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if it fell into the hands of one sovereign, who knew how to use it, they adjudged the isle of Cyprus to Physcon. Demetrius, who did not lose sight of the throne of Syria, and who, on his part, was interested that so powerful a prince as the king of Egypt, should not continue in possession of the island of Cyprus, supported the demand of Physcon with all his influence. The Romans made T. Torquatus and Cn. Merula set out with the latter, to put him in possession of it.

During that prince's stay at Rome, he had often the opportunity of seeing Cornelia, the mother of the Gracchi, and caused proposals of marriage to be made to her. But as she was the daughter of Scipio Africanus, and the widow of Tiberius Gracchus, who had been twice consul and censor, she rejected his offers, and believed it more honourable to be one of the first ladies of Rome, than queen of Lybia with Physcon.

Physcon set out from Rome with the two Roman ambassadors. Their plan was to concert an interview between the two brothers upon the frontier, and by means of a negotiation to bring them to that agreement which the senate had fixed. Philometor did not explain himself openly at first. He spun out the affair to as great a length as he could, upon different pretexts, endeavouring to gain time, and taking secret measures against his brother. At length he declared plainly, that he was resolved to stand to the first treaty, and that he would make no other.

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The Cyrenæans, in the mean time, informed of A. M. the ill conduct of Physcon during the time that he was in possession of the government at Alexandria, con- Ant.J.C. ceived so strong an aversion for him, that they resolved to keep him.out of their country by force of arms. It was not doubted, but Philometor had co

• Plut. in Tib. Grac. p. 824.

P Polyb. Legat. cxxxii. Id. in Excerpt. Vales. p. 197. Died. in Excerpt. Vales. p. 334.

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vertly taken pains to excite these disturbances. Physcon, who had been overthrown by the rebels in a battle, having almost lost all hope, sent two deputies with the Roman ambassadors on their return to Rome, with orders to lay his complaints against his brother before the senate, and to solicit their protection. The senate, offended at Philometor's refusal to evacuate the island of Cyprus, according to their decree, declared that there was no longer any amity and alliance between him and the Romans, and ordered his ambassadors to quit Rome in five days.

Physcon found means to re-establish himself in Cyrenaica, but made himself so generally hated by his subjects, through his ill conduct, that some of them fell upon him and wounded him in several places, and left him for dead upon the spot. He imputed this to his brother Philometor; and when he was recovered of his wounds, undertook again a voyage to Rome. He there made his complaints against him to the senate, showed the scars of his wounds, and accused him of having employed the assassins from whom he received them. Though Philometor was the most humane of all princes, and could not be the least suspected of so black and barbarous an action, the senate, who were angry at his refusal to submit to the regulation they had made in regard to the isle of Cyprus, gave ear to this false accusation with too much facility. They carried their prejudice so high against him, that they would not so much as hear what his ambassadors had to say in his defence. Orders were sent to them to quit Rome immedjately. Besides which, the senate appointed five commissioners to conduct Physcon into Cyprus, and to put him in possession of that island, and wrote to all their allies near it to aid him for that purpose with all their troops.

Physcon, by this means, with an army which seemed to him sufficient for the execution of his 187. design, landed in the island. Philometor, who had gone thither in person, defeated him, and obliged him

to shut himself up in Lapitho, where he was soon invested, besieged, and at length taken, and put into the hands of the brother whom he had so cruelly injured. Philometor's exceeding goodness appeared upon this occasion. After all that Physcon had done. against him, it was expected, that as he now had him in his power, he would make him sensible of his indignation and revenge. He forgave him every thing; and, not contented with pardoning his faults, he even restored him Lybia and Cyrenaica, and added further some amends in lieu of the isle of Cyprus. That act of generosity put an end to the war between the two brothers. It was not renewed, and the Romans were ashamed of any longer opposing a prince of such extraordinary clemency. There is no reader who does not secretly pay the homage of esteem and admiration to so generous an action. Such inward sentiments, which are founded in nature, and anticipate all reflections, imply how great and noble it is to forget and pardon injuries, and what a meanness of soul there is in the resentment of the revengeful.

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Ant. J. C. 162.

SECT. III. Octavius, ambassador of the Romans in Syria, is killed there. Demetrius escapes from Rome, puts Eupator to death, ascends the throne of Syria, and assumes the surname of Soter. He makes war against the Jews. Repeated victories of Judas Maccabaus; death of that great man. Demetrius is acknowledged king by the Romans. He abandons himself to drunkenness and debauchery. Alexander Bala forms a conspiracy against him. Demetrius is killed in a battle. Alexander espouses the daughter of Ptolemy Philometor. Temple built by the Jews in Egypt. Demetrius, son of the first of that name, sets up his claim to the throne of Syria. Alexander is destroyed. Ptolemy Philometor dies at the same time.

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A.M. WE have seen that the principal object of the commission of the three Roman ambassadors, Cn. Octavius, Sp. Lucretius, and L. Aurelius, who went first into Egypt, was to go into Syria, in order to regulate the affairs of that nation. When they arrived there, they found the king had more ships and elephants than had been stipulated by the treaty made with Antiochus the Great after the battle of Sipylus. They caused the ships to be burnt, and the elephants to be killed, which exceeded the number stated in that treaty, and regulated all other matters in such a manner as they thought most to the advantage of the Romans. This treatment seemed insupportable, and exaspe rated the people against them. A person named Leptines, was so incensed at it, that in his rage he fell upon * Octavius, whilst he was bathing,

Appian. in Syr. p. 117. Polyb. Legat. cxiv. & cxxii. Cicer. Philip. ix. n. 4, 5. Justin. 1. xxxiv. c. 3.

*This Octavius had been consul some years before, and was the first of his family who had attained that honour. Cic.

and killed him. It was suspected that Lysias, the regent of the kingdom, had secretly a hand in this assassination. Ambassadors were immediately sent to Rome, to justify the king, and to protest, that he had no share in the action. The senate sent them back without giving them any answer, to signify, by that silence, their indignation for the murther committed upon the person of Octavius, the examination and punishment of which they reserved to themselves. In the mean time, to do honour to his memory, they erected a statue to him amongst those of the great men, who had lost their lives in defence of their country.

Demetrius believed, that the displeasure of the Romans against Eupator was a favourable conjuncture, of which it was proper for him to take the advantage, and addressed himself a second time to the senate, to obtain their permission to return into Syria. He took this step contrary to the opinion of the greatest part of his friends, who advised him to make his escape, without saying any thing. The event soon shewed him how much they were in the right. As the senate had still the same motives of interest for keeping him at Rome as at first, he received the same answer, and had the mortification to experience a second denial, He had then recourse to the first advice of his friends; and Polybius, the historian, who was at Rome, was one of those who pressed him with the utmost warmth to put it in execution with secrecy and dispatch. He took his advice, After concerting all his measures, he left Rome under pretence of an hunting-match, went to Ostia, and embarked with a small train in a Carthaginian vessel bound for Tyre that waited for him. It was

Philip. ix. n. 4.-Octavius Cæsar, who became emperor, so well known under the name of Augustus, was of the same family with this Octavius, but of another branch, into which the con sular dignity had never entered.

That ship was carrying to Tyre, according to custom, the first fruits of the lands and revenues of Carthage.

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