Page:The Natural History of Pliny.djvu/179

 Chap. 112.] DIMENSIONS OF THE EARTK. 145 coast of Spain, 331 miles; across the passage of Gades 71 miles ; which distances, according to the estimate of Arte- midorus, make altogether 89-45 miles. The breadth of the earth, from south to north, is commonlj supposed to be about one-half only of its length, viz. 4490 miles ; hence it is evident how much the heat has stolen from it on one side and the cold on the other : for I do not sup- pose that the land is actually wanting, or that the earth has not the form of a globe ; but that, on each side, the unin- habitable parts have not been discovered. This measure then extends from the coast of the Ethiopian ocean, the most distant part which is habitable, to Meroe, 1000 miles ^ ; thence to Alexandi^a 1250 ; to Ehodes 562 ; to Cnidos 87^ ; to Cos 25 ; to Samos 100 ; to Chios 94 ; to Mitylene 65 ; to Tenedos 44 ; to the promontory of Sigseum 12| ; to the en- trance of the Euxine 312^ ; to the promontory of Carambis 350 ; to the entrance of the Pains Maeotis 312^ ; and to the mouth of the Tanais 275 miles, which distance, if we went by sea, might be shortened 89 miles. Beyond the Tanais the most diligent authors have not been able to obtain any accurate measurement. Artemidorus supposes that every- thing beyond is undiscovered, since he cordesses that, about the Tanais, the tribes of the Sarmatse dwell, who extend towards the north pole. Isidorus adds 1250 miles, as the distance to Thule^; but this is mere conjecture. For my part, I believe that the boundaries of Sarmatia really extend to as great a distance as that mentioned above : for if it were not very extensive, how coidd it contain the innume- rable tribes that are always changing their residence ? And indeed I consider the iminhabitable portion of the world to be still greater ; for it is well known that there are innu- ^ The same remarks may be made upon this and the following num- bers as upon those in the former paragraph ; for further infonnation I shall refer my readers to the notes of Ilardoum, Brotier, and Alexandre, in Lemaire, i. 465-468. 2 There is great uncertainty respecting the locality of the Thule of the ancients ; there was, in fact, nothing known respecting the locahty or identity of any of the places approaching to the Arctic circle ; the name appears to have been vaguely apphed to some country lying to the north of the habitable parts of Europe. In note ^, p. 109, 1 have already liad occasion to ofier some remarks on the locahty of Thule. Our author speaks of Thule in two subsequent parts of his work, iv. 30 and vL 3i). YOL. I. L