§2.5.8̔ο μὲν οὖν Μασσαλιώτης Πυθέας τὰ περὶ Θούλην τὴν βορειοτάτην τῶν Βρεττανίδων ὕστατα λέγει, παρʼ οἷς ὁ αὐτός ἐστι τῷ ἀρκτικῷ ὁ θερινὸς τροπικὸς κύκλος· παρὰ δὲ τῶν ἄλλων οὐδὲν ἱστορῶ, οὔθʼ ὅτι Θούλη νῆσός ἐστί τις οὔτʼ εἰ τὰ μέχρι δεῦρο οἰκήσιμά ἐστιν, ὅπου ὁ θερινὸς τροπικὸς ἀρκτικὸς γίνεται.
Now Pytheas of Massalia says that the matters concerning Thule, the northernmost of the British islands, are the ultimate, where the summer tropic circle is the same as the arctic circle; but from the others I learn nothing, neither that there is any island called Thule, nor whether the regions as far as this are habitable, where the summer tropic becomes the arctic.
νομίζω δὲ πολὺ εἶναι νοτιώτερον τοῦτο τὸ τῆς οἰκουμένης πέρας τὸ προσάρκτιον· οἱ γὰρ νῦν ἱστοροῦντες περαιτέρω τῆς Ἰέρνης οὐδὲν ἔχουσι λέγειν, ἣ πρὸς ἄρκτον πρόκειται τῆς Βρεττανικῆς πλησίον, ἀγρίων τελέως ἀνθρώπων καὶ κακῶς οἰκούντων διὰ ψῦχος, ὥστʼ ἐνταῦθα νομίζω τὸ πέρας εἶναι θετέον.
And I think that this northern limit of the inhabited world is much further south; for those who now investigate have nothing to say beyond Ierne, which lies to the north near the British island, inhabited by utterly savage men who live miserably on account of cold, so that I think the limit must be placed there.
τοῦ δὲ παραλλήλου τοῦ διὰ Βυζαντίου διὰ Μασσαλίας πως ἰόντος, ὥς φησιν Ἵππαρχος πιστεύσας Πυθέᾳ (φησὶ γὰρ ἐν Βυζαντίῳ τὸν αὐτὸν εἶναι λόγον τοῦ γνώμονος πρὸς τὴν σκιάν, ὃν εἶπεν ὁ Πυθέας ἐν Μασσαλίᾳ), τοῦ δὲ διὰ Βορυσθένους ἀπὸ τούτου διέχοντος περὶ τρισχιλίους καὶ ὀκτακοσίους, εἴη ἂν ἐκ τοῦ διαστήματος τοῦ ἀπὸ Μασσαλίας ἐπὶ τὴν Βρεττανικὴν ἐνταῦθά που πίπτων ὁ διὰ τοῦ Βορυσθένους κύκλος. πανταχοῦ δὲ παρακρουόμενος τοὺς ἀνθρώπους ὁ Πυθέας κἀνταῦθά που διέψευσται·
Now, since the parallel through Byzantium passes somehow through Massalia, as Hipparchus says, believing Pytheas (for he says that in Byzantium the ratio of the gnomon to the shadow is the same as that which Pytheas said was in Massalia), and since the parallel through the Borysthenes is distant from this by about three thousand eight hundred [stadia], the circle through the Borysthenes would, from the distance from Massalia to the British island, fall somewhere in these parts.
τὸ μὲν γὰρ τὴν ἀπὸ στηλῶν γραμμὴν ἐπὶ τοὺς περὶ τὸν πορθμὸν καὶ Ἀθήνας καὶ Ῥόδον τόπους ἐπὶ τοῦ αὐτοῦ παραλλήλου κεῖσθαι ὡμολόγηται παρὰ πολλῶν· ὁμολογεῖται δὲ ὅτι καὶ διὰ μέσου πως τοῦ πελάγους ἐστὶν ἡ ἀπὸ στηλῶν ἐπὶ τὸν πορθμόν.
But Pytheas, who misleads people everywhere, has also lied in this matter; for that the line from the Pillars as far as the regions about the strait and Athens and Rhodes lies on the same parallel has been agreed by many; and it is also agreed that the line from the Pillars to the strait is somehow through the middle of the sea.
οἱ δὲ πλέοντες τὸ μέγιστον δίαρμα ἀπὸ τῆς Κελτικῆς ἐπὶ τὴν Λιβύην εἶναι τὸ ἀπὸ τοῦ Γαλατικοῦ κόλπου σταδίων πεντακισχιλίων, τοῦτο δʼ εἶναι καὶ τὸ μέγιστον πλάτος τοῦ πελάγους, ὥστʼ εἴη ἂν τὸ ἀπὸ τῆς λεχθείσης γραμμῆς ἐπὶ τὸν μυχὸν τοῦ κόλπου σταδίων δισχιλίων πεντακοσίων, ἐπὶ δὲ Μασσαλίαν ἐλαττόνων· νοτιωτέρα γάρ ἐστιν ἡ Μασσαλία τοῦ μυχοῦ τοῦ κόλπου.
And those who sail say that the greatest crossing from Celtica to Libya is that from the Galatic gulf, being five thousand stadia, and that this is also the greatest width of the sea, so that the distance from the said line to the innermost part of the gulf would be two thousand five hundred stadia, and to Massalia less; for Massalia is further south than the innermost part of the gulf.
τὸ δέ γε ἀπὸ τῆς Ῥοδίας ἐπὶ τὸ Βυζάντιον ἐστὶ τετρακισχιλίων που καὶ ἐνακοσίων σταδίων, ὥστε πολὺ ἀρκτικώτερος ἂν εἴη ὁ διὰ Βυζαντίου τοῦ διὰ Μασσαλίας.
But the distance from the Rhodian [parallel] to Byzantium is about four thousand nine hundred stadia, so that the parallel through Byzantium would be much further north than that through Massalia.
τὸ δʼ ἐκεῖθεν ἐπὶ τὴν Βρεττανικὴν δύναται συμφωνεῖν τῷ ἀπὸ Βυζαντίου ἐπὶ Βορυσθένη· τὸ δʼ ἐκεῖθεν ἐπὶ τὴν Ἰέρνην οὐκέτι γνώριμον πόσον ἄν τις θείη, οὐδʼ εἰ περαιτέρω ἔτι οἰκήσιμά ἐστιν, οὐδὲ δεῖ φροντίζειν τοῖς ἐπάνω λεχθεῖσι· πρός τε γὰρ ἐπιστήμην ἀρκεῖ τὸ λαβεῖν, καθάπερ ἐπὶ τῶν νοτίων μερῶν, ὅτι ὑπὲρ Μερόης μέχρι τρισχιλίων σταδίων προελθόντι τῆς οἰκησίμου τίθεσθαι προσῆκεν (οὐχ ὡς ἂν τούτου ἀκριβεστάτου πέρατος ὄντος, ἀλλʼ ἐγγύς γε τἀκριβοῦς), οὕτω κἀκεῖ τοὺς ὑπὲρ τῆς Βρεττανικῆς οὐ πλείους τούτων θετέον ἢ μικρῷ πλείους, οἷον τετρακισχιλίους.
And the distance from there to the British island can agree with that from Byzantium to the Borysthenes; but the distance from there to Ierne is no longer known, how much one should set it, nor whether the regions further still are habitable, nor is there any need to care, in view of what was said above; for as far as science is concerned, it is sufficient to assume, just as in the case of the southern parts, that for one going as far as three thousand stadia beyond Meroe it was fitting to place the limit of the inhabited world (not as though this were a highly precise limit, but at least close to the truth), so there also one must set the distance beyond the British island as not more than these, or only a little more, say four thousand.
πρός τε τὰς ἡγεμονικὰς χρείας οὐδὲν ἂν εἴη πλεονέκτημα τὰς τοιαύτας γνωρίζειν χώρας καὶ τοὺς ἐνοικοῦντας, καὶ μάλιστα εἰ νήσους οἰκοῖεν τοιαύτας, αἳ μήτε λυπεῖν μήτʼ ὠφελεῖν ἡμᾶς δύνανται μηδὲν διὰ τὸ ἀνεπίπλεκτον· καὶ γὰρ τὴν Βρεττανικὴν ἔχειν δυνάμενοι Ῥωμαῖοι κατεφρόνησαν, ὁρῶντες ὅτι οὔτε φόβος ἐξ αὐτῶν οὐδὲ εἷς ἐστιν (οὐ γὰρ ἰσχύουσι τοσοῦτον ὥστʼ ἐπιδιαβαίνειν ἡμῖν) οὔτʼ ὠφέλεια τοσαύτη τις, εἰ κατάσχοιεν.
And for the purposes of government there would be no advantage in knowing such countries and their inhabitants, especially if they inhabit such islands as can neither harm nor benefit us in any way on account of their isolation; for even Britain, which the Romans were able to hold, they disregarded, seeing that there is no fear at all from them (for they are not strong enough to cross over to us) nor any such great benefit if they should hold it.
πλέον γὰρ ἐκ τῶν τελῶν δοκεῖ προσφέρεσθαι νῦν ἢ ὁ φόρος δύναται συντελεῖν, ἀφαιρουμένης τῆς εἰς τὸ στρατιωτικὸν δαπάνης τὸ φρουρῆσον καὶ φορολογῆσον τὴν νῆσον· πολὺ δʼ ἂν ἐπιγένοιτο τὸ ἄχρηστον ἐπὶ τῶν ἄλλων τῶν περὶ ταύτην νήσων.
For more seems to be brought in now from the customs duties than the tribute can contribute, after deducting the military expense for garrisoning and collecting taxes from the island; and much uselessness would be added in the case of the other islands around this one.