BOOK XMII. Lvii. 211-215 



year which liad previously been getting in advance 

 of the consteUations had begiin to lag behind in 

 relation to thcni. Both Sosigenes hiniself in his 

 three treatises — though more careful in research 

 than the other writers he nevertheless did not hesi- 

 tate to introduce an element of doubt by correcting 

 his own statements — and also other authors whose 

 names we prefixed to this vohime " have pubhshed 

 these theories, although it is seldom that the opinions 

 of any two of thcm agree. This is less surprising 

 in the case of the rest, as they had the excuse of 

 diflTerence of localities ; but as for those who have 

 differed in their views in the same country, we will 

 give one case of disagreement as an example : thc 

 morning setting of the Pleiads is given by Hesiod * 

 — for there is extant an astronoinical work that 

 bears his name also — as taking place at the close 

 of the autumnal equinox, whereas Thales puts it 

 on tlie 2.oth dav after the equinox, Anaximander on 

 the 30th, Euctemon on the 44th, and Eudoxus 

 on the 48th. We follow the observation of Caesar 

 specially : this will be the formula for Italy ; but we 

 will also state the views of others, since we are not 

 treating of a single country but of the whole of nature, 

 though we shall not arrange them under the head 

 of their authors, for that woukl be a lengthy matter, 

 but of the rcgions concerned. Only readers shoukl 

 remember that, for the sake of brevity, when Attica is 

 mentioned they must understand the Cycladcs islands 

 to be included ; when Macedonia, Magnesia and 

 Thrace ; when Egypt, Phoenicia, Cyprus and Cilicia ; 

 whcn Boeotia, Locris and Phocis and the adjoining 

 regions always as well ; when the Dardanelles, the 

 GalHpoH peninsula as far as Monte Santo ; when 



325 



