BOOK VI.] History of Nature. 167 



their exquisite subtilty, in order that we may omit nothing 

 in this view of the Situation of the Earth ; that when the 

 Position of every Region is known, a Man may likewise come 

 to the knowledge of what Society there is between one and 

 the other, either of the agreement of the Length of Days and 

 Nights, by the Shadows at Noonday, or by the equal Con- 

 vexity of the World. To bring this about effectually, I must 

 arrange the whole Earth into certain Portions of the Heaven ; 

 for there are very many of those Divisions of the World which 

 our Astronomers call Circles, and the Greeks, Parallels. 



CHAPTER XXXIV. 



The Arrangement of the Earth into Parallels and equal 

 Shadows. 



THE beginning is at that part of India which turns to the 

 South. It extends as far as Arabia and the Inhabitants of 

 the Red Sea. Under it are comprised the Gedrosi, Persse, 

 Carmani, and Elimeei; Parthyene, Aria, Susiane, Mesopo- 

 tamia, Seleucia, surnamed Babylonia ; Arabia, so far as 

 Petrae, Ccele-Syria, and Pelusium in Egypt ; the Lower 

 Coasts, which are called of Alexandria ; the Maritime Parts 

 of Africa; all the Towns of Cyrenaica, Thapsus, Adrume- 

 tum, Clupea, Carthago, Utica, both Hippoes, Numidia, both 

 Realms of Mauritania, the Atlantic Sea, and Hercules' Pil- 

 lars. In all the Circumference of this Heaven, at Noon-tide 

 of an Equinoctial Day, the Umbilicus, which they call Gno- 

 mon, seven Feet Long, casteth a Shadow not above the 

 Length of four Feet. The Longest Night or Day is fourteen 

 Hours; and the shortest, ten. The following Circle begin- 

 neth from India, tending westward, and passeth through 

 the midst of Parthia, Persepolis, the nearest parts of Persis, 

 the nearer Arabia, Judaea, and the Borders of the Mountain 

 Libanus. It embraceth Babylon, Idumaea, Samaria, Hieru- 

 solyma, Ascalon, Joppe, Csesarea, Phcenice, Ptolemais, 

 Sydon, Tyrus, Berytrus, Botrys, Tripolis, Byblus, Antiochia, 

 Laodicea, Seleucia, the Sea-coasts of Cilicia, Cyprus, the 

 South Part of Creta, Lilybeum in Sinalia, the North Parts 



