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

58

iEGYPTIACA.

PART I.

“ poffum. Ulud [petis] de quo ego quid in mandatis
“ dare non pofTum, nifi poll veniam ab Imperatore fide-
“ lium Omaro Ebno’l Chattab impetratam. Scriptis ergo
“ ad Oraarum literis, notum ei fecit, quid dixiflet Jo-
“ hannes, perlataeque funt ad ipfum ab Omaro literae,
“ in quibus fcriptit—Quod ad libros quorum mentio-
“ nem fecijli : fi in illis contineatur, quod cum libro
“ Dei convent at, in libro Dei \ejf\ quod fufficiat abfque
“ illo ; quod Ji in illis fuerit quod libro Dei repugnet,
“ tieutiquam efi eo \nobis~\ opus, jube igitur e medio
“ tolli. Juffit ergo Amrus Ebno’l All difpergi eos per
“ balnea Alexandria, atque illis calefaciendis comburi :
“ ita fpatio femeftri confumpti funt. Audi quid fadlum
“ fuerit et mirares.”

“ The fentence of Omar,” fays Mr. Gibbon, “ was
“ executed with blind obedience : the volumes of paper
“ or parchment were diftributed to the four thou-
“ sand baths; and such was their incredible
“ multitude, that six months were barely
“ sufficient for the consumption of this pre-
“ cious fuel. Since the Dynafties of Abulpharagius
“ have been given to the world in a Latin vertion, the
“ tale has been repeatedly tranfcribed; and every fcho-
“ lar, with pious indignation, has deplored the irrepara-

£ Hift. Dynaft. Lat. p. 144.