Page images
PDF
EPUB

Anti

his fault, for his army was broken and put to flight. ochus himself was obliged to retreat. He retired to Raphia, and afterwards to Gaza, with the loss of 10,000 men killed, and 4,000 taken prisoners. Finally, finding it impossible for him to maintain himself in that country against Ptolemy, he abandoned all his conquests, and retreated to Antioch with the remains of his army.

The battle of Raphia was fought at the same time with that in which Hannibal defeated Flaminius the consul, on the banks of the lake Thrasymenus in Etruria.

The inhabitants of Colo-Syria and Palestine, having been long accustomed to the yoke of Egypt, were more attached to the Egyptians than to Antiochus; hence, after his retreat, they submitted to Ptolemy with great cheerfulness. The court of the conqueror was soon crowded with ambassadors from all the cities, and from Judea among the rest, to make their submission and to offer him presents.

After receiving these ambassadors, Ptolemy made a progress through his conquered provinces, and among other cities, he visited Jerusalem. We learn from the book of Maccabees that he went to the temple, and even offered sacrifices to the God of Israel; making at the same time oblations and bestowing considerable gifts. Not being satisfied however, with viewing it from the outward court, beyond which no Gentile was allowed to go, he was desirous to enter the sanctuary, and to go even as far as the Holy of Holies, to which no one was allowed access but the high priest, and that but once* every year, on the great day of expiation. See Heb. ix. 7-10. The report of this rash desire soon spread abroad, and it occasioned a great tumult. The high priest informed Ptolemy of the holiness of that place, and the express law of God, by which all others were forbidden to enter it.f The priests and Levites, also, with one accord, opposed his rash

* That is, on not more than one day in the year. During that day, he entered four times: the first time to offer incense; the second time, to sprinkle the blood of the bullock; the third time, with the blood of the goat; and the fourth time, to bring out the censer. If he entered a fifth time that day, it was considered that he was worthy of death.

+ It was death for any one else, priest or layman, to enter the sanctuary. So carefully was this observed and provided for, that, to prevent its being necessary for any one to enter to bring out the body of the high priest in case he should die there before the Lord on the great day of plication, a cord was fastened to his foot, the end of which was left beyond the veil. The Jews were always in fear lest the high priest should perish in performing the services of that great day.

sup

design, and the people at large conjured him to lay it aside. Every place echoed with lamentations, occasioned by the idea. of the profanation to which their temple would be exposed, and the multitude lifted up their hands to implore the interposition of Heaven. This opposition, instead of prevailing with the king, only inflamed his curiosity the more. He forced his way as far as the second court; but as he was preparing to enter the temple itself, he was struck with such terror that he was carried off half dead. After this, he left the city,

highly exasperated against the Jewish nation, and threatening it with vengeance. He kept his word. The following year, B. c. 216, he raised a cruel persecution, especially against the Jews of Alexandria, whom he endeavoured to reduce by force to worship idols.

When Antiochus arrived in Antioch, he sent an embassy to Ptolemy, to sue for peace. The circumstances which prompted him to this were, his suspicions of the fidelity of his people, with whom his credit was lessened since his last defeat, and his desire of checking the progress which Achæus was making in his dominions. To obviate these dangers, he invested his ambassador with powers to give up to Ptolemy the provinces of Cœlo-Syria and Palestine, which were the subject of their contest. A truce was therefore agreed upon for twelve months; and before the expiration of that time, a peace was concluded on the offered terms.

*

Ptolemy, who might have taken advantage of this victory, and probably have conquered all Syria, was desirous of putting an end to the war, that he might devote himself to his pleasures. His subjects, knowing his want of spirit and effeminacy, could not conceive how it had been possible for him to have been so successful; and at the same time they were displeased at his having concluded a peace so readily. The discontent they conceived on this account was the chief source of the subsequent disorders in Egypt, which finally rose to an open rebellion; so that Ptolemy, by endeavouring to avoid a foreign war, drew one upon himself in his own dominions. This occurred B. c. 215; and, according to Polybius, it occasioned a civil war; but neither that author nor any other relates the particulars of that event.

About B. c. 210, the Romans, according to Livy, sent de

*Colo-Syria included that part of Syria which lies between the mountains Libanus and Anti-Libanus and Palestine, or the country which anciently was inherited by the Hebrews: the coast of these two provinces was what the Greeks called Phenicia.

puties to Ptolemy and Cleopatra, (the same queen before called Arsinoe,*) to renew their ancient friendship and alliance with Egypt. These carried, as a present to the king, a robe and purple tunic, with an ivory chair; and to the queen, an embroidered robe and a purple scarf, presents which bear testimony to the happy simplicity which prevailed among the Romans at this period.

During the ten succeeding years, after the signal victory which Philopater had obtained over Antiochus at Raphia, he abandoned himself to pleasures and excesses of every kind. Agathoclea his concubine, Agathocles her brother, and their mother, governed him entirely. All his time was spent in gaming, drinking, and the most infamous irregularities. His nights were passed in debauches, and his days in feasts and revels. Forgetting the duties and character of a king, instead of applying himself to the affairs of state, he valued himself upon presiding at concerts, and his skill in music. The women, Justin says, disposed of every thing. They conferred all employments and governments; and no one had less authority in the kingdom than the king himself. Sosibius, who had been in office during three reigns, was at the helm, and his experience had made him capable of the administration. He could not act indeed as he desired, but as the favourites would permit him; and he was so servile and so wicked, that he paid blind obedience to the unjust commands of a corrupt prince and his unworthy minions.

Arsinoe, it appears, had no power or authority at court during this period. The favourites and prime minister did not, indeed, show her the least respect; and she was not patient enough to suffer every thing without murmuring. At length, the king and those who governed him grew weary of her complaints, and they commanded Sosibius to rid them of her. The degenerate minister obeyed: for that purpose, he employed one Philammon, who, it has been conjectured, was experienced in such barbarous deeds.

This last base action drew upon the head of Sosibius the vengeance of the people; and their clamours were so loud, that he was obliged to quit his employment. He was succeeded by Tlepolemus, a young man of quality, who had signalized himself in the army by his valour and conduct; and

* Justin calls her Eurydice: if he is not in error, this queen had, therefore, three names-Arsinoe, Cleopatra, and Eurydice. Cleopatra was, however, a name common to the queens of Egypt, as that of Ptolemy was to the kings.

who was chosen unanimously by the grand council held for the purpose of choosing a prime minister. Sosibius resigned to him the king's seal, which was the badge of his office. Tlepolemus performed the several functions of it, and governed all the affairs of the kingdom during the king's life. But though this was not long, he discovered that he had not all the qualifications necessary for so difficult a post. He had neither the experience, ability, nor application of his predecessor. As he had the administration of the finances, and disposed of all honours and dignities in the state, all the people were assiduous in making their court to him. He was extremely liberal; but his bounty was bestowed without discernment, and almost solely on those who shared in his pleasures. The extravagant flatteries of those who crowded about his person made him fancy his talents superior to those of all other men till at length he assumed haughty airs, abandoned himself, like his master, to luxury and profusion, and at last grew insupportable to all around him.

In the mean time, Philopater was pursuing his guilty round of pleasure. But it has been well said by the poet, that,

Death treads on pleasure's footsteps round the world,
When pleasure treads the path which reason shuns,
When against reason riot shuts the door,

And luxury supplies the place of sense.-DR. YOUNG.

Before Philopater had lived half the allotted days of man, he fell a victim to his intemperance and excesses. He died B. C. 204, after a reign of seventeen years, and was succeeded in his kingdom by Ptolemy Epiphanes, his son, who was then only five years of age.

PTOLEMY EPIPHANES.

As the only persons present at the death of Philopater were Agathocles, his sister, and their creatures, they concealed it as long as possible from the public, in order that they might have time to possess themselves of the money, jewels, and other valuable effects in the palace. The also formed a plan to maintain themselves in the same authority they had enjoyed under the deceased monarch, by usurping the regency during the minority of his son. They imagined this might easily be done, if they could despatch Tlepolemus and measures were concerted by them for this purpose.

But the mischief they designed for others fell upon their own heads. The people were informed, at length, of the king's death; and a great council of the Macedonians was assembled, in which Agathocles, and Agathoclea his sister were present. Agathocles, with tears in his eyes, opened the proceedings by imploring protection for the infant king, whom he held in his arms. He told them, that his royal sire, in his expiring moments, committed him to the care of Agathoclea, whom he pointed out to them; and had recommended him to the fidelity of the Macedonians: that, for this reason, he was come to implore their assistance against Tlepolemus, who meditated the design of usurping the crown. He offered to bring witnesses to prove the treason of Tlepolemus. But his artifice was too gross to be believed. It served only, indeed, to recall to the remembrance of the people the many other crimes of which the favourites of Philopater had been guilty, and they immediately resolved upon the destruction of Agathocles, his sister, and all their creatures. The young king was taken out of their hands, and seated on the throne in the Hippodrome, after which, Agathocles, his sister, and Enanthe their mother were brought before him, and there put to death as by his order. The populace exposed their dead bodies to all the indignities possible, dragging them through the streets, and literally tearing them to pieces. All their re

lations and creatures met with the same treatment.

Among those who died was Philammon, the assassin who murdered Arsinoe. This man having returned from Cyrene to Alexandria two or three days before the tumult broke out, the ladies of honour of that unfortunate queen had instant notice of it, and taking the opportunity which the distractions of the city gave them, they resolved to revenge her death. Accordingly, they broke open the door of the house where he was, and killed him with clubs and stones.

The care of the king's person was now given to Sosibius, son to him who had governed during the last three reigns. History does not state whether the father was still alive; but it is certain that he lived to a great age, as he had passed above sixty years in the administration. Polybius says, that no minister was ever more corrupt or more subtle than Sosibius. Provided they conduced to his purpose, he made no scruple of committing the blackest crimes. This author, indeed, attributes to him the murder of Lysimachus, son of Ptolemy; of Arsinoe, daughter of that Lysimachus; of Magas, son of Ptolemy; of Berenice, daughter of Magas; of Bere

« PreviousContinue »