A L E X A 
Mareotis by a canal. Between this canal and the palace 
was the admirable temple of Serapis, and that of Nep¬ 
tune hear the great place where the market Was held. 
Alexandria extended likewife along the fouthern banks of 
the lake. Its eaftern part prefented to view the gymna- 
fium, with its porticoes of more than 600 feet long, fup- 
ported by feveral rows of marble pillars. Without the 
gate of Canopus was a fpaciousjcircus for the chariot races. 
Beyond that, the fuburb of Nicopolis ran along ' the fea- 
fhore, and feeraed a fecond Alexandria. A fuperb am¬ 
phitheatre was built therewith a race-ground, for the ce¬ 
lebration of the quinquennalia. Such is the defcription left 
its of Alexandria by the ancients, and above all by Strabo. 
The architect employed by Alexander in this under¬ 
taking was the celebrated Dinocrates, who had acquired 
fo much reputation by rebuilding the temple of Diana at 
Ephefus. The city was fil'd rendered populous by Ptole¬ 
my Soter, one of Alexander’s captains, who, after the 
death of the Macedonian monarch, being appointed go¬ 
vernor of Egypt, foon affirmed the title of king, and took up 
his reiidence at Alexandria, about 304 years before Chrift. 
In the thirtieth year of Ptolemy Soter’s reign, he took 
his fon Ptolemy Philadelphia partner with him in the em¬ 
pire; and by this prince the city of Alexandria was much 
embellifhed. In the firft year of his reign the famous 
watch-tower of Pharos was finifiied. It had been begun 
feveral years before, by Ptolemy Soter; and, whenfinifli- 
ed, was looked upon as one of the wonders of tire world. 
The fame year, the ill and of Pharos itfelf, originally fe- 
ven furlongs diftant from the continent, was joined to it 
by a caufeway. This was the work of Dexiphanes, who 
completed it at the fame time that his fon put the laft hand 
to the tower. The tower was a large fquare ftr 11 iture of 
white marble; on the top of which fires were kept con- 
ftantly burning, fop the direction of failors. The build¬ 
ing coftSoo talents; which, if Attic, amounted to 165,000!. 
if Alexandrian, to twice that fum. The contrivance of 
the architect to ufurp the glory of this great work to him- 
felf is well known. 
This year alfo was remarkable for the bringing of the 
image of Serapis from Pontus to Alexandria. It was fet 
up in one of the fuburbs of the city balled Rhacotis, where 
a temple was afterwards erected to his honour, fuitable to 
the greatnefs of that (lately metropolis, and called, from 
the god worfiiipped there, Serapeum. This ftruiture, ac¬ 
cording to Ammianus Marcellinus, furpaffed in beauty 
and magnificence all others in the world, except the Capi¬ 
tol at Rome.-Within the verge of this temple was the 
famous Alexandrian library. It was founded by Ptolemy 
Soter, for the life of an academy he inftituted in this city ; 
and, by continual additions by his fuccefl’ors, became at 
laft the fined library in the world, containing no fewer 
than 700,000 volumes. The method followed in col- 
lefting books for this library, was, to feizeall thofe which 
were brought into Egypt by Greeks or other foreigners. 
Tiie books were tranfcribed in the mufeum by perfons ap¬ 
pointed for that purpofe; the copies were then delivered 
to the proprieters, and the originals laid up in the library. 
Ptolemy Euergetes, having borrowed from the Athenians 
the works of Sophocles, Euripides, and yEfchylus, re¬ 
turned them only the copies, which he caufed to be tran¬ 
fcribed in as beautiful a manner as poffible ; prefenting the 
Athenians at the fame time with fifteen talents (upwards 
of 3000I. derling) for the exchange. 
As the mufeum was at firft in that quarter of the city cal¬ 
led Bruchion , near the royal palace, the library was placed 
there likewife ; but, when it came to contain 400,000 vo¬ 
lumes, another library, within the Serapeum, was ere 61 - 
ed by way of fuppiement to it, and on that account called 
the daughter of the former. In this fecond library 300,000 
volumes, in procefs of time, were depoftted ; and the two 
together contained the 700,000volumes already mention¬ 
ed. In the war carried on by Julius Ctefar againft the in¬ 
habitants of this city, the library in the Bruchion, with 
the 400,000 volumes it contained, was reduced to a'fhcs. 
Vql. I. No.18. 
N D R I A. 2 73 
The library in the Serapeum,-however, ftill remained; 
and here Cleopatra depofited 200,000 volumes of the Per- 
gamean library, which Marc Antony prefented her with. 
Thefe, and others added from time to time, rendered the 
new library at Alexandria more numerous and confidera- 
ble than the former; and, though it was often plundered 
during the revolutions and troubles of the Roman empire, 
yet it was again and again repaired, and filled with the 
fame number of books. For 293 years Alexandria was 
held in fubjeiflion by the Ptolemies. Here follows a lift of 
thefe princes, with the dates of their refpeftive reigns. 
Ptolemy the fon of Lagus, furnamed Soter, reigned 
thirty-nine years, and died in the year of the world 3720. 
Ptolemy Philadelphus reigned thirty-nine years, and died 
1113758. Ptolemy Euergetes reigned twenty-five years, 
and died in 3783. Ptolemy Piiilopator reigned feventeen 
years, and died in 3800. Ptolemy Epiphanes reigned 
twenty-four years, and died in 3824. Ptolemy Philome- 
tor reigned thirty-feven years, and died in 3861. Ptole¬ 
my Euergetes, or Phyfcon, reigned fifty-three years; part 
with his brother Philometor, and, part alone. He died in 
3888. Ptolemy Lathyrus reigned thirty-fix years and fix 
months. He died in 3923. Cleopatra, the daughter of 
Lathyrus and wife of Alexander I. reigned fix months. 
Alexander I. the nephew of Lathyrus, was eftablifhed in 
3924, and died in 3943. Alexander II. the fon of Alex¬ 
ander I. was difpoffeffed by tine Alexandrians in 3939. 
Ptolemy Nothus, or Auletes, the fon of Lathyrus, reign¬ 
ed thirteen years, and died in 3953. Ptolemy, furnamed 
Dionyjius or Bacchus , reigned three years eight months, and 
died in 3957,. Cleopatra reigned from 3957, and killed 
herfelf in 3974. 
The city, as we have already obferved, foon became ex¬ 
tremely populous, and was embellifbed botli by its own 
princes and the Romans; but, like moft other noted ci¬ 
ties of antiquity, hath been the feat of terrible maffacres. 
About 141 yeafts before Chrift, it was almoft totally de¬ 
populated by Ptolemy Phyfcon. That barbarous mon- 
fter, w ithout the leaft provocation, gave free liberty to his 
guards to plunder his metropolis afid murder the inhabi¬ 
tants at their pleafure. The cruelties pradtifed on this 
occafion cannot be expreffed; and the few who efcaped 
were fo terrified that they fled into other countries. Up¬ 
on this, Phyfcon, that he might not reign over empty 
houfes, invited thither ftrangers from the neighbouring 
countries ; by whom the city was repeopled, and foon re¬ 
covered its former fplendour. On this occafion many learn¬ 
ed men. having been obliged to fly, proved the means of 
reviving learning in Greece, Afia Minor, the iflands of 
the Archipelago, and other places, where it was almoft 
totally loft. 
The new inhabitants were not treated with much more 
kindnefs by Phyfcon than the old ones had been ; for, on 
their complaining of his tyrannical behaviour, he refolded 
on a general maffacre of the young men. Accordingly, 
when they were one day affembled in the gymnafium, or 
place of their public exercifes, lie ordered it to be fet on 
fire; fo that they all perifiied, either in the flames, or by 
the (words of his mercenaries, whom the tyrant had placed 
at all the avenues. 
Though Julius C re far was obliged to carry on a war for 
fome time againft this city, it feems-'not to have fuftered 
much damage, except the burning of the library already 
mentioned. Before Csgfar left Alexandria, in acknow¬ 
ledgment of theaffiftance he had received from the Jews* 
he confirmed all their privileges there, and even engraved 
his decree on a pillar ofbrafs. This, however, did not 
prevent the maffacre of 50,000 of them in this city about 
the year of Chrift 6 7. 
The city of Alexandria feems to have fallen into decay 
foon after this, and to have forfeited many of its ancient 
privileges, though for what offence is not known ; but 
when Adrian vilited Egypt, about the year 141, it was 
almoft totally ruined. He repaired both the public and 
private buildings, not only reftoring the inhabitants to 
4 A their 
