old enemies, the Samaritans, being aware of this, seized every opportunity of making incursions into Judea; where they plundered the country, and carried away many of the people, to sell them for slaves. Nor was it to any purpose that the Jews complained of them, as there were always two adverse parties, with one of which they could take refuge, when accused to the other. This was not all the nation had to suffer; for as is always the case when a contested territory becomes the seat of war, each party occasionally got possession of Judea, and the country at such times suf fered no less from the encroachments of friends than from the invasion of enemies. The retreat of Antiochus therefore caused great rejoicing in Caelo-Syria and Palestine; and the cities emulated each other in their eagerness to yield to Ptolemy; for they had now been long under the government of Egypt, which, during the preceding reigns, they had found to be mild and tolerant. Among the numerous ambassadors who waited on Ptolemy at this time to make submission for their respective cities, were those of the Jews, who with the rest were kindly received by him. When these provinces were thus reinstated in his possession, he resolved to make a progress through them, and to visit their principal cities. On his arrival at Jerusalem, he viewed the temple from without, and offered many sacrifices to the God of Israel; probably because he was informed that his father as well as Alexander the Great had done so, when they came thither. He also presented many valuable gifts to the temple; and had he stopped at this point, would have afforded the Jews great satisfaction by his veneration for it. But he was seized with an ardent curiosity to view the inside of the

building; and notwithstanding the remonstrances of the priests, and the entreaties of the people, he passed into the inner court, and would have entered the sanctuary, had he not been miraculously prevented. The people and priests not daring to use absolute force against the king, called upon the Lord to vindicate his own honour, and not to suffer such a profanation of his holy temple. Their prayers were heard, and immediately answered; for Ptolemy was struck with such terror and confusion of mind that he became senseless, and was carried out of the place with the utmost haste by his attendants. When he recovered, he was filled with fierce displeasure against the Jews, and immediately left Jerusalem; threatening them with his vengeance for what had happened to him.

The high priest who withstood the attempt of Ptolemy was Simon the second, son of Onias, who had died the preceding year, the thirty-third of his priesthood. Antiochus, after the battle of Raphia, desiring to make peace with Ptolemy, offered him very advantageous terms, which the latter having agreed to, returned to Alexandria. It was then that his rage against the Jews broke forth into acts of cruelty and oppression; and that they might not in any case have the power of appealing to him, he made a decree that none should enter into his palace, who did not worship his gods. I have before told you that when Alexander planted the Jews in his new city, he placed them on a level with his Macedonians, and thus made them citizens of the first rank. All their privileges were confirmed by Ptolemy Soter and his successors; but Philopator now determined to degrade them to the third or lowest rank in Egypt; and for this purpose ordered them to come and

be enrolled anew. they were to be marked with a hot iron, in the form of an ivy leaf, which was the badge of his god Bacchus. All who refused to be thus enrolled and marked, were to be sold for slaves; and all who withstood these orders, were to be put to death. At the same time he allowed such as would forsake their religion, and worship his gods, to retain their rank and privileges as before but for the honour of the Jewish nation at that time, though many thousands of them dwelt at Alexandria, only three hundred were so base as to accept this disgraceful offer. These apostates were held in such detestation by their countrymen that they entirely excluded them from all future intercourse, and treated them with the contempt they merited. The king, imputing this conduct to opposition against him, was so enraged by it that he resolved on the destruction of the whole nation; intending to begin with the Jews of Alexandria and other parts of Egypt, and then to proceed against those of Judea. In pursuance of this plan he issued orders for all the Jews in Egypt to be brought to Alexandria in chains; and on their arrival caused them to be shut up in the Hippodrome, a place without the city, where horse racing and other spectacles were exhibited, with the design of having them destroyed by elephants, for the savage amusement of the multitude. On the day appointed, the people assembled, and the elephants were brought forth; but as the king did not make his appearance, the spectacle was delayed till the following day. Ptolemy had rioted in intemperance during the preceding night, which caused him to sleep later than usual: and as he was much addicted to the vice of drunkenness, the same cause detained him on

At the time of their enrolment

the following day also, till the hour for the exhibition was past. All this time his intended victims were engaged in prayer to Almighty God, for their deliverance; and He who has said, "call upon me in the day of trouble and I will deliver thee," granted them a proof of his faithfulness on this occasion. For on the third morning, when the elephants, having been previously intoxicated with wine and frankincense, were let loose upon the Jews, instead of attacking them, they turned furiously upon the assembled spectators, and destroyed great numbers of them. Besides this there were some extraordinary appearances in the air, which manifested so fully the interposition of Divine Power in behalf of the Jews, that Ptolemy and his people were much terrified. The king especially, apprehensive of immediate destruction, ordered all the Jews to be set at liberty; and revoking all his decrees against them, restored not only their former privileges, but added other favours and immunities to them. Among the latter, was one which empowered them to put to death all who had apostatized ; and as the law of God condemned all such, they were put to death accordingly.

LETTER XXIX.

age

PTOLEMY PHILOPATOR was only twenty years of at his accession; but a life of luxury and intemperance brought him to a premature end, when he had reigned only seventeen years. He was succeeded by his son Ptolemy Epiphanes, a child of five years old, who narrowly escaped falling a victim to the ambition of An

I

tiochus king of Syria, and Philip king of Macedon, who had formed a league to seize his dominions, and divide them between them. The Egyptians applied to the Romans on this occasion; begging them to assume the guardianship of their infant king; and to interpose their authority for the protection of his kingdom. In the meantime Antiochus had begun his operations, according to the plan agreed on between him and Philip; and had made himself master of Cœlo-Syria and Palestine, when the Romans, in compliance with the request made to them, sent ambassadors to inform him that he must desist from making war on the young king of Egypt, who was now placed under their protection. A similar embassy was sent by them to Philip of Macedon; and a third was dispatched into Egypt to receive the young king into the protection of the Roman people, and to settle the internal affairs of his kingdom. Aristomenes, who was appointed to be the king's guardian and prime minister, lost no time in raising an army to recover Cœlo-Syria and Palestine from Antiochus. He gave the command of it to Scopas, an Etolian, who profiting by the absence of the Syrian king, gained possession of all Judea; and having placed a garrison in Jerusalem, returned to winter at Alexandria. Though Scopas was thus successful, it quickly appeared that he was not able to cope with Antiochus. For on the return of that prince, in the following spring, he was totally defeated by him; and the contested provinces were once more brought under the dominion of Syria. The Jews were at this time very much alienated from the Egyptian government; probably on account of the persecution they had suffered under Philopator, and the more recent exactions and ravages of Scopas, who was a very covetous man. On the approach of Antiochus, therefore, they