Book I

The Argument
Th'Aegyptians sue to Caesar for a peace,
Excuse their crime, and craue their King's release:
The King restor'd by Caesar to his state,
Reuolts againe: Euphranor's noble fate.
Ptolomey's vision from Serapis sent
Foreshews the change of Aegypts gouernment.
The warre in Delta; Caesars victory.
The ouerthrow and death of Ptolomey.

THe threatning Ocean now had spent in vaine
His swelling spite, and from the watery maine▪
From Aegypts feeble Treason, and the band
Of Pharian slaues is Caesar safe at land
Fill'd with reuenge and scorne, arm'd with a rage
Greater than Aegypts ruine can asswage.
His warre is now made iust; but that great minde
Too much disdaines so iust a cause to finde
From such a State, grieu'd that they durst afford
Wrongs proud enough to call on Caesar's sword,
Or prouocation to his fury lend,
Whom Rome it selfe had trembled to offend,
And ru'd his anger at no cheaper rate
Than Pompey's fall, and ruine of the State.
How well could Rome excuse the gods aboue
For Caesar's late-wrought safetie, and approue
Their fauour in it, if no other State
Had felt the force of his reuiued fate
But Aegypts guilty land? in that warre nought
But iust reuenge for Pompey had beene wrought.
The willing Senate had with ioy decreed
Honours for such a conquest; for that deed
From euery Towne th' Italian youth in throngs
Had met his Charriot with triumphall songs,
Nor had great Pompey's spirit from the skie
Repin'd at sight of that solemnitie.
That act had reconcil'd the Conquerer
To Rome againe, had not the fatall warre,
Which straight in Affrick, and in Spaine ensew'd,
His conquering army with first guilt embrew'd.
The treacherous band of Aegypts Souldiers now
That chose Arsinoë Queene, gan disallow
The pride of Ganymedes, and disdaine
A feeble woman, and base Eunuchs reigne.
All murmur, all to muteny inclin'd,
Yet each afraid to sound each others mind:
Till one at last more venturous than the rest
Thus with his owne the thoughts of all exprest.
What end haue these our armes? Why doe we make
Tumults in stead of warres? If armes we take
To free Niles fruitfull regions from the yoke
Of Romes ambition, why doe we prouoke
The strength of Caesar at a time when he
Detaines our King within his custodie?
The King as hostage for our truth doth lie
We hazard not the warre but Ptolomey.
Though our attempt 'gainst Caesar should succeed
We staine the honour of so great a deed
Wanting a lawfull chiefe; and twill be thought
Rebellious tumults not iust warres haue wrought
Rich Aegypts freedome: More may be obtain'd
By peace, than can be by such hazards gain'd.
Then let vs sue for Ptolomey's release:
Caesar (though now incenst) will grant vs peace
On easie termes; and thinke it better farre
Then to be here entangled in a warre,
Whilest yet Pharsalia's reliques doe remaine
To ioyne their strength, and trie their fate againe:
Whilest the dispers'd not conquer'd powers of Rome
Are gathering head, and furious nations come
From Iuba's kingdome, Ammons farthest sands,
And where Spaines Calpe bounds the Westerne lands
To crosse his growing fortunes: But if we
Tender the state of young Arsinoë,
(Because descended from great Lagus race,)
Why doe we wrong her brother, and misplace
Our dutie so? Preposterous loyalty
It is, to honour Lagus family,
And therefore Lagus lawfull heire depose.
A generall shout, which through the Campe arose,
Shewes their agreement too too great to be
Suppressed now, or term'd a muteny.
That euen Arsinoë seeing this consent
Is forc'd to be, or seeme (at least) content.
Embassadours to Caesar they addresse
To begge the King's inlargement, sue for peace,
And pardon for their treachery to him:
Which they excus'd at large, and all the crime
Vpon Photinus and Achillas lay'd:
Whose liues (say they) haue for their treasons pay'd.
Caesar, though once enrag'd, admits their low
Submissiue prayers, and smooths his angry brow,
Scorning to lose so proud a wrath vpon
Such worthlesse obiects; or intent alone
On ciuill warres, reserues his fury all
To wreake in nothing but his countreys fall.
Nought but so hard, and so abhorr'd a crime
Had guilt and danger great enough for him.
He breefly grants them their desired ends,
And Ptolomey backe to his kingdome sends.
Poore boy, what fatall freedome hast thou gain'd?
Thou to thy ruine hast thy wish obtain'd.
Tis Caesar's crueltie that sets thee free,
To make thee guiltie and then punish thee.
Thine innocence did guard thee, whilest by him
Thou wert confin'd, and could'st not act a crime
That might deserue thy death; but well knew he
Thy ages weaknesse, and the treachery
Of thy perfidious and vnconstant men
Would draw thee to offences, and thou then
By faire pretence of iustice might'st be slaine
A sacrifice to Cleopatra's reigne,
And his desires, who meanes thy crowne shall buy
Or pay the hire of his adultery.
Caesar's surmises finde a true euent;
For Ptolomey backe to his people sent
(Whether that falsehood were the nations vice,
Or else by nature or bad nurture his,
Or he by others easie to be sway'd)
Forgets the oath that he to Caesar made.
And fill'd with vaine and flattering hopes, calls on
The forward fates t'his owne destruction.
A well rigg'd fleet of Ships he forth doth send
In ambush neere Canopus to attend
(An Ile that East from Alexandria lies)
To cut off all prouision and supplies,
That might by Sea to Caesar's campe arriue.
To this his first attempt doth Fortune giue
Some seeming fauour; for while there they lie,
Euphranor's Ship, seuer'd vnhappily
Alone from all the rest of Caesar's fleet,
By this Aegyptian Nauy is beset.
Euphranor's valour, that had neuer found
The fates but friendly, and so oft renown'd
With Caesar's fortune had for Caesar fought,
This change affrights not; his vndaunted thought
Not feare but rage possesses; and though there
Beset, he playes th' assailant euery where.
They feare to ioyne with him, and euermore
Fly from his grapple; as a chafed Bore
The following hounds auoid, so Aegypts fleet
Surprises danger which it dares not meet.
But being so many Ships they cannot all
Escape from him; some, though vnwilling, fall
Vpon Euphranor, and are forc'd to buy
With their owne losse their fellowes victory.
Some vessels bor'd twixt wind and water sunke,
And drinking waues into the waues were drunke.
'Gainst others from the Roman vessell fire,
Wrapt vp in balls was throwne; whose actiue ire
The Ocean could not quench vntill too late,
And did not succour then, but change the fate.
Some dead, some liuing float in Neptunes flood
The Sea discolour'd with the victours blood.
Had but one more of Caesars Ships beene caught
Th' Aegyptian fleet a fatall prey had sought,
And learned then how they deceiued tooke
But Fortunes bait, which hid a mortall hooke.
But when at last those few Caesarians
Were spent with wounds and toile, and that their hands
Could for that endlesse taske no more suffice
Euphranor weary with subduing dies,
Leauing the rest of those Aegyptian powers
Suruiuours rather than true Conquerours.
Now Ptolomey was leuying strength by land,
When Mithridates with a warlike band
Of men, from Syria, and Cilicia came
Raised from thence by him in Caesar's name.
And marching swiftly ore the land, at last
Arriu'd where strong Pelusium's fitly plac'd
Vpon the continent, and on that side
Th' Aegyptian bounds from Syria doth diuide:
Pelusium's strength is thought by land to be
Aegypts defence as Pharos is by Sea.
But now (alas) too weake it proues to stay
Fierce Mithridates course, who in one day
(Though there Achillas left a Garrison)
Summons, assaults, and wins by force, the Towne;
Nor stayes he there, but marches speedily
To ioyne his strength with Caesar's power, whom he
Of this exploit before had certifi'd.
This Mithridates, who on Caesar's side
So well had seru'd as to deserue from him
After this warre, the Thracian diadem,
Of great and royall parentage was sprung,
And trained vp in princely arts, when young,
By that great King, that Asian Conquerour,
Who fortie yeares withstood the Roman power,
And in so many honour'd fields did fame
Lucullus, Sylla, and great Pompey's name.
The King, that now besides Canobus lay,
With all his power, intends to march away
With speed through Delta, where the Fates decree
To seat the warre, and his sad tragedy.
Rich Delta, Aegypts pride the flower alone
Of all the Pharian Kings dominion;
Vpon whose fertile brest a thousand wayes
In winding tracks the wanton Nilus playes,
And with his amorous folding armes doth seeme
T' embrace small Ilands, whilest his siluer streame
From seuerall channells oft it selfe doth meet,
And oft it selfe with wanton kisses greet.
So those faire riuolets, which for the food
Of liuing bodies, beare the crimson blood
To euery part, within the liuer meet,
And there with kisses number lesse doe greet
Themselues; and as they through each other glide
Make many knots, as if they tooke a pride
In their strange foldings, and themselues did please
In those admired Anastomoses.
This fertile region, whose extension makes
A iust triangle, from the letter takes
Delta for name, whose basis is the Sea,
Whose two sides Niles two widest channells be.
For all the other fiue within those two
Into the Northren Sea through Delta goe.
Downe from the lesser cataract Nile flowes,
And in one single channell Northward goes
From Elephantis Ile the ancient bound,
Twixt th'Aethiopian, and Aegyptian ground
Foure thousand furlongs to that spatious plaine,
Where Memphis stands, so famed for the vaine,
And mispent labour of so many men,
Her wondrous Pyramids; which had not beene,
If natures bountie, and the wealthy soile
Had not too much excus'd the Plowmans toile.
So many hands (as there were vainly found)
Had beene enough t' haue made the barren'st ground
Of Ammons deserts, or the Libyan sands
Fruitfull by working, t' haue entrench'd whole lands,
And fenc'd their Aegypts often conquer'd Towers
From Persian, Graecian, and Italian powers.
At Memphis Nile his channell doth diuide:
That branch that flowes along the Easterne side,
Into the Ocean rowles his curled waues
At strong Pelusium; tother channell laues
(A thousand furlongs distant thence, as he
Into the Ocean falls) the regions nigh
To faire Canobus, which (by ancient fame)
From Menelaus Pylot tooke the name;
Who dying there, was buried on the shore,
When Aegypts Crowne that iust King Proteus wore:
Who tooke from Priam's wanton sonne away
Atrides beautious wife, his rauish'd prey,
And to her husband after her restor'd
When Troyes sack'd towers had felt the vengefull sword
Of armed Greece. That region, which betweene
Those two the widest armes of Nile is seene,
Is Delta, which so plentifully yeelds,
Ceres and Bacchus, rich in pasture fields,
And flowery meadowes, where the bleating flocks,
And horned heards doe graze; the labouring Ox
Weary'd in those fat furrowes, nere deceiues
Hopes which the greediest husbandman conceiues.
There loftie Cities stand, and Townes of fame,
Lakes flow, which from those Cities take their names.
Butum enuiron'd with the Buticke lake,
Where once her Oracles Latona spake:
There faire Diospolis, Lycopolis,
Hermopolis, and Leontopolis
Proud Cities rise: There doth Busiris stand
Fatall to strangers, that were forc'd to land
Vpon her bloody shore; vntill the hand
Of great Alcides freed the grieued land
From that fell Tyrants reigne, whose name the towne
Yet beares; neere that is that faire Citie knowne
By Venus name; there faire Panephysis,
Tanitis, Xois, and Cynospolis,
And Sais chiefe of all the region,
In which Minerua's stately Temple's showne,
Where fam'd Psammiticus entombed lies.
There also Mendes famous walls doe rise,
Where Pan th'Arcadian god is worshipped,
And goates ador'd; there goates (as we haue read)
Doe mix with womankinde; so got was he
That lou'd the boy turn'd to a Cypresse tree.
But now to know the future warres successe,
The King aduis'd by Dioscorides
Ere from Canobus he through Delta passe,
(Since there Serapis stately Temple was)
Resolu'd to craue that Oracles aduice
Commands the Priests prepare a sacrifice.
This snake-like god Serapis seated there,
Whom all rich Aegypt, and the nations neere
Deuoutly worship, and from euery port
To his vndoubted Oracle resort,
Speakes not to men, like other gods, nor snewes
His truth by voyce, as horned Ammon does;
Norlike their Apis, fore-declaring good
Or bad, by taking or refusing food;
Nor like the Delphian Phaebus doth possesse
In killing rage, a wretched Prophetesse,
Making sad death the punishment or hire
Of euery soule his fury doth inspire;
But gently glides into a sleeping brest,
By dreames instructing our repose and rest,
In truths that can be by no labour gain'd:
There only knowledge is with ease attain'd.
To this renowned Temple farre and neere
Th' Aegyptian Lords and Princes come to heare
Truth without helpe of senses, and to know
By dreaming there their future weale or woe.
Why should this god his knowledge then declare
To men, when men least fit for knowledge are?
And chuse to come to them at such a time
When they no duties can returne to him?
Is it his bountie or his power to show,
That men so taught may plainly see they owe
Nothing at all to studies of their owne,
But to his bountie and his power alone,
That then can make them vnderstand aright
When they are rest of vnderstanding quite?
Or else the god, when men can exercise
Their powers and intellectuall faculties,
Will not descend with their weake thoughts to ioyne
Commixing human reason with diuine.
Within the Temples inmost roome, a bed
Of richest purple wrought with gold was spred;
To which the King was by the Priests conuay'd,
And there, to take his dreaming vision, lay'd.
No dreames at all within that sacred roome
But such as were diuinely sent, might come.
Others, which from complexions difference
Or naturall humors flow'd, were banish'd thence;
And those which from the studies of the day,
Or cares arose, in th' outward Temple stay,
And there together flie in companies
Of different colours, shapes, and qualities.
Faire sanguine dreames, that seeme to cheere the night,
With beautious shapes, and rosie wings, as bright
As is the morning, or those flowers, that grace
In mid'st of spring, the painted Flora's face,
Within the Temple merrily doe sport;
To whom the little Cupids oft resort;
The little Cupids from faire Venus groue
Stealing by night, doe thither come, and loue
With those bright sanguine dreames to passe away
The howers of night in sport and amorous play.
There dreames of choller in a flame-like hew
Through th' aire, like little fierie Meteors flew
With swift and angrie motion to and fro,
As if they sought within that place a foe.
Sometimes vp to the Temples roofe on high
They soare, as if they meant to scale the skie,
Or some impossible atchieuement sought
T' allay the thirst of an aspiring thought.
But downe below with sad and heauy cheere
On dead mens Tombes, and euery Sepulcher,
The duskie dreames of melancholly light,
With sable wings like Bats, or birds of night.
Fluttering in darkest corners here and there,
But all alone, and still each other feare.
Courting dead skulls, and seeming to inuite
The dismall ghosts for company by night.
There all along the Temples whited wall
Phlegmaticke lazy dreames, not wing'd at all,
But slow, like slimie Snailes, about doe crawle,
And euermore are thence afraid to fall
And so be drown'd; for on the floore below
They doe suppose deepe pooles of water flow.
But swift as thoughts can flie, as windes doe blow
Or winged lightning, in a moment goe
The flatuous dreames through th' aire; sometimes with noyse
Like the farre-off affrighting thunders voyce.
Besides a thousand other companies
Of dreames, which doe from daily cares arise,
From thoughts and deeds of men; which doe appeare
In formes as many and as different there
As all the world has obiects, or is fil'd
With deeds: All these to dreames diuiner yeeld,
And flie aloofe without; nor dare they come
Into the Temples inward sacred roome.
The dead of night had closed euery eye,
And sleepe now seiz'd the brest of Ptolomey,
When loe a vision from Serapis sent
To his affrighted fancy did present
The changed state of Aegypts haplesse land,
Which now by fates appointment was at hand.
A large-siz'd Ox, into that sacred roome
With sad and heauy pace did seeme to come,
And leane he was, as if he had not eat
Of long, or wanting, or refusing meat;
Saue two white spots, his colour wholly blacke,
One on his forehead, tother on his backe:
And passing by he seem'd to waile and moane,
From his blacke eyes the teares fast trickling downe.
After a woman came of stature tall,
Of presence stately and maiesticall;
High Towers, and Castles on her head she bare,
But loose, as if all torne, hung downe her haire.
Strong chaines did seeme her naked armes to tie;
With that arose a dismall shreeke and crie,
As it had beene from ghosts infernall sent,
Whose fury rent the regall monument:
And from their open'd tombes he saw arise
The ghosts of all the bury'd Ptolomeys,
From Lagus sonne the first, in order all,
Who following, seem'd to waile the womans fall.
With that cold chilling horrour from the brest
Of sleeping Ptolomey had banish'd rest,
Who with amazed thoughts look'd vp and downe▪
But when his eyes were ope, the sight was gone.
The Priests approach, and hearing him relate
His dolefull dreame, lament the wretched State
Of Aegypts kingdome, and with one consent
Foretell th' approaching change of gouernment:
Yet to appease the gods, by their aduice,
The King commands a solemne sacrifice.
But neerer miseries by farre than those
Doe threaten thee, poore King; the god foreshowes
Thy Countries future dangers, and from thee
Conceales thine owne approaching tragedy.
To meet with Caesar then he march'd away
Through wealthy Delta, and encamped lay
Vpon an high and spatious hill, which round
About commands the lower champian ground;
From whence the Countrey he afarre descri'd.
A place by nature strongly fortifi'd
Three seuerall wayes; th' ascent so steepe and hard
To climbe, as seem'd impregnable, did guard
One part alone without rhe aid of men:
Vnto another part a spatious fen
And lake did seeme to giue protection:
To guard the third a riuer swiftly run.
Betwixt the lake and which alone did stand,
To lend some passage, a small necke of land:
That little Isthmos seem'd alone to stand
In need of guarding by a souldiers hand
Against the foes assault. But in that place
The King supposes, twere too much disgrace
To be assaulted first, and would dismay
His souldiers hearts, for Caesar there to stay;
Or else not safe in what defence the lake,
The riuer, hill, or his owne workes could make,
To hinder Caesar's comming he intends
Farre off; and most of all his forces sends
To guard a riuer where his passage lay.
That banke, on which th' Aegyptian souldiers stay,
Was high, and farre from water, and might well
Keepe the Caesarians off, or them compell
To fight on wondrous disaduantage there.
But Caesar's troops incapable of feare,
At first approach, resolue, viewing the place,
In spight of disaduantages to passe.
And whilest the legionary souldiers throw
'Gainst tother side, to busie there the foe,
Thicke stormes of winged piles; whilest some of them
Striue to lay trees, for bridges, ore the streame,
The German cohorts vp and downe doe try
The riuers depth, and where most easily
They may or swim, or wade the channell through;
And make as boldly their attempts as though
They went against no enemie at all.
Whilest the Aegyptians doe securely gall
Downe from aboue their labouring enemy,
And on the place, not their owne worth rely:
For all the weapons, which from them are throwne,
Require no strength, but by descent alone
Bring wounds to the Caesarians, who, inrag'd
To be 'gainst such aduantages ingag'd,
Sigh, that their valour they must vainly lose
Not to subdue, but to approach their foes,
And must contend as eagerly to gaine
A fight, as erst a conquest to obtaine.
Against the riuer and the bankes they goe:
And in this warre the foe is least the foe.
Caesar perceiues in what distressed plight
The legionaries are enforc'd to fight,
And therefore straight commands his lightest horse
To wheele about, and with a speedy course
Farre from that place to crosse the riuer ore.
Which they performed swiftly, and before
Th' Aegyptian Souldiers their approach could feare,
Behinde they charg'd them in a full carriere.
Whose force whilest they, turning about, withstood,
The legionary Souldiers past the flood
With greater ease by bridges which they made,
And through the shallowest fordes the Germans wade.
And now at last th' Aegyptian Souldiers
Are forc'd, though loth, to enter equall warres.
But feare made them vnequall, and subdu'd
As soone as fought with, by the fortitude
Of Caesar's men, who else had sought in vaine
By so much sweat and labour to obtaine
A battell, had they not a conquest had:
And now a slaughter, not a warre was made.
The King from out his loftie Campe beheld
His slaughtred Souldiers bodies strow the field,
Which late they stood vpon: for scarce by flight
Were any saued; the Caesarian spight
Pursu'd the conquest which they had obtain'd
With such a fury, that the fields distain'd
All ore with blood, might let th' Aegyptians see
How they before had fought vnequally.
He viewes how few return'd, that newes to tell,
Which he had seene, and knew too sadly well.
But to the Campe those, that escaped were
Brought nothing but astonishment and feare.
Th' incamped finde in them no aid at all,
But see the greatnesse of their fellowes fall:
Whom Caesar's men so swiftly follow home,
That to the trenches, and out-workes they come.
Caesar, that neuer in his battells, held
A foe subdu'd, till from his Campe expell'd,
Exhorts his Souldiers to forget their paines
And freshly force the workes, whilest feare there reignes,
To end this warre, and with the wealthy spoyle
Of Aegypts King to recompence their toyle.
Nor need the Souldiers be incouraged
To seeke their wages for the blood they shed.
They first inuade that little necke of land
Which twixt the riuer and the lake did stand.
But that th' Aegyptian Souldiers most doe guard;
When on the passage there begins a hard
And bloody conflict; one side fight to make
Their conquest perfect, and the fruit to take:
Tother despaire in stead of courage armes;
For vanquished they feare the worst of harmes.
From either side the passage where they stood,
The lake and riuer are distain'd with blood.
Downe halfe dead bodies they precipitate,
Who drown'd in water taste a double fate.
There oft together, as they fighting stand,
Aegyptians and Caesarians hand in hand
Doe grappling fall into the crimson lake;
Nor there (alas) their enmitie forsake:
But weakely trie the combat out, where he
That conquers can no long suruiuour be.
Whilest on that side the Campe, both parties fought
So furiously, and all hands thither brought;
Caesar perceiued on the other side,
That seem'd enough by nature fortifi'd,
Where the ascent was craggie, steepe, and hard
To climbe, that Ptolomey had left no guard;
Or those that had beene left, from thence were gone
To tother side, as aid, or lookers on.
Thither his lightest cohorts he commands;
Bold Carfulenus leads those actiue hands,
Who straight, as Caesar gaue in charge to him,
With those light-armed cohorts gins to climbe.
Th'ascent so steepe and hard, that to the foe
Did seeme impregnable, but prou'd not so,
Brought on their ruine; death there enter'd in,
From whence with greatest ease he might haue beene
Repel'd by them. But Carfulenus now
Entring th'Aegyptian Campe, with small adoe
Kills or repells his few resisting foes,
Feare and distraction through the Campe arose.
The workes, whilest to and fro th' amazed runne,
On euery side by the Caesarians wonne:
To whom for mercy now they sue in vaine,
Nor does the Generall their swords restraine;
But bids them kill, and in their slaughter free
The world from so much fraud and treachery.
Part of th'Aegyptian-Campe had beene before
Romes legionary Souldiers, and brought ore
Vnder Gabinius, there in Aegypt left
Were by her pleasures softned, and bereft
Of military vertue, and became
Degenerate staines vnto the Roman name.
Like the Aegyptians they were growne to be
In manners, basenesse, fraud, and treachery.
Not farre from thence, vnto the riuer side
A little vessell by a rope was ti'd:
Whither the King in this tumultuous heat
Of flight, escaped from the Campe, doth get;
And now aboord, commands his slender traine
With all their strength to launch it forth amaine.
His purple robe vpon the shore he throwes
To flie disguis'd; but cruell Fate allowes
No flight nor safetie to him; nought at all
Gaines his disguise but a Plebeian fall.
For loe the flying multitude espi'd
(That from the Campe prest to the riuers side)
That barke, contending all to get aboord
To saue themselues, respectlesse of their Lord.
He cries, the King is here; doe not intrude;
There is no safetie for a multitude
In one small vessell; why should you destroy
(Losing your selues) the life of Ptolomey?
Though Fortune worke my ruine, doe not you
Murder your King: but Caesar's men pursue,
Amazement stops their eares, and feare of sword
Had banish'd all allegiance to their Lord:
Till, the ore-laden vessell sinking downe,
Themselues together with their King they drowne.
Mixt with Plebeian deaths a Monarch lies
The royall race of th' ancient Ptolomey's
Vnder no couert but his Nile's cold waues,
No Pyramids, nor rich Mausolean graues,
Nor sacred Vaults, whose structures doe excell:
As his fore-fathers ashes proudly dwell,
And dead, as liuing, doe their wealth expresse
In sumptuous tombes as gorgeous Palaces.
Vnhappie Ptolomey, how short a date
Haue Fates allotted to thy kingly State?
No otherwise didst thou a Crowne obtaine
Than sacrifices, crowned to be slaine.
Happier might'st thou haue di'd, before thy reigne
(Though short it were) had left that lasting staine
Of Pompey's death vpon thy name, and shew'd
To future times thy foule ingratitude,
Depriuing him of breath, that did before
Thy banish'd Father to a Crowne restore.
And now to that dead Roman worthyes Tombe
Art thou enforc'd a Sacrifice to come
T'appease his Ghost, and offer'd vp by him,
In whose behalfe thou did'st that heinous crime.
Who chooses rather to reuenge, than owe
To thee, so base a ruine of his foe.
Caesar, possest of this great victory,
By land, through Delta marches speedily
To Alexandria; but supposing there
How much the Citie his iust wrath might feare,
He sends before to comfort them, and free
Th' inhabitants from feare and iealousie.
To be with ioy receiued, he declares
That all his wrath is ended with his warres;
That he, as Romes Dictatour, would preserue
Their liues and liberties, and still reserue
The Crowne of Aegypt free, rightly to place
Vpon the next of Lagus royall race.
And that no other now was his intent
Than to confirme Auletes Testament.