The Caucasian. (Clinton, N.C.) 188?-1913, 1911-03-23
ANCIENT HISTORY
Egypt Had Three Noted
Sovereikns by the Name
OF Ptoiemy.
TIE COURT OF P0uTENEss

TIE COURT OF POuTENESS
Ptolems the THIRD Raised Egypt 20
a Commanding Heighs-The First
SaU-yast spoiIs Collected Dur
ing Some Ancient wars-One King
sHoa n Proud Tttie-The Queen
Gonsecrated Her Beautiful Hair rs
an Evidence Of Gratitude-when
Superstition Served y Good Pur.
pose.
CONTINUED from last Issue.)
BnkinsvilIe. y. c.. March %, 1911.
Correspondence of The Caucasian
Enterprise.
Egypt had three sovereigns by the
name ov' Ptolemy. In my last article
! gave a brief history ov the fret
gentleman by that name. After hiz
death, 323 years before Christ.
Ptolemy the Ii. took the JOB an
made a better shown than the first
edition. The court on PhiIadelphus
Ptolemy II. wuz once termed the seat
oV learnin' an ov politeness an
strangers an even the unfortunate
air said to hev bin received with ev-
cry evidence oy courtesy an kind
ness. Still he probably did not gain
az much fame az did PtOlemy the
Hrst or the third. The last gentle
man mentioned raised Egypt TO a
very commandin' height, an hiz
fame az ruler wuz fully az great
by sea az hit wuZ by land. for he built
Rhat wuz then thought to be great
navy an he put hit to work for the
apbuildin' ov Egypt an gained much
an territory. At that time the policy
that wuZ most likely to win whole
sale approval wuZ hardly better than
a great game ov grab-everythin'-t that
iz-not-nailed-down, however, an that
IL sometimes done in our day an
slime. But such things cannot be
done now az easily az in olden times.
The assistance ov Ptolemy III. wuz
solicited by the Achaean league
whatever that wuz; but Antigonus,
then ruler ov Macedon, havin' form
ed friendly relations with the leader
ov the league, Ptolemy grew angry
an lent hiz aid to the king ov Spar
Ia But, az in similar cases, the
Easlp rendered wuZ haH-hearted, an
the troops ov the king ov Sparta hav-
IN been defeated in the battle ov
Sellasia, he fed to Egypt an received
protection, but he wuz out ov regu-
lar job.
Ptolemy gathered much in the
way ov spoil durin' the campaign in
the East, consistin' ov gold, silver an
other valuable stuff At the same
time he recovered many more or less
valuable goods which had been stol-
aen or taken forcibly by cambyses
from the temples an palaces ov
Bgypt durin' hiz raid into that coun-
try few years before. Ptolemy re-
turned these valuable relics an re-
igious emblems to their rightful own
ers an there wuz great rejoicin'
throughout religious circles in Egypt.
Hit IL needless to add that hiz stock
reached very high figure just about
that date. At once the people gave
him the name ov "Euergetes'' or
Benefactor an he probably reached
az high degree ov public popular
ty az any ruler in ancient days
iDurin' the absence ov Ptolemy III.
on these war-like expeditions, hiz
wife, Queen Berenice, became alarm
ed for hiz safety an vowed that if
ne should come back alive she would
Consecrate her beautiful hair in the
zemple ov Zephyrium. After his safe
return the sacrifice wuz made. But,
az IN other cases, beautiful female
hair caused endless trouble. BY some
probably theft, the conse-
Grated hair wuZ lost. The King be-
came very angry an the priests who
mad charge ov the great temple stood
a guide chance ov bein' punished, for
the Queen fairly dotted on that pretty
z5a1EAs an the big brain ov Canon, the
celebrated mathematician of Samos.
saEane the day. In those days there
oTlIz a well-grounded theory that he
goes sor famous people ov any kind
We're deifed an had places assigned
them in the starry heavens. Canon's
;Iancy took even wilder fight, an
he solemnly affirmed that the hair
nv the Queen had been turned to
stars an that the little cluster which
sxe call the seven stars" wuz actual
" nothip' more nor less than the
Queens missin hair in an even more
beautiful form than the original hair.
This wuz one ov the first an best IL
Illustrations ov the old an true sayin':
Figures cannot lie" CHIT liars can
1gure).
Durin' the reign ov Ptolemy III.