BOOK VI. XX. 53-xxi. 56 



a mountain range called Tabis which forms a cUfF 

 over the sea ; and not until we have covered nearly 

 half of the length of the coast that faces north-east 

 is that region inhabited. The first human occupants CMna. 

 are the people called the Chinese, who are famous 

 for the woollen substance " obtained from their 

 forests ; after a soaldng in water they comb off the 

 white down of the leaves, and so supply our women 

 with the double task of unravelHng the threads and 

 weaving them together again ; so manifold is the 

 labour employed, and so distant is the region of the 

 globe drawn upon, to enable the Roman matron to 

 flaunt tran-sparent raiment in pubHc. The Chinese, 

 though mild in character, yet resemble ^vild animals, 

 in that they also shun the company of the remainder 

 of mankind, and wait for trade to come to them. The 

 first river found in their territory is the Psitharas, next 

 the Cambari, and third the Lanos, after which come 

 the Malay Peninsula, the Bay of Cimaba, the river 

 Atianos and the tribe of the Attacorae on the bay of 

 the same name, sheltered by sunbathed hills from 

 every harmful blast, with the same temperate cHmate 

 as that in which dwell the H}^erborei. The Attacorae 

 are the subject of a monograph by Amometus, while 

 the Hyperborei have been dealt with in a vohune 

 by Hecataeus. After the Attacorae there are the 

 Thuni and Focari tribes, and (coming now to natives 

 of India) the Casiri, situated in the interior in the 

 direction of the Scythians — the Casiri are cannibals ; 

 also the Nomad tribes of India reach this point in 

 their wanderings. Some writers state that these 

 tribes are actually in contact with the Cicones and iv. 43. 

 also the Brisari on the north. 



XXI. We now come to a point after which there india. 



379 



