fus against his image and temple, At this time his idol was broken in pieces, the golden walls which euthrined him laid in ruins; and, in the fubfequent reign of Arcadius, a Chriftian church was erected on the fpot which had been occupied by the temple.

"But though the temple, which formed a part of the Serapeum, was thus rafed to the ground, the religious zeal of Theophilus did not prompt him to deftroy the remain der of the edifice. Its fpacious courts and ftately columns ftill continued to be the admiration of the world. This we collect from the Arabic hiftorians, whom we are foon to take for our guides.

"In the preceding account, formed from the fcanty materials fupplied by Greek and Roman writers, no attempt has been made to fix the fite of the Serapeum. It is indeed a difficulty which fome writers have acknowledged, and others avoided; and those who profefs to decide the question, have been more prodigal of conjecture than of proof. My own fentiments on this fubject 1 referve for another fection. I will clole this by requesting the reader's attention to the conduct of the two fuft Ptolemys; which it may be useful to recolle in the course of our future inquiries. For their zealous fupport of men of talents and learning, thefe princes have been defervedly celebrated in every fucceeding age; but in doing this they had affuredly fomething more in view than merely to gratify their tafte for literature, or to obtain a fplendid name among the munificent patrons of art and kience. There appears at least to be an evident and appropriate be

nefit, which they were well aware this measure would confer upon their new kingdom. The fituation of their capital had been happily chofen for the centre of univerfal commerce. But to obtain the full advantage of this great defign, the concurrence and affistance of the native Egyptians became neceffary: and the introduction of foreign letters and arts would prefent it felf as an obvious policy, to fubdue their unfocial temper, and to prepare them for that mutual accommodation and general intercourse, which are required in a commer cial people. The fame object would likewife be promoted by a commu nion of religious worship: and in this point we may obferve the addrefs of the firft Ptolemy in conciliating his new fubjects, and flattering the ancient manners of the country. The admonition to establifh Serapis in Egypt was pretended to have been communicated to the monarch in a mysterious dream, which he fubmitted not to Grecian foothfayers, but to fages of their own nation; and, to ensure to the foreign deity a favourable reception among them, he was made to exchange his Attic titles for an Egyptian name. The tem ple likewife, which was deftined for his abode, feemed to offer a fair occafion to this prince for introdu cing the architecture of his country to notice and favour. What the diftinguishing feature of this building was, has already been fhewn; and from its fingular character it is probable, that the founder's defign was to produce a new example of art, in which the genius of each country fhould be happily united, and the native boldness of the

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Egyptian

Egyptian manner combined with the graces and beauties of Grecian elegance."

The fifth fection of this work contains a very interefting digreffion relative to the burning of the Alexandrian library, which formed a part of the Serapeum, or that vaft range of magnificent ftructures near the temple of Serapis, on which it conferred its name. On this fubject he oppofes Mr. Gibbons very con fident opinion and flatement, that no fuch conflagration ever took place; a fiatement founded on the circumitance of that memorable event not being to be found in the annals of Eutychius, and the Saracenic hiftory of that period by the learned Al Makin. After vindicating the character of Abulpharajus, from the injurious reflections attempted to be thrown upon that hinerian by Mr. Gibbon, he adds:

"The high literary as well as ecclefiaftical rank of this illuftrious printate of the Eafl, and the numerous concurrent teftimonies as well of Mohammedans as Chriftians to the gravity and fanctity of his charafter, would, in my opinion, even if he were found to ftand fingle in his teftimony, more than overbalance the frivolous cavils of Mr. Gibbon.

"But farther, to the negative argument of Mr. Gibbon, I fhall venture to oppofe the pofitive teftimony of the two Arabic hiftorians, both writers of unquestionable authority, and both orthodox profeffors of the Muffulman faith Macrifi and Abdollatif; who not only agree in ftating the fact-the burning of the library, but also point out to us the exact spot on which the library ftood. For, after deferibing the column, commonly call

ed Pompey's pillar, and mentioning, the adjacent ruins of fome ancient edifice, they add, that there was then a library which Amru ebn el Aas burnt by the command of the Khalif Omar." I conclude, therefore, that both the burning, or more ftrictly fpeaking, the defpoiling, of the library by Amru, and its actual fituation, are indisputably ascertained.

"A fatisfactory anlwer having now, I hope, been given to the fceptical infinuation of Mr. Gibbon, I advance a fep.farther. As the library defpoiled by Amru was a royal library, and as the firft Ptolemean library was unfortunately burnt by Julius Cæfar, this mult neceffarily have been the fecond Ptolemæan library; and confequently part of the temple of Serapis. We have at length then, by the affiftance of Arabic writers, unexpectedly difcovered the fite of the Serapeum; a difcovery eagerly fought for by the curious for more than a century; and hence arifes one ftrong proof, that a knowledge of Arabic may be made peculiarly fubfervient to the illuftration of Egyptian antiquities.

But are there no paffages it may be afked, in Greek or Latin authors, which corroborate the evidence of Arabic writers refpecting the fite of the Serapeum? I anfwer, that certainly there are; though their meaning has hitherto been wholly overlooked, and perhaps would for ever have been loft in obfcurity, had not a ray of light broken in from the east. Such, however, is the accumulated force of these paffages, when properly confidered, as io leave no room to doubt that the temple of Serapis was contiguous to what is commonly called the pillar of Pompey."

Having conducted his readers thus far in the inveftigation, our author, in the final fection, proceeds to ftate the refult of his own conjectures and inquiries. According to his idea the pillar (tood, fupremely eminent above great numbers of others furrounding it, in the middle of the area in the front of Serapeum, whofe lofty columns remained entire after the majeftic pile itfelf, reared upon them, or to which they led, was deftroyed. The remains of the pillars adjoining to it, feen by Pococke, are compofed of the fame materials as its fiaft, viz. the durable granite of Egypt. It flood according to Dr. White's Arabic authorities, at the time they wrote, at the northern angle of a vaft building of uncertain antiquity. The Romans, he justly oblerves, would never have expended fuch vaft fums of money, as the erection of this column required, or have exhaufted the fkill of Greek artists, to enrich a provincial city; a city too, and a kingdom, whofe proudeft monuments they were perpetually defpoiling and wafting over the ocean to decorate their own fuperb capital. The argument and final decifion are ftated in the fubfequent extract; and the work concludes, as it commenced, with an animated invective against the atrocious invaders of a country, facred to genius and ancient fcience, which they have deluged with blood, and overwhelmed with defolation.

"We are told by those who have lately taken its dimenfions, and who in modern ages have had the best opportunity and means of examina>tion, that its principal member, the fhaft, appears to be of Grecian architecture. If then, we exclude the Roman emperors, furely this inter

nal evidence will justify our conclufion, that the æra of the column is to be found in fome point of the Ptolemæan dynafty; for till long after the conqueft of Alexander the arts of Greece were not introduced into Egypt. If we confider the fecond monarch of this race, his hiftory, his difpofition, his ability; the connection of a column with a building confeffedly founded by him, and the famenels of the character and materials; if we take each of thefe circumftances diftinctly, and weigh their accumulated force; there will be little occafion to hefitate at restoring the houour of this magnificent monument to Ptolemy Philadelphus; an honour indeed, which cannot jufily be contefted with him by any character in Greek or Roman hiftory, either, in remote or later ages.

"There yet remains to be mentioned one circumftance in the life of this prince, which will give additional weight to the preceding conclufion. We are informed by Pliny, that he raifed an obelik of eighty cubits, as a pledge of his affectionate regard for the memory of Arfinoë. As he exhibited in his capital this fpecimen of Egyptian architecture, he might wish alfo to display to his Egyptian fubjects, the architecture of his own country, in its utmost magnificence, and to fuperadd the decorations of a more graceful proportion and a more appropriate ornament, The obelifk was a naked memorial; but the column was certainly furmounted by the ftatue of him to whofe honour it was erected.

"But here we confefs, that we are unable to advance farther than to point out him, who was the likeheft and worthieft to ftand on this unrivaled

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unrivaled column. The gigantic image of Serapis was placed within the temple. The obelisk reared by Philadelphus was a memorial of connubial love. But this monarch was also celebrated for piety towards his parents, whofe ftatues he was ef pecially careful to multiply and adorn. Whom then can we fup pofe to have occupied this diftinguished place before the temple of Serapis, and in the view of the whole city, but him who was the first monarch of his family, and under whofe aufpices the tutelar deity was introduced into Egypt.

"In the courte of this inquiry I have often felt the want of that evidence which might ftill be ob tained, were the fire of his renownéd temple diligently inveftigated by able men. In the mifion of the national inftitute I entertained a hope, that at leaft fome beiter knowledge of Alexandrian antiqui, Gies would refult from the invation of Egypt. But this hope was not more fodly conceived than cruelly difappointed. For except a defcription of the pillar, with a detail of its dimenfions, nothing has been performed, or even attempted. I had been doubted whether the eminence, on which it ftands, be natural or artificial ground; and the judicious Pococke, who noticed certain ruins near it, hinted that they were the remains of fome grand edifice. But these hints have been left unimproved, and thefe doubts ftill remain unfatisfied. Profeffors of arts and teachers of science have Jeft museums crowded with the fpoils of Florence and Rome-have received the fiat of the great nation to inftruct as well as to fubdue the world-they have vifited this fpot, with power to examine it without

moleftation, and certainly with no modeft reluctance to claim the merit of difcovery. Yet what new information, useful or curious, have they contributed on this fubjec i Certainly none. But whilft the antiquary may regret the opportu、 nity that has thus ftrangely been loft; whatever the wildom of Divine Providence may have deter mined fhall be its final ifue, every friend of humanity cannot bui la ment the accumulated mifery, which has hitherto refulted, from fo trea cherous an enterprife againft the devoted country an enterprile which though it has eventual y cal led forth the most brilliant and unparalleled exertions of British skill, and valour, and magnanimity; yet has not tempered, the horrors of war, and rapine, and malacre, by the production of one fingle advan tage, either to the cause of litera ture, or to the ferocious invader himself, or to the wretched and unoffending victims of his faithleffness and fury.

The appendix is principally de, figned for the perulal of the Arabic and Greek fcholar, and contains the most ample and detailed tefti monies, collected from books and MSS. in those languages, in fup port of the ftatements in the prece ding pages, Thefe will not ad mit of extractor abridgement: what we have already give affords a (ufficient fpecimen of the work.

The Poetical Works of John Millon, In Six Volumes, with the principal Notes of various Commentators. To which are added, Illustrations, with fome Account of the Life of Milton,

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