The historie of the vvorld: commonly called, The naturall historie of C. Plinius Secundus. Translated into English by Philemon Holland Doctor of Physicke. The first [-second] tome

CHAP. XXIV.

¶ Euphrates.

ANd here me-thinks is the fittest and meetest place to speake of Euphrates. The source of [unspec D] it, by report of them that saw it last and neerest, is in Caranitis, a state vnder the gouern∣ment of Armenia the greater: and those are Domitius and Corbulo, who say, that it sprin∣geth in the mountaine Aba. But Licinius Mutianus affirmeth, that it issueth from vnder the foot of the mountaine which they call Capotes, 12 miles higher into the countrey than is Simyra: and that in the beginning it was called Pyxirates. It runs first directly to Derxene, and so forth to Ana also, excluding the regions Armeniae, the greater as wel as the lesse, from Cappadocia: The Dastusae from Simyra are 75 miles: from thence it is nauigable to Paestona, 50 miles: from it to Melitene in Cappadocia, 74 miles. So forward to Elegia in Armenia, ten miles; where he receiueth these riuers, Lycus, Arsania, and Arsanus. Neere to Elegia he meeteth afront with the hil Taurus: yet stayeth he not there, but preuaileth a pierceth thorow it, although it beare [unspec E] a bredth there of 12 miles. At this entry where he breaketh thorow the hill they cal him Omi∣ras, and so soon as he hath made way and cut thorow it he is named Euphrates. Being past this mountaine, he is full of rocks and very violent: howbeit he passeth through the country of the Moeri, where he carieth a stream of 3 Schoenes bredth, where he parts Arabia on the left hand, from Comagene on the right. And neuerthelesse, euen there wheras he conquereth and getteth the vpper hand of Taurus, he can abide a bridge to be made ouer him. At Claudiopolis in Ca∣padocia he courseth Westward: and now the mountain Taurus, though resisted and ouercome at first, impeacheth and hindereth him of his way, and notwithstanding (I say) he was ouermat∣ched and dismembred one piece from another, he gets the better of him another way, breaking his course now, and driuing him perforce into the South. Thus Nature seems to match the for∣ces [unspec F] of these two champions equally in this maner, That as Euphrates goes on stil without stay as far as he will, so Taurus will not suffer him yet to run what way he wil. Now when these Ca∣taracts and downfalls of the riuer are once past, it is nauigable againe, and forty miles from that

place standeth Samosata the head city of Comagena. Now hath Arabia beside the townes a∣foresaid, [unspec G] Edessa, somtime called Antiochea, Callirrhoe, taking name of the fountain: and Car∣rae, so famous and renowned for the defeature there of Crassus and his army. Hereunto ioineth the gouernment and territorie of Mesopotamia, which also taketh the first beginning from the Assyrians, in which stand the townes Anthemusa and Nicephorium. Hauing passed this coun∣try, ye straitway enter vpon the Arabians called Rhetavi, whose capitall city is Singara. Now to returne to Samosatae, from it in the coast of Syria, the riuer Marsyas runneth into Euphra∣tes. As Gingla limiteth Comagene, so the land of the Meri beginneth there. The towns Epi∣phania and Antiochia haue the riuer running close to them, and hereupon they haue this addi∣tion in their names, Standing vpon Euphrates. Zenyma likewise, 72 miles from the Samosa∣tae, is innobled for the passage ouer Euphrates: for ioined it is to Apamia, right against, by a bridge, which Seleucus the founder of both caused to be made. The people that ioine hard to [unspec H] Mesopotamia be called Rhoali. As for the townes of Syria which be vpon this riuer, are Euro∣pum, Thapsicum in times past, at this present Amphipolis; and last of all the Arabian Scaeni∣tae. Thus passeth Euphrates, as far as to the land Vra, where turning his course to the East, hee leaueth behinde him the Desarts of Palmyra in Syria, which reach to the city Petra; and to the country of Arabia Foelix.