MR. URBAN,

THE

HE naval frolick on Pompey's Pillar, related by Mr. Irwin, Gent. Mag. 1780, p. 529, has induced me to fend you a draw ing of it, which is much at your engraver's fervice.

Paul Lucas gives its height with the bafe and capital 94 feet, the bafe 14 feet, and 1828 cubic feet, the capital 9 feet, and 485 cubic feet, the pillar 69 feet, and 3347 cubic feet, Paris meafure; the whole refting on aftone but 5 feet fquare, furrounded by other large ones, which may eafily be removed without endangering the pillar. He adds, it is impoffible to find a monument of fuch antiquity fo well preferved, for it is not known whether it may not be older than Pompey, and only called from his ftatue formerly placed on it; in proof of which, a mountebank, who formerly climbed up, affirmed that there was a hollow on the top to fix a ftatue. (Voy. en Turq. &c. Rouen, 1724, II. 23.)

Maillet, who was Conful in Egypt in 1692, tells us, only one ftone had been taken from one corner underneath by the Arabs. He adds, the removal of this one corner fione difcovered others charged with hieroglyphics, and that the whole refts on a fingle central ftone, which he calls a kind of pillar, as reprefented in his print (which exatly refembles that in Lucas), and which is alfo charged with hieroglyphics. He could not determine of what order the pillar was, for want of measuring it; but from mathematical measurements fays it may be pronounced 110 feet high, and 88 without the capital and bafe, and four men could fcarce embrace it. It diminishes at both ends, and fwells out in the middle, and confifts of three pieces; the firft is the capital, the fecond the pillar and 3 feet of the bafe, the third the bafe, which is at least 15 feet fquare, and as entire as when first placed there. The capital is only a little fcaled on the fouth fide by the moift winds from that quarter, and about 25 feet by 1 on the pillar; but this last has not penetrated above four fingers depth into the mafs. An Arab however afcended this pillar with a young afs on his back, by a rope which he had lodged in the capital by, an arrow, and difcovered that the capital was hollow. Mr. M. concludes with ob

ferving, that this pillar was once inconteftably within the city of Alexandria, though at prefent a full quarter of a league from the walls of the new city on a natural feep knowl of folid ftone, 25 or 30 inches high, and that at bottom of the fhaft to the weft is a Greek infeription, which he does not know was ever copied. (Defcr. de l'Egypte, Haye, 1740, 120, 1. 18c, &c.) Thefe two travellers were there in the reign of Lewis XIV.

It is thus defcribed by Dr. Shaw, p. 338. "Pompey's Pillar lies at a little distance to GENT. MAG. January, 1781.

the fouthward of the ruins of Alexandria. It is of the Corinthian order, though the foliage of the capital is badly executed. A great part of the foundation, which is made up of feveral different pieces of ftone and marble, hath been removed, in expectation, as may be supposed, of finding a treafure. At prefent, therefore, the whole fabrick feems to reft entirely upon a block of white marble, fcarce two yards fquare, which, upon being touched with a key, gives a found like a bell. Some of the broken pieces of marble are infcribed with hieroglyphics; a circumftance which may induce us to fufpect that this pillar was not erected by the Egyptians, but by the Greeks or Romans; nay later, perhaps, than Strabo, who, otherwife, it may be prefumed, would not have omitted the defcription of it." This was in 1727.

Van Egmont and Haym, who were there in this century, give the following account of it: "It stands on a fandy hill, near the peppergate, and is feen at the diftance of three leagues at fea. It is of the Corinthian order, and is the largest column in the world, ftanding still intire on its pedestal, and including the capital and bafe is 90 or 94 royal feet high; the pedestal is 18 fect, the shaft 69 feet, and the capital 10 feet high. It is placed on a foundation 5 feet fquare, and every fide of it decorated with hieroglyphics inverted, as

if the ftones were taken from older ruins but its bafis has fuffered from the rude hands of the Arabs, who fancied there were treafures concealed under it. On the eaft fide of the pedeftal are fome Greek letters, the remains of an infcription, but fo greatly ob literated as to be abfolutely illegible. Father Sicard, however, from the remaining letters, imagined the purport of it is that Pompey was murdered here in the reign of Ptolemy and Cleopatra. Near this pillar are the foundation and ftately ruins of an antient ftructure, which fome (for what reafon I know not) affirm to have been Cæfar's palace." (II. 136.)

Bishop Pococke (1743) fays, (I. 8.) "It might be fet up either in honour of Titus of Adrian, who were in Egypt. It is of red gra nite in three pieces. The capital is judged to be 3 feet deep; the fhaft, with the upper torus of the bafe, is of another stone, and the remainder of the bafe and pedestal of a third. Some failors have found means to get to the top, which has a hole in it, from which it is judged that there was a flatue fixed on the top of it." He has given a draught of it, and makes the whole height, by the fhadow, 114 feet, the diameter 9 feet, the die of the pedeftal 12 feet 2 inches fquare, the plinth 2 feet wider, the height of the thaft 88 feet 9 inches. He obferved a fwell in the pillar, and that it leans a little to the S. W. and is fcaled a very little to the S. and more to the N. E. The foundation has been opened to the W. S. W. and

the

the reft remains all found. It is probable the pillar refts on the central stone, which is about 4 feet wide, charged with hieroglyphics, which was repaired when the reprefentation was taken. Near it are fome fragments of granite pillars, 4 feet diameter; and it appears from many old traditions, that there has been fome magnificent building, in whofe area this pillar was erected, and which fome Arabian hiftorians call Julius Cæfar's palace.

Mr. Norden's account [1737] differs from the preceding: He fays the fhaft of this Corinthian column is of one fingle piece of granite, the capital of another piece of marble, and the pedestal of a greyish ftone, refembling flint for hardness and grain. The foundation is open on one fide, faid to have been done by gunpowder, which only deranged four ftones, and left the other three fides of the foundation intire. This accident however uncovered a piece of white oriental marble, full of hieroglyphics, fo well preferved that I could make an exact draw ing of them. Another piece of Sicilian marble, yellowish, fpotted with red, charged alfo with hieroglyphics, was removed from its place. A piece of a little column had alfo been removed in this foundation, with fome other pieces of marble, which have nothing remarkable." As to the reprefentation of it as standing on a fingle central Atone by Lucas and Mailler, Mr. N. affures ns, it is abfolutely falfe. (Eng. edit. 8vo. I. 14-16.)

To this comparative view of what different travellers have faid of this magnificent column, which ferves but to prove how little they are to be depended on, we shall add only the following account from old-fashioned Sandys, 1610, who fays, "Without the walls on the S. W. fide of the city, on a Fittle hill. ftands a columne of Theban marble, all of tone, 86 palmes high and 36 in compaffe, the palme confitting of 9 inches Genocfe measure, fet upon a fquare cube, and (which is to be wondered at) not half fo large as the foot of the pillar, called by the Arabi ans Homadeflacor, which is, the columne of the Arabians. They tell a fable how that one of the Ptolemies erected the fame in the furtheft extent of the haven, to defend the city from navall incurfions, having placed a magicall glaffe of ftecle on the top, of vertue (if uncovered) to fet on fire fuch fhips as failed by; but fubverted by enemies, the glaffe loft that power, who in this place re-erected the column. But by the western Chriftians it is called the pillar of Pompey, and is faid to have been reared by Cefar as a memoriall of his Pompe.an victory." P. 89.

To this ftory Spenfer alludes in his Fairy Queen, III. 2. 20.

But who does wonder that has read the tower Wherein the Egyptian Phao long did turk,

From all men's view that none might her discover,

Yet the might all men view out of her bower.
Great Ptolomy it for his leman's fake
It builded all of glafs by magic power,
And also it impregnable did make;
Yet when her love was falfe he with a peaze
it brake.

And Monf. Valois Effai fur l'origine de Verre. (Mem. de l'Acad. des Infc. I. 12°)

"On lit qu'un Ptolomée roi d'Egypte avoit fait batir une tour ou un obfervatoire dans l'ifie ou etoit conftruit le Phare d' Alexandrie, & qu' au haut de cette tour il avoit fait placer des lunettes d'approche d'une portee fi prodigieufe qu'il decouvrit de 600 milles les vaiffeaux ennemis qui vinrent a l'intention de faire quelque defcente fur ces cotes."

But thefe are only fo many corrupt traditions relative to the original Pharos or Lighthoufe of Alexandria.

The infcription on Pompey's pillar given by Bishop Pococke, and by him only, of alt the travellers above cited, is as follows: 1..7...o€OTATO P.0.P.TA TCC..OCONIOY. TONAMEMAS ΔΙΟ ΜΑΡΡΟΜΗΤΟΝ ΤΟΝ ΛΑΙ.. ПОСЕ......АРАСС .....

He fays it is on the weft fide, and can hardly be difcerned unless the fun thines on it, and that he gave the letters "by conjecture."

Mr. Robert Hughes of Alexandria, viewing it with Lord Charlemont, &c. Okt. 11, 1749, faw in the pedeftal fix holes, and another in the pillar clofe to the lower moulding, with lead and iron run in them, which they fuppofed held a copper-plate and infcription. This is to the eastward, facing the new port. Stooping down and looking over the weft fide, he saw letters as the fun fhined, which he copied as well as he could for heat and fatigue, and fent to his Lordfhip at Leghorn, as follow:

..OMITATON. уTON.V..

...

If Mr. Hughes's fidelity can be dependeđ on, there is in line 2 a name like Julius (oo), which may have given rife to the tradition both about Jul. Cæfar and Pompey.

In the Philofophical Tranfactions for 1767, p. 438, the famous E. Wortley Montague controverts the opinion that this pillar was erected to the honour of Pompey, and gives it to the Emperor Vefpafian, on the authority of a fingular circumftance. He difcovered and took out a fine Greck medal of that Emperor, infcribed ATT.KAIL.ZEE. ΟΘΕΣΗ.... Rev. Victoria gradini, d. (picas, s. paimam, which had fuck fatt to the bafe above a foot within the circumference of the pillar.

pillar. This he thinks could not have got in by accident, but must have been put there originally. He confirms the account of the fingle ftone or inverted obelisk 4 feet thick, on which the whole ftands on a rock. Mr. Montague measured the capital 9 feet 7 inches, the thaft 66 feet 1 inch, the bafe 5 feet 9 inches, the pedestal 10 feet 5 inches 2 height from the ground 92 feet, diameter 9 feet 1 inch. The infcription, he fays, is on the west fide of the bafe, but fo much injured by time and tools, that no fingle Greek word can be made out. D. H.

MR. URBAN,

T

HAT pretty fhort word Cash, which you and I have fome little concern with, though nothing in comparison with what the Rajahs and Nabobs of the Eaft, the Gentlemen repatriating from India, and the rich Bankers of London, have, is fuppofed to be the French Caffe, a cheft*, Continens, by metonymy, pro Contento. But I fufpeét the word not to be of European extraction, but rather brought to us from the Eaft In dies, as many other terms have been.

At Atckeen, or Achin, in the island of Sumatra, "they have a fmall coin of leaden money called Cab, from 12 to 1600 of them go as to one Mace or Mafcie. The Mascie is a small gold coin of fourteen pence current, but in value about twelve pence English +." But I find a more remarkable paffage than this in Dampier, whence it appears, that this piece, which is their smallet denomination, is known and used in all thofe Eastern counrics. Speaking of Achin, he fays, the women money-changers "fit in the markets, and at the corners of the streets, with leaden money called Cok, which is a name that is generally given to small money in all thefe countreys: but the Cab here is neither of the fame metal nor value with that at Tenquin; for that is copper, and this is lead or block tin, such as will bend about the finger. They have but two forts of coin of their own, the leaft fort is this leaden money called Cash, &c.‡"

Cash then, if taken and borrowed from this piece of low value in the Eaft, and brought thence to us, feems to ftand upon the fame footing as Pence does, which, being our lowet denomination of coin, is frequently used for money in general. You will judge as you pleate, Sir; but, in my opinion, this is the true original of our common word Cash, fon whence we have Cafhier, a treaturer or keeper of money, the Cafb-book in the counting-houfe, &c.

The piece, it feems, at Abin is lead or tin; but in the fouthern part of the ifland of Sumarra, about Bencoolen, it is of copper, as we find it to be at Tonquin. One of thefe, given

MR. URBAN,

Dec. 27, 1780. HE black box in which Sir John Dal

Trymple found the papers which he

fome time ago publifhed (the reading of which gave him a fhock equal to what he would have felt if he had feen his fon turn his back in the day of battle) has been confidered by many as a device of his own; if fo, however, he does not feem to have the merit ofinvention in it, for one of the curious advertifements inferted in your October Magazine from L'Eftrange's paper, fhews that there was a black box in the time of Charles the Second. I do not remember the circumstance to which that alludes, and with any one of your correfpondents would explain it; but that black box does not appear to have been confidered as of more authority than Sir John's is.

In September laft there was a letter in the St. James's Chronicle relating to Sir John's black box, the answer to which (if there was any) I never happened to fee, and think the letter not undeferving a republication in a work calculated, like your's, for the future hiftorian. Some correfpondent may determine the point, and thereby either strengthen the doubts which at prefent fubfift as to that fame black box; or, by fhewing that Lord Godolphin really had a wife in King William's time, take off fo much of the fufpicion from it. I am, &c. S. H.

The Letter alluded to: "I AM frequently puzzled and diftreffed with the inaccuracies and contradictions I meet with in my reading of English hiftory. Even the dealers in original papers, letters, &c. inftead of folving my doubts and difficulties, often ferve only to increase the number of them. Let me give you one inftance, out of many, of thefe diftreffes and hinderances which interrupt my hiftorical studies.

In the fecond volume of Sir John Dalrymple's Memoirs, App. Part II. p. 224. Lord Sidney, in a latter to King William, dated Feb. 3, 1691, fays, “I have had some difcourfe with Lord Godolphin, and particularly about his own affairs. I find him much refoived to do what he faid he would to your Majefty (i. e. to refign his office at Court). He lays it molt upon his suite; and faith, it will not be convenient for a man of butinels, that is not very young, to bring a wife near

the

'the Court: upon the whole matter, I fee plainly he will not stay long in your fervice." Now, from Edmondfon's Baronagium it appears, that Lord Godolphin had but one wife, viz. Margaret, daughter of Thomas Blague, Efq and that she died in 1678.

With him agrees Ar. Collins, who in his Peerage afferts more pofitively, that "his lordship was fo much affected with her death, that he ever after continued a widower."

How shall we reconcile these contradic tions? Lord Sidney, in his letter, talks of a wife of Lord G. living in 1691; the two genealogifts affert, that he never had but one, and that the died twelve years before.

Let me intreat, Mr. Baldwin, fome of your hiftorico-critical readers to try their kill in untying this knot; but if that cannot be done, I hope they will join with me in a petition to Sir J. D. for the revifal of the origial letter, that it may be afcertained whether there be any wife in it or no. Perhaps this apparition may vanifh by, what has produced many an one, a fecond fight. Oxford, Sept. 1, 1785.

J. J.” THE SPECULATOR. N°. IV. Vitiis nemo fine najcitur,

Hor.

A

Every man has his failings.

fuffer the Polygamist to remain unanswered; and the next morning's breakfaft-piece was a full refutation of Mr. Madan's principles. As I never paid any attention to the fubject, and was folely intent upon the management of my face and rifibility, he no fcorer be gan to read than 1 to grin.-Guefs my aftonifhment, when, intead of joining me as ufual, he in a rage threw the papers at my head. Since this time he has watched me fo clofely, that I cannot be inattentive but he muft perceive it. I have now left off my grin, and only fmile upon particular occafions.--I likewife never make use of my loud burfts, but when he gives the fignal, by faying "a cut, fir-now I lafh them." This is my hiftory; and I now apply to you for advice. If I can find no remedy, I think my vexation will increafe, for I heard him the other night boast of his dramatic geni us; and I tremble, left his next performance thould be either a Tragedy or Comedy."

This young gentleman's fituation is truly pitiable. The cacoethes fcribendi is certainly one of the inoft troublefome difeafes of the mind; and when it thus totally poffeffes a man, I fcarce know any madness equal to it.

The old gentleman, before he began to write, was a pleafing companion, and an ufeful and kind neighbour.-Though he was fond of telling his ftory, it always proved en

It is

the moral line.

My uncle's houfe is now become intolerable. The fuccefs his Travels through" met with from the kindness of his friends, has almoft turned his head.-His whole time is taken up in writing, reading his own works, and pulling to pieces thofe of others.-The evenings he used to enjoy over his bottle, are now ipent in verfifying, fatirifing, and commentating in fhort, the whole man is altered.-At breakfaft, before I am foffered to eat a piece of toaft, or drink a dith of tea, I must get myfelf an appetite, by laughing at the follies of mankind, which he has feverely expofed in a fatire. Every line contains a frike, as he terms it, which no one but himfelf can perceive. I must appear to feel the force of every doble entendre, or offend him, This I found very difficult at firft; bot in a fhort time 1 became capable of expreffing my approbation, by keping up a continual grin till he had done, when I generally concluded with a loud laugh. This manner of treating the old gentleman on became fo familiar, that I at lat: found it no great hardfhip, and began to be pretty eafy.--But, unfortunately for me, Mr. Madan at this time publifhed his "Thelyphthora." My uncle's good heart, and love of writing, could not.

I

with its length or infignificancy. therefore fomewhat ftrange, that a man, who in other refpects fhewed fo much fenfe and difcretion, fhould in this aft fo contrary. Dionyfius the elder was guilty of the fame fault he never fuffered any one to depart from his table, till he had difgufted them with his thocking verfes.-I would advife thofe, who labour under this complaint, to make it fubordinate to their higher concerns: to indulge it only as an amufement. would not be understood to condemn, but would recommend it in moderation; to youth efpecially, writing will ferve to expand their ideas, enlarge their minds, form their style, and give a correctness to their speech and diction. The inveftigation of matter will give them a habit of reflexion, and they will be led to view things in a lefs fuperficial manner than they generally do at their time of life-The only advice I can fend my young correfpondent is, to foffer his uncle to continue writing till he finds, by the bad fale of his publications, that he is only mak→ ing work for the printer and bookfeller, to the injury of his purfe and literary character. P. R.

S the original letters in your ufeful Maszine meet with general approbation, you will readily infert the two following ones, faithfully copied from the originals, in the hands of

An occafional Correfpondent, J. W.