About  the  aame  time,  Polycratea,  tyrant  of  Samoa,
is  said  to  have  founded  a  library.  In  the  best
days  of  Athens,  even  private  persons  had  largo
collections  of  books ;  the  moat  important  of  which
we  know  any  thing,  belonged  to  Euclid,  Enripidea,
and  Aristotle.  Stnbo  says  (liiL  I)  that  Arutotle
was  the  fint  who,  to  hia  knowledge,  mode  a  col-
lection of  books,  and  taught  the  Egyptian  king*
the  anangement  of  a  library.  The  most  impcfftont
and  splendid  public  library  of  antiquity  was  that
founded  by  the  Ptolemies  at  Aleundria,  began
nnder  Ptolemy  Soter,  but  increased  and  re-arranged
in  an  orderiy  and  systematic  manner  by  Ptolemy
Philadelphns,  who  also  appointed  a  fixed  librarian
and  otherwise  raovidcd  for  the  nsefnlness  of  the
institution.  Tho  library  of  the  Ptolemies  con-
tained, acoffding  to  X  Oellius  (vi.  17),  700,000
Tolumea  ;  according  to  Josephus,  £00,000 ;  and  ac-
cording to  Seneca  (De  Trmj.  An.  9),  400,000,
The  different  reckoning  of  di&erent  anthon  may
be  in  some  mfsaure,  perhaps,  lecanciled  by  sup-
posing that  they  give  the  namber  of  books  tmly  in
a  jBil  of  the  libruiy ;  for  it  consisted  of  two  parts,
one  in  the  quoner  of  the  dty  called  Bmcheion,
the  other  in  the  part  oiUed  Senpeion.  Ptolemy
Philadelphns  bought  Aristotle's  coUoctinn  to  add
to  tbe  library,  and  Ptolemy  Euergetea  continued
to  add  to  the  atock.  A  great  part  of  this  aplmdid
library  was  consumed  by  fira  tn  the  siege  of
Alexandria  by  Julius  Caosar:  lome  wiiten  say
that  the  whole  was  burnt ;  but  tbe  discrejwicy
in  the  nnmbera  stated  above  seems  to  confinn  the
opinion  that  the  fire  did  not  extend  so  &r.  At
any  rate,  the  library  was  soon  natored,  and
continued  in  a  flourishing  condition  till  it  was  de-
stroyed by  tha  Arabs  A.  n.  640.  (Sea  Gibbon,
c51.)  Connected  with  the  greater  division  of
the  librury,  in  the  qnarUr  of  Alexandria  called
Btucheion,  was  a  sort  of  college  to  which  tbe  name
of  Mouseion  (or  Mnaenm)  was  giveiL  Here  many
Favonred  literati  punued  their  studies,  Imiacribed
books,  and  ao  fonh  ;  lectures  also  were  delivered.
