when they had by intestine broils wasted and spent their strength, he might come upon them, while thus weakened and spent, and swallow both. And, with this view having withdrawn from Alexandria, he marched to Memphis, and there seemingly again restored the whole kingdom to Philometor, excepting only Pelusium which he retained in his hands, that, having this key of Egypt still in his keeping, he might thereby again enter Egypt, when matters should there, according to the scheme which he had laid, be ripe for it, and so seize the whole kingdom; and, having thus disposed matters, he returned again to Antioch.

Ptolemy Philometor, now roused from his luxurious sloth by the misfortunes which he had suffered in these revolutions, had penetration enough to see into what Antiochus intended. Hist keeping of Pelusium was a sufficient indication unto him, that he held this gate of Egypt still in his power, only to enter through it again when he and his brother should have wasted themselves so far by their domestic feuds, as not to be able to resist him, and so make a prey of both. And therefore, for the preventing of this, as soon as Antiochus was gone, he sent to his brother to invite him to an accommodation; and, by the means of Cleopatra, who was sister to both, an agreement was made upon terms that the two brothers should jointly reign together. Whereon Philometor returning to Alexandria, peace was restored to Egypt, much to the satisfaction of the people, especially of the Alexandrians, who greatly suffered by the war; but, the two brothers being aware that Antiochus would return again upon them," sent ambassadors into Greece to get auxiliary forces from thence for their defence against him; and they had reason enough so to do. For Antiochus hearing of this agreement of the two brothers, and finding his fine-spun scheme of policy, whereby he thought to have made himself master of Egypt, wholly baffled by it, he fell into a great rage,

s Livius, lib. 45, c. 11.

t Livius, lib. 45, c. 11. Justin, lib. 34, c. 2. Porphyrius in Græcis Euseb. Scalig. p. 60, & in Eusebii Chronicon, p. 68.

u Polybius, Legat. 89, p. 912.

x Livius, lib. 45, c. 11.

and resolved to carry on the war against both the brothers with greater force and fury than he had against either of them before.

An. 168.

And therefore, very early the next spring, he sent a fleet to Cyprus to secure that island to him, Ptol. Philo- and, at the same time, in person marched by metor 13. land with a numerous army to make another invasion upon Egypt; in which he purposed, without owning the interest of either of his nephews, to suppress them both, and make an absolute conquest of the whole kingdom. On his coming to Rhinocorura, he was there met by ambassadors from Philometor, by whom that prince, having acknowledged his restoration to his kingdom to be owing to him, desired him that he would not destroy his own work, but permit him peaceably to enjoy the crown which he wore by his favour. But Antiochus, not at all regarding the compliment, but waving all those pretences of favour and affection for either of his nephews which he had hitherto made shew of, now plainly declared himself an enemy to both, telling the ambassadors, that he demanded the island of Cyprus, and the city of Pelusium, with all the lands that lay on that branch of the Nile on which Pelusium stood, to be yielded to him in perpetuity; and that he would on no other terms give peace to either of the brothers; and, having set them a day for their giving him an answer to this demand, as soon as that day was over, and no answer returned to his satisfaction, he again invaded Egypt with a numerous army; and, having subdued all the country as far as Memphis, and there received the submission of most of the rest, he marched towards Alexandria for the besieging of that city, the reduction of which would have made him absolute master of the whole kingdom; and this most certainly he would have accomplished, but that he met a Roman embassy in his way, which put a stop to his further progress, and totally dashed all the designs which he had been so long carrying on for the making of himself master of that country.

y Livius, lib. 45, c. 11.

I have mentioned before, how Ptolemy Euergetes, the younger of the two brothers, and Cleopatra his sister, being distressed by the former siege which Antiochus had laid to Alexandria, sent ambassadors to the Romans to pray their relief. These being introduced into the senate, did there in a lamentable habit, and with a more lamentable oration, set forth their case, and, in the humblest manner prostrating themselves before that assembly, prayed their help; with which the senate being moved, and having considered also, how much it was their own interest not to permit Antiochus to grow so great, as the annexing of Egypt to Syria would make him, decreed to send an embassy into Egypt to put an end to this war. The persons they appointed for it were Caius Popilius Lænas (who had been consul four years before,) Caius Decimius, and Caius Hostilius. Their commission was first to go to Antiochus, and after that to Ptolemy, and to signify to them, that it was the desire of the senate, that they should desist from making any further war upon each other; and that, if either of them should refuse so to do, him the Roman people would no longer hold to be either their friend or their ally. And, that these ambassadors might come soon enough to execute their instructions before Antiochus should make himself master of Egypt, they were despatched away in that haste, that within three days after they left Rome, and taking with them the Egyptian ambassadors, they hastened to Brandusium, and there passing over to the Grecian shore, from thence by the way of Chalcis, Delos, and Rhodes, came to Alexandria, just as Antiochus was making that second march to besiege this city, which I have mentioned. On his arrival at Leusine, a place within four miles of Alexandria, the ambassadors there met him. On the sight of Popilius (with whom he had contracted an intimate friendship and familiarity while he was an hostage at Rome,) he put forth his hand to embrace him as his old friend and acquaintance; but Popilius, refusing the compliment, told him, that the public in

z Livius, lib. 44, c. 19.

2 Polyb. Legat. 90, p. 915. Livius, ibid.

b

terest of his country must take place of private friendship; that he must first know whether he were a friend or an enemy to the Roman state, before he could own him as a friend to himself; and then delivered into his hands the tables, in which were written the decree of the senate which they came to communicate to him, and required him to read it, and forthwith give his answer thereto. Antiochus, having read the decree, told Popilius he would consult with his friends about it, and speedily give him the answer they should advise; but Popilius, insisting on an immediate answer, forthwith drew a circle round him in the sand with the staff which he had in his hand, and required him to give his answer before he stirred out of that circle; at which strange and peremptory way of proceeding Antiochus being startled, after a little hesitation yielded to it, and told the ambassador, that he would obey the command of the senate; whereon Popilius, accepting his embraces, acted thenceforth according to his former friendship with him. That which made him so bold as to act with him after this peremptory manner, and the other so tame as to yield thus patiently to it, was the news which they had a little before received of the great victory of the Romans, which they had gotten over Perseus king of Macedonia. For, Paulus Æmilius having now vanquished that king, and thereby added Macedonia to the Roman empire, the name of the Romans after this carried that weight with it, as created a terrour in all the neighbouring nations; so that none of them after this cared to dispute their commands, but were glad on any terms to maintain peace and cultivate a friendship with them. After Popilius had thus sent Antiochus back again into Syria, he returned with his colleagues to Alexandria; and, having there ratified and fully fixed the terms of agreement which had been before, but not so perfectly, made between the two brothers, he sailed to Cyprus; and having sent from thence Antiochus' fleet, as he had him and his army before from Egypt,

b Polyb. Legat. 92, p. 916. Livius, lib. 45, c. 11, 12. Justin. lib. 34, c. 3. Appian. in Syriacis. Valerius Maximus, lib. 6, c. 4 Velleius Paterculus, lib. 1, c. 10. Plutarch. in Apothegm. c. 32. Hieronymus in Dan. xi, 27. Polyb. Legat. 92, p. 196. Livius, lib. 45, c. 11, 12.

and caused a thorough restoration of that island to be made to the Egyptian kings, to whom it of right belonged, he returned home to relate to the senate the full success of his embassy; and ambassadors followed him from the two Ptolemies to thank the senate for the great benefit they had received from it; for to this embassy they owed their kingdom, and that peaceable enjoyment whereby they were now settled in it.

Antiochus returning out of Egypt in great wrath and indignation, because of the battle which he had there met with from the Romans of all his designs upon that country, he vented it all upon the Jews, who had no way offended him. For, on his marching back through Palestine, he detached off from his army twenty-two thousand men, under the command of Apollonius, who was over the tribute, and sent them to Jerusalem to destroy the place.

It was just two years after Antiochus had taken Jerusalem that Apollonius came thither with his army. On his first arrival he carried himself peaceably, concealing his purpose, and forbearing all hostilities till the next sabbath; but then, when the people were all assembled together in their synagogues, for the celebrating of the religious duties of the day, thinking this the properest time for the executing of his bloody commission, he let loose all his forces upon them, with command to slay all the men, and take captive the women and children to sell them for slaves; which they executed with the utmost rigour and cruelty, slaying all the men they could light on, without shewing mercy to any, and filling the streets with their blood. After this, having spoiled the city of all its riches, they set it on fire in several places, demolished the houses, and pulled down the walls round about it; and then, with the ruins of the demolished city, built a strong fortress on the top of an eminence in the city of David, which was over against the temple, and overlooked and commanded the same, and there placed a strong garrison; and, making it a place of arms against d Polyb. ibid.

e 1 Maccab. i, 29-40. 2 Maccab. v, 24-26. Joseph. Antiq. lib. 12, c. 7. f 1 Maccab. i, 29.

g 1 Maccab. i, 30-40. 2 Maccab. v, 24-26. Joseph. Antiq. lib. 12, c. 7.