OF THE ORIGIN OF CHEMISTRY. 25 



tjic fupcriority in all the arts*. Their fkill has 

 indeed been greatly admired by many writers f; 

 but, it muft be confcfied, their remedies bore 

 often the appearance of ridiculous mummery. 

 Galen afiirms, that King Nechcpfus, 630 years 

 before Chrift, had written, that, if a green jaf- 

 pcr, cut into the form of a dragon furrounded 

 with rays, was applied externally to the pylorus, 

 the ftomach would be ftrengthened. Have we 

 not here the traces of amulets and talifmans? 



Under all the changes in their government, 

 under all their kings, and under the yoke of the 

 Perfiaus, Babylonians, Grcpians, and Romans, 

 though fciencc did not llourifh among the E- 

 gyptians with equal vigour, yet did it continue 

 to be cultivated and protected, until the dcftruc- 

 tion of Alexandria by the Arabians. Ptolcmeus 

 Soter had collefted a library in Bruchius, which 

 by the care of his f jcccflbr, 1'hiludclphus, in- 

 creafod from 100,000 volumes to 400,000; with 

 which number it was fo cnuulccl, that it became . 

 neceflury to creel a new hall at Sera pis, iufli- 

 ciently large to receive thofe who were daily 

 coming to it. This olVspring of the old library, 

 in a few years, could boaft of 300,000 volumes. 

 The fiift collection was reduced to afhcs, by ac- 

 cident, in' the war with Julius Ciefar, but die Sc- 

 ruple 



* Conf. Cclfus, L, XXXTI. c. 2, 5, ct 4. ia Uudibui Buf.r. 

 i* Apuleiut in Apol. '. 



f Diodoiut t 



