Josephus and the Apocrypha are here our
chief authorities,--he collected around him his five sons, all wise and
valiant men, and enjoined them to be united among themselves, and to be
faithful to the Law,--calling to their minds the noted examples from the
Hebrew Scriptures, Abraham, Joseph, Joshua, David, Elijah, who were
obedient to the commandments of God. He did not speak of patriotism,
although an intense lover of his country. He exhorted his sons to be
simply obedient to the Law,--not, probably, in the restricted and
literal sense of the word, but in the idea of being faithful to God,
even as Abraham was obedient before the Law was given. The glory which
he assured them they would thus win was not the _eclat_ of victory, or
even of national deliverance, but the imperishable renown which comes
from righteousness. He promised a glorious immortality to those who fell
in battle in defence of the truth and of their liberties, reminding us
of the promises which Mohammed made to his followers. But the great
incentive to bravery which he urged was the ultimate reward of virtue,
which runs through the Scriptures, even the favor of God. The heroes of
chivalry fought for the favor of ladies, the praises of knights, and the
friendship of princes; the reward of modern generals is exaltation in
popular estimation, the increase of political power, the accumulation of
wealth, and sometimes the consciousness of rendering important services
to their country,--an exalted patriotism, such as marked Washington and
Cromwell. But the reward which the Jewish hero promised was
loftier,--even that of the divine favor.

The aged Mattathias, having thus given his last counsels to his sons,
recommended the second one, Simon, or Simeon, as the future head of the
family, to whose wisdom the other brothers were to defer,--a man whose
counsel would be invaluable. The third brother, Judas, a mighty warrior
from his youth, was appointed as the leader of the forces to fight the
battles of the people,--the peculiar vocations of Saul and of David, for
which they were selected to be kings.

On the death of Mattathias, mourned by all Israel as Samuel was mourned,
at the age of one hundred and forty-five, and buried in the sepulchre of
his fathers at Modin, Judas, called "The Maccabaeus" ("The Hammer," as
some suppose), rose up in his stead; and all his brothers helped him,
and all his father's friends, and he fought with cheerfulness the
battles of Is