[200] ὡς ἄρα οὐκ ἀκόλουθον τὴν δύναμιν τῷ τοσούτῳ (200) μεγέθει κατεσκευάσατο. ἀλλ´ ἔστιν εἰς μὲν τὴν ὅλην ἀρχὴν βλέψαντα μηκέτι τὴν πόλιν θαυμάζειν, πολλοστὸν μέρος τῆς ἁπάσης ἄρχειν νομίσαντα γῆς, εἰς δ´ αὐτὴν τὴν πόλιν καὶ τοὺς τῆς πόλεως ὅρους ἰδόντα μηκέτι θαυμάζειν, εἰ ὑπὸ τοσαύτης ἄρχεται πᾶσα ἡ οἰκουμένη. ὅπερ γάρ τις ἔφη τῶν λογοποιῶν περὶ τῆς Ἀσίας, λέγων ὅσην ὁ ἥλιος πορεύεται, ταύτης πάσης ἄρχειν ἄνδρα ἕνα, — οὐκ ἀληθῆ λέγων, εἰ μὴ πᾶσαν Λιβύην καὶ τὴν Εὐρώπην ἐξαίρετον ἐποιεῖτο τῶν ἡλίου δυσμῶν τε καὶ ἀνατολῶν— τοῦτο νῦν ἐξενίκησεν ἀληθὲς εἶναι, τὴν ἴσην τε ἡλίου πορείαν εἶναι κτῆσιν ὑμετέραν καὶ τὸν ἥλιον διὰ τῆς ὑμετέρας πορεύεσθαι. οὐ γὰρ σκόπελοι θαλάττιοι, οὐδὲ Χελιδονέαι καὶ Κυανέαι τὴν ὑμετέραν ἀρχὴν ὁρίζουσιν, οὐδ´ ἵππου δρόμος ἡμερήσιος ἐπὶ θάλατταν, οὐδ´ ἐπὶ τακτοῖς ὅροις βασιλεύετε, οὐδ´ ἕτερος προαγορεύει μέχρι οὗ δεῖ κρατεῖν, ἀλλ´ ἡ μὲν θάλαττα ὥσπερ ζώνη τις ἐν μέσῳ τῆς οἰκουμένης ὁμοίως καὶ τῆς ὑμετέρας ἡγεμονίας τέταται. περὶ δὲ αὐτὴν αἱ ἤπειροι μεγάλαι μεγαλωστὶ κέκλινται, πρὸς ὑμᾶς ἀεί τι ἐνθένδε πληροῦσαι. ἄγεται δὲ ἐκ πάσης γῆς καὶ θαλάττης ὅσα ὧραι φύουσι καὶ χῶραι ἕκασται φέρουσι καὶ ποταμοὶ καὶ λίμναι καὶ τέχναι Ἑλλήνων καὶ βαρβάρων. ὥστε εἴ τις ταῦτα πάντα ἐπιδεῖν βούλοιτο, δεῖ αὐτὸν ἢ πᾶσαν ἐπελθόντα τὴν οἰκουμένην οὕτω θεάσασθαι, ἢ ἐν τῇδε τῇ πόλει γενόμενον. ὅσα γὰρ παρ´ ἑκάστοις φύεται καὶ κατασκευάζεται, οὐκ ἔστιν ὡς οὐκ ἐνταῦθα ἀεὶ καὶ περιττεύει. τοσαῦται δ´ ἀφικνοῦνται δεῦρο κομίζουσαι παρὰ πάντων ὁλκάδες ἀνὰ πᾶσαν μὲν ὥραν, πᾶσαν δὲ φθινοπώρου περιτροπὴν, ὥστ´ ἐοικέναι τὴν πόλιν κοινῷ τινι τῆς γῆς ἐργαστηρίῳ. φόρτους μὲν ἀπ´ Ἰνδῶν, εἰ βούλει δὲ, καὶ τῶν εὐδαιμόνων Ἀράβων, τοσούτους ὁρᾶν ἔξεστιν ὥστε εἰκάζειν γυμνὰ τὸ λοιπὸν τοῖς ἐκεῖ λελεῖφθαι τὰ δένδρα καὶ δεῦρο δεῖν ἐκείνους ἐλθεῖν, ἐάν του δέωνται, τῶν σφετέρων μεταιτήσοντας·

[200] has not acquired the power that befits such size. If you look at the whole empire, you can {no longer} marvel at the city, to think that a tiny part rules all of the earth. But if you see the city herself — the bounds of the city — you can marvel no longer that the whole world is ruled by a city of this size. A certain writer, speaking about Asia, said that one man ruled all the territory traversed by the sun. The statement was untrue, unless he meant to exclude all of Africa and Europe from the sunrise and sunset. But now it has come true: the whole traverse of the sun is your property; your territory is what the sun traverses. Your empire does not end at coastal cliffs, at Swallow Rocks and Blue Rocks, or at one day's journey on horseback to the sea. You are not kings within boundaries assigned to you. No one else tells you how far your power is to extend. No, like a girdle about the waist of the world, and likewise of your dominions, stretches the sea. Toward it the continents slope far and wide, supplying you with an endless flow of goods. From everywhere, land and sea, comes all that the seasons bring forth, all that is produced by each country, by rivers, lakes, and the skills of Greeks and foreigners. Anyone who wants to see all there products must either tour the whole world or else come to this city and look at them. Not one thing raised or manufactured by any nation but is always here — in surplus. Every season, with each new harvest, so many freighters arrive here with cargoes from all over that the city is like an amalgamated warehouse of the world. You can see so much merchandise from India, or if you wish from Arabia Felix, that you will guess the trees over there remain permanently stripped and the people must come here to ask for some of their own goods back, whenever they need anything.