BOOK III. VIII. 92-x. 95 



Aegusa), Levanzo, Alicus (75 miles from Solunto), 

 and Ustica opposite to Paropus. On the Italian 

 side of Sicily facing the river Metaurus, at a distance 

 of nearly 25 miles from Italy, are the seven islands 

 called the AeoHan and also the Liparean : their 

 Greek name is the Hcphaestiades, and the Roman 

 Vulcan's IsUmds ; they are called Aeohan from King 

 Aeolus who reigned there in the Homeric period. 



IX. Lipari, with a to\vn possessing rights of Iloman 

 citizenship, takes its name from King Liparus, who 

 succeeded Aeohis — it was previously called Milo- 

 gonis or Mehgunis ; it is 25 miles from Italy, and its 

 circumference measures a little less than 5 miles. 

 Between it and Sicily is another isLand formerly 

 called Therasia, and now Holy Island " because it is 

 sacred to Vulcan, on it being a hill that vomits out 

 flames in the night. The third island is StromboH, six voicanoes. 

 miles to the east of Lipari ; here Aeolus reigned. 



It differs from Lipari only in the fact that its flame 

 is more hquid ; the local population are reported 

 to be able to foretell from its smoke three days 

 ahead what winds are going to blow, and this is the 

 source of the behef that the winds obeyed the orders 

 of Aeolus. The fourth of the ishmds, Didyme, is 

 smaller than Lipari. The fifth, Kriplnisa, and the 

 sixth, Phoenicusa, are left to provide pasture for the 

 flocks of the neighbouring isUinds ; the last and also 

 the smallest is Euonymus. So far as to the first 

 gulf of Europe. 



X. At Locri begins the projection of Italy called ^tagna 

 Magna Graecia, retiring into the three bays of the 

 Ausonian Sea, so called from its first inhabitants the 

 Ausones. According to Varro its length is 86 miles, 



but most authorilics have made it 75. On this 



69 



