Ἐν δεξιᾷ δὲ τῆς Κανωβικῆς πύλης ἐξιόντι ἡ διῶρυξ ἔστιν ἡ ἐπὶ Κάνωβον συνάπτουσα τῇ λίμνῃ· ταύτῃ δὲ καὶ ἐπὶ Σχεδίαν ὁ πλοῦς ἐπὶ τὸν μέγαν ποταμὸν καὶ ἐπὶ τὸν Κάνωβον, πρῶτον δὲ ἐπὶ τὴν Ἐλευσῖνα· ἔστι δʼ αὕτη κατοικία πλησίον τῆς τε Ἀλεξανδρείας καὶ τῆς Νικοπόλεως ἐπʼ αὐτῇ τῇ Κανωβικῇ διώρυγι κειμένη, διαίτας ἔχουσα καὶ ἀπόψεις τοῖς καπυρίζειν βουλομένοις καὶ ἀνδράσι καὶ γυναιξίν, ἀρχή τις Κανωβισμοῦ καὶ τῆς ἐκεῖ λαμυρίας. ἀπὸ δὲ τῆς Ἐλευσῖνος προελθοῦσι μικρὸν ἐν δεξιᾷ ἐστιν ἡ διῶρυξ ἀνάγουσα ἐπὶ τὴν Σχεδίαν· διέχει δὲ τετράσχοινον τῆς Ἀλεξανδρείας ἡ Σχεδία, κατοικία πόλεως, ἐν ᾗ τὸ ναύσταθμον τῶν θαλαμηγῶν πλοίων, ἐφʼ οἷς οἱ ἡγεμόνες εἰς τὴν ἄνω χώραν ἀναπλέουσιν· ἐνταῦθα δὲ καὶ τὸ τελώνιον τῶν ἄνωθεν καταγομένων καὶ ἀναγομένων· οὗ χάριν καὶ σχεδία ἔζευκται ἐπὶ τῷ ποταμῷ, ἀφʼ ἧς καὶ τοὔνομα τῷ τόπῳ. μετὰ δὲ τὴν διώρυγα τὴν ἐπὶ Σχεδίαν ἄγουσαν ὁ ἑξῆς ἐπὶ τὸν Κάνωβον πλοῦς ἐστι παράλληλος τῇ παραλίᾳ τῇ ἀπὸ Φάρου μέχρι τοῦ Κανωβικοῦ στόματος· στενὴ γάρ τις ταινία μεταξὺ διήκει τοῦ τε πελάγους καὶ τῆς διώρυγος, ἐν ᾗ ἔστιν ἥ τε μικρὰ Ταπόσειρις μετὰ τὴν Νικόπολιν καὶ τὸ Ζεφύριον, ἄκρα ναΐσκον ἔχουσα Ἀρσινόης Ἀφροδίτης· τὸ δὲ παλαιὸν καὶ Θῶνίν τινα πόλιν ἐνταῦθά φασιν, ἐπώνυμον τοῦ βασιλέως τοῦ δεξαμένου Μενέλαόν τε καὶ Ἑλένην ξενίᾳ. περὶ οὖν τῶν τῆς Ἑλένης φαρμάκων φησὶν οὕτως ὁ ποιητής ἐσθλά, τά οἱ Πολύδαμνα πόρεν Θῶνος παράκοιτις.
On passing through the Canobic gate of the city, on the right hand is the canal leading to Canobus, close to the lake. They sail by this canal to Schedia, to the great river, and to Canobus, but the first place at which they arrive is Eleusis. This is a settlement near Alexandreia and Nicopolis, and situated on the Canobic canal. It has houses of entertainment which command beautiful views, and hither resort men and women who are inclined to indulge in noisy revelry, a prelude to Canobic life, and the dissolute manners of the people of Canobus.
At a little distance from Eleusis, on the right hand, is the canal leading towards Schedia. Schedia is distant four schoeni from Alexandreia. It is a suburb of the city, and has a station for the vessels with cabins, which convey the governors when they visit the upper parts of the country. Here is collected the duty on merchandise, as it is transported up or down the river. For this purpose a bridge of boats is laid across the river, and from this kind of bridge the place has the name of Schedia.
Next after the canal leading to Schedia, the navigation thence to Canobus is parallel to the sea-coast, extending from Pharos to the Canobic mouth. For between the sea and the canal, is a narrow band of ground, on which is situated the smaller Taposeiris, which lies next after Nicopolis, and Zephyrium a promontory, on which is a small temple dedicated to Venus Arsinoë.
Anciently, it is said, a city called Thonis stood there, which bears the name of the king, who entertained as his guests Menelaus and Helen. The poet thus speaks of the drugs which were given to Helen, the potent drugs, which Polydamna, the wife of Thon, gave to Helen.
Κάνωβος δʼ ἐστὶ πόλις ἐν εἴκοσι καὶ ἑκατὸν σταδίοις ἀπὸ Ἀλεξανδρείας πεζῇ ἰοῦσιν, ἐπώνυμος Κανώβου τοῦ Μενελάου κυβερνήτου ἀποθανόντος αὐτόθι, ἔχουσα τὸ τοῦ Σαράπιδος ἱερὸν πολλῇ ἁγιστείᾳ τιμώμενον καὶ θεραπείας ἐκφέρον, ὥστε καὶ τοὺς ἐλλογιμωτάτους ἄνδρας πιστεύειν καὶ ἐγκοιμᾶσθαι αὐτοὺς ὑπὲρ ἑαυτῶν ἢ ἑτέρους. συγγράφουσι δέ τινες καὶ τὰς θεραπείας, ἄλλοι δὲ ἀρετὰς τῶν ἐνταῦθα λογίων. ἀντὶ πάντων δʼ ἐστὶν ὁ τῶν πανηγυριστῶν ὄχλος τῶν ἐκ τῆς Ἀλεξανδρείας κατιόντων τῇ διώρυγι· πᾶσα γὰρ ἡμέρα καὶ πᾶσα νὺξ πληθύει τῶν ἐν τοῖς πλοιαρίοις καταυλουμένων καὶ κατορχουμένων ἀνέδην μετὰ τῆς ἐσχάτης ἀκολασίας καὶ ἀνδρῶν καὶ γυναικῶν, τῶν δʼ ἐν αὐτῷ τῷ Κανώβῳ καταγωγὰς ἐχόντων ἐπικειμένας τῇ διώρυγι εὐφυεῖς πρὸς τὴν τοιαύτην ἄνεσιν καὶ εὐωχίαν.
Canobus is a city, distant by land from Alexandreia 120 stadia. It has its name from Canobus, the pilot of Menelaus, who died there. It contains the temple of Sarapis, held in great veneration, and celebrated for the cure of diseases; persons even of the highest rank confide in them, and sleep there themselves on their own account, or others for them. Some persons record the cures, and others the veracity of the oracles which are delivered there. But remarkable above everything else is the multitude of persons who resort to the public festivals, and come from Alexandreia by the canal. For day and night there are crowds of men and women in boats, singing and dancing, without restraint, and with the utmost licentiousness. Others, at Canobus itself, keep hostelries situated on the banks of the canal, which are well adapted for such kind of diversion and revelry.
μετὰ δὲ τὸν Κάνωβον ἔστι τὸ Ἡράκλειον Ἡρακλέους ἔχον ἱερόν· εἶτα τὸ Κανωβικὸν στόμα καὶ ἡ ἀρχὴ τοῦ Δέλτα. τὰ δʼ ἐν δεξιᾷ τῆς Κανωβικῆς διώρυγος ὁ Μενελαΐτης ἐστὶ νομὸς ἀπὸ τοῦ ἀδελφοῦ τοῦ πρώτου Πτολεμαίου καλούμενος, οὐ μὰ Δία ἀπὸ τοῦ ἥρωος, ὡς ἔνιοί φασιν ὧν καὶ Ἀρτεμίδωρος. μετὰ δὲ τὸ Κανωβικὸν στόμα ἔστι τὸ Βολβιτικόν, εἶτα τὸ Σεβεννυτικὸν καὶ τὸ Φατνιτικόν, τρίτον ὑπάρχον τῷ μεγέθει παρὰ τὰ πρῶτα δύο, οἷς ὥρισται τὸ Δέλτα· καὶ γὰρ οὐ πόρρω τῆς κορυφῆς σχίζεται εἰς τὸ ἐντὸς τοῦ Δέλτα. τῷ δὲ Φατνιτικῷ συνάπτει τὸ Μενδήσιον, εἶτα τὸ Τανιτικὸν καὶ τελευταῖον τὸ Πηλουσιακόν. ἔστι δὲ καὶ ἄλλα τούτων μεταξὺ ὡς ἂν ψευδοστόματα ἀσημότερα. ἔχει μὲν οὖν εἰσαγωγὰς τὰ στόματα, ἀλλʼ οὐκ εὐφυεῖς οὐδὲ μεγάλοις πλοίοις ἀλλʼ ὑπηρετικοῖς διὰ τὸ βραχέα εἶναι καὶ ἑλώδη. μάλιστα μέντοι τῷ Κανωβικῷ στόματι ἐχρῶντο ὡς ἐμπορίῳ, τῶν κατʼ Ἀλεξάνδρειαν λιμένων ἀποκεκλειμένων, ὡς προείπομεν. μετὰ δὲ τὸ Βολβίτινον στόμα ἐπὶ πλέον ἔκκειται ταπεινὴ καὶ ἀμμώδης ἄκρα· καλεῖται δὲ Ἀγνοῦ κέρας· εἶθʼ ἡ Περσέως σκοπὴ καὶ τὸ Μιλησίων τεῖχος· πλεύσαντες γὰρ ἐπὶ Ψαμμιτίχου τριάκοντα ναυσὶ Μιλήσιοι (κατὰ Κυαξάρη δʼ οὗτος ἦν τὸν Μῆδον) κατέσχον εἰς τὸ στόμα τὸ Βολβίτινον, εἶτʼ ἐκβάντες ἐτείχισαν τὸ λεχθὲν κτίσμα· χρόνῳ δʼ ἀναπλεύσαντες εἰς τὸν Σαϊτικὸν νομὸν καταναυμαχήσαντες Ἰνάρων πόλιν ἔκτισαν Ναύκρατιν οὐ πολὺ τῆς Σχεδίας ὕπερθεν. μετὰ δὲ τὸ τῶν Μιλησίων τεῖχος ἐπὶ τὸ Σεβεννυτικὸν προϊόντι στόμα λίμναι εἰσίν, ὧν ἡ ἑτέρα Βουτικὴ καλεῖται ἀπὸ Βούτου πόλεως, καὶ ἡ Σεβεννυτικὴ δὲ πόλις καὶ ἡ Σάις, μητρόπολις τῆς κάτω χώρας, ἐν ᾗ τιμῶσι τὴν Ἀθηνᾶν· ἐν δὲ τῷ ἱερῷ αὐτῆς ἡ θήκη κεῖται τοῦ Ψαμμιτίχου· περὶ δὲ τὴν Βοῦτον καὶ Ἑρμοῦ πόλις ἐν νήσῳ κειμένη· ἐν δὲ τῇ Βούτῳ Λητοῦς ἐστι μαντεῖον.
Next to Canobus is Heracleium, in which is a temple of Hercules; then follows the Canobic mouth, and the commencement of the Delta.
On the right of the Canobic canal is the Menelaïte Nome, so called from the brother of the first Ptolemy, but certainly not from the hero (Menelaus), as some writers assert, among whom is Artemidorus.
Next to the Canobic mouth is the Bolbitine, then the Sebennytic, and the Phatnitic, which is the third in magnitude compared with the first two, which form the boundaries of the Delta. For it branches off into the interior, not far from the vertex of the Delta. The Mendesian is very near the Phatnitic mouth; next is the Tanitic, and lastly the Pelusiac mouth. There are others, which are of little consequence, between these, since they are as it were false mouths.
The mouths have entrances which are not capable of admitting large vessels, but lighters only, on account of the shallows and marshes. The Canobic mart is principally used as a mart for merchandise, the harbours at Alexandreia being closed, as I have said before.
After the Bolbitine mouth there runs out to a great distance a low and sandy promontory. It is called Agnu-ceras (or Willow Point). Then follows the watch-tower of Perseus, and the fortress of the Milesians. For in the time of Psammitichus, and when Cyaxares was king of the Medes, some Milesians with 30 vessels steered into the Bolbitine mouth, disembarked there, and built the above-mentioned fortress. Some time afterwards they sailed up to the Saitic Nome. and having conquered Inarus in an engagement at sea, founded the city Naucratis, not far above Schedia.
Next after the fortress of the Milesians, in proceeding towards the Sebennytic mouth, are lakes, one of which is called Butice, from the city Butus; then the city Sebennytice and Sais, the capital of the lower country; here Minerva is worshipped. In the temple there of this goddess, is the tomb of Psammitichus. Near Butus is Hermopolis, situated in an island, and at Butus is an oracle of Latona.
Ἐν δὲ τῇ μεσογείῳ τῇ ὑπὲρ τοῦ Σεβεννυτικοῦ καὶ Φατνιτικοῦ στόματος Ξόις ἐστὶ καὶ νῆσος καὶ πόλις ἐν τῷ Σεβεννυτικῷ νομῷ. ἔστι δὲ καὶ Ἑρμοῦ πόλις καὶ Λύκου πόλις καὶ Μένδης, ὅπου τὸν Πᾶνα τιμῶσι καὶ τῶν ζῴων τράγον· ὡς δὲ Πίνδαρός φησιν, οἱ τράγοι ἐνταῦθα γυναιξὶ μίγνυνται. πλησίον δὲ Μένδητος καὶ Διὸς πόλις καὶ αἱ περὶ αὐτὴν λίμναι καὶ Λεοντόπολις· εἶτʼ ἀπωτέρω ἡ Βούσιρις πόλις ἐν τῷ Βουσιρίτῃ νομῷ καὶ Κυνὸς πόλις. φησὶ δʼ Ἐρατοσθένης κοινὸν μὲν εἶναι τοῖς βαρβάροις πᾶσιν ἔθος τὴν ξενηλασίαν, τοὺς δʼ Αἰγυπτίους ἐλέγχεσθαι διὰ τῶν περὶ τὸν Βούσιριν μεμυθευμένων ἐν τῷ Βουσιρίτῃ νομῷ, διαβάλλειν τὴν ἀξενίαν βουλομένων τοῦ τόπου τούτου τῶν ὕστερον, οὐ βασιλέως μὰ Δία οὐδὲ τυράννου γενομένου τινὸς Βουσίριδος· προσεπιφημισθῆναι δὲ καὶ τὸ Αἴγυπτόνδʼ ἰέναι δολιχὴν ὁδὸν ἀργαλέην τε, προσλαμβάνοντος πρὸς τοῦτο πάμπολυ καὶ τοῦ ἀλιμένου καὶ τοῦ μηδὲ τὸν ὄντα λιμένα ἀνεῖσθαι τὸν πρὸς τῇ Φάρῳ, φρουρεῖσθαι δʼ ὑπὸ βουκόλων λῃστῶν ἐπιτιθεμένων τοῖς προσορμιζομένοις, Καρχηδονίους δὲ καταποντοῦν εἴ τις τῶν ξένων εἰς Σαρδὼ παραπλεύσειεν ἢ ἐπὶ στήλας· διὰ δὲ ταῦτʼ ἀπιστεῖσθαι τὰ πολλὰ τῶν ἑσπερίων· καὶ τοὺς Πέρσας δὲ κακῶς ἡγεῖσθαι τοῖς πρέσβεσι τὰς ὁ δοὺς κύκλῳ καὶ διὰ δυσκόλων.
In the interior above the Sebennytic and Phatnitic mouths is Xoïs, both an island and a city in the Sebennytic Nome. There are also Hermopolis, Lycopolis, and Mendes, where Pan is worshipped, and of animals a goat. Here, according to Pindar, goats have intercourse with women.
Near Mendes are Diospolis, and the lakes about it, and Leontopolis; then further on, the city Busiris, in the Busirite Nome, and Cynospolis.
Eratosthenes says, That to repel strangers is a practice common to all barbarians, but that this charge against the Egyptians is derived from fabulous stories related of (one) Busiris and his people in the Busirite Nome, as some persons in later times were disposed to charge the inhabitants of this place with inhospitality, although in truth there was neither king nor tyrant of the name of Busiris: that besides there was a common saying, ‘The way to Egypt is long and vexatious,’ which originated in the want of harbours, and in the state of the harbour at Pharos, which was not of free access, but watched and guarded by herdsmen, who were robbers, and attacked those who attempted to sail into it. The Carthaginians drown [he says] any strangers who sail past, on their voyage to Sardinia or to the Pillars. Hence much of what is related of the parts towards the west is discredited. The Persians also were treacherous guides, and conducted the ambassadors along circuitous and difficult ways.
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