122 MELPOMENE.

C. The country above Tauris, as well as that to­
wards the sea to the east, is inhabited by Scythians,
who possess also the lands which lie to the west of the
Cimmerian Bosphorus, and the Palus Mteotis, as far
as the Tanais, which empties itself into this lake; so
that as you advance from the Ister inland. Soy thisis
terminated first by the Agathyrsi, then by the Neun,
thirdly by the Androphagi, and last of all, by the Me-
lanchlteni.

CI. Scythia thus appears to be of a quadrangular
form, having two of its sides terminated by the sea,
to which its other two towards the land are perfectly
equal: from the Ister to the Borysthenes is a ten days'
journey, which is also the distance from the Borys­
thenes to the Palus Mteotis. Ascending from the sea
inland, as far as the country of the Melanchlteni, be­
yond Scythia, is a journey of twenty days: according
to my computation, a day's journey is equal to two
hundred stadia: thus the extent of Scythia, along its
sides, is four thousand stadia; and through the midst
of it inland, is four thousand more.

CII. The Scythians, conferring with one another,
conceived that of themselves they were unable to re­
pel the forces of Darius; they therefore made appli­
cation to their neighbours. The princes also to whom
they applied, held a consultation concerning the pow­
erful army of the invader; at this meeting were as­
sembled the princes of the Agathyrsi, Tauri, Neuri,
Androphagi, Melanchlteni, Geloni, Budini, and San-
romatte.

CI II. Of these nations, the Tauri are distinguisbec
by these peculiar customs: All strangers shipwrecked
on their coast, and particularly every Greek who falls
into their hands, they sacrifice to a virgin, in the fol­
lowing manner: after the ceremonies of prayer, they
strike the victim on the head with a club. Some af­
firm, that, having fixed the head upon a cross, they
precipitate the body from a rock, on the craggy part
of which the temple stands: others again, allowing
that the head is thus exposed, deny that the body is
bo treated, but say that it is buried. The sacred per­
sonage to whom this sacrifice is oifered, the Taurians