Chaps. 5-7.

Chap. 5. (4.)—Of the Province of Gallia Narbonensis.

That part of the Gallias which is washed by the inland sea [Or Mediterranean.] is called the province of [Gallia] Narbonensis [From the chief city Narbo Martius, and later Narbona, now Narbonne, situate on the river Atax, now Aude. It was made a Roman colony by the Consul Q. Martius B.C. 118, and from him received its surname. It was the residence of the Roman governor of the province and a place of great commercial importance. There are scarcely any remains of the ancient city, but some vestiges of the canal, by which it was connected with the sea at twelve miles’ distance.], having formerly borne the name of Braccata [From the linen breeches which the inhabitants wore, a fashion which was not adopted by the Romans till the time of the Emperors. Severus wore them, but the use of them was restricted by Honorius.]. It is divided from Italy by the river Varus [Still called the ‘Var.’ It divides France from Nice, a province of Sardinia.], and by the range of the Alps, the great safeguards of the Roman Empire. From the remainder of Gaul, on the north, it is separated by the mountains Cebenna [Now the Cevennes. They lie as much to the west as the north of Gallia Narbonensis.] and Jura [The range of the Jura, north of the Lake of Geneva.]. In the cultivation of the soil, the manners and civilization of the inhabitants, and the extent of its wealth, it is surpassed by none of the provinces, and, in short, might be more truthfully described as a part of Italy than as a province. On the coast we have the district of the Sordones [Inhabiting the former Comté de Roussillon, or Département des Pyrénées Orientales. They were said to have been originally a Bebrycian or Thracian colony.], and more inland that of the Consuarani [Probably the inhabitants of the present Conserans, on the west of the Département de l’Arriége.]. The rivers are the Tecum and the Vernodubrum [Probably the Tech, and the Verdouble, which falls into the Gly.]. The towns are Illiberis [Probably the present Elne, on the Tech.], the scanty remains of what was formerly a great city, and Ruscino [The present Castel Roussillon.], a town with Latian rights. We then come to the river Atax [The Aude of the present day.], which flows from the Pyrenees, and passes through the Rubrensian Lake [The bodies of water now called Etangs de Bages et de Sigean.], the town of Narbo Martius, a colony of the tenth legion, twelve miles distant from the sea, and the rivers Arauris [Now the Herault.] and Liria [Now called the Lez, near the city of Montpellier.]. The towns are otherwise but few in number, in consequence of the numerous lakes [Now called Etangs de Leucate, de Sigean, de Gruissan, de Vendres, de Thau, de Maguelonne, de Perols, de Mauguio, du Repausset; Marais d’Escamandre, de Lermitane et de la Souteyrane, and numerous others.] which skirt the sea-shore. We have Agatha [Now the town of Agde. Strabo also informs us that this place was founded by the Massilians.], formerly belonging to the Massilians, and the district of the Volcæ Tectosages [This people seems to have inhabited the eastern parts of the departments of l’Arriége and the Haute Garonne, that of Aude, the south of that of Tarn, and of that of Herault, except the arrondissement of Montpellier.]; and there is the spot where Rhoda [Dalechamp takes this to be Foz les Martigues; but the locality is doubtful. Most probably this is the same place that is mentioned by Strabo as Rhoë, in conjunction with the town of Agathe or Agde, and the Rodanusia of Stephen of Byzantium, who places it in the district of Massilia or Marseilles.], a Rhodian colony, formerly stood, from which the river takes its name of Rhodanus [Now the Rhone.]; a stream by far the most fertilizing of any in either of the Gallias. Descending from the Alps and rushing through lake Lemanus [Now the Lake of Geneva.], it carries along with it the sluggish Arar [The modern Saone.], as well as the torrents of the Isara and the Druentia [Now the rivers Isère and Durance.], no less rapid than itself. Its two smaller mouths are called Libica [Most probably from Libici, a town in the south of Gaul, of which there are coins in existence, but nothing else seems to be known. At the present day there are four mouths of the Rhone, the most westerly of which is called the “Dead” Rhone; the next the “Lesser” Rhone; the third the “Old” Rhone; and the fourth simply the Rhone. D’Anville considers the “Lesser” Rhone to have been the “Spanish” mouth of the ancients. In consequence of the overflowings of this river there is great confusion upon this subject.], one being the Spanish, and the other the Metapinian mouth; the third and largest is called the Massiliotic [This mouth of the Rhone was much used by the Massilians for the purposes of commerce with the interior of Gaul, and the carriage of the supplies of tin which they obtained thence.]. There are some authors who state that there was formerly a town called Heraclea [The manner in which Pliny here expresses himself shows that he doubts the fact of such a place having even existed; it is mentioned by none of the preceding geographers, and of those who followed him Stephen of Byzantium is the only one who notices it. An inscription was found however in the reign of Charles V. of France, in which it was stated that Ataulphus, king of the Visigoths, selected Heraclea as his place of residence. On the faith of this inscription, Spon and Ducange have placed Heraclea at the modern Saint-Gilles, and other writers at Saint-Remy, where the inscription was found. Unfortunately, however, Messrs. Devic and Vaissette, in their “History of Languedoc,” have proved that this inscription is of spurious origin.] at the mouth of the Rhodanus or Rhone.

Beyond this are the Canals [The “Fossæ Marianæ” are also mentioned by Ptolemy and Solinus; though they differ in the situation which they have respectively assigned them. They were formed by Marius when advancing to dispute the passage of the Rhone with the Cimbri, who had quitted Spain for the purpose of passing the Pyrenees and invading Italy, in the year B.C. 102. There is considerable difficulty in determining their position, but they are supposed to have commenced at the place now called the Camp of Marius, and to have terminated at the eastern mouth of the Rhone near the present Arles.] leading out of the Rhone, a famous work of Caius Marius, and still distinguished by his name; the Lake of Mastramela [Pliny is the first who mentions the name of this lake, though previous writers had indicated its existence. Strabo informs us that above the mouth of the Rhone there is a large lake that communicates with the sea, and abounds in fish and oysters. Brotier and D’Anville identify it with the present lake of Martigues or of Berre.], the town of Maritima [D’Anville takes this place to be the present town of Martigues; Brotier thinks that it was situate on the spot now called Le Cap d’Œil, near the town of Saint-Chamas; and Bouche, the historian of the Province, places it at Marignane, on the east side of the lake already mentioned.] of the Avatici, and, above this, the Stony Plains [“Campi Lapidei,” called by the natives at the present day “La Crau;” probably from the same Celtic root as our word “Crags;” though Bochart derives it from the Hebrew. Æschylus and Hyginus speak of this combat of Hercules, and Mela relates that being engaged in a mortal struggle with Albion and Geryon, the sons of Neptune, he invoked the aid of Jupiter, on which a shower of stones fell from the heavens and destroyed his antagonists. Those on this plain are said to be the remains of the stony shower. It is supposed by the scientific that many of these stones are aërolites, and that tradition has ingeniously adapted this story to their real origin. The vicinity of Tunbridge Wells presents a somewhat similar appearance.], memorable for the battles of Hercules; the district of the Anatilii [The people probably of the site of the present isle of Camargue.], and more inland, that of the Desuviates [They probably inhabited the district south of the Durance, between it and the Rhone.] and the Cavari. Again, close upon the sea, there is that of the Tricorii [They inhabited the country in which the present Avignon, Orange, Cavaillon, and perhaps Carpentras are situate.], and inland, there are the Tricolli [They are thought by Hardouin to have dwelt in the vicinity of the present town of Talard in the department of the Hautes Alpes.], the Vocontii [They inhabited the eastern part of the departments of the Drôme and the Vaucluse.], and the Segovellauni, and, after them, the Allobroges [Their territory comprehended the southern part of the department of the Ain, the department of the Isère, the canton of Geneva, and part of Savoy.].

On the coast is Massilia, a colony of Phocæan [It was said to have been colonized from Phocæa, a town of Ionia in Asia Minor. Lucan in his Third Book more than once falls into the error of supposing that it was colonized from Phocis in Greece.] Greeks, and a federate [We learn from Justin, B. xliii., that this privilege, as well as others, and a seat at the public shows, were granted to the Massilians by the Roman Senate, in return for their sympathy and assistance after the city had been taken and plundered by the Gauls.] city; we then have the Promontory of Zao [According to D’Anville the present Cap de l’Aigre, though Mannert takes it to be the Cap de la Croisette.], the port of Citharista [D’Anville takes this to be the same as the present Port de la Ciotat.], and the district of the Camatullici [Probably occupying the south-east of the department of the Var. It is supposed by Hardouin that the village of Ramatuelle, near the coast, south of the Gulf of Grimaud, represents the ancient name; and D’Anville and other writers are of the same opinion.]; then the Suelteri [Probably the country around the modern Brignole and Draguignan was inhabited by them.], and above them the Verrucini [They inhabited Verignon and Barjols in the southern part of the department of the Var.]. Again, on the coast, we find Athenopolis [D’Anville takes this to be the place called Agaï, between Frejus and La Napoule: but in so doing he disregards the order in which they are given by Pliny.], belonging to the Massilians, Forum Julii [“The Forum of Julius.” Now Frejus. As its name implies, it was a colony of the Eighth Legion. It was probably called ‘Pacensis,’ on some occasion when peace had happily been made with the original inhabitants, and ‘Classica’ from the fleet being stationed there by Augustus.] Octavanorum, a colony, which is also called Pacensis and Classica, the river Argenteus [Still known as the Argens, from the silvery appearance of the water. It has choked up the harbour with sand, in which probably the ships of Augustus rode at anchor.], which flows through it, the district of the Oxubii [They inhabited the coast, in the vicinity of the modern Cannes.] and that of the Ligauni [They are supposed to have inhabited the country of Grasse, in the south-east of the department of the Var.]; above whom are the Suetri [According to Ptolemy they had for their capital the town of Salinæ; which some take to be the modern Saluces, others Castellane, and others again Seillans, according to Holstein and D’Anville.], the Quariates [D’Anville thinks that they lived in the valley of Queyras, in the department of the Hautes Alpes, having a town of the same name.] and the Adunicates [The Adunicates are supposed by Hardouin to have inhabited the department of the Basses Alpes, between the towns of Senez and Digne.]. On the coast we have Antipolis [The modern Antibes. Mount Cema is the present Monte-Cemelione.], a town with Latian rights, the district of the Deciates, and the river Varus, which proceeds from Mount Cema, one of the Alps.

The colonies in the interior are Arelate Sextanorum [“Arelate of the Sixth Legion,” a military colony; now the city of Arles. It is first mentioned by Cæsar, who had some ships built there for the siege of Massilia or Marseilles. It was made a military colony in the time of Augustus.], Beterræ Septimanorum [“Beterræ of the Seventh Legion.” The modern town of Beziers.], and Arausio [“Arausio of the Second Legion,” now Orange, a town in the department of Vaucluse.] Secundanorum; Valentia [Now Valence, in the department of the Drôme.] in the territory of the Cavari, and Vienna [Now Vienne, in the department of the Isère.] in that of the Allobroges. The towns that enjoy Latian rights are Aquæ Sextiæ [Aix, in the department of the Bouches du Rhône.] in the territory of the Saluvii, Avenio [Avignon, in the Vaucluse.] in that of the Cavari, Apta Julia [Apt, in the department of Vaucluse.] in that of the Volgientes, Alebece [Riez, in the department of the Basses Alpes.] in that of the Reii Apollinares, Alba [The modern Alps, near Viviers, is probably built on the site of this town. The text shows that it was different from Augusta, probably the Alba Augusta mentioned by Ptolemy, though D’Anville supposes them to have been the same place.] in that of the Helvi, and Augusta [Some writers take this place to be the present Saint-Paul-Trois-Châteaux, in the department of the Drôme.] in that of the Tricastini, Anatilia, Aeria [Probably so called from its lofty position, and supposed by D’Anville to have been situate on the modern Mont Ventoux, or “Windy Mountain.” Other writers place it at La Croix Haute, near the city of Avignon.], the Bormanni [There is a village in the department of the Var, six leagues from Toulon, called Bormes, not improbably from these people.], the Comaci, Cabellio [The modern Cavaillon, in the department of the Vaucluse.], Carcasum [Now Carcassone, in the department of the Aude.] in the territory of the Volcæ Tectosages, Cessero [Probably Saint Tibéry, on the river Hérault.], Carpentoracte [Now Carpentras. Ptolemy also makes mention of the Memini.] in the territory of the Memini, the Cenicenses [Probably situate on the river Cœnus of Ptolemy, between the eastern mouth of the Rhone and Massilia. Probably the name in Pliny should be “Cœnienses.”], the Cambolectri [Walckenaer places this people in the vicinity of Cambo, in the arrondissement of Bayonne, in the department of the Basses Pyrenees.], surnamed the Atlantici, Forum [In names similar to this, as Festus remarks, “Forum” has the meaning of “Market;” much as that word is used as a compound in our names, such as Market Drayton, &c. Bouche thinks that by this place is meant the modern Le Canet: but D’Anville takes it to be Gonfaron, a corruption, he thinks, of Voconfaron from the Latin name.] Voconi, Glanum Livi [The site of Glanum was about a mile to the south of the village of Saint Remi, between Cavaillon and Arles. On the spot there are the remains of a Roman mausoleum and a triumphal arch.], the Lutevani [The people of Luteva, now Lodève, in the department of the Hérault.], also called the Foroneronienses [“The people of Forum Neronis,” which place has been supposed by some to have been the same with Carpentoracte: D’Anville supposes Forcalquier to have been Forum Neronis, while Walckenaer takes Momas to have been that place. From the text it would appear to have been identical with Luteva.], Nemausum [The modern Nismes, which in its ruins contains abundant marks of its ancient splendour. The family of the Antonines came from this place. The remains of its aqueduct still survive, containing three rows of arches, one above the other, and 180 feet in height.] in the territory of the Arecomici, Piscenæ [The people of the present Pézenas, in the department of the Hérault.], the Ruteni [Their chief town is supposed to have been Albiga, now Albi, in the department of Tarn.], the Sanagenses [The inhabitants of the present Senez in the Basses Alpes. De la Saussaye says that their coins read ‘Samnagenses,’ and not ‘Sanagenses,’ and that they inhabited Senas, a town in the vicinity of Aix.], the Tolosani [Their chief town was Tolosa, now Toulouse, in the department of the Haute-Garonne.] in the territory of the Tectosages on the confines of Aquitania, the Tasconi [They probably lived in the vicinity of the present Montauban, in the department of the Tarn et Garonne.], the Tarusconienses [Probably the inhabitants of the site of the modern town of Tarascon. There is, however, considerable doubt as to these two names.], the Umbranici [Poinsinet thinks that they occupied Vabres, a place situate in the south of the department of Aveyron.], Vasio [Now Vaison, in the department of Vaucluse.] and Lucus Augusti [“The Grove of Augustus.” This town appears to have been overflowed by the river Druma, which formed a lake on its site. Its remains were still to be seen in the lake in modern times, and from it the town on the margin of the lake takes its name of Le Luc.], the two capitals of the federate state of the Vocontii. There are also nineteen towns of less note, as well as twenty-four belonging to the people of Nemausum. To this list [Under the name “formula” Pliny perhaps alludes to the official list of the Roman government, which he had consulted for the purposes of accuracy.] the Emperor Galba added two tribes dwelling among the Alps, the Avantici [Bouche places the site of this people at the village of Avançon, between Chorges and Gap, in the department of the Hautes Alpes.] and the Bodiontici, to whom belongs the town of Dinia [The present town of Digne, in the department of the Basses Alpes.]. According to Agrippa the length of the province of Gallia Narbonensis is 370 miles, and its breadth 248 [It is not known from what points these measurements of our author are taken.].

Chap. 6. (5.)—Of Italy.

Next comes Italy, and we begin with the Ligures [The modern names of these localities will form the subject of consideration when we proceed, in c., to a more minute description of Italy.], after whom we have Etruria, Umbria, Latium, where the mouths of the Tiber are situate, and Rome, the Capital of the world, sixteen miles distant from the sea. We then come to the coasts of the Volsci and of Campania, and the districts of Picenum, of Lucania, and of Bruttium, where Italy extends the farthest in a southerly direction, and projects into the [two] seas with the chain of the Alps [This passage is somewhat confused, and may possibly be in a corrupt state. He here speaks of the Apennine Alps. By the “lunata juga” he means the two promontories or capes, which extend east and west respectively.], which there forms pretty nearly the shape of a crescent. Leaving Bruttium we come to the coast of [Magna] Græcia, then the Salentini, the Pediculi, the Apuli, the Peligni, the Frentani, the Marrucini, the Vestini, the Sabini, the Picentes, the Galli, the Umbri, the Tusci, the Veneti, the Carni, the Iapydes, the Histri, and the Liburni.

I am by no means unaware that I might be justly accused of ingratitude and indolence, were I to describe thus briefly and in so cursory a manner the land which is at once the foster-child [This seems to be the meaning of “alumna,” and not “nurse” or “foster-mother,” as Ajasson’s translation has it. Pliny probably implies by this antithesis that Rome has been “twice blessed,” in receiving the bounties of all nations of the world, and in being able to bestow a commensurate return. Compared with this idea, “at once the nurse and mother of the world” would be tame indeed!] and the parent of all lands; chosen by the providence of the Gods to render even heaven itself more glorious [By adding its deified emperors to the number of its divinities. After what Pliny has said in his Second Book, this looks very much like pure adulation.], to unite the scattered empires of the earth, to bestow a polish upon men’s manners, to unite the discordant and uncouth dialects of so many different nations by the powerful ties of one common language, to confer the enjoyments of discourse and of civilization upon mankind, to become, in short, the mother-country of all nations of the Earth.

But how shall I commence this undertaking? So vast is the number of celebrated places (what man living could enumerate them all?), and so great the renown attached to each individual nation and subject, that I feel myself quite at a loss. The city of Rome alone, which forms a portion of it, a face well worthy of shoulders so beauteous, how large a work would it require for an appropriate description! And then too the coast of Campania, taken singly by itself! so blest with natural beauties and opulence, that it is evident that when nature formed it she took a delight in accumulating all her blessings in a single spot—how am I to do justice to it? And then the climate, with its eternal freshness and so replete with health and vitality, the sereneness of the weather so enchanting, the fields so fertile, the hill sides so sunny, the thickets so free from every danger, the groves so cool and shady, the forests with a vegetation so varying and so luxuriant, the breezes descending from so many a mountain, the fruitfulness of its grain, its vines, and its olives so transcendent; its flocks with fleeces so noble, its bulls with necks so sinewy, its lakes recurring in never-ending succession, its numerous rivers and springs which refresh it with their waters on every side, its seas so many in number, its havens and the bosom of its lands opening everywhere to the commerce of all the world, and as it were eagerly stretching forth into the very midst of the waves, for the purpose of aiding as it were the endeavours of mortals!

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 [Or “Great Greece.” This is a poor and frivolous argument used by Pliny in support of his laudations of Italy, seeing that in all probability it was not the people of Greece who gave this name to certain cities founded by Greek colonists on the Tarentine Gulf, in the south of Italy; but either the Italian tribes, who in their simplicity admired their splendour and magnificence, or else the colonists themselves, who, in using the name, showed that they clung with fondness to the remembrance of their mother-country; while at the same time the epithet betrayed some vanity and ostentation in wishing thus to show their superiority to the people of their mother-country.].’ 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 [The comparison of its shape to an oak leaf seems rather fanciful; more common-place observers have compared it to a boot: by the top (cacumen) he seems to mean the southern part of Calabria about Brundisium and Tarentum; which, to a person facing the south, would incline to the coast of Epirus on the left hand.], while it terminates in the form of an Amazonian buckler [The ‘Parma’ or shield here alluded to, would be one shaped like a crescent, with the exception that the inner or concave side would be formed of two crescents, the extremities of which join at the central projection. He says that Cocinthos (now Capo di Stilo) would in such case form the central projection, while Lacinium (now Capo delle Colonne) would form the horn at the extreme right, and Leucopetra (now Capo dell’ Armi) the horn on the extreme left.], 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 [The Tuscan or Etrurian sea, and the Adriatic.], and the rivers Varus and Arsia [The Varus, as already mentioned, was in Gallia Narbonensis, while the Arsia, now the Arsa, is a small river of Istria, which became the boundary between Italy and Illyricum, when Istria was annexed by order of Augustus to the former country. It flows into the Flanaticus Sinus, now Golfo di Quarnero, on the eastern coast of Istria, beyond the town of Castel Nuovo, formerly Nesactium.]: at about the middle, and in the vicinity of the city of Rome, from the spot where the river Aternus [Now the Pescara.] 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 [Now Palo, a city on the coast of Etruria, eighteen miles from Portus Augusti, at the mouth of the Tiber.] 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 [This distance is overstated: the circuit is in reality about 2500 miles.].

As to its distance from the countries that surround it—Istria and Liburnia are, in some places [For instance, from Pola to Ravenna, and from Iadera to Ancona.], 100 miles from it, and Epirus and Illyricum 50; Africa is less than 200, as we are informed by M. Varro; Sardinia [Sardinia is in no part nearer to Italy than 140 miles.] is 120, Sicily 1 1 / 2, Corsica less than 80, and Issa [Issa, now Lissa, is an island of the Adriatic, off the coast of Liburnia; it is not less than eighty miles distant from the nearest part of the coast of Italy.] 50. It extends into the two seas towards the southern parts of the heavens, or, to speak with more minute exactness, between the sixth [That is to say, the south, which was so called by the Romans: the meaning being that Italy extends in a south-easterly direction.] 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 Region of Italy.

To begin then with the river Varus; we have the town of Nicæa [The modern Nizza of the Italians, or Nice of the French.], founded by the Massilians, the river Paulo [Now the Paglione.], the Alps and the Alpine tribes, distinguished by various names [Livy mentions four of these tribes, the Celelates, the Cerdiciates, the Apuani, and the Friniates.], but more especially the Capillati [Or “Long-haired.” Lucan, B. i. l. 442, 3, refers to this characteristic of the Alpine Ligurians: Et nunc tonse Ligur, quondam per colla decora Crinibus effusis toti prælate Comatæ.], Cemenelio [It is probably the ruins of this place that are to be seen at the present day at Cimiez in the vicinity of Nice.], a town of the state of the Vediantii, the port of Hercules Monæcus [The modern Monaco.], and the Ligurian coast. The more celebrated of the Ligurian tribes beyond the Alps are the Salluvii, the Deciates, and the Oxubii [These tribes have been already mentioned in c., as belonging to the province of Gallia Narbonensis.]; on this side of the Alps, the Veneni [It is supposed that they dwelt near the present Vinadio in Piedmont.], and the Vagienni, who are derived from the Caturiges [It is supposed that they inhabited the vicinity of the present town of Chorges, between Embrun and Gap.], the Statielli [They probably dwelt near the modern town of Montserrat.], the Bimbelli [They probably dwelt near the modern Biela, eight leagues from Verceil in Piedmont.], the Magelli, the Euburiates, the Casmonates [Some writers place them near the modern city of Casale.], the Veleiates [Their locality is supposed by some writers to be near the present Cortemiglia, five leagues from the town of Alba.], and the peoples whose towns we shall describe as lying near the adjoining coast. The river Rutuba [Now the Roya, flowing between very high banks.—Lucan, B. ii. l. 422, speaks of the Rutuba as “Cavus,” “flowing in deep cavities.”], the town of Albium Intemelium [Probably the present Vintimiglia.], the river Merula [The modern Arozia.], the town of Albium Ingaunum [The present town of Albenga.—Livy, B. xxix. c. 5, calls the inhabitants Albingauni.], the port of Vadum Sabatiorum [Now called Vaï or Ve, and Savona.], the river Porcifera [The modern Bisagna, which waters Genua, the modern Genoa.], the town of Genua, the river Feritor [Now the Lavagna, which also washes Genoa.], the Portus Delphini [“The Port of the Dolphin;” now Porto Fino.], Tigullia [Probably the ruins called those of Tregesa or Trigoso are those of Tigullia.], Tegesta [Now Sestri di Levante.] of the Tigullii, and the river Macra [The modern Magra.], 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 [Of which they were considered as a chain, and called the Apennine Alps.] to the Sicilian sea. On the other side of the Apennines, towards the Padus [Now the Po.], the richest river of Italy, the whole country is adorned with noble towns; Libarna [According to D’Anville, now Castel Arqua.], the colony of Dertona [Now Tortona. It was a city of importance, and there are considerable ruins still in existence.], Iria [The modern Voghera, upon the river Staffora.], Barderate [Probably the present Verrua.], Industria [Called by the Ligurians Bodincomagus, by the Romans Industria. Its remains are to be found at Monteù di Po, a few miles below Chevasso, on the right bank of the river.], Pollentia [The modern Pollenza, a small town on the river Tenaro near Alba.], Carrea surnamed Potentia [Its site has been placed at Chieri near Turin, and at Carrù on the Tanaro, a few miles south of Bene, which is perhaps the most probable.], Foro Fulvî or Valentinum [The modern Valenza.], Augusta [Placed by D’Anville at Vico near Mondovi, and by other writers at Carmagnole and Saluzzo: but Durandi has shown that the ruins still to be seen near Bene in Piedmont are those of Augusta Vagiennorum. Bene is supposed to be a corruption of Bagienna, the name of the town in the middle ages. The name of the Vagienni also probably survives in that of Viozenna, an obscure place in that vicinity.] of the Vagienni, Alba Pompeia [Still called Alba; a town near the northern foot of the Apennines. It probably had its appellation from Cn. Pompeius Strabo, the father of Pompey the Great, who conferred many privileges on the Cisalpine Gauls. It was the birth-place of the Emperor Helvius Pertinax.], Asta [The modern Aste.], and Aquæ Statiellorum [The modern Acqui, so called from its mineral springs. It is again mentioned by Pliny in B. XXXI. Numerous remains of the ancient town have been discovered.]. This is the ninth region, according to the arrangement of Augustus. The coast of Liguria extends 211 miles [Ansart observes that this measurement is nearly correct.], between the rivers Varus and Macra.