court their favour to pay them the arrears of tribute, to present them besides with golden vessels of five hundred pounds weight, and "to desire that the friendship and alliance, which they had had with his father, might be renewed with him, and that they would lay their commands upon him as upon a good and faithful confederate king; he would never be wanting in any duty."* Thus he 'came in peaceably;' and as he flattered the Syrians, the Syrians flattered him again, and bestowed upon him the title of Epiphanes, or the illustrious' but the epithet of vile,' or rather, despicable,' given him by the prophet, agrees better with his true character. For, as Polybiust and other heathen historians describe him, he would steal out of the palace, and ramble about the streets in disguise; would mix with the lowest company, and drink and revel with them to the greatest excess; would put on the Roman gown, and go about, canvassing for votes, in imitation of the candidates for offices at Rome; would sometimes scatter money in the streets among his followers, and sometimes pelt them with stones : would wash in the public baths, and expose himself by all manner of riduculous and indecent gestures; with a thousand such freaks and extravagances, as induced Polybius,§ who was a contemporary writer, and others after him, instead of Epiphanes, or 'the illustrious,' more rightly to call him Epimanes, or the madınan.'

But frantic and extravagant as he was, he was however, successful and victorious. And with the arms of a flood shall they be overflown from before him;' or rather, more agreeably to the original, And the arms of the overflower shall be overflown from before him,'|| ' and shall be broken; yea, also the prince of the cove

* Liv. lib. 42, cap. 6. Petere regem, ut quæ cum patre suo societas atque amictia fuisset, ea secum renovaretur: imperaretque sibi populus Romanus, quæ bono fidelique socio regi essent imperanda; se nullo usquam cessaturum officio. [Translated in the text.]

† Appian. de Bell Syr. p. 117, edit. Steph. p. 187, edit. Tollii.

✰ Polyb. apud Athenæum. lib. 5, p. 193; lib. 10, p. 438, edit. Casaubon. Diod. Sic. in Excerptis Valesii, p. 305, 306. Liv. lib. 41. cap. 24, 25.

τας

§ Πολύβιος δ ̓ ἐν τη έκτη και είκοση των ίςορίων καλει αὐτὸν Επιμανη και ἐκ Επιφανη, δια @paus. Polybius, libro vigesimo sexto historiarum, eum vocat Επιμανη non 'Expan, ob ea quæ ab illo gesta sunt.-Athenæus, lib. 10, p. 439. Vide enam lib. 2, p. 45; lib. 5. p. 193. [Polybius, in the twenty-sixth book of his history, calls him 'Expans (Epimanes), and not 'Expans (Epiphanes,) in consequence of his actions.]

| Και βραχίονες τα κατακλύζοντος κατακλυσθήσονται ἀπὸ πρόσωπο αυτη-Sept [And the arms of the overflower shall be overflown from before his face.] Et brachia obruentis obruentur a conspectu ejus.-Arab. [And the arms of the overwhelmer shall be overwhelmed from before his face.] Et brachia pugnantis expugnabuntur a facie ejus.-Vulg. [And the arms of the fighter shall be subdued from before his face.}

As soon

nant and after the league made with him he shall work decentfully,'-ver. 22, 23. The arms' which were overflown from before him,' were those of his competitors for the crown, "Heliodorus, the murderer of Seleucus, and his partizans, as well as those of the king of Egypt, who had formed some designs upon Syria, were vanquished by the forces of Eumenes and Attalus, and were dissipated by the arrival of Antiochus, whose presence disconcerted all their measures."* The prince also of the covenant was broken,' that is, the high-priest of the Jews; and so Theodoret understands and explains it: "The prince of the covenant:' He speaketh of the pious high-priest, the brother of Jason, and foretelleth, that even he should be turned out of his office."+ as Antiochus was seated in the throne, he removed Onias from the high-priesthood, and preferred Jason, the brother of Onias, to that dignity, not for any crime committed against him by the former, but for the great sums of money which were offered to him by the latter. For Jason offered to give him no less than three hundred and sixty talents of silver for the high-priesthood, besides eighty more upon another account: and good Onias was not only displaced, to make way for a wicked usurper, but, after a few years, living at Antioch, he was, with as great treachery as cruelty, murdered by the king's deputy. But though Antiochus had made a league' with Jason, the new high-priest, yet he did not faithfully adhere to it, but acted 'deceitfully.' For Menelaus, the brother of Jason, being sent to the Syrian court,§ with a commission from his brother to pay the tribute, and to transact some business with the king; he, by his address and flattery, so far insinuated himself into the royal favour, that he attempted to supplant his elder brother Jason, as Jason had supplanted his elder brother Onias: and proffered to give three hundred talents more for the high-priesthood than Jason had given for it. The king readily accepted the proposal, and issued his mandate for the deposing of Jason, and ad

* Heliodore meurtrier de Seléucus, et ses partisans, aussi bien que ceux du rou d'Egypte, qui avoient quelques desseins sur la Syria, furent vaincus par les forces d'Attalus et d'Eumenes; et dissipez par l'arrivee d'Antiochus, dont la présence deconcerta tous leurs desseins-Calmet. [Translated in the text.] Vide, si placet. Appian. Syriac. p. 116, 117. Grot. hic.

† Και γε ἡγεμενος διαθηκης λέγει γαρ τον άρχιερεα τον εύσεβη, τον το Ιασωνος ἀδελφο και προδιδασκει, ότι κακεῖνον τε ἀρχιερατεύειν παύσει. 'Et dux foederis.' Principen sacerdotum intelligi vult pium Jasonis fratrem, præmonetque fore ut illum etiam abdicet pontificatu maximo-Theod. in locum, p. 683, tom. 2. edit. Sirmondi. [Trans lated in the text.]

+ 2 Macc. iv. Joseph. de Maccabæis, sect. 4, p. 1395, edit, Hudson.

§ 2 Macc. ibid. Sulpicii Severi Sacr Hist. lib. 2, p. 85. edit. Elzevir. 1656

vancing of Menelaus in his room: but he could not effect the change without an armed force, which put Menelaus in possessior. of the place, and compelled Jason to fly, and take shelter in the land of the Ammonites.

What follows is not assigning a reason for any thing that preceded, and therefore ought not to have been translated For he shall come up,' but And he shall come up, and shall become strong with a small people. He shall enter peaceably even upcn the fattest places of the province,' or, as it is in the margin, ‘He shall enter into the peaceable and fat places of the province,'' and he shall do that which his fathers have not done, nor his fathers fathers, he shall scatter among them the prey, and spoil, and riches, yea, and he shall forecast his devices against the strong holds, even for a time,'-ver. 23, 24. Antiochus Epiphanes had been many years a hostage at Rome; and coming from thence with only a few attendants, he appeared in Syria little at first, but soon received a great increase, and became strong with a small people.' By the friendship of Eumenes and Attalus he entered peaceably' upon the upper provinces:* and appointed Timarchus and Heraclides, the one to be governor of Babylon, and the other to be his treasurer, two brothers, with both of whom he had unnatural commerce He likewise entered peaceably' upon the provinces of CœloSyria and Palestine. And wherever he came, he outdid his fathers, and his fathers' fathers' in liberality and profusion. He 'scattered among them the prey, and spoil, and riches.' The prey of his enemies, the spoil of temples, and the riches of his friends, as well as his own revenues, were expended in public shows, and bestowed in largesses among the people.† The writer of the first book of Maccabees affirms, that in the liberal giving of gifts he abounded above the kings that were before him.' Josephus testifies, that "he was magnanimous and munificent."§ Polybius recounts various instances of his extravagance; and relates particu. larly, that "sometimes meeting accidentally with people whom he had never seen before, he would enrich them with unexpected presents;" and "sometimes standing in the public streets, he would * Appian. de Bell. Syr. p. 117, edit. Steph.; p. 187, edit. Tollii. Polyb. apud Athenæum, lib. 5, p. 195, edit. Casaubon.

1 Macc. iii. 30.

Joseph. Antiq. lib. 12, cap. 7, sect. 2, p. 537, edit. Hudson. Μεγαλόψυχος και Adapos. Vir magni animi et largitor. [Translated in the text]

Polyb. ibid. p. 194, &c.: lib. 10, p. 438, &c.

Η Ἐξ ἀπαντήσεως δε τισι τυγχανων ἐς μη ἑωρακει ποτε έδιδα δωρεας ἀπροσδόκητης Aliquando forte obvios, quos nunquam viderat, insperatis muneribus afficeret.—-P. 194 Translated in the text.]

Y

throw away his money and cry aloud, let him take it to whom fortune shall give it."* His generosity was the more requisite, to fix the provinces of Colo-Syria and Palestine in his interest, because they were claimed as of right belonging to the king of Egypt. Ptolemy Epiphanes was now dead; his queen, Cleopatra, was dead too; "and Eulæus, an eunuch, and Lenæus, who were administrators of the kingdom for the young king, Ptolemy Philometor, demanded the restitution of these provinces," alleging, with very good reason, that they were assigned to the first Ptolemy in the last partition of the empire among Alexander's captains; that they had remained ever since in the possession of the kings of Egypt, till Antiochus the Great took them away unjustly in the minority of Ptolemy Epiphanes, the present king's father; and after he had taken them away, he agreed to surrender them again in dowry with his daughter Cleopatra. Antiochus denied these pleas and pretences with the direct contrary assertions, and foreseeing, as well he might foresee, that these demands should prove the ground and occasion of a new war between the two crowns, he came to Joppa,‡ to take a view of the frontiers, and to put them in a proper posture of defence. In his progress he came to Jerusalem, where he was honourably received by Jason, the high-priest, and by all the people; and as it was evening, he was ushered into the city with torch-light and with great rejoicing; and from thence he went into Phoenicia, to fortify his own 'strong holds,' and to forecast his devices' against those of the enemy. The Seventy and the Arabic translator, with a little variation in the reading, render it, to "forecast his devices against Egypt." Thus he did even for a time,' and employed some years in his hostile preparations.

At length Antioches, in the fifth year of his reign, despised the youth of Ptolemy, and the inertness of his tutors, and believing the Romans to be too much employed in the Macedonian war to

* Αλλοτε δι ἐν ται; δημοσίαις όδοις ίςάμενος λεγειν, τινι ἡ τυχη δίδωσι λαβέτω και ρίψας το apyupion weтo. Nonnunquam publica via stantem cum proclamasset, Sumat cui fortuna dederit, jactis sparsisque aureis nummis discessisse.-P. 451. [Translated in the text.]

Et quum post mortem Cleopatræ, Eulaius eunuchus nutricius Philometoris, et Lenæus Ægyptum regerent, et repeterent Syriam quam Antiochus fraude occupaverat, ortum est inter avunculum et puerum Ptolemæum prælum.-Hieron. in locum, col. 1127. [Translated in the text.] Polyb. Legat. 72, p. 892; Legat. 82, p. 908; edit. Casaubon.

2 Macc. iv. 21, 22.

5 Και ἐπ' Αίγυπτον λογιείται λογισμος.—Sept. Et cogitabit adversus Ægyptum cogitationes.-Arab. [Translated in the text.] Instead of they ready.

Liv. lib. 42, cap. 29.

give him any interruption, resolved to carry hostilities into the enemy's country, instead of waiting for them in his own, and marched with a powerful army against Egypt. And he shall stir up his power and his courage against the king of the south with a great army, and the king of the south shall be stirred up to battle with a very great and mighty army; but he shall not stand: for they shall forecast devices against him. Yea, they that feed of the portion of his meat, shall destroy him, and his army shall overflow,' or rather, 'shall be overflown:'* and many shall fall down slain,' —ver. 25, 26. “These things Porphyry rightly interprets of Antiochus, who marched against Ptolemy, his sister's son, with a great army. The king of the south, too, that is, the generals of Ptolemy, were stirred up to war with very many and exceeding strong forces, and yet could not resist the fraudulent counsels of Antiochus." The two armies engaged between Pelusium and Mount Casius, and Antiochus obtained the victory. The next campaign he had greater success,§ routed the Egyptians, took Pelusium, ascended as far as Memphis, and made himself master of all Egypt except Alexandria. These transactions are thus related by the writer of the first book of Maccabees: "Now, when the kingdom was esta blished before Antiochus, he thought to reign over Egypt, that he might have the dominion of two realms. Wherefore, he entered into Egypt with a great multitude, with chariots, and elephants, and horsemen, and a great navy; and made war against Ptolemy, king of Egypt: but Ptolemy was afraid of him, and fled; and many were wounded to death. Thus they got the strong cities in the land of Egypt, and he took the spoils thereof." He shall stir up his power against the king of the south with a great army,' says the prophet; he entered into Egypt with a great multitude,”

* Exercitus ejus inundabitur.-Pagn. [His army shall be overflown.] Exercitusque ejus opprimetur.—Vulg. [And his army shall be overwhelmed.] Exercitus ejus dis sipabitur.-Syr. [His army shall be dispersed.]

Hæc Porphyrius interpretatur de Antiocho, qui adversus Ptolemæum sororis suæ filium profectus est cum exercitu magno. Sed et rex austri, id est, duces Ptolemæi provocati sunt ad bellum multis auxiliis, et fortibus nimis: et non potuerunt resistere Antiochi consiliis frudulentis.-Hieron. in locum, col. 1128. [Translated in the text.]

* Quumque inter Pelusium et Montem Casium prælium commisissent, victi sunt duces Ptolemæi.-Hieron. col. 1127, 1128. [When they engaged between Pelusium and Mount Casius, Ptolemy's generals were overcome.]

§ 2 Macc. v. 1. Hieron. ibid. Joseph. Antiq. lib. 12, cap. 5, sect. 2, p. 532, edit. Hudson. Valesii Excerpta ex Diodoro, p. 311.

1 Macc. i. 16-19.