fet forwards with his army, and paffing thro' Cœle-Syria came into Egypt, and the inhabitants of Memphis and the other Egyptians, partly out of love, partly out of fear, submitting to him, he came by eafy marches down to Alexandria. But this expedition was not as fuccessful as his former ones; the reason of which is affigned in the next words, the ships of Chittim coming against him. In the fifth differtation it was proved, that the coaft of Chittim` and the land of Chittim is a general name for Greece, Italy, and the countries and ilands in the Mediterranean. The fhips of Chittim therefore are the fhips which brought the Roman embaffadors, who came from Italy, touched at Greece, and arrived in Egypt, being fent by the fenate, at the fupplication of the Ptolemies, to command a peace between the contending kings. The story was related out of the Greek and Roman hiftorians in the last differtation: it is needlefs therefore to repeat it here: it will be fufficient to add what (1) St. Jerome fays upon the occafion. When the two brothers Ptole • mies,

riam proceffit.[receptus ab iis qui] ad Memphim incolebant, et ab cæteris Ægyptiis, partim voluntate, partim metu,ad Alexandriam modicis itineribus defcendit. Liv. Lib. 45. Cap. 11,12. VOL. II.

I.

(1) Quumque duo fratres Ptolemæi Cleopatræ filii, quorum avunculus erat, obfiderentur Alexandriæ, legatos veniffe Romanos: quorum unus Marcus Popilius Lenas, quum eum ftan

tem

mies, the fons of Cleopatra, were befieged

by their uncle in Alexandria, the Roman em⚫ baffadors came: one of whom Marcus Popillius Lenas, when he had found him standing on the fhore, and had delivered to him the decree of the fenate, by which he was com'manded to depart from the fri nds of the Ro

man people, and to be content with his own empire; and he would have deferred the ⚫ matter to confult with his friends; Popillius is faid to have made a circle in the fand with the stick that he held in his hand, and to have circumfcribed the king, and to have said, The fenate and people of Rome order, that in that place you answer, what is your intention. With these words being frightened he faid, If this pleases the fenate and people of Rome, we must depart; and fo prefently • drew off his army.' The reafon of the Romans acting in this imperious manner, and of Antiochus fo readily obeying, was, as (2) Polybius

tem inveniffet in littore, et fenatus confultum dediffet, quo jubebatur ab amicis populi Romani recedere, et fuo imperio effe contentus; et ille ad amicorum refponfionem confilium diftuliffet; orbem dicitur feciffe in arenis baculo quem tenebat in manu, et circumfcripfiffe, regem atque dixife; Senatus et

fug

populus Romanus præcipiunt, ut in ifto loco refpondeas, quid confilii geras. Quibus dictis ille perterritus ait; Si hoc placet fenatui et populo Romano, recedendumeft, atque ita ftatim movit exercitum. Hieron. ibid.

(2) Μη γας γινομενα τετο και πιςευθέντος, εκ αν μοι δοκεί, πει

fuggefts, the total conqueft that Paulus Æmilius, the Roman conful, had juft made of the kingdom of Macedonia. It was without doubt a great mortification to Antiochus, to be fo humbled, and fo disappointed of his expected prey. Therefore be grieved, and returned. He led back his forces, into Syria, as (3) Polybius fays, grieved ahd groaning, but thinking it expedient to yield to the times for the prefent. And had indignation against the holy covenant: for (4) he vented all his anger upon the Jews: he detached Apollonius with an army of twenty two thousand men, who coming to Jerufalem flew great multitudes, plundered the city, fet fire to it in feveral places, and pulled down the houses and walls round about it. Then they builded, on an eminence in the city of David, a strong fortrefs, which might command the temple; and iffuing from thence, they fell on those who came to worship, and fhed innocent blood on every fide of the fanctuary, and defiled it fo

θάρχησαι τοις επιτατίομενοις Αντιexer. Nam hoc nifi accidiffet, neque de ea re conftitiffet, nunquam, opinor, effet adductus Antiochus, ut imperata faceret. Polyb. Legat. 92. p. 917. Edit. Cafaubon.

(3) έτος μεν απηγετο τας δυνα μεις εις την Αγρίαν [Συριαν ut putat

that

Uferius] βαρυνόμενος και Γενων εικων δε τοις καιρούς καλά το παρόν. Antiochus copias Agriam [Syriam] fuas, gravate ille quidem ac gemens, fed tamen abduxit, in prefentia tempori cedendum ratus. Polyb. ibid. p. 916.

(4) 1 Macc. I. 29-40. 2 Macc. V. 24, 25, 26. L 2 (5) Macc.

that the temple was deferted, and the whole service omitted; the city was for faken of its natives, and became an habitation of ftrangers. So he did, and after his return to Antioch (5) he published a decree, which obliged all perfons upon pain of death to conform to the religion. of the Greeks and fo the Jewish law was abrogated, the Heathen worship was fet up in its stead, and the temple itself was confecrated to Jupiter Olympius. In the transacting and ordering of these matters he had intelligence with them that for fook the holy covenant, Menelaus and the other apoftate Jews of his party, who were the king's chief inftigators against their religion and their country. For (6) as the writer of the first book of Maccabees fays, "In those days "went there out of Ifrael wicked men, who

perfuaded many, faying, Let us go, and "make a covenant with the Heathen, that are

round about us: Then certain of the people "were fo forward herein, that they went to the king, who gave them licence to do after the "ordinances of the Heathen: And they made "thernfelves uncircumcifed, and forfook the holy covenant, and joined themselves to the "Heathen,

(5) 1 Macc. I. 41—64. 2 Macc. VI. 1—9.

(6) 1 Macc. I. 11, 13, 15.

(7) Jofephus de Bell. Jud.Lib. 1. Cap. 1. Sect. 1. p.958. Edit. Húdson. oi de xalaquyones whos

Αντιοχος

"Heathen, and were fold to do mifchief." Jofephus as plainly (7) afcribes the diftress of his country to the factions among his country-. men, and to thofe perfons particularly who fled to Antiochus, and befought him that under their conduct he would invade Judea.

It may be proper to ftop here, and reflect a little how particular and circumftantial this prophecy is concerning the kingdoms of Egypt and Syria, from the death of Alexander to the time of Antiochus Epiphanes. There is not fo complete and regular a series of their kings, there is not fo concife and comprehenfive an account of their affairs, to be found in any author of those times. The prophecy is really more perfect. than any history. No one hiftorian hath related

fo

many circumstances, and in fuch exact order of time, as the prophet hath foretold them: fo that it was neceffary to have recourse to feveral authors, Greek and Roman, Jewish and Chriftian; and to collect here fomething from one, and to collect there fomething from another, for the better explaining and illuftrating the great variety of particulars contained in this prophecy. We have been particularly obliged to Por

Αντίοχον ἱκέτευσαν, αυτοις ἡγεμοσι χρωμενον, εις την Ιεδαίαν εμβαλειν. illi vero ad Antiochum fe reL

3

ceperunt, eique fupplicarunt ut ipfis ducibus in Judæam irrumperet.

(8) Ad