58 History of Nature. [BOOK V. 



West. The River Niger is of the same nature as Nilus ; 

 producing the Reed and Papyrus, and the same living Crea- 

 tures, and swelleth at the same Seasons. It springeth be- 

 tween the Tareleia jEthiopiae, and the Oecalicae. The Town 

 Mavin, belonging to this People, some have set upon the 

 deserts : near them the Atlantse ; the -ZEgipanae, half beasts ; 

 the Blemmyae, the Garnphasantae, Satyri, and Himantopodae. 

 Those Atlantae, if we will believe it, degenerate from Human 

 Manners: for neither call they one another by any Name: 

 and they look upon the Sun, rising and setting, with dread- 

 ful curses, as being pernicious to them and their Fields : 

 neither Dream they in their Sleep, as other Men. The 

 Troglodites dig Caverns, and these serve them for Houses : 

 they feed upon the Flesh of Serpents ; they make a gnash- 

 ing Noise, not a Voice, so little exchange have they of Speech. 

 The Garamantes live out of Marriage, and converse with 

 their Women in common. The Augylae only worship the 

 Infernal Gods. The Gamphasantes are naked, and know no 

 Wars, and associate with no Foreigner. The Blemmyae, by 

 report, have no Heads, but their Mouth and Eyes fixed in 

 their Breast. The Satyri, besides their Shape, have nothing 

 of Human Manners. The jEgipanae are shaped as you see 

 them commonly painted. The Himantopodae are some of 

 them wry-legged, with which they naturally go creeping. 

 The Pharusi, formerly Persae, are said to have been the 

 Companions of Hercules, as he went to the Hesperides. 

 More of Africa worth the noting does not occur. 1 



CHAPTER IX. 

 Of Asia. 



UNTO it joineth Asia, which from the Mouth of Canopus 

 unto the Mouth of Pontus, according to Timosthenes, is 2639 

 Miles. But from the Coast of Pontus to that of Maeotis, 

 Eratosthenes saith it is 1545 Miles. The whole, together with 

 Egypt unto Tanais, according to Artemidorus and Isidorus, 

 taketh 8800 Miles. Many Seas there are in it, taking their 



1 Notes on these alleged varieties of the human form will be found 

 b. vii. c. 2 ; see also b. vi. c. 30. Wern. Club. 



