A I. E 



commerce. Hi-, fon and fuocclTui-, Ptolcrr.v PhilaJtlplius, 

 puifuod tlio dcfigni of his father, and completed tlie tovcr 

 iif Pharos, broiiglit hitlicr the iir.ngc of the god t^erupis 

 from Pontvis, and ereiled the fainoiis temple of Serapion, 

 and improved the Alexandrian I'llraiy. He alfo conti- 

 nue^ the eAVAi.,projei£led and begun by Necos, and carried 

 on liy l);irlu;; Hvrtafpis, which was intended for joining the 

 Nile to the Red oca, and had the gloiy of complaing it. 

 Ptolemy Euergetes i:riitated the example of liis predeeeilors, 

 encouraged trade, and contributed to the wealth of Alexan- 

 dria, and tl;e profperity of tlie kingdom. But the afiluence 

 that was thus produced occalioned luxuiy and licentioufnefs, 

 fo that the voKiptuoufnefs if Alexandria became proverbial : 

 •' Nc Alexandrinis quidem permittcnda deliciis." Qiiinfti- 

 lian. I'or .nbout 300 years, from the commencement of the 

 reign of Ptolemy Soter to the death of Cleopatra, Alexan- 

 dria continued in fubjcftion to the Ptolemies ; but moft of 

 them devoted thenifelves to various kinds of indulgence 

 and pleafurc, became eflTcminatc and daftardly, and by 

 their example contributed to that corruption and relaxa- 

 tion, which prevailed among their fubjefts, and "iltimately 

 teiTTiinated in the ruin of this famuus city. Ptolemy Phyfcon, 

 in particular, was a monfler of vice and cruelty. About the 

 year 15. C. 136, he put to death or banifhcd moft of thofe 

 perfons who had been in favour with his brother Philometor, 

 and who had been employed diu-ing his reign, and per- 

 mitted his foreign troops to plunder and maffacre at difcre- 

 tion. Many of the inhabitants of Alexandria, terrified by 

 his favage conduct, and in order to avoid his cruelty, re- 

 tired into foreign counta^ and left the city almoft a defart. 

 Of thefe there wer^^^Htoiarians, philofophers, geometri- 

 pians, phylicians, mn^^R and other mailers in the libe- 

 ral fciences, who di-lKniinated the polite arts and general 

 fcience through Greece, Afia Minor, and the iflands, and 

 indeed to every place whither they fled. In order to fupply 

 the places of thefe fugitives, Ptolemy caufed proclama- 

 tions to be made in all the neighbouring countries, that 

 perfons of any nation, who were delirous of fettling at Alex- 

 andria, flionld receive fuitable encouragement. The propo- 

 fal was accepted by many, and the houfes and privileges 

 which belonged to the former inhabitants were affigned to 

 thefe new fettlers, and thus the city was repeopled. About 

 - this time Scipio Africanus the younger, and other Romans, 

 Were deputed on an embafty to Alexandria; and Juftin favs 

 of him, that whilll he vilited and confidcred with curiolity 

 the rarities of Alexandria, he was himfelf a fight to the 

 whole city ; " Dum infpieit urbem, ipfe fpeftaculo Alexan- 

 drinis fuit ;" fo different were his afpeft and manners from 

 thofe of the Alexandrians.. The new inhabitants, whom 

 Ptolemy had invited into the city, foon found rcafon to dif- 

 like their fituation, and to hate their new fovereign. Cruel 

 «nd timid as he was, lie determined to maffacre all the young 

 men of the city ; and for this purpofe he caufed the Gym- 

 nafuun, or place of exercife in which they were affembled, to 

 be invcikd by his foreign troops, and-put them all to thefword. 

 VVlicn Julius Ctcfar, B. C. 48, in his purfuit of Pompey, 

 ■landed at Alexandria, he found the city in great commotion, 

 without law atid w ithout government. Having arbitrated 

 between Ptolemy XII. and Cleopatra, and decreed that they 

 ftiould reign jointly in Egypt, Pothinus inttigated the Alex- 

 andrians to refill the decree, and to concur in driving Ca;l'ar 

 out of the city. Accordingly hebrougiit 20,000 troops to 

 effeft his p\irpofe, but Csefar fupported the attack ; and in 

 order to prevent any injury from their fleet, to which they 

 next had recourfe, he caufed it to be fct on lire, and poffefTcd 

 himfelf of the tower of Pharos, which he garrifoncd. Some 

 ©f the vclTcls that were on fire came fo near, that the flames 



ALE 



cauglit the houfes adjoining to the quay, and fpread througli 

 that quarter of the city, which was called Bnirhioti, and 

 confumed the library that was placed there, confilling of 

 400,000 volumes. In a decifive battle with the whole army 

 of Ptolemy, Caefar, affilled by a confiderable body of Jews, ob- 

 tained a complete viiSory. Ptolemy, in endeavouring to make 

 his efcape in a boat, was drowned in the Nile ; and Caefar 

 returned fo Alexandria, which, together with the whole of 

 Egypt ,fubmittcd to the viftor. Before he left this city, he con- 

 firmed all the privileges wliich the Jews enjoyed, in gratitude 

 to them for thciraffdlance, and ordered a column to be erefted, 

 in which thefe privileges were engraven, with the decree that 

 confiimcd them. The emperor Caligula was inclined to fa- 

 vour the Alexandrians, becaufe they manifeiled a readinefs 

 to cinifer divine honours on him ; and conceived the •' 

 horrid defign of maffacrjng the chief fenators and knights- of 

 Rome, A. D. 40, and then of abandoning the city, and of 

 fettling at Alexandria. At this time the Jews who inhabited 

 this city, and v.ho had continued to enjoy the privileges of 

 citizens, granted to them by Alexander, under the Ptolemies, 

 and who had obtained a confirmation of them from Julius 

 Cocfar,becanie obnoxious to the Alexandrians. Theirnumber, 

 as they occupied two parts in five of the city, and amounted 

 in the whole of Egypt to a million, and alfo the prerogatives 

 that diftinguifhed them, excited envy and jealoui'y, and their 

 fellow-citizens wanted only a pretence for deilroying them. 

 They had been for fome time rellrained from doing them 

 injury ; but under the g(>vernment of Flaccus, A. D. 40, 

 who permitted the ilatues of Ca?far to be fet up in the ora- 

 tories of the Jews, they were grievoufly oppreffed. He took 

 oecafion, in confequenee of lome dilTenfions and feditions 

 that occurred, to publifli a decree, by which, without offer* 

 ing them a hearing, they were declared ftrangers in Alexan- 

 dria ; he alfo reftritled them to one of the five diftrifts into 

 which the city was divided ; and their houfiss, which they- 

 were compelled to abandon, were plundered, whilft, defti- 

 tute of any fettled abode, they were obliged to wander 

 about the fields and the fea-fhore, without ihelter, pro- 

 perty, and even the means of fubfiftencc. Thofe who fell 

 into the hands' trf their enemies were tortured in the moft 

 cruel manner, and deilroyed by a lingering and painful 

 death. The ftreets, market-places, and theatres were de- 

 luged with blood ; neither fex nor age was diftinguifhed ; 

 and none, fays Philo (Leg. ad Caium) were fpared. 

 This writer afligns no other caufe for thefe barbarities 

 than the rage and fury of the Alexandrians. When 

 Flaccus was recalled, the Jews obtained fome refpite ; but 

 they were foon alarmed by the order of Caius to have his own 

 rtatue fet up in the temple of Jerufalem. In the mean while 

 they fent a deputation to the emperor, at the head of which 

 was Philo, to petition the reftoration of their citizcnfhip and 

 of their oratories. Before the objeft of their embaffy was 

 fettled, Caius died ; and Claudius declared in favour of the 

 Jews, whom he re-eftabliftied in the poffefRon of all the pri- 

 vileges they had enjoyed in Alexandna from the time of the 

 foundation of that city. When Adrian vifited Egypt, 

 A. D. 130, he exprefted a great diflike of the manners and 

 difpofitions of the Egyptians in general, and of thofe of the 

 inhabitants of Alexandria in particular. In a letter written 

 from thence, and addrefl'ed to the Conful Servian, he fays, 

 " the city of Alexandria is rich and powerful, with great- 

 trade, -which produces plenty. Nobody is idle there ; foiiie 

 blow glafs, others make paper ; many are employed about 

 linen and making of cloaths ; all have fome trade. All, whe- 

 ther Jews or Chriftians, acknowledge but one God, their 

 intereft. I wifli that this city, by its grandeur and riches, 

 the lirft of all Egypt, was furniflied with better inhabitants. 

 I Nothing 



