374 



EGYPT. 



( !M 



a. c. i. 



IX. 



Ptolemy X, 

 tumamed 

 Aulctes. 

 B. C. 65. 



Lathvru hinurif did not long survive this melancholy 

 triumph, and he- left hi> kingdom to increase in evils, 

 .11 id endure greater degradation. 



Cleopatra, the daugntiT of Ptul -my Lntlivrus, had 

 the only legitimate claim to the crown, and she was in- 

 stantly proclaimed the sovereign of I ng (gentle 

 .Hid i ' _' in her manners, th i a happy 

 reign ; but there were event* in preparation whit ! 

 appointed their hopes, and exposed Egypt to a long 

 train of anarchy ami suffering''. Home, i'rom being the 

 :iiu-ient ally of the Ptolcmie-. had gradually acquired an 

 influence in the state ; and nt this time the senate sup- 

 ported the preti'iiMoi:- !' Ah -voider, the son of Ptolemy 

 \le\ander. late khiij of Egypt. While his grandmother 

 Cleopatra, during the last reign, was taking an interest 

 in the affairs of .* y ri i. -he took her grandson along with 

 her as she embarked for Phoenicia; but left him. 

 ther with her jewels mid valuable stores in the island of 

 Cos. The whole of tlu-,e dejiosits fell into the hand* of 

 Mithridates the Parthian.- from whom the young prince 

 Alexander escaped, and took refuge at Koine. 



Sylla, who was then perpetual dictator, supported his 

 pretensions to the kingdom of Kgypt; and coming from 

 so powerful a quarter, the recommendation could not 

 be slighted. To make the best accommodation that the 

 circumstances of the case permitted, it was finally 

 agreed tliat Cleopatra should marry Alexander, and 

 that they should reign together on the throne of Egypt. 

 But Ptolemy Alexander was too ambitious to have any 

 partner in the government ; and, according to the rude 

 and corrupt practices of those times, the young and 

 amiable queen was cruelly put to death. This detesta- 

 ble crime excited the hatred of his subjects ; and, after 

 a variety of unavailing attempts to suppress his enemies, 

 he found it necessary to flee from the country. He 

 took refuge in Syria under the Roman general Pompey; 

 but seeing no prospect of being restored to Egypt, he 

 departed to Tyre, where he soon died, and bequeathed 

 Egypt, as well as Cyprus, to the Roman people. 



I'pon the deposition of Ptolemy Alexander II. a son 

 of I'tolemy LatJiyrus was admitted to the throne, who, 

 on account of his attachment to music, and skill in play- 

 ing the flute, was denominated Auletes. But his cha- 

 racter possessed none of those qualities which were ne- 

 cessary for restoring Egypt to order and obedience. He 

 appears to have been frivolous in his manners, and 

 though a sovereign, yet he contended publicly for the 

 musical prize. The power which Rome had acquired, 

 rendered the senate formidable to their neighbours ; 

 and Auletes was desirous of obtaining their approbation 

 to his succession in Egypt. The Romans had habitual- 

 ly acquired an influence in Egyptian affairs ; and he 

 was the more anxious to secure their approbation, be- 

 cause they had obtained a show of right to the king- 

 dom of Egypt, by the will which Ptolemy Alexander 

 had left in their favour. 



Though it was not expedient that the Romans should 

 openly lay claim to the kingdom of the Ptolemies, yet 

 there was a general unwillingness to sanction the ac- 

 cession of Auletes. But Caesar, the consul, being deep in 

 debt, he and Pompey, who was also venal, were gained 

 to the interests of the Egyptian king, and the Roman 

 people received hini as their ally. In the mean time, 

 the brother of Auletes was appointed king of Cyprus; 

 but having offended Clodius, a Roman naval comman- 

 der, he w::s deprived of the kingdom, and Cyprus was 

 united to the Roman republic. The facility with which 

 Ptolemy Auletes had suffered the island of Cyprus to 

 be separated from the Egyptian dominions, gave great 



offence to liis people ; and being otherwise obnoxious, 

 Ixrth by the meanness of his character, and by the ra- > ""~.~ / 

 jiacity which he exercised to repay the money which 

 lie had borrowed to la\ i-}\ upon the Ir.iding : cantors 

 of Home, in order to obtain their approbation and sup- 

 port, rendered him so completely detestable, that his 

 army de-crtcd his standard, the jicople were tumul- 

 tuous, and he was compelled to flee for his life. In thi Fle to 

 situation he looked to Rome for assistance, and on his Kom - 

 passage to Italy he landed at the island of Rhodes, and 

 there he met the celebrated Cato. 



That solid and d-c]>-thinking republican blcmed his 

 conduct tor leaving Alexandria : and pi-rsuaded him to 

 return without going to Home. Hi- mi'^ht find means 

 to satisfy the discontents of his own people ; but the 

 value of Egypt itself, said Cato, will not satisfy the 

 avidity of the degraded senators of Rome. He pro- 

 ceeded, however, to the Roman metropolis ; but Caesar, 

 whose friendship he had obtained, and from whom he 

 expected support, was abroad on his military appoint- 

 ments in Caul. But his cause was taken up, and him- 

 self kindly entertained by the celebrated Pompey, who 

 had Ix-en assisted by the Egyptian king in his war 

 against Mithridates. He was treated, however, with 

 greater favour, because Pompey was bound to his in- 

 terests, by tlie profusion of gold, which Ptolemy distri- 

 buted to procure the support of the more active and 

 leading senators. 



In the mean time, a numerous embassy arrived from 

 Alexandria to state the Egyptian complaints, and op- 

 pose the restoration of Ptolemy Auletes; but the fugi- 

 tive king found means to cut off the ambassadors, with 

 the learned Dion at their head ; and, by bribery and 

 corruption, obtained the forgiveness of the senate for 

 what he had done. At the same time a decree was 

 passed for restoring Ptolemy to his kingdom ; but by 

 the address of his enemies, and the superstition of the 

 people, an oracular response was obtained and acted 

 upon, by which it was forbidden to employ Roman 

 soldiers for restoring the Egyptian king. But tlie en- 

 terprise was too lucrative not to be undertaken by the 

 avaricious servants of the Roman republic. By Pom- 

 pey 's advice, Gabinius, the Syrian proconsul, under- 

 took the business for the reward of 10,000 talents, or 

 nearly two millions of British money. Under his di- 

 rection, Mark Antony pjusrtl the Aoeorte, ml, hy tho 

 assistance of Gabinius, replaced Auletes upon tlie throne Restored, 

 of Egypt, though not without much resistance and 

 blood. 



When Ptolemy Auletes fled from Egypt, his daugh- Queen B.-- 

 ter Berenice was invested with the regal power, and renict. 

 married to Seleucus, a king of Syria. This marriage 

 was accomplished to add the strength of Syria to flu- 

 Egyptian power; but the connection was unfortunate 

 and transitory. It was Antiochus of Syria whom the 

 Egyptians designed for the consort of their queen ; but 

 he having died prematurely, his brother Selcucus was 

 invited to be her partner on the throne. He was no 

 less distorted in the dispositions of his mind, than he 

 was unseemly in his personal appearance. Among 

 other vices, he was covetous in the extreme, and viola- 

 ting the sanctuaries of the dead, which was peculiarly 

 sacred among the Egyptians, he seized upon the gol- 

 den coffin in which the body of Alexander the Great 

 had been deposited, and put in its stead one of interior 

 value. By these and other means he became obnoxious 

 to the people, and so detested by the queen Berenice, 

 that, according to the practice of those ruder times, she 

 devised means, and put Iiim to death. Then sin; mar- 



