The occas to fupport himself in the ufurpation of those dominions, and being now grown very old and infirm, caused overtures of an accommodation to be tendered to Ptolemy, with the propofal of a marriage between Berenice, his only daughter, and the eldest fon of the king of Egypt, promifing to refign all his dominions for her dowry. The propofal was approved of by Ptolemy, and a peace concluded on thefe terms; but Magas died the year following, before the execution of the treaty, after he had reigned fifty years over Lybia and Cyrene, from the time that these provinces were firft committed to his care. On his. death his widow Apame, whom Juftin calls Arfinoe, fion of this the fifter of Antiochus Theus, refolved to oppofe the marriage of her daughter with the fon of Ptolemy, becaufe it had been concluded without her confent. With this view the fent into Macedon for Demetrius, half-brother to Antigonus Gonatus, promifing him her daughter in marriage, and with her the kingdoms of Lybia and Cyrene. This invitation foon carried Demetrius thither; but as he was a beautiful young man, Apame no fooner faw him, than fhe refolved to marry him herself. Demetrius finding himself highly favoured by the mother, entirely neglected the young princefs, and imagining that her favour raised him above all controul, he began to treat the princefs, as well as the minifters and officers of the army, in a most infolent manner. They therefore confpired against him, and Berenice led the confpirators to the door of her mother's apartment, where they flew Demetrius in her bed, though Apame did all the could to fave him, and even covered him from the fwords of the confpirators with her own body. Upon his death Berenice went into Egypt, where fhe was married, according to the former agreement, to the fon of Ptolemy, and Apame was fent to her brother Antiochus Theus, in Syria 8. On her arrival at his court, the fo exafperated him againft Ptolemy, that he proclaimed war against that prince. This war was carried on for many years with great fury, and proved at laft very fatal to Antiochus. Ptolemy did not head his army in perfon, his declining ftate of health not permitting him to expofe himself to the fatigues of a campaign; for which reafon he left the whole conduct of the war to his generals; but Antiochus, who was then in the flower of his age, took the field at the head of a numerous army, having g Juftin. lib. xxvi. cap. 3. Athenæus ex Agatharcide, lib. xii. P. 550. Plut. in Demetr. under under his ftandards all the forces of Babylon and the East. History has not tranfmitted to us the fucceffes of this war on either fide, probably because they were not very confiderable. After his Yr. of Fl. 2098. Ante Chr. 250. Antiochus. occafion to this revolt. While Antiochus was thus engaged in a war with the king of Egypt, great commotions and revolts happened in the eastern provinces of his empire, which, as he was not at leisure to fupprefs immediately, increased to such a degree, that he could never afterwards re-establish quiet. The ParAntiochus had committed to the care of Agathocles the thians and administration of all the provinces beyond the Euphrates; Bactrians fo that Parthia and the adjacent countries were under his revolt from government. Agathocles, charmed with the gracefulnefs and beauty of a youth called Teridates, made an attempt on his modefty. Hereupon Arfaces, the brother What gave of the youth, enraged at the affront offered to his family, ran to arms; and being fupported by fome friends who engaged in his quarrel, flew the governor. death, Arfaces prevailed upon feveral of his countrymen to efpouse his caufe; and by degrees his party grew fo numerous, while neglected by Antiochus, that in the end he found himself ftrong enough to drive out the Macedonians. He fixed his refidence at Hecatompolis, and there gave rife to the Parthian empire, which rofe in time to fo great a pitch of power, as to become formidable, not only to all the princes of the Eaft, but even to the Romans. About the fame time Theodotus revolted in Bactria, and, from governor, became king of that province, which, if we believe Juftin, contained no fewer than a thousand cities he ftrengthened himfelf fo effectually in his new kingdom, while Antiochus was engaged in the Egyptian war, that he could never afterwards be difpoffeffed of his acquifitions. His example, and that of Arfaces, were followed by all the nations in those parts, each of them fhaking off at the fame time the Macedonian yoke, and chufing princes of their own; by which means Antiochus loft all the provinces of his empire lying beyond the Euphrates (T). Thefe h Arrian. in Parthicis, apud Phot. cod. 58. Syncel. p. 284. Juftin. lib. xli. cap. 4. Strab. lib. xi. p. 515. (T) The revolt of the Parthians happened, according to Juftin, while L. Manlius Vulfo, and M. Attilus Regulus, VOL. VIII. were confuls at Rome; which K This Antiochus Thefe troubles and commotions in the Eaft made Anconcludes a tiochus weary of his war with Ptolemy; a treaty of peace peace with was therefore concluded on the following terms: that Ptolemy. Antiochus fhould divorce his former wife Laodice, who was his own fifter by the father, marry Berenice, the daughter of Ptolemy, and fettle the crown upon the male iffue of that marriage. Antiochus, pursuant to this treaty, repudiated Laodice, though fhe had already brought him two fons; and Ptolemy failed with his daughter from Pelufium to Seleucia, a maritime city near the mouth of the Orontes in Syria, where he met Antiochus, and the nuptials were folemnized with extraordinary magnificence. Ptolemy, as he had a tender affection for his daughter, gave, of his own accord, an immenfe fum with her by way of dowry; whence he was furnamed Phernopheros, or the Dowry-giver. Befides, he ordered regular supplies of water from the Nile to be tranfmitted to her, whereever fhe was, believing it to be more beneficial to her health than any other k Two years after this marriage Ptolemy Philadelphus died; an event which Antiochus Theus, his fon-in law, no fooner understood, than he removed Berenice from his bed, and recalled Laodice, with her children Seleucus Callinicus, and Antiochus Hierax; but Laodice being well acquainted with his fickle temper, and fearing left he might again abandon her, and receive Berenice, refolved to improve the present opportunity, and fecure the fucceffion to her fon; for by the late treaty with Ptolemy, her children were disinherited, and the crown fet i Vide Hieronym. in Daniel, cap. 11. This Arfaces is called by the * Athenæus, lib. ii. Arfaces and his Parthians revolted from Antiochus; but as they annually folemnized the day on which Arfaces engaged and defeated Seleucus Callinicus, the fon and fucceffor of Antiochus, and looked upon it as the day that gave birth to their liberty, both Juftin and Appian thought, that the Parthians first revolted under Seleucus, and not under Antiochus his father (1). (1) Justin. lib, xli. cap. 4. Appian in Syriac. p. 130. tled 2102. Ante Chr. dice. 246. tled on the son of Berenice. For effecting this defign, Yr. of Fl. fhe caused Antiochus to be poifoned: when she saw him expiring, the ordered him to be privately conveyed away, and one Artemon, who greatly refembled him, as well in features as in the tone of his voice, to be placed in Antiochus his bed. Artemon acted his part with great dexterity, Theus poiand perfonating Antiochus, tenderly recommended his foned by his dear Laodice and her children to the lords that vifited wife Laohim. In the name of Antiochus, whom the people believed ftill alive, orders were iffued, enjoining all his fubjects to obey his beloved fon Seleucus Callinicus, and acknowlege him for their lawful fovereign. The crown Seleucus being by this infamous contrivance fecured to Callinicus, Callinicus the death of the king was publicly declared, and Calli- afcends the nicus, without any oppofition, afcended the throne. Antiochus Hierax, the other fon of Laodice, had at this time the government of the provinces of Afia Minor, where he commanded a confiderable body of troops. Laodice, not thinking herself safe while Berenice and her fon were alive, concerted measures with Seleucus to deftroy them likewife; but Berenice being informed of their defign, eluded the danger for fome time, by retiring with her fon to Daphne, where the shut herself up in the afylum built by Seleucus Nicator. There she was closely befieged by the forces of Seleucus; but the cities of Afia, pitying her condition, formed a confederacy, and fent a ftrong body of troops to Antioch for her relief. Ptolemy Euergetes, her brother, haftened thither likewife, at the head of a formidable army; but both Berenice and her fon, with all the Egyptians who attended them, were barbarously cut off, before either of the armies came to their rescue (U). When they faw all their endeavours for 1 Hieronym. ubi fupra. Plin. lib. vii. cap. 12. Val. Max. lib. ix. cap. 14. Solinus. cap. 1. Appian. in Syriac, p. 130. Justin. lib. xxvii. cap. I. Polyb. lib. ii. p. 155. (U) The particulars of the marriage of Antiochus with the daughter of Ptolemy, and the fatal confequences that attended it, with the greatest events in the history we are now writing, were evidently foretold by the prophet Daniel. The words of the prophecy are (1), (1) Dan. chap. xi. "And now I will fhew thee throne. Berenice, for faving the queen and her child rendered ineffectual, with her they determined to revenge their death in a remarkable fon, murdered by Laodice. his riches he fhall ftir up all against the realm of Greece." The monarch here mentioned was Xerxes, who invaded Greece with a formidable army. "And a mighty king fhall ftand up, that fhall rule with great dominion, and do according to his will. And when he fhall ftand up, his kingdom fhall be broken, and fhall be divided towards the four winds of heaven, and not to his pofterity, nor according to his dominion which he ruled; for his kingdom fhall be plucked up even for others befides thofe." This part of the prophecy evidently alludes to Alexander the Great, whofe vait kingdom we have already feen parcelled out into four great kingdoms, and, befides thefe, divided into a great many petty kingdoms, namely, Cappadocia, Armenia, Bythinia, &c. The prophet then proceeds to the treaty of peace, and the marriage, which we have mentioned: "And the king of the South fhall be ftrong, and one of his princes, and he fhall be strong above him, and have dominion; his dominion fhall be a great dominion. And in the end of years they thall join themfelves together; for the king's daughter of the South fhall come to the king of the North to make an agreement : but he shall not retain the power of the arm, neither fall he ftand, nor his arm; but the fhall be given up, and they that brought her, and he that begat her, and he 66 man that strengthened her in these times." We muft obferve, that Daniel, in this paffage, and through all the remaining part of the chapter before us, confines himself to the kings of Egypt and Syria, these being the only princes who engaged in wars against the people of God. The king of the South fhall be ftrong." This king of the South was Ptolemy, the fon of Lagus, the first who reigned in Egypt after Alexander; and that he was strong, all hiftorians testify; for he was mafter of Egypt, Lybia, Cyrene, Arabia, Palestine, Coelefyria, and most of the maritime provinces of Afia Minor, together with the island of Cyprus, with feveral ifles in the Egean Sea; and even poffeffed the cities of Sicyon and Corinth, in Greece. The king of the North was Seleucus Nicator, of whom the prophet says, that he shall be more powerful than the king of the South, and his dominion more extensive; for such is the import of the prophet's expreffion, "and he fhall be ftrong above him, and have dominion:" and that he had a more extenfive dominion is plain from the large territories he poffeffed; for he had under him all the countries of the East, from Mount Taurus to the river Indus; feveral provinces of Afia Minor, between Mount Taurus and the Ægean Sea; and, a little before his death, the kingdoms of Thrace and Macedon. The prophet, |