Plinies Naturall Hillorie* 



•A in the middeft of Winter. He addeth moreover and faithjThatthis Weftwind which from be« 

 hind Gaule bloweth upon India,is very healthfbme and holefome for that countrey^snd this he; 

 proved by very good realbn and demonftration. And verily the Indians have a farre different at- 

 pc(5t of the skie from us.Other ftarres rife in their HemifphEerCjwhich we fee not. Two Summers 

 they have in one yecrCjand as many harvefts : and their Winter between hath the Etefian winds 

 blowing in our dogdaies^in fteed of the Northren blafts with us .The winds are kind & mild with 

 them : the Tea alwaies navigable : the nations there dwelling,and the citties and towns there bnik^ 

 innumerable^if a man would take in hand to reckon them alLFor India hath been dilcovered^noc 

 onely by Alexander the great his mightie and puifTant armiCjand by other kings his fuccclToursj 

 (and namely Seleucm and Antiochm^ & their Admirall l\i\rocU$^vho failed about it even to rhc 



B Hircane and Cafpian feas:)but alio by divcrfe other Greek Au'thors^who making abode^and fa- 

 journingwith-the kings of India (like as Megajlmnes and Bionyftu^s fent thither of purpofe from 

 Philadelphus) have made relation of the forces which thofe nations arc able to raile and main- 

 taine.And yet further diligence is to bee cmploied ftill in this behalfe, confidering they wrote of 

 things there fo diverfe one from another^and incredible withall. They that accompanied Alcxr' 

 dndtr the great in his Indian voiage,have teftified in their writings, that in one quarter of India 

 which hee conquered ^there were ofrownes 500 in number^and not one IciTe than the citie Cos : 

 of feverall nations nine. Alfo that India was a third part of the whole earth : and the fame fo wcH 

 inhabitedjthat the people in it were innumerable.And this they delivered (bcleeve me)no.t with- 

 out good apparance of reafon: for the Indians were in manner the onely men of all others that 



C never went out of their ownecountrey.Moreover^it is faid/rhatirom the xXmQolBACchmwviio 

 Alexander gi^eat, there reigned over them fucceffively 154 kings , for the fpaccof 5402 

 yceres betweencjand three moneths over.xAsfor the rivers in th^tcountrey^ihey be of a wondcr- 

 iull bigneffe . And reported it is, that Akxpjider failed every day at theleail 600 ftadia upon the 

 liver InduSjand yet in ie0.e than five months andfome few daies over^hee could not come to the 

 end of that river : and leffe it is than Ganges by the confeflion of all men. ^\m\\tiiX{Qiz^StmcA 

 a Laiine wriccrjaflaied to write ccrtaine commentaries of India: wherein he hath made report of 

 ^0 rivers thereiUgand of nations, 1 20 lacking twaine. As great a labour it were to reckon up and 

 number the mountaines that bee init.As for the hils ImauSjEmodifuSjParopamifuSjas parts all 

 and members of Caucafus^butt one upon another^and conjoinc together. And being paft them 



D yec goe downe into a mightie large plaine countreVjlike to ^gypt,it rcmaiiiei h now to fhew the 

 continent and firmeland of this great countrey, and for the more evident demonihation^ let us 

 follow the fteps of Alexander the great, and his Hiftoriographers . Bwgnem^ and Beion who fct 

 downe all the geafts & journeies of that prince5have left m Vi;riting,That from the Cafpian ports 

 unro the ciiie Hecatompylos which is in Parthia,there are as many miles as we have let down al- 

 rcadie. From thence to Alexandria in the Arignc countrcy (which citie the fame king founded) 

 562 myl€s:from whence to Prophthafia in the Dranganes land, i^^ miles; and fb forward to the 

 capitoll towne of the Ar3chofians,5 1 5 myles.From thence to OrthofpanumjS 50 myles : laft of 

 alljfrom it to the cittie of Alexandria in Opianum, 5 o mylcs. In fome copies thefe numbers are 



, found to varie and differ. Bur to rcturne to this forefaid citic^fituate it is at the very foot of Cau^ 



E cafus. From which to the river Chepta and Pencolaitisja towne of the IndianSjare counted 227 

 myles.From thence to the river Indus and the towne Tapila^^o myles: and fo onward to the no- 

 <j ble and famous river Hidafpes, 120 myles: from which to Hypafis, a river of no leffe account 

 than the other^^co^or 5^)00. And there an end oiAlcxanden voiage. Howbeir, he pafied over 

 the river, and on the other fide ofthe bankCjhee creeled certaine altars and pillcrs,and there de- 

 dicated them.The letters alfo ofthe king himfelfcjientbacke into Greece,do carie the like cer- 

 tificate of his journies5and agree juft herevvith.Thc other parts of the countrie were dilcovered 

 furveied by Sekucpu Nicdtor : namely from thence to Hefudrus 1 6S miles : to the river losmes as 

 much : and fome copies adde 5 miles more therto:from thence to Ganges 1 12 miles: to Rhoda- 

 pha ii5;,andromefay,thatbetween them two it is noleffe than 325 miles. From itto Calinipa^ 



F xaga great town i6j miles & an halfe,othersfay 2<sJ5. Andfo the confluent of the rivers lomanes 

 and Ganges, where both meet together 225 miles,and many put thereto 1 3 miles more :frcm 

 thence to the town Palibotta 42 5 miles:and fo to the mouth of Ganges where he falleth into the 

 fea miles. As for the naiions,which it paines me not to namc,from the mountaines Emodi, 

 ^ the principall cape of them,lmausjwhichfignifieth in that country language full offnow^they 



M iij be 



