508 
EGYPT. 
ration of their colleagues. The rumour of fo audacious 
a contempt of the laws, roofed the indignation of the 
public, and gave a general alarm. Marcus Favonius the 
(loic, boldly accufed Aulefes before the confcript fathers ; 
expatiated on the mifconduift of fome interefted fenators 
who had fulfered themfelves to be corrupted with money; 
and infilled that Dio, a celebrated philofopher, who was 
the chief of theembafly, fltould appear before the fenate, 
in order to teflify, upon oath, the murder of his compa¬ 
nions. This demand was too reafonable to admit a re- 
fufal, and Dio was therefore fummoned to come forward ; 
but Pontpey, Lentulus, and the otherleadingmen, whofe 
favour had been purchafed by Ptolemy, declared fo 
openly for the perfidious prince, that Dio was fearful of 
attending the fummons; and Auletes, unwilling to give 
him time to recollect his accuftonted firmnefs, caufed 
him to fall by the dagger of a hired aiTafiin. Ptolemy 
Auletes, now thinking himfelf Secure in the protection 
of Pompey, had the audacity to avow this infamous ac¬ 
tion. A profecution was, however, commenced againft 
Afcitius the murderer, who was proved to have (tabbed 
Dio with his own hand: yet Afcitius was acquitted in 
fpite of the mod incontrovertible evidence. An aCtion 
was then brought againfi the venial judges by the adverfe 
party ; but this was alfo fet afide by the artifices of Pom- 
pey’s faCtion : and a decree was carried in the fenate for 
Ptolemy’s refioration by force of arms. All the great 
men were ambitious of re-condudting a monarch who had 
laviflted fitch immenfe fums upon his protedlors; and, 
after fome debates, the commiflion was obtained by Len¬ 
tulus Spinther, the proconful, who had been appointed 
governor of Cilicia. But about this time a fiatue, ereCted 
on the hill of Alba, was thrown down by a thunder 
(form ; in confequence of which the Sibylline books were 
opened to difcover the meaning of the prognoftic. C. 
Cato, an enterprifing young man, who was one of the 
tribunes, feized this opportunity of confounding the in¬ 
trigues of Ptolemy’s party. He read, or pretended to 
read, in the Sibylline prophecies, the following words : 
“ If a king of Egypt (hall apply to you for fuccour, af- 
fift him, but not with an army ; if you adopt violent mea- 
fures, you muft expect great misfortunes.” This pre¬ 
diction, though evidently forged, was reported to the 
people by the keepers of the Sibylline books, and pro¬ 
duced its delired effeCt fo forcibly, that the recent decree 
of the fenate was immediately revoked. 
Various expedients were now propofed in order to fa¬ 
cilitate the king’s return without violating the injunction 
of the pretended oracle; but, as the diverfity of opinion 
in the fenate rendered every fcheme abortive, Ptolemy 
determined, in,purfuance of Pompey’s advice, to recur 
to Gabinius, who commanded as proconful in Syria. 
Gabinius was a perfon of the rnoft infamous character, 
and would readily undertake any thing for money. He 
had already ruined the province of Syria by his unparal¬ 
lelled oppreflions ; and had engaged, for a large reward, 
to afiifi Mithridates in the recovery of his crown. Pto¬ 
lemy came up with him as he was advancing towards the 
frontiers of Parthia, and delivered into his hands letters 
from Pompey, their common friend, whereby he was de- 
fired to reftore the banidted prince, upon fuch terms as 
might prove agreeable to both parties. Gabinius was 
well aware that he fitould tranfgrefs an exprefs law of 
the republic by acceding to this propo-fal without orders 
from the fenate; but on the receipt of five thoufand ta¬ 
lents, and the alfurance that he (liotild be rewarded with 
five thoufand more on Ptolemy’s refioration to the throne, 
-he laid afide all dread of the confequence, abandoned the 
caufe of Mithridates', and marched without hefitation to¬ 
wards Egypt. On his approach, he detached Marc. An¬ 
tony, who was extremely zealous in Ptolemy’s behalf, to 
feize the palfes with a body of cavalry, and open the way 
for the reft of the army. The young Ropian acquitted 
himfelf of this commiflion witli admirable addrefs, and, 
through the friendly offices of Hircanus prince of Judea, 
and Antipater the father of Herod, obtained pofieffion of 
the important city of Pelufium. Auletes on entering 
the place, propofed a general maffacre of the Egyptian 
inhabitants; but Antony, who juftly fuppofed that fo 
barbarous an aftion would fix an eternal ftigma on the 
Roman name, and either prevent or retard the defired re. 
dotation, prevented the king from executing his defign. 
On the firft intelligence of Antony’s fuccefs, Gabinius 
advanced into the heart of the country, where he was 
met and engaged by Archelatts at the-head of a confider- 
able army. Victory, however, decided in favour of the 
proconful, the Egyptian troops were cut in pieces, and 
Archelaus himfelf was taken prifoner. Gabinius might 
now have terminated the war without further effufion of 
blood, but his avarice tempted him to prolong it; and 
he therefore firft gave Archelaus his liberty, upon his 
paying a confiderable ranfom ; and then, pretending that 
his prifoner had efcaped, he extorted freflt fums from 
Ptolemy for the profecution of the war. Archelaus, on 
recovering his liberty, exerted himfelf in the mod heroic 
manner for the prefervation of his dominions; but his 
panic-ftruck army, having turned its back in feveral en¬ 
counters, he was obliged to fuftain a fiege in Alexandria, 
till, being reduced to the utmoft extremity, he marched 
out to hazard another battle, which put an end to his 
reign and life. Marc. Antony, who had been the parti¬ 
cular friend of this valiant prince, commanded his dead 
body to be carefully embalmed, and caufed it to be in¬ 
terred with the utmoft magnificence. The entire reduc¬ 
tion of Egypt foon followed this event, and Auletes was 
in confequence refettled on his throne : Gabinius left fome 
of his Roman forces to overawe the Alexandrians ; and 
Berenice was facrificed to the refentment of her inhuman 
father. Mod of the wealthy citizens were alfo put to 
death by the command of the king, who had occafion for 
the confifcation of their eftates, to make up the reward 
he had promifed to Gabinius ; and every fpecies of vio¬ 
lence was daily praCtifed with impunity. C. Rabirius 
Pofthumus, who had lent Auletes the greateft part of the 
money he had borrowed at Rome, now preffed the king 
to perform his engagements, but Ptolemy gave him to 
underhand that he difpaired of fatisfyinghis claim, un- 
lefs he would accept the office of receiver-general, by 
which he might pay himfelf as he collected the revenues. 
Rabirius embraced the offer, fuppoiing that he mud 
otherwife lofe his debt ; but the ungrateful prince foon 
ordered the unfortunate creditor to be clofely confined, 
though he was one of Caefar’s particular friends, and 
though Pompey was in fome degree refponfible for the 
debt, as the money had been advanced at hisrequeft, and 
the obligation was executed in his prefence. Rabirius, 
having found means to obtain his liberty, quitted Egypt 
with all poflible expedition, to elude the more dangerous 
defigns of Auletes; but, to complete his misfortunes, 
a formal profecution was commenced againft him, on his 
return to Rome, for having aided Ptolemy in corrupting 
the fenate ; for having dishonoured the quality of a Ro¬ 
man knight by accepting an employment in Egypt; and 
for having (hared in the treafures which Gabinius ac¬ 
quired in his late illegal expedition. The eloquent ora¬ 
tion which Cicero delivered in his defence on this occa¬ 
fion, is an eternal monument of Ptolemy’s perftdy-and in¬ 
gratitude. 
Auletes died in the peaceable poffeflion of his king¬ 
dom, about four years after his re-eftablifhment, and 
thirty after he had firft aflumed the government, leaving 
behind him two fons and two daughters. He bequeathed 
his crown to his eldeft fon and daughter, Ptolemy and 
Cleopatra, commanding them to be joined in the bonds 
of marriage, according to the cuftom of their family, and 
to govern with equal authority. And becaufe they were 
both under age he recommended them in the ntoft folemn 
manner to the protection of the Romans, who in com¬ 
pliance with his defire appointed Pompey the young 
prince’s guardian. The name of Auletus had been given 
2 _ tO 
