BOOK V.] History of Nature. 57 



CHAPTER VII. 

 Islands about Africa, and over against Africa. 



THESE Seas do not contain very many Islands. The 

 fairest is Meninx, 35 Miles long and 25 broad, called by 

 Eratosthenes Lotophagitis. It hath two Towns, Meninx on 

 the side of Africa, and Thoar on the other: itself is situated 

 from the right-hand Promontory of the Lesser Syrtis 200 

 Paces. 1 A hundred Miles from it against the left hand is 

 Cercina, with a free Town of the same Name, in Length 25 

 Miles, and half as much in Breadth where it is most : but 

 toward the end not above five Miles. To it there lieth a 

 little one toward Carthage called Cercinitis, and it joineth 

 by a Bridge. From these, almost 50 Miles, lieth Lopadusa, 

 six Miles long. Then, Gaulos and Galata, the Earth of which 

 killeth the Scorpion, a dangerous Creature of Africa. They 

 say also that they will die in Clupea, over against which 

 lieth Cosyra, with a Town. But against the Bay of Car- 

 thage are the two jEginori, more truly Rocks than Islands, 

 lying for the most part between Sicily and Sardinia. Some 

 write that these were inhabited, but sunk down. 



CHAPTER VIII. 

 The JEthiopes. 



BUT within the inner Compass of Africa, toward the 

 South, and above the Gsetuli, where the Deserts come be- 

 tween, the first People that inhabit are the Libii ^Egyptii, 

 and then the Leucsethiopes. Above them are the ^Ethiopian 

 Nations : the Nigritse, from whom the River was named : the 

 Gymnetes, Pharusi, and those which now reach to the Ocean, 

 whom we spake of in the border of Mauritania : the Perorsi. 

 From all these are vast Solitudes eastward, to the Gara- 

 mantes, Augylae, and Troglodites, according to the truest 

 opinion of them who place two .ZEthiopias above the Deserts 

 of Africa : and especially of Homer, who saith, that the 

 Ethiopians are divided two ways, towards the East and 



1 Or 1500 paces, i. e. a mile and a half. 



