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the necessary inquiries, deferred a decision, on this point also, till his return.

On coming to Gaza, he found it strongly garrisoned, under one of Darius's eunuchs, named Betis, a valiant and faithful man, who defended the city for his master as long as he could: as it was at the very entrance into the country_claimed by Egypt, he could not pass until he had taken it. But notwithstanding all the force and art by which it was assailed, it detained Alexander two whole months. This delay, together with two dangerous wounds received during the siege, led him to treat the commander and inhabitants with inexcusable cruelty. He put to death ten thousand of them, and sent all the rest into slavery. Alexander now marched immediately to Egypt. When he arrived at Pelusium, the Egyptians flocked to meet him as a deliverer; for such was their hatred to the Persians that they were ready to welcome any other master. He was, therefore, received with open arms, and Egypt was possessed without a struggle. Even the Persian governor at Memphis, seeing that it was in vain to resist such a torrent, submitted to Alexander.

From Memphis, he projected a journey through the desert to the temple of Jupiter Hammon, situated in the sands of Lybia, at the distance of two hundred miles from Egypt. The famous temple erected here was probably in honour of Ham, the first settler of Egypt after the deluge. Alexander's errand to this place was very foolish and vainglorious. It was no other than to get himself acknowledged as the son of the god called Jupiter Hammon. In order to effect his purpose, he had sent before him messengers to bribe the priests, so that when he came, the oracle might declare what he vaingloriously and impiously wished. On his way, his sagacious eye observed a spot near the coast, over against the island of Pharos, very suitable for a city. He immediately resolved that one should be built, which he intended to make the capital of his empire, and called it Alexandria, after his own name. According to the course of trade, in those days, no situation could be more eligible; for it has before it the Mediterranean, and behind it the Nile, with a short and easy communication with the Red Sea. But the state of the world as to commerce is now entirely changed, and at present Alexandria is famous for nothing but its ruins, the remains of its former grandeur. Having laid out the city, he left the work in the hands of the famous architect, Democrates, the builder of the celebrated temple of Diana, at Ephesus, while he went on his projected journey to the temple of Jupiter Hammon, where he received from the oracle the answer which he wished, that he was the son of the god worshipped in that temple. Upon which he returned in great tri

umph. In making this journey, his army ran great hazards in passing through the sands, for two hundred miles; where Cambyses, as we have before mentioned, lost an army of forty or fifty thousand men. In one instance, he was preserved from death by a seasonable, but almost miraculous shower of rain.

On his return, he collected inhabitants from all quarters to people his new city, and among the rest, invited many Jews to settle there, offering them the free exercise of their own laws and religion; and even granting them the same privileges as were conferred on the Macedonians themselves. Varro relates that about the time of building Alexandria, the use of the papyrus, as a material for writing on, was discovered.

While Alexander was gone to Egypt, he left as governor of Syria and Palestine, a special favourite, whose name was Andromachus, who had his residence at Samaria. The Samaritans, it would seem, chagrined at not receiving equal privileges with the Jews, or on some other ground, set fire to the house of the governor, who was consumed in the flames. At this, Alexander was exceedingly exasperated, and on his return, put to death all who had taken any part in this affair; drove the rest out of the city, replaced them with Macedonians, and gave their land to the Jews. Those who escaped, went and settled at Sichem, under mount Gerizim, which has been ever since the principal residence of the Samaritans.

Darius, having several times in vain solicited peace from Alexander, at last determined to make a mighty effort, and collecting a vast army, marched towards Nineveh, where he was pursued by Alexander, and overtaken at an inconsiderable village called Guagimola, where a great battle was fought, and Darius' army entirely defeated, though it was twenty times as numerous as that of Alexander; and where he had all the advantage of an extensive plain to bring his whole force into active operation. This battle is usually named, not from the obscure village where it was fought, but from the city of Arbela, which was at no great distance. Any one may see in these events, how remarkably the prophecies of Daniel were fulfilled, which relate to "the ram and the he-goat," and which were interpreted to mean the kings of Persia and of Grecia. (See Dan. vii. 6; viii. 5-7, 20, 21.) Darius now fled to Media. Alexander pursued him as far as Árbela, where he took all his treasure and royal equipage, which was of very great value. Alexander then turned his course to Babylon, which city was given up to him at once by the governor.

Alexander now gave himself up to feasting and every species of dissipation. When inflamed with wine, he often acted like a perfect madman, as an example of which we may mention, that, one night to gratify the caprice of a famous Athenian

courtezan, he, and all his companions, seizing torches, set fire to Persepolis, and burned it to the ground. Hearing that Darius was collecting another army in Media, Alexander pursued after him; and on his arrival, finding that he had fled to Parthia, he continued his pursuit. This unfortunate monarch, being thus driven from country to country, and subjected to great privations and sufferings, grew desperate, and refused to proceed further. Upon which his attendants inflicted several mortal wounds on him, and left him; in which situation he was found by one of Alexander's generals; but breathed his last before Alexander himself arrived. When he saw the dead body of so great a prince, thus forsaken and mangled, the conqueror wept, and throwing his cloak over it, commanded that it should be conveyed to Susa, and be honoured by a royal burial. Thus ended the Persian empire, after it had endured, from the first year of Cyrus, two hundred and nine years.

The enterprise of conquering India was another example of the excessive vainglory of this prince. Having read in the fabulous histories of Greece, of the heroic exploits of Hercules and Bacchus, in the invasion of this remote country, he was ambitious of equalling them, as he now gave himself out to be the son of Jupiter, and began to require divine honours to be paid to him. One of his worst actions was the putting Callisthenes the philosopher to death, because he remonstrated against this foolish expedition. About the same time, also, he put Clitus to death with his own hand.

When Alexander crossed the river Indus, he gave orders to build ships, with the view of sending them down the river, and along the coast, until they should reach Persia. This fleet was committed to Nearchus, who coasted along the southern shores of Asia, until he reached the gulph of Ormus, in Persia, much about the same time that Alexander arrived in those parts, in his dreary march by land, through the barren sands of the southern parts of Persia. In this march, which was also in imitation of Hercules and Bacchus, he lost more than half his men. After his return, he married the eldest daughter of Darius, and gave the youngest to Hephestion his chief favourite; and most of his leading generals were married at the same time, to noble Persian ladies.

The mind of Alexander was capable of the most enlarged and comprehensive views, and he was full of grand projects, which few others would have conceived. One of these was the circumnavigation of Africa; another, the restoration of Babylon, which had suffered greatly, from the time that Cyrus removed the mounds which restrained the waters of the Euphrates in their channel. A third was a survey of the Caspian sea. But when unoccupied with his wars, he gave himself

up to luxury, especially to hard drinking, in which he would often spend whole days and nights; until, at length he brought on a fever by his excesses, which in a few days put an end to his life, at Babylon. The death of Alexander occurred in the first year of the 146th Olympiad, (323 B. C.) As is very common, in regard to the end of great princes, his death was attributed to poison, and this report was not only current, but fully believed among the Macedonians: and to give plausibility to the story, a great many particular circumstances, as to the manner in which the poison was concealed and administered, were circulated.

After the death of Alexander, great confusion ensued about the succession. But eventually the supreme authority was divided among his four principal generals, Cassander, Lysimachus, Ptolemy, and Seleucus. Cassander had for his allotment, Macedonia and Greece. Lysimachus, Thrace and those parts of Asia which lay along the Hellespont and Bosphorus; Ptolemy, Egypt, Lybia, Arabia, and Syria; and Seleucus all the

rest.

Thus the prophecy of Daniel (chapter viii. 8) respecting the breaking of the horn of "the he-goat," was most exactly and wonderfully verified. The words of the prophet are, "Therefore the he-goat waxed very great, and when he was strong, the great horn was broken, and for it came up four notable ones," taken in connection with the interpretation, given to Daniel by the angel: "The ram which thou sawest having two horns, are the kings of Media and Persia. And the rough goat is the king of Grecia: and the great horn between his eyes, is the first king. Now, that being broken, whereas four stood up for it, four kingdoms shall stand up out of the nation, but not in his power." The same events are predicted in chap. vii. 5, 6, under a different prophetical emblem. "After this I beheld, and lo, another, like a leopard, which had upon the back of it four wings of a fowl: the beast had also four heads, and dominion was given to it."

SECTION V.

FROM THE TIME OF THE IMMEDIATE SUCCESSORS OF ALEXANDER THE GREAT, TO THE DEATH OF ONIAS THE HIGH-PRIEST.

INCESSANT wars were carried on between these generals, to give an account of which, is not consistent with our plan, except so far as they are connected with the fortunes of the Jewish people.

Perdiccas, who was left in Babylon, and to whom was com

mitted the guardianship of the young kings, the half brother, and the infant son of Alexander, was a man of great ambition, and very soon began to meditate important conquests. He first invaded Egypt, and then waged war against Ptolemy; but Ptolemy, having governed in Egypt with great wisdom and moderation, was beloved by the people, and even the Grecian soldiers in the army of Perdiccas were so unwilling to fight against him, that they revolted from their leader and put him to death, after which event all the Macedonians who invaded Egypt came over to the side of Ptolemy. This prince, now observing how convenient it would be for him to regain the possession of Phenicia and India, resolved to make himself master of these provinces, which having been assigned to Laomedon the Mitylenian, one of Alexander's captains, in the original division, and confirmed to. him in the second partition made by Antipater, had remained in his undisturbed possession from the death of Alexander until this time. Ptolemy at first attempted to purchase them, and offered large sums for this purpose; but failing in these measures, he had recourse to war, and sent Nicanor with a fleet into Syria, while he invaded Phenicia. But while all the country beside yielded to her power, the Jews alone refused to submit, and, for some time, stood out against him; upon which Ptolemy marched against Judea, and besieged Jerusalem. The reason of their opposition was, a conscientious regard to the oath which they had taken to Laomedon. Jerusalem being by nature strong, and being also well fortified, might have resisted long, had not Ptolemy taken advantage of their too strict observance of their Sabbath, and chosen that day for a general assault. The place fell into his hands, because none of the Jews would, on the Sabbath, defend their walls against him. Josephus, indeed, gives a different account of this transaction, but he was probably induced to conceal the truth, for fear of the ridicule of the Greeks. And we know that until the time of Matthias, the Jews did consider it wrong to fight on the Sabbath.

When Ptolemy got possession of Jerusalem and Judea, he carried away one hundred thousand of the Jews to Egypt; but observing how faithful they were to those whom they served, he chose out thirty thousand of them, to govern those towns which it was most important to preserve. And having recently added Lybia and Cyrene to his dominions, he sent many of them to occupy that country. This was the origin of the Jewish colony, who long resided there, and who were numerous in the time of our Saviour, and long afterwards. Although the real power of the empire had been usurped by Alexander's generals, yet there was an agreement among them that Aridaus his half brother, should have the title of king, and Alexander, the son

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