alexandria and her schools-第4章

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s　now　Alexandria；　and　conceived　the　mighty　project　of　making　it　the　point　of　union　of　two；　or　rather　of　three　worlds。　　In　a　new　city；　named　after　himself；　Europe；　Asia；　and　Africa　were　to　meet　and　to　hold　communion。　　A　glance　at　the　map　will　show　you　what　an　＇Greek　text：　　omphalosgees＇；　a　centre　of　the　world；　this　Alexandria　is；　and　perhaps　arouse　in　your　minds；　as　it　has　often　done　in　mine；　the　suspicion　that　it　has　not　yet　fulfilled　its　whole　destiny；　but　may　become　at　any　time　a　prize　for　contending　nations；　or　the　centre　of　some　world…wide　empire　to　come。　　Communicating　with　Europe　and　the　Levant　by　the　Mediterranean；　with　India　by　the　Red　Sea；　certain　of　boundless　supplies　of　food　from　the　desert…guarded　valley　of　the　Nile；　to　which　it　formed　the　only　key；　thus　keeping　all　Egypt；　as　it　were；　for　its　own　private　farm；　it　was　weak　only　on　one　side；　that　of　Judea。　　That　small　strip　of　fertile　mountain　land；　containing　innumerable　military　positions　from　which　an　enemy　might　annoy　Egypt；　being；　in　fact；　one　natural　chain　of　fortresses；　was　the　key　to　Phoenicia　and　Syria。　　It　was　an　eagle's　eyrie　by　the　side　of　a　pen　of　fowls。　　It　must　not　be　left　defenceless　for　a　single　year。　　Tyre　and　Gaza　had　been　taken；　so　no　danger　was　to　be　apprehended　from　the　seaboard：　　but　to　subdue　the　Judean　mountaineers；　a　race　whose　past　sufferings　had　hardened　them　in　a　dogged　fanaticism　of　courage　and　endurance；　would　be　a　long　and　sanguinary　task。　　It　was　better　to　make　terms　with　them；　to　employ　them　as　friendly　warders　of　their　own　mountain　walls。　　Their　very　fanaticism　and　isolation　made　them　sure　allies。　　There　was　no　fear　of　their　fraternising　with　the　Eastern　invaders。　　If　the　country　was　left　in　their　hands；　they　would　hold　it　against　all　comers。　　Terms　were　made　with　them；　and　for　several　centuries　they　fulfilled　their　trust。

This　I　apprehend　to　be　the　explanation　of　that　conciliatory　policy　of　Alexander's　toward　the　Jews；　which　was　pursued　steadily　by　the　Ptolemies；　by　Pompey；　and　by　the　Romans；　as　long　as　these　same　Jews　continued　to　be　endurable　upon　the　face　of　the　land。　　At　least；　we　shall　find　the　history　of　Alexandria　and　that　of　Judea　inextricably　united　for　more　than　three　hundred　years。

So　arose；　at　the　command　of　the　great　conqueror；　a　mighty　city；　around　those　two　harbours；　of　which　the　western　one　only　is　now　in　use。　　The　Pharos　was　then　an　island。　　It　was　connected　with　the　mainland　by　a　great　mole；　furnished　with　forts　and　drawbridges。　　On　the　ruins　of　that　mole　now　stands　the　greater　part　of　the　modern　city；　the　vast　site　of　the　ancient　one　is　a　wilderness。

But　Alexander　was　not　destined　to　carry　out　his　own　magnificent　project。　That　was　left　for　the　general　whom　he　most　esteemed；　and　to　whose　personal　prowess　he　had　once　owed　his　life；　a　man　than　whom　history　knows　few　greater；　Ptolemy；　the　son　of　Lagus。　　He　was　an　adventurer；　the　son　of　an　adventurer；　his　mother　a　cast…off　concubine　of　Philip　of　Macedon。　　There　were　those　who　said　that　he　was　in　reality　a　son　of　Philip　himself。　　However；　he　rose　at　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　d