On the time at which Nearchus left the Indus. 28] 



setting in the morning. These last had the same analogy to 

 the acronychal rising and settings which the heliacal had to 

 the cosmical ; but they appear to have had no generic title 

 assigned to them, and consequently to have escaped both the 

 friends to whom Dr Vincent applied. They had, however, 

 particular names, which not only distinguished them, but like- 

 wise would have removed all possible doubt about this passage, 

 if they had been properly attended to. 



Strabo * says, o Nsag^og (LiroKtogx -*ofla <7rXna8og sx/loXriv 



sa-regiuv a£a<&ai m kXx. Now, had he meant to refer to the 

 strict acronychal setting, as Mr Wales and Dr Horsley have 

 supposed through the whole of their dissertations, he would 

 have used the word avaloXn, and not tmloXri. This Dr Horsley, 

 if his thoughts had not been turned into a different direction, 

 would probably have noticed ; for he refers to Geminus ; and 

 that very author says in the beginning of his eleventh chapter, 

 that there is a great difference in the meanings of the two 

 words. Autolycus, however, marks the specific difference 

 between them in the manner which is most to our present 

 purpose ; for he defines it to be zavegia avaloXri, oruv afia. ru qXtu 

 duwfli as'gov ri avarsXk^, and to hv. zfrirzgia sTr/loXr), orav /izra ro rov rikiov 

 dvvai asgov ri itsyaroic, (pavrj aw-zXXoV' It is impossible for words 

 to be found which could show with greater perspicuity, that 

 Strabo has exactly said what Horsley, after expending much 

 thought and labour, had at last conjectured that he meant to 

 say. But if Dr Horsley after all came to a right conclusion 

 in this particular instance, he arrived at it by a method, which, 

 by too rapid a generalizing, has made him lay down an erro- 

 neous rule. It is natural that most dates would be assigned by 

 the visible rather than by the true risings and settings ; these 

 were more familiar to the mind, and more easily determined ; 

 but it is not true that the two ideas were confounded, or when 

 the acronychal risings and settings are mentioned we are al- 

 ways to understand " the sensible acronysm." In English 

 and in Latin there is a want of distinctive names, which may 

 often create an ambiguity ; but the richness of the Greek lan- 

 guage gives us more precision, in that, as Geminus points out, 

 hvcftc, for the real setting answers to avaloXn, and x^lkJ/zs, for the 



* Lib. xv 



