succession for her son; but some of the principal lords declaring for Physcon, it was agreed, on the suggestion of the Roman ambassador, that Physcon should marry Cleopatra, the widow of his brother, and reign jointly with her during his life, and that the son of Philometor should be declared next heir to the crown. Physcon, however, had no sooner obtained the kingdom by this marriage, than he murdered the young prince in his mother's arms, He assumed the name Euergetes, or the Benefactor, which his subjects changed into Kakergetes, or the Evil-doer, an appellation to which he had the justest title, for he was the most cruel, wicked, and despicable of the Ptolemies that swayed the Egyptian sceptre. He frequently inundated the streets of Alexandria and Cyrene with blood. He allowed the foreigners who composed his guard, to plunder and massacre the inhabitants of the former city at their pleasure. The few who escaped the horrid slaughter, fled into other countries, and left their native land desolate. He then invited strangers to re-people the place, and, by his edicts, admitted them to all the rights and privileges of the former citizens.

(B. C. 136.) The Romans sent ambassadors to visit Greece and Macedonia, which had been subjected to their government, and to proceed in succession to the courts of Syria, Egypt, Pergamus, and Bithynia, to examine the affairs of these kingdoms. Physcon received them with every mark of distinction, and displayed before them hist riches, and the beauty of his kingdom. They were soon convinced, that nothing was wanted but a prince of abilities and application, to render Egypt one of the most powerful states in the universe.

Physcon falling in love with his niece, who was also named Cleopatra, he first violated, and then married her, having divorced her ill-fated mother for the gratification of his guilty desires. That he might deprive the city of Alexandria of its principal strength, he ordered the gymnasium, or place of public exercises, to be set on fire, in which the young men were assembled, all of whom perished in the flames, or were slaughtered by the king's mercenary guards. This diabolical action exasperated the people, who obliged Physcon to retire to Cyprus with his spouse and son, and placed his divorced queen on the throne. Physcon, therefore, supposing this to have been owing to his former spouse, ordered his son Memphitis, whom the repudiated

Cleopatra had borne to him, to be put to death, and his mangled limbs to be sent in a box to his mother. These acts of cruelty served only to inflame the minds of the people, who resolved to prevent the tyrant from re-ascending the throne; and (B. C. 129.) Cleopatra raised a powerful army, which attacked a numerous body of mercenaries belonging to the king. The forces of Physcon, however, defeated those of Cleopatra, and the tyrant returned to Alexandria, where he died in the sixty-seventh year of his age, and the twenty-ninth of his reign. Notwithstanding his oppressive and iniquitous conduct, he was a patron of literature, conversed with facility on all literary subjects, and enriched the Alexandrian library with many valuable books. By his niece Cleopatra he had two sons, Lathurus and Alexander, and three daughters, Cleopatra, Selene, and Tryphona.

Physcon left the crown to his widow, who might appoint as her successor either of her sons she thought proper. Accordingly, she made choice of Alexander, the younger, as being the easier to govern; but the people obliged her to recal Lathurus from Cyprus, whither he had been banished during his father's life. Lathurus, however, had not long enjoyed the regal dignity before his mother found means to occasion a revolt among the Alexandrians (B. C. 107.), who rose in a general tumult against their sovereign, and would have torn him in pieces, if he had not fortunately embarked in a vessel, which immediately set sail, and carried him beyond the impending danger. Cleopatra instantly sent for Alexander, and having caused him to be proclaimed king of Egypt, obliged Lathurus to be content with the island of Cyprus.

But

Soon after this revolution, the inhabitants of Ptolemais being driven to the utmost extremities by Alexander Jannæus, king of the Jews, sought the assistance of Lathurus, who went immediately to their relief. they, fearing that the alliance of Ptolemy Lathurus might prove as prejudicial to their interests as the enmity of Alexander, resolved to rely entirely on their own exertions, and not to admit any auxiliaries. Lathurus, therefore, irritated at their conduct, turned his arms against them, as well as against Alexander, and defeated the Jews with great slaughter. Having taken up his quarters, after the engagement, in the neighbouring villages, he caused all the female and infant inhabitants to be murdered, and

their mutilated limbs to be put into boiling caldrons, as if he designed to make a repast for his army. This abominable action was intended to strike the deepest terror into the Jews, by representing their enemies as cannibals.

In the mean time, Ptolemy Alexander, the younger brother, suffered all the restraints of slavery, under the specious appearance of sovereign authority; and having endeavoured to make his escape from Egypt, the queen formed a conspiracy against his life, which Alexander turned against that of the projector. As soon as it was known that Ptolemy had caused his mother to be assassinated, the Egyptians rose in a tumult, (B. C. 89.) and drove him ignominiously from his dominions, which they conferred on his brother Lathurus. Alexander, endeavouring to return to Cyprus, was killed, and left a son, who was also named Alexander. Lathurus died, after reigning eleven years jointly with his mother in Egypt, eighteen in Cyprus, and seven alone in Alexandria after the death of Cleopatra.

On the decease of this prince, the sceptre devolved to his only legitimate offspring Cleopatra*; but Sylla, who was at that time perpetual dictator at Rome, sent Alexander, the nephew of Lathurus, to assume the reins of government. On his arrival in Egypt, he was persuaded to espouse the princess, who had been placed on the throne six months before that period; but Cleopatra becoming an object of aversion to her consort, either on account of her person, or her share in the regal dignity, he cruelly caused her to be assassinated nineteen days after the marriage. After this barbarous transaction, Alexander reigned fifteen years, and rendered himself so obnoxious to his subjects, that they at length expelled him. He took refuge in the city of Tyre, whither he had sent great part of his treasures, and where he died. By his last will he declared the Romans heirs to his wealth and his dominions. The Roman senators, however, considered the will as invalid, as far as it related to the kingdom, but sent to Tyre for the effects which the deceased prince had bequeathed to their republic.

(B. C. 58.) The Egyptians bestowed the crown on

*To obviate many obscurities in the Egyptian history, it is necessary to observe, that the males of the royal family had the name of Ptolemy, and the females that of Cleopatra, though they were distinguished from each other by proper denominations.

Ptolemy Auletes*, the natural son of Lathurus, who knowing that he possessed only a contested title to his new dignity, purchased an alliance with the Romans at the price of six thousand talents, which he could not raise without burdening his people with very heavy taxes. This occasioned a general discontent throughout the kingdom; and the king refusing a popular request respecting the isle of Cyprus, the people revolted from their allegiance, and demanded vengeance on the object of their aversion. But Auletes privately withdrew from Alexandria, and embarked for Rhodes, with an intention of imploring the assistance of the Romans. At Rhodes he met with Cato, who would have dissuaded him from his purpose of soliciting the aid of the Roman people, and who advised him to return to Egypt, and to endeavour by a wise and moderate government to regain the affections of his subjects. (B. C. 57.) Auletes, however, pursued his journey to Rome, and by bribes and promises so ingratiated himself with the principal men of the city, that he was on the point of obtaining a large army, when C. Cato, an enterprising young man, read, or pretended to read, in the Sybilline books, the following words: "If a king of Egypt shall apply to you for succour, assist him, but not with an army: if you adopt violent measures, you must expect great misfortunes." To obviate this prediction, which was evidently forged, Pompey advised Ptolemy to recur to Gabinius, who acted as proconsul of Syria, and who undertook to reinstate the king for the sum of about two millions sterling.

In the mean time, the Egyptians had placed the diadem on the head of Berenice, the daughter of Auletes, who married Archelaus, son of the high-priest of Comana, but the pretended son of Mithridates the Great. Gabinius entered Egypt with a numerous army, and was met and engaged by Archelaus, whose troops were cut in pieces, and himself was taken prisoner. Archelaus, however, obtained his liberty, on paying a considerable ransom to Gabinius, who demanded from Auletes fresh sums of money for prosecuting the war. At length, Archelaus was killed in an engagement, and Auletes re-settled on his throne. Berenice was sacrificed to the resentment of her inhuman father;

* He was called Auletes, because he prided himself on his skill in playing on the flute.

and most of the wealthy citizens were put to death by command of the king, who confiscated their estates, that he might pay the reward which he had promised to Gabinius. Every species of violence was daily practised with impunity; but neither the authority of the monarch, nor the presence of the Roman soldiers, could prevent the populace from avenging an insult done to the gods of their country; for a Roman soldier having killed a cat, the Alexandrians rose in a general insurrection, and, in spite of the Roman guards, put the offender to death.

C. Rabirius Posthumus, who had lent Auletes the greatest part of the money which he had borrowed at Rome, accepted the office of receiver-general, that he might pay himself as he collected the revenues. Auletes, however, soon found a sufficient pretence to have him arrested; and Rabirius was glad to escape from prison, and to quit Egypt, without receiving his money.

Auletes died four years after his re-establishment in the kingdom, and thirty after he had first assumed the government. He left two sons, both called Ptolemy, and two daughters, Cleopatra and Arsinoë; and he bequeathed his crown to his eldest son and daughter, whom he commanded to marry, and to govern with equal authority. And because they were both under age, he recommended them to the Romans, who appointed Pompey the young prince's guardian.

(B. C. 48.) As Ptolemy, the successor of Auletes, was a minor, under Pothinus an eunuch, prime-minister, and Achillas commander of the army, these men, with a selfinterested view, deprived Cleopatra of her share in the government. This princess, whose high spirit could never bear an insult, quitted the kingdom, and retired immediately into Syria, where she raised a powerful army, which she led into Egypt against her husband and his ministers. While both armies were in sight of each other, between mount Casius and Pelusium, Pompey having lost the battle of Pharsalia, was seen approaching the coast of Egypt, and sent to his pupil Ptolemy to request permission to enter his kingdom. The ministers of the king, however, caused Pompey to be assassinated, in order to secure the friendship of Julius Cæsar.

*This was the famous Cleopatra, who had afterwards a considerable share in occasioning the civil wars of Rome.