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are established at the most western limit as equals, but the easternmost parts of the Serae the Chinese people and the Sinae, as well as Cattigara, furthermore in the distance which is from the Fortunate Islands to the crossing of the Euphrates, through Hierapolis, if the parallel which is through Rhodes is observed, the number of stadia reported by him for each place will square, for that has been discovered from frequent use of the journey. Which even if it had been reasoned from greater distances, it will appear that he, in the rectification of that which is due to detours and the redundancies of journeys and irregularities, has achieved what is due. But also in this he feels correctly, that one part of those of which the greatest circle is 360, constitutes 500 stadia on the earth, for that is consistent with the confessed dimensions. But the circumference similar to it, of the parallel which passes through Rhodes, that is, which is distant from the equinoctial by thirty-six parts, comprises about 400 stadia, for that which exceeds according to the consistent ratio of the parallels, when it is small in more exact detection, is to be omitted. Furthermore, the distance which he collects from the aforesaid crossing of the Euphrates as far as the stone tower, and through it, is 876 schoeni, and 26,280 stadia. Furthermore, that which he himself asserts to be a seven-month journey from the stone tower as far as the Serae, which is the metropolis of the Serae, but 36,200 stadia, we will contract both as if under the same parallel, according to our custom, into the due rectification. Since it is certain that he in both journeys in no way diminished that which was superabundant due to detours. Nay, in the second journey, he also fell into the same errors in which he stumbled in the journey from the Garamantes as far as the Agisymba region. For even there he was forced to contract the collected number of stadia of four months and fourteen days to more than half. When it is incredible that a continuous pilgrimage was made in such a long time, so that it could reasonably reach the space of seven months, and much more than in the journey from the Garamantes, for that could be traveled by the King of that region with providence, as was proper, and not fortuitously, but there was also perpetual tranquility there, whereas the way which is from the stone tower as far as the Serae is subject to the most vehement tempests. For from those parallels which he himself supposes, those which pass through the Hellespont and Byzantium, it is subject to them. For which reason many

delays had to happen in the same. For it was known also by the occasion of trade. For he reports that a certain merchant, who was also called Titianus, a man of Macedonia, and born of a merchant father, wrote down this dimension, although he himself never approached the Serae, but only had sent some people there. And yet he himself does not seem to place faith in the histories of merchants. For he by no means agrees with the report of Philemon, by which he handed down that the length of the island of Hibernia Ireland from east to west is twenty days, because he sees that this was perceived from merchants, who, occupied by trade, he says do not care for the investigation of truth. Nay, they often increase distances with a certain arrogant boasting. Therefore, concerning this journey of seven months, nothing else worthy of mention than how great it was, reported by those who carried it out, seems monster-like, on account of the length of time.

AMENDMENT OF THE LONGITUDE OF THE KNOWN EARTH FROM JOURNEYS

CHAPTER XII.

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THEREFORE because of these things, and because the journey is not made under one parallel. But the stone tower is placed around the one which is through Byzantium, but the Serae are more southern, under that which is written through the Hellespont, it would have seemed reasonable, and here also the multitude of stadia, which was collected from the seven-month journey, of 36,200, to diminish it by less than half. But let it be contracted to half only for the sake of a fuller detection, so that the exposed distance is computed to be 18,100 stadia, and one-fourth, and forty-five and one-fourth parts. For it would be absurd, and quite foreign to reason, that someone should suppose such a diminution in both ways, and in that from the Garamantes, because arguments resisted, that is, because of the differences of animals which are through the Agisymba region, and cannot transcend the natural places, one should follow his opinion, but in that way which is from the stone tower,