COPAIC LAKE. 



307 



distance between the lake and the rising again of the river is stated by 

 Mr. Raikes at about four miles ; this may be considered as correspond- 

 ing, though not exactly, to the distance of thirty stadia. The gulf, 

 into which the waters of the lake fall, is at a spot where the xcvrtxQoQpu, 

 the square pits mentioned by Mr. Raikes, are placed. Of the re- 

 appearance of the river, Strabo says l^e^^ev elg rvjv e7n(pctveia.y, which is 

 weakly rendered by the French translation, ses eanx reparurent ; but 

 Mr. Raikes' words written on the spot express well and accurately the 

 meaning of the Greek : " The whole river burst with impetuosity from 

 holes," &c. 



In the traditions of the country, it was said, that Orchomenus was 

 once built in the plain ; that the ground covered afterwards by the 

 Lake Copais, was formerly dry ; that inundations caused the inhabit- 

 ants to remove to a higher spot (Strabo, lib. ix.) ; and that Hercules, 

 to avenge the Thebans, stopped up a canal which had served for the 

 discharge of part of the lake, and thus caused the river to overflow 

 the territory of the Orchomenians. (Diod. Sic. iv. 158. Pausan. Rceot. 

 Palm. Exercit. 100.) Many of the plains of Greece, surrounded by 

 lofty mountains, were subject also to inundations. The Larisseans 

 were obliged, by dykes and mounds (7rupa,xu p<x<r^ to check the over- 

 flowing of the Lake Nesonis, the modern Carla, which, by the increase 

 of the Pheneus, sometimes spread itself over the adjoining districts. 

 (Strabo, 440. and Theophrast. De C. P. p. 5.) The ancient city of 

 Pheneus had been destroyed in this manner (Paus. lib. viii.) ; and 

 BxpccQpa, or Z6p£0pa, to use the Arcadian word, were formed in the 

 mountains to receive the waters of the plain. * These are described 

 by Pausanias as five miles distant from Pheneus. The formation of 

 some of the Barathra in Arcadia was attributed to Hercules, as they 

 were of laborious and difficult execution : " et d'autant que cet exploit 

 etoit admirable, et surpassant les forces humaines on l'a attribue a 

 Hercule." (Scaliger, Discours de la jonction des mers. 556.) 



* " The Stymphalus and Ladon were absorbed by the hollow places in the earth." — 

 Diod. S. vol. ii. 41. 



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