Roxana, as soon as he was born, was joined in the title of king with Philip Aridæus; and when he had attained to the fourteenth year of his age, he and his mother were privately mur dered in the castle of Amphipolis, by order of Cassander. In the second year after this, Hercules, the other son of Alexander by Barsine, the widow of Memnon, was also, with his mother, privately murdered by Polyspercon, induced thereto by the great offers made to him by Cassander. Such was the miserable end of Alexander's family: and then the governors made themselves kings each in his provinces, from which title they had abstained, as long as any just heir of Alexander was surviving. Thus was Alexander's kingdom broken and divided not to his posterity, but was plucked up even for others beside those and it was divided to the four winds of heaven; for four of his captains, as has been before noticed, prevailed over the rest, and Cassander reigned in Greece and the West, Lysimachus in Thrace and the North, Ptolemy in Egypt and the South, and Seleucus in Syria and the East.

Ver. 5. "And the king of the South shall "be strong, and one of his princes; and he "shall be strong above him, and have domi"nion: his dominion shall be a great domi"nion." Though the kingdom of Alexander

was divided into four principal parts, yet only two of them have a place allotted in this prophecy, Egypt and Syria. These two were by far the greatest and most considerable: and these two at one time were in a manner the only remaining kingdoms of the four, the king dom of Macedon having been conquered by Lysimachus, and annexed to Thrace; and Ly simachus again having been conquered by Seleucus, and the kingdoms of Macedon and Thrace annexed to Syria; and these two continued distinct kingdoms after the others were swallowed up by the power of the Romans. Bishop Newton observes, that there is manifestly either some redundance or some defect in the text, and conceives that it may perhaps be better read thus: And the king of the South shall be strong, and one of his princes (that is one of Alexander's princes) and the king of the North shall be strong above him, and have dominion, his dominion shall be a great dominion. The king of the South was indeed very strong, for Ptolemy had annexed Cyprus, Phonicia, Caria, and many islands and cities and regions, to Egypt. He had likewise enlarged the bounds of his empire, and was now become so great, that he was in a condition not so much to fear as to be feared by his enemies. But still the king of the North, or Seleucus Nicator,

3

was strong above him; for having annexed, as we have seen, the kingdoms of Macedon and Thrace to the crown of Syria, he was become master of three parts out of four of Alexander's dominions. All historians agree in representing him not only as the longest liver of Alexander's successors, but likewise as the conqueror of the conquerors, as his name imports; he subdued many nations and built many cities; and after Alexander, possessed the largest part of Asia, for all was subject to him, from Phrygia up to the river Indus, and beyond it; and he is denominated expressly "the greatest king "of Alexander."

Seleucus Nicator having reigned seven months after the death of Lysimachus over the kingdoms of Macedon, Thrace, and Syria, was basely murdered; and to him succeeded on the throne of Syria his son Antiochus Soter, and to Antiochus Soter succeeded his son Antiochus Theus.

At the same time Ptolemy Philadelphus reigned in Egypt after his father, the first Ptolemy, the son of Lagus.

There were frequent wars between the kings of Egypt and Syria. There were so particularly between Ptolemy Philadelphus, the second king of Egypt, and Antiochus Theus, the third king of Syria.

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Ver. 6." And in the end of years they shall join themselves together; for the king's

daughter of the South shall come to the king of the North to make an agreement: but she "shall not retain the power of the arm; nei"ther shall he stand, nor his arm; but she "shall be given up, and they that brought her, "and he that begat her" (or as it is in the margin, "him whom she brought forth"), " and he "that strengthened her in these times." In the end of years (or in the year A. C. 249), that is, about 30 years from the death of Seleucus Nicator the king of the North, mentioned in the foregoing verse, Antiochus Theus the then king of Syria, and Ptolemy Philadelphus the then king of Egypt, who had carried on war against each other for several years, joined themselves, or associated themselves together; for they agreed to make peace, upon condition that Antiochus Theus, the king of the North, should put away his former wife Laodice and her two sons, and should marry Berenice, the daughter of Ptolemy Philadelphus, the king of the South. And accordingly Ptolemy Philadelphus brought his daughter to Antiochus Theus, and with her an immense treasure, so that he received the appellation of the Dowry-giver.

But she did not retain the power of the arm, that is, her interest and power with Antiochus,

for after some time, he brought back his former wife Laodice to court again. But neither did he Antiochus stand, nor his arm; for Laodice fearing the fickle temper of her husband, lest he should recall Berenice, caused him to be poisoned; and she (Berenice) was also given up, and they that brought her, and him whom she brought forth, and he that strengthened her; for Laodice, not content with poisoning her husband, caused also Berenice to be murdered. Many of her Egyptian women too, and her attendants who came over with her into Syria, in endeavouring to defend her, were slain with her: and her son was also murdered by order of Laodice. He that strengthened her may be supposed to be her husband Antiochus, who would doubtless have supported her against these designs of Laodice, but that he had himself been previously cut off. Others conceive that her father Ptolemy is here meant, who was a very powerful prince, and had an extreme fondness for her, but had died a short time before in Egypt, at the age of 63 years: for it was not till she had thus lost his powerful support, that Antiochus ventured to remove her from his bed, and to recall Laodice*.

Ver. 7. "But out of a branch of her roots

Prideaux, Part II. Book II. Anno A. C. 246.