2. Thebes appears to have been more magnificent than any other city, either in ancient or modern times. It was called the city of a hundred gates; and such was the immense population, that through each of these gates, in time of war, marched two hundred armed chariots, and two thousand soldiers.

3. Thebes was ruined in the time of Cambyses, king of of Persia, who lived about twenty-four hundred years ago. Yet the remains of the city are still visible, scattered over a space of twenty-seven miles on each side of the Nile. Some of the pillars of the temples are eleven feet in diameter.

4. One of the Egyptian kings caused his subjects to dig a great lake, forty-five miles in circumference, and almost as deep as the ocean. Another king constructed a labyrinth of marble, containing three thousand chambers, fifteen hundred of which were under ground.

5. In the upper chambers of this labyrinth were kept the sacred crocodiles, and all the other animals which the Egyptians worshipped. In the subterranean chambers lay the dead kings of Egypt.

6. The catacombs are likewise very wonderful. They are galleries hewn out of the rock, and extend a great way beneath the ground. The dead bodies of persons who died thousands of years ago are found in these catacombs, and they are nearly as well preserved now as when they were first buried. These are called mummies; and many, supposed to be three thousand years old, have been brought to this country.

7. Everybody has heard of the pyramids of Egypt. These immense edifices are still standing on the banks of the Nile. The largest is five hundred feet high, and covers eleven acres of ground.

8. The pyramids are so old, that it is impossible to tell when they were erected, or by whom. It is generally supposed that the ancient kings of Egypt intended them as their sepulchres, thinking that thus they should be

The Sitting Statues in the Desert, near Thebes.

famous for ever. But though the pyramids have not decayed, the names of those kings are forgotten.

9. Near Thebes are the two colossal statues represented on the opposite page. They were raised in honour of King Amenophis, who lived 1430 years before Christ. They are seated, as it were, on chairs, and are sixty feet high.

10. The sphynx is one of the most curious among the Egyptian antiquities. It was originally the gigantic head of a woman, on the body of a lion; but the lower part is now buried in the sand. The part which remains above ground is the head and neck. These are twenty-seven feet high, and are made of solid rock.

Thebes, are so
The remains of

11. The ruins of Luxor, near ancient grand as to strike the beholder with awe. one of the temples are, perhaps, the most remarkable relics of antiquity.

12. At the time when they constructed these marvellous works, the ancient Egyptians possessed more learning and science than any other people. Their superior knowledge caused them to be looked upon as magicians by the people of other countries.

13. Still the Egyptians had many absurd superstitions, as I have already told you. Their chief deities were Isis and Osiris. Of these they made strange images, and worshipped them. Isis in particular was greatly reverenced, and the people dedicated many splendid temples to her worship.

QUESTIONS. 1. What of the ancient history of Egypt? What of its ruins and monuments ?- -2. What of Thebes? Population? -3. Its remains? Pillars? -4. Describe the works of some of the kings.-6. Describe the catacombs. The mummies.- -8. The pyramids. -9. What of statues near Thebes ?-10. Describe the sphynx.-11. What of the ruins of Luxor ? 12. How were the Egyptians looked upon by people of other countries ?-13. Mention the superstitions of the Egyptians.

CHAPTER XXXVIII.

AFRICA Continued.-The Ptole

mies and Queen Cleopatra.

1. In the history of the Jews, I have told of their bondage in Egypt, and of their miraculous deliverance. Five hundred years afterwards, the Egyptian king Shishak took Jerusalem, and plundered Solomon's temple.

2. A very famous king of Egypt was named Amenophis. He is believed to be the same with Memnon, in honour of whom a temple with a gigantic statue was erected, of which some remains are still to be seen at Thebes. This statue was said to utter a joyful sound at sunrise, and a mournful sound when the sun set. This is now known to have been a contrivance of the priests.

3. In the year 525 before the Christian era, Egypt was conquered by Cambyses, king of Persia; he compelled Psammenitus, the king, to drink bulls' blood, which operated as a poison, and caused his death.

4. Three hundred and thirty-two years before the Christian era, Egypt was conquered by Alexander the Great, king of Macedon. Here he built a famous city, called Alexandria, which was for many centuries one of the most splendid places in the world. But the ancient city is in ruins, and modern Alexandria is far inferior to it.

5. Alexander was buried at Alexandria, in a tomb cut out of one vast stone; which may now be seen in the British Museum.

6. Ptolemy, one of the conqueror's generals, became the ruler of the country. From Ptolemy descended a race of kings, all of whom were likewise called Ptolemy. They reigned over Egypt two hundred and ninety-four years. The last of these kings was Ptolemy Dionysius, whose own wife made war against him. A battle was fought, in which Ptolemy Dionysius was defeated. He

attempted to escape, but was drowned in the Nile. His wife, Cleopatra, then became sole ruler of Egypt.

7. She was one of the most beautiful women that ever lived, and her talents and accomplishments were equal to her personal beauty; but she was very wicked. Among other horrid crimes, Cleopatra poisoned her brother, who was only eleven years old. Yet, though all the world knew what a wicked woman she was, the greatest heroes suffered themselves to be misled by her.

8. When Mark Antony, a Roman general, had defeated Brutus and Cassius at Philippi, in Greece, he summoned Cleopatra to Cilicia, on the north-eastern coast of the Mediterranean, intending to punish her for having assisted Brutus.

9. As soon as Cleopatra received the summons, she hastened to obey. She went in a splendid barge, richly adorned with gold, and the sails of which were made of the costliest silk. Instead of rough, sunburnt sailors, the crew consisted of females, who rowed with silver oars, keeping time to melodious music.

10. Queen Cleopatra reclined on the deck, beneath a silken awning, and in this manner she sailed along the river Cydnus. Her vessel was so magnificent, and she herself so lovely, that the whole spectacle appeared like a vision.

11. Mark Antony was first warned of her approach by the smell of delicious perfumes, which the wind wafted from the silken sails of the vessel. He next heard the distant strains of music, and saw the gleaming of the silver oars. But when he beheld the beauty of the Egyptian queen, he thought of nothing else. Till Mark Antony met Cleopatra, he had been an ambitious man, and a valiant warrior; but from that day he became her slave.

12. Owing to Cleopatra's misconduct and his own, Antony was defeated by Octavius, another Roman general, at Actium, in Greece; he then killed himself, by falling on his sword. Cleopatra knew that if Octavius took her

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