pb n='276'/><anchor id='Pg276'/>Yet the Lord gave him the victory because he
+trusted in Him.</q>
+</p>
+
+<p>
+<q>My son, God gave the victory to Judas, having
+first given him not strength only and courage, but
+skill also and understanding. He gives not the
+same gifts to all: to Moses wisdom and learning, but
+to Aaron eloquent speech; to David the arts of war,
+but to Solomon the arts of peace. Think you that
+because you are a servant of the Lord, you are
+therefore to choose the service that you will do?
+You would be captain of the Lord’s host like Judas.
+Would you also indite psalms with David, and
+devise proverbs with Solomon? The Spirit of the
+Lord divideth to every man severally as He will.
+To Mattathias He gave discernment to see in Judas
+the leader and commander of the people, and the
+people were obedient to him. And so Judas discerned
+in you one who might be entrusted with the
+defence of the city, but not with the warfare against
+the heathen that are without. This was your
+service, but you were not content with it. Think
+not that the Lord has forgotten you, but rather that
+you have left the place in which you were set.</q>
+</p>
+
+<p>
+This was plain speaking, but given with such
+gentleness and sympathy that the rebuke healed
+more than it wounded. Humbled yet comforted,
+Azariah returned to his post before the fortress.
+But he could not forget that his great trial was yet
+to come. Nor was it long delayed. The next day
+<pb n='277'/><anchor id='Pg277'/>it was evident that something was happening that
+had attracted the attention of the garrison. The
+highest tower was crowded with soldiers who were
+intently watching something that could not be
+seen from below. And indeed it was a remarkable
+spectacle. Judas was returning with his victorious
+army, escorting at the same time a vast crowd of
+non-combatants, men, women, and children, the
+whole population of the country beyond Jordan,
+which could no longer be inhabited with safety, and
+all Jerusalem had gone out to meet the champion.
+Then, in a moment, the tower was deserted, the
+gates were thrown open, and a furious sortie, the
+last that could be attempted with any hope of success,
+was made with the whole force of the garrison. It
+was with a desperate courage that Azariah repelled
+the attack. Never had he exposed himself so
+recklessly. He could almost have wished to fall in
+the fight; for now the dreaded meeting was at hand,
+and he had to render up to his chief the trust which
+he had so abused. The attack was repelled, and
+then Azariah had to remain in an inaction that was
+almost unbearable till he should be summoned to the
+interview with his chief.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+The sun was just setting when a soldier presented
+himself, and, after saluting, said, <q>The general seeks
+you.</q>
+</p>
+
+<p>
+<q>Has he summoned the council?</q> asked Azariah,
+who dreaded a public censure.
+</p>
+
+<pb n='278'/><anchor id='Pg278'/>
+
+<p>
+<q>Nay,</q> said the man; <q>he is alone.</q>
+</p>
+
+<p>
+And Azariah followed him to the captain’s house,
+with such a tremor in his heart as no dangers of
+battle had ever caused.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+What followed at the meeting was never known,
+save as far as the result was concerned. Shemaiah
+was awaiting his return, and the first glance showed
+the old man that things had gone well with his
+friend. The burden of trouble was gone. Azariah
+looked brighter and more cheerful—so great is the
+force of reaction—than he had done since he had lost
+his Hannah. Shemaiah felt that there was no need
+to question him, and waited in silence for what his
+friend should please to tell him. What he heard
+was this:
+</p>
+
+<p>
+<q>The captain would have kept me in the office to
+which he appointed me when he departed. He said—and
+I repeat his words, not for my own glory, but
+for a proof of his generosity—<q>No man could have
+better kept the heathen from the fort in check than
+you have done. Therefore, I would have you stay
+where you are. I must go again to the wars, for
+the Idumeans and the Philistines have to be subdued.
+And I shall go with a lighter heart, leaving
+the defence of the city in your hands.</q> But I said
+to him, <q>O my lord, let me rather go with you.
+You have accomplished to the full the work unto
+which you were sent of God, and have come back,
+having redeemed from captivity and death our
+<pb n='279'/><anchor id='Pg279'/>brethren from beyond the river, nor lost one of
+your own people. But I, going in the presumption
+of my heart to a warfare unto which I was not sent,
+have accomplished nothing; I have wrought no
+deliverance for my people, and the bones of two
+thousand of my brethren lie scattered on the plain.
+Henceforth I am but a sword in the hand of the
+servant of the Lord.</q> But the captain said nothing.
+Let it be as he will. As for me, I am content, for
+I know that he has pardoned me.</q>
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Whatever the kind of service in which Judas
+might see fit to employ his lieutenant, it was
+clear that there would be no lack of work for him
+to do.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+The victories of Judas in Gilead had been followed
+by successes won by Simon in Galilee. And from
+Galilee, as from Gilead, there had been a great
+migration of the inhabitants, who sought in Jerusalem
+a safer home than they could find in their
+own country.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+And now, at the head of a more powerful army
+than he had hitherto been able to collect, Judas set
+out. His first object was Hebron, which had for
+some time past been in the possession of the Idumeans.
+He took it by assault; it might almost be
+said, so unexpected was his coming, by surprise.
+Indeed, one cause of his success was the extraordinary
+rapidity and secrecy of his movements.
+Almost the moment that his plans were formed, he
+<pb n='280'/><anchor id='Pg280'/>was on his way to execute them. Even if there had
+been traitors or spies in his camp—and such were
+almost unknown—any information which they could
+send to the enemy was outstripped, so to speak, by
+his action. Hebron had to be abandoned after its
+capture, for he could not spare a sufficient garrison
+to hold it. All that could be done was to take care
+that it should not, for some time at least, become
+a stronghold of the enemy. Its citadel was destroyed;
+the towers on the wall burnt, and a furlong
+of the wall itself broken down.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+From Hebron the Jewish leader marched southward,
+and then turning eastward invaded the
+country of the Philistines. Azotus, which was
+supposed to be safe on account of its maritime
+position, and was, in consequence, negligently
+guarded, was assaulted with success, and its temples
+and altars destroyed, though Gorgias was still in
+force at Jamnia, only nine miles to the north.
+Several of the smaller Philistine towns were taken
+on the return march to Jerusalem; and altogether this
+people received a lesson which they were not likely
+soon to forget. All this was accomplished with very
+little loss. Joel, the priest, however, was killed at
+Azotus, where he had recklessly exposed himself in
+the attack.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Great as was the popular rejoicing at these victories,
+it was nothing to the exultation caused
+by the next tidings that reached
+Jerusalem—<pb n='281'/><anchor id='Pg281'/>Antiochus, the oppressor, the blasphemer—Antiochus
+was dead!
+</p>
+
+<p>
+The day after the return of the army a Syrian
+runner was caught while endeavouring to make
+his way into the fortress through the lines of the
+besiegers. He had been sent by Lysias with a
+despatch to the commander of the garrison. The
+document was of the briefest. It ran thus:
+</p>
+
+<p rend="margin-top: 2; margin-left: 2; margin-right: 2; center; font-size: small"><q rend="post: none"><hi rend='italic'>Lysias, the Governor, to the most valiant Eucrates.</hi></q></p>
+
+<p rend="margin-bottom: 2; margin-left: 2; margin-right: 2; font-size: small">
+<q>Know that our most excellent Lord and King, Antiochus, surnamed
+the Illustrious, is dead in Persia. Let the soldiers that are with
+you swear allegiance to the son of our departed master by the name
+of Antiochus Eupator, which he has taken to himself in remembrance of
+the glories of his father.</q><note place="foot">Eupator means <q>Born of a great father.</q></note>
+</p>
+
+<p>
+The man, when questioned by Judas and the
+council, was able to supplement the bare news of
+the King’s death with some interesting details. He
+had had some talk with the messenger who had
+brought the tidings to Antioch, and had heard all
+that was as yet known. His story ran thus:
+</p>
+
+<p>
+<q>The King was in Persia when he heard how his
+armies had been defeated, not once or twice only,
+in the land of Judæa. Great was his rage—so great
+that for the space of three or four hours none dared
+to come near him. Then he summoned his counsellors
+to him, and said, <q>I will destroy this nation
+of rebels till there shall be not one of them left,</q>
+and giving up all other plans he marched westward
+<pb n='282'/><anchor id='Pg282'/>with all his army. But on his way he came to the
+city of Elymaïs, where there is a temple, the
+treasury of which is reputed to be more wealthy
+than any in the whole land of Persia, for it has
+never been spoiled within the memory of man. Even
+the great Alexander left it untouched, adding also
+much of the spoil which he had taken himself.
+This temple the father of the King had sought
+to plunder; but the people of the city rose against
+him, and drove him away. When the King came
+to this city he said, <q>Here is another nest of rebels.
+Did they not rise against the King, my father?
+Verily I will avenge his memory upon them.</q> So
+he went into the city, having some five hundred
+soldiers with him. And the magistrates received
+him with honour. And when he said, <q>I would see
+your temple and its treasures,</q> they consented.
+<q>Only,</q> they said, <q>it is our custom that no armed
+man may come within the precincts.</q> <q>Will you
+strip me of my sword?</q> said the King. <q>Not so,</q>
+they answered, <q>but your followers must be without
+any, and not more than ten in number.</q> When
+the King heard this he was greatly wroth, and said
+to the magistrates of the city, <q>I will come in
+despite of you.</q> So he went, he and his five
+hundred, to the square in which the temple stands.
+But he found the whole place filled with an armed
+multitude, and when he would have forced his way
+into the precincts he was beaten back, losing not
+<pb n='283'/><anchor id='Pg283'/>a few of his soldiers, and being himself struck on
+the head with a stone. After this, whether it was
+from his rage, which became more terrible than
+ever, or from any other cause, I know not; but the
+King was smitten with some disease, and could no
+longer ride, as he had been wont, but was carried
+in a litter. And they say that the stench of his
+wounds was so great that the men who bore the
+litter could scarcely endure it, but were changed
+continually. So they brought him to Tabol, in the
+land of Persia, and there he died, being terribly
+tormented with pain. And I heard that when
+he was dying, he cried out with a most lamentable
+voice repenting him of the wrong that he had done
+against the gods in robbing their temples.</q>
+</p>
+
+<p>
+<q>Of what did he speak?</q> asked one of the council.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+<q>Nay,</q> said the man, <q>that I know not. Some
+said that he spoke of this Temple in Jerusalem, and
+some that it was the temple in Elymaïs, where men
+worship the moon-goddess, that was in his mind.
+But more I do not know.</q>
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Judas rose up in his place and repeated the last
+words of that great triumphal chant in which more
+than a thousand years before Deborah and Barak
+had celebrated the overthrow of another king who
+had mightily oppressed the children of Israel.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+<q>So let all Thine enemies perish, O Lord, but let
+them that love Him be as the sun when he goeth
+forth in his might.</q>
+</p>
+
+</div><div type="chapter" n="24" rend="page-break-before: always">
+<pb n='284'/><anchor id='Pg284'/>
+<index index="toc" level1="XXIV. The Sabbatical Year"/>
+<index index="pdf" level1="XXIV. The Sabbatical Year"/>
+<head>CHAPTER XXIV.<lb/><lb/><hi rend="smaller">THE SABBATICAL YEAR.</hi></head>
+
+<p>
+A time was now approaching to which the responsible
+leaders of the people looked forward, for
+the most part, with great anxiety. This was the
+Sabbatical year. During a whole twelve months it
+would not be lawful to carry on any offensive war,
+or, a far more serious matter, to till the ground.
+Debate ran high as to whether the Law could be
+observed in its strictness. There were many who
+asked, with no little show of reason, <q>Will it be
+possible in times so troublous to keep a year of
+rest? Moses, when he commanded it, thought of
+a people dwelling quietly in a land from which they
+had driven out all their enemies. As things are
+now, these enemies are about us, and even in the
+very midst of us. And then the harvest? Will it
+suffice to feed the people, already more than twice
+as numerous as in the previous year, and daily
+increasing?</q>
+</p>
+
+<pb n='285'/><anchor id='Pg285'/>
+
+<p>
+The answer of the Chasidim was peremptory.
+<q>For what,</q> they asked, <q>have we suffered and
+fought? For what did the martyrs lay down their
+lives—Eleazar the priest, and the mother and her
+sons, and Hannah, the wife of Azariah, and others
+without number? For what did Mattathias wear
+out the remnant of his years? Was it not for the
+Law, that it might be kept whole and undefiled?
+Might we not have lived in peace, and stood high
+in favour with the King, if we had been content to
+forsake the law of the Lord our God? And now that
+He has given us the victory, and delivered us from
+the hand of the heathen, so that we may serve Him
+without fear, shall we cast His commandments behind
+our backs? Were we not few in number, and
+scarcely armed, and yet did He not give into our
+hands great armies, well equipped with shield and
+sword and spear? Were we not well-nigh perishing
+of hunger among the mountains, and did He not
+richly supply our needs? Surely the earth is the
+Lord’s and the fulness thereof, and, if He will, He
+can make that which it bringeth forth of itself to
+abound even as the fields which the sower has sowed
+and the reaper has reaped?</q>
+</p>
+
+<p>
+And the Chasidim had their way, as zealous men
+are wont to have it, when they know exactly their
+own minds and what they want. The Sabbatical
+year was proclaimed. There was to be no labour,
+no ploughing or sowing, no tendance of oliveyards
+<pb n='286'/><anchor id='Pg286'/>and vineyards. The people were to live simply and
+wholly on the bounty of the earth.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+The first month of the Sabbatical year itself bore
+the name of the Sabbatical month. Into this were
+crowded three of the great feasts and celebrations
+of the year—the Feast of Trumpets, the Day of
+Atonement, and the Feast of Tabernacles. But
+the whole year was to be one round of religious
+celebrations. To the daily sacrifices in the Temple
+were added special services of intercession, praise,
+and thanksgiving. Nor did the Temple-worship
+alone satisfy the religious wants of the people. The
+synagogues were thronged, and that not on the
+Sabbath only but on every day of the week. The
+Law and the Prophets were read and expounded,
+not, we may be sure, without many stirring references
+to the events of the day.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+All this religious enthusiasm was wanted to support
+the people under the hardships of the time.
+Provisions, if they did not actually run short, began
+to rise in price. Judas and his council did their
+best to prevent it; but the selfish instincts of the
+possessors of corn could not be overcome; stores
+were held back from the market, and the poorer
+class, swollen as it was in numbers by the great
+immigration of the preceding year from Gilead and
+Galilee, began to suffer seriously.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Meanwhile the insolence of the Greek garrison
+was increasing daily. The Jewish soldiers contented
+<pb n='287'/><anchor id='Pg287'/>themselves, or endeavoured to content themselves,
+with repelling attack. This meant, of course, standing
+exposed to showers of missiles which they could
+not return, and it tried their patience to the uttermost.
+Even some of the Chasidim were heard to
+murmur that there must be some limits to this
+endurance; among the besiegers in general, who
+had not risen to the height of Chasidim zeal, a
+spirit of discontent was growing up that might well
+have become dangerous.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Before long, however, the evil worked its own
+cure. One sabbath-day, about the beginning of the
+month which we should call November, there was a
+great solemnity in the Temple, and the outposts of
+the besieging force had been more than usually
+weakened. Ruth, with her little Daniel and her
+two nieces, was going towards the Temple, escorted
+by her husband and Micah, when one of the lower
+gates of the fortress was suddenly thrown open, and
+a party of Greeks rushed out upon the party.
+Seraiah and Micah were both armed, but for some
+minutes they had to make head against their
+assailants alone. One of the soldiers who had
+seized Ruth was promptly felled to the earth by a
+blow from Micah’s sword; and Seraiah did similar
+execution on another. But the odds were too great
+for them. Micah was brought to the ground, and it
+was only by desperate efforts that his brother-in-law
+could save him from being stabbed as he lay. Ruth,
+<pb n='288'/><anchor id='Pg288'/>meanwhile, being left without help, was carried off
+to the very gates of the fortress. And then, just
+before it was too late, came the longed-for help.
+The two girls, who, with their little cousin, had been
+some distance behind, ran screaming towards the
+Temple, and happily met with their father, who
+was just about to change guard at one of the posts.
+He and his company ran at the top of their speed
+to the scene of the conflict, plunged recklessly
+through the missiles which were showered on them
+from the fortress, and reached the wall at the same
+moment with the ravishers, whose progress was
+impeded by the struggles of the captive, for, brave
+woman as she was, she never lost her presence of
+mind. A few of the party escaped into the fortress,
+the nearest gate of which was cautiously opened to
+receive them; but the greater number were instantly
+put to the sword. Ruth, whose strength broke down
+when she knew that she was safe, was carried home,
+sorely bruised and half-unconscious.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Judas was profoundly moved when he heard of
+this outrage. He had long been chafing under the
+restrictions imposed upon his action by his rigid
+supporters, and this determined him to break through
+them. He had a great affection for Azariah and his
+kindred. The men were known to him for their
+loyalty and courage, and Ruth as an indefatigable
+worker among the sick and wounded. His resolution
+was taken, but with the prudence and soundness of
+<pb n='289'/><anchor id='Pg289'/>judgment that were habitual to him he was careful
+to avoid any appearance of being peremptory or
+self-willed. He called to him one of his lieutenants,
+who was reputed to be a leader among
+the Chasidim.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+<q>Micaiah,</q> he said, <q>you remember when a
+thousand of our brethren were slain by the heathen,
+helpless and unarmed, because it was the sabbath?</q>
+</p>
+
+<p>
+<q>I remember,</q> replied the man.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+<q>And that it was determined by my father, as
+captain of the host, with full consent of all the
+princes and priests, that such a thing should happen
+no more?</q>
+</p>
+
+<p>
+<q>It was so determined.</q>
+</p>
+
+<p>
+<q>Think you, then, that there is one law for the
+seventh day, and another for the seventh year?</q>
+</p>
+
+<p>
+<q>I know nothing, save what I find in the traditions
+of the fathers.</q>
+</p>
+
+<p>
+<q>Our fathers had no such experience as we have
+had. No, Micaiah, we will not reap nor sow, trusting
+that the Lord will feed us. But I see not that
+the Law forbids us to strike with the sword when
+the heathen seek to carry our wives and our children
+into captivity, nor will I lay upon the people a burden
+that the Lord has not laid upon them. If I sin in
+this matter, let the punishment fall upon me and
+upon my father’s house.</q>
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Micaiah was not altogether content, but he did not
+feel sufficiently convinced to resist. And, indeed, the
+<pb n='290'/><anchor id='Pg290'/>character and the exploits of Judas gave an overpowering
+weight to any conclusion at which he
+arrived.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+The next day an assembly of the soldiers was
+held, and Judas informed them that operations
+would be more vigorously conducted for the future.
+The announcement was received with great satisfaction,
+even by the stricter partisans of the Law.
+The insolence of the garrison was summarily
+checked. The sallies on which it ventured were
+repulsed so fiercely that they were soon discontinued,
+while relays of archers and slingers,
+succeeding each other without intermission from
+earliest dawn to nightfall, kept the walls clear.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+But though this difficulty was surmounted others
+not less serious remained. The privations resulting
+from the observance of the Sabbatical year were such
+as to overtask the endurance of all but enthusiasts.
+And, of course, under these circumstances it was
+inevitable that the regulations should be evaded.
+Huldah, with the children, was wandering one day
+among the gardens in the neighbourhood of the city.
+They were searching for some fruit for Ruth who
+was now making a very slow recovery from the
+injuries which she had received. They were at
+liberty to go where they pleased, for all right of
+property was at an end, at least for the time. But
+others had been before them, and it seemed as if
+everything had been gathered, even before it was
+<pb n='291'/><anchor id='Pg291'/>ripe. They were returning home with but the
+scantiest results from this toil when they witnessed
+a scene of uproar. Some men had been discovered
+by the officers of the chief priests in the unlawful
+act of cultivating the ground. They had been
+sowing the seeds of some quick-growing plants,
+doing it in such an irregular fashion that what
+came up might seem to have been chance-sown, but
+they had been detected, and were now being led off
+in custody, angry and defiant, and loudly condemning
+the bigoted folly which, as they said, to carry out
+an obsolete enactment, condemned a whole people
+to starvation.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+A crowd speedily gathered and followed the
+officers and their prisoners to the house of one
+of the chief priests. Huldah and the children went
+with it. The case was tried, in Eastern fashion, in
+the open air and in public. The process was short,
+for the offenders had been caught in the act, and the
+law which they had transgressed was plain. The
+defence which they attempted on the plea of
+necessity was cut short by the judge. <q>The Word
+of God,</q> said he, <q>is of more account than meat
+and drink. Take these men,</q> he went on, speaking
+to an officer whom we should call the provost-marshal,
+<q>and see that they suffer each forty stripes
+save one. And you,</q> he added, turning to the
+prisoners, <q>know that if you offend again in this
+matter you shall be stoned with stones till you die.</q>
+</p>
+
+<pb n='292'/><anchor id='Pg292'/>
+
+<p>
+The men were bound and flogged. That was
+a sight which Huldah and the children did not
+wait to see; but just as they were reaching their
+home the men passed them, furious at the indignity
+which they had suffered, and loudly proclaiming
+their determination to be revenged.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+The next morning they were missing from the
+city. A porter at one of the smaller gates was
+found tied and gagged. He said that he had been
+attacked by a party of men, some of whom could
+be identified by his description with the sufferers of
+the day before. The others were Greeks, apparently
+belonging to the garrison. They had surprised him,
+taken his keys from him, and had gone—so he
+judged from something that he had overheard—on
+the road to Antioch. This gave a serious aspect to
+the affair. The men had evidently deserted, and
+would put all the information that they had at the
+service of the enemy. Judas immediately ordered
+a pursuit. But though the party that he sent out
+was more than once close upon the tracks of the
+fugitives it did not succeed in overtaking them.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Time went on. The Feast of the Dedication
+came round, and was kept with as much cheerfulness
+as the depressed spirits and scanty means of
+the people permitted. Spring succeeded winter,
+bringing with it in its milder temperature and in
+the abundance of its natural growths some alleviations
+of the common suffering. But the prospect,
+<pb n='293'/><anchor id='Pg293'/>as a whole, was scarcely brighter. It was almost a
+relief when tidings reached the city that a struggle
+was at hand. It was better, thought many, to die
+on the field of battle than to sit still and starve.
+And, indeed, death on the battle-field seemed a likely
+prospect. Lysias, who had been making his preparations
+during the whole of the winter, was now,
+it was said, about to set forth. The force which
+he had under his command was reported to be
+overwhelmingly strong, numbering not less than
+120,000 men. It was also said that he had with
+him thirty-two war-elephants. The boy-King—Eupator
+was not more than nine years old—was
+also said to be with him.
+</p>
+
+</div><div type="chapter" n="25" rend="page-break-before: always">
+<pb n='294'/><anchor id='Pg294'/>
+<index index="toc" level1="XXV. Reverses"/>
+<index index="pdf" level1="XXV. Reverses"/>
+<head>CHAPTER XXV.<lb/><lb/><hi rend="smaller">REVERSES.</hi></head>
+
+<p>
+Judas met the danger with his accustomed resolution.
+He waited in the city till he could be certain
+of the road which the invaders were taking. As
+soon as he knew that it was from the south that
+they were approaching, he collected all his available
+force, having for the purpose to raise the siege
+of the fortress, and marched forth to meet them.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+The fortress of Beth-zur, which was intended to
+be the first line in the defence of the capital, was in
+danger of falling into the hands of the enemy. Micah
+had received, early in the year, a commission to revictual
+it, but had found the task one that was difficult,
+if not impossible, to execute. There was a positive
+scarcity of food, and the scarcity was aggravated as
+usual by the practice of hoarding. It was to little
+purpose that Micah scoured the country, making
+requisitions of grain and other supplies. Some few,
+strong in their faith, gave up what they had, and
+committed themselves and their children to the
+<pb n='295'/><anchor id='Pg295'/>Lord, whose law they were seeking to obey. Others
+met the demand with a flat refusal, and at the same
+time taunted Micah with the folly of enforcing an
+impracticable law in times of such difficulty. Many
+met him with the plea of poverty, and their wasted
+forms and sunken faces were proof enough that this
+plea was genuine. The work, therefore, for all the
+zeal that Micah displayed, went on but very slowly,
+and, indeed, was not half finished when the advanced
+guard of the army of Lysias appeared. Beth-zur
+was immediately invested. The engines, of which
+Lysias had a large stock, played fiercely upon the
+walls, and preparations was made for an assault.
+Micah, on the other hand, saw no hope that he
+would be able to stand a long siege. The garrison
+under his command was not large enough adequately
+to man the walls, while it was too large for the
+stock of provisions which he had been able to collect.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Under these circumstances his resolution was
+soon taken. Before dawn on the second day of the
+investment the whole garrison made a desperate
+sally. Happily they had no non-combatants to care
+for, and as yet no sick or wounded. Fire was set
+to the engines. The besiegers, thinking that this
+was the object of the attack, and that the garrison
+would make their way back into the fortress, when
+this had been accomplished, occupied themselves
+chiefly in putting out the fire. But Micah had no
+intention of returning. He availed himself of the
+<pb n='296'/><anchor id='Pg296'/>confusion caused by the burning of the camp, cut
+his way with desperate resolution through the
+enemy, and succeeded in reaching the camp of Judas
+with the larger part of his force. The rest were not
+able to follow him, but succeeded in regaining the
+fortress, which they continued to hold against the
+Greeks.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+The camp was at Beth-Zachariah, about nine
+miles south from Jerusalem, and on an elevated
+position, not less than three thousand feet above the
+level of the sea, which commanded the whole of
+the neighbouring country. Behind, to the north,
+could be seen the towers of Jerusalem, with Bethlehem,
+the City of David, in the nearer foreground,
+nestling among its oliveyards and vineyards. To
+the west lay the plain of Philistia, with the white
+cliff of Gath clearly visible in the extreme distance;
+to the east could be seen the purple mountains of
+Moab. The road from Hebron, by which the Greek
+army would approach, crept along the eastern side
+of the mountains. From his elevated position Judas
+could see the movements of his adversaries while
+they were still at a considerable distance. Observing
+that they pitched their camp on the further side of
+a narrow defile, with the character of which he was
+intimately acquainted, he conceived the idea of an
+ambush.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+He summoned Azariah to his tent and detailed
+his plan. Azariah also knew the place well, and
+<pb n='297'/><anchor id='Pg297'/>entered into the scheme with enthusiasm—such
+enthusiasm, indeed, that Judas felt it necessary to
+give him a parting caution. <q>Remember,</q> he said,
+<q>if this scheme fails, that you come back to me
+immediately. If the ambush should be discovered,
+retreat at once. There must be no attack. I cannot
+spare a man. We shall want all that we have, if not
+more than all, to make head against the thousands
+of Lysias.</q>
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Azariah promised obedience, and lost no time in
+setting out on his errand. Shortly after sunset he
+started, having with him a picked force of a thousand
+men. Before midnight he had reached the place
+fixed upon by Judas, and there, in a hollow half-way
+up the side of the hill that formed one side of the
+pass, he laid his ambush.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+It was an anxious night for the little band. It
+was always an accepted maxim in ancient warfare
+that it was the most steadfast courage that was
+wanted for the ambush. Men who were brave
+enough when fighting in the open plain found
+their courage fail when they had to lie for hours
+watching for the moment of attack, crouched upon
+the ground, unable to move and scarcely venturing
+to talk. Azariah’s men were brave—indeed they
+had been carefully chosen for this very service—but
+they were not altogether insensible of the dangers
+of their position. They knew, too, and even exaggerated
+the strength of the advancing army. As
+<pb n='298'/><anchor id='Pg298'/>they talked in whispers during the night, for, as may
+be imagined, few could sleep, they spoke of the
+chances of the coming day. The elephants, which
+had never before been seen on Jewish soil, were
+mentioned with special awe.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+<q>Strange and terrible beasts they are,</q> said one
+man to his neighbour; <q>savage as lions, and many
+times larger and stronger.</q>
+</p>
+
+<p>
+<q>Is it so?</q> said the other. <q>I heard once from
+an Arab, who had been driver of one of these creatures,
+that they are marvellously gentle and tame.</q>
+</p>
+
+<p>
+<q>Maybe they are by nature; but their drivers
+have ways of rousing them to fury before the battle.</q>
+</p>
+
+<p>
+<q>How so?</q>
+</p>
+
+<p>
+<q>They show them the blood of grapes and
+mulberries, and the creatures rage terribly. ’Tis
+said that one of them can tread down a whole
+company of men.</q>
+</p>
+
+<p>
+<q>Well, but ’tis possible, I know, to stand against
+them. King Antiochus, father to the madman
+whom the Lord smote for his sins, had an array
+of them in his army when he fought against the
+Romans at Magnesia, but they profited him little.
+So Simeon told me—you know the man, the old
+Benjamite who took service with the King. The
+Romans stood firm in their rank, and threw their
+javelins at the beasts’ trunks, and in the end, so
+Simeon said, they did more damage to their own
+people than to the enemy.</q>
+</p>
+
+<pb n='299'/><anchor id='Pg299'/>
+
+<p>
+<q>The Lord grant that it be so to-morrow.</q>
+</p>
+
+<p>
+The sun had just risen when the approach of the
+Greek army became visible. And now the vanguard
+was almost within striking distance of the ambush
+which, to all appearance, was still undiscovered.
+Another few steps and they would be immediately
+below, at a point where they might be assailed with
+disastrous effect. Behind a little rock which was
+within a few yards of the pass Azariah knelt, sword
+in hand, waiting to give the signal to his men.
+Their fears had mostly vanished in the morning
+light, and the dreaded elephants did not form part
+of the advanced guard.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+But just as Azariah was about to give the signal
+to charge his quick ear caught the sound of tramping
+feet, which seemed to come from some place
+above his own position. The next moment he
+caught sight, in the slanting rays of the early sun,
+of the glitter of helmets and shields. A Greek force,
+fully equal in number to his own, was marching in a
+direction parallel to the pass but higher up the
+mountain-side. Lysias had learnt wisdom from
+experience. He no longer despised his enemy, but
+credited him with the military skill which, indeed,
+he had more than once proved himself to possess.
+He had foreseen the ambush, and had sent a force
+to guard against the danger. Azariah’s force, though
+out of sight of the road, could be seen from the
+higher ground, and the Greeks greeted their
+appear<pb n='300'/><anchor id='Pg300'/>ance with shouts of laughter. For one moment a
+wild desire to charge swept through the mind of the
+Jewish captain. He had hoped to blot out by some
+brilliant service the remembrance of his former
+disaster, and now he had failed again. True, it was
+not by his own fault; yet he had failed, and he would
+have to go back to Judas empty-handed. A single
+word would have sent his men in furious onset
+against the foe. Should he say it? Then there
+came back to his recollection the gentleness and
+forbearance of Judas. He could not disobey such
+a leader a second time. He gave the signal to
+retreat. His men heard it with disgust; but they
+knew that he was acting against his own desire as
+much as against theirs, and they obeyed without a
+murmur, or, if some of the youngest and fiercest
+among them complained of the order, it was only
+under their breath that they spoke.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Azariah now made his way to Judas with all the
+haste that he could use.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+<q>I have failed,</q> he said. <q>The heathen seemed
+to know of our design beforehand. There could be
+no surprise, so I did not attack, but came back to
+you at once.</q>
+</p>
+
+<p>
+<q>You have done well,</q> said Judas, who knew what
+a sacrifice the fiery soldier had made. <q>A chance
+victory won by disobeying orders is worse than a
+defeat.</q>
+</p>
+
+<p>
+But Judas, though, as always, he did full justice
+<pb n='301'/><anchor id='Pg301'/>to his lieutenant, was much depressed by the failure
+of the attempt, and he looked with a gloomy brow
+at the approaching host, as it came on in all the
+pomp and circumstance of war, the sunlight gleaming
+on the banners, the helmets of brass and gold, and
+on the long, slanting lines of spear-heads. As it
+came nearer the regular tread of the columns and
+the clang of arms, with now and then the shrill
+voice of a clarion or the deep note of a trumpet
+heard above the roar, moved even the stoutest warrior
+to something like fear.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Judas followed once more the tactics which he
+had so often found successful. To stand on the
+defensive was hopeless; his few thousands would
+inevitably be trodden down under the feet of this
+huge multitude. His only hope was in attack. If
+he could but break the line at a single point his
+success might be again, as it had been before, the
+beginning of a panic, and the great host of Lysias
+might melt away as the host of Apollonius had
+melted; but the attack must be made while the
+enemy were yet upon ground where they had not
+space to make full use of their numbers. He charged
+with his accustomed fury before the vanguard of
+the enemy had emerged into the open. For a time
+it seemed as if his audacity was to be successful.
+The hostile army reeled under the shock of the
+patriots’ furious charge. In two or three places it
+broke. But there was in reserve a second line of
+<pb n='302'/><anchor id='Pg302'/>veterans, the steadiest and best troops that could
+be found in the Syrian armies, for Lysias knew by
+this time that none but the very best could stand
+against Judas and his Ironsides. And then the
+numbers were overpowering. Step by step the
+Jewish column was forced back. They left six
+hundred of the enemy dead on the field behind
+them; but the attack had failed.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Then, as the Greek army deployed upon the open
+ground which the retreat of the Jews left open to
+them, the elephants came upon the scene—the
+<q>huge, earth-shaking beasts,</q> which even the hardiest
+warrior could hardly see for the first time without
+some sinking of heart. Each animal was accompanied
+by picked bodies of horse and foot. Each
+carried a tower from which skilful marksmen, whose
+accurate aim was greatly helped by their elevated
+position, hurled missiles upon the ranks of the
+foe. The creatures themselves seemed to share in
+all the fury of the battle. They trumpeted loudly
+and furiously; at the bidding of the Indian drivers
+who were perched upon their necks they seized
+soldiers from among the Jewish ranks with their
+trunks, whirled them aloft, and then dashed them
+down, mangled and lifeless corpses, upon the
+ground.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Then was done one of the heroic acts which stand
+out conspicuously on the pages of history. Eleazar,
+one of the Maccabee brothers, saw how his
+country<pb n='303'/><anchor id='Pg303'/>men were being demoralized by the terror of these
+strange adversaries, and felt that it was a crisis that
+called for personal devotion. One of the elephants
+was conspicuous among the rest, not only for its
+superior size but for the splendour of its equipment.
+He felt sure that it must be the one that carried
+the boy-King himself. Immediately his resolve was
+taken. He made his way, striking furiously right
+and left, and dealing death with every blow, through
+the Syrian ranks, crept under the huge beast, and
+dealt him a mortal wound. Like another Samson,
+he perished by his own success. The creature fell
+with a suddenness that gave him no opportunity of
+escape, and he was crushed to death by its weight.
+</p>
+<pgIf output='txt'><then>
+  <p rend="ill">[Illustration: <hi rend='italic'>The Death of Eleazar.</hi>]</p>
+</then><else>
+  <p><anchor id="i_327"/><figure url="images/i_327.jpg" rend="w80">
+<index index="fig" level1="The Death of Eleazar"/>
+<head><hi rend='italic'>The Death of Eleazar.</hi></head>
+<figDesc>The Death of Eleazar</figDesc></figure></p>
+</else></pgIf>
+<p>
+The hero did not accomplish his object, to rally
+his countrymen. One might rather say that
+their panic was heightened by the fall of one of
+the heroic brothers, a son of the great house to
+which they owed their liberty. But his deed was
+not forgotten. The fourth of the Maccabee brothers
+lived in the history of his people as Eleazar Avaran—Eleazar
+<q>the Beast Slayer.</q>
+</p>
+
+<p>
+But the battle was lost beyond all hope. The
+only thing left for Judas was to save as much as he
+could out of the wreck. He sounded the signal for
+retreat, drew off his men in good order, and, making
+his way back as rapidly as possible to Jerusalem,
+threw himself into the Temple fortress, resolved to
+stand a siege.
+</p>
+
+</div><div type="chapter" n="26" rend="page-break-before: always">
+<pb n='304'/><anchor id='Pg304'/>
+<index index="toc" level1="XXVI. Light out of Darkness"/>
+<index index="pdf" level1="XXVI. Light out of Darkness"/>
+<head>CHAPTER XXVI.<lb/><lb/><hi rend="smaller">LIGHT OUT OF DARKNESS.</hi></head>
+
+<p>
+For a time the prospects of the patriots seemed dark
+indeed. Beth-zur had fallen, and the only hope
+of the cause was in the Temple fortress. This was
+fiercely assailed by the garrison of the Greek stronghold
+of Mount Zion on the one side, and, on the
+other, by the army which had been victorious at
+Beth-Zachariah, and which now occupied the Lower
+City. The Temple fortress was strong; it was
+fairly well supplied with munitions of war; and the
+garrison was large—indeed, almost too large for the
+accommodation of the place. The fatal weakness
+of the position was the scanty supply of provisions.
+Only water was abundant, for the unsparing toil of
+former generations had provided for this want; had
+it not been for this the resistance of the garrison
+must very soon have come to an end, for food was
+scarce—so scarce, indeed, that the strength of the
+fighting men could hardly be maintained by the
+in<pb n='305'/><anchor id='Pg305'/>sufficient rations which were doled out to them,
+while the few non-combatants received barely enough
+to keep body and soul together.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+The condition of the Jewish population of the
+city was not as bad as might have been expected.
+The cruelties of the days of Apollonius and Philip
+were not repeated; for Lysias, who, as guardian of
+the boy-King, was practically supreme, favoured a
+policy of conciliation, and did his best to repress
+outrage. Indeed he sanctioned the establishment
+of what may be called a municipal guard or militia,
+which, while under obligation to give no assistance
+to the garrison of the Temple, was permitted to
+protect the peaceful inhabitants of the city. This
+guard was under the command of Seraiah.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+There was much, of course, that it was difficult
+for those to bear who looked to Judas and his
+brothers as the hope of Israel. Menelaüs had
+returned, and with him a whole troop of renegade
+Jews, whose insolence and impiety sorely tried the
+patience of the faithful population. And the scarcity
+of food was only less severe in the city than it was
+in the fortress.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+For some time Seraiah’s own household continued
+to receive mysterious supplies from some unknown
+source, which made them far more comfortable than
+their neighbours. Once a week, or even oftener, they
+would find a bag of corn or flour, a basket of dried
+grapes or other fruits, a bundle of salt fish, a string
+<pb n='306'/><anchor id='Pg306'/>of doves or wood-pigeons, put in an outhouse, nor
+could they guess who their benefactor could be.
+But when this had gone on for nearly two months,
+the secret came out. Seraiah, returning from his
+military duties at an early hour in the morning, and
+entering by a little postern gate in order to avoid
+disturbing the household, saw a man drop from the
+garden wall. He seized him by the arm, and the
+stranger, turning sharply round, revealed the well-known
+features of Benjamin.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+<q>What do you here?</q> he asked.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+<q>I am come on an errand of my own,</q> answered
+the robber.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+<q>But in my house?</q>
+</p>
+
+<p>
+<q>Ask no more questions,</q> said the man; <q>but
+take my word—and I would not lie to you for all the
+kingdom of Antiochus—that I mean no harm to you
+or yours.</q>
+</p>
+
+<p>
+A thought flashed across Seraiah’s mind.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+<q>It is you, then, who have been bringing us, week
+after week, these supplies of food?</q>
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Benjamin said nothing.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+<q>I adjure you by God that you answer me,</q> said
+Seraiah.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+<q>Well, if you will know it, it is I who have done
+it. Why should not God use a man’s hands to feed
+His servants, as well as a raven’s beak?</q>
+</p>
+
+<p>
+<q>Tell me—how did you come by these things?</q>
+</p>
+
+<p>
+<q>In various ways.</q>
+</p>
+
+<pb n='307'/><anchor id='Pg307'/>
+
+<p>
+<q>Lawfully?</q>
+</p>
+
+<p>
+<q>Well, I can hardly say; you and I might not
+agree about the matter.</q>
+</p>
+
+<p>
+<q>Tell me—did you buy them with your money?</q>
+</p>
+
+<p>
+<q>Nay; that is not my way. I do not buy or
+sell.</q>
+</p>
+
+<p>
+<q>Then you stole them.</q>
+</p>
+
+<p>
+<q>I told you that we should not agree. But this I
+know, that they to whom they belonged could do
+without them better than you and your children.</q>
+</p>
+
+<p>
+<q>Benjamin,</q> said Seraiah, <q>you mean well, and I
+thank you. But after this bring no more of these
+gifts, for I cannot receive them. I would not have
+my Judge say to me, <q>When thou sawest a thief,
+thou consentedst unto him.</q> I had sooner die of
+hunger—aye, and what is far worse, see my children
+die—than take that which has not been lawfully
+acquired.</q>
+</p>
+
+<p>
+<q>As you will have it,</q> said Benjamin; <q>if there
+were more like you, mayhap I should have been a
+better man. But meanwhile, the world being what
+it is, you and yours will have a hard time of it;</q>
+and he turned to go away. <q>And the captain,</q> he
+went on—<q>how does he fare? I hear that things
+are not going well with him. ’Tis a thousand pities,
+for a braver man never handled sword.</q>
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Seraiah told him briefly the story of recent events,
+and described the present condition of affairs, the
+other listening with an eager attention, and breaking
+<pb n='308'/><anchor id='Pg308'/>in now and then with an exclamation of wonder and
+admiration.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+<q>Come, Benjamin,</q> he said, when he had finished,
+<q>why will you not throw in your lot with us?
+Things look dark just now; but they will brighten.
+He who has helped us so far will not desert us
+now.</q>
+</p>
+
+<p>
+<q>Sir,</q> said the man, <q>I would gladly follow the
+captain, whether he led me to life or to death. No
+man could ask a better lot than to be his soldier.
+But I like not all that are with him. They are over-strict,
+and make no allowance for such as have not
+their zeal. Once they beat me; another time they
+had stoned me to death but that I slipped out of
+their hands; and both for some miserable trifles
+which no man of sense would care about. No, sir;
+Judas I honour and love, but these bigots who give
+a man no peace I cannot away with. And now the
+day is beginning to break, and I must go. I am
+sorry that you will not take my poor gifts.</q>
+</p>
+
+<p>
+The next moment he had disappeared.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+And now came a time of grievous trouble for Ruth
+and her young charges, for she had naturally taken
+charge of Azariah’s two daughters. She did not
+question her husband’s refusal to share any longer
+the illicit gains of Benjamin, but she could not shut
+her eyes to the fact that the children were suffering
+grievously. For herself she could endure, as women
+can; the girls, too, were old enough to understand
+<pb n='309'/><anchor id='Pg309'/>the cause of their suffering, though they could not
+enter into the reasons of what seemed so strange an
+observance—the Sabbatical year; but little Daniel
+was too young to know much beyond the fact that
+he was always terribly hungry, and though he was
+often brave enough to check his crying when he saw
+how it distressed his mother, there were times when
+the pangs of hunger were more than he could bear
+in silence. Poor Ruth denied herself everything but
+the few scraps that were absolutely necessary to
+keep body and soul together, and her physical weakness
+did not make it easier to keep up her hope and
+courage. Her hardest task, perhaps, was to hide, as
+far as it was possible, the true state of things from
+her husband. His strength must be kept up, for so
+much depended upon it; but the children, not to
+speak of herself, had to have their scanty share
+diminished that it might be so. This, of course, he
+was not allowed to know, and Ruth was at her wits’
+end again and again to keep it from him.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Within the Temple fortress, meanwhile, things
+had become almost desperate. A few shekels’ weight
+of flour was given out to each man daily, for Judas
+insisted that all should share alike. That even
+this scanty allowance might hold out the longer,
+numbers of the garrison made their escape every
+night under the cover of darkness that the remainder
+might prolong their resistance for yet a few days
+more.
+</p>
+
+<pb n='310'/><anchor id='Pg310'/>
+
+<p>
+Before long came a time when absolutely nothing
+was left. <q>Their vessels were without victuals,</q>
+and Judas and the few that still remained with him
+met to hold a final deliberation.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+<q>My friends,</q> said the great captain, <q>you see
+the straits into which we are brought. There is no
+need to tell you of them, or to prove by words what
+we all know too well in fact. What, then, shall
+we do? Shall we stay here and perish slowly by
+hunger, or shall we fall upon our swords, or shall we
+sally forth from the gates, and, having slain as many
+of the heathen as we may, so perish ourselves? I
+had hoped that the Lord would give deliverance to
+Israel by my hand, and by the hand of my brothers.
+But if it be not so, His will be done. For He is not
+shut up to do that which it pleaseth Him by one
+man or another. He can call whomsoever He will,
+and give him strength for the work.</q>
+</p>
+
+<p>
+He paused for a moment, and Azariah broke in,
+<q>It is well said, O captain of the host. The Lord
+hath helped His people hitherto, and He will help
+them to the end. Only let us trust in Him, for</q>—and
+here, with an impetuous gesture, he struck
+his foot upon the rock—<q>they that put their
+trust in the Lord shall be even as this mountain,
+which may not be removed, but standeth fast for
+ever.</q>
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Judas was just rising to announce his resolve
+when the sound of a trumpet was heard at the gate
+<pb n='311'/><anchor id='Pg311'/>of the fortress. It was a herald bringing a message
+from the young King.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+<q>Have you aught to say to me in private?</q> asked
+Judas, when the man was brought in.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+<q>Nay,</q> he answered; <q>my message is one that
+all may hear.</q>
+</p>
+
+<p>
+He then delivered it, reading the words from a
+parchment which he carried in his hand, and which
+bore the sign-manual (an impression of the seal-ring
+dipped in ink) of Antiochus Eupator, as well as that
+of Lysias. They ran thus:
+</p>
+
+<p>
+<q>Antiochus, surnamed Eupator, King of Syria
+and Egypt, offers to the people of the Jews peace
+and friendship. He permits them to worship God
+after the manners and customs of their fathers, and
+he hereby revokes all the edicts which the King,
+his father, having been misinformed by unfaithful advisers,
+issued against the said nation of the Jews.</q>
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Never was there a more surprising, a more unexpected
+change in the position of affairs. But it
+might have been foreseen by those who had watched
+with a full knowledge of the truth, the recent course
+of events.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Despatches had reached Lysias from Antioch
+which convinced him that he and his young charge
+had enemies to reckon with who would be far more
+formidable than Judas and his followers. Philip had
+returned from Persia with the host of Epiphanes,
+and had assumed the management of affairs, and
+<pb n='312'/><anchor id='Pg312'/>Philip was a dangerous rival. Were he to prevail,
+his own position as the chief adviser of the King
+would be untenable; and the King himself would
+very probably be dispossessed by some other
+claimant to the throne.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+He laid the case, or at least so much as it was
+necessary to explain, before the boy-King. The lad,
+who was indeed intelligent beyond his years, at once
+acquiesced in the advice, that easy conditions of
+peace should be offered to the garrison.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Then an assembly of the soldiers was summoned.
+All the officers were invited by name, and, after the
+usual fashion of such gatherings, as many of the
+men as could crowd into the chambers were also
+present. To them Lysias said nothing about the
+news from Antioch, which it would be better, he
+thought, to conceal as long as possible; but he
+dwelt on the useless hardships which they were all
+enduring.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+<q>Famine and the pestilence are upon us,</q> he
+said, <q>and we decay daily. But the place to
+which we lay siege is strong, and we are no nearer
+to the taking of it than we were six months since.
+Now, therefore, let us offer to these men, who are
+neither robbers nor murderers, peace and liberty,
+that they may worship God after their own fashion,
+and live by their own laws. For, of a truth, it is
+far better, as many of yourselves know, that they
+should be our friends than our enemies.</q>
+</p>
+
+<pb n='313'/><anchor id='Pg313'/>
+
+<p>
+An unanimous shout of approval was the answer;
+and hence the message which came so opportunely
+to Judas and his followers in the very crisis of their
+despair.
+</p>
+
+</div><div type="chapter" n="27" rend="page-break-before: always">
+<pb n='314'/><anchor id='Pg314'/>
+<index index="toc" level1="XXVII. A Peaceful Interval"/>
+<index index="pdf" level1="XXVII. A Peaceful Interval"/>
+<head>CHAPTER XXVII.<lb/><lb/><hi rend="smaller">A PEACEFUL INTERVAL.</hi></head>
+
+<p>
+It was one of the stipulations of the peace offered
+by the young Antiochus, and accepted by Judas,
+that the King should be admitted with due ceremony
+into the surrendered fortress. It was to be a formal
+acknowledgment of his authority, but nothing more.
+No change, it was understood, was to be made; the
+King and his attendants were not to go beyond the
+court which it was lawful for the Gentiles to enter.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+On the morrow, accordingly, the boy-King came
+with a splendid procession of nobles and officers.
+In front marched a company of soldiers, picked from
+the whole army for their beauty of feature and commanding
+stature, and gorgeous with their gilded
+arms. Then, in the order of their dignity, came the
+high officers of state; last, the young monarch himself,
+the Governor Lysias leading him by the hand.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+The approach to the Temple was thronged by a
+crowd of eager spectators, none of whom were more
+profoundly interested in the sight than the little
+Daniel, with his cousins, Miriam and Judith. The
+<pb n='315'/><anchor id='Pg315'/>child’s fancy had been caught by all that he had
+heard of the young prince. It seemed strange to
+him, almost beyond belief, that a lad, a little older,
+it was true, than himself, but younger than Miriam,
+should have power to do so much harm. <q>Mother,</q>
+he said one day to Ruth, <q>why does God let him
+hurt so many people? It is all his doing that the
+brave soldiers are shut up in the Temple, and that
+we have so little to eat. Will he not be punished for
+it some day? I suppose, as he is a king, nobody
+can punish him except God. But He will, won’t
+He, mother?</q>
+</p>
+<pgIf output='txt'><then>
+  <p rend="ill">[Illustration: <hi rend='italic'>The Boy King.</hi>]</p>
+</then><else>
+  <p><anchor id="i_341"/><figure url="images/i_341.jpg" rend="w100">
+<index index="fig" level1="The Boy King"/>
+<head><hi rend='italic'>The Boy King.</hi></head>
+<figDesc>The Boy King</figDesc></figure></p>
+</else></pgIf>
+<p>
+Then came the unexpected news of the peace;
+and nothing would satisfy little Daniel but that he
+must see the boy-King received in the Temple.
+Eagerly did the child watch him as he walked in his
+little suit of armour, which the most skilful artizans
+in Antioch had made so light as not to be too much
+for his strength, and great was his delight when
+Eupator, catching a sight of his eager face, kissed
+his hand to him with a pleasant smile. That smile
+he never forgot, though it is true that his old anger
+against the young king returned next day almost
+as vehemently as ever when he heard that orders
+had been given that the ramparts of the Temple
+fortress were to be broken down, and that the
+Greek soldiers, anxious to depart, had begun the
+work of destruction the very hour at which the edict
+had been published.
+</p>
+
+<pb n='316'/><anchor id='Pg316'/>
+
+<p>
+Though this breach of faith was a great blow to
+the patriots, still they had much to console them.
+In the first place, to their intense relief, the Greek
+army marched away, and the Holy City was no
+more defiled by the presence of the heathen. Then
+the renegade Menelaüs, whom every faithful Jew
+hated with a more bitter hatred than he felt for the
+heathen themselves, went away, but not of his own
+free choice, with the King. Lysias had an honest
+man’s dislike for a traitor, and indeed did not scruple
+to say that this impostor, who was neither good Jew
+nor real Greek, had done more than any one else to
+cause the recent troubles.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Not less welcome was the end of the Sabbatical
+year. This of itself would not, of course, have
+relieved the pressure of scarcity; but there was
+help from without which before had not been
+available. Hitherto the Jews had been under a
+ban; they were enemies of the Syrian King, and
+none who desired to be his friends would have any
+dealings with them. Now all was changed. The
+ban was removed. The people were in favour with
+Eupator and Lysias. A brisk trade commenced, and
+supplies of food came in abundance. With good
+heart and hope the people set themselves to their
+work. From being a city of mourning Jerusalem
+became gay and cheerful.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+The general gladness culminated in the Feast of
+Tabernacles, always the most joyous of Jewish
+<pb n='317'/><anchor id='Pg317'/>festivals, and now celebrated with special manifestations
+of delight. Never had the people felt so keenly
+the pleasure of seeming at least to return to the
+simple life of earlier times, the rustic enjoyments of
+a nation that had not yet learnt to dwell in cities.
+It was the ordinance that for seven days the Israelite
+should dwell, not in his house, but in a booth of
+boughs. For days waggon-loads without number of
+the boughs of the olive, the palm, the pine, the
+myrtle, and other trees which had a foliage sufficiently
+thick for the purpose, were brought into
+the city. When a house had a roof of a convenient
+size and situation, the booth was built
+upon it; in many cases it was set up in the court.
+Those who had come from elsewhere to share in the
+festival set up their booths in the court of the
+Temple, in the street of the Water Gate, and in the
+street of the Gate of Ephraim. It was a beautiful
+sight at any time, and now the fresh foliage hid
+the scars of many a grievous wound that had been
+inflicted during the years of desolation.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Every day, at the time of the morning sacrifice,
+each Israelite, gaily dressed in holiday attire, made
+his way to the Temple. Each carried in one hand
+a bundle of the same branches that were used in the
+building of the booths, and in the other a fruit of
+the citron tree. When all the company was assembled,
+and the parts of the victim had been laid upon
+the altar, a priest was seen approaching with a
+<pb n='318'/><anchor id='Pg318'/>golden ewer in his hand. He had filled it at the
+pool of Siloam, and he brought it into the court
+of the Temple through the Water Gate. The
+trumpets sounded as he came in and ascended the
+slope of the altar. On each side of this were two
+silver basins; into that on the eastern side he
+poured the sacred water; while another priest
+poured wine into that on the western. Then the
+<q>Hallel</q><note place="foot">Psalms cxiii.-cxviii.</note> was sung; when the singers came to the
+words, <q>O give thanks unto the Lord; for He is
+good, because His mercy endureth for ever,</q> each
+Israelite shook his bundle of branches; he did it
+again when they sang, <q>Save, Lord, I beseech Thee,
+O Lord: O Lord, I beseech Thee, send now prosperity;</q>
+and a third time at the words, <q>O give
+thanks unto the Lord; for He is good: for His
+mercy endureth for ever.</q> In the evening there was
+a grand illumination. Eight lamps, so large and so
+high that they sent their light over nearly the whole
+of the city, were set up in the court of the Temple,
+while many of the people carried flambeaux in their
+hands. Meanwhile a company of Levites, standing
+on the steps of the Court of the Women, chanted to
+the music of cymbal and the harp the fifteen <q>Songs
+of Degrees.</q><note place="foot">Ibid. cxx.-cxxxiv.</note>
+</p>
+
+<p>
+These were the public rejoicings; the private
+festivities were on the most liberal scale. Never did
+<pb n='319'/><anchor id='Pg319'/>the maxim that he who fails to contribute according
+to his means to the general joy is a sinner above
+other men meet with a more hearty acceptance.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Azariah with his daughters and little Daniel
+were watching the ceremonies of the last and
+greatest day of the feast from the roof of the
+Governor’s house, where they were joined by Micah
+and by Joseph, who, it will be remembered, had shared
+with him the disastrous command of the city during
+the absence of Judas in Gilead. Joseph was exultant;
+Micah’s face was grave and even sad.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+<q>Thank the Lord, Azariah,</q> cried Joseph, <q>for
+He has dealt with the traitor after his deservings.</q>
+</p>
+
+<p>
+<q>Whom mean you?</q> asked Azariah; <q>for we
+have had more traitors here than one.</q>
+</p>
+
+<p>
+<q>Whom should I mean but Menelaüs, the false
+priest who sat in Aaron’s seat?</q>
+</p>
+
+<p>
+<q>And what has befallen him?</q>
+</p>
+
+<p>
+<q>The King has caused him to be put to death.
+He was in little favour when they took him home,
+for Lysias said that he had wrought all the mischief
+that had been done. And when they came to
+Antioch the matter of Oniah was brought against
+him, for there were many who loved the old man,
+and had taken it ill that his death had not been fully
+avenged. And when the young King heard the
+story, Menelaüs being present, and having nothing to
+say against it, he cried, <q>I wonder that the King, my
+father, suffered this murderer to escape, but he shall
+<pb n='320'/><anchor id='Pg320'/>not go unpunished any more. Take him, and cast
+him alive into the Tower of Ashes.</q> So they took
+him and did as the King had commanded.</q>
+</p>
+
+<p>
+<q>And what is the Tower of Ashes?</q> asked the
+little Daniel, who had been listening to this conversation
+with a sort of terrified interest.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Micah answered his question. <q>At Berea is a
+tower, the bottom of which is full of ashes, and in
+the tower is a machine which revolves and plunges
+the criminal who is bound to it deep into the ashes
+until he is smothered. But as for this unhappy man,
+the Lord have mercy upon him!</q>
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Joseph turned fiercely upon him. <q>I marvel,</q> he
+said, <q>that you should pray for this fellow, who
+was worse than the heathen. He has but had his
+deservings.</q>
+</p>
+
+<p>
+<q>And where should I be, if I had had mine?</q>
+answered Micah. <q>I walked in the same way with
+this Menelaüs, and sinned against the Law, even as
+he sinned, and but that God had mercy upon me,
+surely I had come to the same end.</q>
+</p>
+
+<p>
+<q>Don’t be sorry, uncle,</q> said the boy, holding up
+his little face for a kiss; <q>I am sure that God has
+forgiven you, for He knows how bravely you have
+fought for Him, and how many of the heathen you
+have killed with your sword.</q>
+</p>
+
+<p>
+<q>May it be so, dear child! But though He
+has forgiven me, yet I must reap as I have
+sown.</q>
+</p>
+
+<pb n='321'/><anchor id='Pg321'/>
+
+<p>
+<q>And who shall be high priest in this traitor’s
+place?</q> asked Joseph, after a pause. <q>For Oniah,
+the son of him that was slain at Antioch, is in the
+land of Egypt, and he takes part with the unfaithful
+brethren who would build another Temple among the
+temples of the heathen, leaving the place which the
+Lord has chosen to set His name there.</q>
+</p>
+
+<p>
+<q>And if the House of Zadok have perished, why
+should not Judas, son of Mattathias, be high priest?</q>
+said Azariah. <q>He is of a principal house among
+the sons of Aaron, and the Lord has been with him
+always.</q>
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Joseph had never forgiven Judas for his own
+disaster. His was one of those mean natures that
+justify the saying, <q>The injured may forgive, the
+injurer never.</q> The captain had treated him with
+the same generous kindness which he had showed to
+Azariah, but this kindness had not been received in
+the same temper. On the contrary it rankled in
+his mind, till by a strange, yet not uncommon, perversion
+of feeling, it had produced a positive sense
+of injury. He now broke out:
+</p>
+
+<p>
+<q>Nay, nay, my friend, you say too much. That
+he has won victories I deny not; but was the Lord
+with him when he fled before the face of the heathen
+at Beth-Zachariah, or when Beth-zur was yielded
+up to Lysias, or when we had well-nigh perished
+with famine in the siege, or when the King broke
+down the ramparts of the Temple? Not so:
+what<pb n='322'/><anchor id='Pg322'/>ever the people may shout or sing in his praise, he
+too has known defeat, even as we have.</q>
+</p>
+
+<p>
+<q>This I know,</q> said Azariah, <q>that whereas we
+were trodden underfoot by the heathen till there was
+no life left in us, now we are risen and stand upright.</q>
+</p>
+
+<p>
+<q>And how long, think you,</q> returned Joseph, <q>will
+it be so with us? Did we drive away the King, or
+did he not rather depart of his own accord, because
+of what he and his counsellors had heard of the
+doings of Philip? And will he not return, and the
+end be worse than the beginning?</q>
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Azariah answered, with some heat, <q>As for that
+which may happen hereafter, I say nothing. These
+things are in the hand of God. But that the young
+Antiochus departed to his own land was, I doubt not
+at all, of the Lord’s doing. Why, even this child
+knows the story of Sennacherib, and the words
+which Isaiah the prophet spoke to Hezekiah when
+the King was faint-hearted, and could not see how
+there should be any deliverance for Israel. Did
+not the prophet say, <q>He shall hear a rumour, and
+shall return unto his own land?</q></q>
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Joseph said nothing. With all his meanness and
+littleness he was a patriot, and really loved his
+country; and it went against his heart and conscience
+to prophesy evil against her.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Then the little Daniel startled them all by saying,
+with flashing eyes, <q>And I will cause him to fall by
+the sword in his own land.</q>
+</p>
+
+</div><div type="chapter" n="28" rend="page-break-before: always">
+<pb n='323'/><anchor id='Pg323'/>
+<index index="toc" level1="XXVIII. Hopes and Fears"/>
+<index index="pdf" level1="XXVIII. Hopes and Fears"/>
+<head>CHAPTER XXVIII.<lb/><lb/><hi rend="smaller">HOPES AND FEARS.</hi></head>
+
+<p>
+A few weeks after the conversation recorded in the
+last chapter, Ruth was hearing her little boy repeat
+the Commandment when Seraiah came in, carrying
+in his hand an open letter.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+<q>There is news from Syria,</q> he said.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+<q>And is it good or bad?</q> asked his wife.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+<q>That I can hardly say,</q> was Seraiah’s reply.
+At the same time he signalled to his wife that she
+should take the child out of the room. The signal,
+however, was too late. The quick-witted little
+fellow had heard what had been said, and immediately
+jumped to the conclusion that something
+had been heard about the boy-King. His mind
+was occupied, it might almost be said, day and
+night with the thought of the young Eupator. He
+scarcely knew whether he hated or loved him;
+but the brilliant figure of the lad had caught his
+imagination. He lived, as imaginative children often
+will, a sort of second life in thinking of him.
+</p>
+
+<pb n='324'/><anchor id='Pg324'/>
+
+<p>
+<q>Oh! father,</q> he now cried, <q>I am sure that you
+have something to tell me about the boy-King. Is
+he coming here again? I should like to see him,
+though he did break his promise so shamefully.</q>
+</p>
+
+<p>
+<q>My boy,</q> said his father, <q>you will never see
+him again.</q>
+</p>
+
+<p>
+<q>Oh! Why?</q>
+</p>
+
+<p>
+<q>He is dead. This letter tells me all about him.</q>
+</p>
+
+<p>
+The boy burst into a passionate fit of tears, which
+all his mother’s caresses and attempts at consolation
+were for some time unable to stop. When the
+violence of his grief had spent itself he said—
+</p>
+
+<p>
+<q>Oh! father, tell me about him. Were they very
+cruel to him? And how did it happen? I thought
+that kings killed people, but I did not know that
+any one could kill them.</q>
+</p>
+
+<p>
+<q>Listen, my child, and I will try to explain it
+to you. The father of Eupator, the boy who is just
+dead, was not rightfully King. He came after his
+elder brother, and this elder brother had a son
+named Demetrius, who ought to have succeeded
+his father. But this son had been sent to Rome
+as a hostage.</q>
+</p>
+
+<p>
+<q>What do you mean by a hostage, father?</q>
+</p>
+
+<p>
+<q>When you are going to trust some one about
+whom you do not feel quite sure, you take something
+from him that he values very much, and say,
+<q>You will lose this unless you behave well.</q> So
+Demetrius’s father gave his son to the Romans
+<pb n='325'/><anchor id='Pg325'/>to keep, and the Romans were sure that as long
+as they had the child his father would not do anything
+that they did not like. Well, as I told you,
+Demetrius was sent to Rome to be security for
+his father’s good behaviour, and there he lived
+all the time that Antiochus, whom they called
+Epiphanes, was King. And when Epiphanes died
+Demetrius asked the Romans to let him go, that
+he might claim the kingdom which, he said, belonged
+to him and which his cousin Eupator was
+too young to be able to govern. But they would
+not let him go, and I have been told that Lysias
+bribed some of the chief men among them, and
+these persuaded the rest. At last he got tired of
+waiting for leave, and he ran away from Rome
+without it, and landed at a place called Tripolis,
+not very far from Antioch, with only twenty or
+thirty men with him. But as soon as ever the
+soldiers at Antioch heard of his coming, they
+declared that they would have him for their King.</q>
+</p>
+
+<p>
+<q>But why?</q> put in Daniel.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+<q>Well, if they did not know much that was
+good about him, they knew nothing that was bad.
+Anyhow they all rose in his favour; and they
+seized the young King and Lysias the Governor and
+brought them to him, and asked him what they
+should do with them. He would not say, <q>Kill
+them,</q> for, after all, the little boy was his cousin,
+and had not done him any harm. And he did not
+<pb n='326'/><anchor id='Pg326'/>like to say, <q>Keep them alive,</q> for he was afraid
+that his cousin might some day have his throne;
+so he only said to the soldiers, <q>Take care that
+they do not see my face.</q> So the soldiers—they
+were the young King’s own guard—took him and
+killed him, and Lysias with him.</q>
+</p>
+
+<p>
+When he had heard this the child allowed his
+mother to take him away. He saw that his father,
+usually so calm, was anxious and troubled, and, wise
+with a wisdom beyond his years—the fruit of the
+troubled life which he and his had been leading—would
+not ask him any more questions. But that
+night, when his mother came to give him the last
+kiss before he went to sleep, he had many things to
+say to her. Poor little fellow! he had seen many
+terrible sights, which all his parents’ care could not
+keep from his eyes, and had heard of many more,
+and he could not help asking again, <q>Did they hurt
+him very much?</q> and when she had comforted him
+as best she could on this score, he showed that
+there was another trouble in his mind. <q>Oh!
+mother,</q> he said, <q>do you remember that when
+he ordered the walls of the fortress to be pulled
+down, I prayed to God that he might be punished
+for breaking his promise? and only the other day,
+when Joseph was talking about his coming back,
+I said—something in me seemed to make me say
+it almost without my knowing—<q>He shall fall by
+the sword in his own land.</q> And now he is
+<pb n='327'/><anchor id='Pg327'/>punished, for he has fallen by the sword. Do
+you think that God listened to me, and did it
+because I said these things? But, mother, I did
+not hate him very much; sometimes I used to
+think I loved him; and oh! it would be dreadful
+to think that I had anything to do with his being
+killed!</q>
+</p>
+
+<p>
+<q>My son,</q> said Ruth, <q>do you remember what
+our father Abraham said, <q>Shall not the Judge of
+all the earth do right</q>?</q>
+</p>
+
+<p>
+<q>Yes, mother, I am sure that He will do right;
+and the King did deserve to be punished. But
+perhaps his counsellors told him to do it; and
+I am sure that if I was told to do something that
+was wrong by people that I loved, I should be
+very likely to do it.</q>
+</p>
+
+<p>
+When his mother came to see him some hours
+afterwards she found him asleep, but his pillow
+was wet with tears, and now and then a little sob
+showed how deeply the trouble had entered into
+his little heart.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+There was trouble in older and wiser hearts
+than his. The Jews had hoped much from the
+boy-King. His bad faith in the matter of the
+Temple fortress they had willingly put down to
+evil counsellors, and they could not forget that
+he had given them terms, good beyond all their
+hopes, when they were in the last extremity. The
+death of Lysias was a more serious loss. He was
+<pb n='328'/><anchor id='Pg328'/>the pacificator; to his influence they ascribed the
+conciliatory policy of the young Antiochus. And
+now he was gone. Would his death be the signal
+of a change? Would Demetrius go back to the
+ways of the mad Antiochus? or had he learnt
+prudence, if not mercy, from his sojourn among the
+Romans and the bitter experience of an exile?
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Opinion was divided. Some hoped, some feared;
+but all were resolved that they would never give
+way, that they would defend to the last drop of
+their blood the freedom which they had won.
+Azariah, whose temper of mind had gathered a
+certain gloom from the unhappy experiences of his
+life, took a desponding view of the situation.
+Micah, on the contrary, was cheerful, and he had
+some strong arguments to back him up.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+<q>Remember,</q> he said to his brother-in-law one
+day, when the subject had been discussed at some
+length between them, <q>that I have had opportunities
+for forming a judgment which, happily for you, have
+not come in your way. I once saw much of these
+Greeks—I am ashamed to remember the time, but
+still it would be folly not to make use of what
+I then learnt—and I am sure that that madman
+Antiochus did not represent what they really feel.
+You don’t know how they despise all barbarians
+as they call them; and, despising them, they are
+disposed to let them alone. They don’t want us to
+worship their gods; they think that we are not
+<pb n='329'/><anchor id='Pg329'/>good enough. But Antiochus was mad with pride
+and arrogance, and it is not likely that any one
+else should be found to follow his steps. We may
+have trouble; indeed I feel sure that we shall;
+but depend upon it there will not be another such
+attempt as the madman made to stamp out our
+religion.</q>
+</p>
+
+<p>
+And the tidings that soon after reached Jerusalem
+from Antioch seemed to justify this forecast. There
+seemed to be trouble ahead, but it was not trouble of
+the sort which had brought desolation upon the Holy
+City. A deputation from that party among the Jews
+which affected Greek habits and Greek practices had
+been admitted to the presence of the new King.
+They had accused Judas, the son of Mattathias, of
+having driven them from their land, and of being an
+enemy to the sovereignty of the Greeks. Demetrius
+had listened to their representations, and had conferred
+the office of high priest on Alcimus,<note place="foot">Alcimus seems to have been an adaptation, not a little remote,
+however, from the original, of the Hebrew name Eliakim.</note> the
+leader of the malcontents, and had promised to send
+a force which would instal him in his office, and at
+the same time take vengeance on Judas and the
+Chasidim. This force was to be under the command
+of Bacchides, one of the most trusted of his
+counsellors.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+A high priest of the stamp of Menelaüs—for such
+Alcimus was known to be—would be anything but
+<pb n='330'/><anchor id='Pg330'/>welcome. Probably it would be necessary to resist
+him and his proceedings by force. Still things were
+not as bad as they might have been. That King
+Demetrius should have appointed a high priest at all
+showed that he was not bent, as Epiphanes had been,
+on extirpating the Jewish faith. With such doubtful
+comfort as this assurance could give they were compelled
+to be satisfied and to await the development
+of events.
+</p>
+
+</div><div type="chapter" n="29" rend="page-break-before: always">
+<pb n='331'/><anchor id='Pg331'/>
+<index index="toc" level1="XXIX. Civil War"/>
+<index index="pdf" level1="XXIX. Civil War"/>
+<head>CHAPTER XXIX.<lb/><lb/><hi rend="smaller">CIVIL WAR.</hi></head>
+
+<p>
+The new high priest arrived at Jerusalem, escorted
+by a powerful force under the command of Bacchides.
+None but absolute renegades were glad to see Greek
+soldiers again lording it in the streets of Jerusalem;
+but otherwise there was a wide difference of opinion
+as to the duty of faithful Jews with regard to the
+reception of the stranger. Alcimus and his Greek
+companions were loud in their professions of good
+will. They intended, they said, nothing but benefits
+to the people. All would be well if they were only
+received in the same spirit in which they came.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Judas and his brothers received these assurances
+with profound incredulity. They and their immediate
+followers had thought it prudent to leave the
+city. There had been no opportunity of properly repairing
+the walls of the Temple fortress, and without
+some such stronghold to serve as shelter in case of
+need, they would, they felt, be at the mercy of the
+<pb n='332'/><anchor id='Pg332'/>Greeks. In the position to which they had withdrawn
+there was a hot discussion. Judas, as usual,
+urged the counsels of prudence and common sense.
+It was easy, he said, to make these professions of
+peace and good will—so easy that, without some
+substantial guarantee of their sincerity, it would be
+madness to risk anything on the strength of them.
+Alcimus, or Eliakim—he must own that he did not
+like or trust these double-named Jews, for they were
+often double-faced also—might be thinking of nothing
+but peace; but why did he come with an army behind
+him? He might have been sure, sprung as he was
+from the race of Aaron, that none of his countrymen
+would harm him. Why had he surrounded himself
+with a multitude of godless heathen who would be
+only too likely to harm them? <q>Let us wait</q>—this
+was his final advice—<q>till he and his friends give us
+some proof that they really mean what they say.</q>
+</p>
+
+<p>
+The Chasidim were loud and vehement in their
+opposition to this counsel. Joseph, whose bitterness
+and jealousy had not been weakened by the lapse of
+time, constituted himself their spokesman.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+<q>The Law,</q> he said, <q>plainly declares that there
+shall be a high priest. There are acts, acts of the
+highest importance, even necessity, which only he
+can perform. Our worship without him is maimed
+and imperfect. We cannot expect that there will be
+a blessing upon it, that, lacking this essential part,
+our sacrifices will be accepted or our prayers heard.
+<pb n='333'/><anchor id='Pg333'/>And now we have a high priest that is of the race
+of Aaron. He promises—and why should we not
+believe him?—that his purposes towards us are for
+good and not for evil. Let us go to him, and do him
+the honour that is due to his office. If harm come
+of it, we shall have at least obeyed the commandment
+of God.</q>
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Judas and his brothers, with such faithful followers
+as Seraiah and Micah, stood resolutely aloof, but
+they could not control the action of the enthusiasts.
+A large body of the Chasidim paid to Alcimus a
+formal visit. They welcomed him to the seat of his
+office; they paid him their homage; intimating at
+the same time that there were grievances for which
+they asked redress and abuses which needed reform.
+Nothing could have exceeded the show of politeness
+and even friendship with which they were received.
+Alcimus made the most solemn protestations that
+neither they nor their friends should suffer any harm.
+He could only regret that unfounded suspicions
+had kept away the great soldier who had done so
+much for his country and whom he would have had
+so much pleasure in welcoming. They were invited
+to a banquet, which had been duly prepared, they
+were assured, in obedience to the requirements of
+the Law, and of which they could partake without
+any fear of contracting impurity.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+After the banquet there was to be a conference.
+The proceedings began, and were continued for some
+<pb n='334'/><anchor id='Pg334'/>time without interruption, though Alcimus could
+scarcely control his impatience at what he thought
+the unreasonable demands of the bigots. Meanwhile
+Bacchides, who had hitherto kept himself in the
+background, was quietly surrounding the council-chamber
+with troops. Joseph was in the midst of an
+harangue when the doors were thrown open, a
+company of soldiers marched in, and arrested every
+member of the deputation. It was now the turn of
+Alcimus to retire into the background. He had
+served his purpose, acting, it may be said, as a
+decoy, and, thanks to him, some of the most inveterate
+enemies of the Greek party had been
+entrapped. The Greek commander made short work
+with his prisoners. Alcimus went through the farce
+of interceding for them, but he never expected, and,
+perhaps, never intended, to obtain his requests.
+Sixty of them were executed on the spot, and the
+rest were cast into prison. The bodies of the
+victims were hurriedly thrown into carts, drawn outside
+the city, and left to be the prey of the vulture
+and the wild dog.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+The horror and dismay which spread through the
+city with the news of the bloody deed were such
+as it would be impossible to describe. The victims
+were well-known men, and, for the most part, as
+much respected as they were known. There was a
+frantic rush to do honour to the remains of the
+martyred patriots. But Bacchides had foreseen that
+<pb n='335'/><anchor id='Pg335'/>this would probably occur, and had surrounded the
+place with a cordon of soldiers. The people could
+do nothing but stand upon the walls while the birds
+and beasts of prey mangled the corpses, and mingle,
+in their impotent rage, curses on the murderers,
+with lamentations over the dead. In more than one
+of their national hymns they found a fitting expression
+of their grief; but none was more suitable
+to the circumstances of the time than the words of
+the seventy-ninth Psalm: <q>The dead bodies of Thy
+servants have they given to be meat unto the fowls
+of the heaven, and the flesh of Thy saints unto
+the beasts of the earth. Their blood have they shed
+like water round about Jerusalem, and there was
+none to bury them.</q>
+</p>
+
+<p>
+The conduct of Judas did not, as may be supposed,
+escape censure. It is the first impulse of a multitude
+in the presence of some great disaster to throw
+the blame upon its rulers, and the Jews, in their
+anger and grief, felt and yielded to it.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+<q>Yes,</q> said an old man, who had lost a brother
+and a son in the massacre, <q>he was too prudent to
+trust himself to the heathen; he stood aloof from
+their danger, and when they offered themselves up
+as a sacrifice, he was not there.</q>
+</p>
+
+<p>
+<q>And did he not well?</q> said a zealous partisan.
+<q>Did he not warn them and entreat them, and
+they took no heed to his words?</q>
+</p>
+
+<p>
+<q>But had he and his men of war gone with
+<pb n='336'/><anchor id='Pg336'/>them,</q> returned the other, <q>they had not been left
+without defence. But now they went as sheep to
+the slaughter.</q>
+</p>
+
+<p>
+<q>What can you look for when the sheep will go
+where the shepherd does not lead them? And as
+for Judas, did he ever spare his life? Has he not
+taken it in his hand time after time, fighting with a
+few men against thousands of the heathen? And
+tell me now,</q> went on the speaker, <q>to whom
+should we have looked for deliverance had Judas
+also been slain with these? The Lord has had
+mercy upon His people, lest they should be utterly
+cast down, and has left unto them their captain.</q>
+</p>
+
+<p>
+On the whole, popular opinion was strongly in
+Judas’s favour. Then came another turn of events.
+The Greek general, weary of his sojourn among a
+people that hated him, marched out of Jerusalem,
+and encamped in one of the suburbs,<note place="foot"><q>Bezeth,</q> it is called. Possibly it may be identified with Bezetha,
+which was afterwards part of the city.</note> where he could
+keep his troops better in hand, and not expose them
+to the daily risk of collision with a hostile population.
+This place, too, he shortly evacuated, returning with
+the main part of his army to Antioch, though he
+left a small force to support Alcimus, who would
+now, he thought, with this help, be able to hold his
+own.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+But before he went he committed another deed
+only less atrocious than the treacherous massacre
+<pb n='337'/><anchor id='Pg337'/>of the Chasidim. Every partisan, or supposed partisan,
+of Judas whom he could either entrap or seize
+was mercilessly slaughtered. Nor did Greeks, who,
+from motives of expediency or under pressure of
+superior force, had submitted to Judas, escape.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+If Bacchides imagined that these cruelties would
+strengthen the position of the renegade high priest
+he was greatly mistaken. Alcimus was more universally,
+more fervently hated than even Jason or
+Menelaüs had been. The disappointment caused
+by this renewal of troubles was all the more bitter
+because it had succeeded to hopes that seemed so
+well established. And every one felt that it was
+Alcimus who was to blame. His greed and ambition
+had disturbed the peace which they were beginning
+to enjoy. On his head was all the innocent blood
+that had been shed.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+And now a new horror was added to all that the
+unhappy country had endured. It was no longer
+Jew fighting against Greek, but Jew against Jew.
+Civil war, always more bitter, more ruthless than the
+very fiercest struggle between strangers, broke out.
+The renegades rallied to Alcimus. Their interests
+were bound up with his cause. Some of them had
+committed themselves so deeply that they could not
+hope for pardon from the patriots. Others had a
+genuine dislike for Jewish severity and a liking for
+Greek license, and fought for all that, as they
+thought, made life worth living. But the number
+<pb n='338'/><anchor id='Pg338'/>of these philo-Greek partisans was but small, and
+the popular feeling was unmistakably against them,
+and Judas felt himself strong enough to assert his
+position vigorously. He was not now a partisan
+leader, raising the standard of revolt against established
+authority; he was himself the established
+authority, justified in punishing all that presumed
+to rebel against him. This judicious display of
+firmness, of what might even be called severity,
+vastly strengthened his position. The waverers
+who always go with the strongest, who care little
+for principle, but most for self-interest and safety,
+when they saw that the sword of Judas was a more
+immediate danger to his enemies than the sword of
+the Syrian King, hesitated no longer about joining
+him. Alcimus found himself deserted by all but a
+few desperate partisans. The commander of his
+Greek auxiliaries declared himself unable to give
+him sufficient help. Accordingly he had no alternative
+but to give up the unequal contest, and to
+hurry back to Antioch, where he might lay his
+complaints before King Demetrius.
+</p>
+
+</div><div type="chapter" n="30" rend="page-break-before: always">
+<pb n='339'/><anchor id='Pg339'/>
+<index index="toc" level1="XXX. Nicanor"/>
+<index index="pdf" level1="XXX. Nicanor"/>
+<head>CHAPTER XXX.<lb/><lb/><hi rend="smaller">NICANOR.</hi></head>
+
+<p>
+The complaints which Alcimus carried to the Syrian
+King at Antioch were eagerly listened to. Demetrius
+was eager, as new rulers frequently are, to
+reverse the policy of his predecessor. Eupator had
+yielded to the persistency of these obstinate Jews,
+but he would show them that it was he and not
+they who was master. A new expedition should be
+sent, and this pestilent rebel, who, after all, had
+been shown not to be invincible, should be extinguished
+for ever. There was some doubt as to who
+should be put in command; but ultimately the
+King’s choice fell upon Nicanor, the same that had
+been associated with Gorgias in an earlier campaign.
+He had been since promoted to the exalted office of
+<q>Commander of the Elephants,</q> and was in high
+favour with Demetrius.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Once more Judas found himself obliged to retire
+from Jerusalem, where he could not command the
+<pb n='340'/><anchor id='Pg340'/>liberty of movement that was necessary for his
+safety; but he remained in the neighbourhood,
+and watched the development of events.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Nicanor’s first idea was to repeat the treachery of
+Bacchides, and to get Judas and his brothers into
+his power. A letter, written in studiously friendly
+terms, was sent to the Jewish captain, suggesting a
+conference, at which the matters in dispute might
+easily be settled. Judas was not likely, especially
+after recent experience, to fall into the trap; but
+nevertheless he did not refuse the invitation. He
+came to the conference, but he came with a strong
+guard, and not till he had secured such conditions
+as seemed to make a treacherous surprise impossible.
+The meeting took place. Side by side, on two
+chairs of state, sat the two generals, each with their
+armed guard within call. On either side was a
+barrier, beyond which no one that did not belong
+to the stipulated number of attendants was allowed
+to pass. The conversation between the two was
+friendly and animated. Nicanor’s treacherous
+purpose did not prevent him from having a genuine
+admiration for the character and achievements of his
+great adversary; and the praises which he heaped
+upon him were perfectly sincere. But this feeling
+did not make him at all less anxious to get this
+formidable hero into his power.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Negotiations had not proceeded very far, in fact
+had not got beyond the initial stage, when a
+pre<pb n='341'/><anchor id='Pg341'/>concerted signal warned Judas that there was danger
+at hand. Self-possessed as ever, he showed no sign
+of having penetrated his companion’s intention. A
+point of some importance was raised by Nicanor, and
+Judas intimated that he could not deal with it until
+he had consulted his council. Rising from his seat,
+without allowing the least indication of disturbance
+to be seen in his manner, he bade the Greek general
+a courteous farewell, rejoined his guard, and was
+soon out of the reach of danger. But when he was
+again among his friends, he did not conceal his
+feelings. <q>He is a false liar,</q> he said, <q>and, so
+long as he lives, I will see his face again no more.</q>
+The words were to have a singularly close fulfilment.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Nicanor, finding his attempted fraud unsuccessful,
+resolved to try force. He marched against Judas,
+who, for military reasons, had retired as far as
+Samaria, and gave him battle at Capharsalama.
+But the plans of Nicanor were conceived with more
+haste than prudence. He delivered his attack under
+unfavourable conditions, and received a crushing
+defeat in which he lost fully five thousand men.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Thus baffled for a second time, he returned to
+Jerusalem in a frenzy of rage. On the day after his
+arrival he went, followed by an armed guard, to the
+Temple, and forced his way into the Great Court.
+It was the time of the morning sacrifice, and the
+trembling priests came down from the altar to salute
+him.
+</p>
+
+<pb n='342'/><anchor id='Pg342'/>
+
+<p>
+<q>Rebels,</q> he cried, <q>you are praying to your God
+that the enemies of the King may prosper.</q>
+</p>
+
+<p>
+<q>Not so, my lord,</q> said the presiding priest, <q>we
+have but this moment offered the customary sacrifice
+for the health and welfare of the most excellent
+Demetrius.</q>
+</p>
+
+<p>
+<q>These are but words, and I ask for deeds. Let
+this pestilent fellow, this Judas, be delivered into my
+hands. Thus and thus only shall I know that you
+are faithful to my lord the King.</q>
+</p>
+
+<p>
+<q>But, my lord, you ask that which is impossible.
+How can we, that are men of peace, have power to
+lay hands upon this man of war?</q>
+</p>
+
+<p>
+<q>Ask me not how, but do the thing that I command,
+or it shall go ill with you and your city.</q>
+</p>
+
+<p>
+<q>Nay, my lord, speak not so. Ask that which is
+possible, and it shall be done to the uttermost of our
+power.</q>
+</p>
+
+<p>
+<q>Fair words! fair words! But I know well that,
+after the manner of your race, for you are the enemies
+of all men, you curse me behind my back. Now
+listen unto me. You will not deliver this traitor
+into my hands——</q>
+</p>
+
+<p>
+The priests attempted to speak, but he silenced
+them with an imperious gesture.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+<q>So be it. Then I will take him by force. And
+when I have taken him, and dealt with him after
+his deserts, then——</q> he paused for a moment, and
+held out his right hand with a threatening gesture
+<pb n='343'/><anchor id='Pg343'/>towards the altar—<q>then I will burn this house with
+fire; even as the Chaldæans burnt it in the days
+of your fathers, so will I burn it. All the gods of
+heaven and hell confound me, if I do not burn it,
+as a man burns a brand in the fire.</q>
+</p>
+
+<p>
+So speaking he turned away, and without deigning
+to salute the terrified priests, quitted the precincts of
+the Temple.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+When he was gone the priests stood weeping and
+praying before the altar. <q>O Lord,</q> they said,
+<q>for the blasphemies wherewith Thine enemies
+blaspheme Thee, reward Thou them sevenfold into
+their bosom. Thou didst choose this house to be
+called by Thy name, and to be a house of prayer for
+Thy people. Avenge Thyself, therefore, of this
+man and his host, and cause them to fall by the
+sword.</q>
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Nicanor had sent to Antioch for reinforcements,
+for he would not fail again for lack of strength or
+due preparation, and marching out of Jerusalem, he
+awaited their arrival at the western end of the Pass
+of Beth-horon. Judas, who, after his victory near
+Samaria, had followed his beaten enemy, took up
+his position at Adasa, an elevated position about
+four miles to the north of Jerusalem. He thus put
+himself between Nicanor and the Holy City. But
+he had only three thousand men to match against
+a force three times as numerous.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+The fate of the Sanctuary of Israel now seemed
+<pb n='344'/><anchor id='Pg344'/>to be trembling in the balance. If Nicanor was
+victorious its doom was sealed. He had vowed,
+with all the emphasis of an awful curse upon
+himself, that if he came again in peace he would
+utterly destroy it. Day after day the women and
+the old men left behind were continually in the
+Temple, which, perhaps, they might in a few days
+see destroyed before their eyes. And when at night
+the Temple gates were shut they sought their homes
+to fast and to renew in private their prayers for
+the deliverance of the Holy Place, and the victory
+of the armies of the Lord.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+By a notable coincidence the anniversary of a
+great danger and a great deliverance was approaching.
+Within a few days the Feast of Purim would
+be celebrated. Would the time bring with it a fresh
+cause for thanksgiving, or a disaster so terrible that
+all the deliverances of the past would seem to be
+of no <corr sic='avail?"'>avail?</corr>
+</p>
+
+<p>
+<q>Tell us, mother,</q> said little Daniel, one evening
+when they had returned from their daily visit to the
+Temple—<q>tell us about Mordecai and the wicked
+Haman.</q> He knew the story well, but, after the
+manner of children, liked it better the oftener he
+heard it.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+So Ruth told the familiar tale again—how the
+wicked Haman, wroth that the honest Mordecai
+would not pay him reverence, slandered the whole
+nation to the King till he obtained a decree for their
+<pb n='345'/><anchor id='Pg345'/>slaughter, how Mordecai went to Esther the Queen,
+a Jewess herself, and bade her save her people,
+though she risked her own life to do it, how the
+wicked Haman was hanged on the gallows which
+he had made for his enemy, and the Jews had
+license given them by the King to slay their
+adversaries in every city of the kingdom of Persia.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+<q>And this Nicanor,</q> she went on, when she had
+finished her story—<q>this Nicanor is a new Haman.
+May the God against whom he has uttered his
+blasphemies cast him down and destroy him.</q>
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Meanwhile the hour of battle was drawing near.
+Judas and his little army were bivouacking on the
+hills of Adasa. It was the 12th day of the month
+Adar—about equivalent to the beginning of March—and
+on that high ground the night air was cold and
+piercing. Seraiah, Azariah, and Micah were sitting
+by a camp-fire, and talking over the chances of the
+coming struggle.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+It was the eve of the great Purim feast—the
+memorial which had been kept now for three
+hundred years of the great deliverance which God
+had wrought for His people by the hands of
+Mordecai and Esther. The thoughts of the comrades
+naturally turned to this memorable day.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+<q>Where and how,</q> said Micah to his companions,
+<q>shall we keep the Purim feast?</q>
+</p>
+
+<p>
+<q>Shall we keep it at all?</q> said Azariah, always
+somewhat disposed to take a gloomy view of their
+<pb n='346'/><anchor id='Pg346'/>prospects. <q>A Mordecai we have, none more
+steadfast; and there is a Haman against us even
+more cruel and wicked than he of Persia. But
+Ahasuerus is against us, nor do I see who shall
+turn him from his purpose.</q>
+</p>
+
+<p>
+<q>Well,</q> said Seraiah, with a smile, <q>at least we
+can use our swords without his license.</q>
+</p>
+
+<p>
+While they were talking they observed a figure
+emerge from out the darkness into the circle of
+light made by the flames. They rose to their feet,
+for it was the captain himself.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+<q>Sit down, my friends,</q> he said, <q>we shall be on
+our feet enough to-morrow.</q> And as he spoke, he
+took his seat on the ground by their side.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+He went on, after a few minutes of silence, <q>So
+Azariah doubts what sort of a Purim festival we
+shall keep. As for myself I doubt not. But I have
+been thinking not so much of Mordecai and Haman—though
+it seems to me a happy thing that we shall
+fight on the day of that deliverance—as of Hezekiah
+and Rabshakeh. Did not the king his master send
+him to blaspheme the Holy City? And did not
+Hezekiah lay the letter before the Lord? And what
+was the end? In one night the host of the Assyrians
+was as if it had not been. So shall it be, I am persuaded
+in my heart, with this blaspheming Nicanor
+and his host. He and they shall be utterly destroyed.
+Yes, Azariah, we shall keep our Purim
+right joyously, after the manner of our fathers.
+<pb n='347'/><anchor id='Pg347'/>But as for our enemies, the wine that they shall
+drink<note place="foot">Copious draughts of wine were an important part of the customary
+celebration of the Purim festival.</note> will be the wine of the wrath of God.</q>
+</p>
+
+<p>
+He rose with these words, and passed away to
+spend the rest of the night in meditation and prayer.
+His face next morning, when in the early dawn he
+stood in front of his slender line, was as the face of
+one who has talked face to face with God. Not less
+rapt than his look was the tone of his voice as he
+poured out the words of his prayer—<q>O Lord, when
+they that were sent from the King of the Assyrians
+blasphemed, Thine angel went out and smote an
+hundred fourscore and five thousand of them. Even
+so destroy Thou this host before us this day, that the
+rest may know that he hath spoken blasphemously
+against Thy Sanctuary, and judge Thou him according
+to his wickedness.</q>
+</p>
+
+<p>
+A murmur of assent passed through the little army
+as he uttered these words in that clear, thrilling
+voice which was one of his many gifts as a born
+leader of men. The next moment the line advanced,
+for Judas followed again the successful tactic of
+attack. Never had his Ironsides advanced with a
+more determined courage; never did they deal fiercer
+blows. The enemy were scattered by their impetuous
+onset, as the dust is scattered before the wind.
+For all his brutality and falsehood, Nicanor was no
+coward. He stood in the very van of his army,
+<pb n='348'/><anchor id='Pg348'/>giving such cheer as he could to his men, and
+though the lines behind him reeled and shook
+with that movement which is the sure presage of
+defeat to a soldier’s eye, at the approach of the
+Chasidim, he stood his ground with a dauntless
+courage. He was almost the first to fall, Azariah
+striking him to the ground with a sweeping blow of
+his sword. It was an appropriate ending to the
+blasphemer that he should receive his death-stroke
+from the weapon that bore the talisman of the Holy
+Name.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+The Greek line had been already beginning to
+break, but the death of the leader completed the
+rout.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+It was no common victory that Judas won that
+day. The pursuit was long and bloody. The beaten
+army fled in wild disorder over the country, only to
+find enemies on every hand. Before the sun set it
+was simply annihilated. The tradition of that awful
+slaughter still lingers in the place, and the valley is
+called <q>The Valley of Blood.</q>
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Their work done, the conquerors entered the city.
+The news of the great deliverance had already
+reached it, and the Feast of Purim was being kept
+in earnest. During the earlier part of the day the
+suspense and anxiety had been too great to admit of
+anything more than formal rejoicing. The customary
+sacrifices were offered, the customary prayers put
+up; but the thoughts of all were with Judas and
+<pb n='349'/><anchor id='Pg349'/>his men on the battle-field of Adasa. Then came
+rumours, at first wholly vague and even fictitious—rumours
+first of victory, then of defeat, then of
+victory again. An hour or so after noon a swift
+runner came in with some authentic tidings. But
+he could not tell of all that happened. This was
+gradually learnt, and then, long after the darkness
+had closed in, came the advanced guard of the
+conquering army, and, close upon midnight, Judas
+himself. In spite of the darkness, multitudes
+thronged to meet him. With extravagant manifestations
+of delight, with shouting and singing, with
+mingled tears and laughter, they welcomed him
+home, the deliverer of the city and the Temple.
+Never before had he been so enthusiastically
+received. And it was well that it should be so,
+for this was his last return as a conqueror.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+The feast was continued with yet more hearty
+rejoicing into the next day. And indeed from
+thenceforth the two deliverances were to be celebrated
+together—the salvation which Judas had
+wrought for his people on the battle-field of Adasa,
+and that which Esther and Mordecai had accomplished
+in the presence-chamber of the Persian
+King.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Ruth would gladly have stayed at home and
+expressed thankfulness in private, but the children
+were urgent with her that she should take
+them into the streets that they might see the people
+<pb n='350'/><anchor id='Pg350'/>keep holiday. It was a request that, as the wife
+and sister of patriots, she could not refuse; and in
+the depth of her mother’s heart was the proud
+thought that the little Daniel was not an unworthy
+scion of the race, and that not a few would look
+with admiration on the son of Seraiah, the nephew
+of Azariah.<note place="foot"><q>Et pater Æneas et avunculus excitet Hector.</q></note> And indeed she did hear as she passed
+along not a few whispered praises, which made her
+pulses beat quick with thankfulness and joy.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+As they came in their rambling into the neighbourhood
+of the Temple, they found their way
+blocked by a dense crowd, which seemed eagerly
+pressing forward to see some spectacle of surpassing
+interest. <q>What is it?</q> she asked of one who had
+been, it seemed, successful in the struggle for a
+glimpse of this interesting sight, and was now
+turning away. She could not help shuddering at
+his answer, and called to the children to come away.
+But the quick ears of little Daniel had also caught
+the man’s reply, and he loudly objected.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+<q>Nay, mother,</q> he said, <q>I must see. Such things
+are not for women to see</q>—the little fellow of five
+or six had already caught the masculine tone of
+superiority—<q>but I am a soldier’s son, and shall
+not be afraid to look. And when I am a man I shall
+fight for God and for His Holy Temple.</q>
+</p>
+
+<p>
+<q>You are a brave lad, and if I mistake not, and
+you are the nephew of Azariah, there is no one here
+<pb n='351'/><anchor id='Pg351'/>that has a better right to look at yonder sight than
+you. For ’twas your brave uncle, I am told, that
+slew that son of Belial with his sword.</q>
+</p>
+
+<p>
+So saying he lifted the child from the ground, and
+raised him till he could stand upon his shoulders.
+And what did the little Daniel see that made him
+shout and clap his hands? It was the head and
+hand of Nicanor nailed against the Temple wall.
+There were the pallid, distorted lips that had uttered
+such proud blasphemies against the Sanctuary of
+the Lord; there was the shrunken, bloodless hand
+that had been lifted up with threats and scorn
+against His Holy Place. The Lord had indeed
+punished the proud doer.
+</p>
+
+</div><div type="chapter" n="31" rend="page-break-before: always">
+<pb n='352'/><anchor id='Pg352'/>
+<index index="toc" level1="XXXI. The Falling Away"/>
+<index index="pdf" level1="XXXI. The Falling Away"/>
+<head>CHAPTER XXXI.<lb/><lb/><hi rend="smaller">THE FALLING AWAY.</hi></head>
+
+<p>
+Though Jerusalem was almost wild with joy—and,
+indeed, so utterly had the Greek army disappeared
+that deliverance was complete for the time—Judas’s
+heart was full of sad forebodings. Demetrius, he
+knew, had a steadfastness of purpose which augured
+ill for the future. He was not a madman like
+Epiphanes, nor a child like Eupator; but a cool-headed,
+resolute man, who had seen something of
+the world, and would carry out his plans with both
+perseverance and skill. Would he sit down under
+the defeats which he had received and recognize
+Jewish independence? Judas thought it unlikely.
+The vengeance might be laid aside, but it would be
+sure to come. Could he hope to repeat these victories
+again and again? Once before he had been reduced
+to the greatest straits, and had only escaped by an
+unexpected change in the purpose of the young
+Antiochus. Could he look for anything so
+marvel<pb n='353'/><anchor id='Pg353'/>lous again? Only one plan appeared to him to be
+possible, and he lost no time in calling a council of
+his principal followers and announcing it to them.
+It was certain, he told them, that there would be
+another war, and a war that would last for years, if
+only the Jewish people could hold out so long. <q>We
+warriors may endure it, and if the worst come to
+the worst, we can but fall on the field of battle. But
+what of the old and the weak? What of the women
+and children? And then we are not united. Our
+foes are of our own household. We have to fight
+not only against the Greek, but against the Jew
+also. And even in this assembly there are some,</q>
+he went on, with an emphasis which could not be
+mistaken, <q>who speak evil of me behind my back.
+What, then, shall we do? Speak, any one who has
+counsel to give.</q>
+</p>
+
+<p>
+The appeal was met with silence, and the speaker
+continued, <q>You have nothing to advise. Listen,
+therefore, to my counsel, and resist it not in haste
+because it seems strange. There is a nation that,
+rising from a beginning small as ours, has now made
+for itself a great dominion. They are stern to their
+enemies, but they are just and faithful to their
+friends. Like Israel in the earlier and better days,
+they have no king to rule them after his own pleasure,
+but an assembly that weighs every plan carefully
+and wisely. And in battle they cannot be resisted.
+Have you heard of such a people?</q>
+</p>
+
+<pb n='354'/><anchor id='Pg354'/>
+
+<p>
+One or two voices answered with the word
+<q>Rome.</q>
+</p>
+
+<p>
+<q>You have said well,</q> he said; <q>it is of the
+Romans that I have been speaking. Let us make
+alliance with them. We shall be, as it were, an
+outpost for them against the King of Syria, against
+whom they have fought already, and, doubtless, will
+fight again. And they will be a protection to us.
+And with the Romans on our side, we need fear the
+Greeks no more.</q>
+</p>
+
+<p>
+One <anchor id="corr354"/><corr sic="of">or</corr> two of the council were in Judas’s secret.
+Others had guessed, more or less correctly, what he
+was intending, but on most the announcement of
+his intention fell like a thunderbolt. For a few
+moments there was the pause of intense astonishment.
+Then followed a burst of indignation, in
+which, of course, the Chasidim led the way.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+<q>Say not,</q> cried one of their chief speakers, <q>the
+Romans are like to Israel because they have no
+king. Did not Samuel say to the people, when
+they fell away from their faith because of Nahash the
+Ammonite, and would have a king after the manner
+of the heathen round about, <q>The Lord your God is
+your King.</q> And shall we, knowing that the Lord
+Jehovah is the King of the Jews, reject Him from
+reigning over us, and choose us for rulers an
+assembly of some three hundred idolaters. Will
+you set these men of sin to be lords over the City of
+God?</q>
+</p>
+
+<pb n='355'/><anchor id='Pg355'/>
+
+<p>
+<q>Nay,</q> replied Judas, <q>you speak unadvisedly
+and rashly. We shall have our own rulers. We
+shall worship after our own way. The Romans will
+help us in war; and we shall help them as we only
+can. Did not David make friendship and alliance
+with Hiram, King of Tyre, and did not Solomon, in
+whose reign was peace, make that friendship and
+alliance yet closer?</q>
+</p>
+
+<p>
+The Chasidim replied, quoting the prophets and
+denunciations of the Egyptian alliance. <q>Even
+that accursed Rabshakeh,</q> they said, <q>spoke the
+truth, when he said that Pharaoh, King of Egypt,
+was a bruised reed which will go into a man’s
+hand and pierce it, if he lean upon it. So shall
+it be with thee, if thou lean upon Rome.</q>
+</p>
+
+<p>
+The war of words raged long and furiously. The
+Chasidim had the best of the argument, but to the
+majority of the council the prospect of a settled
+peace was irresistibly alluring. And the influence
+of Judas, too, was overpowering. By a large
+majority it was decided to send to Rome,
+Eupolemus, the son of John, and Jason, the son
+of Eleazar,<note place="foot">Observe the Greek names of the two. In each case the father’s
+name is Hebrew, and the son’s Greek. This seems to show how far
+the Hellenization of the people had proceeded.</note> envoys who had been selected for the
+mission by Judas himself.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+When the resolution had been passed the council
+broke up, and the Chasidim dispersed with dark
+<pb n='356'/><anchor id='Pg356'/>looks and saddened hearts. The next few days
+passed in uncertainty and gloom. No news had
+come from Antioch as to the movements or intentions
+of the King. But there was little doubt as to
+what he would do. Whatever they might try to
+believe in their secret hearts they could not but own
+that when the opportunity came Demetrius would
+deal them a blow into which he would put all his
+strength.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+And how would that blow be met? Would they
+be able to escape it, or parry it, or stand up against
+it? The Chasidim, the Ironsides, the men who had
+been the stay and strength of Judas’s armies, who
+had followed him to victory at Beth-zur, at Beth-horon,
+at Adasa, were miserably dejected. The
+embassy to Rome had broken their spirits. The
+issue, before so simple to these stern souls, narrow,
+perhaps, in their range of vision, but of a clear and
+single eye, was now confused. While they fought
+for the Lord against the gods of the heathen, they
+could confidently expect that He would show Himself
+greater than all gods, and this faith had made
+them irresistible. But now, if Jew and Roman
+were to fight side by side, with what confidence could
+they call upon the Lord of Hosts? Was He the
+Lord of <hi rend='italic'>that</hi> host, in whose ranks were ranged the
+battalions of the uncircumcised?
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Some left the leader whom they now regarded as
+unfaithful to his trust, and departed to distant
+<pb n='357'/><anchor id='Pg357'/>villages, hanging up the swords which they were
+steadfastly resolved not to draw side by side with
+the heathen. Others, in whom the military instinct
+of discipline, or the personal attachment to Judas,
+as the general who had led them so often to victory,
+were so strong as to overpower all other considerations,
+remained with him. Nothing could take
+them from his side, but they went with heavy hearts
+and with an outlook on the future that was almost
+hopeless.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Meanwhile the embassy started. What the
+answer of the Romans would be Judas did not
+doubt. They would rejoice to secure the alliance
+of a people who could lend them aid so useful. But
+would the answer come in time to save the city and
+the Temple from the wrath of Demetrius?
+</p>
+
+<p>
+And indeed that wrath did not linger. Within a
+month Bacchides was on his way from Antioch with
+a force of twenty thousand foot and two thousand
+horse. The renegade Alcimus accompanied him,
+and was to be reinstated in his high-priesthood.
+Their line of march was through Galilee. On their
+way they took the fortified town of Masaloth, and
+put the garrison to the sword. It was about the
+time of the Passover feast that the invaders reached
+Jerusalem. There was some talk about attacking
+it; but Alcimus was urgent in resisting the proposal.
+<q>The King’s quarrel,</q> he said, <q>is with
+Judas, who is the cause of all this mischief, and
+<pb n='358'/><anchor id='Pg358'/>Judas is not here. And the King has commanded
+that I should be replaced in my office; but what
+shall my office profit me if there be no city for me
+to govern, nor Temple in which I am to minister?</q>
+Bacchides yielded to these representations, and
+leaving the city unhurt marched to Beeroth (a few
+miles north-east of Jerusalem) and there pitched his
+camp.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Among the patriots there was such doubt and
+dismay as had never been felt from the day when
+the aged Mattathias struck the first blow for
+freedom, not even in that dark hour when Judas
+and his famine-stricken followers were about to
+make their desperate sally from the Temple fortress.
+It was not that they were fighting against overwhelming
+odds, for they had faced as great before;
+it was that they had lost their unquestioning faith
+in their leader.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+<q>Ah!</q> said Micah to Azariah, when they were
+discussing the matter for the twentieth time—and
+indeed it was almost the only subject of their talk—<q>I
+have seen these heathen from near at hand—I
+say it with shame—and I know <sic>what</sic> they are
+better than you, better than Judas, who is so good
+that he can scarcely believe that other men are bad.
+<q><corr sic="(double quotes)">He that toucheth pitch shall be defiled,</corr></q> says
+Jesus, the son of Sirach, and though our captain is
+greater than other men, in this matter he is but as
+they are. What madness drove him to meddle with
+<pb n='359'/><anchor id='Pg359'/>the accursed thing? God forgive me if I speak evil
+of the ruler of my people, but I must say that which
+is in my heart.</q>
+</p>
+
+<p>
+<q>Nay,</q> said Azariah, still loyal to his great-hearted
+chief, though he too had doubts which he
+had to crush down by sheer force of will—<q>nay, you
+go too far. Did not Jehoshaphat, the servant of the
+Lord, make alliance with the children of Edom when
+he fought against Mesha, the King of Moab?</q>
+</p>
+
+<p>
+<q>But the children of Edom,</q> answered Micah,
+<q>were akin to our people; but as for these Romans,
+they are utterly unclean. O, brother, I have often
+thought whether, as a faithful servant of the Law, I
+could remain any longer with the captain.</q>
+</p>
+
+<p>
+<q>You will not leave us?</q> cried Azariah—<q>it only
+wants that, and I shall be ready to fall on my own
+sword.</q>
+</p>
+
+<p>
+<q>No; I shall not go. If I am wrong the Lord
+pardon me; but I cannot go when so many are
+falling away. Yet if these Romans come—then I
+shall depart.</q>
+</p>
+
+<p>
+<q>They will not come—at least before the battle.
+Judas knows it, and it troubles him. As for me, I
+know not. But this I know, that he is the servant
+of the Lord, and I will follow him to the death.
+Nevertheless I cry day and night unto the God of
+Israel that He will not suffer His servants to be found
+fighting in the ranks of them that know Him not.</q>
+</p>
+
+<p>
+There were the same doubts among the faithful
+<pb n='360'/><anchor id='Pg360'/>in the city. The aged Shemaiah had been in the
+Temple all day, assisting at the sacrifices which
+were being offered, and the prayers which were
+being put up for the success of Judas and his army.
+All night the services would be continued; but the
+old man was utterly worn out, and he had been led
+back by one of the Levites to Seraiah’s house.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+<q>Father,</q> said Ruth, <q>do you think that our
+prayers are heard? I know that God does not
+vouchsafe the visible signs of His presence in His
+Temple as He did in the days of old, and that He
+does not touch with fire from heaven the sacrifice
+that He accepts. But yet He sometimes seems to
+answer, and we feel in our hearts that He will give
+us what we ask. Has it been so to-day with you,
+father?</q>
+</p>
+
+<p>
+There was a touching eagerness in her manner,
+as she put the question. Not Miriam, not Deborah,
+had loved their country with a sincerer passion than
+did she; and then she had a husband and a brother
+in the camp, and she knew that before another sun
+had set, their fate and the fate of their country
+would be decided.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+The priest shook his head. <q>My daughter,</q> he
+said, <q>I can give you no comfort, for no comfort has
+been given to me. My heart was cold within me
+while I prayed, for I could not forget that the
+servant of the Lord had touched the accursed thing
+when he sought the alliance of the Romans.</q>
+</p>
+
+<pb n='361'/><anchor id='Pg361'/>
+
+<p>
+<q>O sir,</q> broke in Huldah, who had been eagerly
+listening, <q>he did not do it for his own gain or
+advancement. He did but seek the peace of Israel.</q>
+</p>
+
+<p>
+<q>Daughter,</q> said the old man, solemnly, <q>there
+are that cry <q>Peace! Peace!</q> when there is no
+peace; and that is no peace which can be got only
+by unlawful dealing with the heathen. It is God, and
+God only, that can give this blessing to His people.
+And He has greater blessings in store than this.
+Does Judas seek to be honoured and to make us
+honoured by the nations round about? If he would
+be in truth the servant of the Lord let him rather
+be content with the lot of which Isaiah the prophet
+speaks: <q>He is despised and rejected of men; a
+man of sorrows and acquainted with grief.</q> So
+only shall he make many righteous; so only shall
+he be exalted of God. This is the lot of the chosen
+people: not to live at ease among the nations.</q>
+</p>
+
+</div><div type="chapter" n="32" rend="page-break-before: always">
+<pb n='362'/><anchor id='Pg362'/>
+<index index="toc" level1="XXXII. The Last Battle"/>
+<index index="pdf" level1="XXXII. The Last Battle"/>
+<head>CHAPTER XXXII.<lb/><lb/><hi rend="smaller">THE LAST BATTLE.</hi></head>
+
+<p>
+It was the night before the battle. Day by day
+and hour by hour the contagion of doubt and disaffection
+had been spreading through the little
+army that followed Judas. He had had three
+thousand men when he pitched his camp at Eleasa,
+and the three thousand had now dwindled down to
+less than one.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Judas was sitting by one of the camp-fires with
+Azariah and Seraiah, when two soldiers came up,
+bringing bound between them a man who had
+endeavoured, they said, to make his way into the
+camp. He wore his hat drawn down over his forehead,
+and little of his face could be seen, but there
+was something in his figure that seemed familiar to
+Azariah.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+<q>Who are you?</q> said Judas, <q>and what want
+you in the camp? Are you for us or for our
+enemies?</q>
+</p>
+
+<pb n='363'/><anchor id='Pg363'/>
+
+<p>
+<q>My lord,</q> said the man, <q>my name is Benjamin,
+and—for I will hide nothing from you—I am
+a robber. Once I was a soldier in your army, but
+I broke the law, and I fled lest I should be put to
+death. Now I am come, of my own accord, to make
+such amends for my transgression as I may. Slay
+me, if you will, as I stand here. There is no need
+of a trial. I have been tried and condemned, and
+I acknowledge that I deserve to die. But if you
+will be merciful, let me fight in the morning by your
+side; and on the morrow, if I yet live, let me suffer
+the due punishment. Life I ask not, but only that
+I may strike a blow for you before I die.</q>
+</p>
+
+<p>
+<q>Unbind him,</q> said Judas to the soldiers.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+The command was obeyed.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+<q>You are free to go or stay. But I would gladly
+have you at my side to-morrow, for I have forgotten
+all but that you are a brave man.</q>
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Benjamin stepped forward, and raising the hem
+of the captain’s robe to his lips, kissed it. He then
+knelt, and putting his head to the ground made as
+though he would have placed Judas’s foot upon his
+neck.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+<q>Nay,</q> said the captain, <q>we want not slaves,
+but brothers.</q> And he raised him from the ground.
+<q>And now,</q> he went on, <q>sit down and tell us
+what you know, for I make sure that you have not
+come empty of news.</q>
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Benjamin did indeed know all that could be known
+<pb n='364'/><anchor id='Pg364'/>about the enemy, and, indeed, about the situation of
+affairs. To a question from Seraiah he replied that
+a surprise was impossible. The camp was too well
+guarded and watched.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+<q>Do they know our real numbers?</q> asked
+Judas.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+<q>Yes,</q> was the answer, <q>the deserters have told
+them.</q> And he proceeded to give a number of
+names of those who had gone over to the enemy,
+with a readiness and a precision that showed how
+diligent had been his watch.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+When he had told all his story, and understood
+that there was nothing more for him to do before the
+morrow, he wrapped himself in his cloak, and with
+characteristic indifference to the future, fell immediately
+into a profound and dreamless sleep.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+As soon as the first rays of light were seen Judas
+mustered his soldiers and hastily numbered them.
+There were about eight hundred in all, while the
+army of Bacchides, according to the calculations
+of Benjamin, which seemed to have been carefully
+made, could not be less than twenty thousand.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Judas was not dismayed by this disparity of
+numbers, but was still true to his old strategy of
+attack. <q>Let us go up against our enemies,</q> was
+the exhortation that he addressed to the remnant
+that was still faithful to him. At first they shrank
+back. The odds were too vast; the attempt too
+desperate. An old soldier who had proved his valour
+<pb n='365'/><anchor id='Pg365'/>on more than one battle-field was put forward as
+their spokesman.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+<q>This, sir,</q> he said, <q>will be to tempt God. Let
+us now save our lives. Hereafter we will return
+again, and fight with them. But now we are too
+few.</q>
+</p>
+
+<p>
+But Judas did not waver for a moment. <q>God
+forbid,</q> he cried, <q>that I should do this thing, and
+flee away from them. Not so; if our time is come,
+let us die manfully for our brethren, and not stain
+our honour.</q>
+</p>
+
+<p>
+His words roused once more an answering echo
+in the hearts of those who heard him. They replied
+with a cry of assent. Victory they could not hope
+for, but their captain they would follow whithersoever
+he should lead them, and as long as he lived
+they would guard his life with theirs.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+The little host was then divided into five companies,
+commanded by Judas and his two brothers,
+Simon and Jonathan, by Seraiah and Micah respectively.
+Azariah, whose standing in the army
+would have entitled him to a separate command, had
+made a special request that he might be allowed to
+fight by the side of Judas. Benjamin had begged
+and obtained the same privilege.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+On both sides the trumpets sounded, and both
+armies moved forward. It was with nothing less
+than astonishment that the Greeks saw the slender
+proportion of the force that was opposed to them.
+<pb n='366'/><anchor id='Pg366'/>Most laughed aloud at the thought that such a
+handful of men should venture to stand up against
+their own well-appointed and numerous host.
+Others, who had before crossed swords with Judas’s
+men knew that that day’s battle, end as it might,
+would be no laughing matter. And indeed they
+were right. The little company of Jewish heroes
+fought as three centuries before Leonidas and his
+men had fought at Thermopylae.<note place="foot">We commonly talk of the <q>three hundred</q> at Thermopylae.
+As a matter of fact there were <hi rend='italic'>a thousand</hi>, not reckoning the Thebans,
+who are said to have laid down their arms at once. But the seven
+hundred men from Thespiae, a little Bœotian town, fought bravely to
+the end; only their glory is swallowed up in that of the <q>three
+hundred</q> Spartans. Canon Westcott speaks of this battle as the Jewish
+Thermopylae (<q>Dictionary of the Bible</q>).</note> The Greeks
+came on with the same arrogant confidence in their
+numbers as did the picked Persian force against
+the defenders of Greece, and met with a like disastrous
+repulse. Such was the fury of the Jewish
+soldiers, such their agility and strength, that they
+kept the attacking force in check during the whole
+day. When night approached the Greeks had made,
+it might almost be said, absolutely no way.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+But the resistance, successful as it had been, had
+cost lives, and Judas saw his force dwindling before
+his eyes. Then he made his last desperate effort.
+He threw himself on the right wing, where
+Bacchides commanded in person, broke the line,
+and drove it in confusion before him. Possibly he
+<pb n='367'/><anchor id='Pg367'/>was too rash in his pursuit, but on such a day, when
+such odds are to be encountered, it is scarcely possible
+to distinguish between rashness and courage.
+Anyhow, it was but a brief success. The left wing
+closed in upon his rear, and he and his gallant band
+were surrounded. Judas was the mark of a hundred
+swords and spears. For a time he seemed to bear a
+charmed life. Azariah and Benjamin, at his right
+hand and his left, beat down the blows aimed at
+him, wholly careless of their own lives, while he
+with the long sweep of his fatal sword—the same
+that he had taken from the dead Apollonius on his
+first battle-field—dealt blow after blow, till the
+ground was covered with the corpses of his enemies.
+But a spear pierced the stout heart of Benjamin,
+and a sword-stroke laid Azariah in the dust; and
+just as the sun sank behind the rugged hills, the
+hero who had smitten the enemies of his country at
+Bethhoron and Emmaüs, at Elah and at Adasa, had
+struck his last blow. The Hammer lay broken on
+the rock.
+</p>
+
+</div><div type="chapter" n="33" rend="page-break-before: always">
+<pb n='368'/><anchor id='Pg368'/>
+<index index="toc" level1="XXXIII. The Hope of Israel"/>
+<index index="pdf" level1="XXXIII. The Hope of Israel"/>
+<head>CHAPTER XXXIII.<lb/><lb/><hi rend="smaller">THE HOPE OF ISRAEL.</hi></head>
+
+<p>
+A week had passed since the fatal day of Eleasa.
+Judas had been buried in peace in the grave where
+he had laid, five years before, the aged Mattathias.
+The Greek general had been so much impressed
+with the valour and generalship of the Jewish hero
+that he strictly ordered that no indignity should be
+offered to his remains; and when an envoy came
+from the surviving brothers to ask that the corpse
+should be given up for burial, made no difficulty
+about granting the request. It was only fitting that
+a brave man should be so honoured. The King, too,
+had been avenged on his enemy, nor did he imagine
+for a moment that the rebels, as he called them,
+would continue to hold out now that their leader had
+been taken from them. It was impossible for him to
+foresee that those undaunted brothers would maintain
+the desperate struggle until they had wrung
+from the Syrian king the recognition of Jewish
+<pb n='369'/><anchor id='Pg369'/>independence. Accordingly he granted a truce for
+a fortnight, and even sent some of his troops to
+accompany the funeral procession. It had been
+a touching scene; and when the hero had been laid
+to rest in the sepulchre of his fathers, and the
+piercing voices of the women, many of whom had
+struggled over the long and toilsome way from Jerusalem
+to be present, raised the cry of lamentation,
+many of the Greek soldiers found themselves moved
+to tears. This had been the dirge that had been
+sung over the grave:—
+</p>
+
+<lg>
+<l><q rend="post: none">How is the valiant man fallen that delivered Israel.</q></l>
+<l>In his acts he was like a lion, and like a lion’s whelp roaring for his prey.</l>
+<l>For he pursued the wicked, and sought them out, and burnt up those that vexed his people.</l>
+<l>Wherefore the wicked shrunk for fear of him, and all the workers of iniquity were troubled, because salvation prospered in his hand.</l>
+<l><q rend="pre: none">He grieved also many kings, and made Jacob glad with his acts, and his memorial is blessed for ever.</q></l>
+</lg>
+
+<p>
+And now once more the little company of those
+whom we have known by name are gathered in
+Seraiah’s house. The orphaned girls are there,
+Miriam and Judith, passionately grieving for their
+father, but yet exulting as passionately that he was
+at the side of Judas to the last, and that his hope
+had been at least so far fulfilled that he and the
+captain whom he loved had been saved from drawing
+sword among the legions of Rome. Little Daniel,
+<pb n='370'/><anchor id='Pg370'/>too, is there, his childish heart sorely troubled with
+the darkness of a dispensation which he cannot
+understand; and Ruth, comforting herself and the
+children with the thought that he whom they had
+lost had rejoined his own Hannah, and half reproaching
+herself for her selfish joy in having her
+Seraiah still spared to her. Huldah and Eglah,
+who had been among the mourners at Modin, are
+there also, and the aged priest Shemaiah.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+<q>O father,</q> cried one of the women, <q>tell us why
+these things are so. Why does God so disappoint us
+of our hopes? We trusted that it had been he who
+should have delivered Israel, and now he is dead!</q>
+</p>
+
+<p>
+<q>We must wait,</q> said the old man, <q rend="post: none">for God’s
+good time, for He seeth not as we see. Did not
+David think that Solomon, his son, should be the
+promised king of Israel; and, behold, he turned aside
+to worship idols, and laid such burdens on the people
+that his kingdom was broken in twain? And now
+we, too, have built our hopes upon a man, and they
+have failed. Surely of Judas it might have been
+said, <q>He shall deliver the needy when he crieth,
+the poor also, and him that hath no helper; he
+shall redeem their soul from deceit and violence, and
+dear shall their blood be in his sight.</q></q>
+</p>
+
+<p>
+<q>We looked,</q> said Seraiah, <q>for the time when
+all kings should fall down before him, all nations
+should do him service. He seemed like the stone
+cut out of the mountain without hands that should
+<pb n='371'/><anchor id='Pg371'/>smite all the kingdoms of evil, and we waited for the
+reign of Messiah the Prince.</q>
+</p>
+
+<p>
+<q>And will Messiah come?</q> cried little Daniel,
+who had been eagerly listening to these words,
+not understanding all, indeed, but catching their
+general purport.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+<q>Surely, my son,</q> said the old man; <q>but there
+are many things to be suffered first.</q>
+</p>
+
+<p>
+He was silent for a time, sitting with eyes that
+seemed to take no heed of the present, but to be
+gazing into a far futurity. At last he spoke.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+<q>He loved Israel with all his heart, but he has
+brought upon us a people of iron, harder than the
+brazen Greeks. He looked to them for help that he
+might build up the walls of Sion, and behold! in the
+days to come they will make Jerusalem a desolation
+and the inhabitants thereof a hissing. And yet, by
+the Lord’s help, he wrought a great deliverance for
+Israel. He recovered and cleansed the Temple, and
+by his hand the Lord changed the king’s commandment,
+so that we may once more worship Him in
+the beauty of holiness. And surely, had it not been
+for him, when he put to flight the hosts of Lysias,
+we should have been carried away again into
+captivity. For this was in the heart of our persecutors;
+only Judas stood in the way that it should
+not be done. The Lord reward him for it, and
+impute not his transgression unto him, for he did
+not transgress wilfully, or out of an evil heart.
+<pb n='372'/><anchor id='Pg372'/>Nevertheless, I am persuaded that it shall not be so
+when Messiah shall come, for come He will at the
+appointed time, seeing that the Lord repenteth Him
+not of His promises. Verily He shall not do homage
+to any godless bestower of kingdoms, nor listen to
+the voice of the Evil One, though he promise Him
+all the world and the glory of it. With His own
+right hand and with His holy arm will He get
+Himself the victory!</q>
+</p>
+
+</div>        </body>
+        <back rend="page-break-before: always">
+<div><pb n='373'/><anchor id='Pg373'/>
+
+<head>THE FAMILY OF THE ASMONEANS, OR MACCABEES.</head>
+
+<p>
+The name <q>Maccabee,</q> probably derived from a Hebrew word
+signifying a <q>Hammer,</q> was originally given to Judas, and afterwards
+extended to his four brothers. They came of a priestly family, belonging
+to the first and noblest of the twenty-four <q>courses,</q> taking its
+name from a certain Asmon or Chasmon, great-grandfather of
+Mattathias, father of Judas. The five heroic brothers all met with
+a violent death.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+That of Judas and Eleazar has been already described.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+John, the eldest, was killed in a skirmish, shortly after the death of
+Judas.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Jonathan maintained himself in power by a clever policy of leaning
+on Rome, and taking part with various claimants to the Syrian crown.
+He became High-priest at some time after the year 153, and perished
+in 144 by the treachery of a certain Tryphon, who usurped for a time
+the throne of Syria.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Simon succeeded to the High-priesthood, and governed the Jewish
+people for a period of eight years with great success. In <hi rend='small'>B.C.</hi> 143 he
+obtained from the Syrian king a formal recognition of the independence
+of the Jews, and in the following year he got possession of the fortress
+in Jerusalem occupied by the Syrian faction. In 135 he was treacherously
+murdered by his son-in-law, Ptolemaeus.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Simon, who had maintained the alliance with Rome, was succeeded
+by his son John Hyrcanus, who followed the same policy, and he again
+by his son Aristobulus, who assumed the title of King in 107.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Mariamne, the unhappy wife of Herod the Great, belonged to the
+Maccabean House. With the death of her two sons it became extinct.
+</p>
+
+</div><div rend="page-break-before: always">
+<pb/><anchor id='Pg374'/>
+
+<p rend="center">
+The Gresham Press,<lb/>
+<hi rend="small">UNWIN BROTHERS</hi>,<lb/>
+<hi rend="small">CHILWORTH AND LONDON</hi>.
+</p>
+</div><div rend="page-break-before: always">
+<pb/><anchor id='Pg375'/>
+
+<p rend="center">
+BY THE SAME AUTHOR.
+</p>
+
+<milestone unit="tb" rend="rule: 30%"/>
+<p>
+STORIES FROM HOMER. With Coloured Illustrations. Eighteenth
+Thousand. Price 5s., cloth.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+<q>A book which ought to become an English classic. It is full of
+the pure Homeric flavour.</q>—<hi rend='italic'>Spectator.</hi>
+</p>
+
+<p rend="margin-top: 2">
+STORIES FROM VIRGIL. With Coloured Illustrations. Fourteenth
+Thousand. Price 5s., cloth.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+<q>Superior to his <q>Stories from Homer,</q> good as they were, and perhaps
+as perfect a specimen of that peculiar form of translation as could
+be.</q>—<hi rend='italic'>Times.</hi>
+</p>
+
+<p rend="margin-top: 2">
+STORIES FROM THE GREEK TRAGEDIANS. With Coloured
+Illustrations. Eighth Thousand. Price 5s., cloth.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+<q>Not only a pleasant and entertaining book for the fireside, but a
+storehouse of facts from history to be of real service to them when they
+come to read a Greek play for themselves.</q>—<hi rend='italic'>Standard.</hi>
+</p>
+
+<p rend="margin-top: 2">
+STORIES OF THE EAST FROM HERODOTUS. With
+Coloured Illustrations. Seventh Thousand. Price 5s., cloth.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+<q>For a school prize a more suitable book will hardly be found.</q>—<hi rend='italic'>Literary
+Churchman.</hi>
+</p>
+
+<p>
+<q>A very quaint and delightful book.</q>—<hi rend='italic'>Spectator.</hi>
+</p>
+
+<p rend="margin-top: 2">
+THE STORY OF THE PERSIAN WAR FROM HERODOTUS.
+With Coloured Illustrations. Fifth Thousand. Price 5s., cloth.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+<q>We are inclined to think this is the best volume of Professor
+Church’s series since the excellent <q>Stories from Homer.</q></q>—<hi rend='italic'>Athenæum.</hi>
+</p>
+
+<p rend="margin-top: 2">
+STORIES FROM LIVY. With Coloured Illustrations. Fifth
+Thousand. Price 5s., cloth.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+<q>The lad who gets this book for a present will have got a genuine
+classical treasure.</q>—<hi rend='italic'>Scotsman.</hi>
+</p>
+
+<p rend="margin-top: 2">
+ROMAN LIFE IN THE DAYS OF CICERO. With Coloured
+Illustrations. Fourth Thousand. Price 5s., cloth.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+<q>The best prize-book of the season.</q>—<hi rend='italic'>Journal of Education.</hi>
+</p>
+
+<p rend="margin-top: 2">
+THE STORY OF THE LAST DAYS OF JERUSALEM FROM
+JOSEPHUS. With Coloured Illustrations. Fourth Thousand.
+Price 3s. <corr sic="6d.">6d.,</corr> cloth.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+<q>The execution of this work has been performed with that judiciousness
+of selection and felicity of language which have combined to raise
+Professor Church far above the fear of rivalry.</q>—<hi rend='italic'>Academy.</hi>
+</p>
+
+<pb/><anchor id='Pg376'/>
+
+<p rend="margin-top: 2">
+A TRAVELLER’S TRUE TALE FROM LUCIAN. With
+Coloured Illustrations. Third Thousand. Price 3s. 6d., cloth.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+<q>There can hardly be a more amusing book of marvels for young
+people than this.</q>—<hi rend='italic'>Saturday Review.</hi>
+</p>
+
+<p rend="margin-top: 2">
+HEROES AND KINGS. Stories from the Greek. Fifth Thousand.
+Price 1s. 6d., cloth.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+<q>This volume is quite a little triumph of neatness and taste.</q>—<hi rend='italic'>Saturday
+Review.</hi>
+</p>
+
+<p rend="margin-top: 2">
+THE STORIES OF THE ILIAD AND THE ÆNEID. With
+Illustrations. Price 1s., sewed, or 1s. 6d., cloth.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+<q>The attractive and scholar-like rendering of the story cannot fail,
+we feel sure, to make it a favourite at home as well as at school.</q>—<hi rend='italic'>Educational
+Times.</hi>
+</p>
+
+<p rend="margin-top: 2">
+THE CHANTRY PRIEST OF BARNET: A Tale of the Two
+Roses. With Coloured Illustrations. Fourth Thousand. Price 5s.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+<q>This is likely to be a very useful book, as it is certainly very interesting
+and well got up.</q>—<hi rend='italic'>Saturday Review.</hi>
+</p>
+
+<p rend="margin-top: 2">
+WITH THE KING AT OXFORD. A Story of the Great Rebellion.
+With Coloured Illustrations. Fourth Thousand. Price 5s.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+<q>Excellent sketches of the times.</q>—<hi rend='italic'>Athenæum.</hi>
+</p>
+
+<p rend="margin-top: 2">
+THE COUNT OF THE SAXON SHORE. A Tale of the Departure
+of the Romans from Britain. With Sixteen Illustrations.
+Third Thousand. Price 5s.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+<q>A good stirring tale.</q>—<hi rend='italic'>Daily News.</hi>
+</p>
+
+<p rend="margin-top: 2">
+STORIES OF THE MAGICIANS: <hi rend='smallcaps'>Thalaba</hi>; <hi rend='smallcaps'>Rustem</hi>; <hi rend='smallcaps'>The
+Curse of Kehama</hi>. With Coloured Illustrations. Price 5s.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+<q>Worthy of all praise.</q>—<hi rend='italic'>Pall Mall Gazette.</hi>
+</p>
+
+<p rend="margin-top: 2">
+THREE GREEK CHILDREN. A Story of Home in Old Time.
+With Twelve Illustrations. Price 3s. 6d.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+<q>This is a very fascinating little book.</q>—<hi rend='italic'>Spectator.</hi>
+</p>
+
+<p rend="margin-top: 2">
+TO THE LIONS! A Tale of the Early Christians. With Sixteen
+Illustrations. Price 3s. 6d., cloth.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+<q>The picture of the life of the Early Christians is drawn with admirable
+simplicity and distinctness.</q>—<hi rend='italic'>Guardian.</hi>
+</p></div>
+<div>
+        <pgIf output="pdf">
+        <then/>
+        <else>
+        <div id="footnotes" rend="page-break-before: right">
+        <index index="toc" level1="Footnotes"/>
+        <head>Footnotes</head>
+        <divGen type="footnotes"/>
+        </div>
+        </else>
+        </pgIf>
+        </div>
+<div rend="page-break-before:right; x-class: boxed">
+        <index index="pdf" level1="Transcriber's Note"/><index index="toc" level1="Transcriber’s Note"/>
+        <head>Transcriber’s Note</head>
+          <p>Variations in hyphenation 
+            have not been changed. In several places, wrong quotation marks have been silently corrected.</p>
+        <p>Other changes, which have been made to the text:</p>
+
+<list>
+<item><ref target="corrxi">page xi</ref>, <q>ELEAZER</q> changed to <q>ELEAZAR</q></item>
+<item><ref target="corr230">page 230</ref>, double <q>the</q> removed</item>
+<item><ref target="corr354">page 354</ref>, <q>of</q> changed to <q>or</q></item>
+
+</list>    
+        </div>
+<div rend="page-break-before: right">
+        <divGen type="pgfooter"/>
+        </div>
+        </back>
+    </text>
+</TEI.2>
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@@ -0,0 +1,9430 @@
+The Project Gutenberg EBook of The Hammer. A Story of the Maccabean Times
+by Alfred John Church and Richmond Seeley
+
+
+
+This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with almost no
+restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under
+the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or
+online at http://www.gutenberg.org/license
+
+
+
+Title: The Hammer. A Story of the Maccabean Times
+
+Author: Alfred John Church and Richmond Seeley
+
+Release Date: December 31, 2013 [Ebook #44550]
+
+Language: English
+
+Character set encoding: US-ASCII
+
+
+***START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE HAMMER. A STORY OF THE MACCABEAN TIMES***
+
+
+
+
+
+                               _THE HAMMER_
+
+
+
+
+
+              [Illustration: _The Cave among the Mountains._]
+
+
+
+
+
+                               THE HAMMER
+
+                    _A STORY OF THE MACCABEAN TIMES_
+
+
+                                   BY
+                         ALFRED J. CHURCH, M.A.
+       _Lately Professor of Latin in University College, London_
+                                  AND
+                             RICHMOND SEELEY
+
+
+
+_With Illustrations by __JOHN JELLICOE_
+
+
+LONDON
+SEELEY AND CO. LIMITED
+ESSEX STREET, STRAND
+1890
+
+
+
+
+
+                                 PREFACE
+
+
+It is not so very long since the Apocrypha was found in almost every copy
+of the English Bible, but in the present day it is seldom printed with it,
+and very seldom indeed read. One or two of the writings included under
+this name are trivial and even absurd; but, on the whole, the Apocryphal
+books deserve far more attention than they receive. Among the foremost, in
+point of interest and value, must be placed the First Book of Maccabees.
+Written within fifty years of the events which it records, at a time, it
+must be remembered, that was singularly barren of historical literature,
+it is a careful, sober, and consistent narrative. It is our principal, not
+unfrequently our sole, authority for the incidents of a very important
+period, a period that was in the highest degree critical in the history of
+the Jewish nation and of the world which that nation has so largely
+influenced. It is commonly said that the great visitation of the Captivity
+finally destroyed in the Hebrew mind the tendency to idolatry. But the
+denunciations of Ezekiel prove to us that the exiles carried into the land
+of their captivity the evil which they had cherished in the land of their
+birth, and it is no less certain that they brought it back with them on
+their return. It grew to its height in the early part of the Second
+Century B.C., along with the increasing influence of Greek civilization in
+Western Asia. The feeble Jewish Commonwealth was more and more dominated
+by the powerful kingdoms which had been established on the ruins of the
+empire of Alexander, and the national religion was attacked by an enemy at
+least as dangerous as the Phoenician Baal-worship had been in earlier days,
+an enemy which may be briefly described by the word Hellenism. The story
+of how Judas and his brothers led the movement which rescued the Jewish
+faith from this peril is the story which we have endeavoured to tell in
+this volume. Our plan has been to follow strictly the lines of the First
+Book of Maccabees, going to the Second, a far less trustworthy document,
+only for some picturesque incidents. The subsidiary characters are
+fictitious, but the narrative is, we believe, apart from casual errors,
+historically correct.
+
+We have to acknowledge special obligations to Captain Conder's "Judas
+Maccabaeus," a volume of the series entitled "The New Plutarch." We also
+owe much to Canon Rawlinson's notes in the "Speaker's Commentary on the
+Bible," to Canon Westcott's articles in the "Dictionary of the Bible," and
+to Dean Stanley's "Lectures on the Jewish Church."
+
+If any reader should be curious as to the literary partnership announced
+on the title-page--a partnership that has grown, so to speak, out of
+another of many years' standing, shared by the writers as author and
+publisher--he may be informed that the plan of the story and a detailed
+outline of it have been contributed by Richmond Seeley, and the story
+itself written for the most part by Alfred Church.
+
+LONDON,
+_Sept. 3, 1889._
+
+
+
+
+
+                                 CONTENTS
+
+
+  CHAP.                                         PAGE
+     I.   A NEW ORDER OF THINGS                    1
+    II.   ANTIOCHUS                               19
+   III.   MENELAUeS                                37
+    IV.   AT ANTIOCH                              49
+     V.   THE WRATH TO COME                       68
+    VI.   THE EVIL DAYS                           79
+   VII.   THE DARKNESS THICKENS                   90
+  VIII.   SHALLUM THE WINE-SELLER                101
+    IX.   THE PERSECUTION                        113
+     X.   IN THE MOUNTAINS                       124
+    XI.   NEWS BAD AND GOOD                      135
+   XII.   THE PATRIOT ARMY                       148
+  XIII.   GUERILLA WARFARE IN THE MOUNTAINS      159
+   XIV.   THE BURIAL OF MATTATHIAS               171
+    XV.   THE SWORD OF APOLLONIUS                184
+   XVI.   NEWS FROM THE BATTLE-FIELD             193
+  XVII.   THE BATTLE OF EMMAUS                   208
+ XVIII.   THE BATTLE OF BETH-ZUR                 225
+   XIX.   IN JERUSALEM                           235
+    XX.   THE CLEANSING OF THE TEMPLE            242
+   XXI.   THE DEDICATION OF THE TEMPLE           254
+  XXII.   WARS AND RUMOURS OF WARS               263
+ XXIII.   MORE VICTORIES                         274
+  XXIV.   THE SABBATICAL YEAR                    284
+   XXV.   REVERSES                               294
+  XXVI.   LIGHT OUT OF DARKNESS                  304
+ XXVII.   A PEACEFUL INTERVAL                    314
+XXVIII.   HOPES AND FEARS                        323
+  XXIX.   CIVIL WAR                              331
+   XXX.   NICANOR                                339
+  XXXI.   THE FALLING AWAY                       352
+ XXXII.   THE LAST BATTLE                        362
+XXXIII.   THE HOPE OF ISRAEL                     368
+
+
+
+
+
+                          LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS
+
+
+THE CAVE AMONG THE MOUNTAINS     _Frontispiece_
+ANTIOCHUS IN THE TAVERN                      32
+THE PERSECUTION                             118
+THE LAST CHARGE OF MATTATHIAS               168
+THE SWORD OF APOLLONIUS                     192
+FAREWELL TO THE MOUNTAINS                   232
+THE DEATH OF ELEAZAR                        302
+THE BOY KING                                314
+
+
+
+
+
+
+                                THE HAMMER
+
+
+
+
+
+                               CHAPTER I.
+
+                          A NEW ORDER OF THINGS.
+
+
+The time is the evening of a day in the early autumn of the year 174 B.C.
+There has been a great festival in Jerusalem. But it has been curiously
+unlike any festival that one would have expected to be held in that famous
+city. The people have not been crowding in from the country, and
+journeying from their far-off places of sojourn among the heathen, to keep
+one of the great feasts of the Law. Nothing could be further from the
+thoughts of the crowd that is streaming out of this new building which
+stands close under the walls of the Temple. What would they who built the
+Temple some two and a half centuries before have thought of this strange
+intruder on the sacred precincts? It is not difficult to imagine, for the
+new erection is nothing more or less than a Circus, built and furnished in
+the latest Greek fashion, and the spectacle which the crowd has been
+enjoying, or pretending to enjoy--for it is strange to all, and distasteful
+to some--is an imitation of the Olympian games. Things then, we see, have
+been curiously changed. Even the city has almost lost its identity. It is
+no longer the capital of the Jewish nation, but the chief town of an
+insignificant province in the Greek kingdom of Syria, one of the fragments
+into which the great dominion of Alexander had split some hundred and
+fifty years before. We shall understand something more about this
+marvellous change if we listen to a conversation that is going on in one
+of the houses that adjoin the Temple.
+
+"Well, Cleon, you will allow that our little show to-day has been fairly
+successful. We are but novices, you know; barbarians, I am afraid you will
+call us. But we hope to improve. You Greeks are wonderful teachers. You
+can give in a very short time a quite marvellous appearance of refinement
+to the merest savages. And we are not that; you would not call us savages,
+my dear friend."
+
+"Savages! The gods forbid that such insolent folly should ever come from
+my tongue! You have a most elegant taste in art, my dear Jason. Our own
+Callias--he is our first _connoisseur_ at Athens; you must have heard me
+mention him--would not disdain to have some of the little things which you
+have about you here in his own apartment."
+
+And, as he spoke, Cleon looked round the room, which, indeed, was very
+handsomely furnished in the latest Greek taste. The walls were covered
+with tapestry, showing on a purple ground a design, worked in silver and
+gold, which represented the triumphant return of the Wine-god from his
+Eastern campaigns. At one end of the room stood a sumptuously-carved
+bookcase, filled with volumes adorned by the most skilful binders of
+Alexandria. The bookcase was flanked on either side by a pedestal statue,
+one displaying the head of Hermes, the other the head of Athene. On a
+sideboard were ranged twelve silver goblets, on which had been worked in
+high relief the labours of Hercules. But probably the most precious object
+in the room--at least in its master's estimation--was a replica, about half
+the size of life, of the statue that we know as the "Dying Gladiator." It
+was the work of a sculptor of Pergamum, a special favourite of the
+art-loving dynasty of the Attali. It had been purchased for the enormous
+sum of half a talent of gold;(1) and Jason had thought himself especially
+fortunate in being allowed to secure it on any terms. The Pergamene artist
+was bound, in consideration of the handsome payment which he received from
+his royal patron, not to execute commissions for strangers, and it was
+only as a special favour, and not till a heavy bribe had been paid to some
+influential personage in the court, that the rule had been relaxed in
+favour of Jason.
+
+And who, it may be asked, was Jason?
+
+Jason was the Jewish high priest, the successor of Aaron, of Eleazar, of
+Jehoiada, of Hilkiah, and as unlike these worthies of the past in
+appearance, in speech, in ways of thinking, as it is possible to conceive.
+His costume, in the first place, was that of a Greek exquisite. He wore a
+purple tunic, showing at the neck a crimson under-shirt, and gathered up
+at the waist with a belt of the finest leather, clasped with a design in
+silver, which showed a dog laying hold of a fawn. His knees were bare, but
+the shins were covered with silk leggings of the same colour as the tunic,
+against which the gold fastenings of the sandals showed in gay relief. His
+hair was elaborately curled, and almost dripping with the richest of
+Syrian perfumes. The forefinger of the left hand showed the head of Zeus
+finely carved on an amethyst, that of the right was circled by a sapphire
+ring with the likeness of Apollo.
+
+His speech was Greek. Hebrew of course he knew, both in its classical and
+its conversational forms; but he was as careful to conceal his knowledge
+as an old-fashioned Roman of his time would have been careful to hide the
+fact, if he had happened to know any language besides his own. His very
+name, it will have been observed, had been changed to suit the new fashion
+which he was endeavouring to set to his countrymen. Really it was
+Joshua--no dishonourable appellation, one would think, seeing that it had
+been borne by the conqueror of Canaan, and by the most distinguished of
+the later high priests. But it did not please him, and he had changed it
+to Jason.
+
+As for his ways of thinking, these will become evident enough if we listen
+to a little more of his conversation.
+
+"And you think, Cleon," he went on--Cleon was a Greek adventurer who gave
+himself out as an Athenian, but who was shrewdly suspected of coming from
+one of the smaller islands of the AEgean--"you think that our games went
+pretty well?"
+
+"Admirably, my dear Jason," answered the Greek, who really had thought
+them a deplorable failure, but who valued too much his free quarters in
+the high priest's sumptuous palace to give a candid expression of his
+opinion.
+
+"You see we had great difficulties to contend with. You can hardly
+imagine, for instance, how hard I found it to persuade our young men to
+run and wrestle naked. They quoted some ridiculous nonsense from the Law,
+as if we could be bound nowadays by some obsolete old rules that no
+sensible person would think for a moment of observing.(2) You saw, I dare
+say, to-day that I was obliged to allow some of them to wear a loin-cloth.
+They positively refused to come into the arena without it. Well, we shall
+educate them in time. They _must_ learn to admire the beauty of the human
+form, unspoilt by any of the trappings with which, for convenience sake,
+we are accustomed to conceal it. I don't despair of our having a school of
+art here some day--not rivals, my dear Lysias, of your glorious Phidias and
+Praxiteles, but imitators, humble imitators, whom yet you won't disdain to
+acknowledge."
+
+"But, my dear sir, you forget the Commandment, 'Thou shalt not make to
+thyself any graven image.'"
+
+The speaker was a young man who had hitherto taken no part in the
+conversation. He also had a Hebrew name and a Greek. His father, a rich
+priest who claimed descent from no less a person than the prophet Ezekiel,
+had called him Micah; but he had followed the fashion, and dubbed himself
+Menander. Still, Greek ways and habits did not sit over-easily upon him.
+Fashion has often a singular power over the young; but it could not quite
+drive out the obstinate patriotism of the Jew. He could still sometimes be
+scandalized at the thorough-going Hellenism of the high priest; and he was
+so scandalized now. The Commandment was one of the things which he had
+learnt at his mother's knee, and which he had solemnly repeated when, at
+the age of twelve, he had been regularly admitted to the privileges of a
+"son of the Law."
+
+"My dear Menander," broke in the high priest, "what can you be thinking
+about? I had hoped better things of you. You do discourage me most
+terribly. 'No graven image or likeness of anything that is in heaven or
+earth!' Was there ever anything so hopelessly tasteless? Why, this is the
+one thing that has checked all growth of art among us? And without art
+where is the beauty of life? Now tell me, Menander, did you ever see
+anything so hideous as the Temple? There is a certain splendour about
+it--or was, till I had to strip off most of the gold for purposes of
+state--but of beauty or taste not a scrap. You, Cleon, have never seen the
+inside of it. Well, you have lost nothing. It would simply shock you after
+your lovely Parthenon. Bells and pomegranates--things that any moulder
+could make--and sham columns, and everything as bad as it can be. And then
+the dresses! You should see--though I should really be ashamed if you did
+see it--the absurd costume that some of them would make me wear as high
+priest. Anything more cumbrous and clumsy could not be. A man can hardly
+move in it; and as for showing any of the proportions of the figure--and I
+take it that dress is meant to reveal while it seems to hide them--one
+might as well be wrapped up in swaddling clothes."
+
+"Did you ever wear it?" asked Cleon.
+
+"Once, and once only," answered Jason. "That was on the day when I was
+admitted to the office. You see it had to be done. Some of my enemies--and
+I am afraid that I have enemies after all that I have done for this
+ungrateful people--might have said that things were not regular without it,
+and when one has paid twenty talents of gold for the office, it would be
+rank folly to risk it for a trifle. But I have never worn it since, and
+never mean to again. I did design something much lighter and neater,
+worthy the Greek fashion, but with just a tinge--it would be well to have a
+tinge--of our own in it; but it did not please the elders when I showed it
+to them, a bigoted set of fools!"
+
+"But your worship is very fine, I am told," said the Greek.
+
+"Very tasteless, very tasteless," answered the high-priest, "the singing
+and music as rude as possible. I tried to improve them when I first came
+into office. When I was at Antioch I saw some very pretty performances in
+the groves of Daphne, and I wanted to remodel our ceremonies on something
+of the same lines. Of course I could not transplant them just as they
+were: you will guess that there were one or two things that would hardly
+do here. I am not strait-laced, as you know, but there are limits.
+However, it all came to nothing. Our people are so clumsy and obstinate.
+So the only thing will be to let these antiquated ceremonies die out by
+degrees."
+
+Micah broke in at this point. Disposed as he was to follow Jason's lead,
+this was going too far. "Surely, my dear sir, if you take away from us all
+that is distinctive, where will be our reason for existence? After all is
+said, we are not Greeks and never can be Greeks; and if we cease to be
+Jews, what are we?"
+
+"_Jews!_ my dear fellow," cried the high-priest, "why do you use the
+odious word? We are not Jews, we are Antiochenes. Do you know that I paid
+five talents to the treasurer of Antiochus for license to use the name?
+For Heaven's sake, let us have our money's worth. By the way," he went on,
+turning to Cleon, "when does your Olympian festival next take place?"
+
+"In two years' time," said the Greek.
+
+"I propose to send an embassy with a handsome present for your great
+temple. I should like to establish friendly relations with your people at
+the head-quarters of your race. Do you think it is possible that our
+Menon--you saw him in the stadium just now--might be allowed to run? It
+would take all that your athletes know to beat him."
+
+"Quite impossible. He could hardly make out a Greek pedigree, I suppose?"
+
+"No; he could not do that. But would not money smooth the way?"
+
+"It could not be. Money will do most things with us, as it will elsewhere,
+but not that. A man must show a pure Greek descent."
+
+"But the embassy can go?"
+
+"Certainly," replied the Greek, with a smile; "we are ready to take gifts
+from any one. But--excuse my obtruding the suggestion--is it quite wise to
+run counter to your people's prejudices in this way? Couldn't they get up
+an agitation against you?"
+
+"My dear Cleon, I feel quite easy on that score. I made the highest bid
+for the place, and it is mine, just as much as this ring is mine."
+
+"But might not some one outbid you? I have heard of such things being
+done."
+
+"Outbid me? Hardly. I have squeezed the uttermost farthing out of the
+people to pay the purchase-money and the tribute, and I defy my rivals,
+with all the best will in the world, to beat me. Why, my fellows, the
+tax-gatherers, are the most ingenious rascals in the world for putting on
+the screw. I make them bid against each other when I put the taxes up to
+auction, and they really go to figures that I should not have thought
+possible. And then, after all, they manage somehow or other to get a
+handsome margin of profit for themselves. I know the scoundrels always
+seem to have a great deal more money than I have."
+
+Menander, somewhat revolted at his friend's levity, rose to take leave.
+"Stop a moment," said Jason, "I have a little commission for you, which
+will give you a pleasant outing and a score or two of shekels to put in
+your pocket."
+
+"Well, the shekels will be welcome. Those are very charming fellows, those
+Greek friends of yours," he went on, addressing Cleon, "but they have the
+most confounded luck with the dice that I ever knew. But what is it, sir,
+that you want me to do?"
+
+"I want to do a civil thing to our friends at Tyre. You know that we do a
+very brisk trade with them, and a little bit of politeness is never thrown
+away. Well, next month they have the great games of Hercules, and I want
+you to take a present to the Governor, and, as you will be there, just a
+trifle--a silver tripod, or something of the kind--for Hercules himself. The
+Tyrian people would take it amiss, I fancy, if you went quite
+empty-handed."
+
+Micah--for at the moment he felt much more like a Micah than a
+Menander--flushed all over. "I take a present to the idol at Tyre! You must
+be joking; but, with all respect, sir, it is a joke which I do not
+appreciate."
+
+"Come, my dear Menander," said the high priest, with a laugh, "why all
+this fuss? You must excuse me for saying so, but you are really a little
+stupid this morning. What nonsense to talk about idols! The Greek heroes
+are really the same as our own. Hercules is nothing more or less than
+Samson under another name. You will find in every country the legend of
+some strong man who goes about killing wild beasts and slaying his
+enemies, and doing all kinds of wonders; and it does not become an
+enlightened man like yourself to fancy that our hero is anything better
+than another nation's hero. However, think the matter over. If you don't
+choose to go there are plenty who will, and Tyre, I am told, is still
+worth seeing, though, of course, it is nothing like what it was."
+
+At this moment a servant burst somewhat unceremoniously into the room.
+
+"How now, fellow?" cried the high priest, "Where are your manners? Don't
+you know that I have company and am not to be interrupted?"
+
+"Pardon, my lord," said the man, in a breathless, agitated voice, "but the
+matter is urgent. Your nephew Asaph is dying, and has sent begging you to
+come to him."
+
+"Asaph dying!" cried the high priest, turning pale. "How is that?"
+
+Asaph had been one of the performers in the exhibition of the day. A light
+weight, but an exceedingly active and skilful wrestler, he had entered the
+lists with a competitor much stronger and heavier than himself. The
+struggle between the two athletes had been protracted and fierce and had
+ended in a draw. There had been two bouts, but in neither had this or that
+antagonist been able to claim a decided success. In each, both wrestlers
+had fallen, Asaph being uppermost in the first, but underneath in the
+second. On rising from the ground he had complained of severe internal
+pains; but these had seemed to pass away, and he had been conveyed in a
+litter to his mother's house. After a brief interval the pains had
+returned with increased severity; vomiting of blood had followed, and the
+physician had declared that the resources of his art were useless. The
+poor lad--he was but a few months over twenty--sent, in his agony, for his
+uncle the high priest. It was a forlorn hope--for how could such a man give
+comfort?--but it was the only one that occurred to him.
+
+No one was more conscious of the incongruity of the task thus imposed upon
+him, the task of administering consolation and comfort to the dying, than
+Jason himself. His first impulse was to refuse to go. But to do so would
+not only cause a scandal, but would also be the beginning of a family
+feud. And Jason, though selfish and hardened by base ambitions, was not
+wholly without a heart. He had some affection for his sister, a widow of
+large means, whose purse was always open to him when he wanted help, and
+Asaph--or Asius, as he preferred to call him--was his favourite nephew,
+possibly his successor in his office. He felt that he must go, but it was
+with a miserable sinking of heart that he felt it.
+
+"Lead on," he said to the slave, "I will follow. You, my friends, must
+excuse me."
+
+The worldly priest might well have dreaded to enter the house of woe to
+which he had been called.
+
+The unhappy mother met him at the door. "Oh, Joshua!" she cried, the
+foolish affectation of the Greek name being forgotten in the hour of
+trouble. "Can you help us? My dear Asaph is dying, and he is terribly
+distressed about his sins. You are high-priest. Have you not some power to
+do him good?"
+
+"Take me to him," said Jason, "I will do all that I can for him."
+
+The unhappy lad was lying on a couch, the deathly pallor of his face
+showing with a terrible contrast against the rich purple of the coverlet.
+His eyes were wide open, and there was a terror-stricken look in them that
+was inexpressibly painful to witness. As soon as he saw his uncle, he
+burst forth in tones of agonized entreaty. "I have sinned; I have sinned;
+I have followed in the ways of the heathen, and, see, my God hath called
+me into judgment. Help me! help me! Save me from the fire of Gehenna!"
+
+The high priest strove to say something; but his faltering lips seemed to
+refuse to do their office.
+
+"Speak! speak!" cried the young man. "It was you who told me to go into
+the arena. You said there was no harm in it; you encouraged me, and now
+you desert me. O help me!" and his voice, which had been raised to a loud,
+angry cry, sank again to low tones of entreaty. "You are high priest; you
+surely can do something with the Lord. Pray for me to Him. Quick! quick!
+the evil ones are clutching at me!" and, as he spoke, he turned his eyes
+with a fearful glance as if he saw some terrible presence which was
+invisible to the rest.
+
+His uncle, more unhappy than he had ever been before in his life, stood in
+dumb despair. It seemed impossible to mock this wretched creature with
+words in which he did not himself believe. And, indeed, the words
+themselves seemed to have fled altogether from his memory. At last, with a
+tremendous effort, he summoned up some of the words, once familiar to his
+lips, but which had not issued from them for years. It was what we know as
+the fifty-first Psalm in our psalter that he began--"_Have mercy upon me, O
+God, after Thy great goodness, according to the multitude of Thy mercies
+do away mine offences._" He began with a faltering and uncertain voice,
+which gathered strength as he went on. The dying man listened with an
+eagerly-strained attention, and the words seemed to have some soothing
+effect upon him. When the speaker came to the words, "Cast me not away
+from Thy presence," he clasped his hands together. At the very moment of
+the act a strong convulsion shook his frame: a stream of blood gushed from
+his mouth; in another moment Asaph was dead.
+
+His unhappy mother had been carried fainting to her apartments, where her
+maids were endeavouring to restore her to consciousness. The high priest
+was almost glad that she was in such a state that there could be no
+question of attempting to administer to her any consolation. No one,
+indeed, could have felt less like a comforter than he did at that moment.
+As he walked slowly back to his palace he felt less satisfied with the
+Greek fashions, for which he had sacrificed the faith of his fathers, than
+he had done for many years.
+
+The news that he found awaiting him at home changed the current of his
+thoughts. A letter, carried, in Eastern fashion, by a succession of
+runners, had arrived from Joppa. It was as follows:--
+
+
+    "_Josedech, Chief of the Council of Joppa, to Joshua, Governor of
+                               Jerusalem._
+
+  "Know that a swift pinnace has arrived, bringing news that the fleet
+  of Antiochus the King is on its way hither. It will arrive, unless it
+  be hindered by weather or any other unforeseen cause, on the second
+  day. Let us know so soon as shall be possible how the heathen should
+  be received, whether we shall admit him into the city, and to whom we
+  shall assign the task of entertaining him. Farewell."
+
+
+Jason's face flushed as he read this curt and not very courteous epistle.
+"Governor of Jerusalem, indeed!" he muttered to himself. "So the old bigot
+won't acknowledge me to be high priest. I shall have to give him a lesson,
+and teach him who he is and who I am. 'How the heathen is to be received.'
+What is the fool thinking of? As if he could be shut out of the city if he
+chooses to come in! Well, I see plainly enough that there will be mischief
+here, if I don't take care. It won't be enough to write. I must send some
+of my own people to receive the king."
+
+He pressed a hand-bell that stood on the table. "Send the letter-carrier
+here," he said to the servant who answered the summons. In a few minutes
+the man appeared.
+
+"When can you start back with my answer?" asked the high priest.
+
+"This instant, my lord, if it should so please you."
+
+"And the other posts are ready?"
+
+"Each at his place, my lord."
+
+"And when will the letter be delivered in Joppa?"
+
+"Let me think," said the messenger. "The distance should be about two
+hundred and eighty furlongs, and the way descends. 'Tis now scarcely the
+first hour of the night. I should say that the letter should be there an
+hour before midnight."
+
+Jason at once sat down and wrote his answer:--
+
+
+  "_Jason, the High Priest, to Josedech, Chief of the Council of Joppa,
+                                greeting._
+
+  "I charge you that you do all honour to the most mighty and glorious
+  lord Antiochus. Let him have of the best, both in lodging and
+  entertainment, that your city affords. I doubt not your zeal and
+  goodwill, but that you may not fail for want of knowledge, I will send
+  certain of my own people, who will welcome the most august King in
+  such manner as shall be worthy both of his majesty and of our dignity.
+  Farewell."
+
+
+The messenger, who had been standing by while this letter was being
+written, received the document with a salute, and placed it in his girdle.
+A few minutes afterwards he was on his way.
+
+"And now for the deputation to meet his Highness," said Jason to himself.
+"I cannot expect them to get off quite so quickly as this good fellow. But
+they must not start later than noon to-morrow. And now, whom am I to send?
+Cleon, of course, and Menander----"
+
+He stopped short and reflected. "It's really very hard to find a
+respectable person who is quite free from bigotry--if, indeed, it is
+bigotry." For some minutes he seemed lost in thought. "Send the secretary
+to me," he said, when the servant came. This official soon made his
+appearance, and we will leave him and his master to settle the details of
+the deputation.
+
+
+
+
+
+                               CHAPTER II.
+
+                                ANTIOCHUS.
+
+
+The greater part of the population of Joppa, which, like most seaside
+towns, was somewhat cosmopolitan in its habits and ways of thinking, had
+hurried down to the shore to watch the arrival of the great Syrian King.
+And, indeed, his fleet was a sight worth seeing. Thirty ships, all of them
+with three banks of oars, were formed in a semicircle, the arc of which
+was parallel with the line of the shore. They were war-vessels, the finest
+and swiftest that the Syrian fleet possessed, manned with picked crews,
+and now gay with all the sumptuous adornments that befitted a peaceful
+errand. The day was perfectly windless, and the sea as calm as a lake.
+This circumstance made it possible for the squadron to preserve the order
+of its advance with an exactitude which would not have been possible had
+it been moving under sail. On the prow of each vessel stood a
+flute-player, and the rowers dipped their oars in time to his music. Each
+player had his eyes fixed on a conductor who was posted on the royal
+vessel, a five-banked ship, which occupied a position slightly in advance
+of the semicircle. Time was thus kept throughout the squadron--a result,
+however, not obtained, as may easily be imagined, without a vast amount of
+practice. The sight of the thousands of oars, as they were dipped and
+lifted again in rhythmical regularity, with the sunshine flashing upon
+them, was beautiful in the extreme. As for the ship that carried King
+Antiochus, it was a gorgeous spectacle. The ropes were of gaily-coloured
+silk; the hull was brilliant with gold. The figure-head was the head and
+bust of a sea-nymph, exquisitely wrought in silver. The poop was covered
+with a crimson awning.
+
+As the squadron approached the harbour, a convenience which the Joppa of
+to-day no longer possesses, the royal ship fell back, allowing the leading
+vessels on either side of the semicircle to precede it to the pier. From
+these a company of troops, splendidly arrayed in gilded armour,
+disembarked, and formed two lines, between which the King was to walk.
+
+The Syrian King was a young man of about two-and-twenty years, tall, and
+well made, and not without a certain dignity of presence. His face, too,
+at first sight would have been pronounced handsome. It was of the true
+Greek type: the forehead and nose forming an almost uninterrupted straight
+line. This line, however, receded too much, giving something of an
+expression of weakness. But for this the features of the young Syrian king
+might have been described as bearing a singular resemblance to those of
+the great Alexander. Youthful as he was, his complexion, naturally of a
+beautiful delicacy, was already flushed with excess. But the most sinister
+characteristic of his face was to be found in the restless look of his
+prominent eyes. The descendants of the brilliant soldier, the ablest and
+most upright of the generals of Alexander, who had founded the Syrian
+kingdom, had sadly degenerated under the corrupting influences of power.
+The hideous example of lust and cruelty had been set and improved upon by
+generation after generation, till the fatal taint of madness, always the
+avenger of such wickedness, had been developed in the race.(3)
+
+The Council of Joppa had sent a deputation of their body, headed by their
+president, Josedech, to receive the visitor with such respect as might
+lawfully be shown to a heathen. Greeting and compliments could be
+exchanged without any loss of ceremonial purity. Nor would there be any
+harm in presenting a gift. To sit down to meat with an unbeliever, was, of
+course, out of the question; but this difficulty had been overcome by the
+complaisance of a wealthy Greek merchant, who, for sufficient reasons of
+his own, had offered to entertain the visitor.
+
+The councillors saluted the King, not with the extravagant form of "Live
+for ever!" but with the more moderate form of "Peace be with you."
+Antiochus answered with a careless greeting. At the same time he turned to
+one of his courtiers, and said in a whisper which was heard, as it was
+meant to be heard, by others besides the persons addressed, "Look! what a
+set of he-goats. And faugh! how they smell!" The young King, who was
+exceedingly vain of his good looks, had the fancy of making himself up as
+the beardless Apollo, and, of course, the court followed the fashion that
+he set. The insulting words did not fail to reach the ears of the elders,
+but they affected not to have heard them. The president then proceeded to
+deliver his address of welcome. It was sufficiently civil, but, as may be
+supposed, not enthusiastic. The speaker hoped that friendly relations
+might continue to exist between the Jewish people and the kingdom of
+Syria. He was glad to receive on Jewish soil a powerful monarch who, he
+trusted, would be favourably impressed with what he should see and hear.
+If his subjects had any grievances they would find prompt redress; the
+King would doubtless do the same for Jewish merchants who considered
+themselves aggrieved.
+
+To this address, which, after the manner of such documents, was somewhat
+verbose and lengthy, Antiochus listened with ill-concealed impatience;
+perhaps it would be more correct to say, with impatience that was not
+concealed at all. He fidgeted about; he interjected disparaging remarks
+that must have been distinctly heard a long way off. He even corrected the
+speaker when he made a slip in Greek idiom. Still the elders preserved an
+imperturbable calm, though a keen observer might have seen the flush
+rising upon their faces.
+
+The address of welcome ended, it only remained to offer the customary
+present. An attendant stepped forward carrying a robe of honour, a piece
+of native manufacture, which, without being particularly splendid, was
+sufficiently handsome and valuable to be adequate to the occasion. But it
+did not please the young King, who, indeed, was scarcely in the humour to
+be pleased with anything. One of his followers received it from the hands
+of the attendant, and Antiochus, according to the usual etiquette, should
+have touched it, saying at the same time a few words of politeness. What
+he did was to take it from the hands of the courtier who had received it,
+shake it out, and hold it from him at arm's length, eyeing it, at the same
+time, with an expression of undisguised contempt. Even this was not all.
+Turning his back upon the elders he dropped the robe on the head of one of
+his attendants, and, by a sudden movement, twisted it round his neck,
+bursting out at the same time into a loud horse-laugh. The laugh was, of
+course, dutifully echoed by his courtiers; but to the Joppa crowd it
+seemed no laughing matter. An angry murmur ran through it. The front ranks
+made a menacing movement forwards, while stones began to fly from behind.
+On the other hand, the soldiers of the King's body-guard drew their
+swords, and began to form up behind him. They were not properly prepared,
+however, for a conflict; for, as they had come only on a service of
+ceremony, they had nothing with them but their swords and light ornamental
+breastplates.
+
+Everything wore a most threatening look, when there occurred an
+interruption that was probably welcome to every one, except, it may be,
+the hotheaded and reckless young sovereign himself. The deputation from
+Jerusalem had arrived. The high priest, anticipating, as we have seen,
+some trouble, had despatched them at the very earliest opportunity, and
+had urged them to make the best of their way to their destination. At the
+same time, that their presence might have something more than moral
+weight, he had sent a squadron of cavalry. The deputation, with their
+escort following close behind, now made their way through the crowd.
+
+The high priest was represented by his kinsman Phinehas--who had found a
+substitute for his unfashionable name in Phineus--by Menander, who has been
+already mentioned, and by two Greeks, of whom our acquaintance Cleon was
+one. Josedech and his companions willingly left the management of affairs
+in the hands of the new arrivals, and retired from the scene. Leaping from
+his horse, Phinehas, or Phineus, prostrated himself in Eastern fashion at
+the feet of Antiochus, and his companions followed his example, while the
+escort of cavalry saluted. "Rise," said Antiochus, whose good humour began
+to return when he found himself treated with what he conceived to be
+proper respect. He even condescended to reach out his royal hand, and
+assist the envoy to recover his feet. Phineus proceeded to deliver an
+address of welcome which was certainly not wanting in florid compliment.
+It might even have been called profane, for Antiochus was described not
+only as magnificent, illustrious, victorious (to mention a few only of the
+speaker's exuberant supply of epithets), but even as divine. The speech
+ended, an attendant presented a richly-chased casket of gold, filled with
+coins, fresh from the Syrian mint, and bearing the features and
+superscription of Antiochus himself. The King received it with something
+like _empressement_, and after speaking a few words of thanks, passed it
+to his treasurer. At the same time he took a bag of silver from one of his
+attendants, and condescended to scatter some of the pieces among the crowd
+that lined the quays, with his royal hands. As may be supposed, a vigorous
+scramble ensued, and not a few of the spectators were tumbled over the
+edge into the shallow water below. Others jumped in of their own accord
+after some of the pieces which had fallen short. A general burst of
+laughter was the result, and the situation lost the gravity which had been
+so alarming a few minutes before.
+
+The King now recognized an old acquaintance in Cleon. Antiochus, handed
+over in his childhood as a hostage by his father, had spent his boyhood
+and youth in Rome. The somewhat austere manners of that city had not
+pleased him, and he was glad to find in the young Greek an acquaintance
+more congenial than the young Marcelli, sons of the priest of that name,
+under whose charge he had been put. Cleon had come to Rome to seek his
+fortune, and had found employment in assisting the comic poet Caecilius in
+making his translations from the Greek. Poets, however, were not so well
+paid as to be able to spare much for their assistants, and Cleon had been
+very glad to act as the young prince's teacher, a post which his guardian
+the priest had found it very difficult to fill. Tutor and pupil had been
+on the most friendly terms. The elder man was indulgent, exacted no more
+than the youth was willing to learn, and, possibly thinking that all the
+necessary austerity was supplied by the Roman guardian, winked at various
+indulgences which would not have approved themselves to his employer.
+Antiochus retained a grateful recollection of the complaisant youth who
+had made things so agreeable for him in the days of his captivity.
+
+"Hail, Cleon, most delightful of teachers, behold the most thankful of
+pupils!"
+
+And he embraced the Greek, kissing him on both cheeks.
+
+"So you, too," he went on, "have escaped from that dismal prison-house
+across the sea! Was there ever a place, think you, more unfit for a
+gentleman to live in? And how have you fared since I saw you? I hope that
+Fortune has had something pleasant in store for you."
+
+"She could have done nothing better, Sire, than to thus give me the
+pleasure of seeing you."
+
+"Oh, what a compliment! I see that your tongue has not lost its dexterous
+twist. But I suppose I must attend to this stupid business here. Why can't
+they let one come quietly, and see what people really are. I dare say
+there are some good fellows here as elsewhere; but all these ceremonies
+and speech-making and fine clothes tire me to death. Well, we shall find a
+chance of having some talk together before long. Anyhow, you will come and
+see me at Antioch. I will make you court-poet, or general-in-chief, or
+high priest of Aphrodite! I know that you can do anything that you choose
+to turn your hand to."
+
+While this conversation was going on the Greek merchant who had
+volunteered to entertain the royal visitor was waiting to be introduced.
+This ceremony performed by Phineus, he proceeded to give his invitation.
+
+"Will your Highness be pleased to accept such humble hospitality as I can
+offer? My house and all that is within it are at your service."
+
+"Pleased! of course I shall be pleased," returned the King, in boisterous
+good humour. "I know what your 'humble hospitality' means. It is you
+merchants that can afford to do things handsomely. You make the money, and
+we can only spend it. What with armies and fleets and legions of servants,
+who eat us up like so many locusts, we never have a drachma that we can
+call our own. As for me, I am easily satisfied. Give me a mullet, a piece
+of roast kid, a flask of good wine, and a pretty girl to hand the cup, and
+I want no more. Lead on."
+
+The procession moved on to the merchant's house. This reached, the King,
+who declared that he wanted his midday sleep, was at once shown to his
+apartments.
+
+It was some six hours later when the banquet, for which the host had made
+magnificent preparations, was ready. The company was assembled, and was
+fairly numerous, though it did not contain the true _elite_ of Joppa
+society. With one or two not very respectable exceptions, the
+representatives of the high-class Jewish families were absent. But there
+were plenty of strangers in the town, and the room was sufficiently full.
+The trading community was present in force: Greeks, Syrians, Egyptians,
+Carthaginians, and even a Greek-speaking Gaul from Marseilles, were
+present. Rome was represented by two Roman knights, who were doing a
+profitable business in money-lending, and who had the name of pretty
+nearly every noble in Syria on their books.
+
+But the guest of the evening was absent. The company waited with the
+patience with which royal personages are waited for on such occasions. At
+last, when an hour had gone beyond the time fixed for the entertainment,
+the host ventured to send up to the King's apartment, with a humble
+reminder that the banquet was ready. But the apartment was empty!
+
+"What can have become of him?" was the thought in every one's mind, not
+unaccompanied by a certain anxiety in the older courtiers, who had
+observed with dismay the reckless proceedings of their master.
+
+At last a thought struck Cleon. He took the chief of the King's attendants
+aside and communicated to him his suspicions. "I saw something of his
+Highness's ways at Rome," he said, "and I can guess what has happened. He
+always had a fancy for disguises, for dressing himself up as a sailor or
+an artizan, and going to some very curious places in the city. Often and
+often have I been with him--to keep him out of mischief, you know--and, by
+the gods! it was well I did. I remember his being very nearly stabbed one
+night in a low wine-shop in the Suburra.(4) And now I remember that this
+morning his Highness said something about wanting to see what the people
+really were, without all this ceremony. Let us question the porter whether
+he has seen any one go out."
+
+The porter was questioned accordingly. At first he could give no
+information. At last he remembered observing two young men in sailor's
+dress passing the gate about three hours before. He had taken no heed of
+them. Sailors had been coming and going all day, with various articles
+which they were bringing up from the ship, and he had supposed that these
+were two of the number. Here the man's wife struck in with the information
+that she had noticed the two sailors, thinking that there was something
+odd about their appearance; their clothes were very shabby, but they had a
+superior air. Neither the man nor his wife knew anything more; but they
+thought that the two had turned in the direction of the harbour after
+leaving the house.
+
+Under these circumstances search seemed hopeless, and might, indeed, do
+more harm than good. Perhaps the safest plan would be to let the young man
+find his way back for himself. After some discussion, however, it was
+resolved that Cleon, after first changing the dress which he had donned
+for the banquet for something less conspicuous, should look in at some of
+the wine-shops near the harbour, which were suggested as likely places for
+the search by the character of the King's disguise.
+
+Cleon was successful beyond his expectation. His attention was attracted
+by the sound of boisterous laughter proceeding from a tavern whose windows
+fronted the place where the King had landed. The place was crowded to
+overflowing, and even the pavement before the house was thronged with
+idlers, who were content to hear what they could of the fun inside without
+having any score to pay. With no little difficulty Cleon edged his way
+into the principal room. It was a strange scene that met his eye. The room
+was crowded with Phoenician and Greek sailors, with here and there the
+swarthy face of a Moor among them. The guests sat on benches, closely
+packed together, and every one had a huge earthenware cup in his hand and
+a pitcher of wine at his feet. At the further end of the room was a small
+platform reserved for the performers who were accustomed to entertain the
+audience. A couple of dancing-girls had just exhibited a dance of the
+boisterous kind which was specially favoured by the seafaring spectators;
+and now his Syrian Majesty was doing his best to entertain the company
+with the burlesque of a Roman electioneering oration. He spoke in Greek,
+or, rather, the mixture of tongues, the _Lingua Franca_ of the time, which
+did duty for Greek in the seaport towns of the Eastern Mediterranean; and
+he used with considerable effect the broad Roman accent. His speech, could
+it be reproduced, would be dull or even unintelligible to us, but his
+audience found it highly entertaining. The Greeks, always quick-witted,
+caught the points with admirable readiness, and the others laughed, if not
+for any other reason, at least for sympathy. The most completely
+successful part was where the orator, who affected to be a candidate for
+the consulship, propounded a grand scheme, according to which the citizens
+of Rome were to live in idleness, supported by the contributions of the
+whole world. When the attention of the audience began to flag, the young
+Prince, with an audacious presence of mind that would have become a
+veteran performer, suddenly changed the entertainment. Sticking a tall cap
+on his head, he proceeded to give a ludicrous imitation of the solemn
+dance of the priests of Mars. Cleon had seen the original performance in
+Rome, and he could not but confess that the slow, awkward movement, and
+droning chant which the performer adapted to a popular song of a somewhat
+equivocal kind, was a very clever piece of work.
+
+  [Illustration: _Antiochus in the Tavern._]
+
+A few minutes afterwards Antiochus retired, breathless with his exertions,
+and Cleon made his way after him.
+
+"So you are here," burst out the King. "Good, was it not?"
+
+"Excellent, my lord," returned Cleon; "but you must excuse me if I ask you
+to come back. The banquet is ready, and the company are waiting for you."
+
+"Confound the company; there is much better company here. I will stop
+where I am."
+
+Cleon remonstrated and argued; at first, it seemed, with no effect.
+Finally, however, by a judicious mixture of flattery and promises, and
+specially, by enlarging on the opportunity that there would be of
+electrifying the _elite_ of Joppa by a display of eloquence, he induced
+the King to come away. Antiochus was eaten up with a vanity that was
+almost insane, and he was as proud of his capacity for serious oratory as
+he was of his talents as a buffoon.
+
+Unfortunately the eloquence was never displayed. The King had drunk
+largely of the heady wine which was a favourite with the nautical
+customers of the tavern, and he applied himself with equal diligence to
+the more refined vintages which he found on the table of Stratocles, his
+entertainer. The company drank his health in bumpers; and, not to be
+outdone, a huge capacity for drink being, as he thought, one of his most
+honourable distinctions, he pledged them in return by draining a cup of a
+royal size. This was a final effort. He spoke a few hesitating sentences,
+frequently interrupted by hiccoughs, staggered, and but for the prompt
+attention of his attendants, who had indeed observed his condition, would
+have fallen to the ground. Nothing remained but to carry him out of the
+banqueting hall.
+
+It was late in the afternoon of the following day before he was
+sufficiently recovered from the effects of his debauch to start for
+Jerusalem. A halt for the night was made about halfway, and late in the
+afternoon of the next day the cavalcade approached Jerusalem. Jason came
+out to meet his guest. He had done his utmost to bring a reputable company
+with him, but his efforts had not been very successful. The respectable
+part of the population of the city was conspicuously absent, a mixed
+multitude of strangers and half-breeds, brutal in manners and squalid in
+appearance, represented the Jewish nation. Fortunately it was dark, and
+the torchlight procession with which the King was escorted into the city
+did something to conceal by its picturesque effects the general meanness
+of the affair. Antiochus, however, did not fail to notice the character of
+the gathering, and indeed rallied his host on his ragged and disreputable
+followers. But his good humour did not seem to be disturbed. He admired
+the decorations of the palace, was loud in praise of Jason's taste in art,
+and indeed admired one statuette so much that his host felt compelled to
+offer it for his acceptance, much against his will, for it was supposed to
+be an original by Scopas, and to be worth at least five talents. The next
+day came a visit to the Temple. The King shrugged his shoulders at what he
+was pleased to consider the tastelessness of its architecture, suggested
+to his host that he had better pull the whole place down and build it
+again in a better style, and offered him the services of his own architect
+and a painter who, he said, had a quite unequalled skill for such subjects
+as a dance of satyrs and nymphs, and would cover the walls of the new
+building with some really elegant designs. But if the architecture of the
+Temple did not please him, he expressed a genuine admiration for some of
+its contents. There was a greedy light in his eye as he looked at the rich
+furniture and gorgeous vessels--and this, though Jason, having certain
+views of his own, had the prudence not to show him the chamber which
+contained the most massive treasures of the place. But whatever Antiochus
+may have thought, he said nothing but what was civil and pleasant. It may
+be supposed, however, that a few days of such a guest would be enough, and
+it was with unmixed delight that at the end of a week Jason saw him depart
+for Phenice.
+
+
+
+
+
+                              CHAPTER III.
+
+                                MENELAUS.
+
+
+Two years have passed, and the fate which Jason had declared to be beyond
+all limits of probability or possibility has actually overtaken him. One
+of his agents, named Oniah, who has assumed the name of Menelaues, for the
+rage for Greek fashions still continues unabated, has outbidden him, and
+now reigns in his stead, occupying the palace on Mount Sion which he had
+been at such pains to adorn.
+
+If we look into his library we shall see not only the books and
+statuettes--the silver tankards are gone, melted down into money that was
+wanted for some sudden exigency--but our old acquaintance, Cleon. The
+supple Greek was not one of those who take their friends for better, for
+worse. Jason was wandering about among the hills of Ammon with scarcely a
+garment to his back or a shekel that he could call his own, and what use
+could he find for the company of an accomplished gentleman, who had as
+keen an eye as any one for a fine bit of sculpture or painting, and could
+not be rivalled, out of the profession, in his taste for wine? The
+accomplished gentleman knew where he was appreciated, where he was of use,
+and, naturally, where he was well off. Accordingly he had found means, as
+such people always do find means, of ingratiating himself with the new
+occupant of the palace, and was installed as his consulting connoisseur
+and chief adviser in matters of taste.
+
+"A poor creature, certainly," he had replied to some depreciatory
+criticism which Menelaues had passed on his predecessor, "but it must be
+allowed that he had a taste in art."
+
+"Or was sensible enough to be guided by those who had," said Menelaues.
+
+Cleon acknowledged the compliment with a bow, and went on, "I never found
+him make any difficulty about the price. And, of course, if a man goes to
+work in that spirit, and has good advice, too, he is bound to make a fine
+collection."
+
+Menelaues received the observation with a grimace, and a significant shrug
+of the shoulders. "'No difficulty about the price,' you say. Of course
+not. Why should he? When a man doesn't pay, he is apt to be easy about the
+amount. Do you know that the bills for half the things that you see in
+this room have been sent in to me? Sometimes he had to pay the money down.
+The 'Gladiator' there, from Pergamum could not have been got without ready
+cash; but wherever he could, he went on credit, and now the dealers are
+down upon me."
+
+And he held up a sheaf of bills.
+
+"Here," he went on, "is a pretty account from Theodotus of Alexandria, the
+bookseller, you know:
+
+"'_A Manuscript of Anacreon_ (said to be   10   minae.
+autograph)
+_The Milesian Tales_                        5   "
+_Drinking Songs from Cratinus_              2   "'
+
+And so it goes on, with a quantity of books which I am sure the old
+impostor never read. Two talents and twelve minae it comes to altogether.
+Then here is 'A Group of the Graces, 1 talent;' 'Silenus, 20 minae;' 'Satyr
+and Nymphs, half a talent.' 'Set of Flagons, worked with the Labours of
+Hercules, 2 talents.' These the villain melted down before he went. Fancy
+the rascality of that! Why, the silver by weight could not have been worth
+a fourth part of what it cost with the workmanship."
+
+"Well," said Cleon, "the fellows can wait. They can afford it; I know
+enough about these things to be sure that they get a very handsome profit.
+I used to travel, you know, for Cleisthenes of Syracuse, and so got to
+know something about the secrets of the trade. No, you need not be afraid
+of making them wait."
+
+"Well, they have waited three years already," returned Menelaues; "and very
+likely will have to be out of their money for as many more. But here is a
+gentleman who won't wait. Here is Sostratus" (Sostratus, it should be
+mentioned, was Governor of the Castle, which was garrisoned by Syrian
+troops, and so the representative of King Antiochus)--"here is Sostratus
+asking for the half-year's tribute, and giving me a pretty strong hint
+that, if I don't send it, he shall come and take it for himself. And where
+is the money to come from?"
+
+"Well," said Cleon, with a little laugh, "I suppose there is one way to
+get milk, and that is to go to the cow, or the goat, or the sheep. You
+see, we have a certain choice between big and little. And so, if you want
+money, you must go to the people, I suppose."
+
+"The people! they are squeezed absolutely dry, at least one would think
+so. I could tell you stories about the squeezing that would make you split
+your sides with laughing. There was old Levi, a Bethlehem farmer; they
+boiled him, or half-boiled him, because he would not pay his taxes--said
+that he couldn't, the old villain! They put him in a caldron, you see, and
+kept heating it up, because he would not tell where he had hidden his
+money."
+
+"Well, did they get it out of him?"
+
+"No, the obstinate old dog, he would not say a word; but before he was
+quite finished his wife brought the coins from her head-dress and bought
+him off. They say that he was the queerest figure when he came out of the
+water, with the skin hanging about him in folds. Well, at all events, it
+was a good washing for him. He had never been so clean in his life
+before."
+
+"And did he recover?" asked Menander.
+
+"Upon my word, I can't remember. But I do know that we got the money."(5)
+
+"Well, I remember what your predecessor used to say. It was in this very
+room about two years ago that I asked him whether he felt quite safe. 'Oh,
+yes!' he answered, 'I have got the last farthing that is to be got, and
+there is an end of it!'"
+
+"Well," replied the high priest, "there are other ways of getting money
+besides taxes. I will allow that Jason worked the taxes as well as a man
+could. No one can eat or drink, lie down or get up, walk or ride, travel
+or stay at home, be born or marry, or be buried, without having to pay for
+it. No! I do not see room for another, and I am sure that it is not for
+want of looking. But, as I said, there are other ways. Now--can you keep a
+secret?"
+
+"A secret! I should say so--not the grave itself better!"
+
+"Hush! my friend, good words! good words!" cried the high priest, who
+felt, or affected to feel, the common Greek superstition against words
+that seemed to carry an evil omen with them. "Well, if you can, come
+here."
+
+So saying, Menelaues took his friend into an adjoining room, and opening a
+cupboard, secured, as the Greek observed, by an iron door and by a lock of
+elaborate construction, showed him a number of massive gold vases.
+
+"And where do these come from?" asked Cleon, almost dazzled by the
+splendid array.
+
+"Where should they come from, but from the Temple? Some of these have got
+a history of their own. You see that two-handled cup? King Artaxerxes gave
+it to Nehemiah: solid gold. And you see those splendid sapphires in the
+handles? The very biggest stones of the sort I have ever seen, and worth
+three talents each. Then there is that salver, Alexander of Macedon gave
+it to the Temple; and that casket there was a present from the first
+Ptolemy."
+
+"But, my dear sir," said the Greek, astonished at the audacity of the
+whole affair, "is not this going a little too far? Suppose the people were
+to find it out? Would there not be a rather formidable uproar?"
+
+"Well, of course; we cannot get anything without risk. But I have taken
+precautions. First, I have put a facsimile of every one of these in the
+Temple; gilded lead, which does perfectly well for all practical
+purposes."
+
+"But the weight! Surely any one can tell the difference by the weight."
+
+"Of course, my dear Cleon, I know that lead is little more than half as
+heavy as gold. But there are ways of making it up. You can put a great
+deal more metal in, without its being observed, and almost make up the
+difference. And, you see, the things are never allowed to be handled; can
+only be looked at. I have given very strict orders about that, you may be
+sure. Of course the treasurer is in the secret; but as he must sink or
+swim with me, he may be trusted. Besides, I am not going to run the risk
+of keeping them here. I can trust you, my good Cleon, as I can my own
+brother--in fact, when I come to think of it, a good deal more--yet I am not
+sure that I should have told you so much, but that the best of these are
+going to be packed off to-night. The fact is, they are sold already."
+
+The Greek could only shrug his shoulders and say nothing. As my readers
+will have perceived, he was not a man of high principles--in fact, to put
+the matter plainly, he was an unscrupulous adventurer. But the reckless
+villainy of Menelaues fairly disgusted him. His taste, quite apart from any
+question of principle or honesty, revolted at the notion that a man,
+placed as was the high priest of the Jewish people, should deal with these
+historic treasures as a vulgar burglar might deal with them. This was a
+refinement of feeling into which the vulgar cupidity of Menelaues did not
+enter. He went on:
+
+"How wild that scoundrel Jason would be, if he knew of this, to think that
+he had lost such an opportunity, had these treasures in his hand, so to
+speak, and leave them to his worst enemy!"
+
+"Have you heard anything lately about him?" asked the Greek, not unwilling
+to change the subject.
+
+"Oh, yes," replied Menelaues, "he is wandering about somewhere in the
+country of the Ammonites, and at his wits' end, I am told, how to live."
+
+"Poor fellow!" said Cleon, _sotto voce_, "he was always very kind to me,
+and I can't help being sorry for him." He then went on aloud, "He will
+find it a great change from his way of living here."
+
+"Yes, yes!" said Menelaues; "but still, some of his old ways and habits
+will come in usefully. He was always great about training, you remember.
+Every one should be ready to fight a boxing-match or run a race. Cold,
+hunger, fatigue; these, he used to say, are the things to bring out a
+man's muscles. And now he has got them in perfection. He might really
+carry off some prize, only, unluckily, he is getting a little too old for
+that sort of thing. And then, you recollect, how he would go on about the
+beauty of the human form. Clothes, especially the gorgeous clothes of our
+people, obscured so tastelessly its magnificent proportions. Well, he has
+not much to complain of, I imagine, on that score. By the last account
+that I had of him he had as little in the way of clothing as a man could
+well have. Anyhow, he may console himself with thinking that _his_
+magnificent proportions are not obscured. Well, I don't pity him. A man
+who has managed to get into a good place and then cannot stick to it is
+nothing better than a fool, and richly deserves everything that he may
+get."
+
+At this point in the conversation a servant announced the arrival of a
+message from Sostratus, Governor of the Castle.
+
+"All the gods and goddesses confound the man!" cried the high priest, in a
+rage. He was fond of garnishing his conversation with a little Greek
+profanity. "Another dunning message, I suppose. Well, he must wait. No man
+can get any water by squeezing out of a dry sponge; and that is about what
+I am!"
+
+The communication from Sostratus proved, however, to be on quite another
+subject, though it was, if possible, even more unwelcome. It ran thus:--
+
+
+   "_Sostratus, Vicegerent of the Divine King, Antiochus, to Menelaues,
+                       the High Priest, greeting._
+
+  "Know that I have this day received the summons of the Divine King,
+  Antiochus, to attend him at his court at Antioch, within the space of
+  thirty days, there to inform his Highness more fully of affairs
+  concerning his province of Judaea. Know also that your presence is
+  required at the same place and time, whereof the writing herewith
+  enclosed, being sealed with the King's seal, will be proof sufficient.
+  Farewell."
+
+
+Menelaues's face visibly lengthened as he read this epistle. "By the dog!"
+(this was a Socratic oath which he sometimes affected, as giving to his
+conversation a certain philosophic tinge)--"By the dog! this is worse than
+being dunned! I like not a journey to Antioch. A very pretty place, but
+expensive, dreadfully expensive, especially when one has the honour of
+being entertained by the King."
+
+Cleon felt a certain pleasure in the high priest's discomfiture. The new
+patron was more overbearing, less considerate, and generally more
+difficult to get on with than the old. Jason, coxcomb as he was, had
+always been kind, and Cleon felt as kindly for him as it was in his nature
+to feel for any one. And then the exquisite propriety with which this
+disturbing news followed the man's taunts and boasts was irresistible.
+
+"It is hard," he said, as if to himself, "when a man has got into a good
+place----"
+
+Menelaues darted an angry look at his friend, but the Greek's face, which
+he knew how to keep under admirable control, expressed nothing but
+respectful sympathy. There was an unpleasant suggestion of mockery in what
+he had heard; but the Greek was a useful person; he had been trusted, too,
+and knew things which it would not do to have published. Altogether, the
+high priest concluded, it would not do to quarrel with him--anyhow, for the
+present; some day, perhaps, he might be got rid of.
+
+"I suppose, sir, you cannot make an excuse--important affairs of State, the
+King's service to be attended to, or something of that kind?"
+
+Cleon made the suggestion, knowing perfectly well that it was quite out of
+the question. But he enjoyed the novel position of tormenting his patron,
+and was taking it out, so to speak, for not a few rudenesses and slights.
+
+"Excuse!" cried Menelaues. "It would be as much as my head is worth to do
+anything of the kind. No! I must go. But this is not a journey which one
+cares to take empty-handed. Let me see what I can take--two or three of the
+most portable cups, as much coin as I can scrape together, and the
+jewels--jewels are always useful: it is so easy to hide them. Well, I shall
+leave you in charge; unless, indeed, you are very much set on going
+yourself."
+
+Cleon was not at all set upon going; on the contrary, nothing short of the
+strongest inducements would have persuaded him to the journey. Going to
+Antioch was like putting one's head into the lion's mouth. There was no
+particular reason, indeed, why _his_ head should be bitten off; but lions
+are capricious, and sometimes use their teeth for the mere fun of the
+thing.
+
+"I am much obliged for the chance," he said, "but my health has been
+suffering lately, and I do not feel quite equal to the journey."
+
+"Well, then," replied Menelaues, "stop here, and keep things as straight as
+you can. And if you can sell some of these pretty things for ready money,
+do so--the usual commission for yourself, of course. But it must all be
+kept quiet."
+
+The next day the high priest and the Governor, neither of them in very
+good spirits, were on their way to Antioch.
+
+
+
+
+
+                               CHAPTER IV.
+
+                               AT ANTIOCH.
+
+
+Antioch more than deserved the praise of "a very pretty place," which
+Menelaues had bestowed upon it. In fact, it was one of the finest cities of
+the world. The old town which the first Antiochus(6) had found had been
+improved away by him and his successors. All that could be done by a
+despotic power that made very short work with the wishes and even the
+rights of private owners of property, and by a lavish expenditure of
+money, had been done by five generations of rulers, and the result was
+magnificent. Broad streets ran from side to side; and those who grumbled
+that the narrow alleys of the old town gave at least a shelter from the
+sun were consoled by the rows of planes and limes, planted alternately,
+which shaded both sides of each thoroughfare. Rows of houses, which looked
+more like palaces than private dwellings, occupied the best quarter of the
+city, and even the poorest regions had nothing of the squalor of poverty.
+Even the filth so common in the East was conspicuously absent from
+Antioch, for every gutter ran with an unceasing stream of water, drawn
+from a higher point of the Orontes and carrying into that river at a lower
+point all the defilement of the streets. Temples, in which a whole
+pantheon of gods was worshipped, were to be seen on every hand. The pure
+and harmonious outlines of Greek architecture could be seen side by side
+with the _bizarre_ conceptions of Oriental art. If the kings and their
+Greek subjects worshipped Zeus and Apollo, and, above all, Aphrodite, who
+had here her famous grove of Daphne, so the Syrian population were
+faithful to Baal and Ashtaroth. A magnificent amphitheatre, capable of
+holding at least thirty thousand spectators, rose, a striking mass of
+white marble, on the north side of the city; a colonnade ran round the
+four sides of the market-place, gorgeous with the lavish colours of the
+East, for here the art of Greece had been superseded for once by the more
+ornate native taste. But the river, rushing down between its noble
+embankments of stone, was the chief ornament of the place. The Orontes had
+not gathered round it the splendid associations that clustered about the
+Tiber, but its broad, clear stream was in everything else more than a
+match for its Italian rival.
+
+Menelaues and his companion, who, it may be guessed, had reasons of his own
+for regarding with anxiety the summons that brought him to the capital,
+were not a little relieved to find that the King had been called away by
+urgent affairs.
+
+Tarsus, one of the most important cities in his dominions, had rebelled.
+Its antiquity, its wealth, and its fame as a seat of culture, a character
+in which it claimed to be a rival of Athens itself, had combined to give
+the Tarsians a high opinion of themselves. Successive rulers, beginning
+with the Assyrian kings, its first founders, had allowed the city a
+certain independence; and its pride was grievously wounded when the young
+King, with the reckless levity that distinguished him, handed it over as a
+private possession to his mistress. The citizens pitched the lady's
+collectors into the Cydnus, shut their gates, and defied their sovereign;
+Mallos, another Cilician city which had suffered the same indignity,
+following their example. The King had marched to reduce the rebels--a task,
+it was probable, of no little difficulty--leaving a certain Andronicus to
+act as his deputy, and specially to dispose of the charge on which
+Menelaues and Sostratus had been summoned.
+
+This charge was one of a very formidable kind. Menelaues's dealings with
+the treasures of the Temple had not been so secret as he had hoped. Such
+things cannot be done without a certain number of confederates, and such
+confederates are very apt to give a finishing touch to their villainy by
+betraying their chief. In this instance one of the journeymen employed had
+considered himself insufficiently paid, rightly thinking, perhaps, that if
+sacrilege can be recompensed at all, it ought to be recompensed
+handsomely. Personally he was too insignificant to venture an attack on so
+great a potentate as the high priest, but he knew whither to carry his
+information. He told what he knew to a priest, who, besides being a devout
+Jew, was a member of the family to which the high priesthood properly
+belonged. The priest, after satisfying himself that the story was true, at
+once set about bringing the offender to justice.
+
+His course was plain. Menelaues, we have seen, had supplanted Jason, and
+Jason had himself purchased the dignity. But Oniah, the rightful high
+priest, who had been displaced by Jason, was still alive. Antiochus,
+naturally fearing his influence with his countrymen, had kept him at his
+capital, treating him, strange to say, with remarkable consideration. But
+Oniah was one of those men who extort veneration even from the most
+reckless of profligates. His venerable figure, his face beaming with
+benevolence, his blameless life, and the charities which he dispensed up
+to and even beyond the limit of his means, had won for him the regard of
+all Antioch. Even the heathen would stop him in the streets and beg his
+blessing. Oniah was a power in Antioch for which even the reckless young
+profligate on the throne had an unfeigned respect.
+
+It may, then, be easily imagined that no little sensation was produced
+when this venerable personage appeared before Antiochus, and, in the
+presence of the Court, accused Menelaues, whom he had steadfastly refused
+to acknowledge as high priest, of having embezzled much of the treasure of
+the Temple at Jerusalem. That Oniah, whose veracity and good faith were
+beyond all question, should make such a charge was _prima facie_ evidence
+of its truth. As he was known to have many friends in Jerusalem, it was
+more than probable that evidence would be forthcoming. The King did not
+hesitate a moment in acting upon this probability. Of course, he did not
+look at the matter in at all the same light as that in which it was
+regarded by the devout Oniah. To the dispossessed high priest the robbery
+of the sacred vessels was a monstrous sacrilege, an offence of the deepest
+dye, not only against his country but against his God. Antiochus felt that
+it was he who had been wronged. The treasures of the Jerusalem Temple were
+_his_ treasures. He might be content to leave them, at all events for the
+present, where they were; but they must be ready to his hand whenever the
+occasion should arise, and any one who presumed to appropriate them was a
+traitor and a villain. Hence the urgent summons to Menelaues and to
+Sostratus, who, as Governor, could hardly fail, thought Antiochus, to have
+been cognizant of the whole proceeding.
+
+Almost immediately after the despatch of the summons came the trouble with
+Tarsus. The King started to chastise in person his rebellious subjects,
+and left, as we have said, Andronicus in general charge of affairs, and
+with a special commission to hear the accusation which Oniah was bringing
+against Menelaues. The choice was an unlucky one. Antiochus was sincerely
+anxious that justice should be done in the matter; but to get justice done
+in any particular case when it is not the rule of the administration is
+exceedingly difficult. Andronicus, to put the facts quite simply, was an
+unprincipled villain, ready to sell his decisions, when he could do so
+with impunity, to the highest bidder. He was an old acquaintance and
+confederate of Sostratus, and Menelaues, who had established friendly
+relations with the Governor during their journey from Jerusalem to
+Antioch, soon received a hint as to how he should proceed. The hearing of
+the case had been appointed for the sixth day after his arrival. Before
+that date one of the sacred vessels which he had taken the precaution of
+bringing with him, had been exchanged for five hundred gold pieces, and
+the gold pieces had found their way into the pocket of Andronicus.
+
+On the day appointed Oniah, supported by the principal Jewish inhabitants
+of Antioch and by not a few of the most respectable Greeks, appeared to
+substantiate his charges against the usurper Menelaues. The evidence
+appeared to be overwhelming. The artizan who had been employed to
+fabricate the worthless imitations of the precious vessels told the whole
+story of the fraud with a fulness of detail which seemed to bear all the
+stamp of truth. Another witness related how he had carried one of the
+original articles to a goldsmith at Sidon, and actually produced a rough
+memorandum of its weight, which had been made upon the spot, to be
+afterwards embodied in the formal receipt.
+
+The line of defence adopted was bold, not to say impudent. The whole
+affair, according to Menelaues, was a conspiracy on the part of the
+irreconcilable Jews to overthrow a loyal subject of the King. The
+witnesses, he declared, had been suborned, the documents had been forged.
+He then went on to bring a counter-charge against his accuser. And here he
+found a certain advantage in the transparent honesty of Oniah.
+
+"Do you acknowledge," he asked the ex-high priest, "the validity of the
+appointments which our most noble lord Antiochus has made to the office of
+high priest?"
+
+Oniah frankly confessed that he did not.
+
+"Do you consider yourself to be still, according to the Law, in rightful
+possession of that office?"
+
+"I do."
+
+"And bound to assert that right?"
+
+"By lawful means."
+
+"And you hold all means to be lawful that are enjoined in the Law of
+Moses?"
+
+"I do."
+
+"And among such means you would count the banishment from the precincts of
+the Holy City of all such as do not worship the Lord God of Israel?"
+
+Oniah felt that he was becoming entangled in this artful web of questions,
+and made an effort to break loose. "I appeal," he cried, "most excellent
+Andronicus, to all who, in this city of Antioch, for these four years past
+have known my manner of life. You see sundry of them, nor of my own nation
+only, in the court this day. Ask them whether I have not lived in all
+peace and quietness, not seeking to disturb, either by word or deed, the
+dominions of my lord the King."
+
+Menelaues, of course, had not come unprovided with witnesses. The old man
+had, to tell the truth, used language of an imprudent kind. He was a
+patriot and a believer. As such, he had his beliefs and his hopes, and it
+was part of his character to express such beliefs and hopes quite openly.
+He had talked of a day when the Holy Land should be no more the prey of
+the alien and the heathen, when a king of the House of David should rule
+in Mount Sion, when the Temple should regain all the sacredness and all
+the glory which had ever belonged to it. Such language, construed
+strictly, was not consistent with a thorough loyalty to the Syrian
+monarch. But no one who knew Oniah, a man of peace who had the good sense
+to recognize what was and what was not possible, could suppose that any
+scheme of revolt against existing authorities had ever entered into his
+mind. In fact he had not said a word that had not been said before by one
+or more of the prophets. Still, words which breathed a spirit of
+independence, when reported by witnesses, and acknowledged by Oniah--who
+was, indeed, too honest to deny them--gave Andronicus the occasion for
+which he had been looking. He gave his decision in the following terms:--
+
+"The charge against Menelaues is postponed for further hearing. Meanwhile
+the documents produced and the witnesses will remain in the custody of the
+Court. As for Oniah, he must be reserved for the judgment of the King in
+person. I should myself have been disposed to release him; but in the
+absence of my lord, considering that the peace of the realm is so
+essentially concerned, I do not venture so far."
+
+He was proceeding to give orders for the removal of Oniah, when an ominous
+murmur from the audience, with which the court was crowded, made him
+pause. Prisoners who saw the inside of an Antioch dungeon were sometimes
+not heard of again. The air had a certain power of developing very rapid
+diseases, so rapid that the sufferers were not only dead but buried before
+any tidings of the sickness reached their friends. Antioch was not
+disposed to see the man who was probably the most widely respected of all
+its inhabitants, exposed to such a risk. Andronicus, who could not even
+trust the soldiers to act against so venerable a person, drew back. He was
+willing, he said, to accept sureties in a sufficient amount for the due
+appearance of the accused. The sureties were forthcoming in a moment, in
+sums so great and so absolutely secure that Andronicus had no pretext for
+refusing them. He proceeded to adjourn the Court for fourteen days.
+
+During the interval he took the opportunity of making a change in the
+garrison of the capital. Troops recruited from some of the regions
+bordering on Judaea, and accordingly among the bitterest enemies of its
+people, replaced some Greek mercenaries. The strangers knew nothing about
+Oniah, except that he was a Jew, and, being a Jew, of course hateful. They
+could be relied upon to obey orders, and those who knew Andronicus were
+sure what orders he would issue.
+
+Oniah's friends urged him to fly. He was too old and feeble, he replied;
+it would be better for him to die at his post. Then they implored him to
+take sanctuary.
+
+"What!" he cried, "take sanctuary in a heathen temple! There is none other
+in the place. I would sooner die a thousand times."
+
+It was not in a temple, they explained, that he was to find shelter. It
+was in the Gardens of Daphne that they wished him to take refuge. And they
+proceeded to unfold an elaborate argument, the gist of which was that the
+Gardens were a civil, and not a religious, sanctuary; that there would be
+no occasion for him to enter the consecrated enclosure; he would be simply
+availing himself of a custom which forbad the entrance of the Minister of
+Justice into a place devoted to the amusement of the people. It is
+probable that they strained their argument beyond the limits of the truth.
+It was with great difficulty that Oniah could be made to yield. When he
+did so at last, on the urgent representations of his friends that the
+hopes of a free Israel were largely dependent on the preservation of his
+life, he could not help foreboding that the concession would not profit
+either himself or them.
+
+The world scarcely contained a more beautiful place--beautiful both by
+grace of nature and diligence of art--than the Gardens of Daphne; and
+certainly none that seemed more unlikely to shelter a devout Jew. Its
+avenues of cypress and laurels, its delicious depths of shade, its
+thousand streams, clear as crystal and untouched by the drought of the
+longest, most fiery summer, were but a part of its charms. Of some,
+perhaps the chief of its attractions, it is best not to speak; but there
+were others, less unseemly indeed, but such as must have been absolutely
+scandalous to such a man as Oniah. The curious thronged to see the
+gigantic statue of Apollo, a match both in size and costliness of material
+to that of Zeus in the plain of Olympia. (It was sixty feet in height, and
+wrought of gold and ivory.) To complete the resemblance to the famous
+meeting-place of the Greek race, there was a running ground and rings for
+wrestling and boxing. Finally, Daphne claimed to rival another great
+centre of Greek life in its special characteristic. It was stoutly
+maintained that the Apollo who haunted the laurel-groves of Daphne was as
+true a prophet as he who spoke through the lips of Pythia at Delphi.
+Crowds of men and women, eager to learn the secrets of the future, came to
+the groves of Antioch. The method by which they saw into the secrets of
+fate seemed singularly simple. The questioner dipped a laurel leaf into
+the stream that flowed by the shrine, and lo! the surface appeared written
+over with the intimations of fate. Simple it was, but the priests had
+spent a world of pains in acquiring the art of invisible writing, and they
+did their best to learn something about the history and prospects of the
+applicants.
+
+Such was Daphne, and no one could be more astonished than were its
+inhabitants and visitors at the strange figure whom they saw before them;
+strange to the place, indeed, rather than to them, for Oniah, as has been
+said, was one of the best-known personages in Antioch. The rumour of his
+coming had gone before him, and a crowd, half curious, half respectful,
+had gathered to meet him. In not a few, indeed, curiosity and respect were
+mingled with something of fear. The presence of this austere piety in this
+haunt of vicious pleasure, was thought to augur ill for its prosperity.
+Some of the priests were heard to murmur that one who was the avowed enemy
+of the gods ought not to be admitted. But they did not venture to deny to
+any one who sought them the privileges of sanctuary, while their fears
+were not of a kind which they could make their followers understand. They
+had, therefore, to acquiesce, and hope that the unwelcome visitor would
+bring with him no ill-luck.
+
+A little building, as remote as possible from the central temple, had been
+secured for the residence of Oniah. On reaching the gardens he had to make
+his way to it through two dense lines of eager spectators. The temple, the
+shrine of the oracle, the pavilions devoted to pleasure, were for the
+nonce deserted. The drunkards left their wine-cup, and, stranger still,
+the dice-players their gaming-tables, to gaze upon the holy man. As he
+walked up the narrow avenue that had been left for his passage, some of
+the women whose venal beauty was one of the attractions of the place,
+threw themselves at his feet. Unhappy creatures, they had been brought up
+from childhood to this life of degradation, which indeed had a certain
+hideous sanction of religious association about it; but they had not
+altogether lost the womanly veneration for goodness, and, like the
+Magdalen of a later time, seemed to forget themselves in its presence. The
+old man, unconscious of their character, or perhaps, with the Divine Guest
+of the Pharisee of Capernaum, ignoring it, stretched out his hands with
+the gesture of blessing, and, though it was technically a pollution to
+touch a heathen, he even laid them on some children who were almost thrust
+into his arms. There was hardly a heart that was not touched with this
+kindness, and when the priest, as he entered his new abode, turned and
+bade the multitude farewell, he was answered with shouts of enthusiasm.
+
+Menelaues and his accomplices were dismayed at the escape of the victim. A
+witness who knew so much, and whose word was so implicitly believed, must
+be silenced at any cost. To take him by force from the sanctuary was
+impossible. Any attempt of the kind would certainly end in disaster. But
+it might be possible to draw him forth by fraud. Menelaues knew enough of
+the old man's character to be sure that he had gone reluctantly, and would
+gladly seize the opportunity of quitting a scene in which he must have
+felt himself so much out of place. Some such fraud it would not be
+difficult to contrive with the help of Andronicus. Accordingly another of
+the sacred vessels found its way to the dealer, and another purse of gold
+into the pocket of the viceroy, and in a few hours the plot was arranged.
+As Antiochus was on his way back from the north, there was no time to be
+lost.
+
+Two days after the arrival of Oniah at the gardens a visitor to him was
+announced. It was the viceroy himself.
+
+"Venerable sir," he began, "it has grieved me beyond measure to find that
+you were distrustful of my honourable, and I may say friendly, intentions
+concerning you. Whoever accused me of ill-will towards you has wronged me
+most foully. And let me add that you also have been wronged no less in
+that you have been persuaded to come to a place so unworthy of your
+dignity. Your safety should be ensured, not by a sanctuary in which
+thieves and murderers find refuge, but by the inviolable precincts of the
+royal palace itself. Let me offer to you, in the name of the King, the
+hospitality of his abode. In the meanwhile I am willing to swear by any
+oaths that may suffice to satisfy you and your friends, that you shall
+suffer no injury from my hands."
+
+One or two of Oniah's friends strongly dissuaded him from trusting himself
+to the viceroy. But their caution was overborne by their companions and by
+the eagerness of the priest to quit so uncongenial a place. Andronicus
+took every oath known to Greek or Jew that he would treat the priest with
+all respect, and Oniah gladly bade farewell to the Gardens. His departure
+was made at the dead of night, and unknown to any of the inhabitants of
+Daphne. Had they been aware of his intention, it is probable, knowing as
+they did the character of Andronicus, that they would have hindered it by
+force.
+
+Almost at the moment of Oniah's arrival at the palace a runner reached it
+from the King announcing his intended arrival on the next day.
+
+Speedy action was necessary, and Andronicus, though not without
+misgivings, determined to lose no time. A Court of Justice, so called, was
+hastily held. A creature of his own was called to preside over it.
+Witnesses whose testimony had been carefully prepared, deposed to
+preparations for rebellion to which Oniah had been privy, and to which he
+had lent his aid. The accused was not allowed to have an advocate, and
+scarcely even permitted to speak. Two hours sufficed for this mockery of a
+legal process, and two more for carrying into effect the sentence of death
+which was of course pronounced. Though the brutal Cilicians who formed the
+garrison of the palace were ready to carry out any order which their
+officer might give, it was judged well to avoid anything like a public
+execution. That very night Oniah was poisoned in his prison, and before
+dawn the next day his body was hastily consigned to the tomb.
+
+The punishment for this atrocious act of treachery and cruelty was not
+long delayed. One of the first acts of Antiochus, after his return to his
+capital, was to demand the presence of Oniah, and then the story had to be
+told. Andronicus did his best to put such a colour upon it as would
+deceive his master. The attempt was vain. The King saw in a moment through
+the idle charges which had been brought against the dead man. "What!" he
+cried, "Oniah rebel against _me_!" His vanity and self-confidence made the
+accusation seem the very height of absurdity.
+
+"Of course," the King went on--"of course he did not acknowledge the
+priesthood of Jason or Menelaues; he has told me so himself twenty times.
+He could not think otherwise, and he was as honest as the day. I only wish
+that he had left another as honest behind him. Zeus and all the gods of
+heaven and hell confound me if I do not avenge him to the uttermost. Tell
+me," he cried, turning to the captain of the Cilicians, who stood by
+dismayed at his master's rage--"tell me where you have buried him."
+
+The captain described the place.
+
+"I will see him once more, and these villains shall see him too," he said,
+pointing to the trembling pair, Andronicus and his creature the judge.
+
+He went on foot, his royal dress discarded for a mourner's cloak. His
+courtiers followed him, and a guard of soldiers behind brought with them
+the guilty viceroy and judge.
+
+"Open the grave," he said, when he reached the spot.
+
+It was soon done, for the murderers had hurried their victim into a
+shallow tomb. In a few minutes the body of the dead man was exposed to
+view. Decay had not commenced, and death had given fresh depth and beauty
+to the serenity which had been their habitual expression in life.
+Antiochus gazed awhile at the face; then, dropping on his knees, covered
+his head with his mantle, and burst into a passion of tears.
+
+In a few minutes he rose to his feet. Grief had given place to rage, and
+his eyes blazed with fury.
+
+"Bind that wretch!" he cried, pointing to the wretched Andronicus.
+
+He was bound, and stood waiting his doom.
+
+"He is not worth the blow of an honest sword," cried the King; "strangle
+him, as if he were a dog. But first make him look at the man whom he has
+murdered."
+
+Andronicus was forced to the edge of the grave and compelled to look at
+the dead. A halter was thrown round his neck, and the next moment he was a
+corpse. The judge shared his fate. "And you, sir," said the King, turning
+to the captain who had administered the poison--"you, sir, though you are a
+barbarian, and know no better, must learn that you cannot rob the world of
+one who was worth a thousand such brutes as you. You are captain no more;
+that is your successor," and he pointed to an officer in his train. "You
+can groom his horses, if you don't want to starve. And think that you are
+lucky that you keep your head."
+
+So the good Oniah was avenged.
+
+
+
+
+
+                               CHAPTER V.
+
+                            THE WRATH TO COME.
+
+
+A year has passed since the tragedy related in the last chapter. Menelaues,
+thanks chiefly to the fickle temper of Antiochus, had escaped the fate
+which overtook his accomplice Andronicus, and had returned to pillage his
+unfortunate countrymen in Palestine. But his lease of power had come to an
+end. Jason, his dispossessed rival, had taken the opportunity of a report
+that Antiochus was dead, and attacked him. There could hardly be any
+choice between the two men. Both were equally rapacious; equally
+unfaithful to their religion and their country. But Jason had been out of
+power for two years, and his misdeeds had faded a little from the memory
+of the people; Menelaues's enormities were still fresh in their
+recollection. After a sharp conflict, the losses of which were utterly out
+of proportion to any gain that could possibly come from it, Jason had won
+the day, and his rival had been compelled to take refuge in the Castle.
+Then came the news that the report of the death of Antiochus was false. He
+had settled affairs in Egypt after his liking, and was now on his way
+northwards, furious at the trouble which this obstinate province was
+giving him, and resolved, as he said, to quiet it for good. Jason had fled
+in headlong haste, and his partisans, and, indeed, most of those who had
+the means to go, had followed his example. Meanwhile Jerusalem was
+awaiting the future with fear and trembling.
+
+It is an evening in the early summer, and the western wall of the city is
+crowded with men and women, who are gazing with awe-stricken faces on the
+strange appearance of the sunset. All day people had been talking of the
+marvellous shapes which had appeared the evening before in the western
+sky, and now a great multitude had assembled to see whether the marvel
+would be repeated, and, if so, to judge of it for themselves. Nor had they
+assembled in vain. Never, within the memory of man, had the heavens worn a
+stranger, a more terrifying look. Above the spot where the sun was just
+sinking to his rest the whole sky glowed with a red and angry light. On
+this background, so to speak, the clouds of a lower stratum had shaped
+themselves into the forms of two armies ready to engage in battle. The
+spectators seemed to be able to trace in one place the serried ranks of
+infantry, in another the massed array of chariots and horses. A space,
+brilliantly coloured, as it might seem, with something like the hue of
+blood, intervened between the two airy hosts. But these seemed to be
+slowly nearing each other, and the gazing people watched the lessening
+space, expecting, one might think, to hear the actual clash of arms when
+they should have met. But then the sun set, and with the sudden failing of
+light that marks the evening of more southern climes than ours, the whole
+pageant vanished from before the eyes of the spectators.
+
+Among the crowd is our old acquaintance Menander, or Micah, whom we last
+met in the library of Jason. Things have not gone well with him since
+then. He had cherished a belief that Greek culture, the brightness of
+Greek literature and art, would do something to amend the severity, and
+what he was pleased to call the tastelessness of Jewish life. To a certain
+extent it had been an honest belief, though the pleasure-loving nature of
+the man, in its revolt against the stern morality of the Law, had had
+something to do with developing it. But his experience of Greek culture
+and its works had not been encouraging. If the reforming doctrine had to
+be preached by such prophets as Jason, and Menelaues, and the cruel and
+profligate young tyrant Antiochus, it was more than doubtful whether it
+would do any good. Hitherto, certainly, it had done no good at all. The
+people were more unhappy, more spiritless, more like slaves than they had
+ever been before; the rulers were more greedy and selfish, more absolutely
+careless of all that did not concern their own interests. Might he not, he
+began to think to himself, have made a mistake? Might not the old life,
+which was at least the life of free men, be better than the new?
+
+He was busy with such thoughts when he heard a woman's voice behind him
+whisper "Micah." He did not recognize it at once, but its tones were
+familiar to him, and they seemed to touch the same chord in his heart with
+which his thoughts were then busy. And the name, the old Hebrew name, that
+too was familiar, though it was long since he had heard it. He was
+"Menander" to his friends; for his friends were either Greeks, or else
+Jews who, like himself, had cast off the associations of his birth and
+race.
+
+"Micah," said the voice again, and he turned to look at the speaker.
+
+She was a woman of some thirty years, plainly, almost poorly, dressed, but
+with all the air of gentle birth and breeding. Her face was beautiful, not
+with the brilliant loveliness of youth, but with that which is brought
+into the features by a pure and tender soul. There were the lines of many
+sorrows and cares upon her forehead, and round her eyes, and in the
+corners of mouth and cheek; but her eyes, save that they seemed almost too
+large for the thinner contours of the face, were as beautiful as they had
+been in the first glory of her youth.
+
+It was Hannah, his elder sister, who had been as a mother to him in his
+orphaned childhood, that Menander recognized. Years had passed since they
+met. There had been no quarrel, but circumstances had made a barrier
+between them. What Menander's life had been we know, and Hannah was the
+wife of a faithful and devout Jew, Azariah by name, who, though still
+cherishing kindly thoughts for his young kinsman, had felt that, for the
+present at least, they were best apart.
+
+Brother and sister eagerly clasped hands, and Menander, or Micah, as we
+will call him, felt a lump rise in his own throat as he saw the tearful
+smile in Hannah's lustrous eyes.
+
+"Micah," she said--"for you will not mind my calling you Micah, though I
+hear you use another name; but you were always Micah to me--this is a
+strange sight on which we have been looking."
+
+"Yes, sister," he answered, with a gaiety of tone which was more than half
+assumed--"yes, sister, strange enough; but then we know that the clouds do
+take strange shapes at times. A current of air blows them this way or
+that, and, with our fancy to help, they become anything in heaven or earth
+that we may fancy."
+
+"Nay, Micah, there is more than fancy here. You and I used to watch the
+clouds from the window in the old house, and to laugh at the odd shapes
+which we found in them--lions, and dogs, and whales, and such things--but we
+never saw such a sight as this."
+
+"But we had not in those days such thoughts of our own to read into the
+sights of the skies. But tell me, Hannah, what do you think it means?"
+
+"What can it mean," she answered, in a low voice, "but wrath--wrath upon us
+and upon our children?"
+
+"Wrath, perhaps," he cried; "and the sky has, I must confess, an angry
+look. But why must it be upon us? Why not rather upon our enemies? I see
+nothing in the skies which tells us whether these sights be meant for us
+or for them."
+
+"Nay, my brother, speak not thus, for you know better in your heart. The
+heavens give us these signs, or rather God gives them to us through the
+heavens, but He leaves it to our own hearts to interpret them. They tell
+us surely enough on whom this wrath must fall."
+
+"But, sister, tell me why on us? Are we worse than our neighbours--than
+these robbers of Edomites and Ammonites, these sullen Romans, never
+satisfied except when they are fighting--these mongrel Syrians?"
+
+"They are heathen," said Hannah, in a solemn voice, "and they do not sin
+against light. Let us leave them to the judgment of God. But ourselves we
+can judge. Look at this city; we call it the City of David--but where is
+the spirit of David? Have we not trampled the Law underfoot, making to
+ourselves graven images of things in heaven and earth and the water under
+the earth? Where is the honour of the Sabbath? Where is the morning and
+evening sacrifice? Where are the yearly feasts? Will our God deliver us
+again, when we will not thank Him for the deliverances that He hath
+wrought already? Oh, Micah, I do not seek to anger you; but are you such
+as our father, now in Abraham's bosom, would rejoice to see you? And tell
+me, how was it that we Hebrews became a great people? A Syrian ready to
+perish was our father, and lo! before a thousand years were past, Solomon
+reigned from the great river to the Western sea. How came we by this
+might? Was it by aping Egyptian or Greek? Did we not keep to our own way,
+and walk after our own law, and worship our own God? Then it was well with
+us, and the nations round about feared us and honoured us; but now they
+laugh us to scorn, for we are ashamed of our own selves, and seek to be
+what they are, and cannot attain to it, and so fall short both of their
+greatness and of ours."
+
+Micah stood dumb before this fierce torrent of words. Was this the gentle
+Hannah of his youth? There must be some mighty influence that could change
+the lamb into the lioness.
+
+She went on, in a gentler voice, "You are not angry with me, brother?"
+
+"Surely not."
+
+"I must go, for my husband will be waiting for the evening meal. Come,
+children," she went on, speaking to two little girls who had been clinging
+to their mother's cloak, gazing open-eyed and half-terrified at this
+strange kinsman.
+
+"And are these my nieces?"
+
+"Yes; Miriam and Judith," answered Hannah, pointing first to one and then
+to the other. "This, children, is your dear uncle, Micah."
+
+The young man stooped and kissed the children.
+
+"You will not let it be so long before we see you again?" said Hannah.
+
+His answer was to wring her hand, and turn away. Her words had pricked him
+to the heart, and he did not know whether to thank her or be angry.
+
+We must now turn to another group which had also been drawn to the walls
+by the report of the marvellous sights that were to be seen in the
+heavens. A group it was that would have attracted attention anywhere, so
+remarkable were the contrasts and the resemblances which it presented.
+
+The principal figure was an old man dressed in the everyday garb of a
+priest. The burden of years had bowed his stately figure, for he had long
+since passed the limit which the Psalmist assigns to the life of man, but
+his eye was as brilliant as ever, and his voice, when he spoke, had lost
+none of its depth and fulness of tone. His three companions were men in
+the vigour of life. All surpassed the common stature, but yet none of them
+equalled the height of their father, for that they were father and sons
+the most casual observer must have seen. In age there was little
+difference between them. The eldest may have numbered about forty years,
+the youngest, perhaps, four less. Their dress was mainly that of the
+middle-class Jew, and so different from the old man's priestly garb, but
+not without some distinctive marks that indicated the fact that they
+belonged to the House of Aaron. The multitude of priests was indeed so
+great that but a very small share in the services of the Temple, even when
+these were fully carried out, fell to the lot of any one man. These
+services had now been reduced to a minimum, and numbers of the priestly
+houses, while not repudiating their hereditary office, practically devoted
+themselves to the ordinary avocations of life. This had been done by the
+three sons of Mattathias of Modin, for such was the name and such the
+ancestral city of the aged priest.
+
+"Judas," said the old man, addressing one of his sons, "these signs in the
+heavens are of a surety from the Lord."
+
+The son addressed was the youngest of the three; but it was evident from
+the bearing of his brothers, and from the air of respect and attention
+with which they waited for him to speak, that they were accustomed to see
+him the first recipient of their father's confidence. And indeed it was
+not difficult to see, under a superficial resemblance of figure and face,
+something that distinguished him from his companions. John, the eldest,
+was a plain, blunt soldier, raised above the average level of his
+profession, by the purity of his life and the depth of his religious
+convictions, but still essentially a soldier, one who saw no way of
+solving complicated questions save by a downright blow of the sword.
+Simon, the second in point of age, had a singularly mild and benevolent
+expression, though his eyes were full of intelligence and the lines of his
+mouth and chin seemed to show that he could be firm on occasion. But Judas
+had all the outward characteristics of a hero. A sturdier soldier never
+wielded sword, but he saw that there are difficulties to which the sword
+alone can bring no solution. Nor was he slow to follow all the subtleties
+of diplomacy; but, at the same time, he never lost his grasp of the
+principles which all the skill of the diplomatist is unable to change.
+
+"Father," he now said, "that these signs are from the Lord I do not doubt.
+But what is your counsel?"
+
+"Speak you first, my son," replied the old man; "'tis ever best so. You
+might be unwilling to differ from me and yet be in the right. This at
+least my years have taught me--that it is easy for any man to err."
+
+"Let us stay," said Judas. "'Tis true the air is stifling, such as a free
+man can scarcely bear to breathe. But there are many, father, that look to
+you for counsel and guidance, and we may scarcely leave them, at least
+till the call sounds more plainly in our ears."
+
+"Nay," cried John, the soldier, "I am not, as you know, one that would
+readily give his vote for flight. But here we are, methinks, as rats in a
+hole. May we not lawfully, and with good faith to God and our brethren,
+seek some place where we may at least have space to draw our swords and
+strike a blow?"
+
+"And you, Simon, what say you?" asked the old man, turning to his second
+son.
+
+"God knows that I would give much to be back at home. But our brethren
+need us here, and we may give them some comfort. Let us stay."
+
+"Judas and Simon," said the old man, after a pause, "you have spoken well,
+and I give my voice with yours. As yet our duty seems to keep us here.
+When it shall call us hence, we will follow it. And you, John, think not
+that you will long want for an occasion to strike with the sword. It shall
+come; but you will be readier for it if you make no haste to meet it."
+
+With this the little party turned away from the wall, and made their way
+to their lodging in the city.
+
+
+
+
+
+                               CHAPTER VI.
+
+                              THE EVIL DAYS.
+
+
+It was not long before the portent which the terrified crowd had watched
+from the walls of Jerusalem found, or at least began to find, its
+fulfilment, for, indeed, many days were to pass before the wretched people
+had drained the cup of suffering to the dregs.
+
+First there was the actual arrival of the army, the rumour of whose
+approach had struck such terror into Jason. At its head came Antiochus in
+person, fresh from his successful campaigns in Egypt and in his train
+followed the renegade Menelaues with a crowd of unscrupulous and profligate
+adventurers. There was no attempt at resistance. The gates were thrown
+open by the King's adherents in the city. But if the citizens had hoped to
+soften the tyrant's heart by their submissive attitude they were miserably
+disappointed. For days the streets of the city ran red with blood. The
+prominent members of the patriotic party were the first to perish. Then
+came all the private enemies of the returning renegades; and then a far
+greater multitude who were singled out for destruction by the possession
+of anything that excited the cupidity of the conquerors. Lastly, as ever
+happens at such times, the massacre that is suggested by hatred or greed
+was followed by the massacre that is the result of the merest wantonness.
+But there were victims more unhappy than those who thus perished by the
+sword of the heathen. The money found on the persons and in the houses of
+the victims did not satisfy the cupidity of their murderers. There were
+thousands who had indeed nothing of their own to lose, but who were in
+themselves a valuable property. These were sent off in droves to be sold,
+till the slave-markets of the Eastern Mediterranean were glutted with the
+Jewish youth.
+
+Still worse in the eyes of all pious Jews than the massacre or the
+captivity was the profanation of the Temple. The innermost shrine, the
+Holy of Holies, which the high priest himself was permitted by the Law to
+enter but once only in the year, was thrown open to the unhallowed gaze of
+a debauched heathen. With a horror that passes description the people saw
+the renegade Menelaues, bound to be the guardian of the sanctity of the
+place, actually drawing aside the veil with his own hand, and conducting
+the King into the awful enclosure. They saw the most sacred treasures,
+gifts of the piety of many generations, treasures to which the revenue of
+the Persian kings, and even of the victorious Alexander himself had
+contributed, become the spoil of the sacrilegious intruders. The golden
+altar of incense and the table of the shew-bread were taken by the King,
+while the seven-branched candlestick of gold fell, as was commonly
+believed, to the high priest himself. They saw it, and it almost
+overturned their faith that no visible sign of the Divine wrath followed
+an impiety so terrible.
+
+So Antiochus came and went, leaving behind him as his deputy, Philip, the
+Phrygian, "in manners more barbarous than he who set him there." The time
+that followed was one of grievous depression and sadness. Life went on, as
+it will even amidst the gloomiest circumstances, but all the joy and
+brightness were crushed out of it.
+
+Micah's sister, the Hannah whom we have seen talking to him on the wall,
+gave birth to a son shortly after the departure of Antiochus. No feast was
+held on occasion of the rite that made the little one a member of the
+family of Abraham. When the forty days of purification were past, the
+mother was not taken to present her offspring in the Temple. The Temple,
+the haunt of pagans and apostates, was no place for faithful sons and
+daughters of Abraham. A visit to its courts could hardly be the seal of
+purification when it needed purifying so sorely itself.
+
+An occasion that should by right have been still more joyful was allowed
+to pass with the absence of festivity. A younger sister of Hannah, Ruth by
+name, had long before been promised to Seraiah, a friend and relative of
+her husband. Time after time the marriage had been postponed, under the
+pressure of evil times; and when at last it was performed, not even then
+without sore misgivings and anticipations of evil among all the elders of
+the family, the celebration was of the quietest kind. Not a guest beyond
+the few friends who attended on the bridegroom was invited; and it was in
+dead silence, not with the usual shouts of merriment and gay procession of
+torches, that the bride was taken to her husband's home.
+
+And yet, as we shall see, even for these evils there was a compensating
+good.
+
+Micah, though he had affected to make light of the foreboding of evil
+which he had heard from his sister, had really been impressed by it--so
+much impressed, indeed, that he had left the city for a little country
+house at the northern end of the Lake of Galilee, that belonged to him. He
+had invited his relatives to accompany him, but they had declined. Their
+place, they said, was at home, among their poorer brethren, where they
+might do something to help and strengthen. All that Micah could do was to
+commend them to the protection of the Greek party in the city, with whom,
+in spite of his fast increasing disgust at their proceedings, he had not
+yet broken.
+
+He had now returned, and he lost no time in finding his way to his
+sister's house. The ravages made by fire and sword were only too plainly
+visible as he walked along. Houses that he had known from his childhood,
+in which he had often been a guest, were now but blackened walls; others
+were shapeless ruins. Again and again he saw on fragments of stone and
+plaster hideous blotches which he knew to be of blood; and as he saw these
+things he cursed aloud the hands which had wrought these horrors, not
+without the bitterest self-reproach that his own hand might have grasped
+them in friendship.
+
+It was a great relief to find that his sister's house had been spared any
+outrage. But when he demanded admittance in the usual way, by kicking the
+door, it became evident that there had been a reign of terror, and that
+the inmates of the dwelling were not sure that it was yet over. The door
+was not thrown open in the usual free fashion of Jewish hospitality, but
+he became aware by a slight movement of one of the closed lattices that he
+was being inspected from above. The inspection was apparently
+satisfactory, for in another minute there was a sound of undrawing bolts
+and unfastening chains, and the inhospitable door was at last open.
+Hannah, sadly aged in look her brother thought, met him in the hall, and
+greeted him with a silent embrace. After a pause, in which she seemed to
+be struggling with her tears, she said--
+
+"Welcome, dear Micah; while you and my husband and my children are left to
+me I feel that I cannot be unhappy. And perhaps you," she added, with a
+wistful look in his face, "will draw nearer to us now. But come and see my
+dear ones."
+
+She led the way to a room at the back of the house, looking out into a
+little garden shaded by a wide-branching fig-tree. Hannah noiselessly drew
+aside the curtain that served for a door, and the two stood by common
+consent and watched the scene that met their eyes. Azariah, the father of
+the family, was sitting with his back turned to them, holding on his knees
+a copy of the Law. On two stools at his feet sat his daughters, each
+holding in one hand a tablet covered with wax, and in the other a _stylus_
+or sharp-pointed iron pen. He was slowly dictating to them the words,
+"Hear, O Israel, the Lord thy God is one Lord," and the little creatures
+were laboriously forming, not without many pauses for thought, the
+scarcely familiar letters.
+
+"Now read it, my children," said Azariah, when the task was finished; and
+one after another the sweet, childish voices repeated the well-known
+words. Micah, as he listened, felt himself strangely touched. Presently he
+heard his sister murmur to herself, "In Thy Law will I meditate day and
+night," and glancing at her face saw it illumined with a joy which he
+could scarcely have believed those wasted features capable of expressing.
+
+"'Tis well, Miriam; 'tis well, Judith," said Azariah to the little girls,
+and putting his hands upon their heads, as they stood before him, for they
+had risen to repeat the holy words, he repeated, "The God of Abraham and
+Sarah bless you." And then, for they were mere children after all, and not
+above childish rewards, gave each a ripe fig from a basket which stood on
+a table by his side.
+
+The lesson being over, Hannah advanced, and her brother followed. Azariah
+turned and greeted the new comer not unkindly, but with a certain reserve,
+for he could not forget that his visitor was a Menander as well as a
+Micah, and that he had been the friend of the traitorous Jason, and the
+yet more traitorous Menelaues. The children, after their first feeling of
+alarm, for a strange face was seldom seen in that home, and when Miriam,
+the elder, had recognized her uncle, showed no reserve in their welcome.
+They clung about his neck, and kissed him. They insisted on his coming to
+see their pets--Miriam's turtle-doves, and Judith's dormice, and the little
+gazelle fawn which they owned in common. "They have not heard a word
+against me," thought Micah to himself; and this affectionate loyalty
+touched him to the heart. From his sister he might, perhaps, have expected
+it, but that the stern Azariah, a narrow-minded bigot, without a kindly
+thought for any that did not walk in his way, as he had been accustomed to
+think of him--that Azariah himself should have dealt with him so
+mercifully, was a surprise as it was also a reproach.
+
+He stopped with them for the rest of the day, and after the evening meal,
+when the little ones had gone to bed, after making their uncle promise
+that he would soon come and see them again, the three had much serious
+talk together.
+
+Micah had, of course, the family history to hear, for, stranger as he had
+been to them for some years past, he knew scarcely anything about it. He
+learnt now for the first time that a little boy had been born who, had he
+lived, would have been about two years younger than Judith. The mother had
+much to say about his beauty and goodness, and his rare promise of
+intelligence. Micah was touched all the more because he could not forgive
+himself for the alienation which had prevented him from saying a word of
+comfort to his sister in the hour of her bereavement. "It was, indeed, a
+terrible loss," and he rose from his seat and kissed her. He felt that
+this little proof of his love would be better than many words.
+
+"Nay," she said, with a cheerfulness that almost startled him--"nay; you
+must not say that we have lost our dear little Joshua. I know that I have
+a son still, though he is not here. I confess that it was very hard to
+part with him. But he is quite safe in Abraham's bosom, safer and better
+off," she added, with a sad smile, "than he would be here; and some day I
+shall see him, and show him to you, dear Micah, and we shall be happy
+together."
+
+After this the little party had much talk about the state of things in the
+present, and the prospects of the future. Again Micah was astonished to
+see the cheerfulness and courage which his sister and her husband kept up
+in the midst of circumstances which must have been most disheartening.
+
+"Ah!" said Azariah, when the conversation turned upon the desolation of
+the Temple, and the loss of all the ceremonial of worship, the daily
+sacrifice, and the great festivals of the year--"Ah! there are consolations
+even here. Perhaps we thought too much of these things in the old time. We
+were taken up with the outside, with the show and the splendour, the
+vessels of gold, and the clouds of incense smoke as they curled about the
+pillars and the roof, and we forgot what they meant. But now that the
+outside things are taken from us, we can give our hearts to that which is
+within. We have our gatherings still, though the Temple doors are shut.
+Every Sabbath-day we meet, and the Law and the Prophets are read in our
+ears--aye, and there are those who can expound them, and speak words that
+comfort and strengthen us. I, myself, have felt the Spirit move me once or
+twice to exhort and cheer the brethren. No, brother! believe me, it is not
+wholly loss that we cannot assemble any more in our beautiful house. Our
+fathers learnt much when they sat mourning by the waters of Babylon, and
+we also are learning much in this our second captivity."
+
+This sounded strange to the young man, who, indeed, had dulled his
+understanding of spiritual things by his follies and excesses. Still he
+could not help feeling deeply impressed by the evident earnestness of the
+speaker. But he felt that he could say nothing. A trifler and unbeliever
+like himself could only remain silent in the presence of thoughts and
+feelings so much higher than anything to which he could reach.
+
+After a short pause Azariah went on--"The Lord has not seen fit to renew
+among us the spirit of prophecy, and we know not certainly of the things
+that are coming upon the earth. Yet a man, though he be no prophet, may
+read the signs of the times. Believe me, there are days to come more full
+of evil and darkness even than those that we have seen. My heart sometimes
+fails me when I think of this dear woman," and as he spoke he laid his
+hand upon his wife's shoulder, "and of the little ones whom God has given
+us. It will be a hard time for men to battle through--but for women and
+children----." And his voice faltered.
+
+Hannah turned to him with her brave, cheerful smile--"'As thy days, so
+shall thy strength be.' The great prophet said it, did he not, to all his
+people--to the weak ones as well as to the strong?"
+
+Shortly after Micah took his leave. As he walked through the deserted
+streets he thought much of the words which he had heard that night, and
+still more of the cheerfulness and courage, ten times more eloquent than
+all words, which he had witnessed.
+
+"Is all this a delusion?" he asked himself. "Six months ago, perhaps even
+six hours ago, I should have had little doubt in saying so. But now--well,
+if it is a delusion, it is strangely like a reality. Anyhow its effects
+are real enough. Dear Hannah! always the best and kindest of sisters, but
+a timid creature, whom I used to amuse myself by frightening. But now--she
+is as bold as a lioness. Well, I can only hope that the truths which I
+have been learning, if they are truths, will stand me in as good stead
+when the need comes."
+
+
+
+
+
+                              CHAPTER VII.
+
+                          THE DARKNESS THICKENS.
+
+
+Azariah had read the signs of the times aright. The darker days had come,
+days so full of trouble that the unhappy people looked back to the past
+that had seemed so sad and gloomy as to a time of rest. Things had not
+been going well with King Antiochus, for the Romans had driven him out of
+Egypt, and in his rage and fear he turned against his Jewish subjects with
+greater ferocity than ever. One of his motives was the brutal desire to
+wreak upon the feeble the vengeance which he could not exact from the
+strong; the other was a genuine fear lest he should lose another province
+as he had already lost Egypt. He saw that the policy of Rome was to stir
+up against him the national spirit of subject peoples, and he knew well
+enough that in the Jews, crushed though they had been by oppression and
+massacre, this national spirit was not by any means dead. Accordingly he
+set himself with relentless ferocity to extinguish it. Everything
+distinctive of the people was to be rooted out; that done they might
+become really submissive; there would be no more a land of the Jews, but
+simply a province of Southern Syria.
+
+The first thing, he conceived, would be to strike such terror into the
+hearts of the people that there should be no thought among them of
+resistance. For such a purpose nothing could be more effective than
+another massacre such as that which had already been perpetrated two years
+before under his own eyes: only this, he determined, should be more
+complete. He perceived with a devilish ingenuity that his orders would be
+more relentlessly carried out if he entrusted their execution to some one
+else, than if he were personally present. Appeals might be made to him to
+which he might yield out of sheer weariness, whereas a lieutenant, if he
+were only hard-hearted enough, would simply fall back upon the orders
+which he had received, and refuse all responsibility save that of seeing
+that these were fully carried out.
+
+Such a lieutenant he knew that he possessed in the person of a certain
+Apollonius, a Cretan mercenary, who had already given proofs enough that
+he was about as little troubled as any man could be with a conscience or
+with feelings of compassion. To Apollonius, accordingly, the commission
+was entrusted, and he proceeded to execute it in a particularly brutal and
+treacherous way.
+
+He marched to Jerusalem, taking with him a picked force of some five
+thousand men--picked, it may be said, quite as much for their unscrupulous
+and ferocious character, as for their strength and skill in arms. There
+would have been, in any case, little chance of resistance, but, to make
+his task the easier of accomplishment, he had so timed his coming that he
+approached the city two or three hours before the end of the Sabbath.
+Secret orders had been sent to Philip, the Phrygian, that he was to relax
+the severity of his rule; and the people had begun to breathe again after
+a long period of repression. The Temple was still shut, or virtually shut,
+but the synagogues were open, and were indeed frequented by throngs of
+fervent worshippers.
+
+It wanted a couple of hours to sunset when the news ran through the city
+that an armed force was approaching the walls. The first feeling aroused
+by the tidings was naturally one of alarm. The appearance of the soldiers,
+however, was such as to disarm all apprehensions. In the first place they
+were more like a crowd of men who happened to be carrying arms than an
+army. They were not marching in ranks, or indeed keeping any kind of
+order. A multitude of country-folk could be seen mingled among them,
+soldiers and civilians walking side by side in the most friendly and
+unconstrained fashion. Some of the new comers recognized old acquaintances
+among the townsfolk, and introduced their comrades to them; and though
+some of the sterner sort stood rigidly aloof, there were quite enough
+among the inhabitants of Jerusalem to give the visitors a general welcome.
+Apollonius himself, a conspicuous figure as he rode on his white charger
+up and down the streets of the city, was noticeably busy in renewing old
+acquaintanceships and making new ones.
+
+And then in a moment the whole scene was changed. A soldier and a citizen
+were standing on the wall, talking and laughing together, and that in a
+place where they could be seen by all observers. Suddenly, without there
+having been even the slightest sign of a quarrel, the soldier was seen to
+plunge his sword into the side of his companion. It was a preconcerted
+signal. The wretched inhabitants, who would have been defenceless in any
+case, were taken absolutely off their guard, and had but slender chances
+of escape. How many hundreds, possibly thousands, perished cannot be
+guessed. But the massacre was more general, more pitiless than that which
+had devastated the city two years before. Apollonius's "picked" men showed
+themselves altogether worthy of his choice, so brutal and bloodthirsty
+were they. And Apollonius himself was to be seen everywhere urging his men
+to make short work with these "pestilent Jews," as he called them, and not
+unfrequently striking a blow himself. He earned on that day such hatred
+that thereafter there was not to be found a Jew, save among the vilest
+renegades and traitors, but uttered a curse when his name was mentioned.
+
+Of course the soldiers had to be paid for their bloody day's work, and
+they were paid by the plunder of the city. The houses were stripped, and
+the plunderers, when they had carried away everything that had roused
+their cupidity, often, out of sheer wantonness, completed the work of
+devastation, by setting fire to the desolated houses. Altogether Jerusalem
+presented such a spectacle as had not been seen since the days of the
+Babylonian conquest.
+
+The spirit of the people having been, as it would seem, thus effectually
+broken for the present, it remained to provide against its possible
+revival in the future.
+
+Long gaps were made in the line of wall, so long that it took not a few
+days to make them, and would certainly require as many weeks to repair.
+The town thus made defenceless was further overawed by the erection of a
+fort in the City of David, this fort being held by a strong garrison of
+Greeks and Asiatic mercenaries.
+
+The means of repression thus provided, the next thing was to extinguish
+all that was characteristic of the national life. First, the great centre
+of that life, the Temple, was formally desecrated. Already it had been
+subjected to such indignities that the pious Jew could scarcely bear to
+enter its precincts. But the final horror, the "abomination of
+desolation," was yet to come. On the 15th of the month Chisleu (December)
+an altar of a Greek pattern, and consecrated to the Olympian Zeus, was
+placed on the great altar of sacrifice, and ten days afterwards a huge sow
+was slaughtered on this. Her blood, caught after the Greek fashion in a
+bowl, was sprinkled on the altar of incense and on the mercy-seat within
+the Holy of Holies--a hideous mockery of the sprinkling which the Law
+enjoined to be performed once in every year. From the animal's flesh a
+mess of broth was prepared, and this was sprinkled on the copies of the
+Law. The Temple, thus dishonoured, was as if it had ceased to be.
+
+The meeting-houses, in which, as we have seen, the people had found a
+substitute for the Temple worship, were summarily closed. An edict was
+issued commanding that every one who possessed a copy of the Law, or of
+any one of the sacred books, should give it up without loss of time. To
+call in cupidity to the aid of fear in enforcing this edict, the King's
+officers were instructed to pay a reasonable price for the manuscripts
+thus produced. It was made a capital offence to read or to recite any part
+of the proscribed writings. Then the practice of circumcision was
+forbidden. Death was to be the penalty for all who should take any part in
+performing this rite--for the circumciser, the mother, the father, even the
+babe itself.
+
+And then to the policy of repression Antiochus added the policy of bribery
+and temptation. Their own worship forbidden, the Jews were to be allured
+by the seductions of the worship of their masters. Hitherto little had
+been done in this way. Insults indeed, had been heaped upon the people;
+but little attempt had been made to attract them. The Temple gates, closed
+for more than a year, were again thrown open; and the courts, long silent,
+resounded with the mirth of sacrificial banquets and the gaiety of
+festivals. Not only all the splendours, but all the impure pleasures of
+heathen worship were called in to assist the attempt that was being made
+to sap what was left of the faith of the people.
+
+Antiochus, who, for all his wrath at Jewish obstinacy, could not help
+feeling a certain respect for it, took the trouble to send among the
+people a missionary, if he may be so called, who was to instruct them in
+the new religion which their King was so anxious to impose upon them.
+
+Theopompus, or Athenaeus, to use the name which was commonly given him from
+his birthplace, was a follower of the philosophy of Epicurus. He had held
+a subordinate post, as lecturer in geometry, in the famous school of the
+Garden, but had found his modest income insufficient to meet his somewhat
+expensive tastes. If he had had but a tolerable competence, Athenaeus would
+have made an ideal Epicurean. He was devoted to pleasure, but there was
+nothing unseemly or extravagant about his devotion. For the foolish people
+who ruined their constitutions and emptied their purses by exhausting
+excesses he had a genuine contempt. "Give me," he would say, "a decent
+sufficiency of 'outside things,' and I am content." As he had a fair
+smattering of culture, and a real acquaintance with geometry, and had a
+venerable appearance which happily hit the mean between hilarity and
+austerity, he might have been, but for a chronic want of money, a real
+success among the somewhat _dilettante_ philosophers of Athens. But
+circumstances were against him. Poverty did not ill become an Academic,
+and positively set off a Stoic; but an Epicurean seemed to have missed his
+vocation if he could not be always handsomely dressed and able to give
+elegant entertainments to his friends. Athenaeus, who liked above all
+things to be on good terms both with himself and with every one else, felt
+this very acutely, and he was proportionately delighted when the Syrian
+King proposed to him that he should go as a teacher, not without a
+handsome salary, of Greek religion and Greek culture.
+
+His success was not encouraging. In the first place he had a difficulty in
+making himself understood. The pure Attic Greek on which he prided himself
+was strange to the ears of his new audience, and he could not bring
+himself to descend to the barbarous dialect to which they were accustomed.
+And when he was seriously called to account in the matter of his belief he
+found himself involved in difficulties from which he saw no way of escape.
+At Athens religion was politely ignored. The common people must, of
+course, have their gods and goddesses; and the wise man, if he were
+prudent, would say nothing--anyhow in public--to disturb their belief; but
+within the privileged walls of the schools the names of Zeus and Athene
+and Apollo were never so much as mentioned, except, perhaps, in the course
+of some antiquarian discussion.
+
+Among his new disciples, as he would fain have reckoned them, Athenaeus
+found a very different temper. They were terribly in earnest; abstractions
+and phrases did not satisfy them; they pushed their questions home in a
+very perplexing way.
+
+One day at the conclusion of a lecture, the customary invitation to the
+audience to put any questions that might occur to them was accepted by a
+young man who sat on one of the front benches.
+
+"I would ask you, venerable sir," he said, "some questions about the gods
+of your religion."
+
+"Speak on," replied Athenaeus, with his usual courtesy; "I shall be
+delighted to satisfy you to the best of my power."
+
+"Are we to believe the stories that are told us in this book?" and he held
+up, as he spoke, a little volume of popular mythology, filled from
+beginning to end with tales that, to say the least, were not edifying.
+"For, if these be true, these divine beings were such as would be banished
+from the society of all honest men and women. They are thieves,
+adulterers, murderers. It would be a thousand times better to have no gods
+at all than such as these."
+
+"You are right, sir," said the lecturer; "these stories are for the
+ignorant only, at least in their outward meaning, though they have an
+inner meaning also, which I will take some fitting occasion to expound.
+But not such are the gods whom we worship."
+
+"Will you tell us something of them?" continued the questioner.
+
+"Willingly, for they are such that the wisest of men need not be ashamed
+of them. They dwell in some remote region, serene and happy. Wrath they
+feel not, nor sorrow, nor any of the passions that disturb the souls of
+men."
+
+"And do they care for our doings upon earth?"
+
+"How so? They neither love nor hate; and both they must do, I take it, did
+they concern themselves with human affairs."
+
+"What profit, then, is there in them? How are men the better for their
+being?"
+
+"That I know not; only that it is part of the order of things that they
+must be."
+
+"Far be it from me," exclaimed the young Jew, "to exchange for such idle
+existences the God of my fathers! He may smite us in His anger till we are
+well-nigh consumed, but at least He cares for us. He led our fathers
+through the sea and through the wilderness in the days of old. He has
+spoken to us by the prophets, and He has made His Presence to be seen in
+His Temple; and though He has hidden His face from us for a time, yet He
+will repent Him of His wrath, and devise the means by which He shall
+recall His banished unto Him. No, we will not change our God for yours!"
+
+A loud murmur of assent went round the benches when the speaker sat down,
+and Athenaeus felt that he had made but small way with his audience.
+
+Finding his theology and philosophy but ill received, Athenaeus bethought
+him of what seemed a more hopeful method of proselytizing. Could not a
+specially powerful attraction be found in the festival of Dionysus, the
+wine-god? Vintage feasts, he reflected, are common to every country where
+wine is produced, and it would not be difficult to ingraft the Greek
+characteristics on a celebration to which the Jews were already
+accustomed. Some of the less scrupulous might be tempted to take part in
+such a festival, a beginning would be made, and more would follow in due
+time. How the scheme prospered will be told in the next chapter.
+
+
+
+
+
+                              CHAPTER VIII.
+
+                         SHALLUM THE WINE-SELLER.
+
+
+"Things are growing worse and worse; only three customers yesterday, and
+not a single one to-day, though it must be at least an hour past noon. One
+would think that all the world had become Nazarites. Then, though there is
+next to nothing coming in, there is no stop to the going out. First comes
+the rascally tax-gatherer, and squeezes one as dry as a grape-skin in a
+press. And if, by chance, there happens to be a drop left, some snuffling
+priest is sure to turn up, and talk about one's duty as a patriot and a
+Jew till he drags the last shekel out of one."
+
+The speaker was one Shallum, a Benjamite, who kept a little wine-shop in
+the Lower City. When he had finished his grumble, he thrust his hand into
+an empty wine-jar, drew from it a little leathern bag, untied the string
+which was round the neck, poured out the scanty contents on the counter
+and counted them. He knew the amount perfectly well, for he had gone
+through the counting process at least ten times before that day. But when
+a man is desperately anxious to make two ends meet, he will measure them
+again and again, though he may know exactly by how much they are too
+short.
+
+"Twelve shekels and ten annas! And old Nahum will be here to-morrow,
+asking for his thirty shekels!"
+
+Nahum was a Lebanon wine-grower, whose long-suffering had been already
+tried to the utmost by the delays of the impecunious Shallum.
+
+At this moment his meditations were interrupted by the entrance of two
+visitors, who had been standing, listening and watching outside the door.
+They were traders in a small way, who had migrated from Joppa when they
+heard that Greek wares were becoming the fashion in Jerusalem.
+
+"Ho! Shallum," cried one of them, "two cups of your best Lebanon; and make
+haste, for we have important business on hand."
+
+"Shall I draw some water fresh from the well? This is a little too warm to
+be used."
+
+"Water!" said the man. "Jew, don't blaspheme. Mix water with our wine
+to-day, of all days in the year!"
+
+"And why not to-day?" said Shallum.
+
+"Because it is the feast of Dionysus, the wine-giver; and it would be the
+grossest impiety to profane his bounty with any mixture of meaner things.
+Commonly his godship winks at human weakness; but to-day it is different.
+May he confound me if I do him such dishonour!"
+
+"He will certainly confound you if you drink this heady wine undiluted,"
+muttered Shallum to himself, as he set the two cups before his guests.
+
+"Excellent! excellent!" cried Lycon, the elder of the two Greeks, as he
+set down his goblet, half empty. "But why the god vouchsafes such capital
+drink to these unbelieving dogs of Jews puzzles me beyond expression."
+
+His companion broke out into a drinking-song:
+
+  "Fill the cup with ample measure,
+    Dionysus' gift divine;
+  Earth and sea hold no such treasure
+    As the gleaming, sparkling wine.
+
+  All for youth are love's caressings,
+    Gold and gems for princes shine;
+  All may share the wine-god's blessings,
+    Rich and poor are glad with wine."
+
+Shallum was fairly tolerant, as indeed a tavern-keeper can hardly fail to
+be, of the ways and manners of his customers; but to hear this praise of a
+false god, one of the odious demons that were worshipped by the heathen,
+was too much for his patience. He muttered a curse under his breath, and
+emphasized this expression of disgust by spitting on the floor.
+
+"Don't talk to me of your gods and goddesses!" cried Shallum, goaded
+beyond all endurance, "a lewd, drunken crew that no respectable person
+would have anything to do with!"
+
+"Come, my friend," said the Greek, "this is not the sort of talk which one
+expects to hear from a loyal subject of the pious Antiochus. We Greeks are
+not such bigots as you are, cursing every man, woman, or child that does
+not go exactly in our own way; but you must treat us and our belongings
+with respect. We are not going to have barbarians scoffing at what we
+think fit to worship. I have heard of men being crucified for less than
+you have said to-day. But hearken, Shallum, we did not come here to-day to
+quarrel with you. You are a good fellow, after all, and keep as capital a
+tap of wine as any that I know, King Tmolus(7) only excepted. We want you
+to come with us and have a jolly day. What is the good of quarrelling
+about words? You and we are quite agreed that there is something in wine
+that makes it one of the finest things under the sun. Suppose that we
+choose to call that something Dionysus the Wine-god, and you choose to say
+that your god has to do with it, what is the difference? We are really
+agreed. It is the goodness in wine that we both like, and I'm sure that a
+really honest fellow like you, that we can always rely on to give us the
+right stuff, should be the first to acknowledge it. Well, can't we show an
+agreement? That is why we want you to come with us. A whole crowd of your
+countrymen are coming, I understand. It will be a pretty sight, and there
+will be some of the finest music that you ever heard, and dancing, and fun
+of all kinds, and, of course, as much wine as ever you want. Of course you
+will come, my dear Shallum?"
+
+"_I_ come?" growled the wine-seller. "Not I! What do I care about your
+dancing and singing? And as for wine, I can have as much as I want at
+home, and better stuff, too, than any that I am likely to get elsewhere."
+
+Lycon, who was evidently bent on getting his way, did not suffer his good
+humour to be disturbed by the Jew's churlishness. "Ah!" said he, "that
+reminds me. Stupid fellow that I am, I quite forgot the matter of business
+that really brought me here. To tell the truth, business and this old
+Lebanon don't very well agree. But listen; Neocles, who is
+manager-in-chief of the whole festival, has quite made up his mind to have
+your wine, and none but yours, for all the better sort of people. He was
+to get some skins for the common folks from Zadok--do you know him?"
+
+"Know him?" said Shallum; "I should think I did--hasn't got a drop of sound
+wine in his shop."
+
+"So the Chief said. But we were to come to you for the good wine. What can
+you let us have? Mind that it must be the very best. We were not to haggle
+about the price, Neocles said, so long as we got it really good."
+
+And Lycon pulled out of his pocket a money-bag that was evidently much
+better furnished than Shallum's lean and hunger-bitten purse. Untying the
+neck, he poured into his hand, with an air of careless profusion, some ten
+or twelve gold pieces.
+
+Shallum's keen eyes glistened at the sight. Here was enough to pay not
+only Nahum but all his creditors, and leave him a handsome sum over
+wherewith to tide over the hard times. His somewhat brusque manner changed
+in a moment. He was now the most obsequious of tradesmen.
+
+"Everything in my stores is at your disposal. And I have a better wine
+than this in my cellar, and only ten shekels a skin," he went on, adding
+about three to the utmost he expected to get. "But wait a moment,
+gentlemen, you shall taste it for yourselves."
+
+He took a small flagon from beneath the counter and disappeared. The two
+Greeks smiled to each other. "We have the fish fast," one of them said;
+"after all there is nothing like a golden bait."
+
+Shallum shortly reappeared with the wine, which was tasted and approved.
+
+"Well," said Lycon, "we will say ten skins of this at ten shekels a piece,
+and five of the other sort at eight--that is the price; is it not?"
+
+Shallum nodded assent. As a matter of fact he would never have expected
+more than seven. But if these Greeks were so free with their money why
+should not an honest Jew have the benefit of it?
+
+"Of course you will come with us?" said Lycon.
+
+"You may take my word for it, there will be nothing to offend you."
+
+Shallum hesitated for a moment, and then muttered an unwilling "Yes."
+
+"And you won't mind wearing this little twig of ivy, just twisted round
+your head? It means nothing--every one does it."
+
+This was more than the wretched man was prepared for. "Not I," he said; "I
+am not going to wear any of your idolatrous ornaments."
+
+Lycon put the money-bag into his pocket again. "Then, my dear Shallum, I
+am afraid we shall not be able to do any business. 'Give and take' is our
+motto. We put a nice little bargain in your way; and you must humour us.
+However, if you are obstinate, there must be an end of it. I dare say
+Zadok can find us what we want. Come, Callicles," he went on, turning to
+his companion, "we must be going."
+
+Shallum saw his dreams of deliverance from his money-troubles vanishing
+into air, and grew desperate. "Stop," he said to his guests, "let me think
+for a moment. You won't ask me to do anything else. A few leaves can't
+make much odds either way. I don't remember ever hearing anything in the
+Law against wearing ivy. It isn't like eating swine's flesh, or those
+detestable scaleless eels that you Greeks are so fond of. Yes, I'll wear
+the thing, if you want me to so much."
+
+"That's right, Shallum; I thought a sensible man like you would not throw
+away a good chance for a mere nothing."
+
+So saying, Lycon stepped outside the shop, and whistled. In a minute or so
+a cart, which had been waiting round the corner, was driven up. The skins
+of wine were stowed away in it, and the two Greeks, with Shallum between
+them, all wearing the ivy-wreath, took their seats, and started for the
+Valley of the Cheesemongers, where it had been arranged that the festival
+should be held.
+
+The festival was scarcely a success, if it was meant, as it certainly was,
+to attract the Jewish population. A few hundreds, indeed, had been
+persuaded or compelled to be present. Most of them belonged to the lowest
+and most degraded class, wretched creatures whom any purchaser might
+secure for any purpose with a shekel or a flagon of wine. To-day they were
+"hail fellow well met" with their Greek neighbours, but to-morrow they
+would be perfectly ready to tear them in pieces. A few of somewhat better
+character had been bribed, as Shallum had been bribed, to come. These had
+little of the air of genuine holiday-makers. Their bursts of simulated
+gaiety did not conceal the shame which they really felt. Others, again,
+did not make even this pretence of hilarity. They had been actually
+compelled to come, and they had all the air of prisoners led in the
+triumphant procession of a victorious general. Their faces were ghastly
+pale. Some, with their teeth firmly clenched, seemed to be forcibly
+keeping in the curses which struggled to find utterance. Others, of a
+gentler temper, were weeping silently; and others, again, preserved a look
+of dogged indifference. The Greek part of the spectators, who could have
+enjoyed the humours of the scene with a good conscience, were depressed by
+the presence of these unwilling guests. In consequence, everything seemed
+to fail. The jesters, with their grotesque garb and faces hideously
+smeared with wine-lees, could scarcely get a laugh from their audience;
+the singing lacked heartiness, the dancing was dull and spiritless. It is
+only natural that revellers, who find the time passing slowly, should try
+to quicken its movement. There was little brightness or gaiety in this
+feast of the wine-god, and there was therefore all the more excess. Some
+seized the rare opportunity of intoxicating themselves without expense,
+while others drank to drown their shame or their anger. Shallum, whose
+occupation had somewhat seasoned him against the effects of wine, remained
+comparatively sober, but his Greek companions were less discreet or less
+strong-headed. They became, by a rapid succession of moods, boisterously
+gay, foolishly affectionate, and provokingly quarrelsome. It was not long
+before things came to a crisis. Lycon taunted the wine-seller with the
+quality of his wines; that did not affect him, for he was used to such
+complaints from his customers, and took them as part of his day's work. He
+scoffed at the subjection of his nation to Greek rule; Shallum still kept
+his temper. The tipsy Greek was only encouraged to further insults by his
+companion's self-restraint. He attempted to daub the Jew's face with the
+dregs from a broken flagon. Shallum angrily shook him off, and he reeled
+back, just saving himself from a fall by catching at the trunk of an olive
+tree. "Hog of a Jew!" he cried, "do you lay hands on a free-born Greek?
+Come, Callicles," he went on, turning to his companion, "let us teach the
+beast how to behave himself." The two rushed at the Jew, aiming blows at
+his head with the staves which they carried in their hands. One of them
+stumbled against the stones of a ruined house, and fell so heavily that he
+was unable or unwilling to raise himself again. Shallum easily evaded the
+attack of the other, dealing him at the same time so fierce a stroke of
+the fist that it stretched him senseless on the ground. The deed done, he
+looked hastily round to see whether any spectator had witnessed it. To his
+great relief, he found himself alone. From the lower city came the sounds
+of furious revelry and the strains of the Bacchic chorus--
+
+  "Comrades, crown the bowl with wine,
+  Round your locks the ivy twine,
+  Deeper drink and join again
+  Bacchus and his reeling train."
+
+His first impulse was to tear the ivy-wreath from his head. Then he
+reflected that if he could endure to wear it for a few moments longer, it
+might serve him as a passport. The event proved that he was right. He
+passed unquestioned through the crowd of revellers, left the precincts of
+the valley, and striking on an unfrequented path, hurried on at the top of
+his speed, not pausing till he had put at least six miles between himself
+and the scene of his late adventure. Then he threw himself on the ground
+and bewailed his grievous fall in an agony of shame and remorse. After a
+while the fatigue and excitement of the day, helped by the fumes of the
+wine, which his rapid movements had sent to his brain, overpowered him,
+and he sank into a heavy sleep.
+
+His slumbers lasted late into the day. When he woke, his head aching with
+the excess of the day before, he felt even more wretched, more hopeless.
+To return to the city was out of the question. But where was he to go?
+While he was debating this question with himself, and could find nothing
+in the least resembling an answer, he caught the sound of approaching
+footsteps. Mingled feelings of shame and fear suggested to him that he
+should hide himself, and he plunged into the bushes which lined the side
+of the road.
+
+The traveller approached. He was a renegade Jew, and Shallum recognized
+him as one who had taken an active part in the festivities of the
+preceding day. Just as he passed Shallum's hiding-place an unlucky impulse
+made him burst forth into a snatch of the Bacchic chant--
+
+  "Deeper drink and join again
+  Bacchus and his reeling train."
+
+His listener heard the words with mingled feelings of disgust and rage,
+and leaping down into the road felled him senseless to the ground.
+
+At first it seemed as if what he had done did not make his way plainer
+before him. But as he stood by the prostrate man a thought occurred to
+him. He took the purse which the man, in the usual traveller's fashion,
+wore by way of girdle round his waist, and examined its contents. It held
+three gold pieces and some ten shekels. The gold he left; but half of the
+shekels he transferred to his own keeping. One of the shekels sufficed to
+purchase some bread and dried flesh at the neighbouring village. Thus
+recruited in strength the fugitive made his escape to the mountains.
+
+
+
+
+
+                               CHAPTER IX.
+
+                             THE PERSECUTION.
+
+
+Menander, or Micah--the young man still wavered between the two moods which
+were symbolized by these names--had been greatly moved, as we have said, by
+what he had seen and heard in his visit to his sister and her husband. But
+he could not shake himself free from the habits and prepossessions of
+years. Though he had always kept aloof from the worst excesses of his
+renegade and heathen friends, still his moral tone had been lowered, and
+even his physical nerve weakened by a frivolous and self-indulgent life.
+Sometimes he would half resolve to cast in his lot with his people.
+Sometimes, again, the cynical or doubting temper returned. What madness it
+would be, so the evil voice whispered to him, to sacrifice all that made
+life pleasant, and, very possibly, life itself, for what both philosophers
+and practical men of the world agreed in pronouncing to be a delusion!
+
+Till this question had been settled one way or the other, he found it
+impossible to rest. The city became odious to him, for he shrank from the
+sight of his fellow-men. Indeed, he did not know with whom to associate.
+His Greek or Greek-loving acquaintances, with their frivolities and vices,
+disgusted him; and the patriots regarded him with coldness and aversion.
+Solitude, he fancied, might suit him better, and he went again to his
+country house at Lebanon. But he found himself worse off than ever where
+there was nothing to come between his thoughts and himself, and he
+hastened back to Jerusalem. Then it suddenly occurred to him that his
+sister had been expecting shortly to become a mother, and he made his way
+to her house to inquire of her welfare. Azariah himself answered his
+knock.
+
+"How is Hannah?"
+
+"Thanks be to the Lord," replied Azariah, "she is well. She had an easy
+travail."
+
+"And the babe? A son or a daughter?"
+
+"The Lord has given us a son."
+
+But he said it without the gladness that a Jewish father, newly blessed
+with the hope that there should be one to preserve his name in Israel,
+should have felt.
+
+"But you must come in and see him, for indeed he is of a singular beauty."
+
+The young man followed his host into the chamber already described, and
+sat down to wait. Presently Azariah reappeared, holding the child in his
+arms. It was no father's fondness that had made him speak of his singular
+beauty. The child was but five days old; but he had none of the
+"shapeless" look which is commonly to be seen in the newly born. His
+features were shaped with a regularity most uncommon at so tender an age,
+and his complexion beautifully clear, while his little head was surrounded
+with what may be called a halo of golden hair.
+
+Micah was loud in his admiration. "I never saw his equal for beauty. You
+are indeed a happy father to have the fairest son in all Israel."
+
+The smile on Azariah's face faded away.
+
+"I would not be thankless for the 'gift that cometh from the Lord,' nor
+wanting in faith; yet I sometimes cannot but think that in these days the
+childless are the happiest, or, I should rather say, the least unhappy."
+
+"Of course you will be prudent," said Micah, "and yield to the necessities
+of the time. Put off the circumcision of the child. There can be no harm
+in that. And when Hannah has got her strength again, you can come down to
+my place in the Lebanon, and it can be done quietly, without any one being
+the wiser."
+
+Azariah said nothing. He turned away his face, but not before his
+brother-in-law had seen his eyes fill with tears. After leaving some
+loving messages for his sister the young man departed, hoping, though not
+without some serious doubt, that his advice would be followed.
+
+A week after, when the question, he knew, would have been decided one way
+or the other, he bent his steps again towards his sister's house. As he
+walked through the streets he could see that the persecutors were busy at
+their work. Fires were burning here and there, and copies of the Law and
+the other holy books were being burned in them. From a house which he
+recognized as being the dwelling of a scribe of great learning, a party of
+Greek soldiers burst forth, as he passed, dragging behind them a
+richly-ornamented scroll of the Psalms. For a moment the wild impulse
+surged in his heart to rescue the sacred writing from the flames; but he
+recognized the hopelessness of the attempt; and, indeed, he sadly asked
+himself, was he fit to be a champion of holy things? A soldier gathered up
+the parchment in his arms, and tossed it in a heap on the fire. Part of it
+opened as it fell, and Micah saw for a few moments before the flames
+reached them, words which he never forgot till his dying day: "Princes
+have persecuted me without a cause, yet do I not swerve from Thy
+commandments." As he stood and looked, with a rage in his heart which he
+could not express, two more soldiers came out of the house, holding
+between them the scribe himself, a venerable man, in whom Micah recognized
+an old friend of his father's. They threw him down, face foremost, on the
+fire, and held him there till he was suffocated. But before the tragedy
+was finished, the young Jew had turned away, feeling in his heart that the
+question which he had been debating so long was being rapidly settled for
+him.
+
+The blow that was to clinch his conclusions was not long in falling. As he
+came near the bottom of the little hill on the top of which stood his
+sister's house, he saw a cross, and, bound to it by cords, what seemed to
+be the figure of a woman, with a dead child hung round her neck. The sun
+had set, and the light was failing with the rapidity that is
+characteristic of a southern latitude.
+
+"Truly these Greeks have a strange way of showing their love of beauty. We
+have had sickening sights in Jerusalem of late enough to make their name
+stink in our nostrils for ever. What poor wretch is this? How has she
+offended our masters? And the child--what treason can he have been guilty
+of?"
+
+And as he spoke a dreadful fear shot through his heart. After all--for he
+knew what a dauntless spirit his sister had shown at their last
+meeting--after all they might have circumcised the child and brought down
+upon themselves the vengeance of the persecutors. He turned aside from the
+road and ran up to the terrible object. It was almost dark by the time he
+reached it, and he had to light a torch which he carried with him in case
+of need, before he could see what the object really was. Then one glance
+was enough. The features of the woman were black and swollen; but he
+recognized them in a moment. It was the face of Hannah, his sister. But a
+month before he had seen it beaming with light and love, and now---- Had he
+needed any confirmation he would have found it in the child. The features
+were beyond recognition; but the golden halo of hair was there; its
+brightness scarcely dimmed.
+
+He sank upon his knees, and lifting his hands to heaven he cursed the
+authors of this wickedness, and swore that he would give all his life to
+avenge the innocent blood. Then rising he hastened to the house of
+Azariah.
+
+He found a considerable company assembled. They were deep in debate about
+the course of action to be pursued when Micah, who had been met by Azariah
+at the door, was introduced into the room. Most of those present were
+acquainted with him, at least by reputation, and they were naturally
+disposed to consider his presence an intrusion. But it was soon manifest
+that the new comer was not indifferent, much less hostile, to their
+objects.
+
+"Hear me, brethren," he cried, "if, indeed, one so unworthy as I may call
+you brethren," and he went on to recount the struggles with which his mind
+had been agitated during the weeks just past. Then, after briefly touching
+on what he had just seen, he went on, "I have sinned; I have forsaken the
+Law of my God; I have defiled myself by a companionship with the heathen;
+and though I have not worshipped their false gods"--there was a sigh of
+relief from the company as he uttered these words with a solemn
+emphasis--"yet I have been a guest at the feasts of their temples. If,
+therefore, you judge me to have transgressed beyond all pardon, cast me
+out from your company; I can find some other way to do service for the
+country that I have betrayed, and the God whom I have denied. Yet, if you
+think me worthy of death, I do not refuse to die." And he drew a dagger
+from his belt, and offering it to one who seemed to be a leader in the
+assembly, stood with bared breast before him.
+
+  [Illustration: _The Persecution._]
+
+A murmur of admiration ran through the meeting.
+
+"Nay, brother," said the man whom he addressed, "this is not the time to
+take one soldier from the hosts of the Lord. You have sinned in the past;
+make amends in the future. There will be time and opportunity enough. And
+if you are the brother of her who has witnessed a good confession even
+unto death, you will not fail to use the occasion that shall come."
+
+The company then resumed the debate which had been interrupted by Micah's
+arrival. Little difference of opinion indeed remained among them, and when
+the president, Seraiah by name, brother-in-law of Azariah, as being the
+husband of his sister Ruth, stated his views they met with general assent.
+
+"We have seen enough," he said, "and suffered enough. This city is
+polluted, and is no longer a fit abode for the faithful. Let them that are
+in Judaea flee unto the mountains. Meanwhile we will gather together such
+as have not bowed the knee to Baal, and will make head against the
+oppressor. But here we shall be struck down, and perish as a beast
+perishes in the pit into which he has fallen."
+
+After this the company dispersed to make such preparation as they could
+for their departure, which was fixed for the night following. Micah and
+Seraiah remained behind in the house of mourning. Azariah withdrew to
+comfort his little girls, who were crying almost incessantly for their
+mother. Comfort he needed sorely for himself, and he found it, as far as
+it could be found, in this fatherly care. Every look and gesture of the
+little ones reminded him of her whom he had lost, and seemed to open the
+wound afresh. Yet it consoled him to talk to them about their mother, to
+tell the story of her early days, to remind them, though they did not need
+to be reminded, of all her goodness and love, and to picture her happiness
+where she sat in Paradise with the holy women of old, with Miriam, and
+Sarah, and Rachel.
+
+Meanwhile Seraiah told the story of Hannah's end to Micah. "We came
+together," he said, "on the eighth day after the birth of her child; but
+though all was prepared for the circumcision of the boy, we had not yet
+resolved what was to be done. I know that I wavered--I confess it with
+shame--and so did Azariah. And, indeed, I can scarcely find it in my heart
+to blame him. He had no thought of his own life, but to risk his wife's
+and the child's--that was terrible. And there were others who advised him
+to yield for the time; the risk was too terrible. Indeed, that was the
+feeling of most of us, and those who thought otherwise were unwilling to
+speak. We were assembled, you know, in your sister's chamber. She sat on
+the bed, holding the little one in her arms. Her face was somewhat pale;
+but she had a calm and steadfast look, like the look of one who watches
+his adversary in the battle line of the enemy, and there was a fire in her
+eyes, such as I have never seen in the eye of woman before. When I had
+spoken, counselling delay and yielding for a while to the necessities of
+the time, I turned to her and said, 'And you, Hannah, what think you?'
+
+"Then she spoke, and her voice never faltered for a moment, but was clear
+and full, though indeed she never raised it above the pitch that becomes
+the obedience and modesty of the woman. 'Pardon me,' she said, 'fathers
+and brethren, if I seem, in differing from your counsel, to reproach you.
+I am but a weak woman, and know nothing of policy or of the needs of the
+time. But I know the thing that the Lord our God has commanded: "Every
+man-child among you shall be circumcised," and "whosoever shall not be
+circumcised that soul shall be cut off from among his people." The Lord
+hath given me this child, and shall I not do for him according to the
+commandment? Shall we fear man rather than God? And for myself, is it a
+new thing for a mother to give her life into the hand of God? Four times
+already have I so given it, and He has restored it to me. And if it be His
+will that it be taken, shall I not obey? What said the Holy Children when
+Nebuchadnezzar would have had them fall down and worship the golden image,
+lest they should be cast into the burning fiery furnace. "Our God whom we
+serve is able to deliver us out of thy hand, and He will deliver us out of
+thy hand, O King; but if not----"'
+
+"Then she turned to her husband, and said, 'What shall be his name?' as
+steadily and quietly as if there had been no question of danger or fear.
+'Let his name be David,' said the father, as he took the babe from its
+mother's arms; for the sun was about to set, and in a few moments the due
+time would be past. So they carried the child into the next room. And when
+your sister heard his cry, she broke forth into blessings and
+thanksgiving. 'Thanks be to Thee, O Lord,' she cried, 'in that Thou hast
+made him a child of the Covenant. And now I beseech Thee to grant that he
+may walk before Thee all the days of his life as walked Thy servant David,
+and that he may sit down with Abraham and Isaac and Jacob in the kingdom
+of heaven.'
+
+"After that she bade us stay and partake of the feast which she had caused
+to be prepared. Verily she had left nothing uncared for. Never was her
+table better spread, and, as you know, she was a notable housekeeper. And
+though, for her weakness, she could not sit at table with us, she was gay
+and cheerful even beyond her wont, so that we men, for very shame, had to
+banish the care from our faces, and laugh and be merry with her. But the
+next day the soldiers came and beat Azariah, as they thought, to death,
+and----" The speaker paused; indeed he could not speak for the choking
+tears. At last he said, in a broken voice, "What need to tell the rest?
+You know it."
+
+The next night Azariah, Seraiah, Micah, and a company of some thirty men
+and women left Jerusalem. Part of them were on foot, but an ass had been
+found to carry Ruth, Seraiah's wife, who was expecting shortly to become a
+mother. Their destination was the hill-country that went by the name of
+the Wilderness of Bethaven.
+
+
+
+
+
+                               CHAPTER X.
+
+                            IN THE MOUNTAINS.
+
+
+The time is evening; the place is a rocky pass between Bethel and
+Michmash. At the mouth of a cave which commands a view of the approach
+from the westward, are seated two men, in one of whom we may recognize
+Shallum, the quondam wine-seller of Jerusalem.
+
+"Well, comrade," he is saying to his companion, "this business is not
+quite to my liking. It is all very well when we can relieve a Greek
+merchant, or, better still, a Syrian tax-gatherer, of his money-bags; but
+I hate robbing our own people. That poor fellow to-day, for instance, who
+was taking home his wages--he had been wood-cutting, he said, in Bashan--it
+really went to my heart to take the money from him."
+
+The companion whom he addressed was a rough, savage-looking fellow, who
+certainly did not look as if he would feel very much for Shallum's
+scruples. He had followed, indeed, the robber's trade, it may be said,
+from his childhood, as his fathers had followed it before him, almost
+since the days of the Captivity.
+
+He now broke out into a loud, mocking laugh.
+
+"Ah! my friend Shallum," he said, "you are a great deal too soft and
+tender-hearted. But then you are new to the business; when you have been
+at it as long as I have, you won't have these scruples. Now, mark what I
+say; and if we are to be good friends, don't let me hear any more of this
+nonsense. You are a stout fellow and a man of your hands; and as for
+myself, well, I rather think that a novice like you could hardly have come
+across a better teacher. I don't doubt that we shall do very well
+together; and when we have made a little money, I shan't blame you if you
+give up the business and become what they call an honest man. For myself,
+the 'honest man' line does not suit me--it is not in my blood, you know.
+But, meanwhile, if we are to work together, we must agree. Now, all is
+fish that comes to our net. Of course, I don't mean the people about
+here--our neighbours, you know. We must not touch them; on the contrary,
+they must have a share of what we make. As long as they are our friends we
+are safe. But all strangers are lawful booty. And mind--for I see that you
+are a little wroth about this--mind, it is only dead men who tell no
+tales."
+
+Benjamin's words of wisdom--the more experienced of the two robbers was
+named Benjamin--were interrupted by an exclamation from his companion.
+
+"Hush!" he cried, "I hear a sound of voices from the pass."
+
+The two men listened; Shallum was evidently right. A party of travellers
+were approaching from the west.
+
+"We are in luck," said Benjamin; "it is not often that we do business so
+late in the day."
+
+As he spoke the leaders of the party emerged into sight.
+
+"Shoot, Shallum!" said Benjamin; "strike one of those fellows down and we
+shall have the whole party in confusion."
+
+"Nay, Benjamin; I hear the voices of women and children; and see--God
+wither my hand if I shoot at such helpless people as these."
+
+The rest of the party was now in sight. Two men, one on either side of the
+ass, were supporting Ruth, who, worn out by the fatigues of the day, could
+with difficulty keep her seat on the animal. These were her husband and
+Azariah. Close behind came Micah, carrying on his shoulder the little
+Judith, who was fast asleep. Then followed Miriam, Judith's elder sister.
+The poor child limped sadly along, for her city life had been but a poor
+training for that long day's march, and she felt just a little envious of
+the good fortune which Judith enjoyed in being carried.
+
+Shallum recognized the figures of Seraiah and Ruth, with whom he happened
+to have had some slight acquaintance in Jerusalem, and from whom indeed he
+had received no little kindness.
+
+"Benjamin," he said, in a determined voice, "I know these people, and if I
+can help it they shall suffer no harm."
+
+"Well, well; have your way," said his companion, who indeed was not quite
+as hard of heart as he would make himself out. "If, as you say, you know
+them, go down and make friends."
+
+Shallum at once made his way down into the pass, and, standing in the
+path, greeted the travellers with the customary salutation, "Peace be with
+you!"
+
+"What, Shallum!" said Seraiah, "is that you? What brings you here?"
+
+"That were a long story," returned the man, "and this is not the time to
+tell it. But can I serve you?"
+
+"Can you find shelter for my poor wife? But it is idle, I fear, to ask
+you. There can be no inn near this wild place."
+
+"'Tis true, sir, there is no inn; yet if you can put up with such poor
+lodging as we can give, the lady will have at least shelter."
+
+Ruth was lifted from her seat on the ass, and carried between her husband
+and Azariah up the rocky track that led to the cave, Shallum showing the
+way with a lighted torch in his hand, for by this time the night had
+fallen.
+
+Benjamin met the little party at the mouth of the cave. His life of crime
+had not quenched all kindly feeling in him. He felt, too, that he was a
+host; and the sense of hospitality, which keeps its hold on an Eastern
+heart as long as anything good is left to it, bade him do his best for his
+guests. And the sweet smile of thanks with which Ruth greeted him when she
+was laid on the couch of cloaks, which the two inmates of the cave had
+hastily arranged on a pile of heather, won him altogether.
+
+A minute or two afterwards Micah followed with the two children; Judith,
+still fast asleep, was put down by Ruth's side, while Miriam forgot her
+fatigue in the delightful excitement of this new adventure. The new-comers
+had brought with them a slender store of provisions. These they proceeded
+to share, declining with thanks the dried flesh and wine which their
+entertainers offered. The rest of the party found shelter, under guidance
+of the robbers, in some of the many caves with which the rocks in the
+neighbourhood were honeycombed.
+
+Next morning the arrangements for housing the little colony were made.
+There was an abundance of caves to give shelter to all, and the
+accommodation though rough, at least protected them from the weather.
+Their life was simple in the extreme--simple even to hardness. They sought
+for herbs and roots, and from the neighbouring peasants they bought a few
+goats, to browse among the rocks, and a small quantity of corn, which they
+bruised between stones and baked. The mountain springs furnished their
+drink, a few flasks of wine being reserved for any cases of sickness.
+Twice a day the whole company met for worship. Seraiah read a portion
+first from the Law and then from the Prophets, for they had not forgotten
+to bring rolls of the Sacred Books. Then standing erect, with covered
+heads, their faces turned towards the Temple, they joined in prayer. In
+the words of one who himself in old time had found himself shut out for a
+while from the privileges of the Holy Place and was content to realize
+them by faith, the congregation uttered together the petition, "Let my
+prayer be set forth in Thy sight as the incense; and let the lifting up of
+my hands be an evening sacrifice." One of the psalms of penitence
+followed; for surely they had all many sins to repent of--sins of which
+they were now suffering the penalty; and, after the psalm, a prayer for
+deliverance from the enemy, and for the setting up again of the throne of
+David, and for that without which neither deliverance nor a restored
+kingdom could profit them--purity and righteousness in their own hearts and
+souls.
+
+Nothing could be more simple and frugal than their daily fare. Wild fruits
+and herbs were largely used, and any little plots of fertile ground that
+could be found were planted with vegetables, some far-seeing member of the
+party having brought with him a small supply of garden seeds. When a few
+days after their arrival Ruth gave birth to a son it was much feared that
+the scanty supply of nourishing food might long delay her restoration to
+strength. This fear was not realized. The feeling of freedom and
+deliverance combined with the fine mountain air to bring her back to her
+wonted health, and she found herself able to go about her daily work long
+before she could have hoped to do so in the more enervating atmosphere of
+the city.
+
+One day she had gone to gather herbs for the daily mess, a work in which
+she was especially useful from the knowledge of plants which she had taken
+pains to acquire in her unmarried days. She had taken, of course, the
+new-born infant with her, and Miriam, who was delighted to perform, as far
+as her strength permitted, the office of nurse. The little Judith, whose
+night's rest had been disturbed by some childish ailment, had been left at
+home to make up her allowance of sleep. The mother found on her return
+that a strange visitor had made herself at home in the cave. The little
+one was fast asleep on a bed of rugs which had been made up for her, and
+curled up at her side with one of her fore paws round her neck was a
+jackal. The two companions were roused together by the arrival of the
+party, and, wonderful to relate, neither showed any symptoms of alarm. The
+jackal rose from its resting-place, approached Ruth, and fawned at her
+feet, and the child came after its bedfellow and stroked affectionately
+its shaggy skin.
+
+When, two or three weeks afterwards, the new comer gave birth to a litter
+of cubs, the joy of the children was complete. The little animals soon
+learnt to play with the girls, and their dam sat by and watched their
+gambols, and sometimes even condescended to join in them herself.
+
+The little colony heard of the strange incident with delight, and saw in
+it a token of Divine favour. "Man rages cruelly against us," they said,
+"but we find friends among the beasts of the field. Surely it is our God
+who hath changed the heart of this savage dweller in the wilderness, and
+we will trust that He will do yet greater things than these."
+
+"Mother," said Miriam one day to Ruth, "by what name shall we call our new
+friend?"
+
+The question puzzled her, and she referred it to her husband.
+
+"It does not seem fitting," she said, "that we should give the name of a
+daughter of the Covenant to the beast, for though she is of kindly temper
+yet she is unclean."
+
+Seraiah thought awhile.
+
+"You say truth, my wife. Let us call her Jael."
+
+"But why Jael?"
+
+"Because the wife of Heber was of the unclean, for was she not of the
+house of the Kenite? Yet was she a friend of Israel, for she slew Sisera
+that was captain of the host of Jabin, King of Canaan."
+
+So thenceforward the creature went by the name of Jael.
+
+It was not long before she justified her name by showing that she could be
+fierce on occasion.
+
+A wayfarer, who described himself as a discharged soldier and a Moabite by
+birth, asked for shelter and food. Scanty as were the means of the
+fugitives, they did not grudge the stranger a share of their meal. They
+gave him their best, adding to their daily fare the special luxury of some
+dried grapes. As he complained of being footsore, Ruth applied some simple
+remedies to the blisters on his feet. Altogether he was treated not only
+as a welcome but even as an honoured guest. On his part he professed a
+fervent sympathy with the hopes and plans of his hosts. The next morning
+he started as if to continue his journey. But the cupidity of the wretch
+had been roused by the sight of the handsome earrings--almost the sole
+remaining relic of former affluence--which he had spied in his hostess's
+ears. About an hour before noon, when he judged that the men would be
+still busy about their daily work, he crept back to the cave. Ruth was
+sitting by a fire nursing her babe. The jackal lay asleep in a corner; the
+girls were playing with the cubs on a sunny little plot of ground outside.
+
+"Lady," began the fellow, in a beggar's wheedling voice, "can you spare a
+little money for a poor fellow who has not so much as a copper coin to buy
+him a piece of bread?"
+
+Ruth was startled at his re-appearance, but concealed her alarm.
+
+"Friend," she said, "I have no money; but I will give you half a loaf if
+you want food, though you had done better, I should think, to keep on your
+way, for you can hardly find any that are poorer than we."
+
+"But you have gold," said the man.
+
+"Gold? Not I," she answered.
+
+"Nay, lady," he went on, with a perceptible tone of threatening in his
+voice, "those earrings that you wear are doubtless of true metal. They
+add, indeed, to your beauty, and it is a pity that you should lose them;
+but then there is no one to admire you in this wilderness, and they would
+keep a poor fellow like myself in flesh and wine for a month or more."
+
+"My earrings?" said Ruth, stupefied by the man's audacity.
+
+"Yes, your earrings, lady," said the man. "I should advise you to take
+them out yourself, for if I have to do it I am afraid that I shall show
+myself a very rough tirewoman."
+
+The spirit of Ruth, the same that had dwelt of old in a Miriam or a
+Deborah, was roused at the man's insolent audacity. She seized a
+half-burnt brand from the fire and stood on her defence. The soldier,
+thinking that he had found an easy prey, approached. But he had not
+reckoned on an ally who was ready to help her in her need. Jael had been
+woke by the voices, and watched with glaring eyes the soldier's movements,
+uttering every now and then a low growl, which, however, the man was too
+much occupied to heed. As soon as he came within reach, she sprang upon
+him from her lurking-place. The force with which she threw herself upon
+him overset him, and he fell backwards, his head striking on the
+mill-stone which formed part of the scanty furniture of the cave. In a
+moment her fangs were in his throat. In vain did Ruth, who saw the man's
+danger and was unwilling that he should perish in his sins, call her by
+her name. All the savage instinct in her was roused by the taste of blood.
+Before two minutes had passed the freebooter was dead.
+
+"We did well to call her Jael," said Seraiah that evening, as he helped to
+carry the corpse out of the cave. "The wretch has received the due reward
+of his deeds."
+
+
+
+
+
+                               CHAPTER XI.
+
+                            NEWS BAD AND GOOD.
+
+
+As the weeks went by fugitives continued to arrive at the little asylum
+which Seraiah and Azariah had founded among the hills. There was not one
+of them but brought with him some dismal story of the cruelty of the
+heathen and the renegades who acted as their instruments, and of the
+sufferings of the faithful. We should weary our readers were we to relate
+them in their monotony of horror. One will suffice, for it is the most
+famous as it is the most tragic of all the tales of that reign of terror.
+
+One night the sentinels, whom the chiefs of the little colony were always
+careful to post, heard the sound of approaching footsteps. They challenged
+the new comer, and bade him stand, and tell them his errand. He could not
+articulate his answer, so spent was he with fatigue and distress; but it
+was evident that he was harmless, a mere youth, solitary, and unarmed.
+Unwilling to disturb the little colony at so late an hour--it was indeed
+past midnight--the sentinels bade the stranger rest before their
+watch-fire. He was so exhausted and weary that he could swallow but very
+little of the food which his entertainers offered him. A few mouthfuls of
+barley cake, and a draught of milk more than satisfied him. Then he sank
+down on the ground overpowered with sleep, and his hosts wrapped him in a
+cloak and left him to his repose. Yet, wearied as he was, his slumbers
+were broken. Again and again he started up with a cry of horror on his
+lips. Those who listened to him felt sure that he must be going over in
+his dreams some dreadful scenes which he had witnessed.
+
+The next day he could scarcely be recalled to consciousness. Indeed it was
+judged well to leave nature to recover herself. The women of the colony
+took it in turns to watch by his side, and were ready, when he awoke for a
+few moments, with a cup of milk, the only thing which he seemed to relish.
+By degrees his slumbers grew more peaceful, and on the morning of the
+second day after his arrival he woke calm and collected.
+
+It was Ruth who then happened to be on duty at his side. When he saw her,
+he said, "Lady, I have a story to tell, and the chief of this place should
+hear it. Let him make haste to come, for I feel that I cannot rest while
+it is untold."
+
+Ruth sent one of her children to fetch her husband. The stranger refused
+to postpone his narrative till he should have gathered a little more
+strength. "Nay," said he; "it is like a weight upon my soul, and I would
+lighten me of it by committing it to faithful ears."
+
+"Speak on," said Seraiah.
+
+Then the lad told his story.
+
+"My name is Abimelech, and I come from Jerusalem. My father and mother are
+dead; but I lived with my grandmother, the mother of my father, and his
+brethren, my uncles. There were seven of them, the eldest being some
+thirty-and-three years of age, and the youngest twenty; but my father that
+is dead was the first-born. On the first day of the month, coming home
+about the eleventh hour from the school of the Rabbi Zechariah----"
+
+"Are there then yet those who teach in the city?" interrupted Seraiah.
+
+"Yes," answered the lad, "but they do it by stealth, for the reading of
+the Law is strictly forbidden by the Governor. But we learn it
+notwithstanding, and verily if the heathen should destroy every roll that
+there is of the Holy Books in the whole world there are those who could
+replace them from memory. I pretend not to so much; but I could say three
+out of the five books of Moses, the man of God."
+
+"Praised be the Lord God of Israel," cried Seraiah, "who hath not left
+Himself without a witness! But go on with your story."
+
+"Coming home, then, from school I found the soldiers of Philip the
+Phrygian in the house, Philip himself being there. They had set forth a
+table in the court of the house, whereon they had placed abominable flesh.
+My uncles were standing bound, guarded by soldiers, and with them was my
+grandmother. Then said the Governor, Philip, to the eldest of the seven,
+whose name was Judah, 'Pleasure me, my friend, by eating this excellent
+meat; 'tis of the most savoury, believe me.' My uncle Judah answered, 'I
+cannot obey thee in this matter, for it is forbidden by the Law.' Philip
+said, 'Maybe he lacks an appetite. Give him that which shall sharpen his
+taste.' Thereupon the executioner stepped forth with his lash, and gave
+him ten stripes. 'Dost feel hungry now?' said the Governor. 'I had sooner
+starve,' said Judah, 'than eat the abominable thing.' 'Nay,' cried the
+Governor, 'miscall not the good things which are provided for you at the
+charge of thy lord the King.' Then he said to the executioner, 'This
+fellow uses not his tongue for any good purpose, but only to rail against
+my lord. Cut it out, therefore.' So they cut the tongue out of my uncle's
+mouth; and after that they cut off his hands and his feet. And afterwards,
+he being yet alive, they put him in a pan and burnt him over the fire.
+Then the Governor said to the second in age, whose name was Eleazar, 'Ah!
+friend, like you this better than the swine's flesh? You may have your
+choice, if you will.' But he answered nothing. Then they tortured him most
+cruelly till he died. And so they did to all, one after the other. What
+they did I cannot bear to tell; nor, indeed, do I know the whole truth,
+for when three had perished in this manner I fainted for the horror of the
+thing; nor did I come to myself till the sixth was ready to suffer. Him I
+heard say these words to the Governor--'Be not deceived, or think that our
+God has abandoned us. He has given us over to your hand because we have
+offended against Him; nor do we suffer beyond what we have deserved. But
+as we have not escaped the punishment of our sins, so neither will you,
+but will perish miserably!' After this he did not speak another word; nay,
+nor give a sign of pain, but stood steadfast and unmoved.
+
+"When there was but one of the seven left alive, Benjamin by name, the
+Governor seeing him, and, I take it, having some pity on his youth, for he
+was fair as a woman, said to him, 'Young man, you see how all these have
+perished miserably, because of their pride and obstinacy. Learn, then, by
+their fate to behave yourself more wisely. And hark! I will give you
+riches, more than you can desire, and promote you to honour, if you will
+humour my lord the King in this small matter.' Benjamin said, 'Your gifts,
+my lord, be to another, and your honours to such as are worthy of them;
+but as for me, I will not depart from the law of my God.' Then Philip said
+to the mother of the seven, 'Persuade him, for I would not have you left
+childless, if there is any help. These your sons were stout fellows, and
+could have done good service for my lord if they had been better advised;
+and I would fain save this one that is left. Reason with him, then, that
+he save his life, and that you be not wholly bereaved.' Then the woman
+said, 'Trust me, my lord; I will reason with him.' Then Philip smiled and
+said, 'Your wisdom comes somewhat late'; and he whispered to one that
+stood by, 'You see that I have prevailed at last.' But the man shook his
+head. Then the woman said to her son, 'O, my child, have pity on me, for I
+bore for you the pangs of childbirth, and spent on you the labour of
+nurture, bringing you up to this age. Repay me, therefore, for all that I
+have done.' Then she paused awhile, and those that stood by scarcely knew
+what was in her heart. But the young man said, 'Mother, how shall I repay
+you?' And she answered, 'By remembering that the Lord made heaven and
+earth, and all that is therein. Depart not from His Law, nor forget Him.
+Heed not this tormentor, who has power over your body for a short moment;
+but stand steadfast, as your brethren have stood steadfast; so shall I
+receive you with them into the everlasting glory.' Then the young man
+smiled, as a bridegroom might smile when the veil is lifted from the face
+of his bride, and said, 'Fear not, my mother; so it shall be, the Lord
+helping me.' As for the Governor, he was mad with rage, and cried to the
+executioner, 'Smite him, and this fool also.' And the man, who indeed, I
+take it, was weary of his work, smote the youth and mother, and killed
+them, dealing each but one blow. So they escaped the torture."
+
+On the following Sabbath Seraiah read to the congregation the story of the
+Three Children in the fire, and then delivered a stirring address on the
+faith and courage of the heroic mother and her sons. The people listened
+with a breathless attention, and when he had finished, drew, so to speak,
+together that deep sigh of relief which tells the speaker that he has been
+holding the hearts of his hearers. He was one of those trustful souls who
+amidst all dangers find their strength in quietness and confidence. But
+the other leaders of the settlement could not help feeling somewhat
+anxious as to the future. What was to be the end? This constancy under
+suffering was grand beyond all praise; but were they and their brethren to
+stand still and see the religion of their fathers trampled out in blood?
+Was there no one to strike a blow for their faith and their fatherland?
+For they could measure the average strength and depth of human nature, and
+knew that there are ten who are ready to do and dare for one who can
+suffer and be strong. "Do you remember," said Seraiah to his
+brother-in-law, as they were talking over the position of affairs after
+the gathering for worship--"do you remember that day when we fought against
+the Edomites, how our line crumbled away while we had to stand still as a
+target for the Edomite arrows, and how it grew solid again in a moment
+when our general gave the signal to charge? One was ready before to think
+that half the men were cowards, and then one could almost have sworn that
+there was not a coward among them. Yes, Azariah, we must strike when the
+time comes; but when the time will come is more than I can tell."
+
+The next day brought an answer to his question.
+
+The people were dispersing after the usual morning prayer when a stranger
+was seen hurrying up the pass. Arrived at the top, where a party of the
+men had gone to meet him, he threw himself breathless on the ground; at
+the same time he drew a small piece of folded parchment from the pouch
+which was fastened to his girdle, and handed it to one of the men. It ran
+thus: "Mattathias to Seraiah, in the wilderness of Bethaven, greeting.
+Listen to the young man who brings this present without doubting, for he
+is faithful, and speaks words of truth." In a few moments Seraiah
+appeared. By this time the messenger had recovered his breath, and was
+ready to tell his tale.
+
+"What news bring you?" said Seraiah.
+
+"Great news; for the Lord has smitten His enemies hip and thigh by the
+hand of Mattathias, son of Asmon, and by the hand of his sons."
+
+A murmur of delight ran through the little audience, and every eye
+brightened at the prospect of action.
+
+"Tell on. We hear!" cried Seraiah.
+
+"May I crave a drink of water? for the way is long, and I have been
+travelling since the sun set yesterday."
+
+The water was fetched. When he had quenched his thirst, young Asaph--that
+was the messenger's name--began his story.
+
+"You know Mattathias, the son of Asmon, and the five young men, his sons,
+how they dwelt at Modin? Two months since, Philip the Phrygian--may the
+Lord cut him off in his sins!" and the speaker paused, and spat upon the
+ground to emphasize his disgust. "This Phrygian, then, sent one of his
+officers two months since to build an altar to one of the false gods
+before whom these children of perdition bow down. So the altar was built,
+none hindering, for the people were without a leader. This being finished,
+the Governor's officer proclaimed a sacrifice and a feast to one of the
+demons whom these heathen worship. I know not the evil thing's name, and
+if I knew it, would not take the accursed word upon my lips. On the
+appointed day there was a great gathering of the inhabitants of Modin. It
+was about the tenth hour when the Governor's deputy came, with his
+trumpeters and a small company of soldiers--it may be a score. When he had
+taken his seat the ministers brought up the ox that was for the sacrifice,
+a great beast, altogether white; and they had gilded his horns and put
+garlands of flowers about his neck, as their custom is. Then the deputy
+called to one Menahem, a usurer that dwelt in the village, and one of
+those who would sell their souls for a shekel. 'Menon,' he said--for they
+had changed his name after their fashion to one of their own
+tongue--'Menon, come forth, and do your office.' And then he turned to the
+people, and said, 'Hearken to me, ye Jews. This Menon here, who is known
+to all of us, has been promoted to great honour, for my lord Philip, who
+is the lieutenant of the Divine Antiochus, has made him priest. Honour him
+henceforth accordingly. And be sure also that if you are obedient, and
+give up your own dull and senseless superstition, and worship henceforth
+as the King commands, it shall be well with you and your children.' When
+he had ended, the fellow approached the altar, and cut some hairs from the
+forehead of the beast, and sprinkled some meal mingled with salt between
+its horns. And it chanced, or, I should rather say, it was ordered of the
+Lord, that as the man did this Mattathias and his sons passed by on the
+outskirts of the crowd. And when he perceived the abominable thing that
+was being done, and that he who did it was a Jew, his spirit was moved
+within him. Then he ran forward, he and his sons with him. And when they
+were come into the space before the altar the old man cried, 'He that is
+on the Lord's side come hither!' And some threescore of the people that
+were there came to him, and the rest stood still, and did nothing, for
+they knew that the sons of Asmon were mighty men of valour. As for the
+deputy and his soldiers, they were astonished beyond measure, and before
+they came to themselves some of the company of Mattathias rushed upon them
+and disarmed them. But Mattathias himself, with Judas his son, laid hold
+on Menahem. Then that miserable creature fell on his knees and begged for
+pardon, saying that he had done this thing on compulsion. 'Nay,' said
+Mattathias, 'the compulsion was of thy own evil and greedy heart. Thou
+hast sinned beyond all mercy of man; but the mercies of the Lord are past
+all measure. Die thou must; but I would have thee die in the faith of a
+son of Israel.' Then the poor wretch--I had never thought to pity him, for
+he turned my own mother, when she lay dying, on to the public road, but no
+one could have refused him pity then--the wretch, I say, repeated with a
+stammering tongue, 'Hear, O Israel, the Lord thy God is one Lord.' And now
+he said, 'I give thee for thy prayers to the All-Merciful, till the shadow
+of this staff come so far,' and he planted a staff in the ground. And when
+the time was spent, the old man took his sword, and sheared off the
+wretch's head with one blow. I had not thought that there was such
+strength in his arm. Then they brought the deputy and his soldiers to
+Mattathias. First he dealt with the deputy. 'Slay him,' he said, 'for he
+has made the people of the Lord to transgress.' So they slew him. Then
+they made the soldiers stand before him. Four out of their number were
+Jews. These he commanded to be slain, after giving them the same grace
+that he had given to Menahem. To the others he said, 'You have not sinned
+as these your fellows, for you were born in darkness. Take, therefore,
+your choice: depart, and take good heed not to fall into our hands again,
+for, if you so fall, you die without further mercy; or, if ye will, stay
+with us. Only you must follow our ways, so far as it is commanded that the
+stranger should follow them.' Half chose to depart, and half to stay.
+
+"After this, Mattathias chose some of the young men to go as messengers to
+the villages round about, and carry the tidings of what had been done, and
+to say, 'The Lord hath lifted up His ensign; gather yourselves together
+unto it.' Also he appointed a place where they should meet--that is to say,
+Michmash."
+
+"And when may we look for his coming?" asked Seraiah.
+
+"Doubtless he will come to-morrow."
+
+That night there was much rejoicing in the little colony. No one, indeed,
+deceived himself with the thought that he could look forward to easy and
+pleasant days. All knew perfectly well that a time of struggle and
+suffering was before them. But there was hope. The darkness had parted,
+and they saw a far-off gleam of light. At the least they would have the
+chance of striking a blow for their country and their God.
+
+
+
+
+
+                              CHAPTER XII.
+
+                            THE PATRIOT ARMY.
+
+
+Three days passed before Mattathias and his sons arrived; but when they
+came, they brought with them a considerable force. The news of the events
+at Modin had spread like wildfire through southern Judaea, and hundreds who
+had endured the rule of the heathen with ill-concealed impatience flocked
+to the standard of revolt. It was a strange array that might have been
+seen making its way up the mountain pass. A professional soldier would
+certainly at the first glance have thought meanly of its fighting
+capacities. Scarcely a score of the whole multitude was properly armed.
+Old weapons that had hung unused for a century or more had been taken down
+that they might strike another blow for the God of Israel. There had not
+been time to rub the rust from the sword-blades and the spear-heads, much
+less to hammer out upon the anvil the dents and notches left by the
+half-forgotten battles in which they had last been used. But it was only a
+few who had even these antiquated weapons. Most of the fighting men were
+armed as their fathers had been under the domination of the Canaanites in
+the days of Barak, or of the Philistines in the days of Saul. They carried
+mattocks and hoes, pruning-hooks and reaping-hooks tied to the ends of
+poles, or stakes shod with iron or even only hardened in the fire. But a
+nearer inspection would have changed the contempt of the military critic
+into something like admiration. These men had all that goes to the making
+of the soldier except the arms, and this want, after all, is the easiest
+to be supplied. They had on their faces the set, stern look of those who
+are fighting for a cause, and that a cause very near to their hearts.
+There were old men among them; but most were in the full vigour of youth
+and manhood. A real leader of men would have preferred to be followed by
+them than by the most handsomely equipped army of mercenaries.
+
+At the head of the column walked the aged Mattathias. Two of his sons,
+John and Judas, were with him, the other two being busy with the
+multifarious duties which fell upon the leaders of a force as yet so
+imperfectly organized. The old man--he had passed the threescore years and
+ten which are more commonly the limit of human existence, among the
+short-lived races of the East than among ourselves--had been carried in a
+litter for part of the way. This he had left at the entrance of the pass,
+being anxious not to give an impression of weakness. He now walked erect
+and with a firm step, his indomitable spirit supplying for the time all
+that was wanting in his physical strength. Nothing could be more
+enthusiastic than the reception which met him when he reached the little
+colony among the hills. He was the champion for whom they had been
+looking, and they received him as if he had been an "angel of God."
+Azariah and Seraiah, who had been hitherto informal leaders, gladly
+resigned their power into his hands, and from thenceforwards acted under
+his orders.
+
+There was indeed much to do. The little post in the mountains was now to
+become a fortress, garrisoned by an army which was already considerable in
+numbers, and which daily increased in strength. Faithful Jews from all
+parts of the country flocked to the place which seemed the last refuge of
+patriotism and faith. Nor were there wanting less respectable adherents.
+There was not a few men who, like Benjamin and Shallum, had followed a
+life in which right and wrong, good motives and bad, were curiously mixed
+up and confounded. They were divided between patriotism and
+robbery--divided, of course, in very varying proportions. None were quite
+blameless, and none were quite bad. The most unprincipled had lurking
+somewhere in his heart a real regard for his country, and, to say the
+least, he found much more satisfaction in emptying the pockets of a
+heathen than in robbing his own people. The most honest, on the other
+hand, could not always guide his actions by any strict rule of integrity.
+He had to live, and if his enemies did not furnish him with the means, he
+must get them from his friends. Many of these men were genuinely attracted
+by the new movement, genuinely glad to lead a life which their consciences
+could heartily approve. Others found that their occupation was gone, and
+that they must enlist in the new patriot army or starve. The garrison thus
+gained a considerable number of recruits, but some of them were of a class
+that was likely to give no little trouble in the future.
+
+In strong contrast with these doubtful adherents, and yet, in some
+respects, even more difficult to control, were the Chasidim--the
+"religious," "mighty men and voluntarily devoted to the Law"--the spiritual
+ancestors of the Pharisees of a later time, but actuated by a zeal far
+more sincere than what could commonly be found in their degenerate
+descendants. Men braver it would not have been possible to find; their
+courage amounted to something like recklessness; but they were
+enthusiasts, and held their tenets with a tenacity that sometimes made
+discipline almost impossible.
+
+An incident that occurred soon after the arrival of Mattathias and his
+sons exhibited these difficulties in a striking way. The scene of it was
+the extreme right of the position, where Abiathar, one of the Chasidim, an
+able soldier but a most uncompromising zealot, was in chief command. The
+whole of the population had assembled to take part in a Sabbath service.
+They had listened to the great chapter in Deuteronomy which proclaims the
+blessings that will follow obedience, the curses that will fall on those
+who disobey. They had sung together that Psalm "for the Sons of Korah,"
+which tells of triumph and of shame, in which Israel now thanks Him who
+has saved them from their enemies and now complains that He has made them
+a reproach to their neighbours' scorn, and a derision to them that are
+round about. And they were listening to a stirring exhortation to quit
+them like men and be strong, from the soldier-priest who was in chief
+command, when an alarm was raised that the enemy were at hand. Some of the
+younger men were on the point of running to fetch their weapons, for they
+were of course unarmed, when the stern voice of their leader called them
+back. "Have you so soon forgotten the blessing and the curse which the
+Lord your God hath set before you? Has He not commanded you to keep holy
+the Sabbath-day, and will you profane it by smiting with the sword?" They
+obeyed the command, though not without some murmurs from those who had not
+been thoroughly schooled in the stern tenets of the Chasidim. Meanwhile
+the enemy, a strong force that had been sent out from the garrison at
+Jerusalem, had come up. A herald from the officer in command approached,
+and delivered a message in these terms:--
+
+"Philip the Governor, and Apollonius, captain of the King's army, bid you
+come forth from your hiding-place and deliver yourselves up. Let your
+former transgressions against the King suffice, and do now according to
+his commandment. So will he have mercy upon you, and admit you to his
+grace."
+
+The answer of the Jewish commander was brief and decisive: "We will not
+come forth, neither will we do according to the King's commandment."
+
+Then followed one of the strangest scenes recorded in history. The
+peremptory refusal of the proffered terms was followed in a few minutes by
+a shower of missiles from the hostile force. The crowd at which they were
+aimed made no attempt at resistance, or even at escape. They fell where
+they stood, without lifting a hand, almost without uttering a cry. There
+is no greater trial of an army's discipline than to make it stand and see
+its ranks thinned without being able to strike a blow in return. But the
+soldiers who endure this trial endure it in the hope of an hour that
+cannot be long delayed, when they shall reap the reward of their patience
+in an assured victory. The Chasidim who followed Abiathar had no such
+support in their endurance. They stood like sheep for the slaughter,
+strong men as they were, and conscious that they could save themselves if
+they would. Not a stone did they throw in reply to the missiles that were
+showered upon them; and when the hostile ranks closed in, not till after
+some wondering delay, and began to finish the bloody work with their
+swords, they still held their ground with the same passive, unresisting
+courage.
+
+To one man at least the sword of the heathen brought that day a welcome
+release from his troubles. Shallum, the wine-seller of Jerusalem, had been
+consumed with remorse for the part which he had taken on the day when he
+followed "Bacchus and his reeling train." The words haunted his mind with
+maddening repetition. The stern doctrines of the Chasidim had exercised a
+singular attraction for him, and though, stained as he was with sins for
+which he could scarcely hope purification, he did not even propose to join
+their ranks, he was a diligent attendant at their services and an
+attentive listener to their teaching. This day he had stood on the
+outskirts of the crowd, hearing with a rapt attention the promises and
+denunciations of the Law, and listening to, though not daring to join in,
+the chanted psalms. "Perhaps," he said to himself, "the sound of the holy
+music will rid me of that accursed Bacchic chant which rings for ever in
+my ears." For a moment, when the massacre began, that love of life which
+even the most miserable scarcely ever loses rose up strong in his heart.
+But he crushed it down. "I have transgressed too often," he thought to
+himself, "the commandment of the Lord; let me obey it at least this once,
+though I die." The next moment the stroke of a Greek sword levelled him to
+the ground, and the Bacchic chant vexed him no more.
+
+Not a single man of all that company--so strong was the contagion of
+enthusiasm among them--made any effort to escape the fate that overtook his
+companions. Still there was left a survivor to carry to Mattathias the
+news, at once so terrible and so glorious, of that day's doings. One of
+the men had been felled to the ground by the blow of a stone at the first
+discharge of the enemy's missiles, and had been left for dead upon the
+field. When he came to himself, late in the night, he found himself the
+only living being among masses of the slain. His first duty was obviously
+to carry tidings of the events to the commander-in-chief, and he made his
+way to head-quarters as quickly as his enfeebled condition permitted.
+
+Mattathias saw that this question of the Sabbath must be settled at once,
+and, if the war was to be carried on with any prospect of success, settled
+on the side of freedom. He called a council in the early morning of the
+next day--the news had reached him about two hours after midnight. His five
+sons were present, as were Azariah, and Seraiah, with others who held
+command in the patriot army. A long debate followed, for some of the
+Chasidim still clung to their rigid opinions, even in the face of the
+disaster which had happened, and the manifest probability, even certainty,
+of its happening again. They answered with stern iteration to each appeal
+that was made to them by the advocates of reason and moderation, "Thou
+shalt keep holy the Sabbath-day." It was impossible to yield to them, and
+yet, such was their courage and devotion, almost equally impossible to
+break with them.
+
+Mattathias, who presided at the assembly, had left the debate to other
+speakers, and had contented himself with keeping the peace between them,
+as far as he could. At last he rose and delivered his opinion.
+
+"Brethren," he said, "let us take heed that we break not the Law while we
+seem to keep it. The Lord hath commanded us that we shall not work our own
+works or do our own pleasure upon His day. Shall we take occasion thereby
+to neglect His work and leave undone His pleasure? The heathen have come
+into His inheritance and devoured it. Shall we suffer them to usurp it for
+ever? Say, too, ye that will not stretch out a finger to save the people
+of the Lord from destruction because it is the Sabbath, do ye not reach
+out your hand to save a brother or a sister or a neighbour, yea, even a
+stranger upon that day, if it so chance that they be overtaken by some
+instant need? Nay, more; do ye not pull out an ox or an ass, if it be
+fallen on that day into a pit? and will ye not pull out the Lord's people
+from the pit which the malice of their enemies shall have digged for them?
+Listen, therefore, to my sentence. If the enemy come upon us upon the
+Sabbath we will beat him back, God helping. Nevertheless, if it may be so
+without damage to the Lord's cause, we will not march against him on that
+day. If there be sin in this matter let it be upon me and my children."
+
+And as he spoke the five young men, his sons, rose up in their places, and
+answered, _Amen_.
+
+The decision was generally accepted and acted upon, though to the last
+some of the more determined of the Chasidim avoided, as far as was
+possible, all military action on the Sabbath.
+
+The rule of Sabbath observance was, however, still very strictly kept. It
+was two or three days after the council described above had been held,
+when one of the half-bandit, half-patriot recruits was discovered busily
+employed in cleaning his armour on the Lord's day. He was kept in
+confinement till sunset, when the Sabbath was considered to end; a council
+of war was hastily summoned to hear the case. The man pleaded the recent
+decision of Mattathias, which had, he said, relaxed the law of the
+Sabbath. It was answered to him that the cleaning of armour was no
+necessary work, and that the distinction must now be kept more strictly
+than before, lest the people should fall into sin. He then urged that his
+offence was an error, and might be atoned for by a sin-offering.
+
+"Alas! my son," said Mattathias, "the Temple is profaned; nor can there be
+any more either sin-offering or peace-offering till it be purified. You
+must bear your iniquity yourself."
+
+John the soldier, who was unwilling that the army should lose one whose
+offence, after all, had only been an excess of military zeal, and Simon,
+whose gentle soul always was inclined to the milder course, voted for a
+lighter punishment than death, but they were overruled. Even Judas voted
+against them, knowing that such an army as theirs could only be held
+together by the bond of an enthusiastic faith.
+
+"Give the glory to God," said the aged president of the Court, when he had
+communicated his sentence to the prisoner, "and take your death patiently,
+knowing that though you be judged according to men in the flesh, you shall
+live according to God in the spirit." The man bowed his head in
+submission, and repeated the confession of faith, "Hear, O Israel, the
+Lord thy God is one Lord."
+
+"The Lord bless thee, my son," said Mattathias, "and take thee into
+Abraham's bosom."
+
+So the transgressor died. And they buried him under a heap of stones to
+which every passer-by made it his duty to add his tribute.
+
+
+
+
+
+                              CHAPTER XIII.
+
+                    GUERILLA WARFARE IN THE MOUNTAINS.
+
+
+Some weeks had necessarily to pass before the patriot army could assume
+the offensive. Some kind of drill was necessary, though Judas, who had the
+chief direction of military affairs, did not attempt to teach his men any
+elaborate manoeuvres. But practice in sword-play and in shooting with the
+bow was diligently attended to. A corps of slingers was also formed under
+the command of one Sheba, a Benjamite, who possessed that skill with his
+weapon which was characteristic of his tribe. The sling was admirably
+suited to the kind of warfare which they would have to wage. As long as
+there were stones there would not be wanting missiles for the slings,
+while the supply of arrows would be likely to fall short, and could not
+easily be renewed. Meanwhile some rude anvils had been fitted up, and
+every one who could work as a smith was pressed into the service of
+repairing old arms or making new ones. By degrees many of the fighting men
+obtained an equipment which, if not very handsome, was at least fairly
+effective. Some of the new arrivals, too, were old soldiers, and brought
+their arms with them. Jews who had enlisted in the armies of the various
+Asiatic kings flocked to the standard of independence, when once it had
+been set up. Even some of the well-paid mercenaries who formed the
+bodyguard of Antiochus were patriotic enough to prefer to their luxurious
+existence the privations of life among the mountains. It was a life which,
+at the least, they could lead without offence.
+
+It was winter when Mattathias and his sons reached the mountains; and with
+the first beginnings of spring the force under his command, now increased
+to a respectable strength, commenced active operations. These were
+extended over a considerable range of country to all the villages that had
+submitted to the edicts of the heathen rulers of the land. Even fortified
+towns, in several instances, were surprised, not, it may be guessed,
+without the connivance of the patriotic party within the walls. The idol
+altars which the King's commissioners had set up were thrown down with
+every circumstance of indignity. All stores belonging to the usurping
+government were confiscated for the use of the national forces. But
+private property was respected. Arms, indeed, if they were likely to be
+useful, were taken, but always taken at a price.
+
+Severe as was the discipline, it met with a cheerful submission from the
+men, so commanding was the influence exercised by their leaders.
+Conspicuous among them were, of course, the sons of Mattathias. All were
+favourites, but Judas and Simon took the lead. The strength, the skill,
+and the daring of the first were such that he was absolutely idolized by
+his troops. There was no task, however perilous, which they would not
+attempt under his guidance, for there was nothing which he did not seem
+capable of achieving. His physical strength was enormous; and his
+fertility of resource unfailing. He had always some new device for
+outwitting the enemy; and when the crisis of an undertaking arrived, if an
+attacking party were to be helped up some almost inaccessible height, a
+gate to be broken open by main force, or a pass to be held against
+overwhelming odds, Judas was always ready and always, it seemed,
+successful. Scarcely less honoured, though in a different way, was the
+prudence and kindliness of Simon. If Judas never failed in an attempt it
+was, in part at least, because Simon's advice was so uniformly sagacious,
+because he could measure so exactly the means at their command. And when
+the fighting was over, no one could be more unwearying in his attentions
+to the wounded. The voice which rang so loud and clear through the din of
+battle was now soft and caressing, and the touch of his hand was as gentle
+and tender as if it had been a woman's.
+
+Such leaders could do anything with their troops, even when they had to
+task their obedience by the infliction of punishment. Even such men as the
+ex-robber Benjamin felt what may be called the infection of discipline. He
+had accompanied one of the expeditions, in which a select force of
+patriots, after marching forty miles within twenty-four hours, surprised a
+squadron of Greek cavalry in one of the towns of Galilee. A short but
+sharp conflict took place in the square of the town, and Benjamin had
+borne himself with conspicuous courage. The struggle over, the soldiers
+had received entertainment, not in every case very willingly given, from
+the inhabitants of the town. Benjamin happened to be quartered upon a
+particularly churlish host, and resenting the coarse and scanty fare, so
+unsuited to the wealth apparent in all the fittings of the house, had
+revenged himself by abstracting a rich cloak belonging to his miserly
+entertainer. The article was stowed away on his own person, but the keen
+eye of one of the Chasidim officers espied it; the thief was denounced
+when the force had reached the encampment, and brought before the council,
+which was held under the presidency of Judas. The culprit pleaded in vain
+the shabby treatment which he had received. It was not for him, he was
+told, to take the law into his own hands. When he urged that the man was a
+traitor to his country he was asked whether he had himself taken the cloak
+from patriotic motives. "Did you purpose," said Judas, going to the point
+with characteristic directness, "to make this a common possession, or to
+take it for yourself?" Benjamin faltered under this searching question,
+and had no answer to give. Then Judas pronounced his sentence: "In old
+time he who had offended in this manner, as did Achan in the matter of the
+spoils of Jericho, died the death. These times are not equal to a justice
+so strict. But what the law enjoins that you will suffer. Were such sin as
+yours to go unpunished we could expect no blessing on our arms. We should
+become, not what we would be, the armies of the Lord, but a horde of
+robbers. You will receive forty stripes save one; if you offend again, you
+die."
+
+Without a murmur the culprit bared his shoulders for the lash. When the
+whip had once fallen Judas stayed the executioner's hand. "Benjamin," he
+said, "you have done ill, but you have also done well. You saved from
+death our brother Seraiah as he lay wounded under the feet of the
+horsemen. For this good deed the rest of the punishment is remitted. Go,
+and sin no more."
+
+Seraiah indeed had been so seriously wounded that he had to be carried
+back to the camp on a litter rudely constructed of boards, and Ruth was
+now nursing him in the cave which had been originally set apart for their
+dwelling, and which they still retained. It was a miserable abode, though
+it at least afforded shelter from the rain. Indeed the lot of the women
+and children in the patriot encampment was full of suffering. The men had
+the constant excitement of their warfare to cheer them, but the women had
+only to toil and to endure. In the day the drought consumed them, and the
+frost by night. They had none of the comforts of life. Their food was
+coarse in the extreme, and often very scanty. But, perhaps, their greatest
+trial was in the matter of clothes. The stock which they had brought with
+them from their homes was, for the most part, worn out, and it was only on
+rare occasions, when some property of the heathen fell into the hands of
+the patriots, that any part of it could be replenished. Sheepskins and
+goatskins dried in the sun were commonly used, what remained of their
+wardrobes being reserved for special occasions.
+
+Some time after the incident described above a serious trouble came upon
+Azariah. Miriam, his elder daughter, when she returned one day from her
+usual task of gathering herbs to eke out the family meal, complained of
+headache. It was evident that she was suffering from sunstroke. As the
+spring advanced the heat in some of the narrow mountain valleys became
+exceedingly oppressive, and the town-bred child felt it acutely. For some
+days her life was in danger, all the greater because she had neither
+medical attendance nor skilful nursing. Ruth did all she could for the
+little sufferer, but then Ruth had her own husband to attend to, for,
+though recovering from his wound, he needed much care, and her child was
+still too young to be left alone. One or two visits in the day was all
+that she could give. For the most part the girl's father was her nurse,
+the little Judith giving such help as she could. Love gave a lightness and
+tenderness to his touch, and supplied the place of skill in that
+marvellous way which is so often possible to love. Day after day, as he
+sat by the bedside, and watched his charge, the girl's face, now pale and
+wasted, and aged as it was with suffering, reminded him more and more of
+his lost Hannah. He lived over the happy past that they had known before
+the evil days began, the time when their first acquaintance as youth and
+maiden had ripened into love, and the early years of their wedded life.
+Thus he began to live in a world of imagination, while the sordid
+circumstances of the present seemed to make no impression upon him, though
+he always retained a punctual recollection of the duties that belonged to
+his attendance upon the sick.
+
+One day Ruth had come in to pay the daily visit for which, however
+engrossing her own occupations, she always contrived to find an
+opportunity. The patient was in a sound sleep, with the little Judith for
+her sole attendant, Azariah having received an urgent summons to attend a
+council of war, in which some subject with which he was especially
+acquainted was to be discussed.
+
+After a few minutes Azariah returned, but without any of the signs of
+agitation or haste that might be expected from one hurrying back to the
+performance of a duty that he had been compelled to neglect. His sister
+wondered to see him so calm, and she was still more surprised when he went
+on to say--
+
+"How like the child is growing to my dear Hannah!"
+
+Ruth had often thought the same, but had not ventured to say so, for
+Azariah had never mentioned his dead wife.
+
+"Yes," she answered, "I have often thought so."
+
+"I have had some happy times of late. Before I could not get out of my
+mind the dreadful sight of her face when I last saw it." He paused for a
+moment, overpowered by the recollection, but soon resumed in a cheerful
+voice: "But now in this dear child I seem to see her as she was in those
+happy Bethlehem days before our marriage, and again in the still happier
+time we had together in Jerusalem."
+
+"But does it not trouble you to leave the child alone?"
+
+"Nay, sister, she is not alone. Nor do I speak of our dear little Judith
+here." And he stroked the little girl's head, and bade her go and play
+outside, but be careful not to go into the sun.
+
+"Believe me," he went on, "that when I am not here, Miriam's angel is with
+her. Perhaps you will think me mad when I say that I have seen, and that
+not once or twice only, the flash of white garments vanishing in the
+darkness as I came into the cave. And last night, as I sat here, dreaming,
+it may be, but certainly seeing everything in the cave as plainly as I see
+it this moment, the angel came with the little babe--our little David that
+my Hannah took with her to Paradise--to kiss his sick sister. And when
+Miriam awoke about an hour after dawn, the fever had left her."
+
+At this moment the girl opened her eyes. "Oh, father," she cried, "did you
+indeed see little brother last night?--for I saw him too; but I did not see
+that an angel was carrying him. He seemed to be in the air somehow, with
+no one holding him up. And he had beautiful white clothes--not these nasty
+sheepskins and goatskins that we have to wear--and he stretched out his
+hands to me, and kissed me, and I felt that moment as if that dreadful
+burning had gone out of me. And oh! there was such a wonderful look upon
+his face. It was just like the look on dear mother's face that evening
+when the sun was just setting, and you took little brother up in your
+arms, and said his name was David."
+
+Ruth could only listen to such talk with wonder and awe. But she went back
+to her husband and child with a lighter heart than she had borne for many
+days.
+
+But a trouble was at hand which, though it had been for some time
+foreseen, was great enough to make private sorrows and anxieties seem
+inconsiderable. It was reported through the encampment that Mattathias,
+the father of his people, was dying.
+
+The old man's health had been failing for some time. The hardships of his
+new life had told grievously upon it, all the more that he refused the
+exemption from labour which his age required. He had ceased to accompany
+the expeditions because he found that his presence hampered the movements
+of younger and stronger men, but the management of the multifarious
+affairs of the encampment--the home administration, as it may be called, of
+the patriotic movement--he kept in his own hands. Early and late he busied
+himself in this work, and before many weeks were past his labours wore him
+out.
+
+He was well aware that the end had come, and that all that remained for
+him to do was to appoint a successor who should accomplish, or at least
+carry on--for he did not deceive himself as to the difficulty of the
+work--the task which he had commenced. All the leaders were summoned to his
+presence, the wounded Seraiah, for whose capacity and serene courage the
+old chief had a high regard, being carried thither on a litter. The old
+man was propped in his bed on cushions, the difficulty of breathing making
+it impossible for him to lie down. On either side stood his five sons,
+John, the eldest, being at his right hand, with Eleazar and Jonathan near
+him, while Simon and Judas were on the left. A physician, the solitary
+professor of the healing art that the camp possessed, sat by the bed's
+foot, with a cup of some cordial in his hand.
+
+  [Illustration: _The Last Charge of Mattathias._]
+
+The old man began by laying his hand on John's head. "My son," he said,
+"for your loyalty and faithful obedience I thank the Lord that gave me so
+excellent a son for my first-born. You know what it is in my mind to do
+with respect to the succession of my work, and I am assured that you
+approve. But for the sake of those that stand by,"--and he pointed to the
+assembled chiefs--"I solemnly declare that for no defect of courage or
+honesty I pass you by. And say if you are content to leave it according to
+what seems best to my judgment."
+
+"Father," said the faithful John, "I am content."
+
+Simon beckoned to the physician, who handed the cup of cordial to the
+dying man. He swallowed a few drops, and then went on:
+
+"Hear, my friends and brethren. In the distribution of my worldly goods I
+follow custom and law. The inheritance of my fathers I give to my eldest
+born, according to the custom of the birthright; and I direct that the
+younger shall have such portions as are due to them. But I have that to
+give which has been entrusted to me of the Lord, and with which I must
+deal according to His pleasure, so far as it is given to me to know it.
+Simon, I will that thou be the father of the people. Care for them as for
+thy children. Do justice between man and man. Strive to the utmost that
+they keep the Law of the Lord their God. He has given thee prudence and
+discernment and knowledge of the customs of our fathers. See that thou use
+these things for the glory of the Lord and the good of the people. Judas,
+I will that thou be captain of the host. Be stout and of a good courage,
+and the Lord shall fight on thy side, and give thee the victory. The end
+is not yet, and maybe thou wilt not see it with thine eyes; but, though it
+tarry, wait for it. 'For they that go on their way weeping, bearing
+precious seed, shall doubtless come again with joy, and bring their
+sheaves with them.'"
+
+He then addressed a few words to the two other sons, words of mingled
+encouragement and advice. This done he stretched out his hands, and, with
+a voice of surprising firmness in one so weak, blessed the whole assembly,
+repeated the usual profession of an Israelite's faith, and then drew his
+last breath without a struggle.
+
+
+
+
+
+                              CHAPTER XIV.
+
+                        THE BURIAL OF MATTATHIAS.
+
+
+Judas and his brothers sat late into the night consulting about a daring
+scheme which the new captain of the host proposed.
+
+"It would be an unseemly thing," he said, "that Mattathias, the son of
+Asmon, should be thrust into a hole among the rocks as if he were an
+outcast or a robber. Verily we will bury him with his fathers in the
+sepulchre of Asmon."
+
+"'Twill be no easy matter to contrive," said Jonathan, the man of many
+devices. "The sepulchre is hard by the town, and we can scarcely avoid the
+eyes of the people in coming and going."
+
+"Nay, Jonathan, I have no purpose of doing the thing in secret. It would
+not be well to bury my father by stealth in his own sepulchre. It shall be
+done openly, and before the eyes of men."
+
+The brothers, bold men as they were, were astonished at the hardihood of
+the plan. But their respect for the genius of Judas silenced any
+opposition. And then he had never failed in any enterprise. John was the
+first to speak.
+
+"'Tis well thought of, Judas. Lead the way, and I follow;" and he clasped
+his brother's hand.
+
+The captain then developed his plan, which, when examined, seemed less
+audacious than it had appeared at first sight. It was to be a surprise,
+and the very unlikelihood of the attempt made its success more probable.
+Modin was not occupied by a garrison, and the townsfolk, even if their
+goodwill could not be counted on, would scarcely venture to resist. Only
+it would be necessary to act before any rumour of their intention could
+get about, and, the funeral march once begun, to hasten it to a completion
+as much as possible.
+
+The body was at once preserved against decay as far as the scanty means at
+the command of the patriots would allow. Then word was sent through the
+encampment that all who wished to take their last look at the dead hero
+must come at once. For three hours a constant stream of awestruck and
+weeping visitors passed through the tent in which he lay, attired in his
+priestly garb, the long white beard reaching almost to his waist, his
+wasted features settled into the majestic repose of death. Every visitor
+as he entered loosed his sandals from his feet, feeling that the place
+which he was entering was holy ground. Every one, as he took his last look
+on the hero's face, prayed to the God of his fathers that his last end
+might be like his. Women brought their children that they might kiss the
+hem of his garment. It would be a distinction to them in their old age
+that they had been privileged to pay this honour to Mattathias, the son of
+Asmon.
+
+Before dawn the procession started. The body, in its rude coffin of wood,
+was placed upon a bier, thirty bearers taking it in turns to carry it. The
+thirty were divided into five relays of six, one of the sons of the dead
+being always among those who performed the duty. With the exception of a
+small force which was left for the protection of the women and children,
+all the fighting men of the settlement accompanied the body. In spite of
+the efforts which had been made to procure or manufacture arms, they were
+still but poorly equipped. Of military display, of the "pomp and
+circumstance of glorious war," there was absolutely nothing. But the solid
+qualities of endurance and courage could be seen in their sinewy forms and
+resolute faces. To an observer who could look below the surface that
+squalid array had in it the capacity for achieving an heroic success.
+
+Judas had been quite right in predicting that the expedition would meet
+with little or no opposition. Its march, indeed, was absolutely unmolested
+by the enemy. The movement was wholly unexpected, and consequently no
+force had been collected to hinder it; while the garrisons of the two or
+three fortified places which the army passed on its route did not feel
+themselves strong enough to attempt any attack. Already, though as yet no
+pitched battle had been fought, these Jewish "Ironsides" had inspired
+their enemies with a wholesome dread of their prowess. Both Greeks and
+renegades knew that these ragged, ill-armed mountaineers stood as stoutly
+and plied their swords as fiercely as any soldiers in the world.
+
+No incident occurred in the course of the march save one, which, though
+little thought of at the time, was destined to lead to events of
+considerable importance. When the first halt was called, Benjamin, who was
+a well-known personage in the neighbourhood, and who in spite, perhaps in
+consequence, of his antecedents enjoyed not a little popularity, found
+entertainment in the house of an old acquaintance. The man was a farmer,
+who had been accustomed to make a handsome profit by supplying the bandits
+with useful information. Recognizing his old accomplice in the ranks of
+the patriot army, he invited him into his house, and entertained him with
+his best. Unfortunately this best happened to be some salted swine's
+flesh. Benjamin had some scruple about eating it; but it was not strong
+enough to resist the claims of a ravenous hunger, supported as they were
+by his entertainer's ridicule. The meal was washed down by the contents of
+two or three flasks of potent wine, and the friends were so busily
+occupied with discussing these, and with talking over old times, that the
+signal for assembly passed unnoticed. Then followed a search for
+stragglers, and Benjamin was discovered with the fragments of his meal
+before him; and though his hunger had stripped the bones bare enough, no
+one could doubt what was the animal to which they had belonged.
+
+The offender had been caught, so to speak, red-handed, and some voices
+were raised to demand his instant execution. But the officer in command of
+the detachment interposed. In any case he would have objected to a
+proceeding of which Judas would certainly have disapproved, and he had
+besides a certain kindness for Benjamin, of whose courage and dexterity he
+had been more than once a witness. Accordingly the offender was put under
+close arrest, and the army resumed its march.
+
+Benjamin had no need to be told that he was in very serious danger. The
+Chasidim, at least, would be more ready to overlook fifty thefts than one
+transgression in the matter of unclean food; and he felt sure that if he
+could not contrive to escape before the army returned to the encampment,
+possibly before they reached Modin, his days were numbered. While he was
+meditating on the chances of escape, one of the escort, an associate of
+former days, was thinking how he could help him. Happening to be in front
+of the prisoner, he purposely stumbled and fell. The prisoner fell over
+him, and in the confusion the soldier cut the cords that bound Benjamin's
+hands. The prisoner was not a man to lose such an opportunity. Waiting
+till he reached a convenient spot on the march, he shook off his bonds,
+sprang to the side of the road, and, before his keepers could recover from
+their astonishment, was lost to sight in the woods which bordered it.
+
+When the army reached Modin no attempt was made to interfere with its
+proceedings. Our old acquaintance, Cleon, had been sent to replace the
+commissioner killed when Mattathias raised the standard of revolt, and
+Cleon was far too careful of himself to risk his safety in any foolhardy
+struggle against superior strength. When the body of armed men was first
+seen approaching the town, he had supposed that its object was to possess
+itself of any money, arms, or provisions that might be found in the place.
+A nearer view showed the funeral procession, and one of the townspeople
+was acute enough to guess the real purpose of the expedition. Cleon's
+resolve was at once taken. He would make the best of circumstances which
+he could not control. Accordingly he went out of the town with a flag of
+truce in his hand, and meeting the vanguard of the approaching array,
+demanded an interview with its leader.
+
+He was brought into the presence of Judas.
+
+"May I ask," he said, "the purpose of your coming?"
+
+"We are come to bury Mattathias, son of Asmon, in the sepulchre of his
+fathers," was the brief reply.
+
+"And you, sir," continued the Greek, with elaborate courtesy, "may I ask
+to whom I am speaking?"
+
+"I am Judas, son of Mattathias."
+
+"Allow me, then," answered Cleon, "to express my sympathy with you in the
+loss of so renowned a father, once, I believe, a distinguished citizen of
+this place, and to assure you that you will meet with no molestation in
+whatever honours you may see fit to render to his memory. I would myself
+willingly attend the obsequies, did I suppose that my presence would be
+welcome."
+
+"We thank you, sir," said Judas, who was inwardly chafing at this
+hypocritical politeness, but disdained to show his feelings; "we would
+sooner be alone."
+
+Cleon saluted and withdrew.
+
+The funeral ceremonies were performed with an impressive solemnity. The
+stone which closed the entrance to the family tomb of the house of Asmon
+had been rolled away, and the dead body was placed in the niche which had
+been long ago prepared for its reception. Only the sons of Mattathias and
+a few of their best trusted counsellors and lieutenants entered the cave;
+the rest of the multitude stood without, waiting in profound silence till
+they should be told that the old warrior had been laid in his last
+resting-place.
+
+When the cave had been closed again John, as the eldest son of the
+deceased, spoke a few words to the army.
+
+"We have buried our dead," he said, "out of our sight; but his memory
+lives and will live among us. Let us be true and faithful as he was, that
+we may be with him when he shall rise again at the last day, and sit down
+with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob at the supper of the people of God.
+Meanwhile let us follow and obey him whom with his last breath he named as
+his successor. Long live Judas, son of Mattathias, son of Asmon, the
+captain of the host of the Lord!"
+
+And all the army shouted their approval.
+
+Cleon had followed up his courtesies by an invitation addressed to Judas
+and his principal officers, in which he begged the honour of their company
+at a meal. Judas declined the invitation, but intimated that he would
+gladly purchase a supply of corn. The commissioner, well aware that his
+guests could take by force anything that was refused to them, at once
+acceded to the request, and Micah was selected, on account of his
+familiarity with the Greek language, to conduct the transaction.
+
+The details of the business arranged with the commissioner's secretary,
+Micah received a message from the great man himself, begging for the
+pleasure of an interview.
+
+"What!" cried Cleon, affecting a surprise which he did not really feel,
+"is this my old friend Menander whom I see?"
+
+"My name is Micah," said the Jew, not without a feeling of disgust and
+shame as his mind reverted to the past.
+
+"As you please," said Cleon. "By whatever name you may please to call
+yourself, I hope that we shall always be good friends. But tell me, what
+is the meaning of this disguise?"
+
+"I know not what you mean by disguise."
+
+"I mean these rags, which a scarecrow would hardly condescend to wear;
+that battered helmet, which looks as if the boys had been kicking it for a
+month about the market-place; that deplorably shabby sword, which even a
+rag-and-bone man would be ashamed to hang up in his shop. Is this the
+elegant Menander--I beg your pardon, the elegant Micah, who was once the
+very pink of neatness and fashion?"
+
+"As for my past follies, you may laugh at them as you will, nor can I deny
+that you are in the right. But of these rags, as you are pleased to call
+them, of these shabby arms, I am not ashamed. I have come to myself. The
+things that I once prized I count as dung, and for that which I once
+despised I would gladly die."
+
+"Why, what madness is this? What have you got to live for? How can you
+support existence among this deplorable crew of beggars and outlaws, with
+not a man among them, I will warrant, who has the least taste of culture,
+or the faintest tincture of art?"
+
+"These 'beggars and outlaws,' as you call them, are the soldiers of the
+Lord; and you will find that they are enemies not to be despised, that
+these battered helmets can turn a blow, and these jagged swords can deal
+one that will make its way through all your finery."
+
+"But, my dear friend--I may call you so, I suppose, in spite of any little
+difference of opinion there may be between us?"
+
+The Jew made no motion of assent.
+
+"Well, you cannot be deceiving yourself as to the utter hopelessness of
+your attempt. Why, when you come to meet our troops in regular battle, you
+will disappear like chaff before the wind. You may take a few places by
+surprise, but you have no more chance of winning a regular victory than a
+dove has of killing a kite. Come now, be reasonable; give up this silly
+affair, and be my guest, till we can find something suitable for you to
+do. I will set you up with some new clothes, to which you are perfectly
+welcome. And I will warrant that in a few days you will be wondering that
+you were ever foolish enough to undertake such a wildgoose business as
+this."
+
+"Your gifts be to yourself. Nay, Cleon," he soon went on to say, in a
+softer tone, "I would not speak harshly to you for the sake of old
+kindnesses which I doubt not you meant well in showing me. But be sure
+that I am in earnest. The old things are hateful to me. I have other
+desires, other hopes; and if they are not satisfied, not fulfilled, I can
+at least die for them."
+
+"Die for them, indeed! _That_, my dear Micah, is only too likely, and die,
+I am afraid, in an exceedingly unpleasant way. It is simple madness to
+suppose that a crowd of ragamuffins, under a general--Apollo save the
+mark!--who has never seen a battle, can stand against the troops of the
+King. You used to be a very good fellow, Menander or Micah, or whatever
+you call yourself, but, as sure as you are sitting there, if you go on in
+this mad fashion, I shall have the pain of seeing you some day hanging on
+a cross."
+
+At the sound of the word the young Jew started as if he had been stabbed.
+It opened the way for a flood of memories which, for a while, carried him
+out of himself. When he could command himself sufficiently to speak, he
+burst out--
+
+"Yes--hanging on a cross! Nothing more likely if only you and your friends
+get their way. You talk of taste, and art, and beauty: you have always
+plenty of fine words on your tongues, but when it comes to practice you
+are as brutal as the fiercest of the savages whom you profess to
+despise--nay, you are ten times worse, for you know what you are doing.
+Now, listen to me, Cleon. Some six months ago I was walking through
+Jerusalem after your teachers of culture and art had been busy giving
+their lessons. What think you I saw? I saw a woman hanging on a cross, and
+her little son, a babe of a few days old, fastened about her neck. Thank
+God they were dead. Some one of your people had in mercy--for you are not
+altogether without mercy--strangled her before they fastened her to the
+cross. And what was her offence? Was she unchaste, a thief, a murderer?
+Not so; no purer, gentler soul ever lived on the earth. No, she had done
+for her son as her fathers for a thousand years and more had done for
+their sons. And this was how your prophets of refinement and beauty dealt
+with her. Cleon, that woman was my sister. Do you think that such deeds as
+that will go unpunished? Surely not; whether your faith--if you have a
+faith--or mine be true, there is a vengeance that follows--slow, it may be,
+but sure of foot--the men who work such wickedness. And, for my part, I
+doubt not who the first minister of that vengeance will be. You sneer at
+our general; he is no general at all, you think; a mere leader of
+vagabonds, who has never seen a battle. He will see many a battle, yea,
+and the back of many a foe, before his work is done. He is a very Hammer
+of God, and he will break his enemies to pieces. And now, Cleon, hearken
+again to me. You and I have broken bread together as friends. That is past
+for ever. May the God of my fathers send down upon me all the plagues that
+He holds in the vials of His wrath, if I have any truce with the enemies
+of His people! But with you, as I would not join hands in friendship, so I
+would not cross them in anger. Pray, therefore, to your gods, as I will
+certainly pray to Him whom I worship, that we may never see each other
+again. And now farewell!"
+
+The expedition returned to the mountains without mishap.
+
+
+
+
+
+                               CHAPTER XV.
+
+                         THE SWORD OF APOLLONIUS.
+
+
+The daring action of Judas at Modin was a defiance to the rulers at
+Jerusalem, and felt to be so, not only by them, but by the whole country.
+It was followed up by active operations on the part of the patriots
+against the smaller towns of south-eastern Palestine. The population began
+to feel that it was safer to be on the side of the patriots than against
+them. Thanks to this feeling, to the genuine favour with which the
+movement was regarded, and to the perfect system of scouts which he had
+organized, Judas had early and trustworthy information of all the
+movements of the enemy. Apollonius had made up his mind that he must act
+if he was not to lose entirely his hold upon the country, and set about
+organizing a force so overwhelmingly strong that it must, he thought,
+sweep the insurgents before it. This intention, and indeed, it may almost
+be said, every detail of his preparations, was communicated to Judas. He,
+on his part, was determined that a heathen army should never again invade
+the mountain sanctuary. He would not await attack. His military instincts,
+which, indeed, were extraordinarily fine and true, warned him that
+boldness was now his best policy, and that he should go down and give
+battle to the enemy.
+
+It was on the eve of the departure of the patriot army, when Seraiah might
+have been seen making his way back from a conference of the chiefs to the
+cave which served him as a dwelling. He was now recovering from his wound,
+but he was still too weak to support the fatigues of a march. Accordingly
+Judas had left him in command of the little garrison, scarcely, indeed,
+containing one able-bodied man, which was to protect the encampment. When
+he reached his home he found his nieces, Miriam and Judith, sitting with
+his wife, and watching the infant that was slumbering by her side.
+
+"See," said Judith, as the child smiled in his sleep, "his angel is
+whispering to him. Oh, uncle, have you ever seen the angel?"
+
+She prattled on without waiting for an answer. "Father sees angels, and
+they bring him words from mother, where she is in Paradise. And, do you
+know, uncle, last night he had a wonderful dream about a sword? He told it
+to us this morning. He often tells us his dreams. Sometimes he seems as if
+he were talking to mother; and he says that Miriam is so like her."
+
+"Well, Judith, and what was the dream?" said Ruth.
+
+"Father saw a mighty angel--one of the cherubim, you know, that father says
+God sends abroad to do His errands--come flying down, and the angel had in
+his hand a great sword. And he stood by father's bed, and showed him a
+name graven on the blade--it was the name which we may not speak, though it
+is part of father's name(8)--and when he had done this he put the hilt in
+his hand and departed. Then father awoke, and found only his own old sword
+in his hand; and this, you know, is so hacked that it is not of much use,
+and is very weak, too, in the handle. Father never sleeps without it, and
+he must have drawn it out in his sleep, without knowing it, from under the
+pillow where he keeps it. But he says the dream will certainly come true.
+And now, Miriam," she went on, turning to her sister, for the little
+maiden was of the true housewife temper, "we must be going back to get
+father's dinner ready for him."
+
+When they were left alone Seraiah said to Ruth, "It is as I feared--I am to
+stay behind."
+
+Ruth felt a thrill of joy go through her, but was too wise a woman to show
+it.
+
+"Old Reuben will not hear of my going. He says that I should be more
+hindrance than help, and perhaps he is right. The Lord's will be done,
+though I would fain have struck a blow in the battle that is to decide;
+for I am sure that as this battle goes, so will the end be. But I am to be
+in command of the garrison here."
+
+"And you will not mind taking care of the women and children, dear
+husband?" said Ruth.
+
+"I should be ungrateful indeed if I did," said Seraiah, as he kissed her.
+
+Meanwhile the excitement in the camp had risen to fever heat. Scouts had
+come racing in at headlong speed with tidings that the enemy's army had
+started from Jerusalem, and that it numbered not less than twelve thousand
+regular troops, well-equipped, and furnished with a formidable supply of
+the engines of war. The patriots were in that state of exaltation in which
+men make little of the numbers opposed to them, and the disparity of
+forces roused no apprehensions. If any such were felt they gave way to
+rage when the messengers added that the hated Apollonius himself was in
+command of the hostile army.
+
+Azariah and Micah were among a small company of chiefs who were standing
+outside the tent of Judas, and were discussing the prospects of the war.
+
+"The curse of God light upon him!" cried Azariah. "Surely He will so order
+it that I may smite him down on the field of battle, and avenge the
+innocent blood! Surely the blood of my wife and my child cries against him
+from the earth!"
+
+"Nay, brother," broke in Micah, "the task of the avenger of blood lies
+upon me, for I am next-of-kin to Hannah."
+
+"Surely," replied Azariah, with some heat, "there is no kinship so close
+as the tie which binds husband to wife! 'Tis I that should be Hannah's
+avenger of blood."
+
+"My brothers," broke in the voice of Judas, who appeared in the door of
+his tent, "you think too much of your private wrongs. Great they are, I
+know--none greater. But is there one soldier in this army that has not lost
+wife, or child, or father, or brother by the hand of this evil man? We
+will go, one and all, as avengers of blood, and the Lord will deliver him
+into the hands of him whom He shall choose."
+
+Next day the army set out. On the evening of the second day they came in
+sight of the forces of Apollonius. Some of the more fiery spirits were for
+an instant attack, but the prudence of Judas, which was not less
+conspicuous than his daring, restrained them. His men were wearied with a
+long day's march, and they wanted food. And he himself had not had time to
+reconnoitre the enemy's position or receive any intelligence from his
+scouts.
+
+Early next day the battle began. In one sense Judas was greatly
+overmatched. The enemy were superior in numbers--almost in the proportion
+of four to one--and in equipment. But, on the other hand, the Hebrew leader
+could rely implicitly on his soldiers. Anything that mortal man, inspired
+by zeal and the burning sense of wrong, could achieve, they might be
+trusted to do. To such a temper, of course, the policy of attack is best
+suited. Judas massed his best troops on his right wing, which happened to
+be opposed to what his eagle eye discerned to be the weakest part of the
+enemy's line. Apollonius saw his intention, and commenced a movement of
+troops which was designed to strengthen the weak point in his array. But
+such a movement in the face of a hostile force cannot be carried out
+without confusion. Judas saw his opportunity, ordered his men to advance
+at the double, and closed fiercely with the foe.
+
+The Greek line broke almost at once, and the chief danger now was that the
+conquerors might press on too eagerly. The Greeks were not an
+undisciplined mob which could be treated with contempt. Some of them, at
+least, were veteran soldiers, in whom the sense of discipline was an
+instinct, and who, if not very enthusiastic in the cause for which they
+were fighting, were perfectly well aware that their best chance of
+personal safety was to be found in keeping together and holding their
+ground. Judas, in whom native genius seemed to supply the want of
+experience, appreciated the enemy with whom he had to deal, and kept his
+own men well in hand, though he was careful not unduly to check their
+courage.
+
+The fortune of the day continued to declare in favour of the patriots; but
+Apollonius himself, surrounded by a picked force of mercenaries, still
+held his ground. Shortly after noon Azariah and Micah, who had kept close
+together during the battle, and had both performed prodigies of valour,
+gathering a company of their immediate followers, made a determined rush
+in his direction. The bodyguard, terrified by the fierceness of this
+onset, wavered and fled, leaving but three or four faithful attendants,
+who refused to leave their commander.
+
+The Greek recognized Azariah, and called to him by his name. "Azariah, if
+you think that I have wronged you, I do not refuse you the opportunity of
+revenge. Come out from your companions, and I will meet you alone. You are
+a brave man, and would not take a soldier at unfair odds."
+
+Azariah did not deign to answer; but one of his comrades replied, "Dog of
+a heathen! you forget where you are. We are not contending in your foolish
+games: we are the avengers of blood--the innocent blood which you have
+shed; and we will slay you as men slay a venomous snake. Such equity as
+you have dealt to others, we will show to you. Was it in fair fight that
+you slew women and children?"
+
+Apollonius looked on the ring of scowling faces that surrounded him, and
+saw that there was no mercy or even what he would have called the courtesy
+of war to be hoped from them. "I only wish," he said, "that I had rooted
+out the whole cursed brood from the earth, and burnt the den of thieves
+which you call your city, and laid the shrine of the demon whom you call
+your God level with the ground!"
+
+"Silence, blasphemer!" cried Azariah, as he whirled his sword over his
+head.
+
+It was not the almost worthless weapon, with its dented edge and broken
+hilt, that he had carried into the battle. Early in the day he had cut
+down a Greek officer, and taken the sword of the dead man in exchange for
+his own.
+
+As he spoke he beckoned to his countrymen. They stood back, even Micah
+recognizing the right of the husband to strike the first blow at the
+murderer of his wife.
+
+Apollonius raised his sword to parry the stroke which he expected to be
+aimed at his head. With a rapid change of movement his adversary changed
+the blow into a thrust, and drove the point of his weapon through the
+Greek's heart.
+
+Azariah was drawing out his weapon from the corpse, when Judas, who had
+been hastening to the spot not without some hope of himself crossing
+swords with the hated Apollonius, came up.
+
+"A mighty weapon that!" he exclaimed, as the conqueror wiped the blade on
+the dead man's tunic. "Let me take it in my hands."
+
+He poised it and judged its balance, tried the edge, and then narrowly
+scanned the markings on the blade.
+
+"Ah!" said he, "how came you by this sword? I had observed"--and indeed his
+eagle eye noted every detail--"that yours was but a poor weapon, unworthy
+of your strength, and I wished to find something better for you."
+
+Azariah told him how he had taken it from a Greek on the field of battle.
+
+"And saw you this?" he went on, pointing to the Holy Name which had been
+engraved on the blade. "Doubtless this belonged to some Hebrew warrior in
+time past, for the fashion of the letters is somewhat antique; the heathen
+whom you slew had taken it, and now the Lord has given it back into the
+hands of the faithful."
+
+Azariah then related his dream.
+
+"The angel whom you saw," said Judas, "was, doubtless, the angel of
+battle, and the Lord has been faithful, as ever, to His promise."
+
+He gave back the consecrated sword to Azariah, and took the weapon which
+was still grasped in the right hand of the dead Apollonius. "With this,"
+he said, "I will fight as long as I live." And he broke out into the
+triumphal chant of the Psalmist--"The ungodly have drawn out the sword, and
+have bent the bow to cast down the poor and needy. Their sword shall go
+through their own heart and their bow shall be broken."
+
+  [Illustration: _The Sword of Apollonius._]
+
+
+
+
+
+                              CHAPTER XVI.
+
+                       NEWS FROM THE BATTLE-FIELD.
+
+
+While the patriots, bivouacking on the field of battle, slept the sound
+sleep of those who have fought a good fight, the women, left, with the
+children and the sick, in charge of a small guard, only strong enough to
+protect them against casual robbers, felt the most intense anxiety. Ruth
+in her cave, with the children slumbering by her side, watched through the
+night, listening intently to every sound. At one time she could hear the
+bats which haunted the rocks flapping and fluttering as they went out to
+take their flights in the night air. Then from farther away came the
+moaning of the jackals, as they hunted for their prey, with now and then
+the deeper note of a wolf, or the sound, so strangely like to mocking
+laughter, of the hooting owls. Everything at that moment seemed very dark
+and hopeless to the anxious wife.
+
+"'Tis everywhere the same," she thought to herself--"the stronger hunt and
+devour the weak. The lions roaring after their prey, do seek their meat
+from God. The lambs and the fawns are their prey, and God gives the
+helpless, innocent things into their jaws. And will he give us to the jaws
+of the heathen who are hunting us that they may devour us? Did He deliver
+the thousand who died that they might not profane His Sabbath? Not so. He
+suffered them to perish, to be a prey for the beasts of the field and the
+fowls of the air. 'Verily our bones lie scattered before the pit, like as
+when one breaketh and heweth wood upon the earth.'"
+
+And then her thoughts travelled to those who were especially close to her
+heart. Azariah and Micah--where were they? How had it fared with them in
+the battle? Were they lying on the field of battle with stark faces turned
+to the stars of heaven, and the vultures preying on their limbs? And she
+shuddered, and hid her face in the coarse coverlet under which she lay, as
+if she would shut out the dreadful picture that her thoughts had conjured
+up before her.
+
+When she opened her eyes again, there was a faint suspicion of light in
+the darkness of the cave. The bats came flapping back from the outer air
+to their haunts in the roof. Jael, the jackal, who had been for her
+nightly prowl came back with her cubs, and lay down in her accustomed
+corner. The light grew rapidly stronger, and when Ruth stepped from the
+threshold of the cave into the fresh morning air, though the sun was not
+visible, its light had begun to touch the highest summits of the
+mountains.
+
+Looking to the head of the pass Ruth could see her husband where he stood
+at his post of observation, a spot which commanded a distant view of the
+westward approaches to the encampment. As she watched him she observed him
+make a signal that indicated that he had to make some important
+communication. A moment afterwards she could see other men hurrying to the
+spot. She bade Miriam and Judith, who were always her guests during their
+father's absence, watch the still sleeping infant, and made all the haste
+she could to join her husband. When she reached him she found the little
+group of watchers straining their eyes as they gazed at a body of armed
+men that could be seen in the distance. "Who are they? foes or friends?"
+was the question that was in every heart, though none ventured to put it
+into words.
+
+As the vanguard of the approaching force came to an eastward turn in the
+path, a ray of sunshine touched the helmets of the men and made them
+glitter.
+
+"What is this?" said one of the men. "They went with caps of leather;
+whence come these helmets of brass and steel?"
+
+A shudder went through the hearts of Ruth and of the other women who by
+this time had joined her. If the patriots had been overpowered, and these
+armed men were heathen murderers and ravishers come to wreak their
+vengeance on those who had been left behind----
+
+"Whence come they?" said Seraiah. "They are the spoils of the heathen."
+
+As he spoke the distant sound of singing was carried by the wind up the
+pass, and though the words could not as yet be heard it was recognized at
+once as one of the Temple chants. The little band of sentries and women
+raised a joyful shout, and hurried down the pass to meet the new comers.
+And now the noble voice of Judas could be heard leading the song of
+triumph. "Thou hast girded me with strength unto the battle; Thou shalt
+throw down mine enemies under me. Thou hast made mine enemies also to turn
+their backs upon me; and I shall destroy them that hate me.... I will beat
+them as small as the dust before the wind." And now the good news had
+spread like wildfire through the camp. The rest of the women hastened down
+to meet and greet the deliverers, and among them Miriam and Judith,
+carrying Ruth's infant child. The first thought of all was to do honour to
+the chief who had led the host of the Lord to victory. They kissed the hem
+of his robe, his hands, even his feet. It was only when they had satisfied
+these feelings of gratitude and reverence that they could think of private
+affections. And when the whole array, the women and children now mingling
+in the ranks with the armed men, reached the top of the pass, it halted
+for a few minutes. The name which Micah, in his talk with Cleon, had given
+to Judas had passed through the army, and had caught the popular fancy.
+There was scarcely a man among them but had seen him dealing death at
+every blow among the ranks of the heathen. "Hail, Judah Maccabah! Hail,
+Hammer of God!" was the cry that went up from the assembled multitude. The
+title has been given in after times to other sturdy champions of the
+truth, notably to him who, in the Valley of Tours, turned back the tide of
+Paynim invasion;(9) but never has it been more honourably gained, or more
+worthily borne, than it was by Judas, the son of Mattathias.
+
+
+
+Great as was the exultation of the patriots over their victory, no one
+among them, and least of all their far-sighted general, deceived himself
+with the flattering notion that it had finished the war. Every one was
+well aware that the defeat and death of Apollonius was not only a disgrace
+that Antiochus and his lieutenants were bound to avenge, but a disaster
+that had to be repaired. It was without surprise, therefore, that Judas
+heard that Seron, Governor of Coele-Syria, was marching southwards over
+the great maritime plain known by the name of Sharon, with what rumour
+described as a vast host.
+
+Judas at once resolved to repeat the policy which had been found so
+successful in the conflict with Apollonius. The enemy would soon reach the
+passes that led into the hill-country of Eastern Palestine; and it was
+there that he must be met. To allow him to make good this movement without
+opposition would be to throw away a great advantage. The Jewish commander
+resolved, accordingly, to dispute the possession of the pass. With a
+boldness which seemed to some of his followers to verge upon rashness, he
+left Jerusalem, occupied as it was by a hostile garrison, behind him, and
+marched westward till he reached the range which looks over the Plain of
+Sharon to the Great Sea.
+
+This strategy was simple enough, though it was not wanting in boldness;
+but then came the difficult question, "What road will the enemy take--the
+ordinary route by Emmaues,(10) or the more difficult way through the pass
+of Beth-horon?" The scouts were at fault, but it seemed likely that a
+general strange to the country would prefer the easier course. But
+scarcely had Judas acted on this probability and taken up his position on
+the plateau of Emmaues, than a breathless messenger came rushing in with
+the intelligence that Beth-horon was to be the point of attack. The
+patriots had already been in motion since dawn, but another march was
+necessary, and, if it was to be of any avail, must be executed at full
+speed, and without any pause for food or rest. There had been just time to
+reach the head of the pass, and to hide the vanguard behind rocks and in
+the ravines that led into the main road, when the Greek force was seen to
+be approaching. It was still a mile distant, and as the road was steep,
+making a rise of not less than five hundred feet in the mile, its progress
+was slow. It was an anxious time of waiting as the patriots watched the
+hostile column drawing nearer and nearer. They could see its strength, its
+dense and numerous files, the discipline showed by the precision of its
+march, and its complete equipment, so different from their own imperfect
+supply of weapons and armour. And there were some whose hearts fainted
+within them at the sight. "How shall we, being so few, be able to stand up
+against so great and strong a multitude? And now we are worn with
+marching, and weak for want of bread." Judas was indefatigable in cheering
+and encouraging them. "With the Lord our God," he said, as he went from
+one company to another, "it is all one to deliver with a great multitude,
+or with a small company." Then he pointed to Ajalon, and recalled to the
+thoughts of his hearers the famous associations of the place. "Do you not
+remember," he said, "how Joshua, the son of Nun, smote the five kings of
+the Canaanites? The Lord was with him, staying even the sun and the moon
+in their course, that He might give to His people the heritage of the
+heathen, and surely He will be with us on this day, for His name's sake,
+that he may restore to us this same heritage. His enemies come against us
+in the pride of their hearts to destroy us, and our wives, and our
+children. But the Lord is on our side; and He will overthrow them before
+our face. And as for you, be not afraid of them. Stand fast and quit you
+like men." He had not completed the round of his force--and indeed there
+were some companies in it which he knew to be of temper so sturdy that
+they might safely be left to themselves--when the Greeks, slowly labouring
+in their heavy armour up the ascent, came within reach. Judas gave the
+signal, and with a loud cry, "The Hammer of God! The Hammer of God!" the
+patriots rose from their ambush, and threw themselves on the van of the
+enemy. The attack was entirely unexpected, for the Greek commander was
+ill-served by his scouts, and it met with no serious resistance. Almost in
+a moment the Greek line was broken, and a wild flight commenced. When the
+fugitives reached the plain they scattered themselves in all directions.
+With his usual prudence, Judas checked his men in their pursuit of the
+vanquished, but eight hundred lay dead or seriously wounded upon the
+plain.
+
+Seraiah, who had extorted from the old physician attached to the patriot
+army an unwilling permission to bear arms, had fallen fainting to the
+ground, close to the entrance to the pass. Near him lay six or seven Greek
+corpses. The tide of battle had passed elsewhere, and the place was
+deserted. This was exactly the opportunity which Benjamin and his
+associates--since his escape during the expedition to Modin he had gathered
+about him a small band--had been watching. They issued from their
+hiding-places among the rocks, and began to search the prostrate bodies
+for spoil. The first that they came to was a Greek sub-officer, somewhat
+richly attired. The man was still alive and groaned as they turned him
+over to get more conveniently at the silver ornaments of his belt. "Curse
+the villain!" cried Benjamin, as he drove his sword into his side; and
+when the poor wretch breathed his last, went on, "A brave man might have
+been left to take his chance, but such cowards as these 'tis positively a
+good work to despatch. Did you ever see such a scandalous flight?--and they
+were positively five to one at the very least."
+
+It was now Seraiah's turn to be stripped. He, too, gave signs of life, and
+one of the robbers, an Edomite, who hated Jews and Greeks impartially, was
+about to stab him, when Benjamin, who recognized his old comrade's face,
+interfered.
+
+"Nay, man," he said, "'tis one of the patriots, and an old friend of mine
+to boot. Look you after the others, and I will attend to this brave
+fellow."
+
+Hastily and with a practised hand he bound up Seraiah's wound, for the old
+place had broken out afresh. The injured man, consumed by the thirst that
+follows the loss of blood, begged for water. Benjamin supplied him with a
+draught from the bottle which he carried, and followed it up with some
+rough wine of the country in a wooden cup. By this time the robbers, who
+had finished their work of spoiling the dead, were ready to return to
+their hiding-place among the hills.
+
+"Come, captain," said the Edomite, "'tis time to go; you had best leave
+your friend to himself, or you will see more of his countrymen than you
+will quite like."
+
+"Go," said Benjamin; "I will follow you soon."
+
+Seraiah was now sufficiently revived to be able to sit up. The robber
+offered him bread and flesh. "'Tis clean meat," he said. The wounded man,
+however, refused it. It might be of a lawful kind, but he did not know
+that it had been lawfully killed, and he contented himself with bread to
+which he added a few raisins with which he happened to have provided
+himself. Another draught of wine completed the repast.
+
+"Benjamin," he said, when he had finished, "you are too good for this
+life, for these friends. Come with us and fight on our side, for be sure
+that it is the side of the Lord. I will intercede for you to our captain,
+and he is as merciful as he is strong."
+
+"Nay, nay," said Benjamin, "you are too confident; yours may be the side
+of the Lord, for I don't know much about these things, but the side of the
+Lord, as far as I have been able to see, does not always win. I hate these
+Greeks. They robbed me of my house and everything that I had. May all the
+curses that are written in the Law overtake them! But they are very likely
+to get the best of it after all."
+
+"Did you see how they fled to-day?" cried Seraiah.
+
+"Yes; you made them run," said the robber, with a grim laugh. "It was rare
+sport to see them pelt helter-skelter down the pass, like so many sheep
+with a dog after them. But there are many more where these came from, and
+they will simply trample you down."
+
+"That will not be done so easily as you think. Is Judas the Hammer--for
+that is what the people call him--a likely man to be so dealt with? Nay,
+Benjamin, he is another Joshua, another David, and I am as sure as if a
+prophet had told me that the Lord of Hosts is with him, and will deliver
+the heathen into his hands."
+
+Benjamin was silent awhile. Then he said, in an altered tone, "You say the
+truth about Judas, the son of Mattathias. A better captain to lead, a
+better soldier to strike with the sword, I never saw. I would gladly
+follow him. And verily I would sooner fight for my people than for my own
+hand. But your ways are over-strict. I cannot put up with these
+'religious' as you call them. Why should I not eat pig's flesh if I can
+get it? It has a good relish, and it has never harmed me yet."
+
+"But 'tis forbidden, Benjamin," gently answered Seraiah, now in good hopes
+of winning over this somewhat stubborn proselyte, "and you are too good a
+man to give up your country for a matter of meat or drink."
+
+"Aye," said the man, "but there are other things."
+
+"Nothing surely that cannot be borne," went on Seraiah. "Oh, Benjamin, you
+have saved my life to-day, and henceforth you are my brother; but I could
+almost wish, but for my wife and child's sake--you remember Ruth and the
+babe?--that you had left me to die, if I am to see you return to the ways
+of death."
+
+The cause was almost won when, at an unhappy moment, a party of Jewish
+soldiers returning from the pursuit came in sight. One of them immediately
+recognized Benjamin, and gave the alarm to his companions. They rushed to
+arrest him, but Benjamin divined their purpose and dashed up the rocks. To
+overtake him was impossible, for he was fleet of foot and unencumbered;
+but one of the Chasidim, for the soldiers belonged to this party, let fly
+an arrow which struck him in the left arm. It was but a slight wound, for
+the barb was not covered in the flesh; but it stirred him to a furious
+rage, which was all the fiercer because, by a great effort, he had just
+brought himself to yield to Seraiah's arguments. He tore the arrow from
+the wound, hurled it at his pursuers with impotent rage, and crying, "All
+the plagues of Egypt consume you!" disappeared among the rocks.
+
+"You have lost a good recruit," said Seraiah to his comrades when they
+returned to him.
+
+"What should this son of Belial profit us?" one of the Chasidim haughtily
+replied. "The Lord grant that my next arrow may be driven better home!"
+
+Seraiah made no answer, but painfully lifting himself from the ground made
+his way up the pass alone. He did not care for the company of his
+comrades, and they, on their part, though they could not help respecting
+him as a soldier, thought him sadly wanting in zeal for the Law and for
+the traditions of the elders.
+
+Late that night some of the fugitives, who had crossed the mountains
+somewhat further to the south, reached Jerusalem. They found the city
+anxiously expecting tidings of the battle; and two of their number who
+were officers were at once brought into the Governor's house. He was
+indisposed, and Cleon, who had given up his post at Modin and was now
+attached to head-quarters, saw the new arrivals in his stead. When he had
+heard their story, he did not conceal his scorn for the mismanagement--or
+was it cowardice?--that had made a well-equipped and powerful army flee
+before a crowd of half-armed vagabonds.
+
+"It is easy to talk, my fine sir," retorted one of the men, "when you have
+only got to stop at home and find fault; but if you had seen them to-day,
+you would be singing to a very different tune. By all the gods above and
+below, these Jews rushed on more like lions than men. And as to this
+Judas, son of Asmon, there is no standing against him. No man wants two
+blows from _his_ sword."
+
+"A good soldier, I dare say," said Cleon superciliously, "and a skilful
+swordsman. But there are others as good as he. And as for his army, if it
+is to be called an army, it is quite impossible that it can hold out very
+long. I was a little hasty in what I said just now. These fanatics have a
+way of giving some trouble at first, and it is quite possible for really
+good troops to be beaten by them. But it is quite out of the question to
+suppose that they can resist any serious attempt to deal with them. Of
+course we have made the usual mistake of making too light of them. That
+must not be done again. The next expedition will be made with overwhelming
+force, and will unquestionably bring this troublesome matter to an end. I
+hope to go with it myself."
+
+"That will be as you please, sir," said the officer, who had not by any
+means recovered his temper after the imputations cast on his courage, "but
+if I may venture to say so, I would recommend that you should not get in
+the way of Judas, the son of Asmon."
+
+And, indeed, whatever men like Cleon may have pretended to think, from
+that time "began the fear of Judas and his brethren and an exceeding great
+dread to fall upon the nations round about them."
+
+
+
+
+
+                              CHAPTER XVII.
+
+                          THE BATTLE OF EMMAUS.
+
+
+The effort to wipe out the disgrace of the two defeats and to restore the
+Greek supremacy was not long delayed; and when it was made, it was made
+with all the force which the lieutenants of Antiochus could command. The
+King himself was absent in Persia; but his vicegerent had _carte blanche_
+for the preparations which they were to make. Lysias, Governor of Syria,
+had collected forty thousand foot and seven thousand horse, and this force
+had been put under the command of Nicanor, Gorgias being his principal
+lieutenant. This time, it was intended, the work should be done
+thoroughly. This Jewish people, so obstinately troublesome, was to be
+absolutely extirpated. Not a single native inhabitant was to be left in
+Palestine, which was to be peopled in future by a more accommodating and
+manageable race.
+
+This scheme, if it was to be carried out, would involve huge dealings in
+human flesh, and the slave-merchants of the sea-coast cities were,
+naturally, vastly interested in its success. Anxious to do the business as
+cheaply and effectively as possible, they formed what, in the language of
+modern commerce, would be called a "Syndicate," and sent parties of
+dealers to follow the two armies, and act as their agents when the scheme
+should begin to come into practical working.
+
+This was the occupation, then, of four repulsive-looking creatures who had
+obtained permission to follow the army of Nicanor, and whom we may see
+discussing a flagon of the best Chian wine--the trade was as profitable as
+it was odious--and canvassing the prospects of business.
+
+"Well," said one of the four, pursuing the narrative of an interview which
+he had just been having with Lysias, "we had a long debate about terms.
+The Governor was quite firm about one thing: there must be no picking and
+choosing. 'No,' he said, 'either you buy them all, or they shall be put up
+in the open market.' 'But what,' I said, 'am I to do with the old and the
+weak?' 'And what am I to do with them?' he answered. 'No; you must buy
+them all or none.' There I could not move him. He could not be bothered
+with detail. For so many prisoners, so many talents, half paid down, half
+six months credit. Old men and women at their last gasp, and new-born
+babes were all to be counted in. Those were his terms and I had to accept
+them, or we should not have come to an agreement."
+
+"That does not seem a good bargain," interrupted another member of the
+company.
+
+"Wait a moment," said the first speaker, "till you hear the price. I think
+you will agree that there is no reason to complain. At first he wanted a
+talent(11) for every fifty. That of course was out of the question on the
+'take-all' terms, and I told our friend so quite plainly. 'No,' I said, 'a
+talent for every hundred is about the right price, and even then we may
+very well lose,' which, you will allow, was sailing very near the wind
+indeed. Well, we had a long argument. First he would meet me half way. But
+I held out. You know they _must_ have money. There is Antiochus--the
+'Glorious' they call him--gone off to Persia on a wild goose chase after
+some treasures he has heard of. I'll wager that he'll spend more than he
+gets by a long way. I have friends at Court, and they tell me that the
+treasury is as empty as--well, we'll say a wine jar, after our friend
+Nicias there has had it at his mouth for a minute. So I was firm. And at
+last--to make a long story short--we came to terms at a talent for ninety.
+And I can't help thinking that it is not by any means a bad bargain."
+
+"And what are we to do with the worthless ones?" said one of the dealers.
+"Surely having to keep them will take all the shine off our profits."
+
+"Keeping them! Who talks about keeping them? We shall only have to bury
+them, and that does not cost very much. You have not been long in the
+trade, my good friend, and you don't know how soon their food seems to
+disagree with the poor wretches whom we can't sell."
+
+He smiled an evil smile, and the others burst out into a laugh, in which,
+however, the young man who "had not been long in the trade" did not join.
+
+"And what becomes of all the money?" said one of the dealers, who had
+hitherto taken no part in the conversation.
+
+"Well, a part will be wanted for present expenses, pay of the troops,
+stores, and so forth; and that is to be paid in gold. But the greater part
+has to go to Rome--the King, you know, owes a great deal on the indemnity
+account. For that we shall find bills of exchange."
+
+"Most of the money, then, is to go to Rome?"
+
+"Yes; and don't you see the advantage of the arrangement? Of course most
+of it will come back into our pockets. Slaves from this part of the world
+are quite the fashion in Rome now; and I am very much mistaken if these
+Jewish slaves don't turn out a great success. They are quite a novelty; I
+should think that they have hardly been seen in the Roman markets. And
+then they have a very distinguished look, and the girls are sometimes
+remarkably handsome. I don't like to brag--and of course this is all
+between ourselves--but I think that we shall make a _very_ good business
+indeed out of this campaign."
+
+"If our side wins, that is," said the youngest of the dealers, who was
+evidently a little discomposed by what he had heard.
+
+"_If_, indeed! There is no 'if' in the matter. You don't suppose this set
+of ragged beggars can stand against the army of Lysias?"
+
+"Well, they stood against Apollonius, and killed him; and they stood
+against Seron."
+
+"Yes, but this is another matter altogether. Lysias has got fifty thousand
+as good troops as there are in the world, barring, of course, the Romans;
+and they _must_ win. And then we shall all make our fortunes as sure as
+the sun is in the sky."
+
+And, indeed, as viewed from without, the prospects of success which seemed
+to lie before the forces of Antiochus were very great. The army was
+powerful--it numbered nearly eight times as many as that of the patriots--it
+was thoroughly well equipped, and it was led by men who at least had the
+reputation of being good soldiers.
+
+This time it was judged expedient to avoid the difficult pass of
+Beth-horon and to advance by the easier road of Emmaues. At Emmaues,
+accordingly, Nicanor had pitched his camp for the night, intending to move
+early the next day on Jerusalem, to occupy that city with overwhelming
+force, and to carry on the operations of the campaign from that base. He
+was the more hopeful of success because he had received exact information
+of the position of the patriot general. Benjamin had never forgiven the
+painful wound which he had received from the arrow of one of the Chasidim
+after the battle of Beth-horon. The injury had galled him all the more
+because his feelings had been really touched by the appeals of Seraiah,
+and he had seriously meditated throwing in his fortunes once more with the
+cause of his countrymen. He now made his way to the camp of Nicanor, and
+told him all that he knew of the position of Judas. The Greek general
+despatched his lieutenant with a picked force to attack him. While the
+enemy was thus occupied he should be able, he thought, to make the passage
+of the mountains without hindrance or loss.
+
+Judas was at Mizpeh, in command of a force more numerous than any he had
+before been able to collect, but still not amounting to more than six
+thousand men. But the sight that this six thousand saw from the Mizpeh
+ridge--the watch-tower, as it was called--was such as to rouse to fury the
+hearts of all who beheld it. For there, lying before them, was the city of
+their love, the city of David, of Solomon, of Josiah, of Hezekiah, of
+Ezra, and Nehemiah, and they could see, only too plainly in the clear
+sunset light, the horror of its desolation. The streets were empty; the
+walls, in old time thronged at evening by crowds of citizens and their
+families, were deserted; the gates were shut. The Temple could be seen,
+but its courts were silent and empty. And, rising above, in the City of
+David, in the very heart of the Jewish kingdom, was the fort of the Greek
+garrison--the hateful sign of the domination of the heathen. Then followed
+a touching ceremony, by which the servants of the Lord, banished from the
+courts of His House, yet sought to show the reverence and the love which
+they felt for its sacred precincts, for the Holy Place which they could
+see with their eyes, though they might not tread it with their feet. A
+numerous company of mourners, chosen to represent the whole people, ranged
+themselves on the ridge which commanded the prospect so sad and yet so
+dear. They were clad in garments of black sackcloth, itself ragged and
+tattered, and had strewn ashes on their heads. They spread out copies of
+the Law--that Law which the heathen had silenced in its own peculiar seat,
+and which they had insulted and profaned, picturing on its very pages the
+cruel and lustful demons whom they worshipped; the functions of the
+priests had ceased, but they could at least display within sight of the
+Sanctuary the garments which they wore; the sacrifices could not be
+offered, but they could at least show the bullocks and rams, the
+firstfruits of the cornfield and the vineyard, and present them in heart
+and will; vows could not be performed, but the Nazarites, with their
+unshorn locks, could stretch out their hands to the Sanctuary, and
+dedicate themselves in intention. And then from the whole multitude rose
+the cry, "What shall we do with these, and whither shall we carry them?
+For Thy Sanctuary is trodden down and profaned, and Thy priests are in
+heaviness and brought low. And lo! the heathen are assembled together
+against us to destroy us; what things they imagine against us, Thou
+knowest. How shall we be able to stand against them, except Thou, O God,
+be our help?"
+
+This done, the trumpets sounded, as if to remind the mourners that they
+were soldiers again, and the whole multitude fell at once into military
+order. Judas carefully inspected his force. Mindful of the old indulgence
+given by the Law, he proclaimed that any among his followers who were
+building a house, or planting a vineyard, or had left behind him at home a
+newly-married wife, should depart. Those were not days when houses were
+being built or vineyards planted, for the land, save for some barren
+mountain ranges, was in the power of the heathen; nor was it a time for
+marrying or giving in marriage. Scarcely a man out of the whole array
+claimed the exemption. And when the leader went on, "If any man be timid
+or of a faint heart, let him turn back, while there is time," only two or
+three slunk away.
+
+To those that remained Judas addressed a few stirring words. "You have
+seen," he said, "the city of your fathers from afar, how it lies desolate
+and dishonoured. Be bold and quit you like men, and the Lord will deliver
+it into your hands, for He can deliver both by many and by few. Arm
+yourselves at dawn, and we will fight with those nations who have defiled
+our sanctuary and have now come out to destroy us."
+
+But the struggle was to come sooner than any one had looked for it.
+Azariah had been setting the sentinels who were to watch the northern side
+of the encampment, when he heard a voice that seemed to have a familiar
+sound.
+
+"Azariah!" it said, in a penetrating whisper.
+
+"I am here; say on;" and he felt sure that he recognized the voice of
+Benjamin.
+
+"Tell your captain that Gorgias has come out of the camp of Nicanor with
+six thousand men, the very choicest of his army, and that he will attack
+him this night. Farewell!"
+
+And before Azariah could answer he was out of sight and hearing. A quick
+remorse had overtaken the robber for his treacherous act, and he had done
+his best to remedy the wrong.
+
+Judas, on hearing the news, lost no time in making his resolve. It was
+bold, even audacious. He would not wait to be attacked, but would himself
+attack, and that not the detachment under Gorgias, which it was quite
+possible he might have some difficulty in meeting, but the main body
+itself. Here he would certainly have the advantage of being utterly
+unexpected. And a victory over this would be almost, if not absolutely,
+decisive.
+
+Accordingly he left his camp at Mizpeh without attempting to remove any of
+his belongings. In truth, they were scanty enough, and, if things went
+well with him, he should secure spoil of a hundredfold more value than all
+that he had left. With nothing but their arms, and such scanty provision
+as they could carry in their pouches, his men marched through the darkness
+down into the plain.
+
+The day was dawning when he came within sight of the camp of Nicanor.
+Though not regularly fortified, it was a place of considerable strength,
+which an army far more numerous and better equipped than that which Judas
+had under his command might hesitate to attack. The cavalry had bivouacked
+outside; the infantry were within the lines, but might be seen passing out
+of the gates.
+
+So formidable a task did it seem to attack a fortified camp, held by a
+vastly superior force, that even Judas's band of heroes hesitated for a
+moment. He felt it at once, and at once addressed himself to check it. He
+called a halt, and bidding the ranks close in to as small a space as
+possible, he addressed them, sending his mighty voice in the still air of
+the morning with so commanding a power that it reached the very extremity
+of the crowd. In a few stirring words he reminded them of the deliverances
+which God had wrought in old time for His people. He spoke of the three
+hundred of Gideon, how they had discomfited the host of the Midianites, of
+the angel that had smitten with an unseen sword the legions of the haughty
+Sennacherib. He told them of the day when Macedonian and Jew had stood
+side by side against the Gallic invaders of Asia, and of how the Jew had
+stood firm while the Greek had fled before the fury of the barbarian
+onset. Finally he reminded them of the victories which they themselves had
+so lately won against overwhelming odds.
+
+When he had finished his harangue, he divided the host between himself and
+his brothers, John, Simon and Jonathan. Eleazar was to recite the Holy
+Book, and to give his name as the watchword of the day. These arrangements
+made, he gave a signal to the trumpeters. They blew a piercing blast.
+Then, with a shout, "The Help of God! The Help of God!"(12) the patriots
+charged. It might have seemed to an onlooker the strategy of despair, but
+it was successful, as it had been many a time in history before, as it has
+been many a time since.
+
+The Greeks stared at them, as they advanced, with astonishment. Were these
+men madmen, or were they fired by some Divine fury? In either case they
+would be dangerous antagonists. As the patriots drew nearer, without a
+sign of hesitation or holding back, the terror which had been creeping
+over the minds of the Greeks became insupportable. They broke and fled,
+and did not even, so complete was their demoralization, attempt to hold
+their camp. Though pursuit was shortened by the approach of the Sabbath,
+which Judas would not suffer to be infringed upon even to complete his
+victory, more than three thousand fell, and as the Greek line had not
+waited to receive the onset of the patriots, all of them perished in the
+flight.
+
+The work was not yet done, for the detachment under Gorgias had still to
+be accounted for. This, however, gave the conquerors very little trouble.
+That general had found the camp of Judas empty, and had naturally
+concluded that its occupants had been frightened away by his approach. He
+started in pursuit, but without being able to find any clear traces of the
+route which the supposed fugitives had taken. Probably, he thought, this
+would be in the direction of the mountain retreat from which they had
+issued. It was long before he satisfied himself that he was mistaken; but
+the peasants whom he questioned were evidently truthful when they declared
+that they had seen nothing of the force of which he was in search. He had
+to retrace his steps, and could not do this till he had given his men a
+rest, wearied as they were with almost incessant marching for a night and
+a day. It was late in the afternoon before he arrived in sight of the camp
+of the main body, and by that time Judas's victory had been won. He was
+astonished and alarmed to see that part of it was on fire. Shortly
+afterwards a fugitive from the defeated army came in with news of what had
+happened. Neither Gorgias nor his men were in any humour to encounter the
+patriots; they hastily turned and made the best of their way to Jerusalem.
+
+Information of this retreat was soon brought to Judas by his scouts, and
+he felt that now at last he and his followers might enjoy their victory.
+The Sabbath was given, as usual, to rest and devotion. A great service was
+held, a prominent feature of it being the chanting of the great Psalm of
+Thanksgiving,(13) "O give thanks unto the Lord, for His mercy endureth for
+ever." The marvels of creation, the deliverance from Egypt, the passage of
+the hosts of the Lord through the Red Sea, the fall of the Amorite kings
+who had sought to stop their way to the Promised Land, the possession of
+the inheritance which had been promised to the fathers--all these blessings
+were enumerated, and after each new theme, given by the clear voices of
+the singers, rose the thunderous chorus of reply from the multitude, "For
+His mercy endureth for ever."
+
+On the first day of the week the spoils were divided. The division was
+made with scrupulous fairness, and with a reverent regard to the
+injunctions of the Law. The wounded received a special consideration for
+their sufferings; a share was reserved for the widows and orphans of the
+slain; and those to whom had been given the unwelcome duty of staying
+behind to guard the encampment were not forgotten. The rich furniture of
+the officers' tents, the gold and silver plate, the many-coloured silks,
+and robes of Tyrian purple, with a well-furnished pay-chest, made together
+a splendid booty.
+
+Among the prisoners was the party of slave-dealers to whom our readers
+were introduced at the beginning of this chapter.
+
+"Who are you?" cried Judas, when they were brought before him, "and what
+do you here?"
+
+"We are merchants," said their spokesman, "brought by business into the
+camp of his Excellency Nicanor."
+
+"And in what merchandize do you deal?" asked Judas, though, as may be
+supposed, he was perfectly well acquainted with their occupation.
+
+"We deal in the prisoners of war," answered the man. "Permit me, sir," he
+went on, "to congratulate your Excellency on the splendid victory that you
+have won, and to beg the favour of your custom. We offer the best of
+prices for goods, and pay in ready money or in bills on the best houses,
+quite as safe as cash, I can assure you, and far more convenient to
+carry."
+
+"Do you know this document?" asked Judas, holding up a piece of parchment
+which had been found among the property of the slave-dealers.
+
+The man turned pale and said nothing.
+
+Judas then proceeded to read aloud: "It is hereby covenanted between the
+most excellent Lysias, Governor of Syria, on the first part, and Theron
+and his Company, dealers in slaves, on the second part, that the said
+Lysias shall hand over, and that the said Theron and his Company shall
+take all persons that shall be captured in the operations now about to be
+begun by the army of the said Lysias. And it is further covenanted that
+the said Theron and Company shall pay to the said Lysias or such other
+persons as he shall appoint, the sum of one talent of gold for every
+ninety persons delivered alive into the hands of the said Theron and
+Company. Furthermore it is agreed that the said Theron and Company shall
+have no claim for a drawback for any such persons dying after they have
+been once delivered; but that a drawback shall be allowed at the rate of
+six _minae_(14) for every person, who, as being a loyal subject of our lord
+and king Antiochus, or of any prince in friendship and alliance with him,
+shall have been wrongfully taken prisoner."
+
+"Know you this document?"
+
+Theron stammered an assent. "It is but a common matter of business, my
+lord. Such covenants must be drawn up, and, doubtless, they sound somewhat
+harsh."
+
+"Ye have digged a pit, and are fallen into the midst of it yourselves,"
+said Judas, in a voice of thunder. "Let them be taken with the followers
+of the camp to the slave-market of Sidon."
+
+"Mercy, my lord!" cried the dealers, falling on their knees.
+
+"Such mercy as you have shown yourselves you shall have, and no more. Lead
+them away."
+
+"Nay, my lord," cried Theron, struggling away from the soldier who had
+grasped him by the arms, "you do ill to deal so harshly with men that have
+not borne arms against you."
+
+"You have done tenfold worse," was the answer. "I know your works. You
+sell our youths to the mines, where the young man grows old and decrepit
+before he has reached to middle age, and the maidens you sell to shame;
+and the old and sick you slay with the sword or poison. Take them away."
+
+"Listen once more, my lord," cried the man, in an agony of despair. "We
+have money; not here, of course, but with those whom we represent; if you
+should want a loan, we can find it for your Excellency, and at low
+interest, lower than you will find elsewhere."
+
+"Take them away!" thundered Judas.
+
+And taken away they were, still screaming out, as they were dragged off,
+offers of ransom, or loans at five per cent. interest, or no interest at
+all.
+
+The next day Judas and his army, richly laden with spoils of every kind,
+returned to the sanctuary among the hills.
+
+
+
+
+
+                             CHAPTER XVIII.
+
+                         THE BATTLE OF BETH-ZUR.
+
+
+Several months have passed since the scenes described in the last chapter.
+During the winter Judas has been increasing and consolidating his army,
+and he has now a force both more numerous and better equipped than any
+that he had hitherto commanded. Again he has marched to encounter the
+Greeks, but he has no easy task before him. Lysias in person commands the
+Syrian army. Antiochus has sent him some veteran troops from the capital;
+he has raised fresh levies of his own, and he has enrolled in his ranks
+the remnants of the armies of Seron and Nicanor. Altogether he has
+collected an army of sixty thousand men, and must out-number his
+antagonists at least five times. The struggle will be of a critical kind,
+and the victory, if won at all, can hardly be won without grievous loss.
+The Greeks are fighting for their last stake. If they lose this they are
+disgraced.
+
+The experience of a soldier's wife had not lessened the anxiety with which
+Ruth waited for news of the battle. This time all that were especially
+near and dear to her had gone with the army--her husband, her brother, and
+Azariah--all had run or were even then running deadly peril of their lives.
+When the news came it might find her utterly desolate, a widow indeed.
+
+During the night these terrors had had almost undisputed sway. It seemed
+impossible to her to recall the holy words which at other times brought
+comfort to her soul. Some dreadful picture of her dear ones lying cold and
+stark upon the battle-field would rise up before her eyes; and again and
+again the hideous laughing of the hyenas, echoed among the hills, seemed
+to her like the mocking triumph of the heathen.
+
+The light of morning brought, as it is wont to bring, if not cheerfulness,
+at least a more hopeful spirit. Anyhow she had not to lie in forced
+inaction. The daily duties had to be done; and she could find in them not
+forgetfulness, indeed, but the wholesome invigorating influence of work.
+Her first task was to fetch the daily ration of food. Miriam and Judith
+accompanied her, and her little boy was now old enough to toddle by her
+side. The girls had already begun to bear the burdens of a woman's cares,
+but the child was in happy unconsciousness of trouble, and there was a
+certain infection of cheerfulness in his laughter and prattle.
+
+Ruth's way to the store where the rations were distributed led past the
+point from which the best view of the pass could be obtained. She scanned
+the prospect eagerly as she went, but could see nothing. On her return she
+espied the figure of a man who seemed--for he was still almost too distant
+to be distinguished--to be approaching.
+
+"Look, girl," she cried, "surely some one comes yonder, and he must be
+bringing tidings of the battle. Oh! if they are safe----"
+
+As she spoke she dropped the piece of flesh, which she was carrying, from
+her hand; and immediately a vulture swooped down and carried it off.
+
+The watchman had now descried the figure of the traveller, and made the
+signal which was to indicate to the inmates of the encampment the fact
+that tidings from the army was at hand. In an instant all that were able
+to move had poured out, and were hurrying to the top of the pass.
+
+The messenger was Micah, whom, as one of the fleetest runners in the army,
+Judas had selected to carry the news of his victory. He had traversed the
+distance, which could not have been less than thirty miles, at a pace
+which had sorely tried even his athletic frame. He flung himself on the
+ground, panting convulsively for breath, and unable to speak. One of the
+elders poured a few drops of cordial into his mouth, and by degrees he
+recovered his powers. His first act was to kneel and with outspread hands
+to thank the Lord of Hosts. "We thank thee, God of our fathers, that thou
+hast delivered us out of the hand of the enemy, and brought us unto the
+haven where we would be." Then, amidst the breathless attention of the
+listening crowd, he told the story.
+
+"Judas the Hammer," and as he said the name a murmur of blessing could be
+heard from the whole assembly--"Judas, the Hammer of God, has smitten the
+enemy to pieces. Two days since he met Lysias--for the Governor himself was
+in command--at Beth-zur. There by that valley of Elah, where David slew
+Goliah of Gath, has the Lord God of Israel proved again that the battle is
+not to the strong nor the race to the swift. Judas himself led the right
+wing; the left he had given to Seraiah and Azariah, whom I myself had the
+privilege of following. The lines of the two armies were about equal in
+length; nor, indeed, was there room on either side for more; but they had
+their ranks forty deep and more, and we but seven or eight at the most,
+for they were many times more numerous. But the Lord showed once again
+that He can deliver as surely by few as many. Our captain, than whom no
+man has a more generous temper, though he would gladly have been the first
+to advance against the enemy, granted that privilege to us. Then we
+shouted, as we did in the day of Emmaues, 'The Lord is our Help!' and ran
+forward. While we were yet half a furlong from them, we saw them tremble
+and waver; and before we could cross our swords with them their line had
+broken. That done, their numbers availed them no more, but rather hindered
+them, so crowded and crushed together were they. We slew till we were
+weary of slaying."
+
+"And what befell Lysias, the Governor?" asked one of the elders.
+
+"He had posted himself over against Judas himself, judging that there
+would be the most need of his presence. And indeed they say--for I myself
+did not see him, being, as I have said, on the other side of the
+field--that he bore himself as a brave soldier and a good captain. And
+Judas, when he saw him, pressed forward, seeking to meet him face to face.
+But Lysias was struck with terror and fled. He had not the heart to abide
+a stroke from the Hammer. He escaped with some hundred horsemen of his
+bodyguard from the field. The prisoners say that he is gone to Antioch to
+gather another army. Let him gather it. We will deal with it and him as we
+have dealt hitherto with the enemies of the Lord."
+
+"And what does Judas now?" asked the elder.
+
+With a look of joy and triumph Micah lifted his head and said, "He is in
+Jerusalem. The Lord has given back into our hands the Holy City, the City
+of David His servant."
+
+It is impossible to describe the delight with which this announcement was
+received. The women, even the men, wept for joy. This was indeed a
+glorious gain of victory. Last year they could only see the Holy City from
+afar, and weep over its desolation. Now they could pour out their love and
+their sorrow within its sacred precincts.
+
+"Yes," he repeated, "Judas is in Jerusalem, and is making ready to purify
+the Temple. And you are to return as speedily as you can. The days of your
+exile are over. Our God has recalled His banished unto Him."
+
+His public mission finished, Micah could give time to private affection.
+He went with Ruth and the children to their cave, and then, after sharing
+their morning meal, told them all they wanted to hear. Seraiah and Azariah
+were both safe, though both had had narrow escapes, Azariah's helmet
+having been broken in by a sword-stroke from a gigantic Gaul, and Seraiah
+being saved by a little roll of the Prophecy of Daniel, which he always
+carried about with him--it was a gift from his wife--and which had stopped
+the point of a javelin that would otherwise have pierced his heart. Ruth
+and the children were never satisfied with asking questions and listening
+to his answers. Even the little Daniel seemed to understand something of
+what was being said, as he listened, with his baby-eyes wide open, to the
+talk of his elders.
+
+"And Cleon," asked Ruth, "the Greek with whom you used to be so friendly
+in time past--did you see him? You met him, you told us, in Modin, and
+parted in anger; did you meet him again?"
+
+A cloud seemed to pass over Micah's face at this question, and for a few
+moments he was silent.
+
+"Ah! Ruth," he said, "the Lord be merciful to him, as He has been merciful
+to me! And did I not sin against Him tenfold more grievously than any
+heathen could have sinned? For was I not a child of the Covenant, and had
+I not light and knowledge, whereas he was born in ignorance and knew not
+of the mercies and deliverances which I knew, and knowing despised."
+
+"Is he a prisoner, then?" asked Miriam, "and will Judas spare him?"
+
+"He needs no mercy from man, my child," said Micah, solemnly. "In the
+battle I did not meet him. That was well. I should have been loath to
+cross swords with him; and yet I could hardly have failed to do so. But in
+the evening, when Lysias had fled eastward with the remnants of his host,
+and the victory was won, I saw him on the field of battle. The captain
+himself was with me, as we went among the wounded and the dead, looking
+for any to whom we could give such help as they needed. He had been
+pierced with a ghastly wound through the breast. And when Judas saw him,
+he said to me, 'Ah! that is a brave soldier, and as good a swordsman as
+ever I met. I had a hard bout with him this morning, and had he not
+slipped in making a blow, it might have gone ill with me. Do you know
+him?' 'Yes;' I said, 'in the old time, when I mingled with the heathen and
+walked in their ways.' 'See, then, whether you can help him in any way; I
+love a brave man, be he heathen or no.' I was willing enough to do
+anything that I could for him, you may be sure; one glance at that pale
+face was enough to chase away all the anger with which we had parted.
+'Cleon!' I said. And he knew me and smiled--a very wan and feeble smile,
+but still a smile. Then I tried to stanch the blood that was flowing from
+his wound. 'Nay,' said he, ''tis idle; I am past all help; let it flow,
+and I shall be sooner out of my pain. But, dear Menander--nay, pardon me, I
+should call you Micah--give me some water to drink, for I have a raging
+thirst.' I had a leathern bottle of water, and gave him a draught. Then I
+rested his head upon my shoulder, and bathed his forehead with the water.
+Judas meanwhile had gone further, and I saw a party of the Chasidim
+ranging the field, and I thought that they could scarcely pass us by
+without seeing us, so I said to Cleon, 'Let me lay you down till these are
+past; for if they know you as a friend of Jason they will not spare your
+life. 'Tis better to feign death than to meet it at their hands.' Then he
+smiled and said, 'No need, Micah, to feign death. Your Hammer has smitten
+me down, and I shall not need another stroke.' And almost as he spoke the
+words, he died. And just then the captain came back, and we buried him
+where he had fallen. The Lord have mercy on him!"
+
+"But will He have mercy on the heathen?" said Miriam, who had begun to
+think.
+
+"Nay, child--who knows?" answered Micah. "Surely some of us need His pardon
+more than they, who have not known Him, nor have been called by His name."
+
+  [Illustration: _Farewell to the Mountains._]
+
+The next day Micah returned, in obedience to orders, and two or three days
+afterwards all the party that had been left in the mountains followed him
+to Jerusalem. It was a happy day, but saddened, for the children at least,
+by one loss. The jackal, Jael, followed the party awhile, but when they
+reached the plain, stood still and watched them disappear, making mournful
+cries the while. Even the prospect of seeing their old home could not
+quite reconcile the children to the loss of this strange playmate, who had
+yet grown so dear to them.
+
+And so the rugged mountains which had afforded a refuge to the faithful
+remnant were left again to silence and solitude. But the memory of what
+the confessors and martyrs had endured in the evil days was never to
+perish. Generation after generation remembered with sympathy and reverence
+what men, aye, and weak women and children had borne for conscience'
+sake--cold and hunger and nakedness, and that anguish of soul which is
+harder to be endured than all bodily pain. Two centuries later, an
+inspired Hebrew, writing to Hebrews, commemorated the noble endurance of
+this faithful band in his famous roll of the triumphs of faith: "They
+wandered about in sheepskins and goatskins, being destitute, afflicted,
+tormented, of whom the world was not worthy; they wandered in deserts and
+mountains, and in dens and caves of the earth."(15)
+
+
+
+
+
+                              CHAPTER XIX.
+
+                              IN JERUSALEM.
+
+
+Among those who watched the approach of Judas and his host to Jerusalem
+were two men, one in extreme old age, the other numbering, it would seem,
+about fifty years. They wore the priestly garments, old indeed and
+threadbare, but still clean and showing many signs of careful repair.
+Theirs was a strange history. For two years they had been in hiding in the
+city. When Apollonius had filled the streets of Jerusalem with blood, the
+murderers had sought with especial care for all priests and Levites. To
+them at least no mercy was to be shown. These two men--Shemaiah was the
+name of the elder of the two, and Joel that of the younger--had narrowly
+escaped death from the soldiers of Apollonius. They had taken refuge--so
+close was the pursuit--in a garden, the gate of which happened to be open,
+and had hidden themselves in the bushes till nightfall. Where they were,
+who or of what race was the owner of the house, whether they were likely
+to meet with more mercy from his hands than they could expect from the
+soldiers, they knew not. But that hiding-place was their only chance, and
+in their desperate strait they snatched at it. While they were debating in
+whispers whether they should throw themselves on the compassion of this
+unknown person, they saw--for it was a moonlight night--the figure of a
+woman walking down a path which passed close by their hiding-place. They
+could see from her features, which the brilliant moonlight of the East
+lighted up, that she was a countrywoman of their own, and they resolved to
+appeal to her for protection. Shemaiah, whose age and venerable appearance
+would, they judged, be less likely to alarm, threw himself on the ground
+at her feet. She started back in astonishment.
+
+"Lady," he said, "I see that you are a daughter of Abraham. Can you help
+two servants of the Lord that have so far escaped from the sword of the
+Greeks?"
+
+She was reassured by a nearer view of the speaker. "Who are you?" she
+said. "Speak without fear, for there is no one to harm you."
+
+Shemaiah told his story.
+
+"And your companion," said Eglah--for that was the woman's name--"where is
+he?"
+
+The old man called to Joel, who came forth at his bidding from his
+hiding-place.
+
+Eglah stood for a few minutes buried in thought. Then she spoke.
+
+"As I hope that the Lord will have mercy on me and pardon my sin, so will
+I help you even to the giving up of my life. But I am not worthy that you
+should come under my roof. Now listen to my story. When Antiochus--the Lord
+reward him for the evil that he has done to His people!--came to this city,
+I was seized and sold for a slave. And a certain Greek soldier, Glaucus by
+name, the captain of a company, bought me in the market. He had compassion
+on me, and dealt honourably with me, and made me his wife after the
+fashion of his people. And I consented to live with him, though I knew
+that it was a sin for a daughter of Abraham to be wife unto a man that was
+a heathen. But alas! sirs, what was I to do? for I was a weak woman, and
+there was no one to help me. Should I have slain him in his sleep, as
+Judith slew Holofernes? Once I thought to do so, and I took a dagger in my
+hand, but when I saw him I repented. Whether it was fear or love that
+turned me I know not. That I was afraid I know, for the very sight of the
+steel made me tremble. And I must confess that I loved him also, for he
+had been very kind and gentle with me; and there is not a goodlier man to
+look at in all Jerusalem."
+
+"Be comforted, my daughter," said Shemaiah, whose years had taught him a
+tolerance to which his younger companion had, perhaps, scarcely attained.
+"'Tis at least no sin for a wife to love her husband."
+
+"Then you do not think me so wicked as to be beyond all hope?" cried poor
+Eglah, eagerly.
+
+"Nay, my daughter," said the old man; "you were in a sore strait, and all
+women are not as Judith was."
+
+"Then you will not refuse to come into my house? I have a large cellar
+where you can lie hid. 'Tis under the ground, indeed, but airy and dry,
+and you can make shift to live there. And I will feed you as best I may.
+My husband has an open hand, and never makes any question as to the money
+that I spend upon the house, and he will not know what I have done. I
+judge it best to keep the thing from him, not because I fear that he would
+betray you--for he is an honourable man and kindly, but it would go hard
+with him, being an officer in the army of the King, if it should be
+discovered that he knew it."
+
+And so for two years Shemaiah and Joel had inhabited the cellar in Eglah's
+house. Glaucus, the husband, was just the kindly, generous man whom his
+wife had described. Once or twice he had terrified her by some joking
+remark about the rapidity with which the provision purchased for the house
+disappeared. "When we dine together, my darling," he said, on one
+occasion, "you eat what would be scarce enough for a well-favoured fly;
+but I am glad to think that you are hungry at other times." "O husband,"
+she said, "there are many poor of my own people, and I cannot deny them."
+She hoped as she said it that the falsehood would not be counted as
+another sin against her. "Nay, nay, darling," said the good-natured man.
+"Give as much as thou wilt. Thank the gods and his Highness the King I
+have enough and to spare."
+
+Glaucus, though allowed to live in his own house, had, of course, to spend
+much time upon his military duties, and was, consequently, often away.
+During his absence Eglah could bring out the two prisoners from their
+underground lodging, and allow them to enjoy the fresh air of the garden,
+which, happily, was not overlooked. She gave them the best food that her
+means would procure, and at the same time took pains, as has been said, to
+keep their garments scrupulously clean and neat. On the whole they passed
+the time of their captivity in tolerable comfort, and without much injury
+to their health. Latterly they had been cheered by the tidings, always
+given to them at the very earliest opportunity by their hostess, of the
+successes of Judas. Within the last few days Glaucus had told his wife
+that a decisive battle was expected, that it would probably be fought at
+Beth-zur, and that if her countrymen won it, there was nothing that could
+hinder them from taking possession of Jerusalem.
+
+Glaucus, who held a command in the garrison of the fort, had not been with
+Lysias at Beth-zur, but he had heard late on the evening of the day of the
+result of the battle and had, of course, told it to his wife, and she in
+turn had communicated it to her inmates. They had been scarcely able to
+sleep for joy, and had eagerly waited for news of the conqueror's
+approach. Evening was come, and Eglah had not paid them the accustomed
+visit. The house was curiously silent; all day not a sound of voices or
+steps had reached their ears. And now the suspense had become unbearable.
+"Go forth," said Shemaiah to his younger companion, "go forth, and bring
+me word again." Joel crept out of his retreat. The streets were deserted;
+but the fortress was crowded. The garrison stood thickly clustered on the
+walls, and with them were many inhabitants of the city. It was easy to
+guess that what Glaucus had foretold had happened. Judas was on his way to
+take possession of Jerusalem, and all who had compromised themselves by
+resisting him, had either fled from the place altogether or had taken
+refuge in the fort. He returned to Shemaiah with a description of what he
+had seen, and the two at once hastened down to the walls to greet the
+deliverers.
+
+The sun was near its setting when they entered the city. Without turning
+to the right or left, though many must have been consumed with anxiety to
+hear the fate of kinsmen and friends, they marched to Mount Sion. It was
+an hour of triumph, the fruition of hopes passionately cherished through
+many a dark day of sorrow. To stand once more in the place which God had
+chosen to set His name there, how glorious. But it had its bitterness, as
+such hours will have, for it was a miserable sight that greeted them.
+Nothing, indeed, had been done of which they had not heard. There was
+nothing that they might not have expected or foreseen. Yet the actual view
+of the holy place in its dismal forlornness overpowered them. It was as if
+the sight had come upon them by surprise. "When they saw the Sanctuary
+desolate and the altar profaned, and the gates burnt with fire, and shrubs
+growing in the courts as in a forest or one of the mountains, and the
+chambers of the priests pulled down, they rent their clothes, and made
+great lamentations, and cast ashes upon their heads, and fell down flat to
+the ground upon their faces."
+
+To repair this ruin, to put an end to this desolation, to purify the place
+which had been so shamefully polluted, was the first duty of the
+deliverers. But that the work might be done in peace it was necessary that
+the fortress of Acra, to use military language, should be masked. A strong
+force was told off to perform this duty; the rest would lend their aid to
+the great work of purification.
+
+
+
+
+
+                               CHAPTER XX.
+
+                       THE CLEANSING OF THE TEMPLE.
+
+
+Azariah and Micah had been put under John, the eldest of the five
+brothers, in command of the force employed to blockade the garrison of
+Acra. The night had passed quietly; the garrison had not attempted a
+sortie, and had not even harassed the besiegers with a discharge of
+missiles. And when the morning came they seemed inclined to continue the
+same inaction. From the high ground the two Jews looked down upon the
+Temple courts and saw the priests directing a crowd of eager helpers in
+the work of cleansing the Sanctuary, and labouring diligently with their
+own hands. The first task was to pull down the idol altar which had been
+erected on the altar of burnt-offering. This was done in a fury of haste.
+The hands of the workmen could not, it seemed, move fast enough in
+destroying the abominable thing. The stones were carried out of the temple
+with gestures of loathing and disgust, and afterwards taken to the Valley
+of Hinnom--unholy things to be cast away in an unholy place.
+
+But the stones of the holy altar itself had been polluted by the
+superstructure that had been erected upon them. What was to be done with
+them? At least it was manifest that they could not stand where they were.
+Sacrifice could not be offered upon them. They were reverently detached
+from the cement which bound them together, and then borne one by one to a
+chamber of the Temple, where they were to be laid up till a prophet should
+arise who should show what was to be done with them. The first duty of
+dealing with the altar completed, came the work of cleansing and repairing
+the courts and chambers. The long, trailing creepers were pulled down; the
+weeds and shrubs were rooted out. The place was still a ruin, but the
+manifest signs of its desolation and abandonment were removed. So numerous
+and so eager were the labourers that for this part of the work a few hours
+sufficed. The task of reparation would, of necessity, be longer and more
+tedious.
+
+Azariah and Micah had been watching the work with perhaps a more absorbing
+interest than was quite consistent with their duty of watching the
+garrison, when suddenly one of the sentries blew an alarm. Scarcely had it
+sounded when a flight of arrows from the garrison of the fortress fell
+among the besiegers. The Greeks had watched their opportunity, and when
+almost all eyes were turned on the work that was going on below, had sent
+a volley among the ranks of the enemy.
+
+This sudden attack did no little damage. One or two of the patriots were
+killed on the spot, several were seriously wounded; the others either
+covered themselves with their shields, a precaution which they ought not
+to have neglected, or sought refuge among the ruins.
+
+Azariah, though he had been caught a little off his guard, was not
+unprepared to deal with a manifestation of this kind. He had organized a
+company of slingers, and he now ordered them to advance and clear the wall
+of its defenders. They knelt with one knee upon the ground, and covered
+themselves with their shields. Under this shelter they loaded their
+slings. Then, rising rapidly at a preconcerted signal from their
+commander, they sent a simultaneous and well-directed shower of leaden
+bullets on the defenders of the wall. These missiles, sent with a skill
+and a strength in which the Jewish slingers were unsurpassed, had a
+marvellous effect. In a moment the wall was cleared, except that here and
+there along its length the dead and wounded might be seen. The survivors
+did not venture forth from shelter to carry them away. A fierce conflict
+followed. From the loopholes of the towers and from behind the battlements
+the Greek archers kept up the discharge of their arrows, and the Jewish
+slingers replied. No great damage was done on either side; but every now
+and then a skilful aim at some exposed body or limb was followed by a cry
+of pain from the wounded man, and the cry was taken up by a shout of
+triumph from the hostile force. In the course of the afternoon a storm
+came on, with thunder and lightning and a deluge of rain. Before it had
+cleared away the light had failed, and hostilities had perforce to be
+suspended.
+
+About the beginning of the second watch(16) Micah, who was making a round
+of the sentries, heard the sound of something that seemed to fall heavily
+upon the soft and plashy ground. The rain had ceased, and the sky had
+partially cleared; for a few minutes all was still; then Micah could hear
+a sighing which was not the sighing of the wind. He followed the guidance
+of the sound, and found a woman lying almost insensible upon the ground.
+He called one of the sentinels to help him, and together they carried her
+under shelter, and brought torches, by the light of which they might
+examine her injuries. That she was stunned by the fall was evident, for
+she did not speak, and when they attempted to move her she groaned with
+the pain. When left alone she did not seem to suffer much, and they judged
+it best to wait for the morning, administering meanwhile a little wine and
+water from time to time.
+
+The next morning four of the soldiers were told off to remove her on a
+litter that had been constructed for the use of the wounded to a deserted
+house in the Lower City--and of deserted houses there was only too great a
+choice. As the bearers put down their burden on the way to take a brief
+rest a strange figure came up to the party. It was a woman, young and
+still showing the remains of beauty, but with a miserably haggard look. It
+was easy to see from her uncertain gait and wandering eye that she was a
+lunatic.
+
+Huldah had been for some time a well-known figure in Jerusalem, and her
+story was of the saddest. She had been a servant in the house of Seraiah,
+and had been Ruth's own waiting-maid. Returning home from some errand on
+which she had been sent one day at the beginning of Apollonius's reign of
+terror, she had been seized by the attendants of the newly-dedicated
+Temple of Jupiter, and made a slave. Before many weeks had passed the
+cruel outrages to which she was subjected overthrew her reason. Thus
+become a trouble to her captors she was permitted to escape. Since then
+she had been accustomed to wander about the city. The horrors of the past
+still haunted her, and the recollection of the abominable idolatries in
+which she had been forced to serve. At every pool of water and fountain
+she would stay and wash. From every passer-by she would beg for something
+that might serve for her cleansing: it was the one craving of her soul to
+be rid of its defilement. For food or money she never asked; but a few
+kindly souls in the city gave her enough to support life, and sometimes
+would renew the garments, threadbare, but always scrupulously neat and
+clean, which she wore. Of these friends the kindest was Eglah, who had a
+fellow-feeling for the sufferer, and who was always on the watch to atone
+by her charitable deeds for what she believed to be the great offence of
+her life.
+
+Huldah cast a glance at the litter in passing, and at once recognized in
+the suffering woman her own benefactress. For indeed it was Eglah whom
+Micah had found under the fortress wall. The recognition made a marvellous
+change in the poor maniac. It turned her thoughts in another direction.
+She ceased to dwell upon her own sufferings, and, for the time at least,
+reason regained its sway.
+
+She knelt down by the side of the litter, and kissed one of the hands that
+hung listlessly down. Then, rising to her feet, she arranged the cushion
+on which Eglah lay so as to make it more comfortable. That done, she bade
+the bearers take up their burden, made a gesture of dissent when they were
+turning aside to the house to which they had been directed, and led the
+way to Eglah's own dwelling.
+
+The unhappy creature was positively transformed by the charge which had
+thus been laid upon her. The most intelligent and thoughtful nurse could
+not have done better for her patient than did the poor distracted Huldah.
+A physician who was called in examined Eglah, and found that though she
+had been sadly bruised and shaken, no bones were broken. Whether any
+internal injury existed was more than he could positively say; that time
+alone would show. Meanwhile careful attention was all that could be done
+for her, and attention more careful than Huldah's it would be impossible
+to imagine.
+
+The two priests who had found shelter in Eglah's house were naturally
+among those whom Judas had summoned to take part in the cleansing of the
+Temple when he made proclamation for all such as, being of the House of
+Aaron, were "of blameless conversation and had pleasure in the Law." Posts
+of special dignity were, indeed, conferred upon them, for both were men of
+high reputation for sanctity and learning, which was not a little
+increased by the romantic story of their long seclusion and marvellous
+escape. Judas assigned them quarters near to his own, and was accustomed
+to have frequent recourse to their advice. They thus found themselves
+almost constantly employed, and were unable for several days to find an
+opportunity of inquiring what had happened to their protectress.
+
+When at last they found their way to the house Eglah had sufficiently
+recovered her strength to be able to rise from her bed. She was sitting,
+busy with her needle. Huldah was watching her with an intense look of
+affection that was infinitely pathetic.
+
+The poor woman told her story with a voice that again and again was broken
+with sobs.
+
+"When I was preparing your morning meal in the kitchen my husband, whom I
+had never before known to set foot in the place, suddenly appeared. I was
+greatly terrified lest he should ask for whom I was getting the food
+ready, but he was too much occupied with other things to notice it at all.
+'Eglah,' he said, 'you must come with me into the fort. Judas the Hammer
+has broken our army to pieces. Lysias has fled before him, no one knows
+whither, and within a few hours he will be in the city. I would have you
+here, for the fort is scarcely a place for a woman, but I fear your
+people. Haply they may slay you as having been yoked to a heathen. My
+darling,' he went on--and here poor Eglah's voice was choked with tears--'I
+have done ill for you, I fear; but I meant it for the best. And now, I
+fear, you must cast in your lot with me. May the God whom you serve turn
+it for good.' So I gathered a few things together, and went with him. I
+thought many times that we should scarcely have reached the fort alive,
+for the people cursed us as we went, the women especially casting many
+bitter words at me as one that had left her people to join herself to the
+heathen. But my husband had some six or seven soldiers with him; and they
+were brave men and well armed. We had not been many hours in the fort
+before there began a battle between the garrison and the soldiers of
+Judas. One of my husband's men, who had gone in a spirit of folly and
+vanity to show his courage, was struck down with a stone, and my husband
+ran forth to drag him in. And just as he was returning, another stone from
+the slingers struck him on the back of his head. It was about the ninth
+hour of the day when he was wounded, and he lived till the beginning of
+the second watch, but he never spoke again."
+
+Here the poor creature's story became confused and broken, and her
+listeners could only guess what had followed. The tale of what followed
+must be told for her. "'Ah!' said one of the soldiers, 'Glaucus has it. He
+will never move again, I reckon. A good fellow, but overstrict.' 'But how
+about the Jewish girl whom he calls his wife?' said the other; 'I shall
+take her.' 'Nay, nay; let there be fair play between us, comrade, as there
+has always been. Why you more than I?' 'Because I was the first to speak.'
+'Not so; 'twas I that first spoke of her.' 'Well, we won't quarrel,
+comrade. No woman is good enough to separate old friends. Let us cast the
+dice for her, and the man that wins shall stand treat for a flagon of
+wine.' And then Eglah heard them cast the dice, and count the numbers--they
+would have twenty throws a-piece, they said--and curse and swear when they
+threw low. And when they had finished their dice-throwing they came in to
+see how Glaucus fared; and just as they entered the chamber, he drew a
+long breath and died. One of them put his hand upon his heart and said,
+''Tis all over with him; he will never toss a flagon or kiss a pretty girl
+again.' And then he laid his hand upon Eglah's shoulder, and said, 'Cheer
+up; we will find another husband for thee as good as he.' But the first
+said, 'Nay, Timon, leave her alone. The women are not like us. You must
+give them a few hours to cry.' 'Well, well,' said his comrade, 'you were
+always soft-hearted. Let us come and have our flagon; there is no reason
+why we should wait for that.'" The comrades went on their errand and left
+the widow alone with her dead husband. She kissed him, and cut off a
+little curl of his hair, and then went forth on the wall--for the chamber
+in which he lay was in one of the wall-towers--and threw herself down to
+the ground. It was better, she thought, to die than to sin again.
+
+"Daughter," said Joel, "you should thank the Lord that, without your own
+doing, the tie that bound you to this heathen man is broken."
+
+"O sir," broke out the poor woman, "do not say so. I cannot find it in my
+heart to thank Him, though I do try to say in my heart, 'Thy will be
+done.'"
+
+"Brother," said the old Shemaiah, "you are too hard upon her. 'Tis right
+that a wife should mourn for her husband, be he Jew or Greek. Before the
+Lord, I had thought ill of her had she been of the temper that you would
+have her."
+
+Eglah turned to the old man a grateful look. "O sir," she said, "you do
+not know how kind and good my Glaucus was. I never had an angry word from
+him. Nor did he ever hinder me from my prayers. Rather he would say when I
+went three times to my chamber to pray, 'Speak a word for me, wife, if you
+will.' And he would oftentimes speak to me about my God, and say that he
+liked Him better than the gods in whom _he_ had been taught to believe.
+And I used to tell him stories out of the Book, and how the Lord had
+delivered his people out of the land of Egypt, and had brought them into
+the land which He sware to Abraham to give him. And he never mocked or
+laughed, but listened with all his heart. And, sir, I do sometimes think
+that if he had been spared to live longer, he would have become one of us.
+But he is dead, and I shall never, never see him any more."
+
+And the poor desolate widow burst out into a passion of tears, and threw
+herself prostrate on the couch, Huldah trying to comfort her, not with
+words--which, indeed, she could not command, and which, in any case, would
+have been of small avail--but with great demonstrations of love.
+
+After a while Eglah looked up, and turning to Shemaiah, in whose sympathy
+and charity she trusted, said, "O, sir, do you think that there is any
+hope for him? Must he go into that dreadful Gehenna? For indeed he was
+kind and good, and never thought of any woman but his wife, and never
+injured one of our people, but would help them and defend them when his
+fellows were rough with them. He was better than many Jews that I know. Is
+it not possible that God may have mercy upon him?"
+
+Joel was about to speak, but Shemaiah beckoned to him to hold his peace.
+"My daughter," he said, "these things are too deep for us; but I would
+say, be of good hope for him that is gone, seeing that he was such as you
+say. Shall not the Judge of all the earth do right? To some He giveth much
+light, and to some but little; and He judgeth each according to that which
+He has given. Therefore I bid you be of good cheer."
+
+"And may I pray for him?" asked Eglah.
+
+"Surely you may, for no prayer, so that it come out of an honest heart and
+pure lips, but finds some fulfilment."(17)
+
+He rose and, giving her his blessing, departed, followed by Joel, whose
+narrow intelligence was not a little startled by what his old companion
+had said.
+
+
+
+
+
+                              CHAPTER XXI.
+
+                      THE DEDICATION OF THE TEMPLE.
+
+
+Jerusalem now began to assume an aspect very different from that which it
+had borne for some years past. Thousands, who had been driven away by the
+terrors of the evil days, now hastened to return. Many of the lower class,
+constrained by the necessity of poverty, had always remained, enduring
+persecution as best they could, and often, of course, escaping it by their
+obscurity. Now the wealthier inhabitants began to flock back from their
+hiding-places in the country and from foreign lands; the streets again
+began to be busy; the shopkeepers displayed the wares which there had been
+no one to purchase, or which they had been afraid to show; the long-shut
+markets were reopened and thronged with purchasers.
+
+The priests alone, gathered as they were from their abodes scattered
+throughout Palestine, made a considerable addition to the population of
+the city. They were a numerous class, far beyond any requirements of their
+sacrificial duties, and commonly remained at home, awaiting the rarely
+recurring occasion of services that called them to Jerusalem. But now a
+work was before them in which all could take part, for the Temple, having
+been cleansed and having received such repair as could be done at once,
+was to be dedicated afresh.
+
+The first necessary work was the construction of a new altar of sacrifice.
+This work was to be of the primitive kind, in strict conformity to the
+Law, and as unlike as possible to the elaborate erections of the alien
+worship, and it was to be done, from first to last, by the consecrated
+hands of the priests. They dug out of the earth of the valley rough
+stones. No tool of iron was to be used in raising them from their place;
+none was to be employed in hewing them into shape. It was the priests
+again who solemnly conveyed them into the Great Court of the Temple, who
+joined them together with mortar, and covered them with whitewash.
+Meanwhile other preparations for a wholly renovated service were being
+busily carried on. Most of the furniture of the Temple had been carried
+off by a succession of plunderers; if any of the less valuable and less
+easily removed articles had been left these had suffered an irremediable
+defilement. Everything therefore had to be replaced; and workmen were now
+busily employed in this work. The altar of incense, the candlestick with
+its seven branches, the table on which the loaves of the shew-bread were
+to be placed, the mercy-seat with the overshadowing cherubim that was the
+chief feature of the Holy of Holies, and the various curtains that were
+needed for the separation of the various parts of the building, were
+manufactured with all possible haste, some of the articles, from lack of
+time and materials, being intended to serve their purpose only till they
+could be more worthily replaced. Generally, however, it was time rather
+than means that was wanting, for in the late campaigns treasure almost
+enough to replace the spoliations of years had been taken from the Greeks,
+and this, after being duly purified and blessed, could be devoted to holy
+uses.
+
+And so came on the day that had been appointed for the Feast of
+Dedication. It was to be the 25th of the month Chisleu.(18) It was a
+memorable day, both for good and evil, in the annals of Jewish worship. On
+this day, ages before, Jerusalem, the newly-won capital of the nation, had
+been finally chosen as the place where God should set His name; for on
+this day David, as he made atonement in the day of pestilence, bought the
+threshing-floor of Araunah the Jebusite to be the future dwelling-place of
+the Presence of the Lord God of Israel. And on this day, again, five years
+ago, the first idol sacrifice had been offered within the consecrated
+precincts.
+
+In the early morning, before the sun had risen upon the earth, a spark was
+obtained by striking stone against stone, the fire was rekindled on the
+altar, the golden candlestick was lighted and the table of the shew-bread
+duly furnished with its twelve loaves.
+
+Meanwhile the rest of the people also had been busy in making preparations
+for the great celebration. Every family, even the poorest, was to keep
+festival on the day that was to be a new beginning of the national life.
+The women and children were early afoot, gathering branches of palms and
+other "goodly trees"; none of them having busier hands than Ruth and her
+nieces. Even the little Daniel would take his part in the work, tottering
+along by his mother's side with his arms full of boughs. When they had
+gathered as great a burden as they could carry, Ruth gathered her little
+company about her, and told them, just as the rising sun began to flood
+the valley with its slanting rays, the story of the day--of the glory and
+the shame which it had brought to Israel.
+
+And now, as the time of the morning sacrifice drew near, the whole people
+moved in one great stream towards the Temple, and the Great Court was
+crowded. On the walls of the fortress the heathen soldiers of the garrison
+stood in throngs watching the solemnities of the day. Some of them, of
+course, were ready with their mockery; but most looked on in respectful
+silence. Many of them had witnessed the prowess of these strange fanatics
+in the field. They might be given over to a "senseless and tasteless
+superstition," but they could deal shrewd blows with their swords, and
+therefore they were not to be despised. No truce had been arranged, but
+one was tacitly observed. The forbearance of the Greeks was partly due to
+a wholesome awe of the Jewish archers and slingers, partly to a curiosity
+that, as has been said, was not wholly unmixed with respect.
+
+Then came the solemn ritual of sacrifice. This ended, the whole
+congregation of the people united in solemn supplication to the Lord God
+of Israel. Usually it was the custom to stand during the office of prayer;
+sometimes the attitude of kneeling was used; now, as if to express the
+intensity of their feeling, they threw themselves flat upon their faces,
+and poured out their entreaty that evils such as they had endured in the
+past might never again come upon them in the future. "O Lord,"--this was
+the burden of their prayer,--"if we sin against Thee any more, do Thou
+chasten us Thyself with Thine own hand, after the multitude of Thy
+mercies. Make us suffer that which shall seem good to Thee here in our own
+land, but scatter us no more among the heathen, and deliver us not again
+unto the nations that blaspheme Thy holy name."
+
+The prayer ended, came the great Psalm of Thanksgiving; and then the
+people dispersed to their houses to hold festival. Their mirth was
+prolonged far into the night, which, indeed, was almost turned into day
+throughout the streets of Jerusalem, so brilliant was the light that
+streamed from the lamps set in almost every window.
+
+For eight days the Feast of Dedication was continued. Each day the
+services began with the customary morning sacrifice. At earliest dawn the
+Master of the Temple summoned the priests who had been watching round the
+fire in the gate-house as they waited for his summons. Then they went out
+and fetched the lamb for the burnt-offering. The creature had already been
+examined on the previous day, and pronounced to be free from spot or
+blemish. This done, they went outside the court in which the great altar
+stood, and watched for the coming day. The Mount of Olives stood between
+them and the East, and far behind it were the mountains of Moab. Here the
+first streaks of the morning light were to show themselves. Then the
+priest whose turn it was to slay the victim of the day bathed in the great
+laver. Thus purified for the performance of his office, he stirred up the
+burning embers from under the ashes of the altar, and added fresh fuel.
+This done, he was joined by the other priests, and the morning sacrifice
+was offered. Then followed the special ceremonies of the festival, among
+them the prayer for deliverance from captivity, as already given, and the
+singing of the great Thanksgiving. And every day the public services were
+followed by private rejoicings. No one could have believed that the
+rejoicing city, gay with its brightly dressed throngs of merry-makers and
+resounding with the music of tabret and harp, was the desolate place so
+long trodden down by the heathen. There had been days in the past when the
+most hopeful could scarcely discern any light in the darkness. But now
+they could see the "silver lining of the cloud." In this very Temple, now
+dedicated afresh with such joyous zeal, but a few years before, the
+priests "had left the sacrifices when the game of the Discus called them
+forth." That deadly folly had been purged with blood. The brutal violence
+of Antiochus had saved the nation from an imminent relapse into
+heathenism.
+
+Among the many hearts that were gladdened by these rejoicings there was
+one, as sorely burdened as any, that had found a complete deliverance from
+the troubles of the past. The unhappy Huldah, in proportion as her charge
+gained strength, and her work became less absorbing, had seemed to be
+falling back into her old condition. For the time her thoughts had been
+concentrated on the suffering Eglah; now they were free to be turned upon
+herself, her own troubles, her own dismal memories. Eglah did all she
+could to keep her employed, and the girl's gentle and affectionate nature
+still felt her influence. Yet it was evident that unless some remedy could
+be found the old madness would resume its sway.
+
+On the first day of the Dedication festival, the two were standing
+together in the Court of the Women. The priests, who were making a circuit
+of the whole building, sprinkling everywhere the blood of purification,
+came in due course to the spot. As they performed their office a drop fell
+upon the garment of Huldah, who had been joining in the prayers with an
+earnestness almost frenzied. The effect was marvellous. In a moment the
+excitement passed away. Her eyes lost their wandering look, and, in a tone
+calmer and more collected than any that she had ever before been known to
+use since the time of her trouble, she said, showing the crimson spot to
+Eglah--"He has heard my prayer; He has sprinkled me with the blood of
+cleansing." She stood silent and collected until the whole ritual was
+finished, and when the time for the hymn of thanksgiving came round joined
+her voice with a quiet happiness to the voices of the congregation.
+
+When the people returned to their homes Huldah left the Temple in company
+with Eglah. But it was evident that her strength was exhausted. She could
+barely totter along with all the help that Eglah and a neighbour could
+give her, and when she came to the house of Seraiah and Ruth, which
+happened to lie in her way, she sank almost unconscious to the ground.
+Providentially at that moment Ruth came up with her husband and the little
+Daniel.
+
+"She seemed so much better in the Temple--was quite calm and peaceful
+again--and now I am afraid that she is going to be very ill," said Eglah.
+
+Woman's wit suggested to Ruth a happy thought for dealing with the
+sufferer.
+
+"Leave her to me," she said. "She was happy here once, and here, if it
+please the Lord, she will be happy again."
+
+Ruth and her husband carried her into the house, and laid her upon her bed
+in her old chamber. Once there she was able to swallow a little broth
+which had been hastily prepared, cast one grateful look of recognition at
+her old mistress, and then fell into a deep sleep. The next morning she
+awoke, entirely restored to reason, and, though still somewhat weak, able
+to go about the household tasks in which she had been once employed, and
+which she resumed at once without a question, and as if, indeed, they had
+never been interrupted for a day. The three years of misery were entirely
+blotted out of her memory; nor did any spectre from the past ever come
+back to trouble her.
+
+
+
+
+
+                              CHAPTER XXII.
+
+                        WARS AND RUMOURS OF WARS.
+
+
+The Feast of Dedication having been kept and made an ordinance in Israel
+for ever,(19) Judas's next act was to fortify the restored Temple. It was
+exposed, even more than the rest of the city, to a sudden attack from the
+garrison of the fort, which might work irreparable mischief could it gain,
+even for an hour, possession of the sacred building. Accordingly a high
+wall, strengthened at intervals by towers, was now erected round it, and a
+force was told off from the army to watch it. This done, the patriot
+leader could attend without anxiety to other cares. At Beth-zur a fortress
+was erected and strongly garrisoned to guard the Eastern frontier
+especially against the attacks of the Idumeans, who, under their new name,
+inherited all the old Edomite jealousy of Israel. After personally
+superintending the erection of this stronghold, Judas marched against
+other tribes on the east and south, who had been taking advantage of the
+troublous times to plunder their Jewish neighbours. The Arabs of the
+Negeb, or South Country, were defeated at a pass near the Dead Sea, which
+bore the appropriate name of the Pass of the Scorpions; the Ammonites,
+another tribe whose kinship with the chosen people seems to have
+embittered their hereditary enmity, were defeated under their Greek
+leader, Timotheus.
+
+Meanwhile life at Jerusalem had been settling down into a peaceful order.
+The younger of the two priests whom Eglah had befriended had found scope
+for his energies by joining the army; Shemaiah, the elder, was again an
+inmate in the house which had sheltered him, where Eglah, who had never
+forgotten the charity with which he had spoken of her husband, tended him
+with all the care of a daughter. The old man was never tired of hearing
+the story of the two dismal years during which he had been in hiding.
+
+"Ah, father!" she said to him one day, "you were not so ill off in your
+poor prison after all. Had you had your liberty you would have seen altars
+to the false gods in every street. And it was not safe to pass them
+without showing some sign of reverence."
+
+"And how did you fare, my daughter?" asked the old man.
+
+"I could avoid them, knowing where they were, by passing by on the other
+side, and my good Glaucus--the Lord have mercy on him!--was always kind and
+helpful. He would fetch the water regularly from the fountain, where there
+was an altar to the Naiad, as they called the demon of the spring, which I
+could not have avoided. The people used to laugh at him for doing a
+woman's work, but he did not heed them. O why was he taken away before he
+could learn the truth? I think that he would have known it if he could
+have lived a little longer."
+
+And the poor woman burst into a passion of tears. She was always haunted
+with this fear of her husband's fate, and reproached herself with not
+having been earnest enough in speaking of the truth to her husband.
+
+"Peace, my daughter," said the old man, gently; "the mercies of the Lord
+are without end, and His ways past finding out. Be sure that He will not
+forget the kindness that was showed to a daughter of Abraham. But tell
+me," he went on, anxious to change the subject--"tell me how we came to
+find the courts of the Temple desolate and overgrown as though no one had
+entered them for months? Did you not say that there were sacrifices there,
+and feasts to the demons whom the Greeks worship?"
+
+"Yes, father; it was so for a time. But soon there were few or none to
+make sacrifices, for the city was utterly impoverished. So the priests,
+whom Philip the Phrygian and Apollonius--the curse of the Lord be upon
+him!--brought in to serve at the altars, went elsewhere, for, of a truth,
+they would have died of hunger had they stayed here. O father, it was a
+mournful existence; of a truth we were fed with the bread of affliction
+and the water of affliction."
+
+As they talked Ruth came in with a troubled face.
+
+"O Eglah!" she cried, "I did hope that we should have peace and quiet, but
+there are wars and rumours of wars on every side. This morning letters
+came to the captain from our brethren in Gilead. That evil Timotheus--would
+to God he had not escaped out of the hand of Judas!--has gathered together
+a host of the Ammonites and slain some--a thousand, 'tis said, with their
+wives and children, and shut up the rest in the fortress of Dametha. And
+now my husband and my brother are in council with the captain, and I fear
+me much that they will be sent to the wars, for indeed," she added, with a
+touch of a woman's pride in those that are dear to her, "Judas esteems
+them highly, and will always have them in places of trust. Nor would I
+keep them back from helping the Lord's people. But hark! I hear his step."
+
+As she spoke Seraiah came in from the council.
+
+"How is it?" cried Ruth, with trembling voice, her fears again getting the
+upper hand. "Do you go? and Azariah?"
+
+"Yes, my dearest, I go, and next in command to the captain and his
+brothers."
+
+Ruth flung her arms round her husband's neck. "Oh! I am proud of you; but
+yet if you could have stayed, for our little Daniel is so young----"
+
+And she could say no more.
+
+"Nay, wife, be of good cheer, and do not grudge us to the Lord's service,
+for indeed there is need of us all. Even while the letters from Gilead
+were being read there came messengers from Galilee with their clothes
+rent. From them we heard that the men of Ptolemais and of Tyre and Sidon
+and all Galilee of the Gentiles were gathered together. Then it was
+determined that Simon should go to Galilee with three thousand men, and
+Judas and Jonathan to Gilead."
+
+"And what of Azariah?"
+
+"He and Joseph, the son of Zachariah, are to be left in the city with the
+remnant of the army as captains of the people. They are to have the
+Governor's house, and you, with our little Daniel, will live there while I
+am away. This will be well for you, and for Miriam and Judith also, for
+there will be many coming and going, and Miriam is a fair maiden, as she
+should be, being kin to you."
+
+Ruth smiled through her tears at the lover-like compliment.
+
+"Come now," Seraiah went on, "and get ready what I shall want for my
+journey, for we set out at sunset."
+
+The two women kissed each other, and the old priest blessed Seraiah. "The
+Lord give thee strength in the day of battle, and deliver thee out of the
+hand of the enemy, and bring thee back to the house of thy fathers."
+
+At sunset exactly--for Judas was one of the commanders who are exactly and
+punctually obeyed--the two expeditions set forth.
+
+Their departure was, of course, observed by the garrison of the fort, who
+were encouraged by it to make some fierce sallies on the diminished forces
+of the patriots. These were as fiercely repelled, and in a few days things
+settled down again into the virtual truce which had existed for some time
+between besiegers and besieged.
+
+Eight days after the departure of the expeditions tidings of victory came
+from the main army under Judas. The captain of the host had taken Bozrah,
+in Edom. The place lay at least a hundred miles to the east; but the
+patriots had covered the distance with unexpected rapidity, and, reaching
+the place before there had been any notion of their approach, had taken it
+almost without resistance. The messenger had left, he said, as soon as the
+place was taken, but Judas had marched the same night to Dametha, which
+was in urgent need of relief.
+
+The next day came in tidings of further success. Dametha and its garrison,
+with the crowd of helpless fugitives which had sought shelter within its
+walls, was safe. The night march from Bozrah had been made just in time.
+Had it been delayed till morning it might well have been too late. The
+Ammonites had chosen that very day for a fierce assault upon the place.
+Just as the day was dawning and the assailants were close under the walls
+Judas had appeared. His approach had been observed by the besieged, who
+had watched it from the citadel, but the assailants were taken by
+surprise. Hemmed in between two attacking forces, the garrison who made a
+sortie from the town and the army of the patriots in the rear, they had
+been utterly routed. Timotheus had barely escaped with his life, and had
+fled northward, followed by Judas in hot pursuit. A few days afterwards
+came the news that the campaign was at an end--begun and finished within
+the space of two weeks. This time the captain had found time to write a
+despatch. It ran thus:--
+
+"Judas, Captain of the Lord's host, to Azariah, greeting. Know that the
+Lord has delivered the enemy into our hands. Timotheus, having suffered
+defeat at Dametha, fled northward to a temple where the heathen worship
+the 'Two-horned Ashtaroth,' a strong place by nature and skilfully
+fortified. I judged it better that I should not spill the blood of the
+people of the Lord in assaulting it, and so, having cleared the walls of
+defenders by help of my slingers, I surrounded it with great quantities of
+faggots. To these I caused fire to be set, nor did my slingers suffer the
+Ammonites to approach to put out the flames. In the end the whole was
+consumed, and Timotheus perished in the fire. The Lord has rewarded him
+according to his deeds. So much for what has been done: now for what
+remains to do. This country is not as yet a safe dwelling-place, and will
+not be till the heathen shall be more thoroughly subdued. It is my
+purpose, therefore, to bring the people of this land to Jerusalem.
+Provide, to the best of your ability, for their food and lodging.
+Farewell!"
+
+The exultation felt by the people at Jerusalem when the tidings of their
+final victory reached them passes description. The times of David, they
+were sure, were about to return. The promise was once again to be
+fulfilled--"He shall reign from the flood [the Euphrates], unto the world's
+end." In the Temple chant of the day the words went--"I will not be afraid
+of ten thousands of the people that have set themselves against me round
+about. Up, Lord, and help me, O my God, for Thou smitest all Thine enemies
+upon the cheek-bone. Thou hast broken the teeth of the ungodly."
+
+But when tidings of still further victories, won by Simon in Galilee, came
+in to swell the popular enthusiasm, there was a certain change of feeling,
+something of the jealousy that almost inevitably springs up when great
+deeds are done. Joseph and Azariah chafed at the life of inaction which
+they were forced to live at Jerusalem, and what they thought in their
+hearts the soldiers did not hesitate to express openly. "Let us also," so
+ran the common talk--"let us also get for ourselves a name, and go and
+fight against the enemies of the Lord."
+
+On the day after the tidings of Simon's victories came in the two captains
+were waited upon by a deputation of soldiers, who came to urge that they
+might be relieved from the inaction to which they were condemned, an
+inaction made all the more hard to bear by the glories that were being won
+elsewhere. Azariah and Joseph listened with attention, and, indeed, were
+at no pains to hide their sympathy.
+
+"The men are right," said Joseph, when the deputation had withdrawn. "They
+will lose all heart if we keep them idling here."
+
+"In my heart I am inclined to agree with you," answered his colleague;
+"but what did the captain say?--'Watch the garrison of the heathen that
+they do no hurt to the city and the Holy Place while we are away.' But he
+said nothing of going elsewhere, and I should be unwilling to disobey him,
+for, beyond all doubt, the Lord is with him."
+
+"Nay, brother, you are too narrow in your thoughts of obeying. We obey him
+best if we do the best that we can for the cause of the Lord. And though I
+honour Judas greatly, yet he is but a captain in the Lord's host, even as
+we are. Why should we not do as he has done? And tell me, Azariah," he
+went on, "do you think that the vision which you saw when the angel of the
+Lord brought you a sword with the Name written on it has been altogether
+fulfilled? Shall this sword which he bade you use for the Lord always
+abide in the scabbard? Is this the life to which you are called?"
+
+"You speak truly," said Azariah. "I can scarcely be faithful to my trust
+if I suffer the sword of the Lord to rust. But tell me, what think you we
+had best do?"
+
+"Gorgias," said Joseph, "is encamped at Jamnia, and does great mischief to
+the land and the people; if we can drive him out we shall earn great
+thanks both from the captain and from our brethren."
+
+The resolution of the commanders was heard with unmingled delight by their
+men, and with almost equal pleasure by the inhabitants of the city. Some
+of the more cautious disapproved, and Shemaiah even made his way to the
+Governor's house--no easy task for his scanty strength--and remonstrated
+with Azariah. "My son," said he, "your strength is to sit still. Make not
+too much speed, and be not over-bold." He was listened to with respect,
+and even with some compunction on Azariah's part. But it seemed too late
+to retreat. To hold back now would infallibly give rise to the charge of
+cowardice, and Azariah, brave as a lion against all outward danger, had
+not the rare moral courage which would have enabled him to face such an
+accusation.
+
+At sunrise on the day after the resolution had been taken, the expedition
+set out with confident expectation of victory, and watched from the walls
+by an eager multitude. At sunset a miserable remnant came straggling back
+into the city. They had fared, as their fathers had fared many centuries
+before, when, with the like unauthorized daring, they had assaulted the
+hill fortress of Ai, and had returned, bringing discouragement with them.
+Gorgias had sallied out from his hill fortress, had charged the Jewish
+force with full advantage of the ground, and had driven them in headlong
+flight before them. Azariah and Joseph had done all that leaders could do
+to turn the tide of battle, but their efforts had been in vain. Two
+thousand men had fallen, the wounded being, perforce, left to the mercy or
+cruelty of the enemy.
+
+The city was filled with mourning for the dead; and, of course, there was
+a rapid revulsion of feeling against the leaders whose rash action had
+ended in such disaster. "Who are these men," was the general cry, "who
+have caused the people of the Lord to perish? They are not of the seed of
+those by whose hand deliverance is given to Israel."
+
+
+
+
+
+                             CHAPTER XXIII.
+
+                             MORE VICTORIES.
+
+
+The heathen in the fort observed the return as they had observed the
+departure of the expedition that had ended so disastrously. Their sallies
+became fiercer and more frequent, and Azariah, his forces weakened by the
+loss of two thousand men, found it difficult to repel them. Nothing could
+have exceeded the energy with which he devoted himself to this duty, or
+the courage with which he executed it. Night and day he was at his post,
+for it was here only that he found a refuge from the anguish and doubt
+which tormented him; here only the reproaches of the widows of the slain
+could not follow him. He allowed himself no rest; sleep he seemed
+absolutely to do without, and food he hastily snatched at any moment when
+the opportunity offered.
+
+One remission only from this task he allowed himself, and this because it
+was a duty. He paid a daily visit to his children. They, too, poor little
+souls, had not escaped a share in the trouble. The life which they had led
+for the last two years had developed their understanding beyond their age,
+and they felt, if they did not fully appreciate, their father's
+unhappiness. One consolation they had, the care of two little orphans--the
+father had fallen in the expedition, and the mother had been struck down
+by the news of her husband's death--who had been taken into the house and
+put under the charge of the elderly kinswoman who looked after Azariah's
+household.
+
+On one of these occasions he found the aged Shemaiah. His first impulse
+was to avoid the old man, but a few words of sympathy overcame him; his
+self-control broke down, and hiding his face in his robe he shed the rare
+and painful tears of a man.
+
+When the first outburst of grief was over he spoke.
+
+"Tell me, father, why has God forsaken His servant who trusted in Him. I
+went out in faith--and see the end. Would that I had died in the battle!"
+
+"My son, may it not be that you tempted the Lord? Did you count the cost
+when you went forth against Gorgias, whether you had force sufficient for
+the attack, or skill to handle it?"
+
+"Does faith, then, go for nothing? Had Judas men enough, as soldiers
+reckon in such matters, or skill enough, seeing that he had had no
+experience in war, when he overthrew Apollonius? Yet the Lord gave him the
+victory because he trusted in Him."
+
+"My son, God gave the victory to Judas, having first given him not
+strength only and courage, but skill also and understanding. He gives not
+the same gifts to all: to Moses wisdom and learning, but to Aaron eloquent
+speech; to David the arts of war, but to Solomon the arts of peace. Think
+you that because you are a servant of the Lord, you are therefore to
+choose the service that you will do? You would be captain of the Lord's
+host like Judas. Would you also indite psalms with David, and devise
+proverbs with Solomon? The Spirit of the Lord divideth to every man
+severally as He will. To Mattathias He gave discernment to see in Judas
+the leader and commander of the people, and the people were obedient to
+him. And so Judas discerned in you one who might be entrusted with the
+defence of the city, but not with the warfare against the heathen that are
+without. This was your service, but you were not content with it. Think
+not that the Lord has forgotten you, but rather that you have left the
+place in which you were set."
+
+This was plain speaking, but given with such gentleness and sympathy that
+the rebuke healed more than it wounded. Humbled yet comforted, Azariah
+returned to his post before the fortress. But he could not forget that his
+great trial was yet to come. Nor was it long delayed. The next day it was
+evident that something was happening that had attracted the attention of
+the garrison. The highest tower was crowded with soldiers who were
+intently watching something that could not be seen from below. And indeed
+it was a remarkable spectacle. Judas was returning with his victorious
+army, escorting at the same time a vast crowd of non-combatants, men,
+women, and children, the whole population of the country beyond Jordan,
+which could no longer be inhabited with safety, and all Jerusalem had gone
+out to meet the champion. Then, in a moment, the tower was deserted, the
+gates were thrown open, and a furious sortie, the last that could be
+attempted with any hope of success, was made with the whole force of the
+garrison. It was with a desperate courage that Azariah repelled the
+attack. Never had he exposed himself so recklessly. He could almost have
+wished to fall in the fight; for now the dreaded meeting was at hand, and
+he had to render up to his chief the trust which he had so abused. The
+attack was repelled, and then Azariah had to remain in an inaction that
+was almost unbearable till he should be summoned to the interview with his
+chief.
+
+The sun was just setting when a soldier presented himself, and, after
+saluting, said, "The general seeks you."
+
+"Has he summoned the council?" asked Azariah, who dreaded a public
+censure.
+
+"Nay," said the man; "he is alone."
+
+And Azariah followed him to the captain's house, with such a tremor in his
+heart as no dangers of battle had ever caused.
+
+What followed at the meeting was never known, save as far as the result
+was concerned. Shemaiah was awaiting his return, and the first glance
+showed the old man that things had gone well with his friend. The burden
+of trouble was gone. Azariah looked brighter and more cheerful--so great is
+the force of reaction--than he had done since he had lost his Hannah.
+Shemaiah felt that there was no need to question him, and waited in
+silence for what his friend should please to tell him. What he heard was
+this:
+
+"The captain would have kept me in the office to which he appointed me
+when he departed. He said--and I repeat his words, not for my own glory,
+but for a proof of his generosity--'No man could have better kept the
+heathen from the fort in check than you have done. Therefore, I would have
+you stay where you are. I must go again to the wars, for the Idumeans and
+the Philistines have to be subdued. And I shall go with a lighter heart,
+leaving the defence of the city in your hands.' But I said to him, 'O my
+lord, let me rather go with you. You have accomplished to the full the
+work unto which you were sent of God, and have come back, having redeemed
+from captivity and death our brethren from beyond the river, nor lost one
+of your own people. But I, going in the presumption of my heart to a
+warfare unto which I was not sent, have accomplished nothing; I have
+wrought no deliverance for my people, and the bones of two thousand of my
+brethren lie scattered on the plain. Henceforth I am but a sword in the
+hand of the servant of the Lord.' But the captain said nothing. Let it be
+as he will. As for me, I am content, for I know that he has pardoned me."
+
+Whatever the kind of service in which Judas might see fit to employ his
+lieutenant, it was clear that there would be no lack of work for him to
+do.
+
+The victories of Judas in Gilead had been followed by successes won by
+Simon in Galilee. And from Galilee, as from Gilead, there had been a great
+migration of the inhabitants, who sought in Jerusalem a safer home than
+they could find in their own country.
+
+And now, at the head of a more powerful army than he had hitherto been
+able to collect, Judas set out. His first object was Hebron, which had for
+some time past been in the possession of the Idumeans. He took it by
+assault; it might almost be said, so unexpected was his coming, by
+surprise. Indeed, one cause of his success was the extraordinary rapidity
+and secrecy of his movements. Almost the moment that his plans were
+formed, he was on his way to execute them. Even if there had been traitors
+or spies in his camp--and such were almost unknown--any information which
+they could send to the enemy was outstripped, so to speak, by his action.
+Hebron had to be abandoned after its capture, for he could not spare a
+sufficient garrison to hold it. All that could be done was to take care
+that it should not, for some time at least, become a stronghold of the
+enemy. Its citadel was destroyed; the towers on the wall burnt, and a
+furlong of the wall itself broken down.
+
+From Hebron the Jewish leader marched southward, and then turning eastward
+invaded the country of the Philistines. Azotus, which was supposed to be
+safe on account of its maritime position, and was, in consequence,
+negligently guarded, was assaulted with success, and its temples and
+altars destroyed, though Gorgias was still in force at Jamnia, only nine
+miles to the north. Several of the smaller Philistine towns were taken on
+the return march to Jerusalem; and altogether this people received a
+lesson which they were not likely soon to forget. All this was
+accomplished with very little loss. Joel, the priest, however, was killed
+at Azotus, where he had recklessly exposed himself in the attack.
+
+Great as was the popular rejoicing at these victories, it was nothing to
+the exultation caused by the next tidings that reached
+Jerusalem--Antiochus, the oppressor, the blasphemer--Antiochus was dead!
+
+The day after the return of the army a Syrian runner was caught while
+endeavouring to make his way into the fortress through the lines of the
+besiegers. He had been sent by Lysias with a despatch to the commander of
+the garrison. The document was of the briefest. It ran thus:
+
+
+          "_Lysias, the Governor, to the most valiant Eucrates._
+
+  "Know that our most excellent Lord and King, Antiochus, surnamed the
+  Illustrious, is dead in Persia. Let the soldiers that are with you
+  swear allegiance to the son of our departed master by the name of
+  Antiochus Eupator, which he has taken to himself in remembrance of the
+  glories of his father."(20)
+
+
+The man, when questioned by Judas and the council, was able to supplement
+the bare news of the King's death with some interesting details. He had
+had some talk with the messenger who had brought the tidings to Antioch,
+and had heard all that was as yet known. His story ran thus:
+
+"The King was in Persia when he heard how his armies had been defeated,
+not once or twice only, in the land of Judaea. Great was his rage--so great
+that for the space of three or four hours none dared to come near him.
+Then he summoned his counsellors to him, and said, 'I will destroy this
+nation of rebels till there shall be not one of them left,' and giving up
+all other plans he marched westward with all his army. But on his way he
+came to the city of Elymais, where there is a temple, the treasury of
+which is reputed to be more wealthy than any in the whole land of Persia,
+for it has never been spoiled within the memory of man. Even the great
+Alexander left it untouched, adding also much of the spoil which he had
+taken himself. This temple the father of the King had sought to plunder;
+but the people of the city rose against him, and drove him away. When the
+King came to this city he said, 'Here is another nest of rebels. Did they
+not rise against the King, my father? Verily I will avenge his memory upon
+them.' So he went into the city, having some five hundred soldiers with
+him. And the magistrates received him with honour. And when he said, 'I
+would see your temple and its treasures,' they consented. 'Only,' they
+said, 'it is our custom that no armed man may come within the precincts.'
+'Will you strip me of my sword?' said the King. 'Not so,' they answered,
+'but your followers must be without any, and not more than ten in number.'
+When the King heard this he was greatly wroth, and said to the magistrates
+of the city, 'I will come in despite of you.' So he went, he and his five
+hundred, to the square in which the temple stands. But he found the whole
+place filled with an armed multitude, and when he would have forced his
+way into the precincts he was beaten back, losing not a few of his
+soldiers, and being himself struck on the head with a stone. After this,
+whether it was from his rage, which became more terrible than ever, or
+from any other cause, I know not; but the King was smitten with some
+disease, and could no longer ride, as he had been wont, but was carried in
+a litter. And they say that the stench of his wounds was so great that the
+men who bore the litter could scarcely endure it, but were changed
+continually. So they brought him to Tabol, in the land of Persia, and
+there he died, being terribly tormented with pain. And I heard that when
+he was dying, he cried out with a most lamentable voice repenting him of
+the wrong that he had done against the gods in robbing their temples."
+
+"Of what did he speak?" asked one of the council.
+
+"Nay," said the man, "that I know not. Some said that he spoke of this
+Temple in Jerusalem, and some that it was the temple in Elymais, where men
+worship the moon-goddess, that was in his mind. But more I do not know."
+
+Judas rose up in his place and repeated the last words of that great
+triumphal chant in which more than a thousand years before Deborah and
+Barak had celebrated the overthrow of another king who had mightily
+oppressed the children of Israel.
+
+"So let all Thine enemies perish, O Lord, but let them that love Him be as
+the sun when he goeth forth in his might."
+
+
+
+
+
+                              CHAPTER XXIV.
+
+                           THE SABBATICAL YEAR.
+
+
+A time was now approaching to which the responsible leaders of the people
+looked forward, for the most part, with great anxiety. This was the
+Sabbatical year. During a whole twelve months it would not be lawful to
+carry on any offensive war, or, a far more serious matter, to till the
+ground. Debate ran high as to whether the Law could be observed in its
+strictness. There were many who asked, with no little show of reason,
+"Will it be possible in times so troublous to keep a year of rest? Moses,
+when he commanded it, thought of a people dwelling quietly in a land from
+which they had driven out all their enemies. As things are now, these
+enemies are about us, and even in the very midst of us. And then the
+harvest? Will it suffice to feed the people, already more than twice as
+numerous as in the previous year, and daily increasing?"
+
+The answer of the Chasidim was peremptory. "For what," they asked, "have
+we suffered and fought? For what did the martyrs lay down their
+lives--Eleazar the priest, and the mother and her sons, and Hannah, the
+wife of Azariah, and others without number? For what did Mattathias wear
+out the remnant of his years? Was it not for the Law, that it might be
+kept whole and undefiled? Might we not have lived in peace, and stood high
+in favour with the King, if we had been content to forsake the law of the
+Lord our God? And now that He has given us the victory, and delivered us
+from the hand of the heathen, so that we may serve Him without fear, shall
+we cast His commandments behind our backs? Were we not few in number, and
+scarcely armed, and yet did He not give into our hands great armies, well
+equipped with shield and sword and spear? Were we not well-nigh perishing
+of hunger among the mountains, and did He not richly supply our needs?
+Surely the earth is the Lord's and the fulness thereof, and, if He will,
+He can make that which it bringeth forth of itself to abound even as the
+fields which the sower has sowed and the reaper has reaped?"
+
+And the Chasidim had their way, as zealous men are wont to have it, when
+they know exactly their own minds and what they want. The Sabbatical year
+was proclaimed. There was to be no labour, no ploughing or sowing, no
+tendance of oliveyards and vineyards. The people were to live simply and
+wholly on the bounty of the earth.
+
+The first month of the Sabbatical year itself bore the name of the
+Sabbatical month. Into this were crowded three of the great feasts and
+celebrations of the year--the Feast of Trumpets, the Day of Atonement, and
+the Feast of Tabernacles. But the whole year was to be one round of
+religious celebrations. To the daily sacrifices in the Temple were added
+special services of intercession, praise, and thanksgiving. Nor did the
+Temple-worship alone satisfy the religious wants of the people. The
+synagogues were thronged, and that not on the Sabbath only but on every
+day of the week. The Law and the Prophets were read and expounded, not, we
+may be sure, without many stirring references to the events of the day.
+
+All this religious enthusiasm was wanted to support the people under the
+hardships of the time. Provisions, if they did not actually run short,
+began to rise in price. Judas and his council did their best to prevent
+it; but the selfish instincts of the possessors of corn could not be
+overcome; stores were held back from the market, and the poorer class,
+swollen as it was in numbers by the great immigration of the preceding
+year from Gilead and Galilee, began to suffer seriously.
+
+Meanwhile the insolence of the Greek garrison was increasing daily. The
+Jewish soldiers contented themselves, or endeavoured to content
+themselves, with repelling attack. This meant, of course, standing exposed
+to showers of missiles which they could not return, and it tried their
+patience to the uttermost. Even some of the Chasidim were heard to murmur
+that there must be some limits to this endurance; among the besiegers in
+general, who had not risen to the height of Chasidim zeal, a spirit of
+discontent was growing up that might well have become dangerous.
+
+Before long, however, the evil worked its own cure. One sabbath-day, about
+the beginning of the month which we should call November, there was a
+great solemnity in the Temple, and the outposts of the besieging force had
+been more than usually weakened. Ruth, with her little Daniel and her two
+nieces, was going towards the Temple, escorted by her husband and Micah,
+when one of the lower gates of the fortress was suddenly thrown open, and
+a party of Greeks rushed out upon the party. Seraiah and Micah were both
+armed, but for some minutes they had to make head against their assailants
+alone. One of the soldiers who had seized Ruth was promptly felled to the
+earth by a blow from Micah's sword; and Seraiah did similar execution on
+another. But the odds were too great for them. Micah was brought to the
+ground, and it was only by desperate efforts that his brother-in-law could
+save him from being stabbed as he lay. Ruth, meanwhile, being left without
+help, was carried off to the very gates of the fortress. And then, just
+before it was too late, came the longed-for help. The two girls, who, with
+their little cousin, had been some distance behind, ran screaming towards
+the Temple, and happily met with their father, who was just about to
+change guard at one of the posts. He and his company ran at the top of
+their speed to the scene of the conflict, plunged recklessly through the
+missiles which were showered on them from the fortress, and reached the
+wall at the same moment with the ravishers, whose progress was impeded by
+the struggles of the captive, for, brave woman as she was, she never lost
+her presence of mind. A few of the party escaped into the fortress, the
+nearest gate of which was cautiously opened to receive them; but the
+greater number were instantly put to the sword. Ruth, whose strength broke
+down when she knew that she was safe, was carried home, sorely bruised and
+half-unconscious.
+
+Judas was profoundly moved when he heard of this outrage. He had long been
+chafing under the restrictions imposed upon his action by his rigid
+supporters, and this determined him to break through them. He had a great
+affection for Azariah and his kindred. The men were known to him for their
+loyalty and courage, and Ruth as an indefatigable worker among the sick
+and wounded. His resolution was taken, but with the prudence and soundness
+of judgment that were habitual to him he was careful to avoid any
+appearance of being peremptory or self-willed. He called to him one of his
+lieutenants, who was reputed to be a leader among the Chasidim.
+
+"Micaiah," he said, "you remember when a thousand of our brethren were
+slain by the heathen, helpless and unarmed, because it was the sabbath?"
+
+"I remember," replied the man.
+
+"And that it was determined by my father, as captain of the host, with
+full consent of all the princes and priests, that such a thing should
+happen no more?"
+
+"It was so determined."
+
+"Think you, then, that there is one law for the seventh day, and another
+for the seventh year?"
+
+"I know nothing, save what I find in the traditions of the fathers."
+
+"Our fathers had no such experience as we have had. No, Micaiah, we will
+not reap nor sow, trusting that the Lord will feed us. But I see not that
+the Law forbids us to strike with the sword when the heathen seek to carry
+our wives and our children into captivity, nor will I lay upon the people
+a burden that the Lord has not laid upon them. If I sin in this matter,
+let the punishment fall upon me and upon my father's house."
+
+Micaiah was not altogether content, but he did not feel sufficiently
+convinced to resist. And, indeed, the character and the exploits of Judas
+gave an overpowering weight to any conclusion at which he arrived.
+
+The next day an assembly of the soldiers was held, and Judas informed them
+that operations would be more vigorously conducted for the future. The
+announcement was received with great satisfaction, even by the stricter
+partisans of the Law. The insolence of the garrison was summarily checked.
+The sallies on which it ventured were repulsed so fiercely that they were
+soon discontinued, while relays of archers and slingers, succeeding each
+other without intermission from earliest dawn to nightfall, kept the walls
+clear.
+
+But though this difficulty was surmounted others not less serious
+remained. The privations resulting from the observance of the Sabbatical
+year were such as to overtask the endurance of all but enthusiasts. And,
+of course, under these circumstances it was inevitable that the
+regulations should be evaded. Huldah, with the children, was wandering one
+day among the gardens in the neighbourhood of the city. They were
+searching for some fruit for Ruth who was now making a very slow recovery
+from the injuries which she had received. They were at liberty to go where
+they pleased, for all right of property was at an end, at least for the
+time. But others had been before them, and it seemed as if everything had
+been gathered, even before it was ripe. They were returning home with but
+the scantiest results from this toil when they witnessed a scene of
+uproar. Some men had been discovered by the officers of the chief priests
+in the unlawful act of cultivating the ground. They had been sowing the
+seeds of some quick-growing plants, doing it in such an irregular fashion
+that what came up might seem to have been chance-sown, but they had been
+detected, and were now being led off in custody, angry and defiant, and
+loudly condemning the bigoted folly which, as they said, to carry out an
+obsolete enactment, condemned a whole people to starvation.
+
+A crowd speedily gathered and followed the officers and their prisoners to
+the house of one of the chief priests. Huldah and the children went with
+it. The case was tried, in Eastern fashion, in the open air and in public.
+The process was short, for the offenders had been caught in the act, and
+the law which they had transgressed was plain. The defence which they
+attempted on the plea of necessity was cut short by the judge. "The Word
+of God," said he, "is of more account than meat and drink. Take these
+men," he went on, speaking to an officer whom we should call the
+provost-marshal, "and see that they suffer each forty stripes save one.
+And you," he added, turning to the prisoners, "know that if you offend
+again in this matter you shall be stoned with stones till you die."
+
+The men were bound and flogged. That was a sight which Huldah and the
+children did not wait to see; but just as they were reaching their home
+the men passed them, furious at the indignity which they had suffered, and
+loudly proclaiming their determination to be revenged.
+
+The next morning they were missing from the city. A porter at one of the
+smaller gates was found tied and gagged. He said that he had been attacked
+by a party of men, some of whom could be identified by his description
+with the sufferers of the day before. The others were Greeks, apparently
+belonging to the garrison. They had surprised him, taken his keys from
+him, and had gone--so he judged from something that he had overheard--on the
+road to Antioch. This gave a serious aspect to the affair. The men had
+evidently deserted, and would put all the information that they had at the
+service of the enemy. Judas immediately ordered a pursuit. But though the
+party that he sent out was more than once close upon the tracks of the
+fugitives it did not succeed in overtaking them.
+
+Time went on. The Feast of the Dedication came round, and was kept with as
+much cheerfulness as the depressed spirits and scanty means of the people
+permitted. Spring succeeded winter, bringing with it in its milder
+temperature and in the abundance of its natural growths some alleviations
+of the common suffering. But the prospect, as a whole, was scarcely
+brighter. It was almost a relief when tidings reached the city that a
+struggle was at hand. It was better, thought many, to die on the field of
+battle than to sit still and starve. And, indeed, death on the
+battle-field seemed a likely prospect. Lysias, who had been making his
+preparations during the whole of the winter, was now, it was said, about
+to set forth. The force which he had under his command was reported to be
+overwhelmingly strong, numbering not less than 120,000 men. It was also
+said that he had with him thirty-two war-elephants. The boy-King--Eupator
+was not more than nine years old--was also said to be with him.
+
+
+
+
+
+                              CHAPTER XXV.
+
+                                REVERSES.
+
+
+Judas met the danger with his accustomed resolution. He waited in the city
+till he could be certain of the road which the invaders were taking. As
+soon as he knew that it was from the south that they were approaching, he
+collected all his available force, having for the purpose to raise the
+siege of the fortress, and marched forth to meet them.
+
+The fortress of Beth-zur, which was intended to be the first line in the
+defence of the capital, was in danger of falling into the hands of the
+enemy. Micah had received, early in the year, a commission to revictual
+it, but had found the task one that was difficult, if not impossible, to
+execute. There was a positive scarcity of food, and the scarcity was
+aggravated as usual by the practice of hoarding. It was to little purpose
+that Micah scoured the country, making requisitions of grain and other
+supplies. Some few, strong in their faith, gave up what they had, and
+committed themselves and their children to the Lord, whose law they were
+seeking to obey. Others met the demand with a flat refusal, and at the
+same time taunted Micah with the folly of enforcing an impracticable law
+in times of such difficulty. Many met him with the plea of poverty, and
+their wasted forms and sunken faces were proof enough that this plea was
+genuine. The work, therefore, for all the zeal that Micah displayed, went
+on but very slowly, and, indeed, was not half finished when the advanced
+guard of the army of Lysias appeared. Beth-zur was immediately invested.
+The engines, of which Lysias had a large stock, played fiercely upon the
+walls, and preparations was made for an assault. Micah, on the other hand,
+saw no hope that he would be able to stand a long siege. The garrison
+under his command was not large enough adequately to man the walls, while
+it was too large for the stock of provisions which he had been able to
+collect.
+
+Under these circumstances his resolution was soon taken. Before dawn on
+the second day of the investment the whole garrison made a desperate
+sally. Happily they had no non-combatants to care for, and as yet no sick
+or wounded. Fire was set to the engines. The besiegers, thinking that this
+was the object of the attack, and that the garrison would make their way
+back into the fortress, when this had been accomplished, occupied
+themselves chiefly in putting out the fire. But Micah had no intention of
+returning. He availed himself of the confusion caused by the burning of
+the camp, cut his way with desperate resolution through the enemy, and
+succeeded in reaching the camp of Judas with the larger part of his force.
+The rest were not able to follow him, but succeeded in regaining the
+fortress, which they continued to hold against the Greeks.
+
+The camp was at Beth-Zachariah, about nine miles south from Jerusalem, and
+on an elevated position, not less than three thousand feet above the level
+of the sea, which commanded the whole of the neighbouring country. Behind,
+to the north, could be seen the towers of Jerusalem, with Bethlehem, the
+City of David, in the nearer foreground, nestling among its oliveyards and
+vineyards. To the west lay the plain of Philistia, with the white cliff of
+Gath clearly visible in the extreme distance; to the east could be seen
+the purple mountains of Moab. The road from Hebron, by which the Greek
+army would approach, crept along the eastern side of the mountains. From
+his elevated position Judas could see the movements of his adversaries
+while they were still at a considerable distance. Observing that they
+pitched their camp on the further side of a narrow defile, with the
+character of which he was intimately acquainted, he conceived the idea of
+an ambush.
+
+He summoned Azariah to his tent and detailed his plan. Azariah also knew
+the place well, and entered into the scheme with enthusiasm--such
+enthusiasm, indeed, that Judas felt it necessary to give him a parting
+caution. "Remember," he said, "if this scheme fails, that you come back to
+me immediately. If the ambush should be discovered, retreat at once. There
+must be no attack. I cannot spare a man. We shall want all that we have,
+if not more than all, to make head against the thousands of Lysias."
+
+Azariah promised obedience, and lost no time in setting out on his errand.
+Shortly after sunset he started, having with him a picked force of a
+thousand men. Before midnight he had reached the place fixed upon by
+Judas, and there, in a hollow half-way up the side of the hill that formed
+one side of the pass, he laid his ambush.
+
+It was an anxious night for the little band. It was always an accepted
+maxim in ancient warfare that it was the most steadfast courage that was
+wanted for the ambush. Men who were brave enough when fighting in the open
+plain found their courage fail when they had to lie for hours watching for
+the moment of attack, crouched upon the ground, unable to move and
+scarcely venturing to talk. Azariah's men were brave--indeed they had been
+carefully chosen for this very service--but they were not altogether
+insensible of the dangers of their position. They knew, too, and even
+exaggerated the strength of the advancing army. As they talked in whispers
+during the night, for, as may be imagined, few could sleep, they spoke of
+the chances of the coming day. The elephants, which had never before been
+seen on Jewish soil, were mentioned with special awe.
+
+"Strange and terrible beasts they are," said one man to his neighbour;
+"savage as lions, and many times larger and stronger."
+
+"Is it so?" said the other. "I heard once from an Arab, who had been
+driver of one of these creatures, that they are marvellously gentle and
+tame."
+
+"Maybe they are by nature; but their drivers have ways of rousing them to
+fury before the battle."
+
+"How so?"
+
+"They show them the blood of grapes and mulberries, and the creatures rage
+terribly. 'Tis said that one of them can tread down a whole company of
+men."
+
+"Well, but 'tis possible, I know, to stand against them. King Antiochus,
+father to the madman whom the Lord smote for his sins, had an array of
+them in his army when he fought against the Romans at Magnesia, but they
+profited him little. So Simeon told me--you know the man, the old Benjamite
+who took service with the King. The Romans stood firm in their rank, and
+threw their javelins at the beasts' trunks, and in the end, so Simeon
+said, they did more damage to their own people than to the enemy."
+
+"The Lord grant that it be so to-morrow."
+
+The sun had just risen when the approach of the Greek army became visible.
+And now the vanguard was almost within striking distance of the ambush
+which, to all appearance, was still undiscovered. Another few steps and
+they would be immediately below, at a point where they might be assailed
+with disastrous effect. Behind a little rock which was within a few yards
+of the pass Azariah knelt, sword in hand, waiting to give the signal to
+his men. Their fears had mostly vanished in the morning light, and the
+dreaded elephants did not form part of the advanced guard.
+
+But just as Azariah was about to give the signal to charge his quick ear
+caught the sound of tramping feet, which seemed to come from some place
+above his own position. The next moment he caught sight, in the slanting
+rays of the early sun, of the glitter of helmets and shields. A Greek
+force, fully equal in number to his own, was marching in a direction
+parallel to the pass but higher up the mountain-side. Lysias had learnt
+wisdom from experience. He no longer despised his enemy, but credited him
+with the military skill which, indeed, he had more than once proved
+himself to possess. He had foreseen the ambush, and had sent a force to
+guard against the danger. Azariah's force, though out of sight of the
+road, could be seen from the higher ground, and the Greeks greeted their
+appearance with shouts of laughter. For one moment a wild desire to charge
+swept through the mind of the Jewish captain. He had hoped to blot out by
+some brilliant service the remembrance of his former disaster, and now he
+had failed again. True, it was not by his own fault; yet he had failed,
+and he would have to go back to Judas empty-handed. A single word would
+have sent his men in furious onset against the foe. Should he say it? Then
+there came back to his recollection the gentleness and forbearance of
+Judas. He could not disobey such a leader a second time. He gave the
+signal to retreat. His men heard it with disgust; but they knew that he
+was acting against his own desire as much as against theirs, and they
+obeyed without a murmur, or, if some of the youngest and fiercest among
+them complained of the order, it was only under their breath that they
+spoke.
+
+Azariah now made his way to Judas with all the haste that he could use.
+
+"I have failed," he said. "The heathen seemed to know of our design
+beforehand. There could be no surprise, so I did not attack, but came back
+to you at once."
+
+"You have done well," said Judas, who knew what a sacrifice the fiery
+soldier had made. "A chance victory won by disobeying orders is worse than
+a defeat."
+
+But Judas, though, as always, he did full justice to his lieutenant, was
+much depressed by the failure of the attempt, and he looked with a gloomy
+brow at the approaching host, as it came on in all the pomp and
+circumstance of war, the sunlight gleaming on the banners, the helmets of
+brass and gold, and on the long, slanting lines of spear-heads. As it came
+nearer the regular tread of the columns and the clang of arms, with now
+and then the shrill voice of a clarion or the deep note of a trumpet heard
+above the roar, moved even the stoutest warrior to something like fear.
+
+Judas followed once more the tactics which he had so often found
+successful. To stand on the defensive was hopeless; his few thousands
+would inevitably be trodden down under the feet of this huge multitude.
+His only hope was in attack. If he could but break the line at a single
+point his success might be again, as it had been before, the beginning of
+a panic, and the great host of Lysias might melt away as the host of
+Apollonius had melted; but the attack must be made while the enemy were
+yet upon ground where they had not space to make full use of their
+numbers. He charged with his accustomed fury before the vanguard of the
+enemy had emerged into the open. For a time it seemed as if his audacity
+was to be successful. The hostile army reeled under the shock of the
+patriots' furious charge. In two or three places it broke. But there was
+in reserve a second line of veterans, the steadiest and best troops that
+could be found in the Syrian armies, for Lysias knew by this time that
+none but the very best could stand against Judas and his Ironsides. And
+then the numbers were overpowering. Step by step the Jewish column was
+forced back. They left six hundred of the enemy dead on the field behind
+them; but the attack had failed.
+
+Then, as the Greek army deployed upon the open ground which the retreat of
+the Jews left open to them, the elephants came upon the scene--the "huge,
+earth-shaking beasts," which even the hardiest warrior could hardly see
+for the first time without some sinking of heart. Each animal was
+accompanied by picked bodies of horse and foot. Each carried a tower from
+which skilful marksmen, whose accurate aim was greatly helped by their
+elevated position, hurled missiles upon the ranks of the foe. The
+creatures themselves seemed to share in all the fury of the battle. They
+trumpeted loudly and furiously; at the bidding of the Indian drivers who
+were perched upon their necks they seized soldiers from among the Jewish
+ranks with their trunks, whirled them aloft, and then dashed them down,
+mangled and lifeless corpses, upon the ground.
+
+Then was done one of the heroic acts which stand out conspicuously on the
+pages of history. Eleazar, one of the Maccabee brothers, saw how his
+countrymen were being demoralized by the terror of these strange
+adversaries, and felt that it was a crisis that called for personal
+devotion. One of the elephants was conspicuous among the rest, not only
+for its superior size but for the splendour of its equipment. He felt sure
+that it must be the one that carried the boy-King himself. Immediately his
+resolve was taken. He made his way, striking furiously right and left, and
+dealing death with every blow, through the Syrian ranks, crept under the
+huge beast, and dealt him a mortal wound. Like another Samson, he perished
+by his own success. The creature fell with a suddenness that gave him no
+opportunity of escape, and he was crushed to death by its weight.
+
+  [Illustration: _The Death of Eleazar._]
+
+The hero did not accomplish his object, to rally his countrymen. One might
+rather say that their panic was heightened by the fall of one of the
+heroic brothers, a son of the great house to which they owed their
+liberty. But his deed was not forgotten. The fourth of the Maccabee
+brothers lived in the history of his people as Eleazar Avaran--Eleazar "the
+Beast Slayer."
+
+But the battle was lost beyond all hope. The only thing left for Judas was
+to save as much as he could out of the wreck. He sounded the signal for
+retreat, drew off his men in good order, and, making his way back as
+rapidly as possible to Jerusalem, threw himself into the Temple fortress,
+resolved to stand a siege.
+
+
+
+
+
+                              CHAPTER XXVI.
+
+                          LIGHT OUT OF DARKNESS.
+
+
+For a time the prospects of the patriots seemed dark indeed. Beth-zur had
+fallen, and the only hope of the cause was in the Temple fortress. This
+was fiercely assailed by the garrison of the Greek stronghold of Mount
+Zion on the one side, and, on the other, by the army which had been
+victorious at Beth-Zachariah, and which now occupied the Lower City. The
+Temple fortress was strong; it was fairly well supplied with munitions of
+war; and the garrison was large--indeed, almost too large for the
+accommodation of the place. The fatal weakness of the position was the
+scanty supply of provisions. Only water was abundant, for the unsparing
+toil of former generations had provided for this want; had it not been for
+this the resistance of the garrison must very soon have come to an end,
+for food was scarce--so scarce, indeed, that the strength of the fighting
+men could hardly be maintained by the insufficient rations which were
+doled out to them, while the few non-combatants received barely enough to
+keep body and soul together.
+
+The condition of the Jewish population of the city was not as bad as might
+have been expected. The cruelties of the days of Apollonius and Philip
+were not repeated; for Lysias, who, as guardian of the boy-King, was
+practically supreme, favoured a policy of conciliation, and did his best
+to repress outrage. Indeed he sanctioned the establishment of what may be
+called a municipal guard or militia, which, while under obligation to give
+no assistance to the garrison of the Temple, was permitted to protect the
+peaceful inhabitants of the city. This guard was under the command of
+Seraiah.
+
+There was much, of course, that it was difficult for those to bear who
+looked to Judas and his brothers as the hope of Israel. Menelaues had
+returned, and with him a whole troop of renegade Jews, whose insolence and
+impiety sorely tried the patience of the faithful population. And the
+scarcity of food was only less severe in the city than it was in the
+fortress.
+
+For some time Seraiah's own household continued to receive mysterious
+supplies from some unknown source, which made them far more comfortable
+than their neighbours. Once a week, or even oftener, they would find a bag
+of corn or flour, a basket of dried grapes or other fruits, a bundle of
+salt fish, a string of doves or wood-pigeons, put in an outhouse, nor
+could they guess who their benefactor could be. But when this had gone on
+for nearly two months, the secret came out. Seraiah, returning from his
+military duties at an early hour in the morning, and entering by a little
+postern gate in order to avoid disturbing the household, saw a man drop
+from the garden wall. He seized him by the arm, and the stranger, turning
+sharply round, revealed the well-known features of Benjamin.
+
+"What do you here?" he asked.
+
+"I am come on an errand of my own," answered the robber.
+
+"But in my house?"
+
+"Ask no more questions," said the man; "but take my word--and I would not
+lie to you for all the kingdom of Antiochus--that I mean no harm to you or
+yours."
+
+A thought flashed across Seraiah's mind.
+
+"It is you, then, who have been bringing us, week after week, these
+supplies of food?"
+
+Benjamin said nothing.
+
+"I adjure you by God that you answer me," said Seraiah.
+
+"Well, if you will know it, it is I who have done it. Why should not God
+use a man's hands to feed His servants, as well as a raven's beak?"
+
+"Tell me--how did you come by these things?"
+
+"In various ways."
+
+"Lawfully?"
+
+"Well, I can hardly say; you and I might not agree about the matter."
+
+"Tell me--did you buy them with your money?"
+
+"Nay; that is not my way. I do not buy or sell."
+
+"Then you stole them."
+
+"I told you that we should not agree. But this I know, that they to whom
+they belonged could do without them better than you and your children."
+
+"Benjamin," said Seraiah, "you mean well, and I thank you. But after this
+bring no more of these gifts, for I cannot receive them. I would not have
+my Judge say to me, 'When thou sawest a thief, thou consentedst unto him.'
+I had sooner die of hunger--aye, and what is far worse, see my children
+die--than take that which has not been lawfully acquired."
+
+"As you will have it," said Benjamin; "if there were more like you, mayhap
+I should have been a better man. But meanwhile, the world being what it
+is, you and yours will have a hard time of it;" and he turned to go away.
+"And the captain," he went on--"how does he fare? I hear that things are
+not going well with him. 'Tis a thousand pities, for a braver man never
+handled sword."
+
+Seraiah told him briefly the story of recent events, and described the
+present condition of affairs, the other listening with an eager attention,
+and breaking in now and then with an exclamation of wonder and admiration.
+
+"Come, Benjamin," he said, when he had finished, "why will you not throw
+in your lot with us? Things look dark just now; but they will brighten. He
+who has helped us so far will not desert us now."
+
+"Sir," said the man, "I would gladly follow the captain, whether he led me
+to life or to death. No man could ask a better lot than to be his soldier.
+But I like not all that are with him. They are over-strict, and make no
+allowance for such as have not their zeal. Once they beat me; another time
+they had stoned me to death but that I slipped out of their hands; and
+both for some miserable trifles which no man of sense would care about.
+No, sir; Judas I honour and love, but these bigots who give a man no peace
+I cannot away with. And now the day is beginning to break, and I must go.
+I am sorry that you will not take my poor gifts."
+
+The next moment he had disappeared.
+
+And now came a time of grievous trouble for Ruth and her young charges,
+for she had naturally taken charge of Azariah's two daughters. She did not
+question her husband's refusal to share any longer the illicit gains of
+Benjamin, but she could not shut her eyes to the fact that the children
+were suffering grievously. For herself she could endure, as women can; the
+girls, too, were old enough to understand the cause of their suffering,
+though they could not enter into the reasons of what seemed so strange an
+observance--the Sabbatical year; but little Daniel was too young to know
+much beyond the fact that he was always terribly hungry, and though he was
+often brave enough to check his crying when he saw how it distressed his
+mother, there were times when the pangs of hunger were more than he could
+bear in silence. Poor Ruth denied herself everything but the few scraps
+that were absolutely necessary to keep body and soul together, and her
+physical weakness did not make it easier to keep up her hope and courage.
+Her hardest task, perhaps, was to hide, as far as it was possible, the
+true state of things from her husband. His strength must be kept up, for
+so much depended upon it; but the children, not to speak of herself, had
+to have their scanty share diminished that it might be so. This, of
+course, he was not allowed to know, and Ruth was at her wits' end again
+and again to keep it from him.
+
+Within the Temple fortress, meanwhile, things had become almost desperate.
+A few shekels' weight of flour was given out to each man daily, for Judas
+insisted that all should share alike. That even this scanty allowance
+might hold out the longer, numbers of the garrison made their escape every
+night under the cover of darkness that the remainder might prolong their
+resistance for yet a few days more.
+
+Before long came a time when absolutely nothing was left. "Their vessels
+were without victuals," and Judas and the few that still remained with him
+met to hold a final deliberation.
+
+"My friends," said the great captain, "you see the straits into which we
+are brought. There is no need to tell you of them, or to prove by words
+what we all know too well in fact. What, then, shall we do? Shall we stay
+here and perish slowly by hunger, or shall we fall upon our swords, or
+shall we sally forth from the gates, and, having slain as many of the
+heathen as we may, so perish ourselves? I had hoped that the Lord would
+give deliverance to Israel by my hand, and by the hand of my brothers. But
+if it be not so, His will be done. For He is not shut up to do that which
+it pleaseth Him by one man or another. He can call whomsoever He will, and
+give him strength for the work."
+
+He paused for a moment, and Azariah broke in, "It is well said, O captain
+of the host. The Lord hath helped His people hitherto, and He will help
+them to the end. Only let us trust in Him, for"--and here, with an
+impetuous gesture, he struck his foot upon the rock--"they that put their
+trust in the Lord shall be even as this mountain, which may not be
+removed, but standeth fast for ever."
+
+Judas was just rising to announce his resolve when the sound of a trumpet
+was heard at the gate of the fortress. It was a herald bringing a message
+from the young King.
+
+"Have you aught to say to me in private?" asked Judas, when the man was
+brought in.
+
+"Nay," he answered; "my message is one that all may hear."
+
+He then delivered it, reading the words from a parchment which he carried
+in his hand, and which bore the sign-manual (an impression of the
+seal-ring dipped in ink) of Antiochus Eupator, as well as that of Lysias.
+They ran thus:
+
+"Antiochus, surnamed Eupator, King of Syria and Egypt, offers to the
+people of the Jews peace and friendship. He permits them to worship God
+after the manners and customs of their fathers, and he hereby revokes all
+the edicts which the King, his father, having been misinformed by
+unfaithful advisers, issued against the said nation of the Jews."
+
+Never was there a more surprising, a more unexpected change in the
+position of affairs. But it might have been foreseen by those who had
+watched with a full knowledge of the truth, the recent course of events.
+
+Despatches had reached Lysias from Antioch which convinced him that he and
+his young charge had enemies to reckon with who would be far more
+formidable than Judas and his followers. Philip had returned from Persia
+with the host of Epiphanes, and had assumed the management of affairs, and
+Philip was a dangerous rival. Were he to prevail, his own position as the
+chief adviser of the King would be untenable; and the King himself would
+very probably be dispossessed by some other claimant to the throne.
+
+He laid the case, or at least so much as it was necessary to explain,
+before the boy-King. The lad, who was indeed intelligent beyond his years,
+at once acquiesced in the advice, that easy conditions of peace should be
+offered to the garrison.
+
+Then an assembly of the soldiers was summoned. All the officers were
+invited by name, and, after the usual fashion of such gatherings, as many
+of the men as could crowd into the chambers were also present. To them
+Lysias said nothing about the news from Antioch, which it would be better,
+he thought, to conceal as long as possible; but he dwelt on the useless
+hardships which they were all enduring.
+
+"Famine and the pestilence are upon us," he said, "and we decay daily. But
+the place to which we lay siege is strong, and we are no nearer to the
+taking of it than we were six months since. Now, therefore, let us offer
+to these men, who are neither robbers nor murderers, peace and liberty,
+that they may worship God after their own fashion, and live by their own
+laws. For, of a truth, it is far better, as many of yourselves know, that
+they should be our friends than our enemies."
+
+An unanimous shout of approval was the answer; and hence the message which
+came so opportunely to Judas and his followers in the very crisis of their
+despair.
+
+
+
+
+
+                             CHAPTER XXVII.
+
+                           A PEACEFUL INTERVAL.
+
+
+It was one of the stipulations of the peace offered by the young
+Antiochus, and accepted by Judas, that the King should be admitted with
+due ceremony into the surrendered fortress. It was to be a formal
+acknowledgment of his authority, but nothing more. No change, it was
+understood, was to be made; the King and his attendants were not to go
+beyond the court which it was lawful for the Gentiles to enter.
+
+On the morrow, accordingly, the boy-King came with a splendid procession
+of nobles and officers. In front marched a company of soldiers, picked
+from the whole army for their beauty of feature and commanding stature,
+and gorgeous with their gilded arms. Then, in the order of their dignity,
+came the high officers of state; last, the young monarch himself, the
+Governor Lysias leading him by the hand.
+
+The approach to the Temple was thronged by a crowd of eager spectators,
+none of whom were more profoundly interested in the sight than the little
+Daniel, with his cousins, Miriam and Judith. The child's fancy had been
+caught by all that he had heard of the young prince. It seemed strange to
+him, almost beyond belief, that a lad, a little older, it was true, than
+himself, but younger than Miriam, should have power to do so much harm.
+"Mother," he said one day to Ruth, "why does God let him hurt so many
+people? It is all his doing that the brave soldiers are shut up in the
+Temple, and that we have so little to eat. Will he not be punished for it
+some day? I suppose, as he is a king, nobody can punish him except God.
+But He will, won't He, mother?"
+
+  [Illustration: _The Boy King._]
+
+Then came the unexpected news of the peace; and nothing would satisfy
+little Daniel but that he must see the boy-King received in the Temple.
+Eagerly did the child watch him as he walked in his little suit of armour,
+which the most skilful artizans in Antioch had made so light as not to be
+too much for his strength, and great was his delight when Eupator,
+catching a sight of his eager face, kissed his hand to him with a pleasant
+smile. That smile he never forgot, though it is true that his old anger
+against the young king returned next day almost as vehemently as ever when
+he heard that orders had been given that the ramparts of the Temple
+fortress were to be broken down, and that the Greek soldiers, anxious to
+depart, had begun the work of destruction the very hour at which the edict
+had been published.
+
+Though this breach of faith was a great blow to the patriots, still they
+had much to console them. In the first place, to their intense relief, the
+Greek army marched away, and the Holy City was no more defiled by the
+presence of the heathen. Then the renegade Menelaues, whom every faithful
+Jew hated with a more bitter hatred than he felt for the heathen
+themselves, went away, but not of his own free choice, with the King.
+Lysias had an honest man's dislike for a traitor, and indeed did not
+scruple to say that this impostor, who was neither good Jew nor real
+Greek, had done more than any one else to cause the recent troubles.
+
+Not less welcome was the end of the Sabbatical year. This of itself would
+not, of course, have relieved the pressure of scarcity; but there was help
+from without which before had not been available. Hitherto the Jews had
+been under a ban; they were enemies of the Syrian King, and none who
+desired to be his friends would have any dealings with them. Now all was
+changed. The ban was removed. The people were in favour with Eupator and
+Lysias. A brisk trade commenced, and supplies of food came in abundance.
+With good heart and hope the people set themselves to their work. From
+being a city of mourning Jerusalem became gay and cheerful.
+
+The general gladness culminated in the Feast of Tabernacles, always the
+most joyous of Jewish festivals, and now celebrated with special
+manifestations of delight. Never had the people felt so keenly the
+pleasure of seeming at least to return to the simple life of earlier
+times, the rustic enjoyments of a nation that had not yet learnt to dwell
+in cities. It was the ordinance that for seven days the Israelite should
+dwell, not in his house, but in a booth of boughs. For days waggon-loads
+without number of the boughs of the olive, the palm, the pine, the myrtle,
+and other trees which had a foliage sufficiently thick for the purpose,
+were brought into the city. When a house had a roof of a convenient size
+and situation, the booth was built upon it; in many cases it was set up in
+the court. Those who had come from elsewhere to share in the festival set
+up their booths in the court of the Temple, in the street of the Water
+Gate, and in the street of the Gate of Ephraim. It was a beautiful sight
+at any time, and now the fresh foliage hid the scars of many a grievous
+wound that had been inflicted during the years of desolation.
+
+Every day, at the time of the morning sacrifice, each Israelite, gaily
+dressed in holiday attire, made his way to the Temple. Each carried in one
+hand a bundle of the same branches that were used in the building of the
+booths, and in the other a fruit of the citron tree. When all the company
+was assembled, and the parts of the victim had been laid upon the altar, a
+priest was seen approaching with a golden ewer in his hand. He had filled
+it at the pool of Siloam, and he brought it into the court of the Temple
+through the Water Gate. The trumpets sounded as he came in and ascended
+the slope of the altar. On each side of this were two silver basins; into
+that on the eastern side he poured the sacred water; while another priest
+poured wine into that on the western. Then the "Hallel"(21) was sung; when
+the singers came to the words, "O give thanks unto the Lord; for He is
+good, because His mercy endureth for ever," each Israelite shook his
+bundle of branches; he did it again when they sang, "Save, Lord, I beseech
+Thee, O Lord: O Lord, I beseech Thee, send now prosperity;" and a third
+time at the words, "O give thanks unto the Lord; for He is good: for His
+mercy endureth for ever." In the evening there was a grand illumination.
+Eight lamps, so large and so high that they sent their light over nearly
+the whole of the city, were set up in the court of the Temple, while many
+of the people carried flambeaux in their hands. Meanwhile a company of
+Levites, standing on the steps of the Court of the Women, chanted to the
+music of cymbal and the harp the fifteen "Songs of Degrees."(22)
+
+These were the public rejoicings; the private festivities were on the most
+liberal scale. Never did the maxim that he who fails to contribute
+according to his means to the general joy is a sinner above other men meet
+with a more hearty acceptance.
+
+Azariah with his daughters and little Daniel were watching the ceremonies
+of the last and greatest day of the feast from the roof of the Governor's
+house, where they were joined by Micah and by Joseph, who, it will be
+remembered, had shared with him the disastrous command of the city during
+the absence of Judas in Gilead. Joseph was exultant; Micah's face was
+grave and even sad.
+
+"Thank the Lord, Azariah," cried Joseph, "for He has dealt with the
+traitor after his deservings."
+
+"Whom mean you?" asked Azariah; "for we have had more traitors here than
+one."
+
+"Whom should I mean but Menelaues, the false priest who sat in Aaron's
+seat?"
+
+"And what has befallen him?"
+
+"The King has caused him to be put to death. He was in little favour when
+they took him home, for Lysias said that he had wrought all the mischief
+that had been done. And when they came to Antioch the matter of Oniah was
+brought against him, for there were many who loved the old man, and had
+taken it ill that his death had not been fully avenged. And when the young
+King heard the story, Menelaues being present, and having nothing to say
+against it, he cried, 'I wonder that the King, my father, suffered this
+murderer to escape, but he shall not go unpunished any more. Take him, and
+cast him alive into the Tower of Ashes.' So they took him and did as the
+King had commanded."
+
+"And what is the Tower of Ashes?" asked the little Daniel, who had been
+listening to this conversation with a sort of terrified interest.
+
+Micah answered his question. "At Berea is a tower, the bottom of which is
+full of ashes, and in the tower is a machine which revolves and plunges
+the criminal who is bound to it deep into the ashes until he is smothered.
+But as for this unhappy man, the Lord have mercy upon him!"
+
+Joseph turned fiercely upon him. "I marvel," he said, "that you should
+pray for this fellow, who was worse than the heathen. He has but had his
+deservings."
+
+"And where should I be, if I had had mine?" answered Micah. "I walked in
+the same way with this Menelaues, and sinned against the Law, even as he
+sinned, and but that God had mercy upon me, surely I had come to the same
+end."
+
+"Don't be sorry, uncle," said the boy, holding up his little face for a
+kiss; "I am sure that God has forgiven you, for He knows how bravely you
+have fought for Him, and how many of the heathen you have killed with your
+sword."
+
+"May it be so, dear child! But though He has forgiven me, yet I must reap
+as I have sown."
+
+"And who shall be high priest in this traitor's place?" asked Joseph,
+after a pause. "For Oniah, the son of him that was slain at Antioch, is in
+the land of Egypt, and he takes part with the unfaithful brethren who
+would build another Temple among the temples of the heathen, leaving the
+place which the Lord has chosen to set His name there."
+
+"And if the House of Zadok have perished, why should not Judas, son of
+Mattathias, be high priest?" said Azariah. "He is of a principal house
+among the sons of Aaron, and the Lord has been with him always."
+
+Joseph had never forgiven Judas for his own disaster. His was one of those
+mean natures that justify the saying, "The injured may forgive, the
+injurer never." The captain had treated him with the same generous
+kindness which he had showed to Azariah, but this kindness had not been
+received in the same temper. On the contrary it rankled in his mind, till
+by a strange, yet not uncommon, perversion of feeling, it had produced a
+positive sense of injury. He now broke out:
+
+"Nay, nay, my friend, you say too much. That he has won victories I deny
+not; but was the Lord with him when he fled before the face of the heathen
+at Beth-Zachariah, or when Beth-zur was yielded up to Lysias, or when we
+had well-nigh perished with famine in the siege, or when the King broke
+down the ramparts of the Temple? Not so: whatever the people may shout or
+sing in his praise, he too has known defeat, even as we have."
+
+"This I know," said Azariah, "that whereas we were trodden underfoot by
+the heathen till there was no life left in us, now we are risen and stand
+upright."
+
+"And how long, think you," returned Joseph, "will it be so with us? Did we
+drive away the King, or did he not rather depart of his own accord,
+because of what he and his counsellors had heard of the doings of Philip?
+And will he not return, and the end be worse than the beginning?"
+
+Azariah answered, with some heat, "As for that which may happen hereafter,
+I say nothing. These things are in the hand of God. But that the young
+Antiochus departed to his own land was, I doubt not at all, of the Lord's
+doing. Why, even this child knows the story of Sennacherib, and the words
+which Isaiah the prophet spoke to Hezekiah when the King was
+faint-hearted, and could not see how there should be any deliverance for
+Israel. Did not the prophet say, 'He shall hear a rumour, and shall return
+unto his own land?'"
+
+Joseph said nothing. With all his meanness and littleness he was a
+patriot, and really loved his country; and it went against his heart and
+conscience to prophesy evil against her.
+
+Then the little Daniel startled them all by saying, with flashing eyes,
+"And I will cause him to fall by the sword in his own land."
+
+
+
+
+
+                             CHAPTER XXVIII.
+
+                             HOPES AND FEARS.
+
+
+A few weeks after the conversation recorded in the last chapter, Ruth was
+hearing her little boy repeat the Commandment when Seraiah came in,
+carrying in his hand an open letter.
+
+"There is news from Syria," he said.
+
+"And is it good or bad?" asked his wife.
+
+"That I can hardly say," was Seraiah's reply. At the same time he
+signalled to his wife that she should take the child out of the room. The
+signal, however, was too late. The quick-witted little fellow had heard
+what had been said, and immediately jumped to the conclusion that
+something had been heard about the boy-King. His mind was occupied, it
+might almost be said, day and night with the thought of the young Eupator.
+He scarcely knew whether he hated or loved him; but the brilliant figure
+of the lad had caught his imagination. He lived, as imaginative children
+often will, a sort of second life in thinking of him.
+
+"Oh! father," he now cried, "I am sure that you have something to tell me
+about the boy-King. Is he coming here again? I should like to see him,
+though he did break his promise so shamefully."
+
+"My boy," said his father, "you will never see him again."
+
+"Oh! Why?"
+
+"He is dead. This letter tells me all about him."
+
+The boy burst into a passionate fit of tears, which all his mother's
+caresses and attempts at consolation were for some time unable to stop.
+When the violence of his grief had spent itself he said--
+
+"Oh! father, tell me about him. Were they very cruel to him? And how did
+it happen? I thought that kings killed people, but I did not know that any
+one could kill them."
+
+"Listen, my child, and I will try to explain it to you. The father of
+Eupator, the boy who is just dead, was not rightfully King. He came after
+his elder brother, and this elder brother had a son named Demetrius, who
+ought to have succeeded his father. But this son had been sent to Rome as
+a hostage."
+
+"What do you mean by a hostage, father?"
+
+"When you are going to trust some one about whom you do not feel quite
+sure, you take something from him that he values very much, and say, 'You
+will lose this unless you behave well.' So Demetrius's father gave his son
+to the Romans to keep, and the Romans were sure that as long as they had
+the child his father would not do anything that they did not like. Well,
+as I told you, Demetrius was sent to Rome to be security for his father's
+good behaviour, and there he lived all the time that Antiochus, whom they
+called Epiphanes, was King. And when Epiphanes died Demetrius asked the
+Romans to let him go, that he might claim the kingdom which, he said,
+belonged to him and which his cousin Eupator was too young to be able to
+govern. But they would not let him go, and I have been told that Lysias
+bribed some of the chief men among them, and these persuaded the rest. At
+last he got tired of waiting for leave, and he ran away from Rome without
+it, and landed at a place called Tripolis, not very far from Antioch, with
+only twenty or thirty men with him. But as soon as ever the soldiers at
+Antioch heard of his coming, they declared that they would have him for
+their King."
+
+"But why?" put in Daniel.
+
+"Well, if they did not know much that was good about him, they knew
+nothing that was bad. Anyhow they all rose in his favour; and they seized
+the young King and Lysias the Governor and brought them to him, and asked
+him what they should do with them. He would not say, 'Kill them,' for,
+after all, the little boy was his cousin, and had not done him any harm.
+And he did not like to say, 'Keep them alive,' for he was afraid that his
+cousin might some day have his throne; so he only said to the soldiers,
+'Take care that they do not see my face.' So the soldiers--they were the
+young King's own guard--took him and killed him, and Lysias with him."
+
+When he had heard this the child allowed his mother to take him away. He
+saw that his father, usually so calm, was anxious and troubled, and, wise
+with a wisdom beyond his years--the fruit of the troubled life which he and
+his had been leading--would not ask him any more questions. But that night,
+when his mother came to give him the last kiss before he went to sleep, he
+had many things to say to her. Poor little fellow! he had seen many
+terrible sights, which all his parents' care could not keep from his eyes,
+and had heard of many more, and he could not help asking again, "Did they
+hurt him very much?" and when she had comforted him as best she could on
+this score, he showed that there was another trouble in his mind. "Oh!
+mother," he said, "do you remember that when he ordered the walls of the
+fortress to be pulled down, I prayed to God that he might be punished for
+breaking his promise? and only the other day, when Joseph was talking
+about his coming back, I said--something in me seemed to make me say it
+almost without my knowing--'He shall fall by the sword in his own land.'
+And now he is punished, for he has fallen by the sword. Do you think that
+God listened to me, and did it because I said these things? But, mother, I
+did not hate him very much; sometimes I used to think I loved him; and oh!
+it would be dreadful to think that I had anything to do with his being
+killed!"
+
+"My son," said Ruth, "do you remember what our father Abraham said, 'Shall
+not the Judge of all the earth do right'?"
+
+"Yes, mother, I am sure that He will do right; and the King did deserve to
+be punished. But perhaps his counsellors told him to do it; and I am sure
+that if I was told to do something that was wrong by people that I loved,
+I should be very likely to do it."
+
+When his mother came to see him some hours afterwards she found him
+asleep, but his pillow was wet with tears, and now and then a little sob
+showed how deeply the trouble had entered into his little heart.
+
+There was trouble in older and wiser hearts than his. The Jews had hoped
+much from the boy-King. His bad faith in the matter of the Temple fortress
+they had willingly put down to evil counsellors, and they could not forget
+that he had given them terms, good beyond all their hopes, when they were
+in the last extremity. The death of Lysias was a more serious loss. He was
+the pacificator; to his influence they ascribed the conciliatory policy of
+the young Antiochus. And now he was gone. Would his death be the signal of
+a change? Would Demetrius go back to the ways of the mad Antiochus? or had
+he learnt prudence, if not mercy, from his sojourn among the Romans and
+the bitter experience of an exile?
+
+Opinion was divided. Some hoped, some feared; but all were resolved that
+they would never give way, that they would defend to the last drop of
+their blood the freedom which they had won. Azariah, whose temper of mind
+had gathered a certain gloom from the unhappy experiences of his life,
+took a desponding view of the situation. Micah, on the contrary, was
+cheerful, and he had some strong arguments to back him up.
+
+"Remember," he said to his brother-in-law one day, when the subject had
+been discussed at some length between them, "that I have had opportunities
+for forming a judgment which, happily for you, have not come in your way.
+I once saw much of these Greeks--I am ashamed to remember the time, but
+still it would be folly not to make use of what I then learnt--and I am
+sure that that madman Antiochus did not represent what they really feel.
+You don't know how they despise all barbarians as they call them; and,
+despising them, they are disposed to let them alone. They don't want us to
+worship their gods; they think that we are not good enough. But Antiochus
+was mad with pride and arrogance, and it is not likely that any one else
+should be found to follow his steps. We may have trouble; indeed I feel
+sure that we shall; but depend upon it there will not be another such
+attempt as the madman made to stamp out our religion."
+
+And the tidings that soon after reached Jerusalem from Antioch seemed to
+justify this forecast. There seemed to be trouble ahead, but it was not
+trouble of the sort which had brought desolation upon the Holy City. A
+deputation from that party among the Jews which affected Greek habits and
+Greek practices had been admitted to the presence of the new King. They
+had accused Judas, the son of Mattathias, of having driven them from their
+land, and of being an enemy to the sovereignty of the Greeks. Demetrius
+had listened to their representations, and had conferred the office of
+high priest on Alcimus,(23) the leader of the malcontents, and had
+promised to send a force which would instal him in his office, and at the
+same time take vengeance on Judas and the Chasidim. This force was to be
+under the command of Bacchides, one of the most trusted of his
+counsellors.
+
+A high priest of the stamp of Menelaues--for such Alcimus was known to
+be--would be anything but welcome. Probably it would be necessary to resist
+him and his proceedings by force. Still things were not as bad as they
+might have been. That King Demetrius should have appointed a high priest
+at all showed that he was not bent, as Epiphanes had been, on extirpating
+the Jewish faith. With such doubtful comfort as this assurance could give
+they were compelled to be satisfied and to await the development of
+events.
+
+
+
+
+
+                              CHAPTER XXIX.
+
+                                CIVIL WAR.
+
+
+The new high priest arrived at Jerusalem, escorted by a powerful force
+under the command of Bacchides. None but absolute renegades were glad to
+see Greek soldiers again lording it in the streets of Jerusalem; but
+otherwise there was a wide difference of opinion as to the duty of
+faithful Jews with regard to the reception of the stranger. Alcimus and
+his Greek companions were loud in their professions of good will. They
+intended, they said, nothing but benefits to the people. All would be well
+if they were only received in the same spirit in which they came.
+
+Judas and his brothers received these assurances with profound
+incredulity. They and their immediate followers had thought it prudent to
+leave the city. There had been no opportunity of properly repairing the
+walls of the Temple fortress, and without some such stronghold to serve as
+shelter in case of need, they would, they felt, be at the mercy of the
+Greeks. In the position to which they had withdrawn there was a hot
+discussion. Judas, as usual, urged the counsels of prudence and common
+sense. It was easy, he said, to make these professions of peace and good
+will--so easy that, without some substantial guarantee of their sincerity,
+it would be madness to risk anything on the strength of them. Alcimus, or
+Eliakim--he must own that he did not like or trust these double-named Jews,
+for they were often double-faced also--might be thinking of nothing but
+peace; but why did he come with an army behind him? He might have been
+sure, sprung as he was from the race of Aaron, that none of his countrymen
+would harm him. Why had he surrounded himself with a multitude of godless
+heathen who would be only too likely to harm them? "Let us wait"--this was
+his final advice--"till he and his friends give us some proof that they
+really mean what they say."
+
+The Chasidim were loud and vehement in their opposition to this counsel.
+Joseph, whose bitterness and jealousy had not been weakened by the lapse
+of time, constituted himself their spokesman.
+
+"The Law," he said, "plainly declares that there shall be a high priest.
+There are acts, acts of the highest importance, even necessity, which only
+he can perform. Our worship without him is maimed and imperfect. We cannot
+expect that there will be a blessing upon it, that, lacking this essential
+part, our sacrifices will be accepted or our prayers heard. And now we
+have a high priest that is of the race of Aaron. He promises--and why
+should we not believe him?--that his purposes towards us are for good and
+not for evil. Let us go to him, and do him the honour that is due to his
+office. If harm come of it, we shall have at least obeyed the commandment
+of God."
+
+Judas and his brothers, with such faithful followers as Seraiah and Micah,
+stood resolutely aloof, but they could not control the action of the
+enthusiasts. A large body of the Chasidim paid to Alcimus a formal visit.
+They welcomed him to the seat of his office; they paid him their homage;
+intimating at the same time that there were grievances for which they
+asked redress and abuses which needed reform. Nothing could have exceeded
+the show of politeness and even friendship with which they were received.
+Alcimus made the most solemn protestations that neither they nor their
+friends should suffer any harm. He could only regret that unfounded
+suspicions had kept away the great soldier who had done so much for his
+country and whom he would have had so much pleasure in welcoming. They
+were invited to a banquet, which had been duly prepared, they were
+assured, in obedience to the requirements of the Law, and of which they
+could partake without any fear of contracting impurity.
+
+After the banquet there was to be a conference. The proceedings began, and
+were continued for some time without interruption, though Alcimus could
+scarcely control his impatience at what he thought the unreasonable
+demands of the bigots. Meanwhile Bacchides, who had hitherto kept himself
+in the background, was quietly surrounding the council-chamber with
+troops. Joseph was in the midst of an harangue when the doors were thrown
+open, a company of soldiers marched in, and arrested every member of the
+deputation. It was now the turn of Alcimus to retire into the background.
+He had served his purpose, acting, it may be said, as a decoy, and, thanks
+to him, some of the most inveterate enemies of the Greek party had been
+entrapped. The Greek commander made short work with his prisoners. Alcimus
+went through the farce of interceding for them, but he never expected,
+and, perhaps, never intended, to obtain his requests. Sixty of them were
+executed on the spot, and the rest were cast into prison. The bodies of
+the victims were hurriedly thrown into carts, drawn outside the city, and
+left to be the prey of the vulture and the wild dog.
+
+The horror and dismay which spread through the city with the news of the
+bloody deed were such as it would be impossible to describe. The victims
+were well-known men, and, for the most part, as much respected as they
+were known. There was a frantic rush to do honour to the remains of the
+martyred patriots. But Bacchides had foreseen that this would probably
+occur, and had surrounded the place with a cordon of soldiers. The people
+could do nothing but stand upon the walls while the birds and beasts of
+prey mangled the corpses, and mingle, in their impotent rage, curses on
+the murderers, with lamentations over the dead. In more than one of their
+national hymns they found a fitting expression of their grief; but none
+was more suitable to the circumstances of the time than the words of the
+seventy-ninth Psalm: "The dead bodies of Thy servants have they given to
+be meat unto the fowls of the heaven, and the flesh of Thy saints unto the
+beasts of the earth. Their blood have they shed like water round about
+Jerusalem, and there was none to bury them."
+
+The conduct of Judas did not, as may be supposed, escape censure. It is
+the first impulse of a multitude in the presence of some great disaster to
+throw the blame upon its rulers, and the Jews, in their anger and grief,
+felt and yielded to it.
+
+"Yes," said an old man, who had lost a brother and a son in the massacre,
+"he was too prudent to trust himself to the heathen; he stood aloof from
+their danger, and when they offered themselves up as a sacrifice, he was
+not there."
+
+"And did he not well?" said a zealous partisan. "Did he not warn them and
+entreat them, and they took no heed to his words?"
+
+"But had he and his men of war gone with them," returned the other, "they
+had not been left without defence. But now they went as sheep to the
+slaughter."
+
+"What can you look for when the sheep will go where the shepherd does not
+lead them? And as for Judas, did he ever spare his life? Has he not taken
+it in his hand time after time, fighting with a few men against thousands
+of the heathen? And tell me now," went on the speaker, "to whom should we
+have looked for deliverance had Judas also been slain with these? The Lord
+has had mercy upon His people, lest they should be utterly cast down, and
+has left unto them their captain."
+
+On the whole, popular opinion was strongly in Judas's favour. Then came
+another turn of events. The Greek general, weary of his sojourn among a
+people that hated him, marched out of Jerusalem, and encamped in one of
+the suburbs,(24) where he could keep his troops better in hand, and not
+expose them to the daily risk of collision with a hostile population. This
+place, too, he shortly evacuated, returning with the main part of his army
+to Antioch, though he left a small force to support Alcimus, who would
+now, he thought, with this help, be able to hold his own.
+
+But before he went he committed another deed only less atrocious than the
+treacherous massacre of the Chasidim. Every partisan, or supposed
+partisan, of Judas whom he could either entrap or seize was mercilessly
+slaughtered. Nor did Greeks, who, from motives of expediency or under
+pressure of superior force, had submitted to Judas, escape.
+
+If Bacchides imagined that these cruelties would strengthen the position
+of the renegade high priest he was greatly mistaken. Alcimus was more
+universally, more fervently hated than even Jason or Menelaues had been.
+The disappointment caused by this renewal of troubles was all the more
+bitter because it had succeeded to hopes that seemed so well established.
+And every one felt that it was Alcimus who was to blame. His greed and
+ambition had disturbed the peace which they were beginning to enjoy. On
+his head was all the innocent blood that had been shed.
+
+And now a new horror was added to all that the unhappy country had
+endured. It was no longer Jew fighting against Greek, but Jew against Jew.
+Civil war, always more bitter, more ruthless than the very fiercest
+struggle between strangers, broke out. The renegades rallied to Alcimus.
+Their interests were bound up with his cause. Some of them had committed
+themselves so deeply that they could not hope for pardon from the
+patriots. Others had a genuine dislike for Jewish severity and a liking
+for Greek license, and fought for all that, as they thought, made life
+worth living. But the number of these philo-Greek partisans was but small,
+and the popular feeling was unmistakably against them, and Judas felt
+himself strong enough to assert his position vigorously. He was not now a
+partisan leader, raising the standard of revolt against established
+authority; he was himself the established authority, justified in
+punishing all that presumed to rebel against him. This judicious display
+of firmness, of what might even be called severity, vastly strengthened
+his position. The waverers who always go with the strongest, who care
+little for principle, but most for self-interest and safety, when they saw
+that the sword of Judas was a more immediate danger to his enemies than
+the sword of the Syrian King, hesitated no longer about joining him.
+Alcimus found himself deserted by all but a few desperate partisans. The
+commander of his Greek auxiliaries declared himself unable to give him
+sufficient help. Accordingly he had no alternative but to give up the
+unequal contest, and to hurry back to Antioch, where he might lay his
+complaints before King Demetrius.
+
+
+
+
+
+                              CHAPTER XXX.
+
+                                 NICANOR.
+
+
+The complaints which Alcimus carried to the Syrian King at Antioch were
+eagerly listened to. Demetrius was eager, as new rulers frequently are, to
+reverse the policy of his predecessor. Eupator had yielded to the
+persistency of these obstinate Jews, but he would show them that it was he
+and not they who was master. A new expedition should be sent, and this
+pestilent rebel, who, after all, had been shown not to be invincible,
+should be extinguished for ever. There was some doubt as to who should be
+put in command; but ultimately the King's choice fell upon Nicanor, the
+same that had been associated with Gorgias in an earlier campaign. He had
+been since promoted to the exalted office of "Commander of the Elephants,"
+and was in high favour with Demetrius.
+
+Once more Judas found himself obliged to retire from Jerusalem, where he
+could not command the liberty of movement that was necessary for his
+safety; but he remained in the neighbourhood, and watched the development
+of events.
+
+Nicanor's first idea was to repeat the treachery of Bacchides, and to get
+Judas and his brothers into his power. A letter, written in studiously
+friendly terms, was sent to the Jewish captain, suggesting a conference,
+at which the matters in dispute might easily be settled. Judas was not
+likely, especially after recent experience, to fall into the trap; but
+nevertheless he did not refuse the invitation. He came to the conference,
+but he came with a strong guard, and not till he had secured such
+conditions as seemed to make a treacherous surprise impossible. The
+meeting took place. Side by side, on two chairs of state, sat the two
+generals, each with their armed guard within call. On either side was a
+barrier, beyond which no one that did not belong to the stipulated number
+of attendants was allowed to pass. The conversation between the two was
+friendly and animated. Nicanor's treacherous purpose did not prevent him
+from having a genuine admiration for the character and achievements of his
+great adversary; and the praises which he heaped upon him were perfectly
+sincere. But this feeling did not make him at all less anxious to get this
+formidable hero into his power.
+
+Negotiations had not proceeded very far, in fact had not got beyond the
+initial stage, when a preconcerted signal warned Judas that there was
+danger at hand. Self-possessed as ever, he showed no sign of having
+penetrated his companion's intention. A point of some importance was
+raised by Nicanor, and Judas intimated that he could not deal with it
+until he had consulted his council. Rising from his seat, without allowing
+the least indication of disturbance to be seen in his manner, he bade the
+Greek general a courteous farewell, rejoined his guard, and was soon out
+of the reach of danger. But when he was again among his friends, he did
+not conceal his feelings. "He is a false liar," he said, "and, so long as
+he lives, I will see his face again no more." The words were to have a
+singularly close fulfilment.
+
+Nicanor, finding his attempted fraud unsuccessful, resolved to try force.
+He marched against Judas, who, for military reasons, had retired as far as
+Samaria, and gave him battle at Capharsalama. But the plans of Nicanor
+were conceived with more haste than prudence. He delivered his attack
+under unfavourable conditions, and received a crushing defeat in which he
+lost fully five thousand men.
+
+Thus baffled for a second time, he returned to Jerusalem in a frenzy of
+rage. On the day after his arrival he went, followed by an armed guard, to
+the Temple, and forced his way into the Great Court. It was the time of
+the morning sacrifice, and the trembling priests came down from the altar
+to salute him.
+
+"Rebels," he cried, "you are praying to your God that the enemies of the
+King may prosper."
+
+"Not so, my lord," said the presiding priest, "we have but this moment
+offered the customary sacrifice for the health and welfare of the most
+excellent Demetrius."
+
+"These are but words, and I ask for deeds. Let this pestilent fellow, this
+Judas, be delivered into my hands. Thus and thus only shall I know that
+you are faithful to my lord the King."
+
+"But, my lord, you ask that which is impossible. How can we, that are men
+of peace, have power to lay hands upon this man of war?"
+
+"Ask me not how, but do the thing that I command, or it shall go ill with
+you and your city."
+
+"Nay, my lord, speak not so. Ask that which is possible, and it shall be
+done to the uttermost of our power."
+
+"Fair words! fair words! But I know well that, after the manner of your
+race, for you are the enemies of all men, you curse me behind my back. Now
+listen unto me. You will not deliver this traitor into my hands----"
+
+The priests attempted to speak, but he silenced them with an imperious
+gesture.
+
+"So be it. Then I will take him by force. And when I have taken him, and
+dealt with him after his deserts, then----" he paused for a moment, and held
+out his right hand with a threatening gesture towards the altar--"then I
+will burn this house with fire; even as the Chaldaeans burnt it in the days
+of your fathers, so will I burn it. All the gods of heaven and hell
+confound me, if I do not burn it, as a man burns a brand in the fire."
+
+So speaking he turned away, and without deigning to salute the terrified
+priests, quitted the precincts of the Temple.
+
+When he was gone the priests stood weeping and praying before the altar.
+"O Lord," they said, "for the blasphemies wherewith Thine enemies
+blaspheme Thee, reward Thou them sevenfold into their bosom. Thou didst
+choose this house to be called by Thy name, and to be a house of prayer
+for Thy people. Avenge Thyself, therefore, of this man and his host, and
+cause them to fall by the sword."
+
+Nicanor had sent to Antioch for reinforcements, for he would not fail
+again for lack of strength or due preparation, and marching out of
+Jerusalem, he awaited their arrival at the western end of the Pass of
+Beth-horon. Judas, who, after his victory near Samaria, had followed his
+beaten enemy, took up his position at Adasa, an elevated position about
+four miles to the north of Jerusalem. He thus put himself between Nicanor
+and the Holy City. But he had only three thousand men to match against a
+force three times as numerous.
+
+The fate of the Sanctuary of Israel now seemed to be trembling in the
+balance. If Nicanor was victorious its doom was sealed. He had vowed, with
+all the emphasis of an awful curse upon himself, that if he came again in
+peace he would utterly destroy it. Day after day the women and the old men
+left behind were continually in the Temple, which, perhaps, they might in
+a few days see destroyed before their eyes. And when at night the Temple
+gates were shut they sought their homes to fast and to renew in private
+their prayers for the deliverance of the Holy Place, and the victory of
+the armies of the Lord.
+
+By a notable coincidence the anniversary of a great danger and a great
+deliverance was approaching. Within a few days the Feast of Purim would be
+celebrated. Would the time bring with it a fresh cause for thanksgiving,
+or a disaster so terrible that all the deliverances of the past would seem
+to be of no avail?
+
+"Tell us, mother," said little Daniel, one evening when they had returned
+from their daily visit to the Temple--"tell us about Mordecai and the
+wicked Haman." He knew the story well, but, after the manner of children,
+liked it better the oftener he heard it.
+
+So Ruth told the familiar tale again--how the wicked Haman, wroth that the
+honest Mordecai would not pay him reverence, slandered the whole nation to
+the King till he obtained a decree for their slaughter, how Mordecai went
+to Esther the Queen, a Jewess herself, and bade her save her people,
+though she risked her own life to do it, how the wicked Haman was hanged
+on the gallows which he had made for his enemy, and the Jews had license
+given them by the King to slay their adversaries in every city of the
+kingdom of Persia.
+
+"And this Nicanor," she went on, when she had finished her story--"this
+Nicanor is a new Haman. May the God against whom he has uttered his
+blasphemies cast him down and destroy him."
+
+Meanwhile the hour of battle was drawing near. Judas and his little army
+were bivouacking on the hills of Adasa. It was the 12th day of the month
+Adar--about equivalent to the beginning of March--and on that high ground
+the night air was cold and piercing. Seraiah, Azariah, and Micah were
+sitting by a camp-fire, and talking over the chances of the coming
+struggle.
+
+It was the eve of the great Purim feast--the memorial which had been kept
+now for three hundred years of the great deliverance which God had wrought
+for His people by the hands of Mordecai and Esther. The thoughts of the
+comrades naturally turned to this memorable day.
+
+"Where and how," said Micah to his companions, "shall we keep the Purim
+feast?"
+
+"Shall we keep it at all?" said Azariah, always somewhat disposed to take
+a gloomy view of their prospects. "A Mordecai we have, none more
+steadfast; and there is a Haman against us even more cruel and wicked than
+he of Persia. But Ahasuerus is against us, nor do I see who shall turn him
+from his purpose."
+
+"Well," said Seraiah, with a smile, "at least we can use our swords
+without his license."
+
+While they were talking they observed a figure emerge from out the
+darkness into the circle of light made by the flames. They rose to their
+feet, for it was the captain himself.
+
+"Sit down, my friends," he said, "we shall be on our feet enough
+to-morrow." And as he spoke, he took his seat on the ground by their side.
+
+He went on, after a few minutes of silence, "So Azariah doubts what sort
+of a Purim festival we shall keep. As for myself I doubt not. But I have
+been thinking not so much of Mordecai and Haman--though it seems to me a
+happy thing that we shall fight on the day of that deliverance--as of
+Hezekiah and Rabshakeh. Did not the king his master send him to blaspheme
+the Holy City? And did not Hezekiah lay the letter before the Lord? And
+what was the end? In one night the host of the Assyrians was as if it had
+not been. So shall it be, I am persuaded in my heart, with this
+blaspheming Nicanor and his host. He and they shall be utterly destroyed.
+Yes, Azariah, we shall keep our Purim right joyously, after the manner of
+our fathers. But as for our enemies, the wine that they shall drink(25)
+will be the wine of the wrath of God."
+
+He rose with these words, and passed away to spend the rest of the night
+in meditation and prayer. His face next morning, when in the early dawn he
+stood in front of his slender line, was as the face of one who has talked
+face to face with God. Not less rapt than his look was the tone of his
+voice as he poured out the words of his prayer--"O Lord, when they that
+were sent from the King of the Assyrians blasphemed, Thine angel went out
+and smote an hundred fourscore and five thousand of them. Even so destroy
+Thou this host before us this day, that the rest may know that he hath
+spoken blasphemously against Thy Sanctuary, and judge Thou him according
+to his wickedness."
+
+A murmur of assent passed through the little army as he uttered these
+words in that clear, thrilling voice which was one of his many gifts as a
+born leader of men. The next moment the line advanced, for Judas followed
+again the successful tactic of attack. Never had his Ironsides advanced
+with a more determined courage; never did they deal fiercer blows. The
+enemy were scattered by their impetuous onset, as the dust is scattered
+before the wind. For all his brutality and falsehood, Nicanor was no
+coward. He stood in the very van of his army, giving such cheer as he
+could to his men, and though the lines behind him reeled and shook with
+that movement which is the sure presage of defeat to a soldier's eye, at
+the approach of the Chasidim, he stood his ground with a dauntless
+courage. He was almost the first to fall, Azariah striking him to the
+ground with a sweeping blow of his sword. It was an appropriate ending to
+the blasphemer that he should receive his death-stroke from the weapon
+that bore the talisman of the Holy Name.
+
+The Greek line had been already beginning to break, but the death of the
+leader completed the rout.
+
+It was no common victory that Judas won that day. The pursuit was long and
+bloody. The beaten army fled in wild disorder over the country, only to
+find enemies on every hand. Before the sun set it was simply annihilated.
+The tradition of that awful slaughter still lingers in the place, and the
+valley is called "The Valley of Blood."
+
+Their work done, the conquerors entered the city. The news of the great
+deliverance had already reached it, and the Feast of Purim was being kept
+in earnest. During the earlier part of the day the suspense and anxiety
+had been too great to admit of anything more than formal rejoicing. The
+customary sacrifices were offered, the customary prayers put up; but the
+thoughts of all were with Judas and his men on the battle-field of Adasa.
+Then came rumours, at first wholly vague and even fictitious--rumours first
+of victory, then of defeat, then of victory again. An hour or so after
+noon a swift runner came in with some authentic tidings. But he could not
+tell of all that happened. This was gradually learnt, and then, long after
+the darkness had closed in, came the advanced guard of the conquering
+army, and, close upon midnight, Judas himself. In spite of the darkness,
+multitudes thronged to meet him. With extravagant manifestations of
+delight, with shouting and singing, with mingled tears and laughter, they
+welcomed him home, the deliverer of the city and the Temple. Never before
+had he been so enthusiastically received. And it was well that it should
+be so, for this was his last return as a conqueror.
+
+The feast was continued with yet more hearty rejoicing into the next day.
+And indeed from thenceforth the two deliverances were to be celebrated
+together--the salvation which Judas had wrought for his people on the
+battle-field of Adasa, and that which Esther and Mordecai had accomplished
+in the presence-chamber of the Persian King.
+
+Ruth would gladly have stayed at home and expressed thankfulness in
+private, but the children were urgent with her that she should take them
+into the streets that they might see the people keep holiday. It was a
+request that, as the wife and sister of patriots, she could not refuse;
+and in the depth of her mother's heart was the proud thought that the
+little Daniel was not an unworthy scion of the race, and that not a few
+would look with admiration on the son of Seraiah, the nephew of
+Azariah.(26) And indeed she did hear as she passed along not a few
+whispered praises, which made her pulses beat quick with thankfulness and
+joy.
+
+As they came in their rambling into the neighbourhood of the Temple, they
+found their way blocked by a dense crowd, which seemed eagerly pressing
+forward to see some spectacle of surpassing interest. "What is it?" she
+asked of one who had been, it seemed, successful in the struggle for a
+glimpse of this interesting sight, and was now turning away. She could not
+help shuddering at his answer, and called to the children to come away.
+But the quick ears of little Daniel had also caught the man's reply, and
+he loudly objected.
+
+"Nay, mother," he said, "I must see. Such things are not for women to
+see"--the little fellow of five or six had already caught the masculine
+tone of superiority--"but I am a soldier's son, and shall not be afraid to
+look. And when I am a man I shall fight for God and for His Holy Temple."
+
+"You are a brave lad, and if I mistake not, and you are the nephew of
+Azariah, there is no one here that has a better right to look at yonder
+sight than you. For 'twas your brave uncle, I am told, that slew that son
+of Belial with his sword."
+
+So saying he lifted the child from the ground, and raised him till he
+could stand upon his shoulders. And what did the little Daniel see that
+made him shout and clap his hands? It was the head and hand of Nicanor
+nailed against the Temple wall. There were the pallid, distorted lips that
+had uttered such proud blasphemies against the Sanctuary of the Lord;
+there was the shrunken, bloodless hand that had been lifted up with
+threats and scorn against His Holy Place. The Lord had indeed punished the
+proud doer.
+
+
+
+
+
+                              CHAPTER XXXI.
+
+                            THE FALLING AWAY.
+
+
+Though Jerusalem was almost wild with joy--and, indeed, so utterly had the
+Greek army disappeared that deliverance was complete for the time--Judas's
+heart was full of sad forebodings. Demetrius, he knew, had a steadfastness
+of purpose which augured ill for the future. He was not a madman like
+Epiphanes, nor a child like Eupator; but a cool-headed, resolute man, who
+had seen something of the world, and would carry out his plans with both
+perseverance and skill. Would he sit down under the defeats which he had
+received and recognize Jewish independence? Judas thought it unlikely. The
+vengeance might be laid aside, but it would be sure to come. Could he hope
+to repeat these victories again and again? Once before he had been reduced
+to the greatest straits, and had only escaped by an unexpected change in
+the purpose of the young Antiochus. Could he look for anything so
+marvellous again? Only one plan appeared to him to be possible, and he
+lost no time in calling a council of his principal followers and
+announcing it to them. It was certain, he told them, that there would be
+another war, and a war that would last for years, if only the Jewish
+people could hold out so long. "We warriors may endure it, and if the
+worst come to the worst, we can but fall on the field of battle. But what
+of the old and the weak? What of the women and children? And then we are
+not united. Our foes are of our own household. We have to fight not only
+against the Greek, but against the Jew also. And even in this assembly
+there are some," he went on, with an emphasis which could not be mistaken,
+"who speak evil of me behind my back. What, then, shall we do? Speak, any
+one who has counsel to give."
+
+The appeal was met with silence, and the speaker continued, "You have
+nothing to advise. Listen, therefore, to my counsel, and resist it not in
+haste because it seems strange. There is a nation that, rising from a
+beginning small as ours, has now made for itself a great dominion. They
+are stern to their enemies, but they are just and faithful to their
+friends. Like Israel in the earlier and better days, they have no king to
+rule them after his own pleasure, but an assembly that weighs every plan
+carefully and wisely. And in battle they cannot be resisted. Have you
+heard of such a people?"
+
+One or two voices answered with the word "Rome."
+
+"You have said well," he said; "it is of the Romans that I have been
+speaking. Let us make alliance with them. We shall be, as it were, an
+outpost for them against the King of Syria, against whom they have fought
+already, and, doubtless, will fight again. And they will be a protection
+to us. And with the Romans on our side, we need fear the Greeks no more."
+
+One or two of the council were in Judas's secret. Others had guessed, more
+or less correctly, what he was intending, but on most the announcement of
+his intention fell like a thunderbolt. For a few moments there was the
+pause of intense astonishment. Then followed a burst of indignation, in
+which, of course, the Chasidim led the way.
+
+"Say not," cried one of their chief speakers, "the Romans are like to
+Israel because they have no king. Did not Samuel say to the people, when
+they fell away from their faith because of Nahash the Ammonite, and would
+have a king after the manner of the heathen round about, 'The Lord your
+God is your King.' And shall we, knowing that the Lord Jehovah is the King
+of the Jews, reject Him from reigning over us, and choose us for rulers an
+assembly of some three hundred idolaters. Will you set these men of sin to
+be lords over the City of God?"
+
+"Nay," replied Judas, "you speak unadvisedly and rashly. We shall have our
+own rulers. We shall worship after our own way. The Romans will help us in
+war; and we shall help them as we only can. Did not David make friendship
+and alliance with Hiram, King of Tyre, and did not Solomon, in whose reign
+was peace, make that friendship and alliance yet closer?"
+
+The Chasidim replied, quoting the prophets and denunciations of the
+Egyptian alliance. "Even that accursed Rabshakeh," they said, "spoke the
+truth, when he said that Pharaoh, King of Egypt, was a bruised reed which
+will go into a man's hand and pierce it, if he lean upon it. So shall it
+be with thee, if thou lean upon Rome."
+
+The war of words raged long and furiously. The Chasidim had the best of
+the argument, but to the majority of the council the prospect of a settled
+peace was irresistibly alluring. And the influence of Judas, too, was
+overpowering. By a large majority it was decided to send to Rome,
+Eupolemus, the son of John, and Jason, the son of Eleazar,(27) envoys who
+had been selected for the mission by Judas himself.
+
+When the resolution had been passed the council broke up, and the Chasidim
+dispersed with dark looks and saddened hearts. The next few days passed in
+uncertainty and gloom. No news had come from Antioch as to the movements
+or intentions of the King. But there was little doubt as to what he would
+do. Whatever they might try to believe in their secret hearts they could
+not but own that when the opportunity came Demetrius would deal them a
+blow into which he would put all his strength.
+
+And how would that blow be met? Would they be able to escape it, or parry
+it, or stand up against it? The Chasidim, the Ironsides, the men who had
+been the stay and strength of Judas's armies, who had followed him to
+victory at Beth-zur, at Beth-horon, at Adasa, were miserably dejected. The
+embassy to Rome had broken their spirits. The issue, before so simple to
+these stern souls, narrow, perhaps, in their range of vision, but of a
+clear and single eye, was now confused. While they fought for the Lord
+against the gods of the heathen, they could confidently expect that He
+would show Himself greater than all gods, and this faith had made them
+irresistible. But now, if Jew and Roman were to fight side by side, with
+what confidence could they call upon the Lord of Hosts? Was He the Lord of
+_that_ host, in whose ranks were ranged the battalions of the
+uncircumcised?
+
+Some left the leader whom they now regarded as unfaithful to his trust,
+and departed to distant villages, hanging up the swords which they were
+steadfastly resolved not to draw side by side with the heathen. Others, in
+whom the military instinct of discipline, or the personal attachment to
+Judas, as the general who had led them so often to victory, were so strong
+as to overpower all other considerations, remained with him. Nothing could
+take them from his side, but they went with heavy hearts and with an
+outlook on the future that was almost hopeless.
+
+Meanwhile the embassy started. What the answer of the Romans would be
+Judas did not doubt. They would rejoice to secure the alliance of a people
+who could lend them aid so useful. But would the answer come in time to
+save the city and the Temple from the wrath of Demetrius?
+
+And indeed that wrath did not linger. Within a month Bacchides was on his
+way from Antioch with a force of twenty thousand foot and two thousand
+horse. The renegade Alcimus accompanied him, and was to be reinstated in
+his high-priesthood. Their line of march was through Galilee. On their way
+they took the fortified town of Masaloth, and put the garrison to the
+sword. It was about the time of the Passover feast that the invaders
+reached Jerusalem. There was some talk about attacking it; but Alcimus was
+urgent in resisting the proposal. "The King's quarrel," he said, "is with
+Judas, who is the cause of all this mischief, and Judas is not here. And
+the King has commanded that I should be replaced in my office; but what
+shall my office profit me if there be no city for me to govern, nor Temple
+in which I am to minister?" Bacchides yielded to these representations,
+and leaving the city unhurt marched to Beeroth (a few miles north-east of
+Jerusalem) and there pitched his camp.
+
+Among the patriots there was such doubt and dismay as had never been felt
+from the day when the aged Mattathias struck the first blow for freedom,
+not even in that dark hour when Judas and his famine-stricken followers
+were about to make their desperate sally from the Temple fortress. It was
+not that they were fighting against overwhelming odds, for they had faced
+as great before; it was that they had lost their unquestioning faith in
+their leader.
+
+"Ah!" said Micah to Azariah, when they were discussing the matter for the
+twentieth time--and indeed it was almost the only subject of their talk--"I
+have seen these heathen from near at hand--I say it with shame--and I know
+what they are better than you, better than Judas, who is so good that he
+can scarcely believe that other men are bad. 'He that toucheth pitch shall
+be defiled,' says Jesus, the son of Sirach, and though our captain is
+greater than other men, in this matter he is but as they are. What madness
+drove him to meddle with the accursed thing? God forgive me if I speak
+evil of the ruler of my people, but I must say that which is in my heart."
+
+"Nay," said Azariah, still loyal to his great-hearted chief, though he too
+had doubts which he had to crush down by sheer force of will--"nay, you go
+too far. Did not Jehoshaphat, the servant of the Lord, make alliance with
+the children of Edom when he fought against Mesha, the King of Moab?"
+
+"But the children of Edom," answered Micah, "were akin to our people; but
+as for these Romans, they are utterly unclean. O, brother, I have often
+thought whether, as a faithful servant of the Law, I could remain any
+longer with the captain."
+
+"You will not leave us?" cried Azariah--"it only wants that, and I shall be
+ready to fall on my own sword."
+
+"No; I shall not go. If I am wrong the Lord pardon me; but I cannot go
+when so many are falling away. Yet if these Romans come--then I shall
+depart."
+
+"They will not come--at least before the battle. Judas knows it, and it
+troubles him. As for me, I know not. But this I know, that he is the
+servant of the Lord, and I will follow him to the death. Nevertheless I
+cry day and night unto the God of Israel that He will not suffer His
+servants to be found fighting in the ranks of them that know Him not."
+
+There were the same doubts among the faithful in the city. The aged
+Shemaiah had been in the Temple all day, assisting at the sacrifices which
+were being offered, and the prayers which were being put up for the
+success of Judas and his army. All night the services would be continued;
+but the old man was utterly worn out, and he had been led back by one of
+the Levites to Seraiah's house.
+
+"Father," said Ruth, "do you think that our prayers are heard? I know that
+God does not vouchsafe the visible signs of His presence in His Temple as
+He did in the days of old, and that He does not touch with fire from
+heaven the sacrifice that He accepts. But yet He sometimes seems to
+answer, and we feel in our hearts that He will give us what we ask. Has it
+been so to-day with you, father?"
+
+There was a touching eagerness in her manner, as she put the question. Not
+Miriam, not Deborah, had loved their country with a sincerer passion than
+did she; and then she had a husband and a brother in the camp, and she
+knew that before another sun had set, their fate and the fate of their
+country would be decided.
+
+The priest shook his head. "My daughter," he said, "I can give you no
+comfort, for no comfort has been given to me. My heart was cold within me
+while I prayed, for I could not forget that the servant of the Lord had
+touched the accursed thing when he sought the alliance of the Romans."
+
+"O sir," broke in Huldah, who had been eagerly listening, "he did not do
+it for his own gain or advancement. He did but seek the peace of Israel."
+
+"Daughter," said the old man, solemnly, "there are that cry 'Peace!
+Peace!' when there is no peace; and that is no peace which can be got only
+by unlawful dealing with the heathen. It is God, and God only, that can
+give this blessing to His people. And He has greater blessings in store
+than this. Does Judas seek to be honoured and to make us honoured by the
+nations round about? If he would be in truth the servant of the Lord let
+him rather be content with the lot of which Isaiah the prophet speaks: 'He
+is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows and acquainted with
+grief.' So only shall he make many righteous; so only shall he be exalted
+of God. This is the lot of the chosen people: not to live at ease among
+the nations."
+
+
+
+
+
+                             CHAPTER XXXII.
+
+                             THE LAST BATTLE.
+
+
+It was the night before the battle. Day by day and hour by hour the
+contagion of doubt and disaffection had been spreading through the little
+army that followed Judas. He had had three thousand men when he pitched
+his camp at Eleasa, and the three thousand had now dwindled down to less
+than one.
+
+Judas was sitting by one of the camp-fires with Azariah and Seraiah, when
+two soldiers came up, bringing bound between them a man who had
+endeavoured, they said, to make his way into the camp. He wore his hat
+drawn down over his forehead, and little of his face could be seen, but
+there was something in his figure that seemed familiar to Azariah.
+
+"Who are you?" said Judas, "and what want you in the camp? Are you for us
+or for our enemies?"
+
+"My lord," said the man, "my name is Benjamin, and--for I will hide nothing
+from you--I am a robber. Once I was a soldier in your army, but I broke the
+law, and I fled lest I should be put to death. Now I am come, of my own
+accord, to make such amends for my transgression as I may. Slay me, if you
+will, as I stand here. There is no need of a trial. I have been tried and
+condemned, and I acknowledge that I deserve to die. But if you will be
+merciful, let me fight in the morning by your side; and on the morrow, if
+I yet live, let me suffer the due punishment. Life I ask not, but only
+that I may strike a blow for you before I die."
+
+"Unbind him," said Judas to the soldiers.
+
+The command was obeyed.
+
+"You are free to go or stay. But I would gladly have you at my side
+to-morrow, for I have forgotten all but that you are a brave man."
+
+Benjamin stepped forward, and raising the hem of the captain's robe to his
+lips, kissed it. He then knelt, and putting his head to the ground made as
+though he would have placed Judas's foot upon his neck.
+
+"Nay," said the captain, "we want not slaves, but brothers." And he raised
+him from the ground. "And now," he went on, "sit down and tell us what you
+know, for I make sure that you have not come empty of news."
+
+Benjamin did indeed know all that could be known about the enemy, and,
+indeed, about the situation of affairs. To a question from Seraiah he
+replied that a surprise was impossible. The camp was too well guarded and
+watched.
+
+"Do they know our real numbers?" asked Judas.
+
+"Yes," was the answer, "the deserters have told them." And he proceeded to
+give a number of names of those who had gone over to the enemy, with a
+readiness and a precision that showed how diligent had been his watch.
+
+When he had told all his story, and understood that there was nothing more
+for him to do before the morrow, he wrapped himself in his cloak, and with
+characteristic indifference to the future, fell immediately into a
+profound and dreamless sleep.
+
+As soon as the first rays of light were seen Judas mustered his soldiers
+and hastily numbered them. There were about eight hundred in all, while
+the army of Bacchides, according to the calculations of Benjamin, which
+seemed to have been carefully made, could not be less than twenty
+thousand.
+
+Judas was not dismayed by this disparity of numbers, but was still true to
+his old strategy of attack. "Let us go up against our enemies," was the
+exhortation that he addressed to the remnant that was still faithful to
+him. At first they shrank back. The odds were too vast; the attempt too
+desperate. An old soldier who had proved his valour on more than one
+battle-field was put forward as their spokesman.
+
+"This, sir," he said, "will be to tempt God. Let us now save our lives.
+Hereafter we will return again, and fight with them. But now we are too
+few."
+
+But Judas did not waver for a moment. "God forbid," he cried, "that I
+should do this thing, and flee away from them. Not so; if our time is
+come, let us die manfully for our brethren, and not stain our honour."
+
+His words roused once more an answering echo in the hearts of those who
+heard him. They replied with a cry of assent. Victory they could not hope
+for, but their captain they would follow whithersoever he should lead
+them, and as long as he lived they would guard his life with theirs.
+
+The little host was then divided into five companies, commanded by Judas
+and his two brothers, Simon and Jonathan, by Seraiah and Micah
+respectively. Azariah, whose standing in the army would have entitled him
+to a separate command, had made a special request that he might be allowed
+to fight by the side of Judas. Benjamin had begged and obtained the same
+privilege.
+
+On both sides the trumpets sounded, and both armies moved forward. It was
+with nothing less than astonishment that the Greeks saw the slender
+proportion of the force that was opposed to them. Most laughed aloud at
+the thought that such a handful of men should venture to stand up against
+their own well-appointed and numerous host. Others, who had before crossed
+swords with Judas's men knew that that day's battle, end as it might,
+would be no laughing matter. And indeed they were right. The little
+company of Jewish heroes fought as three centuries before Leonidas and his
+men had fought at Thermopylae.(28) The Greeks came on with the same
+arrogant confidence in their numbers as did the picked Persian force
+against the defenders of Greece, and met with a like disastrous repulse.
+Such was the fury of the Jewish soldiers, such their agility and strength,
+that they kept the attacking force in check during the whole day. When
+night approached the Greeks had made, it might almost be said, absolutely
+no way.
+
+But the resistance, successful as it had been, had cost lives, and Judas
+saw his force dwindling before his eyes. Then he made his last desperate
+effort. He threw himself on the right wing, where Bacchides commanded in
+person, broke the line, and drove it in confusion before him. Possibly he
+was too rash in his pursuit, but on such a day, when such odds are to be
+encountered, it is scarcely possible to distinguish between rashness and
+courage. Anyhow, it was but a brief success. The left wing closed in upon
+his rear, and he and his gallant band were surrounded. Judas was the mark
+of a hundred swords and spears. For a time he seemed to bear a charmed
+life. Azariah and Benjamin, at his right hand and his left, beat down the
+blows aimed at him, wholly careless of their own lives, while he with the
+long sweep of his fatal sword--the same that he had taken from the dead
+Apollonius on his first battle-field--dealt blow after blow, till the
+ground was covered with the corpses of his enemies. But a spear pierced
+the stout heart of Benjamin, and a sword-stroke laid Azariah in the dust;
+and just as the sun sank behind the rugged hills, the hero who had smitten
+the enemies of his country at Bethhoron and Emmaues, at Elah and at Adasa,
+had struck his last blow. The Hammer lay broken on the rock.
+
+
+
+
+
+                             CHAPTER XXXIII.
+
+                           THE HOPE OF ISRAEL.
+
+
+A week had passed since the fatal day of Eleasa. Judas had been buried in
+peace in the grave where he had laid, five years before, the aged
+Mattathias. The Greek general had been so much impressed with the valour
+and generalship of the Jewish hero that he strictly ordered that no
+indignity should be offered to his remains; and when an envoy came from
+the surviving brothers to ask that the corpse should be given up for
+burial, made no difficulty about granting the request. It was only fitting
+that a brave man should be so honoured. The King, too, had been avenged on
+his enemy, nor did he imagine for a moment that the rebels, as he called
+them, would continue to hold out now that their leader had been taken from
+them. It was impossible for him to foresee that those undaunted brothers
+would maintain the desperate struggle until they had wrung from the Syrian
+king the recognition of Jewish independence. Accordingly he granted a
+truce for a fortnight, and even sent some of his troops to accompany the
+funeral procession. It had been a touching scene; and when the hero had
+been laid to rest in the sepulchre of his fathers, and the piercing voices
+of the women, many of whom had struggled over the long and toilsome way
+from Jerusalem to be present, raised the cry of lamentation, many of the
+Greek soldiers found themselves moved to tears. This had been the dirge
+that had been sung over the grave:--
+
+  "How is the valiant man fallen that delivered Israel.
+  In his acts he was like a lion, and like a lion's whelp roaring for his
+              prey.
+  For he pursued the wicked, and sought them out, and burnt up those that
+              vexed his people.
+  Wherefore the wicked shrunk for fear of him, and all the workers of
+              iniquity were troubled, because salvation prospered in his
+              hand.
+  He grieved also many kings, and made Jacob glad with his acts, and his
+              memorial is blessed for ever."
+
+And now once more the little company of those whom we have known by name
+are gathered in Seraiah's house. The orphaned girls are there, Miriam and
+Judith, passionately grieving for their father, but yet exulting as
+passionately that he was at the side of Judas to the last, and that his
+hope had been at least so far fulfilled that he and the captain whom he
+loved had been saved from drawing sword among the legions of Rome. Little
+Daniel, too, is there, his childish heart sorely troubled with the
+darkness of a dispensation which he cannot understand; and Ruth,
+comforting herself and the children with the thought that he whom they had
+lost had rejoined his own Hannah, and half reproaching herself for her
+selfish joy in having her Seraiah still spared to her. Huldah and Eglah,
+who had been among the mourners at Modin, are there also, and the aged
+priest Shemaiah.
+
+"O father," cried one of the women, "tell us why these things are so. Why
+does God so disappoint us of our hopes? We trusted that it had been he who
+should have delivered Israel, and now he is dead!"
+
+"We must wait," said the old man, "for God's good time, for He seeth not
+as we see. Did not David think that Solomon, his son, should be the
+promised king of Israel; and, behold, he turned aside to worship idols,
+and laid such burdens on the people that his kingdom was broken in twain?
+And now we, too, have built our hopes upon a man, and they have failed.
+Surely of Judas it might have been said, 'He shall deliver the needy when
+he crieth, the poor also, and him that hath no helper; he shall redeem
+their soul from deceit and violence, and dear shall their blood be in his
+sight.'
+
+"We looked," said Seraiah, "for the time when all kings should fall down
+before him, all nations should do him service. He seemed like the stone
+cut out of the mountain without hands that should smite all the kingdoms
+of evil, and we waited for the reign of Messiah the Prince."
+
+"And will Messiah come?" cried little Daniel, who had been eagerly
+listening to these words, not understanding all, indeed, but catching
+their general purport.
+
+"Surely, my son," said the old man; "but there are many things to be
+suffered first."
+
+He was silent for a time, sitting with eyes that seemed to take no heed of
+the present, but to be gazing into a far futurity. At last he spoke.
+
+"He loved Israel with all his heart, but he has brought upon us a people
+of iron, harder than the brazen Greeks. He looked to them for help that he
+might build up the walls of Sion, and behold! in the days to come they
+will make Jerusalem a desolation and the inhabitants thereof a hissing.
+And yet, by the Lord's help, he wrought a great deliverance for Israel. He
+recovered and cleansed the Temple, and by his hand the Lord changed the
+king's commandment, so that we may once more worship Him in the beauty of
+holiness. And surely, had it not been for him, when he put to flight the
+hosts of Lysias, we should have been carried away again into captivity.
+For this was in the heart of our persecutors; only Judas stood in the way
+that it should not be done. The Lord reward him for it, and impute not his
+transgression unto him, for he did not transgress wilfully, or out of an
+evil heart. Nevertheless, I am persuaded that it shall not be so when
+Messiah shall come, for come He will at the appointed time, seeing that
+the Lord repenteth Him not of His promises. Verily He shall not do homage
+to any godless bestower of kingdoms, nor listen to the voice of the Evil
+One, though he promise Him all the world and the glory of it. With His own
+right hand and with His holy arm will He get Himself the victory!"
+
+
+
+
+
+
+                THE FAMILY OF THE ASMONEANS, OR MACCABEES.
+
+
+The name "Maccabee," probably derived from a Hebrew word signifying a
+"Hammer," was originally given to Judas, and afterwards extended to his
+four brothers. They came of a priestly family, belonging to the first and
+noblest of the twenty-four "courses," taking its name from a certain Asmon
+or Chasmon, great-grandfather of Mattathias, father of Judas. The five
+heroic brothers all met with a violent death.
+
+That of Judas and Eleazar has been already described.
+
+John, the eldest, was killed in a skirmish, shortly after the death of
+Judas.
+
+Jonathan maintained himself in power by a clever policy of leaning on
+Rome, and taking part with various claimants to the Syrian crown. He
+became High-priest at some time after the year 153, and perished in 144 by
+the treachery of a certain Tryphon, who usurped for a time the throne of
+Syria.
+
+Simon succeeded to the High-priesthood, and governed the Jewish people for
+a period of eight years with great success. In B.C. 143 he obtained from
+the Syrian king a formal recognition of the independence of the Jews, and
+in the following year he got possession of the fortress in Jerusalem
+occupied by the Syrian faction. In 135 he was treacherously murdered by
+his son-in-law, Ptolemaeus.
+
+Simon, who had maintained the alliance with Rome, was succeeded by his son
+John Hyrcanus, who followed the same policy, and he again by his son
+Aristobulus, who assumed the title of King in 107.
+
+Mariamne, the unhappy wife of Herod the Great, belonged to the Maccabean
+House. With the death of her two sons it became extinct.
+
+
+
+
+
+                           The Gresham Press,
+                             UNWIN BROTHERS,
+                          CHILWORTH AND LONDON.
+
+
+
+
+
+                           BY THE SAME AUTHOR.
+
+                          ----------------------
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+Price 5s., cloth.
+
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+
+
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+Price 5s., cloth.
+
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+perfect a specimen of that peculiar form of translation as could
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+
+
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+
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+
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+
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+
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+
+
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+Fifth Thousand. Price 5s., cloth.
+
+"We are inclined to think this is the best volume of Professor Church's
+series since the excellent 'Stories from Homer.'"--_Athenaeum._
+
+
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+cloth.
+
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+
+
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+Thousand. Price 3s. 6d., cloth.
+
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+this."--_Saturday Review._
+
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+cloth.
+
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+Review._
+
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+sewed, or 1s. 6d., cloth.
+
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+feel sure, to make it a favourite at home as well as at
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+
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+
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+Illustrations. Fourth Thousand. Price 5s.
+
+"Excellent sketches of the times."--_Athenaeum._
+
+
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+Britain. With Sixteen Illustrations. Third Thousand. Price 5s.
+
+"A good stirring tale."--_Daily News._
+
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+Coloured Illustrations. Price 5s.
+
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+
+
+THREE GREEK CHILDREN. A Story of Home in Old Time. With Twelve
+Illustrations. Price 3s. 6d.
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+
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+simplicity and distinctness."--_Guardian._
+
+
+
+
+
+                                FOOTNOTES
+
+
+    1 Nearly L2,000.
+
+    2 "The exceeding profaneness of Jason, that ungodly wretch, and no
+      high priest" (2 Macc. iv. 13).
+
+    3 Antiochus's surname, self-assumed or given by the flattery of his
+      courtiers, of "Epiphanes" (the Illustrious), was jestingly changed
+      by his subjects through the alteration of a single letter into,
+      "Epimanes" (Madman).
+
+    4 The Suburra was one of the least reputable quarters in Rome.
+
+    5 "He came with the King's mandate, bringing nothing worthy the high
+      priesthood, but having the fury of a cruel tyrant, and the rage of a
+      savage beast" (2 Macc. iv. 25).
+
+    6 Son and successor of Seleucus Nicator, the first of the dynasty of
+      the Greek Syrian kings.
+
+    7 The wine of Mount Tmolus, a mountain near Smyrna, before which, as
+      Virgil says (Georgics ii. 184), all other wines rise as before their
+      betters.
+
+    8 Azariah, holpen of Jehovah.
+
+    9 Charles Martel defeated the Saracens between Poictiers and Tours
+      (A.D. 732).
+
+   10 Not to be confounded with the village near Jerusalem.
+
+   11 The talent must have been a talent of gold, which may be reckoned as
+      equal to L3,300.
+
+   12 This is the meaning of the name Eleazar.
+
+   13 Psalm cxxxvi.
+
+   14 About L,24.
+
+   15 Hebrews xi. 37-38. Compare ii. Macc. x. vi. "When as they wandered
+      in the mountains and dens like beasts."
+
+   16 Nine o'clock, p.m.
+
+   17 There seems to have been a belief among the Jews of this time in the
+      efficacy of prayers for the dead. So we read in 2 Maccabees xii. 45:
+      "Whereupon he made a reconciliation for the dead that they might be
+      delivered from sin." This is probably the chief reason why the
+      Council of Trent included the Books of Maccabees and other
+      Apocryphal writings in the Canon of Scripture.
+
+   18 The month Chisleu about corresponds to our December.
+
+   19 See S. John x. 22, 23: "And it was at Jerusalem the Feast of the
+      Dedication, and it was winter. And Jesus walked in the Temple, in
+      Solomon's porch."
+
+   20 Eupator means "Born of a great father."
+
+   21 Psalms cxiii.-cxviii.
+
+   22 Ibid. cxx.-cxxxiv.
+
+   23 Alcimus seems to have been an adaptation, not a little remote,
+      however, from the original, of the Hebrew name Eliakim.
+
+   24 "Bezeth," it is called. Possibly it may be identified with Bezetha,
+      which was afterwards part of the city.
+
+   25 Copious draughts of wine were an important part of the customary
+      celebration of the Purim festival.
+
+   26 "Et pater AEneas et avunculus excitet Hector."
+
+   27 Observe the Greek names of the two. In each case the father's name
+      is Hebrew, and the son's Greek. This seems to show how far the
+      Hellenization of the people had proceeded.
+
+   28 We commonly talk of the "three hundred" at Thermopylae. As a matter
+      of fact there were _a thousand_, not reckoning the Thebans, who are
+      said to have laid down their arms at once. But the seven hundred men
+      from Thespiae, a little Boeotian town, fought bravely to the end;
+      only their glory is swallowed up in that of the "three hundred"
+      Spartans. Canon Westcott speaks of this battle as the Jewish
+      Thermopylae ("Dictionary of the Bible").
+
+
+
+
+
+                            TRANSCRIBER'S NOTE
+
+
+Variations in hyphenation have not been changed. In several places, wrong
+quotation marks have been silently corrected.
+
+Other changes, which have been made to the text:
+
+      page xi, "ELEAZER" changed to "ELEAZAR"
+      page 230, double "the" removed
+      page 354, "of" changed to "or"
+
+
+
+
+
+***END OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE HAMMER. A STORY OF THE MACCABEAN TIMES***
+
+
+
+                                 CREDITS
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+December 31, 2013
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