, were
eight thousand. When Jonathan therefore had overcome so great an army,
he removed from Ashdod, and came to Askelon; and when he had pitched
his camp without the city, the people of Askelon came out and met him,
bringing him hospitable presents, and honoring him; so he accepted of
their kind intentions, and returned thence to Jerusalem with a great
deal of prey, which he brought thence when he conquered his enemies.
But when Alexander heard that Apollonius, the general of his army,
was beaten, he pretended to be glad of it, because he had fought with
Jonathan his friend and ally against his directions. Accordingly, he
sent to Jonathan, and gave testimony to his worth; and gave him honorary
rewards, as a golden button, [8] which it is the custom to give the
king's kinsmen, and allowed him Ekron and its toparchy for his own
inheritance.

5. About this time it was that king Ptolemy, who was called Philometor,
led an army, part by the sea, and part by land, and came to Syria, to
the assistance of Alexander, who was his son-in-law; and accordingly all
the cities received him willingly, as Alexander had commanded them
to do, and conducted him as far as Ashdod; where they all made loud
complaints about the temple of Dagon, which was burnt, and accused
Jonathan of having laid it waste, and destroyed the country adjoining
with fire, and slain a great number of them. Ptolemy heard these
accusations, but said nothing. Jonathan also went to meet Ptolemy as far
as Joppa, and obtained from him hospitable presents, and those glorious
in their kinds, with all the marks of honor; and when he had conducted
him as far as the river called Eleutherus, he returned again to
Jerusalem.

6. But as Ptolemy was at Ptolemais, he was very near to a most
unexpected destruction; for a treacherous design was laid for his life
by Alexander, by the means of Ammonius, who was his friend; and as the
treachery was very plain, Ptolemy wrote to Alexander, and required of
him that he should bring Ammonius to condign punishment, informing him
what snares had been laid for him by Ammonius, and desiring that he
might be accordingly punished for it. But when Alexander did not comply
with his demands, he perceived that it was he himself who laid the
design, and was very angry at him. Alexander had also formerly been on
very ill terms with the people of Antioch, for they had suffered very
much by his means; yet did Ammonius at length undergo the punishment