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they attacked the Roman grain-ships in the manner of merchant ships, almost subjecting all to their own arms. 52aSuidas: He prolonged, he extended. John of Antioch; "Who having seized strong places prolonged the war for a long time, blunting the sharpness of Hannibal with lengthy delays." Idem: I blunt, that is, I weaken. "But he prolonged the war for a long time, blunting the sharpness of the enemy with both lengthy and long delays of the action." 53 Exc. De ins.: That during the time when Hannibal was at war with the Romans, Antiochus the king of Syria, being warred upon by Ptolemy the ruler of the Egyptians, having married his own sister to Xerxes the tyrant of the Armenians, killed him through his sister, and recovered the kingdom of the Persians again. 54 Exc. de ins.: That when Ptolemy cast out his wife (Agathocleia), and joined himself to one of the courtesans, then when Ptolemy died, Agathocleia destroyed Arsinoe by treachery; and when she was destroyed along with the palace, and great turmoil was consequently kindled among the Egyptians, both the king of Syria, Seleucus, and Philip of Macedonia, march with eagerness in the hope of seizing the country; whom the Romans indeed anticipated in the undertaking, and extinguished the civil uprising of the Egyptians, having appointed Ptolemy Epiphanes as ruler of the nation, while Prusias was then king of the Bithynians. 55 Ibid.: That of Antiochus, after whom a city among the Assyrians is named, the son was Seleucus and Antiochus the one surnamed Theos; but Seleucus, being suspected of plotting against his father, is killed. 56 Ibid.: That Demetrius was the son of Philip, the king of the Macedonians, whom the Romans held as a hostage; but when Philip allied with the Romans, rewarding him for this intention (goodwill?), they release the boy from his hostage-ship. But Demetrius, upon his return, Philip did away with, the first of this lineage to commit murder against his own kin. 57 Exc. De virt.: That Aemilius the consul, the one who subdued Perseus the king of the Macedonians, was a moderate man and one who knew how to bear success, and was competent. For he received the man with royal attendance, and raising him up when he wanted to fall at his knees and saying, "Man, why do you diminish my achievement?" he made him sit beside him on a royal throne. And the senate orders the Macedonians and Illyrians, released from their former servitude, to be free and autonomous, and to pay a small tribute, and much less than that formerly collected for the kings of each; so that it might be acknowledged by all that the Romans had waged the war because of the injustices done to them rather than from a desire for Macedonian rule. For Aemilius, into the hearing of all those present (and there were many gathered from many nations), having brought forth the decree of the senate declared the men to be free; and he feasted sumptuously the ambassadors of the Europeans who had come to him, taking pride in the splendor of the banquet. For he said indeed that it was characteristic of the same men both to be victorious in war and to appear attentive and ambitious in the preparations of banquets. 58 Exc. De ins.: That Antiochus (sc. Epiphanes), the king of Syria, suspecting the child of his brother Seleucus (sc. Philopator), destroyed him; blaming the murder of this one on others, whom indeed he also killed out of fear; and again he marches against Ptolemy (sc. Philometor), who was attempting to wrestle back from the treaties. And having fought against him near Pelusium, and having completely prevailed with his arms, he forced him to flee to Alexandria. And Ptolemy, not being received by the Egyptians, flees to his brother-in-law Antiochus; but he restores this man to the kingdom again; and from there having set out against the Jews, he takes their city, and all the treasures and the sacred vessels, and having plundered the temples he threw into confusion the laws of the nation, and with terrible

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σιταγωγὰ Ῥωμαίων ὁλκάδας δίκην ἐπέθεσαν, ἅπαντας ὀλίγου τοῖς οἰκείοις ὑποθέντες ὅπλοις. 52aSuidas: ∆ιῆγε, παρεξέτεινεν. Ἰωάννης Ἀντιοχείας· «Ὃς ἔρυμνα χωρία παρειληφὼς ἐπὶ πολὺ διῆγε τὸν πόλεμον, ἀμβλύνων τὴν τοῦ Ἀννίβου ὀξύτητα χρονίαις διατριβαῖς.» Idem: Ἀμβλύνω, τὸ ἐκλύω. «Ὁ δὲ ἐπὶ πολὺ διῆγε τὸν πόλεμον ἀμβλύνων τὴν τοῦ πολεμίου ὀξύτητα χρονίαις τε καὶ μακραῖς τοῦ ἔργου διατριβαῖς.» 53 Exc. De ins.: Ὅτι κατὰ τὸν χρόνον ὅτε Ἀννίβας ἐπολέμει τοῖς Ῥωμαίοις, Ἀντίοχος ὁ τῆς Συρίας βασιλεὺς ὑπὸ Πτολεμαίου τοῦ Αἰγυπτίων ἄρχοντος πολεμούμενος, Ξέρξῃ τῷ Ἀρμενίων τυράννῳ τὴν ἑαυτοῦ ἀδελφὴν συνοικήσας, ἐκεῖνον μὲν διὰ τῆς ἀδελφῆς διεχρήσατο, τὴν δὲ Περσῶν βασιλείαν αὖθις ἀνεκτήσατο. 54 Exc. de ins.: Ὅτι Πτολεμαίου (Ἀγαθόκλειαν) τὴν ἑαυτοῦ γυναῖκα ἐκβαλόντος, καὶ μιᾷ τινὶ τῶν ἑταιρίδων συναφθέντος, εἶτα τελευτήσαντος Πτολεμαίου, ἡ Ἀγαθόκλεια Ἀρσινόην διαφθείρει δόλῳ· καὶ ταύτης σὺν τοῖς βασιλείοις διαφθαρείσης, πολλῆς τε ταραχῆς ἐντεῦθεν Αἰγυπτίοις ἀναφθείσης, ὅ τε τῆς Συρίας βασιλεὺς Σέλευκος, καὶ τῆς Μακεδονίας Φίλιππος, ἐλπίδι τοῦ κρατήσειν τῆς χώρας σὺν προθυμίᾳ στρατεύουσιν· οὓς δὴ Ῥωμαῖοι φθάσαντες τῆς ἐγχειρήσεως, τὴν τῶν Αἰγυπτίων ἐμφύλιον ἀπέσβεσαν ἐπανάστασιν, Πτολεμαῖον τὸν Ἐπιφανῆ αὐτοκράτορα τοῦ ἔθνους ἀποδείξαντες, Προυσίου τότε τῶν Βιθυνῶν βασιλεύσαντος. 55 Ibid.: Ὅτι Ἀντιόχου, οὗ ἐπώνυμός ἐστι πόλις παρὰ Ἀσσυρίοις, υἱὸς Σέλευκος καὶ Ἀντίοχος ὁ ἐπικληθεὶς Θεός· ἀλλ' ὁ μὲν Σέλευκος, ἐπιβουλεύειν ὑποπτευθεὶς τῷ πατρὶ, κατακτείνεται. 56 Ibid.: Ὅτι ∆ημήτριος υἱὸς ἦν Φιλίππου τοῦ Μακεδόνων βασιλέως, ὃν οἱ Ῥωμαῖοι ὅμηρον ἔσχον· συμμαχήσαντος δὲ Φιλίππου τοῖς Ῥωμαίοις, τοῦτον ἀμειβόμενοι τῆς ἐννοίας (εὐν.?), ἀφιᾶσι τὸν παῖδα τῆς ὁμηρείας. Ἐπανελθόντα δὲ τὸν ∆ημήτριον ἐκποδὼν ὁ Φίλιππος ἐποιήσατο, πρῶτος τῶν ἀπὸ τοῦδε τοῦ γένους μιαιφονήσας ἐς τοὺς οἰκείους. 57 Exc. De virt.: Ὅτι Αἰμίλιος ὁ ὕπατος, ὁ τὸν Περσέα τὸν τῶν Μακεδόνων βασιλέα χειρωσάμενος, ἀνὴρ ἦν σώφρων καὶ φέρειν εὐπραγίας εἰδὼς, καὶ ἱκανὸς ὤν. Ἅμα γὰρ βασιλικῇ θεραπείᾳ τὸν ἄνδρα ὑπεδέξατο, πεσεῖν τε βουληθέντα πρὸς τοῖς γόνασιν αὐτοῦ ἀναστήσας καὶ ἐπειπὼν, «Ἄνθρωπε, τί μου καταβάλλεις τὸ κατόρθωμα;» ἐπί τινος βασιλικοῦ θρόνου πάρεδρον ἑαυτῷ κατεστήσατο. Μακεδόνας δὲ καὶ Ἰλλυριοὺς, τῆς πρόσθεν δουλείας ἀπηλλαγμένους, ἐλευθέρους εἶναι καὶ αὐτονόμους προστάττει τὸ συνέδριον, δασμόν τε φέρειν βραχὺν, καὶ πολλῷ τινι τοῦ πάλαι κομιζομένου τοῖς ἑκατέρων βασιλεῦσι καταδεέστερον· ὡς ἂν ὁμολογοῖτο πρὸς ἁπάντων Ῥωμαίους τῶν ὑπαρξάντων εἰς αὐτοὺς ἀδικημάτων ἤπερ ἐφέσει τῆς Μακεδονικῆς ἡγεμονίας ἐξενηνοχέναι τὸν πόλεμον. Ὁ γὰρ Αἰμίλιος ἐς τὴν ἁπάντων τῶν παρόντων ἀκοὴν (ἦσαν δὲ πολλοὶ ἐκ πολλῶν ἐθνῶν συνειλεγμένοι) τὸ τῆς βουλῆς ἐξενεγκὼν δόγμα ἐλευθέρους εἶναι τοὺς ἄνδρας ἀπεφήνατο· τούς τε παρ' αὐτὸν ἀφικομένους τῶν Εὐρωπαίων πρέσβεις εἱστία πολυτελῶς, τῇ λαμπρότητι τοῦ συμποσίου φιλοτιμούμενος. Ἔλεγε γὰρ δὴ τῶν αὐτῶν ἀνδρῶν εἶναι, τῷ τε πολέμῳ κρατεῖν, καὶ ταῖς παρασκευαῖς τῶν συμποσίων ἐπιμελεῖς τε καὶ φιλοτίμους φαίνεσθαι. 58 Exc. De ins.: Ὅτι Ἀντίοχος (sc. ὁ Ἐπιφανὴς), ὁ τῆς Συρίας βασιλεὺς, τοῦ Σελεύκου (sc. τοῦ Φιλοπάτορος) τοῦ ἀδελφοῦ παῖδα ὑποτοπήσας διέφθειρεν· ἑτέροις τὸν τούτου φόνον ἐπενεγκὼν, οὓς δὴ καὶ διὰ φόβον διεχρήσατο· αὖθίς τε πρὸς Πτολεμαῖον (sc. τὸν Φιλομήτορα) στρατεύει, ἀναπαλαίειν ταῖς συνθήκαις ἐπιχειροῦντα. Καὶ πολεμήσας αὐτῷ κατὰ τὸ Πηλούσιον, κρατήσας τε παντελῶς τοῖς ὅπλοις, φυγεῖν ἐπὶ τὴν Ἀλεξάνδρειαν ἠνάγκασεν. Καὶ ὁ μὲν Πτολεμαῖος οὐ προσδεχθεὶς ὑπὸ τῶν Αἰγυπτίων, προσφεύγει τῷ γαμβρῷ Ἀντιόχῳ· ὁ δὲ τοῦτον πάλιν εἰς τὴν βασιλείαν ἀποκαθίστησιν· ἐκεῖθέν τε κατὰ Ἰουδαίων ὁρμήσας, αἱρεῖ μὲν αὐτῶν τὸ ἄστυ, καὶ τοὺς θησαυροὺς ἅπαντας καὶ τὰ ἱερὰ σκεύη, καὶ τοὺς ναοὺς συλήσας συνέχεε τὰ τοῦ ἔθνους νόμιμα, δειναῖς τε