of the soul, and the birthplace of the passions,
for it held the natural fire, and in it centred movement, sensation and
nourishment. The diaphragm, he believed, separated the heart, the seat
of the soul, from the contaminating influences of the intestines. He did
not advance beyond the conception that nerves were akin to ligaments and
tendons, and he believed that the nerves originated in the heart, as did
also the blood-vessels. He named the _aorta_ and _ventricles_. He
investigated the action of the muscles, and held that superfoetation was
possible.

When Aristotle retired to Chalcis, he chose Tyrtamus, to whom he gave
the name of _Theophrastus_, as his successor at the Lyceum.
Theophrastus was the originator of the science of Botany, and wrote the
"History of Plants." He also wrote about stones, and on physical, moral
and medical subjects.

THE ALEXANDRIAN SCHOOL.

"In the year 331 B.C.," wrote Kingsley, "one of the greatest intellects
whose influence the world has ever felt, saw, with his eagle glance, the
unrivalled advantages of the spot which is now Alexandria, and conceived
the mighty project of making it the point of union of two, or rather of
three worlds. In a new city named after himself, Europe, Asia and Africa
were to meet and hold communion." The School of Alexandria became, after
the decay of Greek culture, the centre of learning for the world, and
when the Empire of Alexander the Great was subdivided, the Egyptian
share fell to the first Ptolemy, who, under the direction of Aristotle,
founded the Alexandrian Library, containing at first fifty thousand, and
finally seven hundred thousand volumes. Every student who came to the
University of Alexandria, and possessed a book of which there was not a
copy in the Alexandrian Library, was compelled to present the book to
the library. The first Ptolemy also fostered the study of medicine and
of dissection. Eumenes likewise established a library at Pergamos. It
is instructive to follow the history of the great Library of Alexandria.
The greater part of the library, which contained the collected
literature of Greece, Rome, India and Egypt, was housed in the famous
museum in the part of Alexandria called the Brucheion. This part was
destroyed by fire during the siege of Alexandria by Julius Caesar. Mark
Antony, then, at the urgent desire of Cleopatra, transferred to
Alexandria the books and manuscripts from Pergamos. The other part of
the library was kept a