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| [1]Not longe after this, sent the king an olde man of Antioch, for to compell the Iewes to transgresse the ordinaunces of the fathers, & of the lawe of God, |
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| [2]To defile the temple that was at Hierusalem, and to call it the temple of Iupiter Olimpius: and that they shoulde be in Garizim, as those which dwel at the place of Iupiter the harberous. |
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| [3]This wicked sedition of the vngodlie, was heauy vpon all the people: |
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| [4]For the temple was full of voluptuousnes, bibbing and bolling of the heathen, of rybaudes and harlots together: the women went into the holy place, and bare in that was not lawfull. |
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| [5]The aulter also was full of vnlawfull thinges, which the law forbiddeth to lay vpon it, |
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| [6]The Sabbathes were not kept, the other solempne feastes of the land were not regarded: to be plaine, there durst no man be knowe that he was a Iewe. |
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| [7]In the day of the kinges birth they were compelled parforce to offer, and when the feaste of Bacchus was kept, they were constrayned to weare garlandes of iuie, and so to go about to the honour of Bacchus. |
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| [8]Moreouer, through the counsell of Ptolomeus, there went out a comaundement vnto the next cities of the heathen against the Iewes, that the lyke custome & banketting should be kept. |
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| [9]And who so would not conforme them selues to the maners of the Gentiles, should be put to death: then might a man haue seene the present miserie. |
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| [10]For there were two women accused to haue circumcized their sonnes: whom when they had led rounde about the citie the babes hanging at their brestes, they cast them downe headlonges ouer the walles. |
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| [11]Some that were crept in dennes, and had kept the Sabbath, were accused vnto Philip, and brent in the fire, because that for the feare of God they kept the commaundement so stiffely, and would not defende them selues. |
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| [12]Now I beseche all those which reade this booke, that they refuse it not for these fals of aduersitie, and iudge the thinges that are happened for no destruction, but for a chastening of our people. |
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| [13]And why? When God suffereth not sinners long to folow their owne minde, but shortly punisheth them, it is a token of his great louing kindnesse. |
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| [14]For this grace haue we of God more then other people, That he suffreth not vs long to sinne vnpunished, lyke as other nations, |
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| [15]That when the day of iudgement commeth, he may punishe them in the fulnes of their sinnes. |
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| [16]If we sinne, he correcteth vs, but he neuer withdraweth his mercie from vs: and though he punishe with aduersitie, yet doth he neuer forsake his people. |
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| [17]But let this that we haue spoken now with fewe wordes, be for a warning and exhortation of the heathen: Now wyll we come to the declaring of the matter. |
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| [18]Eleazar one of the principall scribes, an aged man, and of a well fauoured countenaunce, was constrained to gape with open mouth, and to eate swynes fleshe. |
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| [19]But he desiring rather to dye gloriously then to lyue with shame, offered him selfe willingly to the martirdome. |
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| [20]Now when he saw that he must nedes go to it, he toke it patiently: for he was at a poynt with himselfe, that he would not consent to any vnlawful thing for any pleasure of lyfe. |
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| [21]They that stoode by, being moued with pitie (but not a right) for the olde frendship of the man, toke him aside priuilie, and prayed him that he would let such fleshe be brought him as were lawfull to eate, and then to make a countenaunce as though he had eaten of the flesh of the sacrifice, like as the king commaunded. |
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| [22]For so he might be deliuered from death: and so for the olde frendship of the man, they shewed him this kindnes. |
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| [23]But he began to consider discreetely, and as became his age and the excellencie of his auncient yeres, and the honour of his gray heares whereunto he was come, and his most honest conuersation from his childhood, but chiefely the holy law made and geuen by God, therefore he aunswered consequently, and willed them straightwayes to send him to the graue: |
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| [24]For it becommeth not mine age, saide he, in any wyse to dissemble, whereby many young persons might thinke that Eleazar being fourscore yeres olde and ten, were nowe gone to a straunge religion: |
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| [25]And so through myne hypocrisie for a litle time of a transitorie lyfe, they might be deceaued: by this meanes also should I defile myne age, and make it abhominable. |
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| [26]For though I were nowe deliuered from the tormentes of men, yet shoulde I not escape the hand of almightie God neither aliue nor dead. |
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| [27]Wherefore I wyll dye manfully, and do as it becommeth myne age: |
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| [28]Whereby I may peraduenture leaue an example of stedfastnes for such as be young, if I with a redie minde & manfully dye an honest death for the most worthy and holy lawes. When he had saide these words, immediatly he was drawen to the torment. |
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| [29]Now they that led him, and were milde a litle afore, began to take displeasure because of the wordes that he saide: for they thought he had spoken them of an hie minde. |
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| [30]But when he was in his martirdome, he mourned, and saide: Thou O Lorde which hast the holy knowledge, knowest openly, that where as I might be deliuered from death, I suffer these sore paynes of my body: but in my minde I am well content to suffer them, because I feare thee. |
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| [31]Thus this man dyed, leauing the memoriall of his death for an example, not onely vnto young men, but vnto all the people, to be stedfast and manly, |
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