From Cos, sometime before 271-0 Theocritus went to Alexandria,
the brilliant capital of the Ptolemies. Here he must have made a some-
what prolonged stay. He first addressed to Ptolemy an elaborate eulogy
(Idyl XVII) whereby he evidently sought to win the royal favor, —
and, it would appear, not without success. Here also he must have
written the brilliant Adoniasusae (Idyl XV), which gives a vivid picture
of life in the great capital, and which is in a sense a companion piece
to Idyl XVII, giving to the queen, Arsinoe, in her turn her due meed of
praise. Further, during this stay in Alexandria Theocritus became the
frend of Callimachus. Indeed even Idyl XVII seems to show clear
traces of the latter poet's influence, and to have been modeled upon his
Hymn to Zeus. This friendship must have been a lasting one, for Idyls
VII and XIII, both distinctly later in date than Idyl XVII, show
Theocritus a staunch adherent of Callimachus in his controversy with
Apollonius.
After this somewhat protracted stay in Egypt, Theocritus must be
assumed to have returned to Cos. Whether or not he had for any reason
lost the favor of the king (as is assumed by Gercke) cannot be stated.
