it by bribing one of the courtiers, not only to procure the remission of it on his behalf, but to have the delegates put to death as false accusers. The Tyrians were so struck with the injustice of this proceeding, and had so much pity for the sufferers, that they afforded them a signal testimony of regret in an honourable burial. The courtier who had lent his aid in this iniquitous transaction, was Ptolemy Macron, who had been governor of Cyprus for the king of Egypt; but in consequence of some pique had revolted from him, and delivered up that island to Antiochus. The king had received him into the number of his friends, and accorded him the government of Colo-Syria and Palestine. As he will be a principal actor in the sad scenes we are shortly to witness, I have taken this opportunity of introducing him to you by name.

LETTER XXXII.

ABOUT this time strange appearances were seen in the air, by the people of Jerusalem. Warriors armed and in battle array, encountered each other, as if contending for victory : and this not once, nor twice, but during forty successive days. The beholders of this astonishing sight prayed that it might betoken some good to the city; but their foreboding fears taught them to regard it as a presage of evil.

When the winter was over, Antiochus renewed the war, and advancing again towards Egypt, defeated another army sent against him by Ptolemy. After this he took Pelusium, and thereby gained an entrance into

the heart of the kingdom. He had acquired much influence with the people of Egypt by a singular clemency in the late battle, when he spared all the vanquished, whom he could have destroyed. As he advanced, therefore, he met with little opposition; and was soon in possession of Memphis, and all the other considerable cities except Alexandria. While he was thus successful, a report of his death was circulated in Palestine, which being generally believed, Jason, with a thousand men came suddenly to Jerusalem, intent upon recovering the office from which he had been removed. With the assistance of his followers, and a party in the city who favoured his cause, he succeeded in defeating Menelaus, and obliged him to take refuge in the castle. When he had thus got possession of the city, he acted with the greatest cruelty; putting to death all whom he considered as adverse to his cause. Antiochus being informed of what was passing in Jerusalem, concluded that the Jews had rebelled against him; therefore he marched without delay into Judea to quell the insurrection. His displeasure was greatly increased when he found that the report of his death had Icaused great rejoicings among them; and laying siege to the city, he soon obtained an entrance by force of arms. His rage against the wretched inhabitants was without bounds; he slew forty thousand of them in the course of three days, and having taken as many alive, sold them for slaves. But this barbarity, great as it was, did not satisfy his fury: he knew something of the national veneration for the temple; and therefore resolved to offer the utmost indignity to that holy place. It is not improbable that the vessels of gold and other valuable ornaments excited his cupidity; while his dis

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pleasure afforded a pretext for gratifying it.

However it was, he entered the temple, conducted by the infamous Menelaus, and proceeding even to the most holy place, pulled down all the ornaments, and took away all the vessels of gold, the value of which amounted to eighteen hundred talents. Not content with this sacrilege, he impiously caused every part of the temple to be polluted that it might thenceforth be unfit for divine service. You are probably surprised that the Lord suffered this profanation of his holy temple, without manifesting, as on former occasions, the terrors of his wrath against the impious intruder. But you are to consider that "The Lord chose the place for the sake of the people, and not the people for the sake of the place." When therefore by impiety and iniquity they had departed from him, grievous chastisements were needful to recal them. The security and peace they had enjoyed under the government of Antiochus the Great, and the priesthood of Onias, had most probably lessened their de pendence on the Divine Protection; while the signal interpositions of God in behalf of the sanctuary had doubtless excited a superstitious veneration for the place independent of Him who had chosen it to put his name there. He had made their hill so strong that they were ready to say they should never be moved; and they required to be taught, by the hiding of his face, that their strength was not in the temple; but in him who dwelt therein. When Antiochus left Jerusalem, he ap pointed a Phrygian named Philip to be governor there and continued Menelaus in the office of high priest." The characters of these two men were in unison with his own; he could not therefore have expressed his hatred to the Jews more effectually than by leaving them in

such hands. Jason, who in one sense, was the author of all these calamities, had no sooner heard of the king's approach, than he fled to avoid his vengeance: but he could not flee from the presence of God, nor escape the pursuit of his justice. He was driven from place to place, till at last he died in Lacedemonia, a wretched outcast from the country he had ruined; and forsaken by that God whose service he had abjured. Antiochus, in his late expedition to Egypt, having by some means got the young king Ptolemy Philometor into his power, the people of Alexandria placed his younger brother on the throne. This gave the king of Syria a pretext for invading that country the following year, in order to restore, as he said, the lawful sovereign; but in reality to get possession of the whole kingdom. Being again successful in battle, he proceeded to Alexandria, and laid siege to that place. Finding however that he had little chance of success, he pretended compliance with the mediation of the Rhodians; and consented to restore Ptolemy Philometor: hoping that the brothers, by mutual opposition, would ruin each other; and thus render the conquest of their kingdom easy to him. In this hope he was disappointed; for he had no sooner quitted Egypt than Philometor, who perceived his crafty intentions, proposed an accommodation with his brother, on condition that they should reign jointly. The terms of this union being agreed to, peace was restored to Egypt; but as the brothers had every thing to fear from the disappointment of Antiochus, they made such preparations as might enable them to resist him. These precautions were not in vain; for he was greatly enraged when he found all his views frustrated, and throwing off the mask of friendship, he again entered Egypt, declaring

war against both the brothers. On this occasion, however, an unexpected event put an end to his designs on that country: for the Romans having been applied to during the last siege of Alexandria, sent an embassy to desire that the war between Syria and Egypt should be immediately concluded; declaring themselves enemies to that party who should persist in it. The rage of Antiochus was very great against the Romans, but as he durst not express it towards them, he barbarously vented his fury upon the Jews, who at this time had done nothing to offend him. As he marched through Palestine, on his return homewards, he sent a detach ment of twenty-two thousand men to Jerusalem, with orders to destroy the place. Apollonius who commanded them, behaved peaceably on his arrival: concealing the purport of it till the following Sabbath, when the people being assembled in their synagogues, he let loose his soldiers upon them, commanding that all the men should be massacred, and the women and children taken for slaves. This dreadful order was fatally executed on all they could find, till the whole place was filled with carnage. After this the soldiers, having secured every thing that was valuable, set fire to the city in several places, demolished the houses, and pulled down the walls. With the materials these afforded, they erected a fortress on an eminence which overlooked the temple, and left in it a strong garrison of soldiers. These, whenever any of the Jews went to worship in the temple, fell upon them, and put them to death; so that the sanctuary was defiled by the blood of the slain, and the daily sacrifices were made to cease; because neither the priests nor the people durst go thither to worship. Antiochus however was not content with preventing the