80 PLINY' S NATURAL HISTORY. [Book VI. 



temple of Diana, which is held in the highest veneration by 

 all these nations ; the river itself being the object of many 

 pompous ceremonials ; the kings, indeed, will drink of no 

 other water, ^^ and for that reason carry it with them on their 

 journies to any considerable distance. This river receives the 

 waters of the Hedypnos,^- which passes Asylus, in Persis, 

 and those of the Aduna, which rises in Susiane. Magoa^^ is 

 a town situate near it, and distant from Charax fifteen miles ; 

 some writers place this town at the very extremity of Susiane, 

 and close to the deserts. 



Below the Eulieus is Elymais,^^ upon the coast adjoining to 

 Persis, and extending from the river Orates''^ to Charax, a dis- 

 tance of two hundred and forty miles. Its towns are Seleucia"^ 

 and Socrate,^^ upon Mount Casyrus. The shore which lies in 

 front of this district is, as we have already stated, rendered in- 

 accessible by mud,**^ the rivers Brixa and Ortacea bringing 

 down vast quantities of slime from the interior, — Elymais 

 itself being so marshy that it is impossible to reach Persis 

 that way, unless by going completely round : it is also 

 greatly infested with serpents, which are brought down by 

 the waters of these rivers. That part of it which is the most 

 inaccessible of all, bears the name of Characene, from 

 Charax, ^^ the frontier city of the kingdoms of Arabia. Of 



the Eulseus for the Choaspes. In c. 26 he says that Susa is on the river 

 Tigris. 



^^ Pliny says this in B. xxxi. c. 21 of both the Eulaeus and the Choaspes. 



^ Most probably the Hedyplion of Strabo, supposed to be the same as 

 that now caUed the Djerrabi. 



'-'3 Parisot thinks that this is the modern Jessed, in the vicinity of the 

 desert of Bealbauet. 



'■^^ Previously mentioned in c. 28. 



S5 The modern Tab. 



% '^Qyf called Ciimata, according to Parisot. 



5" The modern Saurac, according to Parisot. The more general reading 

 is " Sosirate." 



*s Our author has nowhere made any such statement as this, for which 

 reason Kardouin thinks that be here refers to the maritime region men- 

 tioned in c. 29 of the present Book (p. 69), the name of which Sillig reads 

 as Ciribo. 11 ardouin would read it as Syrtibolos, and would give it the 

 meaning of the "muddy district of the Syrtes." It is more likely, how- 

 ever, that Pliny has made a slip, and refers to something which, by 

 inadvertence, he has omitted to mention. 



^'•^ Charax Spasinu, or Pasinu, previously mentioned in c. 26 (see p. 62). 

 The name Charax applied to a town, seems to have meant a fortified place. 



