488 PLINT's NATURAL HISTORY. [Book V. 



Hiera have also perished. Eresos\ Pyrrlia, and the free 

 city of Mitylene^, still survive, the last of which was a 

 powerful city for a space of 1500 years. The circumference 

 of the whole island is, according to Isidorus, 168 miles^, 

 but the older writers say 195. Its mountains are, Lepe- 

 thymnus, Ordymnus, Macistus, Creon, and Olympus. It is 

 distant seven miles and a half from tlie nearest point of the 

 mainland. The islands in its vicinity are, Sandaleon, alid 

 the five called Leucae"* ; Cydonea^, which is one of them, 

 contains a warm spring. The Arejinussre^ are four miles 

 distant from Mge'^ ; after them come Phellusa^ and Pedna. 

 Beyond the Hellespont, and opposite the shore of Sigeum, 

 lies Tenedos^, also known by the names of Leucophrys^°, 

 Phcenice, and Lyrnesos. It is distant from Lesbos fifty-six 

 miles, and twelve and a half from Sigeum. 



CHAP. 40. (32.) — THE HELLESPOTfT ATfD MTSIA, 



The tide of the Hellespont now begins to run with greater 

 violence, and the sea beats against the shore, undermining 

 with its eddies the barriers that stand in its way, until it 

 has succeeded in separating Asia from Europe. At this 

 spot is the promontory which we have already mentioned 

 as Trapeza" ; ten miles distant from which is the city of 



^ Or Eressus, according to Strabo. It stood on a HU, reacliing down 

 to the sea. Its ruins are said to be near a place still called Eresso. It 

 was the birth-place of the phUosoplier Theopln-astus, the disciple of 

 Aristotle. 2 g^in called Mitylene, or MeteUn. 



3 Strabo makes it about only 137 miles. ^ Or the White Islands. 



5 So caUed fi-om its fruitfulness in quinces, or " Mala Ci/donia." 



^ These were three small islands, near the mainland of yEolis. It 

 was off these islands that the ten generals of the Athenians gaiued 

 a victory over the Spartans, B.C. 406. The modern name of these 

 islands is said to be Janot. 



7 One of the Leuca?, previously mentioned. 



8 So called from the (peWbs, or " cork," which it produced. 



9 Still known as Tenedos, near the mouth of the Hellespont. Here 

 the Grreeks were said to have concealed their fleet, to induce the Trojans 

 to think that tliey had departed, and then introduce the wooden horse 

 within their walls. 



^0 " Having white eve-brows ;" probably from the wliiteness of its cliffs. 

 " In C. 33 of the present Book. 



