298 
EGYPT. 
cerns of Egypt. NeClanebis, in the mean time, affembled 
an army of one hundred thoufand men, confiding of forty 
thoufand mercenaries, and the reft Egyptians; but they 
did not altogether amount to a third part of the Perfian 
troops. With fome of them he guarded the palfes through 
which tire enemy muft approach, and the others were ap¬ 
pointed to garrifon the frontier towns. Darius, on the 
other hand, detached three bodies from his army. The 
firft, commanded by Lachares the Theban, fat down be¬ 
fore Pelufium ; the fecond, under the command of Ni- 
Coftratus the Argive, failed up the Nile in a fquadron of 
the Perfian fleet, and, landing at a convenient place, 
formed a ftrong encampment in the heart of the country; 
and the third remained under the command of Mentor, 
in expectation of a favourable opportunity for their in- 
curfion.—The whole kingdom being now alarmed at the 
pofition of Nicoftratus, all the neighbouring garrifons 
undertook to force him from his entrenchments; but, 
after a long and obftinate combat, the Egyptians were 
utterly overthrown and difperfed. Upon the news of this 
defeat, NeCtanebis abandoned the palfes and marched 
liaftily to the capital, which he fuppofed Nicoftratus 
would affault with "his victorious fleet and army. This 
removal completed his ruin ; for the Greek garrifon at 
Pelufium immediately furrendered to Lachares, upon 
condition that they and their effeCts fhould be conveyed 
in fafety to Greece: and Mentor the Rhodian, entering 
the country, affirmed publicly that Darius would receive 
with clemency all who fubmitted, but take the moll am¬ 
ple vengeance on thofe who prefumed any longer to op- 
pofe him. The Egyptians, and Egyptian Greeks, imme¬ 
diately ftrove which fhould make the moft ready fubmif- 
fion; and NeCtanebis, thus driven to defpair, fled with 
his treafures into Ethiopia, from whence he never at¬ 
tempted to return. From this time, before Chrift 350, 
Egypt continued to be a province of Perfia, till that mo¬ 
narchy was fubverted by Alexander the Great, who was 
in confequence received by the Egyptians as their de¬ 
liverer from the Perfian tyranny. 
From the FOUNDATION of the MONARCHY 
of PTOLEMY SOTER to the REDUCTION of 
EGYPT by the ROMANS. 
In the divifion of the Macedonian empire, upon the 
death of Alexander the Great, Ptolemy Lagus was in¬ 
verted with the government of Egypt, Lybia, and part 
of Arabia ; provinces which he retained during his life, 
and tranfmitted, with other acqnifitions, as an hereditary 
kingdom to his defendants. Hiftorians differ materially 
in their affertions refpefting the extraction of this prince ; 
fome affirming that he was a native of Eordea, a fimaU 
place in the province of Mygdonia, and thut he was 
called Lagides, or the fon of Lagus, though he was com¬ 
monly believed to be an illegitimate fon of king Philip ; 
others fuppofing him to have been of the royal family of 
Macedon, not by the father, but his mother Arfmoe, who 
was nearly related to Philip ; and others affuring 11s that 
lie was of a mean defeent, and that he (erred in the Ma¬ 
cedonian army as a common foldier, till his gallant be¬ 
haviour induced Alexander to honour him with a chief 
command. Ptolemy himfelf feems to have preferred the 
name of Lagides to any other appellation, as he tranf¬ 
mitted it to ail his defeendants ; and Epiphanius tells us, 
that he iriftituted a military order in honour of his father, 
calling it from his name Lageion. But whatever was his 
real extraction, it is certain that he was equally beloved 
by Alexander and the army ; and all the ancients have 
given him a moft excellent character. He chofe the city 
of Alexandria for the place of his refidence, and granted 
many privileges to all perfons who fettled there, whether 
Greeks, Jews, or Egyptians ; in confequence of which it 
became one of the molt wealthy and populous cities of 
the eaft. Hence it is called by the ancients the fecond 
ipetropolis of the world, the city of cities, the queen of 
Hie eaft, a fecond Rome, &c. 
Though Ptolemy exercifed the regal authority from 
the time of his appointment to the government, before 
Chrift 304, he did not affume the title of king, till he 
found himfelf firmly fettled in his new dignity, after the' 
unfuccefsful attempts of A ntigonus and Demetrius, which 
were relinquiftied nineteen years after the death of Alex¬ 
ander. From this time he reigned twenty years, agree¬ 
able to Ptolemy’s canon, and thefe with the nineteen 
aferibed by that writer to Philip and Alexander oEgus, 
make up the thirty-nine years, which other authors fup- 
pofe Ptolemy Lagus or Soter to have reigned alone. The 
name of Soter fvas firft given to Ptolemy Lagus by the 
Rhodians on the following occafion : Antigonus having 
projected the feizure of the ifland of Cyprus, which was 
then held by Ptolemy, demanded a fquadron of (hips from 
the Rhodians for the accompli fit ment of his purpofe ; but 
as thofe illanders w ; ere fenlible of the great advantage 
which refulted from their trade with Egypt, they refilled 
to enter into any meafures that appeared inimical to the 
intereft of Ptolemy. Antigonus, in revenge,Tent his fon 
Demetrius with a powerful fleet and army to reduce their 
ifland ; but Ptolemy afforded fuel) fuepours to the be- 
fieged during the (pace of a whole year, that Demetrius 
was obliged to conclude a peace upon honourable terms ; 
and the Rhodians, in teftimony of gratitude, confecrated 
a grove to Ptolemy, and decr eed that he fhould be ho¬ 
noured with the name of Soter or Saviour, in comme¬ 
moration of their happy deliverance. In the fortieth 
year of his reign he placed Ptolemy Philadelphus on the 
throne, declaring him his partner and fucceftbr to the 
kingdom after his death. In this year, which was the 
firft of the hundred and twenty-fourth olympiad, was fi- 
nifiled the famous tower in the ifland of Pharos; and 
the image of Serapis w'as brought to Alexandria, after 
Ptolemy had for three fucceflive years requefted it of the 
king of Pontus without effeCf. Ptolemy Soter pofleffing 
a conliderable Ihare of erudition, as appears from his hif- 
tory of Alexander, which was greatly efteemed by the 
ancients, founded in that city an academy, or fociety of 
leurqed men, who devoted their time to the ftudy of phi- 
lofophy, and all other fciences. For the life of thefe 
perfons, he made a collection of choice books, which 
gradually increafed under his fucceftors to the fined li¬ 
brary in the world. See Alexandria, vol. i. p. 273. 
Toward the clofe of the fecond year of Philadelphus, 
before Chrift 284, his father Ptolemy Soter expired, in 
the eighty-fourth year of his age, and the foriy-firft of 
his reign. He was revered as the beft prince of his race, 
and left behind him an illuftrious example of prudence, 
juftice, and clemency, which none of his fuccelfoTS were 
able to imitate. He retained the fame unaffected eafe' 
and fimplicity of manners in his royal dignity, as lie had 
ffiown while in a private ftation. He did not think him¬ 
felf degraded by converfing with the meaneft of his fub- 
jedts : the objects of oppreffion had at all times a free 
accefs to his perfon ; and the injured party might fsfely 
look up to him for redrefs and protection. When he 
gave a public entertainment, he thought it no difparage- 
ment to borrow plate of his friends, having no more of 
his own than was requiiite for his' common ufe ; and, 
when his courtiers obferved th it a monarch fliould be 
better provided, he anfwered, that the magnificence of 
a king confided in enriching others rather than himfelf. 
He had four wives, viz. Artonis, Thais, Eurydice, and 
Berenice. By the third of thefe lie had Ptolemy Cerau- 
nus, or the Thunderer, who, being the eldeft of the male 
iffue, was confidered as the rightful heir to the crown ; 
but Berenice, wliofe wit and beauty had gained an afeen- 
dancy over her royal confort, prevailed upon him to ex¬ 
clude Ceraunus from the fucceffion, and to fettle it upon 
her children ; in confequence of which, he refolved to (hare 
the throne in his life-time with her fon Philadelphus, to 
prevent tiie wars that might otherwife arife between the 
brothers after his deceafe. He had by Berenice four chil¬ 
dren, viz. Philadelphus, Argseus, Philoteria,' and Arfi- 
noe 4 
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