tant town of Seleucia Pieria, the seaport of the capital, fell into
his hands, in the neighbourhood of which he was still further gratified
with the apprehension of the cruel Laodice, at whose instigation his
sister and nephew lost their lives. The punishment of this unprincipled
woman seems, however, to have completely satiated his resentment; for,
instead of securing his conquests in Syria, and achieving the entire
humiliation of Seleucus, he led his army on a plundering expedition into
the remote provinces of Asia, whence, on the news of domestic troubles,
he returned to the shores of Africa in triumph, laden with an immense
booty, comprising among other objects all the statues of the Egyptian
deities which had been carried off by Cambyses to Persia or Babylon.
These he restored to their respective temples, an act by which he earned
the greatest popularity among his native Egyptian subjects, who bestowed
upon him, in consequence, the title of Euergetes (Benefactor), by which
he is generally known. He brought back also from this expedition a vast
number of other works of art, for the museums were a passion with the
Ptolemies. The Asiatics might, indeed, have got over these things, but
he levied, in addition, immense contributions from the Asiatics, and is
said to have raised over forty thousand talents. On his march homeward,
he laid his gifts upon the altar in the Temple of Jerusalem, and there
returned thanks to Heaven for his victories. He had been taught to bow
the knee to the crowds of Greek and Egyptian gods; and, as Palestine was
part of his kingdom, it seemed quite natural to add the God of the Jews
to the list.

Of the insurrection in Egypt, which obliged him to return, we know no
particulars, but Euergetes seems to have become convinced that Egypt was
too small a basis for such an empire. "If he had wished to retain all
his conquests" relates the chronicler, "he would have been obliged to
make Antioch his residence, and this would weaken the ground of his
strength. He, moreover, appears to have been well aware that the
conquests had been made too quickly." He accordingly divided them,
retaining for himself Syria as far as Euphrates, and the coast districts
of Asia Minor and Thrace, so that he had a complete maritime empire. The
remaining territories he divided into two states: the country beyond the
Euphrates was given, according to St. Jerome, to one Xantippus, who
is otherwise unknown, and Western Asia was