MATHEMATICS. 321 



muscles of the shoulders of various animals, of the legs of stags, and 

 the necks of bulls. He also observes, that long female hair, having 

 been saturated with essences, possesses a powerful elasticity for this 

 purpose. And, in considering the effects ascribed to the other machines, 

 we must recollect how much smaller the Roman vessels were than 

 ours. 



Another of the inventions ascribed to Archimedes at this siege are His burning 

 the mirrors with which he is said to have burnt the Roman fleet, of mirrors - 

 which relation the authenticity is more disputed. In the ' History of 

 Optics,' 1 some account is given of the ancient authorities and modern 

 experiments on this subject. The silence of Polybius and Livy on 

 this point, while they give us other details of the siege, would lead 

 us to imagine that if Archimedes did execute something of the kind, 

 it was not very important or decisive. And at the same time the 

 distinctness of the latter evidence, and the demonstrated practicability 

 of the fact, hardly allow us to suppose that it is entirely without 

 foundation. Lucian in the second century says, that Archimedes by 

 his mechanical skill burnt (KaTetyXefc) the Roman ships. Galen, 

 a little later, alludes to it as a known fact. Anthemius, the architect 

 of Saint Sophia, in the sixth century, says, that it is undeniable, and 

 mentioned by numerous historians; and explains the method in which 

 it might be executed as was afterwards done by Buffon and others. 

 And the later authors, Zonaras and Tzetzes, mention it with an 

 unusual distinctness of reference to the earlier historians Dio Cassius, 

 Diodorus, &c., as if to remove any doubt which might exist. So that, 

 perhaps, we may come to the conclusion of Gibbon, who says, " Since 

 it is possible, I am more disposed to attribute the act to the greatest 

 mathematician of antiquity than to give the merit of the fiction to the 

 idle fancy of a monk or a sophist." 



By the ingenuity of Archimedes the siege of Syracuse was pro- Taking of 



tracted for some time ; but at last the fortune of the Romans pre- Syracuse. 



vailed. They discovered a w r eak place in the fortifications ; made an 



attack when the citizens had relaxed their vigilance in the celebration 



of a feast to Diana; and soon became masters of part of, the city. 



Marcellus is said to have wept at the approaching ruin of this populous 



and opulent state, which, old in prosperity, and rich in historical 



recollections, was now tending to a catastrophe so different from that 



of its former great siege by the Athenians. After some difficulties 



and fluctuations of success, the unfortunate town was taken by the 



Romans, and given up to be plundered by the soldiers. Archimedes, 



j who had so long been its safety, perished in the confusion of the 



! capture. It is said that Marcellus had given strict orders to preserve 



j a person of whose genius he had had such extraordinary proofs ; but 



5 that these were disregarded in the licence of war. While the Romans 



] were plundering from house to house, Archimedes, unaffected by the 



violence which surrounded him, was absorbed in the contemplation of 



1 Page 355 of this yolume. 

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