This he charged upon king Philometor his brother; and, as soon as he was recovered, he went again to Rome with his complaint against him, shewing the senate the scars of his wounds, and accusing him of having employed the assassins from whom he received them. And, although king Philometor was a person of so great benignity and good nature, that of all men living he was the most unlikely ever to have given the least countenance to such a fact, yet the senate, by reason of the disgust which they had conceived against him for his not submitting to their decree about Cyprus, yielded so easy an ear to this false accusation, that, taking it all to be true, they would not as much as hear what the ambassadors of Philometor had to say on their side, for the refutation of this charge; but ordered them forthwith to be gone from Rome, and then sent five ambassadors to conduct Physcon to Cyprus, and put him in possession of that island, and wrote letters to their allies in those parts, to furnish him with forces for this purpose.

Anno 155.

Jonathan 6.

By which means Physcon, having gotten together an army which he thought sufficient for the compassing of his design, landed with them on the island for the possessing of himself of it; but, being there encountered by Philometor, f he was vanquished in battle, and forced into Lapitho, a city in that island; where being pursued, shut up, and besieged, he was at length taken prisoner in the place, and delivered into the hands of Philometor, who, out of his great clemency, dealt with him much better than he deserved. For though his demerits were such as might justly have provoked from him the utmost severities, yet he remitted all; and not only pardoned him, when his offences against him were such as every body else would have judged unpardonable, but also

e Polyb. in Excerptis Valesii, p. 197, gives this character of him, 'That he was a prince of so much clemency and benignity, that he did never put to death any of his nobles, or as much as any one citizen of Alexandria during his reign.' And, although his brother had many times provoked him by offences, in the highest degree, deserving of death, yet he always pardoned him, and treated him at no time otherwise than with the affection of a kind brother.

f Polyb. in Excerptis Valesii, p. 197. Diodor. Sic. in Excerptis Valesii, p. 334, 337.

restored to him Libya and Cyrene, and added some other territories to them, to compensate for his detaining Cyprus from him; and hereby the war between the two brothers was wholly ended, and never after again revived; the Romans being ashamed, it seems, any more to oppose themselves against so generous a clemency for there is no more mention from this time of their any further interposal in this matter.

Philometor, having thus finished the Cyprian war against his brother, left the command of that island, on his return to Alexandria, to Archias, one of the chief of his confidents. But he was deceived in the man; for he had not been long in this trust, ere he agreed with Demetrius, king of Syria, for five hundred talents to betray the island to him. But discovery being made hereof, he hanged himself, to avoid the punishment which that treachery deserved. He had formerly with great fidelity adhered to his master, when he was driven out of his kingdom, and accompanied him to Rome, when he went thither for help in his distress. But though his fidelity was of proof in that case, it was not so in this other; for, being a greedy man, he could not hold out against money; and therefore sold himself for the sum I have mentioned, and perished in the bargain. Demetrius, giving himself wholly up to luxury and

ease, lived at this time a very odd and slothful Anno 154. life. For, having built him a castle near Jonathan 7. Antioch, and strongly fortified it with four

towers, he there shut himself up, and, casting off all care of the public, devoted himself wholly to his ease and pleasure; the chief of which last was drinking, which he indulged to that excess, that he was usually drunk for the major part of every day he there lived. Whereby it came to pass, that no petitions being admitted, no grievances redressed, nor any justice duly administered, the whole business of the government was at a stand; which justly giving disgust to his subjects, they entered into a conspiracy for the deposing

g Polyb. in Excerptis Valesii, p. 170.

h Diodor. Sic. in Excerptis Valesii, p. 322. i Joseph. Antiq. lib. 13, c. 3.

k Athenæus, lib. 10, p. 440.

of him. And Holophernes, then living at Antioch, joined with them in it against his benefactor, hoping, on the success thereof, to ascend his throne, and there reign in his stead. Of which discovery being made, Holophernes was thereon clapped up in prison. For Demetrius thought fit not to put him to death, that he might still have him in reserve to let loose upon Ariarathes, as future occasions should require. However, notwithstanding this detection, the conspiracy still went on. For Ptolemy, being disgusted by Demetrius' late attempt upon Cyprus, and Attalus and Ariarathes being alike provoked by the wars which he had made upon them in behalf of Holophernes, they all three joined together for the encouragement of the conspirators against him, and employed Heraclides to suborn one to take on him the pretence of being son to Antiochus Epiphanes, and under that title to claim the crown of Syria. This Heraclides was, as m I have before related, a great favourite of Antiochus Epiphanes, and his treasurer in the province of Babylon, while Timarchus his brother, another like favourite of that king's, was governour of it. But, on the coming of Demetrius to the crown, these two brothers being found guilty of great misdemeanours, Timarchus was put to death; but Heraclides, making his escape out of the kingdom, took up his residence at Rhodes; n where, being put on work to form this plot, and having accordingly found out, in that place, a youth of very mean and obscure condition, called Balas, that was every way fit for the purpose, he dressed him up, and thoroughly instructed him for the acting of his part

in it.

And when he had thus exactly formed him for the imposture, he first procured him to be owned by the three kings abovementioned, and then carried him to Rome, taking along with him

I Justin. lib. 35, c. 1.

Anno 153. Jonathan 8.

m Part 2, book 3, under the year 175, and book 4, under the year 162. n That Balas was one of Rhodes, is said by Sulpitius Severus, lib. 2, c. 22. That he was an impostor, is said by all. Vide Livii epitomen, lib. 52. Appian. in Syriacis. Athenæum, lib. 5, p. 211. Polyb. Legat. 140, p. 968. Justin. lib. 35, c. 1.

Polyb. legat. 138, p. 966.

Laodice, who was truly the daughter of Antiochus Epiphanes, thereby to give the better colour to the fraud; and, on his arrival thither, by his craft and sedulous solicitation, gained him to be owned there also; and P procured from the senate a decree in his behalf, not only to permit him to return into Syria, for the recovery of that kingdom, but likewise to have their assistance in order to it. For the senators, though they plainly enough discerned all to be fiction and imposture that was alleged on the behalf of Balas, yet, out of disgust to Demetrius, they struck in with it, and made this decree in favour of the impostor; by virtue whereof he raised forces, and with them sailing to Ptolemais in Palestine, seized that city; and there, by the name of Alexander the son of Antiochus Epiphanes, took upon him to be king of Syria; and great numbers, out of their disaffection to Demetrius, flocked thither to him.

This brought Demetrius out of his castle, to provide for his defence; in order whereto," he got all the forces together that he could, and Alexander armed as fast on his part: and the assistance of Jonathan being like to carry great weight with it to that side he should declare for, both courted his friendship. And first, " a letter was wrote to him from Demetrius, constituting him the king's general in Judea, and authorizing him to raise forces, and provide them with arms to come to his assistance; and commanding that the hostages, which were in the fortress at Jerusalem, should be delivered to him. Jonathan, on the receiving of this letter, went up to Jerusalem, and caused it there to be read in the hearing of those in the fortress, and then, by virtue of it, demanded the hostages; which they accordingly delivered to him. For, finding him invested with such authority from the king, they were afraid, and durst not withstand him in this matter. And therefore all the hostages which Bacchides had taken of the Jews, and shut up in that fortress for the securing of the fidelity of their fathers and friends to the Syrian

p Polyb. legat. 140, p. 968.

q 1 Maccab. x, 1. Joseph. Antiq. lib. 13, c. 3.
s 1 Maccab. x, 3-9. Joseph. Antiq. lib. 13, c. 4.

r 1 Maccab. x, 2.

interest, being restored to those from whom they were taken, and the restraint put upon them hereby again removed, great numbers flocked to Jonathan, for the strengthening of him, whereby he grew to such power, that those forces which Bacchides had placed in garrisons all over the country, finding themselves not strong enough to hold out against him, left their fortresses and fled away; only Bethsura and the fortress at Jerusalem still held out. For the garrison soldiers, in both these two places, being most of them apostate Jews, they had no where else to fly; and therefore, in this desperate case, had nothing else to depend upon, but by standing out to defend themselves to the utmost. Hereon Jonathan, settling at Jerusalem, began to repair the city, and new fortify it on every side, and caused the wall round the mountain of the temple, which had been pulled down by Antiochus Eupator, to be again rebuilt.

Alexander, hearing what Demetrius had done to gain Jonathan on his side," sent also his proposals to him; whereby he granted to him that he should be high priest of the Jews, and be called the king's friend; and he sent him a purple robe, and a crown of gold, as ensigns of the great dignity which he thereby invested him with, (none but princes and nobles of the first rank being allowed in those days to be clothed in purple.) Of which Demetrius having received notice, resolved to outbid Alexander, for the gaining of so valuable an ally; and therefore sent a second message to Jonathan, offering all that Alexander did, with the addition of many other extraordinary grants and privileges both to him and all his people, in case he would declare for him, and come to his assistance. But, it being remembered how bitter an enemy he had been to all that adhered to the true Jewish interest, and how much

t 1 Maccab. x, 10-14. Joseph. ibid.

u 1 Maccab. x, 15-20. Joseph. Antiq. lib. 13, c. 5.

x Those that were the nobles under the Macedonian kings, were called the king's friends, in like manner as with us all that are of the nobility are called the king's cousins.

y To wear a purple robe among the Macedonians, was a mark of high nobility; and It was also the same among other nations; hence purpurati signifies such as are noble.

z 1 Maccab. x, 21-47. Joseph. Antiq. lib. 13, c. 5.