Chap. II. of the E a s 
ant on Eurydice , the Daughter of Antipater , and the Wife 
of Ptolemy Soter , who had a Son by her, called Ptolemy 
Ceraunus, i. e. the Thunderer, who retired into voluntary 
Banifhment on his Father’s affociating his younger Brother 
in the Government a . 
Ptolemy Philadelphus , foon after his Father’s Deceafe, 
efpoufed his Sifter Arfinoe , according to the Cuftom of the 
Egyptian Monarchs ; and, having a high Spirit, prodigious 
Parts, and infinite Application, though of an infirm Body 
and tender Conftitution, he governed his Dominions with 
great Reputation, proceeding intirely on his Father’s Plans, 
as his Father had done on thofe of Alexander. Fie en- 
deared himfelf exceedingly to his People, by the Mode- 
ration of his Government, by his Love of Peace, and by 
liis Readinefs to undertake whatever might be for their 
Advantage-, which induced him to keep up all his Father’s 
Inftitutions, and to be particularly careful about the Main- 
tenance of a maritime Force, and fecuring and extending 
the Trade of Egypt. Flis Reign was not wholly without 
Troubles -, for Magas , whom he had appointed Governor 
of Gyrene and Libya , revolted from him, and feized thofe 
Countries. This Magas was, in fafit, his elder Brother *, 
for he was his Mother’s Son, by Philip a Macedonian 
Captain, to whom fhe was married before Kifig Ptolemy 
took her. Magas was not fatisfied with barely feizing the 
Provinces that were committed to his Truft, but actually 
invaded Egypt, and fhewed a ftrong Inclination to haVe 
dethroned his Matter b . 
But Ptolemy Philadelphus was not a Prince fo eafily 
driven from his Dominions, as he imagined, but, on the 
contrary, fhewed, on this Occafion, as much Prudence and 
military Skill as was polfible and, in all probability, had 
crufhed the Rebellion in the Beginning, if, in his March 
again Magas , he had not difcovered a private Confpiracy 
in his Army, which obliged him to retire back into Egypt , 
when he had the Rebel almoft at his Mercy. This Con- 
fpiracy was hatched among the Gauls , of whom about four 
thoufand ferved as Mercenaries in his Army, who defigned 
to have made themfelves Matters of Egypt. Ptolemy 
drove thofe Tray tors into an Ifland in the Nile , where he 
kept them fo clofe blocked up, that moft of them were 
ftarved, and the reft cut each other’s Throats, that they 
might be the fooner out of their Mifery. But, after this, 
the Times grew more peaceable ; and, that they might 
be fo at home, Ptolemy thought fit to prevent the Syrians , 
who were meditating an Invafion on his Dominions, by 
caufing frequent Defcents to be made upon theirs ; which, at 
leaft, kept the War at a Diftance, and ferved alfo to employ 
fuch reftlefs Spirits as might have bred Commotions in a 
Time of profound Peace 0 . 
9. But this War did not take up the Attention of Pto- 
lemy Philadelphus to fuch a Degree, as that he was not able 
to purfue the Defigns, to which his Inclinations led him. 
On the contrary, he bufied himfelf, during his whole 
Reign, in improving the Library which his Father had 
left-, in collecting Statues, and other Curiofities, through- 
out all Greece ; and in adorning the City of Alexandria with 
many ftately Buildings. But that which he fet his Fleart 
moft upon was, what is the proper Subject of our Inquiry, 
viz. the Eftablifhment of the Trade to the Eafi Indies in 
fuch a manner, as that it might never in fucceeding Times 
be feparated from his City of Alexandria. In this Defign 
lie behaved with fo great Prudence and Difcretion, that it 
not only drew thither, during his own Life-time, a much 
greater Mafs of Treafure than any other King had enjoyed 
for many Ages ; but, likewife, laid his Scheme fo deep, 
and executed it with fuch Judgment and Precaution, that 
the Indian Trade remained, as he defigned, fixed to Alex- 
andria , notwithftanding all the Revolutions in the Govern- 
ment of Egypt for upwards of one thoufand feven hundred 
Years *, and thereby made it, during that Space, the richeft 
Country in the World, notwithftanding the Opprefiions to 
which it was fubject during that Space of Time d . 
I cannot help remarking here what, for any thing I know, 
has not been remarked before, that this is a convincing 
Proof of the Truth of the Jewifh Hiftory j for, as Solo- 
• a juftin. lib. xvi. c. 2 . Appian. in Syriacii. Paufanias in fitticis, 
e Id. ibid. 4 JuJlin o A th warns. Strabo. P/in. Aptian. 
£ 0 - 36. r 
Numb. 29. 
DIES, 
mon, who firft gained that Trade to his Country* was be* 
yond comparifon the richeft Monarch that ever reigned in 
it -, fo was Ptolemy Philadelphus the moft wealthy of all the 
Egyptian Princes, as we obferved before, and as we ttiall 
hereafter prove at large ; and, as the Indian Trade, while 
the Jews preferved it* enabled them in a very fhort Space 
of Time, to overcome all their Lottes * fo the fame Trade 
kept the Kingdom of Egypt full of Gold and Silver, in 
fpite of all the Methods taken to drain it ; and this to fuch 
a Degree, as to countenance the Opinion of the Philofophers 
Stone being no Secret to its Inhabitants, becaufe, withofit 
the Art of tranfmuting other Metals to Gold, it was thought 
impofiible to account for the immenfe Quantities of that 
Metal, which, from time to time, were drawn Out of that 
Country, though it had fcarce any Mines difcovered 
in it. 
e But their Philofophers Stone was, iri reality , nothing 
more, than the Monopoly of this Trade, which, as I have 
faid, they, for fo many Centuries, enjoyed, and which was 
abundantly fufficient to account for that extraordinary Opu- 
lence, which fo aftonifhed former Ages, and is in Danger 
of appearing fabulous in ours : This makes it extremely 
neceffary to give a full, as well as diftindft Account of the 
Methods taken by Ptolemy Philadelphus , for bringing about 
fo great a Defign, which had fuch extraordinary C'onfe- 
quences, and which lafted fo much longer, than any other 
Eftablifhment of the fame Sort, that ever was made, be- 
fore, or fince. It was to render this more clear and intel- 
ligible, that I entered into fo large a Defcription of the an- 
tient Alexandria \ as for the fame Reafon I dwelt fo long 
upon the Proje&s of Alexander the Great, from which this 
was derived, and which, there is great Reafon to believe, 
had been meditated by Ptoleny Soter , though he did not live 
to execute it *, and, from the Account we have given of 
the Reign of that Prince, the intelligent Reader may per- 
cieve, how pofiible it might have been for Alexander to 
have brought all, or, at leaft j the greateft Part, of his 
vaft Defigns to bear, if he had lived to the Age of Pto- 
lemy Soter ; fince he contrived them fo much earlier in his 
Life, and was poffeffed of fo much greater Power, to have 
enabled him to carry them into Execution. 
Ptolemy Philadelphus , having confidered the Difficulties 
that attended the Commerce of his Subjects in Arabia and 
India , for want of proper Ports in the Arabian Gulph, 
refolved firft to remove that Difficulty ; which was the eafier 
for him to do, becaufe he was abfolutely Matter of all the 
Weft Coafts, almoft to the very Mouth of the Gulph. 
But inafmuch as Experience had taught the Sea-faring 
People, that the upper Part of the Gulph was extremely 
dangerous, as well by reafon of the uncertain Winds, as 
becaufe the Coafts were ffiallow and rocky, he therefore 
chofe to place the new City, which he ereded, and to which 
he gave his Mother’s Name of Berenice , much nearer the 
Mouth of the Gulph, and on the Side of an Ifthmus, 
or Promontory, which flioots there into the Red Sea. 
This was a very fine City •, but they are milled, who 
have taken it for a commodious Sea-port. It was defigned 
for an Emporium , or Staple for Indian Commodities and the 
Reafon of building it there was, becaufe the Country round 
about it afforded Water ; but the Port was diftant onethoufand 
eight hundred Stadia , and was called Myos Hormus , that 
is, the Port , ox Station of the Moufe -, but it was afterwards 
called, the Port of Venus: And it was from hence that the 
Trade was carried on to Arabia and the Indies. Ptolemy 
alfo directed various Towns to be built between Berenice 
and Coptos upon the Nile, which was diftant from it about 
two hundred and fixty Miles. The Merchrnts therefore 
conveyed their Goods, firft of all, from Myos Hormus to 
Berenice, (though that was back again) probably by the 
Flelp of flat-bottomed Veffels *, whence the Opinion grew, 
tha t Berenice was the Sea-port - 5 to the contrary of which I ami 
led, from the not finding the Stages between Myos Hormus 
and Berenice, whereas we have two Routes ftill preferved 
from Berenice to Coptos •, which fhew, that the former was 
the Place to which thefe Goods were tranfported imme- 
diately from Myos Hormus , and that from thence they 
Diogenes Laertius in Detnetrio Phalereo. b Paufanias in Atticis. 
c Suidas, in noerlo Chemeia. Qrofius , lib. vii. c. 16. Synefius, 
5 o 
were 
