and other skins, they go to the cassia; it grows in a shallow lake; and around the lake and in it lodge winged animals, very like bats, and they screech fearfully, and are exceedingly fierce. These they keep off from their eyes, and so gather the cassia. 111. The cinnamon they collect in a still more wonderful manner. Where it grows and what land produces it, they are unable to tell; except that some, giving a probable account, say that it grows in those countries in which Bacchus was nursed. And they say that large birds bring those rolls of bark, which we, from the Phoenicians, call cinnamon, the birds bring them for their nests, which are built with clay, against precipitous mountains, where there is no access for man. The Arabians, to surmount this difficulty, have invented the following artifice: having cut up into large pieces the limbs of dead oxen, and asses, and other beasts of burden, they carry them to these spots, and having laid them near the nests, they retire to a distance. But the birds flying down carry up the limbs of the beasts to their nests, which not being strong enough to support the weight, break and fall to the ground. Then the men, coming up, in this manner gather the cinnamon, and being gathered by them it reaches other countries. 112. But the ledanum, which the Arabians call ladanum, is still more wonderful than this; for though it comes from a most stinking place, it is itself most fragrant. For it is found sticking like gum to the beards of he-goats, which collect it from the wood. It is useful for many ointments, and the Arabians burn it very generally as a perfume.

113.

It may suffice to have said thus much of these perfumes; and there breathes from Arabia, as it were, a divine odour. They have two kinds of sheep worthy of admiration, which are seen no where else. One kind has large tails, not less than three cubits in length, which, if suffered to trail, would ulcerate, by the tails rubbing on the ground. But every shepherd knows enough of the carpenter's art to prevent this, for they make little carts and fasten them under the tails, binding the tail of each separate sheep to a separate cart. The other kind of sheep have broad tails, even to a cubit in breadth. 114. Where the meridian declines towards the setting sun, the Ethiopian territory reaches, being the extreme part of the habitable world. It produces much gold, huge elephants, wild 8 That is, "south-west."

trees of all kinds, ebony, and men of large stature, very handsome, and long-lived.

115. These, then, are the extremities of Asia and Libya. Concerning the western extremities of Europe I am unable to speak with certainty, for I do not admit that there is a river, called by barbarians Eridanus, which discharges itself into the sea towards the north, from which amber is said to come; nor am I acquainted with the Cassiterides islands, from whence our tin comes. For in the first place, the name Eridanus shows that it is Grecian and not barbarian, and feigned by some poet; in the next place, though I have diligently inquired, I have never been able to hear from any man who has himself seen it, that there is a sea on that side of Europe. However, both tin and amber come to us from the remotest parts. 116. Towards the north of Europe there is evidently a very great quantity of gold, but how procured I am unable to say with certainty; though it is said that the Arimaspians, a oneeyed people, steal it from the griffins. Neither do I believe this, that men are born with one eye, and yet in other respects resemble the rest of mankind. However, the extremities of the world seem to surround and enclose the rest of the earth, and to possess those productions which we account most excellent and rare.

117. There is a plain in Asia shut in on every side by a range of mountains, and there are five defiles in the mountain. This plain formerly belonged to the Chorasmians, situated on the confines of these Chorasmians, of the Hyrcanians, Parthians, Sarangæans, and Thamanæans; but since the Persians have had the empire it belongs to the king. From this range of mountains then, that shuts in this plain, there flows a great river, the name of which is Aces; it formerly, being divided into five several channels, used to irrigate the lands of the nations before mentioned, being conducted to each nation through each separate defile. But since they have become subject to the Persian, they have suffered the following calamity. The king, having caused the clefts of the mountains to be blocked up, placed gates at each cleft, and the passage of the water being stopped, the plain within the mountains has become a sea, as the river continued to pour in, and had no where any exit. The people, therefore, who before were in the habit of using the water, not being able to use it any longer, were reduced to

great extremities; for though in winter heaven supplies them with rain, as it does other men, yet in summer, when they sow millet and sesame, they stood in need of water. When, therefore, no water was allowed them, they and their wives going to the Persians, and standing before the king's palace, raised a great outcry. But the king gave order that the gates should be open towards those lands that were most in need; and when their land was satiated by imbibing water, these gates were shut, and he ordered others to be opened to those who were next in greatest need. And as I have been informed, he opens them after he has exacted large sums of money, in addition to the tribute. Now these things are so.

118. Of the seven men that conspired against the magus, it happened that one of them, Intaphernes, having committed the following act of insolence, lost his life shortly after the revolution. He wished to enter the palace in order to confer with Darius; for the law was so settled among those who had conspired against the magus, that they should have access to the king without a messenger, unless the king should happen to be in bed with one of his wives. Intaphernes, therefore, determined that no one should announce him; but, because he was one of the seven, chose to enter; the door-keeper, however, and the messenger, would not let him pass, saying, that the king was then in bed with one of his wives: but Intaphernes, suspecting they told a falsehood, did as follows: having drawn his scimetar, he cut off their ears and noses, and having strung them to the bridle of his horse, he hung them round their necks, and so dismissed them. 119. They presented themselves to the king, and told him the cause for which they had been so treated. Darius, fearing lest the six had done this in concert, sent for them, one by one, and endeavoured to discover their opinions, whether they approved of what had been done. But when he discovered that Intaphernes had not done this with their privity, he seized Intaphernes himself, and his children, and all his family, having many reasons to suspect that he, with his relations, would raise a rebellion against him. And having seized them, he bound them as for death: but the wife of Intaphernes, going to the gates of the palace, wept and lamented aloud; and having done this continually, she prevailed on Darius to have compassion on her. He therefore, having sent a messenger, spoke

as follows: "Madam, king Darius allows you to release one of your relations who are now in prison, whichever of them all you please." But she, having deliberated, answered as follows: "Since the king grants me the life of one, I choose my brother from them all." Darius, when he heard this, wondering at her choice, having sent again, asked, "Madam, the king inquires the reason why, leaving your husband and children, you have chosen that your brother should survive; who is not so near related to you as your children, and less endeared to you than your husband?" She answered as follows: "O king, I may have another husband if God will, and other children if I lose these; but as my father and mother are no longer alive, I cannot by any means have another brother; for this reason I spoke as I did." The woman appeared to Darius to have spoken well, and he granted to her the one whom she asked, and her eldest son, he was so pleased with her all the rest he put to death. : Of the seven, therefore,

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one very soon perished in the manner now mentioned.

120. Near about the time of Cambyses' illness, the following events took place. Oroetes, a Persian, had been appointed governor of Sardis by Cyrus; this man conceived an impious project; for without having sustained any injury, or heard a hasty word from Polycrates the Samian, and without having seen him before, he conceived the design of seizing him and putting him to death; as most people say, for some such cause as this. Oroetes and another Persian, whose name was Mitrobates, governor of the district of Dascylium, were sitting together at the palace gates, and fell into a dispute. As they were quarrelling about valour, Mitrobates said to Orotes tauntingly : "Are you to be reckoned a brave man, who have not yet acquired for the king the island of Samos, that lies near your government, and is so easy to be subdued? which one of its own inhabitants, having made an insurrection with fifteen armed men, obtained possession of, and now reigns over?" Some say, that he, having heard this, and being stung with the reproach, conceived a desire, not so much to revenge himself on the man who said it, as of utterly destroying Polycrates, on whose account he had been reproached. 121. A fewer number say, that Oroetes sent a herald to Samos, to make some demand which is not mentioned, and that Polycrates happened to be reclining in the men's apartment, and

that Anacreon of Teos was with him; and somehow, (whether designedly disregarding the business of Oroetes, or by chance it so happened,) when the herald of Orotes came forward and delivered his message, Polycrates, as his face chanced to be turned towards the wall, neither turned about, nor made any answer. 122. These twofold causes are assigned for the death of Polycrates; every man may give credit to whichever he pleases. However, Orates, who resided in Magnesia, situated on the river Mæander, being acquainted with the intentions of Polycrates, sent Myrsus a Lydian, son of Gyges, with a message to Samos; for Polycrates is the first of the Grecians of whom we know, who formed a design to make himself master of the sea, except Minos the Cnossian, or any other, who before his time obtained the empire of the sea: but within what is called the historical age, Polycrates is the first who had entertained great expectations of ruling Ionia and the islands. Orates therefore, having ascertained that he had formed this design, sent a message to the following effect: "ORTES TO POLYCRATES SAYS AS FOLLOWS: I understand that you are planning vast enterprises, and that you have not money answerable to your projects. Now, if you will do as I advise, you will promote your own success, and preserve me; for king Cambyses meditates my death, and of this I have certain information. Now, do you convey me and my wealth out of the country, and take part of it, and suffer me to enjoy the rest: by means of the wealth, you will become master of all Greece. If you doubt what I say concerning my riches, send to me the most trusty of your servants, to whom I will show them." 123. Polycrates, having heard this, was delighted, and accepted the offer; and as he was very eager for wealth, he first sent Mæandrius, son of Mæandrius, to view it, a citizen who was his secretary: he not long after dedicated to the temple of Juno all the ornamental furniture from the men's apartment of Polycrates, which was indeed magnificent. Oroetes, having learnt that an inspector might be expected, did as follows: having filled eight chests with stones, except a very small space round the brim, he put gold on the surface of the stones, and having made the chests fast with cords, he kept them in readiness. But Mæandrius, having come

In opposition to "the fabulous."