Page:The geography of Strabo (1854) Volume 2.djvu/220

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212 STRABO. CASAUB. 488. Simonides, the Iambic poet; Lebinthus 1 also, and Leria (Leros). 2 Phocylides refers to Leria in these lines ; " the Lerians are bad, not some, but all, except Procles ; but Procles is a Lerian ; " for the Lerians are reputed to have bad dispositions. 13. Near these islands are Patmos, 3 and the Corassiae 4 islands, situated to the west of Icaria, 5 as the latter is with respect to Samos. Icaria has no inhabitants, but it has pastures, of which the Samians avail themselves. Notwithstanding its condition it is famous, and gives the name of Icarian to the sea in front of it, in which are situated Samos, Cos, and the islands just mentioned, 6 the Corassiae, Patmos, and Leros 7 [in Samos is the mountain the Cerceteus, more celebrated than the Ampelus, which overhangs the city of the Samians]. 8 Continuous to the Icarian sea, towards the south, is the Carpathian sea, and the -^Egyptian sea to this ; to the west are the Cretan and African seas. 14. In the Carpathian sea, between Cos, Rhodes, and Crete, are situated many of the Sporades, as Astypalaea, 9 Telos, 10 Chalcia, 11 and those mentioned by Homer in the Catalogue. " They who occupied Nisyrus, Crapathus, Casus, and Cos, The city of Eurypylus, and the Calydnee islands." 12 Except Cos, and Rhodes, of which we shall speak hereafter, 1 Levita. 2 Lero, 3 Patmo. 4 The Furni ; called in b. xiv. c. i. 13, Corsiae. 5 Nicaria. 8 According to the enumeration here made by Strabo, of the islands comprehended in the Icarian sea, it appears that in his opinion none of the islands situated to the north of Cos belonged to the Carpathian sea ; for according to his own statement, which immediately follows, the Car- pathian sea to the north was bounded by the Icarian sea. 7 All the manuscripts and all editions give Aspoc. Is the island spoken of in this passage the same as the one mentioned just above by the name of Leria? Pliny, Hist. Nat. b. iv. 23, appears to have been acquainted with two islands bearing the name of Leros. One, from the position he assigns to it, appears to be the one Strabo above speaks of under the name of Leria ; but the second Leros of Pliny, b. v. 36, must be placed on the coast of Caria. Strabo appears to have entertained nearly the same ideas, for we shall hereafter (b. xiv. c. i. 6) see him give the name of Leros to an island situated in the neighbourhood of Icaria ; and below ( 19) he cites also a Leros, which would seem to have been in the neigh- bourhood of the southern extremity of Caria.

  • Probably interpolated. 9 Istanpolia, or Stanpalia.

>o Tino. Carchi. l2 II. ii. 676.