Soter, king of Syria, whose daughter he had married; and this led to a war with Syria, B. D. 264, which continued for some years, but was at length concluded, Ptolemy giving his daughter Berenice in marriage to Antiochus Theos, B. C. 249. He was succeeded by

his son,

PTOLEMY III., surnamed EVERGETES, B. C. 246. This prince immediately turned his arms against Syria, in revenge for the death of his sister Berenice, who had been repudiated by Antiochus, and murdered by his former wife Laodice. He ravaged Syria, and returned home laden with spoils. These events had been predicted by the prophet Daniel, (see p. 310.) Three years afterwards a peace was concluded with Syria for ten years, B. C. 243. He supported Cleomenes, king of Sparta, in a war against the Achæan confederacy, B. C. 227. He was succeeded by his son,

PTOLEMY IV. surnamed PHILOPATER, B. C. 221, a base and impious prince. He was soon called to defend himself against Antiochus the Great, king of Syria, whom he successfully opposed; defeated him in the battle of Raphia, B. C. 217, and forced him to a peace the next year. Being offended with the Jews for opposing his inspection of the temple at Jerusalem, he executed great barbarities upon that people; (see p. 176, 311). He was succeeded by his

son,

PTOLEMY V., surnamed EPIPHANES, B. C. 204, who being only four years of age, Antiochus the Great took advantage of his minority, to attempt the recovery of the advantages lately obtained over Syria by the Egyptian monarchs; and for this purpose entered into a confederacy with Philip of Macedon for the conquest of Egypt. The Alexandrians applied to Rome for protection for their young king, and in consequence, Aristomenes, an Acarnanian, but well experienced in the Egyptian affairs, was appointed by the Romans guardians to Ptolemy, B. C. 203. Under Aristomenes the government was managed with great prudence; he recruited his army with Greek mercenaries, B. C. 200, and sent them into Palestine under Scopas, who took Jerusalem, B. C. 199. But the following year he was defeated in the battle of Paneas, B. C. 198; after which Antiochus besieged him in Sidon, and forced him to capitulate on terms of life only. The next year Antiochus, who wished to be left at liberty to prosecute other wars, concluded a peace with Egypt, giving Ptolemy Epiphanes his daughter Cleopatra in marriage, B. C. 197. This compact, and the wars that preceded it, had been predicted by the prophet Daniel, (see p. 311, 313). Epiphanes left two sons, the eldest of whom,

"

PTOLEMY VI., Surnamed PHILOMETOR, Succeeded him at the age of six years, under the guardianship of his mother Cleopatra, B. C. 180. A war with Syria was begun, B. C. 171, in which Philometer being taken prisoner by Antiochus Epiphanes, the Egyptians placed PTOLEMY VII., surnamed EVERGETES II., and PHYSCON, upon the throne, B. C. 170. Philometor was restored by Antiochus, B. C. 164, and perceiving that the latter had interested views respecting

him, came to an agreement with Physcon to reign conjointly, and turned their combined forces against Antiochus as a common enemy. But Antiochus was no sooner suppressed, than a civil war broke out between the brothers. The Romans, to whom Physcon appealed, settled the dispute by dividing the empire between them, confirming Philometor in the possession of Egypt and Cyprus, and giving the government of Libya and Cyrene to Physcon. Upon the death of Philometor, Physcon succeeded to Egypt also, although Philometor had left a son, on whose part Cleopatra, the widow of the late king, claimed the throne, B. C. 146. The history of Egypt and Syria during this period, has been remarkably anticipated by the prophet Daniel, in the prophecy of "the things noted in the Scripture of Truth." See p. 309, Section the 3d.

It was at length agreed that Physcon should succeed by marrying Cleopatra, upon whose son, by Philometor, the kingdom should he intailed, B. C. 145, (Tab. X.) No sooner was Physcon established upon the throne, than he murdered the young prince and divorced his mother, whose daughter, also called Cleopatra, he married. These, and other acts of atrocity, rendered Physcon an object of abhorrence. to his subjects; a civil war broke out; Egypt was deluged with blood; and Physcon was at length expelled and obliged to fly to Cyprus ; upon which Cleopatra, the divorced queen, took possession of the throne, B. C. 130. Physcon was, however, re-instated, B. C. 128, and Cleopatra was obliged to take refuge in Syria. In revenge for the protection afforded her there, Physcon set up the impostor Alexander Balus against Demetrius the reigning king of Syria, B. C. 127. Physcon was succeeded by his son

PTOLEMY VIII., surnamed LATHYRUS, conjointly with his mother CLEOPATRA I., B. C. 116, who, wishing to place her youngest son Alexander, to whom Cyprus had been assigned, upon the throne, soon deposed Lathyrus, B. C. 106. This Alexander, the first king of Egypt of that name, is reckoned the ninth Ptolemy. Lathyrus retired to Cyprus, where he raised an army to make war against those who had aided his mother in his expulsion. To strengthen her interest with Syria, Cleopatra gave her daughter Selene, who had been married to Lathyrus, in marriage to Antiochus Grypus, B. C. 101. About this time died Ptolemy Apion, son of Physcon, and king of Cyrene, leaving his dominions to the Romans, B. C. 97.

Cleopatra being weary of her son Alexander, formed a design to murder him, which being discovered by him, he put her to death. This act so disgusted the Egyptians, that they expelled him and recalled Lathyrus, B. C. 89, who kept undisturbed possession of the throne for the remainder of his life. He was succeeded by his daughter,

CLEOPATRA II., B. C. 81. Her proper name was Berenice, and so Pausanius calls her; but it must be remarked, that as all the males of this family had the common name of Ptolemy, so all the females had that of Cleopatra. Thus, Selene was called Cleopatra, and so were also two other of her sisters. An attention to this observation

will remove many obscurities of the Egyptian history. (Prideaux.) Alexander II., (reckoned the Xth. Ptolemy) son of Alexander I. (the IXth. Ptolemy) now claimed the throne in right of his father, in which he was supported by Sylla, now perpetual dictator of the Romans. The Egyptians, to compromise the matter, agreed that Cleopatra should marry Alexander, and that both should reign conjointly in Egypt; but Alexander put her to death nineteen days after the marriage, and being himself murdered by his subjects the next year, was succeeded by his brother,

PTOLEMY (XI. or) ALEXANDER III.*B. C. 80, In the seventh year of his reign, Selene, daughter of Cleopatra II. taking advantage of some disturbances in Egypt, laid claim to the throne, B. C. 73, and applied to the Romans to support her pretensions; which they, finding it more to their interest to adhere to Alexander, declined. ander was expelled by his subjects, who called to the throne

Alex

PTOLEMY XII., surnamed DIONYSIUS, and AULETES, B. C. 65. He was the son of Ptolemy Lathyrus. Conscious that he only held the throne by virtue of the Roman power, Dionysius drained the resources of his kingdom to raise the enormous sum of £1,162,500. sterling, with which he purchased the Roman sanction of his succession, B. C. 59. These measures rendering him unpopular, he was expelled by his subjects, who placed his daughter Berenice on the throne, B. C. 58. A new bribe obtained for Ptolemy the Roman assistance, and he was restored by Gabinius and Pompey, B. C. 55. At his death he left the kingdom to his eldest son and daughter, PTOLEMY XIII., surnamed DIONYSIUS II, and CLEOPATRA III. (so celebrated for her beauty and her vices) under the guardianship of Pompey the Roman triumvir, B. C. 51.

The intrigues of ambitious ministers brought on a civil war between Dionysius and Cleopatra. Julius Cæsar following Pompey into Egypt after the fatal battle of Pharsalia, was seduced by the charms of Cleopatra to espouse her interests against those of her brother, B. C. 48. Dionysius being defeated by Cæsar attempted to escape, but was drowned, B. C. 46, upon which Cæsar concluded a marriage between Cleopatra and her youngest brother Ptolemy XIV. then only eleven years of age. He was poisoned two years afterwards by Cleopatra, B. C. 44, who then reigned alone in Egypt, till the fatal battle of Actium deprived her of that kingpom, B. C. 31, which was reduced to a Roman province the next year, B. C. 30. Cleopatra put an end to her own existence, and in her ended the race of the Ptolemies.

Thus we have seen Egypt, one of the most ancient and flourishing of kingdoms, celebrated for every natural advantage of soil, climate, and situation; for the learning and skill of its inhabitants; the wisdom of its laws; the riches of its resources; the strength of its armies; yet incapable of supporting its own independance; and verifying in the

* Dean Prideaux omits the third Alexander, and represents Alexander II. as reigning fifteen years; but Blair and Lempriere distinguish them as above.

earliest authentic times the prophecy of Noah, that the descendants of Ham should be " servants of servants to their brethren ; (see p. 220.) Egypt was subjected by Sennacherib, B. C. 711, by Esarhaddon, B. C. 680, and by Nebuchadnezzar, B. C. 571; these conquests were by the Babylonians, descendants of Ham, so that Egypt was indeed made a servant to his brethren. It was conquered by Cambyses, B. C. 525, and after different revolts, by Xerxes, B. C. 484, by Artaxerxes Longimanus, B. C. 456, and by Artaxerxes Ochus, B. C.350. These conquests were by the Persians, and consequently the descendants of Shem, and also made the Egyptians servants to their brethren. It was conquered by Alexander the Great, B. C. 332, and finally by the Romans, B. C. 30; the two latter powers represented the descendants of Japheth; thus the double servitude of Egypt was complete, and made it as the vices of its sovereigns, and people deserved it should be "the basest of kingdoms,” (Ezek. xxix. 15) which we shall see still farther illustrated in the modern history of Egypt in the second part of this work.

ELEUSINIAN GAMES, festivals in honour of Ceres and Proserpine observed every fourth year, in many of the cities of Greece, but particularly at Athens, where they were introduced by Eumolpus, B. C. 1356, (Tab. IV.) They derived their name from Eleusis, a place near Athens, where they were first celebrated. The following account is given of them by Dr. Hales, in his Analysis of Sacred and Profane Chronology. "They were borrowed from the Jewish Feast of Tabernacles, which was celebrated precisely at the same season; beginning on the fifteenth day of the seventh month, and lasting a week. This was designed to commemorate with gratitude and thanksgiving, God's bounties of the harvest and vintage, when collected, and brought home; and was preceded by the preparatory rites of purification and confession of sins on the great day of atonement, which was held on the tenth day of the same month. The analogy between these Jewish and Grecian rites is very remarkable: the allegorizing genius of the Egyptians and Grecians turned the elements of corn and wine, on account of their utility to mankind, as "the staff of life," and as making the heart glad," into the Pagan divinities of Ceres, the goddess of agriculture, and Iacchus. (or Bacchus) the god of the vintage; and Proserpine, the daughter of Ceres, who disappeared, and was stolen by Pluto, the king of Hades, was emblematical of the new grain that springs up again, after the old, when the seed sown is corrupted, or dies in the earth; figuratively denoting the resurrection of mankind after death, of the good to Elysium, and of the bad to Tartarus. This natural and impressive imagery is adopted in the New Testament, John xii. 24; 1. Cor. xv. 36, 38, and is styled “a mystery,” 1 Cor. xv. 51. On the sixth day of the festival, the image of lacchus, crowned with myrtle, was taken in solemn procession for ten miles from the Ceramicus, in Athens, by the sacred way, through the Thriasian plain, to the mystical entrance of the temple of Ceres, at Eleusis, the largest and noblest in all Greece. Before the God, marched "the torch

tators.

66

bearer," and "the herald," carrying "the mystic fan of Iacchus; to winnow, as it were, the chaff from the corn, or the bad from the good; and to burn the chaff with his torch. These emblematical ceremonies were likewise used at the feast of Tabernacles, as we may collect from the baptist herald's description of the true Iacchus, CHRIST; "whose fan is in his hand, and he will thoroughly purge his threshing floor, and gather the wheat into his granary (heaven); but burn the chaff with unquenchable fire," (in hell) Matt. iii. 12. In the "festival of the wine-press," corresponding to this, the torchbearer cried out to the people" Call ye upon God." they answered, "Hearken to me, O Iah, thou giver of wealth;" an epithet exactly corresponding to "the bounteous Iacchus" of the Clarian oracle; so finely explained by the learned apostle of the Gentiles, as "doing good, sending us refreshing showers from heaven, and fruitful seasons, filling our hearts with food and gladness," [with corn and wine.] Acts xiv. 17; Ps. civ. 15. After they entered the mystic temple at Eleusis, they first washed their hands in holy water, in token of purification, and then the sacred mysteries were read to them by "the priest at the altar" out of a book (named from a Greek word signifying a stone") which was composed of two stone tablets, fitly joined together, to be their future rule of conduct. The initiated were required, says Porphry, "to honour their parents, to offer up fruits to the gods, and not to hurt animals." After this, thunderings and lightnings, frightful noises and apparitions, appalled the specWho does not see in all this, a pantomime exhibition of the awful promulgation of the Decalogue on Mount Sinai, in all its terrors; written afterwards, with the finger of God, on two stone tablets, the substance of which was thus inculcated, in a most impressive form to the initiated? During the festival week it was unlawful to arrest any person for debt, or to commence a law-suit, under penalty of 1000 drachmas; and ladies were not permitted, at that time, to ride in chariots, under penalty of 6000 drachmas. These strongly resemble the remission of debts, and perfect freedom and equality of rich and poor, prescribed by the Levitical law, during the Sabbatical years, and jubilees, which began the Jewish civil year at the seventh month. The Eleusinian Mysteries were of two sorts, the lesser, dedicated to Proserpine, and the greater, to Ceres. The initiated in the lower mysteries were called " MYSTICS," or Novices, from their imperfect views; in the higher, "inspectors," and " perfect, as adepts, admitted to full and perfect knowledge. Paul, so conversant in the heathen religion and philosophy, finely alludes to both, 1 Cor. xiii. 9-12; Phil. iii. 12-15. And he seems to intimate some analogy betweeen the lower, and baptism; and the higher, and the Lord's Supper, 1 Cor. ii. 6, 7; xii. 13. The lesser mysteries were popular, and open to all; in them was inculcated the doctrine of a presiding Providence, and a future state of reward and punishment, in Elysium and Tartarus. And the poets, Homer and Virgil, in their descents of Ulysses and Æneas into Hades, have adopted the popular mythology taught therein, and interspersed instructive lessons to the world.