Herodotus - The Histories.pdf

112 V Herodotus
Thessaly, and, meeting in the plain, mingle their
waters together, and discharge themselves into the
sea by a single outlet, which is a gorge of extreme
narrowness. After the junction all the other names
disappear, and the river is known as the Peneus. It
is said that of old the gorge which allows the
waters an outlet did not exist; accordingly the
rivers, which were then as well as the Lake
Boebeis, without names but flowed with as much
water as at present, made Thessaly a sea. The
Thessalians tell us that the gorge through which
the water escapes was caused by Neptune; and
this: is likely enough; at least any man who
believes that Neptune causes earthquakes, and
that chasms so produced are his handiwork,
would say, upon seeing this rent, that Neptune
did it. For it plainly appeared to me that the hills
had been torn asunder by an earthquake.
When Xerxes therefore asked the guides if there
were any other outlet by which the waters could
reach the sea, they, being men well acquainted
with the nature of their country, made answer:-