35 
In the establishment of the Museum, Ptolemy Soter and his 
son, Philadelphus, had three objects: (1) The perpetuation of 
such knowledge as was then in the world, (2) its increase, and 
(8) its diffusion. The philosophy of Aristotle was the intellectual 
corner stone on which the museum rested. By the inductive 
philosophy established by Aristotle, the theory of evolution was 
taught. Other systems were not excluded. Platonism was in 
after years carried to its full development, and in the end sup- 
planted the teaching of Aristotle, and left a permanent impress 
of Christianity. Among other great thinkers of the age were the 
Stoics; Ptolemy, with his researches into astronomy; Aristarchus, 
who demonstrated the sun’s amazing distance from the earth; 
Euclid, whose treatise on mathematics is used to-day; and 
Archimedes, who laid the foundation of hydrostatics and invented 
a screw, which still bears his name, for raising the water of the 
Nile. Among the celebrated women were Cleopatra and Hypatia. 
The final destruction of all that remained of the two libraries 
can be distinctly traced to two acts of religious fanaticism, the 
one Christian and the other Mohammedan. A branch of the 
Christian Church having its headquarters in Rome, had settled 
in Alexandria, and become both numerous and powerful. Its 
bishops were not content with the exercise of their spiritual 
functions but were ambitious of securing political power. 
They had in their retinue many so-called monks, whose office 
appears to have been more woilitary than spiritual. The one 
great obstacle to their supremacy in both respects was the influen- 
tial school of philosophers who still centred round the museum 
and libraries. About the vear 389 Bishop Theodosius issued an 
edict ordering the destruction of the Serapion in consequence of 
which the books stored there were pillaged by his followers ; 
another account says that during a 'l'rinitarian dispute the pagans 
resorted to violence, and a riot ensued. The Emperor interfered 
and sent an order to Alexandria enjoining the Bishop Theodosius 
to destroy the Serapion which the pagans held as their head- 
quarters ; thus the great library which had been collected by the 
Ptolemies and had escaped the fire of Julius Cesar, was by that 
fanatic dispersed. The final destruction of what remained came 
about 250 years later, when the city was taken from the Romans 
by the Arabian general Amru. John the grammarian, a famous 
peripatetic philosopher, being in Alexandria at the time of itg 
capture, and in high favour with Amru, begged that he would 
give him the royal library. Amru told him it was not in his 
power to grant such a request, but promised to write to the Caliph 
for hisconsent. Omar, on hearing the request of his general, 
is said to have replied that if these books contained the same 
doctrine as the Koran they could be of no use, since the Koran 
contained all necessary truths; butif they contained anything 
contrary to that book they ought to be destroyed ; therefore, 
