adapted than those of any other contemporary power to the dissemination of the Greek language, and whatever knowledge or reli gion prevailed in Egypt; and from his well known and constant partiality to the Jews, it is most probable that they would increase in all regions under his government, and in those whose inhabitants were disposed to friendly and commercial intercourse with his subjects. While these things were favourable to the interests of the true religion, its stability, permanence, and progress were unspeakably more secured by the Greek version of the Sacred Oracles, (a work apparently commenced in the latter days of this prince,) than by all the works of the whole of the learned and mighty among the nations from the creation. This translation appears to have been gradually and slowly completed. The style of the different books indicates that they were not translated by one, but many persons, and who belonged to successive generations; and some terms used show that the authors were at least educated in Egypt, or were learned in the philosophy of the Alexandrian school. The Book of Esther was, according to the subscription, finished more than a hundred years after Ptolemy Soter. All ancient records, however, concerning the Greek version, go to prove that it had been undertaken in his day; for they say that it originated with his friend and counsellor, Demetrius Phalerius, who, it is certain, was deprived of his liberty immediately on the demise of his sovereign. Ptolemy Philadelphus was not the eldest son of Ptolemy Soter, but his mother was his favourite wife; and, through her influence, his father resigned to him the throne two years before his death, contrary to the advice of Demetrius Phalerius. It was probably during this period that the philosopher had prevailed on Ptolemy Philadelphus to select persons to translate the Hebrew Scriptures into Greek. Among the first acts of this prince, after he had honoured his father by a funeral procession, the most magnificent ever witnessed, was the infliction of vengeance on Demetrius, on account of his presuming to recommend the exaltation of his eldest brother to the throne. He confined him in a fortress, and would have probably taken his life, had he not been killed by the sudden bite of an aspic.

Though Ptolemy Philadelphus cherished little respect for his father's friends, or genuine affection for his children, yet he had suf ficient wisdom to imitate his royal excellencies, and prosecute the schemes and works which he had deemed necessary to augment the glory and resources of the kingdom, and perpetuate the fame of his name and dynasty. Thus, in the first year of his reign, the "famous watch-tower in the isle of Pharos was completed. It was usually called the tower of Pharos,' and has been reputed one of the seven wonders of antiquity. It was a large square structure, built of white marble; on the top of which a fire was constantly kept burning, in order to guide ships in their course. It cost eight hundred talents, which, estimated by the Athenian money, are equal to two hundred thousand pounds, but amount to almost double that sum, if computed by the coin of Alexandria." Pharos, originally an island, situated a little distance from the city, was afterwards joined to the continent by a causeway like that of Tyre. Ptolemy Philadelphus persevered in enlarging the Alexandrian Mbrary, so that it consisted of one hundred thousand volumes at his

death, and increased to seven hundred thousand during the reigns of his successors. Two noble edifices were constructed for the convenience of the learned who resorted to the city, and to contain the library. The former, called the Museum or Bruchion, standing near the palace, had attached to it gardens and pleasure grounds, in which many philosophers assembled to study or to impart instruction, after the manner of the learned in Greece. The latter was named Serapion, because it was the temple consecrated to Serapis. In the Bruchion were deposited four hundred thousand volumes; and in the Serapion, three hundred thousand. The first collection is said to have been, with the building, consumed by fire, during Cesar's war against Alexandria; and the last was burnt by the order of the chief of the Saracens, when they captured the city. The city was undoubtedly indebted to its library "for the advantage she long enjoyed, of being the greatest school in all that part of the world, and of having trained up a vast number of excellent men in literature. It is from thence, in particular, that the church has received some of its most illustrious doctors; as Clemens Alexandrinus, Ammonius, Origen, Anatolius, Athanasius, and many others; for all these studied in that seminary."

Since it is evident that Ptolemy Philadelphus, like his father, cultivated the sciences, the Jewish account of the origin of the Greek version of the Scriptures, known under the name of the Septuagint, or the Seventy, is certainly not improbable. A distinct and brief summary of the long narrative respecting it, by Josephus, is thus given by Rollin. Demetrius Phalerius having informed the prince that the Jews possessed "a work which contained the laws of Moses, and the history of that people, was desirous of having it translated out of the Hebrew language into the Greek, in order to enrich his library with that performance. To accomplish this design, it became necessary for him to address himself to the highpriest of the Jewish nation; but the affair happened to be attended with great difficulty. A very considerable number of Jews had been actually reduced to a state of slavery in Egypt, by Ptolemy Soter, during the invasions of Judea in his time; and it was represented to the king, that there would be no probability of obtaining from that people either a copy, or a faithful translation of their law, while he suffered such a number of their countrymen to continue in their present servitude. Ptolemy, who always acted with the utmost generosity, and was extremely solicitous to enlarge his library, did not hesitate a moment, but issued a decree for restoring all the Jewish slaves in his dominions to their full liberty; with orders to his treasurer to pay twenty drachmas a head to their masters for their ransom. The sum expended on this occasion amounted to four hundred talents, which make it evident that an hundred and twenty thousand Jews recovered their freedom by this bounteous proceeding. The king then gave orders for discharging the children born in slavery, with their mothers; and the sum employed for this purpose amounted to above half the former. These advantageous preliminaries gave Ptolemy hopes that he should easily obtain his request from the high-priest, whose name was Eleazar. He had sent ambassadors to that pontiff, with a very obliging letter on his part, accompanied with magnificent presents. The ambassadors were received at Jerusalem, with all imaginable

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honours, and the king's request was granted with the greatest joy. Upon which they returned to Alexandria with an authentic copy of the Mosaic law, written in letters of gold, and given them by the high-priest himself, with six elders of each tribe, that is to say, seventy-two in the whole; and they were authorised to translate that copy into the Greek language. The king was desirous of seeing these deputies, and proposed to each of them a different question, in order to make a trial of their capacity. He was satisfied with their answers, in which great wisdom appeared, and loaded them with presents, and other marks of his friendship. The elders were then conducted to the isle of Pharos, and lodged in a house prepared for their reception, where they were plentifully supplied with all necessary accommodations. They applied themselves to their work without losing time, and in seventy-two days completed the volume which is commonly called the Septuagint Version.' The whole was afterwards read, and approved in the presence of the king, who admired, in a peculiar manner, the wisdom of the laws of Moses, and dismissed the seventy-two deputies with extremely magnificent presents; part of which were for themselves, others for the high-priest, and the remainder for the temple."

The Jewish opinion of the origin of the Septuagint, long credited by Christians, many moderns regard as fabulous, and suppose that it was made by the Jews, who had lost their native language, and only understood and spoke Greek. The number of such was very great throughout the Grecian empire, especially in Egypt. Nothing was more natural than for the pious among them to desire the enjoyment of the Scriptures, in the language which they spoke, both for their personal use, and for the service of the synagogues. But, whatever truth may be in this conjecture, all Jews and Christians agree that a translation of the sacred books from the Hebrew into the Greek, was made in Egypt, in the time of the Ptolemies; that we have this translation still extant, and that it is the same which was used in the time of our blessed Saviour, as most of the passages cited by the sacred writers of the New Testament, from the original Greek of the Old, are to be found verbatim in this version. It still exists, and continues to be used in the oriental churches, as it also was by those in the primitive ages, among whom it passed for a canonical translation. This version, therefore, which renders the scriptures of the Old Testament intelligible to a vast num. ber of people, became one of the most considerable fruits of the Grecian conquests: and was evidently comprehended in the design God had in view,when he delivered up all the East to the Greeks, and supported them in those regions, notwithstanding their divisions and jealousis, their wars, and the frequent revolutions that happened among them. In this manner did God prepare the way for the preaching of the gospel, which was then approaching, and facilitate the union of so many nations, of different languages and manners, into one society, and the same worship and doctrines, by the instrumentality of the finest, most copious, and correct language that was ever spoken in the world, and which became common to almost all the countries that were conquered by Alexander. For an account of the excellencies and defects of the Septuagint, we must refer our readers to those who have written on this important subject. Much information will be found in Horne's Introduc

tion to the Critical Study of the Holy Scriptures, vol. ii. page 3947. Sixth Edition; and S. Davidson's Biblical Criticism.

The long reign of Ptolemy Philadelphus, was, considering the times, comparatively tranquil, and allowed him to prosecute the great plans of his father. He probably, indeed, excelled him in his enthusiasm for science and the fine arts; and certainly equalled him in his diligence to advance the commerce of his kingdom. War was not his element; he sincerely loved science and the arts of peace and was the generous patron of their votaries. He collected around him persons distinguished by genius and learning. Several illustrious poets were the ornament of his courts.

Solicitous to enrich his kingdom, he laboured, at great expense, to draw into it all the maritime commerce of the East, which till then had been in the possession of the Tyrians, who transacted it by sea, as far as Elath; and from thence by land, to Rhinocorura, and from this last place, by sea again, to the city of Tyre. Elath and Rhinocorura were two sea-ports; the first on the eastern shore of the Red Sea, and the second on the extremity of the Mediterranean, between Egypt and Palestine, and near the outlet of the river of Egypt. Ptolemy, in order to draw this commerce into his own kingdom, thought it necessary to found a city on the western shore of the Red Sea, whence the ships were to set out. He accordingly built it, almost on the frontiers of Ethiopia, and gave it the name of his mother Bernice; but the port not being very com. modious, that of Myos Hormos was preferred, as being very near, and much better; and all the commodities of Arabia, India, Persia, and Ethiopia were conveyed thither. From thence they were transported on camels to Coptus, where they were again shipped, and brought down the Nile to Alexandria, which transmitted them to all the West, in exchange for its merchandise, which was afterward exported to the East. But as the passage from Coptus to the Red Sea lay cross the deserts, where no water could be procured, and which had neither cities nor houses to lodge the caravans, Ptolemy, in order to remedy this inconvenience, caused a canal to be opened along the great road, and to communicate with the Nile, that supplied it with water. On the edge of this canal houses were erected, at proper distances, for the reception of passengers, and to supply them and their beasts of burden with all necessary accommodations. As useful as all these labours were, Ptolemy did not think them sufficient, for as he intended to ingross all the traffic between the East and West into his dominions, he thought his plan would be imperfect, unless he could protect what he had facilitated in other respects. With this view, he caused two fleets to be fitted out, one for the Red Sea, and the other for the Mediterranean. This last was extremely fine, and some of the vessels which composed, it much exceeded the common size. Two of them, in particular, had thirty benches of oars; one, twenty; four rowed with fourteen; two, with twelve; fourteen, with eleven; thirty, with nine; thirty-seven, with seven; five, with six; and seventeen, with five. The number of the whole amounted to a hundred and twelve vessels. He had as many more, with four and three benches of oars, beside a prodigious number of small vessels. With this formidable fleet he not only protected his commerce from all insults, but kept in subjection, as long as he lived, most of the maritime

provinces of Asia Minor; as Cilicia, for instance, with Pamphylia, Lycia, and Caria, as far as the Cyclades.

The first report of the fierce aspect of the fourth beast, which was unlike any other beast on the earth, and was destined to supplant and slay the four-horned ram of Grecia, perhaps reached the East in the early part of the reign of Ptolemy. The Italian coast, on the Adriatic sea, had been, for ages, occupied by Grecian colonies, distinguished by their emulation of the science, philosophy, arts, and manners of the mother country. This district was named, from its inhabitants, Magna Græcia. They retained their native pride and love of independence; but they were enervated by the delightful country in which they resided, and still more by their luxurious and sensual habits, and were therefore ill fitted to resist the power of the temperate, bold, and aspiring citizens of Rome. These having reduced the neighbouring tribes, called on the Grecian colonies to acknowledge their sovereignty. The possession of Tarentum, the modern Tarento, founded by the Lacedemonians, was most de sirable, particularly on account of its fine and spacious harbours. The citizens had no confidence in their power, although assisted by the other colonies, to repel the Romans. They especially felt the want of an able general; and they looked to Greece to supply them with one, in whom all their allies might confide. Pyrrhus, king of Epirus, was the most celebrated warrior of the age. He glady accepted their invitation to command their forces; and many of his subjects willingly accompanied him to Italy. After a dreadful war of six years with the Romans, he was compelled to leave the Grecian colonies in their power, and retire to his own kingdom. The events of this war revealed the unconquerable energy of the Romans; and they were henceforth looked on with deep interest by the Greeks and Asiatics, who had, for a number of years, seen and dreaded the military skill, power, enterprise, and ambition of Pyrrhus.

The greatness of the Egyptian monarch was known to the Romans, and they hailed,with strong expressions of satisfaction, the arrival of ambassadors from him to their senate, B.C. 274, to desire their friendship. He had probably been induced to send an embassage to the Romans, rather to proclaim his magnificence than from any solicitude to propitiate their favour. Though he admired their heroic deeds, yet, considering the remoteness of their position in relation to the principal part of his dominions, it is not likely that he entertained any uneasy apprehension of danger from their growing power. In the following year he enjoyed the gratification of an embassy from Rome, composed of four of its most eminent citizens. While he conferred on them the most distinguished favours and honours, they manifested the greatest disinterestedness of conduct, and the highest respect for him, which produced an apparently sincere and cordial union of esteem and confidence between the court of Egypt and the Roman senate.

Ptolemy's peace and glory were at once endangered by an unexpected revolt in Lybia and Cyrenaica. He had committed the government of these important provinces to Megas, one of his brothers by the same mother. This brother possessed the talents, and was animated by the ambition of his family. By his wisdom, courage, and prudence, he secured the affections of the inhabitants;