S Sarcophagus 
days of Strabo: and was, no doubt, the 
fame which contained the body when the 
tomb of Alexander was vifited by Au- 
guitus. te 4 
Auguftus’s fondnefs for Egyptian 
{cience is frequently mentioned by the 
claffic writers; and Suetonius tells us 
(Edit. Cafaubon. Par. r610. p. 28: h.2+) 
that in the early part of hisreign he fealed 
his letters and public,inftruments with the 
image of the Sphinx, which he afterwards 
exchanged for that of Alexander. Sue- 
tonius and Dio Caffius both enter into. 
particulars with regard to the vilit of Au- 
gufius. Suetonius fays that the body 
having been taken from its fhrine, was 
viewed by Auguftus with the utmoft ve- 
neration, that he fcattered flowers over it, 
and adorned it witha golden crown ; and 
that being afked if he would not alfo view 
the remains of Prolomy, he anfwered, 
with indignation, that he came to fee the 
body of a king, not thofe of men.* And 
Dio Caffius tells us, that at this time the 
face of Alexander fuffered injury. (xa 
PAETR TAUTA pey Te AAELaypoV THILa EOS HeL 
aurTod nat Tpornlaro, HSE TL TNS plV0s, WS act, 
SeaveSava:)t, This was in the year of 
Rome 724. 
When the fhrine of Alexander was 
next dif'urbed, we are not told; but Sue- 
tonius, defcribing the familiar manners of 
Caligula, obferves, that he very frequently 
wore the triumphal drefs before his expe- 
dition ; and fometimes the thorax of 
Alexander, TAKEN FROM HIS TOMB. 
(Triumphalem quidem ornatum etiam 
ante expeditionem geftavit ; intercum et 
Magni ALEXANDR? thoracem repetiium e 
conditorio ejus.) But this does not imply 
that the Emperor himfelf brought it from 
Alexandria, for Caligula never was in 
Egypt. ae 
The next imperial vifit, on. record, to 
Alexander’s tomb was that of Severus, 
in the year of Rome 953, who, fearins the 
effe& of the hieratic writings in raifing 
commotions among the people, clofed both 
them and the body from public view, 
(Dio Caffius, lib. lxxiv. §.13.) Hirch- 
man, (iii. 15.) fays the Sepulchre was , 
clofed by doors. . 
When Caracalla came to Alexandria, it 
is relared by Herodian (lid. iv. c. 15.) 
ee ee El ee OE ae eS 
* Per idem tempus, conditorium et corpus 
Magni Alexandri, cum prolatum e penetrali 
fubjecifiet oculis, corona aurea impofita ac 
floribus afperfis veneratus eft: confultusaue 
num eft Ptolemzum infpicere vellet, regem 
fe voluiffes alt, widere non, mortuos. 
+Dio Caffius, Ed. Reimar. Hamb, 
1752 
lib, li. § 16. 
of Alexander. [Feb. 1 
not that he opened the tomb, or even en- 
quired to fee the duft of Alexander, but 
that, having offered facriice in the Tem- 
ple, he vifted th monument, and taking 
off the imperialornaments, placed them 
upon it; in honour to his memory. (EAGay 
esg To AdsSavdeou puynea, Inv TE YAemuda, iv 
Epegey adaveyn, dalonius TE US Ets ATOV THALOYs 
Carneas TE Uk Eb TL BPOAUTEAES EPEGE GIECLEAWY 
Eavle, earednxe In Exeweu copa) — . 
Thus far we find that thé materials with 
which the claffic writers fupply us, are far 
from decifive on the point in queftion, 
They mention a gold cofin, and a gla/s 
one, but fay nothing either of the deftruc- 
tion of the latter, or of its renewal in a 
marble form. : 
Of the Oriential writers, I can fay little, 
the only one my opportunities allowed me 
to examine was Abdollatiph, who is per- 
fectly filent on the point in queftion. 
I thall now, Sir, turnthe attention of your 
readers to whatever has been mentioned 
relating to the tomb of Alexander, by tra- 
vellers of a later pericd.—That the Sara- 
cens hada tradition, that it ftill remained 
among them, has often been attefted. The 
firt I believe of the modern travellers 
who mention it, is Martol, a Spaniard, 
who vifited Alexandria early in the fix- 
teenth century. —His words, literally 
tranflated from the Spanifh (lib. xi. c. 14) 
are thefe, ‘© In the middle of the city, 
an-ong the ruins of other edifices, is fitu-- 
ated a fmail building, or kind of temple ; 
and within it a fepulchre honoured much 
by the fectaries, who believe it to contain 
the body of Alexander the Great. They call 
him Efcander, reverence him-as a prophet 
and a king, mention him in the koran, and 
many foreigners from diftant countries re- 
fort to vibe and pay their devotions at his 
fepulchre.” ate y: ; 
The fa&t of the Saracens paying refpect 
to Alexander’s tomb is fingular; and con= 
fidering the great devaftation which at- 
tended their conquelts in other places, it 
is equally extraordinary that fo much of 
the ancient wails of Alexandria fhould re- 
main entire. “ 
Chriftopher Furer, who vifited Egypt in 
1565, enters into a minute account of Alex. 
andria, (Itinerarium. Norimb. 1621, 4te.) 
But neither he or Boucher, (Bouquet faeré. 
Par. 1613.) or Vanfleb, who went there in 
1672, make the flighteft mention of the 
tomb in quefticn. Pococke, however, 
bears clofe upon the point; he fays, * As 
the Mahometans heve a great regard for 
the memory of Alexander, fo there have 
been travellers, who relate that they pre- 
tended to have his body in feme mofque, 
but at prefent they haye no account of it.” 
(Defcr. 
