Plinics Naturall Hiftorie. . 



A where it openeth widc,full againft fun-rifing in winter, p.Soiuhwcfl:] fome faVjis 7 miles broad • 

 and others 1 2. As for the pofiture and {ituauon thereof^ thus it lyeth : Beyond the braunch or 

 armethereofcalled^laniticus, there is another creeke which the Arabians call ^Eant, upon 

 which ftandeth the towne Hereon. In old time there was a citie called Cambifu, betweene the 

 NeliansandMarchandianSjintowhichthefickeandfeeblefoIdiers of our annie were con vey- 

 'ed,as to a place of retreat and repofe.Beyond whichjyou enter into the land of Tyra : and there 

 is the port Daneoh to be feene 3 from which Sejofiris a king of ^gypt, was the firft that imagi- 

 ned and dcvifed to draw one arme of it with a channell navigable, into Nilus, in that part where 

 it runneth to the place called Deltaj and that for <^2 miles (pacej which is betweene the faid river 

 andtheredfea. Thisenterprifeof his wasfollowed by king of the Perfiansryeaandby 

 B Ptolom^m kitig of ^gypt, fecond of that name^ who made a channell i oofoot overhand thirtie 

 deepe^ for 37 miles in length and an halfe, even tp the bitter fountaines. But this deffigne ms 

 interrupted and the ditch wentriafartherjfor fear of a general deluge and inundation : for found 

 it wasjthat the red fea lay above the land of -^gypt three cubits.Some alledge not that to be tlie 

 caufcjbut thiSjnamelyjThat if the fea were let into Nilus, thefweet water thereof (whereof they 

 drinke onely and of none elfe) fliould be corrupted thereby and marred . Yet neverthelefle, al- 

 though this worke went not forward^ the way is well beaten all the countrey over betweene the 

 Redfea and the^Egyptian, for trafficker and three feverall ordinarie waies there are betweene: 

 the one from Peluiium over the fands , wherCjUnles there be reeds fet up pitched in the ground 

 to give guidance and dircdion^there would no path befound,forever and anon the wind blow- 

 C eth the fand over the tradls of mens feet andcovereth all. A fecond beginneth two miles beyond 

 the raountaineCafiusj which after 60 miles commeth into the former Pelufiacke way. (Vpon 

 this great rodewayjthe Arabians called Auteijdoeinhabite.) The third taketh his head and be- 

 ginning at Gereum^which they call Adip{bn,andholdeth on through the faid Arabians, and is 

 60 miles neerer way, butfull of cragaie hills and altogether without waters. All thefe forefaid 

 waves lead to the citie Arllnoe^built upon the gulfeCharandra byP/tj/iyw^f^^i rfjihJe'f ^y^s ^and . 

 bare. his fillers name : and verily hee was the firft that difcovcred thole parts, and fcarched nar- 

 rowly into the region Trogloditicum^and the river that palTeth by Arfinoe, hee called Ptolo- 

 ma:us. Within a little ofthis place,there is a litde towne named ^nnum ; for which,fomcthere 

 be that write,Philotera.Eeyond chem,are the Azarei: Arabians oftlie wilder fort and halfe Tro- 

 D glodites, by reafon they marrie their wives from out of the Troglodites countrey. Beeing pail 

 thefe coafts, you 0iall find the Hands Sapyrenc and Scytala: and within a little thereof, delerts 

 iintill you come to My os-hormos, where there is a fountaine called Taduos,the mount EoSjthe 

 Ifland Lambe, many havens befides, andBercnicea towne,bearingthe name of the mother to , 

 K. Ptolomdm Phikdel^hm^ to which there is a way lying from Coptos,as we have faid : and lad of 

 alljtheArabianscalled Autei,andGnebadei.Nowit remaincth to fpeake of the region Tro- 

 gloditicum,which the auncientnienof old time called iVlichocjandoihersMidoc: and therein 

 ihndcththemountaincPentedadylos.Vponthecoaftof thiscountrey , there lyeto be feene 

 certaine Iflands called Stens-dcircT 5 and otliers no fewer in number, named Halonnefi: alfb 

 Cardamine,andTopazos,whichlland gave the nam.e to the precious ftone called thcTopaze. 

 E Then come you to an arme of the fea betweene two lands, full of pctie Iflands jwhcreot that 

 which is called Mareu, is well ferved with water fufficient: another, Eratonos, is akogidierdrie 

 and unprovided of freili water.Thefe Iflands tooke name of two captaines and governors there 

 under the king. Withinforth farther into the firme land, inhabite the Candci^whome they call 

 Ophiophagijbecaufe they are wont to feed on ferpents : and in truth there is not another coun- 

 trey that breeds them more than it. King luba^ who feemeth to have taken oreacpaines in the di- 

 ligent perufing and difcoverie of thefe parts,omitted in all this trad(unle(ie there be fome fauk 

 and defe6l in them thatcopied out hisfirfloriginall) tofpeake of a fecond citie named Bere- 

 nice, with the addition of Panchryfos 5 asalfo of a third called Epidircs, and yet renowraed it is 

 in regard of theplace whereupon it is feated : for fituate it is upon a knap of land bearing far into 

 F theRed fea, even where the mouth of it is not above 4 miles and an halfe,from Arabia. Within 

 theprofpea of this tra£l there is the Ifland Cytis, which alfobringeth forth goodflore of the 

 Topazeflones. Beyond this quarter, nothing but woods and forrefls, where king Ptolom^m^ui- 

 iiamed PhiUdel^m built the citie Ptolemais, onely for to chafe and hunt the Elephant,neere to 

 the lake Monoleus ^ and in regard of his game chere^ he named it Epi-theras. This is the verie 

 i countrey 



