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+ <meta name="DC.Title" content=
+ "The Hammer. A Story of the Maccabean Times" />
+ <meta name="DC.Date" content="December 31, 2013" />
+ <meta name="DC.Language" content="English" />
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+ <title>The Project Gutenberg EBook of The Hammer. A Story of the Maccabean
+ Times by Alfred John Church and Richmond Seeley</title>
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+ "margin-bottom: 6.00em; margin-top: 2.00em">
+ <div class="tei tei-div" style=
+ "margin-bottom: 5.00em; margin-top: 5.00em">
+ <div id="pgheader" class="tei tei-div" style=
+ "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>
+
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