who secretly abhorred the
rites of the heathen. A quantity of ivy was gathered, and twined by
unwilling hands, to be worn in honour of the false deity whose worship
was to be forced upon a reluctant people.

A lofty shrine on which was raised a marble image of the god of wine,
with his temples crowned with ivy, a bunch of grapes in his hand, and
sensuality stamped on every feature, was erected in the centre of the
market-place. Before it was the altar of sacrifice, and around this,
as the hour of noon approached, collected a motley crowd. There were
the white-robed priests of Bacchus, with the victims chosen for
sacrifice. Men of war, both on foot and on horseback, formed a
semicircle about the shrine, to enforce, if necessary, compliance with
the decree of the Syrian monarch. Apelles himself, magnificently
attired, with tunic of Tyrian purple, jewelled sandals, and fringes of
gold, sat on a lofty seat on the right side of the altar, awaiting the
appointed time when the sun should reach his meridian height. Numbers
of people filled the market-place, of both sexes, and of every age, for
the soldiery had swept through Modin, forcing all the inhabitants to
quit their dwellings and assemble to offer sacrifice upon the altar of
Bacchus.

Directly opposite to the altar there was one group of Hebrews
conspicuous above all the rest, and towards this group the eyes of the
assembled people were frequently turned. There stood Mattathias, with
snowy beard descending to his girdle--a venerable patriarch, surrounded
by his five stalwart sons. There appeared Johannan, the first-born;
Simon, with his calm intellectual brow; Eleazar, with his quick glance
of fire; Jonathan; and Judas, third in order of birth, but amongst
those illustrious brethren already first in fame. In stern silence the
Asmonean family watched the preparations made by the Syrian priests to
celebrate their unhallowed rites. Not a word escaped the lips of the
Hebrews; they stood almost as motionless as statues, only their glances
betraying the secret indignation of their souls.

Mattathias, as a direct descendant of Aaron through Phineas, and a man
of great wisdom and spotless integrity, possessed great influence
within his native city of Modin. Disputes were referred to his
decision, his judgment was appealed to in cases of difficulty, and his
example was likely to carry with it greater weight than that of any
other man in Judaea. Apelles was perfectl