whom he had so deeply injured. Philometer's gentleness of heart appeared conspicuous upon this occasion. After all that Physcon had devised and executed against him, it was expected that he would make him sensible of his indignation and revenge. But how lovely was the reverse! He not only freely forgave him, but restored him Libya and Cyrenaica, and added, farther, some amends in lieu of the island of Cyprus. This act of generosity put an end to the war between the two brothers; and the Romans were ashamed of opposing any longer a prince of such distinguished clemency.

Christian reader, go and do thou likewise. If thy brother trespass against thee, copy the example of this pagan monarch, and forgive him. But thou art taught to perform a nobler action even than this. "But I say unto you," says the blessed Redeemer, "Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you; that ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust," Matt. v. 44, 45.

On his return to Alexandria, Philometer appointed Archias governor of Cyprus. This man had formerly served Ptolemy with great fidelity, and even attended him to Rome when he was driven from his kingdom. But as he was of a covetous temper, his fidelity was not proof against gold; he agreed with Demetrius, king of Syria, to betray Cyprus to him for 500 talents. The treachery was discovered before it was carried into effect, and the traitor, to avoid punishment, laid violent hands on himself. Ptolemy, being disgusted with Demetrius for his attempt upon Cyprus, joined Attalus king of Pergamus, and Ariarathes king of Cappadocia, in setting up Alexander Balas as a pretender to his crown, and supporting him with all the strength of his kingdom.

About B. c. 150, Alexander, who had become master of the empire of Syria, sent to demand Cleopatra, the daughter of Philometer king of Egypt, in marriage. She was granted him; and her father conducted her in person to Ptolemais, where the nuptials were celebrated.

The same year, Onias, son of Onias III., who had retired into Egypt in consequence of being disappointed of the highpriesthood after the death of Menelaus his uncle, obtained permission of Philometer for building a temple for the Jews in Egypt, like that in Jerusalem; and at the same time, he obtained a grant of the high-priesthood to him and his descend

ants for ever. Philometer was induced to make this grant, by the assurances of Onias that such a favour would bring the whole nation over to his side against Antiochus Epiphanes. His act was therefore one of policy, and readily performed. But Onias had some difficulty to make the Jews accede to this innovation; it being strictly forbidden by the law to offer sacrifices in any place but the temple of Jerusalem. He overcame their repugnance, however, through the means of a passage in Isaiah, wherein the prophet foretells the event in these

terms:

"In that day shall five cities * in the land of Egypt Speak the language of Canaan,

And swear to the Lord of hosts;

One shall be called, The city of destruction.t
In that day shall there be an altar to the Lord
In the midst of the land of Egypt,

And a pillar at the border thereof to the Lord.
And it shall be for a sign and for a witness

Unto the Lord of hosts in the land of Egypt:

For they shall cry unto the Lord because of the oppressors,
And he shall send them a saviour, and a great one,

And he shall deliver them.

And the Lord shall be known to Egypt,

And the Egyptians shall know the Lord in that day,

And shall do sacrifice and oblation;

Yea, they shall vow a vow unto the Lord, and perform it."+

Isa. xix. 18-21.

* These "five cities" were probably those in which the Jews chiefly resided. Some think a definite number is used for an indefinite one, while others conceive that four of the cities are those named Jer. xliv. l, the fifth being that particularly mentioned as "The city of destruction," or, as it is in the margin, Heres, "The city of the sun.'

There has been much discussion about this clause, arising from the word rendered destruction. The Hebrew word, heres, by the change of a single letter, easily mistaken by a transcriber, becomes cheres, the sun, which makes the clause read, "The city of the sun," which would refer to Heliopolis. Lowth, Boothroyd, and others, follow the Vulgate in adopting the last reading. Onias understood the prophecy, that the temple should be built in the district or nome of Heliopolis, where it was accordingly built on the site of a ruined temple of Bubastis. He called the city which contained the temple after his own name, Onion. It was situated about twenty-four miles from Memphis, and remained till the time of Vespasian, who ordered it to be destroyed.

Philo estimated the number of Jews in Egypt at not less than one million. Through the presence of so many, together with the translation of the Old Testament into Greek at the instance of Ptolemy Philadelphus, the Lord must in some degree have been known in Egypt, and the Egyp tians have known the Lord. We read, indeed, Acts ii. 10, of dwellers in Egypt, "Jews and proselytes," among those who went up to Jerusalem to keep the feast of Pentecost.

The event here predicted by Isaiah is one of the most singular, and at the same time the most remote from all proba bility of ever coming to pass. Nothing was more strictly for bidden to the Jews than to offer sacrifices to God in any other place but the temple at Jerusalem. How sacrilegious, then, must it have been considered by the Jews to erect a temple elsewhere, especially in a land so polluted with gross idolatry as Egypt was, and among a people who were always at enmity with the people of God! But the word of God had gone forth that such an event should occur; and no power or device could prevent or retard its accomplishment.

In the year B. c. 146, Philometer marched with a large army into Palestine, to the aid of his son-in-law against Demetrius, the son of that Demetrius whom they had deposed, and who now sought to regain his father's kingdom. All the cities opened their gates to him, according to orders they received from Alexander. Upon his arrival, however, at Ptolemais, a conspiracy was discovered, which had been formed by Ammonius, the prime minister of Alexander, against the life of Philometer. As Alexander refused to deliver up the traitor, he concluded that he had entered into the conspiracy himself, and in consequence took his daughter from him, gave her to Demetrius, and made a treaty with him, by which he engaged to aid him in re-ascending the throne of his father, which he accomplished. He marched against Alexander, routed his army in the neighbourhood of Antioch, and thereby established Demetrius upon the throne. But in this battle he received wounds of which he died some few days after. His death occurred B. c. 145, after a reign of thirty-five years.

Polybius, who was the contemporary of Philometer, gives him this character: "He was an enemy to all kinds of cruelty and oppression, averse from spilling the blood of his subjects, and so much inclined to mercy, that during the period of his long reign, he put none of his nobles, nor even of the citizens of Alexandria to death, though some of them well deserved it. Though his brother," continues the same writer, "had provoked him to the highest degree, and committed such crimes as to others would have seemed unpardonable, yet he not only forgave him, but treated him with the affection of a kind brother." Josephus and Justin agree with Polybius in their estimate of Philometer's character; but the au thor of the book of Maccabees represents him as an ambitious prince, trampling under foot the most sacred laws of justice and nature, to raise himself on the ruins of his son-in-law,

Alexander Balas. Aristobulus, an Alexandrian Jew, and a peripatetic philosopher of great note, is said to have been Ptolemy's preceptor, and to have dedicated to him a comment

which he wrote on the five books of Moses.

PTOLEMY PHYSCON.

The succession of Egypt was attended in the first instance with some difficulty. Cleopatra, wife of Philometer, endeavoured to place the crown upon the head of her son. She was supported in her designs by some of the lords of the kingdom; but others, declaring for Physcon, sent ambassadors to desire him to come to Alexandria. This obliging Cleopatra to take measures for her defence, she had recourse to Onias and Dositheus, two Jews, who had the sole management of affairs during the last years of Philometer's reign. These, with an army of their countrymen, hastened to her assistance. Before hostilities commenced, however, matters were compromised by the interposition of Thermus a Roman ambassador at that time in Alexandria. It was agreed that Physcon should marry Cleopatra, and educate her son, who should be declared heir to the crown; and that Physcon should possess it during his life. But Physcon had no sooner married the queen, than looking with jealousy on the young prince, whose birth entitled him to the crown, he murdered him in the arms of his mother.

The reader has seen that the surname of Physcon given to this prince was properly a nickname. That which he took himself was Euergetes, which signifies "a benefactor." The Alexandrians changed it into that of Cacoergetes, or, "one who delights in doing harm," a name to which he had a just title; for he was the most cruel, wicked, and at the same time, the most vile and despicable of the Ptolemies who reigned in Egypt. He began his reign with the murder of his nephew, and he continued it to the last with similar cruelty and wickedness. He was no sooner seated on the throne, than he caused all those to be put to death who had lamented the fate of the young prince. Transported with rage against the Jews, also, for having espoused the cause of Cleopatra, he used them more like slaves than subjects. His own people were treated no better by him than the Jews. Every day he put some of them to death, either on groundless suspicions, or for trifling faults, or to gratify his inhuman caprice. Those who had the greatest share in the confidence of his brother Philometer

were sacrificed the first, and next to them most of the leading men, who had declared in his own favour against Cleopatra ; for as they had by their interest placed him on the throne, so he apprehended they might drive him from it, and therefore, says Justin, he resolved to despatch his own friends, after he had rid himself of his brother's.

In the second year of his reign, queen Cleopatra brought him a son, while he was employed in the performance of certain religious ceremonies, practised, according to the rites of Egypt, by their kings soon after their accession to the throne. Physcon was transported with joy at the birth of a son, whom he designed for a successor, and he called him Memphitis, from the ceremonies which he was discharging at the time of his birth in the city of Memphis. He could not, however, forbear his cruel practices, even during the public rejoicings on this festive occasion: he caused some of the lords of Cyrene to be barbarously murdered for having cast some reflections on one of his favourite concubines, named Irene.

On his return to Alexandria, Physcon banished all those who had been brought up with his brother Philometer, and, without provocation, gave his guards, who consisted of Greek and Asiatic mercenaries, free liberty to murder and plunder the inhabitants at pleasure; and the cruelties practised by these inhuman wretches upon this license are not to be expressed. Justin and Athenæus tell us, that not only the private houses, but the streets and the temples streamed daily with the blood of the innocent citizens.The Alexandrians were so terrified, indeed, that many of them fled into other countries, leaving their native city almost desolate. To supply their places, when he perceived that nothing remained but empty houses, he caused proclamation to be made in all the neighbouring countries, that whosoever should come and settle there should meet with the greatest encouragement and advantages. Upon this invitation, great numbers flocked thither, to whom he gave the habitations of those who had filed, and whom he admitted to all the rites, privileges, and immunities of the former citizens.

As there were among those who quitted Egypt on this occasion, many grammarians, philosophers, physicians, geometricians, and masters of other liberal arts and sciences, by their means learning was revived in Greece, Asia Minor, the islands of the Archipelago, and in other places where they settled. The wars which had been raging for a long space of time among the successors of Alexander had almost extin