in Jerufalem. That city furrenders by capi- tulation. He makes war against the Par- thians, and perishes in it. Phraates, king of the Parthians, defeated in his turn by the Scythi- ans. Phyfcon commits most horrible cruelties in Egypt. A general revolt obliges him to uit it. Cleopatra, his first wife, is replaced upon the throne. She implores aid of Deme- trius, and is foon reduced to leave Egypt. Phyfcon returns thither and reafcends the throne. By his means Zabina dethrones De- metrius, who is foon after killed. The king- dom is divided between Cleopatra, the wife of Demetrius and Zebina. Antiochus Grypus afcends the throne of Syria. The famous Mi- thridates begins to reign in Pontus. Phyf- SECT. VI. Ptolemy Lathyrus fucceeds Phyfcon. War between Grypus and his brother Antiochus of Cyzicum for the kingdom of Syria. Hyr- canus fortifies himself in Judea. His death. Ariftobulus fucceeds him, and affumes the title of king. He is fucceeded by Alexander Jannæus. Cleopatra drives Lathyrus out of E- gypt, and places Alexander his youngest bro- ther on the throne in his lead. War between that princefs and her fons. Death of Grypus. Ptolemy Apion leaves the kingdom of Cyre- naica to the Romans. Continuation of the wars in Syria and Egypt. The Syrians choofe Tigranes king. Lathyrus is re-efta- blished upon the throne of Egypt. He dies. Alexander his nephew fucceeds him. Nico- medes, king of Bithynia, makes the Roman VII. Selena, fiiter of Lathyrus, conceives hopes of the crown of Egypt, fhe fends two of her fons to Rome for that purpofe. The eldeft, called Antiochus, on his return goes to Sicily. Ver- Page tiochus, furnamed Afiaticus, after having reigned four years over part of Syria, is difpoffeffed of his dominions by Pompey, who reduces Syria into a province of the Roman empire. Troubles in Judea and Egypt. The Alexandrians expel Alexander their king, aud fet Ptolemy Auletes on the throne in his ftead. Alexander at his death makes the Roman people his heirs. In confequence, fome years after, they ordered Ptolemy, king of Cyprus, brother of Auletes, to be depofed, confifcate his fortunes, and feize that ifland. The celebrated Cato is charged with this commiffion, 245 Page. Abridgement of the hiftory of the Jews from Arifto bulus, fon of Hyrcanus, who first affumed the rank of king, to the reign of Herod the Great, the Idumæan, 261 SECT. I. Reign of Ariftobulus I. which lafted two years, 262 II. Reign of Alexander Jannæus, which continued twenty-feven years, III. Reign of Alexandria, the wife of Alexander 264 268 IV. Reign of Ariftobulus II. which continued fix years, 272 V. Reign of Hyrcanus II. which continued twenty-four years, 277 VI. Reign of Antigonus, of only two years dura tion, ARTICLE II. Abridgement of the hiftory of the Parthians, from the etablishment of that empire to the defeat of Craffus, which is related at large, ARTICLE III. Abridgement of the hiftory of the kings of Cappadocia, from the foundation of that kingdom to the time when it became a province of the Roman empire, 281 284 322 THE THE HISTORY OF ALEXANDER's SUCCESSORS. This nineteenth book contains three articles. In the first, the hiftory of PERSEUS, the last king of Macedonia, is related: He reigned eleven years, and was dethroned in the year of the world 3836. The fecond article goes on from the defeat of PERSEUS to the ruin of Corinth, which was taken and burnt in the year of the world 3858, and includes fomething more than twenty-one years. The third article contains the history of Syria, and that of Egypt, which are generally joined together. That of Syria continued almost an hundred years from ANTIOCHUS EUPATOR, fon of ANTIOCHUS EPIPHANES, to ANTIOCHUS ASIATICUS, under whom Syria became a province of the Roman empire; that is to fay, from the' year of the world 3840 to 3939. The history of Egypt includes alfo one hundred years, from the twentieth year of PTOLEMÆUS PHILOMETOR till the expulfion of ProLEMÆUS AULETES; that is, from the year of the world 3845 to the year 3946. T HIS article contains eleven years, being the nia, from the year of the world 3826 to 3837. SECT. SECT. I. PERSEUS prepares fecretly for a war against the * Romans. He endeavours a reconciliation with the Achaans in vain. His fecret meafures not. unknown at Rome. EUMENES arrives there, and informs the fenate of them. PERSEUS attempts to rid himself of that prince, first by afaffination, and afterwards by poison. The Romans break with PERSEUS. Different opinions and difpofitions of the kings and ftates, in regard to the Macedonian war. After feveral embaffies on both fides, the war is declared in form. HE death of Philip (a) happened very opportunely for fufpending the war against the Romans, and giving them time to prepare for it. That prince had formed a strange defign, and had already begun to put it in execution; which was, to bring a confiderable body of troops, both horfe and foot, from European Sarmatia (part of Poland). Certain Gauls had fettled 'near the mouths of the Boryfthenes, now called the Nieper, and had taken the name of Baftarnæ. That people were neither accustomed to till the earth, to feed cattle, nor to follow commerce: they lived by war, and fold their fervices to any people that would employ them. After having paffed the Danube, Philip was to have fettled them upon the lands of the Dardanians, whom he had refolved utterly to exterminate; because, being very near neighbours of Macedonia, they never failed to take every favourable OCcafion for making irruptions into it. The Baftarnæ were to leave their wives and children in this new fettlement, and to march into Italy, in order to enrich themselves with the booty they were in hopes of making there. Whatever the fuccefs might be, Philip conceived he should find great advantages in it: if it fhould happen that the Bastarne were conquered by the Romans, he fhould eafily be confoled for their defeat, in feeing himself delivered from the Dardanians by their (a) A. M. 3926. Ant. J. C. 178. Liv. 1. xl. n. 57, 58. Orof. liv. € 20. their means; and if their irruption into Italy fucceeded, whilft the Romans were employed in repulfing these new enemies, he fhould have time to recover all he had loft in Greece. The Baftarna were already upon their march, and were confiderably advanced, when they received advice of Philip's death. This news, and several accidents that befel them, fufpended their first defign, and they difperfed into different parts. Antigonus, whom Philip intended for his fucceffor, had been employed against his will in negotiating this affair. At his return, Perfeus put him to death; and to affure himself the better of the throne, fent ambaffadors to the Romans, to demand that they would renew with him the alliance they had made with his father, and that the fenate would acknowledge him king. His fole intent was to gain time. Part of the Baftarna (b) had purfued their rout, and were actually at war with the Dardanians. The Romans took umbrage at it. Perfeus excufed himself by his ambassadors, and reprefented, that he had not fent for them, and had no share in their enterprise. The fenate, without making any further inquiry into the affair, contented themfelves with advifing him to take care that he observed inviolably the treaty with the Romans. The Baftarnæ, after having gained fome advantages at firft, were at length reduced, the greatest part of them at leaft, to return into their own country. It is faid, that having found the Danube frozen over, in endeavouring to pass it, the ice broke under them, and a great number of them were fwallowed up in the river. It was known at Rome (c), that Perfeus had sent ambaffadors to Carthage, and that the fenate had given them audience in, the night, in the temple of Æfculapius. It was thought proper to fend ambaffadors into Macedonia, to observe the conduct of that prince. He B 2 (b) A. M. 3829. Ant. J. C. 175. Frienfheim in Liv. had |