§34.11.1Πολύβιος δὲ διάφορον οἶνον ἐν Καπύῃ φησὶ γίνεσθαι τὸν ἀναδενδρίτην καλούμενον, ᾧ μηδένα συγκρίνεσθαι.
And Polybius says that in Capua an excellent wine is produced, called the tree-climber, with which none other can be compared.
— §34.11.2φησὶ δὲ Πολύβιος πεζῇ μὲν εἶναι τὴν παραλίαν τὴν ἀπὸ Ἰαπυγίας μέχρι πορθμοῦ καὶ τρισχιλίων σταδίων, κλύζεσθαι δʼ αὐτὴν τῷ Σικελικῷ πελάγει, πλέοντι δὲ καὶ πεντακοσίων δέουσαν.
And Polybius says that by land the coast from Iapygia to the strait is three thousand stadia, and it is washed by the Sicilian Sea, but for one who sails, it is less by five hundred.
— §34.11.3τῆς δὲ Τυρρηνίας μῆκος μὲν τὸ μέγιστον εἶναί φασι τὴν παραλίαν ἀπὸ Λούνης μέχρι Ὠστίων δισχιλίων που καὶ πεντακοσίων σταδίων· πλάτος δὲ τοῦ ἡμίσους ἔλαττον τὸ πρὸς τοῖς ὄρεσιν.
And they say that the greatest length of Tyrrhenia is the coast from Luna to Ostia, about two thousand five hundred stadia; but the width near the mountains is less than half.
εἰς μὲν οὖν Πίσας ἀπὸ Λούνης πλείους τῶν τετρακοσίων σταδίων εἰσίν, ἐντεῦθεν δʼ εἰς Οὐολατέρρας διακόσιοι ὀγδοήκοντα, πάλιν δʼ ἐνθένδε εἰς Ποπλώνιον διακόσιοι ἑβδομήκοντα, ἐκ δὲ Ποπλωνίου εἰς Κόσαν ἐγγὺς ὀκτακόσιοι, οἱ δὲ ἑξακόσιοί φασι.
Now, from Luna to Pisae it is more than four hundred stadia, and from there to Volaterrae two hundred and eighty, and again from there to Populonium two hundred and seventy, and from Populonium to Cosa nearly eight hundred, though some say six hundred.
Πολύβιος δʼ οὐκ εὖ καὶ τοὺς πάντας χιλίους τριακοσίους τριάκοντα λέγει. —
Αἰθάλη, νῆσος Τυρσηνῶν.
And Polybius does not speak well when he says the total is one thousand three hundred and thirty. — Aethale, an island of the Tyrsenians.
§34.11.4Πολύβιος δʼ ἐν τριακοστῇ τετάρτῃ λέγει Αἰθάλειαν τὴν Λῆμνον καλεῖσθαι. —
καλοῦσι δʼ αὐτὸν Κρατῆρα, §34.11.5ἀπὸ τοῦ Μισηνοῦ μέχρι τοῦ Ἀθηναίου, δυεῖν ἀκρωτηρίων, κολπούμενον.
And Polybius in his thirty-fourth book says that Lemnos is called Aethaleia. — And they call it Crater, forming a gulf from Misenum to Athenaion, two headlands.
ὑπὲρ δὲ τούτων τῶν ᾐόνων Καμπανία πᾶσα ἵδρυται, πεδίον εὐδαιμονέστατον τῶν ἁπάντων.
And above these shores all Campania is situated, the most fertile plain of all.
§34.11.6Ἀντίοχος μὲν οὖν φησι τὴν χώραν ταύτην Ὀπικοὺς οἰκῆσαι, τούτους δὲ καὶ Αὔσονας καλεῖσθαι.
Antiochus, then, says that the Opici inhabited this country, and that these were also called Ausones.
§34.11.7Πολύβιος δʼ ἐμφαίνει δύο ἔθνη νομίζων ταῦτα· Ὀπικοὺς γάρ φησι καὶ Αὔσονας οἰκεῖν τὴν χώραν ταύτην περὶ τὸν Κρατῆρα. —
Πολύβιος δʼ ἀπὸ τῆς Ἰαπυγίας μεμιλιάσθαι φησί, §34.11.8καὶ εἶναι μίλια πεντακόσια ἑξήκοντα δύο εἰς Σίλαν πόλιν, ἐντεῦθεν δʼ εἰς Ἀκυληίαν ἑκατὸν ἑβδομήκοντα ὀκτώ. —
μετὰ δὲ ταύτας τὸ Λακίνιον, §34.11.9Ἥρας ἱερόν, πλούσιόν ποτε ὑπάρξαν καὶ πολλῶν ἀναθημάτων μεστόν.
But Polybius shows that he considers these to be two nations; for he says that the Opici and Ausones inhabit this country around the Crater. — And Polybius says that the road from Iapygia is marked out with milestones, and that it is five hundred and sixty-two miles to the city of Sila, and from there to Aquileia one hundred and seventy-eight. — And after these is Lacinium, the temple of Hera, which was once wealthy and full of many offerings.
§34.11.10τὰ διάρματα δʼ οὐκ εὐκρινῶς λέγεται· πλὴν ὥς γε ἐπὶ τὸ πολὺ σταδίους ἀπὸ πορθμοῦ μέχρι Λακινίου Πολύβιος ἀποδίδωσι χιλίους καὶ τριακοσίους, §34.11.11ἐντεῦθεν δὲ καὶ δίαρμα εἰς ἄκραν Ἰαπυγίαν ἑπτακοσίους.
The crossings are not described clearly; except that for the most part Polybius gives one thousand three hundred stadia from the strait to Lacinium, and from there the crossing to the Iapygian promontory as seven hundred.
— §34.11.12Πολύβιος δὲ τῶν τριῶν κρατήρων τὸν μὲν κατερρυηκέναι φησὶν ἐκ μέρους, τοὺς δὲ συμμένειν· §34.11.13τὸν δὲ μέγιστον τὸ χεῖλος ἔχειν περιφερὲς ὂν πέντε σταδίων, κατʼ ὀλίγον δὲ συνάγεσθαι εἰς πεντήκοντα ποδῶν διάμετρον· §34.11.14καθʼ οὗ βάθος εἶναι τὸ μέχρι θαλάττης σταδιαῖον, ὥστε καθορᾶν ταῖς νηνεμίαις. [εἰ δὲ ταῦτʼ ἐστὶ πιστά, οὐκ ἀπιστητέον ἴσως οὐδὲ τοῖς περὶ Ἐμπεδοκλέους μυθολογηθεῖσιν.
And Polybius says that of the three craters, one has partially collapsed, while the others remain; and the largest has a circular rim of five stadia, but gradually contracts to a diameter of fifty feet; and its depth down to the sea is one stadium, so that it can be looked down into during calm weather. [And if these things are credible, perhaps we should not disbelieve even the mythical stories told about Empedocles.
§34.11.15] ἐὰν μὲν οὖν νότος μέλλῃ πνεῖν, ἀχλὺν ὁμιχλώδη καταχεῖσθαι κύκλῳ φησὶ τῆς νησῖδος, ὥστε μηδὲ τὴν Σικελίαν ἄπωθεν φαίνεσθαι· ὅταν δὲ βορέας, §34.11.16φλόγας καθαρὰς ἀπὸ τοῦ λεχθέντος κρατῆρος εἰς ὕψος ἐξαίρεσθαι καὶ βρόμους ἐκπέμπεσθαι μείζους· τὸν δὲ ζέφυρον μέσην τινὰ ἔχειν τάξιν.
] If, then, a south wind is about to blow, he says that a misty haze pours down around the islet, so that not even Sicily can be seen from afar; but when a north wind blows, clear flames rise to a height from the said crater and louder rumblings are sent forth; and the west wind holds a middle position.
§34.11.17τοὺς δʼ ἄλλους κρατῆρας ὁμοειδεῖς μὲν εἶναι, τῇ δὲ βίᾳ λείπεσθαι τῶν ἀναφυσημάτων· §34.11.18ἔκ τε δὴ τῆς διαφορᾶς τῶν βρόμων καὶ ἐκ τοῦ πόθεν ἄρχεται τὰ ἀναφυσήματα καὶ αἱ φλόγες καὶ αἱ λιγνύες προσημαίνεσθαι καὶ τὸν εἰς ἡμέραν τρίτην πάλιν μέλλοντα ἄνεμον πνεῖν.
The other craters are of the same kind, but fall short in the violence of their blow-outs; and from the difference of the rumblings and from where the blow-outs, flames, and soot begin, even the wind that is going to blow again on the third day is foretold.
§34.11.19τῶν γοῦν ἐν Λιπάραις γενομένης ἀπλοίας προειπεῖν τινάς φησι τὸν ἐσόμενον ἄνεμον καὶ μὴ διαψεύσασθαι.
At any rate, he says that when a suspension of sailing occurred in the Lipari Islands, some foretold the coming wind and were not mistaken.
§34.11.20ἀφʼ οὗ δὴ τὸ μυθωδέστατον δοκοῦν εἰρῆσθαι τῷ ποιητῇ οὐ μάτην φαίνεσθαι λεχθέν, ἀλλʼ αἰνιξαμένου τὴν ἀλήθειαν, ὅταν φῇ ταμίαν τῶν ἀνέμων τὸν Αἴολον.
From which indeed what seems to be most mythical as spoken by the poet appears to have been said not in vain, but he hinted at the truth when he called Aeolus the steward of the winds.