οὗτος ὁ Πτολεμαῖος Ἀρσινόης ἀδελφῆς ἀμφοτέρωθεν ἐρασθεὶς ἔγημεν αὐτήν, Μακεδόσιν οὐδαμῶς ποιῶν νομιζόμενα, Αἰγυπτίοις μέντοι ὧν ἦρχε. δεύτερα δὲ ἀδελφὸν ἀπέκτεινεν Ἀργαῖον ἐπιβουλεύοντα, ὡς λέγεται, καὶ τὸν Ἀλεξάνδρου νεκρὸν οὗτος ὁ καταγαγὼν ἦν ἐκ Μέμφιδος· ἀπέκτεινε δὲ καὶ ἄλλον ἀδελφὸν γεγονότα ἐξ Εὐρυδίκης, Κυπρίους ἀφιστάντα αἰσθόμενος. Μάγας δὲ ἀδελφὸς ὁμομήτριος Πτολεμαίου παρὰ Βερενίκης τῆς μητρὸς ἀξιωθεὶς ἐπιτροπεύειν Κυρήνην— ἐγεγόνει δὲ ἐκ Φιλίππου τῇ Βερενίκῃ Μακεδόνος μέν, ἄλλως δὲ ἀγνώστου καὶ ἑνὸς τοῦ δήμου—, τότε δὴ οὗτος ὁ Μάγας ἀποστήσας Πτολεμαίου Κυρηναίους ἤλαυνεν ἐπʼ Αἴγυπτον.
καὶ Πτολεμαῖος μὲν τὴν ἐσβολὴν φραξάμενος ὑπέμενεν ἐπιόντας Κυρηναίους, Μάγᾳ δὲ ἀπαγγέλλεται καθʼ ὁδὸν ἀφεστηκέναι Μαρμαρίδας· εἰσὶ δὲ Λιβύων οἱ Μαρμαρίδαι τῶν νομάδων. καὶ τότε μὲν ἐς Κυρήνην ἀπηλλάσσετο· Πτολεμαῖον δὲ ὡρμημένον διώκειν αἰτία τοιάδε ἐπέσχεν. ἡνίκα παρεσκευάζετο ἐπιόντα ἀμύνεσθαι Μάγαν, ξένους ἐπηγάγετο καὶ ἄλλους καὶ Γαλάτας ἐς τετρακισχιλίους· τούτους λαβὼν ἐπιβουλεύοντας κατασχεῖν Αἴγυπτον, ἀνήγαγε σφᾶς ἐς νῆσον ἔρημον διὰ τοῦ ποταμοῦ. καὶ οἱ μὲν ἐνταῦθα ἀπώλοντο ὑπό τε ἀλλήλων καὶ τοῦ λιμοῦ·
Μάγας δὲ ἤδη γυναῖκα ἔχων Ἀπάμην Ἀντιόχου τοῦ Σελεύκου θυγατέρα, ἔπεισεν Ἀντίοχον παραβάντα ἃς ὁ πατήρ οἱ Σέλευκος ἐποιήσατο συνθήκας πρὸς Πτολεμαῖον, ἐλαύνειν ἐπʼ Αἴγυπτον. ὡρμημένου δὲ Ἀντιόχου στρατεύειν, Πτολεμαῖος διέπεμψεν ἐς ἅπαντας ὧν ἦρχεν Ἀντίοχος, τοῖς μὲν ἀσθενεστέροις λῃστὰς κατατρέχειν τὴν γῆν, οἳ δὲ ἦσαν δυνατώτεροι στρατιᾷ κατεῖργεν, ὥστε Ἀντιόχῳ μήποτε ἐγγενέσθαι στρατεύειν ἐπʼ Αἴγυπτον. οὗτος ὁ Πτολεμαῖος καὶ πρότερον εἴρηταί μοι ὡς ναυτικὸν ἔστειλεν ἐς τὴν Ἀθηναίων συμμαχίαν ἐπʼ Ἀντίγονον καὶ Μακεδόνας· ἀλλὰ γὰρ ἀπʼ αὐτοῦ οὐδὲν μέγα ἐγένετο ἐς σωτηρίαν Ἀθηναίοις. οἱ δέ οἱ παῖδες ἐγένοντο ἐξ Ἀρσινόης, οὐ τῆς ἀδελφῆς, Λυσιμάχου δὲ θυγατρός· τὴν δέ οἱ συνοικήσασαν ἀδελφὴν κατέλαβεν ἔτι πρότερον ἀποθανεῖν ἄπαιδα, καὶ νομός ἐστιν ἀπʼ αὐτῆς Ἀρσινοΐτης Αἰγυπτίοις.
This Ptolemy fell in love with his full sister, Arsinoe, and married her, contrary to the customs of the Macedonians, but agreeably to those of the Egyptians over whom he ruled. Next he put to death his brother Argaeus, because he was plotting against him, as is said. It was Ptolemy who brought down the body of Alexander from Memphis. He also put to death another brother, a son of Eurydice, because he learnt that he was inciting the Cyprians to revolt. He had a uterine brother Magas, whom Berenice bore to Philip, an obscure and ignoble Macedonian. This Magas, having been promoted by his mother Berenice to the government of Cyrene, roused the Cyrenians to revolt, and marched against Egypt.
Ptolemy fortified the pass and awaited the attack of the Cyrenians. But tidings reached Magas on the march that the Marmarids, a tribe of Libyan nomads, had revolted ; so he returned to Cyrene. Ptolemy would have hastened in pursuit, but was prevented by the following cause. When he was making ready to resist the attack of Magas, he engaged, amongst other mercenaries, four thousand Gauls; but finding that they were plotting to seize Egypt, he took them to a desert island on the river, where they perished by hunger and each other’s swords.
Magas, having to wife Apame, daughter of Antiochus, son of Seleucus, persuaded Antiochus to break the treaty which his father Seleucus had made with Ptolemy, and to march on Egypt. But when Antiochus was about to take the field, Ptolemy despatched troops against all his subjects: against the weaker he sent marauding bands to scour the country, while he held in check the more powerful by an army. So that Antiochus was never able to march against Egypt. I have already mentioned that this Ptolemy sent a fleet to support the Athenians against Antigonus and the Macedonians, but it did little to save Athens. His children were borne to him by Arsinoe, daughter of Lysimachus, not by his sister Arsinoe, who had previously died childless. A province of Egypt is called Arsinoites after her.
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