A10 Decree of the Egyptian Priefts in Honour of Ptolemy V. {June 1, 
in the Decree made by the Egyptian 
priefls, are-to be more immediately re- 
ferred. The ambition, however, of An- 
tiochus the Grear, of Syria, and the trea- 
chery of Scopas, who commanded the 
Egyptian forces, gave the beginning of 
his reign fome difturbance; but the mea- 
fures of Ariftemenes overcame them both. 
After the arreft and execution of the 
latter, however, (in the 4th year of the 
145th Olympiad, and 197 A.C.) it was 
judged advifeab‘e to celebrate the folemai- 
ties called) Avacleteria, though the king 
was not of the age that was usually re- 
quired. The Anacleteria was the proclae 
mation of the Egyptian kings, and was 
celebrated by conducting them to Mem- 
phis, when they were inthroned, and imitt- 
ated into the facred myfteries, vefted in 
facred habirs, inftruéted by fymbolical 
ceremonies. not to tyrannize over their 
fubjects, and conducted by the prieft of 
Ifis into the fan&uary. 
The Egyptians, however, rated the ta- 
lents of Ptolomy tco high; for he no 
fooner became mafter of the affairs of go- 
vernment, than he abandoned himfelf to 
tyraony and excefs. The adminifiration 
of affairs, in the hands of a new minifter, 
became too arbitrary for the people to 
endure; Ariftomenes was put to death 
for being too free with his advice; and, 
at laft, a general revolt excited. After 
Ptolomy had laid fiege to Lycopolis, ‘the 
different chiefs of Egypt, who had joined 
the confpiracy, made a conditional fur- 
render; but the king, breaking his word, 
firf{ treated them in the moft cruel man- 
ner, and afterward put them all to death. 
A condu& which only led to new difh- 
culties ; but from which he was éxtricated 
by his minifter Polycrates. 
‘The hatred which the condnét of Antio- 
chus excited in Ptolomy, was tomented 
by a treachery but rarely paralleled im the 
records of hiftory. He gave Ptolomy his 
daughter Cleopatra in marriage, only to 
get rid of him the eafier, and obrain 
Egypt in addition to his territories. But 
the young queen preferred conjugal af- 
feétion to: the ties of blood, and joined 
Ptolomy agu: ft her father, who was alio 
viewed with jealoufy by the Romans. _ 
Ptolomy, having exhaufed his treafures 
in fueceffive warfare, and hardly fuppreffed 
the rebellion of Lycopolis, prepared to 
make war upon Seleucus, king of Syria ; 
but being afked by one of his chief off- 
cers how he would raife money to carry 
on the war, indifcreetly anfwered, that 
his friends were his treafure: and the 
inference, that ke would purfue the war 
with the fortunes of his iubje&ts, occa- 
fioned him to be taken off by poifon, He 
died, at the age of twenty-nine, about 
153 years before the birth of Chrift. 
DECREE of the EGYPTIAN PRIESTS in Honour of PTOLOMY V. 
THE ORIGINAL GREEK. 
Bactarvovtoc Tov veo, ral magehefrovros THY 
Baciksay Tae TOU NWaATEOS nUELOU Buciretwyy 
preyerodoZou, Toy THY ALyUMTOY- AL TACNTAAALEVIV, 
we ta Toes sous (*) eee tveeBous, avrimarwy 
umeptece, Tov To Poy swy avIewnwy emavop= 
Gwouvros, xe TerenovTacrnotowy xadumep 0 
Hoaisoc 9 preyas Buctrews, xefamep 0 Hato (3) 
prryos Puctheus THY TE BIW AL TWY KLTW YK WOW, 
Exyovoy Ozewy OihoTaToowy, wW a Hdaicos cooxl= 
pace, wo Hriog elwxev THY VIMY, ELxoVOS Cwons 
se Alot, vidy tou Hatov, Iirovraiou rou (4) 
auwyostou, nyennjrevou uTo rou D9a, etous evale 
eM steps Aste TOU wETOU AnsSavooe, nat Oewy 
Lwrigwy, KL Oewy ACEAOwYs xt Ozwy EveoyeTwvy 
xt Ozwy Diroreroswy, xu (5) @zov Enxtoa- 
WOUS EVY MOLT, eb noboce Beoeyexns Evepyetisog 
Tugoes Tug Pte, xaviPogou Agcevons Diradergov, 
Averag TS Atoyevous, seoeiag Aosivons Pirhotarog0¢, 
Expnyng (©) ong Wroneprasou"  panvos » Raveswov 
Telpacly Atyutliwy ee Mey £t9 oxlwuerdexatn, 
Wrcisprce ob wey cesels, nat wWeoonlert, ut ob ety co 
cdulov eEropevoisevar wong coy codicprov wy (7) 
JEW, KE wlegopogat, Has vepoyprprprccletsy eb O16 
anos rEgsts aavles of anevlioailes ex cwv xale 
Tny ywpeey seowy ats Mendy Tw Lacirer, wooo thy 
WAVAYUOLY TAS waren Lews T15 (8) Pactheas a7ie 
Iironepaniou ewwvostou, nyannjsrvou oxo Te OGd, 
@Biov Enspayoug evyusigov, wy Wupskubey Wace 
Fos Taszes avlev, evveyGeiles ey sw ey Mere 
AN ‘ENGLISH TRANSLATION, 
The young king now reigning, who re- 
ceived the kingdom from his father, the lord 
of kings, greatly glorious, who'fettled the 
affairs of Egypt, and refpectful of the gods, 
pious, fuccefsful over his enemies, the re- 
ftorer of the life of men, lord ef thirty years, 
like Vulcan the great king, like the Sun 
the great king both of the upper and lower 
diftrits, offspring of the Gods Philopateres, 
whom Vulcan approved, to whom the Sun 
gave victory, the living image of Jupiter, 
the fon of the Sun, Ptolomy, the immortal, 
beloved of Phtha, inthe ninth year of the 
priefthood of Aétes prieft of Alexander, and 
of the Gods Soteres, and the Gods brothers, 
and the Gods Euvergetes, and the Gods Phi- 
lopateres, and of the God Epiphanes, moft 
gracious; Pyrrha, the daughter of Philinus, 
being the athlephora of Berenice the wife of 
Euergetes; Areia, daughter of Diogenes, 
being the canephora of Arfinoe, the wife of 
Philadelphus; Irene, daughter of Ptolomy, 
being prieftefs of Arfinoe, wife of Philopator 5. 
on the fourth day of the month Xandichus, 
but the eighteenth of the Egyptian Mechir, 
A-DECREE of the high priefts, and prophets, 
and thofe who enter the fanétuary to cloath 
the Gods, and the Pterophore, and the Hie- 
regrammatifts, and all the other priefts col- 
letied 
—_— a ee 
