Publisher's Synopsis
The dynasty of the Ptolemies.-The founder.-Philip of Macedon.-Alexander.-The intriguediscovered.-Ptolemy banished.-Accession of Alexander.-Ptolemy's elevation.-Death ofAlexander.-Ptolemy becomes King of Egypt.-Character of Ptolemy's reign.-The Alexandrianlibrary.-Abdication of Ptolemy.-Ptolemy Philadelphus.-Death of Ptolemy.-Subsequentdegeneracy of the Ptolemies.-Incestuous marriages of the Ptolemy family.-Ptolemy Physcon.-Origin of his name.-Circumstances of Physcon's accession.-Cleopatra.-Physcon's brutalperfidity.-He marries his wife's daughter.-Atrocities of Physcon.-His flight.-Cleopatraassumes the government.-Her birth-day.-Barbarity of Physcon.-Grief of Cleopatra.-Generalcharacter of the Ptolemy family.-Lathyrus. -Terrible quarrels with his mother.-Cruelties ofCleopatra. -Alexander kills her.-Cleopatra a type of the family.-Her two daughters.-Unnaturalwar.-Tryphena's hatred of her sister.-Taking of Antioch.-Cleopatra flees to a temple.-Jealousyof Tryphena.-Her resentment increases.-Cruel and sacrilegious murder.-The moral condition ofmankind not degenerating.The founder of the dynasty of the Ptolemies-the ruler into whose hands the kingdom of Egypt fell, as has already been stated, at the death of Alexander the Great-was a Macedonian general inAlexander's army. The circumstances of his birth, and the events which led to his entering into theservice of Alexander, were somewhat peculiar. His mother, whose name was Arsinoe, was a personalfavorite and companion of Philip, king of Macedon, the father of Alexander. Philip at length gaveArsinoe in marriage to a certain man of his court named Lagus. A very short time after the marriage, Ptolemy was born. Philip treated the child with the same consideration and favor that he hadevinced toward the mother. The boy was called the son of Lagus, but his position in the royal courtof Macedon was as high and honorable, and the attentions which he received were as great, as hecould have expected to enjoy if he had been in reality a son of the king. As he grew up, he attainedto official stations of considerable responsibility and power.In the course of time, a certain transaction occurred by means of which Ptolemy involved himself inserious difficulty with Philip, though by the same means he made Alexander very strongly his friend.There was a province of the Persian empire called Caria, situated in the southwestern part of AsiaMinor. The governor of this province had offered his daughter to Philip as the wife of one of hissons named Aridaeus, the half brother of Alexander. Alexander's mother, who was not the motherof Aridaeus, was jealous of this proposed marriage. She thought that it was part of a scheme forbringing Aridaeus forward into public notic