305 
E G 1 
loft, but for the protection and encouragement given to 
learned men by the Ptolemies of Egypt. 
While foreigners were flocking from all parts to 
Alexandria, in purfuance of Phyfcon’s invitation, B. C. 
136, Scipio Africanus the younger, Spur!us Mummius, 
and L. Metullus, landed at that port; having been lent 
in quality of ambaffadors to vifit the countries that were 
lubjeCt to, or in alliance with, their republic. They were 
-commiflioned to notice the ftate of affairs in each king¬ 
dom, to compofe fuch differences as might exift between 
the fovereigns, and to ufe their utmoft endeavours in 
every place for the eftablifhment of peace and amity. 
Scipio, having filled the world with the fame of his ex¬ 
ploits, was received with loud acclamations by the po¬ 
pulace, and the king himfelf went out to meet the ara- 
baffadors ; but his appearance infpired them with equal 
contempt and averfion. He, however, affefted to fliew 
them the utmoft refpedt, and entertained them, during 
their (lay, with the mod coftly and delicious viands; but 
they, preferring the vigour of the conftitution to the gra¬ 
tification of the palate, refuted to partake of any nourifli- 
ment but fuch as was merely requifite for the fupport of 
nature. After viewing the royal palace, the treafury, 
and whatever was worthy of notice in Alexandria, they 
failed up the Nile to Memphis, and other parts of Egypt; 
concluding, from their obfervations on the numerous ci¬ 
ties, the great population, the fertile foil, &c. that no¬ 
thing was wanted but a prince of abilities and application, 
to render Egypt one of the mod powerful dates in tlie 
world. Shortly after the departure of the ambaffadors, 
Phyfcon began to exercife the fame tyrannical cruelties 
upon the new inhabitants of his metropolis, which had 
compelled the ancient citizens to feek an afylum in a fo¬ 
reign country ; and fcarcely a week palled without feveral 
of the wealthy Alexandrians being murdered upon tome 
frivolous accufution. We have already obferved that 
this monfter of wickednefs married Cleopatra, his filter 
and brother’s widow, and flew her ton in her arms on the 
very day of his nuptials: but now falling in love with 
his niece, who was alfo named Cleopatra, he firft violated 
her chaftity, and then married her; having divorced her 
ill-fated mother for the gratification of his carnal defines. 
Thefe, and many other excefles of a fimilar nature, ren¬ 
dered him fo contemptible among his people, that they 
only waited an opportunity of taking up arms for reveng¬ 
ing their inj uries upon the mercilefs tyrant who oecafioned 
them. That Phyfcon retained pofleftion of the throne 
under fo general an odium, was chiefly owing to the ma¬ 
nagement of his prime-minifter Hierax, who conciliated 
the efteem of the foldiers by his punctual payments, and 
exerted himfelf to balance, as much as poflible, the abo¬ 
minable conduit of his mailer: but, when Hierax was 
removed from his office, the Alexandrians began to com¬ 
plain openly of their oppreflions, and to throw out me. 
naces againft their brutal monarch ; Phyfcon, however, 
in order to incapacitate them for fuch retribution, re- 
folved on a general mafTacre of the young men, in whom 
the ftrength of the place confided ; and accordingly or¬ 
dered the gymnafium, or place of public exercifes, to be 
fet on fire when they were aflembled, fo that they either 
periflied in the flames, or were flaughtered by the mer¬ 
cenary guards whom the king had placed at all the ave¬ 
nues. This diabolical action exafperated the people to 
fuch a degree, that they ran in a tumultuous manner to 
the palace, which they reduced to afhes; but Phyfcon 
retired undifcovered with his wife and fon to the ifland 
of Cyprus. The Alexandrians were no fooner informed 
of his cowardly flight, than they placed his divorced 
queen on the throne, and exprefied their abhorrence of 
his cruelty by pulling down and deftroying all the fta- 
tues which had been ereCted to him in Alexandria. 
Phyfcon, fuppofing this to have been done at the mitiga¬ 
tion of his repudiated confort, refolved to revenge himfelf 
upon the harmlefs Memphitis, whom he now conlidered 
Vol. VI. No. 351. 
f P T. 
only as the child of Cleopatra; and accordingly ordered 
his throat to be cut in his own prefence, and his .man¬ 
gled limbs to be put in a box, with the head entire, to 
fliew to whom they belonged. Having thus (lied the 
blood of his own fon, who was amiable equally on ac¬ 
count of his perfonal and mental accomplifhments, he 
fent the box to Alexandria, charging the meffenger to 
prefent it at court on the queen’s birth-day. His inhu¬ 
man orders were obeyed, and the public rejoicings were 
confequently changed into a general mourning : but the 
exhibition of fo dreadful a fpeCfacle ferved only to in¬ 
flame the minds of the populace, who refolved to pre¬ 
vent the tyrant from re-afeending the throne. 
Cleopatra, B. C. 129, having raifed an army, gave 
the command of it to Marfyas; and Phyfcon fent He- 
gelochus with a numerous body of mercenaries againft 
the Alexandrians. The two armies met on the frontiers 
of Egypt, and a fanguinary battle enfued, which termi¬ 
nated in the defeat of the Egyptians and the captivity of 
their general, who was fent in chains to Phyfcon. It was 
expected that this unhappy prifoner would have been 
doomed to the moft exquilite torments ; but the tyrant, 
to the aftonifhinent of all, indulged him with a free par¬ 
don, and gave him his liberty; a generofity which re- 
fulted entirely from the policy of Phyfcon, who, finding 
that his cruelties had tended to exafperate the people, re¬ 
folved to regain their affedtion by fome public aCts of leni¬ 
ty. The queen, greatly diftrelfed by the lofs of herforces, 
fent to implore afliftance from her fon.in-law Demetrius, 
promifing to reward his exertions with the Egyptian dia¬ 
dem. The Syrian readily embraced her propofal, and 
marching into Egypt at the head of a numerous army, 
laid (lege to Pelulium; but, in confequence of a revolt 
among his native fubjeCts, he was obliged to return with 
all poflible expedition into Syria. Cleopatra, thus dif- 
appointed in her hopes, and too weak to refift the con¬ 
quering arms of Phyfcon, fecured all her valuable effe£ts p 
and fet fail for Ptolemais, where fhe found an afylum in 
the court of her daughter. The tyrant now' returned to 
Alexandria and re-affumed the government, which he 
held without farther difturbance till the fixty-feventh 
year of his age, and the twenty-ninth of his reign, when 
his death put a period to his oppreffive and iniquitous 
conduct. It feems fcarcely credible that a prince of fo 
vile and barbarous a difpofition fhoitld have taken any 
pleafure in the arts and fciences, or have deferved the 
character of a patron of literature. Yet feveral authors 
of refpedtability allure us that he acquired the appella¬ 
tion of the philologijl, from his extenfive knowledge, and 
the facility with which he converfed on all literary fub- 
jects; that he enriched the Alexandrian library, at a 
great expence, with many valuable books; and that he 
obtained a conliderable (hare of reputation by fome His¬ 
torical writings. He left three fons, Apion, Lathurus, 
and Alexander. To Apion, w'hom he had by a concu¬ 
bine, he bequeathed the kingdom of Cyrene ; and that of 
Egypt he left to his widow, in conjunction with one of 
her fons whom fhe fhould choofe. The fucceffion be¬ 
longed, by right of inheritance, to Lathurus, the eldeft 
of his legitimate children; but the queen preferred Alex¬ 
ander, who fhe fuppofed moft likely to leave the manage¬ 
ment of affairs in her own hands. This unjuft partiality 
was, however, oppofed by the Alexandrians, who obliged 
her to fend for Lathurus from the ifland of Cyprus, whi¬ 
ther he had been baniflied in his father’s life-time. The 
prince arrived accordingly, and was folenmly inaugurat¬ 
ed ; but Cleopatra ftill retained the defire of abfolute 
authority, and politically eftablifhed her younger fon in 
the kingdom of Cyprus, that he might be in a condition 
to afford her important afliftance in cafe of any mifunder- 
ftanding with the reigning prince. 
Lathurus began to reign in the year before Chrift 1075 
but had not long enjoyed the regal dignity before his mo¬ 
ther found means to occafion a revolt among the Alexan. 
4 I drians^ 
