[ 129(5] 
of it by Jppianm, Mercator^ Ortelius ^ Maginnus, and 
fome others, is 43 degrees and 5* minutes. And this al(o 
we find in the Bafil Edition of Ftolemys Geography, 
procured by Era/mm out of a Greek MS. oi Pettuhim. 
'T^he fame likewife is confirmed by another choice MS. 
in Greek, ot the moft learned and judicious M' Selden, 
to whom for this favour and feveral others I ftand ob- 
liged. And as much iscxpreffed in the late Edition 
ot Ptolemy by Berdus, compared and corrected by <Sy/- 
burgius, with a Manu{cript out of the Palatine Libra- 
ry. Wherefore it cannot be doubted, having (uch a 
cloud of witneffes, but that Ptolemy affigned to ByT^an-* 
tium, as our beft modern Geographers have done, the 
Latitude of 43". And this will farther appear, not 
only out of his Geography, where it is often expreffed, 
but alfooutofhis pg;k3iA;? ozw&^i^or Almageft, as the ^r«- 
bians term it, where delcribing the Parallel palling 
Bv^i^7^3 he affigns to it 43°. 5-'. What was the opinioa 
concerning Byzantium oiStrabo preceding Ptolemy ^ or 
of Hipparchus preceding Strabo^ or of Eratojihenes an- 
cienter, audit maybe accurater then all of them, (for 
Strabo, (Lib* 2 J calls hirti TjAgnTK/^i/ 7r^y\icunvmiJi/im 
4 ^co^ou(picc^ ) though Tully (Lib. Ep. ad u^tt.) makes 
Hipparchus often reprehended Eratojihenes, as Ptolemy 
after him doth Marintis^ their writings not being now 
extant, ("unlefs thofe of Strabo,) cannot be determined 
by us. But as for &r^^<?, in our inquiry, wecanexpedk 
little fatisfa(Slion s forhis defcription ofplaces, havmg 
more , of the Hiftorian, and Philofopher, (both which he 
hath performed'with Angular gravity-and judgement,^ 
then the exaitnefs of a Mathematician, who ftridlly re- 
fpeds the Pofition of places, without inquifition after 
their nature, qualities, and Inhabitants, ("though the 
beft Geography, would be a mixture of them all, as 
Abulfeda^ Tixx Arabian Vr'mcQ in his T^^ifaati on oi Coun'^ 
tries above Three Hundred years iince hath done I 
