LIBERcirca Metellus propius inſulas adnauigans: pelles nauiū tectis prætendit: ut aduerſus fundarum inctus tegmina eſſent. Deinde ex Ibetia tria Romanoꝝ milia ītroduxit acolas. Præter agri uero ſerartatem: & illud hiſce in locis cōmoditatis adeſt: ut ullum noxiū animal nō facile reperias. Nā cunicCuniculolos nequaꝗͣ indigenas eſſe aſſerunt. Quinīmo cū ex ꝓpinqua īſula: quidā marē ac fœminā attuliſſarum malatanta ab initio facta eoꝝ eſt procreatio: ut ex ſubterraneis cuniculis domicilia ſubuerterent̉: & xbores: & ut ſuperius cōmemoraui) homines ad implorandā populi Romāi opē: cōfugere coacti ſin-Nunc aūt cū ad tractandā eoꝝ uenationē aptiſſimi facti ſint: nulla inualeſcere ſibi damna ꝑmittūVeꝝ poſſeſſores magnā ex terræ fructibus utilitatē aſſequunt̉. Hæ quidē intra colūnas: quas Herculeas uocant exiſtūt. luxta has paruæ duæ adiacēt inſulæ. Quoꝝ altera Iunonis noīat̉ inſula. Oudam ſane & has uocauere colūnas. Extra colūnas Gades ſunt: de quibus tantū ſolūmodo diximusGadesꝙ a Calpe ſtad̓. dcc. &. I. interuallo diſiungunt̉. Prope aūt erūpente Betim ſitæ ſunt: de quibus pliradiſſeminat̉ oratio. Hi etenim ſunt uiri: ꝗ & plurima: & ingentia emittētes nauigia: nr̄m & exteriusmare nauigāt: cū neqꝫ magnā habitēt inſulā: neqꝫ multū ē cōtinēte fructū legāt: neqꝫ aliaꝝ ubertarfruant̉ inſulaꝝ: ſed magis pelagus inhabitēt: Pauci admodū rē domeſticā curāt: uel Romæ morā dͥcunt. Nam incolaꝝ magnitudine: nullis extra Romā poſitis: gens eēt inferior. Igit̉ accepi in uno ætis noſtræ cenſu: equeſtris ordinis Gaditanos uiros ꝗngētos eē cēſos: quot in nulla italicaꝝ urbiup̄ter Patauinos obuenere. Tot aūt numero cū ſint: Inſulā habitāt nō lōgiorē ſtad̓. c. cū latitudo uſpiſtad. unū nō excedat. Oppidū initio inhabitabāt ſane puſillū. Balbus uero Gaditanus uir triūphalisaliud inſuꝑ illis ædificauit: qd̓ Neapolin uocāt. Ex ambabus deducta eſt Didyma: nō ultra ſtad. xx.Neapoliscōplexa: nec ea ꝗdē anguſte habitata: ꝗppe cum modici ſint eius cultores. Cū maiore ex parte mariDidymatimas nauigationes oēs exerceāt: partim etiā continentē incolant: præſertim uicinā quādā inſulā pipſius fertilitatem: quā uelut æmulā Didymæ fecere ciuitatē: tanta eſt loci delectatio. Pauci in illiucōparatione: & hic habitacula tenent: illius etiā naualis gratia: quod ꝗdē nauale illis in oppoſita cortinente Balbus extruxit. Ciuitas ad occiduas inſulæ partes iacet. Ipſi quoqꝫ inſulæ ꝓximū ī extrem-eſt Croniū. Ad alterā partē ad ortū cōuerſū eſt Heracliū: quo ex loco maxime cōtinēti cōiungit̉ inCroniūHeraclium ſula: ad ſtadii latitudinē: medio īteriacēte pelago ſemota. Tēplū ab urbe. xii. milia paſſuum abeſſe ferunt: ꝗͣtum certaminū: tantū & miliariorum numerū faciētes. Maius aūt eſt ferme tāto: quāta eſt inGadesſulæ longitudo: Eſt aūt inſulæ ab occaſu in ortū magnitudinis ſpatiū. Pherecydes aūt Gades: Er-Erythiathiā uidet̉ appellaſſe. In qua ea: quæ de Geryone uulgant̉ fabulis īſinuāt. Alii uero adiectā huic urbGeryonesInſulā: quā ſtad̓. interuallo Euripus interlabēs ſegregat. Lætitiā āt pabuli uidēt: quod paſcētiū ibi pecudū lac: ſerū nō efficit. Caſeūqꝫ multū īmiſcētes aquā cōficiūt: tantū exuberat pīgue. Triceſimo di-aīal ſuffocatur: niſi ꝗcꝗͣ cruoris exhauriat̉. Herba uero quā paſcūt̉ oues: ſicca quidē ē: ſed īcredibilegignit aruinā. Quibus ex rebus fabulā: de Geryonis armentis cōfictā eſſe cōiecturas faciūt. Littus ā-Gadiū ori­ uniuerſū cōmune ſrequētibus habitatoribus eſt. De Gadiū uero ædificatione: Gaditani talia memoriæ mādauere. Tiriis datū eſſe oraculū: quo ad Herculis colūnas coloniā mittere iuberent̉. Qui-culādi gratia miſſi fuerāt: ubi ad fretū & ad Calpes āguſtias ꝑuenere: orbis termīos eē rati: & ibi Herculeæ expeditiōis finē: & has ab Oraculo colūnas noīari: ītra āguſtias: quēdā ad locū cōſtiter̄t: ī quonūc Axitanoꝝ ciuitas eſt. Ibi facto ſacrificio: cū læta neqͣquā hoſtiæ portēderēt: retro flexere rurſuAxitaniPoſt tꝑis īteruallū miſſi: extra fretū ſtad. mille &. d. ꝓgreſſi: in Inſulā Herculi cōſecratā ꝑuenere: qͥ atNobā Iberiæ urbē iacet. Exiſtimātes hic eſſe colūnas Herculis: deo ſacrificiū inſtituiſſe. Nō porterNobadētibus læta rurſus hoſtiis domū repetiſſe. Tertio cū claſſe miſſos Gades cōdidiſſe & phanū: ad ipictātes ad orientē infulæ ꝑtes ædificaſſe. Vrbē aūt ad Occaſū. Quāobrē nonnullis anguſti ipſius neti ultima: Colūnas uideri. Quibuſdā uero Gades. Aliis lōgius a gadibus foris iacere. Aliqui cōlunūCalpen: & abilycē opinati ſūt: montem ex Africa ꝓcumbentē. Quem Eratoſthenes in MetasCalpeNumidaꝝ gente ſitū aſſerit. Quidā āt exiguas ꝓpe utrāqꝫ Inſulas: e ꝗbus alterā Iunonis Inſula mcūAbilixpāt. Cæteꝝ Artemidorus: Iunonis ꝗdē Inſulā: illius tēplū apellat. Atqꝫ aliā quādam eſſe inquit. necmontē Abilyca: Neqꝫ Metagoniū gentē eſſe. Errabūdos autē ſcopulos: atqꝫ Symplegades: horſumnulli trāſferunt: eas eſſe colūnas opinati: quas Pindarus portas Gaderidas uocat: ad has nouſſumaHerculē ꝓfectū eſſe dictitās. Verūenimuero Dicearchus: Eratoſthenes: Polybius: & Græcoꝝ prmi: ad Euripi anguſtias: colūnas eſſe manifeſte demonſtrāt. Hiſpani aūt & Afri: apud Gades ene iiquiūt. Ex iis. n. q̄ circa fretū illud exiſtāt: nihil eſſe columnis ſimile. At ꝗdā alij colūnas dici illas aidHerculisq̄ intra Herculis ædē ī Gadibus exiſtāt. Sūt aūt ex ære: cubitoꝝ. viii. In ꝗbus cōſtruēdi tēpli ſuptcolumnæīſcriptus eſt. Ad quas cū perueniāt: ꝗ nauigationē abſoluerint: Herculi ſacra ferentes: a deo ſe ſubīſtruunt̉. Hic maris & terræ finē eſſe. Hunc uero ſimiliorē eſſe ſermonē: etiā Poſidonius arbitrat: sde oraculo: deqꝫ legatis dicta mēdaciū: de Phœnicū more putat eſſe. De legatis ſane quis cōtra nideaut argumentū: neutrā in partē incredibile affirmare auſit? Illud aūt quippiā habet intelligētiæ: noiparuas quaſdā Inſulas aut montes: pro colūnis uideri dicere: ſed inueſtigare: quæ nā proprie cōſunadicant̉. Qui ſunt mūdi: & habitabilis terræ: uel expeditiōis Herculeæ termini. Veteribus enim inmos affuit: huius generis cōfinia ponere: quēadmodū Regini columellā: turrim quādam exiſe: ſupfreto locauerūt. Et huic columellæ turris: quā Pelori nuncupāt: e regiōe ſita eſt: & quæ Philenor oi-Philenorūdicuntur aræ: in media quodāmodo Syrtiū tellure ſunt. In ipſo quoqꝫ Corinthiaco Iſthmo: cōiuus

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