EVEMERUS — ARRIAN's PERIPLUS. S5 
quity is against Evemerus, as it is also against 
Pytheas and Eudoxus. But I believe the scepti- 
cism which has attached to the first explorers of 
any region, has usually proved to be excessive and 
illiberal, and to have arisen chiefly from the limit- 
ed views of those to whom the report was address- 
ed. The position opposite to Southern Arabia, 
and the profusion of myrrh and incense, strongly 
suggest the coast of Africa, west of Cape Guardafui. 
To one who sailed across from Arabia, this coast 
might very readily appear to be that of an island. 
The distinction, indeed, between continents and 
islands, presented always one of the tasks most 
difficult to be performed by infant geography. 
From the notice which we have already given 
of the voyages of Eudoxus, it appears that he sail- 
ed along some part of the eastern coast, border- 
ing on the Indian ocean. From that time a pro- 
gressive series of discovery was doubtless carried 
on from Alexandria ; but no record of it is pre- 
served, unless in a work, entitled the Periplus of 
the Erythrean Sea, bearing the name of Arrian, 
and published probably somewhat posterior to the 
age of Pliny. It spears to be less the narrative 
of an actual voyage, than a descriptive guide for 
the use of the merchants who traded along the 
coasts of Africa and India. They set sail from 
Myos Hormos (near Cosseir), and after passing 
Berenice (Belled-el Habbesh), came to Ptolemais 
