(g) which divided the harbour. The part north of the mole preserved the name of the grand harbour, and a mound, carried from the island to the rock on which the Pharos ftood, fecured it from the weft winds. The other harbour was called Eunoftus, or the good return. At prefent, the first is called the New Port, the fecond the Old. There was a bridge of communication between the mole and the city, built on high columns, funk in the fea, and leaving a free paffage to veffels. The palace began far beyond the promontory Lochias, and extended as far as the mound, occupying more than a fourth of the city. (b) The Ptolemies all contributed to its magnificence; and within its walls were the museum, that asylum of the learned, groves, edifices, worthy royal majesty, and a temple where the body of Alexander, in a golden coffin, had been depofited. (i) The infamous Seleucus Cybiofactes

g) This mole was named Hepta Stadium, because it was feven ftadia, or one mile long.

(h) Strabo, lib. 17, fays it occupied a third.

(i) Perdiccas undertook to convey the body of Alexander to the temple of Jupiter Ammon, as he had commanded

Cybiofactes, violated this tomb, carried off the golden coffin, and left one of glass in its ftead. The island of Anti-Rhode ftood in the grand harbour; it contained a theatre and a royal palace. In the harbour of Eunoftus was another harbour, or dock, dug by the hand of man, named Kibotos, (k) which communicated with the lake Mareotis by a canal. Between this canal and the palace stood the admirable temple of Serapis; (1) that of Neptune was built near the grand fquare, where the market was kept.: Alexandria extended itself ftill farther on the fouthern borders of the lake, and on its eastern fide was the gymnafium, with porticos more than fix hundred feet long, refting on feveral rows of marble columns. Without the gate of Canopus was a fpacious circus, for chariot races; and, beyond, the fuburb of Nicopolis fpread along the sea shore, like another Alexandria. A fuperb amphitheatre was built here, with a stadium,

commanded in his will; but Ptolemy, the fon of Lagus, having carried it off, depofited it in the palace of

Alexandria.

(k) Kibotos, The harbour of the Ark.

(1) Strabo, lib. 17.

for

for the celebration of the Quinquennalia. (m) Such is the description which the ancients, and particularly Strabo, have left us of Alexandria; a city built three hundred and thir ty-three years before Chrift, and fucceffively fubject to the Ptolemies, Romans, and the Greek Emperors. (n) About the middle of the fixth century, Amrou Ebn el Aas, the general of Omar, carried it by affault, af er a fourteen months fiege, which coft him twenty-three thousand men. Heraclius, Emperor of Conftantinople, did not send a fingle veffel to its aid. There are few examples in history of a prince like this, who discovered activity in the first year of his reign, flumbered long afterwards in effeminate idleness, and, fuddenly roufing at the fame of the conquefts of Cofroes, the fcourge of the Eaft, put himself at the head of his armies, fhewed himself a great commander the first campaign, ravaged Perfia during

(m) Games celebrated once in five years.

(n) The tenth year of the Hegyra, and A. D. 651, was, according to Abulfeda, the year 994 after its foundation. Abulfeda ufes the word Era, which, as I have faid in the life of Mahomet, is derived from Arkha, which in Arabic is fynonymous to epocha."

feven years, re-entered his capital loaded with laurels, then, turning theologian on the throne, loft his energy, spent reft of his life in difputing on mònothelism, while the Arabs deprived him of the finest provinces of his empire. Deaf to the cries of the wretched citizens of Alexandria, as he had been to thofe of Jerusalem, (0) who had defended themselves for two years, he fuffered them to fall before the indefatigable and fortunate Amrou; their brave warriors all perishing fword in hand.

Aftonished at his victory, the conqueror wrote to the Caliph-"I have taken the "city of the weft, the extent of which is "immenfe, and its miracles too numerous "for me to defcribe. It contains four thou"fand baths, twelve thousand venders of "vegetables, four thousand Jews, who

(0) Omar led the force of Arabia against JerufaIem, which its inhabitants defended with admirable conftancy, and feveral times fent to conjure Heraclius to grant them fuccour; but, their prayers being fruitless, they were obliged to yield after a two years ficge, without having obtained a single foldier from the Emperor, who facrificed his time and treasures to establish a new fect,

"pay

pay tribute, four thousand comedians, " &c." (p)

66

The library, in which the careful Ptolemies had affembled more than four hundred thousand manufcripts, drew the victor's attention, who wrote to the Caliph for orders. "Burn them," replied the ferocious Omar "if they contain only what is in the "Koran they are ufelefs; and dangerous if any thing more." Barbarous fentence, which reduced to afhes the greatest part of the learned labours of antiquity! Of what knowledge, what arts, what immortal works, did not this fatal conflagration deprive the world! We ought, perhaps, to date that ignorance which spread a veil over countries. that first gave birth to fcience from this fatal period. Let us but fuppofe threefourths of the works Europe poffeffes fuddenly annihilated, the art of printing unknown, and an illiterate people become mafters of that fine quarter of the globe, and we can easily imagine it again fallen into that barbarifm which it has been the labour

(p) Elmacin, life of Omar, p. 30.

of