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 NEDL TRANSFER

| HN 1XH H.
 42
9-
6
9
9
52)ฯ
W
 THE

MODERN TRAVELLER,
BEING A

- COLLECTION
F USEFUL AND ENTERTAINING

TRAVEL S
LATELY MADE INTO VARIOUS.COUNTRIES.
 THE
MODERN TRAVELLER ;
BEING
В Е N
A . ..
COLLECTION
OF USEFUL AND ENTERTAINING
T R A V E L s,
LATELY MADE INTO VARIOUS COUNTRIES::
THL WHOLE CAREFULLY ARRIDGID : :

· Exhibiting a View of the Manners, Religion, Governa

ment, Arts, Agriculture, Manufactures, and Come
merce of the known World .
Illuſtrated with Maps and ORNAMENTAL Views.
V OL. I.
MAUNDREL 'S TRAVELS TO JERUSALEM , .
SHAW 'S TRAVELS TO THE LEVANT,
DESCRIPTION OF PALMYRA ,
POCOCKE'S DESCRIPTION OF THE EAST, .
DRUMMOND ' S TRAVELS TO GREECE,
KEYSLER'S TRAVELS INTO GERMANY , & c.
CU

LONDON:
Printed for T , LOWNDES, No. 77, in FLIIT- STREIT;
MDCS LXXVI.
 5214
KD 521 4
( Oct. I, 1942 ) -
VIERAKY ..

Charles F. Bat- holdie

-
B
 INTRODUCTION
- BY THE

E D I T O R.

T HE ’utility of collections of voyages

and travels, is perhaps as clearly
eſtabliſhed , as that of any books what
ever : in entertainment they are generally
ſuperior, nor can a better ſeal be ſet on
them , than the reception given by an im
partial and intelligent public. Many cauſes
conſpire to make the writer, who regiſters
his own travels, much more voluminous than
neceffary ; circumſtances, in the heat and
hurry of a journey, appear intereſting to the
A 3 . author, :
vi INTRODUCTION. .
author, which, when before the publick ,"are
conſidered quite in another light ; numerous
little incidents ſtriking, or at leaſt pleaſing
at the moment, are afterwards found to be
extremely trivial. Some travellers alſo find
it convenient to make their journals of a
Certain bulk , following, it is preſumed ,more
the advice of their bookſellers, than their
own judgments ; but ſuch increaſe of ſize, is
OW

never attended with a proportionable increaſe

of merits. Others again travel under pecu
liar circumſtances of health , fortune, fitua
A .

tion , or buſineſs, which give a pecular ſtamp

to all their recitals : one enters into long ac - ,
cuſations of inns, and inkeepers ; another
keeps company with few on the road but
muliteers, and fills page after page with their
manners and ſayings ; and a third buſies him - :
ſelf
 INTRODUCTION. vii
ſelf with living characters of much impor
tance to the author, but of none with pofte
rity. All want to have much of their pro
ductions curtailed : the world reaps little en .
tercáinment, and no inſtruction from ſuch tri
vial and tranſitory circumſtances : but when
they give us ſenſible information concerning
the ſtate of agriculture, manufactures, com .
merce, forces, revenues, & c. ſuch informa
tion will always be of value, and eſteemed
accordingly by the world.

Who therefore can doubt of the utility of

ſelecting from ourmodern travellers all ſuch
circumſtances, and leaving the inimportant
matter to thoſe who are pleaſed with ſuch
reading . I have read all the writers of tra
vels carefully, and conſidered , with due at
A 4 tention
 viii INTRODUCTION . .

tention , thoſe circumſtances which may be

eſteemed of undeniable conſequence ; and in
the works now abridged, I have omitted no
accounts, which I think of ſuch ; or which
the reader would not find in books already
publiſhed , and perhaps in his poffeffion

All matters relative to the agriculture, ma

nufactures, commerce, general wealth, and
kate of a people, are here carefully pre
ſerved.

Accounts of the expences of living, and

the rates of proviſions, being very uſeful
both in a publick and private light, are alſo
retained.

Criticiſms
 INTRODUCTION . ij .
Criticiſms on the productions of the fine
arts are paid due attention to, when they are
evidently ingenious or new ; alſo on new build
ings, & c. that have not been deſcribed by
former travellers.

Particulars relative to the manners and

cuſtoms of different nations, are alſo re
tained, when they are ſtriking and peculiar ;
and not already before the public in former
books.

And, to render the whole the more uſeful,

I have ventured to add ſuch obſervations
on the reſult of ſomeof the journies as were
called for by the particulars, pointing out
wherein the author has been moſt uſeful in
his enquiries.
The
X INTRODUCTION.
The reader may, in ſome articles, be ſur
prized to ſee ſo little taken from certain tra
vellers ; but if he is at the trouble of turn
ing over the originals, he will not, I Aatter
myſelf, lay the whole blame on memand
he will find no reaſon for regretting the reduc
tion of near twenty guineas worth of books
into the compaſs of as many ſhillings. .
 MODERN TRAVEL S.

. A
---. --

| 0 0 0 R N E, .
FROM . .
-

: ALEPPO to JERUSALEM ,
-

By Mr. Henry Maundrel, Chaplain to the

Englilh Factory at Aleppo.
-

C H A P. I.
-

An account of the Turkiſh accommodation ; our author

arrives at Kefteen ; a very remarkable fiſure ; of the
city Latichea ; antient ſepulchres, & c.
M R . Maundre) ſet out from Aleppo to viſit
V Jeruſalem , on the 26th of February, 1699,
- accompanied by fourteen gentlemen be
longing to the Engliſh factory , and lay that night
at Honey Kane, about an hour and a half weſt of
that city. In his ſetting out he obſerves, that tra
vellers muſt not expect to find inns, or market
towns here as in England , being obliged either to
lie in tents , or in certain buildings, at convenient
diſtances, where, for a trifling conſideration, people
are accommodated with a roof and bare wails , but
if a man does not bring with himn his own bedding,
drink and proviſion , he ſtands but a poor chance of
being ſupplied with any. Theſe places are built like
cloiſters , and are thirty or forty yards ſquare ; the
Turks call them Kanes. . .
Vol. I. The
2 MODERN TRAVEL S.
The following day they travelled five hours, paſ
ſing by an old village, called Oo- rem , and that
night encamped on the plains of Kefteen . Theſe
are of a vaſt extent, well cultivated and covered with
villages , of which they counted twenty- four, per
ceptible to the naked eye. The ſoil to the ſouthward
is of a reddiſh colour, looſe, and quite free from
ſtones ; whereas to the weſtward there runs a high
ridge of rocky hills.
Kefteen is a pleaſant village, on the weſt of the -
plain , ſurrounded with corn -fields, and having ſuch
plenty of pigeons, that one may reckon more dove
cots ihan dwelling -houles. There are many ruins
of old buildings, ſuppoſed to have been monaſteries,
among the mountains; and from the impreſſion of a
croſs , and a Greck inſcription upon a marble ſtone
that is over the door of a bagnio , there is reaſon to
believe that it formerly belonged to a Chriſtian
church .
Feb . 28th , they roſe early in the morning, and
in three quarters of an hour came to a village, which
terminates theſe fruitful plains. Here they croſſed
a ſmall aſcent, and ſteered their courſe through a
pleaſant valley, called Rooge, being bounded on
each ſide by very high mountains. In four hours
they came to a lake, over which they had ſome
trouble to ferry their mules and other baggage ; yet
at their return , they found the ground here ſo dry ,
that they could ſcarcely believe it to be the ſame
ſpot.
At Te-ne-ree, an hour's riding beyond this lake,
they paid their firſt Caphar, a duty collected to keep
the roads in repair, and guard them from robbers.
Theſe duties were firſt ſet on foot by the Chriſtians ;
and the Turks now take exorbitant ſums from the
Franks that paſs that way.
· Their ſtage this day was ten hours, in which
they paſſed over the hills weſt of Rooge, and baited
that
 MA U NDR EL.
that night at Shogbie ; a large diſagreeable town,
lying on the river Orontes. The water here is ex .
tremely rapid ; very unwholeſome ; and ſo is the
fith that are caught in it. They here lodged in a
good Kane, built by the ſecond Cuperli ; here every
traveller is ſupplied with a competent portion of
bread , broth , and meat : it was crowded with a
number of Turkiſh Hadgees, or pilgrims, bound to
Mecca, who deported themſelves in a very peaceable
manner.
Their next day's journey was pleaſantly variegated
with hills and dales , open plains, and encloſed roads ;
myrtles, tulips, marygolds, flowers of the moſt
beautiful hue, and aromatic herbs, bloomed in ſome
places all around them ; in others, the ſcene ſhifted,
and was , for a while, ſtony ånd barren , while im
petuous torrents rolled fiercely along , and diſcharged
themſelves over the tops of adjacent precipices.
In a valley, which they rode through this day,
there is a very remarkable fiſſure or crack in the
earth , the depth of which is about thirty yards, and
the breadth four ; over it is a ſmall arch , which our
company paſſed ; there is ſomething extrețely horrid
in the noiſe made by a ſtream which pours into this
fiffure , from the hill that commands it, and by the
conſtant flux of which , it ſeems to have been cut
out of the ſolid rock ; the ſides of it are ſmooth ,
perpendicular , and in ſome places waved. This
narrow channel is called the Sheack 's Wife, after a
woman of quality, who fell into it, and pe
ithedas.20, telefont ored
riſhed .
Mar . 2d, they arrived , after about two hours
riding, at the foot of a mountain called Occaby,
which they clambered up with much difficulty..
Having reached thc top of this hill, they found
themſelves in a well-cultivated country, abounding
with mulberries, and multitudes of Gilk -worins.
Here they came to a village, where the Kane was
B very
 MODERN TRAVELS.
very bad and open to the weather ; for this reaſon
they viſited the Aga, who had a houſe adjoining ;
and though they carried in their hand a handſome
preſent, it was not without great difficulty they pre
vailed upon him to provide them a dry corner .
This village is called Bellulia ; and has a few
Chriſtian inhabitants, and a mean -looking church ;
the ground an uneven pavement ; the altar is built
with earth , and on the top of it are fates and pot
Therds, which give it the air of a table : there is a
ſmall croſs compoſed of two laths nailed in the inid .
dle , and on each ſide two or three old prints , repre
fenting the holy Virgin, & c. Theſe had been the
gifts of fome travelling Friars : near a plank, which
was ſupported by a poſt, and ſerved for a deſk , was
a hole broke through the wall to give light to the
reader. Yet mean as this building was, the people
approached it with much reverence, making it the
repoſitory of their moſt valuable effects ; and hang
ing their filkworm -bags round about, thereby to re
ceive a benediction .
Mar . 3d , they travelled four hours, and ar
rived at a poor village called Sholfatia . The houſes
were ſo extremely dirty , the people and their cattle
living promiſcuouſly together, that the ſtench was
intolerable : there being no intermittance of rain , it
was impoſſible to encamp in the open country ; there
was no ſuch thing as going back ; and the river was
not fordable, ſo that when perceiving a ſmall Sheack 's
houſe , or burying -place, at a diſtance, they enter
tained hopes of their finding thelter : but in this ex
pectation they were diſappointed ; for the Turks ab
ſolutely refuſed them the favour they follicited, and
ſwore they would die upon their ſwords, rather than
permit the place at any rate to be entered by unbe
lievers. “ To be true to Hainet and Ali,” they
faid , “ was their faith , by which they reſolved to
* ſtand or fall, hating and renouncing Omar and
66 Abu
 MAUNDREL. ' , $
" Abu-Beker.” However, with good words they
were at laſt prevailed upon to let them ſecure their
baggage here : and at night, the travellers, taking
advantage of the darkneſs, ſtole in , and ſpent ſome
melancholly hours among the tombs. They were
well ſatisfied to get any ſhelter, for it continued to
rain heavily . The next day they received intelli
gence of a part of the river further down , where it
was fordable ; and thither they immediately removed
with their baggage, glad of an opportunity to quit
this inhoſpitable covert ; and having croſſed the river ,
they had a view of the ocean , and of the city La
tichea ; which is very ancient, and was formerly
a place of great magnificence, but ſhared in the ge
neral calainities of this part of the world .
This city lies cloie upon the ſea, in a plentiful
Hat country, and is well ſituated for trade. Deſcend
ing thiş hill, they kept the ſea on their right hand,
and the ridge of mountains on their left. Not far
from the road , they diſcerned two ſtone cavities ,
each thirty feet long ; the outſides of them were
adorned with carvings of ox -heads, and inſcriptions,
the characters of which were eaten out by time. They
appeared to have been tombs, and the ſtones which
covered them had been thrown aſide, by ſomeper
ſons, whọ probably ſearched for treaſure.
In about an hour, from theſe tombs, they came
to the banks of another river, which being ſwelled ,
appeared dangerous : however, at length they found
a ford , and made the beſt of their way to Jebilee,
and reſted themſelves moſt of the following day.
Ibrahim , whom the Turks report to have been a
Sultan , lies buried here, in a moſque built by him
felf. There is a great wooden cheſt over his grave,
covered with painted callicoe, reaching every way
to the ground ; and round it are hung large ropes
of beads, that give it the appearance of a button
maker 's ſhop . It is common among the Turks to
B 3 thew
6 MODERN TRAVEL S.
thew their veneration for the dead, by hanging ſuch
ornaments round their graves. In this mofque are
many pieces of ſuperb church - furniture, brought
hither from Cyprus ; and there is an elegant bagnio ,
together with a charming orange-grove clofe to it,
where travellers pitch their tents.
· The Turks Thew a grotto near the ſea - ſide,
wherein they affirm that he lived a ſolitary life, for
twenty years after, having diveſted himſelf of re
gality . This grotto is hewn out of a rock , and
lies in the midſt of ſeveral fepulchres near the ſea
fide, where in former ages the people of this coun -,
try uſed to inter their dead .
Two furlongs from this town, the Greek Chriſ
tians performed their facred ſervice in a rocky grotto ,
open towards the fea , upon the ſhore of which it
lies ; and the altar is a pile of ſtones. The grand
pillars and capitals of white marble which are ſcat
tered up and down, are fome proofs of the ancient
ſplendor of the place.
Juſt at the north gate are the ruins of a theatre,
on one ſide of which the feats of the ſpectators re
main ſtill entire. The outward wall, built of large
firm ſtones, is three yards three quarters thick : to
which ſtrength we may attribute its having been
preſerved from that abſolute deſtruction carried every •
where with it by the Turkiſh barbarity.
In the mountains above Jebilee there are a ſort of
people called Neceres, who have no particular reli
gion , but always profeſs the ſameprinciples with the
people that travel among them ; with Jen's they are
Jews ; with Chriſtians Chriſtians ; and Turks
with Turks.
Mar. 6th , our author left Jebilee, and in four
hours arrived at the Balanea of Strabo , at preſent
called by the Turks, Baneas. This town lies upon
a clear ſwift ſtream , a furlong from the ſea, and is
at preſent uninhabited ; there aremany ſquare towers,
and
 MAUNDRE L .
and ruined buildings upon the road, which teſtify the
ancient populouſneſs of the place.
An hour beyond Baneas, there ſtands a caſtle upon
a high hill, of theformer ſtrength of which the Turks
tell a number of ſtories , enlarging much upon the
ſieges that it ſuſtained . This probably is theMar
geth mentioned by Adriconius, whither the Biſhops
of Balanea tranſlated their fee, to avoid the injults of
the Saracens.
Thenext day they arrived at Tortoſa, the ancient
Orthoeſia , formerly a Biſhop's ſee, and frequently
ſpoken of in the hiſtories of the Holy War. Between
the walls is a ditch , as likewiſe is another encom
paſſing the outerınoſt wall ; you enter this fortreſs
over an old draw -bridge, which lands you in a ſpa
cious apartment, being the church belonging to the
caſtle. On one ſide it reſembles a church , and has
ſeveral holy emblems; but on the ſide which fronts
outward, it has the face of a caſtle ; being built with .
port-holes for artillery , inſtead of windows,
Round the caſtle on the ſouth and eaſt ſides, ſtood
anciently the city ; it had a good wall and ditch en
compaſſing it; but for other buildings, there is now
nothing left in it, except a church , which ſtands
about a furlong eaſtward from the caſtle : its walls,
arches, and pillars, are of baſtard marble ; and all
ſtill ſo entire, that a ſmall expence would ſuffice to
reſtore it again to a beautiful ſtate ; but it is a me
lancholy ſight to Chriſtians to ſee this place a foot
deep in mire, and turned into a ſtall for cattle.
In an hour from Tortoſa , they pitched their tents
upon an eminence near Aradus. Here they obſerved
a court fifty- five yards ſquare, hewn out of a rock ,
part of which ſtands in the center, three yards high ,
and five and a half ſquare, which ſerves as a pedeſtal
to a throne erected upon it, compoſed of four large
ftones ; one of each ſide, one at the back , and the
fourth ſtanding in place of a canopy ; this laſt was
B 4 five
8 MODERN TRAVEL S.
five yards and three quarters ſquare, with a carved
cornice : perhaps this ſtructure might have been for
merly a temple of Hercules, and the throne ſacred
to the idol; it being uſual to worſhip him in the
open air,
Our author imagines, from the multitude of old
foundations, fepulchres , and other remains of anti
quity that abound here, this muſt lrave once been
lome very famous place, perhaps the Ximyra of
Strabo, the ſame probably with the country of the
Zeinarides, mentioned in the tenth chapter of Ge
nelis.
Having quitted viewing theſe antiquities, they bent
their courle towards Tripoli, where they arrived in
the evening, over a ſpacious, plain , which was ex
tremely fruitful, and finely watered with ſeveral
ftreams, where they ſtaid a week , and found very
generous treatment from the Engliſh Conſul, About
à mile eaſt of the city , acroſs a valley, there runs
from hill to hill a noble aqueduct , carrying a ſuffici
ency of water to ſupply all- Tripoli ; it is called the
Prince's Bridge, and thought to have been the work
of Godfrey of Bulloign .

CHA P . II.
Tripoli deſcribed ; the manner of receiving viſits, in
Turkey ; of ſome ruins noted by Caſaubon ; and of
the place where SaintGeorge killed the dragon .
TRIPOLI ſtands about half an hour from the
idil ſea , having two hills , one to the caſt, upon
which is a caſtle commanding the town ; and ano
ther on the weſt, ftanding between it and the ſea.
This latter is ſaid to have been at firſt raiſed from the
fand of the ſhore, blown together in a heap, and
daily encreaſing in ſuch a manner, that if old pro
phecies are to be believed , it will one day prove the
grave
 M A UNDRE L .
grave of the whole city ; of this, however, the in
habitants ſeem to be very litile afraid .
i Mar . 11th , our travellers dined with the Conful,
and were afterwards introduced to the Baſha of
Tripoli, having ſecured themſelves a welcome re
reception by a previous preſent. They afterwards
viſited a great convent, called Belmount : it is
founded upon a very high rock, ſcarcely acceſſible ,
having a fine proſpect of the ſea ; their chapel is
large, and their altar muſt be approached by none
but their prieſt, which is cuſtomary in all theGreek
churches. As the Turks have a ſpecial averſion to
bells, theſe Monks ſummon their congregation toge
ther by beating a rough ſort of tune with two mal.:
lets on a plank at the church door.
: Their ſervice conſiſts in a few prayers and hymns
irreverently chattered out to our bleſſed Saviour and
the holy Virgin : the prieſt coinpaſſes the altar ſeve
ral times, perfuming it with a cenſer ; and repeating
the ceremony of preſenting incenſe three times to
each of his congregation . Five finall cakes, with
each a lighted wax taper ſtuck in the middle , are
brought into the body of the church upon a ſmall,
table, covered with a clean linen cloth ; and then
the prieſt reads the goſpel, concerning our Lord's
feeding themultitude with five loaves . Theſe cakes
are afterwards broken to bits , and in a baſket pre
ſented to the congregation , each of which takes a
little this collation being over , the prieſt gives the
benediction , and thewhole is at an end . This is their
evening fervice, and of it our author was an eye
witneſs. There are ſtalls round this church , ſuch as
are uſed by the fellows of the colleges in Oxford ;
and a pair of crutches hangs by the ſide of each , on
which , when weary, theMonks lean ; it being againſt
their rubric to fit during the celebration of ſervice,
which is very long. There were forty Monksin this
convent, full of fimplicity and ignorance, which will
B 5 not
10 MODERN TRAVEL S .
not be much wondered at, when we are told , that
he who officiates at the altar, is obliged to till the
ground , to prune the vineyarıl, and to tend upon his
flock ; labours which hemuſt neceſſarily undergo, to
provide for his own ſuſtenance.
You cannot perhaps have a better idea of theſe
Monks, than from being told , that he whom our
author had ſeen celebrate divineſervice the preceding
evening, brought him the enſuing morning, upon his
back , a kid and a borachio of wine, being a preſent
from the convent,
Mar. 13th , our company paid a ſecond viſit to the
Baſha, and were received in a very courteousmanner;
for the Turks are neither frangers to the arts of cia
vility , nor of endearment.
Having beſpoke your reception by a preſent, the
hour is appointed for you to attend ; when coming
to the houſe , you are met by a ſervant at the outer
gate, who conducts you to another domeſtick ; thus.
you are paſſed to the maſter , who receives you either
ilanding upon the edge or lying upon one corner af
the Divan . The Divan is a ſtage raiſed in the beſt
part of the room , about a foot and a half from the
foor, ſpread with carpets , and bolſters whereon to
Jean ; the Turks generally furniſh them in the richeſt
manner, and upon them ſpend moſt of their time,
in eating, ſleeping, praying, and entertaining viſiters.
Being come to the ſide of the Divan, you ſlip off
your ſhoes, and ſtepping up , take your place ; which
you do firft at ſome diſtance, and upon your knees,
Jaying your hands very formally before you .
Thus you muſt remain till invited to draw nearer ,
and to put yourſelf in an eafier poſture. Being ſet
tled , the maſter of the houſe diſcourſes as occaſion
offers ; the fervants ſtanding round and obſerving a
profound filence. When you have talked over your
buſineſs, or pafled the uſual compliinents, hemakes
a ſign for the entertainment; which generally con
futs
 M A UNDRE L . II
fifts of ſome ſweetmeats, a diſh of ſherbet, and an
other of coffee, all which are immediately brought
in by the ſervants , and tendered to every gueſt with
the greateſt reſpect. Indeed the ſervants have reaſon
to look well to it ; for Mould they make but the flight
eſt miſtake, it might ſubject them to a ſevere baſti
nade : the concluſion of the entertainment is, per
fuming the beards of the company ; a ceremony
which is performed thus :
They have for this purpoſe a ſmall ſilver chafing
diſh , covered with a lid full of holes , and fixed upon
a handſome frame; in this they put ſome freſh coals ,
and upon them a piece of lignum -aloes ; and then
fhutting it up, the ſmoak aſcends through the holes
of the cover . This chafing-diſh is held under every
one's chin , and the ſmoak offered as if a ſacrifice to
nis beard .
This ceremonymay perhaps ſeem ridiculous at firſt
hearing ; but it paſſes ainong the Turks for an high
gratification . And this may be ſaid in its vindica
tion , that its deſign is very wiſe and uſeful; for it is
underſtood as a civil diſiniſſion to the viſiters, inti
mating that themaſter of the houſe has ſome avoca
tion ; and that theſooner they depart the better . By
this means you may, at any time, without offence ,
deliver yourſelf from being detained from your affairs ,
by tedious and unfeaſonable viſits ; and from being
conſtrained to - uſe that piece of hypocriſy ſo common
in the world , of preſſing thoſe to ſtay longer with
you , whom perhaps in your heart you with a great
way off.
Having finiſhed their viſit, they rode out to take a
view of the port, which is half a mile diſtant from
the city, open to the ſea , and de ended from the force
of the waves by two ſmall iſlands, one of which
· abounds with birds, and the other with rabbits , from
whence they ſeverally derive their denomination .
There
 12 MODERN TRAVEL S.
• There are fix ſquare towers built along the ſhore,
at convenient diſtances, to ſecure the place from pi
rates ; but they are void of arms and ammunition .
There are ſome fine ruins in the fields that look to
the ſea, which confirın whar Caſaubon advances in
his notes upon Strabo, viz . That here were former
ly three cities ſtanding in a cluſter a furlong diſtant
from each other , and we need not ſeek farther for the
derivation of the word Tripoli.
• On the 15th , our company determined to purſue
their journey, but were hindered , becauſe the mu
Jeteers were not to be found, they having fled in a
panic from the ſervants of theBaſha of Sidon , who
were abroad , preſſing mules for their maſter's ſervice.
However, about three o' clock they had furniſhed
themſelves with freſh beaſts, and went forward , keep
ing cloſe to the ſea ; which brought them to a high
promontory , where they turned off to the left, and
as night came on, pitched their tents, in a vale of
olives. Thenext day they croſſed the cape near this
promontory, which was very ſteep and rugged .
On the other ſide of it they had an open view of
the ſea , and paffed into a narrow valley ; the entry
of which is defended by a caſtle called Temſeida.
Half an hour after , they paſſed by Patrona ; but
there are few remaining marks of its having been a
place of much note, Three hours more brought
them to Gibyle, called by the Greeks Bibulus, fa
mous for the temple of Apollo , who is fuppoſed here
to have had his birth . It is encompaſſed with a dry
ditch, a wall, and ſquare towers: it was formerly a
place of great extent, and very handſome, though at
preſent it boaſts nothing remarkable .
Here they paſſed over a fine bridge, and lay that
night in their tents, by the water- fide, during a ſtorm
of wind and rain . In the morning, they found the
- river of a bloody colour, proceeding doubtleſs from
fome red mineral that had been waſhed into it by the
.. tem
 . MAUN DR E I .
tempeſt. And thus we may ſee the foundation which
Lucian has for aſſerting, that at certain ſeaſons of
the year, this river, which is doubtleſs the ancient
Adonis, though by the Turks called Ibraham Baſa ,
weeps blood for the death of the favourite of Venus,
who was killed by a wild boar.
. . Having paſſed this river, they fell into a road lying -
between the ſteep mountains of Caftravan , famous
for its wines , and the ſea, which is here called the
Bay of Junia : towards the farther fide of which ,
was a large ſquare tower ; and buildings of this kind
are ſaid to extend along the coaſt, ſeveral days jour:
ney , having been erected by the empreſs Helena, as
a defence againſt pirates.
An hour more brought them to the river Licus,
otherwiſe Canis, called by the Turks Nahor Kelp :
it takes its name from an oracular image, in form of
a dog , which in ancient times was here worſhipped .
Near this is a good bridge of four arches, and
having paffed it, you aſcend a rocky mountain , by
means of a paffage cut through it at the expence of
the Emperor Antoninus ; otherwiſe there would have
been no paſſage between this and theſea . The me
mory of the founder of ſo uſeful a work is preſerved
in an inſcription cut in the rock itſelf.
.: Farther on , upon the banks of the river Beroote,
there is a chapel facred to SaintGeorge, who is ſaid
to have here killed the Dragon ; but it is now turned
into a moſque .
The day following they ſpent at Beroote , anciently
Berytus, from which the ido! Baal Berith is ſuppoſed
to have had its name: it afterwards had many privi
leges conferred upon it by Auguſtus, together with
a new name, viz. Julia Felix . At preſent it retains
nothing of its ancient felicity, except the ſituation ,
and in that particular it is indeed very happy. It is
feated on the ſea- ſide, in a foil fertile and delightful,
raiſed only fo high above the water, as to be ſecure
from
 14 MODERN TRAVELS.
from its overflowings, and from all noxious and un
wholeſome effects of that element.
The Emir Facardine has his chief reſidence in this
place ; in the reign of Sultan Morat, he was the
fourth Emir, or Prince of the Drules, a people ſup
poſed to have been deſcended from ſome diſperſed re
mainders ofthoſe chriſtian armies that engaged in the
Cruſades for the recovery of the Holy Land ; who
afterwards being totally routed, and deſpairing of be
ing able to return to their native country , betook
themſelves to the mountains. Facardine, the prince
of thoſe people, not contented with being cooped up
in a corner , by his power and artifice enlarged his
dominions down into the plain , all along the ſea .
coaſt, as far as from this place to Acra .
The Grand Seignior at length growing jealous of
ſuch a ſwelling power , attacked and drove him back
to the mountains from whence he had broke looſe ;
and there his poſterity maintain their ſovereignty to
this day . Our travellers went to view the palace of
the prince, which ſtands on the north eaſt part of
the city . At the entrance of it is a marble fountain ,
of greater beauty than is uſually ſeen in Turkey .
The palace within consiſts of ſeveral courts, which
are falling to ruin , and many of them appear never
to have been finiſhed . The ſtable -yards for horſes ,
dens for lions, and other wild creatures , the gardens,
& c. are ſuch as would not be unworthy of a love
reign in Chriſtendom , were they wrought up to that
perfection of which they are capable , and to which
they ſeem to have been deſigned by their firſt con
triver.
Thebeſt fight that this place affords, is the orange
garden ; it contains a large quadrangular plat of
ground, divided into fixteen leſſer ſquares, four in a
row , with walks between them , delightfully ſhaded
with crange- trees of a large ſpreading fize, and all
of ſo fine a growth , that nothing can be more per
fect,
 M A UN DR E L . . 15
fect. At this time they were gilded with fruit,
hanging thick upon them . Each of the ſixteen lef
fer ſquares was bordered with ſtone, and in theiłone
work were ſet well-contrived channels for conveying
the water all over the garden ; there being little out
lets cut at every tree for the ſtreain as it paſſed by to
flow out and water it. Were this place under the
cultivation of an European gardener of taſte, it is
impoſſible any thing could be made more delightful.
But they were now applied to no better uſe than to
ſerve as a fold for Meep and goats, inſomuch , that
in many places they were up to their knees in dirt :
ſo little ſenſe have the Turks of ſuch refined delights
as theſe, being a people generally of the groffeſt ap
prehenſion , and knowing few other pleaſures but ſuch
ſenſualities as are equally common both to men and
beaſts,
On the eaſt- ſide of this garden were two terrace
walks, riſing one above the other, each of them have
ing an aſcent to it of twelve ſteps. They had both
ſeveral beautifuland properly -diſpoſed Mhades of orange
trees upon them . And at the north end were booths, .
ſummer -houſes, and other charming apartments ,
being deſigned by Facardine for the chief ſeat of his
pleaſures.
It may perhaps be wondered how this Emir ſhould
be able to contrive any thing ſo elegant and regular,
ſeeing the Turkiſh gardens are uſually nothing elſe
but a confuſed miſcellany of trees jumbled together.
But Facardine had been in Italy , and knew how to
copy what he had ſeen .
In another garden are to be ſeen ſeveral pedeſtals
for ſtatues ; from wlience itmay be inferred , that this
Emir was no very zealous Mahometan . At one cor
ner of the ſame gir en ſtands a tower fixty feet high ,
deſigned to have bren carried to a much greater ele
vation for a watch tower , and for that end built with
extraordinary ſtrength , its wuils being twelve feet
thick , From
 *16 MODERN TRAVEL S .
From this tower there is a good view of thewhole
city, and a large Chriſtian church , ſaid to have been
firit conſecrated to Saint John the Evangeliſt ; but
the Turks have turned it into a moſque, and will per
mit Chriſtians to view it only at a diſtance.
Another church in the town there is, which ſeems
to be ancient, but being a inean fabric, is ſuffered to
remain in the hands of the Greeks.
• There are ſeven or eight granite pillars on the eaſt
of Beroote ; and the town -wall on the ſouth ſeemsto
have been forined out of the ruins of the old city ;
ſeveral pieces of pillars , and marble , entering into
the compoſition . Without the walls are ſome rem
nants of moſaic flooring, broken pillars , pieces of
- poliſhed marble, and mutilated ſtatues ; theſe lie in
a heap of rubbiſh , which ſpeak the former fplendor
of the place.
CHA P. III.
Of the river Damer ; of Sidon , and the duties of the
French Conſul ; of Tyre ; Solomon 's ciſterns deſcribed ;
of the fate of the city of Acra ; heroiſon of the Abe
· befs of a Greek monaſtery.
T HE Y left this place the 19th of March , and
in their way to the banks of the Damer ,
paſſed over a plain , on which was a grove of pines,
yielding a moſt delightſul ſhade. They ſuppoſed it
to be one of Facardine's plantations. " To the left,
they ſaw a ſmall village, called Suckfoal ; it belongs
to the Druſes, a race of people who overſpread a
tract of mountains, ſtretching from Caftrávan to
Carmel. The preſentprince Hamet is grandſon of
Facardine, and like his anceſtors, never ſeeps in the
nighe-time, fearful of affaſſination .
The river Damer is apt to ſwell with fudden rain ,
and to become a torrent fatál to paſſengers. At this
time
 * M A UN DRE L . 17
time it was very mild , and far from being dangerous,
Here they found fellows ſtripped ready, as it were, '
to help them in croſſing ; but they did not chuſe to
accept of their affiitance, having been previouſly ada
viſed of an eaſier ford , a little higher up, where they
paſſed with very little difficulty. Thele guides im
poſe conſiderably upon travellers, and ſcruple not
drowning them for the ſake of their ſpoils, if they
have any opportuniiy.
• In two hours they came to the banks of another
river, called Awle, which takes its riſe in mount Li
banus. The channel is deep , and over it is a broad
ſtone bridge. Here they met ſeveral French mer
chants, who belonged to the factory at Sidon ; and
theſe gentlemen conducted them to that city , with
out the walls of which they pitched their tents, by
the ſide of a ciſtern .
The French Conſul, and others belonging to the
factory, inhabit a large Kane, near the ſea-ſide, at
the front of which there is an old mole , which Fa
cardine cauſed to be filled up , to prevent the unwel
come approach of the Turkiſh gallies ; ſo that ſhips
are forced to ride under ſhelter of a ſmall ridge of
rocks, a mile diſtant from the city to the north
ward .
Sidon was formerly much more large and ſplendid
than it is at preſent; however, it is well inhabited ,
and it is not unlikely , thatmany curious pieces of i
antiquity lie buried under the Turkiſh buildings.
The French Conſul here is alſo ſtiled Conſulof Jeruz
falem , and is obliged every Eaſter to viſit that holy -
city , in order to ſee that the poor Chriſtians are
not quite loft under the Turkiſh exactions.
: Our travellers had written to this gentleman from
Aleppo , with a view to ſecure hin as a partner in
their expedition ; but the delays they met with were
fuch , that he had ſet out the day before their ar
rival,
Mar.
18 MODERN TRAVEL S.
Mar. 20th , they ſet out from Sidon , march :
ing faſt, in hopes to be able to overtake him , and
paſſed by a ruined village, ſuppoſed to be the an
cient Sarepta , famousfor having been the habitation
of the prophet Elijah . It conſiſts of a few houſes
lying ſcattered on the top of a mountain , half a mile
from the ſea. Three hours more brought them to
the banks of Caſimeer ; a broad , deep, meandring
river, over which was formerly a good ſtone bridge,
the piers of which are ſtill ſtanding ; but the arches
are broken down, and their places ſupplied with
beams and planks very careleſsly laid over. Here,
notwithſtanding our travellers paſſed with great pre
caution , one of their horſes dropped through a hole,
and was ſtrong enough to ſwim on ſhore,
In another hour they had a ſight of the city of
Tyre. But alas ! how fallen from that magnim
ficence, for which it was once renowned ! how difa
ferent from that Tyre mentioned by the prophet
Ezekiel ! And herewe ſee a divine prophecy fulfilled ,
which ſaid , that Tyre ſhould be as the top of a
rock ; yea, as a place for fiſhers to dry their nets on :
for the inhabitants are very few , and very wretched ,
ſubſiſting entirely upon filhing, there being not one
houſe entire ; and the whole city is a pile of glori
ous ruins. Among theſe we find the caſt end of a
large church ſtill remain , which our author ſuppoſes,
not improbably , to have been part of the cathedral
built by Paulinus, who was Archbiſhop of this dio
ceſe. It is remarkable, that in a number of ruined
churches, not fewer perhaps than a hundred , which
lie between Aleppo and Jeruſalem , the eaſt end was
generally left entire : to what cauſe to aſcribe this
preſervation , our author does not pretend to affirm ;
whether it was the ſtrongeſt part of the church ,
whether a part particularly reverenced by the Infidels ,
or, whether the Chriſtians ranfomed it with money ?
From the top of a ſtair-caſe , in this laſt-mentioned
ruin ,
 MA UNDRE L . 19
ruin , they had a fine view of the iſland of Tyre, the
city , the iſthmus, and the adjacent ſhore.
They went from this place to Roſelayn , celebrated
for the ciſterns ſuppoſed to be built by Solomon , as
a recompence for the materials ſupplied by king Hi
ram , towards the building of the temple ; but there
are many reaſons to diſprove this conjecture, for they
are nothing near ſo ancient.
One of them , lying a furlong and a half from the
fea , is of an octagonal figure , twenty -two yards in
diameter ; nine yards above the ground on the ſouth
ſide, and fix on the north . The walls of thein are
only gravel and ſmall pebbles, but ſo ſtrongly ce
mented , that one might be apt to miſtake them for
a ſingle rock ; on the brink you have a wall ſtretch
ing round this ciſtern , eightfeet broad , from which
you deſcend by one ſtep on the ſouth , and by two
on the north , to another walk twenty -one feet broad .
This ſtructure , though of ſuch a breadth at top, is
nevertheleſs hollow , and the water, which is exceed
ing good, flows in underneath ; of it there is a very
large maſs, being well ſupplied from the fountain
head ; and though the ſtream that iſfues from it
turns four mills within a furlong and a half, the veſ
ſel is always brim full. Both the contriver and cona
ſtructor of theſe ciſterns remain unknown ; though
that the work was well done is proved from their re
maining, even to this day, in excellent order .
Quitting Tyre, they croſſed the White Promon .
tory, through which there is a road two yards broad,
ſuppoſed to be the work of Alexander the Great, It
is cut through a mountain which overhangs the ſea ;
and the ſteepneſs and depth, added to the raging of
the waves at the bottom , render the ſubambient
proſpect extremely horrid .
The road froin hence to the plains of Acra , is
diſmal and rocky ; however, the plains are well wa
tered, pleaſant and fertile, though, for want of cul
ture,
20 MODERN TRAVEL S .
ture, over-run with weeds, which now , in niany
places, reached up to the bellies of the horſes. In
four hours more, they reached the city of Acra, ly
ing in the neighbourhood of mount Carmel, being
waſhed on the weſt by the Mediterranean , and on
the eaſt and north bounded by the plain .
This is one of thofe places out of which the chil
dren of Iſrael could never drive the ancient inhabi
tants ; it was once called Accho, but changed its
name to Ptolemais, when enlarged by Ptolemy. In
the wars between the Chriſtians and the Saracens, , .
this city ſuſtained many a long fiege, but at length
was entirely ſubdued by the latter , who revenged
themſelves upon it for all the trouble it coſt them , by
laying it in ruins.
From the remains of its walls, ditches, ram
parts, and fortifications, it appears, that it was once
a place of conſiderable ſtrength . Here, among other
ruins, are the remains of a large church , which for
merly belonged to a nunnery, the Abbeſs of which,
finding that the Turks had entered the city by ſtorm ,
May 19, 1291, ſummoned together all her siſterhood
and laying before them the moſt horrid picture of
the inſolencies to which they were doomed ; of the
affronts they muſt undergo from theſe barbarous
ſpoilers ; “ From them , ” ſaid ſhe, so there is but
« one way to eſcape ; and that is, by ſummoning
" all your reſolution to follow my example .” This
they promiſed her faithfully to do : when taking up
manne her Mobile proced the
a knife, the mangled her features in ſo extraordinary
a manner, that it was a fight horrible to behold .
None of her flock were backward in uſing the faine
methods for the protection of their virtue ; and
thus they transformed themſelves from the moſt
perfect beauties into fpectacles of horror and de
teſtation . . .
The Turks ſoon after broke into the convent,
and being diſappointed of the hopes which they had
here
 " MAUNDRE L . 21
here of gratifying their luſt, put every oneof thoſe
brave heroines to the ſword . AtAcra , they had the
ſatisfaction to find , that the French Conſulhad halted
for thein two days ; with him they ſet forward on
their journey the next day, convoyed by a band of
Turkish foldiers . They took themiddle way over
the plain of Efdraeon , in order to avoid , as much
as poſſible , falling in among the Arabs, who were at
prodigious variance among themſelves.
* It is the policy of the Turks, always to fow di
viſions amongſt theſe wild people, by ſetting up fee
veral heads over their tribes, often depoſing the old ,
and placing new ones in their ſtead , by which art
they create contrary intereſts and parties amongſt
them , preventing them from ever uniting under
any one prince ; which if they ſhould have the ſenſe
to do, being ſo numerous, and almoſt the ſole in
habitants thereabouts) they might thake off the
Turkiſh yoke.
CHA P. IV .
Of the firſt making of glaſs ; the dewus of mount Her
· mon ; of Samaria ; of Jacob 'swell ; Mr.Maundrel
arrives at Jerufalem .
I TAVING coaſted by the ſide of the bay of
11 Acra for half an hour, they turned off to the
ſouthward , and paſſed a river they ſuppoſed to be
Belus, from the ſands of which it is ſaid glaſs was
firit made. That night they took up their lodging
at a Kane called Legune ; here they were well ac
commodated , and had a fine view of the fertile, but
uncultivated , plains of Efdraelon , which only ſerved
the Arabs for paſturage. Here they found their tents
extremely moiſt from the dew which had fallen hea
vily in the night; and thus were they clearly in
ftructed in what the royal Pſalmiſt meant by the dew
of
22 MODERN TRAVEL S .
of Hermon ; for mount Hermon , and mount Ta
bor were at ſome diſtance from this encampment,
and Nazareth was juſt in light,
ToTheir
the ſituation
Arabs, wwas
hoanot itched theagreeable, as on
re pextreinely
each ſide of them were pitched the tents of two
.
tribes of Arabs, who were enemies to each other.
To the Emir of one of them they paid two Caphars
in the morning, and he received them very civilly at
the door of his tent, only he took a liking to ſome
of their upper garments, which they were obliged to
part with , without murmuring ; but the loſs was
not very great, as the heat of the climate began to
render them burthenſome.
. The next day they arrived at Samaria, where the
ten tribes chiefly reſided, when they revolted from the
houſe of David . Thenameof it was changed from
Samaria into Sebaſta , by Herod the Great, in ho
nour of Auguſtus Cæſar ; it ſtands upon an oval
mount, overlooking a fruitful valley , with a circle
of hills at a diſtance, and little of its ancient fplen
dor remains. On the north ſide there is a large
ſquare piazza, ſurrounded by pillars, ſuppoſed to
have been part of a church erected by Saint Helen , in
honour of Saint John Baptiſt, who was here impri
ſoned and beheaded. The Turks have built a little
moſque over the dungeon , in which the blood of
that ſaint was ſhed ; and they ſhew it to Franks for
a triling piece of money.
An hour and a half from Sebafta lies Naplofa ,
the ancientname of which , according to the New .
Teſtament, was. Sychem , or Sychar; it ſtands in a
narrow valley, having mount Gerizim on the ſouth ,
and Abel on the north ,
From Gerizim God commanded the bleſſings
to be pronounced upon the people of Iſrael ; the
curſes were uttered from mount Abel. Mr. Maun
drel paid a viſit to the chief prieſt of the Samaritans
at Napelofa , and he aſked him ſome queſtions re
lating
 MAU N D REL. 23
lating to the nature of the mandrake, which Leahin
gave to Rachel for the purchaſe of her huſband 's
embraces ? The Samaritan anſwered, that it was
an unwholeſomediſagreeable fruit, as large as an ap
ple, having a broad leaf, and being ripe in harveſt.
Our traveller met with ſeveral of theſe plants in his
journey to Jeruſalem .
This prieſt was a curioſo ; he had ſome good
books in his poſſeſſion , among which was the firſt
volumeof the Engliſh Polyglott, and a copy of the
Samaritan Pentateuch , which he would by no ways
be perſuaded to diſpoſe of. This town is well peo
pled , butmeanly built, conſiſting of two ſtreets, ly
ing under mount Gerizim , and it is the ſeat of a
Turkim Baſha : they ſet forward for Jacob ' s well ,
mentioned in the fourth chapter of Saint John .
There is an old ſtony vault over the well, upon
the mouth of which is a broad flat ſtone ; it was at
this time full of water, which refutes what ſome fu
perſtitious perſons affert, viz . That it is dry all the
year round, except on the anniverſary of that day on
which our Saviour here converſed with a woman of
Samaria , and then it overflows. .
Here ends the narrow valley of Sichen , which
now opens into a wide field . This night they quar
tered at Kane Leban ; and thenext day purſued their
journey over a rockymountainous way, from which
they deſcended into a narrow valley, lying between
two ſtony hills. Here it is ſaid , that Jacob had his
viſion . Hence they paſſed through ſome plantations
of olives, and arrived at a village called Beer .
Here Saint Helen erected a church upon the ſpot
where the Mother of God is ſaid to have ſat down
penſive, for the loſs of her Son , whom , on her re
turn to Jeruſalem , ſhe found fitting in the temple
amongſt the doctors, “ both hearing them and aſk .
ing thein queſtions." All the way from Kane Le
bon to Beer, there is nothing but a rueful proſpect
of
24 MODERN TRAVELS. .
of rocks, precipices, and mountains ; fo that pil
grims are wonderfully deceived in finding the coun
try ſo different from what they had expected , and
nothing butbare barren hills, in a tract, which ac
cording to Joab , once contained 130 ,coo fighting
men , beſides women and children . See 2 Sam .
v . 24 .
Yet theſe rocks and hills certainly were once co
vered with earth , and made to contribute to the ſuf
tenance of the inhabitants , no leſs than if it had
been a plain country ; nay, perhaps much more fo ,
foraſmuch as ſuch a mountainous and uneven ſurface
affords a larger ſpace of ground for cultivation , than
it would , were it all reduced to a perfect level.
For the huſbanding of theſe mountains, their
manner was to gether up the ſtones, and place them
in ſeveral lines , along the ſides of the hills, in form
of a wall ; by ſuch borders ,they ſupported themould
from tuinbling, or being waſhed down, and forined
many beds of excellent foil, riſing gradually one a
bove another from the bottom to the top . The
plain country was well adapted for corn and paſture
land ; and the hills, though improper for the ſuſte
nance of cattle, being diſpoſed into ſuch beds as we
have already deſcribed , ſerved well for the bearing of
corn, melons, gourds, cucumbers, and all kinds of
garden - ſtuff ; in which conſiit the principal food of
theſe countries for ſeveral months in the year.
The moſt rocky part of all, which could not be
adjuſted in that manner for the production of corn ,
might yet ſerve for the plantation of vines and olive
trees .
The principal food of the eaſtern people is milk ,
corn , 'wine, oil, or honey ; and the nature of the
climate inclines them to be more abſtemious than
in colder regions.
From Beer Mr. Maundrel and his company pro
ceeded through a wild ftony country, varied with
many
hours bruined vMillaoAu.O
UN
R
NDDREL.
many ruined villages , and in little more than two
hours had a proſpect of Jeruſalemn from the top of a
hill, with themountains of Gilead on the left-hand,
and the plain of Jericho, ' with Rama, anciently
called the Gibeah of Saul, on the right. In an
lour more, they came up with the walls of the holy
city. and entered it by the Bethlehein -gate , having :
been detained about half an hour for leave, from
the Governor, without which no Frank is admitted ;
into the city ; for unleſs they come with ſome public
miniſter, they are obliged to diſmount, and leave ,
their horſes and arms at the gate ; a ceremony from
which our travellers were excuſed , on account of
their being in the French Conſul's train . At this
gentleman 's houſe they lay every night during their
continuance in Jeruſalem , and boarded with the
Guardian and Friars of the Latin convent, who, to
do them juſtice, were extremely hoſpitable, and kept
them to ſupper the firſt night of their arrival here, it
being Maundy Thurſday.
CHA P. V .
Of the church of the holy Sepulchre ; and the manner
in which they commemorate the Paſſion therein .
THE following day being Good Friday , and
1 the 26th of March , N . S . they accompanied
the Conſul to the church of the holy Sepulchre ; the
doors of which they found guarded by ſeveral jani
zaries, who obliged the lay -chriſtians to pay fourteen
dollars a man , and the eccleſiaſtics ſeven ,
The doors are locked up on the evening of Good
Friday , and opened no more until Eaſter - day, the
pilgrimas being all firſt admitted . Our travellers ſpent
all this time here, and had an opportunity of ſurvey
ing every holy place with great freedom , and view
ing all the Latin cercanonies,
- This
 26 . MODERN TRAVEL S .
This church is founded upon mount Calvary ,
which is an eminence upon the greater mount Mo
riah ; it was not firſt incloſed within the city -walls,
being reckoned infamous, as appropriated to the exe- ,
cution of malefi:ctors. But ever ſince that the Savi
our of Mankind here ſuffered for the fins of his
creatures, it has been extremely reverenced ; and ſo
much reſorted to , that it now ſtands in the inidſt of
the city, while , to make room for it, mount Sion is
ſhut out of the walls.
In order to the fitting of this hill for the founda
tion of a church , thoſe who deſigned it were obliged
to reduce it to a plain area ; which they did by cut
ting down ſeveral parts of the rock, and elevating
others. But in this work care was taken , thatnone
of thoſe parts of the hill, which were reckoned to
be more immediately concerned in our Lord 's paf
fion , ſhould be altered or dininiſhed . Thus that
very part of Calvary, where it is ſaid Chriſt was
faſtened to his croſs, is left entire , being about ten
or twelve yards ſquare.
The holy fepulchre itſelf, which was firſt a cave
hewn into the rock under -ground , having had the
rock cut away froin it all round, is now as it were a
.

grotto above-ground. The church is ſcarcely leſs

than one hundred paces long , and not more than
fixty wide :. yet it is ſo contrived, that it is ſuppoſed
to contain under its roof, twelve or thirteen ſanctu .
aries , or places reputed to have ſome particular ac
tions done in them relating to the death and reſur
rection of Chriſt. Such as, fiiit, the place where he
was derided by the ſoldiers. .
2dly , where the ſoldiers divided his garments.
gdly, where he was ſhut up whilſt things were
made ready for his crucifixion ,
4thly , where he was nailed to the croſs .
5thly , where the crois was erected. "
6thly, where the ſoldier ftcod, that pierced his fide.
7thly ,
 MAUNDRE L . - 27
thly , where his body was anointed in order to his
burial."
8thly ,where hisbodywas depoſited in the ſepulchre.
9thly, where the angels appeared to the women
after his reſurrection .
Tothly , where Chriſt himſelf appeared to Mary
Magdalen , & c.
The places where theſe and many other things re
lating to our bleſſed Lord, are ſaid to have been done,
are all ſuppoſed to be contained within the narrow
precincts of this church ; and are all diſtinguiſhed
and adorned with ſo many ſeveral altars.
In the galleries round the church are certain apart
ments for the reception of Friars and pilgrims; and
in theſe places, almoſt every Chriſtian nation ancient
ly maintained a ſmall ſociety ofMonks ; each ſociety
having its proper quarter aſſigned to it, by the
Turks ; but they have all forſaken the place, not
being able to ſuſtain the ſevere extortions of their
Turkiſh landlords, except the Latins, Greeks, Ar
menians, and Cophtites. But the great prize con
tended for by the ſeveral feets, is, the command and
appropriation of the holy ſepulchre ; a privilege con
teſted with ſo much animofily , eſpecially between the
Greeks and Latins, that in diſputing which party
ſhould go into it,'to celebrate theirmaſs, they fome
times proceed to blows, even at the very door of it.
For putting an end to theſe infamous quarrels, the
French King addreſſed a letter to theGrand Vizir,
about twelve years ſince, requeſting him to order the
holy ſepulchre to be put into the hands of the La
tins, according to the tenor of the capitulation made
in the year 1673 ; and they alone have now the pri
vilege to ſay maſs in it : and there are always about
ten or twelve reſiding at the church, with a Preſident
over them ,whomake every day a ſolemnproceſſion with
tapers, crucifixes, & c. to the ſeveralſanctuaries, ſing
ing at every one of them a Latin hymn, the ſubject
C2 of
28 MODERN TRAVEL S.
of which relates to each place. As they are much
more polite , and alſo more exact in their functions
than any of the reſt, let it ſuffice, if we confine our
obſervations to their ceremonies , particularly on
Good Friday, called by them Nox tenebroſa .
At the ſetting- in of evening, all the Friars and
pilgrims aſſembled together in the chapel of the Ap
pärition , a ſmall oratory on thenorth ſide of the holy
grave, in order to go in proceffion round the church ;
but before they ſet out, one of the Friars preached a
ſermon in Italian in the chapel. He began his diſa
courſe thus : In queſta notte tenebrofa , & c . at which
words all the candics were inſtantly put out, to yield
a more lively image of the occaſion ; and ſo they
were held by the preacher, for near half an hour,
very much in the dark . '
Sermon being ended, every perſon preſent had a
large lighted taper put into his hand , as if it were to
make amends for the former darkneſs ; and the cru
cifixes, and other utenſils, were diſpoſed in order for
beginning the proceſiion. Amongſt the other cruci
fixes , there was one of a very large ſize, which bore
upon it the image of our Lord, as big as the life .
The image was faſtened thereto with great nails ; it
was crowned with thorns, befmeared with blood, & c.
and was, upon the whole, ſo excellent a piece of
workmanſhip, that to view it without emotion was
impoſſible. This was carried at the head of the pro - .
ceflion, and the company followed after it to all the
fanctuaries in the church , ſinging a proper hymn at
cach .
The firſt place they viſited, was the pillar of Fla ."
gellation , a large piece of which is kept in a cell,
juſt at the door of the chapel of the Apparition .
There having ſung a hymn, another Friar entertained
the co npany with a ſermon in Spaniſh , touching the
Scourging of our Lord .
4 From
 MAUNDRE L . 29
From lience they proceeded to thepriſon of Chriſt,
where they alſo ſung a hymn ; and a third Friar
preached in French .
From the priſon they went to the altar of theDi
viſion of Chriſt's garments ; where they only ſung
a hymn .
Having done here, they advanced to the chape!
of the Deriſion ; at which, after their hymn, they
had a fourth ſermon in French ,
From this place they went up to Calvary, leaving
their ſhoes at thebottom of the ſtairs. Here are two
altars to be viſited ; onewhere our Lord is ſuppoſed
to have been nailed to the croſs ; another where the
croſs was erected . At the former of theſe, they laid
down the great crucifix upon the floor, and perform
ed ſomeceremonies reſembling the proceſs of the cru
cifixion ; after which , and a hymn, one of the Friars
preached another ſermon in Spaniſh , upon the Cru
cifixion .
They next removed to the adjoining altar, where
the croſs is ſuppoſed to have been erected. Here is
a hole in the rock , ſaid to be the ſame in which the
foot of the croſs ſtood . Here they ſet up the cruci
fied inage, then ſung their hymnn , and afterwards,
theFatherGuardian , ſitting in a chair before it,preach
ed a fermon upon the Pallion , in Italian . At about
one yard and a half diſtance from the hole , in which
the foot of the croſs was fixed, is ſeen thatmemora
ble cleft in the rock, ſaid to have been made by tlie
earthquake which happened at the ſuffering of the
God of Nature , when the rocks rent, and the very
graves were opened , Matt. xxvii. 51. This cleft
now appears to be about a ſpan wide at its upper
part, and at the depth of two ſpans it cloſes : but it
opens again lower down, and runs to an unknown
depth in the earth . There is only a tradition to
prove, tliat this rent was made by the earthquake
that happened at our Lord's paſſion ; but that it is a
¢ 3 natural
30 MODERN TRAVEL S .
natural breach , and not counterfeited by any art, the
ſenſe and reaſon of any one that fees it may convince
him , for the ſides of it fit like two tallies. .
The ceremony of the Paſſion being over, and the
Guardian 's ſermon ended , two Friars, the oneperſo
nating Joſeph of Arimathea , the other Nicodemus,
approached the croſs, and with a folemn air of con
cern , drew out thenails, and took down the feigned
body from the croſs. It was ſo well contrived, that
its limbs were ſoft and flexible, as if they had been
real felh : and nothing could be more ſurpriſing than
to ſee the two pretended mourners bend down the
arms, which were before extended , and diſpoſe them
upon the trunk in ſuch a inanner as is uſual in
corpſes.
The body was now received in a fair large wind
ing- heet, and carried down from Calvary, the
whole company attending , as before, to the ſtone of
Unction . This is taken for the very place where the
precious body of our Lord wasanointed and prepared
for the burial. John xix . 39. Here they laid itdown,
and caſting over it ſeveral ſweet powders and ſpices,
wrapt it up in the winding-ſheet : whilſt this was
doing, they ſung a proper hymn ; and afterwards
oneofthe Friars preached a funeral ſermon in Arabic.
Theſe obſequies being finiſhed, they laid the fup
pofed corpſe in the ſepulchre , fhutting up the door
till Eaſter-morning. Now after fo many fermons,
and ſo long, not to ſay tedious a ceremony, it may
well be imagined , that the wearineſs of the congre
gation , as well as the hour of night, made it need
ful to go to reſt.
The next morning many of the pilgrimshad their
armsmarked with the uſual en ſigns of Jeruſalem ,
The artiſts who undertake the operation , do it in
this manner : they have ſtamps in wood , of any
figure that you deſire, which they firſt print off upon
the arm with powder of charcoal; then taking iwo
very
 MAUNDR E L . 31
very fine needles tied cloſe together, and dipping
them often like a pen , in a cirtain ink , ſaid to be
compounded of gunpowder and ox -gall, they make
with them ſmall punctures all along the lines of the
figure which they would have printed, and then
waſhing the part in wine, conclude the work . Theſe
F a dr t cling w
punctures they make with great quickneſs and dexte
to asſcarcely
ity;; andnaswith fore ſmart,inſeldom
on of heany itbd ile
g on, piercing
rity
ſo deep as to draw .blood.
In the afternoon of this day, the congregation was
affeinbled in the area, before the holy grave, where
the Friars ſpent ſomehours in ſinging over the La
mentations of Jeremiah ; which function , with the
uſual proceſſion to the holy places, concluded the
ceremony of this day.
C H A P . VĨ.
Their manner of celebrating Eaſter ; a view of the re
markable places about Jeruſalem ; an account of the
Dead Sea ; Bethlehem ; thewilderneſs of Saint John
the Baptiſt, & C.
T ASTER - funday in the morning, the fe
pulchre was again fet open very early ; the
clouds of the former morning were cleared up ; and
the Friars put on a face of joy and ſerenity , as if it
had been the real time of our Lord 's reſurrection .
Nor doubtleſs was this joy feigned, whatever their
mourning might be ; this being the day in which
their lenten diſciplines expired, and they were allowed
once more to make a good meal. i
Themaſs was celebrated this morning juſt before
the holy ſepulchre, being the moſt eminent place in
the church . Here a throne was erected for the Fa
ther Guardian , who was dreſſed like a Biſhop ; and
in ile fight of the Turks he gave the hoſt to all that
were diſpoſed to receive it.
C . . This
 32 MODERN TRAVEL S.
• This office being ended, they left the fepulchre,
and each man went about his buſineſs.
Our company paid a viſit to a large grotto, where
there is a college of Derviſes, and the place is held in
having bee who niew more prounelsepulce dead
great veneration by Turks, Jews, and Chriſtians, as
having been formerly the refidence of the prophet
Jeremiah , who here wrote his Lamentations, and
whoſe bed they flew you on the ſhelve of a rock ,
about eight feet from the ground.
From hence they went to the Sepulchres of Kings,
which were certainly receptacles for the dead, formed
at vaſt expence, and with infinite labour ; but why
called the Sepulchres of Kings, is a queſtion hard to
be reſolved ; no Kings either of Iſrael, or Judah ,
being mentioned in ſcripture as interred here, unleſs
that this was the burial- place of Hezekiah ; and that
theſe were the ſepulchres of the ſonsof David , men
tioned in the ſecond of Chronicles.
. Theſe fepulchres you enter by a door ſo obſtructed
with ſtones and rubbiſh , that it is ſomething difficult
to creep through it ; but within there is a room
about ſeven or eight yards ſquare, cut out of the
natural rock ; its ſides and cieling are ſo exactly
{quare, and its angles ſo juſt, thatno architect with
levels and plun mets could build a room more regular;
and the whole is lo firm and entire , that it may be
called a chamber hewn out of a block of marble.
From this room you paſs into fix more ; one
within another, all of the ſame fabric with the firſt.
Of theſe the two innermoſt are deeper than the reſt,
having a ſecond deſcent of about ſix or ſeven ſteps
in thein . In every one of theſe rooms, except the
firſt, were coffins of ſtone, placed in niches, in the
ſides of the chambers. They had been at firſt co
vered with handſome lids, and carved with foliage;
butmoſt of them have been broken to pieces by la
crilegious hands. The fides and cieling of the room
were always dropping with the moiſt damps con
denſing
 M A UN DRE L . - 33
denſing upon them ; to receive the water thus
diitilled , there was in each room , a channel to drain
it off.
There is only one door remaining to any of thoſe
ſubterranean paſſages ; it is formed like wainſcot,
and cut out of one entire ſtone; the hinges of it
are of the ſame inatter.
The following day the pilgrims, to the number of
two thouſand, were convoyed to Jordan by the
Moſelem or Governor of the city , and ſeveral bands
of ſoldiers. For this protection every layman pays
twelve franks, and every eccleſiaſtic fix : without it,
the inſolence of the Arabs would render it a dan
gerous journey.
Croſſing the Valley of Jehofaphat and part of
mount Olivet, they arrived in half an hour at Be .
thany. The firſt houſe in the village is ſuppoſed to
have been belonged to Lazarus ; and near it is ſhewn
the ſepulchre , wherein he is ſaid to have been raiſed
from the dead. You deſcend to it by twenty- five
ſteps, and arrive firſt in a ſinall ſquare room , through
which you paſs into one ſomething leſs ; and here
the body is ſaid to have lain ,
The Apoſtle 's Fountain is at the bottom of a ſteep
hill, and takes its name from being the place where
the apoſtles uſed to refreſh themſelves in their travels
between Jeruſalein and Jericho. Nor is this any
way improbable ; as it stands by the road - fide, and
bubbles out invitation to the thirſty paſienger.
The mountain , in the defart, whereon our Sa
viour is faid to have been tempted, lies through an
intricate road , variegated with hills and dales, and
though at preſent extreinely barren , wears the aſpect
of a place that had formerly been cultivated . The
whole proſpect is moſt diſmal, preſenting nothing
but rocky mcun -ains and frightful chaſins, that ap
pear to have been the effect of fone horril convallis
Fan : :12 17.
34 MODERN TRAVEL S .
In a deep valley to the left, there are ſome ruined
cottages, which were formerly the habitation of de
vout hermits, who certainly could never have fixed
upon a ſpotmore rueful and melancholy than this.
From the top of themount there is a beautifulproſ
pect of the mountains of Arabia , the Dead Sea,
and the plains of Jericho . On the top of Quaran
tania , which is the name of the hill where our Sa
viour and the devil conferred , there is a ſmall cha
pel;" the mountain is very high and of dangerous
aſcent, though the latter our travellers were not per
mitted to experience , being prevented by ſome Arabs,
who demanded two hundred dollars for permitting
them to paſs up ; but they neither choſe the expence,
nor yet to diſpute with theſe defperadoes, who were
armed with muſquets.
From hence, turning into the plain of Jericho ,
they arrived, at the Fountain of Eliſha, which that
prophet purged of its brackiſhnefs, at the requeſt
of its neighbouring inhabitants. Juſt by the foun
tain there grows an umbrageous tree, under the '1
ſhade of which our travellers dined , together with
thirty or forty Friars , who had accompanied them in
this journey.
From hence, at the diſtance of one third of an
hour, lies the village of Jericho, which is at preſent
a wretched habitation of Arabs.
The next day, March the 30th , they proceeded
towards Jordan , through a plain that produced no
thing but ſamphire and other inarine plants. Here,
in inany places where there had been water, which
is now dried up , there remaineth ſtrong incruſtations
of salt, with which mineral the ſoil ſeemed to be
every where impregnated .
. There are the ruins of an old church , and of a
convent dedicated to Saint John Baptiſt, lying about
a furlong from the river , and near the place where
that holy precurſor baptiſed the Son of God.
On
 M A UN DR EL. 35
On the banks of this river they were intimidated
by the appearance of ſome hoſtile Arabs, who fired
upon them from the oppoſite thore; but were at too
great a diſtance to do any iniſchief. The deſpera
does ſoon after chooſing to retire, many of the pil
grims ſtripped and waſhed themſelves, but dared not
venture to ſwim acroſs the ſtream ; firſt on account
of its rapidity , and next for fear of the Arabs.
Hence the pilgrims proceeded to take a view of
the Dead Sea , butfirſt ſaw ſeveral pits like lime-kilns ;
and it was here, perhaps, where the Kings of Sodom
and Gomorrah were overthrown , as inay be found
in Gen . xiv. The hills bordering upon the Dead
Sea, which may rather be called a lake, abound
with a fulphureous kind of ſtone, that loſes of its
weight, butnot of its bulk in the fire, where it yields
an intolerable ſtench ; it poliſhes as well as black
marble , and there are ſeveral pieces of it kept in the
convent of Saint John the Baptiſt, about two feet
ſquare, carved in balio relievo . Our author, from
his own knowledge, aſſures us, that the aſſertion of
birds- dropping down dead in flyingover this ſtream , is
intirely falſe ; and by ſeveral oyſter and other ſhells
which he found upon the ſide of the fore, he has
reaſon to think that it nouriſhes ſome fiſh . There
is a bitumen gathered off the ſurface of theſe waters
near the mountains, which cannot be eaſily diſtin
guiſhed from pitch . The waters are falt, limpid ,
extremely bitter and nauſeous, being of ſuch ſtrength ,
that they bear up a body with ſurprizing force.
Mr. Maundrel fearched , in vain , for the remains
of thoſe cities, which were hereabouts deſtroyed by
fire from heaven ; though at ſome times, when the
waters are low , a few relicks of them may be plainly
diſcerned, as atteſted by the Father Guardian and
Procurator of Jeruſalem
They paſſed by an old Greek church , in their
return from the Dead Sea, great part of which was
fill
 36 MODERN TRAVEL S.
ſtill ſtanding, and exhibited divers pieces of paint
ing, particularly one repreſenting the Laſt Supper,
placed over the altar.
In this place there grows a thorn -buſh , with a
ſmall leaf, and a fruit refeinbling an unripe walnut ;
it is called Zachone : the Arabs pound it in a mor
tar, and then throwing it in ſcalding water, ſkim off
an oil, which is of vaſt power taken inwardly , a
gainit bruiſes; nor does the balm of Gilead cure
green wounds better.
The next morning the company decamped, and
purſued their march to the walls of Jeruſalem , near
which they turned off for Bethlehem , palling through
the Vale of Jehoſaphat. There aremany remarka
ble things in the road , which is of twohours length ,
as,
iſt, The houſe of the venerable prieſt Simeon , who
taking our bleſſed Saviour in his arms, ſung, Nunc
Dimittis.
2d, The famous turpentine -tree, under which the
holy Virgin is ſaid to have ſat, when the travelled
towards Jeruſalem , with the child Jeſus in her
arms.
3d, Here is a convent dedicated to Elias : it is in
the hands of the Greek Monks, who thew a hard
ftone, which they ſay ſerved him for a bed .
At Bethlehem is ſtill to be ſeen the manger in
which our Saviour was laid, and the place where
he was born .
· Likewiſe, the chapel of Saint Joſeph , huſband
to the Virgin Mary ; alſo the chapels of the Inno
cents ; of Saint Paul ; of Eufebius ; and of Saint Je
' rom An hour and a quarter to the ſouth of Bethle
bem , lie thoſe beautiful gardens, and celebrated pools ,
which are thought to have been the contrivance of
King Solomon ; and which he enumerated amongſt
chis, other pieces of inagnificence, as may be fen in
the book of Ecclefiates .
 MAUN DR E L .
In returning from theſe remains of the wiſe man 's
grandeur, to Bethlehem , they paſſed by an old a
queduct, which was certainly the work of that
prince ; and notwithſtanding its prodigious ſtrength ,
the Turks have made a ſhift to deſtroy it almoſt in
tirely. In this place are to be ſeen the Chapel of
the holy Manger , and a grotto dug out of a chalky
rock , in which the holy Virgin and her child are
ſaid to have ſecreted themſelves from the fury of He
rod , for ſome timebefore their departure into Egypt.
Apr. 2d , our travellers took their leaves of Beth
lehem , and of the reverend Guardian , to whom
they each preſented two chequins for his civility, in
tending to return to Jeruſalem , after viſiting the
wilderneſs, and the convent of Saint John Baptiſt.
In this ſtage they firſt croſſed part of the famous
valley , in which the angel in one night is ſaid to
have deſtroyed beſt part of the army of Sennacherib .
Farther on is a fountain , in which they affert,
that Philip baptized the Eunuch .
A little beyond this fountain , lies a village called
Saint Philip , where, aſcending a ſteep hill, you ar
rive at the wilderneſs of Saint Jolin , which , though
rocky and mountainous, is well cultivated, and pro
duces plenty of corn , grapes, and olives . After an
hour's travelling in this wilderneſs, they arrived at
the cave and fountain in which it is ſaid Saint John
the Baptiſt exerciſed thoſe auſterities related of hiin
in Mat, iji. 4.
Near the cave are ſome old locuſt-trees, the fruit
of which the pilgrims gather with great devotion ,
being perſuaded by the Friars, that the Baptiſt ſub
liſted while in the wilderneſs upon the very ſame
fort.
A league to the eaſtward lies the convent of Saint
John , towards which they directed their courſe,
palling through the valley of Clan , where David
dew the Champion of the Pi istines ; and had a
diftan
 38 MODERN TRAY E L S .
diſtant proſpect of the burying -place of the Maccam
bees. Near the convent of Saint John , there for
merly ſtood another convent, which was ſacred to
Saint Elizabeth , having been once her habitation .
It now lies in a heap of ruins, and has nothing in it
remarkable, but a grotto , wherein Mary faluted
Elizabeth with the divine Magnificat. The con
vent of Saint John , which is now inhabited , ſtands
at about three furlongs diſtance from this houſe of Eli
zabeth ; and is ſuppoſed to be built at the place
where Saint John was born .
If you chance to aſk , how it came to paſs that
Elizabeth lived in one houſe, when ſhe was big with
the Baptiſt, and in another when ſhe brought him
forth ? The anſwer you are like to receive, is, that
the former was her country, the other her city -ha
bitation .
The convent of Saint John has been rebuilt from
· the ground within theſe four years. It is a large
uniform ſquare ; but that which is moſt eminently
· beautiful in it, is its church , which conſiſts of three
aiſies, with a handſome cupola in themiddle , and
· under it a fine marble paveinent. At the upper end
of the north aiſle , you aſcend by ſeveri marble ſteps:
to a ſplendid altar, erected over the place where they
· ſay the Baptiſt was born . Artificers are ſtill employ
· ed in embelliſhing this convent; and yet it has been
• fo expenſive a work already, that the Friars them
felves give out, there is not a ſtone laid in it, but
: what has coſt thein a dollar.
In the way between Saint John 's and Jeruſalem ,
there is a neat convent dedicated to the holy Croſs ;
- it is delightfully ſituated upon the fame ſpot where
grew the tree which furniſhed the means of our Sa
- viour's crucifixion . The hole wherein the ſtump .
of this accurſed tree once ſtood, is ſhewn under a
high altar ; and greatly reverenced by pilgrims.
The
 M A U NDRE L . * 39
The evening of this day our travellers returned to
Jeruſalem , having been five days abſent, and were
invited to the convent to have their feet waſhed
among all the other pilgrims. This ceremony was
performed by the Father Guardian himſelf, with
great folemnity ; after which , each of the Friars.
kiſſed their feet in a very reſpectfulmanner.
Apr. 3d , our travellers were preſent at the office:
of the holy Fire, which is performed in the church
of the holy Sepulchre, where , at four o 'clock , the
Greeks began the proceſſion , and were followed by
the Armenians ; both parties being magnificently
liabited, and bearing ſtandards, ſtreamers , crucifixes ,
& c. in which order they compared the holy ſepul
chre thrice. Towards the end of this proceſſion , a
pigeon came fluttering into the cupola , over the ſe
pulchre ; at ſight of which there was a great ſhout.
This bird was ſaid by the Latins to be purpoſely let
fly by the Greeks, to deceive the people into an opi
nion , that it was the Holy Ghoſt.
The proceſſion being over, the Suffragan of the
Greek Patriarch , he himſelf being at Conſtantinople,
and the principal Armenian Bimhop, approached the
door of the ſepulchre, and breaking the ſtring, which
was faftened and fealed , entered in , ſhutting the
: door after thein ; all the candles and lamps within
having been before extinguiſhed in the preſence of
the Turks. They had not been above a minute in
the holy fepulchre , when the glimmering of the holy
fire was ſeen through ſome chinks of the door ; and
out came the two dignified prieſts, with blazing
torches in their hands, which they held up at the
door of the fepulchre, while the people thronged
about with inexpreſfible ardour, every one ſtriving
to cbtain a part of the firſt and pureſt flame: the
Turks in themean time with huge clubs laid them
on without mercy, but to no purpoſe ; they were
not to be kept back ; the exceſs of their tranſport
made
40 MODERN TRAVEL S.
made them inſenſible of pain . Thoſe that got the
fire , applied it immediately to their beards, faces , and
boſoms, pretending that it would not burn like an
earthly flame ; yet it was plain , that few of them
could endure the experiment. As all preſſed to light
their tapers, you may be ſure it wasnot long before
the church waswell illuminated ; and thus the cere
mony ended .
Itmuſt be owned, that the prieſts within the ſe
pulchre performed their part with great dexterity ;
but the behaviour of the rabble without very much
diicredited the performance,
The Latins take a great deal of pains to expoſe
this ceremony as a ſhameful impoſture, and a ſcan
dal to the Chriſtian religion ; perhaps out of envy ,
that others ſhould be maſter of fo gainfula buſineſs .
But the Greeks and Armenians pin their faith upon
it, and make their pilgriinage chiefly upon this mo
tive ; and it is the deplorable unhappineſs of their
prieſts, that having acted the cheat ſo long, they are
forced now to ſtand to it, for fear of endangering
the faith of their people .
Apr. 4 , being Eaſter -ſunday, O . S. our company
obſerved it with due reverence, and wentnot abroad .
On the 5th , they continued their curious inveſti
gations, and paid a viſit to the priſon whence the
angel deiivered Saint Peter ; the place being ſtillap
propriated to the impriſonment of criminals. About
the ſpace of a furlong from thence , they came to an
old church built by Helena, in the place where
ſtood the houſe of Zebedee. This is in the hands
of theGreeks.
A few ſteps farther is a ſmall church , built over
the houſe of Mark , to which the Apoſtle directed
his courſe after his miraculous gaol-delivery . The
Syrians, who have this place in their cuſtody, pre
tend to thew you the very window at which Rhoda
looked oul, while Peter knocked at the door. In
 M A U NDRE L .
the church they fhew a Syriacmanuſcript of theNew
Teftament in folio , pretended to be 852 years old ;
and a little ſtone font uſed by the apoſtles themſelves
in baptizing .
About 150 paces farther, in the ſame ſtreet, is the
houſe of Saint Thomas, formerly a church , butnow
a moſque. Not many paçes farther, is the place
where they ſy our Lord appeared after his reſurrec
tion to the three Maries, Mat . xxviii. 9 . The
Friars makeout three Maries, though SaintMatthew
mentions only two. The ſame ſtreet carries you to
the Armenian convent: the Armenians have here a
very large and delightful ſpot of ground ; their con
vent and gardens taking up all that part of mount
Sion which is within thewalls of thecity ; their church
is built over the place where they ſay Saint James ,
the brother of John , was beheaded, Acts xii. 2.
In a ſinall chapel on the north ſideof the church ,
is ſhewn the very place of his decollation ; in this
church are two altars , ſet out with extraordinary
ſplendour, being decked with rich mitres, embroi
dered copes, croffes, both filver and gold crowns,
chalices , and other church utenſils, without num
ber. In the middle of the church is a pulpit made
of tortoiſefhell and mother-of-pear), with a canopy
or cupola over it, of the ſame fabric .
A little farther ſtands a ſmall church , which is
ſuppoſed to be founded in the place where the houſe
of Ananias ſtood . Within the church , is ſhewn a
hole in the wall, denoting a place where one of the
officers of the High -prieſt ſmote our bleſſed Saviour,
John xvüi. 22. The officer by whoſe impioushands
that buffet was given , the Friars will have to be the
ſameMalchus whoſe ear our Lord had healed in the
court before . Near this chapel is an olive- tree, to
which , it is reported , Chriſt was chained for ſome
time, by order of Ananias, to ſecure him from eſ
caping,
They
42 MODERN TRAVEL S.
They were now conducted out of Sion -gate ,
which is near adjoining to that called the Houſe of
Caiaphas, where is another ſmall chapel, belonging
alſo to the Armenians : hereM und r thefealtar
pulchthey tell
us is depoſited the very ito awhich
very ſtone tt. * * ſecured from
rei'door
the
of our Saviour's fepulchre. Matt. xxvii. 60 . It was
a long time kept in the church of the ſepulchre ; but
the Armenians, not many years ſince, ftole it from
thence, by ſtratagem , and conveyed it to this place,
The ſtone is two yards and a quarter long, and one
broad ; it is plaiſtered all over , except in five or fix
places,where it is bare, through the kiſſes of the pil
grims. Here is likewiſe ſhewn a cell, ſaid to have been
our Lord's priſon , till the morning when he was car
ried from thence before Pilate , and alſo the place
where Peter was frighted into a denial of his maſter .
Entering the city again at Sion -gate, they came
to a garden lying at the foot of inount Moriah ;
where they were ſhewn ſeveral large vaults, running
at leaſt fifty yards under ground . They were built
in two aiſles, arched at top with huge firm ſtones, and
ſuſtained with tall pillars, confifting each of one fin .
gle ſtone, two yards in diameter : thismight poſſibly
be ſome work made to enlarge the area of the tem
ple, for Joſephus deſcribes ſomething like it.
From theſe vaults they returned toward the con
vent. In their way they ſaw the beautiful gate of
the temple , butthey could but juſt view it in paſſing ;
it not being ſafe to ſtay here long, by reaſon of the
ſuperſtition of the Turks. The enſuing morning
they continued their progreſs round the city, going
firſt to Bathſheba's Pool, ſuppoſed to be the place
wherein that damſel wathed herſelf, when the royal
Pſalmiſt ſpied her from the terrace of his palace. ' A
lirtle below it begins the Valley of Hinnom , on the
weſt ſide of wlich is the place called anciently the
Potter's Field ; and afterwards, the Field of Blood :
it is called Campo Sancto . It is a finall plat of
ground,
 M A UNDRE L . 43
ground, not above thirty yards long, and about half
as much broad ; one half of it is taken up by a ſquare
fabric, twelve yards high , built for a charnel-houſe .
The corpfes are let down into it from the top ; there
being fiveholes left open for that purpoſe. Looking
down through theſe holes they ſaw ſeveral bodies not
quite decayed. The Armenians have the command
of this burying-place, for which they pay the Turks
the rent of one ſequin per day.
A little below the Campo Sancto, is fhewn an in
tricate cave or fepulchre, conſiſting of ſeveral rooms,
one within another , in which the Apoſtles are ſaid
to have hid themſelves when they forfook their mar.
ter. The Valley of Jehofaphat runs along by the
mouth of that Hinnom , and is watered in winter
time by the brook Cedron ; but the ſtream was quite
dried up when our author was there.
Here is to be ſeen the well of Nehemiah , menti .
oned 2 Macc. i. 19. A little higher, in the valley
on the left hand, you come to a tree, fuppoſed to
mark out the place where the evangelical prophet
was fawn afunder. About onehundred paces higher ,
on the fame ſide, is the Pool of Siloam ; it was an
ciently dignified with a church , built over it, but
now a tanner makes no ſcruple to dreſs his hides
in it,
A little farther is a village called Siloe, in which
Solomon is ſaid to have kept his ſtrange wives : and
above this village, is a hill called the Mountain of
Offence, becauſe there Solomon built the high -places
mentioned i Kings xi. 7 : His wives having per
verted his heart to abomination in his declining
years .
On the ſame fide, and not far diſtant from Siloe,
they ſhew another Aceldema, or field of blood , ſo
called , becauſe there it was that Judas hanged him
ſelf. A little farther , on the ſame fide of the val
ley, there are thewn ſeveral Jewiſh monuments ;
amongſt
44. MODERN TRAVEL S .
amongſt the reſt are two noble antiquities, one called
theSpot clofe bich the wil, on the appect line
the Sepulchre of Zachary, and the other the Pillar of
Abfalom : cloſe by the latter, is the fepulchre of Je
hoſaphat, from which the whole valley takes its name,
Upon the edge of the hill, on the oppoſite ſide of
the valley, there runs along, in a direct line , the
wall of the city ; near the corner of which there is a
ſhort end of a pillar jetting out of the wall. Upon
this pillar the Turkshave a tradition , that Mahomet
Nall fit in judgment at the laſt day ; and that all the
world ſhall be gathered together in the valley below ,
to receive their doom from his mouth .
A little farther northward, is the gate of the tein
ple ; it is at preſent walled up, becauſe the Turks
have a prophecy that their deſtruction ſhall enter at
that gate ; the completion of which prediction they
endeavour thus to prevent.
From hence you come in a few paces to a place
which they call the Sepulchre of the Bleſſed Virgin ;
it has a magnificent deſcent of forty- ſeven ſtairs ; on
the right hand , as you go down, is the ſepulchre of
Saint Anna, themother, and on the left, that of Saint
Jofeph , the huſband of the Bleſſed Virgin . Going
hence up the hill, toward the city, is thewn a broad
ſtone, on which they ſay, Saint Stephen ſuffered
martyrdom .
Next they viſited certain intricate grottoes, called
the Sepulchres of the Prophets ; and farther on , at
the top of a hill, from whence our Lord is ſaid to
have aſcended, there formerly ſtood a church , built
in commemoration of that glorious event. Of this
church there now remains only an octagonal cupo
la ; beneath which is ſaid to be the very ſtonewhere
on the ſon of God laſt ſtood . On it is the print of one
ofhis feet ; the impreſſion of the other the Turks have
removed into their greatmoſque on mnount Moriah .
There aremany holy places about Jeruſalem , which
theſe Infidels have ingroſſed , under pretence of vene
rating
 MAUNDREL, 45
rating them equal with the Chriſtians ; but it ismuch
more probable , that their view is to exact money
from thoſe Frankswhoſe devotion may lead them to
viſit theſe ſacred places.
About two furlongs to the northward, is the
higheſt part of mount Olivet ; and upon that was
anciently erected an high tower , in memory of that
apparition of the two arge's to the apoſtles , after
our bleſſed Lord's afcenfion , from which the tower
derived its name. This ancientmonument remain
ed till within theſe two years, when it was demoliſh
ed by a Turk , who had bought the field in which
it ſtood . Nevertheleſs, from the natural height of
the place, there is ſtill a fair proſpect of Jeruſalem ,
the adjacent country, and of the Dead Sea.
A little lower, between mount Olivet and the
brook Cedron , lies a flat fifty - ſeven yards ſquare,
which is ſaid to be Gethſemane. At one corner of
it, is ſhewn a naked rock , on which Peter, James ,
and John are ſuppoſed to have ſlept, during the ago..
ny of our Lord ; and eight paces from it, is a ſtrip
of ground twelve yards long, and one broad, on
which Judas walked up, when he betrayed his ma
fter. And it is remarkable , that the Turks have
cauſed it to be ſeparated from the reſt of the garden ,
holding in deteſtation , even as much as Chriſtians,
ſuch an infamous piece of treachery.
Near Saint Stephen 's gate ſtands an indifferent
Turkiſh houſe, ſaid to havebeen the ſpotwhereon ſtood
the palace of Pilate , From the terrace of this houſe
you have a fair proſpect of all the place whereon the
temple ſtood : indeed the only good proſpect that is
allowed you of it ; for there is no going between the
borders, of it, without forfeiting your life, or what
is worſe, your religion . A fitter place for an auguſt
building could not be found in the whole world than
this area ; it lies upon the top of mount Mcriah,
over -againſt mount Olivet,
' In
46 'MODERN TRAVEL S.
In the middle of the area ftands at preſent a
moique of an octagonal figure, ſuppoſed to be built
upon the ſame ground whereon anciently ſtood the
Sanctum Sanctorum ; it is neither eminent for its
largeneſs, nor its fructure ; and yet it makes a very
ce, is that which a Sancta ."Se,is a delceration .
ſtately figure by the ſole advantage of its ſituation .
At the coming out of the houſe, is a deſcent where
was anciently the Scala Sancta . On the other ſide
of the ſtreet, which was anciently part of the past
lace, is the room where they ſay our Lord was
ſcourged ; it was once uſed for a ſtable, by the ſon
of a certain Balha of Jeruſalem ; but preſently, upon
this profanation , there enſued ſuch a mortality a - .
mongſt his horſes, as forced him to reſign the place ;
ſo that it was redeemed from that fordid uſe ; but
nevertheleſs, it is now no better than a weaver's ſhop .
In their return from Pilate's palace, they paſſed
along the Dolorous Way, and were ſhewn, ift.
The place where Pilate brought our Lord forth to
preſent to the people, with the myſtick ſaying, “ Be .
hold the Man !" 2d. The place whereon Chriſt
fainted thrice under theweight ofhis croſs. 3d.Where
the bleſſed Virgin (wooned away. 4th . Where Saint
Veronica preſented the handkerchief. 5th . Where
the ſoldiers compelled Simon the Cyrenian to bear
the croſs.
Apr. gth , they took a view of Betheſda, which is
120 paces long, forty broad, and eight deep ; there
are ſome old arches remaining over it, although the
water is at preſent dried up . Near at hand, is the
convent and nunnery of Saint Ann .
At a ſmall diſtance ſtands the houſe of the Phari
ſees, wherein Mary Magdalene, with her Tears,
waſhed thefeet of our Saviour. The ſame day, our
travellers viſited mount Gihon ; and the pool of the
ſame name, which is 136 paces long, and fixty- ſe
ven broad ; it is lined with wall and plaiſter, and
well ſtored with water. -
| C H A P.
 MAUNDREL.
CHA P. VII.
Mr. Maundrel begins his-return home; preſentfate of
Nazareth ; mount Tabor ; mount Libanus ; Da
maſcus.
TROM the 11th to the 13th of April, Mr.
i Maundrel and his company kept cloſe within
doors , to avoid the inſolence of the Turks ; it being
the feaſt of Byram , which ſucceeds the Ramadan ,
or Lent; and during which ſpace, they give them
ſelves up to all manner of libertiniſm .
On the 5th, theFather Guardian delivered to each
traveller a certificate of their having viſited all the
holy places , in return for which , and other favours,
they preſented the convent with fifty dollars a man ;
and ſet out with theMoffolemn or Governor, who
was on his return to his maſter, the Baſha of Tri
poli. They had obtained this permiſlion by the
means of a ſmall preſent; and they were induced
to aſk it, as being told , that the roads grew every
day more and inore dangerous from the bruils among
the Arabs increaſing. However, the Moffolem
turned off from thein at the end of the firſt ſtage,
and they ſaw no more of him during their journey .
The country people were, at this ſeaſon , every where
employed in plowing the ground to low cotton , and
they uſed goads of an extraordinary ſize , ſome of
them being at leaſt eight feet long, and fix inches in
circumference ; at the larger end of it was fixed a
ſtrong finall iron ſpade, for cleanſing the plough
froin the earth that might incumber it ; to the lefſer
end was affixed a prickle , wherewith they drive the
oxen , which employment, as well as that of hold
ing the plough, was managed by one and the ſame
perſon .
Apr. 17th , they arrived at a large old town, called
Jeneen ; it lies upon the ſkirts of Efdraelon .
Next
 28 MODERN TRAVEL S.
Nextmorning they arrived at Nazareth , an in
cohigh lill rs, in a colead a truby. Thechupart of
conſiderable village, lying in a cavity on the top of
a high hill, where they were entertained by ſeven
or eight Friars, in a convent ſacred to the Annun
ciation . Theſe fathers lead a truly mortified life, be .
ing in continual fear of the Arabs. The church of
Nazareth is built in form of a croſs ; but part of
the main pillars have been broken away by the
Turks, who therein expected to have found ſome
hidden treaſure,
The houſe of Joſeph , where the Son of God
lived near thirty years as man , is near at hand , and
not far from the ſynagogue wherein he preached the
ſermon mentioned in Luke iv . All thoſe places
were anciently embelliſhed by the devout Helena ,
mother of Conſtantine ; but her labours now lie in
ruins.
Apr. 19th , they viſited mount Tabor : it is ſteep ,
and hard to be aſcended ; the top of it was anciently
well fortified , and to this day there are to be ſeen
the ruins of the walls and trenches. Here is a fertile
area, deliciouſly planted round with trees , being
open only to the ſouth . Here are alſo ſeveral ciſterns
of good water, and three contiguous grottoes, an
fwering to three tabernacles, propoſed to be erected
bySaint Peter, in the aſtoniſhment that poſeſſed him
at the glory of the transfiguration.
From the top of nount Tabor, there is a diſtant
view of the Mediterranean , and a fine proſpect of
moſt of the places, in which the Son of God per
formed his miracles. To the eaſtward you diſcover
mount Hermon), at the foot of which our Lord
raiſed the widow 's fon ; and Endor, where Saul
conferred with the witch , Due eaſt lies the fea of
Tiberius, over which hangs a ſteepmountain , where
the ſwinementioned in the 8th chapter of Matthew ,
ran down and periſhed ,
A fen
 M A UN DR EL : 49
A few points to the north , appears the mount of
Beatitudes ; where our Saviour delivered the ſermon
found in the 5th , 6th, and 7th chapters of Mat
thew .
· After dinner this day they viſited the mountain of
Precipitation ; down which our Saviour's neigh
bours would have caſt him for his ſermon preached
in Luke iv . On the 20th , they took their leaves of
theGuardian, preſenting him with five dollars apiece
for his civility, and proceeded towards Acra, where
they were handſomely entertained by the French
Conſul ; who carried them to ſee ſeveral ca
verns cut in a rocky mountain , about a mile from
the fea ; and theſe appeared upon the niceſt inſpec
tion to have been intended for the reſidence of living
people, and not as ſepulchres for the dead. Who
theſe ſubterranean inhabitants were, it is not eaſy to
determine ; nor yet in what age they lived . Strabo
indeed deſcribes the Troglodytæ to have inhabited
fometenements of this kind.
Apr. 24th , they began to climb mount Libanus ;
which they found very ſteep and difficult. Thenext
day, having paſſed the highelt ridge of this moun
tain , where the ſnow lay cloſe to the road , they be
gan to deſcend ; and in two hours came to a ſmall
village, where there guſhes out a plentiful ſtream ,
which tumbling into a ſubjacentvalley, there foris a
fine brook , and loſes itſelf in the river Letane.
On the 26th , they continued their way ; but night
overtook them in about an hour, in a moſt uncom
fortable ſituation , where wasno graſs for their horſes ;
and ſcarcely more water than ſufficed to ſubſiſt a few
frogs, with whoſe delicate muſick they were all night
entertained . The next day they paſſed the river
Barrady, over a new bridge : this river pours with
vaſt rapidity from the mountains, fertilizing Damaf
cus, and all the neighbouring plains, which are ſo
raviſhingly delightful, ſo exquiſitely calculated for
VOL. 1, the
 50 MODERN TRAVEL S.
the indulgence of pleaſure, that Mahomet, having
viewed them from the top of a high hill, would not
go forward, leſt he ſhould have given way to temp
tation ; but went back again with this reflexion ,
“ There is but one paradiſe deſigned for man !
a mine ſhall not be of this world .”
The city of Damaſcus lies due eaſt of Sidon ,
diſtant from it three days journey : it appears to be
about two miles long, ſwelling inore at each end
than in the middle ; and is ſaid to be ſurrounded on
every fide for thirty miles with gardens well watered ,
planted with the choiceſt fruits, and adorned with
fine alcoves , ſo that it looks as if it ſtood in the
midſt of a wood . -
Deſcending from the precipice whence they had a
view of this terreſtrial paradiſe, they were met by a
janizary, diſpatched to them by the Latin convent,
and by him couducted into the city by a round
about way; being thereby ſecured from the inſults
of the inhabitants, who are favage bigots.
At the eaſt gate of the city , they were received by
Father Raphael, theGuardian of the Latin convent,
where they were accommodated with great civility .
The ſtreets of Damaſcus are very narrow , and the
houſes built of ſunburnt brick , whereby you are
up to the knees in mud when there is the leaſt rain .
It is hard to divine what ſhould induce people to
build in this wretched manner , when the neigh
bouring mountains can furniſh them with ſtones and
other materials, for the moſt elegant ſtructures
perhaps their natural indolence. Yet their gates and
doors are beautifully and variouſly inlaid with marble ;
and ſurely no other part of theworld can thew ſuch
a ſtrange .compound of marble and mud, granduer
and meanneſs.
You generally find, (ſays he), a large ſquare court,
beautified with marble fountains, variety of fragrant
trees, and compaſſed round with ſplendid apa tments
and
 MAUNDREL. .. 56
and divans; the divans being abouthalf a footfrom
the ground , noored and adorned on the ſides with
marble, mixt with moſaic. The ceiling and pan
nels are, after the Turkiſh manner , richly painted
and gilded ; they have generally artificial fountains
ſpringing up before thein in marble barons, and are
furnished to the height of luxury with carpets and
cuſhions.
The church of Saint John Baptiſt is now con
verted into a moſque, and held too ſacred for Chriſ
tians to enter. However, Mr. Maundrel had three
ſhort views of it, looking over the gates . Theſe
are vaſtly large, covered with braſs, inſcribed from
top to bottom with Arabic characters ; and in ſe
veral places with the figure of a chalice, ſuppoſed to
be ihe ancient enſign or arms of the Mamalukes,
On the north ſide of the church is a ſpacious court,
ſcarcely leſs than 150 yards long ; and upwards of
80 broad . It is paved all over, and flanked on
the ſouth ſide by the churci), on the other three ſides
by a double cloiſter , ſupported by two rows of gra
nite pillars of the Corinthian order, which are very
lofty and beautiful. In this church are the head of
Saint John, and ſome other relicks, eſteemed ſo holy ,
that it is death even for a lay Turk to preſume to go
into the room where they are kept.
From the church they went to the caſtle ; which
ſtands about two furlongs diſtant, towards the weſt :
it is a good edifice in the ruſtic ſtile ; in length , 340
paces ; and in breadth , ſomewhat leſs. They were
admitted but juſt within the gate , where they ſaw a
ſtore of ancient arms and armour, the ſpoils of the
Chriſtians in former tiines. Amongſt the artillery
was an old Roman Baliſta ; but this was a place on
which they were not permitted long to gaze. Leay
ing this place the 9th , they went to view the Bazars,
which they found crowded with people, but ſcarcely
worthy of notice.
D 2 Next
52 MODERN TRAVELS.
Next morning they were preſent at the proceſſion
of the Hadgees, ſetting out on their yearly pilgri
mage to Mecca.
In this cavalcade, there came firſt 46 Delees, or
religious madmen , carrying each a lifk ſtreamer of
red and green , or of yellow and green . After theſe
came three troops of Segmen , an order of ſoldiers
among the Turks ; and next to them ſome iroops
of Spahis ; theſe were followed by eight companies
of Mugubrines, who are a body of foot, deſigned
to be left in a garriſon , maintained by the Turks,
ſomewhere in the deſart of Arabia, and relieved every
year with freſh men ; with them were fix pieces of
ſmall cannon . In the next place came on foot the
ſoldiers of the caſtle of Damaſcus, fantaſtically
armed with coats of inail, gauntlets, & c. Theſe weie
followed by two troops of janizaries , and their Aga ,
allmounted. Next came the Batha's two horſe
tails, preceded by his Aga of the court; and then
ſix led -horſes finely ſhaped, and pompoully accou
tered ; over the ſaddle of each was girt a large ſilver
target, gilded with gold .
After theſe horſes came the Mahmal : this is a
large pavillion of black filk , borne by an huge ca
mel, and on every fide reaching to the ground ; it
is adorned with gold fringes, and the camel orna
mented with large ropes of beads, fiſh ſhells, fox
-- --

tails, & c. Under this pavilion the Alcoran is placed

with great folemity , together with a new rich carpet ,
which the Grand Signior ſends every year to Mecca ,
for the covering of Mahomet's tomb ; and the old
one is brought back in return , which is eſteemed of
ineſtimable value. The beaſt which carries this
facred treaſure, is exempted from bearing burdens
for ever after.
To theMahmal ſucceeded another troop, headed
by the Baſha : the proceſſion concluded with twenty
loaded camels .
i 3 C H A P.
 MAUNDREL. 53
CHA P. VIII.
Of the Ager Damafcenus; Sidonia ; cedars of Liba
nus; convent at canobine, & c. ,
n U R travellers went to the Ager Damafcenus,
U a long beautiful meadow , juſt without the
city , on the weſt ſide it is equally interſected by that
branch of the river Barrady, which ſupplies the
city ; and is taken notice of, becauſe of a tradition
current here, that Adam was made of the earth of
this field .
Returning from hence homeward, they were
fewn by the way an elegant bagnio , and near it a
coffee -houſe capable of entertaining four or five
hundred people, ſhaded over-head with trees, 'and
divided into two apartments, adapted to the recep
tion of gueſts ; one proper for the ſummer, the 0
ther for the winter . That deſigned for the ſummer,
was a finall iſland , waſhed by a ſwift ſtream , and
well ſhaded from the heat. Here were a multitude
of Turks reclining upon the divans, there being
nothing which they behold with ſo much delight as
water and verdure.
In the afternoon they went to viſit the houſe of
Ananias, mentioned in Acts ix . 17. remarkable
only for having in it a Chriſtian altar and a Turkiſh
praying-place, not far from each other. About two
furlongs nearer the city than the place whereon Saint
Paul was converted , is a tall timber ſtructure ; and
within it an altar erected, whereat you are told the
Apoſtle reſted for ſome time after his viſion , Acts
ix . 8 .
Being returned to the city, they were ſhewn the
gate at which Saint Paul was let down in a baſket,
Acts ix , 25. -
D 3 Apr.
 54 MODERN TRAVEL S .
Apr. 30th, they went to viſit certain gardens, and
ſpent the day in a very pleaſant ſummer -houfe , over
a clear ſtream of water. Here were plenty of fruit
trees diſpoſed without the leaſt order or regularity ,
In viſiting theſe gardens, Franks are obliged to walk
on foot, or elf : to ride on aſſes ; the inſolence of the
'Turks not allowing them to mount on horſeback ,
To ſerve upon theſe occaſions, there are hackney
affes always ſtanding ready equipped for hire : when
you are mounted , the maſter of the aſs follows the
beaſt wherever you are diſpoſed to go, goading him
behind with a marp -pointed ſtick , which makes him
move with expedition .
May 2d , they ſet out for Sydonaiia ; leaving, on the
right hand a hill, whereon Cain is ſuppoſed to have
facrificed his brother Abel.
Sydonaiia is remarkable for nothing but its wine ;
it was founded by the Emperor Juſtinian, upon the
top of the rock , through which , fteps have been
cut with great labour ; and it would be otherwiſe in .
acceſſible . Upon the whole, it is a mean building ;
but the convent is incloſed with a ſtrong ſtone wall ,
and contains about twenty Greek Monks, with
double thenumber of nuns, who ſeemed to live to
gether in a promiſcuousmanner, without order or
ſeparation . On this rock there are fixteen churches,
butmoſt of them lie in ruins.
The nextmorning they viſited thehouſe of Judas,
and at their departure , each man preſented the con
vent with ten ducats , as a reward for the kindneſs
wherewith they had been treated ; and they after
wards ſet out for Balbec, upon the magnificent ruins
of which we thall give a particular diſſertation in its
proper place.
May 6, they proceeded to mount Libanus, which
they found covered with ſnow , and in labouring
through it, miſſing their way to Canobine, they
were
 MAU N D RE L . 55
were obliged to turn off to Tripoli, where they are
rived the next day.
May 8th , Mr. Conful Haſtings ſhewed them the
caſtle of Tripoli. It is pleaſantly ſituated on a hill,
commanding the city, but has neither arms nor am
munition in it, and ſerves rather for a priſon than
a garriſon . There was'here at this time ſhut up
a poor Chriſtian , called Sheck Eunice, aMaronite ;
who had formerly renounced his faith , and lived
for many years in the Mahometan religion ; but in
his declining age he had retracted. This man was
impaled by order of the Baſha, two days after our au
thor left Tripoli.
The punishment of impaling is thus inflicted :
they take a poſt as thick as a man 's leg, and, eight
or nine feet long, which theymake ſharp at one end ,
and this they force the criminal to carry to the place
of execution , imitating herein the old Roman cufo
tom of compelling malefactors to bear their own
erofs . Being arrived here , they thruſt the ſtake
through his fundament, and then taking him by the
legs, draw on his body till the point of the ſtake apa
pears at his ſhoulders ; after this they erect and
faften it in a hole dug in the ground , and the crimi
nal remains not only Itill alive, butoften diinks, and
talks as one perfectly ſenſible. Thus ſomehave con
tinued for twenty -four hours, but generally after the
wretch has ſuffered this torture and ignominy for an
lour or two, fomeof the by- ſtanders are permitted
to ftab him ; thereby putting an end to his mi
fery .
May gih , our author made one attempt more
at viſiting Canobine, and the cedars of mount Li.
banus ; and after a laborious journey of feven hours,
he arrived among thoſe celebrated trees. They
Aouriſh in the ſnow , near the higheſt part of Leba
non , and are remarkable as well for their fize and
age, as for the frequent alluſions made to them in
4 the
56 MODERN TRAVEL S.
the holy Scriptures : there are ſome very old and of
a prodigious bulk ; others younger and ſmaller ſized .
Of the former , Mr.Maundrel only reckoned up ſix
teen ; the latter are very numerous. One of the
largeſt which he meaſured was twelve yards in cir
cumference, and its branches were thirty -ſeven yards
about. Near five or fix yards from the ground, it
was divided into five limbs, each limb being equal
to a great tree.
After about half an hour ſpent in ſurveying this
place, they ſet out for Canobine, where they arrived
in the evening, and found a kind reception .'
Canobine is a convent of theMaronites, and the
feat of the Patriarch . It is a very mean ſtructure,
but its fituation is admirably adapted to retirement
and devotion . It is feated on the north ſide of a
huge charm , on the ſteep of a mountain , about the
midway between the top and the bottom . This
chaſm runs a great length , and is not only always
green , but interfected with cataracts of falling wa.
ter, the delightful murmurings of which add to the
ſolemnity and folitude of the place. It ſtands at the
mouth of a great cave, having a few ſmall rooms
fronting outward that enjoy the light of the fun ; the
reſt are all under ground . It was founded by the
Emperor Theodoſius the Great ; and though it has
been ſeveral times rebuilt, yet the Patriarch aſſured .
me, the church was of the primitive foundation ,
But whoever built it, it is a mean fabrick , and no
great credit to its founder. At the ſide of the wall
were two ſmall bells to call theMonks to their des
votions ; a privilege allowed no where elſe in Turkey ;
nor would it be ſuffered here , but that the Turks
are out of hearing.
The valley of Canobine was anciently , as it well
deſerves, very much reſorted to for religious retire
ment ; you ſee here ſtill hermitages , cells, and mo
naſteries without number. The following day, af
ter
 MAUNDR E L . 57
ter dinner , Mr.Maundrel left this place, and return
ed to Tripoli.
May nith , they took their leaves of their friends
at Tripoli, in order to return to Aleppo , and
had ſome debate with their ſelves , whether to take
the ſame way which they came, when outward
bound, or a new way by Emiffa , Hempfe, and Ha
mal ; but being warned of ſome diſturbances upon
this latter road , they agreed to return the ſameway
they came.
Our author does not mention any thing remark
able that occurred upon the road back , which they
paſſed in eight days, except that the peaſants, inſtead
of cutting down their corn , pluck it up in handfuls,
ſo cloſe, that they tear away roots and all, and leave
behind them no traces of fertility : this they do ,
that they may loſe none of the ſtraw , which is the
only ſuſtenance of their cattle, hay being not known
in this climate ,

Ds THE
 THE

TRAVELS
OF

DR. THOMAS SHAW , F . R .S .

CH A P . I.
Of the Algerine dominions ; Oran and Arzeu deſcribed ;
of Sherſbel, ſuppoſed to be the ancient Cafarea .
D R . Shaw is in great eſtimation for the accuracy
of the accounts by him delivered to us of the
countries through which he paſſed . .
He begins with a general deſcription of the king
dom of Algiers, which is one of themoſt conſidera
ble diſtricts in that part of Africa called Barbary , and
now under the Turkiſh ſubjection . It is bounded
to the weſt with Twunt, and the mountains of
Trara ; to the ſouth with the Sahara or Deſert ; to
the eaſt with the river Zaine, the ancient Tuſca ;
and to the north with theMediterranean Sea.
According to the beſt geographical accounts, it is
in the broadeſt place 240 miles over ; and Sanſon ,
who is extremely correct , makes it from weſt to eaſt,
900 miles in length ; though , by the exacteſt obfer .
vations of our judicious author, the ſpace of ground
between Twunt and Tabarka, is notmore than 460
miles : the firſt of theſe places lies in o degrees 16
minutes weſt longitude from London ; and the latter
upon the river Zaine, in 9 deg. 16 min . to the eaſt.
The Algerine dominion beyond the Tell, or the
more advanced parts of the mountains of Atlas, is
very
 DR. THOMAS SHAW . 50
very uncertain and precarious ; for which reafon Dr.
Shaw fixes its limits , on that quarter , upon the
northern ſkirts of the Sahara. Some of the villages
of Zab pay an annual tax to the Turks by way of
fealty ; others again are independent; and the inha- -
bitants of Bildulgerid are not brought under contri
bution ,
The mountains of Atlas are rarely if ever found
to be equal to ſome of the largermountains of Great
Britain ; and fuch of them as fell in our author's
way to examine, comenot, according to his opinion ,
in competition either with the Alps or the Apennines.
Let us conceive, ſays he, a number of hills of 43,
5 or 600 yards perpendicularly high , with an eaſy
aſcent, and ſucceſſive groves of fruit and foreſt- trees,
riſing as it were in ranges one above the other ; and
then we ſhall be furniſhed with an idea of thoſe hills
which at preſent employ our attention . More effecie
tually to realize the ſcene, let us here and there add
the proſpect of a rocky precipice , a broken eminence,
and a village of the Kabyles, and we ſhall have no.
need to heighten the picture with the nocturnal:
flames, melodious ſounds, or imaginary beings at
tributed to theſe places by the ancients .
| Twunt, the frontier village of the Algerines to the
fea, is defended by a ſmall fort, and lies four leagues
fouth -weſt of Cape Hone ; which is one of the moſt .
conſpicuous promontories to the eaſtward of the ce
Jebrated riverMalya , otherwiſe called Mullovia , which
is large and deep, and diſcharges itſelf into theMe
diterranean Sea, overagainſt the Bay of Almeria ,
in Spain . :
Ai fome diſtance from Cape Hone, we find the
river Tafna, on the weſtern banks of which are the
ruins of an ancient city, called Siga, once the capj.
tal of Numidia, at preſent known by the name of
Tackumbreet ; and is probably the Tabeeritum of
Leo ,
Oran
60 MODERN TRAVEL S.
Oran is a fortified town, about a mile in circum
ference, built upon the declivity of a mountain , and
overlooked by two caſtles. Leſs than half a furlong
to the weſtward of this inountain , there is another
caſtle in a ſituation ſomewhat higher than the for
mer ; but there lying a larger vale between them ,
their reſpective ridges are ſo remarkably diſunited ,
that they form a very convenient land -mark for ma
riners.
To the ſouth and ſouth -eaſt, there are two caſtles
erected upon the ſamelevel with the lower part of the
town , but ſeparated from it by a deep winding valley .
Near a fountain there is another caſtle , which for
bids all approaches of an enemy, and is an excellent
defence to the city.
Three of theſe caſtles are regular polygons; the
other two, viz . the higheſt upon the ridge, and the
eaſtermoſt of thoſe that lie before the town, are built
with battlements and loop -holes , like ſome old fortifi
cations in England . Oran hath two gates ; thatwhich
Jies neareſt the port is called theGate of the Sea ;
over it is built a large ſquare tower , which might be
eaſily fo :tified . The other is called the Gate of
Flemſan, and has an oblong battery , with ſeveral
ports for cannon .
On thenorth -weſt, which is the higheſt part of
the city, ſtands the citadel, on all the angles of which
ſeveral piecesof cannon aremounted ; whilſt thelower
and oppoſite corner, to the north - eaſt is defended
by a regular baſtion ; from all which circumſtances
Oran muſt be conſidered as a place of ſome confe
quence ; and the Spaniards, who are now poſſeſſed
of it, would not have made ſo eafy a conqueft, with
out ſome ſtrange miſconduct, or ſomeunaccountable
infatuation on the part of theMoors .
Theſe chriftian conquerors have ornamented the
place with ſeveral beautiful pieces of architecture, in
the Roman ſtyle ; but yetneither ſo ſtrong nor fo fq .
lid
 DR . THOMAS SHAW . 61
lid as the antients . They have alſo farther imitated
the Romans, in carving,upon every convenient place,
inſcriptions in their own language. . .
· Three Roman miles from the port, lies Arzew ,
the country for ſomemiles behind which is a fertile
champaign ſoil. If we look down upon theſea from
ſome contiguous precipices , we ſhall find that itmuſt
have been a natural ſafeguard to the city. The wa
termade uſe of by the inhabitants at preſent, is lower
than the ſea, a circumſtance that will perhaps ac ,
count for the brackiſhneſs of it. They draw it be
low the precipices froin a number of wells , which ,
by the maſonry, appear to be as old as the city ,
However , in ſome meaſure to ſupply the want of
ſuch a conveniency, the founders have made the
uſual proviſion for collecting the rain -water, by build
ing thewhole city upon ciſterns. Theſe ſtill ſubſiſt,
but are converted to a differentuſe , ſerving the inha
bitants for ſo many hovels to dwell in .
There are ſeveral capitals, baſes , ſhafts of pil
lars, and other ancient materials, ſcattered among
the ruins. A well-furniſhed Corinthian capital of
Parian marble , ſupports the ſmith 's anvil : and in
the Cadi's houſe , our author accidentally diſcovered
a beautiful Moſaic pavement, through the rents of a
ragged carpet ſpread over it.
. : Five miles to the ſouthward of Arzew , there is a
large compaſs of ground full of falt-pits, from whence
the neighbouring people are ſerved with ſalt. This
commodity , from the facility of digging it, the
ſhortneſs afterwards of the carriage, and the advan
tage of the adjacent port, would , under any other
government, be a branch of trade almoſt invaluable ,
as the pits themſelves are not to be exhauſted . A
little to the eaſtward, is the mouth of the rivers
Siinkne and Habrah , which unite about three miles
before they fall into the ſea . Except in the rainy
feaſon , theſe rivers are loſt in the fand, when they
are
62 MODERN TRAVEL S.
are out ; the place at which they are croſſed, is calle
ed ElMuchadhah , or the Fordi
Muſtygannim is built in form of a theatre, and is.
faid to be made up of many villages, formerly ſe
parated, but by degrees enlarging into one. There:
are ſome unoccupied fpaces here that ſeem to con .
firm this conjecture , and in one of them particular
ly, which lies near the centre of the city , there are
the remains of an old Mooriſh caſtle , which was
built before fire-arıns were known, as appears from
its ſtructure.
Muſtygannim , from one quarter , commands the
port, and a fine proſpect of the ſea : here it is de
fended by a ſtrong wall of hewn ſtone, and a caſtle ,
in which therc is a Turkiſh garriſon . On every
other ſide it is encompaſſed with hills, whence an
enemy might eafily annoy it. The chief ſtrength of
the place conſiſts in a citadel, erected upon an emi.
nence, which commands both the town and the
country adjacent.
Maſſagram lies within a furlong of the fea , twelve
miles to the north - eaſt of the ford : it is a ſmall town ,
encloſed within a mud wall, and flanked to the weſt
by a range of hills. Both theſe places are delight
fully fituated , in a foil extremely fertile, as well as .
plentifully ſupplied with water ; and the road be
tween them , which runs along the ſea - fhore, is .
pleafuntly variegated by gardens, orchards, and hands.
ſome country ſeats .
On the fouth and ſouth -eaſt they are bounded by a '
range of kills , that ſtop the progreſs of the noxious :
winds accompanying the hotter ſeaſons ;and refreſhing
ſtreams ſteal down on every hand . The caſtle, and
fome tumbling walls on the north -eaſt appear, from :
what reinains of them , to have been erected by the
Romans.
To the eaſt-north - eaſt in a low ſwampy fituation
contiguous to thefea, is Tnis, or Tennis, which was
the
 DR. THOMAS SHAW , 63:
themetropolis of a petty kingdom , before the con
queſts of the Barbaroffæ : it contains a few miſera.
ble huts, and is watered by a brook , which falls into
the ſea, near a ſmall adjacent iſland. The harbour
is very dangerous, being not at alldefended from the
weſt and north winds, which prove fatal to many
veſſels that touch here in the ſtormy ſeaſons : from
hence large quantities of corn are ſhipped for Europe.
The Moors have a tradition , that the natives of this
place were formerly in ſuch reputation for forcery ,
that ſome of them were employed by Pharaoh to
oppoſe their miracles to thoſe of Moſes. The moſt
remarkable promontory in all Barbary is not far off :
modern Geographers call it Cape Tennis, and the
Moors diſtinguiſh it by the name of the Bell.
Ten leagues diſtant is Sherlell, a city famous for
ſteel, earthen -ware , and fuch utenſils of iron as are
uſed among the Kabyles and Arabs. It is made up .
of low , tiled houſes, which take up about a mile of
ground ; but was formerly of more extentand con
ſequence than at preſent.
It is certain , that this was once the fituation of a
city little inferior to Carthage, if we may be allowed
to form an opinion of its magnificence from the pil
lars , capitals, ciſterns, and moſaic pavements that
are ſtill to be ſeen . The water of the river Halhem
was conducted hither through a large ſumptuous a.
queduct, ſeveral fragments of which remain among
the neighbouring mountainsand valleys to the ſouth
eaſt, and are inconteſtible proofs of the beauty and
grandeur of the work .
The ſituation of this place was nobly adapted to
ftrength and beauty . It was ſecured from the en .
croachments of the fea by a ſtrung wall near forty
feet high , ſupported by buttreſſes, and winding by
the ſea- thore for near two miles. Two furlongs
within this wall, the city begins upon a level, and
afterwards riſes gradually , for more than a mile, to
a conſiderable elevation . Sherſhell
 64 MODERN TRAVEL S .
· Sherſhell is ſo ſhut up by mountains and paſſes
difficult of acceſs, that all communication with it
may be eaſily cut off , whenever the neighbouring
tribes chuſe to be troubleſome: a diſpoſition in which
they are often found. From this circumſtance we
may reaſonably conclude, that Sherſhell is no other
than Julia Cæfarea ; and theſe words of Procopius
contirm the conjecture, viz . " That the Romans
“ could only approach it by sea ; all the avenues by
“ land being in thehands of itsneighbours .” More
over, the caravans are thirty days journey between
Sherſhell and Tunis, the neighbourhood of ancient
Carthage ; and it engroſſed exactly the ſame ſpace of
time, according to the author juſt now mentioned ,
to travel from Carthage to Cæſarea. They have a
tradition , that the city was formerly deſtroyed by an
earthquake ; and that the port, which was before
large and commodious, was thereby choaked up with
buildings. At low -water , inany large pillars, and
pieces of wall, are to be ſeen at the bottom of the
Cothon , which communicates with the weſtern part
of the port ; and theſe could not have been brought
hither by any other accident.
· The Cothon was well contrived for the conve
nience and ſafety of the veſſels that anchored in it ;
and the founder's ingenuity in ſupplying it with wa
ter, is a topic worthy of admiration . For this purpoſe ,
ſeveral floors and moſaic pavements, were laid upon
an eminence, forming the northern mound of the
port, and the Cothon , in which the rain -water was
received as it fell, and thence paſſed off by means of
ſome finall conduits into an oval ciſtern , capable of
containing many thouſand tons of water ; and this
water was appropriated to the uſe of the Cothon .
The diameter of the port, which is of a circular
form , is 200 yards, but that part of it which was
formerly moſt commodious, is now filled up by a
fand -bank,
Thirteen
 DR. THOMAS SHAW . 65
Thirteen miles eaſt by ſouth of Sherſhell, is the city
of Tefeſſad, which appears to be the Tipaſa of old
geography.
The coaſt all along from Tefeffad to Algiers, is, -
in many places for two or three leagues together,
either woody or mountainous, whereby the fine
plains of Metejiah , that lie behind it, are conveni
ently ſecured from the more immediate influence of
the boiſterous northern blaſts blowing from the ſea .
Seven miles from Tefeffad, eaſt by ſouth upon the
mountainous part of the ſea -coaſt, lies the Kuber
Romeah , or Roman Sepulchre, which may alſo
be interpreted, the Sepulchre of the Chriſtian Wo
men. It is a ſolid compact edifice, built of free
ſtone ; the height of it is 100 feet : and , though
the Turks have demoliſhed part of it, in hopes of
finding ſome treaſure, which they ſuppoſed to have
been buried underneath ; yet is ſtill ſufficiently high
to ſerve as a land-mark for marines . From the ele
gáncy of the workmanſhip , and the form of its con
ftruction , we have room to ſuppoſe it more ancient
than the Mahometan conqueſts ; and to be the ſame
monumentwhich is by Mela appropriated to the ina
terment of the kings of Numidia.
CH A P . II.
Of ſeveral remarkable places in the Southern Provinces ;
with ſome account of Algiers,
THE moſt remarkable place which we next find
1 mentioned by Dr. Shaw . is the city of Tre
meſen , by the Moors pronounced Telemſan . It
lies upon a riſing ground, below a range of rocky
precipices, which very probably are the Sachratain ,
ſpoken of by Edrifi.
The city is well watered on every part, from a
reſervoir, which is filled by ſubterraneous channels
communi.
66 MODERN TRAVEL S.
communicating with the neighbouring mountains.
In the weſt part of the city , there is a large ſquare
baron , of Mooriſh workmanſhip , 200 yards long,
and 100 broad. Here, according to a tradition cre
dited among the inhabitants, the kings of Tlemſan
were wont to take the diverſion of failing, and theis
ſubjects to practiſe the art of navigation . This ba .
ſon was perhaps defigned for a reſervoir of waters in
caſe of the city's being befieged ; becauſe the fources
wherewith it wasotherwiſe ſupplied , mighthave been
eaſily cut off by aö enemy. The moſt part of the
walls of Tlemſan are compoſed of a mortar made
of ſand, lime, and pebbles ; to which time has
given the ſtrength and folidity of ſtone.
The ancient Tlemſan was about four miles in
circumference ; but ſcarcely more than one fixth of
it now remains, it having been for the moſt part
deſtroyed by the Dey of Algiers, on account of its
having been diſaffected , in the year 1670.
Among the ruins are found many fragments ofRom
man antiquities ; and in the walls of an old moſque
the Doctor diſcovered feveral altars dedicated to the
DiiManes.
In the village of Hubbed, to the eaſtward of Tlem .
fan , there is a tomb much reverenced by theMaho
metans ; and a mile to theweſtward , an incloſed area
of two miles circuit, in the center ofwhich is a high
tower and a plentiful fountain . On this fpot once
ſtood the city of Manfoural , nothing of which , not
even a houſe remains, except the walls, which are
of the fame nature with thoſe of Tłemfan .
The plains of Zeidore begin upon the banks of
the Iffer , below Tlemfan , and extend themſelves,
through a beautiful interchange of hills and valleys,
to the diſtance of thirty iniles.
Three or fourmiles from hence is pointed out the
place where Barbaroffa, to elude the purſuits of his
enemies, fcattered about his treafure ; a deyice that
could
 DR. THOMAS SHAW . 67
could not ſecure his eſcape. There is a Mooriſh
ſanctuary on the other fide of the river , ftanding
upon an eminence. It is inhabited by ſeveral reli
gious, who have no beverage but the water ofWe
del Mailah , a neighbouring ford , whoſe banks are
of a gritty ſubſtance .
Eight leagues ſouth - ſou h -eaſt ofMuſtygannim lies
ElCallah : it is builtupon an eminence, and ſurround
ed by hills, being but poorly contrived, and having
neither drains nor cauſeways to carry off the filth ;
it is a great market for carpets, in themanufacturing
of which ſeveral neighbouring villages are employed .
In a fine plain , five leagues to the ſouth -weſt of El
Callah , is a town of mud -walled cabins, calledMaf
car ; it is defended by a litile fort, in which, how
ever , no Turks are permitted to garriſon .
Ninety miles eaſt- north -eaſt of Tlemſan , are the
ruins of Tagadempt,a large city ,which was fomeyears
fince plundered by the Arabs ; who have left manifeſt
and lamentable proofs of their ignorance and barba
rity , in thetearing down and deſtroying ſeveralmag
nificent pieces of architecture, wherewith the place
was once ornamented .
Below the Parallel of Loha, is a fertile country,
inhabited by a very powerful tribe of Arabs, called
Sweede : they are of that rank which pays no tri
bute , and ſerve the Algerines as volunteers.
Above the Sweede, are the encampments of the
Welled Booker : behind which are thoſe of the Wel
led Haleef, a tribe that never tills the ground, but is
rich in cattle ,
Seven miles farther are the ruins of a Roman fta
tion , with the Sheliffe running under it ; and at ele .
ven miles diſtance, but a league from the river , is an
old ſquare tower, called Memmounturroy ; it was a
ſepulchral monument of the Romans. The Arabs.
ſuppoſed it to have been built over fome treaſure ;
and in this conjecture they were confirmed by an in ..
ſcription
68 MODERN TRAVEL S.
win ove it, to the and my ſhade av. deſpair;
ſcription overr it, to the following purpoſe : “ My
66 treaſure is my Thade ; and my ſhade is my trea
.“ ſure. Search for it ; deſpair not. Nay, deſpair ;
.“ do not ſearch .”
Five miles farther, upon the banks of the river
Sheliffe, are the ruins of two large cities , viz .Men
non and Sinaab .
On an eminence, three miles from Sinaab , of
which it commands a view , is amud -walled village,
under the Turkiſh yoke, named Merjejah.
Beni Maſhed, the Beni Arax of modern geogra
phers, is ſituated eight miles eaſt by ſouth of Mer
jejal , and two miles north of the river Fuddah. This
place made ſomefigure in former ages, having had a
citadel, 2000 houſes, and a race of warlike inhabi
tants, that commanded the country as far as El Cal
lah and Maſcar . At preſent it is conſiderably re
duced, and the citadel is in ruins.
Deſcending the inountains of Beni Raſhed , to the
north you arrive in a fertile plain whereon once ſtood
ElHerba, a Roman city , ſomething more than a
mile in circuit . Here are ſeveral pillars of blue mar
ble, of excellent workınanfhip ; but their capitals ,
which are of the Corinthian order , are much den
faced .
Paſſing eaſt -north -eaſt over a fertile plain , through
which the river Sheliffe pleaſantly winds, you arrive
atMaliama, built upon a mnountain two leagues from
ElHerba.
Hither the devout people of Bleda, Algiers, & c.
repair in great numbers in ſpring, to pay their de
votions at the ſhrine of Sede Youſeph , the titular
ſaint. Here are ſome fragments of Roman archi
tecture ; and, from an inſcription upon one of them ,
it is probable that in this obſcure place the grandſon ,
. and great- grandſon of Pompey , lie interred . It is
impoſſible to reflect upon the misfortunes of this
hero and his family, without being ſenſibly affected ;
and
 DR. THOMAS SHAW . 69
and here the following elegant epigram of Martial
naturally occurs.
Pompejos juvenes Aſia atque Europa, fed ipſum
Terra tegit Libyes : fi. tamen ulla tegit .
Quid mirum tota ſi ſpargitur orbe ? Jacere
Uno non poterat tanta ruina loco .
Eightmiles eaſt-north - eaſt of Maliana, half way
between Stoeli,and the ſea, are the baths of Mereega,
the Aquæ Calidæ Colonia of the ancients ; the
largeſt and moſt frequented of theſe baths, is a baſon
twelve feet ſquare , and four deep : here the water
bubbles up in a degree of heat juſt ſupportable, and
hence paſies off, having filled this , to a neighbour
ing ciſtern , made uſe of by the Jews, who are not
allowed to bathe in company with Mahoinetans,
Both thee baths are now open to the weather , and
half filled with ſtones and rubbiſh ; though at one
time they were well covered, and kept in excellent
order. Numbers of people afflicted with rheuma
tiſm , jaundice, and other ill habits of body, reſort
hither in the ſpring -time, and are ſaid to find ſome
alleviation of their grievances.
Higher up the hill is another hath , the water of
which being too hot, is conveyed into another
room , where it is made uſe of in an operation of
the ſame nature and effect with our pumping.
Between theſe two baths there are the ruins of ano
ther Roman town, equal in ſize to ElHerba, where
in are found tombs and ſtone coffins of an unuſual
bigneſs.
The largeneſs of the bones that are ſometimes
raked up among the fepulchres, may be eaſily ac
counted for, if we remember, that the Goths and
l'andals often buried the horſe , ſword , armour, and
all his accoutrements , with a deceaſed foldier. This
cuſtom paſſed over with them very probably into
Africa ;
 90 MODERN TRAVEL S.
Africa ; the natives of which , not being nice anato
miſts, might confound the bones of the horſe with
thoſe of the man ; and this aſſertion with regard to
interment, is confirmed by the many long ſwords
with handles, ſhaped like croſſes , that are often
taken up in this country. . .
Thefe baths are ſurrounded by ſteep valleys, nei
ther to be climbed nor croſſed without much diffi
culty ; which is however compenſated by a ſucceed
ing view of the delightful plains of Metijiah . Here
are many fine country leats and farms that ſupply
Algiers with proviſions; and beſides fruit, pot
herbs, rice , and grain of every fort, the ſoil a
bounds alſo with flax and alhenna. .
This city, ſurnamed by the Turks the Warlike,
which has for ages braved the utmoſt power of Chriſ
tendom , is notmore than a inile and a half in cir
cumference ; yet it is thought to contain 100,000
Mahometans, among whom there are ſcarcely more
than 30 renegadoes ; 15, 900 Jews, and 200o Chriſ
tian ſlaves : it faces the north and north -eaſt and is fi
tuated upon the declivity of a hill, whereby the houſes,
riſing gradually one above another , have, almoſt all
of them , a full view of the ſea. The walls are
weak , unleſs where ſtrengthened by ſome additional
fortifications.
The Cauffabah, which is built upon the higheſt
part of the city , and makes the weſtern angle of it,
is of an octagonal figure ; each of the ſides in view
having their proper port-holes or einbraſures . The
north angle near the gate of the river, and the ſouth
angle near Bab - azoone, are each of thein guarded
with a ſmall baſtion . The new gate, lying between
Bab -azoone and the Cauſlabah , haih a ſquare up
right battery ; and betwixt the Cauſſabah and Babel
wed, there are port -holes, with a few pieces of cannon .
The ditch , which formerly ſurrounded the city , is now
almoſt entirely filled up , except at Babelwed and
Baba
 DR. THOMAS SHAW . yo
Bab -azoone ; where likewiſe it would be of little
confequence. From Babelwed and Bib -azoone to
the Cauſſabah , each way, is about three furlongs,
in an aſcent of fifteen or twenty degrees.
Betwixt Babelwed and the ſandy bay that lieth a
furlong from it to the north -weſt, is the caſtle of Sit
teet Ako -leet, built for the moſt part in a regular
manner , and very capable of annoying an enemy,
both in their landing , and lodging themſelves after
wards in the Bohyras, as they call theadjacentplains
and gardens. Half a mile to the weſt of Bab -azoone
ſtrait andwixt whichthere is lik
is the Ain -rebat, where there is likewiſe another
fandy bay , betwixt which and Algiers the road is
more ſtrait and rugged than at Babelwed, though
in the narroweſt part of it, thirty men may inarch
in front. There is a caſtle for the ſecurity of this
road , but it is inferior in ſtrength and extent to that
of Sitteet Ako - leet. Both theſe bays are overlooked
by a ridge of hills lying neirly upon a level wiih the
Cauſfabah . Two convenient caſtles are built here,
one of which , called from its five acute angles, the
Caſtle of the Star, is within a furlong of the Cauſſa
bah , and commandeth the ſandy bay at Babelwed ;
the other, called the Emperor's Caſtle, hath a full
command of the Caſtle of the Star, and the fandy
bay towards Ain -rebat.
Beyond Babelwed, as far as Ras Accounatter , the
ſhore is made up of rocks and precipices ; but to the
eaſtward of Algiers, from Ain -rebat, round a large
bay to Temendfuſe , it is acceſlible in moſt places.
The Emperor Charles V . in his unfortunate expe
dition , A . D . 1541, againſt this city , landed his
army at Ain -rebat, where there ſtill remains a frag
ment of the pier, ſuppoſed to have been erected for
that purpoſe : the better likewiſe to ſecure a corre
fpondence with his fleet, and to ſuccour his troops
in their intended approaches towards the city , he
pofieſſed himſelf of the ridge lately deſcribed, where
he
72 MODERN TRAVEL S.
be built the inner part of the caſtle that continues to
be called after his name. Such is the ſtrength and
ſituation of Algiers to the landward ; but towards the
ſea we ſhall find it better fortified , and capable to
make a more ſtrenuous defence. For the embrafures
in this direction are all employed ; the guns are of
braſs, and their carriages and other utenſils in good
order .
The battery of themole -gate, upon the eaſt angle
of the city, is mounted with ſeveral long pieces of
ordnance, one of which hath ſeven cylinders, each
of them three inches in diameter . Half a furlong to
the weſt-north -weſt, of the harbour, is the battery of
Fiſher's Gate, or the Gate of the Sea , which , con .
filling of a double row of cannon , commands the
entrance of the port , and the road before it .
The port is of an oblong figure, 130 fathom long,
and 80 broad . The eaſtern mound of it, which
was formerly the iſland, is well ſecured by ſeveral
fortifications. The caſtle, built by the Spaniards,
whilſt they were maſters of the iſland , and the two
remote batteries , erected within this century, are
ſaid to be bomb-proof, and have each of them their
lower embraſures mounted with 36 - pounders ; but
the middle battery, which appears to be the oldeſt ,
is the leaſt defenſible . Here it may be obſerved, that
none of the fortifications mentioned by our author,
are aſſiſted with either mines or advanced works ; fo
that the ſoldiers , who are to guard and defend them ,
cannot be kept to any regular duty ; in which caſe
a few reſolute battalions, protected by a ſmall ſqua
dron of thips, would have no great difficulty to
make themſelves maſters of the very ſtrongeſt of
them .
The nival force of the Algerines hath been ſome
years in a declining condition ; if we except their
rowboats and brigantines : they had A . D . 1732, fix
capital ſhips, from 36 to 50 guns, and at the ſametime
had
 DR. THOMAS SHAW . 93
had not half that number of experienced officers.
A general peace with the three trading nations, and
the impoſſibility of keeping up a ſuitable diſcipline,
where every private ſoldier diſputes authority with his
officer, are ſome of the principal reaſons why ſo
ſmall a number of veſſels are fitted out, and why ſo
few perſons of merit are afterwards willing to com
mand them .
There is little within the city thatmerits the at
tention of the curious.
Their public buildings are ſuch as their bagnios,
& c. Their officers are, theMufti, Cadi, & c. The
inhabitants , as Jews and Moors , & c . have been al
ready ſufficiently deſcribed by ſeveral authors. The
additions therefore which I have to make, will relate
chiefly to the government, the army, and the poli
tical intereſts and alliances of this regency ; but of
thoſe in their proper place.
Algiers, from the diſtance and ſituation of it, with
reſpect to the Tefefſad , ſhould be the ancient Ico
fium , placed in the Itinerary forty - ſeven miles from
Tipaſa . Leo and Marmol inform us, that it was
formerly called Melgana, from an African family of
that name. The preſent name Al-je-zeire, or Al
je - zeirah , ( for ſo we ſhould pronounce it, ) ſignifieth
in this language the iſland, ſo called from being in
the neighbourhood of the eaſtern mound of the
harbour, which, till after the time of the Turkiſh
conqueſts, was ſevered from the continent.
The hills and valleys round about Algiers, are
every where beautified with gardens and country
feats , where the inhabitants of better faſhion reſide
during the ſummer ſeaſon . The country - ſeats are
little white houſes, ſhaded by a variety of fruit -trees,
and ever - greens, whereby they afford a gay and de
lightful proſpect towards the ſea : the gardens are:
well ſtocked with melons, fruit, and pot-herbs of
all kinds ; and, what is chiefly regarded in theſe hot
VOL. I. cli
74 MODERN TRAVEL S.
climates , each of them enjoys a great command of
water , from the many rivulets and fountains which
every where preſent themſelves in this ſituation .
The fountain-water made uſe of in Algiers, uni
verſally eſteemed to be excellent, is likewiſe brought
through a long courſe of pipes and conduits, from
theſe ſources.
Jurjura , the higheſtmountain in Barbary , is at
leaſt eight leagues long, lying nearly in a north - eaſt
and ſouth -weſt direction : it appears to be froin one
end to another a continued range of naked rocks and
precipices , and ſecures, by its rugged ſituation , a
number of Kabylts from becoming tributary to the
Algerines.
The ridge of this mountain is covered with ſnow ,
and it is very remarkable that the inhabitants of the
one fide ſhould maintain an hereditary and impla
cable animoſity againſt thoſe of the other ; whilſt, by
conſent, a little ſnow puts a full ſtop to their hofti
lities, during the winter ſeaſon .
If we return back again to the weſtward, we
ſhall find to the ſouthward of mount Atlas, and the
Summata , the Arabo Zenage-ra and Boudorna,
with their fountains Ras elwed , Dim , and Athreede :
theſe tribes posteſs a fine country, made up of hills .
and valleys; and at Ain -athree ie there are the traces
of an old city .
Eight miles to the ſouth - ſouth -eaſt of the Bou
darna, and at the like diſtance to the ſouth - weſt of
Medea, are the fruitful diſtricts of Wamre and
Amoura, both of them watered by the Harboone.
• The Burgh Swaary caſtle, in the diſtrict of the
Swaary, lieth four leagues to the ſouth -weſt of Ain
baſeef, and ten to the fouthward of Medea.
Three leagues to the caſt -north -eaſt of the Burgh ,
in the eaſtern extremity of the Titterie Dorh , as the
Turks call the Rock of Titterie, a remarkable ridge :
of
 DR. THOMAS SHAW . 75
of precipices running parallel with the plains of Beni
Haleefa .
The next province deſcribed by our author , is
Conſtantina, which is more than 230 miles long,
and above 100 broad ; and the Viceroy pays into the
treaſury of Algiers between 8o and 100 ,000 dollars
yearly ; whereas the Titterie Bey ſcarcely collects
more than 12000 ; and the weſtern Bey from 40
to 50 ,000 .
The river Booberak is the weſtern boundary of
this province, and at a league's diſtance, upon the
ſea - coaſt, at the foot of a high mountain , the town
of Delly riſes out of the ruins of a large city ;
where juſt over the harbour, in an old wall, is a
mutilated ſtatue, which ſeemsto have been intended
for a Madona.
One hundred and one Roman miles from Dellys ,
which is ſuppoſed to be the antientMuſucurium , is
Bonjeiah , a garriſon , but of ſo little conſequence ,
that it is perpetually blocked up by the neighbour
ing tribes , or Kabyles ; who raiſe ſtrange diſorders
in the neighbourhood , eſpecially on market-days.
For though the buſineſs of themarket is conducted
with great tranquility, yet no ſooner is it over, than
theſe factious clans begin their outrage ; and the
day ſeldom concludes without ſome flagrant inſtance
of their barbarity. The adjacent country furniſhes
plenty of wax and oil ; and the mountains afford
good iron , whence are made mattocks, ploughſhares,
and other uſeful implements, in all which the inha
bitants drive a conſiderable trade.
The Europeans call Boujeiah , Bugia ; it is built
upon the ruins of an old city , in a ſituation much
like that of Dellys. Here are three caſtles ; one on
the top of the mountain commanding the city, and
two at the bottom to ſecure the port. Sir Edward
Spraggs once cannonaded this place, and themarks
E 2 of
 6 MODERN TRAVELS.
of his fire are ſtill viſible on the walls of one of the
caſtles.
Thirteen leagues froin Boujeiah, is lijel, the Igil
gie of the ancients ; leaving which , and paſſingmany
towns, we came amongſt the clans who dwell upon ,
and drink of the river Boora, living in caves ; and if
they eſpy a fhip at a diſtance in bad weather, myriads
of thein cover the ſhore, praying to heaven for its de.
ſtruction ; and there is nomercy to be expected from
them , for they are void of humanity , and ſtrangers
ppo ,a ofneck
liOn mah , lying
whicofojeland,
to the feelings of pity .
etween tthe
yang bbetween he rivers Sei
bouſe , and Boojemah , lie the ruins of the ancient
Hippo, of which Saint Auguſtin was biſhop ; and a
place ſaid to have been his convent is pointed out by
theMoors, who make of it a profitable livelihood .”
We are told by Silius Italicus, that Hippo was a
place of which the Kings of Numidia were very
fond ; nor is there any thingwonderful in this, if we
conſider that it was not only ſtrong and well fortified ,
but alſo extremely healthful, and well fituated for
trade, commerce, hunting, and diverſion. Beſides
a molt delightful proſpect, the eye here , at one view ,
takes in the ſea , a ſpacious harbour, diverſity of
mountains loaden with trees, and plains finely wa.
tered .
A few leagues further is a ſettlement of the French
African Company, who have a magnificenthouſe and
gardens, a company of ſoldiers, a good quantity of
arins, and ſeveral pieces of ordnance. They com
mand the trade of the whole country, and reap vaſt
advantages from the coral fithery, in which they
conſtantly employ 300 men. They buy up all the
corn , wool, hides, and wax , excluſive of every other
perſon or power ; and for that privilege pay among
the government of Algiers , theKaide of Bona, and
the Chiefs of the neighbouring Arabs, upwards of
5000 guineas.
C H A P.
 DR. THOMAS SHAW . 97
снАР. ІІІ.
Of ſeveral remarkable places, and numerous tribes in the
province of Conſtantina.
TROM the ſea -coaſt up to Seteef and Conſtan
T tina, the country is one continued chain of high
hills ; the acceſs to which being almoſt impractica
ble, the inhabitants to the weſtward defying the ut.
moſt power of Algiers, pay no tribute to the Vice
roy. Among thoſe to the eaſtwardi, the Turks have
a flying camp during the ſummer ſeaſon , whereby
ſome of the Kabyles are reduced to give tokens of
homage ; but they are ro tenacious of their rights ,
that they ſearcely vouchſafe to think of ii, till com
pelled thereto by fire and ſword .
The richeſt and moft powerful Kabyles in this
province are the Zwowah , who poſleſs a large tract
of high impenetrable territory,whence they fometimes
make excurſions, to the annoyance of the Turks.
Among themountains of the Beni Abbeſs, there
is a narrow defile, which winds for near half a mile,
under an exceeding high precipice ; it is in ſeveral
places croſſed by a rock , through which a paſſage is
cut like a door -caſe, about the width of fix or ſeven
feet. Theſe apertures the Arabs call ſimply the
Gates ; but the Turks, in conſideration of their
ſtrength and ruggedneſs, give them the additional
epithet of Iron . Here a handíul of men might diſa
pute the paſſage of a whole army; and indeed there
is ſomething horrid in barely going through them . :
Farther on , there is another dangerous paſs, where
the road lies upon a narrow ridge, with deep vallies
and yawning precipices on every ſide ; ſo that the
leaſt deviation from the beaten path inuſt be attended
with inevitable deſtruction . Beyond theſe hills dwell
the tribe of Amner, who ſpread themſelves a great
E 3 way
78 MODERN TRAVEL S.
way along the banks of the rivers Kubber- atteah and
Boofellam ; they are a powerful but infamous clan ,
openly proſtituting their wives and daughters to eve
ry comer . There are many ruins in this diſtrict ;
but none worth remarking, except thoſe of Seteef,
once themetropolis of this part of Mauritania , and
the Sitipha of the ancients . This city was built
upon a riſing ground, about a league in circuit ; but
the Arabs have deſtroyed all the works of the Ro
mans ſo effectually, that they have ſcarcely left a fin
gle fragment of antiquity ſtanding: in the heart of
The city there were fountains, which were equally de
lightful and convenient.
It is remarkable, that the natives of the coaſt are
in general of a ſwarthy complexion , with dark hair ;
whereas, as you advance to themountains of Aurels,
you find them fair , or ruddy, and yellow -haired :
hence one may conjecture, that they are ſome re
mains of the Vandals, who united among theſemoun .
tains in bands,
The Hummum Meſkouteen , or Inchanted Baths,
which lie among ſomeothermountains at a diſtance,
are worth a viſit from ſuch perſons as chance to tra a
vel this way. The fountainswhence they are filled ,
are intenſely hot ; and there are ſome ſprings near
the river Zenoti, into which they all empty them
ſelves, that are as cold in extremes. There are a
few houſes built on the banks of the river for the
benefit of ſuch as come hither to uſe the water.
The next place which we ſhall ſpeak of, is Con
ftantina, otherwiſe Certa , which is forty -eight Ro
man miles from the ſea, and in hiſtory reckoned to
have been once one of the ſtrongeſt and chiefeſt ci
ties in Numidia . It is about a mile in circumfe
rence, but ending to the northward in a precipice of
at leaſt a hundred fathom perpendicular.
The neck of land to the ſouth -weſt, near which
ſtood the principal gate of the city, is about the
breadth
 DR. THOMAS SHAW , 69
breadth of half a furlong, being entirely covered
with a ſeries of broken walls, ciſterns, and other
ruins, which are continued quite down to the river.
Such was the ſituation and extent of the ancient
Cirta ; but the preſent city hath not the ſame di.
menſions.
Beſides the general traces of diverſity of ruins ſcat
tered over this place, there are ſtill remaining near
the centre of the city , that particular ſet of ciſterns,
which perhaps received the waters brought thither
from Phiſgeah by an aqueduct. They are twenty
in number, making an area of fifty yards ſquare.
The aqueduct is ſtill in a more ruinous condition
than the ciſterns ; however , the fragments which
have continued down to this time, ſufficiently de
monſtrate the public ſpirit of the ancient inhabitants.
Upon the brink of the precipice to the northward,
there are the remains of a large and magnificent edi
fice, where the Turkiſh garriſon is lodged at preſent.
Four of the baſes , each ſeven feet in diameter, with
their reſpective pedeſtals, are ſtill in their places, and
ſeem to have appertained to the portico ; they are
of a black ſtone, little inferior to marble, hewn in
all probability out of that very range of rocky pre
cipices, upon which they are founded .
The gate' towards che fouth -eaſt, is of the fame
faſhion , though much ſmaller ; and lying open to
the bridge, mentioned to have been built over this
part of the valley. The bridge was a maſter piece
in its kind ; having had the gallery and the columns
of the arches adorned with feſtoons, ox -heads, and
garlands. The key - ſtones likewiſe of the arches are
charged with Cadducei, and other figures : betwixt
the two principal arches, in a ſtrong well-executed
relief, is the figure of a lady, treading upon two
elephants, with a large ſcollop- ſhell for her canopy.
The elephants, having their faces turned towards.
each other, twiſt their trunks together ; and the lady
E 4 who
 80 MODERN TRAVEL S.
who appears dreſſed with a cloſe-bodied garment,
like the riding -habit of our times, and no covering
on her head, raiſes up her petticoats with her right
hand, and looks ſcornfully upon the city: this groupe
in any other ſituation ,might be ſuppoſed to belong to
ſome fountain , it being well known , that they were
ſometimes laid out inſuch ludicrousand wanton deſigns.
One of the moſt remarkable frontier towns of the
Algerines, is 'Tipſa , or Tibeſa ; it has an Algerine
garriſon , and ſhews fome marks of antiquity ; the
Situation is very fine, and rendered ftill more agree
able by ſomemountains at a diſtance.
The capital of Zaab is called Biſcara : here is a
Turkiſh garriſon , lodged in a ſmall caſtle lately built
by the Bey of Conſtantia ; and the chief ſtrength of
it lies in fix pieces of ordnance, and a few unwieldy
muſkets mounted alſo upon carriages .
All over this province the footſteps of the Romans
may be traced by broken infcriptions, and moulder
ing inonuments that have partly eſcaped the fury of
the Arabs ; and ſome ſtone coffins have been lately
dues of Zaghich the aire they calliption ofthe hall
dug up near the village of Banteaſe . The inhabia
tants of Zaab are to this day fond of eating dogs
fleſh , for which the Carthaginians were once rea
markable ; and hence are they called Canarii.
Having thus briefly given a deſcription of themoſt
noted tribes in the kingdom of Algiers ; we mall
proceed with our author through the kingdom of
Tunis , which , according to the moſt accurate com
putation , is about 220 miles broad, and 170 long ;
on the ſouth it is bounded by Tripoli ; on the weſt
by Algiers ; and is waſhed by theMediterranean Sea
on the eaſt and north . Sbekkah , the moſt weſtern
city of this dominion , lies in 8 degrees weſt longi
tude from London ; and Clybea, the moſt eaſtern ,
in 11, degrees 20 minutes eaſt longitude.
• Tunis is not divided into provinces like Algiers ,
but into the ſummer and winter circuit : ſo called
froin
 DR. THOMAS SHAW . 81
from the Bey 's a ſigning each of theſe ſeaſons to a
viſit into a particular diſtrict, where his perſon is
neceſſary to collect the tribute. In ſummer his jour
ney is through the fertile country that lies in the
neighbourhood of Keff and Baijah ; in winter he
travels between Cairwan and Jaraide ; and theſe two
diviſions, according to which we ſhall deſcribe this
kingdom , correſpond nearly to the Regio Keugitana,
and the Bizacium of the ancients .
The ſummer circuit is better inhabited than any
parts of the neighbouring kingdoms of the like big .
neſs, and has a greater number of cities, villages ,
& c. The people alſo are more chearful, more af
fluent, and kinder, becauſe, perhaps, thegovernment
is leſs ſevere and oppreſlive. It is, in general, pretty
fruitful; butthe fertility is interrupted by hills, marſhes
and rugged plains, that will admit ofno cultivation .
In the river Zaine, which waters this part of the
country, lies the ſmall iſland of Ta -barka, which
the Genoeſe rent from the regency ; but the coral
fiſhing, which was their chief motive to this ſettle . ,
ment, failing conſiderably , it is not probable , that
they will chuſe to keep the poſſeſſion long. Thiy
have, however , built a good fort, of force ſufficient
to protect thein from the incurſions of the lawleſs
Arabs, as well as from the inſults of the cruiſing
veſſels of Tunis, Algiers, and Tripoli.
Five leagues to thenorth -eaſt is cape Negro , where
the French African company have a fortified ſettle
ment ; for which , and the immunities they enjoy,
they pay a conſiderable ſum ofmoney to the regency
of Tunis .
Upon a canal, betwixt an extenſive lake and the
fea, lies the city of Bizerta, eight miles from cape
Blanco, which is diſtant from cape Negro nine
leagues . It is about a mile round, and defended ,
more eſpecially towards the fea , by ſeveral caſtles and
batteries . The lake has a communication with the
E5 1ę.3 ,
82 MODERN TRAVEL S .
fea , into which it empties itſelf with a forcible and
diſcernible ſtream , when the wind is at fouth . On
the contrary, when the wind is northerly , the waters
of the ſea fow briſkly up the lake.
The channel of communication between the lake
and the ſea, is the port of Hippo, which is ſtill ca
pable of receiving ſmall veſſels ; and was once not
only one of the ſafeſt, butalſo one of themoſt beau
tiful havens upon the coaſt.
From the gulph of Bizerta there is an extenſive
proſpect of olive-plantations, and very beautiful
groves . It is bounded by a high ridge of rocks ; the
eaſtern extremity of which , high and pointed, as well
as reinarkably white , is called Pil- loe, after a favourite
diſh of the Turks, which it is thought to reſemble .
· Upon the ſide of a ſpacious navigable baſon ,
formed by the river Mejerdah , lies Porto Farina ;
where, ſome years ſince, there was a conſiderable
city ; the place is, at preſent, only remarkable for its
beautiful Cothon, which contains the navy of Tunis, .
and is ſafe from the weather.
The Mejerdah waters, with a meandring ſtream ,
a rich fertile country , and , like the Nile, makes en
croachments upon the ſea, by heaping mud and
filth together in different places, that become thereby ,
dry land ; thus it is often driven out of its old to ſeek
a new channel. This is the famous Bagrada of
hiſtory, on the banks of which Regulus is ſaid to
have killed a monſtrous ſerpent, which Pliny tells
us, was 120 feet long.
It is certain that Utica lay ſomewhere in this di.
rection ; butwe ſhall not be able to fix its exact fi .
tuation, unleſs we allow that the ſea has been driven
back for three or four miles by the eaſterly winds,
and the encreaſe of mud ; and this pointonce grant
ed , we inay juſtly place that ſmall but celebrated ci
ty at Boo- Thater, where are many traces of noble
and extenſive buildings, magnificent ciſterns, and a
large
 DR. THOMAS SHAW . 83
large aqueduct. This place is twenty -ſeven Roman
miles from Carthage.
This very -celebrated city is the next to be deſcrib
ed , and has undergone ſome of the ſame changes
with reſpect to the ſea , as thoſe ſuſtained by Utica ;
for its old harbour is at preſent choaked up, and the
ſea has retired to ſome diſtance.
There are no triumphal arches , no pieces of cu .
rious architecture to be ſeen now , whereby onemight
be able to aſcertain the identity of this famous place,
which was once the rival of old Rome. It was
built upon three hills, of an indifferent height, and
had a variety of ciſterns, which have eſcaped the
general ruin rather better than any other public
buildings. Near the greater ciſterns are the ruins of
an ancient and celebrated aqueduct, which was cer
tainly a work of extraordinary labour, and beauti
fully faced with hewn ſtone,
· Almoſt every houſe was furniſhed with a ciſtern
for ſaving water ; and at Saka-rah , whither the ſu
burbs probably extended, there is a continuation of
channels ſo contrived , as to admit water by perco
lation . .
· Eightmiles weſt- ſouth -weſt, of the cape of Car
thage, there is the Guletta , a ſmall channel that
joins the lake of Tunis to the ſea ; and it is on each
Side guarded by a pretty tolerable caſtle . The lake
was formerly large enough to admit a numerous
fleet of ſhips ; but now in ſummer - time the main
channel of it is ſcarely more than fix or ſeven feet
deep ; and for the ſpace of a mnile or more within
the banks, it is nauſeous and dry , being filled up by -
the common ſewers of T'unis. In this lake are
caught the largeſt and beſt mullets that are to be
found upon the coaſt of Barbary : the roes of them
when preſſed and dried are called Botargo, and
eſteemed a great rarity .
Tunisg
84 MODERN TRAVEL S.
Tunis, the capital of this kingdom , is three
the hou hoe
miles round, but not ſo populous as Algiers ; nei
ther are the houſes ſo ſpacious andmagnificent : it
lices on
lies on the weſtern banks of the lake, having Car
thage full in fight: and if viewed from the ſea, it
appears ſurrounded with chalky cliffs ; whence, per
haps Diodorus Siculus calls it Tunis the White :
the air is healthful and fragrant, being much purifi
ed by themaſtick,myrtle, roſeinary , and other aroma
tic plants uſed here in the ovens or bagnios. The
Tuniſeens are the moft civilized race among the
Barbarians ; they are more intent upon trade than
rapine, and are fond of cultivating the friendſhip of
Chriſtians. The ſanctuary of Seedy Doude lies at
fome diſtance from Tunis ; it takes its name from
Doude or David , a Mooriſh ſaint, whoſe ſepulchre
is here Thewn tive yards in length : however, that
this venerable ſtructure was no more than a prætoa
rium romanum appears plain to the learned, from
three contiguous pieces ofMoſaic paveinent, wrought
with great ſyminetry and proportion : the figures are
horſes , tries, birds, and fiſhes ; the inlaying is very
fine, and the colours ſo beautiful, that they may be
ſet on a footing with tolerable good painting : the
horſe hereon repreſented , is in the ſame bold attia
tude given to that noble animal in the Carthaginian
banners ; the birds, are the hawk and partridge ;
the fiſhes , the mullet and gilt -bead ; the trees, the
palm and olive. The deſigner perhapsmeant them
as ſymbols : thus, for example, the horſe is the ſym -.
bol of ſtrength ; the palm and olive, imply peace
and plenty, & c . All around are the ruins of the
ancient Nifua or Mifua, where there was once a
fafe and capacious harbour for ſhipping : a few
leagues further on , there are ſeveral antique frag
ments , not at all remarkable , at a place now called
Lowharta : here ſtood the ancient Aquilaria , where
Curio landed thoſe troops that were afterwards cut
- -
--

DR. THOMAS SHAW . 85

a in pieces by Sabura. It is a village ſituated half a
mile from the ſea , and in the way between them is
a mountain hollowed with ' great art from the level
of the ſea to the height of near thirty feet, and ſup
ported by pillars and arches, left to that end ſtand
ing : in ſome places it is perforated quite through ,
for the free admiſſion of air. Theſe are the quarries
mentioned by Strabo, from which the ſtone was
dug up which was uſed in building Carthage, Utica,
and other adjacent cities. Nobody can have a bet
ter idea of this mountain and the cave formed with
in it, than Virgil preſents us with , in the following
lines of the Æneid ; which , in Doctor Shaw 's
opinion , were intended as an actual deſcription of
this very ſpot.
Eft in ſeceſſu longo locus : Inſula portum ,
Efficit objecta laterum : quibus omnis ab alto
Frangitur ; inque ſinus ſcindit ſeſe unda reductos. '
Hinc atque hinc valtæ rupes, geminique minantur
In cæluin ſcopuli quorum ſub vertice late
Æquora tuta filente tum ſylvis ſcena coruſcis
Deſuper, horrentique atrum nemus imminet umbra.
Fronte ſub adverſa ſcopulis pendentibus atrum :
Intus aquæ dulces ; vivoque ſedilia ſaxo ,
Nympharum domus. .
Cape Bon , by the ancients called the Promon
tory of Mercury, lies a league to the northward ;
and from the top of this promontory the hills of
Sicily may be plainly diſcerned in fair weather .
Five leagues eaſt -and-by - ſouth of Gape Bon , is
Tophitis, a ſmall promontory, whereon once ſtood
the city of Clubea, or Clypea ; ſo called from its
having been built in the ſhape of a ſhield . Scarcely
the ruins, of it are now remaining : there is indeed a
caſtle, but of a modern ſtructure, and at a mile off
a parcel of miſerable hovels, bearing the name of
Glybea . Mafanilla was drowned as he fled from -
Bocchar,
86 MODERN TRAVELS.
Bocchar, in a river a little to the ſouthward ; the
bottom lies far under the ſurface of the water, and
the croſſing is precarious. In the open fields, on the
oppoſite ſhore, Bocchar killed forty -fix out of fifty
perſons that were the companions of Mafaniffa's
fight.
Seven leagues ſouth -weſt-and-by-weſt of Clybea,
is Gurba, a place of ſome importance in former times,
Near it ſtands Nabal, famous for its potteries, and
the people ſeem to be warmed with a ſpirit of in
duſtry. It lies in a low ſituation about a mile from
the ſea- ſhore, and a furlong weſt of the ancient Ne
apolis ; through which runs a ſmall brook , on the
banks of which there is a curious baffo relievo of a
wolf, wrought upon white marble. From hence you
proceed through a delightful avenue of ſpreading
olives for the ſpace of two leagues to Hamam -et, a
ſmall wealthy city , built upon a low promontory,
and naturally well fortified.
Near the ſea, at the diſtance of two leagues, is
the Menarah , a mauſoleum of a cylindrical form ,
twenty yards in diameter ; on each cornice of the
pedeſtal is a ſmall altar, with a man 's name inſcribed
thereon , and underneath it is a vault : the Moors
ſuppoſe that lamps were formerly affixed to theſe al
tars, as a guidance to mariners .
Fifty miles from Utica is the city of Baja, the
Vacca of Salluſt, and ſtill a place of great trade,
and the greateſt mart for corn in the whole kingdom
of Tunis. It lies on the ſlope of a hill, is wellwa
tered, and boaſts a citadel of no great ſtrength . A
fair , which is well frequented by the Arabs, is kept
below in the plains of Buſdera , upon the banks of
the river Mejerdah . Here we find a ſmall pleaſant
town , inhabited by Andaluſian Moors : it lies fix
-leagues weſt of Tunis, and is called Tub -urbo : in
the neighbourhood of it are ſeveral groves of fruit
trees ; each ſpecies planted by itſelf Thus, in one
{pot
 DR. THOMAS SHAW . 87
fpot flouriſhes the citron, at ſome diſtance the peach ,
here the juicy nectarine tempts the taſte, and there
the mellow apricot preſents itſelf to the hand ; an
orange- grove on one hand delights the eye, while it
diffuſes through the air amoſt grateful odour ; on the
other, the bluſhing apple repays with intereſt the
planter's labour.
They have all their diſtinct plantations, and none
of them intermixed with any fruit of a different fpe
cies. This regular variety was the work of a late
Bey , called Mahomet ; as was alſo a large dam , flung
over the Majerdah, furniſhed with fluices and flood
gates to raiſe the river to a convenientheight, for the
fake of refreſhing the neighbouring plantations : but
this was too uſeful a ſtructure to meet with proper
reſpect in Barbary ; it is now running faſt to ruin ,
and many parts of it actually deſtroyed by time,
through neglect.
· Tubernoke is built in form of creſcent, between
the ridges of a mountain that are far from being un .
fruitful; it was called by Pliny, Oppidum Tubur
nicenſe ; and Tunis lies to the ſouth -ſouth -weſt,
ſeven leagues off.
Jeraado is a ruined city that ſtood on the decline
of a hill twelve leagues ſouth -weſt of Tubernoke,
and has ſome trifling remains of antiquity . There
is a conſpicuousmountain in this circuit, from whence
there is a proſpect of immenſe extent on every ſide ;
and all that ſpace of ground which lies to thenorth
ward of the parallel of this mountain , reckoning
from the foot of it, is called Africa : the name of it
is Zow -ran , or Zag -wan ; and on the extremity of
it is a ſmall flouriſhing town , bearing the ſamede
nomination , famous for dying ſcarlet caps and bleach
ing linen , great quantities being broughthither from
all parts of the kingdom for that purpoſe. Upon an
old gate of this city there is a carving of a ram 's
head armed, with the word auxilio inſcribed under
it ;
 88 MODERN TRAVEL S.
it ; from whence we may infer, that the place was
facred to Jupiter Ammon , whom Lucan diſtinguiſhas
by the tortis cornibus.
CHA P . IV .
The winter circuit of Tunis.
M ANY authors who have written accounts of
V this part of the world entertain us with ſtories
of its fertility , that appear , upon inſpection , to be
much exaggerated ; for the ſoil is for the moſt part
dry and ſandy, and no where does it extend to any
depth .
Thirty miles from Hamam - et, by land, lies Harkla ,
the Heraclea of the lower empire : it is about a mile
in circuit, and from the ruins appears rather to have
been a place of importance than of extent, being
built upon a promontory. Between Herkla and Ha
mam -et lies à gulph , called the Gulph of Herkla .
The navigation of it is pretty ſafe, being free from
rocks and ſhallows, and affording the ſhelter of two
or three good ports, in caſe of bad weather. The
adjacent country is low and marſhy, conſequently the
air is liable to fogs; butourauthor doesnotthink it une
wholeſome, though it ſeems to be the ſamewith the -
Hadar or peſtilentious city of the learned Scaliger. The
next remarkable place upon the coaſt, is Sula, a very
conſiderable city , where the inhabitants drive a great
trade in oil and linens. Themany granite pillars and
other monuments of grandeur ſtanding here to this.
day, ſhew it once to have been a place of ſome re
pute, and probably it was one of the townsthat ſub
mitted to Cæſar in hismarch to Ruſpina. Five miles.
off, in a parallel line, is a neat thriving city, called
Monalteer, bordering on a ſmall cape, and not ſeem ..
ing to lay any claim to antiquity ..
. . 2 Medea ,
 DR. THOMAS SHAW . 89
Medea, which alſo lies upon the coaſt, was once
a place of ſome conſequence. The area of the port
is an hundred yards ſquare : it lies within the very
walls of the city, but is at preſent too ſhallow for
veſſels even of a trifling burthen . Here are ſome
tuinbling capitals and entablatures, which , though
much defaced, ſpeak the founder to have been more
ſkilful than Mahdi, the firſt Patriarch of Kairwan ,
who is ſaid by Leo to be the perſon . Somewhere
hereabouts was the tower or country - ſeat where Han
nibal embarked after his flight from Carthage.
C ..poudia is a ſtrip of land ſtretching a great way
into the fea ; and upon the extreme point of it there
is a high watch -tower, ſurrounded with ruins that
very probably formerly belonged to a city built here
by Juſtinian .
Asfax is a neat thriving city, walled round . The
inhabitants are induſtrious, and labour under none
of thoſe oppreſſions felt in other parts of Barbary.
AtMa-hareſs, which is a ſmall village, there are
the ruins of a caſtle , and ſome ciſterns ſaid to have
been built by Sultan Ben Eglib , whoſe memory the
people highly -reſpect. Four leagues farther ſouth
weſt, there are a great number of ſepulchres at a
place called Ellamaite ; but they have no inſcriptions,
and very little beauty . AtGabs, a new city , riſing
from the remains of an old one bearing the ſame
name, where there are many fine ſquare granite pil
lars , no where elſe to be found in this quarter of the
world , there are large plantations of palms and dates,
but inferior every way to thoſe of Jiceed ; and the
alhenna-plant is alſo cultivated in the gardens here
abouts, the leaves of which dried and powdered are
a good commodity .
Quitting the ſea-coaſt, and taking an inland courſe ,
we arrived in a ſhort timeat Hadrah , which lies in a
valley, and is watered by pleaſant rivulets. From the
valt extent of its ruins. this place appears to have
been
90 MODERN TRAVEL S.
been one of the moſt conſiderable places in the
country; for the walls of many houfes, ſeveral altars
and mauſolea, together with the pavementof a whole
ſtreet, are ſtill to be ſeen . Among other ruins here
is a beautiful triumphal arch erected in honour of
Severus Pertinax, but no metion is made of the per
fon by whom it was conſtructed. .
The ſecond remarkable place found here is Kair
wan, a populous city, walled in , and carrying on
fome trade.
At Spaitla, the ancient Sufetula , among other
mouldering ruins, there is a grand triumphal arch
of the Corinthian order , conſiſting of one large arch ,
and two ſmaller ones on each ſide ; and froin it all
the way to the city there is a black ſtone pavement,
guarded on each ſide by a parapet wall, for themore
convenient paſſage of him who triumphed : at the
end of the pavement you paſs through a ſpacious
Corinthian portico into a noble area, where you find
three ruined temples, with many pediments and en
tablatures remaining perfect and entire ; but the
roofs and porticos being quite deſtroyed , fronting
the portico of each there is a nich , behind which
nich in the middle fane is a ſmall chamber, which
was perhaps uſed as a veſtry,
Eight leagues to the weſtward, at Turzo or
Truzza, there are ſeveral vaulted chambers perpe
tually filled with ſulphureous ſteams, much fre
quented by the Arabs for the ſake of ſweating.
The river Meegaleel waters the neighbouring coun
try, and the Arabs contrive to inake it overflow ,
many large tracts of land, which are ſeldom or
never refreſhed by rain .
Six leagues to the ſouth -weſt of Spaitla, on a pre
cipice that overhangs the winding river Derb , there
is a large arch of Attic ſtructure, ſupported by
Gothic pillars, and adorned with deſigns in the Co .
rinthian faſhion ; it was built by Manlius Fælixd:
an
 DR. THOMAS SHAW . 91
and in the plain below there are many mauſolea ,
upon one of which there is an inſcription in hexa
meters and pentameters ; but we ſhall not copy
ere, he, the Titræeft of Sur-feitions, a
eAtm hJemme,
them here, being no way remarkable ,
the Tiſtra of Cæfar, which lies -
ſome leagues ſouth -ſouth -weſt of Sur- feff, are many
antiquities, as, altars with defaced inſcriptions, a va .
riety of columns, and a ſpacious amphitheatre; but
Mahomet Bey blew up four of the arches from top
to bottom , in a late revolt of the Arabs, who made
uſe of it as a fortreſs : otherwiſe , as to the outſide
at leaſt, nothing could be more entire and beautiful.
Within , the platform of the ſeats, with their gale
leries and vomitoria leading up to them , are ſtill re
maining. The arena is nearly circular, and in the
centre of it there is a deep well of hewn ſtone,
where the pillar that ſupported the awning may be
ſuppoſed to have been fixed. By comparing this
with our ſtructures at Spaitla , Hydrah , & c. it
ſeems to have been built about the time of the An
tonines, agreeing exactly in proportion and work
manſhip with the ſtructures of that age : and as the
elder Gordian was proclaimed Emperor in this city,
it is not improbable but out of gratitude to the place
where he received the diadem , hemight have founded
a city .
At Rugga, the ancient Caraga, two leagues
fouth - ſouth -eaſt of Jemme, is a large ciſtern, which
formerly ſupplied the whole city with water, and the
roof of it is ſupported by rows of maſſy pillars.
Ferre-nah , which from its lonely ſituation , and
other circumſtances , was probably the Thala of
the ancients, lies in the ſame parallel with Rugga,
and was once the largeſt city of Bizacium ; though
all the remains of its ancient grandeur conſiſt in a
few granite and other pillars, which, by ſome extra
ordinary chance or benevolence of the Arabs, are
ſtanding upon their pedeſtals, Gafsa , the antient
Capſas
92 MODERN TRAVEL S.
Capſa , another of the ſtrong cities of Jugurtha, lies
twelve leagues off. It is built in a ſolitary ſituation ,
on a riſing- ground , in the midſt of mountains : the
proſpect about it is however ſometimes enlivened by
piſtachias, olives, palm , and other fruits , which
are refreſhed by a ſtream collected from two foun
tains, the one in the centre of the city , and the
other in the citadel : the former is ſtillwalled round,
and diſcharges itſelf into a large bafon contrived for
bathing. Theſe two fountains uniting form a
ſtream , which the inhabitants partition out among
their plantations. There are many altars and gra
nite pillars ainong the walls ofthe houſes and the ci
tadel, which , when in their proper places, muſt have
been great ornaments to the place.
From Maggs to El-hammah the diſtance is thirty
miles, over an uncomfortable deſert, without either
wood or water . El hammah is one of the Tunis
fian frontier towns : it is ancient, having a ſmall
caſtle, and a garriſon , and takes its name from the
hot baths for which it is remarkable .
. CHA P. V .
Of the manner of travelling , and the ſciences in Bar
bary.
ATN s , winland
trangerthe rally ſeand
ith genetowns artages ooff BBarbary
t apvillages arbary there
I is a houſe generally ſet apart for the reception of
ftrangers, with a proper officer called the Mahabak,
whoſe buſineſs it is to attend them : here perſons are
lodged and entertained for one night, in the beſt
manner the place can afford, at the expence of the
community .
Except at Tripoli, Algiers, Alexandria, and ſome
few places beſides , there are no Khanns or houſes of
entertainment throughout thewhole country, at leaſt
that our author met with ; and to have furniſhed
them
 DR. THOMAS SHA W 93
themſelves with tents would havebeen both cumber:
fome and expenſive, beſides the ſuſpicion it might
have raiſed in the Arabs that they were perſons of
rank and fortune, confequently a booty too rich and
tempting to be ſuffered to eſcape. Someunfortunate
gentlemen , who were engaged not many years ago
in an embaſſy to Abyſſinia , found this aſſertion to be
true, at the expence of their lives. Thus, in the
courſe of their travelling, when Dr. Shaw and his
company did not fall in with the hovels of the Ka
byles, or the encampments of the Arabs, they had
nothing to protect them from the heat of the day,
or the cold of the night, unleſs they met with ſome
accidental grove of trees, the ſhelve of a rock , or
ſometimes, by good fortune, a grotto.
Their beaſts were the greateſt ſufferers, though
they were always the firſt care of our travellers, who
gathered ſtubble, graſs, boughs of trees , and ſuch
like provender for them , before they ſat down
to examine into what fragments of former meals
they had reſerved for themſelves. In travelling
from Cairo to mount Sinai, the heavens were every
night their only covering ; a carpet ſpread upon the
fand their bed, and a bundle of foul cloaths their
pillow . Horſes or mules require too much water to
be employed in theſe deſarts ; camels were uſed in
their fead , and theſe were ſet round them in a circle ,
with their faces outward , and their reſpective loads
and ſaddles placed behind them .
In this ſituation they ſerved as ſo many guards,
being watchful, and awaking with the leaſt noiſe.
As therewas no chance ofmeeting, in theſe long de
ſarts, with the leaſt hoſpitality or entertainment,
they were neceſſitated to carry along with them all
things neceſſary for ſo tedious a journey. In the firſt
place then they provided a ſufficient quantity of goats
ſkins, which were filled with water every four or five
days, or as often as they found it. Bárley, with a
fow
94 MODERN TRAVEL S.
few beans intermixed , or elſe the flour of one or on
ther of them , made into balls, was the provender
laid in for their beaſts ; they provided for themſelves
wheaten -four, biſcuit, honey, oil, vinegar, olives,
lintel, potted fleſh , and ſuch things as would keep
during two months, the ſpace commonly taken up
in completeing this journey. Nor Mould the wooden
baſon or copper pot be forgotten , that made up the
kitchen furniture ; the latter whereof was the neceſ
ſary utenſil for cooking the proviſion ; the other for
ſerving it up, or kneading unleavened cakes : their
fuel was ihe camels dung that was left by ſome pre
ceding caravan ; and this, after being expoſed a day
or two in the ſun , catches fire like touchwood , and
burns as bright as charcoal. No ſooner was their
food prepared , than one of the Arabs, after having
placed himſelf upon the higheſt ſtation he could find ,
invited three times, with a loud voice, all his bre
thren , the ſons of the faithful, to partake ; though
none of them were in view , or perhaps within a
hundred miles. This cuſtom , however , they main
tain as a token of their great benevolence, as it would
be of their hoſpitality likewiſe, if they had an op
portunity to ſhew it. When travellers are ſo fortu
Mounahi
Arabs tthey
mthehe Arabs, A r a h e l
nate in Barbary, as to find out the encampments of
t a
ir ed to forve one night,loatr
he arebs entertained,n d g i
free-coſt : the Arabs, either by long cuſtom , the
particular tenure of their lands, or perhaps from fear
or compulſion , being obliged to give the Spahees,
and thoſe who are with them , the Mounah , (as
they call it) which is a ſufficient quantity of proviſion
for themſelves and their horſes ; beſides a bowl of
milk , and a baſket of figs, raiſins, dates , or other
dried fruit, which is always preſented to them upon
their arrival : the maſter of the tent, where they ſet
up, brings from his flock, a kid or a goat, a lamb,
or a ſheep ; half of which is immediately ſerved up
- 3 ' . . with
 DR. THOMAS SHAW . 95
with a Cuſcaſou ; the reſt is uſually reſerved for their
breakfaſt or dinner .
However, the tents of theſe roving herdſmen ,
though they may ſhelter from the weather, are not
withſtanding, attended with their inconveniencies ;
for the cold and the dews, whereto people are every
night expoſed in the deſerts of Arabia, do not in
commode half ſo much as the vermin and inſects of
all kinds, which eternally moleft : for beſides fleas
and lice , that ſwarm , the apprehenſion ofbeingbitten
or ſtung by the ſcorpion , viper , or venomous ſpider ,
rarely fails in ſome parts of theſe countries, to inter
rupt the repoſe that is ſo grateful and neceffary 10 a
weary traveller . Upon ſight indeed of one or other of
theſe venomousbeaſts, a Thaleb or writer, who hap
pened to be one of the Spahees, after he had mut
tered a few words, uſed to exhort every body to take
courage, and not be afraid of ſuch creatures, he
having made them tame and harmleſs by his charms
and inchantments. Strangers are not leſs offended
by the kids, calves, and other young cattle, which
being tied up every night under the eaves of the
tents, to prevent them from fucking their dams, are
every moment breaking looſe, the cords that are
uſed upon thoſe occaſions, being only made of looſe
ly - ípun yarn . When ſtrangers are at any time en
tertained in a courteous manner, for the Arabs will
fometimes part with nothing till it be extorted by
force, the hoſt thinks himſelf ſufficiently requited ,
if preſented with a knife , a couple of flints , or a
finall quantity of Engliſh gunpowder ; which , being
much tronger than that of Arabia , is held in grea
ter eſteem , and kept only for priming fire-arıns: as
for the Lallah , or hoſteſs, the would think herſelf
well paid , and return a thouſand thanks for a ſkean
of thread , a large needle, or a pair of ſciffars ; all
of the great rarities, and very engaging preſents
with theſe people. During
96 MODERN TRAVELS,
During the exceſſive heats of the ſummer , and at
ſome other times when there was room to fear an
attack from free -booting Arabs, our author and his
people travelled in the night ; which having no eyes,
according to the Arabian proverb, few of them
indFrom
kthen edare venture
ep uSuez er ramble.
p withtoithtomount inai ththere
room SSinai e is little or no
riſque of being either robbed or inſulted , provided
you keep up with the caravan ; but a neglect of this
kind expoſes to great danger .
In the Holy Land, and upon the iſthmus betwixt
Egypt and the Red - ſea, your conductors cannot be
too numerous, whole clans of free -booters , from
fifty to five hundred, being ſometimes looking out
for prey. This was the caſe of a caravan , where
with Dr. Shaw travelled, ( A . D . 1722, ) in going
from Ramah to Jeruſalem , when a ſtrong party of
Turkiſh ſoldiers, with theMoſolem , or Generalat the
head of them , were ſcarely able to afford protection
againſt the repeated inſults and ravages of theſe vil
lains. But in Barbary , where the Arabs are under
more ſubjection , there is no need of being guarded
by more than three Spahees and a ſervant, all well
armed . Sometimes, indeed, their numbers are o
bliged to be augmented, particularly among the in
dependent Arabs, upon the frontiers of the neigh
bouring kingdoms, or where two contiguous clans
are at variance. Theſe Harammees, as the free
booters are uſually called, are certainly what the
Europeansmean by wild Arabs ; there being no ſuch
name peculiar to any one body of theſe people ; and
they being all bleſſed with the ſame pious inclina
tions to rob , ſtrip , plunder, and murder even one
another, when they miſs of ſtrangers. However ,
the beſt way to eſcape them , is either to aſſumethe
habit of the country, or dreſs like a Spahee ; for
the Arabs are very jealous and inquiſitive, ſuſpect .
ing all ſtrangers to be ſpies ſent to ſurvey their
" lands,
 MR. THOMAS SHAW . - 97
lands, which at one time or other, as they have
been taught to fear , are to be reſtored to the Chrifa
tians.
The horſes and camels of theſe countries keep
The grodation , mof whichee goog
generally one conſtant pace ; the latter go at the rate :
of two miles and a half, the other of three geogra
phical miles in an hour ; fixty of which , accord
ing to Dr. Shaw 's calculation , make one degree of
a great circle. The ground over which they travel
is firſt of all computed by hours , and then reduced
into miles. Every evening, therefore , as ſoon as
they arrive at their quarters, they are wont to ex
amine how many hours, and in what direction they
have travelled that day, inaking proper allowances
for the ſeveral windings and occaſional deviations out
of the direct road.
Next we thall proceed to take a ſhort view of
the learning, manners , government, climate and
productions of Barbary. The ſciences are in this
country at a very low ebb ; phyſic , philoſophy, and
the mathematics , for all which it was once remark
able, are now ſo loſt to it, that fcarely the traces of
them are remaining . Repoſe and liberty , the foſterers
of arts , are filed ; frightened from the cliine by the
oppreſſions of the Turks, and unfettled vagabond
life of the Moors ; and the former of theſe people
often expreſſed themſelves ſurprized that Chriſtians
ſhould expend their time, and even their money , in
ſtudy and ſpeculation , from whence they cannot:
collect any ſubſtantial profit.
Their children are ſent to ſchool at the age of
ſix years, and taught to read , get by heart, and
write at the rate of a penny a week . Each boy is
furniſhed with a thin ſquare board , daubed over
with whiting, on which he inſcribes his letters ,
which may be rubbed out at plealure ; for they are
ſtrangers to the uſe of paper : being inſtructed in the
Koran, they are initiated very carefully in the
VOL . I . ſeveral
98 MODERN TRAVEL S.
ſeveralmyſteries of their religion , and this is for the
moſt part all their learning . The lad who excels
moſt at ſchool, is, in order to encourage him , er
corted through the ſtreets by his fellow -ſcholars
huzzaing round , he being finely dreſſed and mounted
upon a white horſe, while his friends and relations
load him with preſents : after continuing about three
years at ſchool, they are either put to trades, or in - :
liſted amongſt the ſoldiery, where they foon forget
all they have learned .
Our author tells us, that hemade it his buſineſs ,
during his ſtay at Algiers, to cultivate an acquain
tance with ſuch of their people as had any reputation
for learning ; among whom he found their beſt af
tronomer had ſcarcely ſufficient knowledge to project
a fun -dial, and the ſkill of their moſt experienced
chymift did not extend beyond the diſtilling of roſe
water. Their geography was coarſe, blundering ,
and imperfect ; and after pricking a chart, and mak
ing out the eight principal points of the compaſs ,
they underſtood nothing of navigation . Their phy
ficians chiefly ſtudied the Spaniſh edition of Dioſco
rides , and of this they were rather acquainted with
the cuts. than the text. Their muſicians, whether
they play alone or in concert, depend much upon :
cuſtom and memory : and we may venture to affirm
of theſe people, that they have ſtrong intellects , are
ready witted, and nature has, in general, given them
genius ; but to improve them , they want time, ap
plication , and encouragement,
Being for the moſt part predeſtinarians, theMa
hometans pay little regard to phyſic , and either uſe
charms and incantations, or leave the diſorder to
contend with nature. Some of them encourage in .
oculation for the finall -pox ; and for therheumatiſm ,
they cauteriſe the part affected . The Arabs pour
boiling hot freſh butter into all ſimple and gun - ſhot
wounds, and this remedy ſometimes ſucceeds : an
appli .
 DR. THOMAS SHAW . 99,
application of the prickly pear roaſted in the aſhes,
is good in ſuppurations ; as are the leaves of alhen -,
nah mixed with warm water, in caſes of bruiſes ,
flight wounds, and inflammations. Theſe leaves
not only tinge the ſkin with yellow , but, paſſing iin .
mediately through the pores , communicate the ſame
colour to the urine of the patient. They have very
few compounded medicines ; however , there is a
mixture of myrtle, aloes , and myrtle-berries, which
they adminiſter often happily in time of peſtilence.
In ſome places they have calendars left them by
their anceſtors, which are rather eſteemed curious
than uſeful, although the ſun 's place , the ſemidiur
nal and no & urnal arch , the length of the twilight,
and the hours of prayer, are beautifully inſerted in
their proper columns, and calculated to a moment.
Time is, in theſe countries , meaſured by hour
glaſſes, for the Mahometans have a ſtrange averſion to
clocks and bells ; but they much oftener judge of the
day by the public criers, who ſuminon them to prayer .
They are unacquainted either with algebra , or nu
meral arithmetic , although their forefathers furniſhed
us with the characters of the one, and with the
name, at leaſt, of the other. Yet they have a way
of reckoning, by putting their hands into each others
fleeves, and touching one another with a certain
joint or finger fo expreflively , that withoutmoving
the lips, or letting any body preſent into the ſecret,
they can conclude bargains of the moſt conſiderable
value. Their Thalebs, or wiſemen , are , however,
ſo ſkilled in figurés , if you believe their own report ,
that by certain combinations of numbers, they can
compaſs the inoſt wonderful things : for example,
ſay they, one of them , called the Bleſſed Amulet,
hung round the neck , procures the favour of
princes, intimidates an enemy, inſpires with cou
rage, and protects the wearer from every ſort of
danger.
F 2 Th :
100 MODERN TRAVEL S.
The Arabs wear a looſe diſorderly kind of dreſs ,
called a hyke, which is five or fix yards, long, and
not leſs broad ; this they wrap round them , and are
forced to gird it with a ſaſh ; at night it ſerves them
for a bed and coverlid . Their upper garment, which
they name the Burnooſe, is generally wove in one
piece ; it has a cap for the head, is tightabout the
neck, and grows wide towards the bottom ; this
garment is only uſed in cold or rainy wheather . Un
der the burnooſe and hyke, ſome of them wear a
long cloſe -bodied waiſtcoat without ſleeves ; their
girdles are of worſted , and in them they ſtick their
poniards, ſecretaries their inkhorns, and other peo
ple the badge of their calling. Different claſſes of
people both among theMoors and Arabs are diſtin
guilhed by various foldings of the turban , which
is a narrow piece of muſlin , ſilk , or linen , wound
about the bottom of a ſcarlet cloth cap, worn by
almoſt all the richer ſort of Mahometans, and often
fhining with jewels.
It is cuſtomary for the Turks and Moors to wear
linen underneath their tunics or cloſe waiſtcoats ; but
the Arabs in general have nothing but woollen .
There is a ceremony, indeed , in ſome places , which
obliges both the bride and bridegroom to wear a thirt
at the celebration of their nuptials : but then , through
fome unaccountable piece of ſuperſtition , they are
not afterwards to waſh or put it off, as long as it
laſts . The Neeves of thoſe worn by themen , are
wide and open , without any folds at the wriſt ;
whilſt thoſe of the women are made with gauze and
different- coloured ribbands, interchangeably fown
together ; neither are the wandering Arabs accuf
tomed to wear drawéis, a habit in which the citizens
of both ſexes appear, eſpecially when they go abroad
or receive viſits . The virginsare diſtinguiſhed from
the matrons, in having their drawers inade of needle
work , ſtriped filk , or linen : but when the women
are
 i DR. THOMAS S ĦAW . 101
are at home, or in private, they lay aſide their hykes,
and ſometimes their tunics , and inſtead of their
drawers, bind only a towel about their loins.
It is farther to be obſerved of the Mooriſh wo
men , that when they appear in public, they always
fold themſelves up ſo cloſely in their hykes , that
there is very little to be ſeen of their faces : but in
the ſummer-months, when they retire to their coun
try ſeats, they walk abroad with leſs caution , only
letting their veils fall upon the approach of a
ſtranger.
They affect to have their hair hang down to the
ground, or they gather it into one lock upon the
hinder part of their head , binding and plaiting it
with ribbands : when nature hath been leſs liberal,
the defect is to be ſupplied by artificial added to the
natural locks. Some commentators have imagined
that Abſalom 's hair, which was ſold for two hun
dred ſhekels, was purchaſed for this uſe . Having
plaited up the hair they proceed to dreſs their heads,
by tying cloſe together, above the lock, the ſeveral
comers of a triangular piece of linen , wrought with
a needle into a variety of figures. Perſons of better
faſhion wear over this a Sarmalı, as they call it,
which is of much the ſame ſhape, but made of thin
flexible plates of golior ſilver, variouſly cut through ,
and engraved ir. imi:ation of lace . A handkerchief
of crape, gauze, ſilk, or painted linen , bound round
the farmah , and falling afterwards careleſsly upon the
hair, completes the lead - tire of the Mooriſh ladies ;
yet they never think themſelves completely dreſſed ,
till they have tinged the hair and edges of their eye
lids with powder of lead -ore. This operation is
performed by dipping firſt into the powder, a ſinall
wooden bodkin of the thickneſs of a quill ; and then
drawing it through the eye-lids over the ball of the
eye : the footy colour thus coinmunicated to the
eyes, is thought to add wonderful grace to the fea
F 3 tures
102 MODERN TRAVEL S.
tures of perſons of all complexions. The practice:
of it is , no doubt, very ancient; forweread in ſome
authentic hiſtorians, that it was uſed as well by the
Greeks and Romans as the eaſtern nations. :
Both Turks and Moor's riſe early , go to their de
votions at day-break, then apply to their reſpective
caliings till ten of the clock , when they dine, mind
buſineſs till four, then attend prayers again , fup at
ſun - ſet, and go to bed about the cloſe of day : they
nerer begin or conclude any affair without thanking
God. Someof the graver ſort of people , who have
no confiant employment, ſpend the day, either in
converſing with one another at the barbers ſhops, or
at the coffee-houſe ; whilſt the younger ſort, whether
diſpoſed of in civil or military life, attend their con
cubines with wine and mufick into the fields, or elſe
make themſelves merry at a tavern . Though this
practice is expreſsly prohibited by their religion , yet
the neceflity of the times, and uncontroulable par
fions of luſty youth , oblige the government to diſa
penſe with the breach . ,
The Arab ſeldom follows any regular trade or em - :
ployment ; his life is one continual round of idleneſs .
or diverſon . When no paftime calls him abroad,
he loiters athome, ſmokes his pipe, or ſtretches him
ſelf under the friendly ſhade of ſome neighbouring
tree. Hehas no reliſh for domeſtic pleaſure , and is
rarely known to converſe with his wife , or play with
his children . He values nothing ſo much as his
horſe, being ſeldom ſo well pleaſed as when he is far
from home, riding and hunting. The Arabs, and
indeed all the people of the eaſt, are excellent at this
exerciſe ; for there are few of them who cannot
quickly hunt down a wild boar. We find upon one
of themedallions of Conſtantine's arch , a very beau
tiful repreſentation of this ſport, as it is performed ,
to this day, by the Arabs ; who, after they have
rouſed the beaſt from his retirement and purſued it
into
 DR. THOMAS SHAW . 103
into ſome adjacent plain , endeavour there, by fre
quent overtaking and turning, to tire and perplex it ;
then watching an opportunity, either transfix it with
their lances from ſomediſtance, or elſe , coming cloſe
by its ſide, fix their ſpears in its body.
At the hunting of the lion , the inhabitants of a
nd, ofareturnſummoned
he groudiſtrict
twhole ppear ; who, form
into a circttoo aappear
ing themſelves firſt into a circle , enclofe a large ſpace
of ground, of three, four, or five miles compaſs ;
then the footmen , advancing firſt, ruſh into the
thickets with their dogs and ſpears, to rouſe their
game; whilſt the horſemen , keeping a little behind,
are always ready to charge upon the firſt fally of the
beaſt. In this manner they proceed, ſtill contract
ing their circle, till they at laſt either cloſe together,
or meetwith game to divert them .
The accidental paſtime, upon thoſe occaſions, is
fomctiines very great ; for the ſeveral different fort of
animals, ſuch as hares, jackalls, hyænas, & c. that
lie within the compaſs, being driven together , afford
variety of excellent diverſion . It is a common ob
ſervation here, that when the lion perceives himſelf
in danger , he will feize directly upon the perſon
neareſt him , and rather than quit his hold , ſuffer
himſelf to be cut to pieces.
Hawking is one of the principal diverſions among
the Arabs and Gentry of the kingdom of Tunis ;
and their woods abound with many beautiful ſpecies
of hawks and falcons. Thoſe who delight in fowl
jag do not ſpring the game with dogs, but thade
themſelves with a piece of painted canvas ſtretched
upon two reeds, in the ſhape of a door, and walk
thus covered through the ſeveral breaks and avenues,
where they expect to find game. In this canvas
there are ſeveral holes for the fowler to look through
and obſerve what pales before hiin . The ſportſ
man , on light of game, reſts his fhade pon the
£ 4 . ground ,
104 MODERN TRAVELS.
ground, directs themuzzle of his gun through one
of the holes, and thus ſhoots quails, and other game.
The Arabs have another , and more laboriousme
thod of catching partridges : for obſerving that after
theſe birds have been haſtily ſprung twice or thrice,
they becomelanguid and fatigued ; they immediately
run in upon them and knock them down.
*With regard to themanners and cuſtoms of the
Bedoweens, or wandering Arabs, it is to be obſerved ,
that they retain a great many of thoſe we read of in
ſacred as well as profane hiſtory ; being, if we ex
cept their religion , the fame people they were two or
three thouſand years ago ; without embracing any of
thoſe novelties in dreſs or behaviour, which have had
fo many periods and revolutions in the Moorith and
Turkiſh cities. Upon meeting one another, they ſtill
uſe the primitive ſalutation of, “ Peace be unto you ."
Before iheMahometan conqueſts , the expreſſion was,
“ God prolong your life.” Theinferiors, out ofdefe
rence and reſpect, kiſs the feet, knees, or garments
of their ſuperiors ; whilſt the children or kinsfolks
pay the ſame reſpect to the heads of their parents
and aged relations. The poſture they obſerve in
giving one another theasſlemah , or falute , is to lay
Their righthand upon their breaſt ; whilſt others, who .
are more intimately acquainted, or of equal age and
dignity , mutually kiſs the hand , head, or ſhoulder :
of each other .
At the feaſt of their Byram , and other great fo
lemnities , the wife compliments her hufband by kiſs
ing his hand .
It is no diſgrace here for perſons of the higheſt
characters to buſy themſelves in what we ſhould
reckon menial employments ; nor is the greateſt
Prince of theſe countries aſhamed to play the dro
ver or butcher, by bringing a lamb from his herd
and killing it : whilſt the Princeſs prepares her fire
and kettle to dreſs it. The cuſtom that ſtill conti
nues
 DR . THOMAS SHAW : 105
Aues of walking barefoot, or only with ſandals, re
quire the ancient compliments of bringing water to a
ftranger , upon his arrival, to waſh his feet: the per
ſon who preſents himſelf the firſt to do this office,
and to give the welcome, is the maſter of the fami
ly, who always diftinguiſhes himſelf by being the
moſt officious; and who, after his entertainment is
prepared, thinks it a ſhame to ſit down with his
gueſts , but will ſtand up all the time and wait upon
them . Yet the outward behaviour of the Arab fre
quently gives the lie to his inward temper and incli
nation ; for he is naturally thievith and treacherous ;
and it happens, not ſeldom , that thoſe very perſons
are overtaken and pillaged in themorning , who were
entertained the night before with every mark of
friendſhip and hoſpitality . Neither are they to be
accuſed for plundering ſtrangers only, for from their
attacking almoſt every perſon whom they find un
armed and defenceleſs , ariſe thoſe many implacable
and hereditary animoſities which continually fubfift
among them . . . .
However, it ſhould be mentioned, to the honour
of the weſtern Moors, that they ſtill continue to
carry on a trade with ſome barbarous nations bor
dering upon the river Niger, without ſeeing the
perſons they , trade with , or without having once
broke through that original charter of commerce,
which from time immemorial has been ſettled be
tween them . The method is this : at a certain
time of the year they make this journey in a nu
merous caravan , carrying along with them ſeveral
ſtrings of coral and glaſs beads, bracelets of horn ,
rive at thepoon , they durt lying,aeMoors ple
knives, ſciſfars, and ſuch like trinkets. When they
arrive at the place appointed, which is on a certain
day of the moon , they find in the evening ſeveral
different heaps of gold-duſt lying at a ſmall diſtance
from each other ; againſt which the Moors place ſo
many of their trinkets as they judge them worth ,
F 5 • and
 106 MODERN TRAVELS.
and then retire. If the Nigritians, the nextmorn
ing, approve of the bargain, they take up the trin
kets, and leave the gold, or elſe inake ſome deduc
tions from the gold -duft, & c. And in this manner
they tranſact their exchange, without the leaſt in
ftance of diſhoneſty .
The cuſtom which the Noſamones had formerly
of plighting their troth , by drinking out of each
other 's cap , is at this time the only ceremony uſed
by the Algerines in their marriages ; but the con
tract is to be firſt of all agreed upon betwixt the pa
rents , wherein expreſs mention is made, not only of
the faddock or bride's jointure , but likewiſe of the
ſeveral changes of raiinent, the quantity of jewels ,
and number of naves, wherewith the is to be ſerved
when the firſt waits upon her huſband. The parties
never ſee one another till the marriage is to be con
ſummated ; at which time the relations being with
drawn, the bridegroom firſt unveils , and then un
dreſles his bride.
Upon forfeiture of the ſaddock, the huſband can
put away his wife , but cannot take her again , not
withſtanding the ſtrongeſt follicitations are made in
his favour, till ſhe has been married and bedded to
another man .
The civility and reſpect which the politer nations
of Europe pay to the weaker fex , are looked upon
here as extravagancies, and ſo many infringements of
that law of nature which aſſigns to man the pre
eminence . So that the matrons are confidered only
as ſervants of better fashion , whilſt the lazy hur
bands wander about, doing nothing ; and the youth
of both ſexes attend the flocks, are all the day em
ployed at the loom , at the mill, or elſe in making
cuſcaſſowe, & c . and as it draws towards night, they
go out to draw water , being to that end furniſhed
with a pitcher or a goat 's ſkin ; with which, and
perhaps a couple of young children - flung at their
- I back ,
 DR. THOMAS SHAW . 107
back, the women will trudge two or three miles.
Yet, in the midſt of all theſe labours, neither the
country nor city ladies will lay aſide any of their or
naments ; and though they ſweat under their loads,
you will find thein encumbered with bracelets, ear
rings, ſhackles , jewels bobbing at the noſe , and
their eyes nicely penciled. So prevalent is cuſtom ,
even in Barbary , and ſo very zealous are people to
appear in what they call the inode and faſhion .
Moſt of the Mooriſh women would be reckoned
beauties, even in Great-Britain ; as their children ,
certainly have the fineſt complexions of any nation
whatſoever : the boys indeed, by wearing only the
tiara, are expoſed ſo much to the ſun , that they
quickly attain the ſwarthineſs of the Arabs ; but the
girls,keeping more at home, preſerve their beauty till
they are thirty , at which age they are uſually paſt
child -bearing. It ſometimes happens that they are
mothers at eleven, and grand -mothers at two and
twenty : and as their lives are uſually of the ſame
length with thoſe of the Europeans, there have not
been inſtances wanting among thein , of ſome who
have lived to fee many generations ſprung from
their own loins. .
Atall the principal entertainments, and by way of
Mhewing ſatisfaction , the women welcome the arrival
of a gueſt, by ſqualling out, “ Loo,Loo,” ſeveraltimes
together . At their funerals , alſo , they repeat the ſame
noiſe,making itonly more deep and hollow , and ending
each period with a deep figh . There are ſeveralwo
men to be hired , upon theſe occaſions, who, like
the mourning-women of old , are miſtreſſes of very
affecting expreſſions; and perform their parts with
ſuch proper geſtures and commotions, that they
thoughtful are fo muchye Mahomens
rarely fail to work up their auditors into ſome extra
ordinary pitch of thoughtfulneſs and ſorrow .
No people in the world are ſo much addicted to
- ſuperſtition as the Arabs, or even as the Mahome
108 MODERN TRAVEL S.
tans in general. They hang about their childrens
necks, the figure of an open hand, as protection
againſt an evil eye ; and by way of a guard againſt
enchantments, both the Turks and Moors paint it
upon their fhops and houſes. They reckon five an
unlucky number. They carry always about with
them a paragraph of the Koran , which they place
upon their breaſts, or few under their caps, to prevent
faſcination and witchcraft, and to ſecure themſelves
from ſickneſs and misfortunes.
They place great faith and confidence in magi
cians and ſorcerers ; and upon ſome extraordinary
occaſions, particularly in a lingering diſtemper, they
uſe many ſuperſtitious ceremonies ; fuch as ſacrificing
a cock , a ſheep, or a goat, and burying the whole
carcaſs under - ground, or by drinking part of the
blood , or elſe by burning or ſcattering the feathers,
TheMahometans have a great veneration for their
Marabbutts, who are generally perſons of rigid and
auſtere life , continually employing themſelves either
in counting over their beads, or elſe in meditation
and prayer. This ſaintſhip goes by ſucceſſion , and
the fon is entitled to the ſame reverence and eſteem
with the father ; provided he can keep up equal gra
'vity and decorum . Some of them , alſo , have the
reputation of being bleſſed with heavenly viſions, and
converſing with the Godhead , whilſt others , who
are ſuppoſed to work miracles, pretend they are en
dowed with gifts which Mahomet himſelf durft noc
pretend to.
Our author was told by Seedy Muſtafa, the Ka
leefa of the weſtern province, in the preſence of a
nümber of Arabian Shekho, who vouched for the
fame fact, that a Marabbutt, near at hand, had a
folid iron bar, which , uçon command , would yield
an exploſion , equal in noiſe and execution to that of
, a cannon ; and that once the whole Algerine army,
upon demanding too exorbitanta tax froin the Arabs
under
 DR. THOMAS SHAW . 109
under his protection , were put to fight by the mi
racle. Yet, notwithſtanding the frequency, as they
pretend, of this experiment, themerit urged, whicle
Dr. Shaw ſaid would accrue from convincing a
Chriſtian of its being true, and the ſolicitations of
the whole company, the Marabbutt had too much
policy to hazard his reputation by compliance. At
Seteef, our author once ſaw a Marabbutt famous for
vomiting fire ; but it was plain to any one, who
cloſely attended his perforinance, that it was all
trick ; and that the flames and ſmoke that ſur
rounded him , aroſe from ſome tow and flax , which
he contrived to ſet on fire under his burnoole, in
which he hid himſelf, under pretence of receiving
the inſpiration ,

. C H A P. VÌ.
Of Algiers.
V E ſhall in this chapter conſider the force,
V laws, revenues, government, alliances, and
courts of judicature in Algiers ; beginning with
their government, which differs from that of Tunis,
and confifts of the Dey , who is to be conſidered as
the Stadtholder, and of a Dou -wanne, or Common
council. The Dou -wanne is principally compoſed
of thirty Yiah Balhas, though the Mufti, the Cadi,
and the whole ſoldiery, are ſometimes called upon to
aſſiſt. All affairs of moment ought to be agreed
upon by this aſſembly, before they paſs into laws,
and before the Dey is allowed to put them into exe
cution . For ſome years paſt this body has been
poorly reſpected, though always formally convened ;
but then it is only to conſent, with formality , to ſuci
propoſitions as have been beforehand concerted be
twixt the Dey and his favourites : ſo that, in effect ,
the whole power is lodged in the Dey, who is choſen
out
 110 MODERN TRAVÉ L S .
out of the army; the moſt inferior member of which
may aſpire to that dignity, and every courageous fol
dier may be conſidered as the heir-apparent to the
throne; nor is he under any neceſſity of waiting till
fickneſs or old age remove the preſent incumbent : it
is enough that he is able to protect himſelf with the
ſame ſcyıneter which he hath had the boldneſs to
Meath in the bowels of his predeceffor. If he has
reſolution to attempt the throne, he can carcely fail
to mount it.
• The whole force of Algiers, in Turks, & c.
is about fix thouſand five hundred men ; two thou
fand of whom are excuſed through age froin doing
duty , one thouſand are conſtantly employed in re
lieving annually their garriſons, whilſt the reſt are
either diſperſed among the cruiſers, or contribute to
make up the three flying camps, which are ſent out
every ſummer under the command of the provincial
. Viceroys. To the Turkiſh troops, we may join
about two thouſand Mooriſh horſe , which are kept
in conſtant pay ; but being all of them hereditary
enemies to the Turks, theſe are ſeldom conſidered as
the real ſafeguard and defence of the government.
To make up the deficiencies in the army, their
cruiſing veſſels are ſent out every five or fix years to
the Levant for recruits, which are generally made
up of ſhepherds, outlaws, and people of themeaneſt
condition .
Mahomet Baſha, who was at this time Dey of
Algiers, was not aſhamed to own his extraction ;
for, in a diſpute which he once had with a certain
Deputy-conſul, “ mymother ,” ſaid he,” fold fheeps
“ feet, and my father neats tongues ; but they
“ would have bluſhed to have expoſed to ſale fo
worthleſs a tongue as yours ;" yet thefe recruits,
after they have been a little inſtructed by their fellow
ſoldiers , have got caps to their heads, ſhoes to their
feet, and knives in their girdles, begin to affume airs
of
 DR. THOMAS SHAW . III
of grandeur, expect to be faluted with the title of
Your Grace
d ;r andvoslook upon the moſt conſiderable
ei fſlaves,
all ' oasr ;htheir
citizens or , aand the Conſuls of Chriſtian
nations as their foctmen .
The ordinary diftribution of juſtice is veſted, as
tinficer
hatall, twho,
hTurkiſh
e Rarforiesthemoſt art,h, has
governments
of Grandpart, in the Cadi ; an of
as hhad
ad hhisi education
in the ſeminaries of Grand Cairo, where it is ſaid ,
that the Roman codes and pandects, tranſlated
into the Arabic tongue, are taught and explained
as in the univerſities of Europe. The Cadi
is obliged to attend at the court of juſtice once
or twice a ' day, to hear and determine the ſe
veral ſuits and complaints that are brought before .
him : but as bribery is too often charged upon him ,
all affairs of moment are laid before the Dey ; and,
in cale of his being abſent, or otherwiſe employed ,
they are heard by the Treaſurer, Maſter ofthe horſe,
and other principal officers of the regency, who lit
conſtantly in the gate of the palace for that purpoſe.
At all theſe tribunals the cauſe is quickly decided ,
nothing more being required than the proof of what
is alledged ; ſo that a matter of debt, treſpaſs, or of
the higheſt crimes , will be finally decided , and the
ſentence executed in leſs than half an hour. In
caſes of debt, the debtor is uſually detained in pri
fon , till the bailiff ſeizes upon and fells his effects :
if the ſale amounts to more than the debt, then the
overplus is returned to the priſoner ; if it falls ſhort,
he is notwithſtanding releaſed , and no future de
mands are made upon hiin .
Slight offences are puniſhed with the baſtinado ;
that is, the offender is condemned to receive a cer
tain number of ſtrokes upon his buttocks, or the
ſoals of his feet, with ſticks of the thickneſs of one's
little finger : but in greater crimes, particularly for
unnatural luſt, not only the parts already mention
ed , but the abdominal muſcles are to be chaſtiſed :
a puniſh
112 MODERN TRAVEL S .
a puniſhment generally attended with death . A
man who defaces the current coin of the nation , is
condemned to loſe his hand , according to the old .
Egyptian punithment. Jew or Chriſtian ſubjects
guilty of inurder, or any other capital crime, are
burned alive without the gates of the city ; but the
Moors and Arabs are either impaled for the ſame
crime, hung up by the neck over the battlements of
the city, or elſe thrown upon the looks that are fix
ed in the walls below , where ſometimes they endure
the moſt exquiſite agonies, for perhaps thirty or for
ty hours, before they expire .
The Turks are not puniſhed in public , like other
offenders ; but, out of reſpect to their characters,
are ſent to the houſe of the Aga, where, according
to the quality of the miſdemeanour, they are baſti
nadoed or ſtrangled . Out of regard likewiſe to the
female ſex , when women offend, they are not ex
poſed to the populace, but ſent to ſomeprivate houſe
of correction ; or, if the crime is capital, they are
tied up in ſacks, and thrown into the ſea. The
weſtern Moors ſtill uſe the barbarous puniſhment of
ſawing criminals aſunder ; for which purpoſe they
prepare two boards, of the ſame length and breadth
with thoſe of the unfortunate delinquent, and hav
ing tied him betwixt them , they proceed to the ex
ecution , by beginning at his head. Kardinalh , a
perſon of the firſt rank , who had formerly been
Ambaſſador from hence to the Britiſh court, and was
well known to the naval and military gentlemen at
Gibraltar, ſuffered lately in this manner; for in the
puniſhment of theſe countries, there is little or no
regard paid to the quality of the offender . Some.
times, indeed , a pecuniary mul&t will ſtop the courſe
of juſtice ; but if thecrime is flagrant, no other than
the legiſlative atonement can be made for it.
This government is in alliance with the Engliſh ,
the French , the Dutch , and the Swedes, Great
ар
 DR. THOMAS SHAW . 113
application has been often made by the Porte in be
half of the Emperor's ſubjects, but all in vain ;
although the Algerines acknowledge themſelves to be
the vaſſals of the Grand Signior, and as ſuch , thould
be entirely devoted to his orders and commands.
The Swedes purchaſed peace of them at the rate
of ſeventy thouſand dollars: and as the Algerine
cruiſers rarely meet with veſſels of that nation , this
proceeding has been regarded as a myſtery. The
ſucceſs which the Dutch met with , during a war a
gainſt them of twelve years, the magnificent preſent
of naval ſtores that was promiſed on the ratification
of the peace , together with the natural timidity of
the Dey , left , by further loffes, he ſhould be rec
koned unfortunate , were the chief reaſons of their
extending their friendſhip to that republic . It is cer
tain , that the greateſt part of the ſoldiers and naval
officers ſtrenuouſly oppoſed it, urging that it would
be in vain to arm their veſſels, when they were 'at
peace with the three trading nations ; that their lofs
was inconſiderable, when compared to the riches
they obtained by the war ; concluding with this very
expreſſive Arabian proverb , “ Perſons ought never
co to fow , who are afraid of ſparrows.” As the younger
ſoldiers cannot well fubfift, without the money that
ariſes from their ſhares in prizes, there has been no
ſmall murinuring at the little ſucceſs they have lately
met with . And it is very probable, that the very
moment any confider :ble addition is made to their
fleet, nay, perhaps, without any further augmenta
tion , the preſent Dey will be obliged to leſſen the
number of his alliances, from thoſe very principles,
which , a few years ago, engaged his predeceſſors to
encreaſe them .
The Algerines have certainly a great eſteem and
friendſhip for the Engliſh nation , provided their
could be any reliance on the appearance of a govern
ment, that is guided by chance and humour more than
 114 MODERN TRAVEL S.
than by counſel and mature deliberation. It is very
probable, that whatever trading nation they may
think fit to quarrel with , England has little to ap
prehend. The Dutch are very induſtrious in culti
vating a good underſtanding with them , by making
them an annual prefent ; a method hitherto very
prevalent and ſucceſsíul : whilſt, on the other hand,
the French may perhaps influence them as much ,
by putting them in mind of the execution which
their bombs did formerly in this city ; and of a later
inſtance of their reſentment againſt Tripoli. They
are convinced of the dangers accruing to them from
the polleífors of Marſeilles and Toulon ; but then .
they are not to be perſuaded but that Gibraltar,
(would we could ſtill add Minorca !) ismore conve
niently ſituated to give them diſturbance. But rea
fon and argument will not always be reliſhed at a
court, where the firſt miniſter is the cook , where
an inſolent foldiery have too often the ordering of
themeſs. In critical junctures, therefore, the ground
is to be maintained by the nice management and
addreſs of the Conſul, who ought to know how to
make proper application to the particular paflions of
thoſe who have the Dey 's ear ; by flattering one;
placing a confidence in another , and eſpecially by
inaking proper uſe of thoſe invincible arguments,
money, gold watches, and other trinkets ; for it is
an old and infallible ſaying, “ Give a Turk money
66 with one hand, and he will permit his eye to be
“ plucked out by the other.”

AN
 and
w to
osoi
спе,

HIS
 T

IIIIIIIIII
பாப்
THEAN
வாயு :1trai
பாலmmi H
பா

mTpr lculp
 S

An ACCOUNT of
P A L M Y RA,
OTHERWISE

TEDMOR IN THE DESART:

THE book, from which wemake this very en
i tertaining extract , was publiſhed by Mr. Ro.
bert Wood , a gentleman diſtinguiſhed for his taſte
and erudition , and well known in polite life ; but
- -

more eſpecially as being Under - ſecretary to Mr. Pitt,

- -

The enquiry into the curious remains of Palmyra,

- -

was ſet on foot by Mr. Dawkins, a name as dear to .

.

all lovers of la virtù , as the elegant owner of it is an

ornament to ſociety : hè was ſoon joined by Mr.
Wood and Mr. Bouverie, a gentleman of ſcience,
and univerſally eſteemed ; but he died before the
taſk was carried into execution . The fourth perſon
engaged upon this delectable ſcheme, was an Italian
of undoubted ſkill in architecture and drawing.
The rendezvous of this ſcientific community , was
at Rome ; where they ſpent the winter in ſtudying
the ancient hiſtory and geography of the places they
intended to viſit. "
In ſpring they ſet out for Naples, where they met
a ſhip from London for their particular uſe ; having
on board her a choice collection of Greek hiſtorians
and poetry , ſeveral bocks of antiquities and voyages,
many mathematical inſtruments and other things,
which , in their opinion , might (as preſents) be ule - '
fully divided among the different Turkiſh and other
noblemen , to whom they might have occaſion to .
addreſs themſelves. Having embarked, they ſteered
fon
 116 MODERN TRAVEL S.
for the Archipelago, themoſt remarkable places of
which they viſited , as well as part of Greece, Eu .
rope, the coaſts of the Helleſpont, Propontis, & c .
up to the Black - ſea ; together with the inland parts
of Aſia Minor, Syria, Phænicia, Paleſtine, and
Egypt.
In each of theſe places our voyagers found ſome
thing particularly reliſhing to their different taſtes
and diſpoſitions , but the ancient, rather than the
modern ſtate of each country, where they touched ,
was that which more particularly attracted their at
tention .
Juſtly does our judicious' author obſerve, “ Cir .
6 cuinſtances of cliinate and ſituation , otherwife
..“ trivial, become intereſting from that connection
with great men and great a &tions, which they de.
rive from hiſtory and poetry. The life of Mil .
tiades or Leonidas could never be read with fo
“ much pleaſure as on the plains of Marathon , or
at the ſtreights of Thermopylæ ; the Iliad has
new beauties on the banks of the Scamander ;
“ and where Ulyffes travelled , and Homer wrote
“ and ſung, we ſhall find the Iliad more beautiful
than ever : deſcription cannot paint what warm
" imaginations, aſiſted by learning and eaſte , feel
" from ſuch ſcenes. The place of action throws
a new light on the hiſtorian 's narration , and illuſ
€ trates the poet's plan .” In this tour our polite
travellers entertained themſelves often with cauſmg
their draftſman to delineate a map of the country ;
and they meaſured the Scamandrian plain with Her
mer in their hands.
They every where copied inſcriptions ; and if nat
prevented by the extortions of avarice , or the folly
of ſuperſtition , they carried off the ancientmarbles .
In their progreſs they bought up all the Syrian ,
Greek , and Arabic MSS. they could lay their hands
upon ; purchaſing every thing of that nature with
out
 ACCOUNT OF PALMYRA. 117
out diſtinction , hoping that ſoinething valuablemight
fully repay their trouble in ſearching among a great
dealof rubbiſh . In this reſpect theMaronite churches
of Syria were the moſt ſerviceable. They were re
markably curious in inſpecting every remains of an
cient architecture that fell in their way ; and their .
curioſity was, in this point, fully ſatisfied in many
other places beſides Lydia , Ionia, and Caria . Hav
ing provided themſelveswith proper tools for digging,
they ſometimes employed the peaſants of the coun
try in that work ; and the valuable fragments of an
tiquity which they recovered, anſwered all their toil
and perplexity . The principal intention of Mr.
Dawkins, in this tour, was to compile an hiſtory of
the three Greek orders of architecture, at leaſt with
regard to the changes they underwent from the time
of Pericles to that of Diocleſian . As an Introduc
tion to which this Account of Palmyra is publiſhed ,
and by the encouragement of this, the appearance
of the reſt will be determined .

CH A P. I.
Of the journey through the Defart to Palmyra . ,
THERE is no part of a tour through the Eaſt
1 ſo difficult as a journey to Palmyra ; becauſe
it lies in the Deſart, quite out of the common road ,
and beyond the Grand Signior's protection . How
ever , nothing could deter our Virtuoſi from purſuing
their deſign ; being determined to ſet out either from
Aleppo or Damaſcus. Having endeavoured, to no
purpoſe , to make the firſt of theſe cities , they an
chored at Byroot, on the coaſt of Syria ; where, diſ
embarking , they travelled to Damaſcus by the way
of mount Libanus, over which they croſſed .
Here they learned thatneither the name nor power
of the Balha of Dama'cus could be the Icaſt fecu
rity
 118 MODERN TRAVEL S.
rity to them ; Palmyra being out of his juriſdiction ,
and under that of an Aga, who refided at Haſſia , a
ſmall village, four days journey north of Palmyra.
Halia lies on the great caravan -road from Damafm .
cus to Aleppo, and the Orontes is but a few hours.
distant : tere they met with a hoſpitable reception ,
froin the Aga, who expreſſed himſelf much ſurprized
at their journey ; but furniſhed them , however , with
all neceſſary directions to make it as little trouble -,
foine as poſſible , and gave thein an eſcort of his beſt
Arab horſemen , armed with guns and long pikes ;
by whom they were, in four hours, conducted to,
Sudud, travelling through a barren plain , overrun
entirely with antilopes .
Sudud is a poor village , madeup of cabins, built
only with mud -walls hardened by the ſun : theinha
bitants are Maronite Chriſtians, who cultivate bare
Jy as much land as is neceſſary for their ſubſiſtence,
and make tolerable red wine. Here they dined , and
having purchaſed from the prieſt ſomeGreek MSS . ,
they proceeded to Howareen , at preſent a pour
Turkiſh village, though , if we may be allowed to
judge from its ruins, it was once a place of ſome
confideration ; there being a ſquare tower with pro .
jecting battlements, calculated for defence, and two
inouldering churches, in the walls of which are fe
veral Corinthian capitals, and large Attic bafies of
white marble . Theſe ſtructures appear to be of near
four hundred years ſtanding, though in the compo .
ſition are found many materials of much older date,
Thoſe and other ſcattered fragments of antiquity
about Howareen , appear to have been erected with
little taſte , though in profaſion of expence . Not
far off we meet with a village, deſerted by its inha
bitants, which is often the caſe in this part of the
world , where the people often fiy to evade the iron
land of oppreſſion .
From
 ACCOUNT OF PALMYRA. 119
From hence to Carieteen the diſtance is about two
hours, keeping upon a ſouthern direction . This village,
is rather larger than the laſt, and ſhews fome few
broken columns, and Corinthian capitals of marble ,
with two imperfect Greek inſcriptions. They reſted
here the beſt part of the ſecond day of their journey ,
to collect their people, and reſt their cattle ; becauſe
in this part of the deſart, they may be eaſily loſt,
there being no ſettled ſtages, nor any water . By
this day's delay all the caravans had time to come
up, and being now a more numerous body, were
conſequently the leſs governable . This inconvenience
occaſioned their not ſetting forward on the thirteenth
till ten o'clock in the morning, whereby they were
all that and the following day obliged to travel with
out either reſt or water ; and to make their circuin
ſtances ſtill worſe , though it was ſo early in the ſea
fon , the heat of the ſun reflecied from the ſand was
extremely troubleſome.
The company conſiſted now of about two hun
dred perſons, and their aſſes, mules, camels, & c.
were not leſs numerous. The guide now informed
the travellers, that this being the moſt dangerous
part of the way, it was neceſſary they ſhould all put
themſelves entirely under his direction . In conſequence
of which advice , the ſervants with the taggage
were ordered to fall back to the rear, there to remain
protected by the Arab eſcort ; from which two or
three horſemen , who rode Tartar-faſhion , with very
ſhort ſtirrups, & c . were diſpatched, for diſcovery, to
every eminence that camein fight. It is hard to ſay
whether this ſeeming precaution aroſe from a real
apprehenſion of danger, or elſe an oftentation of vi
gilance, in order to give their attendance a greater
air of uſe.
The road here was north -and-by - eaſt, through a
flat ſandy plain about ten miles broad. Nor is there
in all the courſe either trees or water. The ſameneſs
of
120 MODERN TRAVELS. .
of the way and the continued gloomineſs of the
proſpect was a little alleviated by the Arab horſemen
engaging in mock -fights, and performing feats as they
rode ; in which , while they entertained , they mani
feſted great dexterity, and ſhewed themſelves well
ſkilled in horſemánthip . At night they ſat them
ſelves down in a circle, and having regaled themſelves
with coffee and a pipe, one of them diverted the reſt
with a ſtory or a ſong, perhaps extempore, the ſub
ject of which was either love or war. There are
the marks of a Malteſe croſs to be found in ſeveral
places of the walls of a ruined tower , lying nine
hours diſtance from Carietein : here is, alſo viſible ,
a rich marble door-caſe , that muſt have belonged to
a magnificent ſtructure, which is overwhelmed with
the ſand . Atmidnight the caravan halted two hours
to refreſh ; and on the 14th of March , aboutnoon ,
they reached the end of the plain , where the hills
appeared to meet : here they found a vale , through
which runs a ruined aqueduct that formerly con
veyed water to Palmyra . The ſepulchres of the an
cient inhabitants of which city , lie thick both on
the right and left, being ſquare towers of confidera ,
ble height.
Having paſſed theſe venerable monuments, a ſud .
den opening among the hills diſcovered to the alto
niſhed eye, a moſt incredible quantity of magnificent
ruins of white marble , and beyond them a flatwaſte ,
ſtretching all the way to the Euphrates. No proſ
pect can be imagined more ſtriking and romantic,
more grand and melancholy than ſuch innumerable
piles of Corinthian pillars, without any intervening
wall or building of the leaſt folidity.
There cannot be a greater contraſt than ſubſiſts
between theſe ſtupendous ruins of grandeur, and
the ſorry huts wherein the preſent Arab inhabitants
dwell, and our virtuofi were lodged. Both men and
women here are well. Thaped ; their complexions are
3 ſwarthy,
 ACCOUNT OF PALMYRA. 121
Swarthy, but their features good. They hang rings
of either gold or braſs, as they can afford , in their
noſes and ears ; they colour their lips blue, their
eyes and eye-brows black , and the tips of their fin
gers red . The female ſex, though vieled, are not
lo reſerved as moſt other eaſtern women , being ea
fily prevailed upon to throw aſide their covering. Both
ſexes are very healthy, being almoſt ſtrangers to diſ
eaſe ; whence we conclude that the climate is ſtill as
wholeſome as it was in the days of Longinus, who
ſpeaks very well of it in an epiſtle to Pliny. They
have ſcarcely any rain , but at the timeof the equi.
noxes : and the ſky, during our travellers ſtay here,
was extremely ſerene, except once that it was much
darkened by a whirlwind of ſand from the Deſart ,
which preceded a ſhower of rain , and gave a ſmall
idea of thoſe dreadful hurricanes that have been of
ten known to overwhelm whole caravans,
Our travellers remained in this place fifteen days,
during which time the Arab inhabitants ſupplied
them pretty well with mutton and goats fleſh ; but
if they had ſtaid much longer , this ſort of fare
would have become ſcarce .
Aleppo and Damaſcus are equidiſtant from Pal
myra, about ſix days journey , reckoning each day's
journey eight leagues : the road hither , from the
latter, is rather ſhorter , but infinitely more danger
ous than the former . The Euphrates is twenty
leagues diſtant to the weſtward . The walls, which
ſurrounded this city, were flanked with ſquare tow
ers : in many parts, particularly on the ſouth - eaſt,
nothing of them exiſts ; and from the beſt compu
tation that Mr. Wood could make, he imagines
their circuit could not have been leſs than three
Engliſh miles, provided they include the great
temple .
But as Palmyra muſt, when in its flouriſhing
ſtate, have been much more than three miles round ,
Voi . 1.
 --
- --
722 MODERN TRAVEL S.

-
- - -
it is not improbable that the old city covered a neigh
bouring piece of ground, the circumference of which
is ten miles, and in every ſpot of which, the Arabs
ſay, that ruins are turned up by digging. This is ſtill
a more reaſonable ſuppoſition , when we remember
that ſuch fragments of antiquity as are found upon
the three miles compaſs, juſt now menticned, could
have belonged only to inagnificent fepulchres and
public cdifices of the grandeſt kind ; the moſt evi- ,
dent proofs that can be of an extenſive city. Per
haps then the walls, of which we have juſt now
ſpoken , incloſe only that part of Palmyra which its -
publick buildings occupied in its moſt proſperous
ſtate ; and were fortified, if not erected, by Juſti
nian , who , according to Procopius, judged this a
proper place to ſtem the furious progreſs of the Sa
racens. So that from a rich trading city, which it
was, we ſhall hereafter prove, for private conveni
ence, it was reduced to a frontier garriſon .
By cloſely inſpecting this wall, it appears that two
or three of the flanking towers on the north -eaſt were
formerly fepulchral monuments ; and this is ſome
proof that the walls were poſterior to the monu
ments, and the work of a Chriſtian æra ; for the
Pagan religion would have condemned the metamor
phoſe as profane ; beſides , the Greeks and Romans
always buried without the walls of their reſpective
cities; and the ſame cuſtom was religiouſly obſerv
ed all over the Eaſt .
On the top of one of the higheſt rocky hills ,
north -weſt of the ruins of Palmyra, is an old caſtle ;
the aſcent to which is ſteep and rugged. It is a
mean ſtructure, not ſo old as the time of Juſtinian ,
and unworthy of even theMamalukes. There is a
ditch cut round it, which cannot be paſſed with
out ſome difficulty, the draw - bridge being broken
down,
There
 ACCOUNT OF PALMYRA. 123
- There is one building here, the remains of which
are extremely magnificent ; and this , in Mr. Wood's
opinion , was tlie Temple of the Sun , which being
much damaged by the Roman ſoldiers , when Au
relian took the town , that Emperor ordered , for the
expence of repairing it, three hundred poundsweight
of gold , taken from the treaſures of Zenobia ; one
thouſand eight hundred pounds weight of filver, le
vied upon the people ; beſides the jewels of the
crown. The ſolidity and height of the walls of its
court, tempted the Turks to convert it into a place
sof ſtrength , and there on the north -eaſt and ſouth
they ſtopped up the windows, dug a ditch to the
weſt , and demoliſhed the portico of the grand en
trance ; building in its place a ſquare tower, to flank
that ſide. The court is paved with broad ſtones,
but ſo covered with rubbiſh that they are only in a
few place perceptible; nor are there any ſtairs to be
ſeen , whereby it could have communicated with any
other part of the building .
To the eaſt and ſouth of this teinple there are
fome plantations of olives, and a little corn ſowed ,
protected from the cattle by mud-walls. Did not
the Arabs neglect this ſpot, they mightmake it ex
tremely agreeable, by properly diſtributing two
Itreans, wherewith it is watered . Theſe, though
hot and ſulphureous, are by the inhabitants counted
wholeſome and agreeable. The moſt conîderable of
theſe ſtreams riſes weſt of the ruins, at the foot of
the fountains, in a grotto almoſt high enough to ad
mit of a man 's ſtanding upright ; the whole bottom
is a baſon of clear water, about two feet deep, and
the place, on account of the heats , being confined ,
is uſed as a bath ; from it there runs a ſinart current
through a channel three feet acroſs , and one foot
deep ; but after a ſhort courſe it is loſt in the fand .
By an old inſcription found here, on an altar ſacred
to Jupiter, we learn that this ſtream was much
G 2 eſteemed
 124 MODERN TRAVEL S .
eſteemed while Palmyra flouriſhed , it being under
the care of certain people elected thereto by ballot. .
The other ſtream , the ſource whereof Mr. Wood
does not fix , contains near the ſame quantity of
water ; and, after running for ſome time through ,
the ruins, in an ancient aqueduct, joins the firſt
ſtream , wherewith it ſinks into the fand. The.
Arabs ſpeak of a third fiream that has been for ſome
time loſt among the rubbiſh . Aswehave no reaſon
to imagine that the waters of Palmyra have under
gone any alteration, but what has purely riſen from
neglect , we are ſurpriſed that nomention is made of
them by the Engliſh merchants who were formerly
here.
The town was well ſupplied by water ; conveyed
to it through an aqueduct, of which we before took
ſome notice : it is ſaid by ſome people to extend as
far as the mountains of Damaſcus. It was folidly
built under -ground, and had openings in ſeveral
places to keep it clean . There are a few inſcrip
tions on it in Palmyrene characters, but none of
them legible.
· The valley of Salt, whence Damaſcus and the
neighbouring towns are ſupplied with that commo
iisdity
s iS,aofmliesuthe
eaſt el,inruins
b othe
bkavofDefart,
ote tthree
e ImPalmyrahe. suorInn tfour
his miles
this
ſuppoſed to have ſmote the Syrians, as mentioned
pplace
ſouth
la David
in Samuel, book 2. chap . 8. ver . 13. The ground
is impregnated with ſalt to a conſiderable depth .
· Here
athethey
mabout reſhave
a pfoot
t aa,fiway
endeep ne whiof
and tenhollowing
from ain the
he rrain
tthe
ground to
",water which
lodges therein , a fine white ſalt is gathered. .
The preſent remains of Palmyra are ſtriking and
magnificent, which make it a little ſtrange that hiſ
tory ſcarcely furniſhes us with any information con
cerning either Balbeck or Palmyra : and yet we no
where elſe find ſuch noble remains of antiquity , of
which , however, we have little or no knowledge but
that
 ACCOUNT OF PALMYRA. 12:5
that which is ſupplied by inſcriptions. Does not
this want convey inſtruction , and convince us of the
inſtability of human grandeur ? The fate of theſe
two cities differs from every other ; we have no teſti
monies of what they were, but their own noble
fragments : while, though not a ſingle ſtone marks
the ſituation of Troy, Babylon , andMemphis, we
are by books ſufficiently acquainted with their im
portance and changes of fortune. This chaſm in
hiſtory may be perhaps owing to the loſs of books ; :
or perhaps the ancients did not look upon the build
ings of theſe places as worth their regard, being vaſt
ly inferior to many others which they boaſted. Ifihe
latter be a true ſtate of the caſe, is not our admira
tion of their works very excuſable ? May not their
filence , in regard of Balbec, juſtify what they ad
vance about Babylon ? and their not mentioning
Palmyra , be a ſort of proof of the magnificence of
Greece and Egypt ?
In the Arabic tranſlation of the Chronicles, book ii.
chap . 8 . Palmyra is mentioned as ſublifting before the
days of Solomon ; but John of Antioch , ſurnamedMa
lala , informsus, that it was built by thatMonarch on
the very ſpotwhere his father New the Philiſtine chief ,
and in honour of that memorable action . Abul
· Farai goes farther, and, among many other peculia
rities , fets down the year of its foundation : but
theſe and other accounts of the earlier ſtate of Pal.
myra are not to be regarded ; for which reaſon we
fall go on to ſuch hiſtorical authority , as may me
rit quotation from its character of veracity.
We find, in the 9th chapter of the iſt book of
Kings, and the 8th of the 2d of Chronicles, that
Solomon erected a city in the Wilderneſs , and call
ed it Tedmor : and we are told by Joſephus, in the
firſt book of his Antiquities, that ſome time after
the Greeks and Romans diſtinguiſhed itby the name
of Palmyra, even whilſt its firſt name was ſtill ned
re
G 3 tai .
 126 MODERN TRAVELS:.
tained by the Syrians : and this is confirmed by
Saint Jerome, who ſays, that Tedmor and Palmyra.
are the Syrian and Greek names of the ſame place ;
and the country Arabs, even at this time, call it by
the former name. In this circuinſtance they are re
inarkably particular, preſerving the ancient denomi
nation of places through various revolutions. Thus
the Acca of the Old Teſtament is at this day called
by them Acca ; and the Greek name Ptolemais , in
which that of Acca was for foine time ſwallowed .
up, is loit through diſuſe.
Our curious enquirer does not pretend abſolutely
to affert that theſe ruins were the works of Solomon .
He only delivers ſuch an opinion as being that of the
preſent inhabitants, who, among many other parti
culars, point out the wiſe man 's ſeraglio , the tomb
of his favourite concubine, & c . & c . and ſay, " AIL
« theſe things were done by Solomon the ſon of
• David .”
However, ſuch ſtructures as might have been
erected by Solomon , we will ſuppoſe to have been
entirely demoliſhed by Nebuchadonezar, who, in
his march to the ſiege of Jeruſalem , deſtroyed this.
city , as we are aſſured by John of Antioch . For.
it is alınoſt improbable, that buildings in ſuch ele
gant ſtyle, could be prior to the footing of the
. Greeks in Syria ; and taking this for granted, we
Mall not be ſurprized that Xenophon takes no no
tice of it in his retreat of Cyrus the younger, though
he is very exact in deſcribing the Delart. Neither
Tall we wonder that it is not mentioned by Alexana
der , who paſſed alſo through theDeſart in his way
to Theplacus on the Euphrates, where he croſſed
the river, as well as Darius and Cyrus the younger.
From its ſituation between Antioch and Seleucia ,
and its being an important barrier againſt the Par
thians, one would imagine it to have been built by
ſome of ihe Seleucidæ , though we can find nothing
 - ACCOUNT OF PALMYRA. 127
of it in their hiſtory : and yet no time is ſo proper
to enquire about it, as from the death of Alexander
to the reduction of Syria to a Roman province. .
That the æra of Seleucus was uſed at Palmyra is
proved by many inſcriptions, whence it may be in
ferred that the place ſubmitted to Alexander, and
was for ſome time governed by his ſucceſſors ; but
this evidence could not be looked upon as abſolute
proof, were it not ſupported by collateral facts ; be
cauſe itmight have reaſonably been faid , that the in
habitants of Palmyra uſed the æra of the Seleucidæ
only, as common with their neighbours. Let us
go farther ; and we ſhall not find this city taken any
notice of, even when Pompey reduced Syria to a
Roman province, and when a taſte for the polite
arts began to be ſo prevalent, that architecture,
painting , and ſculpture, were objects not unworthy
of the attention of a Roman General.
Appian , in the fifth book of his civil wars, ſpeaks
of Mark Anthony as attempting to plunder it ; but
the inhabitants eſcaped by croſſing the river Eu.
phrates with their beſt effects, and defending the
paſſage with arrows. Atthis time, ſays our author,
the Palmyrenes were merchants ; they ſupplied the
Romans with the coinmodities of Arabia and the
Indies ; and his real motive for attacking them was
to enrich his troops : though to give his conduct the
colour of juſtice, he advanced , that they had broken
the neutrality ſubſiſting between the Roinans and the
Parthians. " Thus then it is plain that they were a:
wealthy free people in the time of Mark Anthony,
but liow long they had been ſo we are leſt to gueſs.
Their riches and trade muſt have been of ſome
fanding ; and in forty years after they ran into ex
pences and luxuries, thatmuſt have required a con
ſiderable capital, as we are taught by iheir inſcrip
tions : nor are wemore clear as to the time of their
becoming a free people.
G .4 Dr.
 128 MODERN TRAVEL S.
Dr. Halley, in his diſſertation on the ancient ſtate
of Palmyra , publiſhed in the Philoſophical Tranſ
actions, gives it as his opinion , “ That when the
“ Romans got footing in theſe parts, and the Par
" thians ſeemed to put a ſtop to their farther con
“ queſts in the eaſt, then was the city of Palmyra,
“ by reaſon of its ſituation , being a frontier town,
“ in themidſt of a ſandy deſart, where armies could
“ not ſubſiſt to reduce it by force, courted and ca
“ reſſed by the contending princes, and permitted
“ to continue a free ſtate.” We comenow to the
only ancient account of this place extant ; it is
delivered down to us by Pliny, who , though he has
collected themoſt ſtriking circumſtances concerning
it, yet omits to mention the buildings.
“ The city of Palmyra is nobly ſituated , the ſoil
" is rich , and it is pleaſantly watered ; it is on all
" ſides ſurrounded by a vaſt ſandy deſart, which to
“ 'tally ſeparates it from the reſt of the world , and
“ has preſerved its independece between the two
“ great empires of Rome and Parthia ; their firſt
“ care when at war being to engage it in their -inte
.“ reſt : it is diſtant from the Parthian Seleucia on
“ the Tigris three hundred and thirty- ſeven miles ;
“ from the higheſt part of theMediterranean two
“ hundred and three; and one hundred and ſeventy
“ fix from Damaſcus.”
The glebe is ſtill rich ; and the ſtreams, of which
we have before ſpoken , are very clear, and capable
of receiving any direction . What Ptolomy, who
makes mention of the Palmyrenes, means by the
river at Palmyra, is very probably the channel
through which theſe ſtreams flow , when united .
The ſeveral channels of theſe ſtreams were lined with
ſtone, to prevent the water from being ſoaked
up .
Nothing is ſaid of this place either in the expedi
tions of Trajan or Adrian ; and yet it is certain that
both
 ACCOUNT OF PALMYRA. 129
both oftheſe Emperorsmuſthavepaſſed either through
or near it. The latter indeed , according to Stepha - -
nus, repaired, and gave it the name of Adrian - -
ople ,
From Caracalla's coins, it appears, that in this
Prince's time it was a Roman colony ; and ſome old
inſcriptions inform us, that the people joined Alex
ander Severus againſt the Perſians. The moſt re
markable figure which Palmyra cut in hiſtory was in
the reign of Gallienus ; and of this entertaining æra
we ſhall ſtrive to give a conciſe account after Zoſimus, ,
Vopiſcus, and Trebellius Pollio.
С НА Р . ІІ.
Palmyra continued ; with the hiſtory of queen Ze- -
nobia .

TINDER the ſhameful indolence of Galienus,

the Roman glory in the eaſt was daily more
obicured ; when Odenathus, joining that Emperor's
party, collected the poor remains of the diſcomfited
Romans in Syria , whom he led againſt Sapor king
of Perſia , routed his army, and advanced with his
victorious troops as far as Ctefiphon , the capital of
the empire . On his return from this expedition , , ,
poſſeſſed of vaſt wealth , and adored by the Romans
as their ſaviour, he was unanimouſly declared Au . .
guſtus, and co-partner of the empire with Gala
lienus.
This Odenathus was a native of Palmyra , but
we have have no account either of his rank or fa - -
mily : he was courageous and active, remarkably pa
tient of fatigue, and ſo admirable a politician , that
he for a while held the balance of power between the
empires of Perſia and of Rome. His defeat of Ba
liſta , who in thoſe times of confuſion was a dan
gerous enemy to the Roman power, at the poſſeſſion
G 5 of
130 MODERN TRAVEL S .
of which he aſpired , added confiderably to his repu
tation . Baliſta had ſerved under Valerian with ho .
nour ; and from his private character, as well as his
being particularly regarded by that Prince, we have
reaforiznal piece of, where the plant great ac
reaſon to conclude that the overthrowing him was a
very ſignal piece of ſervice. His driving the Goths,
out of Aſia Minor, where they had committed the
moft violent outrages, was his laſt great action ; and
it is thought that in this expedition , he was treachers.
oufly flain by his kinſman Mbonius. His ſon He. .
rodes, who differed greatly from his father, being
delicate and luxurious to exceſs, foon after ſuffered
the fame fate : nor did Mæonius long ſurvive,
though he had been ſaluted Emperor ; being cut to .
pieces by the ſoldiery,
The accounts of ‘Odenathus, which have reached
poſterity, ſerverather to ſharpen than fatisfy curioſity :
it is on all ſides agreed, that he was a man of great
abilities and excellent qualifications. Libanius meria.
tions an oration written in his praiſe by Longinus;
which is loft ; and Pollio ſays, that had he not en
gaged in the Roman intereft, it muſt at that time:
have been entirely ruined in the Eaſt.
The fortune of his queen Zenobia , who ſurvived
him , was various and ſurpriſing , her .character great
and extraordinary ; by her he is ſaid to have left iſſue:
two ſons Herenianusand Timolaus : buther memory
is foiled with a ſuppoſition of her having conſented !
to the deaths of Odenathus and Herodes.
Her complexion was dark brown, owing , perhaps, .
rather to her hardy manner of living, than to con
ftitution ; her eyes were black , ſparkling with un
common luſtre ; her teeth exceedingly white ; her
countenance was ſprightly ; her voice ſtrong and
clear ; her air noble , and her perſon graceful and
genteel : her ſtrength was uncommonly great : fhe
inured herſelf much to fatigue, was fond of riding,
never uſed any carriage, and often marched three or
four
 ACCOUNT OF PALMYRA. 131
four miles on foot at the head of her ſoldiers : nor
can we have a finer idea of a beautifulMinerva, than
ariſes from ſuppoſing her haranguing her army in an
helmet. In council ſhe was cautious and prudent ;:
in executing, bold and reſclute : ſhe could be open
or reſerved , mild or ſevere, at her own option , and
never was either out of ſeaſon ; ſhe was gene
rous, but never profuſe ; and ſo chaſte, that her
only end in marriage is ſaid to have been propa--
tion .
She boaſted herſelf deſcended from Ptolomy, and
reckened Cleopatra among her anceſtry . In her
dreſs, and manner of giving audience , ſhe emulated .
the Perſian pomp ; but in her banquets imitated the
Romans, and drank out of golden cups ſet with pre
cious ſtones, Pollio tells us, that ſhe often drank with
her officers ; and that, though ſhe was moderate in :
the uſe of liquors, drinking was a ſport at which ſhe
could beat both Perſians and Armenians. This was
a power which we may fuppoſe the uſed politically,
to forward her ſchemes, and arrive at a true know
ledge of peoples ’ different diſpoſitions. No woman .
was better acquainted with hiſtory ; and ſheabridged :
that of Alexandria and the Eaſt : ſhe was perfect
miſtreſs of the Greek and Egyptian tongues, as well
as of the Latin , which ſhe tranſlated into the former ; ,
but was diffident of ſpeaking it.
Have we not reaſon to be angry with Pollio for be- -
ing ſo very particular in things of but finall confe
quence relating to this great Queen , ſuch as her teeth
and complexion , and yet being filent in things of
much greater importance, ſuch as the battles The
fought, or the laws which the enacted ; ſince for •
theſe wemuſt have recourſe to the hiſtory of her co - -
temporary Roman Emperors, with which her's is par
ticularly connected ? That ſhe attended her huſband ?
in the field is a matter not to be conteſted , ſince the :
Em ,
132 MODERN TRAVEL S .
Emperor Aurelian attributes to her the honour of his
victories over the Perſians, asmay be ſeen by his let
ters to the ſenate.
After the death of Odenathus, Zenobia aſſumed
the reins of government in the name of her chil
dren , and, renouncing the alliance with Rome, at
tacked and totally routed Heraclianus the Roman
General, who was ſent againſt the Perſians, he him
ſelf narrowly eſcaping from falling into her hands.
This victory in ſomemeaſure gratified her ambitions
as it left her in quiet poffeffion of Syria and Meſo
potamia . While the exigency of publick affairs
claimed the attention of Claudius.nearer home, Ze
nobia aſſerted an hereditary right to the dominion of
Egypt, as being deſcended from Ptolomy ; and hav
ing ſecured a ſtrong party there in her favour,
headed by a perſon called Timogenes, ſhe ſent thi
ther Zabdas, a gallant officer, who had been bred
under Odenathus ; and he, defeating the Egyptian
army, poſſeiled himſelf of the province, which he
left under a guard of five thouſand men , and then
returned to Palmyra.
An account of this action reaching Probus, the
Prefect of Egypt, then on a naval expedition againſt
ſome dangerous pirates that infeſted the neighbour
ing ſeas, he returned , and not only drove the Pal
myrenes from their new acquiſition , but routed Zab
dus, who came to their aſſiſtance with a good army;
however , in endeavouring totally to cut off the re
treat of the vanquiſhed, through his ignorance of
the country he expoſed himſelf to a ſurprize, in
which his troops were totally defeated , and himſelf
taken priſoner ; a diſgrace which he could not out
live , but, dying by his own hand , left Zenobia miſ
treſs of Egypt. . .
: Her progreſs alarmed Claudius very much , who
being now near the end of the ſecond year of his
reign ,
 ACCOUNT OF PALMYRA. 133
reign, reſolved to tturn his forces
ormoffedſucceeded
fwas
eut tbyhe tthehouplague out comhoagainſt
gh wiatthSyrmium s nher,
rnibutwas
inwaPannonia
o a . HHee
by Aurelian , who was not however
fecured in his power without ſome trouble, and who ,
before he thought of releaving the eaſtern empire,
formed the police at Rome, and reduced theGoths,
Vandals, and Germans. Theſe great taſks being
completed , he croſſed the Boſphorus at Bizantium ,
and , having taken Tyana in Cappadocia , he pro
ceeded to Antioch , of which he poffeffed himſelf by
ftratagem . By two battles, one fought here, the
other at Emeſa, Aurelian recovered the eaſtern pro
vinces, and forced the Queen to fhelter herſelf from
his victorious armswithin the walls of her capital.
· Aurelian having taken all neceſſary precautions to
fupply his army with proviſions, proceeds. to Pal
myra , not without being conſiderably harraſſed in
hismarch by the Syrian banditti. Arriving at length
before the walls of the town, he laid cloſe fiege to it,
and was gallantly reſiſted by the garriſon . Being
wearied out with military operations, the Emperor
had recourſe to negociations, and made ſomeoffers
to Zenobia , which ſhe rejected with contempt and
inſolence, bidding him remember that her anceſter,
Cleopatra, preferred death to diſgrace and diſhonour.
This conduct exaſperated Aurelian very much : he
puſhed a general attack with more vigour than ever
upon the town . i . i
The beſieged , being reduced to the laſt extre
mity, had no reſource but that of applying to their
allies , the Perſians, for ſuccour ; and this reſolution
being agreed upon in council, Zenobia herſelf un
dertook the carrying of it into execution , and ,
mounting a dromedary, ſet out for Perſia ; but was
taken priſoner as ſhe was about to croſs the Eu
phrates, by, a party of horſe diſpatched after her to
that end by Aurelian . The city foon after ſurren :
dereck
134 MODERN TRAVELS
dered to the Emperor's mercy, who fpared the inha
bitants, but carried off the beſt part of their riches,
leaving belind him a garriſon of fix hundred archers,
who, in ſome years after, were cut off by the inhas
bitants , moſt of whom were, by the Emperor's cr
der, in conſequence of the maſſacre, put to deathý,
and the town quite ruined . .
At Emeſa.the Emperor ſet on foot an enquiry into
the conduct of Zenobia , and here it was the ſtained
her before-great character, by betraying her beſt
friends ; among them was the renowned Longinus,
who had prevailed on her to reject the termsof peace
which Aurelian had offered : for this he was ordered .
to be executed , but hismiſtreſs was reſerved to grace
a Roman triumph . She afterwards married , and had
children at Conche, on the road from Rome to the
ancient. Tiber, where the Emperor aſſigned ſome
lands for her maintenance ; and the remains of her
villa are to this day Thewn to travellers.
Palmyra was afterwards governed by the Romans,
and, from a Latin infeription ftill extant, we are in
formed , that Hierocles was for the fifth time Pre
fident of the provinces, when Dioclefian erected here
fume magnificent buildings.
In the year of Chriſt four hundred, the firſt Illy
rian legion was quartered here ; but Procopius gives
us reaſon to think that the place was ſo little regarded , -
as to be ſometimes left without a Roman gar:
rifon .
The Roman hiſtory inakes no farther mention of
Palmyra :
Its various fortunes from the timeof Mahomet are
very obſcure . That it was uſed as a place of ſtrength ,
is proved by the alterationsmade in the caſtle on the
hill, and the Temple of theSun , which muſt have
been intended for defence, and are not more than :
five or fix hundred years old . There were two thou .
fand
 ACCOUNT OF PALMYRA 135
fand Jews'among the inhabitants of Palmyra in the
twelfih century, according to the account of Benja -..
min Tudulenſis, an ignorant ſuperſtitious traveller of :
that ſeet.
In the ſeventeenth century Palmyra was viſited by:
fome Engliſh merchants belonging to Aleppo , who,
being plundered by the Arabs, were obliged to turn
back , without having ſeen it ; however, they re- -
newed their attempt thirteen years afterwards, and
ſucceeded ; remaining here four days to ſatisfy tłreir
curioſity..
It is not eaſy to decide what were the connections
of the Palmyrenes with the Romans before the time
of Odenathus, but in the reign of Caracalla they
were a Roman colony, Juſtinian knew that it was
a valuable frontier, and therefore he fortified it. If
the Turks: feem ignorant of its value in this light, it
is becauſe of the weakneſs of the Perſians, whoſe
inteſtine commotions prevent their making any ad
vances on this ſide.
Themoſt perfect piece of antiquity which our au
thor ever ſaw , is a Mauſoleum , now one thouſand
ſeven hundred and ſeventy -two years old , the floors
ing legible ;fMocin the waitian zeretne
and ſtairs of which are ſtill entire, though the build
ing conſiſts of five ſtories. An inſcription upon it, *
ſtill legible , informs us, that it was built by Jambe
lieus, son of Mocimus, as a burial-pliez for hiinſelf
and his family , in the year 314 , which anſwers to
the third year of the Chriſtian æra.
Hiſtory tells us, that their government was repubë
licar ; but we have no traces left either of their laws
or police. The only literary performance of theirs ,
which has eſcaped the devaſtations of time, is, Lon
ginus's Treatiſe on the Sublime, whence we have
great reaſon to judge favourably of the ſtate of letters
among them .
Mr. Wood obſerves, " that the people of Palmyra
“ copied after great models in their manners, their
os vices ,
136 . MODERN TRAVEL S. i
« vices, and their virtues ; their funeral cuſtoms
“ were from Egypt, their luxury was.Perſian, and
“ their letters and arts were from theGreeks.
" How much is it to be regretted that we do not .
u know more of a country which has left ſuch mo
“ numents of its magnificence, where Zenobia wasio
Queen , and Longinus was firſtMiniſter !” .

THE
 THE

TRAVELS
OF

Dr. R . POCO C K E,
Lord Biſhop of OSSORY.
| C H A P. I.
Dr. Pococke arrives at Alexandria ; deſcribes its famous
ciſterns, and Pompey's pillar ;" travels to Cairo, and
deſcribes that city.
D R . Pococke embarked at Leghorn for Egypt
on the 7th of September, 1737, and landed
at Alexandria in Egypt, on the 29th of the ſame
month . This city was formerly reckoned one of the
greateſt in Africa, and lies in latitude thirty degrees
forty minutes. It was founded by Alexander the
Great, from whom it derived its name ; and , before
· the paſſage to the Eaſt Indies, by the Cape of Good
Hope, was diſcovered , it was a place of prodigious
trade ; at preſent, the old city is intirely ruined, and
the materials carried away to build the new one.
The ſea has encroached upon it in many places , and
withdrawn itſelf in others. Upon a little iſland ,
which oncemade a part of the port, ſtood the famous
light-houſe, called Pharos ; the ſituation of which ,
in our author's opinion , was at the entrance of the
new port; for ſome ſuperb pillars may, in a calm
day, be ſeen at the bottom of the water , which it is
not improbable are the remains of that celebrated.
tower , When
 138 MODERN TRAVEL S.
When this city was taken by the Saracens, it con
tained , if you will believe the Arabian hiſtorians,
four thouſand palaces, four hundred ſpacious ſquares,
and in it were forty thouſand tributary Jews. The
moſt remarkable remains of Alexandria , are Pom
pey's pillar, and the ciſterns. The latter were built
under the houſes, ſupported by two or three arches,
railed on columns, in order to receive the Nile - wa
ter by the canal, as they do at this day . The deſcent
into them is by round wells, wherein are holes for
· the feet, diſtant from each other two - thirds of a
yard ; by theſe, people who are employed to cleanſe
them , go down : a care, the neglect of which gives.
the water a very bad taſte . It is drawn up by a
windlaſs, and carried about for uſe upon camels .
The pillar, commonly diſtinguiſhed by the name
of Pompey, ſtands on a ſmall height, about a quar
ter of a mile ſouth of the wells, and is ſurrounded
by ſomemagnificent ruins, which, according to ſeve
ral Arabian hiſtorians, are the remains of a palace
of Julius Cæſar, in the centre of the area whereof
this pillar probably was erected . Perhaps it was ſet:
up in honour of Titus or Adrian , who were both in
Egypt ; and that, after the time of Strabo, wlio
makes nomention of it, which he certainly would not
have neglected, had a monument fo very extraordi. .
nary exiſted in his days. It is of red granite ; the.
capitals are of the Corinthian order , and the leaves,,
which are plain , and not in the leaſt indented , ſeem
to have been done either for bay or laurel. There
are on it ſome ſigns of a Greek inſcription , which ,
are ſcarcely legible : the whole height of this pillar,
including the capital, pedeſtal, & c. is an hundred .
and fourteen feet; excluſive of theſe, it is eighty ..
eight feet nine inchis high , and nine feet in diaon
meter ,
Within the old walls are three convents ; one of
which belongs to the Coptics, who pretend to have
the:
 DR. RICHARD POCOCKE. 139
the head of SaintMark ; and ſome fay hisbody: they
alſo ſhew thepatriarchal chair. Near the gate where
the Evangeliſt was martyred , it is ſaid , there was a
church dedicated to him , wherein the Patriarch re
fided . Not far from the gate of Necropolis, ſtands
themoſque of a thouſand and one fi:lars : here our
author obſerved four rows of pillars to the ſouth and
weſt ; one to the north , and one to the eaſt. ,
The new city roſe out of the ruins of the old , a
bout fifty years ago, when the trade for coffee , and
a few other commodities , began to flouriſh . It
is built on the ſtrand, to the north , on a ſpace of
ground that ſeemsto have been forſaken by the ſea ;
and cuts but a forry figure. In ſeveral of the houſes
they have built round courts or porticos, and
placed many granite pillars, which were taken from
the ancient city .
From Alexandria our author ſet out in company
with the Engliſh Conſul for Roſetto ; and they were
met about a league from the town by the French Con
ſul, attended by ſomemerchants of the fame nation ;;
ſhortly after which civility , they were ſurprized at
the ſight of a magnificent tent, wherein a handſome
collation was prepared . Being here refreſhed , they
were all mounted on fine horſes, attended by a
guide ; and thus they made their public entry into
the city. Theſe were ent out by the Governor as a
· compliment to the Conſul, who thenext morning
had alſo a preſent of fowland ſheep , for all which it
is very likely they paid ſomething more valuable .
The road from Alexandria to Roſetto , and indeed
the whole country being a ſandy deſart, would not
be found without difficulty, were it notmarked out
by pillars, erected acroſs the plain , at one of which
we find the Nile -water falling into an earthern vaſe,
for the uſe of travellers ; a work ſupported by ſome:
charitable endowments ..
This:
140 MODERN TRAVEL S .
This town is near twomiles long, and all European
commodities that paſs between Alexandria and Cairo ,
are here landed , and put on board other veſſels.
Here Dr. Pococke ſaw two of thoſe idiots, whom
the Egyptians deem faints : one of them was a luſty
elderly man , the other about eighteen years old ;
they were both born fools, went about the ſtreets
naked, and were held in prodigious veneration .
When the women viſit the fepulchres on Fridays ,
they not only kiſs the hands of thoſe wretches, but
alſo other parts, which it may not be ſo proper to
mention ; a reverence from which they imagine
they may derive ſome peculiar advantages. Ourau
thor ſaw one of theſe faints ſitting, with a woman
on each ſide of him , at the door of amoſque on the
high road to Cairo ; and though multitudes of per
ſons were at the ſame time paſſing by in the caravan
to Mecca, none took the leaſt notice of this fight, as
being thereto well accuſtomed.
Coſmas, the Greek Patriarch of Alexandria , who
reſides uſually at Cairo, being now atMofetto , othere
wiſeMaſchid , our author paid him a viſit ; and being
introduced, by the Conſul's interpreter, was received
with the uſual honours. A ſervant firſt preſented
him with a lighted pipe, and then a ſmall ſpoon ,
with a faucer of ſweet-meats ; after coffee , a bowl
of ſherbet was brought forward, and a towel to wipe
him . At his departure , they ſprinkled roſe -water
upon his hands, wherewith , according to cuſtom ,
he rubbed his face ; and being perfumed with in
cenſe , he took his leave. This laſt is a complement
of great reſpect, and not paid to every body ; it is
broughtwhen the maſter of the houſe makes a ſign
for it, which he is not forward to do, in caſe his vi
fiter be a man of ſuperior rank , as it is a mark of
diſmiffion .
Here theDoctor embarked on the Nile, together
with the Conſul, in a fine galley, bound to Cairo .
 DR. RICHARD POCOCK E. 141
In their way they were becalmed near a village ,
the governor of which offered them coffee ; and, at
their departure, made them a preſent of fifty eggs.
Here they ſaw themanner of making blue indigo, out
of an herb called Nil.
They alſo touched at Ouarden , where they vi
ſited the Governor, who would have entertained them
had they choſen to ſtay ; however, heſent them an
hundred eggs, together with a lamb, and returned
their viſit at the boat's ſide on horſeback . Hehaving
given ſome hints that wine would be an agreeable pre
fent to him , ſome was ſent him after night-fall, to
preventany conſcientious Muſſulman from taking of
fence. .
The night before they finiſhed their voyage, they
ſpent in merriment at Hele, a village about five
miles from Cairo, into which , the following day,
the Conſulmade his public entry on horſeback ; an
honour allowed to no Chriſtian but himſelf ; ſo that
his friends and dependents were obliged to be ſatisfied
with aſias, Six janizaries immediately preceded him ,
and a man wentbefore, ſprinkling water on the ground
to lay the duſt .
Old Cairo ſeems to ſtand in the place of the for- .
treſs and town of Babylon , on the Nile : it is built
near a hill, and was founded by ſome captives, who
eſcaping from Babylon on the Euphratesinto Egypt,
committed ſeveral diſorders ; for which , being at
length pardoned by the government, they had this
ſpot granted them to inhabit, which they called Ba
bylon , after their native city. . .
Cairo was formerly much celebrated for its extent
and magnificence : it is divided into three parts ,
Old Cairo ; Cairo, properly ſo called ; and the port
called Bulac. Each of theſe three towns are a mile
aſunder .
The imports of this place are broad - cloths, tin ,
lead, raw filks from India , neat braſs and iron
work ,
 142 MODERN TRAVEL S.
work , and curious ornaments in the filver way :
their exports are coffee , flax , drugs, and various
forts of dyes ; with ſome fugar, neither cheap nor
fine, except a little , which is laid aſide for the uſe
of the Grand Seignior. The conveniency of water
makes this a place of great trade,
The people are very ingenious ; but then they
are found to differ much , as you go farther up
the Nile, and to be very heavy and ſtupid : There
is but little credit among the Egyptians ; they
rarely tranſact buſineſs by bills, but deal all for
ready -money, every man being his own banker .
This occaſions the town to be much frequented
by foreigners ; ſo that not above three-fourths of
the people that die here of the plague are na
tives.
There is a great mixture of inhabitants in Cairo :
for beſides the original Egyptians, there are Greeks,
Jews, Armenians, Europeans, and a Mollatto race,
who have a ſort of government'among themſelves.
They are natives of Nubia , and ſupply the coun
try with ſervants, having a common purſe, out of
which they ſupport ſuch as are fick , or outof place ;
and theſe fellows, when they are worth it, ale
always ſure to reimburſe the fociety. Here are
fome Turks, and a few remains of the Mamaluke
race.
As the country is very plentiful, European mer
chants live here comfortably enough ; and though
much confined , they are pretty ſociable among one
another. The morning they dedicate to bulineſs,
the remainder of the day they give up to diverſion .
Being for the moſt part very hoſpitable , ſtrangers
meet with a kind reception from them , who, were
they not accommodated with lodging at the houſe
of one or other of them , would find it very hard to
diſpoſe of themſelves.
There
 DR. RICHARD POCOCKE. 143
! There are many bagnios in Cairo , ſome of which
are appropriated entirely to refreſhment of the wo
inen, who frequent them once or twice a week .
Females, indeed , of a more elevated rank , are de
prived of this egreſs from confinement, having
bagnios in their own houſes. .
The houſes of Cairo being all built much upon
the ſame plan , a deſcription of one or two of them
will give you a tolerable idea of the reſt : for exam
ple , that of Sultan Calaun , who lived in the year
1279 , is built round a ſmall court : the entrance to
the grand apartment is by a Gothic door, on each
ſide of which there is an elegant row of double pil
lars , worked ſo as to appear like two pillars woven
one within another. The ſaloon is conſtructed in
the form of a Greek croſs , with a cupola in the
middle ; it is wainſcotted ten feet higlı ; the pannels
thine with mother -of-pearl, blueſmalt, finemarbles,
and elegant pieces of moſaic workmanſhip
Wp .,
Above the wainſcotting, Arabic inſcriptions run
round the ſaloon , reaching to the height of two feet,
and the whole is crowned with arches of moſaic and
mother-of-pearl.
In the houſe of Oſman, there is a fine ſaloon with
a lobby before it : it is oblong, wainſcotted on two
fides with pannels of greymarble , bordered with cu
riousmoſaic . There is a ſopha round it, furniſhed
with rich velvet cuſhions, and the floor is covered
with fine velvet carpets.
The great men in general have a falcon for com
mon u 'e , and another for ſtate ; and as they have
four wives, each of them has a ſaloon , with apart
ments about it, that have no communication with
the reſt of the houſe, except the common entrance
for ſervants, which is kept lacked ; and of the pri
vate entrance the maſter keeps the key. Here they
have ſuch a machinemade to turn round, as is ufed
in nunneries, which receives any thing the women
nt wa
 144 MODERN TRAVEL S .
want to give in or out, without their ſeeing thoſe
with whom they communicate .
The Turkiſh houſes in Cairo are rather uſeful
than handſome, the lower part being of ſtone, the
upper of cage-work , lined with unburnt brick . As
they have few windows towards the ſtreets, and in
other reſpects , void of regularity , they are but an
indifferent ſight to an European . The ſtreets here
are ſo very narrow , that in ſome places they extend
a light covering, from the roof of one houſe to that
on the oppoſite ſide of the way, thereby ſheltering
paſſengers from the heat of the fun .
No city in the world can be better regulated than
Cairo, there being gates at the end of almoſt every
ſtreet, or at leaſt of every ward, which are ſhut up
when it is dark ; and being guarded by a body of
janizaries, no idle people can wander about, to
diſturb the peace of the inhabitants .
Among many magnificent moſques , which orna
ment this city , that built by Sultan Haſſan is truly ,
grand : the entrance to it was formerly by an aſcent
of ſeveral ſteps, which are now broken down to
prevent malecontents from taking refuge here, as
they were formerly accuſtomed to do in times of
public inſurrections. In the apartments adjoining
to it, there is now kept a garriſon of janizaries ; for
the place is very ſtrong. This building ſtands at
the foot of the caſtle -hill, and is pretty lofty , the top
of it being carved in the Turkiſh manner , and the
entrance finely inlaid with various forts of marble.
The caſtle of Cairo was built by Saladin : it
ſtands to the ſouth of the town upon a rocky hill,
and has four entrances, the beſt of which is by the
gate of the janizaries to the eaſtward : it is walled
round and defended by many towers ; but at preſent
it cannot be a place of much ſtrength , as cannon ,
from a bill which commands it on the eaſt, might
eaſily beat it down.
The
 DR. RICHARD POCOCKE. 145
The waters of the Nile, when they riſe, are con
veyed by means of canals, through different parts of
the city ; and it is an entertaining proſpect to ſee the
inhabitants diverting themſelves at that time, in
their boats and barges, with muſic , feaſting, and
fire-works ; while crowds of people lean from the
windows of the houſes, which ſeem as if they roſe
out of the water. But alas ! how wretched a view
of mud , ſlime, and dirt, do the waters, when fall
ing, leaving behind them : this , however , does not
laſt long, the whole being ſoon covered with verdure
and fertility , and plentiful harveſts ſucceeding on the
fame ſpots where the late waters ſpread their ample
ſheet.
Joſeph 's granaries are in old Cairo , and ſtill ap
propriated to the keeping of corn ; they are only
ſquare courts, encompaſſed with walls fifteen feet
high , and ſtrengthened with ſemicircular buttreſſes ;
they ſeem to have been originally built of ſtone, but
now they are for the moſt part compoſed of brick .
The grain is covered with matting , certain allow
ances are made to the keepers, and becauſe that
birds are ſuppoſed to get at it, the locks of the doors
are covered with clay, and ſealed . This corn is
uſually brought down from Upper Egypt, and
diſtributed, as part of their pay to the ſoldiers, who
ſell it . Six of theſe granaries are full of wheat, and
one of barley ; the latter is for feeding the horſes .
At the north end of old Cairo , there is a grand
hexagonal building, uſed for raiſing the waters of
the Nile to the aqueduct , which is done by the
means of wheels and oxen . The aqueduct itſelf is
very grand : it is built in the ruſtic ſtile , upon
arches and piers of different dimenſions. Towards
the caſtle-hill, where the ground riſes , the arches
are but low ; and the water is raiſed , from the re
fervoir to the caſtle , by means of ſeveral wheels,
placed one above another.
VOL . I. H Oppoſite
146 MODERN TRAVELS.
Oppoſite to this reſervoir, is the canalwhich con
veys the water to Cairo, and which perhaps was
built by Trajan : near the inouth of it they perform
the ceremony of opening the canal, by breaking
down a mound that runs acroſs it, when the Nile is
at a certain height. This work is done with great
rejoicings ; and a certain pillar, which ſtands not
far off, is adorned with flowers, over which the
waters ruthing . carry them away ; and this offering
ſtands in lieu of a virgin , which uſed annually to
be ſacrificed to the River -god . .
The river Nile is one of the greateſt curioſities
of Egypt. It may be ſuppoſed , ihat the north
winds are the caule of its overilow : they begin to
blow about the latter end of May, and drive the
clouds, formed by the vapours of theMediterranean ,
fouthward , as far as the mountains of Ethiopia ,
which ſtopping :heir courſe, they condenſe , and fall
down in violent rains ; at which time, even wild
beaſts , directed by inſtinct, retire before the tor
rents, and ſeek ſhelter elſewhere. This wind alſo
contributes to raiſe the waters of the Nile , by driv
ing forward the fea, which meeting with , oppoſes
the progreſs of the river, already ſwollen by thenew .
fallen rains; and thus is the country ſoon intirely
overflown .
The Egyptians, but more eſpecially the Copti',
aſfert, that the Nile begins to riſe every year on the
fame day It does indeed generally begin on the
18th or 19th of June. They have alſo a notion of
a great dew falling the night before ; and this dew ,
called Nokta , they fay, purifies the air , cauſes the
waters to ferment, and turn red, or ſometimes green :
it is very certain that they change their colour, and
continue diſcoloured for twenty or thirty days after
their riling , and that they are all that time purging
and unwholſome; ſo that in Cairo , the inhabitants
- 2 then
 DR . RICHARD POCOCKE. 147
then drink the water that has been preſerved in ciſ.
terns under the houſes and moſques.
Somepeople ſuppoſe, that the ſources of the Nile ,
beginning to ſwell, force out with them a ſediment
of green or red filth , which have remained caked
upon the borders, or near the riſe of the finall ri
vers that flow into it, near its principal ſource. Yet ,
though there is ſo little water in the Nile when at
loweſt, that the current is in many places ſcarcely
diſcernable , it cannot be ſuppoſed intirely to ſtaga
nate. As the waters begin to grow more turbid ,
they becomemore ſalubrious ; and the coinmon peo
ple venture to drink of them , and preſerve thein in
large jars, the inſides of which they rub with
pounded almonds, the oil being firſt extracted ; and
herein they ferın nt and ſettle in four or five
hours .
Th: y maintain a reddith caſt till the rapidity of
the ſtreain begins to abate in December and Janu
ary ; but the river continues to fall, even to the
ſeaſon when it begins to riſe again , being always
yellowiſh , and colouring the waters of the ſea for
ſome leagues out.
There is no certain intelligence to be ohtained a
bout the hippopotamnas, though they have been ſeen
about the Damiata , and it is ſaid , that by night
they have deſtroyed whole fields of corn ; but our
author takes the foundation of this account to be
owing barely to one that was taken there ſome years
ago : they ſeem to be natives of the upper parts
of the Nile, and very ſeldoın come down to
Egypt.
It is time, however , for us to quit the channel of
this ſurpriſingriver, and to return to Cairo, where we
find ſtill fomething farther to be ſaid of the caſtle ,
on the ſouth ſide of which there is a large court
wherein are the Baſha’s apartments, and the divan
in which laſt place are kept certain leather ſhields,
H 2
 148 MODERN TRAVELS.
of the thickneſs of half an inch, and the ſpear
wherewith Amurath pierced them . They are pre
ſerved as monuments of that monarch 's ſtrengih .
In this apartment the miniſters of the govern
ment meet three times a week ; and the Batha of
ten ſits privately to overhear their conferences, be
hind a lattice , communicating with the hall from
an adjacent apartment. This is a practice copied
after the Grand Seignior himſelf, and ſtimulates the
aſſembly to do juſtice.
Themint allo is near where they coin their gold ,
and ſome ſmallpieces of money called Nadines, of
three farthings value ; which are of iron waſhed with
filver. There is a well in this caſtle which is looked
upon as very extraordinary, being dug through a
rock ; but, on examination , the ſtone appears to be
very ſoft, ſo that there was leſs difficulty in linking
it. This well, or rather chain of wells, is an ob
long in breadth ; the deſcent to the bottoin of the
firſt well is by dirty ſteps, each about ſix inches high ,
and five feet broad, running three times round, to
the depth of one hundred and fifty feet. Here are
two entrances, one to the right, the other to the
left : the latter , it is ſaid , leads to the pyramids, the
foriner to the Red Sea, both are now ſtopped up . At
the bottom of this well there is a role, through which
you paſs with ſome difficulty to another , onehundred
and twenty feet lower: thedeſcent is wet , dirty ,narrow
and dangerous. This laſt well is probably on a level
with the bed of the Nile , or rather below it ; it ne.
ver wants water , but it is a little brackiſh , and is
raiſed to the upper well, by means of a wheel
turned by oxen , from whence it is conveyed
to the top by another machine of the ſame na
ture .
There is one thing peculiar to this well, which
· is , that when you deſcend twenty or thirty ſeet, you
find it archd all the way to the bottom , probably
th wi
 DR. RICHARD POCOCK E. 149
with a view to make the flight of ſtairs longer, and
the deſcent conſequently more eaſy ; ſeveral wells
of this ſort have been found in the neighbourhood
of old Cairo , ſome of which are in uſe even to this
day.
The caſtle, wherein we find this well, is about a
mile in circumference ; it is like a little town, but
now lies in a ruinous condition . To the ſouth of
it is an ancient fuburb , called Caraffa , where there
are ſome magnificent tombs, ſaid to be themonu
ments of certain Califfs of Egypt, who were
relations of Mahomet, and conquerors of the
country .
Caraffa formerly maintained many colleges and
convents of Derviſes, wherein divinity and the laws
were ſtudied. Of theſe, here were formerly ſuch a
number , that a ſtranger might ſpend a whole year a
mong them at free- coſt, waſting only one day in each.
They now lie in a heap of ruins.
On a hill near Moſque Duiſe, there is a ſolid ſtruc
ture of ſtone, about three feet wide, and three ſquare
on the top ; the aſcent to it is by ten ſteps. Here the
Sheack mounts to pray upon extraordinary occaſions,
fuch as the beginning of a war, or theNile failing
in its riſe . Oratories of this nature may be ſeen in
the ſuburbs of all Turkiſh towns.
There is a Jewill fynagogue in Cairo , ſaid to be
One thouſand fix hundred years old , in which are
-

preſerved two ancient MSS. of the laws, and oneof .

the Bible, written by Ezra, who omitting, out of
reſpect , to mention therein the facred name of God ,
found it the enſuing day every where ſupplied by an
inviſible agent. No perſon is permitted to touch it ,
and it is kept in a nich ten feet high , veiled with a
curtain ,before which many lampsarekeptcontinually
burning. There is a Chriſtian church in this, wherein
the head and other relicks of Saint Barbara, to whom
it is dedicated , are carefully preſerved. Hereare ſeve
H 3 . ral
 150 MODERN TRAVEL S.
ral other Chriſtian churches, and in old Cairo'
particularly, not leſs than twelve belonging to the
Coptis.
CHA P . II.
Of the firſt Patriarch of Alexandria ; of the Coptés
and other Chriſtians.

QAINT Mark , who is eſteemed the firſt Patriarch

w of Alexandria , is ſaid to have firſt preached the
goſpel in Egypt ; whence, during the perſecutions,
many of the Chriſtians retired to Coptus, and the
places about it ; and from this aſylum it is ſaid ,
they derived the name of Coptis.
The Mahometans, when they undertook the
conqueſt of Egypt, took part with the Coptis , who
thereby got the upper hand ; and their Patriarch was
firmly eſtabliſhed , as he is ſeen at preſent. Another
diviſion happening in the church , part of the
Greek communion remained here, in oppoſition
to the weſtern church ; and they have alſo their
Patriarch .
The Copti Patriarch of Alexandria probably re
fided at old Cairo , when that became the capital ;
and it may be ſuppoſed, he removed into the pre
fent city , when old Cairo began to be deſerted. The
Greek Patriarch alſo reſides there. The Biſhops
chuſe the Patriarch , and the principal Coptis con
firm him : he is firſt inſtalled at the eaft end of
the church of Saint Macarius, wherein he is elected ,
and afterwards in the chair of Saint Mark , in
Alexandria .
The Copti church is ſomewhat like the Greek
church in its ceremonies : the liturgies are in the
ancient Coptic language ; which is, without doubt,
the Egyptian , though much corrupted . It is to be
ſuppoſed, that the Arabic language took place of it,
when
• Dr. RICHARD POCOCK E . 151
when the Arabs conquered this country ; ſo that
now the Coptic is no inore a living language, nor is
it underſtood by any, except by fome of the prieſts,
who can explain a little of their liturgy , though
many of them cannot ſo much as read it ; but get
their long offices by rote, by hearing them frequently
repeated . The epiſtle and goſpel are read both in
the Arabic and Coptic languages.
* The Roman catholics have their liturgy printed
in the Coptic, with very few alterations. They
ſpend alınoſt all the night before feſtivals and holi
days in their churches : a cuſtom that inight firſt a
riſe from their meeting to celebrate their devotio : s at
nght, during the times of perſecution ; and which
mightbe continued afterwards, as being convenient
on account of che coolneſs of that time. Their
churches are always covered with matring : they take
off their Nippers on entering , and theſe it would be
great ill manners to wear even in their houſes. They
likewiſe kiſs the pavement when they come into the
church , which may be another reaſon for keeping it
very clean . They fit on the ground very irreverently
for moſt part of the time their devotion continues ;
and when they are obliged to ſtand up , they have
crutches to lean on , wherewith they are ſupplied by
the ſexton .
The ignorance of the prieſts is a very good reaſon
for their not preaching. The Patriarch makes a
ſhort diſcourſe to them once a year, and they reach
lectures out of the pulpit on great feſtivals. Deacons ,
are made at eight or nine years old , who always re
ceive the ſacrament when it is adminiſtered. Sunday :
is here kept very ſtrictly , and on it the people will
not work .
Abſtaining from fleſh cannot ſurely be any great
mortification to thoſe who ſeldom have any to eat ;
fo that it chiefly conſiſts in not feeding upon eggs,
H4 milky
152 MODERN TRAVEL S.
milk , butter, oil, and ſuch things as they commonly
uſe ; and in forbearing from theſe till noon , or later.
One of their greateſt faſts is that of Lent, which
begins fifty - five days before Eaſter ; that of Advent
is another , forty -three days before Chriſtmas. They
faſt alſo fifteen days before the Annunciation ; during
which time they do not eat oil, but live moſtly on
vegetables. The Faſt of the Apoſtles begins fifty
days after Eaſter : it is obſerved for thirteen days by
the laity , and ſomething longer by the prieſts. They
have alſo three days ſevere faſt before the Feaſt of
Jonas, whoſe having been in the whale's belly , they
look on as a type of our Saviour's lying three days
in the bowels of the earth .
OnGood Friday they abſtain for twenty- five hours.
The faſt, during theſe feaſons, is not ſtrictly kept on
Saturdays and Sundays as to the times of eati . g .
They ſometiines uſe an odd ceremony to procure
leave of the Patriarch to eat eggs in Lent; it is thus :
they take him up in a chair, and aſk him , if he will
give them leave ; on refuſing it, they deſire to know
if hewill be thrown down ; and repeating theſe queſ
tions three or four times , at laſt he confents, as if
afraid of being injured ,
They often eſpouſe at ſeven or eight, conſummate
at eleven or twelve years, and ſome proper timebe
fore that they are circumciſed .
The men eaſily procure divorçes , on account of
adultery, long fickneſs , or almoſt for any diſagree
ment; and if they defire it, they obtain leave of the
Patriarch or Biſhop to marry again ; and if their own
clergy will not tie the knot to pleaſe them , they have
secourſe to the Cadi. This cuſtom is practiſed by
the Chriſtians all over Turkey.
At baptiſm , they plunge the child three times into
the water ; then confirm , and give it the ſacrament ;
that is, the prieſt dips the end of his finger into the
chalice,
 DR. RICHARD POCOCKE. 153
chalice , which is filled with wine, and puts it into
the child 's inouth .
The women ſtay in their houſes forty days after
they are delivered of a boy, and twenty - four if a
girl ; till which time the baptiſm is deferred , and
ſometimes much longer. But if the child falls fick
before that time, it is brought to church , for they
cannot baptize out of the church , and laid on a
cloth near the font ; then the prieſt dips his hands
into the water, wherewith he rubs the child all over :
but if this is neceſſary to be performed when there is
no facrament, the child , father and mother , muſt
ſtay in the church till next day. If the child is ſo ill
that it cannot be brought to church , they then only
anoint it at home according to form ; and they ſay it
is good baptiſm .
They give abſolution at extremeundtion , as they
do in theGreek church , and anoint alſo all the peo
ple preſent, that the evil ſpirit may not enter them .
Their confeſſions are general. It is ſaid , they often
make croſſes on their arms with powder ; and if it
is demanded whether or no they are Chriſtians, they
Thew the croſs. They abſtain from blood , and things
ſtrangled . They pray for the dead, but have a no
tion that the ſoul goes to heaven in forty days; yet
they pray for it afterwards.
They proſtrate themſelves before pictures ; but
have no graven images, except a crucifix . The
bread they uſe is a ſmall white cake ; it is made only
of flour and water unleavened : the Coptis buy the
corn with the money of the church , and when made
into flour, it is always kept in the church , and the
cakes are made by the Sacriſtan , who chants ſome
pſalms while he is about it, and they are baked in
an oven , which is put to no other uſe.
The Coptis, of all the Eaſterns, ſeem to be the
moſt irreverent and careleſs in their devotions. The
night before Sundays and feſtivals, they ſpend in
H5 their
154 MODERN TRAVEL S.
their churches , and theholydays in fauntering about,
and fitting under their walls, or thady trees. They
ſeem to think that religion conſiſts folely in repeating
Jong ſervices, though without the leaft devction ; and
in ſtrictly obſerving their numercus fafts . Both prieſts
and people are all exceedingly ignorant. They rarely
diſtinguiſh between thoſe of different religions, but
include all Chriſtians under the name of Franks.
As the Jews were afraid , in the time of Paganiſin ,
to drink wine offered to idols, it was uſual to have
all the wine they drank made by their own people,
and ſealed up to be ſent to them ; a cuſtom which
they ſtill obſerve in all the eaſtern parts.
The preſent Egyptians are a Nothful people , and
delight in fitting ſtill, and hearing tales rehearſed .
They indeed ſeein better adapted to eaſe than activi
ty ; and this inc!olence contributes probably to that
inventive genius for which they are remarkable ..
This more eſpecially appeared in their ancient hea .
then religion , and in thoſe many extravagant fables,
on the moſt plealing of which the Greeks perhaps
founded their religion and poetry ; and from thein they
they paſſed to the Romans : they are malicious and
envious to a great degree ; and though they are very
ignorant, yet they are naturally cunning, falſe, and
miſtruſtful; hence they are always ſuſpicious of tra
vellers, who, they imagine, come to their country
in ſearch of treaſure, which , if not eaſily found,
they ſuppoſe them able to extract from the bowels of
the earth , by artmagic : for they cannot conceive.
how the deſire of ſeeing ruins and old walls , could ,
induce people to travel thus far ; and thoſe notions.
prove very differviceable to curious inſpectors. They
have, however, learnt hoſpitality from the Arabs,
and ſomething of that ſtridt ſort of fidelity, which
teaches a man to ſtand by him whom he takes under
his protection , T he.
 DR. RICHARD POCOCKE. 155
The people of the country are moſt employed in
tilling the ground, which is not attended with much
labour ; but the bringing water to it is often very
troubleſome.
The Arabs love plunder, and a vagabond life .
The buſineſs of attending cattle feemsmoſt ſuited to
their genius ; they have good horſes, and manage
them and their pike with inuch addreſs : thoſe on
foot uſe poles, with which they fence off the ſpear
with great art.
The Turks differ from the natives of the coun
try, and the Arabs ; being thoſe who are ſent hither
by theGrand Seignior. Theſe are covetous ofmoney,
defirous of power, and withal very ſubtle and inge
nious in carrying on any affair to obtain their ends :
moſt ſurprizing things have been managed and
brought about by them in Cairo, with the utmoſt
policy and ſecrecy ; and theſe diſtinguiſh themſelves .
from others , by what is ſtrictly the Turkiſh dreſs,
Among the Mahometans, the Derviſes are a
particular ſort of people ; they may be reckoned of
two or three kinds. ift. Thoſe in convents lead a
religious recluſe life ; though Dr. Pococke ſuppoles
there are ſome of thoſe who travel with credit, and
return after a tour to their convents. 2dly. Thoſe
who take on them this character, living with their
families, an 1 following their trades : ſuch are the
dancing Derviſes at Damaſcus, who come once or
twice a week to a little convent there, where they
perform their extraordinary exerciſes ; theſe ſeem to
be a good people. But the third ſort travel about
the country, and beg , or rather oblige every body to
give them alıns, which muſt not be refuſed when
they found their horn .
The refined policy, or rather cunning of the go
verning part of the Egyptians, is chiefly employed
in meditating the deſtruction of their antagoniſts ;
for as there aremore factions in Egypt, than in any
other
156 MODERN Í Ř A VÉ L $ .
other part of Turkey, ſo there are more inſtances of
treachery. The manner in which they paſs their
time, without reading, or much buſineſs , without
any curioſity , but what relates to their affairs, is the
reiſon of it ; for they think much , and their thoughts
are always émployed about their particular intereſts .
The Baſhas commonly join with that party under
handodwhich
K S ior judge
eignthey en hisemoſt
's d t t y hinlikely
i t d
unleſs when they ſet themſelves to deſtroy the
ester
k ts too geteſthetroybetter,
,
ſtrong ft party, when they think it may overturn the
Grand Seignior' s dominion in Egypt.
Notmany years ago, a Baſha, who was deſirous
to deſtroy a certain Bey , apprehending that he would
re uſe the coffee brought to him at an entertainment,
directed the ſlave that was to bring it, to make a
falſe ſtep , and drop the cup ſeemingly intended for
him : the ſave following the direction he had re
ceived , the Baſha defired the Bey to accept of his
own cup, which being a particular honour, and ap
parently hirnileſs, could not be handſomely refuſed :
he drank the coffee without fufpicion , which had
poiſon purpoſely put into it ; and it worked accord
ingly .
About ſeven or eight years ſince, a deſign was
formed by a weaker party to deſtroy ſome of their
enemies, who had raiſed themſelves to a moſt exor
bitant degree of power. The ſcheme had been long
Jaid , and above forty perſons in the ſecret, many of
whoin were ſlaves ; but an opportunity was wanting
of aſſembling together all the perſons againſt whoin
the plot was intended. However , the long - fought
day at length arrived , when being all met together,
and the Naves bringing in all the coffee or (herbet at
the ſame time, according to the uſual cuſtom ; whilft
they were drinking it, each Nave drew his weapon ,
and ſtabbed his man : fome few of the deſtined vic .
tims eſcaped much wounded, but the beſt part of
thein fell upon the ſpot.
They
 DR . RICHARD POCOCKE. 157
They took off the chief perſon of this fame party
by another ſtratagem : it was known that the Bey
was very deſirous to have a particular perſon ſeized
on, and pretending to have taken him ,they brought
one of their own party muffled up into the preſence,
with his hands behind him , as if tied ; but the firſt
queſtion the Bey aſked him , was anſwered, by the
ſuppoſed priſoner diſcharging at him a couple of
piſtols, whereby he killed him , and the whole body
retreated fafely , having taken care to ſecure all the
paffages behind them .
From their belief in predeſtination , the Turks
derive their courage in battle , their patience in ad
verſity . They are ſo very avaricious, that no great
man is to be viſited without a preſent in hand, and
though liberal in profeſſionsare ſtrangers to the reality
of friendſhip . Waſhing the hands and feet is by
them thought to expiate the moſt atrocious crimes :
it is alſo the preparation for prayer ; and the ap
pearance of religion being in faſhion, it is thought
polite to pray at the uſual hours , without reſpect to
place ; a circumſtance in which they differ from the
Arabs, who are ſeldom ſeen at any time, or in any
place to pray.

C HA P . III .
Of the ſuperſtition of the Egyptians ; of the Turkiſh ,
Arabian, and Coptic complimenting ; of bathing,
travelling, and dreſſes of the people.
T HE Egyptians are very credulous with reſpect
T to Taliſmans, charms, and every ſpecies of
magic. Should you praiſe one of their children
without bleſſing it, they are ſure to ſuſpect that you
mean it no good, and immediately uſe ſome ſuper
ftitious ceremonies to prevent the effects of the evil
eye ; one of theſe is throwing falt in the fire.
Thc
158 MODERN TRAVELS.
The Mahometans falute each other byinclining the
head, extending the hand, and bringing it back to
their breaſts ; or elſe , kiſſing the hand and putting
it to the head. The latter is a mark of extraordi
nary reſpect : they always wilh peace to each other ;
a compliment which they never pay to Chriſtians.
The Arabs ſalute each other by ſhaking hands and
bowing the head. Among the Coptis, a ſon dare
not ſit before a father , eſpecially in public company,
without being ſeveral times deſired ; and in no place
in the world do inferiors more obſerve themotions
of their ſuperiors.
If any one goes to the houſe of an Arab, or to
his tent, bread is immediately ſerved up with four
milk , and cucumbers ſliced into it when in ſeaſon ;
fried eggs, oil to dip the bread in , and ſalt, cheeſe like
curds, & c . They take it amiſs, if you do not ſtay
and eat with them ; and think a viſit ſuch a favour,
that where there has been a violent enmity, if one
of the party goes to the other 's houſe, and eats with
him , all is forgot.
One ofthegreateſt refreshments among the Turks,
is going to the bagnios : they undreſs in the firſt
large room , which is generally covered with a cu
pola , and thence paſs into the hot room , where they
are waſhed and rubbed with hair- cloths: they rub
the feet with a ſort of greater , made of earthen -ware,
ſomething reſembling the body of a bird ; they then
make all the joints ſnap , even the very neck , and
all down the back , whereby it is thought that the
joints become ſupple : after this they are ſhaved, and
go into the bath . From this place they return by a
room not ſo hot, where they ſtay a while ; and be
fore they re-enter the great room , where they repoſe
on the bed, ſmoke their pipes, take their coffee, and
dreſs .
The eaſtern people ſet out early on a journey ,walk
their horſes gently , and often ſtop to refreſh ; but
more
 DR. RICHARD POCOCKE. 159
more eſpecially under the made, if the weather be
warm : if they do not travel in any great ſtate , they
carry a leathern bottle of water tied to the ſaddle ,
and of this they drink when thirſty : great folks
have an attending camel laden with water.
By night they rarely make uſe of tents, but lie in
the open air, having large lanthorns, the bottom and
top of which are of copper , tinned over , and the
ſides of linnen , ſtretched upon wires , carried before
uephoinngtthree
bupon on ccoonlarge
tlismen oofflike
hcraemeeſtaves, nadtigteioſſcales
coaflesthinaenadcweigh
thein , which yield a good light, and are ſuſpended
amel i-houſe.
håler the
Some women of condition travel in litters, car
ried by camels ; the labour of the camel that goes
behind being very great, as his head lies under the
litter. Some go in a ſmaller ſort of litter , on the
back of one camel. People of quality ride on a
ſaddled camel ; and their inferiors on camels loaded
with carpets and bed, if they have any, and other
neceſſaries. They commonly have a double crook
in their hands, to direct the beaſt by touching
his head , and alſo to recover their bridle, if it
ſhould happen to drop , and to ſtrike the beaſt to
make him go on .
The moſt extraordinary way of conveyance is
by means of a ſort of round baſket flung on each
fide a camel, with a cover which holds all their ne
ceffaries, and on it a perſon ſits croſs -legged . They
have alſo a carriage like the body of an uncovered
chaiſe or chair, which is very convenient, as they
can fit in it and ſtretch out their legs.
The pilgriins bound to Mecca commonly wear a
fort of black cloak , with a coul ; the people of Bar
bary wear them white : it is faſtened about the neck
with a long loop , and hangs looſe behind . All the
camels in a proceſſion , deſcribed by our author, as
going to Mecca, were painted yellow , and had ſome
ornaments on them , eſpecially the leading one of
every company, which had on its head, a fine pluine
160 MODERN TRAVEL S.
of red oſtrich feathers; a ſmall flag waved on each
fide, crowned a- top with feathers of the ſame bird ,
and the trappingswere adorned with thells. The ſe
cond and third had on each ſide a bell about a foot
long, and under the ſaddle of each was a coarſe carpet
to cover thein by night. Many Turks go this
journey often ; but it is obſerved , that they are ra
ther worſe after it than before, and this is a common
faying, “ If a man has been once at Mecca, take
“ care of him ; if he has been twice there, have
"s nothing to do with him ; and if he has been
as three times at Mecca, remove from his neigh
« bourhood .” This is not to be thought an obſer
vation of the Mahometans ; it is only remarked by
the Chriſtians and Jews. The journey to Mecca
and back again takes them up an hundred days.
Themoſt ſimple dreſs in Egypt reſembles proba .
bly the primitive manner of cloathing, being only
a long Thirt with wide fleeves tied round the middle .
The common people wear over this a brown woollen
ſhirt ; and thoſe of better condition have a long
cloth coat over it, and then a long blue ſhirt ; and
the dreſs of ceremony over this, inſtead of blue, is
a white ſhirt, which they wear upon feſtival days,
and extraordinary occaſions ; and poſſibly hence
mightariſe the uſe of the ſurplice.
The people of Egypt wear a blue cloth about their
necks, and with it cover their heads from the cold
and heat. It is alſo a general cuſtoin among the
Arabian and Mahometan natives of the country, to
wear a large blanket, either white or brown in win
ter , and in ſummer a blue and white cotton ſheet
thrown over the left ſhoulder , and brought round
under the right arm , which is left bare, and con
fequently free for action . When it is hot, and they
are on horſeback , they let this covering fall behind
on the ſaddle . The dreſs of the women is notmuch
unlike that of the men , only moſt of their under
garments
 DR . RICHARD POCOCKE. 161
garments are of filk , as well as their drawers ; all
but the outer veſt are ſhorter than thoſe worn by the
men ; their neeves hang down to a great length ,
and a ſort of gauze ſhirt under all trails the ground.
Their heads are dreſſed with an embroidered hand
kerchief, and the hair plaited round under a white
woollen ſkull- cap .
The meaner ſort of women wear a large linen or
cotton blue garment, like a ſurplice ; and before
their faces hangs a ſort of a bib , which is joined to
their head -dreſs, there being a ſpace left between for
the eyes. The others who wear this garment of
filk , have a large black veil that comes all over them ,
and ſometimes of gauze, that covers the face : it
being he whole the count their name
being reckoned a great indecency for a woman to
thew the whole face, they generally cover their mouth ,
and one eye. The coinmon women , eſpecially the
blacks, wear rings in their noſes, to which they
hang glaſs beads by way of ornament,
Women ride on aſſes in Cairo, with very ſhort
ſtirrups, which is a diſhonour for the men to uſe.
The women alſo reſort at a certain hour to their ap
pointed bagnios, where they diſcourſe together and
talk about news, & c .
The Egyptians are but an ill-looking people ;
and though many of them are fair enough when
young , yet theheat of the ſun foon makes them ſwar
thy,

CHA P. IV .
A way of catching wild ducks; the crocodile, and Egyp
tian hiroglyphics deſcribed.
THERE being no great variety of four- footed
[ beaſtsin Egyptbuthorſes, tygers, and camels ,we
fhallſpeak of their reptiles ; among which , their vipers
are much eſteemed in phyſic. They are yellowiſh ,
162 MODERN TRAVEL S.
of the colour of the ſand they live in , and are of
two kinds, one well known almoſt every where, the
other having horns, ſomething like thoſe of ſnails ,
but of a horny ſubſtance.
The common lizard alſo is yellow ; and in the
deſarts towards Suez , there is a ſmall ſort differ
ent from the common kind, in having a broader
head and body than the others. About old walls
there is fouad a very ugly one, ſhaped like a croco
dile.
The oſtrich is common on the mountains, ſouth
weſt of Alexandria ; the fat of it is ſold very dear
by the Arabs, and uſed as an ointment for all cold
tumours : it is good for the palſy and sheumatiſm .
They have a kind of domeſtic large brown hawk,
with a fine eye, which moſtly frequents the tops of
houſes ; and one may ſee the pigeons and the hawks
ſtanding cloſe to each other . They are not birds of
prey, but cat flesh when they find it. The Turks
never kill them , ſeeming to have a great veneration
for them and for cats .
The ancient Egyptians, in this bird worſhipped
the Sun , or Oſiris ; of which the brightneſs of its
thereishaas cvery
ome wibeautiful
eyes was an emblem .
es There erme intBelſery
the fcalled
ne is food bird ermbea -ibis ;
the male has a black beak and legs, and black fea
thers about the wings, with a larged crooked bill,
wherewith it takes its food only out of the water.
The legs, bill, and eyes of the female are of a fine
red ; and in the wings and tail are intermixed ſome
red feathers, which, when expanded , are beautiful.
They have great numbers of wild geeſe, which
differ much from thoſe in Europe : they are called
Bauk , and in England known by the nameof Baw
geeſe. Wild ducks in great quantities frequent the
pools in low grounds, which ſeldom dry up in leſs
than two or three months after the Nile has left the
upper lands. Quails abound here, asdo alſo wood
cocks,
 DR . RICHARD POCOCK E. 163
cocks, ſnipes, and the Beccafigo, which laſt is
much eſteemed. A wild brown dove frequents the
houſes, which being very ſmall is not deſtroyed .
The pigeon -houſes are a part of the huſbandman 's
ſubſtance : they are often builtround, with little turrets
on the top , and encreaſe the beauty of the proſpect
of a country - village. The partridge in this country
is very different from that of other parts ; the fea
thers of the female are like thoſe of a woodcock ,
and the male is a beautiful brown bird, of the co
lour of ſome wild doves, but adorned with larger
and lighter ſpois.
The crocodile is a native of the Nile : it has two
long teeth in its lower jaw , which are received into
two holes of the upper, which ſerve them by way
of ſheath when it ſhuts its mouth .
The crocodile is very quick - lighted , objects from
behind being conveyed to its eye by means of a
channel thence cominunicating with the back of the
head . The eggs of this aniinal are ſomething like
· thoſe of a gooſe : it buries them in the ſand at the
depth of a foot beyond the reach of the Nile's over
flowing, and is careful of its young, which run in
to thewater the moment they are hatched : the peo
ple ſearch for the eggs, and break them with iron
pikes.
The crocodile, when on land, is always ſeen
very near the water, with his head towards it ; and
if lie is diſturbed, he walks gently in , and diſap
pears by degrees; yet it is ſaid he can run faſt.
Though , according to Pliny, theſe creatures hide.
themſelves all the winter- ſeaſon in caves, yet our
author faw plenty of them in January, ſuning them
felves aſhore in the day- time. In fummer they a
void the heat of the ſun by keeping in the water.
People ſay they cannot ſeize a man ſwimming,
but if he ſtands upon the bank , they ſpring out
upon, and graſp him with their fore. claws ; if he
be
 164 MODERN TRAVEL S .
be at too great a diſtance , they endeavour to ſtrike
him down with their tail. They may be ſhot under
the belly , where the ſkin is ſoft , but it would be to
no purpoſe to affail them on the back, that being
ſtrongly fenced by ſcales, which are a ſort of armour.
They talk of a method of catching them here ,
not unlike that deſcribed by Herodotus. Thoſe
wh ) go about, feign the cry of an aniinal at a dif
tance ; at which the crocodile running out,'a ſpear,
with a rope tied to it, is thruſt into his body ;
whereupon he runs back to the water , out of which
he is dragged, when they imagine hiin quite ſpent,
and a pole thruſt into his mouth : the hunters then
jump upon his back , and tying his jaws together,
they ſecure him .
Herodotus, ſpeaking of Ethiopin letters, called
Hieroplyphics by the Egyptians, who alſo uſed them ,
ſays, that their forms of writing repreſented all ſorts
of beaſts , the parts of the human body, inſtru
ments, eſpecially thoſe of handicraft trades : nor
did they conliſt of fyllables put together, but of fi
gures that related to the things meant to be expreff.
ed : thus, by that of a hawk, was ſignified all things
that were to be done expeditiouſly , the hawk being
one of the ſwifteſt of birds : that of the crocodile
implied malice ; the eye expreſſed both an obſerver
of juſtice, and a guardian , keeper , or protector.
The right hand, with the fingers extended , had
many ſignifications; the left hand fut, thewed a
reſolution of keeping poffeffion . .
CHA P. V .
Of thepyramidsof Gizeh; the ſyphnx ; ofmummies; &'c.
T HE pyramids of Gizeh were amazing ſtruc -'
1 tures, but moſt of them now lie in a very
Mattered condition . They were caſed with a hard
ſtone,
 DR. RICHARD POCOCKE. 165
ſtone, brought, at a great expence, from the moun
tains of Arabia, near ihe Red Sea. In the middle of
each pyrimid , according to Strabo , there was a
ſtone, which ,when taken out, led to the ſubterranean
paſſages, containing the dead carcaſes for which theſe
pyramids were purpoſely erected .
In the front of the ſecond pyramid , about a
quarter of a mile to the eaſtward, lies the famous
ftatue of the Sphynx , now certainly known to be cuts
out of the ſolid rock . This is a monument of moſt
extraordinary dimenſions, being , by exact meaſure
ment, twenty-ſeven feet high, and having only the
neck and head above-ground ; the lower part of the
neck is thirty -three feet in diameter. Some perſons
have lately climbed to the top of the head, where
they hive diſcovered a hole, which , very probably ,
was the channel whereby the prieſts communicated
their falſe oracles to the credulousmultitude. There
is an opening alſo in the back , whereby, per
haps, they deſcended to the ſubterranean apart
ments,
Our author viſited theſe monuments twice ; the
firſt time in company with ſome Engliſh and French
gentlemen , attended by theGovernor of Gizeh , who
Thewed them a fine leſion of hoſpitality , by diſtri
buting ſhare of an excellent entertainment he had
provided, among the poor Arabs that crouded round ,
even before that he had ſatisfied himſelf. The fe
cond time being with the Engliſh Conſul, and ſome
other merciants of the ſamenation , he took up his
quarters in a tent, half a mile to the north of the
pyramids, and was ſoon ſurrounded by the peaſants
of the neighbouring village, who contrived to ſteal
the gentlemens garments ; but they were quickly
brought back , on the Conſul's threatening to com
plain to their chief, who was one of the Beys.
The Doctor deſcended a little way into one of the
pyramids, by means of a rope-ladder, which greatly
facil.tated
 266 MODERN TRAVEL S. .
facilitated his deſcent, though at the beſt, he ob
ſerves, that the ſand, falling down from the top ,
rendered it very inco.nmodious. As theſe repoſito
ries were deſigned or ſepulchres, we ihall give ſome
account of the inſide of the largeſt, as deſcribed by
the ingenious Mr. Mallet.
The first entrance into the pyramid was made by
violently forcing out ſome of the ſtones, whereby a
paſſage of the fineſt white marble was opened , at
le" :? one hundred feet deep ; but the poliſh of it,
which was certainly very fine,was quite disfigured by
the torches and candles that travellers are neceſſarily
obliged to carry with them to light them in their
ſearches. It is not at all improbable, that thoſe who
firſt preſumed to penetrate into theſe peaceful man
lions of the dead , were inſtigated by the hopes of
finding hidden treaſures : they proceeded with vaſt
labour, and their barbarity was not leſs, for they
have torn up the fioors , and broken down the caſe
ment of the walls as much as poſſible ; and the ef
fects of their fury are to be ſeen on every hand :
nor can they be viewed by a man of taſte, and a
lover of antiquity , without ſome feeling : whether
their end was anſwered is a queſtion not eaſily to be
ſolved . Having at length made way into the inner
room , in which the body of the royal founder of
this mauſoleum was probably interred , and is con .
ceal which , the architect had taken prodigious pains,
there appears a tomb of beautiful granite marble ,
feven or eight feet long, and four or four and a half
deep, in which , perhaps, he was laid, though the
remains be now removed . This fepulchre was co
vered , as appears from the form of its edge ; tut
the lid is entirely carried away.
This apartment is nineteen feet high , thirty-two
long, and fixteen broad ; and froin the ſtructure of
it, was certainly not only appropriated to the recep
tion of the dead, but alſo adapted to the uſe of cer
tain
 . DR. RICHARD POCOCK E . 167
tain living bodies of zealous ſubjects, who choſe to
inter themſelves, though alive, with the remains of
their prince. And this conjecture is fully proved ,
by obſerving two holes, one of which , of the
breadth of a fuot and a half, penetrates quite through
to the outſide of the pyramid on the north ; and
the other, which is not quite ſo broad, runs in
a nope to he bottom of the building. The
firſt of theſe was intended to give them air, and
convey to them neceffaries by means of a cord , and
a box or baſket communicating with the top :
through t'je other they paſſed their filth and ex
crements. Each of theſe, we may ſuppoſe , had
on his entrance provided himſelf with a coffin , and ,
as long as any of them ſurvived, they paid the laſt
funeral duties to their companions.
Herodotus tells us, that when any man of conſe
quence died , all the women of the family beſmeared
their hands and faces with dirt, left the body in the
houſe, and with their relations, went about the city
beating themſelves, with their garments girt round
them , and their breaſts uncovered ; the men alſo
girded their garments about them , and beat them
ſelves. Afterwards they carried the body to be em - -
balmed, their being certain perſons whoſe profeſſion
it was ; to whom , when it was brought, they ſhewed
feveral patterns made of woad . One was of very
fine workinandhip , and called by a name it was not
lawful commonly to utter ; another not fo fine, and
leſs coſty ; and a third ſtill cheaper . They then
aſked in which manner they would have the body
prepared ; agreed for a p:ice, and ſo went to
work .
Firſt, they extracted the brains by the noſe, with
a crooked iron , and then poured in drugs : afrer
wards they opened the body with a ſharp Ethiopian
ftone, took out the bowels, cleanſed the inteſtines,
waſhed it fi: ſt with palm -wine, and then with
pounded
168 MODERN TRAVEL S.
pounded perfumes; they aftewards filled it withi
myrrh , caſſia , and other ſpices, butno frankincenſe ,
and then ſewed it up : this being down, they waſhed
it with nitre, and laid it by for ſeventy days; for
longer it was not permitted to be kept. " They then
waſhed the body again , and ſwathed it in linen . The
relations now took it, and putting it into a wooden
caſe , depoſited it in the catacomb, or burial- place.
But thoſe, who were more moderate in their ex
pences, injected turpentine of cedar , with a pipe
into the body, without cutting it ; they then ſalted
it for ſeventy days, and drew out the pipe, together
with the bowels, by the fundament, and the nitre
drying up the flesh , left nothing but the ſkin and
bones : and the third way of preparing the body,
was by cleanſing the inſide with ſalt and water ,
in which emerſion they let it lie for ſeventy days.
Diodorus Siculus addsto this account of Herodo
tus, that till the body was buried , thofe who were
related to it went mourning about the city, not uſing
either baths, wines , fumptuous cloathing, or delica
cies of any fort. Thoſe who profeſſed the art of
embalming had different prices, according to the la
bour and value of their workmanſhip ; and they de
rived their ſkill from their anceſtors . The manner
in which they ſet about this operation was, firſt, the
ſecretary marked out, on the left ſide, how far it
ought to be cut ; then a certain officer cut according
to their rules, with an Ethiopian ſtone, and imme.
diately ran away all the people that were preſent
following, throwing ſtones at, and curſing him , to
atone for this fact ; for they look on the perſon as an
object of hatred, who offers any violence to his fel
low -creature : but thoſe who embalmed the bodies ,
they honoured and eſteemed ; they were people who
converſed with the prieſts, and went into the tem
ples (as the prieſts ) without any rellraint. Then
one of them took out all the entrails, except the
heart
 DR . RICHARD POCOCKE. 169
heart and kidneys. Another waſhed the inſide and
the bowels with palm wine, and aromatic perfumes :
they then prepared the body with turpentine of ce
dar, and other things, for about thirty days ; and
afterwards with myrrh and cinnamon , not only to
preſerve it, but to keep it ſweet.
From what follows, one would imagine, that there
was a way of preſerving the bodies far beyond that
of wrapping them up in linen , and dipping them in
bitumen, or beſinearing them with it ; for thus were
they comnionly embalmed . Diodorus ſays, their
very eye-brows and eye- laſhes, and the form and
appearance of the whole body, were ſo well preſerv
ed , that they might be known by their features ;
and on this account, many Egyptians kept the bo . .
dies of their anceſtors in their houſes, finely and ex
penſively adorned ; and thus had the pleaſure to ſee
ſuch of their anceſtors as had for many generations
been dead, as well as to obſerve all their features as
if they were living. Hence we may infer , that this
manner of einbalming was the fineſt and moſt coſtly ;
and thoſe whoſe bodies were prepared this way, were
perhaps ſet upright, that their friends might have the
pleaſure to behold them in that natural poſition . It
doesnot appear from the mummies which now exiſt,
that any of them were embalmed according as our
author deſcribes : this is no proof, however , that
ſuch an art did not actually exiſt. There were,
doubtleſs, ſeveral ways of embalming bodies, which
were more or leſs expenſive.
A mummy brought from Egypt in a coffin made
of boards, being opened , the holes between the
boards were found filled up with linen , and fine
plaiſter. There were four folds of cloth over the
head, the upper one being painted blue ; under this
there was a compoſition about half an inch thick , of
gum and cloth , that ſeemed to have been burnt by
the heat of cauſtics applied to it ; and next to the
VOL . I. ſkin
170 MODERN TRAVEL S.
ſkin was a coat of gum or bitumen , as thick as a
wafer, which ſeemed to have been cauſed by dipping ,
the body in bitumen , of which the head was half
full.
It is very remarkable that the gumshad penetrated
to the very bone of the ſkull, eſpecially into themid
dle part of it, which is moſt porous , yet there were
no marks on the outer bones of the head , of the
manner in which it had penetrated ; and it is not
probable that they ſhould have known the art of in
jecting by the blood veſſels.
Some animals were worſhipped all over Egypt,
ſuch as the ibis , the hawk, and the cat : many of -
the firſt have been found embalmed, and wrapt up
in linen like human bodies.

" C H A P. VI.
Our author proceeds to Faiume, Arſimoë, and Upper
Egypt.
N R . Pococke ſet out from Cairo for Faiume, ac
companied by theGovernor of that province,
to whom he was ſtrongly recomiended. Having
travelled for the beſt part of the day , they ſtopped
to refreſh ; and our author ſpread a carpet for him
ſelf, at a reſpectful diſtance from that of the Caſhif
or Governor, who would by no means admit of the
ſeparation , but infilted upon his fitting with him ,
and partaking of his collation , which conſiſted of
raw onions, a ſort of pickled cheeſe, which we have
before ſpoken of, and bread. That night they en
camped in a grove cf ſtately palins, where Dr. Po
cocke ſupped by himſelf, the Caſhif being engaged
with a great Shiack ; however, he ſent him part of
whatever was ſerved up to his own table.
Theday following they aſcended ſome ſandy hills ; - .
and after ſome timearrived at a vale, bounded on the
north
 DR, RICHARD POCOCKE. 171
north by low hills, entirely made up of oyſter-hells,
and a little red clay : theſe oyſter - thells are very large,
many of them petrified, but otherwiſe not changed
in their quality. At length they came to Tameia ,
where they have a large reſervoir of water, being a
pond ſurrounded by a ſtrong brick wall, at leaſt half
a mile in circumference ; and this is eſpecially fer
viceable to the country about, being ſupplied from a
canal communicating with the Nile. The Caſhif
was met by ſeveral Arabs, who jarreted before him
to entertain him , and proceeded before him to Sen
nours, a large village, theGovernor of which obliged
our company to take up their quarters for that night
at his houſe : they were received in a large room ,
over the beſt part of which was ſpread a large woollen
cloth , whereon were laid ſeveral heaps of cake-hread ;
and the ſupper conſiſted of fix or leven removes of
ten diſhes each , placed lengthways ; among them ,
were a ſmall ſheep boiled whole , a laınıb roaſted, ſe
veral roaſted fowls, mince-meats, ſoups, and ſweet
fummery. Our author did not take his feat at ta
ble, till 'invited by the Cathif, who did not forget
him . In the morning they were alſo plentifully re
galed with fine bread, good butter, fried eggs , ho
ney, green falt cheeſe , olives, and other things of
the ſame nature.
They were now in the delightful province of Ar
finoë, which is ſaid to have been one of themoſt
charming ſpots in allEgypt, producing ſpontaneouſly
the olive, for the cultivation of which , in the gar
dens of Alexandria , they are obliged to art. They
next purſued their way through Baiamount, where
there are two ſtrong pyramids of free- ſtone, the cor
ners and middle of which our author ſuppoſes to be
ſolid . Here , as well as about Faiume, many antique
ſeals and medals are found among the ſand and rub
biſh : and now , after pailing over heaps of ruins,
which were once Arſinoë, they crofled a bridge
I 2 over
 172 MODERN TRAVEL S.
over the large canal, which runs along the north of
Faiume, which brought them into the new town.
Faiume is a wealthy place, but the houſes are
badly built of unburnt brick : here the Governor of
the province reſides, and lixty Arabs or Sheacks, who
have great intereſt, and attend the divan , which is
held twice a week by the Cadi. This magiſtrate is
fent yearly from Conſtantinople , and has always a
deputy here. The people of this town are famous
for diſtilling roſe -water, making curious matting for
rooms, and coarſe woollen cloths, portmanteaus, and
leathern bags for carrying water. Here are ſome.
Chriſtians, who have vineyards near the town ,
wherein they make good white wine; they have alſo
fine raiſins, which the Mahometans boil to a ſyrup ,
then ſerve it up to table, and eat with their bread.
There is a ſinali conventof Franciſcans in this town ;
the fathers of which paſs under the denomination of
phyſicians, though they wear the habit. This con
vent was broke open and plundered about two years
ſince, in a tumult, occaſioned by ſome Europeans
having killed a renegado .
Our author, during his ſtay here, was accommo
dated with an apartment in the houſe of the Caſhif,
with whom he often dined ; and he obſerved, that, dur
ing dinner, the dramswentmerrily round ; after it
the Cathif uſed to jeſt with ſome of his dependants , for
the Turks can , at times, lay aſide their gravity, and
Mew themſelves as unbended as Europeans.
One morning, and the beſt part of the enſuing
night, it hailed and rained here very heavily , which
is not reckoned wholeſome, and cauſes a ſcarcity; the
overflowing of the Nile being ſufficient to fertilize
the country, and a ſuperfluity of wet deſtroying that
good effect.
From Faiume they proceeded towards Nefle,
through grovesof palin -trees, and a country abound
ing
 DR. RICHARD POCOCKE. 173
ing with vines, and by the road-ſide ſaw a courtezan
fitting unveiled, waiting to be engaged.
Nelle is a large village, on the banks of the river,
to the Sheack of which our author had recommenda
tions from the Cathif, but the Sheack being abfent,
he was forced to have recourſe to the intereſt of the
Caimacan , who , at the price of three guineas, pro
cured them the protection of a powerful Emir, and
four Arabs, with horſes and a camel, to cary their
• baggage, water, and proviſions over the ſandy
plain ; for which they ſet out at four o'clock next
morning .
In their way they had a diſtant view of the famous
Labyrinth, which , according to Herodotus,was built
at the time that Egypt was divided into twelve go
vernments , by the twelve ruling kings, and con
tained twelve grand palaces, in which they occaſi
onally met to tranſact all matters of ſtate and reli
gion . Our authors differ from him with regard to :
the founders of this extraordinary edifice ; but all,
however, allow , that it contained three thouſand
magnificent rooms, half under, and half above .
ground ; that they were cut out of ſtone, without
any wood in the ſtructure ; that no ſtranger could
find his way out without a clue or a guide; and
that the celebrated Labyrinth of Crete was but a
model of it. The whole building was covered wiih
ftone, ſupported by innumerable pillars, and was
adorned with elegant ſculptures. In the lower apart
ments were depoſited the ſacred crocodiles, and the
bodies of the kings who founded the building . The
ſacred crocodiles were tred up tame in the neigh
bouring lake Maris ; and the occaſion for the worthip
of them is ſaid to have ariſen from the life of one of
the ancientkings of the country being ſaved by one
of theſe animals : for this monarch , being purſued by
his own dogs, was in danger of being torn in pieces
by them , when , plunging for ſafety into the lake, a
13 crocodile
 174 MODERN TRAVEL S .
crocodile opportunely preſented his back , and wafted
the royal burthen ſafe to the oppoſite ſhore. The
king, out of gratitude, inſtituted divine honours to
be paid to it : and not ſatisfied with giving to Arſi .
noë, which he then founded , the naine of the City
of Crocodiles, he built a pyramid and labyrinth for
its interment.
Turning ſouth from the lake, at the diſtance of
about a league, they began to mount a gentle aſcent,
on the top of which is convent built of unburnt
brick , and the remains of a large town , at leaſt to
all appearance,ugthe
ht placebeing covered
ues with ppotſherds
o
was rubbiſh
and other m te lleagues
oro . theThree eag aand
nd a half more
travelling brought them to Nille , where Dr. Po
cocke was glad to find ſomeplace wherein to repofe
himſelf, after having been eighteen hours without
reit. Here the Caimacan infifted that he ſhould
take up his quarters at his houſe, but did not forget
often to remind him of a preſent of coffee, which
he had promiſed to ſend him from Faiume ; and
when he continued his journey, that officer conducted
him a good part of the way, attended by ſeveral
ſlaves and Arabs, who diverted him with jarreting .
After remaining ſome time at Faiume, our author
expreſſed ſome curioſity to viſit the two great pyra
mids of Davaras : buthe found it impoſſible to gra
tify this deſire , ſo extravagantwere the Arabs in their
demand for attending him thither ; and moreover ,
they would not undertake to enſure him from being
plundered by their enemies, with whom they were
afraid of falling in . . .
It was after this tour that Dr. Pocockehaving de
termined to make the voyage of Upper Egypt, the
Conſul procured for him letters from the great
Sheack Oſman Bey , head and protector of the Arab
race, to the Bey of Girge, to the Prince of Ak
mim , and to the great Sheack at Furſhout. Henow
provided every thing as for a long voyage ; ſuch as
coffee,
 DR. RICHARD POCOCKE. 175
coffee , rice , tobacco, ſoap , red Moes , & c. together
with arins ſuficient for their defence. He alſo had
the good fortune to meet with a boat belonging to
the Prince of Akmim ; and to be recommended to
Malim Soliman , a very worthy catholic Copti, who
was going in it.
Malim was the principal perſon entruſted with the
affairs of that Prince, though he never accepted any
particular employinent under him , thereby prudently
avoiding the danger of having his family ruined ; it
having been the cuſtom of the Princes of Akiniin ,
as it is in almoſt all other parts of Turkey, to ſeize
on whatever their officers die poffeffed of ; which
they ſay, is only taking back their own. And though
he might have been ſecure from this infult, through
the goodneſs of the reigning Prince , yet his family
might have been perhaps hardly dealt with under a
fucceffor. It having been thought proper that our
author ſhould take on him a name familiar to the
people, it was agreed, that he ſhould be called Jo
ſeph , with the title of Malim , or Maſter , whereby
all Chriſtians are diſtinguiſhed in this country. He
alſo let his beard grow , and aſſumed the Coptic
dreſs, with the black ferijee, or gown of ceremony,
and the large blue-and - white towel looſe about the
neck , hanging down before.
On the 6th of December, 1737, about noon ,
they embarked in a ſmall hired boat, called aMarſh ,
having a maſt ſet up near the middle , and another
towards the prow ; part of it was covered with mat
ting, under which ſhelter the people fatand repoſed.
They arrived at Righah that night, where they an
chored , it being the cuſtom going up the river al
ways to lie by at night. Asthere are many ſhoals in
the Nile , travellers lie in their boats, and keep upon
the watch , to defend themſelves from any attack , or
to hinder people from coming privately on board,
as they ſometimes do to ſteal any thing which they
I 4 can
 176 MODERN TRAVEL S.
can conveniently find. It is ſaid, that thieves in
theſe nocturnal expeditions beſmear their naked bo
dies with oil or greafe ; fo that if the boatmen ſhould
atrempt to lay hold of them , they might themore
eaſily ſlip out of their hands.
On the 8th , there being very little wind , they
went alhore, at the convent of Saint Anthony. Here ,
as in moſt of the convents of Egypt, the prieſts are
feculars ; ſo that they have wives and children . Se
veral of them were employed in bringing ſtones to
repair the building, and thinking our author and his
company were officers come to demand the poll-tax ,
when they were aſked how many of them were in
the convent, they acknowledged much fewer than
their real number ; but being undeceived with re
gard to their conjecture, they ſhewed their convent
with great civility ; and as they had ſtrong marks of
poverty , our author left them ſomecharity .
The convent is encompaſſed with a wall to defend
it againſt robbers. Here is a tolerable church , and
they ſhew ſeveral things relating to Saint Anthony,
who they ſay went from hence into the deſert near
the Red Sea , and was there the firſt founder of the
inonaſtic life.
On the 12th , the Doctor went alhore, and faw
ſeveral grottos cut in the hills, which were un
doubtedly the ſepulchres of the people on the weſt
ſide of the river. All theſe hills are rocks of petri
fied ſhells, conſiſting of cockles, oyſters, and ſome
other flat ones .
On the 13th, they came to ſome hills on the eaſt,
which are cloſe to the river , and a great harbour for
all ſorts of birds : there are many grottos, and a
convent, with ſome lands belonging to it, the pro
prietors of which are obliged to receive and enter
tain all comers.
On the 14th , with a fair wind, they paſſed by
Der -abouennis , a convent of Saint John , where are
ſeveral
 DR. RICHARD POCOCK E . 177
feveral prieſts, and beyond it, to theweſt of the river ,
lies Meloni, a town about a mile round ; it makes a
tolerable good appearance, being lined with hand
ſome ſhops.
Meloni being a rich corn -country , ſupplies Mecca
with three hundred and ninety thouſand ſacks of corn
every year, which are ſent by way of Cairo, Suez ,
and the Red Sea. On the 17th , they arrived
-at Akmim . It is now the place of reſidence of the
Emir, or Prince, who is a Sheack of the country..
The family came originally from Barbary, and ma
naged fo as to become governors of a large terri
tory , by renting the land of the Grand Seignior, ac
cording to cuſtom . It is like the other Arab towns,
except that the ſtreets are wider. Here the Franciſ
cans have a convent, where there is a large public
apartment, in which one of the father's attends at a
certain hour after night- fall, to receive converts,
and catechiſe all comers . They ſuppoſe, that here
are about two thouſand Copri Chriſtians, many of
whom flocked to ſee our author the firſt day of his
arrival ; he being entertained both at dinner and
fupper by the Prefect of the order , to whom he had
recommendatory letters,
The Doctor, attended by his good friend Malim
Soliman , waited upon the Prince with ſome preſents
of glaſs, and the compliments of Oſman Bey : he
found that gentleman dreſſed more like a Turk than
an Arab , and his reception was very civil. The
Prince of Akmim was well beloved by his people ,
but more particularly by the Chriftians, whom he
was thought to favour too much ; and not many
ycars are paſt ſince he was accuſed of believing in
Jeſus Chrift, whereupon five hundred ſoldiers were
diſpatched by the government of Cairo to ſeize upon
his perſon ; but he eſcaped to the mountains, accom
panied by three iniſſioners, and he remained there
žill he had removed the imputations laid againſt him ,
15 and
378 MODERN TRAVEL S .
and the ſoldiers were ordered to withdraw : he then
returned to his capital, where he has ever ſince lived
reſpected, and in peace.
From examining ſome antiquities that here lie
ſcattered up and down , our author conjectures, that .
this place was formerly adorned with tiree magni
cent temples ; one dedicated to the Sun , another to
Pan , and the third to Perſeus. There are many
Greek inſcriptions ſcarcely legible , and a row of pil
lars of red granite that are very fine.
In paſſing hence through Sovadgy, they were ab
ſolutely compelled by a hoſpitable Copti to ſpread
their carpet before his door, and partake with him
of a collation of dates, treacle, bread, and coffee :
nor would he part with them until they promiſed to
dine with him as they returned back . In going
hence to Der- embaſhai, they ſaw a courtezan ſitting
near the bigh road , and large quantities of wild fowl,
upon ſeverallittle lakes that had been formed by the
overflowing of the Nile. Der- embaſhai is an an
cient convent, the architecture of which is rather
more rich than that of another lying a mile to the
ſouthward of it. It is half a mile in compaſs , ſur
rounded by a deep ditch : the doors and corners are
of ſtone, and the reſt of the building is of brick .
'The north gate is ornamented with pilaiters, in the
Corinthian ſtile , and on each ſide of it is a relievo of
Saint George. They ſupped and lay in this church
cr chapel all night, and were regaled with coffee for
breakfait ; theMonks offering to kill a ſheep for their
entertainment, in caſe they would ſtay dinner'; but
this invitation they refuſed , and proceeded to Ak
mim , through clouds of duſt, which were extremely
troubleſome. It was in theſe excurſions, that our
author took particular notice of the Dome- tree, called
I y botaniſts, the Palm of Braſil ; and remarked for
bearing a broad leaf that folds up like a fan . Hapa
pening to be at the laſt -mentioned town in Chriſt
mas,
 DR. RICHARD POCOCKE. 179
mas, the Doctor, attended at all the Coptic ceremo
nies ; and on the day of the nativity of our Lord, he
dined , by preſſing invitation , with Malim Soliman ,
whoſe table was elegantly ſerved with twenty- five
different diſhes, and ſome removes beſides : they
conſiſted , among other varieties, of rich ſoups, ra
gouts, roaſt lamb, pigeons, fowls ſtuffed with rice,
and nobody but our author was accomirodated with
a knife and fork. Soliman 's ſons-in -law , and ſome
other of his relations, waited at table ; for ſo great
is the ſubordination of character obſerved here, that
no inferior will by any means fit before his betters ,
without being thereto often preffed . A rich cordial
was ſerved round to every perſon before the meat was
brought up : wine was drank during dinner ; this
was ſucceeded by coffee, and then the whole com
pany walked out to Soliman 's garden ; after which ,
they returned and ſupped at his houſe .
Shortly after , the Doctor hired a boat, with four
men to carry him up the river to the cataract, and
to bring him down again ; for which he was to give
them about an Englith half -crown a day, with a
fufficient quantity of lentils, corn , and coffee.
It was in this excurſion that lie took a view of
Thebes, very little of which once -magnificent city
now exiſts. Here are ſome fine remains of anti
quity, and it would be doing Dr. Pococke injuſtice
to omit mentioning that he is very exact in his dea
fcription of them .' Among them we find mention
made of the famous ſtatue of Memnon , which , ac
cording to Pliny, was built of the ſtone Baſaltes ,
and when ſtruck upon by the folar rays, fent forth
certain articulate founds. Here the country people
would have been troubleſome to our author, on ac
count of his taking the meaſureinent of places , and
copying inſcriptions, had henot been protected by
the friendſhip of the great Sheask,
Thebes
· 180 MODERN TRAVELS. .
Thebes was one of the moſt ancient cities in the
world , and the firſt nurſe of aſtronomy and philo
ſophy, the prieſts being particularly learned ; and to
them we owe the regulation and diviſion of time into
ſolar months and years. While they were engaged
in viewing ſome grand coloſſal figures, ſeveral people
gathered round him , among whom was the Sheack 's
nephew , who obſerving theDoctor give his note -book
to a ſervant to hold , ſnatched it out of his hand, and
ran away with it. The uncle , enraged at his ill
manners, flung off his upper garment, and ſeizing
a pike, purſued him ; nor is it unlikely that he
would have killed him , had he overtaken him ; for
beſides this affront, there had a long animoſity ſub
fiſted between him and the youngman 's father, about
the ſovereignty of the village. However, private
intimation being given , that a crown would purchaſe
the book , the Doctor ſent his ſervant for it, with
the money, and he brought it back : yet this young
man was obliged by his father , to follow our author
when he left Etfou, and not only return the mo
ney, but beg pardon for his rudeneſs ; an inſtance
of politeneſs and integrity rarely to be met with
among the Arabs. They now approached Hajar
ſicily , where vaft rocks, jutting out a great way,
confine the current of the Nile , ſo that it ruſhes for
ward with great impetuoſity .
Here the boatmen , as they returned back , cut
down a large tree , and in delaying to carry it off,
they were very near falling into the hands of a body
of wild Arabs, who would certainly have plundered
them , if the boat had not put off a few moments
before they arrived. There are ſeveral ſandy iſlands
in view , on which crocodiles were ſeen to ſwarm ,
fome of which were near twenty feet long ; but
they retired in haſte upon being fired at. This great
plenty of them is occafioned by the vicinity of the
cataracts, for they retire from rocks and precipices :
be
 DR. RICHARD POCOCKE. 181
beſides, they were here formerly protected by the
worſhip of the Onebrites, who would not ſuffer that
they ſhould be killed.
After paffing by Aſſouan , which is but a poor
fortreſs, he came to the cataracts of theNile, which
fell very much below his expectation . The chan
nel is croſſed in three places by rocks of granite,
over which the Nile falling, forms three cataracts .
The firſt is about three feet deep ; the ſecond a little
lower, winds round a large rock , or rather iſland ,
which to the north may be about twelve feet high ,
and they fay, at high -water the ſtream runs over it ;
but then , ſuppoſing the Nile to be five feet higher
below the rock, the fall may be feven or eight feet :
to the eaſt and weſt of it there is a ſtream , which
unites, when the Nile is higheſt, with another
ftream that drives its courſe ſtill more weſtward.
This ſeems to be the cataract deſcribed by Strabo ,
which , he ſays, is formed by a rocky eminence in
the middle of the river, over the top of which ,
being very ſmooth , the water flowed quietly, till it
precipitated down the precipice.
In his return to Affouan , our travellers met feve
ral camels loaden with ſenna ; a camel's load of it is ,
valued at twelve ſhillings and ſixpence. All of this
medicine that is brought to Cairo is bought by a Jew ,
who diſpoſes of it to an Engliſh merchant. Theſe
perſons have a particular liberty from the Baſha to :
carry on this trade, and no other perſon whatever is
allowed to meddle with it.
The laſt evening of his ſtay at Aſſouan , the Aga
of the janizaries ſenthim a ſupper of pilaw , barley,
ſoup , goats - fleſh , and hot bread ; and on the 27th
of January , when he was about to depart, the Se
cretary of the Caimacan made him a preſent of a live
Theep, and gave him a letter, together with four
pounds in money, to be delivered to a certain per
ſon at Akmim . Fuel is very ſcarce in this country ,
and
182 MODERN TRAVEL S.
and the common firing is cow -dung and reeds of
Indian wheat. On the nth of February the Doc .
tor arrived at Badjoura , where he waited on the
Great Sheack , whom he found fitting with a Maho
metan prieſt, eating beans boiled in the thell, and
was received by him with great politeneſs.
The next day he went alhore at Girge, to the
ſouth of which city the Bey was encamped , who
left his ſer- glio to receive our author in his teni.
The muſic played on his arrival, and he ordered
coffee : he was a perſonable man, of an agreeable
aſpect, having about him a pleaſingmixture of affabi
lity and ferocity. He ordered his ſecretary to ſup
ply the Doctor with letters to theGovernors under
his juriſdiction , and diſmiſſed him with great com
plaiſance.
. On the 17th , early in the morning, he arrived at -
Raigny, where he found the religious Sheack of the
Serpent Heredy, to whom he was recommended by
the Prince of Akmim , waiting at the river's fide to
receive him ; and he conducted him to the grotto of
this famous Serpent. It is a large cleft in a rock ,
lying in a bottom between two craggy mountains ;
and out of it the ſerpent often comes, or at leaſt the
credulous people are perſuaded that he does. -
On the 25th, our author continued his courſe
upon the river, paſſed between Sheack - fiddle and Be
nimfar, two villages that contended for the ſovereign
ty of a little inand lying betwixt them ; a point
which the Bey did not chuſe to determine, being
unwilling to diſoblige either party ; ſo that they re
ſolved to decide the difference by blows. The bat
tle happened upon this very day ; and our author
found himſelf in the midſt of their firing and throw
ing ſtones, before he knew where he was ; and he
was by this time too far advanced to think of retir
ing. Several of the vanquiſhed party plunged into
the river for ſafety ; and one, of them laying hold of
the
 DR. RICHARD POCOCKE. 183
the boat, leaped in to reſt himſelf ; which, if dir
covered , would have put them in danger of being
fired upon by the people of Benimfar, who had
gained the victory, and poſſeſſed themſelves of the
iſland .
On the 26th , the Doctor paſſed by Bouche, which
he ſuppoſes to be Ptolemais, the port of Arſinoë.
Feb . the 27th , 1737 , our author arrived ſafely aatc
Cairo, and went immediately to the Conſul's houſe,
having ſafely performed this journey above the cata
racts, and down again , exactly in three months,
CH A P . VII.
Mount Sinai, and ſoine other places, deſcribed . . .
R . Pococke having a great curioſity to viſit
mount Sinai, agreed with themonks belong
ing thereto , who have a convent at Cairo , to fur
nith him with cominon proviſions for the journey,
and a ſufficient number of camels, at four pounds.
each . Being accommodated with his bedding , his
bag of proviſions, ſkin of water, and a wooden bot
tle filled with that liquor to flake his thirſt occaſion
ally , all laid upon the back of his camel, he ſet
out from Cairo, on the 28th of March , 1739, in
- company with a large caravan ; and on the 31ſt he
arrived at Suez, where, in ancient times , there was
harbour for ſhipping, though the ſea has ſince with
drawn itſelf. However, there are two ſmall bays,
about a league from the town, where ſhips lie in
deep water , with a bold ſhore to the weſtward ; and
to the eaſt, low lands and ſhoals .
: In this town there are four moſques, and a Greek
church : it is governed by a Captain , or Admiral,
fubfervient to whom there is an immediate Gover
nor ; and both of theſe officers are obliged to be
upon very good terms with a powerful Arab, who
reſides
184 MODERN TRAVEL S.
reſides in the town, and is able; when he pleafes,
to cut off their water, which is brought from a place
belonging to him , called Naba, lying on the other
fide of the Red Sea, at the diſtance of fix miles ;
that of the well of Suez being not only faltiſh and
unwholeſome, but more than a league off.
The only trade which Suez carries on , is with
Jedda, 4 port near Mecca , on the eaſt of the Red
Sea . The exports thither are coffee, incenfe , fu
perfine Perſian and Indian commodities ; the im
ports from thence are corn and rice. Coffee was
formerly a good export from theſe parts to England ;
but ſince the cultivation of it in the Weſt Indies ,
that from Turkey, and the Eaſt, is ſcarcely worth
the freight. The Red Sea at Suez , is about a mile
over ; and boats are continually paſſing to the op
poſite ſhore, to bring over water, wood, & c .
On the iſt of April he croſſed from Suez to the
oppoſite ſhore, and continued his journey by the
fprings of Moſes ; certain ſpots among the ſand, in
which waterwill ſpring wherever holes aremade. The
water as it riſes brings up quantities of ſand , and in
a ſhort time forms a quagmire, which , they ſay , it is
often dangerous to approach , they having been known
to ſuck in even camels. They are of a warm and
faline quality , intermixed with ſulphur ; and it may
be reaſonably conjectured, that they take their riſe
in the neighbouring mountains.
On the 2d, as they purſued their way through the
fandy deſarts of Arabia Petrea , or the Stoney , they
eſpied two men running towards them , whom they
fuppofed to be robbers ; for they retired on ſeeing the
Doctor and his company, who were five in number,
prepare their arms, and ready to ſtand on the defen
ſive.
On the 3d, they entered the vale of Corondel,
beyond which is a mountain , bordering on the ſea :
on the ſide of this mountain is a grotto , to which
there
 DR. RICHARD POCOCKE. 185
there are two entrances, and from one of them iſſues
a ſpring of hot water, the vapor of which cauſes a
plentiful perſpiration , puts out all the light, and ,
according to report, often ſtifles thoſe who advance
too far therein .
The taſte of this water is extremely nauſeous,
and it muſt not be taken inwardly : however, it is
reckoned good , if uſed as a bath , in nervous and
cutaneous complaints, barrenneſs in women , and
impotency in men : but the patient is confined dur
ing forty days, while under cure, to a diet of oil,
honey , bread without ſalt, and water with dates in
fuſed therein .
The country through which they now paſſed, is
called Arabia Petrea . The natural inhabitants are
wandering Arabs, who live in tents , and remain
upon one fpot no longer than their water , fuel, and
fodder for their camels laſt ; then they remove.
They know nothing of tillage, nor is there any
graſs upon the ground : their wealth conſiſts of ca
mels, goats, and ſheep ; their food is goats milk ,
dates , and bread made of corn , furniſhed to them
from a good diſtance. They travel in clans, each un
der its particular Sheack, and areall leagued in amity
together : with reſpect to property, they are the
honeſtcft people in theworld , and so long as they
have victuals, there is no danger of their doing a
traveller an injury : on the contrary, if one of them
takes you under his care , it is a ſacred protection ,
and they all think themſelves obliged to defend you.
However , there are ſome infamous clans mixed a
mong them , ſuch as the Accabah , who are noto .
rious robbers ; the Souali, and the Wecelcadiſaid .
On the 8th , our travellers came to the valley of
Tor, where is a ſmall village bearing the ſamename,
inhabited by Arabs, and about twenty Greek fami.
lies, ſomeof whom reſide in a ruined caſtle near at
hand, called Maitho. Here is a ſect of Mahome
tans
 186 MODERN TRAVEL S .
tans, called Selemnites ; they pay a particular re
gard to the memory of Abraham , and that of Solo
mon , and mention the name of the latter conjunc
tively with Mahomet in their prayers .
On the rith , the Doctor arrived at mount Sinai.
The convent is dedicated to the celebrated Saint Ca
therine, and ſtands at the foot of the mount. Our
author entered it by a window thirty feet from the
ground, being drawn up to it in a machine by a
windlaſs ; and this is the common entrance. The
chief of the convent attended within - ſide to receive
him , and gave him his choice, either to retire firſt
to his apartment, or to viſit the church : he chuſing
the latter , was conducted to the ſhrine in which the
body of the Saint was depoſited, where theMonks
fung a hymn.
: Mount Sinai has two ſummits : it is called by the
Arabs, Jebel Moſes , or the Mountain of Moſes,
becauſe that here many remarkable things happened
to that holy prophet. It was here thatGod appear
ed to him in the burning buſh ; and the fathers
Thew a bramble , which they ſay is of the fame fort,
though it is plainly one of a very common kind,
brought from Europe ; here, however , it is an exo
tic. Here he alſo fed the flock of his father - in -law
Jethro ; and not far off he ſtruck the rock , out of
which water immediately flowed : the ſtone is of red
granite, about fifteen feet long, ten broad, and twelve
high ; the opening doesnot reſemble any thing done
by a tool, and is ſomething like the mouth of a
carved lion ; into this aperture the Arabs put certain
medicinal herbs, which they afterwards give to their
camels, in caſe of diſeaſe, to the expelling which ,
the adminiſtration of them , as they think , conſider
ably contributes. Near at hand is mount Saint Ca
therine, whither the body of that Saint, after her
martyrdom under the tyrantMaxentius, was brought.
This is by much the higheſt mountain in the neigh
bourhood ;
 DR. RICHARD POCOCKE. 187
bourhood ; it over-tops Sinai,which appears, to the
north -eaſt of it, but low : the ſoil is a ſpecies of
ſpeckled marble, in which may be ſeen beautiful con
figurations of trees, and other vegetable repreſenta
tions. The convent of mount Sinai was founded
by the Empreſs Helena : it is an irregular, ill-deſign
ed building of unburnt brick , walled round, and
every entrance ſtopped up to prevent the incurſions
of the Arabs : the window into which perſons are
· received that viſit the monaſtery, is forty feet high .
Within the walls, which are two hundred and fifty
five feet long from weſt to eaſt, and fifty -five broad
from north to ſouth , are bakehouſes, mills, ſtore
houſes, and every office neceſſary to ſuch an ab
• ftracted community . The relicks of Saint Cathe
rine are ſaid to be preſerved in a marble cheſt, where
on are carved ſeveral pieces of foliage in baſſo relievo.
One of that Saint's hands is fhewn to the curious,
the fingers of which are covered with rings, orna .
'mented with pearl: adjoining to the eaſt end of the
church wherein theſe remains are kept, is the chapel
of the Holy Buſh , which the Monks affirm grew in
the ſame ſpot whereon now lies a flag of white'mar
ble , which Chriſtians approach and kiſs with great
devotion ; nor will they enter this chapel with their
ſhoes on . There are many other chapels' about the
convent. Here are wells, one called Moſes's Well,
which being extremely cold , is drank in ſummer ;
the other, the Well of the Holy Buſh ; and this be
ing of a warmer temperature , is their winter -beve
rage. Saint Athanaſiuswas a brother of this mona
ſtery ; as was alſo that fame Sergius who affifted
Mahomet in writing the Alcoran, and digeſting the
ſyſtem of theMahometan religion . This convent is
exempt from all juriſdiction , except that of its own
Biſhop, who enjoys all the titles and honours of an
Archbiſhop : he is elected by theMonks of the con
vent here, and at Cairo , from among themſelves,
and
 188 MODERN TRAVEL S.
and is obliged to be confirmed by the Patriarch of
Jeruſalem : in his abfence, the convent is governed
by a deputy, who does nothing material without
conſulting a ſelect council of ſeven or eight of the
moſt conliderable members of the community. Few
Monks live ſo abſtemiouſly as theſe do ; they never
eat fleſh , nor, in Lent, are they allowed even ſallad ,
or ſhell-fith , except on Saturdays, Sundays, and
Feaſt-days.
In Lent, they riſe at midnight to perform their
devotions ; and at other ſeaſons, they conſtantly be
gin them before day. Juſtinian the Emperor ſent a
hundred fainilies from the Red Sea, and as many
more from Egypt, to ſerve them as vaffals ; but
. though they were formerly much encreaſed, they are
at preſent reduced to about forty , by ſome diſputes.
.among themſelves, in which numbers of them were
deſtroyed : theſe vaffals cultivate their gardens, and
perform for them other menial offices.
A Caloyer, or Lay -brother, is appointea to attend
every ſtranger that arrives here, to prepare his provi
fion , to ſee it ferved up in his chamber , to thew him
all the chapels, offices, and the library, wherein are
depoſited ſome of the firſt Greek books that everwere
printed , and fome few .MSS. but none of them are
curious. The feet of all pilgrims are waſhed foon after
their arrival here, by fome of the lay -brothers ; but
thoſe of a prieſt are waſhed by one of the fame rank in
the church ; and our author had the honour of being
attended in this ceremony by the Superior of the
convent. The time of Dr. Pococke's being here
was juſt before Eaſter ; and he had the fatisfaction
of being preſent at all the ceremonies performed in
holy week , and of dining with the whole convent
in the refectory , about ten o 'clock in the morning
on , Eaſter - ſunday, when the Monks appeared all
very cheerful, and well pleaſed that their Lent was
past.
Maho
 DR. RICHARD POCOCKE. 189
Mahomet is ſaid by ſome to have been born at
this convent, and by others to have been a domeſtic
therein ; but both theſe accounts appear apocryphal :
this is however certain , that the Monks received
him with open arms, as he once ſojourned for a
ſhort time among them ; and, in conſideration of
their hoſpitality , he granted them many great privi
leges by patent, the original of which was taken
from them by Sultan Selim , who was not, however,
impious enough to infringe the will of his prophet ,
but granted them a copy of the patent under his
own hand , and confirmed them in their immunities .
The church , which contains the ſacred relicks of
Saint Catherine, is called the great church of the
Transfiguration ; it lies to the north - eaſt, on the
loweſt part of the convent, and conſiſts of a nave,
an aiſle on each ſide, and three chapels on the out
fide, lower than the aiſles . The pictures of Juſti
nian , and his Empreſs Theodora, are well done in
moſaic , over the arch of the high altar ; and ſeveral
inſcriptions to the honour of that illuſtrious pair are
carved on the beams ſupporting the roof, which is
of cypreſs , covered with lead , and very ancient. In
this church are two rows of columns of indifferent
granite , covered with plaiſter ; the capitals all differ ,
and ſomeof them are poor imitations of the Corin
tnian order. The Turks deſtroyed the pavement,
digging it up in hopes of finding treaſures ; but it
was beautifully repaired in the laſt century by Arch
biſhop Athanafius.
The 23d of April our author took leave of the
fathers of the convent, and being let down out of
the window , returned to Cairo, where he arrived
about the middle ofMay ; and after ſtaying to reco
ver himſelf about three weeks, he ſet out for Alex
andria , where he embarked on the 3d of July for the
iſland of Candy.
С НАР.
190 MODERN TRAVEL S.

CH A P. VIII.
Account of Hafain Ben A.7, Bey of Tunis.
THE name of the Bey , in 1733, was Hafain
1 Ben Ali ; he was between ſeventy and eighty
years old , and had been twenty -eight years Bey : his
father was a Greek renegado ; he himſelf was a fol
dier , became rich , and was made Bey, as uſual, by
the ſoldiers, who always chuſe him that will promiſe.
to give them moſt pay ; and if he doesnot religiouſly
fulfil his compact, he is ſurely depoſed .
The ſoldiers are renegadoes, and Turks of the
Levant. The Bey, mentioned by our author, al
ways roſe two hours before day, and immediately
eat a ſhourba ; that is, ſoup made of rice and meat ;
he then drank coffee, and ſherbet of cloves and cin
namon , or ſome other hot thing. He next went to
to the moſque, and performed his devotion . When
it was day, he always proceeded to the court of juſ
tice , without the gallery before his two apartments. I
In the middle of the gallery there is a fountain of
water, and pillars round it : the middle of the room
is the chamber of audience, where he ſtays the beſt
part of the day ; it is furniſhed with looking -glaſſes,
and Engliſh clocks. Within the audience-chamber
is the ſmall room in which he sleeps.
. He ſtays in the court of juſtice till half an hour
after ten ; before eleven he goes to the audience
chamber ; and at eleven , dines at a long table, raiſed
about three inches above the ground, covered with
carpets, and bread is laid all along ; he ſits at the
head of it, and walles. A large dith is placed be
fore him , on which are ſmall plates of every ſort of
catable that is on the table ; the great diſhes being
placed along the table. The grandees fit near him :
when they have eaten , they riſe, and others ſit down,
and
 DR. RICHARD POCOCKE. 191
and the poor take away, in wooden plates, what is
left. The firſt courſe is mutton , dreiled either with
a rice pilaw , with oranges and eggs, or with onions
and butter . Then the women fend three great plates
of cuſcowſow , which is eaten with broth ; and next
is ſerved up fiſh or fowls boiled with lemon and o
range ſauce.
The Bey's beverage is camels' milk ; the others,
after they have dined, drink at the fountain . Dinner
being over, the Bey goes to the audience-room with
the grandees. He never fmoaks, nor does any one
in the palace. He ſtays in this room till the hour of
prayer , about three or four o'clock , when all the
court attend him to themoſque. After prayers, the
imams and grandees ſtay in the audience-room , lit
ing and diſcourſing. An hour before ſun -ſet he eats
as before, and then retires to a room , where all his .
officers and great people go and drink coffee in win
ter, or in the ſummer ſherbet. At night he gene
rally goes to the ſeraglio of woinen , and ſtays from
one to four hours after ſun -ſet ; from thence hegoes
to the bagnio, and from thence to bed.
If he does not retire to the women , hewithdraws
to ſleep in his own chamber ; and ſometiines gets up
in the night and goes to theharem , and afterwards to
the bagnio , and then to bed again , if it is not day.
He has four wives, by one of which only hehas had
children , viz . four fons, the eldeſt of which is called
MuſtaphaBey ; the youngeſt, though buttwelve years
old , was married .
The palace of the Bey is four miles from Tunis,
and is called the Bardo.' They ſay the palace itſelf,
with the bagnio , and all that belongs to it, are a
league round. Haſſain uſed to viſit Tunis twice a
year, before hemade the tour of his dominions; to
1 collect his tribute . One of theſe ſeaſons is in the
month of January, the other is that of July : his
progreſs takes up about fifty days. The Bey,is im
mediately
192 MODERN TRAVEL S.
mediately followed by the Guardo-letto , who carries
water both cold and warm , one for drinking, the
other for waſhing and ablution ; and two led borſes
are always near him , ready faddled . He has a man
of war of ſeventy - four guns, which was a preſent
from the Grand Seignior, and one of forty , beſides a
little veſſel called a Sambikino, which has fourteen
ſmall guns. The cities are governed by Agas and
Cadis , an Aga being ſent even to every village.
The Agas and Cadis are often ſelected from a ,
mong the rich people , to put them out of the way ;
and afterwards, on a pretence of mal-adminiſtration ,
the government feizes on all they have. ,
The Bey had not abovethree thouſand ſoldiers for
his ſtanding army, who are Turks and renegadoes,
The General is called Aga del campo ; the ſoldiers
are allhorſe, and called Spahi.

THE
 . . . THE

T RA V E L S
OF

ALEXANDER DRUMMOND , Eſq .

: His Majeſty's Conſul at ALEPPO.
c H A P. I.
Cyprus deſcribed ; Turkiſh cruelty at Nicoſia and Fa
magufía ; gallantry of Bragandino ; of the Grecian
women.
A s it is our intention elſewhere to deſcribe Ger
Almany, Italy , and other European countries ,
we Thall not now detain the reader with the obſer
vations made upon them by Mr. Drummond ; but
we ſhall proceed with him to Cyprus and Syria , in
the former of which places we find him landed on
the 6th of March , 1743-4 .
Cyprus is an iſlandnear ſeventy leagues long, and
between eighteen and twenty broad ; ſo that if we
allow its circumference to be an hundred and ſixty
leagues, we thall not be wide of the truth , one third
of the iſland being ſcarely more than a tongue of land,
if I may be allowed to uſe ſuch an expreſſion .
The ſoil is an excellent fertile clay , producing, al.
inoſt ſpontaneouſly , whatever is fown where there
happens to be the leaſt moiſture ; ſo that were the
natives induſtrious, they might make this place a per
fect paradiſe . Here are no rivers , but the want of
them is ſufficiently ſupplied by ſprings, rivulets, and
VOL. I . winter
 194 MODERN TRAVEL S.
winter rains ; and though the people were always ree
markably lazy and effeminate, certain it is , that at ſome
times they cultivated it ſo far as to be inriched with its
produce : to this end indeed little labour was neceſa
ſary. Cyprus was, for a conſiderable time, divided
into nine diſtricts, and governed by asmany princes,
who were ſubdued by the Egyptians ; from whom
it was taken in the tiine of one of the Ptolemies by
the Romans under Marcus Cato , who made an
eaſy conqueſt of the iſland, and ſent home immenſe
treaſures plundered from theinhabitants .
It became ſubject to the Emperor of the Eaſt on
the diviſion of the empire, and was conquered from
Iſaac Commenus by Richard I. king of England,
in his expedition to the Holy Land , by whom it
was given to Guy de Luſignan when he was diſa
poffeffed of Jeruſalem : it paſſed afterwards through
a variety of maſters , until the crown devolved upon
Charlotta ; from her it was uſurped by her baſtard
brother James, who lived not long to enjoy his
ſpoil, having been, according to ſome hiſtorians,
poiſoned , as was alſo his ſon , who was born to
him after his death by his queen , a Venetian lady
of the Cornara family . It is affirmed, that ſhe was
perſuaded by her brother to conſent to theſe hor
rid deeds, and afterwards to reſign the ſovereignty
in favour of the Venetian republic , in whoſe dos
incom@utthe larks madeholding the hemo
minions the lived a retired life upon a very moderate
About the latter end of the fifteenth century, in
1750 , the Turks made themſelves maſters of Cy
prus, Famaguſta only holding out againſt them ,
which did not ſurrender until the year following .
Here theſe barbarians were guilty of themoſt ſhock
ing cruelties ; twenty thouſand people of both ſexes
were cut to pieces in Nicoſia after the taking of that
town , and the ugly women and children were burnt
all
 MR. DRUMMOND. 195
all in one funeral pile in the market -place ; above
twenty - five thouſand of the natives were fold into
ſlavery, and two very large veſſels were laden with
the rich ſpoils of the place, the principal nobility ,
and themoſt beautiful females, the former of whom
were intended by Muſtapha Nacha, commander in
chief of the expedition , to grace his triumph , the
latter to adorn the ſeraglio of his maſter .; but one of
theſe unhappy victims, having privately procured a
lighted match , crept down to the powder- room , and
amoment dus was Mhe same
blew up the ſhip ; the other veſſel catching the flame
ſhared in the ſame fate : and thus was Muſtapha,
with all his hopes, in a moment deſtroyed .
Never was a place more gallantly defended than
Famaguſta : the garriſon were reduced to the laſt ex
tremity before they ſurrendered, and left not even a
mouſe living within their walls ; at length , wearied
out with fatigue, and reduced almoſt to death 's door
by famine, they capitulated , upon condition that the
inhabitants ſhould not be plundered ; that they
ſhould be allowed the free exerciſe of their rligion ,
and the garriſon to be tranſported with military ho
nours to Crete.
Every thing was now prepared for their departure,
when Bragandino, who had been Governor of the
place, waited upon Muſtapha, attended by a noble
train of officers : they were at firſt all treated with
great ceremony, but being about to take their leaves,
Muſtapha, under pretence that he miſſed ſome
Turkiſh priſoners, whom he accuſed them of hav
ing murdered , cauſed them ſuddenly to be ſurrounded
and cut in pieces, Brigandino only being reſerved to
undergo tortures which it is ſurprizing inan could
ever deviſe : he bore them with a moſt becoming re
ſolution , and, to the confuſion of his tormentors,
was never once ſeen to ſhrink : his ſkin , ſalted ,
dried , and ſtuffed , was placed in the arſenal of Con
Itantinople, from whence ſome of his family had
K 2 ſufficien
196 MODERN TRAVEL S.
füfficient addreſs to convey it, and it is at preſent in
their poffeffion ?
Cyprus is' now but poorly cultivated : the farmer
manures no more land than what he finds imme
diately neceffary to his ſubſiſtence ; nor is this the
cafe here only , every place under the Turkiſh do
minions is in the fame ſituation . Slaves to the will
of a deſpotic tyrant, who may at pleaſure, and of
ten ' does, poffeſs himſelf of their acquiſitions, the
ſubjects aim hot at hoarding up wealth ; and if they
are rich , all their endeavours are to conceal their cir
cumſtances, a knowledge of which would inake them
liable to inquifition . The ſubterranean treaſures of
Turkey are certainly prodigious : numbers of peo
ple bury their wealth , and, fearful of diſcovering
the ſecret to their friends or iſſue till the laſt gaſp ,
Jeft their deatly Nould be thereby precipitated , they
die with it concealed , and the ſon or next heir is ,
perhaps left a beggar, through that principle of de- ,
céit and ſupicion of fallhood that reigns univerſally
among the ſons of Mahomet.
“ As the Grand Seignior is heir to every one that
dies in his territories, one would ſcarcely think that
people in power ſhould meditate the enriching them .
felves ; yet it is certain that rapine’ and extortion are
no where fo univerſally indulged, the meaner fort
of people are no where inore cruelly oppreſſed, and
one would be apt to imagine that the only fiudy of
the governors and officers of the Porte , was to make
their fellow -creatures miſerable. Our author, dur
ing his reſidence upon this iſland, lived at Larnica,
which is called Cyprus by way of eminence .
The Governor of Cyprus, who is alſo collector
of the Grand Seignior'srevenues, reſides at Nicoſia ,
which is the capital, and very near the centre of the
iſland. In going to Famaguſta , formerly called Sa
Tamis, and afterwards. Conftantia, our author was
obliged to ride upon a mule, being furniſhed with a
ragged
 . DRUMMOND. , : 197
ragged patched pack -faddle, and a goad pointed
with iron , inſtead of a whip , otherwiſe the beaſt
would not be induced to move at any rate ; and this
journey was exceſſively tireſome, though no more
than twenty-four miles long.
At the gates of the town he was obliged to alight
and to walk over the bridge, the Turks permitting
no Chriſtian to ride. The fortifications were for
merly good ; but at preſent they are quite out of re
pair, mounting only fix or eight pieces--of braſs
cannon .
A ſhort inile diſtant is the port of Salines, ſo
called from a cluſter of lakes in the neighbour
hood, wherein the Venetians were annually accuf
toined to make great quantities of ſalt, whereby
they cleared large ſums of money, not amount
ing , upon an average, to leſs than one million
piaſtres yearly, which is one thouſand two hundred
and fifty pounds. ſterling of our money ; yet at pre
fent it is farined for ſcarcely more than two hun
dred pounds : this difference in the profits muſt be
attributed entirely to the indolence of the people,
the inſtability of private property, and the vaſt neg
ligence of the miniſters , who divide their time be
tween intrigue and extortion ,
Theſe lakes were preſerved, while the Venetians
governed, by a wall of ſtone and mud , the remains
of which are ſtill viſible ; whereas, at preſent, the
falt when in cakes , nay even when fully cryſtalized ,
is open to the tread of man and beait, and being by
thatmeans mixed with clay and dirt, the value of it
is conſiderably leflened. Among various reaſonswhich
our author endeavours to afſign for the production
of this ſalt, perhaps none are more probable, than
that the lake is formed from ſuch a collection of
ſalt - ſprings, as is to be found in Cheſhire, and ma
ny other parts of England ; or elſe, that the earth
itſelf is ſtrongly impregnated with that inineral.
K 3 The
198 MODERN TRAVEL S .
The locuſts of Cyprus are very prejudicial to the
grain ; and the Moors are obliged to wear boots, to
which bells are annexed, to frighten away the aſps,
thé tarantulas, and other venomous reptiles, with
which the iſland abounds. The bite of the firſt is
ſaid to kill in leſs than an hour, except the part in
ſected be cut off. Mr. Drummond mentions a fer
pent two yards long, which he met with one day in
the fields : it was of a blackiſh hue, with a ſort of
a coronet upon its head, which it carried majeſtical
ly about a foot high , as it waved along.
The Grecian women , who differ little or nothing
from thoſe of Cyprus and the Archipelago, dreſs in
a manner that is wantonly ſuperb, though perhaps
not ſo agreeable as thoſe of Europe. The ornaments
of their head are however graceful and noble ; and
though our author does not ſeem pleaſed with their
beauty, he allows them all the libertiniſm for which
ally
id one oisf ttheir
bavarice redomimatur paſſion , and there is
the Cyprian dames of old were ſo extremely celebrate
heir ppredominant
ed. Though they are naturally inclined to love,
not one of them that will refuſe the laſt favour if you
bid up to her price .
· Here are inanymen ſo indifferent about the chaſtity
of their wives, that they will marry her who has the
wealthieſt gallant, rather than the woman that has
much virtue, and little money. Yet this iſland is
not without huſbands who run into the contrary
extreme, and prevent their wives froin going any
where, except to church , where the fate of many a
cuckold is determined . Nobody is ignorant of
that jealous care with which the women all over
Turkey are kept ; and it is incredible that their
tongues ſhould ſpeak the dictates of their hearts,
when they declare that they prefer their confinement
to freedom , and the pleaſures of ſociety .
The
 DRUMMOND. 199
The government of Cyprus is farmed by the
Grand Vizier for three hundred and ten thouſand
piaſtres, which is near thirty -nine thouſand pounds
a year . The Governor is changed yearly , ſo that
you may well imagine the wretched people are fleec
ed to ſomepurpoſe. He who governed here in the
year 1744 , was ſaid to have cleared cloſe upon thir
ty -one thouſand three hundred pounds in money ;
beſides innumerable preſents, and having paid all
his expences. To what purpoſe are the people thus
miſerably harraſſed by a man , who may , in fix
months afier his return to Conſtantinople , fall the
victim of an accuſation trumped up againſt him by
an avaricious or deſigning miniſter ; who, by cri
minating him , becomes poſſeſſed of his treaſures ?
Bribery and corruption have here reached to ſuch a
height, that nothing is to be done from the higheſt
to the loweſt degree of people without a preſent. . '
One may be pardoned in Cyprus for any crime,
provided that he has money : for example, a mur
der ſubjects him to a tax of perhaps a couple of
piaſtres yearly .
Every man upon the iſland is obliged to pay cer
tain impoſts, which run from thirty to fixty piaſtres
a -head , according to circumſtances ; and if themos
ney is not ready, whenever the officer chuſes to de
mand it , the poor man is ſtripped of all his effects ,
which are inſtantly ſold at an under -value, and if the
money ariſing from the ſale is not ſufficient to dir
charge the demand, he is either impriſoned , baſti
nadoed, or otherwiſe tortured , while his wife, or
wives and children are ſet adrift, the ſport of inſo
lence , and the contempt of wretches who view their
miſery without remorſe. It is ſurpriſing how ſome
people can pretend to draw compariſons for honeſty
between Turks and their own countrymen ? how is
it poſſible theſe compariſons can hold good, when
weknow , that among the muffulmen every thing
K4
200 MODERN TRAVEL S.
is venial; and that even the Judge, who prefides in
the ſeat of juitice, pronounces ſentence in favour of
him who tids higheft ; although in caſes of proper
ty, his fees are ten per cent, out of whatever ſum is.
recovered . No Englishman of common ſenſe could
view the deſolation accruing from arbitrary power,
without congratulating himilf upon his title to the
privileges of a Britiih fubject'; without being ſtic
mulated to watch with increaſe of vigilance over
thoſe rights which are due, as being born in a coun
try of freedom .
The exports of this iſland are filk, wool, made
der , omber , carrobean , and ſomewine, the greateſt
part of the laſt article being carried to Venice ; nor
does the produce of their vintage amount to leſs
than twenty - five thouſand pounds a year. All ex
ports and imports ought to pay an import of three
per cent. The imports are but very few , conſiſting
of fome French and Venetian broad-cloths, and
Sometimes a few bales of Britiſh manufacture ; cut
lery ware, watches, toys, pepper , tin , lead , fugar,
and all ſorts of filk manufactures , are alſo brought
into the iſland ; but there is no great conſumption
of any of thoſe articles, becauſe of the wretched
poverty of the inhabitants.
There are three ſorts of vermilion found upon
the iſland , and there are ſtrata of the aſbeſtos in ma.
ny places, as well as near Paphos, Mr. Drummond
was very curious in enquiring into the effects that
follow from the bite of the tarantula , but he could
not learn any body had ever experienced it, though
all were firmly perſuaded of its being poiſonous ;
neither could he perceive by experiment, any moiſ .
ture iffure from it's bite : he put two of them in
fpirits ; they inſtantly funk to the bottom of the vef
fel, and in about two ſeconds, fpewed a black mat
ter , while ſeveral globular particles, thining ás quick
filver, iſſued from every part : one of theſe was no
ſooner
 DRUMMOND. 200
fooner infuſed into the liquid , than it ſeized upon
a caterpillar of the moſt beautiful hue, preſerved
here ; and the colour of the inſeet , from the head to
the middle of the back , was immediately changed
into a black ſooty colour. From 'his own obſerva
tion he aſſerts, that the bite of a viper operates up
on the human body the ſame way, and he has
thereby feen a very white ſkin turned into a duſky
brown .
The body and legs of the tarantula , are black ,
covered with thick long briftly hair ; the belly is
ſhaped like an olive ; and it has two tails,with eight
legs, and the ſame number of eyes, according to
ſome virtuofi, though our author diſproves this af
fertion . Every body knows, that in Italy , they
cure the bite of this animal with muſic and dancing ;
a knowledge which has yet ſcarcely gained footing
in Cyprus, though perhaps there is not a more ſkip
ping, dancing ſet of mortals in the world :
Seventeen miles from Lucia , there is a high hill
that ſerves as a land-mark , called mount Croce ;
on the ſummit ofwhich ſtands a ſmallGreek church ,
dedicated to the holy Croſs : and a piece of the
real croſs is ſaid to be here preſerved . It was the
gift of Saint Helen , who alſo gave lands fufficient
to maintain thirty perſons to attend upon the church ,
which is a mean building. There is another chaa
pel and convent three miles from it, where our au
thor one diy dined with Conſul Wakeman , and
Mr. Boddington . Here the reverend Father ferv .
ed in the triple capacities of prieſt, hoftler, and inn .
keeper. There is no water to be found hereabouts , ,
except what is drawn from the pits; and that is ve.
sy brackiſh .
. During Mr. Drummond's ſtay, there arrived a
new Moffalem , who was a Baſha of three tails .
Ourauthor, attended Mr. ConfalWakeman , in viſita
ing him at Nicoſia, whither he carried ſome very
KS valuable
202 MODERN TRAVELS.
valuable preſents, and was in return cloathed with a
magnificent furred robe, having been previouſly ,
together with his company, entertained with coffee,
ſweetmeats, ſherbet, and perfume, which laſt im
plies a licence to depart.
ich landing banda y mile or ran
As Vizirs, and even Moffalems of inferior rank ,
think they demean themſelves if they riſe to receive
.a Chriſtian ; and on the other hand, a Conſul inſiſts
upon being received ſtanding, when he viſits ; at
the audience of which we now ſpeak , Mr. Conſul
Wakeman came firſt into the room , which the
Balha entered a few moments after, and clapping
him on the ſhoulder , with an air of condeſcenſion ,
deſired him to ſit : an invitation with which he imme
diately complied ; taking his place in an elbow -chair,
while the Baſha repoſed himſelf, on his divan .
: All the paſſages from the outer gate to the preſence
chamber were lined with officers, who obſerved a
moſt reſpectful decorum , and a profound filence,
• Nicofia is delightfully ſituated in a plain , between
Olympus and a range of mountains that ſweeps
from the ſouth -weſt to the north -eaſt of the iſland.
It was forinerly well fortified by the Venetians, of
whole works there now remains only the ruins. It
is certain , that the place was once very magnificent,
being the habitation of all the Venetian nobility who
lived upon the iſland . It is about three iniles in
circumference, and not being over- ſtocked with peo
ple, the plantations of olives, almonds, lemons,
oranges, mulberries, and cypreſs, which are inter
ſperſed among the houſes, give it a moſt delightful
appearance.
Six miles from hence ſtood the Amathus of the
ancients, famous for the amours of Venus and
Adonis. . Here was once a ſtrong caſtle, the work
perhaps of ſome Greek Emperor ; ihe walls of it
were immenſely thick : the port has been tolerable ,
i wo and
 DRUMM O 'N D . 203
and from thence to within eight or ten miles of
Larnica, the country is far from being diſagreeable :
but all about this ſpot, the ſalt air, for want of
moiſture, and the neglect of cultivation , renders it
moist unwhole tender,es,which, for that power buy afelony
very unwholeſome. The ground, being naturally
mellow and tender , is eaſily broken . One man
ploughs with two oxen , which , though lean as Pha
roah 's kine, are ſtrong enough for that purpoſe : in
lieu of a harrow , the earth is preſſed down by a fel
low ſtanding on a ſhort thick plank, drawn along by
one or two oxen ; preſſure being neceſſary to cover
the ſeed , which otherwiſe would , after the leaſt
moiſture, Moot up too faſt. They nail thick planks
together, about three feet ſquare, to which are
faſtened broken flints or pebbles : a clumſy fellow ,
mounting this ſtage, is dragged by an ox or two over
the ears of corn when they are brought from the
field , thereby ſhaking out the grain : and this is their
method of threſhing.
Our author having had ſeveral cameleons in his
poſſeſſion , one of which died while he was upon the
iſland , a deſcription of it here will, we flatter our
felves, afford our readers fome pleaſure. The length
of the cameleon is generally under ten inches ; its
eyes are large and protuberant ; nor is the head pro
portioned to the ſize of its body : when provoked,
it lets down a large bag from its lower jaw , ſwells
pretty much , gapes wide, and hiſles like a ſerpent :
when frighted , it ſhrinks ſurpriſingly, and acquires
the colour of that object, near which it has ſome
time remained. Mr. Drummond kept the one of
which he ſpeaks in this place, chained up in his
ſtudy, where , at different times, he has obſerved it
adopt a ſteel-colour from his ſnuffers, a yellow
colour from his candleſtick : and a lime- colour
from his wall ; but it is particularly worth obſer
ving, that the borrowed colour often affected that
ſide of the cameleon which was fartheſt from the
commu .
204 MODERN TRAVEL S.
communicating-object, while the neareſt fide retained
thenatural tincture of its ſkin , which is either black ,
brown, yellow , or beautifully ſpotted .
It is extremely timorous, and with its long curling
tail winds itſelf about any thing fo forcibly, that it
requires not a little ſtrength to ſeparate it. This
animal is of the lizard -kind : it dwells in holes,
ranges among trees for its food, and has no ears , ſo
that it is not at all affected by found ; neither are its
noſtrils perceptable without glaſſes : its mouth is ex
tremely wide, but very cloſe ; its teeth ſhort and
ſharp ; its tongue, which lies folded in the hollow of
its mouth , being ſmall and long, it darts with great
dexterity at ſmall inſects as they paſs , which are de
tained, as iís prey, by a viſcous moiſture wherewith it
is covered.
· CHA P. II.
Capo de Gato whence ſo called ; ſituation and building
of the celebrated Paphos ; of ſome great feats done by
Saint Helen ; of mines ; of fable diamonds; an in
fiance of a Turkiſh oppreffion "; of the fountain of
Love, and its effects of the famous Madona di
- Chekka . . . . . . .
ALTHOUGH that the circuit which our au .
A thor made of Cyprus was two or tlıree years af
ter the accounts which were given above, yet we thall
connect them , as relating to the fame point, and af.
terwardsgo back to trace himn in his progreſs through
Syria .
His firſt ſtage was at Chitty, a village upon the
banks of the river Taitius, over which there is a
four- arched bridge, not badly conſtructed. Here is
no anchorage for ſmall barges , which proves it was
not the ancient Citium . There are many other
arguments in ſupport of this opinion . From the
Sálines,
 DRUMMOND. 205
Salines, as well as ſeveral marks of antiquity fcat
tered up and down, Larnica appears to be built
his nobjinto Laereby cenice in publict this inod.
upon , or very near ,the ſpot whereon that city ſtood.
Bekier Baſha, who was Governor of this iſland
in 1747, and a man of great public ſpirit, put
himſelf to a vaſt expence in making works, and
aqueducts , whereby to introduce the waters of
Arpera into Larnica, the diſtance being fix miles :
this noble deſign was laid aſide upon his removal;
and though he left money enough for carrying it on
in the hands of Chriſtofacco, Druguman of the fe
raglio , yet it was ſhamefully neglected, and the mos
ney embezzled ; however , we are told , that it was
finiſhed in the year- 1750 .
: Chitty is beautified with a number of Gilk -gardens .
and the road from thence to Maroni is very pleaſant,
being bounded on one fide by hills, on the other by
the fea. It is adorned with variety of olive and low
cuſt-trees . Maroni: itſelf is delightfully ſituated
upon a riſing ground ; having a command of a
beautiful and extenſive plain . "Here aremany rivu
lets and brooks in the rainy ſeaſons, no marks-of
which appear in ſummer ; and there are ſeveral chan
nels of rives to be metwith , which are not men
tioned by the ancient geographers .
There are ſcarcely any veſtiges of antiquity to be
found about Amathus, nor even a fragment of the
famous temple of Venus and Adonis. This ruin
we owe to theKings Ifaac Comnenus and Richard I ;
fo that wehave reaſon to wiſh that the latter had been
deſs hot, the former more wiſe.
Mr. Drummond, fatigued and difappointed in his
fearches at Amathus, proceeded to Limefol, which ,
he ſuppoſes to be the ancient Curium . Itwas given
by Henry King of Cyprus to the Knights Hoſpital
bars, when they left Paleſtine: It has a full open
bay, which former travellers have erroneouſly ſet
down as no better than a mill -pond, The village
Agros
 206 MODERN TRAVEL S.
Agrodiri ſtands upon a neck of land, which joins
the Curium Promontorium to the main , and was
given to the prieſts of Saint Bazil, upon condition that
they ſhould keep a certain number of cats, to deſtroy
the ſerpents which infeſted the neighbouring grounds
in great numbers. Hence the Italians call the pro
montory Capo de Gato . The country from hence
to Colos is open and pleaſant: this is a fine vil .
lage , wherein there was formerly a commandery of
Knights Hoſpitallers ; and Lewis deMagnac, Grand
Commander in Cyprus, built here a ſtrong ſquare
tower, which is ſtill to be ſeen .
Croſſing a fine river , you in a little time arrive at
Piſcopi, a large beautiful village, round which there
are ſome grand ruins, and the adjacent grounds are
watered by an aqueduct from the river. Here was
once a Nemus ſacred to Apollo, and there are ſome
ruins reſembling a temple, which onemay conjecture
to have been dedicated to him , becauſe the natives
ſay it was the palace of one who taught muſic ;
though there is more room to believe it was the reſi
dence of the lord of the manor, as the buildings
round it ſeein to have been intended for the ſugar
works, which were carried on here. There is nei
ther figure nor inſcription to aſcertain the real nature
of the ſtructure.
Hence Mr. Drummond ſteered his courſe through
Livathi, and over a fatiguing rocky way in the neigh
bourhood of Piſouri, which broughthim at length to
the far- famed Paphos. This town is ſaid by ſome au
thors to have been founded by Cinyrus, King ofAffy
ria, huſband to the daughter of Pygmalion, who ruled
in Cyprus ; and by others, to have been built by Pa
phos, who was a ſon born to Pygmalion , of the ani.
mated ſtatue. Here once ſtood a temple ſacred to
Venus, upon the very ſpot the charming goddeſs firſt
touched , when the ſprung from the ſalt waves. It
was once a famous ſanctuary, and noted for divina
* . , 1 tion :
 DRUMMOND. 207
tion : the prieſt was always of the blood-royal. The
altars were never ſtained by blood, the offering be
ing of pure fire ; and though preſented in the open
air, and at all ſeaſons, no rain ever extinguiſhed, or
was even known to approach the conſecrated fane :
this miracle may be eaſily accounted for, by remem
bering that the clouds inay be ſeen pregnant with
moiſture ſome little time before they burſt, which
revand
they do in a deluge, y allinqisuiover
iounthen
ious riT ; conſequent
urks as
ly they may be previouſly avoided . Notwithſtanding
our author's moſt induſtrious inquiries, and the kind
aſſiſtances given him therein , by Turks as well as
Chriſtians, in conſequence of Conful Wakeman 's
kind recommendation , he found here little or no
remains of antiquity to ſatisfy his curioſity . The
churches , not only at Baffo , or Paphos Nova, but
alſo all over the iſland, have been very numerous.
This town is quite modern , large, and agreeable .
There have been ſomenoble buildings about the
port, or the Paphos Antiqua : fome broken columns
ſcattered up and down, not improbably, belonged
to the temple of Venus ; concerning which we have
a traditional account ſtolen from a MS, by a gentle
man, which ſets forth , that it was a palace built by
Aplirodite, a Queen extremely beautiful, and excel
fiyely lewd, who allured to her court numbers of
young men , beſtowing favours upon all ; nor were
her female ſubje &ts backward in following her exam
ple ; ſo that they gloried in their luſt, and lewdneſs
became a faſhion . This was the reign of pleaſure :
and when it ended with the death of Aphrodite , her
palace was turned into a temple , and ſhe was wor
ihipped as a divinity . It was thrown down by an
earthquake, 1495 years before the birth of Chriſt ;
but being rebuilt, was raſed to the ground by Saint
Barnabas, in the fortieth year of the Chriſtian æra.
The account agrees tolerably well with reſpect to
the ſtory of Venus ; but there is no probability in
the
 208 MODERN TRAVEL S.
the ſuppoſed influence of Saint Barnabas, becauſe :
that in his time the Chriſtians had little or no autho
rity in the iſland : beſides, we find that it was an
· aſylum in the reign of Tiberius, and that Titus
Veſpaſian here conſulted the oracle in his return from
Corinth . It was here that Elymas the Sorcerer ,
and the Proconſul Sergius, were converted by Saint
Paul.
• There lie fome mines to the weſtward of Baffo,
wherein are found pellucid ſtones, not unlike thoſe
that may be picked up on the northern and weſtern
hills of Scotland ; but they are not near ſo good :
the places wherein they are found, are called Dia
mond -mines ; and ſome time fince a certain Mu
Haffel, deceived by the name, expended a great deal
of'money in working them , and had only his labour
for his pains. He expected alſo to have found ſolid
iron at Poli di Chriſofou , but was diſappointed ::
mad with vexation , he infifted upon farming out
theſe imaginary treaſures to the Chriſtians at the rate :
of eight hundred dollars a year, which theſe op
preſfed people were forced to pay ; and it has been
rigidly exacted from them by all his ſucceſſors,
From Baffo, our author took his rout northward
through the mountains, which are dangerous and
hugged, preſenting in many places frightful precipia
ces : the woods are thin , and the hills bare, but the
intermediate ground is tolerably good : about Stroum
bi they are particularly fo. The inhabitants are
really induftrious, and no foil better repays the law
bour of the huſbandman than that of Cyprus. In
this progreſs he had a view of Acamas, where
flows the celebrated ſpring called the Fountain of
Love, which is ſaid to endue with encreaſe of vi
gour. But Mr. Drummond merrily tells us, he did
not chuſe to taſte of its waters, left he ſhould have
inſpired weak fleſh with a too-willing ſpirit.
Stroumbi
 DRUMMOND. 209
Stroumbi is a pleaſant populous village, on his
entering which , the inhabitants flocked round him ,
admiring the frangeneſs of his dreſs, to the like of
which they were entire ſtrangers : he ſtood to gratify
their curioſity , amuſing himſelf, in the mean while,
with their pretty children , who , though at firſt thy,
foon fondled on him , when he gave them a trifle of
money.
There are many creeks in this ifland which might
be a refuge for ſmall craft, and would be of infinite
ſervice to the inliabitants, were they governed by
juſtice, and ſecure of their property. But, alas ! to
this happineſs they are ſtrangers ; and, to add to
their miſeries, at this time, the land was quite
parched up for want of rain , and covered with lo
cuſts , that deftroyed whatever.little verdure appeared
above-ground , In one night they devoured a field
of corn , the produce of which would have fub .
bfted fifty men for a week, beſides ſupplying cattle
with fodder.
In his progreſs from this village, he fell in with a
deep gut upon the rocky ſides of the river Simbula,
between two impending hills, from each of which
the trees and rocks projecting , preſent an horizontal
covering : he was ſo charmed with this delightful
Spot, that he gave his people a holiday until two
o 'clock next morning , and indulged hiinſelf with
ſurveying its innumerable romantic beauties . As
wehere mention Mr. Drummond's people , it is not
amiſs to obſerve, that in this tour he found it nes
ceſſary to furniſh himſelf with a janizary, two ſer
vants, and a guide, beſides fome fores fufficient to
fubfift him on the road. In quitting this pleaſant
retreat, his mule fell with him down a precipice i
and had henot been ſaved by a projecting rock, which
lay a little way below , he muſt have been ſhivered
to atoms. However, he luckily eſcaped for other
good
210 · MODERN TRAVEL S.
good purpoſes, beſides ſupplying us with this aca
count, receiving only a ſlight contuſion on hiship.
He dined the ſame day in a delightful grove of
tall ſpreading trees, near the river Pierga ; hard by
which is a perpendicular pillar, founded by a certain
Queen , whoſe palace was in the neighbouring moun ,
tains. All their caſtles and palaces, indeed , ſeemed
to have been raiſed by ladies; but there has not been
proper juſtice done to their memories, to perpetuate
which, both records and inſcriptions are wanting .
That nighthe lay at Lefca, a town prettily ſituated
upon a winding river , with variety of gardens : the
following day he paſſed the river Cunara ſeveral
times, not withoutmeeting with many frightful pre
cipices, that affected with horror, though they
pleaſed by diverſifying the proſpect . The firſt vine
yards which Mr. Drummond law in thoſe parts ,
were after he had paſſed the river Gambo ; he then
witlubs. in : Chekkapapa,who,ini
fell in with a lane, the air of which was perfumed
with roſes, honeyſuckles , and a variety of aromatic
ſhrubs. In a Mort time he arrived at the famous
Madonna di Chekka, where he was received with
great courteſy by the Papa, who , in point of dignity ,
is, here , not much inferior to a Biſhop.
In one apartment of the convent is a wretched
piece of painting, repreſenting a Caloyer on the
croſs : on his left hand is a lively figure of a man on
horſeback at full ſpeed, holding a cup of wine in
ſteady poiſe, and ſurrounded with palaces, groves,
caſcades, & c . and on the other ſide is an oddly
imagined hell, with monſters, among flames , des
vouring the wicked, while our Saviour in the clouds,
pointing to the martyr, offers him a crown of glory.
Under this picture are ſomeGreek verſes, thus tran
Nated by the reverend Mr. Crofts,
Behold
 DRUMMOND. 211
Behold here, fairly pictured , the life of a truemonk ;
Howabſolutelyheis crucified tothe fleſh and totheworld .
The croſs expreſſively typifies mortification ;
· The lamps truly repreſent theſplendor ofthe virtues;
The ſhutting of the eyes, thathe is not to regard at all
The vain and unſtable objects of this falle world ,
The ſilence of the mouth , that he ſhould not ſpeak ,
unſeaſonably ,
The contumelious and filthy language of the pre
ſent
le nt age.
ag .

The nails in the feet, that he muſt not at all walk

In the broad path ; nor indulge in intemperate de
licacies :
But, with charity , filence, and purity of life,
Shine viſibly to the world beyond the fun 's luſtre ;
And wage perpetual war with the deceitful world ,
The luſts of the fleſh and themalicious devil :
For the Lord of the univerſe, with his angels,
Is near him for his aſſiſtance,
And holds in his hands a crown and a diadem ,
That , if heprove victorious over theluſtsoftheworld ,
Hemay, according to his merits, crown his brow ,
And admit him into the kingdom of heaven .
Though this convent is of a mean appearance , it
has endowments which would turn out to conſider
able profit, under any government leſs ſavage than
that of Cyprus.
Solon , the Athenian law -giver , lived for ſome
time in Cyprus, with Philocyprus, a king, whoſe
capital, called Apeia , was built in the mountains,
whence it derived great ſtrength , being almoſt inac
ceſſible , but laboured under this diſadvantage, that
its environs were wild „nd barren . The ſavage ad
viſed
 212 MODERN TRAVEL S.
viſed the monarch to remove his metropolis to lands
more fertile ; and his counſel being reliſhed, to him tu
was committed the care of chuſing the ſituation of,
and founding thenew town. A town called thence
Solos, and afterwards Soglia by the Italians, foon
roſe, under ſuch able direction , ſtrong, noble , large,
and well fortified . The equitable laws which he
there inſtituted, joining to the richneſs of the ſoil,
and pleaſantneſs of the place, drew to it people
from all quarters, which brought with them this
inconveniency, that their language became corrupt,
even to a proverb . Hence comes the word ſoleciſing
though ſome have ſuppoſed it, but not juſtly , de
rived from the Soli, who ſettled in Cilicia.
CH A P . III.
Of thewonderful actions of Saint Mamas ; of the na
tural ſtrength of Argos Largos ; a fhort character
of the Knights Hoſpitallers ; of petrified human bo
dies found near Agri sPhanentis ; the fiſhing-boats of
the country deſcribed ; our author taken for a ſpy and
a conjuror ; concluſion of that adventure ; our author
finiſhes his tour through Cyprus.
M O RFOU isavery citeerfulplace, abouta league
and a half from the ſea : there is not a more
handſome building in the. ifland than the church ,
which was built in the Italian taſte , but not quite
finiſhed when the Turks conquered Cyprus. It was
dedicated to SaintMamas, who, when alive, could at
no rate be perſuaded , or forced , to pay his carache, or
poll-money ; ſome ſupernatural power always inter
poſing between him and the colle Etors, who were al.
ways intimidated . This extraordinary circumſtance:
coming to the ears of the Prince, he ordered thathe
might be forced from his folitary retreat, and brought
intoh is preſence. SaintGeorge and Saint Demetrius,
hearing
 DRUMMOND. 213
hearing of his captivity , followed and overtook him
on the road, reſolving to ſhare in his good or evil
fortune. In their way they chanced to ſee a lion ruſh
from a neighbouring thicket, and ſeize upon a lamb,
to the terror and amazement of the guards. But
Saint Mamas , beholding the accident with great in
difference, ordered the ſhaggy tyrant of the foreſt to
forego his prey ; in which he was obeyed , and, inore
over, the lion fawned upon him , and wagged his
tàil, in token of ſubmiſſion . By this time the good
man beginning to grow tired with walking , took the
lamb in his arms, andmounting thewild beaſt, rode
on it to court, to the amazement of all the be
holders. The king, being apprized of the affair , re
ceived him very reſpectfully , ordered that he ſhould
ever after live tax - fre? , and accepted the lamb as a
preſent. This is one way of telling this remarkable
ſtory , which is varied by every Papa that relates it :
they have forgot to tell us what becameof the good
natured lion .
Six or eight miles from Morfou , the people ſeemed
to have ſome induftry about them ; for they collect
the ſprings as they fall from above, into reſervoirs,
from whence they are eaſily diſtributed over the lands.
The firſt cypreſs -tree which Mr. Drummond ſaw in ,
this iſland, wasat the village Elia ,where there is a good
gate -way, over which there is a handſomebaſſo relievo.
After two hours travelling hence, Mr. Drummond
reached the port of Cerinia .
As Saint Hilarion commanded the hilly country ,
and was a long time the refuge of Charlotta ; lo
does Cerinia overlook all the fubjacent plains, and
of this ſhe was alſo a iong time poſſeſſed . The town
hasbeen well walled by towers , baſtions, and a foſſée.
profp ſtructure :
De la Pays was formerly a very elegant
and is ha more itallers.This
it now lies in ruins, and is ſaid to have been a mo
naſtery ; though it is much more probable that it
was a commandery of the Knights Hoſpitallers.
 214 MODERN TRAVEL S .
This order was inſtituted in the year 1699 ; and .
the brethren of it made vows of poverty, being
to ſublift upon charity , and to deny themſelves every
thing but what was immediately neceſſary to ſupply
them with arms, ammunition , and ſubſiſtence : yet,
when they were expelled from the Holy Land , they
were enabled, either by the folly or munificence of
Chriſtians, to build ſumptuous palaces ; to ſupport
Princes one againſt another ; and thoſe Knights, al
though they vowed poverty , chaſtity, and temperance,
yet, in forma pauperis, they held abovenineteen thou
ſand lordſhips among the deluded Chriſtians ; and
being poſſeſſed of ſuch wealth , enjoyed every delicacy
that could be procured , wallowed in unnatural luſts ,
and even dictated to ſovereigns ; in a word, they
lived inter ſcorta et epulas, regardleſs of every confi.
deration that merited the name of virtue : however,
they were outdone in allmanner of wickedneſs by the
Templars, from whoſe fate they learned ſome cau
tion .
The convent of Saint Chryſoſtom is a large indif
ferentbuilding ; ſome parts of it are of good marble,
well wrought, with tolerable moſaic of variegated
ſtones. It lies at ſome diſtance from Citrea, three
miles from which is Palecetrea, where there was for
merly a temple ſacred to the Queen of Love. The
laſt remaining ſtones of this fane were removed by
the Cadi, to build a houle for his women .
Citrea is one continued chain of gardens and ſum
mer -houſes; watered with living ſtreams, conveni
ently diſperſed by means of channels. .
From hence our author travelled through fertile
but neglected lands to Larnica, which was perhaps
the ancient Citium , and the ſeat of the kingdom of
Malum , which was deſtroyed by Ptolemy Sotor.
Mr. Drummond , accompanied by Mr. Bodding
ton , now took a northward rout through the moun
tains, and afterwards paſſed from Malandrina to the
bay
 DRUMMOND. 215
bay of Limeone, where veſſels from the eaſt cameto
an anchor. Paſſing hence by ſeveral ruined edifices ,
the names of ſome of which have been loſt in the
rapid courſe of time, they arrived at themodern Cy
prus, ameanly -built village, once famed for its beau
ties, yet at this time not affording the ſight of one
woman that might be ſaid to be handſome. Here
the Greeks have a church built without any taſte ,
which is new , but its wooden carved -work, being
far from indifferent, muſt certainly have been the
produce of an earlier age. "
Two miles eaſtward are the ruins of a village,
which was perhaps the ancient Carpaſia of Pygma.
lion . The iſland at this place is very narrow : and
here they aſcended to the top of mount Olympus,
where Venus had once a temple , now marked by
the ruins of a wretched Greek chapel. In this ſpot,
which is higher than any other part of the neigh
bourhood, the air is intolerably cold and moiſt.
From hence paſſing on to the convent Canatcarga,
which is built upon the model of the ancientGreek
churches, they arrived at the village of Roſala , ſur
rounded with corn - fields and flouriſhing gardens. .
Half an hour farther is Komatoulagou, which is
prettily Gtuated , and the fields are well laid out near
the ſea. Through a number of delightful ſpots they
came to Famaguſta ; and from Caſtrn, where there
are ſtill ciſterns, with the remains of a town and fort ,
upon a little hill, he traced a cauſeway made in a
Roman manner , the whole way to Salamis, where
he loſt it for a while, and found it again , proceeding
almoſt as far as the garriſon , which they reached at
noon , having travelled above nine hours that morn
ing, with intention to ſtroll about the city of Fama
guſta after dinner.
The people of the country, being alarmed by his
taking notes and making ketches, informed the
Cadi, who ſent a meſſage, deſiring to know their
buſineſs,
216 MODERN TRAVELS.
buſineſs, and whither they were going ? Their an .
Swer to this impertinent addreſs , was, that they were
in ſearch of their pleaſures, and he had no buſineſs
to aſk .
• This wife magiſtrate was hereupon weak enough
to inform theMuhaffel, that he believed they were
employed by the Venetians as fpies ; and that they
had made drawings of the harbour, town and caſtle .
In conſequence of this impeachment, the Muhaſſel
fent for Seignior Crutta , chief Druguman to the
Britiſh nation, who happened to be at Nicoſia,
and queſtioned him touching this important matter ;
which Mr. Crutta explained ſo much to his fatis .
faction , that he could not help laughing at the of
ficious fool, who had ſent ſuch intimation.
Beſides this accuſation , they were expoſed to other
dangers ; for people were actually ſent to waylay
them : but one of them , having more conſideration
than his fellows, diverted them from their purpoſe ,
by repreſenting that they were Britiſh ſubjects, and
friends to the government. Theſe circumſtances,
fimple though they ſeem to be, togetherwith an ex
preſſion which dropped by a fellow who paffed them
near the Foffée at Famaguſta , made them deter
mine to avoid the riſque of being inſulted in a town
which both of them had ſeen before : they there
fore turned aſide into the garden , where Mr. Drum
mond had formerly lodged . Here they refreſhed
themſelves with good meat and drink, and cooled
themſelves in the ſhade, from whence they did not
ſtir that afternoon ; but next morning ſet out for
Larnica , where they arrived in ſafety, without have
ing ſeen any other thing worth mentioning , except
large tracts of fine lands, which lie uncultivated .

CH AP
- -
-
 DRUMMON D . 214
CH A P. IV .
Of the valley of Salt ; village of Saint Simeon de
fcribed ; Farreting, a Turkiſh diverſion, deſcribed ;
: the antiquities of Lorus ; of Beer.; of Bombouch.
MTHUS having traced Mr. Drummond in his
whole courſe through Cyprus, let us now
proceed with him to Syria, where we find him ar
rived, in May, 1747, and complaining much of
the of the inclin lumineuse to make account het
the villanies of the people of Alexandretta ; as well
as of the inclemency of the climate, which is ſo in
tolerably hot in ſuminer , that moſt of the inhabitants ,
that can afford it, choſe to make rural excurſions.
We ſhall not dwell upon his account of Aleppo,
as that is a ſubject upon which we ſhall hereafter be
much more explicit ; but attend him in his progreſs
to Gibul, whither he went, after he had been reco
vered of a violent fever , by means of Dr. Ruítel, by
whom the world has been lately obliged with a
learned and ingenious deſcription of Aleppo, and its
environs. This party was made by ſome boon com
panions who went thither to view the valley of Salt ;
and as travellers in theſe countries muſt, on a jour
ney , provide themſelves with all manner o neceſ
ſaries, they diſpatched before them their tents, bed
ding, kitchen -furniture , bread , drink , and victuals.
The country has notmuch to boaſt of, except that
the plains are ſpacious, interſperfed with pyradimical
hills , among which , in the winter- ſeaſon , the gen
tlemen of the factory divert themſelves with hunt
ing and hawking.
Here they ſaw great numbers of Antelopes ſport
ing upon the plains, which ſecured themſelves by
flight among the northern hills. The enſuirgincin
ing they deſcended into the valley of Salt, which is ·
conſiderably extenſive ; and as it can have no com
munication with the ſea,'the earth muſt be ſtrongly
impregnated with falt. This mineral coinmizes
· VOL. 1. with
218 MODERN TRAVEL S.
with the waters that roll down from the ſurrounding
hills, and the aqueous particles being afterwards ex
haled by the ſolar heat, the concretion follows of
courſe. The falt is worked thus : it is beaten by
children with little bats , ſtudded with heads of large
nails ; it is then ſhoveled up by men , and tran
ſported for ſale to Aleppo . Some of it gets foul by
mixing with the earth , and being ſold to the coun .
try people , they boil it up. The water here is
ſcarce, but tolerably good ; nor was their reception
leſs ſo , which they owed intirely to Mr. Fitzhugh ,
whoſe goodneſs had ſecured him the affection of
even barbarians.
Mr. Drummond afterwards engaged with the re
verend Mr. Hemmings, Mr. Fitzhugh , Mr. Le
vett, and Mr. Chitty, in a journey along the banks
of the Euphrates .
Their firſt viſit was to Siint Simeon , which is
well worth viſiting : the ſtructure of the church and
convent is magnificent, according to the taſte of the
times, and its ſituation on the brow of a high hill,
gives it an additional air of grandeur. This build
ing is facred to the famous Saint Simeon , who lived
in the reign of Theodoſius the younger . Evagrius
fays, that the ſaint himſelf called this place Mandra ,
from his auftere manner of living; the word Mandræ
fignifying ſtables, hovels , & c. and metaphorically a
monaſtery , whence Abbots are now called Archi
mandriti.
Saint Simeon led a moſt miſerable life for ten
years , in a wretched cell ; he then mounted a pillar,
where he reſided ten years chained by the neck ; he
afterwards cauſed a neſt to be built forty cubits
high , wherein he dwelt for thirty years ; and as it
was not more than two cubits in circumference, it is
a little ſurpriſing that he did not ſome time or another
ſwing . Whether his chain was of iron , or of hemp,
we are not told. However, in theſe extravagant li .
ſituations
 DRUMMOND. 219
tuations he ſpent the day in preaching to the people
that flocked round him , and in genuflections, of
which a certain perſon counted two thouſand in one
day , and then was weary of reckoning, though the
faint continued them . The night he ſpent in pray
ers : and alſo performed many ſurpriſing cures .
The reputed fanctity of the place contributed to in
vite many enthuſiaſts to ſettle round the hill ; and
the remains of numerous buildings in a particular
taite, are ſtill viſible .
From Saint Simeon they travelled to the river A
phreen , and near themiddle of Cotma, where they
dined , they were honoured with a viſit from two Emirs,
who were little better than ruffians. Theſe they
treated with valt cereinony, ſpreading carpets for
them , entertaining them with coffee, and at their
departure, making them fome handſome preſents ;
in return for which the Emirs invited them to their
place of reſidence : but they declined the invitation ;
as they did alſo that of the Great Bey Cadgee Og
lou , who alſo viſited them with great pomp, and
his ſtandard diſplayed .
Afterwards Mr. Drummond fell into company
alhem ontep for thefront used by at fulte at deres
with a Turkish Chief, whoſe followers jarreted be
fore them on their way to Corus, until the aſcent
became too ſteep for that diverſion . .
A jarret reſembles a ſtrong cudgel, but is of hea .
vier and harder wood ; it is uſed by way of lance ,
or javelin : one Turk gallops away at full ſpeed ;
another follows, and darts his jarret with great dex
terity, while the firſt avoids it with ſurpriſing agility :
the ſecond no ſooner darts, than he wheels about in
his turn , and is followed by the firſt, who is now
ſecond, and becomes the jarretier . The riders, as
well as their horſes, are ſurpriſingly trained to this
diverſion ,
Corus is a city of Cyreſtice, anciently called Cy
tus, and of it the famous Theodoret was Biſhop .
L 2 The
220 MODERN TRAVEL S.
The caſtle of this once-noble city , ſtood upon a
mountain of greater · height, and more inacceſlible
than the ſituation of the city . From the remain
ing foundation of the walls , it appears to have been
very great. The houſes of Cyrus were built of
ſquare itones , well polthed, which seemned to be a
fort of marble . Here are ſome nob. e monuinents
of antiquity, one of which muſt have been a ſuperb
theatre .
Leaving Corus, they pitched their tents upon the
banks of the Sabone , ne r a bridge of fix mean
arches . Chaleel Beg accoinpanied them to their tents ,
did them the honour to ſtay dinner, and in ſpite of
all remonftrances , he and his brother-in -law , Mur
tapha Aga, with ſome of themoſt faithful of the
people, kept watch all night, to protect them from
the villany of the natives ; and ſent a guard to ſee
them ſafe through this part of the country, where
the people are ſavagely rude.
Beſhaanah ſtands upon an hill ; a ſituation gene
rally choſen by theſe people for the convenience of
diſcovering their enemies at a diſtance, and of de
fending themſelves the more eaſily when attacked .
Gangeen is an handſome village, that ſeems to
hang upon a riſing- ground, and in the neighbour
hood of Sipri, the rocks reſemble iron -ore. The
mountains all around are ſteep, and the valleys nar
row , but covered with woods, from which they de
rive a inoſt agreeable appearance. Through this
whole country, there is no ſuch thing as timber , all
that grows being no other than coppice or bruſh
wood .
Ulihan is the handſömeſt village in this country ;
it ſtands upon an eminence, adorned with vineyards
and gardens, above a beautiful plain , interſperſed
with olive - groves.
· Aintab ſtands upon ſeveral hills, ſo that the houſes
look like ſo many terraces ; and the Minorets of
fome
 DRUMMOND. 221
fome moſques happen to be placed at a diſtance in
ſuch a manner, that one would imagine they had
been pillars erected in honour of a Pompey , or an
Adrian . The caſtle ſtands by itſelf, on an high
ſwelling eininence, ſurrounded by a deep foiſée ; and
in the rock , a covered -way is cut out lie a cincture
or belt, in which are ſmall embraſures for arrows,
or muſkets : through theſe , the garriſon might an
noy the beſiegers, provided the latter were deſtitute
of cannon ; but, like almoſt all the other forts in the
poffeffion of the Turks, it could make no defence
againſt a regular attack .
The whole neighbourhood of this city is prettily
diverſified with a gently - flowing river, gardens, vine
yards, groves, and corn - fields. The air is extreme
iy pure ; and plenty would be the portion of the in
habitants, were they permitted to reap the fruits of
their labour ; whereas at preſent all within the town
is ſqualor, naſtineſs, and iniſery.
From Aintab, as far as a certain well in the de
ſert, where a village once ſtood, they ſaw a great
many vineyards diſperſed on each ſide all the way to
Uroun , by which the Yalanchous runs.
Here the country is pleaſant, the hills and dales
being covered with plantations of olives , and a varie
; ty of other trees. In this town there is a pretty
church , now converted into amoſque ; and near the
place where they encamped , is a Sheack's houſe ,
from whence there is a ſubterranean paſſage to the
church ,
Travelling farther, they enjoyed a ſight of the
Euphrates, which , properly ſpeaking, has in this
place two ſets of banks ; one for ſummer, and the
other for winter ; the one being ſull half a mile wi
der than the other.
On the oppoſite , or Meſopotamian ſide, ſtands
the city of Beer , upon ſeveral little hills, by which
it is thewn to advantage. The city is governed by a
L 3 Mofa
 222 MODERN TRAVEL S .
Moffalem , to whom they ſent their compliments,
with better preſents than are uſually made, in hope
of obtaining their requeſt, which ws permiſſion to
ſee the caſtle ; but they were much mortified at his
anſwer, the purport of which was this. " What,
« are they who come to make their obſervations
“ on the Grand Seignior's garriſons ? Do they
“ takeme for a child , or an aſs's head, that they
" would feed me with ſweetmeats , and dupe me
66 with a bit of cloth ? No ! they ſhall not ſee the
“ caſtle, if they ſhould tarry fourteen days : ſo they
“ may be gone when they will.” In conſequ nce
of this churliſh reply, they held a council, to deli
berite whether or not they ſhould croſs the river and
viſit the city, ſince they could not be admitted into
the caſtle ; but upon reflecting that a man capable
of ſending ſuch a brutal meſſage, might be apt to
inſuit them in ſome other manner, they would not
run any riſk barely for the ſatisfaction of having it
in their power to ſay, they had been in Meſopota
mia , eſpecially asextthey knew that there was a forry
liker teilints all
likeneſs rantily butowns.
a ajthe Turkiſh arche vthen
ie lides They ery ſtruck
their tents and turned from hetown , where the boats
uſed made an extracrdinary appearance, of an odd
figure, and very cluinſily built : one third from the
bow ſeems to be cut off ; the fides are tigh and per
pendicular ; an huge timber binds the veſſel acroſs
at the opening where the camels enter, of which it
will carry four at a time. It is managed by two
men , one of whom ſtands at the helm , which is a
crooked piece of timber , and the rudder is a great
way ſeparated from the ſtern : at that end which
dips into the water, is made fait a ſquare log about
a foot and a half long ; and the whole is ruled by
the crooked tiller : on the larboard fide, forwards,
is faſtened another crooked ſtick, with a ſquare
piece of wood at the end, which one fellow ma
nages by way of an oar, paddling along, while the
other
 DRUM MO N D . 223
olher affiſts him by wriggling with his oar in the
ftern ; ſometimes the boat is puſhed forward by
poles.
The river conſiſts of a vaſt body of water, even
in the ſummer ; and this is infinitely increaſed by the
winter rains, which bring ſupplies from numberleſs
ſtreams, that loſe themſelves in its boſom . The
rapidity of the winter-current is ſo violent, that it
has ſwept out ſomenew channels, which have formed
a number of plealant iſlands ; and upon ſome of
theſe are ſeen travelling-villages, compoſed of Tur
coman: huts, ſo contrived , as to be rolled up, and
removed from place to place.
Had the Euphrates fowed through Greece, or
Italy , it would have been celebrated by a thouſand
poetical pens, for the dignity of its ſtream , and the
watery deities that ſport amidſt the waves ; nor would
Tiber have yielded to it in point of majeſty and
fame. At Beer and many other places on the river ,
the people ſwim upon what they call Lowders . This
is no other than a goat's ſkin , without head, tail,
and feet ; all the apertures are over -lapped , and
clofely ſtitched , except that of one leg, into which
the man blows, until it is quite diſtended with air,
then he twiſts the ſkin of the leg, and ties it very
hard. This preparation being made, he ſtrips him
ſelf naked, makes a bundle of his cloaths, which he
faftens to a ring thrown over his head like a porter 's
knot, lays his body flat upon the lowder, ſtrikes
with his feet, and ſteers with his hand , ſo as to make
confiderable way through the water.
Perhaps the origin of this practice in the Eaſt was
owing to an expedient uſed by Alexander in purſuing
Beffus, who had bafely murdered his maſter Darius.
This traitor having deſtroyed all the boats upon the
river, Alexander 's eagerneſs to overtake ſuch a per
fidious inonſter, whetted his invention : he ordered
the tents to be uncovered , the hides which ſerved
L4 for
 224 MODERN TRAVEL S.
for that purpoſe to be ſtuffed with ſtraw , and upon
theſe he floated his army to the other ſide.
From Beer they purſued their way through ſome
wild and barren ſpots , which might juſtly merit the
name of Arabia Delerta , to the city of Jerabolius,
which is watered to the eaſtward by the river Eu
plırates. Here are no monuments of antiquity
worth noticing, except the tomb of ſome dignified
Chriſtian clergyman in facerdotal veſtments. They
afterwards bent their courſe over mountainous de
farts, until they arrived at the Sadjour, the banks of
which they croſſed , and pitched their tents for that
night.
The following day they dined near the ſtately
ruins of Bumbouch , where they refreſhed themſelves
with ſome excellent punch , and were viſited by the
( apiain of a neighbouring village, who brought
them an antelope by way of preſent. This place
had been full three miles in circumference, ſur
rounded with well-built walls of poliſhed ſtone, fix
feet thick , with ſquare towers and baſtions, in the
old manner, and had been ſupplied with water con .
veyed through ſubterraneous conduits from a great
diſtance. . They may be traced many miles by the
air - ſhafts that had been ſunk , and out of which it is
not unpleaſant to ſee wild tigs and other trees ſpring
ing up , in a country otherwiſe entirely barren .
Strabo and Pliny tell us, that the abomination of
the Sidonians'was worſhipped at Bumbouch .
When the Perſians conquered Aſia they found
themſelves in many places much incommoded by
want of water ; a great number of men and cattle
were employed in ſupplying this defect ; yet in ſpite
of all their endeavours, they were very much ſtrait
ened, except in the neighbourhood of a river : they
therefore made a propoſal, which paſſed into a de
cree , importing, that every perſon who ſhould raiſe
and convey water to ſuch places as were deſtitute of
that
 ' ' D R U M 'M O N D . 225°
that conveniency , ſhould enjoy the ſtipulated profits
ariling froin that commodity , reſerved for them and
their heirs to the fifth generation . This encouragem :
ment ſet to work a great number of people ; and the
firſt trial they made was in bringing water under
ground from inount Taurus, and in ſtretching these
canals all over the plains.
Part of the walls of a ſuperb ſquare building ſtands
to this day, and the foundation of the whole is per
fectly diſtinct . In the centre there is the large baſe
of an altar : within theiuilding is a pit-well ; from
which circumſtance it may be concluded to have
been the Temple of the Abomination , with the altar
on which the ſacrifices were offered up to that deity.
Adjoining to this edifice are the remains of a theatre,
the benches of which are ſtill whole, and the area
produces good pot-herbs for the uſe of a farmer and
his family .
Here are the ruins of a moſque, which muſt have
been built by the Saracens, the infcriptions in the
Minoret, and on the tomb-ſtones, being in their
characters.
Our travellers, at this place, made a preſent to
the Aga, requeſting, as they departed , that hewould
fend a guide to conduct them in the dark , as they
were to ſet out beforemorning thenext day ; but the
guide made a demand for his trouble ſo very exorbi- ,
tant, that, rather than comply , they choſe to ſet
forward by themſelves ; nor were they at a loſs for
the road , on which they ſaw an infinite nuinber
of antelopes, and one of their ſervants killed a fat
buck ,
Here is an extenſive fertile plain , ſurrounded by :
hills, aboutwhich lie a variety of ruined villages . -
Near them is Baab, pleaſantly ſituated ; and here ::
ſtands a moſque dedicated to one of the prophet's ;
fucceffors . Deſcending the hill from this moſque, .
they were met by a parcel of Italian Jews, who' ap - .
L -5 paored ?
226 MODERN TRAVEL S .
peared like ſo many muuntebanks, followed by dif
banded ſailors : one of them was dreſſed like a De
libathee, or Madhead, with a lance in his hand ;
another , who wore a Turkish habit, with a caouk ,
and a white faſh , was preceded by four men with
thouldered muſkets .
Miltaking this perſon for the Aga of Tediff, who
they ſuppoſed might be acquainted with the Jews,
they made way for him ; but were extremely morti
fied when informed, that he was no other than
a raſcally Jewiſh money-changer.
- Tediff ſtands pleaſantly upon the ſtreams which
run from Baab ; and from its garden , water , plant
ing, andhedged lanes , it recalled to Mr. Drummond' s
mind fi me pleaſant villages in Britain . Here is a fa
mous ſynagogue, to which the Jewiſh women actually
repair to be impregnated when they prove barren at
Aleppo. The prophet Ezra ſpentmuch of his time
in this place, though he was elſewhere interred . This
night they finithed their tour, and arrived ſafely at
Aleppo .

CHA P . V .
A chara &ter of the Turks ; account of the inhabitants of
the Gourdin mountains.
7) TR . Drummond gives us this account of the
VI Turks.
to Theſe people,” ſays he, " are naturally favage
osind untaught, conſequently , their manners muſt
Vi be brutal. Their politics confift of fraud and
“6 dilliinulation ; they are aſhamed of nothing that
" is baſe or perfidious ; they ſeek not to acquire the
« affection , but to tyrannize over the perlons and
“ effects of their fellow - creatures , and their go
ri vernient is maintained by themoſt arbitrary mea.
“ ſures that paſſion , intereſt, avarice , and corrup
15 « tion
 DRUM M O N D . 227
« tion can ſuggeſt. The text of their law is the
" Koran ; a foil fo fruitful of chicanery and de
veit, that it may be expounded a thouſand dif
“ ferent ways, according to the caprice, villainy of,
“ or injunctions laid upon , the expoſitors : for the
" Judges are not always volunteers in knavery, but
“ often obliged to pronounce ſentence by the direc
« tion of power.”
Danah , one of thoſe places whereon our author
ſearched curiouſly for antiquities, though now a
mean village, had been , in his opinion , a place of
conſiderable note.
Here is a monument of a very particular kind,
from whence is derived a tradition, that Joannes
Damaſcenus preached here to, and converted , mul
titudes of people. It is much revered by the Chrif
tians of theſe parts ; if ſuch a name can be properly
given to wretches Thamefully ignorant, and infamous
to the laſt degree . TheGourdin mountains are in
this neighbourhood ; the inhabitants of which were
formerly famous under the name of Alaſlins, or Ar
ſacides : ſome of their ſpawn till exiſts, and are the
moſt cruel, barbarous, and execrable race the world
ever produced . Their Prince was elective, and
called the Sheack , or Lord of the mountains : they
profeſſed Mahometaniſm , but promiſed to theKnights
Templars to embrace Chriſtianity, and affiſt thein
in all their wars, provided they would exempt them
from the tribute which they annually paid , and put
them on the footing with their other Chriſtian ſub
jects. This propoſalwas rejected by the Templars,
for reaſons that did but little honour to the cauſe in
which they were embarked : and the loſs of Jeru
falein was not a little owing to their cavalier
behaviour on this occafion ; for the Arſacides
greatly contributed to their expulſion from the Holy
Land.
Mr,
228 MODERN TRAVEL S.
Mr. Drummond made an excurſion to Byaſs, a
pleaſant ſea -port town, ſurrounded with good ſilk
gardens. Here is a ſpacious vaulted Bazar , and a
noble Kane. A Bazar reſembles Exeter -Change
in the Strand of London , where there are different
ſhops, in which you may be furniſhed with allman
ner of commodities. A Kane is a ſquare court
like Covent-Garden , where ſtrangers find ſhelter
from the weather ; and they are magnificent, or
mean , according to the builder 's abilities ; for here
are no inns. Soon after this tour, he viſited An :
tioch .
This city is delighifully ſituated upon theſouthern
ſide of the Orontes, along the banks of which it
extends for the ſpace of two whole miles, though
the walls ſurround the ſummits of ſteep impending
mountains. Theſe our author made thift to climb,
with great difficulty , being reſolved to ſee every thing
appertaining to ſo celebrated a place ; but his deſcent
was extremely hazardous, as he was obliged to hop ;
leap, lide, and drop down from one precipice to
another.
Antioch , the Riblah of the Old Teſtament, was
the capital of Syria , and an imperial ſeat, built by
Antigonus, by whom it was called Antigonia , but
finithed and adorned by Seleucus Nicanor, who be
lowed upon it his father's name, which it retains to
this day, though the Greeks gave it the denomina
tion of Epidaphne, and the Chriſtians called it Theo
philus, becauſe here Saint Paul preached the goſpel.
The firſt Bihop was Saint Peter, and the inha
titants were ſingularly pious. In this place the fol
lowers of our Saviour firſt aſſumed the name of
Chriſtians. We ſhall not pretend to determine at
what period thoſe extenſive walls were built, that not
being aſcertained by any inſcription , or author ; but
Mr. Drummond is apt to believe they were the
work
 DRUMMOND. 229
work of Chriſtians, becauſe he found croſſes on the
vaultings.
At certain diſtances is a greatnumber of large ſquare
towers , in whice the garriſon were wont to be lodg
ed , and from which the foldiers fought when the
city was beſieged. The walls, on the eaſy aſcent,
are eight feet thick , furniſhed with a parapet which
covers them from withiout, and with ſteps that riſe
from tower to tower ; but thoſe on the top of the
hill are not ſo firong. The whole work is of hewn
ſtone, except the arches, which are of brick , as
being leſs ſubject to the effects of an earthquake. In
fome towers were no ſteps, but an eaſy winding afa
cent. Without the Damaſcus-gate there has been
an aqueduct of five arches, but very mean ; and at
that of Latachia ſtood a large building, perhaps that
which fome authors ſuppoſe to have been the
palace of Seleucus ; though the hexagon , which is
faid to have been the forın of that edifice , is not to
be diſcerned , nor is the Temple of Fortune, which
they ſay was dedicated by Theodoſius to Saint Ig
natius, to be found , unleſs it be the veftige of a
church at the caſt end of the city , dug out of the
rock , one hundred and two feet in length , and ſix
ty - ſix in breadth , poorly executed , as appears from
fome ſorry remains.
i . " Antioch flouriihed ſixteen hundred years ; was
taken from the Greeks in the year 638, and re
taken by Godfrey of Bouillon , who erected it into a
principality for Boehmond , Prince of Tarentum ;
but it was deſtroyed in 1265, by a certain Sultan of
Ægypt ; and , far from having recovered its ancient
grandeur ſince that period , not a twentieth part
within the circuit of the old city , excluſive of the
hill, is now inhabited ; even thoſe people who dwell
in that ſpot, are wretched creatures : the other parts,
particularly thoſe towards the eaſt, are full of gar
dens,
Aleppo
230 MODERN TRAVEL S .
Aleppo ſucceeded as the metropolis, became the
ſeat of a Pacha , and attracted the trade, though ex
ceſſively ill ftuated for that purpoſe.
At each end of the city were the ſuburbs, as well
as on the oppoſite ſide of the river : there laſt were
famous for the monument erected to the memory of
the noble Gerinanicus, who was poiſoned by Cneius
Piſo and his wife Plancina, engaged in that horrid
murder by Tiberius, and the monſter Livia . The
body was burnt on the ſpot where the monument
afterwards ſtood ; and the alhes, according to Taci
tus, being put into an urn , were carried , by that
fingular pattern of conjugal affection , the beautiful
Agrippina, to Rome, where ſhe had the ſatisfaction
to hear, that Heaven had avenged her wrongs upon
Piſo , who had either cut his own throat, or had
that operation performed upon him by the order of
Tiberius. As for the wife , ſhe firſt abandoned her
h Iband to ſave her own life , notwithſtanding the
oath ſhe had taken to the contrary, and afterwards
died by ſuiciſin .
Our traveller viſted Seleucia , which , from the re
mains, ſeems to have been grand and magnificent.
Thewalls,which are in manyplacesdiſtinct, havebeen
thick and well built of large ſtones ; butMr. Drum
mond could find neither infcription nor figure, except
a tomb-ſtone, which ſeems to repreſent a gladiator
fighting with ſword and buckler , or, in lieu of a
ſword , with a javelin , which was generally uſed in
combating with wild beaſts.
Having examined the city of Seleucia with great
accuracy, and more particularly a ſubterranean para
fage cur q ite through themountain ,whereby doubt
leſs the
applinhabitants gave ora received intelligence of
theapproach
the foon fMr
eppoofbyantheenemy, ter.ed,Drummond
and thetoreturn
ed to Aleppo by the way of Antioch .
Mr. Drummond ſoon after was accompanied by
Mr. Chitty, Mr. Conſul Pollard, and the Rev .Mr.
Hem
 : DRUMMOND. 231
Hemmings, and touched at Rhia, where Huſſein
Beg, Muhaffel of Aleppo, happening then to be
collecting the rents of the country, ſent them a pre
ſent of fruit, out of compliment to the Conſul, and
had a conſiderable return .
Their way to Furkia lay through rocky, trouble
ſome mountains, where they were now and then ſur
prized with vineyards kept in excellent order , which
were more delicious, as they were unexpected . Not
far off is the village of Ramie , which was at this time
deſerted by the inhabitants , who fought by flight to
avoid the rapacious miſcreants ſent by theMuhaffel
to collect the rents of theGrand Seignior. A tenth
of the produce is generally paid , but they are plun
dered more than one half by different kinds of ex
tortioners ; for which reaſon they are obliged to hide
ſome part of their grain for ſubſiſtence through the
remaining part of the year, and therefore betake
themſelves to flight, in order to avoid the puniſhment
which they would otherwiſe undergo. The truth is ,
if their maſters are barbarous and unjuſt, they them
ſelves are crafty and deceitful ; butwhen their villainy
is detected , they are chaſtiſed with the utmoſt fe
verity .
Ten miles to the weſtward of this village, in the
midſt of a plain , there is a ſugar -loaf hill, whirein
Job, from whom it takes its name, is interred , if
you will give credit to what the people ſay .
The next day our travellers pitched their tents
near the river Singas, now Cowaig , not far from
the ruins of the ancient city of Chalcis, vulgarly
called Old Aleppo ; and they ſoon after returned to
New Aleppo .
In this city there is the tomb of the Prophet Za
chariah . It is ſaid that the Grand Vizier, Churly
Ally Bamba, dreamed, about forty years ago , that
this tomb was laid in ſome obſcure place, and ought
to be removed to fome ſpot where the devoutmight
have
232 MODERN TRAVEL S.
have liberty to viſit it. Search was immediatelymade
after it in Aleppo , and it being diſcovered under an
-old wall, the Batha, Cadi, and principal people of
the city, went in proceſlion to remove it. They af
terwards fixed it in a conſpicuous part of themo que,
with this inſcription : The tomb of that honour
“ able perſon, the Prophet of God, Zachariahg.
166 ( the peace of God be upon him ) was repaired ,
-os after its long concealment, by the command of the
.“ Grand Vizier , in the days of our Lord , the vic
“ torious Sultan Achmet Chan, ſon of Mahomed
“ Chan (God prolong his reign ) in the year 1120
66 of the Hegirah .”
- According to the tradition that prevails among the
Turks, the caſtle of Aleppo was built in the timeof
Abraham , whoſe native country , Meſopotamia , was
within a few days journey of this place, and here re
fided Zachariah , whoſe urn remained in the caſtle
till about eight hundred years ago, when it was re
moved into an old Chriſtian church in the city, af
terwards turned into a moſque, which decaying, an
other was built near it, and the place where thehead
was depoſited , had been choaked up by a wall.
Here ends the ſubſtance of what Mr. Drummond:
relates concerning Syria and Cyprus.

TRA.
 TRAVELS
THROUGH

GERMANY , BOHEMIA , HUNGARY ,

SWITZERLAND , ITALY , and LOR
RAINE ,
BY

JOHN GEORGE KEYSLER.

SCHAFFHAUSEN .

: SIR , 1729 .
D EING fafely arrived at Schaffhauſen , I am
D not unmindful of your commands, and my
promiſe, to give you a true and circumſtantial ac
count of every particular occurrence in my travels
which I ſhall judge worthy of obſervation .
I begin with this city, which is moſt pleaſantly
ſituated in a plain ; is very handſome, with broad
ſtreets and fine houſes. On firſt entering Switzer
land, I ſuppoſed it to be a chaos of barren rocks,
craggy mountains, perpetual ſnows, and gloomy val
leys, ſcarcely affording its wretched inhabitants the
ſupport of a calainitous life : but, on the contrary ,
the country yields not only good wine, fiſh , wood ,
flax , horſes, Theep , wool, black cattle , deer, with all
the neceſſaries of human life , but likewiſe exports an
abun
 234 MODERN TRAVEL S.
abundance of many valuable coinmodities ; ſuch as
fax, linen , crape, hempen -cloth , drugs, & c .
In ſome parts of Switzerland the ladies are under
fumptuary laws ; the conſequence of which is, their
frequenting greatly theGerinan Spaws, which they
carry ſo far , as to contract for theſe annual excurſions
in theirmarriage-articles.
THE RHIN E .
Within a quarter of a league of Schaffhauſen this
great river precipitates itſelf over a rock ſeventy feet
high , and ninety paces broad ; which, in its impe
tuous foam , throws up a great miſt, which hovers
in the air, and forms the moſt brilliant rainbows,
Four leagues from Schaffhauſen is the caſtle of Ho
"hentweil, belonging to the Duke of Wurtemburg
ftutgard, which ſtands in a fine country, amidſt
pretty villages and old ruined caſtles, on high moun .
tains ; which , together with the lake of Boden , at
the diſtance of two miles, forms the moſt agreeable
proſpect.
BLACK FOREST.
The famous river Danube, which runs through
this country, has a courſe of not leſs than four hun
dred German miles : it fows by fifty large cities,
and takes in twelve great rivers, beſides above eighty
leífer ſtreams. From Schaffhauſen I went to Žell,
where we embarked in a veſſel, and paid ſeven
guilders for our paffige to Conſtance, thence to Lin
dau . The lake of Boden has on its banks near an
hundred cities and towns. Near Lindau and Bre
gentz , beſides the fiſh uſually caught, are a kind of
falmon -trouts, which , being pickled, are exported :
they are generally from one to two ells long, weigh
ing between thirty and forty sou ds. As the filher
men
 KE Y S L E R. 235
men cannot always find a market for ſuch large fiſh ,
they tie a bit of wood to a line, which, having
paſſed through the fiſh 's gills , they faſten the other
end of the line to a ſtake on the ſhore, near their
huts : thus they can allow the filh to ſwim thirty or
forty paces, and preſerve it alive and ſound, till they
meet with a company of purchaſers.
REICHN A U .
The Abbey of Reichnau is remarkable for the
Jarge emerald preſented to it by Charles the Great :
fince an attempt made to ſteal it, a ſight of it is not
· to be had without ſome difficulty : it is three ſpans
and an half long, one and an half broad , and two
inches thick : ſeveral jewellers have offered fifty
thouſand guilders, a pound, for it. Every Thurſday
a paſſage-boat, which they call Ledi, goes from
Conſtance to Lindau : the latter country is very fine.
In the neighbourhood is the foreſt of Bregentz , the
peaſants of which have a ſtrange cuſtom : the un
married fons, or ſervants, of the farmers, are allowed
to have carnal converſation with a girl till the proves
with child , and then , and not before, are obliged,
under very ſevere penalties, to marry her .
• TIRO L .
From Lindau to Tirol the country is very indif
ferent ; a great part of it being hilly , with woods,
and bad roads. The paſſes into this country are ſo
far from being eaſy , that it is entirely ſurrounded
with a continued chain ofmountains. At a diſtance
you are often at a loſs to diſtinguiſh the paſſage ; and
when , after many windings, you are come to an o
pening , you find it fecured by ſtrong forts.
The Elector Palatine, in 1712, when hewas Go
vernor of this country , aſſured the Privy -counſellor
Forſtner
 236 MODERN TRAVELS.
Forſtner , that ſeven thouſand men could defend the
whole country againſt the attempts of any number
of enemies . They who hold Tirol to be the moſt
confiderable country in the world , ſeem to have for
got Flanders. However to the Emperor, it is one of
his most profitable countries , and it was not with
out reaſon Maximilian I. uſed to ſay, that 5 Tirol
“ was a like a peaſant’s frock , very coarſe , indeed ,
“ but alſo very warm .” Excluſive of its ſilver, and
other mines , now greatly exhauſted, in its mountains
are found many precious ſtones.
The meaner forts of peaſants in Tirolmake ſo
wretched an appearance, that one would almoſt take
them for gypſies. Their farm -houſes, barns, and
ftables are very mean in reſpect to thoſe of other
countries, being only covered with boards almoſt
horizontally , on which are laid heavy ſtones, to ſe .
cure them from being blown off.
From Fuſſen to Inſpruck, are fix ſtages , which
may be diſpatched in one day. The roads are ex
cellent, all the ſtones being thrown on each ſide.
From Lermes to Nazareth , theproſpect is romantic ;
on the left are ſtupendous rocks, through which , at
the diſtance of an hundred paces, not the leaſt open
ing can be perceived : at the extremity you are led
into a delicious valley , echoing with the ſounds of
many natural caſcades,

:: INSPRUCK .
• Is a fine city , with well -paved ſtreets, and ſtately
flat- roofed palaces, after the Italian taſte , The Go- .
vernor's is a beautiful building : the pariſh church ,
known for its marble pillars, ſupporting a lofty roof.
In the caſtle of Ambraſs are many curious antiqui
ties , & c. but for ſome time paſt the air h.:s become
very unhealthy, owing to a lake in the neighbour
hood
 · K E Y S L E R. 237
hood being dried up, and ſuffered to become a
moraſs.
Hall is a pretty town, remarkable for its mint
which is worked by water , and ſtamps an hundred
and fifty dollars within a minute . The engine con
ſiſts of two ſteel cylinders or rollers, betwixt which
the gold and ſilver pieces being prepared of a proper
thickneſs, are inſerted and driven through : this is
the work of one man . The imperial mine of
Schwatz , near Hall, is worked by nine hundred
labourers, and the whole number of perſons ein
ployed , near two thouſand. The ore is not ſo rich
as formerly , the quintal of ſtone yielding only be
twixt three and five ounces of ſilver . .
Betwixt Unken and Saltzburgh , are the Bavarian
falt -works, at Reichenhall, moſtly noted for an
aqueduct for carrying off the ſuperfluous water, be
gun three hundred years ago : its channel runs un
der the town of Reichenhall, and ſeveral gardens
and fields, at the depth of twelve fathoms from the
furface, and is half a league in length : there the
water breaks out into day-light, with great impe
tuofity . One paſſes through it in a quarter of an
hour, in boats by candle -light ; and the motion is
ſo rapid, that the boatmult often be checked . The
water is commonly betwixt three and four feet deep ;
but is often ſwelled by the rains, ſo as not to leave
room for the boat, with paſſengers fitting upright.
The breadth of this canal is five feet : and every
eight or ten years, the bottom is cleared of any
fones , carried thither by the floods or freſh -water,
or wantonly thrown down the openings or ſpiracles,
which in the form of towers riſe into the open air ,
and through ſome of which , one may . Speak from
the walls of the city, with thoſe who are going
along the aqueduct. The roof, in reſpect of its
duration , appears to be an everlaſting work , being
not only of free-ſtone, but in many places over
laid
 238 MODERN TRAVEL S .
laid with a very hard kind of roſin , as with a var
niſh , that it looks like one entire ſolid piece. The
deſcent to this ſubterraneous canal, is by the ſteps of
a tower.
Saltzburgh is a fine city ; but the greateſt part of
the houles are five ſtories high , and the ſtreets too
narrow . It is noted among other things for the
fineſt fountain in all Gerinany. The palace ismag
nificent, abounding with many pictures, ſtatues, and
curioſities. That of Mirabella , has an orangery, that
has yielded twenty thouſand oranges ; and nine of
the trees of very great dimenſions, which were
brought from Italy , at an expence of eleven hun .
dred guilders .
B A VAR I A .
I arrived at Munich juſt in time for the feſtival
of Corpus Chriſti, but it has nothing of particular
conſequence in it ; nor is there any thing inore cu
rious in the court of Munich , 'than the Electreſs ,
who is ſo fond of her huſband, that the is ſeldom
out of his company. She eats and plays with him ,
accompanies him to the ſtable, ſhoots very well
both at a beaſt or a mark, and, at a hunting, makes
nothing of trampling up to the knees in a moraſs.
If her coachman , at any rate, brings her in at the
death of a ftag, he is ſure of a piece of gold . It
is notmany weeks ſince ſhe was by this means over
turned twice in one morning . She is extremely
fond of dogs, of which the fine ſcarlet camaſk
hangings and beds at Nymphenburgh bear the
marks. Her greateſt favourites are the little Engliſh
grey -hounds, with which ſhe is ſurrounded at table,
beſides one on each ſide of her Highneſs, all ſnatch
ing whatever comes within their reach .
The Elector keeps only a ſmall body of troops,
but is able in a ſhort time to bring into the field a
gallant
 PA
KE Y S L E R . 239

R
gallant army, all raiſed in his own dominions. The
corn -trade, beach -malt, white -beer , and ſalt, bring
in large fums to his treaſury. The inonopoly of

R
the white-beer alone is worth above a million of
guilders annually . The Elector's palace conſiſts of
A
four courts, of which the fiselt are the Prince's
court. The treaſury , though formerly much richer,
L

yet at preſent has few equals in Europe. It con

fiſts of abundance of curioſities in gold and pre
cious ſtones, of immenſe value. After the battle of
Hochſtet, before the Imperialiſts could lay their
hands on this treaſure, ſome faithful gentlemen con
veyed it away with ſuch ſecrecy , that the enemy
could never get any account of it. They conceal
ed it even from the Elector himſelf, nor was it de
livered to him till after his reſtoration .
Guſtavus Adolphus was ſo ſtruck with the beau
ty of Munich , that he ſaid he wanted nothing but
rollers to remove it to another place. The number
of inhabitants is about forty thouſand. From
hence to Sleilheim is three leagues : in this palace is
an apartment covered with moſt exquiſite ſmall pic
tures ; among which none exceeds an admirable
piece by Albert Durer, of Alexander 's firſt battle
againſt Darius, which is incredibly laboured . The
piece contains ſeveral thouſandmen ; yet the hairs of
the head and beard, and the ſmalleſt joints of their
arinour, are all diſtinctly expreſſed. At Starenberg
palace, the Elector takes the diverſion of hunting
herons,which are, when taken alive, ſet at liberty with
a ſilver ring on one of their feet, on which the nameof
the reigning Elector is engraven . One of theſe birds
was taken laſt ſpring with the name of Duke Ferdi
nand : ſo that it had ſurvived its former adventure
above ſixty years. In 1719 an eagle died at Vienna
after a confinement of one hundied and four years.

- AUGS
240 . MODERN TRAVELS.

AUGSBUR G .
· When in Tirol, I was ſurprized that fo fine a
country as the Innihall ſhould be without vineyards,
but expected to meet with a wine-country when clear
of the mountains. Between Saltzburg and Augf
burg there is no want of level ground ; and likewiſe
from Munich hither , I obſerved woods and corn
Germainnya Fcontinued
fields inerly'it ' plain undnoo vineyards. Augſ
t like,Mbut
burg is a fine city, yet, likeMunich , not what it has
been. Formerly it was the moſt conſiderable in all
Germany for trade, but the declenſion of Venice
liurt it. The town-houſe is a fine building, and
the arſenal in good condition . This city has always
been famous for ingenious artiſts. The Augſburg
maps and copper -plates, by Rugendas, Senter , Bo
denehr, Pfeffel and Erben , are in great eſteem all
over the world. Rauner's ſhop for gold and ſilver
ſmith 's ware , has not its equal, except in Lon
don . The Pewterer Obrecht imitates the fineſt
filver : his metal has a clear ſound, but fails,
if, in an hundred weight, there is ſo much as
half an ounce of lead. This incomparable pew
ter is withal ſo folid and hard, that the common
pewter may bemelted in it over the fire ; and yet a
pound of it does not coſt quite half a dollar . ' n.
From Augſburg to Ulm is nine German miles.
The ſteeple of the cathedral of this city is four hun
dred and one ſteps high : nothing can be finer than
the proſpect from it.
WURT E MBURG .
If a few mountainous tracts in the Black -Foreſt
be excepted, the Duchy of Wurtemburg may be
reckoned among the beſt parts of Germany ; and,
in reſpect of the pleaſant variety of hills and vallies,
may
 K E Y S L E Ri 241
may be juſtly compared to Tranſylvania. It con
tains four hundred and fifty thouſand inhabitants .
The revenues , in timeof peace, amount to two mil
Jions of guilders. The Duke's troops, including
the Circle -quota of one thouſand eight hundred ,
amount to four thouſand. The Duchy is divided
into the high and low lands : the former , neither in
ſoil or climate , is equal to the latter ; yet does it not
want excellent woods, good corn and paſture- land,
and a very fine breed of Theep . There are likewiſe
vineyards in it ; but the wine is ſo very poor, that
the land would be better employed in arable and
paſture .
Stutgard lies in a delightful country, full of gar
dens and vineyards, but the palace is neglected ,
though its hall has few equals, being two hundred
and twenty feet long, eighty broad , and ninety hig 'i,
without a pillar ; its roof, which is arched, being
faftened with wooden ſcrews. Ludwigſburg, ano
ther palace , is very badly ſituated, yet is one of the
fineſt edifices in all Germany. The green -houſe is
one of the beſt I ever ſaw , conſiſting of fomehun
dreds of ſtrait trees, which the Duke procured from
Sardinia .
At Tubingen there is a ſeminary founded by the
Dukes ofWurtemburg, for the education of divines .
From Stutgard I came to Durlach and Karlſcruh ,
where is a palace of the Margrave, famous for a tur
ret which commands the town, and many avenues
cutpurpoſely through thewoods: the garden is like
wiſe very elegant, having no leſs than two tliouſand
ſeven hundred orange-trees in it,with many eſpaliers
of young lemon -trees ; and behind the palace is a
decoy, where above two thouſand wild -ducks are
daily fed . The Margrave's yearly income is four
hundred thouſand guilders.
Two ſtages and a quarter further, is Raſtadt: a
little on the left hand we turned aſide to ſee the Fa
VOL. I , M vorita
242 MODERN TRAVELS.
vorita palace of the Margrave of Baden -Baden : it
has a chamber of very beautiful porcelain , a cabinet
lined with looking -glaſs, and, among other pictures,
above forty of the late Margravine, in maſquerade
dreſſes, which may be compared to thoſe of Mary of
Medicis , by Rubens, in the Luxemburg gallery .
Some of the roomsare hung with a Chinele manu
facture of paper and ſilk , another with lace-work ,
and a cieling enriched with precious ſtones.
Ąt Raſtadt there is a ſtately palace ; but few people
are ſeen in the ſtreets, and every thing has a dead
aſpect .
STRASBURG .
From Raſtadt to Stollhofen is but one ſtage : and
from thence the country to Straſburg is very pleaſant
and fruitful, and abounds particularly in turneps.
Straſburg is an old -built city, with very few fine
houſes . The ramparts are the pleaſanteſt I know ,
planted with rows of trees, forming a walk of an
hour and three quarters. The new citadel towards
the Rhine, like the town itſelf, is quite upon a level,
and the fortifications of both make no very formida
ble appearance. The garriſon conſiſts of eight or ten
thouſand men . The neighbourhood of ſomemarſhy
iſlands in the Rhine, renders the citadel unhealthy ;
yet there is in it an academy for an hundred cadets ,
who are inſtructed in themathematics, and all mili
tary ſciences . The cathedral is the only building
that deſerves notice. The large clock , which ſnews
the motions of the planets, is more famous than it
deſerves to be. The ſteeple is reckoned among the
higheſt in all Europe, being fix hundred and fifty
four ſteps to the uppermoſt crown , and the geome
trical altitude computed at five hundred and ſeventy
four feet.
In
 K E Y S L E R. 243
In the cellar of the hoſpital is kept wine of the
years 1472 , 1519, and 1525 ; of theſe travellers
give a guilder for a few drops : its taſte is little bet
ter than that of lye. The phyſick -garden is ſaid ,
after thoſe of Leyden and Paris, to be inferior to
none in Europe.
Baſil is twenty -five leagues from Straſburg . The
country near Biſenheim is extremely pleaſant. All
the roads in Alſace are very good , generally conſiſte
ing of gravel. cauſeways, with ditches on both ſides
to carry off the water . On the ſide of Briſac, to
wards the Black Foreſt, are many wild boars : to
unharbour them from the marſhes was extremely
difficult, till ſomeyears ago an expedient was hit up
on of burning brimſtone laid on the tops of ten or
twelve poles, placed at ſome diſtance from one ano
ther on that fide from whence the wind comes,
whilſt thehunters poſted themſelves on the oppoſite
quarter . This ſmell being very offenſive to them ,
they immediately ran from it, and thus camewithin
their enemies fire. The peaſants have another Glent
device : knowing that the wild boars often croſs the
Rhine in the night-time, they watch them in boats,
and catching them by the hind legs, lift them up ,
ſo that the head being under water , the beaſt is
drowned, and then pulled into the boat.
* Baſil is leſs than Straiburg , yet larger than Franke
fort, and the largeſt of all the towns of Switzerland :
in this town the ribbon -trade flouriſhes : all the in
habitants are laid under rigorous ſumpruary laws,
The bridge over the Rhine is two hundred and fifty
paces long. Here is alſo to be ſeen Holbein 's famous
Dance of Death .

SWITZERLAND.
The diſtance from Bafil to Berne is twenty leagues.
The mountains in this tract are not ſo high as the
M2 Ti.
244 MODERN TRAVELS.
Tiroleſe, and the ſummits better covered. That .
part of the canton of Berne eaſt of the lake of Ge
neva, and the cantons of Uri, Schwitz, Underwald ,
Glaris, Appenzel, part of that of Lucerne, and the
country of the Griſons, conliſt moſtly of mountains
of a ſtupendous height, ſomeof whoſe tops, accord
ing to Schenchzer 's barometrical meaſurements , are
from nine to twelve thouſand feet above the ſurface
of the ſea. The bigheſt in Switzerland are ſuppoſed
to be the Schreckhorn , the Grimſel, and Wetter
horn , in the canton of Berne; Saint Gothard , in
Uri; Gemmi, near Leukbade ; in Italy , Waliſer
land, the height of which is ten thouſand one hun
dred and ten feet ; and Saint Bernard, on theborders
of Italy , towards the vailey of Roſia , which affords
a very extentive proſpect over Italy. To this extra
ordinary height of the country is owing the fineneſs
and ſubtilty of the air in Switzerland ; fo that the
Switzers , however bold and hardy, when abroad
feel a kind of anxiety and an uneaſy longing after
the freſh air to which they were accuſtomed from
their infancy, without being able to account for ſuch
di:quietude.
The neighbourhood of Solothurn is planted with
very fine walks ; the Aar runs through the city .
This canton is the moſt fruitful of the Roman ca
tholic ones. The whole plain along this road , and
farther towards Geneva , and into Savoy, is planted
with multitudes of walnut- trees, from the fruit of
which an oil, uſed in phyfic and painting, is pro ,
duced .
The peaſants in the canton of Bern are the richeſt
in Switzerland , there being ſcarce a village without
at leaſt one in habitant worth twenty, thirty, or ſixty
thouſand guilders : the Bailif of Hutwill is ſuppoſed
worth four hundred thouſand . Hehas three fons,
who are alſo in the farming way ; and a daughter,
whom ,
 K E Y S L E R. - 245
whom , though courted by ſeveral gentlemen of Bern ,
the father has beſtowed on a peaſant.
• A traveller cannot but be pleaſed with the inns on
the road throughout Switzerland, meeting every
where with trout, carp, beef, veal, fowls, pigeons,
butter, cheeſe , apples, peaches, turneps, ſugar,
and biſcuit, together with good wine, and all at a
very reaſonable price, eſpecially if compared to the
reckonings in Swabia , Tirol and Bavaria .
Moſt of the princes in Europe have Switzers in
their ſervice ; but that of France is themoft ad
vantageous, for a captain of a company makes ten
thouſand livres a year of it.
In approaching Bern one deſcends amountain : in
the city are ſeveral very fine ſtreets ; the houſes are
moſtly of white free-ſtone, and along the main
ſtreets are piazzas. Within theſe fifty years the
manners of this place and the country are become,
greatly altered, and ihe fondneſs for thew , pleaſure,
and fumptuouſneſs of living, is increaſed in a man
ner unknown to their fimple anceſtors. The public
granary in Bern is a ſtately building of free- ſtone,
fupported by grand pillars. The arſenal is not to be
feen without a licence from a particular member of
the council, who is not eaſily prevailed upon to grant
it. It is ſaid to contain arms for one hundred thou
fand men ; but thirty thouſand , completely armed,
would make a large void in it. In the firſt long hall
are fifty -fix cannon , a greatmany colours, & c. In
the lower part of the building are one hundred and
feventy - ſix cannon , with mortars , for bombs of
three or four hundred weight. The largeſt cannon
here are fifty- pounders. Here is alſo ſhewn a cannon
with ſeven barrels , and ſo many touch -holes on each
fide, with a ſimilar machine for keeping off eavalry,
conſiſting of twenty -one barrels, yet of eaſy car
riage.
M4 All
 246 MODERN TRAVEL S .
All the ſubjects of the canton have a complete
ſet of arms ; and no young man can be married
without producing a well-atteſted certificate of his
being maſter of a gun and ſword , to the miniſter
who is to perform the ceremony. In every bailiwick
a continual watch of a Corporal and fix private men ,
is kept upon the higheſt mountain , near two large
piles , one of dry wood and the other of ſtraw : on
the leaſt alarm of an enemy they are fired , the ſtraw
by day, and the wood by night; and thus, within an
hour or two, the whole country is in arms, which
circumſtance, with the conſtant ſucceſſion of officers
and men from the foreign ſervice, arins the whole
community . The forces of the canton conſiſt at
prefent of forty thouſandmen .
At Freyburg the chapel of the Salutation is worth
ſeeing ; and the Jeſuits college paſſes for the fineſt in
all Switzerland. Lauſanne lies in a valley , but fo
uneven , that the carriage-wheels muſt be continually
1hod. On one ſide of its cathedral is a walled ter
race, commanding the lake, and all the low country
towards Geneva. It affords a delicious view in the
variety of little hills and dales, fields, meadows,
vineyards and woods, together with the neighbour
hood of the lake. All theſe allurements, and the
regularity and mildneſs of the government, draw
people of all countries into the Pais de Vand, eſpe
cially to paſs the ſummers and autumns there : fome
alſo purchaſe lands.
From Lauſanne to Rolle, is four hours journey .
Near Villeneuve, the Rhone empties itſelf into the
lake of Geneva with ſuch rapidity , that for the dif
tance of half a league its water, which is very foul,
continues unmixed with that of the lake, which is
very clear. This lake is eightGerman miles long ;
and the greateſt breadth five leagues . The plenty
of its filh has ſuffered ſomedecreaſe, and particularly
within theſe forty or fifty years paſt : a very voracious
fiſh
 KE Y S L E R. 247
fiſh of prey, before unknown , is ſaid to be ſeen in
it. Forinerly this lake afforded trouts of fifty or
fixty pounds weight, whereas,now , one of tweniy or
thirty, is reckoned very large.
GENE V A . .
The Rhone, at its influx, forms an iſland, on
which , partly , ſtands the city of Geneva. The
Rüe neuve conſiſts of fine buildings. The treille, or
walks, behind the town -houſe , conſiſts of lime
trees, and being on an eminence, affords a charming
proſpect of the large gardens beneath it, and of the
fields and meadows towards themountains. In the
public grainaries are continually kept ninety thouſand
quintals of corn , which are computed to ſuffice for
two years. The revenues of the city may annually
amount to one hundred and thirty thouſand dollars ,
the greateſt part of which is employed in the ſalaries
of the civil and eccleſiaſtical officers ; in the repairs
of public edifices ; and in the payment of the gar
riſon of eight hundred men , well diſciplined . In
this place no marriages are allowed, unleſs both par
ties be proteſtants . A woman of forty cannot marry
a man who is ten years younger than herſelf. A
man about fixty is not to marry a woman who is not,
at leaſt, above half that age. A widow muſt re
main ſo, at leaſt ſix months, before ſhe can alter
her condition . The dirt of the ſtreets in this city,
raiſes a revenue of eight hundred livres, being ſold
for manuring the lands. .
It is not improper for young perſons to be ſent to
Geneva before they go to France. From the conver
ſation of the place they neceſſarily reap many ad
vantages. There are aſſemblies in which the diſ
courſe turns upon the ſciences ; and ſtrangers find an
eaſy admittance, and a diſſolute life is very much
excluded , Several languages are ſpoken here, para
M 4 ticularly
248 MODERN TRAVEL S.
ticulary French ; and the academical exerciſes may
be learned in perfection . Some profeſſors entertain
boarders, at about forty Rhenith guilders a month ,
Jodging, fire , and candle included . The converſa
tionviofng.the ladies is no where ſo innocent and im
proving .
. . SA V O Y.
• There is ſcarce any other way of travelling from
(Geneva to Italy , than in poſt-chaiſes, or in return
Turin chaiſes ; The whole expence thither is eight or
nine piſtoles. The entertainment in Savoy, like
that in Italy , generally conGfts of a ſoup, boiled or
roaſted fowls , pigeons , cheſnuts , butter , cheeſe ,
and fruit : on faſt-days, it is very indifferent, ftale
pickled fiſh being one of the chief diſhes . The
Savoy wine is of a very deep red, and harſh . From
Geneva 'to Turin is a week 's journey . I'he vaſt
mountains called the Montagnes Mandites, and les
Glacieres are to the left. They are about three days
journey from Geneva , and perpetually covered with
ſnow and ice. The perpendicular height of them
from the ſurface of the lake of Geneva , is computed
to be at leaſt two thouſand fathoms, or, above two
Engliſh miles ; and the ſurface of that lake is four
hundred and twenty - fix toiſes higher than the level
of theMediterranean . The firſt day's journey from
Geneva is very troubleſome, the road being ſtony,
and over high mountains. The country is poorly
peopled . In Savoy, a peaſant with a pair of oxen ,
Iwo horſes , four cows, fome goats and ſheep , and a
finall piece of ground , is a man of ſubſtance . The
bread is generally of rye, with a mixture of barley
and wheat ; the drink , milk and water . Their food
confiſts chiefly of cheeſe, butter, walnuts , vegetables ,
and what fleſh they can ſpare of their own breeding
with this way of living the people are chcerful, feed
heartily,
 K E Y S L E R. . 249
heartily, have a much better complexion than the
Piedmonteſe, live to a great age, and are ſo prolific ,
that if the people ſtaid at home the country would
not feed them . The high lands are poor, but the
lower country has many rich vallies of corn and
vines ; and fine meadows well ſtocked with cattle .
Moſt of the oxen and cows in Piedmont and Milan ,
are brought, when young, from the mountains of
Savoy : many mules are alſo bred there and ſold .
, Chamberry, the capital of Savoy, is ſituated in a
pleaſant valley, but affords little deſerving a traveller's
notice. To croſs mount Cerris, takes five hours :
the baggage and chailes, which are taken in pieces
for that purpoſe, are fent upon mules and aſſes. The
plain on the top of the mountain , when the ſnow is
on the ground , is croſſed in ſledges, drawn by a
horſe and a mule . The deſcent from La Grand
Croix to Novaleſe , muſt, at all times, and even in
winter, be gone in chairs. From La Ramaſſe to
Lanebourg, which is about a league, you go in ſe
ven or eightminutes, the rapidity of the motion al
moſt taking away your breath . Theſe ſledges hold
only two, the traveller, and the guide, who ſits for
ward , ſteering with a ſtick . On each ſide he has
an iron chain , which he drops like an anchor, either
to ſlacken the courſe of the ſledge, or to ſtop it.
One would be inclined , from the heavy burthens
which they daily carry up theſe high fieep mountains,
to imagine, that the men of Noralese and Lane
bourg loon or late muſt fall into conſumptions. In
our cities in Germany, what a noite do the chair
men make if they are to carry a perſon of any buik
but ſome hundred ſteps ! whilſt here cur Lanebourg
chairmen , without the leaſt panting or refting, run
directly up a mountain , whoſe lieight is a good
hour's journey, and then on the plain above out
ſtrip us ; and as ſoon as they have fitted the chailes ,
(which they diſpatch in a few minutes) they carry
M 5 the
250 MODERN TRAVEL S .
the company over the worſt part of the way, for
two hours together , making only four pauſes, and
thoſe very ſhort : ſuch is the effect of cuſtom and of
fimple diet, to which they alſo owe their uncommon
longævity,many ofthem attaining to an hundred years
of age. Their uſual drink is milk , and they ſeldom
taſte any wine. The better to ſecure their footing ,
their ſhoes are withoutheels, and the ſoles rubbed with
wax and roſin . The machines, in which travellers
are carried down-hill, uſe a kind of ſtraw -chairs,
with low backs, two arms, and inſtead of feet,
a little board hanging down by a cord for reſting
the travellers legs. The ſeat, which is made of
bark and ropes twiited together , is faſtened to two
poles, and carried , like a fedan , with broad leather
ftraps .
On the left hand , between Fertiere and Novaleſe,
is the mountain of Rochemelon , ſuppoſed the high
eſt of the Italian Alps. The aſcent up this moun --
tain is a day's journey. In a clear ſky, the toil is
well rewarded by an aſtoniſhing proſpect over the
Milaneſe , the Trevigiana, Venice, & c. Some have
imagined this to be the mountain from whence Ha
nibal encouraged his army by a view of the fertile
and ſplendid plains of Italy .
Sula is a full league from Novaleſe, and on the
Foad ſtands fort Brunette , built about fifteen years
ago, and which perhaps has not its equal in the
whole world . It confits of eight baſtions, and to
gether with all its out-works were hewn out of the
rocks. The baſtions and other works have a com
munication under rocks, which are ſo large, that
carriages and heavy cannon , with ſeveral horſes,
may very conveniently go from one place to another.
Batteries and mines would be of no effect againſt
this fort, which is thus wonderfully conſtructed out
of a Ingle rock ; and two thouſand men would de
fend it againt the moſt numerous army.
PIEDA
 KE Y S L E R . 251
PIED Μ Ο Ν Τ.
From Suſa the road begins to mend, and the vala
ley extends itſelf into a plain planted with walnut
trees and covered with corn - fields, meadows, and
vineyards. ` About an hour's journey from Veillane
brings one to Rivoli, a royal palace within three
leagues of Turin ; a pleaſanter road than this cannot
be imagined , it being a long avenue where fix car ,
riages may go abreaft.
All favours in the court of Turin come imme
diately from the King's hands ; and when he refers
any thing to his officers, it is generally in affairs
which are to be protracted or rejected. Every thing
is tranfacted with the greateſt ſecrecy. When he is
at Rivoli, or La Venerie , he frequently diſpatches
couriers, or holds conferences, while the court and
city are entirely ignorant of ſuch tranſactions. This
caution is not confined to the court, but, in compli
ance with the King 's temper , is ſtrictly obſerved in
converſing with ſtrangers. By this reſerve the mi.
niſters of foreign courts are the greateſt ſufferers .
The Count of Cambyſe , Ambaſſador from France,
a nobleman of great wit and politeneſs, during the
whole time of his reſidence at this court, was viſited
by ſcarce twenty perſons in the King 's ſervice. It
is indeed the lot of the French miniſters here to be
involved in the general averſion conceived againſt
their nation ſince the laſt war (written in 1729 ).
Arbitrary power is no where carried to a greater
height than at Turin ; and economyno where bete
ter underſtood : the expences of the , court are ma ,
naged with the ſtricteſt . No Marthal's table is kept
in town ; and at La Venerie it is ſerved with dishes
from the royal table . Expenſive diverſions are rare.
ly known ; and the account of all diſburſeinents ſo
regularly kept, that the King knowshis expences at
ons
252 MODERN TRAVEL S.
one view ; and an exceſs, even in ſuch articles as
wood and candles, muſt be particularly explained .
With all his parfimony, his Majeſty knows how to
do generous actions. The Prince of Piedmont,
taking the air, the coach -horſes took fright, and ran
with great fury towards the Po, ſo that the Prince
ſeemed inevitably loft. In this extremity Baron Va .
laiſe, the Equerry in waiting, regardleſs of the dan
ger , clapped ſpurs to his horſe , and leaped in among
the coach horſes Beſides other wounds and bruiſes,
one of his legs was broken in two places . The
Prince, however , was ſaved : and for this noble ac
tion the King beſtowed on the Baron a fief of one
hundred thouſand livres a year , with a houſe pur
poſely built, and magnificently furniſhed . .
The King's palace at Turin has one very ſtately
wing built by Juvara , in which is a very fine galle
ry of paintings, in which the largeſt and fineft pieces
are by Paul Veroneſe. In the library the moſt cu
riousMS. are thoſe of Ligoriers. The country pa
lace moſt frequented by the royal family is La Vene
rie : it is about a league from Turin ; the gallery
is the fineſt room in it, one hundred and twenty .
five paces in length , twenty-two broad, and very
lofty . The deſigner of this edifice, which is much
admired , was Philippo the architect ; the royal cha
pel by the ſame is alſo very beautiful. Rivoli is
another royal palace about three leagues from Turin :
the whole road to it runs in a direct line through
fields, meadows, and vineyards, and perhaps has
not its equal ; it was planted ſince the ſiege of Turin ,
in the year 1712, the French , among other devaſta
tions, having rooted up every tree throughout the
country. Here are better apartments and finer
paintings than in any other of the palaces : the royal
family are much better lodged than at La Venerie
or Turin : the air is continually clear and healthy .
The completing the palace will require five millions
or
 K E Y S L E R. 253
of Piedmonteſe livres, but will not ſoon be finiſhed ,
as the great exertion is upon the church of Superga,
built purſuant to a vow made by the King in the
Jaſt ſiege. It ſtands upon the higheſt mountain
near Turin : the whole building is finiſhing with
the utmoſt elegance : the gallery within the cupola
is an hundred common paces round : the proſpect
from the upper gallery exceeds imagination : the
monaſtery on the mountain Le Valentine : Rivoli,
with its long terrace: the valley towards Sula , its
mountains covered with ſnow : the meanders of
the Po, the Doria and Stura , and the fine plains an
long thoſe rivers, which extend as far as the eye
can reach : the vallies and levels beyond Mont
callier, and the delightful eminences in the neigh
bourhood, covered with vineyards, gardens, and
fine ſeats : and , laſtly, Turin itſelf, in a ſpacious
plain, entertain the fight with ſuch a variety of
pleaſing objects, thatone never leaves this place with
out regret.
A ſtateſman here eſtimates the King of Sardinia's
entire yearly revenue at twenty millions of Piedinon
teſe livres, of which the duties on filk produce five,
and thoſe on hemp and rice three ; but this com
putation I believe overſhoots themark . It has alſo
been ſaid , that the king's revenues exceeded thofe of
the Elector of Brunſwick Lunenburg , and , on the
contrary , were leſs than thoſe of the Elector of Sax
ony. The iſland of Sardinia does not pay the civil
and military expences, and leave inore than one,
hundred thouſand livres clear. .
The number of the King's ſubjects in Savoy,
Piedmont, and other parts on the continent amount
to two millions and upwards. The duty on ſnuff is
farmed at four hundred thouſand livres.
His majeſty's regular forces conſiſt at preſent of
about twenty thouſand men , excluſive of the horſe
guards and fifteen well-diſciplined regiments of artil
lery,
254 MODERN TRAVELS.
lery. He has four regiments of foreigners, moſtly
Germans, which make a body of five thouſand men ,
and not only ſerve to give a greater weight to his
authority in his own country ; but alſo that the
Piedmonteſe and Savoyard ſoldiers, having before their
eyes a complete pattern of diſcipline, may be ſtirred
up to emulation . It contributes not a little to the
maintenance of military diſcipline and order , that
the regiments continually do duty at Turin as the
King's foot- guards.
A remarkable inſtance was given meof Piedmonę
teſe heroiſm . At the ſiege of Turin , in 1706 , the
French had broken into one of the largeſt ſubterra
neous galleries belonging to the citadel, and the
French engineer was rewarded with two hundred
louis-d'ors for diſcovering this paſſage. TheFrench
now concluded, that they ſhould make their way
into the citadel by means of this ſecret paſſage, and
accordingly poſted two hundred grenadiers there.
One Micha, a Piedmonteſe peaſant, who had been
compelled to ſerve as a pioneer, and by his good na
tural parts , and long practice, had acquired ſuch a
ſkill in it , as to be made a Corporal of the pioneers ,
was then working at that place, with about
twenty men , in order to complete a mine; but
hearing the French buſy over his head, in ſecuring
them in the gallery, it immediately occurred to him ;
that his work was now become uſeleſs, the enemy
being poffeffed of a place , which would be of in
finite detriment to the beſieged ; he was alſo con
vinced , that it would coſt him his life to hinder it,
his mine having no fanciffon with which he might
ſpring it with leſs danger . There was no time for
deliberation , he therefore immediately formed this
brave reſolution : to ſave his companions, he or
dered them immediately to withdraw out of the
mine, and fire a mulquet as a ſignal when they
were in a place of ſafety : adding, that they ſhould
 KE Y SL E R. 255
go and acquaint bis Majeſty , that Micha implored a
ſubſiſtence for his wife and children . Upon hearing
the ſignal, he immediately ſet fire to the mine, and
thus facrificed his own life , and blew up the two
hundred French grenadiers into the air. I leave
this action Sir , to your conſideration ; only adding ,
that the King has provided not only for his widow
and children , but has ſettled a perpetual annuity of
fix hundred livres a year upon Micha's deſcendants.
The Kings fortified places on the continent, are
greatly diminiſhed ſince the late wars , the French
having blown up the works of all tenable places ;
ſuch as Montmelian , Caſal, Verna, Vercelli, & c.
However, excepton theMilaneſe fide, the King's do
minions are ſtill pretty well fecured . Some forti
fications have been built near Aleſſandria : towards
France, Feneſtrelle will ſoon be made a very ſtrong
place ; and the incomparable Fort la Brunette , has
been already deſcribed . The citadel of Turin is a
regular pentagon , or a fort with five royal baſtions,
with a vaulted deep well in each , ſo that they can
not be deprived of water ; and conſidering the num
ber and ſpaciouſneſs of the ſubterranean works, the
whole citadeł may be ſaid to ſtand as it were in the
air : the ground on which it ſtands being a little
raiſed above the adjacent country, no water can be
conveyed into the ditches and lower works. In this
its chief ſtrength conſiſts ; as the mines and ſouter
ranes, would in a great meaſure be rendered unſer
viceable, could they be overflowed . The magazine
for proviſions is bomb-proof : the French in the fiege
of 1706 , having thrown ſeveral hundred bombs on
it, but to no effect, though many of them weighed
ſeven or eight hundred pounds weight ; and threw
fometimes three or four in a night : they uſually
however fell in the area, and funk five or fix feet
deep in the earth , and with ſuch violence, as to be
heard in the neighbouring mountains. The ſou
terranies
356 MODERN TRAVEL S.
terraines are wonderful. At the entrance are vaulted
ftables for fifty horſes ; one hundred and thirty paces
beyond theſe, and forty or fifty more under themain
diich ores, comes under the counter -guard, where
are other ſtables for fifty horſes , which may be
brought hither by the main -ditch . - Here the ſub
terraneous paſſages or galleries, extend in two
branches, one to the Po, the other to the diſtance
of two or three Piedinonteſe miles ; not ſo much for
the ſake of an outlet, as to lead to the vaſt number
of mines, which take up every part of the ground.
Theſe, in the year 1706 ,would have great perplexed
the French , and prevented their near approach to
the citadel, had they been provided with a fufficient
quantity of powder. The French had erected a
battery of twenty- four fixty - pounders, directly over
one of the mines of the citadel ; and if the mine
had taken proper effect, the whole battery muſt have
ben entirely demolished ; but for want of powder,
Frencta har byl For
only one gun was blown up. At that ſiege the
French were greatly miſtaken in thinking themſelves
ſure , that by means of the large gallery , which is
Of The othencetelefony
broad enough for a carriage to turn about in , they
ſhould be maſters of the citadel ; for through the
ſmaller gallery (which is over the larger one, and
has ſeveral trenches from whence they may fire upon
the enemy) in caſe of neceſſity , iron port-cullices
can be let down, and grenadoes, bombs, and other
inſtruments of deſtruction , may be thrown into it
through loop -holes, provided for ſuch extremities. -
Beſides, this large gallery is fortified at the end of
every thirty paces , not to ſpeak of the many mines.
underneath it. There are properly four galleries
over one another, of which the lowermoſt is at the
depth of one hundred and ſeventeen feet under
ground. The mines, counter -mines, and ſubter
raneous works are really amazing. In the loweſt
gallery there are ſpiracles to let in the air and keep
it dry . The ſiege of Turin laſted four months and
an .
 KEY SL E R . 257
on half; and the breach on the ſide of the citadel to .
wards the gate of Sufa, was ſo wide, that a whole
battalion in front might have marched into it : the
only reſource left the beſieged was to keep a large
fire continually burning in the breach . All utenſils
and fu niture made of wood were uſed for this pur
poſe , and in ſeveral parts of the city the roofs of the
houſes were pulled down, for the ſake of wood for
fuel; by theſe means the breach was defended till
the town was relieved .
· Turin is not very large, but populous : in 1728 ,
the inliabitants amounted to fifty- four thouſand, fix
hundred . If it continues to increaſe its largeneſs
and magnificence, as it has done hitherto, it will cer
tainly have the nobleſt ſtreets of any city in Europe :
I ſpeak of the new city , in which are the royal pa
lace, the Rüe neuve, the Rüe da Po, which are
remarkably fine. The Rüe neuve Bernini is ſaid to
havebeen preferred to any in Italy . The ſtreets are kept
remarkably clean by a command of the water of the
Doria, which they can throw into the ſtreets at plea
fure. [ It is a remark of Keyſler, that lanthorns were
then hung up acroſs the ſtreets, but ſeventy paces from
each other ; yet he ſpeaks of this as a great matter . ]
Among the inconveniencies of this place are to be
reckoned the foggy air , which is a great evil, info
much that the city is often involved in fogs and rain ,
whilft Rivoli enjoys the ſereneſt ſky, and brighteſt
fun - fhine : another is the bad water, the wells being
foul and muddy. The inns, alſo , are little better
than nuiſances, both in accommodation and charge :
there is no place in all Italy , where the entertain
tainment is ſo bad .
The country produces good wine in abundance, yet,
without paying an extravagant price : what is ſold at
the inns is themoſt execrable ſtuff imaginable.
. There is nothing has done more honour to the
Houſe of Savoy, than the wife laws and ordinances:
that
 258 MODERN TRAVEL S.
that have been iſſued by it. Among theſe were the
care for the ſecurity of the roads from banditti : the
Duke de Carpi, Viceroy of Naples, having ſhewn
that they might be reduced by reſolution , all the other
ftates of Italy, and particularly the Houſe of Savoy ,
determined to follow ſuch a good example : by this
means one may now travel with as much ſafety in
Italy as in any other country. Other regulations,
relative to the corruption of Judges, have alſo been
found extremely falutary.
Piedmont carries on a large trade in filks, which ,
for fineneſs and ſtrength, are reckoned the beſt in
Italy . No place exceeds Turin for filk - ſtuffs : but
the gold and ſilver tiſſues and brocades there , do not
equal thoſe of France. A pound of wound fine filk
fetches a louis - d 'or. From the number of white
inulberry -trees in any perſon 's plantation , it is near
ly computed how many wormsthe owner may breed .
The Piedmonteſe nobility have large ſtocks of filk -,
worms, which , under certain conditions, they com
mit to the care of their tenants . In Italy itſelf, the
filks of Engliſh manufacture are more eſteemed and
bear a greater price than thoſe of Italy ; fo that at
Naples, when a tradeſman would highly recommend
his folk ſtockings, & c. he proteſts they are Engliſh .
England has hitherto laid out four and fifty thouſand
pounds annually for foreign filk .
The gathering truffles is another profitable article
for the Piedmonteſe peaſants, which this country pro
duces in ſuch abundance, that it may be termed , as
it were, their native ſoil. I have been aſſured, that,
ſome peaſants have got fixty or ſeventy dollars a year
only by digging for this admired vegetable . Some
time fince, a truffle, weighing twelve pounds, was
ſold for four louis-d'ors at Caſale. They train up
dogshere for hunting for them .
The great plenty ofwine in all parts of Piedmont,
is a very conſiderable advantage to the country.
This
 KE Y S L E R. 259
This principality is, in general, a very fertile coun
try, and in every part of it onemeets with rows of
filbert, cheſnut, and mulberry - trees. The fineſt
part of the king's dominions (and indeed few ſpots
can come in competition with it) is the country be
twixt Turin and Coni.
I wiſh I could ſay asmuch of the King's ſubjects
affection , as of their ſubmiſſion to him : but it muſt
be owned , that his treatment of the nobility , to
whom now little or nothing of their ancient dignity
and privileges are left, and the revocation of grants
in 1724, was equally iniquitous and ruinous to them .
The country , for ten miles round Turin , is, as it
were , a park for the King's uſe ; and in any other
place throughout the country, his Majeſty 's officers
have free liberty to hunt; and no nobleman , ſeeing
them on his grounds, dares offer them the leaſt af
front or moleſtation . All rivers and brooks are ac
counted among theroyal demeſnes . No perſon , even
in his own foreſt, can cut down timber, without per
miſſion from the ſurveyor, who ſeldom or ever grants
it for felling elm -trees, which are ſaved for the artil
lery ; and no timber is allowed to be exported. The
country is, in general, diſarmed ; even noblemen
cannot carry piſtols at their ſaddles. Without a
written licence from theKing, no nobleman can tra .
vel, and ſuch licences are rarely granted . Every
method is taken to cut off all communication be
tween the ſubjects and foreigners. In a word, the
great object of theKing 's policy is to reduce all to a .
level, and then to govern them in the ſame arbitrary
manner .

MIL A N E S E .
Being deſirous of ſeeing the famous Borromeani
iſlands, in the Lago Maggiore, I made a little ex
curſion into theMilaneſe. Chivaſſo , in the way, is
ſitu .
260 MODERN TRAVELS:
fituated in a large plain , a good part ofwhich is con
verted to tillage, and produces Turkey corn ; but
towards Zigliano it is a barren waſte in many places,
covered with a kind of reddiſh heath . In all the
Piedmonteſe territories on this ſide, there is great
plenty of Turkey wheat, to which they give the
name of Meliga, Melga, Grano Turco, or Tor
mentone. The common people make bread of it ;
and, when mixed with rye, it is uſed by people of
good circumſtances : the huſks of it ſerve for fuel,
and the large ſtems for mending the roads. It is
ſcarce a century ſince this vegetable has been intro
duced into theſe parts ; and, in the opinion of fome,
to the great diſadvantage of the country ; for this ſort
of grain is thoughtof ſuch a quality as not only to im
poveriſh the land, and render it barren , but likewiſe
to be prejudicial to the health both of the farmers,
who fow and reap it, and of thoſe who eat the Me
liga bread . That the cultivation of rice has done
no good either to the foil or the inhabitants , is a
matter of ſuch certainty in Piedmont, that it is ab
folutely prohibited . Upon entering theMilaneſe one
meets with it in great quantities, where it is allowed ,
with this reſtriction , that it is not to be ſown near
the towns : and on this fide, about a league from
Novara, a ſtone is ſet up as a boundary to the low
ing of rice. The whole world ſcarce affords a tract
of land fo well watered as the Milaneſe ; and as the
ditches and canals every where divide the fields and
meadows, noplace can be better adapted to rice. After
fowing, the ground is laid under water, andſo continues
till the rice be ripe : butthe pernicious effects of the de .
ficcation of ſuch a marſhy foil are but too manifeſt, in
the violenthead -achs, vertigos and fluxes , with which
thoſe perſons are ſeized ,who, in the hot ſeaſon , only
travel along the roads adjoining to the rice-grounds.
The fertility of the ſoil is ſo great in moſt parts of
the Milaneſe , as to yield two crops in a year. The
corn
-
 KE Y S L E R . 261
corn ſown in autumn of the preceding year ripens in
June ; and this is no ſooner carried in , but the
ground is a ſecond time ſown with barley, Turkey
wheat, & c . which are reaped in the month of No
veinber .
" The country as far as Ceſti is extremely pleaſant
and delightful, andmoſt of the roads are planted with
cheſnut-trees. A great fault in the roads, which are
very good in other relpects , is their being lower than
the neighbouring fields, and conſequently in rainy
weather, are foon overflowed . Among the odd ha
bits uſed by the people here, ſome on horſeback had
a kind of petticoat of oilkin , with a thort cloak of
the faine ; the meaner fort, who travelled on foot,
wore long cloaks made of ſtraw or ruſhes, faſtened
round the neck , and reaching down to the middle of
their legs, which keeps them dry from the rain .
This was not unlike the dreſs of ſome of the Ame
rican ſavages. Many of the peaſants travelled bare
footed .
. In the way to Ceſti, there is a ferry to the Ber.
romean iſlands, which is tifteen miles by water in a di
rect line. The paſſage is uſually performed in five
hours and an half, and the price of a five-cared boat
for going and returning, wbich is uſually performed
in a day, is generally fourteen livres of Savoy, equal
to twenty -one of Milan .
The Lago Maggio .e is ſixty- five Italian miles in
length , and generally ſix in breadth , and the depth
eight fathoms. Joining it there is a canal thirty
miles long cut to Milan , by Francis I, King ofFrance,
which is of very great advantage to that city : for by
means of this and the Lago Maggiore, it carries on
a trade with ſeveral provinces of Germany, Swit
zerland, and France. The lake affords trout, perch ,
tench , and other kinds of fiſh , great quantities of
which are pickled for exportation . About a league
froin Ceſti ſtands Arona, which as well as moſt of
the
 262 MODERN TRAVEL S.
the places on the lake belong to Count Charles Bor
romeo, who has ſeveral other conſiderable eſtates in
the Milaneſe.
The lake is every where environed with hills co
vered with vineyards and ſummer -houſes. Above
the vineyards are plantations of cheſnut-trees, the
fruit of which , in the northern parts of Italy , are
conſumed in ſuch quantities, that when cheſnuts are
in great plenty , the price of corn falls, eſpecially at
Genoa. They continue freſh and green till Chriſt
mas : but the common people eat them till Eaſter .
Along the banks of the lake are fine rows of trees,
and walks arched with vine-branches, ; and the
whole
caſcadesproſpect further heightened by large natural
caſcades ti the lafrom
erfalling the the formTwo
ke ichthearmountains.
e erter leagues
to the
from Ceſti the lake begins to widen ; and as one en - .
ters the bay in which are the two celebrated iſlands
Iſola Madre and Iſola Bella , the former of which
belongs to Count Borromen, and the latter to the
Emperor, theſe two iſlands can be compared to
nothing more properly than two pyramids of ſweet
meats ornamented with green feſtoons and flowers .
In the garden of the Iſola Bella are ten terraces ; and
the perpendicular height, of theſe taken together is
fixty ells above the ſurface of the water. The walls
from the bottom to the top are covered with laurel
· hedges, and eſpaliers of orange, lemon , peach
trees , & c. The laurels ſtand in the open air during
the whole winter , but the lemons and oranges are
ſheltered over with a covering of boards, and in ſharp
weather cheriſhed with heat from fires , which are
provided for that purpoſe at a great expence . The
expence of theſe Borromean paradiſes amount to
forty thouſand Piedmonteſe livres. The Iſola Bella
was originally, and no longer ſince than the middle
of the laſt century , only a barren rock , to which
every baſket of earth , and every thing that is found
there ,
 ·KE Y S . L E R . 263
there, muſt have been brought by water at a prodia
gious expence. '
The lake comes ſo cloſe up to the palace and gar
dens, as ſcarce -to leave as much dry ground as to
ſet one's foot upon , except a ſmall ſpace before the
north front of the palace, which has a fine proſpect
towards Iſola. Beſides this, there is nothing to be
ſeen but the lake, or walls of rocks, impending over
the water. In the palace , though not completed ,
are great numbers of fine pictures, vaſes, buſts, and
other curioſities. The vaults on which the palace
ſtands, are open to the lake, and , like grottos, deco .
rated with marble and ſhell-work : the lake, with its
undulatingwaves, continually waſhes the entrance; ſo
that a more delightful ſummer-retreat can hardly be
imagined.
From Iſola Bella to Iſola Madre is half an hour's
fail. In the gardens here, are eſpaliers of citron
trees ; oihers of oranges ; an arched walk of cedars ;
a ſmall efpalier of jeſſamine ; another of acacia ; and
another of roſemary, not leſs than eight feet in
height, with ſtems as thick as a man 's arm . In the
iſland are many pheaſants, who cannot eſcape, from
the breadth of the water. Travellers muſt furniſh
themſelves with proviſions at Ceſti, as nothing can
be procured , even for money, on the iſlands.
Part of the road from Ceſti to Milan is through a
wretched country, all over-grown with heath and
ruſhes ; but, upon advancing farther , it is ſucceeded
by a fine level country, of a charming appearance ,
beautifully interſperſed with meadows, gardens, corn
fields, vineyards and orchards ; the road is broad ,
even, and hedged in with rows of trees on both
fides.
MIL A N .
This city , for beauty and conveniency, is not to
be compared with Turin , moſt of the Streets being
nar
 264, MODERN TRAVEL S.
narrow and winding. The paper-windowsare like .
wife more common here than at Turin or Florence.
The circuit of the walls is ten Italian iniles ; but
great numbers of gardens are included . The in
habitants are computed to be three thouſand. It
contains one hundred and ten monaſteries, one huna
dred oratories for religious fraternities, one hundred
and ſeventy ſchools, and two hundred and fifty
churches, of which , near one hundred are paro
chial. It is lurprizing that this city , though ſituated
on no navigable river, and the canal belonging to
it not perfectly commocious for trade, has ſo of.
ten recovered itſelf after the frequent calamities it
has ſuffered in times of war and peſtilence. Milan
was beſieged above forty times ; taken and plundered
twenty times ; and was almoſt totally demoliſhed ,
and deſtroyed four times. In the citadel is a foun
dery for guns, and an arſenal with arms for twenty
thouſand men . 'The Governor-gencral of the Mi
laneſe refides at Milan , in a ſpacious, but old , and
in -contrived palace : his ſalary is all together about
twenty thouſand guilders a year . The regular forces
now in the dutchy amount to eighteen thouſand
men . The wealth of the nobility is great : beſides
lome particular noblemen , who are poff: ffed of above
onehundred thouſand Piedmonteſe livres a year , it
is well known that near eighty perſons of quality ,
whoſe annual income exceeds forty thouſand livres,
conſtantly ſpend the winter at Milan . The trade
and manufactures of Milan conſiſt chiefly of filks,
hardware, and cryſtal. The longeſt looking- glaſs
that was ever made of one piece of cryſtal, is a foot
in breadth , and a foot and a half long. The ca
thedral is a vaſt building ; but the ſcale ſo much
larger than the power of executing it, that, though
it is now four centuries and an half ſince it was
begun, ſtill there is a great part of it unfiniſhed .
The
 K E Y S L E R. 265
The Ambroſian college, which ſtands near the,
center of the city, is a foundation for the ſeveral
branches of literature, where youth are inſtructed
gratis by fixteen profeſſors. The chief thing is the
library, which contains forty - five thouſand printed
voluines, and fifteen thouſand manuſcripts , among
which are many highly valuable : the moſt curious,
is a tranſlation of Joſephus's Hiftory of the Jews,
by Rufinus, in folio , it being reported to be above
one thouſand three years old , and is written on the
bark of a tree. Another article , equally valued , is
a collection in twelve volumes , folio , of Leonardo
da Vinci's minuſcripts, conſiſting of mathematical
and other deſigns.
The great hoſpital for the liberality of the foun
dation , and the extent and nature of the accommo
dations, deſerves the greateſt praiſe.
The couniry between Milan and Pavia, is extremely
pleaſant, the eye being every wliere entertained with
fertile meadows of a charming verdure in the ſpring,
and watered with little canals , planted with fine rows
of trees, and luxuriant vineyards. The graſs is ſo
ſucculent that horſes grew very fat in a few weeks
upon it. In the Milaneſe all the hogs are black .
Five miles on this ſide of Pavia is a celebrated
Carthufian monaſtery, noted for the magnificence
of the ſtructure. The church is remarkably ſuperb ;
the front being entirely of white marble ornamented
with ſculptures. There are likewiſe in it twelve in -.
comparable ſtatues of Carrara marble. The colours
and diſpoſition of the alabaſter , granates and diffe
rent kinds of marble cannot be ſufficienuyadmired .
Moſt of the altars are adorned in the neweſt Flow
rentine taſte , with exquiſite imitations of flowers, & c .
made of precious ſtone, inlaid in marble.
Pavia is a large, but old city, and thinly peopled,
with no traces remaining of its having anciently been
the capital of the powerful kingdom of Lombardy.
VOL . I. Nothing
266 MODERN TRAVEL S.
Nothing can be peaſanter than the country from
Voghera to Fortona ; and the road being raiſed pretty
high , the latter may be ſeen , through an avenue, at
the diſtance of two or three leagues. Tortona has not
much to boaſt of. From thence to Aleſſandria , istwelve
miles : that city contains twelve thouſand ſouls. From
thence we went to Felizana, and then to Aſti. From
Aſti to Turin the diſtance is twenty-two miles, but
the country has little of the charming appearance of
the Milaneſe .
In the journey from Turin to Genoa, we paſſed
back again as far Aleandria : from that city to Ge
noa is thirty miles. Novi is the firſt Genoeſetown :
the country has nothing remarkable.
GEN O A .
The ſituation of this city is one of the moſt in
convenient, yet one of the moſt beautiful of any city '
in Italy , and is ſeen , to the greateſt advantage, at
the diſtance of a quarter of a league at ſea : its
ſtately buildings, which have gained it the name of
Superba, forming a glorious amphitheatre gradually
riſing along the hill.
This declivity, and the narrowneſs of the ſtreets,
exclude the uſe of coaches in Genoa, every body
contenting themſelves with going on foot except the
principal ladies, who are carried in chairs, and now
and then one may chance to meet a carriole. To
this narrowneſs of the ſtreets it is owing that this
city takes up ſo litule of the plain beneath it. Another
reaſon aſſigned for it is, that the loftineſs of the
houſes, and the narrowneſs of the ſtreets , abate the
ſummer's exceſſive heat, by intercepting the ſun
beams, and thus tend to preſerve thehealthfulneſs of
the city : the ſtreets re exceedingly well paved , and,
in ſome parts with free-ſtone. The want of coaches
and other carriages conduces not a little to the clean
lineſs of the ſtreets : beſides , the barrenneſs of the
neighbouring foil, requiring great quantities of ma
nure,
 from KE Y S L E R . 26 ,
pretty nure, the dung of horſes and mules is very carefully
de,at gathered up . What ſome oriental traveller informs
s not us thatthe Arabs do out of fuperftition , with regard
velve to thoſe camels which have been in the Mecca cara
From vans, the poor people do here from neceffity, care
rom fully picking up all the horſe and mule -dung they
but meet with This is chiefly obſerved in the ſuburbs
ce of of Saint Pietro d'Arena, where the breadth of the
ſtreets admits the uſe of all kinds of wheel-car.
cariages.
Moſt of the houſes are flat-roofed, or at leaſt
have a gallery on the top. The roofs are moſtly
covered with lavagna, a ſtone much reſembling
Nate ; and on account of the ſhelving ſituation of the
city , theſe Areas, which are planted with orange-trees
form a kind of horte penfiles, which , though in them ,
ſelves they have nothing very wonderful nor extra
ordinary, yet have a very pretty effect .
Out of the rocks projecting into the ſea have
been made ſeveral baſtions, in ſome places two or
three behind each other ; and the length of theſe for
tifications with the lower town, is not leſs than three
Italian miles. The number of guns mounted upon
all the works, for the defence of the city, is little
ſhort of five hundred. Genoa, towards the land, is
ſurrounded with a double wall ; the outward,
which is alſo the neweſt, extends beyond the hill :
it begins at the fanal or light-houſe , and terminates
at the river Biſagno. It is ten Italian miles in cir
cumference ; and ſuch is the inequality of the coun
try , that it takes up three hours to ride round it.
This wall is of too great an extent to be of any
great ſervice, unleſs, perhaps, keeping out the ban
ditti.
The harbour of Genoa is large, but not very ſafe ;
and to fence it further from the ſouth wind would
make the entrance too narrow , and confequently be
a detriment or inconvenience to the city. In the
N 2 mean
 268 MODERN TRAVEL S .
mean time, no care or expence is omitted for mend
ing the harbour : and in this currentyear, themole ,
which is a kind of wall to it on the left, towards the
ſca, has been lengthened thirty - five paces ; fo that
its whole length now is ſeven bundred paces , and it
is trid to be carried two hundred further, On the
right-hand, near the light-houſe , is alſo a new mole ,
'which projects leven hundred and leventy - four com
mion paces into the ſea , and is defended with huge
frigments of rocks : it is incredible what ſums this
mole muſt have coít ; for the ſea being here very
deep, the lowerınoſt Jay's could not be managed but
by divers , with bells , and other inventions. It is
intended alſo to leng:hen this mole , and thus ſecure
the harbour from the Labiccio , or fouth -weſt wind ,
the moſt dangerous of any to it. In the middle of
the harbour, on a place called the Royal Bridge, is
a commodious place for ſhips, the water being con
veyed by pipes from the mountains. Within this
harbour is the Darſena, or lock , for the republic 's
gallies. From the formidable figure which the Ge
noeſe fleet formerly made, it is now reduced to fix
gallies, and all the uſe of theſe is to fetch corn from
Naples and Sicily , and to give the ladies an airing.
The complement of the largeſt gallies is from ſixty
to a hundred ſoldiers , and three hundred and twenty
rowers, five or ſix on a bench , which ſerves them
for a bed .
At coming into the harbour, or at ſea, when a
merchant-man ſalutes a ſhip of war, the return is
two guns leſs : and by the ſound it may be known
whether the thips are Engliſh or French ; the latter
firing very haſtily ; whereas, when the Engliſh fire,
about the ſpace of half a minute intervenes between
every gun .
The commerce of Genoa is far ſhort of that pro
ſperity and importance to which it mightbe brought,
and this is owing to the incommodiouſneſs ofhather.
 . K E Y S L E R. 269
harbour, and the high price of all ſorts of commo
dities. The chief manufactures here are velvets and
damaſks, beſides the leſſer articles of Glk - ſtuffs, bro
cades, lace , gloves, ſweatmeats, fruits, oil, Parme
fan cheeſe, anchovies, and drugs from the Levant.
It ſeems little to comport with the diſcreet reſerv
edneſs and modeſty of the ſex , thatmoſt of themar
ried ladies of diſtinction are every where attended by
a gentleman , who, in the ſtreets, walks before their
chair, and at coming into the church holdsthe holy
water to them , and des all the other little acts of
complaiſance in a particular manner, like a lover,
Some ladies are not ſatisfied with one ſuch obſequi. .
ous dangler, but admit ſeveral, for diſtinct offices :
one attends his lady when the goes abroad ; another
provides for the table ; another has themanagement:
of parties of pleaſure and diverſions; a fourth regu
lates the gaming- table ; a fifth is even conſulted about
receipts and diſburſements of money ; and both the
beauty and wit of a lady are commonly rated accord
ing to the number of theſe votaries. They all paſs
under the denomination of Platonic lovers, and one
would indeed imagine that the huſband had nothing :
to fear from theſe familiarities ; for the Genoeſe, bec:
ing true Italians in point of jealouſy , cannot be ig
norant how far theſe points may be carried , is they
themſelves are , in their turn , cicilb :i (for ſo there
attendants are called ) to other married ladies. Nor
is this piece of gallantry confined to the young wo
men only, but ladies advanced in years pique them
felves upon having their cicilbeo : however, this ;
cuſtom is merely arbitrary, there being no indiſpen
fible obligation to obſerve it, and now ſeems, in ſome:
meaſure , to be on the decline. One of the Spinola
family , in particular, took care to make it an article
ofmarriage- contract, that the lady ſhould entertain
no ciciſbeo : he alſo engaged,, on his party.never to
ſerve any lady in that quality.
N 3 Little
 270 MODERN TRAVEL S.
Little of the beauty of the fair- fex is ſeen at Ge
arming made
noa, their blooming years being inoſlly ſpent in the
f Theis'sFgenerally ine ſilk , or velvet ; the
white ooff bblack
recluſeneſs of a nunnery. The dreſs of married la
odies
liberty of chuſing what colours they pleaſe, expiring
with the firit year of their marriage.
The nobility are divided into old and new ; and
of the former the principal families are thoſe of Do
ria , Fieſchi, Spinola , Grimaldi, and Imperiali. The
Giuſtiniani allo were of that claſs , but they have
Lately ſet themſelves up as heads of the new no
bility , which conſiſt of near five hundred fami
lies . With regard to publick employments, no
manner of difference is made betwixt the two claſſes
of nobleſſe ; but in other reſpects, the old nobility va .
Już themſelves infinitely above the new . The fami
lies of Doria and Spinola have given over trade, in
which the other fainilies are publickly concerned ;
not indeed in a retale way, but as bankers or mer
chants . Of the mercantile nobility, the Pallavicini
are the moſt diftinguiſhed : but amidſt the great
wealth of private perſons, the ſtate is manifeftly very
poor. On the left ſide of the exchange is a place
particularly appropriated to the new nobility ;
not that the old are excluded from it, but their
proper walk is another place, where neither the new
nobility nor citizens are to mingle with them : the
place alligned for the latter is on the right-hand ſide
of the exchange.
The governinent of Genoa is ariſtocratical ; and
no afrair ofmoment can be tranſacted without aſſem
bling the nobles. As for the Doge, he has nomore
than the ſhadow of ſovereignty ; and the blaze of
his outward ſplendor is extinguiſhed at the end of
two years, that oñce being of no longer continu
ance, nor transferrable to his relations; and it is not
till five years after that he comes to be capable of
being choſen again . Upon any irreconcileable dif
puſes in the biinnial election , it is adjourned from
week
 KE Y S L E R . 271
week to week , and the government is lodged in the
mean timewith the eldeſt Senator. Though , to be
elected Doge, it is not requiſite to have a ſeat in the
fenate , yet a candidate for that dignity muſt be fifty
years of age : this being an indiſpenſible qualifica
tion . The vote of a poor nobleinan is often ſecured
by fifty or fixty louis -d'ors : and there goes a ſtory,
that once a neceſſitous nobleman , being to go a jour
ney, was for borrowing a cloak of a wealthy member
of the ſame order, but met with a kind of repulſe ;
and ſome time after coming into the ſenate , when his
ill -natured rich neighbour wanted but one vote to be
elected Doge, who began to ſolicit, and made great
promiſes for gaining him over, but all was to no pur
poſe , for the poor Senator openly declared, “ That
his neighbour had ſuffered him to go a journey
56 without a cloak , and , in return, he might go
« without a cap, for his part.”
The Doge reſides in a palace belonging to the
Republic with his family , and eight Senators ap
pointed for his council. He has a guard of two
hundred men allowed him , who are all Germans :
their uniform is red, faced with blue ; and that of
the Corſican corps is blue, faced with red . The
Bomardiers wear red costs and leathern waiſtcoats,
and are armed with bayonets ; but the reſt of the
ſoldiers, which is compoſed of all nations, are cloath
ed in white with blue facings. The number of the
republic 's forces is five thouſand men , who are
cantoned in Savona, Satzana, Novi, Gavi, Spezza,
Veulinriglia, and in the fortified places of the iſland
of Corſica . .
In the Piazza Nuova is a daily market (Sundays
not excepted ) for vegetables and other proviſions ;
and in themiddle of January , here are expoſed to
ſale green peaſe, artichokes, melons in the greateſt
plenty , beſides hyacinths, and moſt kinds of flowers
in full bloom .
The
272 MODERN TRAVEL S.
The fineſt ſtreet in the whole city is the Strada
Nuova, which is twelve common paces in breadth ,
planned by Galeazzi, an architect of Perugia, who
alſo built moſt of the fine palaces in it. Among
theſe are ten or twelve ofmoſt remarkable for beauty
and magnificence , as thoſe of Doria, Pallavicini,
Lercan , Carrega, & c . The firſt- floors of theſe
palaces open into beautiful gardens and orangeries.
The Strada Balbi is but little inferior to the Strada
Nuova in beauty , and exceeds it in length and
breadth . Two palaces of the Balbi family , the je
ſuits college, and the palace of Durazzo, are great
ornaments to it ; the latter, being one hundred and
forty common paces in front is inconteſtably the fineſt
private building in the whole city, and its furniture
is anſwerable to its outward magnificence. In it
are ſome exquiſite paintings by Luca Jornande, and
Valerio di Caſtelli. The palace of Prince Doria,
near the light-houſe, has a ſtonekey behind the
garden , by means of which the family could ſtep
out of the garden into their barge. While the
Emperor Charles V , once lodged in this palace,
apartments were ſuddenly run up ; at the end of
which , to his great ſurpriſe, he found a fine yacht
ready to receive him . Prince Doria ordered all the
plate, both gold and ſilver , to be thrown overboard,
whilſt the Spanish nobleman in the Emperor's re
tinue ſtood looking at one another with aſtoniſhment
at this apparent extravagance, notknowing that care
had been taken to ſpread nets all about the veſſel. '
Andrew Doria , after a glorious life of ninety -three
years , died in 1560 . As a public acknowledge
ment of his eminent ſervices to his country, every
year , on the 15th of September, the Captain of the
Duc 1 palace, at the head of two hundred of the
guards, carries the city -keys in a diſh to the Prince:
Doria, who on the occaſion entertains thein with
a feaſt. The yearly income of the prefent Prince is
one
 KE Y S L ER 273
one hundred and fifty thouſand Philippi, at four
Piedmonteſe livres, fourteen ſols and an half each .
· Among the churches, that of Annonciada is one
of themoſt beautiful and magnificent. It abounds
with very fine ſculpture, and ſome noble paintings.
At the end of the piazza Sarſano is a ſtone
bridge, which joins together two eminences in the
city, formerly ſeparated by a deep valley. This
bridge cannot be ſeen without aſtoniſhment ; for it
conſiſts of one ſmall and three large arches of ſuch
a height as to riſe ten or twelve feet above ſeveral
houſes of five or fix ſtories, ſo that it croſſes a large
ſtreet : and as the work above the key - ſtone of the
bridge is at leaſt ten feet up to the pavement, the
-whole height of it muſt be equal to eight ſtories, or
ninety feet. The breadth is forty - five feet, and the
length one hundred and ſeventy paces . The diameter
of one of the arches beneath in the ſtreet is above
thirty paces ; but that of the iniddle arch , under
which are ſeveral houſes, is ſtill wider . One of the
Sauli family built this bridge at his private expence .
The church of Saint Matthew is the parochial
church of the Doria family , by whom it was built,
and from its ornaments well deſerving notice.
The inns atGenoa affard but indifferent enter
tainment, though ſomething better than at Turin ;
but care muſt be taken always to make an agreement
for every thing beforehand.
The diſtance from Genoa to Leghorn is comput
ed at four hundred and twenty miles, and the rate
for a private felucca is about three pounds four ſhil
lings ſterling. They are a ſort of light brigantines,
carrying ten or twelve perſons, but without a deck ,
and uſe both oars and fail, keeping always near the
Nore ; and in caſe of apprehending coarſairs , they
run in at night to ſome ſecure place or creek on the
coaſt.
LE G .
 274 MODERN TRAVEL S.
LE G H OR N .
This port was formerly'a mean unliealthy place,
til Coſmc Duke of Tuſcany conceived the deſign ,
of rendering it the ſeat of commerce. Of all to
reign nations the Engliſh are the greateſt traders
here , and conſiſt of thirty - ſix families. The num
ber of Jews is computed at eighteen thouſand, and
this city is called their paradiſe . It is ſaid to contain
forty thouſand people . . Moſt of the ſtreets are broad
and ſtraight. The length of the mole is fix hun
dred paces , and the breadth of the harbour fifteen
hundred. The greateſt defect of the harbour is the
Shallowneſs of the middle part of it, ſo that ſhips
of burthen are ſafer when faſtened to the ſide of the
mole, than in the harbour itſelf.
Leghorn is far from being a cheap place to live at ,
proviſions and other neceſſaries brought thither by
land being ſubject to very high duties , and the
Duke reſerving to himſelf the, monopoly of ſeveral
commodities, particularly brandy, tobacco, and ſalt.
Barks go daily to Piſa by a canal which is fixteen
miles long. The country is for the moſt part ſandy
and well covered with oaks, elms, and thickets of
other trees, among which the black buffaloes feed
· and take ſhelter .

END OF THE FIRST VOLUME.

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