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. V. An exact description of provinces and nations which at this time are inhabited farre and wide in Thracia, and along the circuit of Pontus Euxinus.

A Fit time now it is (as I suppose) that since we are by occasion of this great Prince devolved upon these parts, we should truly and plain∣ly deliver somewhat that we have seene or read, as touching the ut∣most coasts of Thracia, together with the scituation of the gulfe * 1.1 or sea of Pontus. * 1.2 Athos, that exceeding high mountaine in Mace∣donie, through which sometimes the Medes ships passed, & * 1.3 Caphereus the rock or Promontorie in Eubaea, where Nauplius, father to Palamedes, caused the fleet of the Argives to be split and cast away, although they stand a great way afunder, di∣vide the * 1.4 Aegean and Thessalian Seas one from the other. As for this Aegean sea, spreading it selfe by little and little as it groweth broader, on the right hand where

it stretcheth wide by the Sporades, is full of Islands, as also by the * 1.5 Cyclades, so cal∣led, for that they doe all of them encircle * 1.6 Delos, the noble place of the •••• gods na∣tivitie: on the left hand, where it washeth * 1.7 Imbros, * 1.8 Tenedos, * 1.9 Lemnus, and * 1.10 Tha∣sus round about, when the winds are big and blow full upon it, with great violence it beateth upon * 1.11 Lesbos: From whence with a returne of the current and reflow∣ing waves, it dasheth upon the temple of Apollo * 1.12 Sminthius, and upon Troas, as al∣so upon * 1.13 Ilium, so famous for the chaunces that befell to noble and worthie warri∣ors. And here it maketh the gulfe or Bay Melas, lying full against the Westerne wind, at the very entrance and beginning whereof is seene * 1.14 Abdera, the habitati∣on of Protagoras and Democritus, and the ^P bloudie seat of the Thracian king Dio∣medes: as also those bottomes and vales by which the river * 1.15 Hebrus runneth into it: likewise, * 1.16 Maronea and * 1.17 Aenus, which when Aeneas in a cursed and unluckie houre had begun and soone abandoned, by the guidance of the gods he sped him∣selfe to auncient * 1.18 Ausonia. From hence growing small by little and little, and as it were by certaine naturall commerce rushing into Pontus, and joyning to it selfe a part thereof, shaped it is in forme of the Greeke letter φ, and cutting * 1.19 Hellespontus from * 1.20 Rhodope, passeth along by * 1.21 Cynossema, where it is thought Hecuba was bu∣ried; also by * 1.22 Coela, Sestos, and * 1.23 Callipolis: and overagainst them, by the Sepul∣chres of * 1.24 Achilles and Aiax, it floweth close to Dardanus and * 1.25 Abydus, whence Xerxes by making a bridge of ships joined close together, went over the sea on foot: then passeth it by * 1.26 Lampsacus, which the king of Persia by way of gift bestowed upon Themistocles; and by * 1.27 Parion, which Parius the sonne of Iason built. Whence swelling on both sides in manner of an halfe globe, and opening a wide partition of lands, with the armes of Propontis that stretch round about, it bedasheth on that side * 1.28 Cyzicum and Dindyma, the religious and sacred temples of the great dame ^q and Mother [Cybele:] Apamea likewise and Cius, * 1.29 Astacus also called in the age * 1.30 ensuing after the kings name, Nicomedia. But what way it holdeth on Westward, it beateth upon Cherronesus & Aegos, Potamus, in which place Anaxagoras fore∣told, That stones should fall from heaven: also * 1.31 Lysimachia and that citie, which when Hercules had founded, he named * 1.32 Perinthus, and dedicated it to the memo∣riall of his companion. And to keepe the fashion of the perfect and complete let∣ter φ, in the very middest of the roundle lyeth * 1.33 Proconnesus, an Island fashioned somewhat long, and * 1.34 Besbicus: beyond the top whereof it groweth narrow a∣gaine, and running betweene Europe and * 1.35 Bithynia, passeth along Chalcedon, * 1.36 Chrysopolis and certaine obscure stations or harbour townes. For upon the left skirts and sides thereof the haven * 1.37 Athyras looketh downe, as also * 1.38 Selymbria and Constantinople (Byzantium in old time) a Colonie of the Athenians, and the Promontorie * 1.39 Ceras, carrying a turret built aloft upon it, giving light to ships; for which it is called Pharos: and from thence an auncient fountaine exceeding cold, with many * 1.40 water-courses issuing from it. In this manner being broken, and by the participation of both seas determined, and now growing more mild, it enlargeth it selfe, and even like unto a maine sea indeed spreading wide and long, as farre as a man may possibly ken. Now, the whole circuit thereof, as if it lay like an Island, as a man sayleth along the coast and skirts of it, containeth the measure of three thousand stadia, as Eratosthenes, Hecataeus, and Ptolomey affirme, as also other most skilfull searchers into these and such like kinds of knowledge, and by the assent of all Geographers is shaped to the forme of a Scythian bow, fitted with a string and bent to the full. And looke where the Sunne riseth out of the East Ocean, limitted

it is with the fennes and meres of * 1.41 Maeotis: what way the Sunne bendeth West∣ward, confine it doth upon the Romane provinces: where hee looketh up to the Northren * 1.42 Beares, it hath people bordering upon it, different in language and manners: to conclude, the South side thereof hath a gentle plaine and falling of the ground from it.

Notes

• * 1.1

  Mar-Majore.
• * 1.2

  Mor••e Santo, or Agion-o••os.
• * 1.3

  or Caphereus ra∣ther, Chimi, So∣phtan••.
• * 1.4

  Archipelago.
• * 1.5

  Isoli di Archipe∣lago.
• * 1.6

  Sdiles. Sophian.
• * 1.7

  Lembro. S••ph.
• * 1.8

  Tenedo.
• * 1.9

  Stalimine.
• * 1.10

  Taso.
• * 1.11

  Metelyn.
• * 1.12

  So called of Smin••ha, a citie in Troas, where he was worshipped.
• * 1.13

  Troia.
• * 1.14

  Asperosa. Mario Nigro
• * 1.15

  Maritz a. 〈◊〉〈◊〉.
• * 1.16

  Marogna. Nigro.
• * 1.17

  Oeno. Nigr.
• * 1.18

  a part of Italy.
• * 1.19

  Str••tto di Galli∣poli, or Bras de S. George.
• * 1.20

  Valiza. 〈…〉〈…〉.
• * 1.21

  A certaine Pro∣montonie.
• * 1.22

  A towne.
• * 1.23

  Bo••••zo••lar.
• * 1.24

  Gallipoli.
• * 1.25

  Achilleum and Aeantium.
• * 1.26

  Aidos Le••nclav.
• * 1.27

  Lampsico. S••ph. Lep••eke. 〈◊〉〈◊〉.
• * 1.28

  P••••io Soph••••an. Paradiso Mar. 〈◊〉〈◊〉.
• * 1.29

  Chizito. Sophian.
• * 1.30

  〈◊〉〈◊〉.
• * 1.31

  Hexamili S••ph.
• * 1.32

  Herac••ia, or A∣rachlea. Ortel.
• * 1.33

  Marmora. Bello∣••••o & Curop••latae.
• * 1.34

  Calomio. Mer∣cat••••••
• * 1.35

  Bursia. Girav••.
• * 1.36

  Scutari.
• * 1.37

  Aqua dolce
• * 1.38

  or Selybria.
• * 1.39

  Pera. Soph.
• * 1.40

  or chanels
• * 1.41

  Mar delle Sabac∣che, or Della Ta∣na.
• * 1.42

  starres about the North pole.