Page:The Natural History of Pliny.djvu/408

 374 BOOK Y. AN ACCOUNT OF COUNTEIES, NATIONS, SEAS TOWNS HAVENS, MOUNTAINS, EIVERS, DISTANCES, AND PEo' PLES WHO NOW EXIST OR FORMERLY EXISTED. CHAP. 1. — THE TWO MAUEITANIAS. The Greeks have given the name of Libya ^ to Africa, and have called the sea that lies in front of it the Libyan Sea It has Egypt for its boimdary, and no part of the earth is there that has fewer gulfs or inlets, its shores extending in a lengthened line from the west in an oblique direction The names of its peoples, and its cities in especial, cannot pos- sibly be pronounced with correctness, except by the aid of their own native tongues. Its population, too, for the most part dwells only m fortresses'^. (1.) On our entrance into Africa, we find the two Mauri- tanias, which, until the time of Gains C^sar^ the son ol Grermamcus, were kingdoms ; but, suff^ering under his cruelty, they were divided into two provinces. The extreme promontory of Africa, which projects into the ocean, is caUed Ampelusia^ by the Greeks. There were formerly two towns Lissa and C<)tte^ beyond the Pillars of Hercules; but, at the present day, we only find that of Tingi«, which was for- 1 Not reckoning under that appellation the country of Effypt which was more generally looked upon as forming part of Asia. Josep'hus in- tormsus that Africa received its name from Ophir, great-grandson of Abraham and his second wife, Keturah. ^ ' & & 2 'CasteUa,' fortified places, erected for the purpose of defence: not towns lormed for the reception of social communities. 3 The Emperor Caligula, who, in the year 41 A.D., reduced the two Mauntamas to Roman provinces, and had King Ptolemy, the son of J uba, put to death. '' 4 Now Cape Spartel. By Scylax it is caUed Herm^um, and by Ptolemy and Strabo Cote, or Coteis. Phny means «' extreme," with re- lerence to the sea-line of the Mediterranean, in a direction due west. Mentioned again by Phny in B. xxxii. c. 6. Lissa was so caUed accordmg to Bochart, from the Hebrew or Phoenician word liss, «a lion. At the present day there is in this vicinity a headland caUed the Cape of the Lion. Bochart thinks that the name ' Cotta,' or ' Cotte ' W£^ derived from the Hebrew quoihef, a ' vine-dresser.' ' Ihe modem Tangier occupies its site. It was said to have derived