alexandria and her schools-第4节

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court；　became　a　private　friend　of　young　Alexander；　and　at　last　his　Somatophylax；　some　sort　of　Colonel　of　the　Life　Guards。　　And　from　thence　he　rose　rapidly；　till　after　his　great　master's　death　he　found　himself　despot　of　Egypt。

His　face；　as　it　appears　on　his　coins；　is　of　the　loftiest　and　most　Jove…　like　type　of　Greek　beauty。　　There　is　a　possibility　about　it；　as　about　most　old　Greek　faces；　of　boundless　cunning；　a　lofty　irony　too；　and　a　contemptuousness；　especially　about　the　mouth；　which　puts　one　in　mind　of　Goethe's　expression；　the　face；　altogether；　of　one　who　knew　men　too　well　to　respect　them。　　At　least；　he　was　a　man　of　clear　enough　vision。　　He　saw　what　was　needed　in　those　strange　times；　and　he　went　straight　to　the　thing　which　he　saw。　　It　was　his　wisdom　which　perceived　that　the　huge　amorphous　empire　of　Alexander　could　not　be　kept　together；　and　advised　its　partition　among　the　generals；　taking　care　to　obtain　himself　the　lion's　share；　not　in　size；　indeed；　but　in　capability。　　He　saw；　too　（what　every　man　does　not　see）；　that　the　only　way　to　keep　what　he　had　got　was　to　make　it　better；　and　not　worse；　than　he　found　it。　　His　first　Egyptian　act　was　to　put　to　death　Cleomenes；　Alexander's　lieutenant；　who　had　amassed　vast　treasures　by　extortion；　and　who　was；　moreover；　（for　Ptolemy　was　a　prudent　man）　a　dangerous　partisan　of　his　great　enemy；　Perdiccas。　We　do　not　read　that　he　refunded　the　treasures：　　but　the　Egyptians　surnamed　him　Soter；　the　Saviour；　and　on　the　whole　he　deserved　the　title。　Instead　of　the　wretched　misrule　and　slavery　of　the　conquering　Persian　dynasty；　they　had　at　least　law　and　order；　reviving　commerce；　and　a　system　of　administration；　we　are　told　（I　confess　to　speaking　here　quite　at　second…hand）；　especially　adapted　to　the　peculiar　caste…society；　and　the　religious　prejudices　of　Egypt。　　But　Ptolemy's　political　genius　went　beyond　such　merely　material　and　Warburtonian　care　for　the　conservation　of　body　and　goods　of　his　subjects。　　He　effected　with　complete　success　a　feat　which　has　been　attempted；　before　and　since；　by　very　many　princes　and　potentates；　but　has　always；　except　in　Ptolemy's　case；　proved　somewhat　of　a　failure；　namely；　the　making　a　new　deity。　　Mythology　in　general　was　in　a　rusty　state。　　The　old　Egyptian　gods　had　grown　in　his　dominions　very　unfashionable；　under　the　summary　iconoclasm　to　which　they　had　been　subjected　by　the　Monotheist　Persiansthe　Puritans　of　the　old　world；　as　they　have　been　well　called。　　Indeed；　all　the　dolls；　and　the　treasure　of　the　dolls'　temples　too；　had　been　carried　off　by　Cambyses　to　Babylon。　　And　as　for　the　Greek　gods；　philosophers　had　sublimed　them　away　sadly　during　the　last　century：　　not　to　mention　that　Alexander's　Macedonians；　during　their　wanderings　over　the　world；　had　probably　become　rather　remiss　in　their　religious　exercises；　and　had　possibly　given　up　mentioning　the　Unseen　world；　except　for　those　hortatory　purposes　for　which　it　used　to　be　employed　by　Nelson's　veterans。　　But；　as　Ptolemy　felt；　people　（women　especially）　must　have　something　wherein　to　believe。　The　〃Religious　Sentiment〃　in　man　must　be　satisfied。　　But；　how　to　do　it？　How　to　find　a　deity　who　would　meet　the　aspirations　of　conquerors　as　well　as　conqueredof　his　most　irreligious　Macedonians；　as　well　as　of　his　most　religious　Egyptians？　　It　was　a　great　problem：　　but　Ptolemy　solved　it。　　He　seems　to　have　taken　the　same　method　which　Brindley　the　engineer　used　in　his　perplexities；　for　he　went　to　bed。　　And　there　he　had　a　dream：　How　the　foreign　god　Serapis；　of　Pontus　（somewhere　near　this　present　hapless　Sinope）；　appeared　to　him；　and　expressed　his　wish　to　come　to　Alexandria；　and　there　try　his　influence　on　the　Religious　Sentiment。　　So　Serapis　was　sent　for；　and　cameat　least　the　idol　of　him；　and　accommodating　personage！he　actually　fitted。　　After　he　had　been　there　awhile；　he　was　found　to　be　quite　an　old　acquaintanceto　be；　in　fact；　the　Greek　Jove；　and　two　or　three　other　Greek　gods；　and　also　two　or　three　Egyptian　gods　besideindeed；　to　be　no　other　than　the　bull　Apis；　after　his　death　and　deification。　　I　can　tell　you　no　more。　　I　never　could　find　that　anything　more　was　known。　　You　may　see　him　among　Greek　and　Roman　statues　as　a　young　man；　with　a　sort　of　high　basket…shaped　Persian　turban　on　his　head。　　But；　at　least；　he　was　found　so　pleasant　and　accommodating　a　conscience…keeper；　that　he　spread；　with　Isis；　his　newly…found　mother；　or　wife；　over　the　whole　East；　and　even　to　Rome。　　The　Consuls　there50　years　B。C。found　the　pair　not　too　respectable；　and　pulled　down　their　temples。　　But；　so　popular　were　they；　in　spite　of　their　bad　fame；　that　seven　years　after；　the　Triumvirs　had　to　build　the　temples　up　again　elsewhere；　and　from　that　time　forth；　Isis　and　Serapis；　in　spite；　poor　things；　of　much　persecution；　were　the　fashionable　deities　of　the　Roman　world。　　Surely　this　Ptolemy　was　a　man　of　genius！

But　Ptolemy　had　even　more　important　work　to　do　than　making　gods。　　He　had　to　make　men；　for　he　had　few　or　none　ready　made　among　his　old　veterans　from　Issus　and　Arbela。　　He　had　no　hereditary　aristocracy：　　and　he　wanted　none。　　No　aristocracy　of　wealth；　that　might　grow　of　itself；　only　too　fast　for　his　despotic　power。　　But　as　a　despot；　he　must　have　a　knot　of　men　round　him　who　would　do　his　work。　　And　here　came　out　his　deep　insight　into　fact。　　It　had　not　escaped　that　man；　what　was　the　secret　of　Greek　supremacy。　　How　had　he　come　there？　　How　had　his　great　master　conquered　half　the　world？　　How　had　the　little　semi…barbarous　mountain　tribe　up　there　in　Pella；　risen　under　Philip　to　be　the　master…race　of　the　globe？　How；　indeed；　had　Xenophon　and　his　Ten　Thousand；　how　had　the　handfuls　of　Salamis　and　Marathon；　held　out　triumphantly　century　after　century；　against　the　vast　weight　of　the　barbarian？　　The　simple　answer　was：　Because　the　Greek　has　mind；　the　barbarian　mere　brute　force。　　Because　mind　is　the　lord　of　matter；　because　the　Greek　being　the　cultivated　man；　is　the　only　true　man；　the　rest　are　＇Greek　text：　　barbaroi＇；　mere　things；　clods；　tools　for　the　wise　Greeks'　use；　in　spite　of　all　their　material　phantom…strength　of　elephants；　and　treasures；　and　tributaries　by　the　million。　　Mind　was　the　secret　of　Greek　power；　and　for　that　Ptolemy　would　work。　　He　would　have　an　aristocracy　of　intellect；　he　would　gather　round　him　the　wise　men　of　the　world　（glad　enough　most　of　them　to　leave　that　miserable　Greece；　where　every　man's　life　was　in　his　hand　from　hour　to　hour）；　and　he　would　develop　to　its　highest　the　conception　of　Philip；　when　he　made　Aristotle　the　tutor　of　his　son　Alexander。　　The　consequences　of　that　attempt　were　written　in　letters　of　blood；　over　half　the　world；　Ptolemy　would　attempt　it　once　more；　with　gentler　results。　　For　though　he　fought　long；　and　often；　and　well；　as　Despot　of　Egypt；　no　less　than　as　general　of　Alexander；　he　was　not　at　heart　a　man　of　blood；　and　made　peace　the　end　of　all　his　wars。

So　he　begins。　　Aristotle　is　gone：　　but　in　Aristotle's　place　Philetas　the　sweet　singer　of　Cos；　and　Zenodotus　the　grammarian　of　Ephesus；　shall　educate　his　favourite　son；　and　he　will　have　a　literary　court；　and　a　literary　age。　　Demetrius　Phalereus；　the　Admirable　Crichton　of　his　time；　the　last　of　Attic　orators；　statesman；　philosopher；　poet；　warrior；　and　each　of　them　in　the　most　graceful；　insinuating；　courtly　way；　migrates　to　Alexandria；　after　having　had　the　three　hundred　and　sixty　statues；　which　the　Athenians　had　too　hastily　erected　to　his　honour；　as　hastily　pulled　down　again。　　Here　was　a　prize　for　Ptolemy！　　The　charming　man　became　his　bosom　friend　and　fellow；　even　revised　the　laws　of　his　kingdom；　and　fired　him；　if　report　says　true；　with　a　mighty　thoughtno　less　a　one　than　the　great　public　Library　of　Alexandria；　the　first　such　institution；　it　is　said；　which　the　world　had　ever　seen。


So　a　library　is　begun　by　Soter；　and　organised　and　completed　by　Philadelphus；　or　rather　two　libraries；　for　while　one　part　was　kept　at　the　Serapeium；　that　vast　temple　on　the　inland　rising　ground；　of　which；　as　far　as　we　can　discover；　Pompey's　Pillar　alone　remains；　one　column　out　of　four　hundred；　the　rest　was　in　the　Brucheion　adjoining　the　Palace　and　the　Museum。　　Philadelphus　buys　Aristotle's　collection　to　add　to　the　stock；　and　Euergetes　cheats　the　Athenians　out　of　the　original　MSS。　of　AEschylus；　Sophocles；　and　Euripides；　and　adds　largely　to　it　by　more　honest　methods。　　Eumenes；　King　of　Pergamus　in　Asia　Minor；　fired　with　emulation；　commences　a　similar　collection；　and　is　so　successful；　that　the　reigning　Ptolemy　has　to　cut　off　his　rival's　supplies　by　prohibiting　the　exportation　of　papyrus；　and　the　Pergamenian　books　are　henceforth　transcribed　on　parchment；　parchemin；　Pergamene；　which　thus　has　its　name　to　this　day；　from　Pergamus。　　That　collection；　too；　found　its　way　at　last　to　Alexandria。　　For　Antony　having　become　possessor　of　it　by　right　of　the　stronger；　gave　it　to　Cleopatra；　and　it　remained　at　Alexandria　for　seven　hundred　years。　　But　we　must　not　anticipate　events。

Then　there　must　be　besides　a　Mouseion；　a　Temple　of　the　Muses；　with　all　due　appliances；　in　a　vast　building　adjoining　the　palace　itself；　under　the　very　wing　of　royalty；　and　it　must　have　porticos；　wherein　sages　may　converse；　lecture…rooms；　where　they　may　display　themselves　at　their　will　to　their　rapt　scholars；　each　like　a　turkey…cock　before　his　brood；　and　a　large　dining…hall；　where　they　may　enj