40 
Pliny's natural histobt. 
[Book YL 
vanquished by force of arms, not one of which was smaller than 
that of Cos that its nations were eight in number, that India 
forms one-third of the whole earth, and that its populations 
are innumerable — a thing which is certainly far from impro- 
bable, seeing that the Indians are nearly the only race of people 
who have never migrated from their own territories. From 
the time of Eather Liber to that of Alexander the Great, one 
hundred and fiftj^-- three kings of India are reckoned, extending 
over a period of six thousand four hundred and fifty-one years 
and three months. The vast extent of their rivers is quite 
marvellous ; it is stated that on no one day did Alexander the 
Great sail less than six hundred stadia on the Indus, and still 
was unable to reach its mouth in less than five months and 
some few days : and yet it is a well-known fact that this 
river is not so large as the Ganges.^^ Seneca, one of our fellow- 
countrymen, who has written a treatise^* upon the subject of 
India, has given its rivers as sixty-five in number, and its 
nations as one hundred and eighteen. The dif&culty too would 
be quite as great, if we were to attempt to enumerate its moun- 
tains. The chains of Emails, of Emodus, of Paropanisus, 
and of Caucasus, are all connected, the one with the other ; 
and from their foot, the country of India runs down in the 
form of a vast plain, bearing a very considerable resemblance to 
that of Egypt. 
However, that we may come to a better understanding re- 
lative to the description of these regions, we will follow in 
the track of Alexander the Great. Eiognetus and Bseton, whose 
duty it was to ascertain the distances and length of his 
expeditions, have written that from the Caspian Gates to 
Hecatompylon, the city of the Parthians, the distance is the 
number of miles which we have already^^ stated ; and that from 
thence to Alexandria, of the Arii, which city was founded by the 
same king, the distance is five hundred and seventy-five miles ; 
from thence to Prophthasia,^^ the city of the DrangsD, one 
20 See B. v. c. 36. 21 Or Bacchus. 
22 Or seventy-five miles. 23 ^i^q statement of Arrian. 
21 Among the lost works of that philosopher. 
25 In c. 17 of the present Book. 
26 See 0. 25 of the present Book. 
2' See c. 25 of the present Book. 
