48 0« the supposed Change 



Polybius, speaking of an invasion of Peloponnese by 

 Philip of Macedonia, about the year before Christ 218, 

 mentions the hardships which his army encountered, in 

 passing Ligyrtus, a mountain of Arcadia, on his march 

 to the siege of Psophis, by reason of deep snow which 

 covered the mountain. But that the cold was not great, 

 we have evidence in the same book, as the army, a few 

 days afterwards, passed over the river Erymanth, on a 

 bridge, for it was not fordable.*..../*o/y6. Megalop. Hist, 

 lib. iv. 



In an account of the invasion of Sparta by Epimanon- 

 das, in the Travels of Anacharsis, the author remarks 

 that the Theban general was making dispositions to pass 

 the Eurotas, then swelled by the melting of snow, chap. 

 1. where is cited as authority.... P/w^arc/z'* Life ofAge- 

 silaus. 



From these passages, we conclude that snow fell in 

 winter in Lacedemon, especially on the mountains, but 

 v/as soon dissolved ; and hence Polybius observes of a 

 river on the west of Psophis, that it was seldom fordable 

 in winter. But I find no evidence in history that frost of 

 any severity was ever experienced in Lacedemon or At- 

 tica. On the other hand, it is related from Plutarch, 

 that when Epimanondas was in Arcadia with an army, 

 in winter, he was invited by deputies from a neighbor- 

 ing city to take up his quarters in the city ; but he decli- 

 ned ; assigning as a reason that if the Lacedemonians 

 should see him and his men by the fire, they would take 

 them to be ordinary men. He therefore chose to con- 

 tinue in camp, notv/ithstanding the rigor of the season, 

 and continue their wrestling matches and military exer- 

 cises dnarch. chap. v. This anecdote indicates cool 



uncomfortable weather in that country in winter, but not 

 severe cold, like that which freezes large rivers in Ame- 

 rica. 



The author of Anacharsis relates from Columella, that 

 the winter, in every part of Beotia, is very cold, and ^t 

 Thebes almost insupportable ; and that snow, wind and 



* Strabo, lib. viii. informs us that Arcadia is a mountainous re- 

 gion ; some of the mountains being fifteen stadiums in altitude. 



