第33章

ButtheEgyptiankings，beingmastersoftheIsleofCyprus，ofPhoenicia，andofagreatnumberoftownsonthecoastofAsiaMinor，werepossessedofallsortsofconveniencesforundertakingmaritimeexpeditions。Theyhadnooccasiontoforce；theyhadonlytofollowthegeniusandbentoftheirsubjects。

Iamsurprised，Iconfess，attheobstinacywithwhichtheancientsbelievedthattheCaspianSeawasapartoftheocean。TheexpeditionsofAlexander，ofthekingsofSyria，oftheParthiansandtheRomans，couldnotmakethemchangetheirsentiments；notwithstandingthesenationsdescribedtheCaspianSeawithwonderfulexactness：butmenaregenerallytenaciousoftheirerrors。Whenonlythesouthofthisseawasknown，itwasatfirsttakenfortheocean；inproportionastheyadvancedalongthebanksofthenortherncoast，insteadofimaginingitagreatlake，theystillbelievedittobetheocean，thatheremadeasortofbay：surveyingthecoast，theirdiscoveriesneverwenteastwardbeyondtheJaxartes，norwestwardfartherthantheextremityofAlbania。

Theseatowardsthenorthwasshallow，andofcourseveryunfitfornavigation。[55]Henceitwasthattheyalwayslookeduponthisastheocean。

ThelandarmyofAlexanderhadbeenintheeastonlyasfarastheHypanis，whichisthelastofthoseriversthatfallintotheIndus：

thusthefirsttradewhichtheGreekscarriedonwiththeIndieswasconfinedtoaverysmallpartofthecountry。SeleucusNicatorpenetratedasfarastheGanges，andtherebydiscoveredtheseaintowhichthisriverfalls，thatistosay，theBayofBengal。[56]Themodernsdiscovercountriesbyvoyagesatsea；theancientsdiscoveredseasbyconquestsatland。

Strabo，[57]notwithstandingthetestimonyofApollodorus，seemstodoubtwhethertheGreciankingsofBactriaproceededfartherthanSeleucusandAlexander。[58]WereiteventruethattheywentnofarthertotheeastthanSeleucus，yettheywentfarthertowardsthesouth；theydiscoveredSiger，andtheportsonthecoastofMalabar，whichgaverisetothenavigationIamgoingtomention。[59]

PlinyinformsusthatthenavigationoftheIndieswassuccessivelycarriedoninthreedifferentways。[60]AtfirsttheysailedfromtheCapeofSiagretotheislandofPatalena，whichisatthemouthoftheIndus。ThiswefindwasthecoursethatAlexander’sfleetsteeredtotheIndies。Theytookafterwardsashorterandmorecertaincourse，bysailingfromthesamecapeorpromontorytoSiger：[61]thiscanbenootherthanthekingdomofSigermentionedbyStrabo，[62]anddiscoveredbytheGreciankingsofBactria。Pliny，bysayingthatthiswaywasshorterthantheother，canmeanonlythatthevoyagewasmadeinlesstime：for，asSigerwasdiscoveredbythekingsofBactria，itmusthavebeenfartherthantheIndus：bythispassagetheymustthereforehaveavoidedthewindingofcertaincoasts，andtakenadvantageofparticularwinds。Themerchantsatlasttookathirdway；theysailedtoCanes，orOcelis，portssituatedattheentranceoftheRedSea；whencebyawestwindtheyarrivedatMuziris，thefirststapletownoftheIndies，andthencetotheotherports。HereweseethatinsteadofsailingtothemouthoftheRedSeaasfarasSiagre，bycoastingArabiaFelixtothenorth—east，theysteereddirectlyfromwesttoeast，fromonesidetotheother，bymeansofthemonsoons，whoseregularcoursetheydiscoveredbysailingintheselatitudes。Theancientsneverlostsightofthecoasts，exceptwhentheytookadvantageoftheseandthetrade—winds，whichweretothemakindofcompass。[63]

Pliny[64]saysthattheysetsailfortheIndiesinthemiddleofsummerandreturnedtowardstheendofDecember，orinthebeginningofJanuary。Thisisentirelyconformabletoournavaljournals。InthatpartoftheIndianOceanwhichisbetweenthePeninsulaofAfrica，andthatonthissidetheGanges，therearetwomonsoons；thefirst，duringwhichthewindsblowfromwesttoeast，beginsinthemonthofAugustorSeptember；andthesecond，duringwhichthewindisintheeast，beginsinJanuary。ThuswesetsailfromAfricaforMalabarattheseasonoftheyearthatPtolemy’sfleetusedtoputtoseathence；andwereturntooatthesametimeasthey。

Alexander’sfleetwassevenmonthsinsailingfromPatalatoSusa。ItsetoutinthemonthofJuly，thatis，ataseasonwhennoshipdarenowputtoseatoreturnfromtheIndies。Betweenthesetwomonsoonsthereisanintervalduringwhichthewindsvary；whenanorthwind，meetingwiththecommonwinds，raises，especiallynearthecoasts，themostterribletempests。ThesecontinueduringthemonthsofJune，July，andAugust。Alexander’sfleet，therefore，settingsailfromPatalainthemonthofJuly，musthavebeenexposedtomanystorms，andthevoyagemusthavebeenlong，becausetheysailedagainstthemonsoon。

PlinysaysthattheysetoutfortheIndiesattheendofsummer；thustheyspentthetimeproperfortakingadvantageofthemonsoonintheirpassagefromAlexandriatotheRedSea。

Observehere，Ipray，hownavigationhas，littlebylittle，arrivedatperfection。Darius’sfleetwastwoyearsandahalfinfallingdowntheIndusandgoingtotheRedSea。[65]AfterwardsthefleetofAlexander，[66]descendingtheIndus，arrivedatSusa，intenmonths，havingsailedthreemonthsontheIndus，andsevenontheIndianOcean；

atlastthepassagefromthecoastofMalabartotheRedSeawasmadeinfortydays。[67]

Strabo，[68]whoaccountsfortheirignoranceofthecountriesbetweentheHypanisandtheGanges，saystherewereveryfewofthosewhosailedfromEgypttotheIndiesthateverproceededsofarastheGanges。Theirfleets，infact，neverwentthither：theysailedwiththewesternmonsoonsfromthemouthoftheRedSeatothecoastofMalabar。Theycastanchorintheportsalongthatcoast，andneverattemptedtogetroundthepeninsulaonthissidetheGangesbyCapeComorinandthecoastofCoromandel。TheplanofnavigationlaiddownbythekingsofEgyptandtheRomanswastosetoutandreturnthesameyear。[69]

ThusitisdemonstrablethatthecommerceoftheGreeksandRomanstotheIndieswasmuchlessextensivethanours。Weknowimmensecountries，whichtothemwereentirelyunknown；wetrafficwithalltheIndiannations；weevenmanagetheirtradeandcarryontheircommerce。Butthiscommerceoftheancientswascarriedonwithfargreaterfacilitythanours。AndifthemodernsweretotradeonlywiththecoastofGuzeratandMalabar，and，withoutseekingforthesouthernisles，weresatisfiedwithwhattheseislandersbroughtthem，theywouldcertainlypreferthewayofEgypttothatoftheCapeofGoodHope。Straboinformsus[70]thattheytradedthuswiththepeopleofTaprobane。

10。OftheCircuitofAfrica。Wefindfromhistorythatbeforethediscoveryofthemariner’scompassfourattemptsweremadetosailroundthecoastofAfrica。ThePhoenicianssentbyNecho[71]andEudoxus，[72]

flyingfromthewrathofPtolemyLathyrus，setoutfromtheRedSea，andsucceeded。Sataspes[73]sentbyXerxes，andHannobytheCarthaginians，setoutfromthePillarsofHercules，andfailedintheattempt。

ThecapitalpointinsurroundingAfricawastodiscoveranddoubletheCapeofGoodHope。ThosewhosetoutfromtheRedSeafoundthiscapenearerbyhalfthanitwouldhavebeeninsettingoutfromtheMediterranean。TheshorefromtheRedSeaisnotsoshallowasthatfromthecapetoHercules’Pillars。[74]ThediscoveryofthecapebyHercules’Pillarswasowingtotheinventionofthecompass，whichpermittedthemtoleavethecoastofAfrica，andtolaunchoutintothevastocean，inordertosailtowardstheislandofSt。Helena，ortowardsthecoastofBrazil。[75]Itwas，therefore，possibleforthemtosailfromtheRedSeaintotheMediterranean，butnottosetoutfromtheMediterraneantoreturnbytheRedSea。

Thus，withoutmakingthisgrandcircuit，afterwhichtheycouldhardlyhopetoreturn，itwasmostnaturaltotradetotheeastofAfricabytheRedSea，andtothewesterncoastbyHercules’Pillars。

TheGreciankingsofEgyptdiscoveredatfirst，intheRedSea，thatpartofthecoastofAfricawhichextendsfromthebottomofthegulf，wherestandsthetownofHeroum，asfarasDira，thatis，tothestraitnowknownbythenameofBabelmandel。ThencetothepromontoryofAromatia，situateattheentranceoftheRedSea，[76]thecoasthadneverbeensurveyedbynavigators：andthisisevidentfromwhatArtemidorustellsus，[77]thattheywereacquaintedwiththeplacesonthatcoast，butknewnottheirdistances：ther