Antigonus left Sparta three days after he had entered it: and his departure was occasioned by the intelligence he had received, that a war had broken out in Macedonia, where the Barbarians committed dreadful ravages. If this news had arrived three days sooner, Cleomenes might have been saved. Antigonus was already afflicted with a severe indisposition, which at last ended in a consumption and total defluxion of humours, that carried him off two or three years after. He however would not suffer himself to be dejected by his ill state of health, and had even spirit enough to engage in new battles in his own kingdom. It was said, that after he had been victorious over the Illyrians, he was so transported with joy, that he frequently repeated these expressions, "O the glorious happy battle!" and that he uttered this exclamation with so much ardour, that he burst a vein, and lost a large quantity of blood: this symptom was succeeded by a violent fever, which ended his days. Some time before his death, he settled the succession to his dominions in favour of Philip, the son of Demetrius, who was then fourteen years of age; or it may be rather said, that he returned him the sceptre, which had only been deposited in his hand. Cleomenes in the mean time, arrived at Alexandria, where he met with a very cold reception from the king, when he was first introduced into his presence. But after he had given that monarch proofs of his admirable sense, and shown in his common conversation the generous freedom, openness, and simplicity of the Spartan manners, attended with a graceful politeness, in which there was nothing mean, and even a noble pride that became his birth and dignity, Ptolemy was then sensible of his merit, and esteemed him infinitely above all those courtiers who were only solicitous to please him by abject flatteries. He was even struck with confusion and remorse for having neglected so great a man, and for having abandoned him to Antigonus, who had raised his own reputation, and enlarged his power to an infinite degree, by his victory over that prince. a The king of Egypt then endeavoured to comfort and relieve Cleomenes, by treating him with the utmost honour, and giving him repeated assurances that he would send him into Greece with such a fleet and a supply of money, as with his other good offices should be sufficient to re-establish him on the throne. He also assigned him a yearly pension of twenty-four talents (about five thousand pounds sterling), with which he supported himself and his friends, with the utmost frugality, reserving all the remainder of that allowance for the relief of those who retired into Egypt from Greere. Ptolemy however died be A. M. 3782. Ant. J. C, 222, 6 A. M. 3783. Ant. J. C. 22. fore he could accomplish his promise to Cleomenes. This prince had reigned twenty-five years, and was the last of that race in whom any true virtue and moderation was conspicuous; for the generality of his successors were monsters of debauchery and wickedness. The prince, whose character we are now describing, had made it his principal care to extend his dominions to the South, from the time of his concluding the peace with Syria. Accordingly he had extended it the whole length of the Red Sea, as well along the Arabian as the Ethiopian coasts, and even to the Straits<, which form a communication with the southern ocean. He was succeeded on the throne of Egypt by his son Ptolemy, surnamed Philopator. d Some time before this, Rhodes suffered very considerable damages from a great earthquake: the walls of the city, with the arsenals, and the docks in the harbour, where the ships of that island were laid up, were reduced to a very ruinous condition; and the famous Colossus, which was esteemed one of the wonders of the world, was thrown down and entirely destroyed. It is natural to think, that this earthquake spared neither private houses, nor public structures, nor even the temples of the gods. The loss sustained by it amounted to immense sums; and the Rhodians, reduced to the utmost distress, sent deputations to all the neighbouring princes, to implore their relief in that melancholy conjuncture. An emulation worthy of praise, and not to be paral lelled in history, prevailed in favour of that deplorable city; and Hiero and Gelon in Sicily, and Ptolemy in Egypt, signa lised themselves in a peculiar manner on that occasion. The two former of these princes contributed above an hundred talents, and erected two statues in the public square; one of which represented the people of Rhodes, and the other that of Syracuse; the former was crowned by the latter to testify, as Polybius observes that the Syracusans thought the opportunity of relieving the Rhodians a favour and obligation conferred upon themselves. Ptolemy, besides his other expenses, which amounted to a very considerable sum, supplied that people with three hundred talents, a million of bushels of corn, and a sufficient quantity of timber for building ten gallies of five benches of oars, and as many more of three benches, besides an infinite quantity of wood for other buildings; all which donations were accompanied with three thousand talents for erecting the Colossus anew. Antigonus Seleucus, Prusias, Mithridates, and all the princes, as well as cities, signalised their liberality on this occasion. Even private persons emulated each other in sharing in this gloria Strabo. 1. 17, p. 796. b Monum. adulit. 6 A. M. 3782. Ant. J. C. 222. Polyb. 1. v. p. 428, 431. c Straits of Babelmandel: ous act of humanity; and historians have recorded that a lady whose name was Chryseis ", and who truly merited that appellation, furnished from her own substance an hundred thousand bushels of corn. Let the princes of these times, say's Polybius, who imagine they have done gloriously in giving four or five thousand crowns, only consider how inferior their generosity is to that we have now described. Rhodes, in consequence of these liberalities, was re-established in a few years, in a more opulent and splendid state than she had ever experienced before, if we only except the Colossus. This Colossus was a brazen statue of a prodigious size, as I have formerly observed. Some authors have affirmed, that the money arising from the contributions already mentioned, amounted to five times as much as the loss which the Rhodians had sustained. This people, instead of employing the sums they had received, in replacing that statue according to the intention of the donors, pretended that the oracle of Delphos had forbidden it, and given them a command to preserve that money for other purposes, by which they enriched themselves. The Colossus lay neglected on the ground for the space of eight hundred and ninety-four years; at the expiration of which (that is to say, in the six hundred and seventy-third year of our Lord) Moawyas, the sixth caliph or emperor of the Saracens, made himself master of Rhodes, and sold this statue to a Jewish merchant, who loaded nine hundred camels with the_metal; which computed by eight quintals for each load, after a deduction of the diminution which the statue had sustained by rust, and very probably by theft, amounted to more than eight hundred and six thousand pounds, or seven thousand two hundred quintalș: b Strab. 1. xiv. p. 652% Zonar. sub regno Constantis Imperat. and Cedrenus. a Chryseis signifies golden. THE HISTORY OF ALEXANDER'S SUCCESSORS CONTINUED. SECT. I. Antiochus takes the strongest cities in Cælosyria. He is entirely defeated at the battle of Raphia. I OBSERVED in the preceding book, that Ptolemy Philopator had succeeded Ptolemy Evergetes, his father, in Egypt ". On the other side, Seleucus Callinicus was dead in Parthia. He had left two sons, Seleucus and Antiochus; and the first who was the elder, succeeded to his father's throne, and assumed the surname of KEPAYNOx (Ceraunus) or the Thunderer, which no way suited his character; for he was a very weak prince, both in body and mind, and never did any actions that corresponded with the idea suggested by that name. His reign was short, and his authority but ill established, either in the army or the provinces. What prevented his losing it entirely was, that Achæus, his cousin, son to Andromachus his mother's brother, a man of courage and abilities, assumed the management of his affairs, which his father's ill conduct had reduced to a very low ebb. As for Andromachus, he was taken by Ptolemy, in a war with Callinicus, and kept prisoner in Alexandria, during all his reign, and part of the following. Attalus king of Pergamus having seized upon all Asia Minor, from Mount Taurus as far as the Hellespont, Seleucus marched against him, and left Hermias the Carian regent of Syria. Achæus accompanied him in that expedition, and did him all the good services which the low state of his affairs would admit. As there was no money to pay the forces, and the king a A. M. 3778. Ant. J. C. 226. Polyb. 1. iv. p. 315. & l. v. p. 386. in Daniel. Appian. in Syriac p. 131. Justin. 1. xxix. c. 1. 6 A. M. 3780. Ant. J. C. 224. ૨૩ Hieron. c A. M. 3781. Ant. J. C. 223. |