EGYPT. 
againft: the rebels, defeated them in a pitched battle, and 
clofely inverted their city, which refilled all his exertions 
vvijli the mod furprifing obftinacy for the fpace of three 
years; but was finally reduced and given up to the ra¬ 
pacity of the foldiers. 
In the year before Chrift 78, Lucullus being fent from 
Rome by Sylla to procure fliips, in order to block up the 
ports of Pirseus and Munychia, landed at Alexandria, and 
was received with fuch honours as were only paid to the 
kings of Egypt. Upon the firft intimation of his arrival 
the royal fleet failed out to meet him ; and, upon his 
entrance into the city, the king honoured him with the 
mod diftinguiftiing marks'of efteem, allotted him an apart¬ 
ment in his own palace, and ordered his minirters to give 
the Roman attendants four times the allowance that was 
ufually given to other ambafladors. Lucullus, how r - 
ever, obferved the mod rigid temperance amidft the fplen- 
dour and profufion of the court ; and refilled a pecuniary 
prefent which Lathurus prefted him to accept. He even 
declined viliting the other famous cities of Egypt, which 
were the admiration of all the world ; alleging that it 
would ill become him to take a tour of pleafure, while 
his general was exnofing his life to the rnoft imminent 
danger in behalf of his country. When he urged his re- 
queft of maritime afliftance, Ptolemy pretended that he 
was threatened with a civil war in his own dominions, 
and could not, therefore, part with any of his fliips ; he, 
however, prefented him with his likenefs cut in an eme¬ 
rald of great value, and dilmilled him with every token 
of veneration. Soon after this Lathurus died, having 
reigned, from the deatli of his father, thirty-fix years ; 
eleven jointly with his mother in Egypt, eighteen in Cy¬ 
prus, and feve.n alone in Alexandria after the death of 
Cleopatra. 
Upon the deceafe of this prince, the fceptre devolved 
on his only legitimate offspring Cleopatra. To obviate 
many obfcurities which occur in the Egyptian hiftory, it 
is proper to remark, that as the males of the royal family 
had the general name of Ptolemy, -fo the females htid that 
of Cleopatra, though they had likewife proper names to 
dirtinguifh them from each other. Sylla, who at that 
time was perpetual dictator at Rome, fent Alexander, 
the nephew of Lathurus, to artuine the reins of govern¬ 
ment, as the next heir of the male line. On his arrival 
in Egypt, he v?;s perfuaded to efpoufe the princefs, who 
had been placed on the throne fix months before that pe¬ 
riod. The nuptials were accordingly folemnized with 
great pomp and magnificence ; but Cleopatra, becoming 
an objedl of averfion to her confort, either on account of 
her perfon, or her (hare in the regal dignity, was cruelly 
affaflinated nineteen days after the marriage. After this 
barbarous tranfadlion, Alexander reigned fifteen years ; 
during which time he rendered himfelf fo obnoxious to 
his-fubjedts by his tyrannical condudt, that they took up 
arms, and would have facrifjced him to their refentment, 
if he had not fecured his fafety by a precipitate retreat. 
He fled firrt to Pompey, who was then carrying on the 
war againrt Mithridates king of Pontus, and offered him 
a large funt of money, in hopes of perfuading him to 
efpoufe his caufe; but, finding his delign impracticable, 
he took refuge in the city of Tyre, whither he had fent 
great part of his treafures, and there died, as is fuppofed, 
with grief. By his laft will he made over all his rights 
to the Romans, declaring them heirs to his wealth and 
dominions. This will, which was exprefsly intended to 
fow the feeds of difeord among the Roman fenators and 
the people of Egypt, oepafioned fome warm debates in 
the fenate, but it was at length conlidered invalid, as far 
as related to the kingdom : and the fathers contented 
thentfelves with fending to Tyre for the efleets which the 
decealed prince had bequeathed to the republic. 
.The Egyptians, after having driven Alexander into 
banifhment, bellowed the crown upon Ptolemy Auletes, 
the natural fon of Lathurus, who, knowing he had but a 
doubtful title to the throne, purchafed an alliance with 
307 
the Romans at the price of fix thoufnnd talents, fifty-eight 
years before Chrift. Though the royal yearly revenues 
amounted to twice this firm, yet Auletes could not raife 
it immediately without burdening Iris people with very 
heavy taxes. This occafioned a general difeontent ; and 
the refufal of the king to a popular requeft refpeSting the 
file of Cyprus, exafperated the populace to fuch a degree, 
that they revolted from their allegiance ; and, furround¬ 
ing the palace, threatened tire life of their fovereign ; 
but Auletes, on the firff intimation of his danger, with¬ 
drew privately from Alexandria, eroded Egypt, and em¬ 
barked for Rhodes, with an intention of obtaining aftift- 
ance from the Roman fenate. Finding, on his arrival, 
that Cato was in the if!and, the Egyptian monarch went 
to vifit him : but, finding that Cato neither vouchfafed 
to rife at his entrance, nor fainted him otherwife than as 
an ordinary perfon, he was much furprifed at a mode of 
condudt which appeared fo incongruous with the Roman’s 
fimple drefs and equipage : his amazement was, how¬ 
ever, foon converted into admiration, when, having ex¬ 
plained the fituation of his affairs, Cato blamed him for 
leaving the riclieft country in the world, to expofe him¬ 
felf to the indignities which he muft endure among the 
proud and avaricious grandees of Rome; allured hint, 
that the wealth of Egypt would be inlufficient to fatisfy 
the rapacity of the leading men : and finally exhorted 
him to return, and drive to regain the affections of his 
fubjedts by a more equitable condudt ; adding, that lie 
would cheerfully accompany him thither, and ufe his ut- 
moft exertions to eff'edt a happy reconciliation. Auletes 
now perceived the impropriety of his flight, and enter¬ 
tained thoughts of embracing Cato’s propofal ; but, on 
the advice of his companions, he relinquifhed that defign, 
and purfued his journey. The Egyptians, in the mean 
time, not knowing what courfe he had taken, and either 
believing or affecting to believe that he had perifffed, 
placed the diadem on the head of his daughter Berenice, 
and fent an embaffy into Syria, to Antiochus Afiaticus, 
who, by his mother Selene, was the next male heir of the 
family, inviting him to marry the princefs that he might 
reign jointly with her; but he being dead, the Alexan¬ 
drian nobles enjoined the ambalfadors to make a fimilar 
propolal to his brother Seleucus, who readily complied 
with their defire. His condudl in Egypt loon rendered 
him contemptible in the eyes of his fubjedls, and Bere¬ 
nice was fo violently exafperated by his unbounded ava¬ 
rice, that (lie laid afide all conliderations of duty, and 
caufed him to be ftrangled, after which lie beftowed her 
hand upon Archelaus high-prieft of Comana, who pre¬ 
tended to be the fon of Mithridates the Great, though 
he was in reality only the fon of that monarch’s chief 
general. 
Auletes, on his arrival at Rome, B. C. 57, found 
that Casfar, on whom his- principal hopes werd found¬ 
ed, was making war in Gaul. He was, however, kindly 
received by Pompey, his other patron, who accommo¬ 
dated him with an apartment in his houfe, and omit¬ 
ted nothing that lay in his power to ferve him ; yet, 
notwithftanding the protedlion of fo poweiful a man, 
the king was obliged to go, like a private citizen, from 
houfe to houfe, in order to obtain the fulfrages of the 
fenators. Having at laft procured a ftrong party, he was 
admitted to lay his complaints before the fenate, which 
he did in the mod artful manner, exaggerating the ill- 
treatment lie had received from his rebellious fubjedls, 
and reminding the Romans of his alliance with their re¬ 
public, by which they were bound to fupport him againft; 
foreign and domeftic enemies. To oppofe thefe pro¬ 
ceedings, and to juftify the revolt of the Egyptians, a fo- 
lemn embafly, confiding of one hundred citizens of dif- 
tiuclion, was lent from Alexandria; but Ptolemy found 
means to deftroy 1110ft of them either by poilon or the. 
fvvord, and ftruck luch terror into the minds of the fur- 
vivors, that they were equally incapable of-executing 
their commiflion } or of .demanding jultice for the alfaffi- 
nation.' 
