cter too of
the different districts is very varied. One is extensive and level, the
other is on a gentle slope, and therefore very fertile in corn, and
cattle, and trees.

66. The most fertile part of the country is inhabited by various tribes,
of which the Alitrophagi, the Annibi, the Sisyges, and the Chardi lie to
the north, exposed to the frost; towards the east are the Rabannae, the
Asmirae, and the Essedones, the most powerful of all, who are joined on
the west by the Athagorae, and the Aspacarae; and on the south by the
Betae, who live on the highest slopes of the mountains. Though they have
not many cities they have some of great size and wealth; the most
beautiful and renowned of which are Asmira, Essedon, Asparata, and Sera.

67. The Seres themselves live quietly, always avoiding arms and
battles; and as ease is pleasant to moderate and quiet men, they give
trouble to none of their neighbours. Their climate is agreeable and
healthy; the sky serene, the breezes gentle and delicious. They have
numbers of shining groves, the trees of which through continued watering
produce a crop like the fleece of a sheep, which the natives make into a
delicate wool, and spin into a kind of fine cloth, formerly confined to
the use of the nobles, but now procurable by the lowest of the people
without distinction.

68. The natives themselves are the most frugal of men, cultivating a
peaceful life, and shunning the society of other men. And when strangers
cross their river to buy their cloth, or any other of their merchandise,
they interchange no conversation, but settle the price of the articles
wanted by nods and signs; and they are so moderate that, while selling
their own produce, they never buy any foreign wares.

69. Beyond the Seres, towards the north, live the Ariani; their land is
intersected by a navigable river called the Arias, which forms a huge
lake known by the same name. This district of Asia is full of towns, the
most illustrious of which are Bitaxa, Sarmatina, Sotera, Nisibis, and
Alexandria, from which last down the river to the Caspian Sea is a
distance of fifteen hundred furlongs.

70. Close to their border, living on the slopes of the mountains, are
the Paropanisatae, looking on the east towards India, and on the west
towards Mount Caucasus. Their principal river is Ortogordomaris, which
rises in Bactria. They have some cities, the principal being Agazaca,
Naulibus, and Ortopana, from which if you coast a