White, Joseph; White, Joseph [Editor]: Aegyptiaca, or observations on certain antiquities of Egypt (Band 1): The history of Pompey's pillar elucidated (Oxford, 1801)

34

AEGYPTIAC A.

PART I.

SECT. IV.

Plutarch, in his well known Treatife on Ills

and Ofiris, digreffes from the main object of his work
to introduce fome obfervations on the Alexandrian
Serapis11; which, notwithftanding, contribute to the
illuftration of the topic he is difcuffing. After the ex-
ample of this eminent writer, I will here venture on a
digreffion concerning the Alexandrian Temple of
Serapis e.

d riff'. ’'Woj xtx.) 'Otrlfti. Edit. SauiRE, p. 67. et Verfio Anglic, ibid.
P-35-

c Paufanias, in his defcription of Athens, obferves

fUS'EI/

mmi/ tg

Ttx xolru rrig 7tcA£w?, 'La.^NiSig IfiK ie^ok, ok ’A&flKaioi -zraptx ITToAEptaia S'eok ia-tiyxyoi/To.
Alyvmioig SI ligcc. XafimSog, irrupoi]/ir<XTOv fxiv isik ’AXsjtavSgsvtnv, olpyjxdrixTOv <Se Ik

Mifxtpu. Attica, edit. Kuhn, p. 42.

“ Ce Temple [de Serapis, a Alexandrie\ etoit litue aupres du petit Port,
“ nomme Eukos-ok, dans le quartier Rhacotis, fur un terrain tres-fabloneux, oh
“ les vents elevoient d’immenfes tourbillons de fable.” Langles, Ma-
galin Encyclopedique, Memoire fur Alexandrie, V. Annee, tom. iii. p. 381.

The latter part of this Note reminds me of a fimilar remark I have read
in Templeman’s tranflation of Norden’s travels. Edit. fol. vol. i. p. 21.
Templeman’s words are—“ Strabo mentions,c That the Serapium is Situated
‘ in a very fandy place, infomuch that vaft heaps of fand are raifed by the
c winds.’ From this circumfiance, I think it evident, that the Serapium
“ could not he fituated near the Nile ; for the Jlime of fo muddy a river would
“ necejfarily compati more firmly the funds."