This Philosopher, Who Belonged To The
Sect Of The Stoics, Was Born At Apamea In Syria:
He usually resided at
Rhodes, and was the friend of Pompey and Cicero.
The former, on his return
from Syria, came thither to attend his lectures. Arriving at his house, he
forbad his lictor to knock, as was usual, at the door; and paid homage to
philosophy, by lowering the fasces at the abode of Posidonius. Pompey,
being informed that he was at that time ill of the gout, visited him in his
confinement, and expressed himself very much disappointed that he could not
have the benefit of his lectures. Posidonius, thus honoured and flattered,
in spite of his pain, delivered a lecture in the presence of his noble
visitor; the subject of which was to prove, that nothing is good which is
not honourable. Cicero informs us, that he also attended his lectures; and
according to Suidas Marcellus, brought him to Rome in the year of the city
702; in this, however, Suidas is not supported by other and contemporary
writers.
We are indebted to Cleomedes for most of what we know of his opinions and
discoveries; with such as relate to morals or to pure astronomy, we have no
concern. But he was of service also to geography. He measured an arc of the
terrestrial meridian; but his operation, as far as we can judge by the
details which have reached us, was far from exact, and of course his result
could not be accurate; it would appear, however, that his object was rather
to verify the ancient measures of the earth, particularly that of
Eratosthenes, and that he found them to agree nearly with his own. He
explained the ebbing and flowing of the sea, from the motion of the moon,
and seems to have been the first who observed the law of this phenomenon.
In order to represent the appearance of the heavens, Cicero informs us that
he constructed a kind of planetarium, by means of which he exhibited the
apparent motion of the sun, moon, and planets round the earth. It is on the
authority of Posidonius, that Strabo relates the voyage of Eudoxus of
Cyzicum from the Persian Gulf round Africa to Cadiz, which we have already
mentioned.
Having thus exhibited a view of the discoveries in geography, the advances
in the sciences connected with it, and the commercial enterprises of the
Egyptians, while under the dominion of the Ptolemies, it will be proper,
before beginning an account of the geographical knowledge and commercial
enterprises of the Romans (who, by their conquest of Egypt, may be said to
have absorbed all the geographical knowledge, as well as all the commerce
of the world, at that period), to recapitulate the extent of the Egyptian
geography and commerce, especially towards the east We shall direct our
retrospect to this quarter, because the commodities of the east being most
prized, it was the grand object of the sovereigns and merchants of Egypt,
to extend and facilitate the intercourse with that quarter of the globe as
much as possible. And we are induced to undertake the retrospect, because
the exact limit of the geographical knowledge and commercial enterprise of
the Ptolemies is differently fixed by different authors: some maintaining
that the Egyptians had a regular and extensive trade directly with India,
and of course, were well acquainted with the seas and coasts beyond the Red
Sea; while other authors maintain, that they never passed the straits of
Babelmandeb, and that even within the straits, their geographical knowledge
and commercial enterprises were very limited.
It cannot be doubted that commerce and the spirit of discovery flourished
with more vigour, and pushed themselves to a greater distance in the reigns
of Ptolemy Philadelphus, and Ptolemy Euergetes, than in the reign of any of
their successors. If, therefore, there are no proofs or traces of a direct
and regular trade with India in their time, we may safely conclude it did
not exist in Egypt, previously to the conquest of that country by the
Romans.
We are well aware, that there are great authorities opposed to the opinion
which we hold; but these authorities are modern; they are not, we think,
supported by the ancient writers, and in opposition to them, we can place
the authority of Dr. Vincent, a name of the very greatest weight in
questions of this nature. The authorities we alluded to in support of the
opinion, that there was a direct trade with India under the Ptolemies, are
Huet, in his History of the Commerce and Navigation of the Ancients; Dr.
Robertson, in his Disquisition on India, and Harris, or perhaps, more
properly speaking, Dr. Campbell, in his edition of Harris's Collection of
Voyages and Travels. Huet, as is justly remarked by Dr. Vincent, drops the
prosecution of the question at the very point he ought to introduce it; and
afterwards countenances, or seems to countenance, the opposite opinion. Dr.
Robertson bestows much labour, ingenuity, and learning in support of the
opinion, that under the Ptolemies, a direct trade was carried on with
India; yet, after all, he concludes in this manner: "it is probable that
their voyages were circumscribed within very narrow limits, and that under
the Ptolemies no considerable progress was made in the discovery of India:"
and when he comes to the discovery of the Monsoon by Hippalus and the
consequent advantage taken of it to trade directly to India, by sailing
from shore to shore, he acknowledges that all proofs of a more early
existence of such a trade are wanting. Dr. Campbell virtually gives up his
support of the opinion, that a direct trade was carried on under the
Ptolemies, in the same manner.
We have already remarked, that the strongest spirit of enterprize that
distinguished Egypt existed in the reign of Ptolemy Philadelphus and
Ptolemy Euergetes; that these monarchs pushed their discoveries, and
extended their commercial connections much farther than any of their
predecessors; and that therefore, if a direct and regular communication
between Egypt and India did not take place in their reigns, we may be
assured it was unknown to the Egyptians at the period of the Roman
conquest.
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