A.M.

KINGS OF EGYPT.

3923. Death of Lathyrus.

ALEXANDER II. fon of Alexander I. under Sylla's protection, is chofen king. He marries Cleopatra, called otherwife Berenice, and kills her feventeen days after. He reigned fifteen years.

The Alexandrians expel Alexander.

3939. PTOLEMY AULETES, baftard fon of Lathyrus, is placed upon the throne.

The

KINGS OF SYRIA.

A.M.

3921.

The Syrians, weary of fo many divifions and revolutions, elect TIGRANES KING OF ARMENIA. He reigns by a viceroy fourteen years.

Eufebes takes refuge 3923. in Cilicia, where he remains concealed.

Selena hiswife,retains part of Phoenicia and Coelofyria, and gives her two fons a good education.

Tigranes recalls Me- Syria, being unpro- 3935. gadates his viceroy from vided with troops, ANSyria, who commanded TIOCHUS

ASIATICUS,

there fourteen years in his fon of Antiochus Eu

name.

febes, takes poffeffion of
fome part of the country,

and reigns there during

four years.

Pompey deprives An- 3939. tiochus Afiaticus of his dominions, and reduces Syria into a province of the Roman empire. The houfe of the Seleucides is extinct with him.

SECT.

SECT. II. Antiochus Eupator, aged nineteen, fucceeds his father Antiochus Epiphanes in the kingdom of Syria. Demetrius, who had been long an hostage at Rome, demands in vain to return to Syria. Celebrated victories of Judas Maccabaus against the generals of the king of Syria, and the king himself in perfon. Long differences between the two Ptolemies, brothers, and kings of Egypt, terminated at length by an happy peace.

W

*

E have long loft fight of the hiftory of the kings of Syria, and that of the kings of Egypt, which have generally no finall connection with each other. I am now going to refume the thread of them, which will not be interrupted any more.

Antiochus furnamed Eupator, aged only nineteen fucceeded his father Antiochus Epiphanes, in the kingdom of Syria. The latter, at his death, fent for Philip his favourite, who had been brought up with him. He gave him the regency of the kingdom during his fon's minority, and put his crown, fignet, and all other marks of the royal dignity, into his hands; recommending to him above all things, to employ his whole care in educating his fon in fuch a manner, as was moft proper to inftruct him in the art of reigning.

Philip on his arrival at Antioch, found that another had ufurped the employment, which the late king had confided to him. Lyfias, upon the firft advice of the death of Epiphanes, had placed his fon Antiochus upon the throne, whofe governour he was, and had taken upon himfelf, with the guardianfhip, the reins of the government without any regard to the king's regulation at his death. Philip knew well that he was not at that time in a condition to difpute it with him, and retired into Egypt

A. M. 3840. Ant. J. C. 164. Appian. in Syr. p. 117. 1 Maccab. vi. 17. 2 Maccab. ix. 29. & x. 10-13. Jofeph. Antiq. 1. xii. c. 14. *It is treated laft towards the end of Book XVIII. Article II. Sect. I and III.

in hopes of finding, at that court the affistance he wanted for the repoffeffion of his right, and the expulfion of the ufurper.

Much about the fame time Ptolemy Macron, governour of Ceelofyria and Paleftine, from the enemy he had been till then to the Jews, became on a fudden their friend; moved, as the fcripture fays, with the crying injustice which had been committed in regard to them. He put a flop to the rigour of the perfecution againft them, and employed his whole credit to obtain a peace for them. By this conduct he gave his enemies occafion to hurt him. They prejudiced the king against him, by reprefenting him perpetually as a traitor; becaufe he had in reality betrayed the interefts of his first mafter, Ptolemy Philometor, king of Egypt, who had intrufted him with the government of the ifland of Cyprus, and had given up that island to Antiochus Epiphanes, upon entering into his fervice. For, how advantageous foever the treafon might be, the traitor, as is ufual, was hated. At length, they did fo much by their clamours and cabals, that he was deprived of his government which was given to Lyfias; no other poft or penfion being conferred on him to fupport his dignity. He had not force of mind enough to bear his downfall, and poifoned himfelf; an end he had well deferved for his treason, and fhare in the cruel perfecution of the Jews.

Judas Maccabæus at this time fignalized his valour by feveral confiderable victories over the enemies of the people of God, who continually made an implacable war againft him. The little time that Antiochus Epiphanes furvived the favourable inclinations he had expreffed for the Jews, would not admit him to revoke in form his decree for obliging them to change their religion. The court of Syria, which always confidered the Jews as rebels defirous of throwing off its yoke, and had great intereft in making fo powerful a neighbouring people fubmit to it, had no regard to fome tranfient demonflrations of the. dying prince's favour to them. They always perfifted

b 1 Maccab. v. 16--68. 2 Maccab. x. 14-38.

in

in the fame principles of policy, and continued to look upon that nation as an enemy, whofe fole view was to hake off their chains, and to fupport themselves in liberty of confcience, with regard to religion. Such were the difpofitions of Syria in regard to the Jews.

с

Demetrius, fon of Seleucus Philopator, who, from the year his father died, had remained an hoftage at Rome, was in his twenty-third year, when he was informed of the death of Antiochus Epiphanes, and the acceffion of his fon Eupator to the crown, which he pretended to be his right, as the fon of Epiphanes's eldest brother. He propofed to the fenate his re-establishment upon his father's throne; and to engage them in it, he reprefented, that having been bred up at Rome, he should always regard it as his native country, the fenators as his fathers, and their fons as his brothers. The fenate had more regard for the interefts of the republic than the right of Demetrius, and thought it more advantageous for the Romans, that there fhould be a king, in his minority upon the throne of Syria than a prince like Demetrius, who might at length become formidable to them. They therefore made a decree to confirm Eupator, and fent Cn. Octavius, Sp. Lucretius, and L. Aurelius, with the character of ambassadors, into Syria, to regulate all things conformably to the treaty. made with Antiochus the Great. The fame ambaffadors had inftructions to accommodate, if poffible, the differences of the two kings of Egypt.

Lyfias, terrified by the victories of Judas Maccabæus, formed an army of fourfcore thousand foot, and took with him all the cavalry of his kingdom, with fourfcore elephants: at the head of all thefe forces he marched into Judæa, with the refolution to fettle strange inhabitants that worshipped idols in Jerufalem. He opened the campaign with the fiege of Bethfura, a fortrefs between Idumæa and Jerufalem. Judas Maccabæus, and the whole people, befeeched the LORD, with tears in their eyes, to

fend

A. M. 3841. Ant. J. C. 163. Polyb. Legat. cvii. Justin. 1. xxxiv. c. 3. Appian. in Syr. p. 117. d 2 Maccab. ix. 1-38. x. 1-7. xiii. 1—24. i Maccab. v. 65–68. vi, 19–63. Jofeph. Antiq. c. xii.