then, Apfirtim, in the fingular number, and fometimes Apfirti-
des in the plural, including perhaps, the adjacent little iflands.*
In the low ages, it was called by the hiftorian, Socrates, N icephoros,
Calliflus, and Sozomenus-j- the ifland Fianona, and by Paulas
Diáconos,X Infula F.lanonenfis, taking the name from the neighbouring
city Fianona, or Fianona in Libur-nia. The Slavi, by
wbpm it was taken by force o f arms, or perhaps retaken in the
middle times, gave it the name o f Oforo. Falladlo Fofa, or Negro,
a Paduan writer o f the xv.th century, has made honourable
mention ©fit, in his little work de Jitu oree Illyrki, 1. 2 .§ and
Giovanni
* From this incooftancy o f -Pliny, and fome other notions of bis, which we
ihall take notice of in going on, it may be fuppofed, that that good naturaltll
was not well acquainted with the coafts of Liburnia, Illyrium, and the iflands
.near them ; and that he had not viflted them in perfon, as every”one.ought to do
before he undertakes to defcribe a country. Th e venerable author, however,
fhould not be too much blamed for this, as, in his work, he was to treat o f the
whole known world, of confequence he was obliged, for the moll part, to truft
to the relations of others,
t 'Irop. ’Em*. BiSa. f. cap. 26. Ni»ip. Kdaair.d. tx. c. 32. JUÍsL .1. }v. c. .6
t Ob quam rem (jonftantius indignatus evocavit Galium-, qui quum contemnere non
fajfet, vemebat ad principem-, quumqut contra infulam Flanonenfcm venijfet, eum illic
Cgqftantius juffit interinii. « A t which Conftans being offended, recalled Gallus
“ (from i'siehinej And be, not having a fuffieient force to diffobéy the com-
“ mand o f his prince, fet out on his return. But on his arrival at the ifland of
" Fianona, he was put to death by order of Conftans.” Paul. Diae. lib. 12.
Hift. Mifcell.
§ Errgione I/lria, finu Palatico, quem nauta carnarium vocitant, interveniente
dua funt(ínfula) tenui Eurifo disjunctx: ad meridiem Abfyrtium, qua ambitu cólli-
gens jlqdia cireitcr quingenta vicatim tantummodo habitatur; et adfeptentrionem Crexq
doth lene major, in qua duo funt of pida, Abforum femidirutum, t í alterum eodem quo
ínfula nomme, quod egregio babitatum nunc illuflratur Antonii Marcelli or dims minorum
multijuga dolirina, t í vita integritate. XJtraque auttm Ínfula fecortfa eft, t í lignorum
abindantijftma:
Giovanni L u ck , in his claffical book, de regno Hungaria et D al-
nlatia, in which the beit records are found concerning the Illy-
rick affairs, which, before his time, were involved in the dark-
nefs o f barbarous antiquity, and which he was the firit to-illustrate.
*
' Befides the abovementioned-Greek and Latin writers of different
ages,-many authors, Greek,-Latin,-Italian, and o f other
nations,jhave taken ¡notice o f this^iflandin their works,- but it
would be tedious to tranfcribe what each o f them has Laid on the
fubjedt in particular} nor do T think all the accounts they have
given o f it, taken together, are fufficiently explicit or fatisfac-
tory. Setting afide, however, the authors o f the two laft ages, -f
B b b o f
abundantijfima, &c. That, is “ Near Iffria, in the Polatick bay, which the fea-
“ men call Quarnaroy there are two iflands feparated by a narrow channel of fea,;
<< Abfyrtium (OJero) which lies to the fouthward, and is about five hundred Jiadii
“ in circumference, whofe inhabitants live in villages and hamlets. On the
“ north fide lies Crexa (Cherjb) almoft twice as'large, and has two cities, Abforum
“ /Ofero.) which is almoft ruined, and the other, which bears the name of the
“ ifland. This city is well peopled, and rendered illuftTious in our days ('about
“ 1470) by the univerfal learning and exemplary fife of Antonio Marcelhy a Fran-
“ cifcan friar. Both thefe iflands abound iniheep and w.pp,<|.” yc
* Giovanni Lúcioy beiides his celebratedworki/? 'Regna Hungariat tzc. wrote
many other hiftorical memoirs concerning Illyrium. T h e y fay that thffe writings
a r e p r e f e r v e d at Rome, where-he died, among the manufcripts in t h e Vatican :
and it would be well worth while i f fome perfon took the trouble to examine- the
papers of a man who was equally learned and diligent; vtfiere -might.certainly be
found amono" them fome. valuable^ documents a nd . anecdotes, which, through
time and barbarifm, are'otherwife loft. T h e Illyrick natiqii ought to be particularly
intereftedin this enquiry,
4 Mauro Orbiniy . Rfgno Degl.l Slavi. Fre fch o t , , m r if, Jioriche della Dalmatia*
Pietro CoppOy del fitp .del? Iflpa-», a rare work, prin^eA, ip 1540. Carlo Steffano9
inuhis.Dizfonino\Ceogra/ico,y Baudrond, & c . Many Venetian hiftorians, Father
FarJate*