THE SOURCE OF THE NILE. 613,
greateft pleafure of his life, never to be abandoned, butfoz* that fuperior gratification — the difcovery of the fountains. of the Nile.
Achoreus, proud of being referred to on fuch a fubjecl: by fuch a perfon, enters into a detail of information.
§tutf tibi nofccndl Nilum, Romane, cup'tdo eft,
Hczc Pbari'iSy Perfifquefuit, Macedumque tyrannis :
Nullaque. no?i cetas voluit confcrre futuris
Notitia?n : fed vindt adhuc natura latendu LtTCAN^
Nero, as we are tofd, fent two centurions in fearch of this river, and on their return they made their report in prefence of Seneca, who does not feem to have greatly dif- tinguifhed himfelf by his inquiries. They reported, that after having gone a very long way, they came to a king of Ethiopia, who furniihed them with neceilaries and aiiiftance, and with his recommendations they arrived at fome other kingdoms next to thefe, and then came to immeiife lakes, the end of which was unknown to the natives, nor did any one ever hope to find it : this was all the fatisfaetion Nero procured, and it is probable thefe centurions went not far, but were difcouraged, and turned back with a trumped-up ftory invented to cover their want of fpirit, for we know now that there are no fuch lakes between Egypt and. the fource of the Nile, but the lake Tzana, or Dembea, and while on the banks of this, they might have feen the country be<- yond, and on every fide of it * ; bin I rather think no fuch
attempt
- Another reafon why 1 think this journey" of the centurions is fictitious is, th:< they
fay .the diftar.ee between Syer.csnd Meroe is £60 miles. Flirt"*, lib. 6. cap. 29.
