have sent to discover the springs of the Nile: and is said to have made an attempt to discover the most ancient language and religion in the world. Nechus, the son and successor of Psammiticus, is the Pharaoh-Necho of Scripture, and was a prince of an enterprising and warlike genius. In the beginning of his reign he attempted to cut through the isthmus of Suez, between the Red Sea and the Mediterranean; but was obliged to abandon the enterprise, after having lost 120,000 men in the attempt. After this he sent a ship, manned with some expert Phoenician mariners, on a voyage to explore the coasts of Africa. Accordingly, they performed the voyage; sailed round the continent of Africa: and after three years returned to Egypt, where their relation was deemed incredible. The most remarkable wars in which this king was engaged, are recorded in the sacred writings. He went out against the king of Assyria, by the divine command, as he himself told Josiah (II Chron. xxxv. 21); but, being opposed by this king, he defeated and killed him at Megiddo; after which he made his son Jehoiakim, king, and imposed on him an annual tribute of 100 talents of silver and one talent of gold. He then proceeded against the king of Assyria; and weakened him so much, that the empire was soon after dissolved. Thus he became master of Syria and Phoenicia; but, in a short time, Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came against him with a mighty army. The Egyptian monarch, not daunted by the formidable appearance of his antagonist, boldly ventured a battle; but was overthrown with prodigious slaughter, and Nebuchadnezzar became master of all the country to the very gates of Pelusium. The reign of Apries, the Pharaoh Hophra of Scripture, presents us with a new revolution in the Egyptian affairs. He is said to have been a martial prince, and in the beginning of his reign very successful. He took by storm the rich city of Sidosi; and, having overcome the Cypriots and Phoenicians in a seafight, returned to Egypt laden with spoil. This success probably incited Zedekiah king of Judah to enter into an alliance with him against Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon. The bad success of this alliance was foretold by the prophet Jeremiah; and accordingly it happened. For Nebuchadnezzar having sat down with his army before Jerusalem, Apries marched from Egypt to relieve the city; but no sooner did he perceive the Babylonians approaching him, than he retreated as fast as he could, leaving the Jews exposed to the rage of their merciless enemies: who were thereupon treated as Jeremiah had foretold and by this step Apries brought upon himself the vengeance denounced by the same prophet. The manner in which these predictions were fulfilled is as follows: the Cyreneans, a colony of the Greeks, being greatly strengthened by a numerous supply of their countrymen under their third king Battus styled the Happy, and encouraged by the Pythian oracle, began to drive out their Libyan neighbours, and share their possessions among themselves. Hereupon Andican king of Libya sent a submissive embassy to Apries, and implored his protection against the Cyreneans. Apries complied with his re

quest, and sent a powerful army to his relief. The Egyptians were defeated with great slaughter; and those who returned complained that the army had been sent off by Apries in order to be destroyed, that he might tyranuise without control over the rest of his subjects. This thought catching the attention of the people, an almost universal defection ensued. Apries sent Amasis, his chief minister, to bring them back to a sense of their duty. But while Amasis was haranguing and advising them to return to their allegiance, the people brought the ensigns of royalty and proclaimed him king. See AMASIS. Apries then despatched one Patarbemis, with orders to take Amasis, and bring him alive before him. This he found impossible, and therefore returned without his prisoner; at which the king was so enraged, that he commanded Patarbemis's nose and ears to be cut off. This piece of cruelty completed his ruin; for when the rest of the Egyptians, who had continued faithful to Apries, beheld the inhuman mutilation of Patarbemis, they to a man deserted and went over to Amasis. Both parties now prepared for war; Amasis having under his command the whole body of native Egyptians; and Apries only those Ionians, Carians, and other mercenaries whom he could engage in his service. The army of Apries amounted only to 30,000, but, though greatly inferior in number to the troops of his rival, as he well knew that the Greeks were much superior in valor, he did not doubt of victory. Nay, so far was Apries puffed up with this notion, that he did not believe it was in the power even of any God to deprive him of his kingdom. The two armies soon met and drew up in order of battle near Memphis. A bloody engagement ensued; in which, though the army of Apries behaved with the greatest resolution, they were at last overpowered by numbers, and utterly defeated, the king himself being taken prisoner. Amasis now took possession of the throne without opposition. He confined Apries in one of his palaces, but treated him with great care and respect. The people, however, were implacable, and could not be satisfied while he enjoyed his life. Amasis, therefore, at last found himself obliged to deliver him into their hands. Thus the prediction received its final completion: Apries was delivered up to those who sought his life; and who no sooner had him in their power, than they strangled him, and laid his body in the sepulchre of his ancestors. During these intestine broils, which must have greatly weakened the kingdom, but most probably before the death of Apries, Nebuchadnezzar invaded Egypt. He had been for thirteen years before this employed in besieging Tyre, and at last had nothing but an empty city for his pains. To make himself some amends, therefore, he entered Egypt, harassed the country, killed and carried away great numbers of the inhabitants, so that the country did not recover from the effects of this incursion for a long time after. In this expedition, however, he seems not to have aimed at permanent conquest, but to have been induced to it merely by the love of plunder, of which he carried with him an immense quantity to BabySome say he assisted Amasis against

lon.

Apries. During the reign of Amasis, Egypt is said to have flourished greatly, and to have contained 20,000 populous cities. That good order might be kept among such vast numbers of people, Amasis enacted a law, by which every Egyptian was bound once a year to inform the governor of his province by what means he gained his livelihood; and if he failed of this, to put him to death. The same punishment he decreed to those who could not give a satisfactory account of themselves. This monarch very much favored the Greeks, and married a queen of Grecian extraction. To many Greek cities, as well as particular persons, he made considerable presents. He also allowed the Greeks in general to come into Egypt, and settle either in the city of Naucratis, or carry on their trade upon the sea-coast; granting them also temples, and places where they might erect temples to their own deities. He received also a visit from Solon the celebrated Athenian lawgiver, and reduced the island of Cyprus under his subjection. The prosperity of Egypt, however, ended with the death of Amasis, or indeed before it. The Egyptian monarch had in some way incensed Cambyses king of Persia. The cause of the quarrel is uncertain; but, whatever it was, the Persian monarch vowed the destruction of Amasis. In the mean time Phanes of Halicarnassus, commander of the Grecian auxiliaries in the pay of Amasis, took some private disgust; and, leaving Egypt, embarked for Persia. He was a wise and able general, perfectly acquainted with every thing that related to Egypt; and had great credit with the Greeks in that country. Amasis was immediately sensible how great the loss of this man would be to him, and therefore sent after him a trusty eunuch with a swift galley. Phanes was accordingly overtaken in Lycia, but not brought back; for, making his guard drunk, he continued his journey to Persia, and presented himself before Cambyses, as he was meditating the overthrow of the Egyptian monarchy.

At this dangerous crisis also, the Egyptian monarch imprudently made Polycrates, tyraut of Samos, his enemy. This prince had hitherto been remarkable for an uninterrupted course of success; and Amasis, being at this time in strict alliance with him, wrote a letter, in which, after congratulating him on his prosperity, he told him that he was afraid lest his successes were too many, and that he might be suddenly overthrown. For this reason he advised him voluntarily to deprive himself of some portion of his happiness; and to cast away that which would grieve him most if he were accidentally to lose it. Polycrates followed his advice, and threw into the sea a signet of inestimable value. This, however, did not answer the intended purpose. The signet happened to be swallowed by a fish, which was taken a few days afterwards, and thus was restored to Polycrates. Of this Amasis was no sooner informed, than, considering Polycrates as really unhappy, and already on the brink of destruction, he resolved to put an end to the friendship which subsisted between them. For this purpose he despatched an herald to Samos, commanding him to acquaint Polycrates, that he renounced

his alliance, and all the obligations between them; that he might not mourn his misfortunes with the sorrow of a friend. Polycrates now at liberty, therefore, to act against him, accordingly offered to assist Cambyses with a fleet of ships in his Egyptian expedition. Amasis had not, however, the misfortune to see the calamities of his country. He died about A.A.C. 525, after a reign of forty-four years; and left the kingdom to his son Psammenitus, just as Cambyses was approaching the frontiers of the kingdom. The new prince was scarce seated on the throne, when the Persians appeared. Psammenitus drew together what forces he could, to prevent them from entering the kingdom. Cambyses, however, immediately laid siege to Pelusium, and made himself master of it by the following stratagem: he placed in the front of his army a great number of cats, dogs, and other animals, that were deemed sacred by the Egyptians. He then attacked the city, and took it without opposition: the garrison, which consisted entirely of Egyptians, not daring to throw a dart or shoot an arrow against their enemies, lest they should kill some of the holy animals.

Cambyses had not long, however, taken possession of the city, when Psammenitus advanced against him with a numerous army. Before the engagement, the Greeks who served under Psammenitus, to shew their indignation against their treacherous countryman, Phanes, brought his children, it is said, into the camp, killed them in the presence of their father and of the two armies, and then drank their blood. The Persians, enraged at so cruel a sight, fell upon the Egyptians with the utmost fury, put them to flight, and cut the greatest part of them in pieces. Those who escaped fled to Memphis, where they were soon after guilty of a horrid outrage. Cambyses sent a herald to them in a ship from Mitylene: but no sooner did they see her come into the port, than they flocked down to the shore, destroyed the ship, and tore to pieces the herald and all the crew; afterwards carrying their mangled limbs into the city, in a kind of barbarous triumph. Not long after, they were obliged to surrender; Psammenitus thus falling into the hands of his inveterate enemy, now enraged beyond measure at the cruelties exercised upon the children of Phanes, the herald, and the Mitylenean sailors. The rapid success of the Persians struck with such terror the Libyans, Cyreneans, Barcæans, and other dependents or allies of the Egyptian monarch, that they immediately submitted. Nothing now remained but to dispose of the captive king, and revenge on him and his subjects the cruelties which they had committed. This the merciless victor executed in the severest manner. On the 10th day after Memphis had been taken, Psammenitus and the chief of the Egyptian nobility were ignominiously sent into one of the suburbs of that city Here the king being seated in a proper place, saw his daughter coming along in the habit of a slave with a pitcher to fetch water from the river, and followed by the daughters of the greatest families in Egypt, all in the same miserable garb,

with pitchers in their hands, drowned in tears, and loudly bemoaning their miserable situation. When the fathers saw their daughters in this distress, all but Psammenitus burst into tears; he only cast his eyes on the ground, and kept them fixed there. After the young women, came the son of Psammenitus, and 2000 of the young nobility, with bits in their mouths and halters round their necks, proceeding to execution. This was done to expiate the murder of the Persian herald and the Mitylenean sailors; for Cambyses caused ten of the Egyptians of the first rank to be publicly executed for every one of those that had been slain. Psammenitus, however, observed the same conduct as before, keeping his eyes stedfastly fixed on the ground, though all the Egyptians around him made the loudest lamentations. A little after this he saw an intimate friend and companion, now advanced in years, who, having been plundered of all he had, was begging his bread from door to door in the suburbs. Psammenitus now wept bitterly; and, calling out to his friend by name, struck himself on the head as if he had been frantic. Of this the spies who had been set over him to observe his behaviour, gave immediate notice to Cambyses, who sent to enquire into the cause of such immoderate grief. Psammenitus answered, that the calamities of his own family confounded him, and were too great to be lamented by any outward signs; but the extreme distress of a bosom friend gave more room for reflection, and therefore extorted tears from him. With this answer Cambyses was so affected, that he sent orders to prevent the execution of the king's son; but they came too late, for the young prince had been put to death before any of the rest. Psammenitus himself was then sent for into the city, and restored to his liberty: had he not indeed showed a desire of revenge, he might perhaps have been trusted with the government of Egypt; but, being discovered in some schemes against the government, he was seized, and condemned to drink bull's blood. The Egyptians were now reduced to the lowest degree of slavery. Their country became a province of the Persian empire; the body of Amasis their late king was taken out of his grave; and, after being mangled in a shocking manner, was finally burnt. But, what was felt as a still greater grievance, their god Apis was slain, and his priests ignominiously scourged: this inspired the whole nation with such a hatred to the Persians, that they could never afterwards be reconciled to them. As long however as the Persian empire subsisted, the Egyptians could never shake off their yoke. They frequently revolted indeed, but were always overthrown with loss. At last they submitted, without opposition, to Alexander the Great; after whose death, Egypt again became a powerful kingdom; but, from the conquest of it by Cambyses to the present time, it has never been governed but by foreign princes, agreeably to the prophecy of Ezekiel, There shall be no more a prince of the land of Egypt.'

On the death of Alexander the Great, Egypt, together with Libya, and that part of Arabia which borders on Egypt, was assigned to P'to

lemy the son of Lagus, as governor, under Alexander's son by Roxana, who was then an infant. Nothing was farther from the intention of this governor, than to keep the provinces in trust for another. He did not, however, assume the title of king, till his authority was firmly established; and this did not happen till nineteen years after the death of Alexander, when Antigonus and Demetrius had unsuccessfully attempted the conquest of Egypt. From the time of his first establishment on the throne, Ptolemy, who had assumed the title of Soter, reigned twenty years; which added to the former nineteen, make up the thirty-nine years which historians commonly allow him to have reigned alone. In the thirty-ninth year of his reign, he made his son, Ptolemy Philadelphus, partner in the empire; declaring him his successor, to the prejudice of his eldest son named Ceraunus; being excited thereto by his violent love for Berenice, Philadelphus's mother. Upon this, Ceraunus immediately quitted the court; and fled at last into Syria, where he was kindly received by Seleucus Nicator, whom he afterwards ungratefully murdered. The most remarkable transaction of this reign was the embellishing of Alexandria, which Ptolemy made the capital of his new kingdom. See ALEXANDRIA. Ptolemy Soter died about A.A.C. 284, in the forty-first year of his reign, and eighty-fourth of his age. He was the best prince of his race; and left behind him an example of prudence, justice, and clemency, which few of his successors followed. Besides the provinces originally as signed to him, he added to his empire those of Cælo Syria, Ethiopia, Pamphylia, Lycia, Caria, and some of the Cyclades. His successor, Ptolemy Philadelphus, added nothing to the extent of his empire; nor did he perform any thing remarkable except embellishing further the city of Alexandria, enriching its library, causing the Old Testament to be translated into Greek, (See BIBLE), and entering into an alliance with the Romans. In his time, Magas, the governor of Libya and Cyrene, revolted; and held these provinces as an independent prince, notwithstanding the utmost efforts of Ptolemy to reduce him. At last an accommodation took place; and a marriage was proposed between Berenice, the only daughter of Magas, and Ptolemy's eldest son. The young princess was to receive all her father's dominions by way of dowry, and thus they would again be brought under the dominion of Ptolemy's family. But, before this treaty could be put in execution, Magas died; and then Apamea, the princess's mother, did all she could to prevent the marriage. This, however, she was not able to do: but her efforts for that purpose produced a destructive war for four years with Antiochus Theos, king of Syria, and the acting of a bloody tragedy in the family of the latter. See SYRIA. About A. A.C. 246 Ptolemy Philadelphus died; and was succeeded by his eldest son Ptolemy, who had been married to Berenice, the daughter of Magas. In the beginning of his reign, he found himself engaged in a war with Antiochus Theos king of Syria. From this he returned victorious, and brought with him 2500 statues and pictures,

among which were many of the ancient Egyptian idols, which had been carried away by Cambyses into Persia. These were restored by Ptolemy to their ancient temples; in memory of which favor, the Egyptians gave him the surname of Euergetes, or the Beneficent. In this expedition he greatly enlarged his dominions, making himself master of all the countries that lie between mount Taurus and the confines of India. An account of these conquests was given by himself, inscribed on a monument, to the following effect. Ptolemy Euergetes, having received from his father the sovereignty of Egypt, Libya, Syria, Phoenice, Cyprus, Lycia, Caria, and the other Cyclades, assembled a mighty army of horse and foot, with a great fleet, and elephants, out of Trogloditia and Ethiopia; some of which had been taken by his father, and the rest by himself, and brought thence, and trained up for war: with this great force he sailed into Asia; and having conquered all the provinces which lie on this side the Euphrates, Cilicia, Pamphylia, Ionia, the Hellespont, and Thrace, he crossed that river with all the forces of the conquered countries, and the kings of those nations, and reduced Mesopotamia, Babylonia, Susia, Persia, Media, and all the country as far as Bactria.' On the king's return from this expedition he passed through Jerusalem, where he offered many sacrifices to the God of Israel, and ever afterwards expressed a partiality for the Jewish nation. At this time the Jews were tributary to the Egyptian monarchs, and paid them annually twenty talents of silver. This tribute, however, Onias, who was then high priest, being of a very covetous disposition, had for a long time neglected to pay, so that the arrears amounted to a very large sum. Soon after his return, therefore, Ptolemy sent one of his courtiers, named Athenion to demand the money, and desired him to acquaint the Jews that he would make war upon them in case of a refusal. A young man, however, named Joseph, nephew to Onias, not only found means to avert the king's anger, but even got himself chosen his receiver general, and by his faithful discharge of that important trust, continued in high favor with Ptolemy as long as he lived. Ptolemy Euergetes having at last concluded a peace with Seleucus, the successor of Antiochus Theos, attempted the enlargement of his dominions on the south side. In this he was attended with such success, that he made himself master of all the coasts of the Red Sea, both on the Arabian and Ethiopian sides, quite down to the straits of Babel-mandel. On his return he was met by ainbassadors from the Achæans, imploring his assistance against the Etolians and Lacedemonians. This the king readily promised them: but, they having in the mean time engaged Antigonus king of Macedon to support them, Ptolemy was so much offended that he sent powerful succours to Cleomenes III. king of Sparta; hoping, by that means, to humble both the Achæans and their new ally Antigonus. In this however he was disappointed; for Cleomenes, after having gained very considerable advantages over the enemy, was at last entirely defeated in the battle of Selasia, and obliged to take refuge in Ptolemy's dominions. He was received by the

Egyptian monarch with the greatest kindness; a yearly pension of twenty-four talents was assigned him, with a promise of restoring him to the Spartan throne: but, before this could be accomplished, Ptolemy died, in the twenty-seventh year of his reign, and was succeeded by his son Ptolemy Philopater. Thus we have seen the Egyptian empire restored to a considerable height of power; and had the succeeding monarchs been careful to preserve its strength as transmitted to them by Euergetes, it is probable that Egypt might have been able to hold the balance against Rome, and after the destruction of Carthage to have prevented that haughty city from becoming mistress of the world. But after the death of Ptolemy Euergetes, the Egyptian empire, being governed either by weak monarchs, or wicked monsters, quickly declined, and from that time makes no conspicuous figure in history, except in the depravity of some of its kings, in which indeed, it may, vie with any nation

Ptolery Philopater began his reign with the murder of his brother Magas; after which, giving himself up to universal licentiousness, the kingdom fell into anarchy. Cleomenes the Spartan king still resided at court; and, being now unable to bear the dissolute manners which prevailed there, he pressed Philopater to give him the assistance he had promised for restoring him to the throne of Sparta. This he the rather insisted upon, because he had received advice that Antigonus king of Macedon was dead, that the Achæans were engaged in a war with the Etolians, and that the Lacedemonians had joined the latter against the Achæans and Macedonians. Ptolemy, when afraid of his brother Magas, had indeed promised to assist the king of Sparta with a powerful fleet, hoping thus to attach him to his own interest: but now, when Magas was out of the way, it was determined by the king, or rather his ministers, that Cleomenes should not be assisted, nor even allowed to leave the kingdom; and this extravagant resolution produced the desperate attempt of Cleomenes, of which an account will be found in the history of SPARTA. Of the disorders which now ensued, Antiochus king of Syria, surnamed the Great, took the advantage, and attempted to wrest from Ptolemy the provinces of Cælo-Syria and Palestine. But in this he was finally disappointed; and might easily have been totally driven out of Syria, had not Ptolemy been too much taken up with his debaucheries to think of carrying on the war. The discontent occasioned by this piece of negligence soon produced a civil war in his dominions, and the whole kingdom continued in the utmost confusion till his death, which happened in the seventeenth year of his reign and thirtyseventh of his age. During the reign of Philopater happened a very extraordinary event with regard to the Jews, which is recorded in the third Book of Maccabees, chap. ii. iii. iv. v. The king of Egypt, while on his Syrian expedition, had attempted to enter the temple of Jerusalem; but, being hindered by the Jews, he was filled with the utmost rage against the whole nation. On his return to Alexandria, he resolved to make those who dwelt in that city feel the first effects of his vengeance. He began with publishing a

decree, which he caused to be engraved on a pillar erected for that purpose at the gate of his palace, excluding all those who did not sacrifice to the gods worshipped by the king. Thus the Jews were debarred from suing to him for justice or protection. By the favor of Alexander the Great, Ptolemy Soter, Philadelphus, and Euergetes, the Jews enjoyed at Alexandria the same privileges with the Macedonians In that me tropolis the inhabitants were divided into three classes. In the first were the Macedonians, or original founders of the city, and along with them were enrolled the Jews; in the second were the mercenaries who had served under Alexander; and in the third the native Egyptians. Ptolemy now, to be revenged of the Jews, ordered that they should be degraded from the first rank, and enrolled among the native Egyptians; and that all of that nation should appear at an appointed time before the proper officers, to be enrolled among the people, that at the time of their enrolment they should have the mark of an ivy leaf, the badge of Bacchus, impressed with a hot iron on their faces; that all who were thus marked should be made slaves; and, lastly, that if any one should stand out against this decree, he should be immediately put to death. That he might not, however, seem an enemy to the whole nation, he declared, that those who sacrificed to his gods should enjoy their former privileges, and remain in the same class. Yet, notwithstanding this tempting offer, 300 only out of many thousand Jews who lived in Alexandria could be prevailed upon to abandon their religion in order to save themselves from slavery. The apostates were immediately excommunicated by their brethren and this their enemies construed as done in opposition to the king's order; which threw the tyrant into such a rage, that he resolved to extirpate the whole nation, beginning with the Jews who lived in Alexandria and other cities of Egypt, and proceeding from thence to Judæa and Jerusalem itself. In consequence of this cruel resolution, he commanded all the Jews that lived in any part of Egypt to be brought in chains to Alexandria, and there to be shut up in the Hippodrome, which was a very spacious place without the city, where the people used to assemble to see horse-races and other public diversions. He then sent for Herman master of the elephants; and commanded him to have 500 of these animals ready against the next day, to let loose upon the Jews in the Hippodrome. But when the elephants were prepared for the execution, and the people were assembled in great crowds to see it, they were for that and the succeeding day disappointed by the king's absence. At last he came to the Hippodrome attended with a vast multitude of spectators; but, when the elephants were let loose, instead of falling upon the Jews, they turned their rage against the spectators and soldiers, and destroyed great numbers of them. At the same time, some frightful appearances which were seen in the air so terrified the king, that he commanded the Jews to be immediately set at liberty, and restored them to their former privileges. No sooner were they delivered from this danger than they demanded leave to put to death such of their

:

nation as had abandoned their religion; which being granted, they despatched the 300 apostates. Philopater was succeeded by Ptolemy Epiphanes; and he, after a reign of twenty-four years, by Ptolemy Philometor. In the beginning of his reign, a war commenced with the king of Syria, who had seized on the provinces of Cælo-Syria and Palestine in the preceding reign. In the course of this war, Philometor was either voluntarily delivered up to Antiochus, or taken prisoner. But, however this was, the Alexandrians, despairing of his ever being able to recover his liberty, raised to the throne his brother Ptolemy, who took the name of Euergetes II. but was afterwards called Physcon, or the big-bellied, on account of the extraordinary size of his person, through gluttony and luxury. He was scarcely seated on the throne, however, when Antiochus Epiphanes, returning into Egypt, drove out Physcou, and restored the whole kingdom, except Pelusium, to Philometor. His design was to kindle war betwixt the two brothers, so that he might have an opportunity of seizing the kingdom, For this reason he kept to himself the city of Pelusium; by which, being the key of Egypt, he might at his pleasure re-enter the country. But Philometor, apprised of his design, invited his brother Physcon to an accommodation, which was happily effected by their sister Cleopatra. The brothers agreed to reign jointly, and to oppose to the utmost of their power Antiochus, whom they considered as a common enemy. On this the king of Syria invaded Egypt with a great army, but was prevented by the Romans from conquering it. The two brothers were no sooner freed from the apprehension of a foreign enemy, than they began to quarrel with each other. Their differences soon came to such a height, that the Roman senate interposed. But, before the ambassadors employed to enquire into the merits of the cause could arrive in Egypt, Physcon had driven Philometor from the throne, and obliged him to quit the kingdom. On this the dethroned prince fled to Rome, where he appeared meanly dressed, and without attendants. He was very kindly received by the senate; who were so well satisfied of the injustice done him, that they immediately decreed his restoration. He was reconducted home accordingly; and, on the arrival of the ambassadors in Egypt, an accommodation was negociated, whereby Physcon was put in possession of Libya and Cyrene, and Philometor of all Eygpt and the island of Cyprus; each of them being declared independent of the other. The treaty, as usual, was confirmed with oaths and sacrifices, and was broken almost as soon as made. Physcon was dissatisfied with his share of the dominions; and therefore sent ambassadors to Rome, desiring that the island of Cyprus might be added to his other possessions. This could not be obtained by the ambassadors; Physcon therefore went to Rome in persou. His demand was evidently unjust; but the Romans, considering it their interest to weaken the power of Egypt as much as possible, adjudged the island to him. Physcon set out from Rome with two ambassadors; and, arriving in Greece on his way to Cyprus, he raised there a great number of mercenaries, with a design to sail im