to flight; and
accordingly he fled into Arabia. Now it happened in the time of the
battle that Ptolemy' horse, upon hearing the noise of an elephant, cast
him off his back, and threw him on the ground; upon the sight of which
accident, his enemies fell upon him, and gave him many wounds upon his
head, and brought him into danger of death; for when his guards caught
him up, he was so very ill, that for four days' time he was not able
either to understand or to speak. However, Zabdiel, a prince among
the Arabians, cut off Alexander's head, and sent it to Ptolemy, who
recovering of his wounds, and returning to his understanding, on the
fifth day, heard at once a most agreeable hearing, and saw a most
agreeable sight, which were the death and the head of Alexander; yet a
little after this his joy for the death of Alexander, with which he was
so greatly satisfied, he also departed this life. Now Alexander, who
was called Balas, reigned over Asia five years, as we have elsewhere
related.

9. But when Demetrius, who was styled Nicator, [9] had taken the
kingdom, he was so wicked as to treat Ptolemy's soldiers very hardly,
neither remembering the league of mutual assistance that was between
them, nor that he was his son-in-law and kinsman, by Cleopatra's
marriage to him; so the soldiers fled from his wicked treatment to
Alexandria; but Demetrius kept his elephants. But Jonathan the high
priest levied an army out of all Judea, and attacked the citadel at
Jerusalem, and besieged it. It was held by a garrison of Macedonians,
and by some of those wicked men who had deserted the customs of their
forefathers. These men at first despised the attempts of Jonathan for
taking the place, as depending on its strength; but some of those wicked
men went out by night, and came to Demetrius, and informed him that the
citadel was besieged; who was irritated with what he heard, and took
his army, and came from Antioch, against Jonathan. And when he was at
Antioch, he wrote to him, and commanded him to come to him quickly
to Ptolemais: upon which Jonathan did not intermit the siege of the
citadel, but took with him the elders of the people, and the priests,
and carried with him gold, and silver, and garments, and a great number
of presents of friendship, and came to Demetrius, and presented him with
them, and thereby pacified the king's anger. So he was honored by him,
and received from him the confirmation of his high priesthood, as he had
pos