of Mithridates, and the manner of his killing himself; that his fon Pharnaces fubmitted himfelf and dominions to the Romans; and that thereby that tedious war, which had endured fo long, was at length terminated. This gave both the army and general great fubject to rejoice. Such was the end of Mithridates; a prince, fays an historian, of whom it is difficult either to speak or be filent: full of activity in war, of distinguished courage; fometimes very great by fortune, and always of invincible refolution; truly a general in his prudence and counsel, and a foldier in action and danger; a fecond Hannibal in his hatred of the Romans. Cicero fays of Mithridates, that after Alexander he was the greatest of kings: Ille rex Academ. poft Alexandrum maximus. It is certain, that Quæft. the Romans never had fuch a king in arms a-1. 4. n. 8. gainst them. Nor can we deny that he had his great qualities, a vast extent of mind, that afpired at every thing; a fuperiority of genius, capable of the greatest undertakings; a conftancy of foul, that the fevereft misfortunes could not deprefs; an industry and bravery, inexhaustible in resources, and which, after the greatest loffes, brought him again upon the stage on a fudden, more powerful and formidable than ever. I cannot, however, believe, that he was a confummate general; that character does not feem to refult from his actions. He obtained great advantages at firft; but against generals, without either merit or experience. When * Vir neque filendus ne- per animo maximus: confi que dicendus fine cura: bello acerrimus, virtute eximius: aliquando fortuna fem liis dux, miles manu: odio Sylla, A. M. 3941. Sylla, Lucullus, and Pompey opposed him, it does not appear that he acquired any great honour, either by his addrefs in pofting himself to advantage, by his prefence of mind in unexpected emergency, or intrepidity in the heat of action. But fhould we admit him to have all the qualities of a great captain; he could not but be confidered with horror, when we reflect upon the innumerable murthers and parricides of his reign, and that inhuman cruelty, which regarded neither mother, wives, children, nor friends, and which facrificed every thing to his infatiable ambition. Pompey being arrived in Syria, went directly to Damafcus, with defign to fet out from thence, Ant. J. C. to begin at length the war with Arabia. When 63. Aretas, the king of that country, saw him upJofeph. Antiq. on the point of entring his dominions, he fent xiv. 4, 8. an embaffy to make his fubmiffions. & de Bell. Plut. in Pomp. p. The troubles of Judæa employed Pompey Jud. 1, 5 fome time. He returned afterwards into Syria, from whence he fet out for Pontus. Upon his 64.1. arrival at Amifus, he found the body of MithApp. p. ridates there, which Pharnaces his fon had sent Dio. Caff. to him; no doubt, to convince Pompey by his 1. 36. p. own eyes, of the death of an enemy, who had 35. & 36. occafioned him so many difficulties and fatigues. 250. He had added great prefents, in order to incline him in his favour. Pompey accepted the presents; but for the body of Mithridates, looking upon their enmity to be extinguished in death, he did it all the honours due to the remains of a king, fent it to the city of Sinope,. to be interred there with the kings of Pontus his ancestors, who had long been buried in that place, and ordered the fums that were neceffary for the folemnity of a royal funeral. In this laft journey he took poffeffion of all the places in the hands of those, to whom Mithridates had confided them. He found immenfe riches in fome of them, especially at Telaurus, where part of Mithridates's most valuable effects and precious jewels were kept; his principal Arsenal was alfo in the fame place. Amongst thofe rich things were two thousand cups of onyx, fet and adorned with gold; with fo prodigious à quantity of all kinds of plate, fine moveables, and furniture of war for man and horse, that it coft the queftor, or treafurer of the army, thirty days entire in taking the inventory of them. Pompey granted Pharnaces the kingdom of Bofphorus, in reward of his parricide; declared him friend and ally of the Roman people; and marched into the province of Afia, in order to winter at Ephefus. He gave each of his foldiers fifteen hundred drachmas, (feven hundred and fifty livres) and to the officers according to their feveral pofts. The total fum, which his liberalities amounted, all raised out of the spoils of the enemy, was fixteen thousand talents; that is to fay, forty eight millions of livres; befides which, he had twenty thousand more, (fixty millions) to put into the treasury at Rome, upon the day of his entry. 1 to His triumph continued two days, and was A. M. celebrated with extraordinary magnificence. 3943. Pompey caused three hundred and twenty-four Ant. J. C. captives of the highest diftinction to march be- 61. fore his chariot: amongst whom were Ariftobulus, king of Judæa, with his fon Antigonus; Olthaces king of Colchos; Tigranes, the fon of Tigranes king of Armenia; the fifter; five fons, and two daughters of Mithridates. For want of that king's perfon, his throne, fcepter, 190 fcepter, and gold bufto of eight cubits, or twelve feet, in height, were carried in triumph. T ARTICLE II. HIS fecond article contains the history of thirty-five years, from the beginning of the reign of Ptolomæus Auletes, to the death of Cleopatra, with which ended the kingdom of Egypt: that is to fay, from the year of the world 3939, to 3974. SECT. I. Ptolomæus Auletes had been placed upon the throne of Egypt in the room of Alexander. He is ftiled the friend and ally of the Roman people, by the credit of Cæfar and Pompey, which be purchafed at a very great price. In confequence be loads bis fubjects with impofts. He is expelpelled the throne. The Alexandrians make bis daughter Berenice queen. He goes to Rome, and by money obtains the voices of the beads of the republick for his re-establishment. He is oppofed by an oracle of the Sibyľ's; notwithstanding which, Gabinius fets him upon the throne by force of arms, where he remains till bis death. The famous Cleopatra, and her brother very young, fucceed him. WE E have feen in what manner Ptolomæus Auletes afcended the throne of Egypt. Alexander, his predeceffor, upon his being expelled by his fubjects, withdrew to Tyre, where he died fome time after. As he left no iffue, nor nor any other legitimate prince of the blood royal, he made the Roman people his heirs. The fenate, for the reafons I have repeated elsewhere, did not judge it proper at that time, to take poffeffion of the dominions left them by Alexander's will: but to fhew that they did not renounce their right, they refolved to call in part of the inheritance, and fent deputies to Tyre, to demand a fum of money left there by that king at his death. The pretenfions of the Roman people were under no restrictions; and it had been a very unfecure establishment to poffefs a State, to which they believed they had so just a claim; unless some means were found to make them renounce it. All the kings of Egypt had been friends and allies of Rome. To get himself declared an ally by the Romans, was a certain means to his being authentically acknowledged king of Egypt by them. But by how much the more important that qualification was to him, fo much the more difficult was it for him to obtain it. His predeceffor's will was ftill fresh in the memory of every body; and as princes are seldom pardoned for defects, which do not fuit their condition, though they are often spared for those that are much more hurtful, the firname of player on the flute, which he had drawn upon himself, had ranked him as low in the esteem of the Romans, as before in that of the Egyptians. c. 54 He did not, however, defpair of fuccefs in Sueton. in his undertaking. All the methods, which he Jul. Cæf. took for the attainment of his end, were a Dio. C long time ineffectual; and it is likely they 1.39. P would always have been fo, if Cæfar had never Strab been conful. That ambitious fpirit, who be- P. 75 lieved all means and expedients just that con duced |