§1.31.1ἡμεῖς δʼ ἐπεὶ τὰ περὶ τῶν ἀπὸ τῆς χέρσου τριῶν μερῶν τῶν ὀχυρούντων τὴν Αἴγυπτον διήλθομεν, προσθήσομεν τοῖς εἰρημένοις τὸ λειπόμενον.
But since we have gone through the matters concerning the three parts that fortify Egypt from the landward side, we shall add to what has been said that which is remaining.
§1.31.2ἡ τετάρτη τοίνυν πλευρὰ πᾶσα σχεδὸν ἀλιμένῳ θαλάττῃ προσκλυζομένη προβέβληται τὸ Αἰγύπτιον πέλαγος, ὃ τὸν μὲν παράπλουν ἔχει μακρότατον, τὴν δʼ ἀπόβασιν τὴν ἐπὶ τὴν χώραν δυσπροσόρμιστον·
Now the fourth side, almost entirely washed by a harborless sea, has the Egyptian Sea projected before it as a defense; this sea has an extremely long coastal voyage, but its landing upon the land is difficult to anchor at.
ἀπὸ γὰρ Παραιτονίου τῆς Λιβύης ἕως Ἰόπης τῆς ἐν τῇ Κοίλῃ Συρίᾳ, ὄντος τοῦ παράπλου σταδίων σχεδὸν πεντακισχιλίων, οὐκ ἔστιν εὑρεῖν ἀσφαλῆ λιμένα πλὴν τοῦ Φάρου.
For from Paraetonium in Libya as far as Joppa in Coele-Syria, the coastal voyage being almost five thousand stades, it is not possible to find a safe harbor except for Pharos.
§1.31.3χωρὶς δὲ τούτων ταινία παρʼ ὅλην σχεδὸν τὴν Αἴγυπτον παρήκει τοῖς ἀπείροις τῶν προσπλεόντων ἀθεώρητος·
And apart from these, a sandbank extends along almost the whole of Egypt, invisible to those who sail toward it without experience.
§1.31.4διόπερ οἱ τὸν ἐκ πελάγους κίνδυνον ἐκπεφευγέναι νομίζοντες, καὶ διὰ τὴν ἄγνοιαν ἄσμενοι πρὸς τὴν γῆν καταπλέοντες, ἐξαίφνης ἐποκελλόντων τῶν σκαφῶν ἀνελπίστως ναυαγοῦσιν·
Therefore, those who think they have escaped the danger from the open sea, and who sail toward the land joyfully because of their ignorance, suddenly suffer unexpected shipwreck when their vessels run aground.
§1.31.5ἔνιοι δὲ διὰ τὴν ταπεινότητα τῆς χώρας οὐ δυνάμενοι προϊδέσθαι τὴν γῆν λανθάνουσιν ἑαυτοὺς ἐκπίπτοντες οἱ μὲν εἰς ἑλώδεις καὶ λιμνάζοντας τόπους, οἱ δʼ εἰς χώραν ἔρημον.
And some, because of the low-lying nature of the land, being unable to see the land ahead, unwittingly run aground, some into marshy and swampy places, and others into a desert land.
§1.31.6ἡ μὲν οὖν Αἴγυπτος πανταχόθεν φυσικῶς ὠχύρωται τὸν εἰρημένον τρόπον, τῷ δὲ σχήματι παραμήκης οὖσα δισχιλίων μὲν σταδίων ἔχει τὴν παραθαλάττιον πλευράν, εἰς μεσόγειον δʼ ἀνήκει σχεδὸν ἐπὶ σταδίους ἑξακισχιλίους.
Egypt, then, has been naturally fortified on all sides in the manner described, and being oblong in its shape, it has its coastal side of two thousand stades, and extends inland almost for six thousand stades.
πολυανθρωπίᾳ δὲ τὸ μὲν παλαιὸν πολὺ προέσχε πάντων τῶν γνωριζομένων τόπων κατὰ τὴν οἰκουμένην, καὶ καθʼ ἡμᾶς δὲ οὐδενὸς τῶν ἄλλων δοκεῖ λείπεσθαι·
In its abundance of population, in ancient times it far excelled all known places in the inhabited world, and in our day too it seems to be second to none of the others.
§1.31.7ἐπὶ μὲν γὰρ τῶν ἀρχαίων χρόνων ἔσχε κώμας ἀξιολόγους καὶ πόλεις πλείους τῶν μυρίων καὶ ὀκτακισχιλίων, ὡς ἐν ταῖς ἱεραῖς ἀναγραφαῖς ὁρᾶν ἔστι κατακεχωρισμένον, ἐπὶ δὲ Πτολεμαίου τοῦ Λάγου πλείους τῶν τρισμυρίων ἠριθμήθησαν, ὧν τὸ πλῆθος διαμεμένηκεν ἕως τῶν καθʼ ἡμᾶς χρόνων.
For in ancient times it had noteworthy villages and cities of more than eighteen thousand, as can be seen registered in the sacred records, and in the time of Ptolemy son of Lagus more than thirty thousand were numbered, which multitude has remained down to our times.
§1.31.8τοῦ δὲ σύμπαντος λαοῦ τὸ μὲν παλαιόν φασι γεγονέναι περὶ ἑπτακοσίας μυριάδας, καὶ καθʼ ἡμᾶς δὲ οὐκ ἐλάττους εἶναι.
And of the whole population, they say that in ancient times it was about seven million, and in our day too it is no less.
§1.31.9διὸ καὶ τοὺς ἀρχαίους βασιλεῖς ἱστοροῦσι κατὰ τὴν Αἴγυπτον ἔργα μεγάλα καὶ θαυμαστὰ διὰ τῆς πολυχειρίας κατασκευάσαντας ἀθάνατα τῆς ἑαυτῶν δόξης ἀπολιπεῖν ὑπομνήματα.
Therefore they relate that the ancient kings in Egypt, having constructed great and wonderful works through the labor of many hands, left behind immortal monuments of their own glory.
ἀλλὰ περὶ μὲν τούτων τὰ κατὰ μέρος μικρὸν ὕστερον ἀναγράψομεν, περὶ δὲ τῆς τοῦ ποταμοῦ φύσεως καὶ τῶν κατὰ τὴν χώραν ἰδιωμάτων νῦν διέξιμεν.
But concerning these things we shall write in detail a little later, and we shall now go through the nature of the river and the peculiarities of the land.