Polybius, Histories

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Book 3 - Chapter 38

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<w lemma="kata%5C">κατὰ</w> <w lemma="me%2Fros">μέρος</w> <w lemma="lo%2Fgon">λόγον</w> <w lemma="a%29podw%2Fsomen">ἀποδώσομεν</w>. <w lemma="kaqa%2Fper">καθάπερ</w> <w lemma="de%5C">δὲ</w> <w lemma="kai%5C">καὶ</w> <w lemma="th%3Ds">τῆς</w> <w lemma="%2A%29asi%2Fas">Ἀσίας</w> <w lemma="kai%5C">καὶ</w> <w lemma="th%3Ds">τῆς</w> <w lemma="%2Alibu%2Fhs">Λιβύης</w>, <w lemma="kaqo%5C">καθὸ</w> <w lemma="suna%2Fptousin">συνάπτουσιν</w> <w lemma="a%29llh%2Flais">ἀλλήλαις</w> <w lemma="peri%5C">περὶ</w> <w lemma="th%5Cn">τὴν</w> <w lemma="%2Aai%29qiopi%2Fan">Αἰθιοπίαν</w>, <w lemma="ou%29dei%5Cs">οὐδεὶς</w> <w lemma="e%29%2Fxei">ἔχει</w> <w lemma="le%2Fgein">λέγειν</w> <w lemma="a%29trekw%3Ds">ἀτρεκῶς</w> <w lemma="e%28%2Fws">ἕως</w> <w lemma="tw%3Dn">τῶν</w> <w lemma="kaq%27">καθ᾽</w> <w lemma="h%28ma%3Ds">ἡμᾶς</w> <w lemma="kairw%3Dn">καιρῶν</w> <w lemma="po%2Fteron">πότερον</w> <w lemma="h%29%2Fpeiro%2Fs">ἤπειρός</w> <w lemma="e%29sti">ἐστι</w> <w lemma="kata%5C">κατὰ</w> <w lemma="to%5C">τὸ</w> <w lemma="sunexe%5Cs">συνεχὲς</w> <w lemma="ta%5C">τὰ</w> <w lemma="pro%5Cs">πρὸς</w> <w lemma="th%5Cn">τὴν</w> <w lemma="meshmbri%2Fan">μεσημβρίαν</w> <w lemma="h%29%5C">ἢ</w> <w lemma="qala%2Ftth%7C">θαλάττῃ</w> <w lemma="perie%2Fxetai">περιέχεται</w>,
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<w lemma="to%5Cn">τὸν</w> <w lemma="au%29to%5Cn">αὐτὸν</w> <w lemma="tro%2Fpon">τρόπον</w> <w lemma="to%5C">τὸ</w> <w lemma="metacu%5C">μεταξὺ</w> <w lemma="%2Atana%2Fidos">Τανάιδος</w> <w lemma="kai%5C">καὶ</w> <w lemma="%2Ana%2Frbwnos">Νάρβωνος</w> <w lemma="ei%29s">εἰς</w> <w lemma="ta%5Cs">τὰς</w> <w lemma="a%29%2Frktous">ἄρκτους</w> <w lemma="a%29nh%3Dkon">ἀνῆκον</w> <w lemma="a%29%2Fgnwston">ἄγνωστον</w> <w lemma="h%28mi%3Dn">ἡμῖν</w> <w lemma="e%28%2Fws">ἕως</w> <w lemma="tou%3D">τοῦ</w> <w lemma="nu%3Dn">νῦν</w> <w lemma="e%29stin">ἐστιν</w>, <w lemma="e%29a%5Cn">ἐὰν</w> <w lemma="mh%2F">μή</w> <w lemma="ti">τι</w> <w lemma="meta%5C">μετὰ</w> <w lemma="tau%3Dta">ταῦτα</w> <w lemma="polupragmonou%3Dntes">πολυπραγμονοῦντες</w> <w lemma="i%28storh%2Fswmen">ἱστορήσωμεν</w>.
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<w lemma="tou%5Cs">τοὺς</w> <w lemma="de%5C">δὲ</w> <w lemma="le%2Fgonta%2Fs">λέγοντάς</w> <w lemma="ti">τι</w> <w lemma="peri%5C">περὶ</w> <w lemma="tou%2Ftwn">τούτων</w> <w lemma="a%29%2Fllws">ἄλλως</w> <w lemma="h%29%5C">ἢ</w> <w lemma="gra%2Ffontas">γράφοντας</w> <w lemma="a%29gnoei%3Dn">ἀγνοεῖν</w> <w lemma="kai%5C">καὶ</w> <w lemma="mu%2Fqous">μύθους</w> <w lemma="diatiqe%2Fnai">διατιθέναι</w> <w lemma="nomiste%2Fon">νομιστέον</w>.
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<w lemma=""></w> <w lemma="%2Atau%3Dta">Ταῦτα</w> <w lemma="me%5Cn">μὲν</w> <w lemma="ou%29%3Dn">οὖν</w> <w lemma="ei%29rh%2Fsqw">εἰρήσθω</w> <w lemma="moi">μοι</w> <w lemma="xa%2Frin">χάριν</w> <w lemma="tou%3D">τοῦ</w> <w lemma="mh%5C">μὴ</w> <w lemma="tele%2Fws">τελέως</w> <w lemma="a%29nupo%2Ftakton">ἀνυπότακτον</w> <w lemma="ei%29%3Dnai">εἶναι</w> <w lemma="toi%3Ds">τοῖς</w> <w lemma="a%29pei%2Frois">ἀπείροις</w> <w lemma="tw%3Dn">τῶν</w> <w lemma="to%2Fpwn">τόπων</w> <w lemma="th%5Cn">τὴν</w> <w lemma="dih%2Fghsin">διήγησιν</w>, <w lemma="a%29lla%5C">ἀλλὰ</w> <w lemma="kata%2F">κατά</w> <w lemma="ge">γε</w> <w lemma="ta%5Cs">τὰς</w> <w lemma="o%28losxerei%3Ds">ὁλοσχερεῖς</w> <w lemma="diafora%5Cs">διαφορὰς</w> <w lemma="sunepiba%2Fllein">συνεπιβάλλειν</w> <w lemma="kai%5C">καὶ</w> <w lemma="fe%2Frein">φέρειν</w> <w lemma="e%29pi%2F">ἐπί</w> <w lemma="ti">τι</w> <w lemma="th%3D%7C">τῇ</w> <w lemma="dianoi%2Fa%7C">διανοίᾳ</w> <w lemma="to%5C">τὸ</w> <w lemma="lego%2Fmenon">λεγόμενον</w>, <w lemma="tekmairome%2Fnous">τεκμαιρομένους</w> <w lemma="e%29k">ἐκ</w> <w lemma="tou%3D">τοῦ</w> <w lemma="perie%2Fxontos">περιέχοντος</w>.
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<w lemma="kaqa%2Fper">καθάπερ</w> <w lemma="ga%5Cr">γὰρ</w> <w lemma="e%29pi%5C">ἐπὶ</w> <w lemma="th%3Ds">τῆς</w> <w lemma="o%28ra%2Fsews">ὁράσεως</w> <w lemma="ei%29qi%2Fsmeqa">εἰθίσμεθα</w> <w lemma="sunepistre%2Ffein">συνεπιστρέφειν</w> <w lemma="a%29ei%5C">ἀεὶ</w> <w lemma="ta%5C">τὰ</w> <w lemma="pro%2Fswpa">πρόσωπα</w> <w lemma="pro%5Cs">πρὸς</w> <w lemma="to%5C">τὸ</w> <w lemma="kata%5C">κατὰ</w> <w lemma="th%5Cn">τὴν</w> <w lemma="e%29%2Fndeicin">ἔνδειξιν</w> <w lemma="u%28podeiknu%2Fmenon">ὑποδεικνύμενον</w>, <w lemma="ou%28%2Ftws">οὕτως</w> <w lemma="kai%5C">καὶ</w> <w lemma="th%3D%7C">τῇ</w> <w lemma="dianoi%2Fa%7C">διανοίᾳ</w> <w lemma="xrh%5C">χρὴ</w> <w lemma="sundianeu%2Fein">συνδιανεύειν</w> <w lemma="kai%5C">καὶ</w> <w lemma="surre%2Fpein">συρρέπειν</w> <w lemma="e%29pi%5C">ἐπὶ</w> <w lemma="tou%5Cs">τοὺς</w> <w lemma="to%2Fpous">τόπους</w> <w lemma="a%29ei%5C">ἀεὶ</w> <w lemma="tou%5Cs">τοὺς</w>
<head>Unknown Areas in the North and the South</head>But as no one up to our time has been able to settle in regard to those parts of Asia and <a class="linkToPlace" target="_blank" href="/place?placename=Libya&groupId=686&placeId=427">Libya</a>, where they approach<pb n="199" />each other in the neighbourhood of Ethiopia, whether the continent is continuous to the south, or is surrounded by the sea, so it is in regard to the part between <a class="linkToPlace" target="_blank" href="/place?placename=Narbo&groupId=786&placeId=1423">Narbo</a> and the <a class="linkToPlace" target="_blank" href="/place?placename=Don&groupId=127&placeId=365">Don</a>: none of us as yet knows anything of the northern extent of this district, and anything we can ever know must be the result of future exploration; and those who rashly venture by word of mouth or written statements to describe this district must be looked upon as ignorant or romancing.<note anchored="yes" place="marg" id="note64">The extreme north and south unknown.</note>My object in these observations was to prevent my narrative being entirely vague to those who were unacquainted with the localities. I hoped that, by keeping these broad distinctions in mind, they would have some definite standard to which to refer every mention of a place, starting from the primary one of the division of the sky into four quarters. For, as in the case of physical sight, we instinctively turn our faces to any object pointed at; so in the case of the mind, our thoughts ought to turn naturally to localities as they are mentioned from time to time.It is time now to return to the story we have in hand.