Capitulum I. And it is don, after þat Aliſaundre of Philip, kyng of Macedo, which regnede firſt in Grece, ſmote, he gon out of þe lond of Seþym, ſmote Darius, kyng of Perſis and Medis, and ordeynyde many bateilis, and gate ſtrengþes of alle; and he ſlewȝe kyngus of erþe, and paſſide forþ vnto eendis of erþe, and toke ſpuylis of multitude of folkis; and þe erþe was ſtille in þe ſiȝt of hym. And he gadride vertu, and ful ſtronge ooſt, and þe herte of hym is enhaunſid and lift up. And he gate cuntrees of folkis, and tyrauntis, or ſtronge men; and þei ben maad to hym in to tribut. And after þeſe þingus he felle in to bed, and knewe þat he ſhulde die. And he clepide his noble childre, þat weren nuriſhid wiþ hym fro her ȝouþe, and departide to hem his kyngdam, whanne ȝit he leuede. And Aliſaundre regnyde twelue ȝeer, and is dead. And his children weldiden þe rewme, eche in his place, and alle puttiden to hem dyademes after his deþ, and ſonys of hem after hem, many ȝeeris; and yuelis ben multipled in erþe. And þere wente out of hem a root of ſynne, Antiochus þe noble, þe ſone of Antiochi kyng, þat was at Rome in ſeegyng, or plegge, and regnede in þe hundrid and ſeuen and þretti ȝeer of þe rewme of Greekis. In þo days wickid ſonys of Yrael wenten out, and counſeiliden many, ſayinge, Go we, and ordeyne we a teſtament wiþ heiþen men, þat ben aboute us; for ſiþen we departiden fro hem, many yuels founden us. And þe word is ſeen good in þe eeȝen of hem. And ſumme of þe peple ſenten, and wenten awey to þe kyng; and he ȝaue power to hem for to do riȝtwiſneſſe of heiþen men. And þei beeldiden a ſcole in Jeruſalem, vp þe lawis of naciouns; and þei maden to hem prepucyes, or heþen cuſtomes, and wenten awey fro þe holy teſtament, and weren ioyned to naciouns, and weren ſolde for to do yuel. And þe rewme hadde proſperite in þe ſiȝt of Antiochus, and he byganne for to regne in þe lond of Egypt, for to regne on two rewmes. And he entride into Egipt in a greuous multitude, in chaaris, and olifauntis, and horſmen, and a plenteuous multitude of ſchippis, and he ordeynede bateil aȝens Tholome, kyng of Egipt; and Pþolome dredde of his face, and fleiȝ; and manye woundid fellen doun. And he toke þe ſtronge citees in þe lond of Egypt, and he toke prayes of þe lond of Egypt. And Antiochus turnede, after þat he ſmote Egypt, in þe hundrid and þree and fourtiþe ȝeer, and ſtyede vp to Yrael. And he ſtiede vp to Jeruſalem in a greuouſe multitude, and entride in to þe halewyng wiþ pride; and he toke þe golden auter, and þe candilſtike of liȝt, and alle veſſels þerof, and þe bord of propoſicioun, and veſſels of fleetynge ſacrifices, and cruetis, and golden morters, and veil, and crownys, and golden ournement þat was in face of þe temple; and he brake alle. And he toke gold and ſyluer, and alle deſireable veſſels, and he toke þe priuy treſours, whiche he fonde; and alle taken up, he wente in to his lond. And he made ſlawȝter of men, and ſpake in grete pride. And grete weiling is maad in Yrael, and in eche place of hem; and princis ſorewiden inwardly, and elder men, and meydenys, and ȝung men, ben maad ſeeke, and fairneſſe of wymen is chaungid. Eche huſbond toke weilyng, and þei þat ſaten in þe huſbondis bed, mourneden. And þe lond is moued to gidre on men dwellynge þerynne, and al þe hous of Jacob cloþide confuſioun. And after two ȝeeris of days, þe kyng ſente a prince of tributis in to þe citees of Juda, and he cam to Jeruſalem wiþ grete cumpaignye. And he ſpake to hem peſible wordis in gyle, and þei bileeuyden to hym. And ſodenly he felle yn on þe citee, and ſmote it wiþ grete wounde, and loſt miche peple of Yrael. And he toke prayes of þe citee, and brente it wiþ fijr, and diſtruyede houſis þerof, and wallis þerof in cumpas. And þei ledden wymmen caityf, and children, and weldiden beeſtis. And þei beeldiden þe cytee of Dauid wiþ grete wall and ſad, and ſad toures; and it is maad to hem in to ſtrengþe. And þei puttiden þere a folk of ſynners, wickid men, and þei weren ſtronge in it; and þei puttiden armers, and metis, and gadirden prays of Jeruſalem; and puttiden vp þere, and ben maad into a grete gnare. And þis þing is maad to aſpyingus in yuel of halewyng, and in to yuel gyle in Yrael euermore. And þei ſhedden out innocent blood, bi cumpas of þe halewyng, and defouliden þe halewyng. And dwellers of Jeruſalem fledden for hem, and is maad habitacioun of ſtraungers, and is maad ſtrange, or alien, to his ſeed, and þe ſonnys þerof forſoken it. Þe halewyng þerof is deſolat as wildreneſſe; þe feeſtdays þerof ben turned in to mournyng, þe ſaboþis þerof in to ſhenſhip, þe honouris þerof into nouȝt. Vp þe glorie þerof þe yuel fame þerof is multiplied, and heiȝneſſe þerof is tourned into mournyng.