make it a province of Syria, after it had been
weakened by civil war. He therefore wisely forgave his rebellious
brother and sister in Alexandria, and sent offers of peace to them; and
it was agreed that the two Ptolemies should reign together, and turn
their forces against the common enemy. It was most likely at this
time, and as a part of this treaty, that Philometor married his sister
Cleopatra. It was mainly by her advice and persuasion that the quarrel
between the two brothers was for the time healed. On this treaty between
the brothers the year was called the twelfth of Ptolemy Philometor and
the first of Ptolemy Euergetes, and the public deeds of the kingdom were
so dated.

The next year Antiochus Epiphanes again entered Egypt, claiming the
island of Cyprus and the country round Pelusium as the price of his
forbearance; and, on his marching forward, Memphis a second time opened
its gates to him without a battle. He came down by slow marches towards
Alexandria, and crossed the canal at Leucine, four miles from the city.
There he was met by the Roman ambassadors, who ordered him to quit the
country. On his hesitating, Popilius, who was one of them, drew a circle
round him on the sand with his stick, and told him that, if he crossed
that line without promising to leave Egypt at once, it should be taken
as a declaration of war against Rome. On this threat Antiochus again
quitted Egypt, and the brothers sent ambassadors to Rome to thank the
senate for their help, and to acknowledge that they owed more to the
Roman people than they did to the gods or to their forefathers.

The treaty made on this occasion between Philometor and Antiochus
was written by Heraclides Lembus, the son of Serapion, a native of
Oxyrynchus, who wrote on the succession of the philosophers in the
several Greek schools, and other works on philosophy, but whose chief
work was a history named the Lembeutic History.

Four years afterwards, in B. c. 164, Antiochus Epiphanes died; and the
Jews of Judaea, who had been for some time struggling for liberty, then
gained a short rest for their unhappy country. Judas Maccabaeus had
raised his countrymen in rebellion against the foreigners; he had
defeated the Syrian forces in several battles; and was at last able
to purify the temple and re-establish the service there as of old. He
therefore sent to the Jews of Egypt to ask them to join their Hebrew
brethren in celebrating the feast of tabernacles on that