ing before Cyprus, beat the Perfian, fleet, which confifted only of 80 fail, and routed their army of 400,000 foot, by land, with the flaughter of 100,000 men, amongst whom fell the Perfian General Achemenes or Archimenides; the remainder faved themselves by flight, and fhutting themfelves up in Memphis, till they were delivered by a fresh army, under the command of Artabafus and Magabyzus, who obliged Inarus to raise the fiege, defeated his troops, and wounded him in the thigh. Inarus, put to flight, threw himself with the remains of his army into Byblus, a very strong city of Profopis, which is an island in the Delta, formed by two arms of the Nile, very near its difemboguing itself into the Mediterranean fea, which, after a two years vain attempt to take this city by force, was obliged to furrender, by turning the fiream of the river. Inarus was taken alive; and at the request of the mother of Artaxerxes was hanged with 50 Grecians; though they had furrendered, on promife of having their lives preferved. By this means Egypt was again difarmed, and obliged to fubmit to the Perfian yoke, not being in a capacity to give Artaxerxes any fur. ther trouble. Yet we read of another fon of Pfammenitus, named Amyrtes or Amyrtaus, who still furvived, reigned in the fens, and watching every oppor tunity to feize upon his father's crown, and to revenge his country's misfortunes, fallied out of his faftneffes, in the tenth year of Darius Nothus, or Ochus, and, putting himself at the head of the revolted Egyptians, drove the Perfians out of the Kingdom, and became King of the whole country of Egypt. But his reign was fhort; for, having engaged the Arabians to affift him, he purfued the Perfians, attacked them in Phoenicia, and, engaging with Darius in perfon, was killed in his feventh year.

From this time the Egyptians either had a Governor of their own, or, perhaps, their King was obliged to pay tribute to the Perfian Monarch; but they all along, upon every occafion

that offered, fignalized their averfion to the Perfian power, which in the end drew upon them the total destruction of their Monarchy. For, while the factions ran high, and Egypt divided, fome for Tachos (ante Chriftum 363 to 361.) fome for Nectanebis, and another competitor for the crown, a Mendefian, who was fupported by an army of 100,000 men, Darius Ochus entered Egypt with 300,000 forces, and dividing them into three bodies, and proclaiming every-where peace and fafety to those that would quietly fubmit; but, without mercy to cut off all that would refift the Perfian power, the whole country paid a moit humble and ready fubmiffion to the fame.

S. What became of the Heads of the three factions?

T. Tachos was beaten out of the field, and from the throne of Egypt, by Nectanebis; who alfo had the good fortune to take his Mendefian competitor prifoner. And, when Nectanebis perceived that he was deferted by his fubjects, he ran into defpair; and, taking what treasure he could carry with him, he fled from his palace at Memphis into Ethiopia, or, as fome think, to the court of Philip of Macedon, and never returned more. He was the laft native Egyptian, who governed Egypt, which fulfilled the Prophecy of Ezekiel Xxx. 13. and this country remained a province to Perfia, till Alexan der the Great overthrew that monarchy.

S. How did Alexander become poffeffed of Egypt?

T. The Egyptians, to whom the pride, avarice, and impiety of the Perfians were grown intolerable, received Alexander with open arms, as their deliverer from the Perfian tyranny; waited upon him at Peluftum, fubmitted voluntarily to his government, and Mazagaufes, Lieutenant to Darius Codomannus, and Governor of Memphis, joined in the revolt, and delivered up that capital to him. For which the conqueror diftinguished the Egyptians with fome of his particular favours ; and, in token of his protection, built

the n

them a metropolis, and called it Alexandria after his own name.

S. Who fucceeded Alexander in ESypt?

7. Upon the death of Alexander, his baard brother, Aridaus, was proclaimed King of Egypt: But his reign foon came to a period; for Alexander's Generals and Favourites, looking upon themfelves to have the beft right to the conquered countries, for which they had hazarded their lives; and being fupported by the army; divided them amongst themselves of which dominions, Ptolemy the fon of Lagus, got Fgypt for his dividend.

This Ptolemy was firnamed Soter; he had accompanied Alexander in all his wars; and in whom it is obferved we meet with the man of arms, the man of letters, a great Captain, and a great King.

He maintained the war against the ambitious and diffatisfied Perdiccas, drove Laomedon out of Syria and Phanicia, and waged war with the Jews, whom he at firit treated very cruelly; to which is referred the vth chapter of Daniel. But after he had taken Jerufalem on the Sabbath-day, under pretence of facrificing there, he drew out of this city and Samaria a great many people, whom he diftributed in garrifons, and honoured with the fame privileges and rights, which were enjoyed by the natives of Macedonia. Hence he obtained the name of Soter, i. e. Saviour. And the Rhodians ranked him amongst the Gods for his affiftance again Demetrius Poliorcetes. He reigned 35 years, and having retrieved the glory of Egypt, and the refpect paid to its arms and power by the ancients, he refigned his Kingdom to his fon.

Ptolemy Philadelphus, a great lover of learning and iearned men; who, by his reputation, merit, and generofity, drew to his court the feven tragic Poets; the two famous Mathematicians, Hypparchus and Conon: he procured the firit Greek tranflation of the Books of Mofes, &c. which is commonly called the Septuagint, and collected a library of 200,000 volumes.

S. Why was this Ptolemy firnamed Philadelphus?

T. Philadelphus is interpreted, the lover of a fifter, as certainly this King was; for he loved his fifter Arfinoe fo well, that he married her; and caused his great favourite Sotades to be drowned, for taking the liberty to diffuade him from this inceft.

S. Why do you call his tranflation of the Hebrew Bible the Septuagint?

T. Some fay it is fo called; because it was approved by the feventy members of the Sarhedrim of Jerufalem, who permitted the Hellenifts to read it in their fynagogues and fchools. But others are more confident that this verfion of the Seventy takes its name from the ferventy or seventy two men, i. e. fix out of each tribe, perfectly skiled in the Greek and Hebrew languages, who were employed in this tranflation. And again, others contend, that it derives its name from the Seventy Priefts, who, as all the learned agree, were fent by Eleazar the High Prieft to Ptolemy Philadelphus, with a copy of the law for that purpose: Yet at laft this Prince died of exceffive drinking, &c. having reigned forty years, taking in the two years he reigned with his father.

S. Let us proceed in the Ptolemaic fucceffion?

T. Philadelphus was fucceeded by his fon, Ptolemy Euergetes, i. e. the well-doer, or benefactor: a name given to him by the confent of his fubjects, whofe love and esteem he had fo engroffed by his good deeds towards them, that, Strabo affirms, he was not to be equalled by any of his fucceffors. His regret for the death of Berenice, fecond wife of Antiochus, put to death by Seleucus Callinicus, moved him to make war on this murderer; in which he took feveral cities, recovered all the fpoils, which Cambyfes had taken from the Egyptians; and he would certainly have dethroned him, had not fome particular affairs called him home, where he was poifoned by his own fon.

Ptolemy

Ptolemy Philopator, i. e. Lover of his father, fo called farcaftically, or by way of reproach. He alfo put his mother Cleopatra, and his brother Magus, to death: And, after he had incestuoufly married his own fifter Eurydice, he imbued his hands in her blood alfo, to pleafe his concubine Agathoclea. And being perfuaded, that all the happiness in this life confifted in good chear, wine and women, he gave himself up to fenfuality, and made the good of his people, and the glory of his crown, give place to his paffions and pleafures; infomuch that gave the government of his dominions to Agathoclea and her mother who are fufpected at laft to have poisoned him, in hopes of ufurping the government totally into their own hands. So far they fucceeded, as to fecure his treasure. But the people, who hated them, and refolved to revenge the caufe of the injured and murdered Eurydice, flew Agathocles, their brother, in a rage, and afterwards hanged Agathoclea and her mother.

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Enante;

Ptolemy Epiphanes, i. e. the Illuftrious, the fon of Philopater and Eurydice, fucceeded to the crown; he was only four years old, at his father's death': And Antiochus the Great, King of Syria, thinking his minority would be an eafy conqueft, broke the league, which he had made with Egypt; which obliged the chief men of Alexandria to put their Prince and Country under the protection of the Roman Senate, who prefently obliged Antiochus to defift from his attempt. But the fubtle Antiochus, refolved to try what he could do by art, where he could not act by force, made a new alliance with Epiphanes, gave him his daughter Cleofatra in marriage; and gave her at the fame time to understand, that he bestowed her on Ptolemy, only that fhe might have an opportunity to deftroy him. In which alfo he failed, thro' the prevailing affection Cleopatra had for her husband, who reigned 24 years, during which time he had cruelly oppreffed the Jews.

Ptolemy Philometor, i. e. the lover of his mother, was fo called from that dutiful affection which he bore to his mother Cleopatra. This Philometor died, in the hands of his furgeons, of the wounds he had received in his head by a fall off his horfe in the battle, wherein he conquered Alexander Balus, King of Syria. Cleopatra, both fifter and wife to Philometor, deceafed, de-. fired to fecure the kingdom for her fon; but Ptolemy, her late husband's younger brother, who had reigned in Cyrene, oppofed it, and made himself King; and, finding himfelf diftreffed by Cleopatra's party, he refolved to put an end to all oppofition, by marrying of her, his brother's widow, and fifter to them both. On the very weddingday, this new King killed the young Prince, his nephew, Cleopatra's fon, whilft fhe held him faft in her arms.

This new King was called Ptolemy Phyfcon, i. e. big-bellied, or Euergetes II. and as he mounted his brother's throne, and his bed, by bloodshed and inceft, fo all his future actions were ftained with perfidiousness, cruelty, and inhumanity. In the firft part of his reign, he ftrangled the chief men of Alexandria, who had invited him to accept of the crown; he had no respect either to fex or age: he put away Cleopatra, who was both his wife and fifter, and married her daughter, whom he had formerly deflowered by force: he fent for his eldest fon, who reigned in Cyrene, and put him to death, for fear the inhabitants of Alexandria fhould revolt in his favour; which fo enraged the people, that they fet fire to his palace, forced him to fly to Cyprus to fave himself, and pulled down his ftatues, and defaced his images: which he pretended to lay to the charge of Cleopatra, and, by way of revenge, put that fon, he had by her, to death, and, after he had ordered his body to be cut in pieces, fent them to be ferved at that Princess's table, on the anriverfary of her nativity. Yet, after all, we find this moft barbarous and inhuman of all Kings reconciled to Cleopatra; and he died in Egypt.

B

Ptolemy

Ptolemy Lathurus, i. e. the violent, or amorous, was chofen by the confent of the people, contrary to the inclination of the widow Cleopatra, who promoted the intereft of her fon Alexander. But this artful Queen fo managed her intrigues, that he was obliged to retire into Cyprus, till a reconciliation could be brought about; which was effected by dividing the government between them. He furvived Cleopatra eight years.

It is obferved in the fecond Book of Pliny, that one Eudoxus, failing out of the Arabian gulph, to avoid the difpleasure of this King, arrived at laft in the port of Cadiz ; and that before him another, who had failed from a port of Spain, went into Ethiopia, to traffic there. And in the fame place we read, that, in the time of Quintus Metellus Celer, the King of the Suevi, i. e. Swedes, bordering on the Baltic Sea, prefented to the Romans fome Indians who, departing from their own country for commerce, were caft by tempets on the coaft of Germany. May we not then conclude, that, if this relation be true, and there is no reason to doubt of the veracity of the author, the three parts of the earth known and inhabited by the ancients were difcovered on all fides, and that they paffed with their fhips, not only under the Cape of Good Hope, towards the fouth pole, but also under the north pole, on the other fide of Mufcovy and Tar tary; and that they performed more than the English, Dutch, &c. who have not been able to find a paffage through thofe feas to China and Japan, fo of ten attempted by the navigators for two centuries paft.

Ptolemy Dionyfius, firnamed Auletes, or the Piper, being a great lover of mu fic, and who challenged any one, fkilful in playing on the pipe, to contend with him in that art, was the fon of Lathurus. He purchased the friendship of the Romans, by a prefent of 3,600,000 crowns to Julius Cefar, which fum and fome other fuch like impofitions upon his fubjects, to fupport Cafar in the ci

;

vil wars of Rome, drew upon him the odium of his own fubjects, who rebelled, and drove him from the throne but he was afterwards restored to it by the intereft of Pompey. He ftained this fecond approach to the throne with the blood of his own daughter Berenice, who, with her husband Archefilas, had governed in his abfence.

Ptolemy Dionyfius II. married his eldeft fifter Cleopatra, pursuant to his father's will, that they might reign jointly together. It was to this young King, that Pompey the Great, defeated by Cæfar at Pharfalia, fled for refuge, not doubting of a fecure retreat from him, whofe father he had restored to thefe dominions, only feven years before. But he was disappointed in his expectations; for Ptolemy, being refolved to turn Cleopatra from his bed, and out of the government, thought to. fecure Cefar's intereft and protection against her party, by cutting off Pompey; and accordingly ordered him to be affaffinated, and banished Cleopatra.

Cafar, however content to be deli vered from a rival, could not look upon fuch a perfidy without indignation, and encouraged Cleopatra to caft herfelf under his protection. He fent to find her out; and, fhe being put on fhip-board, landed privately at the foot of a caftle, where the caused herfelf to be bound up among the baggage, and carried on the fhoulders of her guide Apollodorus, to the palace where Cafar was; becaufe, if he had been known, the would infallibly have been ftopped. And now, having her in his power, Cafar reconciled her to Ptolemy; and, at laft finding him perfidious, declared, war against him, deprived him of his Kingdom, and gave it to Cleopatra, by whom he had a fon, named Cefarion, after Ptolemy's death, who is faid to have been drowned.

In the year of the world 3925, Cleopatra was established fole Regent or Queen of Egypt; but fome add, that Cefar married her to Ptolemy junior, then only eleven years old, and the younger brother of her deceased huf.

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