"received from nature. Revere the gods their founders; "refpect their heroes, the ancient glory of their nation, and the facred antiquity of their cities, the dignity, "great exploits, and even fables and vanity of that peo"ple. Remember, it is from thofe fources that we "have derived our law; that we did not impose our "laws upon them, after we had conquered them, but "that they gave us theirs, at our request, before they were acquainted with the power of our arms. In a "word, it is to Athens you are going; it is at Lacede<< mon you are to command. It would be inhuman and barbarous to deprive them of that faint image, that "shadow which they retain of their ancient liberty." Whilst the Roman empire was declining, that empire of genius, of the mind, always fupported itself, without participating in the revolutions of the other. Greece was reforted to for education and improvement from all parts of the world. In the fourth and fifth centuries, thofe great lights of the church, St. Bazil, St. Gregory Nazianzen, St. Johannes Chryfoftom, went to Athens, to imbibe, as at their fource, all the profane fciences. The emperors themfelves (z), who could not go to Greece, brought Greece in a manner home to them, by receiving the moft celebrated philofophers into their palaces, in order to their being intrufted with the education of their children, and to improve themfelves by their inftructions. Marcus Aurelius, even whilft he was emperor, went to hear the philofophers Apollonius and Sextus, and to take leffons from them as a common disciple. By a new kind of victory, unknown before, Greece had impofed its laws on Egypt and the whole East, from whence fhe had expelled barbarifm, and introduced a tafte for the arts and sciences in its room; obliging, by a kind of right of conqueft, all thofe nations to receive her language, and adopt her cuftoms: A teftimonial highly for the glory of a people, and which argues a much more illuftrious fuperiority than that not founded in merit, but folely upon the force of arms. Plutarch obferves fomewhere, (x) Tit. Antoninus, M. Aurelias, Lucius Verus, &c. fomewhere, that no Greek ever thought of learning Latin, and that a Roman who did not understand Greek, was in no great estimation. ARTICLE III. "T feems, that after the fubjection of Macedonia and Greece to the Romans, our hiftory, confined for the future to two principal kingdoms, thofe of Egypt and Syria, fhould become more clear and intelligible than ever. I am, however, obliged to own, that it will be more obfcure and perplexed than it has been hitherto, especially in regard to the kingdom of Syria, in which several kings not only fucceed one another in a fhort space, but fometimes reign jointly, and, at the fame time, to the number of three or four, which occafions a confusion difficult to unravel, and from which I find it hard to extricate myfelf. This induces me to prefix, in this place, the names, fucceffion, and duration of the reigns of the kings of Egypt and Syria. This fmall chronological abridgment may contribute to caft some light upon facts which are exceedingly complex, and ferve as a clue to guide the reader in a kind of labyrinth, where the most clearfighted will have occafion for affiftance. It enlarges the work a little, but it may be paffed over, and recourse be only had to it, when it is neceffary to be fet right: I infert it here only with that view. This third article contains the space of an hundred years for the kingdom of Egypt, from the twentieth year of Ptolemy Philometor, to the expulfion of Ptolemy Auletes from the throne; that is, from the year of the world three thousand eight hundred and forty-five, to three thousand nine hundred and forty-fix. Asto the kingdom of Syria, the fame article contains alfo almoft the space of an hundred years from Antiochus E pator to Antiochus Afiaticus, under whom Syria becane a province of the Roman empire; that is, from the year of the world three thousand eight hundred and forty, to the year three thoufand nine hundred and thirty-nine. SECT. 1. A chronological abridgement of the hiftory of the kings 3824. PTOLEMY PHILOMETOR. He reigned fomething more than thirty-four years. This article contains only fourteen years of his reign. Differences between Philometor and his brother Evergetes, or Physcon. 3859. PTOLEMY EVERGETES, otherwife called Phyfcon, brother of Philometor, afcends the throne, and marries Cleopatra, Philometor's wife. Phyfcon f Egypt and Syria, as mentioned in the third article. KINGS OF SYRIA. A.M ANTIOCHUS EUPATOR, aged nine years, fuc- 3840. ceeds his father Antiochus Epiphanes. He reigns only two years. DEMETRIUS SOTER, fon of Seleucus Philo- 3842. pater, having escaped from Rome, afcends the throne... Bala, under the name of Alexander, giving 3851.himself out for the fon of Antiochus Epiphanes, feizes the throne of Syria. He is fupported by the Romans. Demetrius is killed in a battle. He had reigned twelve years. ALEXANDER BALA.. He reigns almost five 3859. years. Ptolemæus Philometor declares against him in favour of Demetrius Nicator, fon of Demetrius Soter. |