f)S On the Discourses 



strength of tlie prisoners, and fix the 

 maximum of labour at one time to be 

 12,000 feet in ascent. 



Now, sir, permit nie to ask the 

 humane and truly respectable mem- 

 bers of the Committee, if they are 

 aware of the daily labour which tliey 

 say one man may perform? Twelve 

 thousand feet of ascent by steps on 

 the wheel, is more than equal to the 

 ascent of Mont Blanc, from the valley 

 of Chamouny, — the severest task that a 

 man can perform one day in his life* 

 But, to bring the subject nearer to the 

 comprehension of the Committee, the 

 ascent on the wheel, fixed as the 

 raaximiun of labour, is equal to 

 ascending thirty-six times to the top 

 of St. Paul's, were the steps double 

 their present height. Now, if any of 

 the Committee will try the labour of 

 going up and down St. Paul's eighteen 

 times in one day, and can repeat the 

 experiment on the following day, I 

 will grant that !ie may then claim the 

 right to Ox such labour as the maxi- 

 mum of prison punishment. The 

 asctnt of St. Paul's eighteen times 

 would, however, be much lessfatigue- 

 ing tliau 12,000 feet of ascent ; as the 

 muscles would be somewhat relieved 

 by re-action in descending. 



Perhaps some of our patriotic pedes- 

 trians may, for the public good, make 

 trial of their powers in ascending St. 

 Paul's ; it would form a more useful 

 and legitimate subject of a wager than 

 any which these gentlemen have 

 hitiierto proposed ; and, besides, they 

 might have the consolation of thinking 

 they were working for the good of the 

 prisoners in the diffefeut gaols, many 

 of whom may owe their present con- 

 finement to habits acquired by imi- 

 tating their example, and squandering 

 their own time and money on fruitless 

 objects. R. B. 



To the Editor of the Monthly Magazine. 



SIR, 



CERTAIN Discourses of Philo the 

 Jew, liitherto unknown in Eu- 

 rope, and considered by the learned 

 as destroyed by time, have been lately 

 published at Venice. These consist 

 of ' Sermones, 1 and 2 de Providentia,' 

 and ' 3 de Animalibus ;' and were 



* The valley being more tlian 3000 feet 

 above the level of the sea, reduces ibe 

 ascent to 12,000- 



of Philo the Jew. [March 1, 



translated from the original Greek 

 text into a very ancient Armenian 

 MS. The publisher is P. J. Baptistua 

 Anchor, designated as ' Ancyranus 

 Mojiachus Armeiiorum, et Doctor 

 Mechitaristorum.' The following ac- 

 count of this, on a more enlarged plan, 

 which appears in a late JRevue Ency- 

 cbpedifjue, seems well worthy the read- 

 er's observation. 



Pliilo may be considered as the 

 most learned among those of his 

 nation who flourished in the times of 

 the kings of Egypt, and of the Roman 

 emperors. He was of sacerdotal ex- 

 traction, and born at Alexandria. 

 Though attached to the religion of his 

 ancestors, he was instructed in philo- 

 sophy by the Greeks, and trained to 

 lead a contemplative life by the sages of 

 the sect of Essenians. His knowledge 

 and social virtues procured for him 

 the appointment of a prefect in his 

 native soil. 



About the year 40, of the vulgar 

 ccra, he was sent by his countrymen to 

 Rome, at the head of a deputation, to 

 request of the Emperor Caligula a 

 prohibition of the outrages exercised 

 on the Jews by Flaccus Avilius, Pro- 

 curator of Egypt. His representa- 

 tions were unavailing, as his country- 

 men had refnsed admission of that 

 emperor's portrait into the temple. 



Being devoted to an ascetic life, 

 and speculative contemiilations, Philo 

 composed, in his retreat, Commenta- 

 ries on the Hebrew Bible, with various 

 Dissertations on metaphysical sub- 

 jects. He was well acquainted with 

 most of the Greek and Latin writers ; 

 but Plato was his favourite author, and 

 he was a skilful imitator of his manner. 

 All his literary productions breathe the 

 spirit of an enlightened Jew and pious 

 philosopher. His style has the defects 

 as well as perfections of his model : 

 occasionally he is obscure. 



The works of Philo, written origi- 

 nally in Greek, were translated into 

 the Armenian in the first ages of 

 Christianity. Only a part of his works 

 in Greek have been found, which were 

 published successively at Basle, Paris, 

 Amsterdam, and London. But the 

 Armenian version contains certain 

 other Treatises, which are, 1. A Dis- 

 course on Providence, addressed to 

 Alexander, Philo's Nephew. 2. A 

 Dialogue between Philo and Alex- 

 ander, on Providence. 3. A Dialogue 

 between Philo andLysimachus, Philo's 

 6 Brother, 



