the history-第69节

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e　length　and　desolateness　of　the　journey；　he　turned　back　and　left　unaccomplished　the　task　which　had　been　set　him　by　his　mother。　This　man　had　used　violence　towards　a　maiden；　the　daughter　of　Zopyrus；　son　of　Megabyzus；　and　King　Xerxes　was　about　to　impale　him　for　the　offence；　when　his　mother；　who　was　a　sister　of　Darius；　begged　him　off；　undertaking　to　punish　his　crime　more　heavily　than　the　king　himself　had　designed。　She　would　force　him；　she　said；　to　sail　round　Libya　and　return　to　Egypt　by　the　Arabian　gulf。　Xerxes　gave　his　consent；　and　Sataspes　went　down　to　Egypt；　and　there　got　a　ship　and　crew；　with　which　he　set　sail　for　the　Pillars　of　Hercules。　Having　passed　the　Straits；　he　doubled　the　Libyan　headland；　known　as　Cape　Soloeis；　and　proceeded　southward。　Following　this　course　for　many　months　over　a　vast　stretch　of　sea；　and　finding　that　more　water　than　he　had　crossed　still　lay　ever　before　him；　he　put　about；　and　came　back　to　Egypt。　Thence　proceeding　to　the　court；　he　made　report　to　Xerxes；　that　at　the　farthest　point　to　which　he　had　reached；　the　coast　was　occupied　by　a　dwarfish　race；　who　wore　a　dress　made　from　the　palm　tree。　These　people；　whenever　he　landed；　left　their　towns　and　fled　away　to　the　mountains；　his　men；　however；　did　them　no　wrong；　only　entering　into　their　cities　and　taking　some　of　their　cattle。　The　reason　why　he　had　not　sailed　quite　round　Libya　was；　he　said；　because　the　ship　stopped；　and　would　no　go　any　further。　Xerxes；　however；　did　not　accept　this　account　for　true；　and　so　Sataspes；　as　he　had　failed　to　accomplish　the　task　set　him；　was　impaled　by　the　king's　orders　in　accordance　with　the　former　sentence。　One　of　his　eunuchs；　on　hearing　of　his　death；　ran　away　with　a　great　portion　of　his　wealth；　and　reached　Samos；　where　a　certain　Samian　seized　the　whole。　I　know　the　man's　name　well；　but　I　shall　willingly　forget　it　here。　　　　　Of　the　greater　part　of　Asia　Darius　was　the　discoverer。　Wishing　to　know　where　the　Indus　（which　is　the　only　river　save　one　that　produces　crocodiles）　emptied　itself　into　the　sea；　he　sent　a　number　of　men；　on　whose　truthfulness　he　could　rely；　and　among　them　Scylax　of　Caryanda；　to　sail　down　the　river。　They　started　from　the　city　of　Caspatyrus；　in　the　region　called　Pactyica；　and　sailed　down　the　stream　in　an　easterly　direction　to　the　sea。　Here　they　turned　westward；　and；　after　a　voyage　of　thirty　months；　reached　the　place　from　which　the　Egyptian　king；　of　whom　I　spoke　above；　sent　the　Phoenicians　to　sail　round　Libya。　After　this　voyage　was　completed；　Darius　conquered　the　Indians；　and　made　use　of　the　sea　in　those　parts。　Thus　all　Asia；　except　the　eastern　portion；　has　been　found　to　be　similarly　circumstanced　with　Libya。　　　　　But　the　boundaries　of　Europe　are　quite　unknown；　and　there　is　not　a　man　who　can　say　whether　any　sea　girds　it　round　either　on　the　north　or　on　the　east；　while　in　length　it　undoubtedly　extends　as　far　as　both　the　other　two。　For　my　part　I　cannot　conceive　why　three　names；　and　women's　names　especially；　should　ever　have　been　given　to　a　tract　which　is　in　reality　one；　nor　why　the　Egyptian　Nile　and　the　Colchian　Phasis　（or　according　to　others　the　Maeotic　Tanais　and　Cimmerian　ferry）　should　have　been　fixed　upon　for　the　boundary　lines；　nor　can　I　even　say　who　gave　the　three　tracts　their　names；　or　whence　they　took　the　epithets。　According　to　the　Greeks　in　general；　Libya　was　so　called　after　a　certain　Libya；　a　native　woman；　and　Asia　after　the　wife　of　Prometheus。　The　Lydians；　however；　put　in　a　claim　to　the　latter　name；　which；　they　declare；　was　not　derived　from　Asia　the　wife　of　Prometheus；　but　from　Asies；　the　son　of　Cotys；　and　grandson　of　Manes；　who　also　gave　name　to　the　tribe　Asias　at　Sardis。　As　for　Europe；　no　one　can　say　whether　it　is　surrounded　by　the　sea　or　not；　neither　is　it　known　whence　the　name　of　Europe　was　derived；　nor　who　gave　it　name；　unless　we　say　that　Europe　was　so　called　after　the　Tyrian　Europe；　and　before　her　time　was　nameless；　like　the　other　divisions。　But　it　is　certain　that　Europe　was　an　Asiatic；　and　never　even　set　foot　on　the　land　which　the　Greeks　now　call　Europe；　only　sailing　from　Phoenicia　to　Crete；　and　from　Crete　to　Lycia。　However　let　us　quit　these　matters。　We　shall　ourselves　continue　to　use　the　names　which　custom　sanctions。　　　　　The　Euxine　sea；　where　Darius　now　went　to　war；　has　nations　dwelling　around　it；　with　the　one　exception　of　the　Scythians；　more　unpolished　than　those　of　any　other　region　that　we　know　of。　For；　setting　aside　Anacharsis　and　the　Scythian　people；　there　is　not　within　this　region　a　single　nation　which　can　be　put　forward　as　having　any　claims　to　wisdom；　or　which　has　produced　a　single　person　of　any　high　repute。　The　Scythians　indeed　have　in　one　respect；　and　that　the　very　most　important　of　all　those　that　fall　under　man's　control；　shown　themselves　wiser　than　any　nation　upon　the　face　of　the　earth。　Their　customs　otherwise　are　not　such　as　I　admire。　The　one　thing　of　which　I　speak　is　the　contrivance　whereby　they　make　it　impossible　for　the　enemy　who　invades　them　to　escape　destruction；　while　they　themselves　are　entirely　out　of　his　reach；　unless　it　please　them　to　engage　with　him。　Having　neither　cities　nor　forts；　and　carrying　their　dwellings　with　them　wherever　they　go；　accustomed；　moreover；　one　and　all　of　them；　to　shoot　from　horseback；　and　living　not　by　husbandry　but　on　their　cattle；　their　waggons　the　only　houses　that　they　possess；　how　can　they　fail　of　being　unconquerable；　and　unassailable　even？　　　　　The　nature　of　their　country；　and　the　rivers　by　which　it　is　intersected；　greatly　favour　this　mode　of　resisting　attacks。　For　the　land　is　level；　well　watered；　and　abounding　in　pasture；　while　the　rivers　which　traverse　it　are　almost　equal　in　number　to　the　canals　of　Egypt。　Of　these　I　shall　only　mention　the　most　famous　and　such　as　are　navigable　to　some　distance　from　the　sea。　They　are；　the　Ister；　which　has　five　mouths；　the　Tyras；　the　Hypanis；　the　Borysthenes；　the　Panticapes；　the　Hypacyris；　the　Gerrhus；　and　the　Tanais。　The　courses　of　these　streams　I　shall　now　proceed　to　describe。　　　　　The　Ister　is　of　all　the　rivers　with　which　we　are　acquainted　the　mightiest。　It　never　varies　in　height；　but　continues　at　the　same　level　summer　and　winter。　Counting　from　the　west　it　is　the　first　of　the　Scythian　rivers；　and　the　reason　of　its　being　the　greatest　is　that　it　receives　the　water　of　several　tributaries。　Now　the　tributaries　which　swell　its　flood　are　the　following：　first；　on　the　side　of　Scythia；　these　five…　the　stream　called　by　the　Scythians　Porata；　and　by　the　Greeks　Pyretus；　the　Tiarantus；　the　Ararus；　the　Naparis；　and　the　Ordessus。　The　first　mentioned　is　a　great　stream；　and　is　the　easternmost　of　the　tributaries。　The　Tiarantus　is　of　less　volume；　and　more　to　the　west。　The　Ararus；　Naparis；　and　Ordessus　fall　into　the　Ister　between　these　two。　All　the　above　mentioned　are　genuine　Scythian　rivers；　and　go　to　swell　the　current　of　the　Ister。　　　　　From　the　country　of　the　Agathyrsi　comes　down　another　river；　the　Maris；　which　empties　itself　into　the　same；　and　from　the　heights　of　Haemus　descend　with　a　northern　course　three　mighty　streams；　the　Atlas；　the　Auras；　and　the　Tibisis；　and　pour　their　waters　into　it。　Thrace　gives　it　three　tributaries；　the　Athrys；　the　Noes；　and　the　Artanes；　which　all　pass　through　the　country　of　the　Crobyzian　Thracians。　Another　tributary　is　furnished　by　Paeonia；　namely；　the　Scius；　this　river；　rising　near　Mount　Rhodope；　forces　its　way　through　the　chain　of　Haemus；　and　so　reaches　the　Ister。　From　Illyria　comes　another　stream；　the　Angrus；　which　has　a　course　from　south　to　north；　and　after　watering　the　Triballian　plain；　falls　into　the　Brongus；　which　falls　into　the　Ister。　So　the　Ister　is　augmented　by　these　two　streams；　both　considerable。　Besides　all　these；　the　Ister　receives　also　the　waters　of　the　Carpis　and　the　Alpis；　two　rivers　running　in　a　northerly　direction　from　the　country　above　the　Umbrians。　For　the　Ister　flows　through　the　whole　extent　of　Europe；　rising　in　the　country　of　the　Celts　（the　most　westerly　of　all　the　nations　of　Europe；　excepting　the　Cynetians）；　and　thence　running　across　the　continent　till　it　reaches　Scythia；　whereof　it　washes　the　flanks。　　　　　All　these　streams；　then；　and　many　others；　add　their　waters　to　swell　the　flood　of　the　Ister；　which　thus　increased　becomes　the　mightiest　of　rivers；　for　undoubtedly　if　we　compare　the　stream　of　the　Nile　with　the　single　stream　of　the　Ister；　we　must　give　the　preference　to　the　Nile；　of　which　no　tributary　river；　nor　even　rivulet；　augments　the　volume。　The　Ister　remains　at　the　same　level　both　summer　and　winter…　owing　to　the　following　reasons；　as　I　believe。　During　the　winter　it　runs　at　its　natural　height；　or　a　very　little　higher；　because　in　those　countries　there　is　scarcely　any　rain　in　winter；　but　constant　snow。　When　summer　comes；　this　snow；　which　is　of　great　depth；　begins　to　melt；　and　flows　into　the　Ister；　which　is　swelled　at　that　season；　not　only　by　this　cause　but　also　by　the　rains；　which　are　heavy　and　frequent　at　that　part　of　the　year。　Thus　the　various　streams　which　go　to　form　the　Ister　are　higher　in　summer　than　in　winter；　and　just　so　much　higher　as　the　sun's　power　and　attraction　are　greater；　so　that　these　two　causes　counteract　each　other；　and　the　effect　is　to　produce　a　balance；　whereby　the　Ister　remains　always　at　the　same　level。　　　　　This；　then；　is　one　of　the　great　Scythian　rivers；　the　next　to　it　is　the　Tyras；　wh