DURING THE MIDDLE AGE. $$ 



fore, they had embraced the Mahometan reli- 

 gion, and had laid wafle all Syria under the 

 banners of Mahomet. In Egypt thcfe new 

 Lords deftroyed, with indifcriminating hand, c- 

 very monument of Icience, every abode of learn- 

 ing. Ptolemy Soter, who founded the acade- 

 my at Alexandria, had begun to coiled a very 

 confiderable library alfo ; which, at the dcatlf 

 of his fon Ptolemy Philadelphia, contained al- 

 ready 100,000 books; and which incrcafed 

 loon after to the immcnfe number of 700,000*. 

 Mauufcripts were collected from every quarter; 

 and being accurately and neatly copied, the o- 

 riginals were prcfcrved in the library, and the 

 copies were exchanged for them, accompanied 

 fometimes with large prcicnts. The firfl collec- 

 tion amoun ted to 400,000 books, in that part 

 of the city called Brucmon ; the other confided 

 of 300,000, and was kept in the Scrapcum. The 

 former was accidentally confumed by fire, while 

 Julius Crcfar was beficging the city; and the 

 latter, though often plundered, recovered fo 

 much from its misfortunes, that it became at 

 length greater than the Bruchian collection }, 

 To this were added 200,000 volumes alfo from 

 Pergamus, which Mark Anthony had prcfented 

 to Cleopatra. But when this incftimabie libra- 

 ry fell into the hands of the victorious Saracens 



in 



* Strabo L xvii. Eufcb. Chron. 

 f Plutarch jn the life of Julia* C%fa>. 



