A Dictionary of Greek and Roman biography and mythology. By various writers. Ed. by William Smith. Illustrated by numerous engravings on wood.

594 PTOLEMAEUS. PTOLEMAEUS.
3. Another daughter, also named Cleopatra, who whom he gave the name of Memphitis. But hf
was afterwards married to her uncle Ptolemy afterwards became enamoured of his niece CleoEuergetes. [E. H. B.] patra (the offspring of his wife by her formel
PTOLEMAEUS VII. (IrrooXeao s) king of marriage with Philometor), and he did not hesitate
EGYPT, bore the surname of EUERGETES, whence to divorce the mother, and receive her daughter
he is styled EUERGETES II., to distinguish him instead, as his wife and queen. By this proceeding
from Ptolemy III., but he is more commonly known he alienated still more the minds of his Greek subby the name of PHYSCON (4bmI~cwv), an appellation jects; but the abilities and vigour of his general
bestowed on him by the Alexandrians on account Hierax enabled him for a time to defy the popular
of his bloated and unwieldy appearance. He was discontent. Meanwhile he was careful still te
the second son of Ptolemy Epiphanes, and conti- court the alliance of Rome, and received Scipic
nued in a private station during the regency of his Africanus and his colleagues, when they visited
mother Cleopatra and the first years of the reign Egypt, with every demonstration of respect.
of his brother Philometor. But when the latter (Justin. xxxviii. 8; Diod. Exc. Vales. xxxiii. pp.
had fallen into the hands of Antiochus Epiphanes, 593-595, 598, xxxiv. 602, Exc. Leg. p. 630;
the Alexandrians declared the younger brother Liv. Epit. lix.; Oros. v. 10; Athen. xii. p. 549, d.)
king, and he assumed the title of Euergetes. toge- At length, however, his vices and cruelties bether with the royal diadem, B. C. 170. The sub- came too much for his subjects to bear. His
sequent events —the repulse of Antiochus, the re- palace was burnt in a popular tumult, and he
conciliation of the two brothers, their joint reign, deemed it expedient to give way to the fury of
and their subsequent dissensions - have been al- the people, and make his escape secretly to Cyprus,
ready related in the preceding article., From the B. c. 130. On this the Alexandrians declared his
time of his last defeat in Cyprus, B. c. 154, Ptolemy sister Cleopatra queen. Irritated at this, but
Physcon appears to have acquiesced in the arrange- unable to assail her by open force, Euergetes had
nelnt then concluded, and remained quiet in the recourse to the barbarous expedient of putting to
government of Cyrene until the death of his brother death Memphitis, his son by Cleopatra, and sendPhilometor, B. c. 146. On that event Cleopatra, ing his head and hands to Alexandria, where they
the sister and widow of the late king, proclaimed were presented to his unhappy mother on her
her infant son king of Egypt, by the title of Ptolemy birthday. This atrocious act excited the most
Enpator, and assumed the reins of government in violent indignation among the Alexandrians, who
his name. But her brother immediately assembled took up arms for Cleopatra; but that princess had
an army, and marched against Alexandria. Hos- the indiscretion to apply for assistance to Demetilities were, however, prevented by the interven- trius II., king of Syria, and by so doing alienated
tion of Roman deputies, and it was agreed that the minds of her subjects to such a degree that
Euergetes should obtain the crown of Egypt, and she was soon after compelled in her turn to fly
marry his sister Cleopatra. Their nuptials were from Alexandria, and Ptolemy found himself unexsolemnized accordingly, and on the very day of pectedly reinstated on the Egyptian throne, B. c.
their celebration the king caused his unfortunate 127. (Liv. Epit. lix.; Justin. xxxviii. 8, 9;
nephew to be put to death. (Justin. xxxviii. 8.) Diod. xxxiv. Exc. Vales. pp. 602, 603; Val.
A reign thus commenced in blood was continued Max. ix. 2, ext. ~ 5.)
in a similar spirit. Already during his former From this time he appears to have adopted a
brief rule at Alexandria, as well as in his separate milder and more moderate system of government.
kingdom of Cyrene, Euergetes had given abundant His first act of clemency was to pardon Marsyas,
proofs of his tyrannical and cruel disposition, which who had been the general of the revolted Alexhad alienated the minds of his subjects, and led andrians (Diod. Exc. Vales. p. 603); and though
them to term him in derision Kakergetes. But we have little information concerning the remainwhen he found himself established on the throne ing events of his reign, we do not find that it was
of Egypt, he gave free scope to his sanguinary again disturbed by any civil disorders. His
disposition. Many of the leading citizens of Alex- attention was principally directed to the affairs of
andria, who had taken part against him on the Syria, where Demetrius had espoused the cause of
death of his brother, were put to death without Cleopatra, and advanced as far as Pelusium to her
mercy, while the populace were given up without support, but was compelled, by the disaffection of
restraint to the cruelties of his mercenary troops, his own troops, to retire without effecting anything.
and the streets of the city were repeatedly deluged In order to revenge himself for this attempt, Ptowith blood. Thousands of the inhabitants fled lemy now set up against him a new pretender in the
from the scene of such horrors, and the population person of a youth named Zabinas or Zebina, who
of Alexandria was so greatly thinned that the king assumed the title of Alexander II., and with the
found himself compelled to invite foreign settlers forces furnished him by the Egyptian king, was
from all quarters to re-people his deserted capital. able to establish himself for a time on the throne of
At the same time that he thus incurred the hatred Syria. But inflated with this success, the usurper
of his subjects by his cruelties, he rendered him- forgot his obligations to Ptolemy, and behaved
self an object of their aversion and contempt by with such haughtiness to his benefactor, that the
abandoning himself to the most degrading vices. latter suddenly changed his policy, became reconIn consequence of these, lie had become bloated ciled to his sister Cleopatra, whom he permitted
and deformed in person, and so enormously cor- to return to Egypt, and gave his daughter Trypulent, that he could scarcely walk. (Justin. 1. c.; phaena in marriage to Antiochus Grypus, the son
Diod. xxxiii. Exc. Vales. p. 594; Athen. iv. of Demetrius, whom he also supported with a
p. 184, c., vi. p. 252, e., xii. p. 549. d.) large auxiliary force. Antiochus was thus enabled
His union with Cleopatra was not of long dura- to recover possession of the throne of his foretion. At first, indeed, he appears to have lived on fathers, B. c. 125, and from this time the friendly
good terms with her, and she bore him a son, to relations between Syria and Egypt continued