μετὰ δὲ Μαλέας ὁ Ἀργολικὸς ἐκδέχεται κόλπος καὶ ὁ Ἑρμιονικός, ὁ μὲν μέχρι τοῦ Σκυλλαίου πλέοντι ὡς πρὸς ἕω βλέπων καὶ πρὸς τὰς Κυκλάδας, ὁ δὲ ἑωθινώτερος τούτου μέχρι πρὸς Αἴγιναν καὶ τὴν Ἐπιδαυρίαν. τὰ μὲν δὴ πρῶτα τοῦ Ἀργολικοῦ Λάκωνες ἔχουσι, τὰ δὲ λοιπὰ Ἀργεῖοι· ἐν οἷς ἐστι τῶν μὲν Λακώνων τὸ Δήλιον ἱερὸν Ἀπόλλωνος ὁμώνυμον τῷ Βοιωτιακῷ, καὶ Μινώα φρούριον ὁμώνυμος καὶ αὕτη τῇ Μεγαρικῇ, καὶ ἡ λιμηρὰ Ἐπίδαυρος, ὡς Ἀρτεμίδωρός φησιν. Ἀπολλόδωρος δὲ Κυθήρων πλησίον ἱστορεῖ ταύτην, εὐλίμενον δὲ οὖσαν βραχέως καὶ ἐπιτετμημένως λιμηρὰν εἰρῆσθαι ὡς ἂν λιμενηράν, μεταβεβληκέναι δὲ τοὔνομα. ἔστι δὲ τραχὺς ὁ παράπλους εὐθὺς ἀπὸ Μαλεῶν ἀρξάμενος μέχρι πολλοῦ ὁ Λακωνικός, ἔχει δʼ ὅμως ὑφόρμους καὶ λιμένας. ἡ λοιπὴ δʼ ἐστὶ παραλία εὐλίμενος, νησίδιά τε πολλὰ πρόκειται αὐτῆς οὐκ ἄξια μνήμης.
AFTER Malae follow the Argolic and Hermionic Gulfs; the former extends as far as Scyllaeum, it looks to the east, and towards the Cyclades; the latter lies still more towards the east than the former, reaching Aegina and the Epidaurian territory. The Laconians occupy the first part of the Argolic Gulf, and the Argives the rest. Among the places occupied by the Laconians are Delium, a temple of Apollo, of the same name as that in Boeotia; Minoa, a fortress of the same name as that in Megara; and according to Artemidorus, Epidaurus Limera; Apollodorus, however, places it near Cythera, and having a convenient harbour, (λιμὴν, limen,) it was called Limenera, which was altered by contraction to Limera. A great part of the coast of Laconia, beginning immediately from Malae, is rugged. It has however shelters for vessels, and harbours. The remainder of the coast has good ports; there are also many small islands, not worthy of mention, lying in front of it.
τῶν δʼ Ἀργείων αἵ τε Πρασιαὶ καὶ τὸ Τημένιον, ἐν ᾧ τέθαπται Τήμενος, καὶ ἔτι πρότερον τὸ χωρίον, διʼ οὗ ῥεῖ ποταμὸς ἡ Λέρνη καλουμένη ὁμώνυμος τῇ λίμνῃ, ἐν ᾗ μεμύθευται τὰ περὶ τὴν Ὕδραν. τὸ δὲ Τημένιον ἀπέχει τοῦ Ἄργους ἓξ καὶ εἴκοσι σταδίους ὑπὲρ τῆς θαλάττης, ἀπὸ δὲ τοῦ Ἄργους εἰς τὸ Ἡραῖον τετταράκοντα, ἔνθεν δὲ εἰς Μυκήνας δέκα. μετὰ δὲ τὸ Τημένιον ἡ Ναυπλία, τὸ τῶν Ἀργείων ναύσταθμον· τὸ δʼ ἔτυμον ἀπὸ τοῦ ταῖς ναυσὶ προσπλεῖσθαι. ἀπὸ τούτου δὲ πεπλάσθαι φασὶ τὸν Ναύπλιον καὶ τοὺς παῖδας αὐτοῦ παρὰ τοῖς νεωτέροις· οὐ γὰρ Ὅμηρον ἀμνημονῆσαι ἂν τούτων, τοῦ μὲν Παλαμήδους τοσαύτην σοφίαν καὶ σύνεσιν ἐπιδεδειγμένου, δολοφονηθέντος δὲ ἀδίκως, τοῦ δὲ Ναυπλίου τοσοῦτον ἀπεργασαμένου φθόρον ἀνθρώπων περὶ τὸν Καφηρέα. ἡ δὲ γενεαλογία πρὸς τῷ μυθώδει καὶ τοῖς χρόνοις διημάρτηται· δεδόσθω γὰρ Ποσειδῶνος εἶναι, Ἀμυμώνης δὲ πῶς τὸν κατὰ τὰ Τρωικὰ ἔτι ζῶντα; ἐφεξῆς δὲ τῇ Ναυπλίᾳ τὰ σπήλαια καὶ οἱ ἐν αὐτοῖς οἰκοδομητοὶ λαβύρινθοι, Κυκλώπεια δʼ ὀνομάζουσιν.
To the Argives belong Prasiae, and Temenium where Temenus lies buried. Before coming to Temenium is the district through which the river Lerna flows, that having the same name as the lake, where is laid the scene of the fable of the Hydra. The Temenium is distant from Argos 26 stadia from the sea-coast; from Argos to Heraeum are 40, and thence to Mycenae 10 stadia.
Next to Temenium is Nauplia, the naval station of the Argives. Its name is derived from its being accessible to ships. Here they say the fiction of the moderns originated respecting Nauplius and his sons, for Homer would not have omitted to mention them, if Palamedes displayed so much wisdom and intelligence, and was unjustly put to death; and if Nauplius had destroyed so many people at Caphareus. But the genealogy offends both against the mythology, and against chronology. For if we allow that he was the son of Neptune, how could he be the son of Amymone, and be still living in the Trojan times.
Next to Nauplia are caves, and labyrinths constructed in them, which caves they call Cyclopeia.
εἶτʼ ἄλλα χωρία καὶ ἐφεξῆς ὁ Ἑρμιονικὸς κόλπος· καὶ ήρου τάξαντος ὑπὸ τῇ Ἀργείᾳ καὶ ἡμῖν οὐ φηνεν ὁ μερισμὸς τῆς περιοδείας οὗτος. ἄρχεται δʼ ἀπὸ Ἀσίνης πολίχνης· εἶθʼ Ἑρμιόνη καὶ Τροιζήν· ἐν παράπλῳ δὲ πρόκειται καὶ Καλαυρία νῆσος, κύκλον ἔχουσα τριάκοντα σταδίων, πορθμῷ δὲ τετρασταδίῳ διεστῶσα τῆς ἠπείρου.
3. Then follow other places, and after these the Hermionic Gulf. Since the poet places this gulf in the Argive territory, we must not overlook this division of the circumference of this country. It begins from the small city Asine; then follow Hermione, and Troezen. In the voyage along the coast the island Calauria lies opposite; it has a compass of 30 stadia, and is separated from the continent by a strait of 4 stadia.
εἶθʼ ὁ Σαρωνικὸς κόλπος· οἱ δὲ πόντον λέγουσιν, οἱ δὲ πόρον, καθʼ ὃ καὶ πέλαγος λέγεται Σαρωνικὸν πᾶς ὁ συνάπτων πόρος ἀπὸ τῆς Ἑρμιονικῆς καὶ τῆς περὶ τὸν Ἰσθμὸν θαλάττης τῷ τε Μυρτῴῳ πελάγει καὶ τῷ Κρητικῷ. τοῦ δὲ Σαρωνικοῦ Ἐπίδαυρός τέ ἐστι καὶ ἡ προκειμένη νῆσος Αἴγινα· εἶτα Κεγχρεαὶ τὸ τῶν Κορινθίων ἐπὶ τὰ πρὸς ἕω μέρη ναύσταθμον· εἶτα λιμὴν Σχοινοῦς πλεύσαντι τετταράκοντα καὶ πέντε σταδίους· ἀπὸ δὲ Μαλεῶν τοὺς πάντας περὶ χιλίους καὶ ὀκτακοσίους. κατὰ δὲ τὸν Σχοινοῦντα ὁ δίολκος τὸ στενώτατον τοῦ Ἰσθμοῦ, περὶ ὃν τὸ τοῦ Ἰσθμίου Ποσειδῶνος ἱερόν· ἀλλὰ τα μὲν ὑπερκείσθω· ἔξω γάρ ἐστι τῆς Ἀργείας. ἀναλαβόντες δʼ ἐφοδεύσωμεν πάλιν τὰ κατὰ τὴν Ἀργείαν.
Then follows the Saronic Gulf; some call it a Pontus or sea, others a Porus or passage, whence it is also termed the Saronic pelagos or deep. The whole of the passage, or Porus, extending from the Hermionic Sea, and the sea about the Isthmus (of Corinth) to the Myrtoan and Cretan Seas, has this name.
To the Saronic Gulf belong Epidaurus, and the island in front of it, Aegina; then Cenchreoe, the naval station of the Corinthians towards the eastern parts; then Schoenus, a harbour at the distance of 45 stadia by sea; from Maleae tile whole number of stadia is about 1800.
At Schoenus is the Diolcus, or place where they draw the vessels across the Isthmus: it is the narrowest part of it. Near Schoenus is the temple of the Isthmian Neptune. At present, however, I shall not proceed with the description of these places, for they are not situated within the Argive territory, but resume the account of those which it contains.
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