surnamed Soter, or "Preserver," and its completion under his son Ptolemy, surnamed Philadelphus, or "Brother-loving," some notice of these monarchs is not out of place. Ptolemy I. was one of the ablest generals of Alexander the Great. In the division of the provinces on the death of Alexander, Egypt was assigned to Ptolemy, who soon took measures to erect it into an independent kingdom. He obtained the body of Alexander, which the council at Babylon had intended to transport to Macedonia, and which, after it had been carried to Memphis, was finally deposited at Alexandria. After wars with other Greek princes during a period of twenty years, Ptolemy was left in undisturbed possession of Egypt. From this time, B.C. 301, to his death, Ptolemy devoted all his energies to develop the resources and promote the prosperity of his kingdom. Under his wise government and that of his successor, Alexandria became, as its great founder had anticipated, the first commercial city in the world, and the place from which Europe was supplied with the merchandise of the East. subjects consisting of two distinct nations, it was the policy of Ptolemy and his successors to amalgamate the Egyptians and Greeks as much as possible. Ptolemy, himself a Greek, introduced Greek habits and customs, as well as their religion, into Egypt, but, like his great predecessor, Alexander, he carefully avoided offending the prejudices of his new subjects, although he adopted, to a certain extent, the Egyptian forms of worship. He introduced complete religious toleration among all his subjects; and conciliated their favour by the respect paid to the ancient Egyptian priesthood, and also by contributing largely to the restoration of the

His

ancient monuments of the country. The troubled state of Palestine, as well as the growing commerce of Alexandria, induced many Jews to settle there; and the same toleration was granted to them as to the worshippers of Isis and Jupiter. He caused the removal of the statue of Serapis from Pontus to his capital, which was done with great solemnity, and was doubtless intended to establish the worship of a deity which might prove acceptable to both Greeks and Egyptians. Ptolemy was a great encourager of learning, and himself wrote a History of the Wars of Alexander, which supplied the elegant writer, Arrian, with materials for his history. He extended his patronage to all kinds of learning, without reference to religious opinions, and laid the foundation for the school and library which were afterwards regularly established by his son. He died B.C. 283, at the age of 84, after a government of forty years; and is by all ancient writers represented as a prince of the greatest wisdom, prudence, and generosity; and Ælian reports as one of his sayings, "that it was better to make rich than

to be rich."

He was succeeded by his son, Ptolemy II., who followed the example of his father in the encouragement of learning, the study of the arts and sciences, and also in maintaining, with great liberality, many distinguished philosophers and poets. He established the famous library, and he founded a museum for the promotion of learning and the support of learned men, which contained cloisters, a theatre or lectureroom, and a large hall, where, as in our modern colleges, the learned men all dined together. Attached to the museum were botanical and zoological gardens.

It

was supported by grants from the public treasury. Under his auspices, the Hebrew Bible was first translated into Greek. Josephus gives an account of the entertainment at which Ptolemy received the translators; which also affords us an idea of the literary parties this enlightened king was accustomed to assemble around him.

As the great treasures and resources of Ptolemy Philadelphus were owing to the trade with India and other parts of the globe, he used every effort to extend the trade of Alexandria, and obtained possession of several parts of Arabia; while one of his admirals appears to have gone even as far south as Madagascar. Appian, who was a native of Alexandria, informs us, that under the Ptolemies, the army consisted of 200,000 foot-soldiers, 40,000 horse, 300 elephants, and 2000 war-chariots; besides a fleet of 800 ships magnificently equipped, and 2000 smaller vessels. Ptolemy II. died B.C. 247, after a reign of 36 years; and, according to Appian, after expending more upon public works than all his successors, he left in the treasury, at his death, 740,000 Egyptian talents.

It may be well, in connection with the mention of the records of Alexandrian learning, to give some idea of what that learning was.

Despite the levity and extravagance with which the disposition of this accomplished people was leavened, we cannot deny them the praise of having preserved much of what was great and good in the works of previous ages, and added much that was in no way calculated to reflect discredit on their own. It has well been observed that this age of literature differed entirely in spirit and character from the one which

preceded. Great attention was now paid to the study of languages; correctness, purity, and elegance, were cultivated; and several writers of this period excel in these respects. But, on the other hand, that which no study can give, the spirit which filled the earlier poetry of Greece,-is not to be found in their works. Greater art in composition took its place; criticism now sought to perform what genius had accomplished before; but this was impossible. Genius was the gift of a favoured few; they soared far above their contemporaries; the rest did what may be done by criticism and study, but their works are tame, without soul and life; and those of their disciples, of course, still more so. Perceiving the want of originality, but appreciating its value, and striving after it, they arrived sooner at the point where poetry is lost. Their criticism degenerated into a disposition to find fault, their art into subtlety; they seized on what was strange and new, and endeavoured to adorn it with learning. The larger part of the Alexandrians, commonly grammarians and poets at the same time, are stiff and laborious versifiers, without genius. Besides the Alexandrian school of poetry, one of philosophy is also spoken of; but the expression must not be understood too strictly. Their distinguishing character arises from this circumstance, that in Alexandria the eastern and western philosophy met, and an effort was made to unite the two systems; for which reason the Alexandrian philosophers have often been called "Eclectics." This name is not applicable to all. The New Platonists form a distinguished class of philosophers, who, renouncing the scepticism of the New Academy, endeavoured to reconcile the philosophy of Plato with

that of the East. The Jew, Philo of Alexandria, belongs to the earlier New Platonists. Plato and Aristotle were diligently interpreted and compared in the first and second centuries after Christ. Ammonius the Peripatetic belongs to this class, the teacher of Plutarch. But the real New Platonic school of Alexandria was established at the close of the second century after Christ, by Ammonius of Alexandria, whose disciples were Plotinus and Origen. For the most part Orientals formed by the study of Greek learning. their writings are strikingly characterized,-those of Ammonius Saccas, Plotinus, Iamblichus, Porphyrius, by a strange mixture of Asiatic and European elements, amalgamated in Alexandria, arising from the mingling of the eastern and western races in its population, as well as from its situation and commercial interTheir philosophy influenced the manner in which Christianity was received and taught in Egypt. The principal Gnostic systems had their origin in Alexandria. The leading teachers of the Christian catechetical schools, which had risen and flourished with the eclectic philosophy, had imbibed the spirit of this philosophy. The most violent religious controversies disturbed the Alexandrian church, until the orthodox tenets were established in it by Athanasius in the controversy with the Arians. Among the scholars of Alexandria are to be found great mathematicians,-Euclid, father of scientific geometry; Apollonius of Perga in Pamphylia, author of a work on Conic Sections, still extant; Nicomachus, first scientific arithmetician;-astronomers, who used Egyptian hieroglyphics for making the northern hemisphere, and fixed the images and names, still used, of the constel

course.