The Roman historie containing such acts and occurrents as passed under Constantius, Iulianus, Iovianus, Valentinianus, and Valens, emperours. Digested into 18. bookes, the remains of 31. and written first in Latine by Ammianus Marcellinus: now translated newly into English. Wherunto is annexed the chronologie, serving in stead of a briefe supplement of those former 13. bookes, which by the iniurie of time are lost: together with compendious annotations and coniectures upon such hard places as occurre in the said historie. Done by Philemon Holland of the citie of Coventrie, Doctor in Physicke.

CHAP. XIIII. An exact draught of things memorable in Aegypt: and first as touching the auncientie of the people: The site and limits of the kingdome: then the heads, courses, mouthes, or issues, and strange wonders of Nilus.

BEcause therefore this present time seemeth to require so much, the storie of Aegypt would slightly and in few words bee tou∣ched, considering that the knowledge there of I have orderly put downe at large, in the acts of the Emperours Hadrian and Seve∣rus, reporting most things that I saw my selfe. The Aegyptian nation, the most auncient of all others, but that it contendeth with the Scythians about antiquitie, is on the South side bounded with the grea∣ter * 1.1 Syrtes, the Promontorie * 1.2 Phycus and * 1.3 Borium, together with the Garamants, and sundrie other kinds of people: where it looketh directly into the East, it lyeth along just before Elephantina and Meröe, cities of the Aethiopians, the * 1.4 Catadupi also, and the * 1.5 Red Sea, together with the Arabians Scenitae, whom we now call Sa∣racenes.

The parts bearing just against the North, are maine lands, cohering one to the other a mightie way; whence Asia, and the provinces of Syria take their be∣ginning. On the West side, disjoyned it is from the Continent by the sea * 1.6 Issia∣cum, which some have named Parthenium. Meet it will be therefore, that some∣what in briefe I set downe as touching Nilus (which Homer tearmeth Aegyptus) minding shortly to shew other particulars which in these countries are admirable. The spring heads and originall of Nilus, as I for my part verily am wont to thinke, the ages also ensuing hereafter, shall be ignorant of, like as those have beene hereto∣fore to this day. But for as much as the fabling Poets, and disagreeing Geogra∣phers deliver divers matters as touching the hidden knowledge thereof, I will dis∣patch in few words their opinions, such as I suppose sound neere unto the truth. Some Naturallists affirme, That in the parts lying under the North, when the cold Winters bind and freeze all, there be mightie great snowes congealed and gathe∣red together: and these afterwards resolved through the force of the exceeding hot Sunne, turne into clouds full of liquid and flowing humors, which by the ^μ Etesian winds driven into the South quarter, and wrung out with excessive heat, minister plentious increase of water to Nilus. Others are of opinion, That by oc∣casion of great showers of raine in * 1.7 Aethiopia, which by report, fall aboundantly in those tracts, in the time of parching hot weather, the said river doth rise and o∣verflow at certaine set times of the yeare. But these opinions both, seeme not to ac∣cord with the truth: For, reported it is, That in Aethiopia either there falleth no showers at all, or else if they do, it is verie seldome, and after great time betweene. Another opinion there is, more embraced than the rest, That whiles the ^• fore-run∣ning * 1.8 winds blow and the Etesian blasts together, holding on continually for the space of fortie five dayes, they force backe his streame, and by reason that his swift course is thus restrained, he swelleth, and his waves overflow: and so growing big∣ger still by a contrarie spirit that striveth againe, whiles violent windes beat it backe of one side, and the course of the ever-running springs besides urge it forward on another, it riseth on high, and covereth all: and having once got the ground under it, surroundeth the open fields, and looketh like a sea. But king Iuba grounding his opinion assuredly upon that which he found written in certaine * 1.9 Punicke bookes, sheweth, That he ariseth out of a certaine hill, which standing in * 1.10 Mauritania, over∣looketh the Ocean. And he saith, That upon these presumptions and arguments, this opinion was set on foot, because the like fishes, hearbs, and beasts, are bred a∣mong all those marishes. Now, this river Nilus running along by the parts of Aethi∣opia, having also gone through divers names, which many nations have given him as he passeth along the earth, with a most rich exundation, commeth at length to the Cataracts, that is to say, certaine steepe and broken rocks, downe which as hee falleth, he seemeth to rush rather than to run. Whereupon in times past the people inhabiting there by, when with continuall roaring of the water, they had much impaired the use of their eares, and became hard of hearing, were forced of necessi∣tie to remove and flit up to higher grounds. From thence passing on with a mil∣der course, at seven mouthes, everie of which both yeeld the use and carrie also the face of so many running rivers, he spreadeth himselfe through Aegypt, without the helpe of any fortaine waters. And beside verie many rivers derived out of his cha∣nell, the father of them all, and falling into other chanels welneere as bigge as it: seven there bee navigable and full of surges, unto which those writers in auncient

time have given these names under written, to wit, * 1.11 Heracleoticus, * 1.12 Sebenniticus, Bolbiticus, Pathniticus, * 1.13 Mendesius, * 1.14 Taniticus, and * 1.15 Pelusiacus. Moreover, rising from whence I have said, carried forward he is from the marishes, unto the Cataracts aforesaid, and maketh many islands; whereof some are said to lye out so farre along in the water, that hardly hee can leave any one of them behind him in three dayes sayling. Among which islands there bee two of great name, to wit, * 1.16 Meroë, and * 1.17 Delta, so called for better marke and distinction, of the triangled form of that [greeke] letter Δ. Now when the Sunne beginneth to passe through the signe Cancer, Nilus riseth higher untill his course into Libra: and thus flowing a∣loft for an hundred dayes together, beginneth afterwards to decrease, and so the hugenesse of his water being abated, where as before he carried ships, now he shew∣eth the fields passable by men on horsebacke. If it rise and swell over-high, it is as hurtfull, as unfruitfull otherwise, if it flow not high ynough. For, by excessive store of water standing and soking the earth too long, it letteth tillage of the fields, and by the smalnesse thereof it threatneth slender and barreine corne. Neither doth any holder of land wish it to rise above sixteene cubits high. And if it happen to flow moderatly, the seed cast upon a land of fat soyle, yeeldeth increase divers times threescore and tenne fold. And it is the onely river that breedeth and affoordeth no gales of wind.

Notes

• * 1.1

  S••••che de Ba••ba∣ria, or Baxos de Barbaria.
• * 1.2

  Cabo di Carena, or ••ax••••en
• * 1.3

  Cabo de Teinnes
• * 1.4

  People dwelling by the Cataracts, or Downe-fall of Ni••••••.
• * 1.5

  Aza••••••••. D••••. Nigro. Ma•• di India. 〈…〉〈…〉.
• * 1.6

  Golfo de Ala•••••• or Gia••za.
• * 1.7

  Abezim, or Al∣habas, inhabited by the Abyss••nes.
• * 1.8

  Prodro••••.
• * 1.9

  Written by C••r∣thaginians.
• * 1.10

  The kingdomes of Maro••cho and Pesse.
• * 1.11

  Roset••o.
• * 1.12

  Sturioni.
• * 1.13

  Damiate. Nig. Migni. B••n••••ct••l••.
• * 1.14

  Tanes. Nig. Cal••••en••. Bonac••.
• * 1.15

  Carabes.
• * 1.16

  G••guere. Cas••a••d.
• * 1.17

  〈◊〉〈◊〉.