Philosophy of Botany. 199 



lished his philosophical and liberal character as much as his 

 heroism and victories immortalized his name as a strategist 

 and statesman. When he built the city of Alexandria and 

 peopled it with immigrants from various countries, opening a 

 new seat for philosophy, he granted a general indulgence to 

 the promiscuous crowd assembled in this rising city, whether 

 Egyptians, Grecians, Jews, or others, to profess their respec- 

 tive S3^stems of philosophy and religion without molestation. 

 The consequence was that Egypt was soon filled with religious 

 and philosophical sectaries of every kind, and particularly that 

 almost every Grecian sect found an advocate and professor in 

 Alexandria. 



The family of the Ptolemies, who, after Alexander obtained 

 the government of Egypt, from motives of policy and personal 

 enlightenment, encouraged this new establishment. Ptolemy 

 Lagus removed the schools of Athens to Alexandria. In or- 

 der to provide in Alexandria a permanent residence for learn- 

 ing and philosophy, he laid the foundation of a library, which 

 after his time became exceedingh- famous; granted philoso 

 phers of every class immunity from public offices; and encour 

 aged science and literature with royal muniftcence. His suc- 

 cessor, Ptolemy Philadelphus, added to the library, and in- 

 stituted a college of learned men, who, that they might have 

 leisure to prosecute their studies, were maintained at the pub- 

 lic expense. 



The ethical character of this period displayed a marked in- 

 clination to utilitarianism, and, with the development of wealth 

 and luxury, a desire to adorn refined sensualism with meta- 

 physical specidations. In such times may only such learning 

 and such sciences flourish which are applicable to external 

 wants, as are mathematics, mechanics, physics, and medi- 

 cine. 



In the natural sciences the Alexandrian school continued 

 to build upon the foundation laid by Aristotle and Theo- 

 phrastus, but unfortunately assumed again much of the spec- 

 ulative way of Plato. Physiology and anatomy, chemistry 

 and botany profited by it. Herophilus and Erasistratus 

 founded two opposing medical schools. The former annexed 

 botany to the medical curriculum. 



