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of life-giving. Therefore, since the boiling that is introduced is completely contrary to the nature of the Nile, the aforementioned causes of its flooding must be considered false. But Oinopides says these things, that during the summer season the waters under the earth are cold, but in 7.17.36 winter, conversely, they are warm. And this is clear from the observation of deep wells; for at the height of winter the waters found in the deepest wells are 7.17.37 warm, but when summer is present, the opposite. Therefore, the Nile is reasonably small and shrinks in the winter because the heat under the earth consumes most of the moist substance, and rains do not fall in Egypt, but in the summer, when the consumption under the earth no longer occurs in the deep places, its natural flow is filled 7.17.38 unimpeded. But against this too it must be said. Many rivers in Libya, though similarly situated at their mouths and having comparable flows, do not have a rising analogous to the Nile's; for on the contrary, by filling up in the winter and subsiding in the summer, they expose the falsehood of Oinopides. 7.17.3 But Agatharchides of Cnidus alone has grasped the fringe of the truth. For he said that every year in the regions of Ethiopia great and continuous rains occur from the summer solstice until the autumnal equinox which occurs 7.17.40 on each occasion. Reasonably, therefore, the Nile shrinks in the winter, having a natural flow from its own sources alone, but in the summer it receives its increase on account of the rains that are poured out. As evidence for what is said by him, he also brings forward what happens in certain places 7.17.41 of Asia. For in the places of Scythia near the Caucasus, when the time has come, extraordinary snowfalls occur each year, and this continuously for many days; and in the parts of India turned towards the north, at fixed times, great hail 7.17.42 also falls in size and quantity. But also around the Hydaspes river, at the beginning of summer, continuous rains occur, and in Ethiopia after some days the same thing happens, and this condition, moving in a cycle, 7.17.43 always brings winter to the successive regions. It is therefore not at all strange that in inhabited Ethiopia, which is above Egypt, continuous rains pouring down in the mountains in the summer should fill the river, especially since clear evidence itself is attested by the barbarians who inhabit 7.17.44 the regions. But if what is said has a nature contrary to what happens among us, one should not disbelieve on account of this; for the south wind among us is wintry, but around Ethiopia it is clear, and the north winds are strong around Europe, but in that country they are faint 7.17.45 and powerless and altogether weak. And when the sun turns towards the northern pole, it happens that the rains come to Ethiopia in our summer, and from this the Nile receives its increase, and conversely, when it has moved back towards the southern pole, one sees the Nile shrink. 7.17.46 Concerning the flooding of the river, then, so much for this, so that we may not corrupt the purpose of the history; but it is now time for the account to touch upon things that follow the narratives. Menas, therefore, having returned from Alexandria, wrote to the emperor Maurice how the appearance of the man-shaped and Nile <creatures> occurred. And the emperor, having heard these things, was greatly struck in his soul.

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ζωογονίας. διόπερ τῇ παρεισαγομένῃ καθεψήσει τῆς φύσεως τοῦ Νείλου παντάπασιν ἐναντιουμένης, ψευδεῖς τὰς εἰρημένας αἰτίας τῆς πληρώσεως ἡγητέον. Οἰνοπίδης δὲ[οι] ταῦτά φησιν, κατὰ μὲν τὴν θερινὴν ὥραν τὰ ὕδατα τὰ κατὰ τὴν γῆν εἶναι ψυχρά, τοῦ 7.17.36 δὲ χειμῶνος ἐναντίως θερμά. καὶ τοῦτο δῆλον ἐκ τῆς τῶν βαθέων φρεάτων κατανοήσεως· κατὰ γὰρ τὴν τοῦ χειμῶνος ἀκμὴν θερμὰ τὰ ἐν τοῖς βαθυτάτοις φρέασιν εὑρίσκεται 7.17.37 ὕδατα, θέρους δὲ ὑπόντος τοὐναντίον. διὸ καὶ τὸν Νεῖλον εὐλόγως κατὰ μὲν τὸν χειμῶνα μικρὸν εἶναι καὶ συστέλλεσθαι διὰ τὸ τὴν μὲν κατὰ γῆν θερμασίαν τὸ πολὺ τῆς ὑγρᾶς οὐσίας ἀναλίσκειν, ὄμβρους δὲ κατὰ τὴν Αἴγυπτον μὴ γίνεσθαι, κατὰ δὲ τὸ θέρος μηκέτι τῆς κατὰ τὴν γῆν ἀπαναλώσεως γινομένης ἐν τοῖς κατὰ βάθος τόποις πληροῦ7.17.38 σθαι τὴν κατὰ φύσιν αὐτοῦ ῥύμην ἀνεμποδίστως. ἀλλὰ καὶ πρὸς τοῦτο ῥητέον. πολλοὶ ποταμοὶ τῶν κατὰ τὴν Λιβύην ὁμοίως μὲν κείμενοι τοῖς στόμασιν, παραπλησίως δὲ τὰς ῥύσεις ποιούμενοι, οὐκ ἔχουσι τὴν ἀνάβασιν τῷ Νείλῳ ἀνάλογον· τοὐναντίον γὰρ ἐν μὲν τῷ χειμῶνι πληρούμενοι, ἐν δὲ τῷ θέρει λήγοντες ἐλέγχουσι τοῦ Οἰνοπίδου τὸ ψεῦδος. 7.17.3 ᾿Αγαθαρχίδης δὲ ὁ Κνίδιος μόνος τοῦ κρασπέδου τῆς ἀληθείας κεκράτηκεν. ἔφησε γὰρ ἀν' ἔτος ἕκαστον ἐν τοῖς κατὰ τὴν Αἰθιοπίαν μεγάλους καὶ συνεχεῖς γίνεσθαι ὄμβρους ἀπὸ θερινῶν τροπῶν μέχρι τῆς ἰσημερίας τῆς ἐν μετοπώρῳ γινο7.17.40 μένης καθ' ἕκαστα. εὐλόγως οὖν τὸν Νεῖλον ἐν μὲν τῷ χειμῶνι συστέλλεσθαι, κατὰ φύσιν ἔχοντα ῥύσιν ἀπὸ μόνων τῶν πηγῶν τῶν ἑαυτοῦ, κατὰ δὲ τὸ θέρος διὰ τοὺς ἐκχεομένους ὄμβρους λαμβάνειν τὴν αὔξησιν. μαρτύριον δὲ τοῖς ὑπ' αὐτοῦ λεγομένοις καὶ τὸ γινόμενον περί τινας τόπους 7.17.41 τῆς ᾿Ασίας προφέρεται. πρὸς μὲν γὰρ τοῖς τόποις τῆς Σκυθίας τῆς πρὸς τὸν Καύκασον παρακεχωρηκότος χρόνου καθ' ἕκαστον ἔτος γίνεσθαι νιφετοὺς ἐξαισίους, καὶ τοῦτο συνεχῶς ἐπὶ πλείστας ἡμέρας· ἐν δὲ τοῖς πρὸς βορρᾶν ἀπεστραμμένοις μέρεσι τῆς ᾿Ινδικῆς ὡρισμένοις καιροῖς καὶ χάλαζαν 7.17.42 καταφέρεσθαι τῷ μεγέθει καὶ τῷ πλήθει μεγάλην. ἀλλὰ καὶ περὶ τὸν ποταμὸν τὸν ῾Υδάσπην ἀρχομένου θέρους ὄμβρους γίνεσθαι συνεχεῖς, κατὰ δὲ τὴν Αἰθιοπίαν μεθ' ἡμέρας τινὰς ταὐτὸ συμβαίνειν, καὶ ταύτην τὴν ὑπόστασιν κυκλουμένην 7.17.43 ἀεὶ τοὺς συνεχεῖς τόπους χειμάζειν. οὐδὲν οὖν εἶναι παράδοξον καὶ κατὰ τὴν Αἰθιοπίαν τὴν οἰκουμένην ὑπὲρ Αἰγύπτου συνεχεῖς ἐν τοῖς ὄρεσι καταρράττοντας ὄμβρους ἐν τῷ θέρει πληροῦν τὸν ποταμόν, ἄλλως τε καὶ τῆς ἐναργείας αὐτῆς μαρτυρούσης ὑπὸ τῶν περὶ τοὺς τόπους οἰκούντων 7.17.44 βαρβάρων. εἰ δὲ τοῖς παρ' ἡμῖν γινομένοις ἐναντίαν ἔχει τὰ λεγόμενα φύσιν, οὐ διὰ τοῦτο ἀπιστητέον· καὶ γὰρ τὸν νότον παρ' ἡμῖν μὲν εἶναι χειμέριον, περὶ δὲ τὴν Αἰθιοπίαν αἴθριον ὑπάρχειν, καὶ τὰς βορείους πνοὰς περὶ μὲν τὴν Εὐρώπην εὐτόνους εἶναι, κατ' ἐκείνην δὲ τὴν χώραν βληχρὰς 7.17.45 καὶ ἀτόνους καὶ παντελῶς ἀσθενεῖς. καὶ τοῦ ἡλίου πρὸς τὸν βόρειον ἀποκλίνοντος πόλον συμβαίνει τοὺς ὄμβρους τῷ παρ' ἡμῖν θέρει τῇ Αἰθιοπίᾳ προσγίνεσθαι, καὶ ἐντεῦθεν λαμβάνειν τὸν Νεῖλον τὴν αὔξησιν, καὶ ἔμπαλιν πρὸς τὸν νότιον ἀναζεύξαντος πόλον πρὸς συστολὴν τὸν Νεῖλον ὁρᾶν. 7.17.46 Περὶ μὲν οὖν τῆς πληρώσεως τοῦ ποταμοῦ ἐπὶ τοσοῦτον, ἵνα μὴ τὸν σκοπὸν τῆς ἱστορίας νοθεύσωμεν· ἤδη δὲ ὑπενέγκαι ἀκόλουθα τῶν ἀφηγημάτων νύττειν τὸν λόγον. ἐπαναζεύξας τοίνυν ἐκ τῆς ᾿Αλεξανδρείας ὁ Μηνᾶς ἔγραψε Μαυρικίῳ τῷ αὐτοκράτορι ὅπως ἡ ἐπιφάνεια τῶν ἀνθρωπομόρφων καὶ Νειλῴων <ζώων> ἐγένετο. ὁ δὲ αὐτοκράτωρ τούτων ἀκηκοὼς λίαν τὴν ψυχὴν κατεπέπληκτο.

8.τ.1 ΙΣΤΟΡΙΑ Ηʹ