296 APPENDIX. 



either from ancient or contemporary writers, to which our 

 philosopher had access in composing and completing a work 

 of such multiplied and varied information. Even if we as- 

 sume that they were as large as the mind of Aristotle was 

 great, acute, and transparent, still, for a work so various 

 and extensive, spread o\er seas, rireis, earth, and heaven, 

 even that mind would require some assistance from other 

 sources to which it might apply in constructing and building 

 up a system of general instruction from the materials col- 

 lected in different places about various animals, and from the 

 observations used in describing and arranging them together 

 in orders, classes, genera, and species. The following were the 

 sources Aristotle used, according to the narrative of an uncer- 

 tain author quoted by Pliny (viii. 16, 17) " King Alexander 

 the Great," he says, " was possessed with the desire of know- 

 ing the natures of animals, and therefore delegated the work 

 to Aristotle, a man of very great learning. Some thousands 

 of men in the whole region of Asia and Greece obeyed his 

 commands, all, namely, who obtained their livelihood by 

 hunting, hawking, or fishing, or who had in their care mena- 

 geries, herds, beehives, fishponds, or aviaries ; so that nothing 

 in nature might be unknown to him ; and from his examin- 

 ation of these, he compiled those fifty celebrated volumes, 

 which I have collected into one, together with those animals 

 with which he was unacquainted, and I hope that they will be 

 consulted by good scholars." In all this there is nothing 

 contradictory to the mind and liberality of Alexander, or the 

 confidence or strength of his empire. But some may prefer 

 the story published by ^Elian, in his various history (iv. 

 19), who, I know not on what authority, transfers the nar- 

 rative to Philip, the father of Alexander "Having sup- 

 plied abundance of riches to Aristotle, he was the means of 

 many other undertakings, and especially of his knowledge of 

 living creatures ; and the son of Nichomachus completed 

 his history by the liberal assistance of Philip ; who also 

 honoured Plato and Theophrastus." If this be true, it evi- 

 dently refers to those seven or eight years in which Aris- 

 totle was in Macedonia presiding over the education of 

 Alexander, the son of Philip. 



These abundant supplies for the studies of Aristotle are 

 not at all inconsistent, either with the liberality of Philip, 



