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

590 PTOLEMAEUS. PTOLEMAEUS.
Lysimacl]us, the brother of Ptolemy Euergetea. occurred under their Greek rulers- which appears
In all these murders his minister Sosibius was his to have lasted a considerable time, and not to have
ready and dextrous instrument, and probably the been suppressed without much bloodshed. (Polyb.
first to advise their perpetration. Cleomenes, the v. 107, xiv. 12.)
exiled king of Sparta, of whose influence with the Meanwhile, the king, after his return from his
mercenary troops Sosibius had skilfully availed Syrian expedition, gave himself up more and more
himself, soon became in his turn an object of sus- to every species of vice and debauchery. His
picion, and was placed in confinement, from which mistress Agathoclea, and her brother Agathocles,
he sought to escape by raising a revolt in Alexan- became not only the abandoned ministers of his
dria, and failing in this put an end to his own life. pleasures, but were admitted to a large share in the
(Polyb. v. 34-39; Plut. Cleom. 33-37.) direction of affairs, and divided with Sosibius the
Having thus, as he conceived, secured himself patronage and distribution of all places of honour
from all danger from domestic enemies, Ptolemy or profit. The latter minister, however, continued
gave himself up without restraint to a life of indo- till near the close of the reign of Ptolemy to prelence and luxury, and to every kind of sensual side over the chief administration of the state;
indulgence, while he abandoned to his minister and as he had been the instrument of Ptolemy ill
Sosibius the care of all political affairs. The latter the murders which disgraced the early part of his
seems to have been as incapable as his master: the reign, so he again lent him his assistance in putting
discipline of the army was neglected, and the king- to death his queen Arsinog, who had become ob~dom was allowed to fall into a state of the utmost noxious to her profligate husband. (Polyb. xiv.
disorder, of which Antiochus the Great, king of 11, 12, xv. 25, 33; Justin. xxx. 1,2.) After her
Syria, was not slow to avail himself. The de- death Ptolemy gave himself up without restraint to
fection of Theodotus, the governor of Coele-Syria the career of vice which probably contributed to
under Ptolemy [THEODOTUS], afforded the first shorten his life. He died in B.C. 205, after a
opening to the ambitious designs of the Syrian reign of seventeen years, leaving only one son, a
king, who turned' his arms, in the first instance child of five years old. (Euseb, Arm. p. 114;
against Seleucia in Pieria; and after reducing that Justin. xxx. 2.)
important fortress (which had been held by the The character of Ptolemy Philopator —feeble,
kings of Egypt since the invasion of Syria by effeminate, and vicious - is sufficiently attested by
Euergetes) advanced into Phoenicia, where the two ancient authorities; and from his reign may be
strong fortresses of Tyre and Ptolemals were be- dated the commencement of the decline of the
trayed into his hands by Theodotus. These tidings kingdom of Egypt, which thenceforth proceeded by
at length aroused Ptolemy and his ministers from rapid strides. Externally, however, its decay was
their apathy, and while they sought to amuse not yet visible: it still retained all its former posAntiochus with pretended negotiations they began sessions and commanded the respect of foreign
to assemble Greek mercenaries, as well as to arm powers. We find Ptolemy, during the earlier years
and train Egyptian troops after the Macedonian of his reign, still following up the policy of his
fashion. With the approach of spring (B. C. 218) predecessors; in Greece, cultivating the friendship
they were able to oppose an army under Nicolaus of the Athenians, and interposing his mediation to
and a fleet under Perigenes to the arms of Anti- bring about a peace between Philip and the Aetoochus; but Nicolaus was defeated near Porphy- lians. (Polyb. v. 100, 106.) He continued also
reon, and the Syrian king made himself master, stedfastly attached to the alliance of the Romans,
with little difficulty, of great part of Coele-Syria to whom he furnished large supplies of corn during
and Palestine. But the next year (B.C. 217) their struggle with Carthage. (Polyb. ix. 44
Ptolemy in person took the command of his forces, Liv. xxvii. 4.) Philopator is also mentioned as
and set out from Alexandria at the head of an striving to display his wealth and power by the
army of 70,000 foot and 5000 horse. He was construction of ships of the most gigantic and unmet by Antiochus with a nearly equal force at wieldy size, one of which is said to have had forty
Raphia, on the borders of the desert, and a pitched banks of oars. (Athen. v. pp. 203-206.)
battle ensued, in which the Egyptian army was Plunged as he was in vice and debauchery, Phicompletely victorious, and Antiochus lost more lopator appears to have still inherited something of
than 14,000 men. This decisive success was fol- the love of letters for which his predecessors were
lowed by the immediate submission of the whole so conspicuous. Not only did the literary schools
of Coele-Syria; and Antiochus, apprehensive of and institutions of Alexandria continue to flourish
farther defections, hastened to sue for peace, which under his reign, but we find him associating on
was readily granted by the indolent Ptolemy, who familiar terms with philosophers and men of letters,
was anxious to return to his life of ease and luxury and especially patronising the distinguished gramat home. (Polyb. v.40, 58-71, 79-87; Justin. marian Aristarchus. (Diog. La&rt. vii. 177; Suid.
xxx. 1.)
It was on his return from this expedition that
he visited Jerusalem; on which occasion the re-
fusal of the high priest to admit him to the sanctuary of the temple, is said to have excited in his c= tM
mind an implacable animosity against the Jewish
nation, which led him on his return to Alexandria1 0
not only to withdraw from the Jews of that city o
the privileges they had enjoyed under his predecessors, but to subject them to the most cruel persecutions. (iii. Macc.) The tranquillity of Egypt
was further disturbed at the same period by a
revolt of the native Egyptians - the first that had COIN OF PTOLEMAEUS IV., LSING OF EGYPT.