alexandria and her schools-第5章

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　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　enjoy　themselves　in　moderation；　as　befits　sages；　not　without　puns　and　repartees；　epigrams；　anagrams；　and　Attic　salt；　to　be　fatal；　alas；　to　poor　Diodorus　the　dialectician。　　For　Stilpo；　prince　of　sophists；　having　silenced　him　by　some　quibbling　puzzle　of　logic；　Ptolemy　surnamed　him　Chronos　the　Slow。　　Poor　Diodorus　went　home；　took　pen　and　ink；　wrote　a　treatise　on　the　awful　nothing；　and　died　in　despair；　leaving　five　〃dialectical　daughters〃　behind　him；　to　be　thorns　in　the　sides　of　some　five　hapless　men　of　Macedonia；　as　〃emancipated　women；〃　a　class　but　too　common　in　the　later　days　of　Greece；　as　they　will　always　be；　perhaps；　in　civilisations　which　are　decaying　and　crumbling　to　pieces；　leaving　their　members　to　seek　in　bewilderment　what　they　are；　and　what　bonds　connect　them　with　their　fellow…beings。　　But　to　return：　　funds　shall　be　provided　for　the　Museum　from　the　treasury；　a　priest　of　rank；　appointed　by　royalty；　shall　be　curator；　botanical　and　zoological　gardens　shall　be　attached；　collections　of　wonders　made。　　In　all　things　the　presiding　genius　of　Aristotle　shall　be　worshipped；　for　these；　like　Alexander；　were　his　pupils。　　Had　he　not　mapped　out　all　heaven　and　earth；　things　seen　and　unseen；　with　his　entelechies；　and　energies；　and　dunameis；　and　put　every　created　and　uncreated　thing　henceforth　into　its　proper　place；　from　the　ascidians　and　polypes　of　the　sea　to　the　virtues　and　the　vicesyea；　to　that　Great　Deity　and　Prime　Cause　（which　indeed　was　all　things）；　Noesis　Noeseon；　〃the　Thought　of　Thoughts；〃　whom　he　discovered　by　irrefragable　processes　of　logic；　and　in　whom　the　philosophers　believe　privately；　leaving　Serapis　to　the　women　and　the　sailors？　　All　they　had　to　do　was　to　follow　in　his　steps；　to　take　each　of　them　a　branch；　of　science　or　literature；　or　as　many　branches　as　one　man　conveniently　can；　and　working　them　out　on　the　approved　methods；　end　in　a　few　years；　as　Alexander　did；　by　weeping　on　the　utmost　shore　of　creation　that　there　are　no　more　worlds　left　to　conquer。

Alas！　the　Muses　are　shy　and　wild；　and　though　they　will　haunt；　like　skylarks；　on　the　bleakest　northern　moor　as　cheerfully　as　on　the　sunny　hills　of　Greece；　and　rise　thence　singing　into　the　heaven　of　heavens；　yet　they　are　hard　to　tempt　into　a　gilded　cage；　however　amusingly　made　and　plentifully　stored　with　comforts。　　Royal　societies；　associations　of　savants；　and　the　like；　are　good　for　many　things；　but　not　for　the　breeding　of　art　and　genius：　　for　they　are　things　which　cannot　be　bred。　Such　institutions　are　excellent　for　physical　science；　when；　as　among　us　now；　physical　science　is　going　on　the　right　method：　　but　where；　as　in　Alexandria；　it　was　going　on　an　utterly　wrong　method；　they　stereotype　the　errors　of　the　age；　and　invest　them　with　the　prestige　of　authority；　and　produce　mere　Sorbonnes；　and　schools　of　pedants。　　To　literature；　too；　they　do　some　good；　that　is；　in　a　literary　agean　age　of　reflection　rather　than　of　production；　of　antiquarian　research；　criticism；　imitation；　when　book…making　has　become　an　easy　and　respectable　pursuit　for　the　many　who　cannot　dig；　and　are　ashamed　to　beg。　　And　yet；　by　adding　that　same　prestige　of　authority；　not　to　mention　of　good　society　and　Court　favour；　to　the　popular　mania　for　literature；　they　help　on　the　growing　evil；　and　increase　the　multitude　of　prophets　who　prophesy　out　of　their　own　heart　and　have　seen　nothing。

And　this　was；　it　must　be　said；　the　outcome　of　all　the　Ptolemaean　appliances。

In　Physics　they　did　little。　　In　Art　nothing。　　In　Metaphysics　less　than　nothing。

We　will　first　examine；　as　the　more　pleasant　spectacle　of　the　two；　that　branch　of　thought　in　which　some　progress　was　really　made；　and　in　which　the　Ptolemaic　schools　helped　forward　the　development　of　men　who　have　become　world…famous；　and　will　remain　so；　I　suppose；　until　the　end　of　time。

Four　names　at　once　attract　us：　　Euclid；　Aristarchus；　Eratosthenes；　Hipparchus。　　Archimedes；　also；　should　be　included　in　the　list；　for　he　was　a　pupil　of　the　Alexandrian　school；　having　studied　（if　Proclus　is　to　be　trusted）　in　Egypt；　under　Conon　the　Samian；　during　the　reigns　of　two　Ptolemies；　Phil