X-IBERjAS. 2$§ 
Its length we could not form any accurate opinion, because its 
southern extremity, winding behind distant mountains, was 
concealed from our vieiv ; but we inclined rather to the state** 
ment of Hegesippus, as applied by lieland* to the text of Jose* 
phus; this makes it one hundred and forty stadia, or seventeen 
tniles and a half.f Josephus speaks of the sw eetness of its 
watery of its pebbly bottom, and, above all, of the salubrity of 
the surrounding atmosphere.^ He says the water is so cold, 
that its temperature is not affected by its being exposed to the 
sun during the hottest season of the year* A most curious cir¬ 
cumstance concerning this lake is mentioned by Hasselquist: 
“ I thought it remarkable,” observes this celebrated naturalist,|j 
“ that the same kind of fish should here be met with as in the 
IS r ile; Charmulh, Silarus, Bcenni, Mulsil , and Spams GaU- 
Iwus™ This explains the observations of certain travellers, 
who speak of the lake as possessing fishes peculiar to itself; not 
being perhaps acquainted with the produce of the Mile. Jose¬ 
phus considers the Lake Gennesareth as having fishes gF a pe¬ 
culiar nature and yet it is very worthy of notice, that, in 
speaking of the fountain of Capernaum, his remarks tend to con¬ 
firm the observation made by Hasselquist. “ Some consider it,’* 
says he,|f ct as a vein of the Mile, because it brings forth fishes 
resembling the Corqchws of the Alexandrian lake.” 
This lake was the scene of a most bloody naval engagement 
between the Romans under Vespasian, and the Jews who had 
revolted during the administration of Agrippa. The account 
of the action, as gi ven by Josephus, proves that the vessels of 
the country, as at this day, were nothing more than mere boats: 
even those of the Romans, expressly built for that occasion, 
and described as larger than the ships Used by the Jews, con¬ 
sisted of small craft, rapidly constructed, and for the building 
of which, it is said, they had abundance both of artificers and 
materials.!! Titus and Trajan were present in that engage- 
# Palaest. Illutst lib. T. c. 39. tom. I. p. 259. Traj, ad. Rhen. 1714. 
| “ Namque lac us ipsiuS, velut quodam mare sinus amplissirnus, in longitudinem 
eentum quadruginta extenditur stadia, Jatitudine quadraginta diffundi'tur.” Hegesigr- 
pus de ExcidUrb. ffiero. lib. iii. c. 25. vol VII. p. 49 2. Bib. Pat. Par 1654. 
X The waters of this lake are thus extolled by Quaresmius : “ Non cfeeno$ae, palu- 
dosae, vel amarae, sed clarae, dulces, potabiles, et i’ecundie.” Quaresmii Elucid. Tc?E 
Sane. lib. vii. c. 3. p. 862. tom. II. Antverp. 1639. 
§ Joseph, lib. iii. de Bell. Jud. c. 18. 
|) Hasselquist’s Voy. and Trav. in the Levant, p. 157. Bond. 1766. 
Lit*, iii cap 18 de Bell. Jud. 
Taumv <p\t{3a rS'NelXs tivss l5o$av, Iffsl Jivva rep Kara tuv ’AAe|av5yfWy A/fivfty 
Kojamvw TrayaTrXrio^uXv,. Joseph. Ub. iii. de Bell. Jud. tom. II. p 258. ed. S. ffavere. 
Anist. Sec. 1720. The same kind of fish is mentioned in Athenaeus. (p . 227. C 0 Hav.) 
b’ee also “ Gesner de AquatiHUus 
t|- ibid. cap.! 7. 
2 E 
