صور الصفحة
PDF
النشر الإلكتروني

[ocr errors]

"The Servant being remanded to bring the reft, "as foon as he came with them, Sebaftian catched "one out of his Hand, crying out, this, Sir, is "the Sword I gave you. When he came to be put on board the Gallies, he faid to the Dutchefs: "Madam, I have nothing to give you now, when "I went to Africk I gave you a Ring, if you fend " for it I will tell you a Secret; the Dutchefs faid "it was true, the King of Portugal had given her a Ring, and order'd it to be fent for; when Se"baftian law it, prefs it with your Fingers, Madam, faid he, the Jewel may then be taken out, and beneath it you will find my Cypher, which prov'd to be true. The Duke and Dutchefs fhed Tears "at his Departure. When he took his Leave he "faid to the Dutchefs, Madam, the Negroe Slave "who attends you, formerly washed my Linnen. Sabaftian was after this imprifoned, yet treated with Lenity till he died, which happen'd at four Years End, always perfifting that he was in Truth what he gave himfelf out to be.

[ocr errors]
[ocr errors]

It is impoffible to perufe this Story without fome Emotion; and there are many others throughout the Course of the Work before me which are calculated to produce the like Effect, and are exceeding proper to gratify the Reader's Curiofity. Of this Sort I 'may reckon those of the Erection of the Caftle and Lordship of Ivetot, in Normandy, into a Kingdom; the Prefages and other remarkable Circumftances attending the Murder of Henry IV. of France; the Affaffination of Lord Lifle (as he has been commonly ftiled) at Laufanne; the Account of M. Dupre, executed at Berne for a Rape on a Woman whom he afterwards married; divers Particulars concerning the unhappy Marshal de Ancré, and his Wife; the fad Catastrophe of Lucretia Dondo, at Padua ; the Memoirs of the titular Duke of Northumberland, who lived many Years and

died at Florence; the Adventures of Ibrahim, a Spanish Renegade, and the Fortune of his Son Haffan; with fome Anecdotes relating to Oliver Cromwell; a Detection of the Practices of the Spanish Inquifition, and the Villanies of the Italian Corfairs. If together with these we take into our Account Mr. Brown's Hiftory of his own perfonal Affairs and Enterprizes, as alfo his Defcriptions of Countries, Cities, and the various Curiofities he is faid to have met with; we may affirm there are few Pages of this Book, which have not fomething in them to engage our Attention, or create a Surprise I will close this Article with an Extract, which will give the Reader an Idea of it, as it is the Journal of a Traveller, under which Character he is especially to confider the Author. This fhall be his historical View of the ancient and prefent State of the famous Alexandria in Egypt.

"This City, as laid out by Dinocrates, at the Command of Alexander, ftretched from the Lake "Mereotis to the Sea, thereby affording all' ima"ginable Conveniency for correfponding with "the Upper and Lower Egypt, at the fame time "that effectual Provifion was made for establishing "a ftrong Garrison, and a numerous and flourish

.

ing Colony, open in refpect to Greece, from "whence at times it cou'd receive fuccours fufficient "not only to preferve itself, but to fecure the Do"minion of the Greeks over Egypt. As it ow'd "it's Foundation to one of the greatest Princes in "the World, fo from the very Beginning it was "adorned with the nobleft publick Buildings "which the Greek Tafte for Architecture, then "at it's greateft Height, and fupported by all the

Riches of the Eaft, cou'd fupply. This great Conqueror, fo long as he lived, continued his "Care to this Child of his Policy, allotting to

it

"it fuch Privileges, and taking fuch Pains to fur"nifh it with Inhabitants, that as it was built, fo "it was peopled in fo fhort a Space, that the Ac"counts we have of it would be incredible, if we "knew not that the whole was carried on by him, "who with thirty-fix thousand Men attempted and "atchieved the Conqueft of the best Part of the " Universe.

66

"His Succeffor in this Part of his Dominions, "Ptolemy Lagus, if he was not rather the Son of Philip, and the Brother of Alexander, made "Alexandria his Capital, and the Care of fortifiing, adorning, and augmenting it, the grand "Business of a long and profperous Reign. It "was he who made it's Port the Wonder of the "World, and erected over a moft magnificent "Palace, built on an artificial Island, that cele"brated Pharos of which Authors speak with fuch "Rapture and Amazement.

"His Succeffor purfued the fame Plan, that is "to fay, they improv'd and adorn'd Alexandria "to the utmost of their Power, transferring hither "by degrees all the Greek Arts, and erecting "that celebrated Library, which was at length "increased to five, fome fay to seven hundred "thousand Volumes, and which is affirmed to "have perished by Fire, when Julius Cæfar was "in that City, tho' neither that Prince, nor the "Conful Hirtius, who continued his Commenta"ries, fay any thing of it. Cleopatra, the last "Greek Soveraign of Egypt, exerted her utmost "Force in order to excell her Predeceffors in mag"nificent Buildings, the Ruins of which (if they "be truly the Ruins of her Palace which are com"monly call'd fo) remain to this Day.

"After Egypt became a Province of Rome, A"lexandria of courfe declined from it's former "Grandeur, but remained still, as the Roman Au

"thors

"thors frequently confefs, the next City to Rome, con"taining not lefs than three hundred thoufand free "Citizens, and of all Sorts of Inhabitants, a million

at the leaft. It's Commerce, it's pleafant and "convenient Situation, it's being the Metropolis "of Africa, after the Ruin of Carthage, drew to it fuch a Flux of Riches, and all other Uten "fils of Luxury; that, as Quintilian informs us, "Delicie Alexandria, the Delights of Alexandria, "became a Proverb. Thence forward it fhar'd the "Fate of the Roman Empire, or rather of the Conftantinopolitan, of which it remain'd a Pro "vince, till it was over-run by the Saracens, in "the Caliphat of Omar, when, with all the reft "of Egypt, it fell into their Hands, and fuffered "from thence all the Calamities a barbarous Ene "my could inflict, an Enemy equally cruel to Buildings and to People.

[ocr errors]

"In the Wars, which almost continually vexed Egypt, after it fell into the Dominion of these "new Mafters, Alexandria fuffered not a little ; "and at length one of the Succeffors of Saladin,

[ocr errors]

as the Europeans call him, inclofed a Part of "the City with Walls, which are yet ftanding, after "having demolish'd every thing without them, as

well to prevent any Rebels from fortifying them"felves amongst them, as to furnish himself with "Materials for the Works carried on by his Com"mand.

"I know very well that many Travellers have "reported, that the Walls now ftanding are those "built by Alexander; but they are really what I

fay, as appears, not only from the Arabian Hif «torians, but from the Walls themselves, which "are plainly compofed in great Measure of the "Fragments of an ancient Building, and have in "many Places Arabick Infcriptions, all of a Date "inferior to that affign'd for their Erection. Under

"the

"the Mamalukes, it is faid, that the ancient "lexandria, or rather the magnificent Ruins of it, "fuffered new Outrages. These People, greedy "of Money, and having ftrong Sufpicions that the "Obelisks they faw cover'd with Hieroglyphicks, "were erected for no other Purpose than by their talifmannick Virtue, to preserve the Treasure "buried under them, broke and threw them down "wherever they could, and defaced all the Statues "they met with, if they had the least Suspicion "that they were hollow.

"The Turks, fince they became Mafters, have "acted upon the fame wife Plan, and 'tis hard to "fay whether they have been more induftrious in destroying the noble Monuments. of Antiquity, "or careless in erecting publick Works them "felves.

"But to return to the City, its ancient Magni"ficence appeared but in part from the noble "Structures erected on the Surface, fince it was "wholly built on Vaults of ftupendous Contri

vance, and wonderful Beauty. As the Bufinefs "of Navigation and Agriculture could not have "been carried on without the many Canals above "describ'd, fo their domeftick Occafions required

[ocr errors]
[ocr errors]

Supplies of Water nearer at hand, and in Quan"tities proportioned to the Number of the Inha "bitants. Subterraneous Aqueducts furnished these; nay, and furnish them ftill, for there is not a Drop of Water in the modern Alexandria, but "what is drawn from the ancient Cisterns, filled "once a Year, by the Rifing of the Nile; towards "which time the Water remaining in thefe Repo"fitories corrupting, renders the Air unwholefome, " and the City very fickly.

"The old Alexandria was a Square of about a “League, but its Suburbs stretched very much to"wards the Tower of the Arabs on the one Side,

" and

« السابقةمتابعة »