§17.1.11πτολεμαῖος γὰρ ὁ Λάγου διεδέξατο Ἀλέξανδρον, ἐκεῖνον δὲ Φιλάδελφος, τοῦτον δὲ ὁ Εὐεργέτης, εἶθʼ ὁ Φιλοπάτωρ ὁ τῆς Ἀγαθοκλείας, εἶθʼ ὁ Ἐπιφανής, εἶθʼ ὁ Φιλομήτωρ, παῖς παρὰ πατρὸς ἀεὶ διαδεχόμενος· τοῦτον δʼ ἀδελφὸς διεδέξατο ὁ δεύτερος Εὐεργέτης ὃν καὶ Φύσκωνα προσαγορεύουσι, τοῦτον δʼ ὁ Λάθουρος ἐπικληθεὶς Πτολεμαῖος, τοῦτον δʼ ὁ Αὐλητὴς ὁ καθʼ ἡμᾶς, ὅσπερ ἦν τῆς Κλεοπάτρας πατήρ.
For Ptolemy, the son of Lagus, succeeded Alexander, and he was succeeded by Philadelphus, and the latter by Euergetes, then Philopator, the son of Agathocleia, then Epiphanes, then Philometor, the succession passing always from father to son; and him his brother succeeded, the second Euergetes, whom they also call Physcon, and him Ptolemy surnamed Lathyrus, and him the Auletes of our time, who was the father of Cleopatra.
ἅπαντες μὲν οὖν οἱ μετὰ τὸν τρίτον Πτολεμαῖον ὑπὸ τρυφῆς διεφθαρμένοι χεῖρον ἐπολιτεύσαντο, χείριστα δʼ ὁ τέταρτος καὶ ἕβδομος καὶ ὁ ὕστατος ὁ Αὐλητής, ὃς χωρὶς τῆς ἄλλης ἀσελγείας χοραυλεῖν ἤσκησε, καὶ ἐπʼ αὐτῷ γε ἐσεμνύνετο τοσοῦτον ὥστʼ οὐκ ὤκνει συντελεῖν ἀγῶνας ἐν τοῖς βασιλείοις, εἰς οὓς παρῄει διαμιλλησόμενος τοῖς ἀνταγωνισταῖς.
Now all the kings after the third Ptolemy, being corrupted by luxury, governed poorly, but the worst of all were the fourth, the seventh, and the last, Auletes, who, besides his other debaucheries, practiced playing the flute, and indeed prided himself so much upon this that he did not hesitate to celebrate contests in the palace, into which he would enter to compete with his antagonists.
τοῦτον μὲν οὖν οἱ Ἀλεξανδρεῖς ἐξέβαλον, τριῶν δʼ αὐτῷ θυγατέρων οὐσῶν, ὧν μία γνησία ἡ πρεσβυτάτη, ταύτην ἀνέδειξαν βασίλισσαν· οἱ υἱοὶ δʼ αὐτοῦ δύο νήπιοι τῆς τότε χρείας ἐξέπιπτον τελέως.
The Alexandrians, therefore, expelled him; and as he had three daughters, of whom only the eldest was legitimate, they declared her queen; while his two sons, being infants, were entirely excluded from the immediate need.
τῇ δὲ κατασταθείσῃ μετεπέμψαντο ἄνδρα ἐκ τῆς Συρίας κυβιοσάκτην τινά, προσποιησάμενον τοῦ γένους εἶναι τῶν Συριακῶν βασιλέων· τοῦτον μὲν οὖν ὀλίγων ἡμερῶν ἀπεστραγγάλισεν ἡ βασίλισσα οὐ φέρουσα τὸ βάναυσον καὶ τὸ ἀνελεύθερον.
For the queen who had been established, they sent for a husband from Syria, one Cybiosactes, who pretended to belong to the family of the Syrian kings; him, however, the queen strangled within a few days, being unable to bear his vulgarity and illiberality.
ἧκε δʼ ἀντʼ ἐκείνου προσποιησάμενος καὶ αὐτὸς εἶναι Μιθριδάτου υἱὸς τοῦ Εὐπάτορος Ἀρχέλαος, ὃς ἦν μὲν Ἀρχελάου υἱὸς τοῦ πρὸς Σύλλαν διαπολεμήσαντος καὶ μετὰ ταῦτα τιμηθέντος ὑπὸ Ῥωμαίων, πάππος δὲ τοῦ βασιλεύσαντος Καππαδόκων ὑστάτου καθʼ ἡμᾶς, ἱερεὺς δὲ τῶν ἐν Πόντῳ Κομάνων.
In his place came Archelaus, who also pretended to be a son of Mithridates Eupator; he was the son of the Archelaus who had waged war against Sulla and was afterwards honored by the Romans, and grandfather of the last king of Cappadocia in our time, and priest of Comana in Pontus.
Γαβινίῳ δὲ τότε συνδιέτριψεν ὡς συστρατεύσων ἐπὶ Παρθυαίους, λαθὼν δὲ τοῦτον κομίζεται διά τινων εἰς τὴν βασίλισσαν καὶ ἀναδείκνυται βασιλεύς.
At that time he was staying with Gabinius, intending to join in the expedition against the Parthians, but escaping his notice, he was conveyed by certain persons to the queen and declared king.
ἐν τούτῳ τὸν Αὐλητὴν ἀφικόμενον εἰς Ῥώμην δεξάμενος Πομπήιος Μάγνος συνίστησι τῇ συγκλήτῳ καὶ διαπράττεται κάθοδον μὲν τούτῳ, τῶν δὲ πρέσβεων τῶν πλείστων, ἑκατὸν ὄντων, ὄλεθρον τῶν καταπρεσβευσάντων αὐτοῦ· τούτων δʼ ἦν καὶ Δίων ὁ Ἀκαδημαϊκὸς ἀρχιπρεσβευτὴς γεγονώς.
Meanwhile, Pompey the Great, having received Auletes on his arrival in Rome, recommended him to the Senate and managed both his return and the destruction of most of the ambassadors, who were one hundred in number, who had come to embassy against him; among these was also Dion the Academic, who had been the chief of the embassy.
καταχθεὶς οὖν ὑπὸ Γαβινίου Πτολεμαῖος τόν τε Ἀρχέλαον ἀναιρεῖ καὶ τὴν θυγατέρα, χρόνον δʼ οὐ πολὺν τῇ βασιλείᾳ προσθεὶς τελευτᾷ νόσῳ, καταλιπὼν δύο μὲν υἱεῖς δύο δὲ θυγατέρας, πρεσβυτάτην δὲ Κλεοπάτραν.
Ptolemy, having been restored by Gabinius, put to death both Archelaus and his own daughter, and after adding no long time to his reign, died of disease, leaving two sons and two daughters, the eldest of whom was Cleopatra.
οἱ μὲν οὖν Ἀλεξανδρεῖς ἀπέδειξαν βασιλέας τόν τε πρεσβύτερον τῶν παίδων καὶ τὴν Κλεοπάτραν, οἱ δὲ συνόντες τῷ παιδὶ καταστασιάσαντες ἐξέβαλον τὴν Κλεοπάτραν, καὶ ἀπῆρε μετὰ τῆς ἀδελφῆς εἰς τὴν Συρίαν.
Now the Alexandrians declared as sovereigns both the elder of the boys and Cleopatra, but those associated with the boy, having formed a faction, expelled Cleopatra, and she withdrew with her sister into Syria.
ἐν τούτῳ Πομπήιος Μάγνος ἧκε φεύγων ἐκ Παλαιφαρσάλου πρὸς τὸ Πηλούσιον καὶ τὸ Κάσιον ὄρος· τοῦτον μὲν οὖν δολοφονοῦσιν οἱ μετὰ τοῦ βασιλέως·
Meanwhile, Pompey the Great came fleeing from Palaepharsalus to Pelusium and Mount Casius; him, therefore, the king's followers murdered.
ἐπελθὼν δὲ Καῖσαρ τόν τε μειρακίσκον διαφθείρει καὶ καθίστησι τῆς Αἰγύπτου βασίλισσαν τὴν Κλεοπάτραν μεταπεμψάμενος ἐκ τῆς φυγῆς· συμβασιλεύειν δʼ ἀπέδειξε τὸν λοιπὸν ἀδελφὸν αὐτῇ νέον παντελῶς ὄντα.
Caesar, having arrived, destroyed the young boy and established Cleopatra as queen of Egypt, having sent for her from exile; and he appointed her remaining brother, who was extremely young, to reign with her.
μετὰ δὲ τὴν Καίσαρος τελευτὴν καὶ τὰ ἐν Φιλίπποις διαβὰς Ἀντώνιος εἰς τὴν Ἀσίαν ἐξετίμησεν ἐπὶ πλέον τὴν Κλεοπάτραν ὥστε καὶ γυναῖκα ἔκρινε καὶ ἐτεκνοποιήσατο ἐξ αὐτῆς, τόν τε Ἀκτιακὸν πόλεμον συνήρατο ἐκείνῃ καὶ συνέφυγε· καὶ μετὰ ταῦτα ἐπακολουθήσας ὁ Σεβαστὸς Καῖσαρ ἀμφοτέρους κατέλυσε καὶ τὴν Αἴγυπτον ἔπαυσε παροινουμένην.
After the death of Caesar and the events at Philippi, Antony, having crossed over into Asia, honored Cleopatra still more, so that he even decided to make her his wife and had children by her, and he took part with her in the Actian war and fled with her; and subsequently Augustus Caesar, having followed them, overthrew both and put an end to the drunken revelry of Egypt.