158 History of Nature. [BOOK VI. 



down with such a Noise that the Inhabitants living close by 

 lose their Hearing. He won also Napata. He marched 

 forward a great way into the Country, even 870 Miles be- 

 yond Syene ; but this Roman Army laid not all Waste in 

 those parts. It was the Egyptian Wars that wasted Ethiopia ; 

 sometimes by Ruling, and at others by Servitude ; it was Illus- 

 trious and Powerful until the Reign of King Memnon, who 

 ruled in the Time of the Trojan War, so that Syria was sub- 

 ject to it; as also our own Coast in the Time of King Cepheus, 

 as appeareth by the Fables of Andromeda. In the same 

 manner they disagree about the Measure of Ethiopia. And 

 first, Dalion passing far beyond Meroe ; after him, Arista- 

 creon, Bion, and Basilis ; also Simonides (the Lesser) who 

 dwelt in Meroe Five Years, when he wrote of Ethiopia. 

 Timosthenes, the Admiral of the Fleet of Philadelphus, hath 

 left in record, that from Syene to Meroe is Sixty Days' 

 Journey, without particularizing the Measure. But Erato- 

 sthenes precisely noteth, that it is 625 Miles : Artemidorus, 

 600. Sebostus affirmeth, that from the Frontiers of Egypt it 

 is 1675 Miles ; from whence the last rehearsed Writers count 

 1270. But all this difference is lately determined by the 

 Report of those Travellers whom Nero sent to Discover those 

 Countries, who have related that it is 862 Miles from Syene 

 in this manner : from Syene to Hiera-Sycaminon, Fifty-four 

 Miles ; from thence to Tama, Seventy-five Miles ; from Tama 

 to the Euonymites Country, the first of the Ethiopians, 120 ; 

 toAcina, Fifty-four; to Pitara, Twenty-five; to Tergedum, 

 106 Miles. That in the midst of this Tract lieth the Island 

 Gagandus, where they first saw the Birds called Parrots; 

 and beyond another Island called Attigula they saw Monkeys ; 

 beyond Tergedum they met with the Creatures Cynocephali. 

 From thence to Napata Eighty Miles, which is the only 

 little Town among all the beforenamed ; from which to the 

 Island Meroe is 360 Miles. They reported, moreover, that 

 about Meroe, and not before, the Herbs appeared greener ; 

 and the Woods shewed somewhat in comparison of all the 

 way besides ; and they espied the Tracts of Elephants and 

 Rhinoceroses. The Town itself of Meroe was from the 



