Book 2
5.8
It is generally admitted that a line drawn from the Pillars of Hercules, and passing over the Strait [of Messina], Athens, and Rhodes, would lie under the same parallel of latitude.Viz. the 36° of latitude. The actual latitudes are as follow: The Pillars of Hercules, or Strait of Gibraltar, 360. The Strait of Messina, 38° 12′. Athens, 38° 5′. The middle of the Isle of Rhodes, 36° 18′; and the city, 36° 28′ 30″. It is likewise admitted, that the line in passing from the Pillars to the Strait of Sicily divides the Mediterranean through the midst.This mistake of Strabo caused the derangement in his chart of the whole contour of this portion of the Mediterranean, and falsifies the position of the surrounding districts. Navigators tell us that the greatest distance from Keltica to Libya, starting from the bottom of the Galatic Bay, is 5000 stadia, and that this is likewise the greatest breadth of the Mediterranean. Consequently from the said line to the bottom of the bay is 2500 stadia; but to Marseilles the distance is rather less, in consequence of that city being more to the south than the bottom of the bay.Strabo having allowed 25,400 stadia, or 36° 17′ 8″, for the latitude of Rhodes and the Strait of Messina, determined the latitude of Marseilles at 27,700 stadia, or 39° 34′ 17″; its real latitude being 43° 17′ 45″, as exactly stated by Pytheas. But since from Rhodes to Byzantium is about 4900Or about 70. The actual difference in latitude between Rhodes and Byzantium is 4° 32′ 54″. stadia, it follows that Byzantium must be far north of Marseilles.On the contrary, Marseilles is 2° 16′ 21″ north of Byzantium. The distance from this latter city to Britain is about the same as from Byzantium to the Dnieper.3800 stadia, or 5° 25′ 43″. How far it may be from Britain to the island of Ierne is not known. As to whether beyond it there may still be habitable lands, it is not our business to inquire, as we stated before. It is sufficient for our science to determine this in the same manner that we did the southern boundaries. We there fixed the bounds of the habitable earth at 3000 stadia south of Meroe (not that these were its exact limits, but because they were sufficiently near); so in this instance they should be placed about the same number of stadia north of Britain, certainly not more than 4000.The following is a tabular form of the latitudes as stated by Strabo: Stadia. Latitude. From the equator to Alexandria 21,800 31° 8′ 34″ From Alexandria to Rhodes, he computes in this instance 3600 stadia 25,400 36 17′ 8″ From the parallel of Rhodes to Marseilles, about 2300 stadia 27,700 39° 34′ 17″ From the parallel of Rhodes to the bottom of the Galatic Gulf, 2500 stadia 27,900 39° 51′ 25″ From Marseilles to the northern extremity of Gaul, or the southern extremity of Britain, 3800 stadia 31,500 45° 0′ 0″ From Marseilles to the middle of Britain, 5000 stadia 32,700 46° 42′ 51″ From the northern extremity of Gaul to the parallel of the northern extremity of Britain, 2500 stadia 34,000 48° 34′ 17″ From the northern extremity of Gaul to Ierne, 5000 stadia 36,500 52° 8′ 34″ From the northern extremity of Britain to the limits of the habitable earth, 4000 stadia 38,000 54° 17′ 9″ It would not serve any political purpose to be well acquainted with these distant places and the people who inhabit them; especially if they are islands whose inhabitants can neither injure us, nor yet benefit us by their commerce. The Romans might easily have conquered Britain, but they did not care to do so, as they perceived there was nothing to fear from the inhabitants, (they not being powerful enough to attack us,) and that they would gain nothing by occupying the land. Even now it appears that we gain more by the customs they pay, than we could raise by tribute, after deducting the wages of the soldiers necessary for guarding the island and exacting the taxes. And the other islands adjacent to this would be still more unproductive.
