VV(5) Notes p. 74-90

[Terrance]

jill wrote:
> 
> 75-Ptolemy Theos Philopator (the Ptolemy VIII, 63-47 BC) King of Egypt
> (51-47) Ruling jointly with his sister and wife Cleopatra VII until he and
> his advisor expelled her in 48. He murdered Pompey after his defeat by
> Caesar, hoping for Caesar's favor, but when Caesar reinstated Cleopatra,
> Ptolomy opposed him and was killed...This reminds me of the mixed
> impressions of the relationship of Victoria Wren to Alastair, being
> interpreted as both his wife, mistress and daugter. Also, there is a
> Ptolemy IV (Ptolemy Philopator) (tol´umE filop´utur) king of ancient Egypt
> (221-205 B.C.), of the Macedonian dynasty, son of Ptolemy III and Berenice
> of Cyrene. He had his mother, his brother, his uncle, and possibly his wife
> (who was his sister Arsinoë) killed. Antiochus III invaded the Egyptian
> lands in Palestine, and Ptolemy managed to defeat him at Raphia in 217 (an
> event mentioned in 2 Maccabees), but administration disintegrated in Egypt.
> Ptolemy's main interest was building remarkable ships, each equipped with
> 4,000 oars. Ptolemaic system is a universe in which spheres, containing the
> orbits of Venus, Mercury, Sun, Mars, Jupiter and Saturn surround the earth
> or something like that.


I think this is a very important point, anyone know how to
convert the Jewish year 3554? 
That should tell us,  right? 

Pynchon likes to play with calendars. 

http://www.jewfaq.org/calendar.htm#Months

Anyway, I think I mentioned, maybe not, maybe it was Thomas
E., hope Thomas will post more soon, chapter 86, the tail,
of The Whale or Moby-Dick.