become clearly known to men of inquiring mind, even
to such as desired to write about it. For not only is the
coast itself inhabited, but certain islands off in the sea
are habitable. Thus there are to the East in the Indian
Ocean, Hippodes, Iamnesia, Solis Perusta (which though
not habitable, is yet of great length and breadth), besides
Taprobane, a fair island wherein there are towns or
estates and ten strongly fortified cities. But there is yet 7
another, the lovely Silefantina, and Theros also. These,
though not clearly described by any writer, are nevertheless
well filled with inhabitants. This same Ocean has
in its western region certain islands known to almost
everyone by reason of the great number of those that
journey to and fro. And there are two not far from the
neighborhood of the Strait of Gades, one the Blessed
Isle and another called the Fortunate. Although some
reckon as islands of Ocean the twin promontories of
Galicia and Lusitania, where are still to be seen the
Temple of Hercules on one and Scipio's Monument on
the other, yet since they are joined to the extremity of
the Galician country, they belong rather to the great land
of Europe than to the islands of Ocean. However, it 8
has other islands deeper within its own tides, which are
called the Baleares; and yet another, Mevania, besides
the Orcades, thirty-three in number, though not all inhabited.
And at the farthest bound of its western expanse 9
it has another island named Thule, of which the
Mantuan bard makes mention:

"And Farthest Thule shall serve thee."