Strabo, a geographer, as exaft as comprehenfive, whofe
volume is indeed an ineftimable treafure, will furniffi us, as it
were, with a chart, enabling us to contemplate this coaft, as it
exifted toward the commencement of the chriftian sera j before
a famous fophift affirmed of it, that the river had taken the fea
from the navigator, and given it to the hulbandman to be divided
into fields j that furrows were feen in the place of waves,
and kids fporting in the room of dolphins j and that inftead of
hearing the hoarfe mariner, you were delighted with the fweet
echo of the paftoral pipe.
M i l e t us had then four ports, one of them very capacious j
and before it was a clufter of fmall iflands. Beyond Miletus,
the coaft winding, was a bay called the Latmian, from Latmus,
the adjacent mountain. In this bay was “ Heraclea under
« Latmus,” a fmall town, once called Latmos, with a road for
veflêls j and near that place, after croffing a rivulet, you was
fiiown a cave, with the fepulchre of Endymion. On this mountain,
it. was fabled, Luna call that hero and hunter into a profound
fleep, to have the pleafure of faluting him. After Heraclea
was Pyrrha, an inconfiderable town, the diftance between
them by fea about one hundred ftadia or twelve miles and a half.
From Miletus to Heraclea was a little more, coafting the bay j
but from Miletus to Pyrrha *, in a ftrait courfe, was only thirty
, The Latin interpreter of Strabo has omitted the words F rom M ile tu s to P y rrh a .
See alfo Cellarius. p. 5 2 . , . §.
The Geographer, after mentioning (lightly Pyrrha and Heraclea as inconiiaerable
towns, advertifes his reader, that the compafs of his work requires him not to
dwell but on places of note. This paflage is grofsly miftranflated. The interpreter
will frequently miflead thofe, who attend not to the original j and is, m this
inftance, the foie caufe why Wheler, finding himfelf puzzled, fufpeas Strabo to
be lefs accurate in this portion of his work, than he preten ds to he.
Thé river running by the theatre of Miletus perplexed Wheler exceedingly.
He fuppofes Miletus to' have been Pyrrha, and Branchidse to be Heraclea. Spon,
with the fame materials, fupprelTes the mention of any difficulty; and, on the
authority of the infcription on the theatre, boldly calls the place Miletus. Ce -
J larius
ftadia or three miles and three quarters, fo much longer was the
voyage by the ffiore. From Pyrrha to the mouth of the Maunder
were fifty ftadia or fix miles and a quarter, the ground flimy
and marffiy. From thence you failed up to Myus', thirty ftadia,
in fkiffs, which plyed. After the mouth of the Masander was
the coaft againft Priene. The fea had once waffied the wall of
this city, and it had two ports, one of which ffiut up j but
then it was feen within land, forty ftadia or five miles above the
ffiore.
T h e principal ifland in the clufter before Miletus was Lade.
There, when invaded by Darius, the Ionians aflembled three
hundred and fixty triremes, and engaged his fleet of fix hundred.
The Milefians had eighty ffiips, and formed the wing
toward the eaft. Next to them were the Prieneans with twelve,
and the Myufians with three. The ifland was afterwards feized
by Alexander; and, while he befieged Miletus, was the ftation
of the Greek admiral, who blocked up the port. The Milefians,
when he was about to ftorm the city, tried to efcape,
■ larius prefers the opinion of Wheler. He cites Strabo to prove, the diftance between
Miletus and the mouth of the river was CX ftadia; and obferving it only X in
Pliny, fuppofes the numeral C omitted. But the calculation from Strabo is imperfect
and erroneous, the emendation of Pliny neither well founded nor neceflary;
and it happens, that Spon is fuperficially right, while Cellarius with Wheler is
learnedly miftaken. ,.
It were eafy to enlarge on the errors of Cellarius in this part of his work, and
to reflea back the unmerited cenfures, which he beftows. on the antient writers,
who have treated on the places. See pages 5 1 , 5 2 , 53» 54* . . .
We may with reafon wonder, that fo obvious a clew to thefe intricacies arid
feeming contradiaions, as that we have given, has hitherto efcaped the modern
travellers, geographers, and annotators, in general; efpecially as each clafs pro-
fcfles to take Strabo for their fureft guide or principal counfel.
1 The diftance between Miletus and Myus, by water, feems to have been one
hundred and ten ftadia or thirteen miles and three quarters.
St.
From Miletus to Pyrrha - - - 1 * 3°
From Pyrrha to the mouth of the Mieander - - - 5 °
From thence to MyuS - - - - - - - - - 3 °
Z ; lome