the spirit of laws-第89节

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was　made　in　forty　days。＇67＇

Strabo；＇68＇　who　accounts　for　their　ignorance　of　the　countries　between　the　Hypanis　and　the　Ganges；　says　there　were　very　few　of　those　who　sailed　from　Egypt　to　the　Indies　that　ever　proceeded　so　far　as　the　Ganges。　Their　fleets；　in　fact；　never　went　thither：　they　sailed　with　the　western　monsoons　from　the　mouth　of　the　Red　Sea　to　the　coast　of　Malabar。　They　cast　anchor　in　the　ports　along　that　coast；　and　never　attempted　to　get　round　the　peninsula　on　this　side　the　Ganges　by　Cape　Comorin　and　the　coast　of　Coromandel。　The　plan　of　navigation　laid　down　by　the　kings　of　Egypt　and　the　Romans　was　to　set　out　and　return　the　same　year。＇69＇

Thus　it　is　demonstrable　that　the　commerce　of　the　Greeks　and　Romans　to　the　Indies　was　much　less　extensive　than　ours。　We　know　immense　countries；　which　to　them　were　entirely　unknown；　we　traffic　with　all　the　Indian　nations；　we　even　manage　their　trade　and　carry　on　their　commerce。　But　this　commerce　of　the　ancients　was　carried　on　with　far　greater　facility　than　ours。　And　if　the　moderns　were　to　trade　only　with　the　coast　of　Guzerat　and　Malabar；　and；　without　seeking　for　the　southern　isles；　were　satisfied　with　what　these　islanders　brought　them；　they　would　certainly　prefer　the　way　of　Egypt　to　that　of　the　Cape　of　Good　Hope。　Strabo　informs　us＇70＇　that　they　traded　thus　with　the　people　of　Taprobane。

10。　Of　the　Circuit　of　Africa。　We　find　from　history　that　before　the　discovery　of　the　mariner's　compass　four　attempts　were　made　to　sail　round　the　coast　of　Africa。　The　Phoenicians　sent　by　Necho＇71＇　and　Eudoxus；＇72＇　flying　from　the　wrath　of　Ptolemy　Lathyrus；　set　out　from　the　Red　Sea；　and　succeeded。　Sataspes＇73＇　sent　by　Xerxes；　and　Hanno　by　the　Carthaginians；　set　out　from　the　Pillars　of　Hercules；　and　failed　in　the　attempt。

The　capital　point　in　surrounding　Africa　was　to　discover　and　double　the　Cape　of　Good　Hope。　Those　who　set　out　from　the　Red　Sea　found　this　cape　nearer　by　half　than　it　would　have　been　in　setting　out　from　the　Mediterranean。　The　shore　from　the　Red　Sea　is　not　so　shallow　as　that　from　the　cape　to　Hercules'　Pillars。＇74＇　The　discovery　of　the　cape　by　Hercules'　Pillars　was　owing　to　the　invention　of　the　compass；　which　permitted　them　to　leave　the　coast　of　Africa；　and　to　launch　out　into　the　vast　ocean；　in　order　to　sail　towards　the　island　of　St。　Helena；　or　towards　the　coast　of　Brazil。＇75＇　It　was；　therefore；　possible　for　them　to　sail　from　the　Red　Sea　into　the　Mediterranean；　but　not　to　set　out　from　the　Mediterranean　to　return　by　the　Red　Sea。

Thus；　without　making　this　grand　circuit；　after　which　they　could　hardly　hope　to　return；　it　was　most　natural　to　trade　to　the　east　of　Africa　by　the　Red　Sea；　and　to　the　western　coast　by　Hercules'　Pillars。

The　Grecian　kings　of　Egypt　discovered　at　first；　in　the　Red　Sea；　that　part　of　the　coast　of　Africa　which　extends　from　the　bottom　of　the　gulf；　where　stands　the　town　of　Heroum；　as　far　as　Dira；　that　is；　to　the　strait　now　known　by　the　name　of　Babelmandel。　Thence　to　the　promontory　of　Aromatia；　situate　at　the　entrance　of　the　Red　Sea；＇76＇　the　coast　had　never　been　surveyed　by　navigators：　and　this　is　evident　from　what　Artemidorus　tells　us；＇77＇　that　they　were　acquainted　with　the　places　on　that　coast；　but　knew　not　their　distances：　the　reason　of　which　is；　they　successively　gained　a　knowledge　of　those　ports　by　land；　without　sailing　from　one　to　the　other。

Beyond　this　promontory；　at　which　the　coast　along　the　ocean　commenced；　they　knew　nothing；　as　we　learn　from　Eratosthenes　and　Artemidorus。＇78＇

Such　was　the　knowledge　they　had　of　the　coasts　of　Africa　in　Strabo's　time；　that　is；　in　the　reign　of　Augustus。　But　after　the　prince's　decease；　the　Romans　found　out　the　two　capes　Raptum　and　Prassum；　of　which　Strabo　makes　no　mention；　because　they　had　not　as　yet　been　discovered。　It　is　plain　that　both　those　names　are　of　Roman　origin。

Ptolemy；　the　geographer；　flourished　under　Adrian　and　Antoninus　Pius；　and　the　author　of　the　Periplus　of　the　Red　Sea；　whoever　he　was；　lived　a　little　after。　Yet　the　former　limits　known　Africa　to　Cape　Prassum；＇79＇　which　is　in　about　the　14th　degree　of　south　latitude；　while　the　author　of　the　Periplus＇80＇　confines　it　to　Cape　Raptum；　which　is　nearly　in　the　tenth　degree　of　the　same　latitude。　In　all　likelihood　the　latter　took　his　limit　from　a　place　then　frequented；　and　Ptolemy　his　from　a　place　with　which　there　was　no　longer　any　communication。

What　confirms　me　in　this　notion　is　that　the　people　about　Cape　Prassum　were　Anthropophagi。＇81＇　Ptolemy　takes　notice＇82＇　of　a　great　number　of　places　between　the　port　or　emporium　Aromatum　and　Cape　Raptum；　but　leaves　an　entire　blank　between　Capes　Raptum　and　Prassum。　The　great　profits　of　the　East　India　trade　must　have　occasioned　a　neglect　of　that　of　Africa。　In　fine；　the　Romans　never　had　any　settled　navigation；　they　had　discovered　these　several　ports　by　land　expeditions；　and　by　means　of　ships　driven　on　that　coast；　and　as　at　present　we　are　well　acquainted　with　the　maritime　parts　of　Africa；　but　know　very　little　of　the　inland　country；　the　ancients；　on　the　contrary；　had　a　very　good　knowledge　of　the　inland　parts；　but　were　almost　strangers　to　the　coasts。＇83＇

I　said　that　the　Phoenicians　sent　by　Necho　and　Eudoxus　under　Ptolemy　Lathyrus　had　made　the　circuit　of　Africa；　but　at　the　time　of　Ptolemy；　the　geographer；　those　two　voyages　must　have　been　looked　upon　as　fabulous；　since　he　places　after＇84＇　the　Sinus　Magnus；　which　I　apprehend　to　be　the　Gulf　of　Siam；　an　unknown　country；　extending　from　Asia　to　Africa；　and　terminating　at　Cape　Prassum；　so　that　the　Indian　Ocean　would　have　been　no　more　than　a　lake。　The　ancients　who　discovered　the　Indies　towards　the　north；　advancing　eastward；　placed　this　unknown　country　to　the　south。

11。　Of　Carthage　and　Marseilles。　The　law　of　nations　which　prevailed　at　Carthage　was　very　extraordinary：　all　strangers　who　traded　to　Sardinia　and　towards　Hercules'　Pillars　this　haughty　republic　sentenced　to　be　drowned。　Her　civil　polity　was　equally　surprising；　she　forbade　the　Sardinians　to　cultivate　their　lands；　upon　pain　of　death。　She　increased　her　power　by　her　riches；　and　afterwards　her　riches　by　her　power。　Being　mistress　of　the　coasts　of　Africa；　which　are　washed　by　the　Mediterranean；　she　extended　herself　along　the　ocean。　Hanno；　by　order　of　the　senate　of　Carthage；　distributed　thirty　thousand　Carthaginians　from　Hercules'　Pillars　as　far　as　Cerne。　This　place；　he　says；　is　as　distant　from　Hercules'　Pillars　as　the　latter　from　Carthage。　This　situation　is　extremely　remarkable。　It　lets　us　see　that　Hanno　limited　his　settlements　to　the　25th　degree　of　north　latitude；　that　is；　to　two　or　three　degrees　south　of　the　Canaries。

Hanno　being　at　Cerne　undertook　another　voyage；　with　a　view　of　making　further　discoveries　towards　the　south。　He　took　but　little　notice　of　the　continent。　He　followed　the　coast　for　twenty…six　days；　when　he　was　obliged　to　return　for　want　of　provisions。　The　Carthaginians；　it　seems；　made　no　use　of　this　second　enterprise。　Scylax　says＇85＇　that　the　sea　is　not　navigable　beyond　Cerne；　because　it　is　shallow；　full　of　mud　and　sea…weeds：＇86＇　and；　in　fact；　there　are　many　of　these　in　those　latitudes。＇87＇　The　Carthaginian　merchants　mentioned　by　Scylax　might　find　obstacles　which　Hanno；　who　had　sixty　vessels　of　fifty　oars　each；　had　surmounted。　Difficulties　are　at　most　but　relative；　besides；　we　ought　not　to　confound　an　enterprise　in　which　bravery　and　resolution　must　be　exerted　with　things　that　require　no　extraordinary　conduct。

The　relation　of　Hanno's　voyage　is　a　fine　fragment　of　antiquity。　It　was　written　by　the　very　man　that　performed　it。

His　recital　is　not　mingled　with　ostentation。　Great　commanders　write　their　actions　with　simplicity；　because　they　receive　more　glory　from　facts　than　from　words。

The　style　is　agreeable　to　the　subject；　he　deals　not　in　the　marvellous。　All　he　says　of　the　climate；　of　the　soil；　the　behaviour；　the　manners　of　the　inhabitants；　correspond　with　what　is　every　day　seen　on　this　coast　of　Africa；　one　would　imagine　it　the　journal　of　a　modern　sailor。

He　observed　from　his　fleet　that　in　the　day…time　there　was　a　prodigious　silence　on　the　continent；　that　in　the　night　he　heard　the　sound　of　various　musical　instruments；　and　that　fires　might　then　be　everywhere　seen；　some　larger　than　others。＇88＇　Our　relations　are　conformable　to　this；　it　has　been　discovered　that　in　the　day　the　savages　retire　into　the　forests　to　avoid　the　heat　of　the　sun；　that　they　light　up　great　fires　in　the　night　to　disperse　the　beasts　of　prey；　and　that　they　are　passionately　fond　of　music　and　dancing。

The　same　writer　describes　a　volcano　with　all　the　phenomena　of　Vesuvius；　and　relates　that　he　captured　two　hairy　women；　who　chose　to　die　rather　than　follow　the　Carthaginians；　and　whose　skins　he　carried　to　Carthage。　This　has　been　found　not　void　of　probability。

This　narration　is　so　much　the　more　valuable　as　it　is　a　monument　of　Punic　antiquity；　and　hence　alone　it　has　been　regarded　as　fabulous。　For　the　Romans　retained　their　hatred　of　the　Carthaginians；　even　after　they　had　destroyed　them。　But　it　was　victory　alone　that　decided　whether　we　ought　to　say　the　Punic　or　the　Roman　faith。

Some　moderns＇89＇　have　imbibed　these　prejudices。　What　has　become；　say　they；　of　the　cities　described　by　Hanno；　of　which　even　in　Pliny's　time　there　remained　no　vestiges？　But　it　would　have　been