There he waited until the arrival of the rest of his forces, and then after addressing his men in such terms as his designs required, advanced with the whole army, being now confident of success and eagerly anticipating the realization of his hopes.
On Theodotus, Panaetolus, and their friends meeting him, he received them courteously and took possession of <a class="linkToPlace" target="_blank" href="/place?placename=Tyre&groupId=1053&placeId=1855">Tyre</a>, <a class="linkToPlace" target="_blank" href="/place?placename=Ptolemais&groupId=918&placeId=271">Ptolemais</a>, and the material of war in these places, including forty ships,
twenty of them decked vessels admirably equipped, none with less than four banks of oars, and the remainder triremes, biremes, and pinnaces.
These he handed over to his admiral Diognetus, and on news reaching him that Ptolemy had come out to <a class="linkToPlace" target="_blank" href="/place?placename=Memphis&groupId=752&placeId=1371">Memphis</a> and that all his forces were collected at <a class="linkToPlace" target="_blank" href="/place?placename=Pelusium&groupId=863&placeId=1555">Pelusium</a>, where they were opening the sluices and filling up the wells of drinking water,
he abandoned his project of attacking <a class="linkToPlace" target="_blank" href="/place?placename=Pelusium&groupId=863&placeId=1555">Pelusium</a>, and visiting one city after another attempted to gain them either by force or by persuasion.
The minor cities were alarmed by his approach and went over to him, but those which relied on their defensive resources and natural strength held out, and he was compelled to waste his time in sitting down before them and besieging them.
Ptolemy whose obvious duty it was to march to the help of his dominions, attacked as they had been in such flagrant defiance of treaties, was too weak to entertain any such project,
so completely had all military preparations been neglected.
Walbank Commentary