418 Aornos. [No. 4, 
and comparing it with the stupendous mountains overshadowing the 
Indus, forty miles higher, they wonder that they should ever have en- 
tertained the idea. 
Those who would wish to see the subject discussed at length, I beg 
to refer to my paper in the XXIII Vol. of the Asiatic Society’s Jour- 
nal, entitled ‘“‘ Gradus ad Aornon.” * 
I beg to take this opportunity of correcting the following note 
which occurs in the paper aforesaid. It relates to my rendering of a 
passage of Curtius. 
“ Note. This passage ‘ Hane (7. e. petram) ab Hercule frustra obses- 
sam esse, terreque motu coactum absistere fama vulgaverat’ is ob- 
scure: the word coactum agreeing neither with Hercule, nor with 
petram. I would suggest its being read ‘ coactam, which reconciles 
the difficulty: and after consideration I have adopted this reading. 
Our respect for Hercules would not improve, could we thmk him one 
to have been terrified by an earthquake.” 
When the above was written I had not consulted Diodoros, which 
now hes before me. He repeats the tradition in better grammar. 
Reyetar yop tov Tahowv ‘Hpaxdca tavryv tyv mérpav émiaddojuevov 
moNopKely GmooTHval Oud TWas émLyevoevovs reyahous GELopoUsS Kal 
dvoonpetas. Lib. XVII. ze. 
Now Hercules might have been a very stout fellow and have knocked 
out other men’s brains without boasting any of his own. But he 
could not have been the great conqueror which his deeds attest, had not 
his wit been in proportion to his strength and courage. We think 
he was far too shrewd a fellow to be outwitted or bullied by an earth- 
quake. And therefore, if he made this his plea for raising the siege 
of Aornos, it was, in all probability, because his supplies had been cut 
off, (an easy matter in the Mahabunn,) and he was ashamed to own 
his imprevidence. Alexander, (see Arrian,) did not attempt the siege 
until he had appointed Krateros to collect corn for the army into the 
town Embolima. 
Of the name Aornos, I do not think it certain, as does Mr. 
Loewenthal, that it is Sanscrit. It was the second rock of that 
name and description which Alexander had taken: the first being 
in Bactria beyond the Hindoo Koosh and out of reach of the San- 
serit tongue. Its meaning in Greek is *‘ unwinged” as if challeng- 
[* The map there given will be found useful for the present article.—ED. | 
