lies Alexandria, a busy and prosperous city of to-day.

You remember the great conqueror, Alexander, and how nation after
nation had been forced to submit to him, until all the then-known world
owned him for its emperor? He built this city, and called it after his
own name.

About a hundred years before the days of Antiochus (of whom we read in
our last chapter) a company of Jews were living in Alexandria, then a
rich and beautiful city, with its stately palaces and temples of white
marble, its beautiful gardens, and groves of graceful palm-trees.

After the death of Alexander, the Greek kings of Egypt delighted to
live in the new city, and in the old Greek books we can yet read of the
splendid processions and festivals held in its streets year by year.

At this time Alexandria drew all the merchants of the world to her
markets; and her harbour was constantly filled with ships laden with
silver, amber, and copper; while caravans were arriving daily, bringing
jewels and rich silks from China, India, and the cities of the far East.

The Jews of Alexandria were not treated as foreigners, but as good
subjects and citizens, by the Greek rulers of Egypt, and therefore as
the years passed they grew rich and honoured in their beautiful home.
Their children, however, seldom if ever heard Hebrew spoken; for all
the Jews of Alexandria, for convenience' sake, spoke Greek like their
neighbours.

But, although these Jews lived in a heathen city where they read
nothing but Greek books, and heard Greek spoken all day long, they did
not forget their God. They longed as earnestly as ever to hear about
Him, and to read in His Book; but what was to be done? Only a few of
the elder Jews could read Hebrew, and their children could not
understand one word of the language. Must the little ones, therefore,
grow up in ignorance of the Word of God?

This was impossible. Here in the heathen city of Alexandria the
Scriptures would be the only safeguard of Jewish boys and girls. 'If
the language of our children is Greek, then the Bible must be
translated into Greek, so that they all can understand it.' So said
these Jewish parents.

This was a wonderful proof of the Bible's living power. The Jews had
changed their language and their country. Thousands of the cleverest
books ever written were within their reach--for Alexandria had at this
time the largest library in the world--yet all this made no difference;
without the written