For the present I forbear to speak of its genius, its manners, its men, and the nations whom it has conquered by eloquence and force of arms. The very Greeks themselves, a race fond in the extreme of expatiating on their own praises, have amply given judgment in its favour, when they named but a small part of it ‘Magna Græcia[1155].’ But we must be content to do on this occasion as we have done in our description of the heavens; we must only touch upon some of these points, and take notice of but a few of its stars. I only beg my readers to bear in mind that I am thus hastening on for the purpose of giving a general description of everything that is known to exist throughout the whole earth.
I may premise by observing that this land very much resembles in shape an oak leaf, being much longer than it is broad; towards the top it inclines to the left[1156], while it terminates in the form of an Amazonian buckler[1157], in which the spot at the central projection is the place called Cocinthos, while it sends forth two horns at the end of its crescent-shaped bays, Leucopetra on the right and Lacinium on the left. It extends in length 1020 miles, if we measure from the foot of the Alps at Prætoria Augusta, through the city of Rome and Capua to the town of Rhegium, which is situate on the shoulder of the Peninsula, just at the bend of the neck as it were. The distance would be much greater if measured to Lacinium, but in that case the line, being drawn obliquely, would incline too much to one side. Its breadth is variable; being 410 miles between the two seas, the Lower and the Upper[1158], and the rivers Varus and Arsia[1159]: at about the middle, and in the vicinity of the city of Rome, from the spot where the river Aternus[1160] flows into the Adriatic sea, to the mouth of the Tiber, the distance is 136 miles, and a little less from Castrum-novum on the Adriatic sea to Alsium[1161] on the Tuscan; but in no place does it exceed 200 miles in breadth. The circuit of the whole, from the Varus to the Arsia, is 3059 miles[1162].
As to its distance from the countries that surround it—Istria and Liburnia are, in some places[1163], 100 miles from it, and Epirus and Illyricum 50; Africa is less than 200, as we are informed by M. Varro; Sardinia[1164] is 120, Sicily 11⁄2, Corsica less than 80, and Issa[1165] 50. It extends into the two seas towards the southern parts of the heavens, or, to speak with more minute exactness, between the sixth[1166] hour and the first hour of the winter solstice.
We will now describe its extent and its different cities; in doing which, it is necessary to premise, that we shall follow the arrangement of the late Emperor Augustus, and adopt the division which he made of the whole of Italy into eleven districts; taking them, however, according to their order on the sea-line, as in so hurried a detail it would not be possible otherwise to describe each city in juxtaposition with the others in its vicinity. And for the same reason, in describing the interior, I shall follow the alphabetical order which has been adopted by that Emperor, pointing out the colonies of which he has made mention in his enumeration. Nor is it a very easy task to trace their situation and origin; for, not to speak of others, the Ingaunian Ligurians have had lands granted to them as many as thirty different times.
CHAP. 7.—OF THE NINTH[1167] REGION OF ITALY.
To begin then with the river Varus; we have the town of Nicæa[1168], founded by the Massilians, the river Paulo[1169], the Alps and the Alpine tribes, distinguished by various names[1170], but more especially the Capillati[1171], Cemenelio[1172], a town of the state of the Vediantii, the port of Hercules Monæcus[1173], and the Ligurian coast. The more celebrated of the Ligurian tribes beyond the Alps are the Salluvii, the Deciates, and the Oxubii[1174]; on this side of the Alps, the Veneni[1175], and the Vagienni, who are derived from the Caturiges[1176], the Statielli[1177], the Bimbelli[1178], the Magelli, the Euburiates, the Casmonates[1179], the Veleiates[1180], and the peoples whose towns we shall describe as lying near the adjoining coast. The river Rutuba[1181], the town of Albium Intemelium[1182], the river Merula[1183], the town of Albium Ingaunum[1184], the port of Vadum Sabatiorum[1185], the river Porcifera[1186], the town of Genua, the river Feritor[1187], the Portus Delphini[1188], Tigullia[1189], Tegesta[1190] of the Tigullii, and the river Macra[1191], which is the boundary of Liguria.
Extending behind all the before-mentioned places are the Apennines, the most considerable of all the mountains of Italy, the chain of which extends unbroken from the Alps[1192] to the Sicilian sea. On the other side of the Apennines, towards the Padus[1193], the richest river of Italy, the whole country is adorned with noble towns; Libarna[1194], the colony of Dertona[1195], Iria[1196], Barderate[1197], Industria[1198], Pollentia[1199], Carrea surnamed Potentia[1200], Foro Fulvî or Valentinum[1201], Augusta[1202] of the Vagienni, Alba Pompeia[1203], Asta[1204], and Aquæ Statiellorum[1205]. This is the ninth region, according to the arrangement of Augustus. The coast of Liguria extends 211 miles[1206], between the rivers Varus and Macra.
CHAP. 8.—THE SEVENTH REGION OF ITALY.
Next to this comes the seventh region, in which is Etruria, a district which begins at the river Macra, and has often changed its name. At an early period the Umbri were expelled from it by the Pelasgi; and these again by the Lydians, who from a king of theirs[1207] were named Tyrrheni, but afterwards, from the rites observed in their sacrifices, were called, in the Greek language[1208], Tusci. The first town in Etruria is Luna[1209], with a noble harbour, then the colony of Luca[1210], at some distance from the sea, and nearer to it again the colony of Pisæ[1211], between the rivers Auser[1212] and Arnus[1213], which owes its origin to Pelops and the Pisans[1214], or else to the Teutani, a people of Greece. Next is Vada[1215] Volaterrana, then the river Cecinna[1216], and Populonium[1217] formerly belonging to the Etrurians, the only town they had on this coast. Next to these is the river Prile[1218], then the Umbro[1219], which is navigable, and where the district of Umbria begins, the port of Telamon[1220], Cosa[1221] of the Volcientes, founded by the Roman people, Graviscæ[1222], Castrum novum[1223], Pyrgi[1224], the river Cæretanus[1225], and Cære[1226] itself, four miles inland, called Agylla by the Pelasgi who founded it, Alsium[1227], Fregenæ[1228], and the river Tiber, 284[1229] miles from the Macra.
In the interior we have the colonies of Falisci[1230], founded by the Argives, according to the account of Cato[1231], and surnamed Falisci Etruscorum, Lucus Feroniæ[1232], Rusellana, the Senienses[1233], and Sutrina[1234]. The remaining peoples are the Arretini[1235] Veteres, the Arretini Fidentes, the Arretini Julienses, the Amitinenses, the Aquenses, surnamed Taurini[1236], the Blerani[1237], the Cortonenses[1238], the Capenates[1239], the Clusini Novi, the Clusini Veteres[1240], the Florentini[1241], situate on the stream of the Arnus, Fæsulæ[1242], Ferentinum[1243], Fescennia[1244], Hortanum[1245], Herbanum[1246], Nepeta[1247], Novem Pagi[1248], the Claudian præfecture of Foroclodium[1249], Pistorium[1250], Perusia[1251], the Suanenses, the Saturnini, formerly called the Aurinini, the Subertani[1252], the Statones[1253], the Tarquinienses[1254], the Tuscanienses[1255], the Vetulonienses[1256], the Veientani[1257], the Vesentini[1258], the Volaterrani[1259], the Volcentini[1260], surnamed Etrusci, and the Volsinienses[1261]. In the same district the territories of Crustumerium[1262] and Caletra[1263] retain the names of the ancient towns.