Plidies Naturall Hiftbne; 



A miles : and from the red fca, if you goe by the river Tigris, 320 miles :from Zeugma 517 miles : 

 and to Zeugma from Seleucia in Syria upon the coait ofour feajis rcckncd 175 miles. And this 

 is the very true and juft latitude there^ of the firme land betweene the two leas, to wit, the Petfian 

 gulfe^and the Syrian Tea. As for the kingdome of Parthia, it may containe ^44 miles. Finally, 

 there is yet another towne of Mefopotamia upon the banke of Tigrisjueere the place where the 

 rivers meetin one^ which they call Digba. 



Chap^ xxvii, 

 }^ The river Tigris, 



B Ti TTEetalfoitisandconvcnientjtofay fomewhatof the river Tigris Jtbcginneth inthelancS 

 J[V J[ of Armenia the greater, iflfuingoutofa great fource,and evident to befeene in the verie 

 - plaine: the place beareth thenameof Elongofine.The river it felfefolong asitrunneth 

 flow and foftly, is named Diglito 5 but when it beginneth once to carrie a more forcible ftreamc, 

 it is called Tigris/or the fwiftnefTe thereof j which in the Medians languagCjbetokencth a fhaft. 

 It runneth into the lake Arethula, which beareth up aflote all thatis caft into it, and will fuifer 

 nothing to finke ; and the vapours that arile out thercofjcarrie the fent of Nitre. In this lake there 

 is but one kind of fiilij and that entreth not into the channell of Tigris as it pafleth through^ no 

 more than any fifhcs fwini out of Tigris into the water of the lake. In his courfe and cddr both, 

 he is unlikej'and as he goeth maybe difcerned from the other : and when he is onccpaft the lake 

 C and encountreth the great mountaine TauruS;,he loofeth himfelfe in a certaine cave and hole in 

 the groundj and fo runnethunder the hill^untill on the other fide thereof hccbrcaketh forth a- 

 gaine and appeareth in his likeneflcj in a place which is called Zoroanda«Thatit is the fame ri- 

 ver^it isevidentby this^thathe carrieth through with him andfheweth in ZoroandajWhatfoc* 

 ver was caft into him before he hid himfelfe in the cave beforefaid. After this fecond Ipring and 

 rifing of hisjhe entreth into another lake and runneth through it likewife^named Thofpitds^and 

 once againe takcth his way under the earth through certaine blind gutters jand 2 5 miles beyond 

 he putteth forth his head about Nymphseum. CUudms C^f ir icportethj that in the country Ar- 

 rhene, the river Tigris runneth foneere unto the river Ar/ania^ thatwhcn they both fwell and 

 their waters are out, they joyne both their ftreanies together, yet foj as their water is not inter- 

 im mingled :for Arfanias being the lighter of the twaine, fwimmcth and flotech over the other,for 

 thelpace well-neer of 4 miles: butfoone afterjthcy partafundcrjand Arfaniaturneth his courfe 

 toward theriverEuphrateSjinto which heentreth. But Tigris receiving into him certain good* . 

 Jy great rivers out of Armenia, to wit^PartheniSj Agnice^and Pharion^and fo dividing the Ara- 

 bians andTroeans from the Adiabenesj and by this meancs making as it were an Hand Mefo- 

 potamia beforefaid, after he hathpafled by and viewed the mountaines of the Gordiseans neere 

 unto Apamia a town of Mefcne on this fide Seleucia furnrimcd Babylonia 125 miles : dividing 

 himfehc in two armcs or channelsjwiih the one he runneth Southward to Seleucia^ watering as 

 hegoeththecountreyofMeffenesandwith the other windeth into the North: he goeth on the 

 backe fide of thefaid Mefene, and cutteth through the plaincs of the Gauchians. Now when 

 E thefe two braunches are reunited againe,the whole is called Pafirigris. After this, he takcth into 

 him out of Media, the great river Coalpes : and fo pafiing betweene Seleucia and Grefiphons 

 aswchavefaid, he falleih into the meeres and lakes of Chald^ea, which he fumiHicthandrepIe- 

 nifheth with water, for the compare of threefcore and ten miles: which done, he ilTueth forth 

 againcjgufhing out with a mightie great and large fi:reame,and running along the towne Gha- 

 rax, on the right hand thereof, hee difchargsth himfelfe into the Perfian fea , carrying there a 

 mouth ten miles over. Betweene the mouthes of thefe two rivcrSjTigris and Euphrates, where 

 they fall into thefea, \wre counted in old time 25 miles,or as fome would have it,but fevsn : and 

 yet both of them were navigable,and bare right great fhips. But the Orchenicns & odier neigh- 

 bour inhabitants, long fincc turned the courfe of Euphrates afideto ferve their owne tunics in 

 F watering their fields,and Hopped the ordinariepafTage thereof, infomuch as they forced him to 

 runneinto Tigris, and not otherwilethan in hischannell to fall into the fea . The next country 

 bordering upon Tigris, is called Parapotamia : in the marches therof is the citie Mefene^wher- 

 ofwe have fpoken. The chiefe towne thereof isDibitach : from thence you enter prefently into 

 the region Chalcnitis joyninghard upon G tefiphon, a rich eountrey, beautified not onely with 



' N iij rowes 



