109

they say it is by nature. But the inhabitants of the island called Meroë (and this is situated on the stream of the Nile) have called the river Astapous, which, translated into the Greek dialect, is water from the darkness; for these assign 7.17. the nature of this river to incomprehensibility. Thales, then, one of the so-called Seven Sages, says that the etesian winds, blowing against the mouths of the river, prevent the stream from pouring into the sea, and for this reason it fills up and 7.17.10 floods Egypt, which is low-lying and flat. But though this argument seems plausible, it is easy to expose its falsehood; for if what is said were true, all rivers that have their mouths opposite to the etesian winds 7.17.11 would make a similar rise. But Anaxagoras, the so-called natural philosopher, held that the melting snow in Ethiopia is the cause of the river’s flooding; persuaded by whom the tragic poet Euripides also composed this in his 7.17.12 poems. This declaration, then, we say does not require much opposition, its falsehood being manifest; for because of the excessive heat it is impossible 7.17.13 for snow to form in Ethiopia; for in general in those regions there is by nature no ice, no cold, nor any sign of winter at all, and especially at the summer solstice. But even if one were to say, by way of concession, that there are great quantities of snow in Ethiopia, again the weakness of what has been said before is most convincingly refuted. 7.17.14 For every river that has its fullness from snow admittedly gives off cold breezes, and also is wont to thicken the air; but around the river Nile it is not possible to find the substance of a cloud, nor cold breezes, 7.17.15 nor a thickening of the nature of the air. But Herodotus says that the Nile is as large as it appears at its flood, but in winter time the sun, moving over Libya, draws up to itself systems of moist substance from the waters of the Nile, and from this 7.17.16 the river becomes smaller in winter time; but when summer 7.17.16 comes on, and <the sun> makes its way towards the north, it is its nature to dry up and lower the rivers around Greece; for this reason the flooding of the Egyptian river around the summer solstices is established as not paradoxical. But out of respect for the man's love of learning 7.17.17 we do not accuse him of the error at length. For if these things were established as consistent with the truth, surely the sun would also draw up from the other rivers in Libya, and the rivers of Libya would undergo sufferings kindred to those of the Nile. But indeed nothing of the sort can be seen concerning the Libyan rivers. Therefore the writer 7.17.18 improvises his account. But Democritus, the brother of nature, affirms that in winter time much snow is brought down in the north, but when summer begins this is dissolved by the heat, from which he says a great melting occurs, and for this reason many thicker clouds are born around the higher places, an abundant exhalation being raised 7.17.1 on high. And these are driven by the etesian winds, until they fall upon the greatest mountains of the inhabited world; and these are in Ethiopia. Then, being violently shattered on such high mountains, they generate immense rains, from which he strongly maintains the river is filled around the time of the blowing of the 7.17. etesian winds. But he is not to be believed; for the Nile begins to be filled, so to speak, at the summer solstices, when the etesian winds are not yet blowing, and ceases after the autumnal equinox, when the said winds have long since stopped. Therefore, the conception of Democritus should be accepted, but his arguments are in no way to be believed. But Ephorus proposes a certain strange cause. He says indeed that all 7.17.21 Egypt is formed by river deposits, but yet

109

πεφυκέναι φασίν. οἱ δὲ κατοικοῦντες τὴν νῆσον τὴν ὀνομαζομένην Μερόην (αὕτη δὲ ἐπὶ τὸ Νειλῷον ἵδρυται ῥεῖθρον) τὸν ποταμὸν κεκλήκασιν ᾿Ασταποῦν, ὅπερ ἐστὶ μεθερμηνευόμενον εἰς τὴν τῶν ῾Ελλήνων διάλεκτον ἐκ τοῦ σκότους ὕδωρ· ἀκαταληψίᾳ γὰρ οὗτοι ἀνατι7.17. θέασι τοῦ ποταμοῦ τούτου τὴν φύσιν. Θαλῆς μὲν οὖν εἷς τῶν ἑπτὰ σοφῶν ὀνομαζόμενος φησὶ τοὺς ἐτησίας ἀντιπνέοντας ταῖς ἐκβολαῖς τοῦ ποταμοῦ κωλύειν εἰς τὴν θάλασσαν προχεῖσθαι τὸ ῥεῖθρον, καὶ διὰ τοῦτο αὐτὸν πληρούμενον ἐπι7.17.10 κλύζειν ταπεινὴν οὖσαν καὶ πεδιάδα τὴν Αἴγυπτον. τοῦ δὲ λόγου τούτου καίπερ εἶναι δοκοῦντος πιθανοῦ ῥᾴδιον ἐξελέγξαι τὸ ψεῦδος· εἰ γὰρ ἦν ἀληθὲς τὸ λεγόμενον, ἅπαντες οἱ ποταμοὶ οἱ τοῖς ἐτησίαις ἐναντίας κεκτημένοι τὰς ἐκβολὰς 7.17.11 ἂν ἐποιοῦντο τὴν ὁμοίαν ἀνάβασιν. ᾿Αναξαγόρας δὲ ὁ προσαγορευόμενος φυσικὸς τὴν τηκομένην κατὰ τὴν Αἰθιοπίαν χιόνα τῆς τοῦ ποταμοῦ πληρώσεως ὑπάρχειν αἰτίαν ἐδόξασεν· ᾧ καὶ ὁ τραγῳδοποιὸς Εὐριπίδης πειθόμενος ἐν τοῖς ἑαυτοῦ 7.17.12 ποιήμασι τοῦτο συντέταχεν. ταύτην μὲν οὖν τὴν ἀπόφασιν οὐ πολλῆς ἀντιθέσεως δεῖσθαί φαμεν, φανεροῦ καθεστῶτος τοῦ ψεύδους· διὰ γὰρ τὴν ὑπεροχὴν τῶν καυμάτων ἀδύνατον 7.17.13 χιόνα περὶ τὴν Αἰθιοπίαν συνίστασθαι· καθόλου γὰρ περὶ τοὺς τόπους ἐκείνους οὐ πάγος, οὐ ψῦχος οὔτε ὅλως χειμῶνος ἔμφασις πέφυκεν, καὶ μάλιστα τροπαῖς θεριναῖς. εἰ δὲ καί τις εἴποι τῷ τῆς συγχωρήσεως τρόπῳ εἶναι πλήθη χιόνων κατὰ τὴν Αἰθιοπίαν, καὶ αὖθις ἐλέγχεται τοῦ προλεχθέντος 7.17.14 δοκιμωτάτως τὸ ἐξίτηλον. ἅπας γὰρ ποταμὸς ἀπὸ χιόνος τὴν περιουσίαν λαχὼν ὁμολογουμένως αὔρας ψυχρὰς ἀναδίδωσιν, ἀλλὰ καὶ τὸν ἀέρα παχύνειν πέφυκεν· περὶ δὲ τὸν Νεῖλον τὸν ποταμὸν οὔτε νέφους ὑπόστασιν ἔστιν εὑρεῖν οὔτε αὔρας 7.17.15 ψυχρὰς οὔτε παχυνομένην τοῦ ἀέρος τὴν φύσιν. ῾Ηρόδοτος δὲ τὸν Νεῖλον εἶναι μὲν τηλικοῦτόν φησιν ὁποῖός τις καὶ φαίνεται κατὰ τὴν πλήρωσιν, χειμῶνος δὲ ὥρᾳ τὸν ἥλιον κατὰ τὴν Λιβύην φερόμενον ἐπισπᾶσθαι πρὸς ἑαυτὸν ὑγρᾶς οὐσίας συστήματα ἐκ τῶν Νειλῴων ὑδάτων, κἀντεῦθεν 7.17.16 χειμῶνος ὥρᾳ ἥττονα γίνεσθαι τὸν ποταμόν· τοῦ δὲ θέρους 7.17.16 ἐπιστάντος, καὶ πρὸς τὰς ἄρκτους ποιουμένου <τοῦ ἡλίου> τὴν βάδισιν, ἀναξηραίνειν καὶ ταπεινοῦν τοὺς περὶ τὴν ῾Ελλάδα ποταμοὺς πεφυκότας· διὰ τοῦτο μὴ παράδοξον καθεστάναι τὴν περὶ τὰς θερινὰς τροπὰς τοῦ Αἰγυπτίου πλήρωσιν ποταμοῦ. ἀλλ' αἰδοῖ τῆς φιλομαθείας τοῦ ἀνδρὸς 7.17.17 οὐ διεξοδικῶς κατηγοροῦμεν τοῦ σφάλματος. εἰ γὰρ ταῦτα σύμφωνα τοῖς ἀληθέσι καθίστατο, πάντως ἂν καὶ ἀπὸ τῶν ἄλλων κατὰ τὴν Λιβύην ποταμῶν ὁ ἥλιος ἀνελάμβανεν, καὶ ἀδελφὰ τῶν παθημάτων τοῦ Νείλου καὶ οἱ τῆς Λιβύης ὑπέμενον ποταμοί. ἀλλὰ μὴν τοιοῦτον οὐδὲν περὶ τοὺς Λίβυας ποταμοὺς ἔστι θεάσασθαι. οὐκοῦν ὁ συγγραφεὺς 7.17.18 ἀποσχεδιάζει τὸν λόγον. ∆ημόκριτος δὲ ὁ τῆς φύσεως ἀδελφὸς περὶ τὰς ἄρκτους ὥρᾳ χειμῶνος καταφέρεσθαι πολλὴν διαβεβαιοῦται χιόνα, θέρους δὲ ὑπόντος ὑπὸ τῆς αἰθάλης διαλύεσθαι ταύτην, ἔνθεν φησὶ γίνεσθαι τηκεδόνα πολλήν, καὶ διὰ τοῦτο τίκτεσθαι πολλὰ νέφη παχύτερα περὶ τοὺς μετεωροτέρους τῶν τόπων, δαψιλοῦς τῆς ἀναθυμιάσεως αἰρομένης 7.17.1 πρὸς ὕψος. ταῦτα δὲ ὑπὸ τῶν ἐτησίων ἐλαύνεσθαι, μέχρις ἂν προσπέσῃ τοῖς μεγίστοις ὄρεσι τῶν περὶ τὴν οἰκουμένην· εἶναι δὲ ταῦτα περὶ τὴν Αἰθιοπίαν. ἔπειτά πως τοιούτοις οὖσιν ὑψηλοῖς βιαίως θραυόμενα παμμεγέθεις ὄμβρους γεννᾶν, ἐξ ὧν πληροῦσθαι τὸν ποταμὸν κατισχυρίζεται περὶ τὰς τῶν 7.17. ἐτησίων ἀνέμων πνοάς. ἀλλ' οὐ πιστευτέον αὐτῷ· ὁ γὰρ Νεῖλος ἄρχεται μὲν πληροῦσθαι κατὰ τὰς τροπὰς ὡς ἔπος εἰπεῖν τὰς θερινάς, οὔπω τῶν ἐτησίων πνεόντων, λήγει δὲ ὕστερον ἰσημερίας φθινοπωρινῆς, πάλαι προπεπαυμένων τῶν εἰρημένων ἀνέμων. τὴν μὲν οὖν ἐπίνοιαν τοῦ ∆ημοκρίτου ἀποδεκτέον, τοῖς δὲ λόγοις αὐτοῦ οὐδαμῶς πιστευτέον. ῎Εφορος δὲ ξένην αἰτίαν τινὰ περιίστησιν. φησὶ δὴ τὴν 7.17.21 Αἴγυπτον ἅπασαν ποταμόχωστον εἶναι, ἀλλὰ μὴν