ates,
King of Pontus, in Asia Minor; and Sulla, who was then at the head
of the republic, sent Lucullus, the soldier, the scholar, and the
philosopher, as ambassador to Alexandria, to ask for help against the
enemy. The Egyptian fleet moved out of harbour to meet him, a pomp
which the kings of Egypt had before kept for themselves alone. Lathyrus
received him on shore with the greatest respect, lodged him in the
palace, and invited him to his own table, an honour which no foreigner
had enjoyed since the kings of Egypt had thrown aside the plain manners
of the first Ptolemies. Lucullus had brought with him the philosopher
Antiochus of Athens, who had been the pupil of Philo, and they found
time to enjoy the society of Dion, the academic philosopher, who was
then teaching at Alexandria; and there they might have been seen with
Heraclitus of Tyre, talking together about the changes which were
creeping into the Platonic philosophy, and about the two newest works of
Philo, which had just come to Alexandria. Antiochus could not read them
without showing his anger: such sceptical opinions had never before been
heard of in the Academy; but they knew the handwriting of Philo, they
were certainly his. Selius and Tetrilius, who were there, had heard him
teach the same opinions at Rome, whither he had fled, and where he was
then teaching Cicero. The next day, the matter was again talked over
with Lucullus, Heraclitus, Aristus of Athens, Ariston, and Dion; and it
ended in Antiochus writing a book, which he named Sosus, against those
new opinions of his old master, against the new Academy, and in behalf
of the old Academy.

Lathyrus understood the principles of the balance of power and his own
interest too well to help the Romans to crush Mithridates, and he wisely
wished not to quarrel with either. He therefore at once made up his mind
not to grant the fleet which Lucullus had been sent to ask for. It
had been usual for the kings of Egypt to pay the expenses of the Roman
ambassadors while living in Alexandria; and Lathyrus offered four
times the usual allowance to Lucullus, beside eighty talents of silver.
Lucullus, however, would take nothing beyond his expenses, and returned
the gifts, which were meant as a civil refusal of the fleet; and, having
failed in his embassy, he sailed hastily for Cyprus, leaving the wonders
of Egypt unvisited. Lathyrus sent a fleet of honour to accompany him on
his voyage, and gave him his portrait cut i