§1.37.1οὐ γὰρ ἀρούρας μὲν ἀγαθὰς ἔχει καὶ πολλάς, ἄδενδρος δʼ ἐστὶν ὡς σιτοφόρος· οὐδʼ αὖ φυτὰ μὲν ἱκανὴ παντοῖα θρέψασθαι, σπείρεσθαι δʼ ὡς δενδρῖτις ὀλιγόκαρπος· οὐδʼ ἄμφω μὲν ταῦτα παρέχειν δαψιλής, προβατεύεσθαι δʼ ἀνεπιτήδειος· οὐδʼ ἄν τις αὐτὴν φαίη πολύκαρπον μὲν εἶναι καὶ πολύδενδρον καὶ πολύβοτον, ἐνδιαίτημα δʼ ἀνθρώποις ὑπάρχειν ἄχαρι· ἀλλʼ ἔστι πάσης ὡς εἰπεῖν ἡδονῆς τε καὶ §1.37.2ὠφελείας ἔκπλεως.
For it does not have arable land that is good and abundant, yet is treeless as is typical of corn-bearing land; nor again, though capable of nourishing all kinds of plants, is it unproductive when sown, as is typical of wooded land; nor does it yield both of these abundantly, yet is unsuited for pasturage; nor would anyone say that it is fruitful, heavily wooded, and rich in pasture, yet is an unpleasant habitation for humans; but it is, so to speak, full of every pleasure and utility.
ποίας μὲν γὰρ λείπεται σιτοφόρου μὴ ποταμοῖς, ἀλλὰ τοῖς οὐρανίοις ὕδασιν ἀρδομένης τὰ καλούμενα Καμπανῶν πεδία, ἐν οἷς ἐγὼ καὶ τρικάρπους ἐθεασάμην ἀρούρας θερινὸν ἐπὶ χειμερινῷ καὶ μετοπωρινὸν ἐπὶ θερινῷ σπόρον ἐκφερούσας;
For in what respect do the so-called Campanian plains, which are watered not by rivers but by the rains from heaven, fall short of any corn-bearing land, where I myself have beheld fields yielding three crops a year, producing summer sowing upon winter, and autumn sowing upon summer?
ποίας δʼ ἐλαιοφόρου τὰ Μεσσαπίων καὶ Δαυνίων καὶ Σαβίνων καὶ πολλῶν ἄλλων γεώργια;
And in what respect do the cultivated lands of the Messapians, Daunians, Sabines, and many others fall short of any olive-producing land?
ποίας δʼ οἰνοφύτου Τυρρηνία καὶ Ἀλβανὴ καὶ τὰ Φαλερίνων χωρία θαυμαστῶς ὡς φιλάμπελα καὶ διʼ ἐλαχίστου πόνου πλείστους ἅμα καὶ κρατίστους καρποὺς ἐξενεγκεῖν εὔπορα;
And in what respect do Etruria, the Alban district, and the Falernian territory fall short of any wine-producing land, being wonderfully suited to vines and easy to yield the most abundant and at the same time the best fruit with the least labor?
§1.37.3χωρὶς δὲ τῆς ἐνεργοῦ πολλὴν μὲν ἄν τις εὕροι τὴν εἰς ποίμνας ἀνειμένην αὐτῆς, πολλὴν δὲ τὴν αἰγινόμον, ἔτι δὲ πλείω καὶ θαυμασιωτέραν τὴν ἱπποφορβόν τε καὶ βουκολίδα· ἡ γὰρ ἕλειος καὶ λειμωνία βοτάνη δαψιλὴς οὖσα τῶν τε ὀργάδων ἡ δροσερὰ καὶ κατάρρυτος ἄπειρος ὅση θέρει νέμεται καὶ παρέχει διὰ παντὸς εὐθενούσας τὰς ἀγέλας.
And apart from the cultivated land, one would find much of it devoted to sheep, much to goats, and still more extensive and wonderful, land for breeding horses and herding cattle; for the marshy and meadow grass is abundant, and the dewy, well-watered grass of the glades is infinitely vast, being grazed in summer and keeping the herds continually thriving.
§1.37.4πάντων δʼ εἰσὶν οἱ δρυμοὶ θαυμασιώτατοι περί τε τὰ κρημνώδη χωρία καὶ τὰς νάπας καὶ τοὺς ἀγεωργήτους λόφους, ἐξ ὧν πολλῆς μὲν εὐποροῦσι καὶ καλῆς ὕλης ναυπηγησίμου, πολλῆς δὲ τῆς εἰς τὰς ἄλλας ἐργασίας εὐθέτου.
But most wonderful of all are the forests around the precipitous places, the glens, and the uncultivated hills, from which they have an abundance of much excellent timber for shipbuilding, and much that is well adapted for other crafts.
καὶ τούτων οὐδὲν οὔτε δυσπόριστόν ἐστιν οὔτε πρόσω τῆς ἀνθρωπίνης χρείας κείμενον, ἀλλʼ εὐκατέργαστα καὶ ῥᾴδια παρεῖναι πάντα διὰ πλῆθος τῶν ποταμῶν, οἳ διαρρέουσιν ἅπασαν τὴν ἀκτὴν καὶ ποιοῦσι τάς τε κομιδὰς καὶ τὰς ἀμείψεις τῶν ἐκ γῆς φυομένων λυσιτελεῖς.
And none of these things is either difficult to obtain or situated far from human need, but they are all easy to work and easy to bring to hand because of the multitude of rivers, which flow through the whole peninsula and make both the transport and the exchange of the products of the earth highly profitable.
§1.37.5ἔχει δὲ ἡ γῆ καὶ νάματα θερμῶν ὑδάτων ἐν πολλοῖς εὑρημένα χωρίοις, λουτρὰ παρασχεῖν ἥδιστα καὶ νόσους ἰάσασθαι χρονίους ἄριστα, καὶ μέταλλα παντοδαπὰ καὶ θηρίων ἄγρας ἀφθόνους καὶ θαλάττης φύσιν πολύγονον ἄλλα τε μυρία, τὰ μὲν εὔχρηστα, τὰ δὲ θαυμάσια, πάντων δὲ κάλλιστον, ἀέρα κεκραμένον ταῖς ὥραις συμμέτρως, οἷον ἥκιστα πημαίνειν κρυμῶν ὑπερβολαῖς ἢ θάλπεσιν ἐξαισίοις καρπῶν τε γένεσιν καὶ ζῴων φύσιν.
And the land also has springs of warm water found in many places, which provide most pleasant baths and are excellent for curing chronic diseases, and mines of all kinds, abundant hunting of wild beasts, and a highly productive sea, along with countless other things, some useful, others wonderful; but most beautiful of all is the climate, moderately tempered according to the seasons, of such a kind as least to harm either the growth of crops or the nature of animals by extremes of cold or excessive heat.