1. Spaniards, Europeans, oriental, calendar, artificial, horticulture, stratagem, wielding, romantic, enlightened, confederates, extraordinary, recognize, resembled, occasionally, usurper, translated, idolaters, indulged, persuade.

2. Was Nezahualcoyotl an American? Who were Americans. then? Are the people of Mexico Americans? Do you suppose the United States may have been inhabited by a people similar to these before the Indians lived here? In what respect were these people uncivilized? Were there no horses in America when Columbus came here? When was powder invented?

XXII. THE BRAVE BRETHREN OF JUDAH.

PART I.

1. It was the saddest time the Jews had ever known, and there seemed to be no help, far or near. They could have no hope except in the promises that God would never fail His people, and in the prophecies that, though bad times should come, good ones would follow them.

2. The time was about one hundred and eighty years before the Christian Era. The Jews had returned from their captivity in Babylon, and built again their city and temple at Jerusalem; but their country belonged to a greater power, and they had a foreign governor and paid tribute to a king who was their master.

3. The king of Syria, who was at this time Antiochus, was fierce and passionate, and one of his

chief desires was that the Jews should forsake their faith in the one God and devote their many temples to the worship of the heathen deities.

4. Many of the Jews joined in Greek sports, which, though they might be innocent to the Greeks, should have been revolting to a people who had been better taught. Worst of all, the false high priest, Menelaus, led the king into the temple and told him all that would most dishonor it and grieve the Jews; so that a little altar to the Roman god Jupiter was set up on the top of the brazen altar for sacrifice for sin, and a hog, an unclean beast to the Jews, was offered, and its blood sprinkled everywhere, after which the golden vessels and all the sacred, precious things were taken away.

5. The Greeks, who were sure of being protected by the cruel king, went through the towns to set up idol worship, and put to death any who kept the Sabbath day or observed any law of Moses. When they came to a little city called Modin, near Joppa, on some hills not far from the Mediterranean Sea, and sent out orders to all the men of the town to meet them in the market place, they were told of Mattathias, who was of a priestly family and so much respected that all the other inhabitants of the place were sure to do anything in which he would be their leader.

6. He came at their summons, a grand and noble

old man, followed by his five sons, Johanan, Simon, Judas, Jonathan, and Eleazar. The Greek priest told him that Menelaus had forsaken the Jewish religion; that the temple was in ruins, and that resistance was vain. He exhorted Mattathias to obtain gratitude and honor for himself by leading his people in thus adoring the gods of the king's choice, promising gold and treasures if he would comply.

7. With clear and fearless voice the old man spoke out: "Though all the nations that are under the king's dominion obey him, and fall away every one from the religion of their fathers, yet will I and my sons and my brethren walk in the covenant of our fathers. We will not hearken to the king's words, to go from our religion."

8. While he was speaking, there came an apostate Jew to offer sacrifice at a heathen altar. Mattathias trembled with rage at the sight, and his zeal broke forth. He slew the offender and, gathering his brave sons about him, attacked the Syrian soldiers, and threw down the altar. Then, as he knew that he and his sons alone could not hold out against the king's power, Mattathias proclaimed throughout the city, "Whosoever is zealous of the law, and maintaineth the covenant, let him follow me."

9. Thereupon he and his sons, with their families, left their houses and lands, and drove their cattle up into the wild hills and caves where David had once

made his home; and all the Jews who wished to be faithful gathered about them to worship God and keep His commandments. There they lived, a handful of brave men, in the mountains, with enemies all about them and false brethren against them. They used to come down, from time to time, to remind the people of the law, to break down the idol altars, and to promise help when they could be of service, and their enemies were never able to follow them into their rocky strongholds.

10. But old Mattathias could not long bear the rude, wild life in the cold mountains, and he soon died. He called his five sons, and bade them to be zealous for the law and to give their lives for the covenant of their fathers. He reminded them of the many brave men who had served God and been aided in their time of need. He appointed Judas, as the mightiest of his sons, to lead his brethren to battle, and Simon, as the wisest, to be their counselor; then he blessed them, and died, and was buried in the tomb of his fathers at Modin.

1. Prophecies, captivity, tribute, deities, revolting, exhorted, adoring, dominion, covenant, hearken, apostate, zealous, counselor.

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2. What is meant by "Judah"? Explain "leave their faith," an altar was set up," "set up idol worship." What was the first Jewish government? What became of the Jewish nation? In David's time where did they live?

XXIII. THE BRAVE BRETHREN OF JUDAH.

PART II.

1. Judas was one of the bravest men that ever lived. He was surnamed Maccabeus, which is thought by some to stand, in the Hebrew language, for the first letters of the words on his banner: "Who is like unto Thee among the gods, O Lord ?"

2. When the Greek governor, Apollonius, came out to fight against them, he had six thousand men. Judas gained his first victory, killed Apollonius, took his sword, and fought all his later battles with it. Next came a captain called Seron, who went to the hills to lay hold of the rebels who had dared to rise against the king of Syria. The place where Judas met him was one to make the Jews' hearts leap with hope and trust. It was on the steep, stony, broken hillside of Beth-horon, the place where Joshua had conquered the five kings of the Amorites when first the children of Israel came into Palestine, their promised land.

3. By this time the king of Syria began to think the rising of the Jews a serious matter; but he could not go himself to subdue them, because his provinces in Armenia and Persia had refused their tribute, and he had to go in person to these. He appointed a general named Lysias to chastise the Jews, giving him an army of forty thousand foot and seven thousand horse. Half of these Lysias