The Natural History of Pliny, Volume 2 (of 6)Pliny, the Elder
History
The Natural History of Pliny, Volume 2 (of 6)
Pliny, the Elder
Natural history -- Pre-Linnean works
The mountain races between the Indus and the Jomanes are the Cesi,[367]
the Cetriboni, who dwell in the woods, and after them the Megallæ,
whose king possesses five hundred elephants, and an army of horse
and foot, the numbers of which are unknown; then the Chrysei, the
Parasangæ, and the Asmagi,[368] whose territory is infested by wild
tigers; these people keep in arms thirty thousand foot, three
hundred elephants, and eight hundred horse. They are bounded by the
river Indus, and encircled by a range of mountains and deserts for a
distance of six hundred and twenty-five miles. Below these deserts
are the Dari and the Suræ, and then deserts again for one hundred and
eighty-seven miles, sands in general encircling these spots just as
islands are surrounded by the sea. Below these deserts, again, are
the Maltecoræ, the Singæ, the Marohæ, the Rarungæ, and the Morontes.
These last peoples, who possess the mountains throughout the whole
range of country as far as the shores of the ocean, are free, and
independent of all kings, and hold numerous cities upon the declivities
of the mountains. After them come the Nareæ,[369] who are bounded by
Capitalia, the most lofty of all the Indian peaks: the inhabitants
who dwell on the other side of it have extensive mines of gold and
silver. After these again are the Oratæ, whose king possesses only
ten elephants, but a large army of foot; next come the Suarataratæ,
who live under the rule of a king as well, but breed no elephants, as
they depend solely on their horse and foot; then the Odonbeores, the
Arabastræ, and the Horacæ, which last inhabit a fine city fortified by
trenches cut in the marshes. It is quite impossible to approach the
city, except by the bridge, as the water in the trenches is full of
crocodiles, an animal most insatiate for human flesh. There is another
city also in their territory, which has been greatly extolled, Automula
by name, situate on the sea-shore, a famous mart, lying at the point
of confluence of five rivers: their king possesses sixteen hundred
elephants, one hundred and fifty thousand foot, and five thousand
horse. The king of the Charmæ is a less opulent potentate; he has
only sixty elephants and some small remains of his former strength.
After these we come to the nation of the Pandæ,[370] the only one
throughout all India which is ruled by women. It is said that Hercules
had but one child of the female sex, for which reason she was his
especial favourite, and he bestowed upon her the principal one of these
kingdoms. The sovereigns who derive their origin from this female,
rule over three hundred towns, and have an army of one hundred and
fifty thousand foot, and five hundred elephants. After passing through
this list of three hundred cities, we come to the Darangæ,[371] the
Posingæ, the Butæ, the Gogaræi, the Umbræ, the Nereæ, the Brancosi, the
Nobundæ, the Cocondæ, the Nesei, the Palatitæ, the Salobriasæ, and the
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