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i04Biitaiii/'THE HISTORYla the second book he says*, " the utmostplace of navigation in our time, from Gauletowards the north, is said to be Ireland, whichbeing situated beyond Britain, is, by reason of thecold, with ditiiculty inhabited; so that all beyondit," continues he ** is reckon d uninhabitable."Thisof Ireland, namely, that it is the north of Britain,and scarce habitable for cold, he repeats again iatwo or three places; from which he draws thisconclusion, that there is no Thule at all, since nothingis habitable beyond Ireland; which, therefore, according to him, is the most northerly partof the habitable earth.more inYou see here how muclithe right Pytheas was, who liv'd in thetime of Alexander, than Strabo who liv'din thetime of Augustus and Tiberius; and that it i* aproceeding no less impertinent than unjust, tohave any man contradicted who was upon thespot, but by such others as were also theie,unlessthe things related be manifestly impossible,or that the relator is no competent judge; as if atraveller, who understands no mathematics, shouldaffirm the Malabrians to be tlie best mathematiciansin the world. But Strabo, who, notwithstandingall these gross mistakes in the extremitiesof Europe, is one of the foremost authors inmy esteem: Strabo, I say, a little lower in the«7iXs;ya Vi/xi^siVaaxnT.-., Id. lib. 2. pug, 124.