^•>'i p-pf '"« -.«^ S M 'r ^m ^ 'SFt E T T E R S O N GREECE. LETTERS O N GREECE: BEING A SEQJJEL TO LETTERS ON EGYPT, AND CONTAINING TRAVELS THROUGH RHODES, CRETE, AND OTHER ISLANDS OF THE ARCHIPELAGO; WITH S^ .¥"4 COMPARATIVE R R,iS^AKTC«S^^- :^ HEIR. ^^-J-^^' ..^-^ ONT ANCIENT AND PRESENT STATE, O B S E R V A OK THE GOVERNMENT, CHARACTER, AND MANNERS OF THE TURKS, AND MODERN GREEKS. Tranflated from the French of M. Savary. DUBLIN: Printed for Messrs. L. White, P. Byrne, J. Moore, AND B. DoRNIN. M.,DCC,LXXXV1II. LETTERS O N GREECE. I LETTER I. Alexandria, 1779. ADDRESSto you, Madam, the follow- ing Letters, forming a fequel to thofe on Egypt. Deign to receive them ¦with indulgence, and accept them ; as the offering of gratitude. They contain my obfervatjons on thofe parts of Greece which I vifited in the courfe of two years. Acquainted as you are with hif- B tory. 2 LETTERS tory, guided by a natural good tafte, and en lightened by the ftudy of the fine arts, you prefer to all other countries that which had the glory of bringing thofe arts to perfeftion. I am perfedlly of your opinion : the country of Homer, of Socrates, and fo many other great men whom their virtues or talents have immortalized, has a claim to the love and veneration of all ages. The traveller of fenfibility, led by the enthufiafm infpired by thofe places, once the theatre of fo many me morable events, will long continue to vifit them. But, alas ! inftead of a free, learned, and warlike people, he will find pufillanimous and ignorant flaves ; inftead of flouriftiing cities, he will meet with nothing but heaps of ruins, and fcattered and mutilated marbles, inftead of the famous monuments of ancient genius. Yet if his refearches be condufted by Ibund fenfe, if he be exempt from prejudices, "and corred in his defcriptions, even this con- traft will fupply interefting objeds and ufe ful trutlis. You already have a glimpfe. Ma dam, of one part of the fcenes about to open to your view. The obfcurity, indeed, in which they are enveloped, does not permit you to difcern their effefts. Let us approach them ONGREECE. 3 them fomewhat nearer, the darknefs will dif- appear ; we Ihall fee them as they have been fketched by nature, for in her colours I Ihall endeavour to pourtray them. I have the honour to be, with the utmoft refpeft. Madam, Your moft humble and moft obedient fervant, Savary. B 2 LET. LETTERS LETTER .IL To U. L. M. Alexandria, Sept. 1779. 1 AM preparing, Madam, to leave the city of Alexandria, where I have paffed four months, fince my return from Cairo. My ftay here has been exceedingly agreeable, thanks to the kindnefs of M. Taitbout de Marigni, the French conful, who invited me to his table, and fliewed me every poffible politenefs. I have employed my leifure hours in examining this city, its harbours and environs, and in defcribing them, as you have feen in my for mer work. In confequence of the war between Eng land and France, the Mediterranean fwarriis with Englifh privateers,- and our regular trading vefTels no longer make their ufual voyages. I have therefore been obliged to wait for a neutral fhip, and have agreed. with a captain of Zante, an ifland belonging -tD ;ithe. Venetians, to. c(tjfavey me to Candia. He ONGREECE. 5 He is at this moment ready to fail, and I muft haften on board : Adieu, ye burning fhores of Egypt ! I lay afide with pleafure the turban, the long robe, and the muftachio, thofe neceffary habiliments for every Euro* pean who is inclined to vifit thefe countries. Adieu, ye fuperb monuments, on which I have fo often gazed with admiration and aftonifh- ment ! I rejoice that I have feen you ; but wifh not to behold you a fecond time, till the country in which you rear your lofty heads fhall be no longer under the dominion of a barbarous people. Adieu ! ye ever ver dant gardens of Rofetta and Damietta, and ye groves, the foft retreats of voluptuous en joyment ! How do your perfumes embalm the air ! How delightful were the coolnefs of your charming fhades, impenetrable to the ardour of a burning fun, did not death await the rafh mortal who fhall too thoughtlefsly dare to enter them. Such, Madam, were my re flexions, whilft I eaft a parting glance on ob- jefts by which I had been fo deeply affefted, as I followed the Zanthiot captain to the (hip. The boat glided gently over the fur- face of an unruffled fea, and my reverie con tinued till fuddenly it ftruck againft the velfel, when 6 LETTERS when the fhock diffipated the illufion, and I mounted the deck. We have weighed anchor. A favourable breeze fwells our falls, and wafts us from the fhore. W^e have already paffed the Diamond, a rock fo called, fituated at the extremity of the Ifle of Pharos, which, when the fea is calm, rears its threatening head above the waters ; but in ftormy weather is entirely covered by the waves. Mariners muft pafs round it to enter the harbour ; but its fituation is well known, and it is eafily avoided. At the diftance we now are from Alexan dria, that city appears, in perfpeftive, forming a femicircle on the fliore. Part of the houfes, illuminated by the fun, refle£b a vivid light, and advance forward in the pifture, while the reft, enveloped In the Ihade, appear in the back-ground. About them rife the llender Minarets, which feem to lofe themfelves In the air. The principal object In this landfcape is the pillar ' of Alexander Severus % which commands the whole city. This is the firft thing difcovered when we make the * Commonly called Pompcy's Pil!.ir. .See the author's .Letters on Egyj.t. landj ONGREECE. 7 land; and the laft we lofe fight of ..when, we leave it. Hail to the greateft column human power has ever erefted ! Still does this teftify to travellers, that the arts have once flourifhed in this country, now the feat of ignorance and barbarlfm. Adieu ! magnificent monument, which wert fo often the objeft of my walks ! Never could I be weary of contem plating the majefty of thy fhaft, and thy enormous capital. But while I fpeak it leffens infenfibly, and now appears only a black fpeck amid the vapours of the atmo- fphere. Has Egypt then fo foonvanifhed from my fight ! It is not without regret, Madam, that we quit a country in which we have paffed fe veral years of our youth, in which we have beheld the wonders of antiquity, and pur chafed a few tranfient moments of happinefs by an infinity of fatigues and perils. A kind of melancholy takes poffeffion of the foul. The more lively our fenfations have been, the more difficulty do we find In de taching ourfelves from the fcenes which gave them birth. We are perpetually recalling the images of objefts, by which we have- been deeply affeded, and, recolleaing them, feel anew 8 LETTERS anew every paffion they have infpired. Not unfrequently do they excite tears, and we feel an irrefiftible charm, which we endeavour to prolong, till, fatigued with fenfibility, it becomes neceffary tb give reft to the mind by transferring our attention to other objefts. I fhall continue. Madam, in the courfe of this work, to defcribe, with all the exaftnefs I am capable of, the places I may vifit ; nor fhall I omit the refleftions they may fuggeft, or my own feelings, in every fituation. What can be more interefting than the hiftory of the human heart ? And how can this be better written than by faithfully relating the im- preffions made on us by each new objeft, and in every various fituation f I have the honour to be, &c. LET- ON GREECE. LETTER III. To M. L. M. On board. w E enjoy. Madam, the fineft weather imaginable ; not :v cloud obfcures the fky, and a fouth-eaft wind wafts us direftly to ward the port to which our wifhes tend. We have now entirely loft fight of land, and, as far as the eye can reach, only view the immenfe abyfs of the waters, and the vaft ex- panfe of the heavens, How awful is this fight ! How does it infpire the mind with great ideas ! How adventurous is man, who trufts his fortune and his life to this frail veffel he has built, which a worm may pierce, or a fingle blaft dafh to pieces againft a rock ! Yet in this he braves the fury of the ocean. But how admirable is his ingenuity ! He com mands the winds, enchains them in the can. vas, and forces them to conduct him where he pleafes. He fails from one end of the world to the other, and traverfes the immenfe liquid IO LETTERS liquid plains, without any jignals to diredl him. He reads his courfe in the heavens. A needle, which wonderfully points perpetually to the Pole, and the obfervation of the ftars, inform hira where he is. A few lines and points mark out to him the iflands, coafts, and fhoals, which his fkill enables him to ap proach or avoid at pleafure. Yet has he caufe to tremble, notwithftanding all his fcience and all his genius ! The fire of the clouds is kincUhig over his head, and may confuroe Ifis dwelling.. Unfathomable gulphs are yawning beneath his feet, and he is fe parated from them, only by ^ fingle plank. His confidence might make us imagine he knew himfelf immortal ; yet he inuft die — die never to revive 'again ! I have the honour to be, &c. LET- O :N GREECE. II LETTER IV. To M. L. M, I On board. HAVE «Ifen before the twilight, Madam, to contemplate at my leifure the rifing of the fun. This fight, in the wide and fhorelefs ocean, is the moft wonderful and glorious fcene that nature offers to the eye of man. I fhall endeavour to defcribe it, if not with all the eloquence and grandeur of Imagery it deferves, at leaft, with as much fidelity as poffible. The weather is ferene, the air calm, the frelhnefs of the morning delicious. A fight, but favourable, breath of wind wafts us gently along, and nothing difturbs the pro found filence that reigns upon the waters. The few ftars which ftiil fparkle In the firmament are about to difappear. Already the firft rays of day pierce through the blueilh vapour of the horizon ; while retreating night collects her fleeting fhades in the weft. The 12 LETTERS The eaft gradually colours, and ftreaks the azure vault With purple. The fcene varies every inftant. Each objedt becomes more enlightened, and its colours more lively. What a fcene at length opens ! a thoufand golden rays, iffuing from one common centre, di vide themfelves in the air. The whole eaft feems on fire. The fun is abgut to appear; already I perceive his radiant difk upon the horizon. He appears to rife from" the centre of the waves, and feems to repofe an inftant on the liquid furface, as on a throne. How is the eye dazzled with his fplendor, while he rifes majeftically above the waters, which re- flefts his image a thoufand and a thoufand times ! Hail, glorious luminary, great fource of light to the univerfe, all hail! Thy pre fence reanimates every living being, and dif- fufes joy through every heart. Glory be to the hand that traced out thy path through the heavens ! I have the honour to be, &c. LET- O K G R E E C E. 13 LETTER "v. To M. L. M; Onl>oa)rd. ¥-. IVE, (days, JiaYC eUpfed,^ Madam, iince our departure from Alexandria, and our veffel has always , .gone hefor^ the i wind. Had .it blown a little ftronger we fhould not have been far from Candia; but it has continued fo weak that we are hardly half way thither. I never faw the fea more calm ; we proceed as gently as if we were floating with the ftream of a river. Nothing can be more agreeable than our voyage. Seated under a canopy which fhelters us from the heat of the fun, and cooled by the refrelhing ze phyrs, which play among the fails, we con tinue to advance infenfibly. Notwithftanding Gur progrefs is fo flow, if the fame wind con tinues all night, we fhall to-morrow be within fight of Rhodes, which is but a fmall diftance from Crete. Till 14 LETTERS Till five in the morning we have enjoyed the moft delightful weather ; but the horizon in the weft appears now gradually to overcaft ; vapours, at firft light and fcarcely perceptible, begin to extend, heap up, and thicken. Al ready they form a circle of dark clouds, which like mountains, hide from us the laft rays of the fetting fun. Is this the fore-runner of a ftorm? Our mariners are of that opinitm. We fhall foon fee how far their ^refages are right. ' ' •'¦•>¦ I have the honour to be, &c. LET- ONGREECE.- 15 LETTER VI. To M. L. M. On boaTd. X HE fears of the failors. Madam, were not without foundation, the wind has changed. The eaftern gale no longer wafts us gently on our way. A torrent of air, burfting from the weft, has driven us towards the burning coun tries of Afia, and oppofes itfelf as a barrier to our paffage. In vain do we ftrUggle againft its violence ; we lofe on every tack, and re cede Inftead of advancing. Thick clouds ob- fcure the face of the fun, and the darkened ocean Is covered with foam. Roaring waves continually lafh the fides of the veffel, and the winds howl horribly among the rigging. The over-ftretched fails break with violence from the yards, and the mafts bend and crack with the rolling of the veffel, which, every moment, feems ready to fhiver into a thoufand pieces. All the failors arc In motion ; the captain is i6 LETTERS is obliged to ftrain his voice to give his orders. The helm is confided to the moft experienced failor. Some attend the ropes, while others, clinging to the end pf a yard, are taking in a fail, and, balandng themfelves as the fhip rolls, grapple a rope with their feet, and la bour with their hands, at the rifk of being pre cipitated every moment into the fea. For feven days, fucceffively, we have never ceafed tacking;, but in vain. VVe' are con tinually lofing way; and, fhould this weather laft, we, fhalj make. Cyprus, or the coaft of Syria. I am .now convinced our veffel is but an indifferent fail.er, ahd the crew extremely ignorant. , Our failors are Greeks, who know little of the working of a fhip, and are ftow in performing the little they do know. Never have they once been able to put the fhip about with the head to the wind, fo that as often as they change the tack we. lofe more way than we have gained. Nor has the captain more knowledge ; he has not taken one obfervation of the lati tude ; nor has he on board either feftor or quadrant, with the ufe of which he Is totally unacquainted. He is equally a ftranger to the ufe of fea-charts, or the method of meafuring a fhip's way by the log. In fine, he is a genuine ONGREECE. 17 genuine boat-mafter, who finds his way in the day, by following the courfe of the fun, and at night, by obfervation of the ftars. In cloudy weather, he fteers as well as he can, by the compafs, of which he knows not even the declination. I am almoft tempted to fancy him one of the pilots of the ancient Greeks, and to fuppofe that he was at the fiege of Troy, and that one of the fa bulous deities has reftored him to life, to prove to us the truth of the everlafting voyages of Homer's heroes. However that may be, I do not think we fhall very foon reach Candia. Our doubts are ended. We give up, at leaft for the prefent, all hope of reaching Crete. Wearied with fruitlefs ftruggles againft oppofing fortune, our captain has juft turned his prow toward Afia Minor. We are going, he tells us, to feek for ftielter in fome port, and when the weather is more favourable, we fhall re new our voyage. He does not know where we fhall touch ; but if he once makes land, he will do every thing in his power not to lofe fight of it again. Thus do the Greeks manage a fhip. As for myfelf, I begin to re- C pent i8 LETTERS pent embarking with fuch a pilot. ¦ But the dye is thrown, and I muft ftand the chance. I have the honour to be, &c. LET- ONGREECE. 19 LETTER VIL To M. L. M. VyUR deftiny. Madam, has fuffered no change. The wind keeps conftantly in the weft, and has driven the clouds toward the frozen fummits of Lebanon. The fky, at length, clears up, and we are bearing down upon the land, which has been announced by the failors from the maft head. On deck, we could only difcern fomething refembling a cloud, which enlarged and extended itfelf as we ad vanced. We flow know it to be the continent of Afia, and the certainty of this has diffufed a general joy ; but ftiil we are not free from anxiety. The captain having never taken any obfervation, knows nothing of our latitude, and cannot tell what land we are about to make. In the mean time, however, we keep- advancing toward it. Objects infenfibly become more diftin£t, we perceive mountains, hills, and a promontory, C 2 which. 20 LETTERS which running out into the fea, prefents a barren fhore and enormous rocks. Our failors affure us, the high land, that appears in the back ground, is the Ifland of Caftel Roffo ; they affert we fhall be at anchor there before night, and we are bearing doWn on it with a favour able wind. We approach the fhore, which feems def- titute of verdure ; but in faft, the fun is fet ting behind the mountains, and fhines only upon their fummits. The fhade defcends rapidly into the. vallies, and the eye no longer diftinguifhes any thing but as through a veil. We are now, thank Heaven, entering the harbour of Cdftel Roffo, and about to anchor, at the foot of the rock on which that fmall town is built. I have the honour to be. Sec. L E T- ONGREECE. 21 LETTER Vlir. To M. L. M. w, Caftel Roffo. E have now. Madam, been three days at anchor in the port of Caftel Roffo, which time I have employed in vifiting the country, of which I can now lay before you an ac curate account. But remember, that the truth here is hideous. The more faithful lam in my defcriptions, the more will you be fhocked. This- ifland is fituated in theweftern part of a femi-circular bay, on the coaft of Caramania, or the ancient Lycia. It is but half a league in circumference, and is only feparated from the continent by a narrow ftreight. The coaft is inacceffible, except on the fide of the har bour, where there is a fmall town, confifting of about one hundred houfes. It is built upon a rock; on the point of which is a fmall Turkifh fort, which ferves to frighten away the Coffairs. The fpace it occupies is ex tremely 22 LETTERS tremely confined, both by fea, and a very fteep mountain, above three hundred feet high, which has the appearance of a wall, from which huge maffes of rock feem ready to fall upon the houfes, and precipitate them into the waves. I climbed it with difficulty, and found on its fummit a plain, about a quarter of a league in circuit, uncultivated, and nearly covered with grafs, half burnt up. _^ In the middle is a fmall chapel, very wretched, and Y.ery fplitary. From, this eminence we difcover the Me diterranean to the iiorth and fouth, while the reft of the hprizon is bounded by the 'lofty fummits of Mount Taurus. When we defcend into the town, we find ourfelves in a bottom environed by fteep tliffs, which lofe themfelves in the clouds. Thefe are a circle of bare and hangmg rocks, which, heated by the fun, refle£t a vivid light, injurious to the eye's. Never did verdure embellifh thefe me lancholy fhores; we pnly meet with a few bulbous plants, and thorny fhrubs, which de,- light in fuch fituations. Such is the pro- fpeft the inhabitants of Caftel Roffo have in- ceffantly. before their eyes. It prefents the image of eternal fterility ; nor do ,1 believe the ONGREECE. 23 the whole world affords a more defolate and horrid habitation. '^ You may imagine. Madam, how wretched' tiie Greeks, 'who inhabit fuch- a place, muft be."' They can neither fow nor reap. The iHand produces neither vegetables, fruit, nor grain. Their pkntatioils are confined to about fifty feet of olive^" trees, and they have no c"attle but goats^ which climb among the rocks to-find-futfiftence. '^ To complete their mifery, iheih is only one fpring nn the ifland, and that is almoft at the top of the hill ; from whence the women are obliged to fetch water. I have often feen ibein labouring iup^ a fteep path, C»*ying Jarge pitfcbers; dm their fhoulders,.. and rfetur-nihg heavily J ia'den,fia^t the tifk of being dafhed to- pieces "with' their, bui-theri. r. Sluch a^place of 'abode is not.ta.bereiufied.; Accord ingly, the hanjifomeftiioufe!. lets; only at twelve livres (dr half a" guliiea) ,a',year ; and the bride whd re9eives . fiar her . portion a foot of alive groiind and a.ihe-goat, is efleemed wealthy.. . .Fortune feems to ; have intended to recom penfe the- inhabitants of Caftel Roffo, by giving them indolent neighbours. In the time .of harv^, they pafs over into Caramania, .and .get. in the corn for the Turks. They .bring back 24 .LETTERS back with them grain, wiue, and yaripusw kinds of provifions. Their fituation.. 'has rendered. them feamen, and they make ycyages during three months of the year, and psturn in .winter, to enjoy, with their families, the gainp they have made. Moft of them ea^ry^on g. trade in -Wood, which, they purc^hafe ;^t -a, low ^ate, and fell high"; a,tf< Alexandria, Fpr carrying this, they -jnakft tffc of decked, boats, whiph do not ftow raueh^ buflfail very quick, and require little care. . They l(ikewife fupply theis wants by fifhing; and; by cthefefyarious, mean? obtain. a fubfifleflce. • ilin _-; - r;} Could'Jyou> imagine it, Madam j on this defolate; .fpot I ifdund a. native of Proventres who is fettled here, and Goinnedted : in {bufinefs with a .Greek; thieyi live: in the- fame houfe, and) aife pkrtneis ia a : vefieL' The fortner trades with the i Turks, .and -purchafes fire wood, and timber fsr fhipiibuildingj in Cara mania, which the other fells in ;:Egypt, from whencel, in return, )he brings r -various articbs which are ufeful here. They appear to fubfift comfortably, and live in h^mony together. The Frenchman confiders himfelf as the agent of his nation, and renders his countrymen, all the fervices in his power ; iii return fdr which, he ONGREECE. 25 he receives from them fome little prefents. I have every reafon to be fatisfied with his po litenefs. To do us honour he killed a fheep, perhaps the only one in the ifland, and regaled us in the beft manner he could, with Mufca- dine grapes, gathered on the Afiatic fhore. The oriental cuftoms were obferved in every thing. We eat upon the ground, feated round the difhes, on . the carpet, and, after ward, all drank out of one large cup, the only one, doubtlefs, in the poffeffion of thefe partners. Next came coffee, and then pipes, of which we were obliged heartily to partake. I afked our hoft many queftions, and among the novelties I learnt from him, the following appeared worthy to be preferved : "In my excurfions through the mountains "of Caramania," faid he, " I found at the " foot of a tree, fomewhat different from the " mulberry, large balls or cones, of a white and " fine filk, much bigger than thofe of the com- " mon filk-worm. On examining the -leaves, I " difcovered the infedts that produced them, " fome of which were ftiil fpinning. They " were caterpillars of a blackiffi- colour, " larger than filk-worms. I brought away " four of them, and fent them to the conful " at a6 LETTERS " at Rhodes • but they cannot have been re- *' ceived, as I have never heard of them *' more." I repeatedly requefted my hoft to condu£t me to the place where he had feen this fpecies of filk-worm ; but he anfwered, that, war hav ing broke out between the Turks of that jpro- vince, it was impoffible to go fo far. He promifed' me, however, as foon as peace fhould be reftored, to feiid me fome of them to Candia, with the leaves of the trees on -which they {6ed. I relate thefe particulars, to induce travellers, who may' hereafter vifit thefe countries, to endeavour to prdcutie fpme of thefe valuable infefts: The trees which gi-ow on the high grounds of Caramania would thrive well in France, and it would be an advantage to mankind in general, and a fdllrce cf riches to our own nation in particular, c6tild v.'e difcover and multiply a new fpecies of worm which produces filk. ' I. E T. ON GREECE. LETTER IX. To M. L. M. 27 Wi Caftel Roffo.' H I L E we remain at Caftel Roffo, Madam, I .mu|l npt omit to mention fome beautiful remains of antiquity fituated at a fmall diftance. I cannot fay whether they are known ; but I have never read a defcription of them in any ?Luthor. About half an hour's fail to the eaft of the harbour of Caftel Roffo, is a creek on the Afiatic coaft, .fituated m the wideft part of the bay, and near a league- in length. It affords a commodi ous harbour, where veffels are fecure from ftorms. The firft objeQ: that ftrikes the eye on approaching the land, is a vaft amphitheatre built with beautiful ftones, and of a circular form. It is about feventy feet high, and has eighty rows of feats, raifed one above the oiher. At the fifth row from the top, you remark at each of the extremities of the femi-circle, a part furrounded by a baluftrade, in which, doubtlefs. 28 LETTERS doubtlefs, were the places affigned for the principal perfonages of the country. This immenfe amphitheatre might contain the in habitants of a large city, and ferve for public exhibitions given on land, or, poffibly, on the fea. It Is built with fuch folidity as to be proof againft the ravages of time ; at leaft it has hitherto fuffered but little from its injuries. The arena alone has been wafted by the f(fea, which feems to have gained upon the land. Beyond this amphitheatre are a great variety of ruins. The moft remarkable are difpofed around a vaft vacant fpace, and we efpeeially diftinguifh the fuperb remains of a fpacious building. Huge columns overthrown, others ftill eredt, thick walls half demolifhed, ' highly finilhed capitals, and broken cornices, announce the ruins of a temple; for the ancients difplayed all their magnificence in the edifices confe crated to the gods. At the foot of the rocks which furround the town, our admiration is attracted by tombs in perfedt prefervation, fome of which are furrounded with columns fupporting a dome of great folidity. Others are merely Sarcophagi hewn out of the ftone. Several of them confifting of a fepulchral chamber, cut In the rock, have fteps in front by ONGREECE. 29 by which we afcend to a periftile fupported by columns. Avarice, which tramples under foot the moft facred laws, has violated thefe refpe6table manfions of the dead, by forcing away the ftones which defended the en trance. Such, Madam, is the deplorable condition of this ancient and once flourlffiing city. The harbour deftitute of fhips, that magni ficent amphitheatre without fpeftators, thofe piles of ruins, thofe tombs, defpoiled even of the bodies they contained, infpire the tra veller with melancholy refleftions. Has the fury of a conqueror deftroyed this city? Has it funk under the ravages of time ? or have man and the elements both confpired its ruin? I am inclined to believe the dreadful earth quakes, which happened under the monarchs of the lower empire, have fwallowed up the lower part of this town. The ruins we find on the edge of the ffiore, and even in the water, certainly favour this opinion. Another proof is, that, in the maritime towns, as we may obferve Telmiffus on the fame coaft ; the amphitheatres were at fome diftance from the fea, and fituated on fuch high ground as to 30 LETTERS to fecure them from its waters. At prefent, when the fea is agitated, the waves enter that I have been defcribing, beat againft the walls, and ruin the arena. The tradition of the country, too, is, that half of this city was fwal lowed up by an earthquake. I have not been able to learn the date of this cataftrophe, but the fa£t appears indubitable. The fight of the ruins of a city, while it afflifts us with melancholy fenfations, only flimulates our curiofity the more to difcover its ancient name, and what it was in farmer times. Let us endeavour to inveftigate thefe, and take Strabo, one of the moft accurate of ancient geographers, for our guide. After defcribing the weftem part of Lycia, he adds, " Afcending the river Xanthus for the " fpace of ten furlongs, we arrive at the " temple of Latona, and, fixty furlongs above, " the city of Xanthus, one of the largeft of '• all Lycia. Beyond this is Patara, a con- " fiderable city, which has a .harbour and " feveral temples. It was founded by Patarus, " and enlarged by Ptolemy Philadelphus, who " called it Arfinoe of Lycia, in honour of his " queen. Farther on ftands the city of Myra, *^ on a high hill, twenty furlongs from the " fea; ONGREECE. 31 ** fea ; and proceeding onward, we arrive at " the mouths of the river Limyrus, and the " city of Limyra, a league diftant from the « fea-fliore C^J" Let us now examine the account of the fame places in Pomponius Mela. This au thor proceeds in his defcription from eaft to weft. " Beyond the promontory formed by Mount " Taurus, we find the river Limyra, with *' a city of the fame name. This diftrldt con- " tains feveral towns, of which none are of *' any importance except Patara. The latter " is famous for its temple of Apollc, which " formerly was as much celebrated for its *' riches and the refpecl paid to its oracles, as " that of Delphos. Beyond is the river Xan- " thus, with a city of the fame name CbJ." Both thefe geographers, you perceive. Ma dam, place Patara between the mouths of the Xanthus and Limyra, and in all that fpace, mention no other city with a harbour j it feems highly probable, therefore, that the ruins in queftion are thofe of Patara, fince they are fituated between thefe two rivers, and on a harbour. faj Strabo, lib. xiv. CIJ Pomponius Mela, lib. i. This 32 LETTERS This may be further corroborated from hif tory. Livy gives the following account of an expedition undertaken by the Romans againft Patara: " Caius Livius, arriving at Rhodes, " declared to the citizens the fubjeft of his " miffion. Having obtained their unanimdus " fuffrages in his favour, he added three gallies " with four benches of rowers to his fleet, and " made fail for Patara. At firft a favourable " wind bore them thither with rapidity, and " the Romans hoped the terror infpired by " their fudden appearance would favour " their defign. The wind, however, foon " changed, and the fea became tempefti- *' ous, yet, by dint of rowing, they at length " gained the land ; but as they could find no " fhelter near the city, and the violence of " the ftdrm hindered them from keeping their " ftation before an enemy's port, efpeeially " as night approached, they paffed it and " took refuge in the harbour of Phoenicus, " not quite two thoufand paces (c) diftant " from Patara fij." (c) Two thoufand Roman paces raake about three i^at-\ ters of a league. fd) Liv. lib. xxxvii. cap. i$. The ONGREECE. 33 The harbour of Phoenicus can be no other than Caftel Roffo. : The diftance from that ifland, to the ruins I have been defcribing^ cor- refponds exaftly -with the two thoufand paces affigned by the Roman hiftorian as the dif tance from Patara to Phoenicus. Befides, there are pofitively no other harbours but thefe two in this -whole bay. To which we may add, that Stephen of Byzantium places, on the coaft of Lycia, an ifland called Phcenice, which is, no doubt, the fame with the Phoe nicus of Livy ((?). Thefe authorities united, I imagine, are fuf ficient to remove all doubt. D'Anville, in his map of ancient Afia, does not feem td have been peffeftly acquainted with the fituatipn of Patara, which, he places a little too far to the weft. He has alfo omitted entirely the iflaad of Caftel Roffo, but this was, probably, becaufe it is fo little, as he has laid down this whole coaft on a very fmall fcale. This city was founded by Patarus, fon of (e} Phcenice is a town of Crete; we find alfo an ifland of that name on the coaft of Lycia. Stephanus Byzan- tinus de Urbibus. D Apollo ; 34 LETTERS Apollo (f) ; It is not extraordinary, therefore, that the inhabitants fliould have ere£ted to that ¦god the famous temple, mentioned iy Pom ponius Mela, of which we ftill difcover the fulns. Apollo there delivered oracles fof fix .months in the year, and the other fix at Delos {g). ~~ ¦ ¦ ^if, ,.T...( Permit me. Madam, before I conclude this 'letter, to .lay before you a flight fketch of-an- clent Lycia and its inhabitants, copied from Stribo (/j). Lycia was formerly a fldurifhing republic, confifting of thirty -three, cities, that had all a right to vote in the national aiflfem- blles. The largeft, among which was PatarJt, had three fuffrages ; thofe of^ the:iecond. order ^two,. and the fmalleft one. In. thefe .affem- blies,- the people ele<9:ed their magiftrates, and the Ljfwrc/^, . or chief of Lycia.- d Taxes were - here equitably impofed, and the "public em- -ployments conferred on thofe who would dif charge them honourably. ! t: no ' c •¦ (/) Fatara is a city of Lycia. It received its name from Patarus, fon of Apollo ; Lycia was the name of the daughter of Xanthus. Stephan. Byzant. Hence the epithet Patareus is given to Apollo by'Horacc, lib. iii. Od., 4. (i^) Servius, in iEneid. (/j) Strabo, lib. xiv. The ONGREECE. 35 The wife government' pf the Lycians main tained a rigid morality'; and, notwithftanding the bad; example of their neighbours, they never abaiidoned themfelv-es to piracy, nor permitted , any difhonourable traffic. Victory could not corrupt them,. ' After repeated fuc- cefles, which reader ed them, mafters of the fea from Afia Minor ta Italy, they ftill retained their moderation, and the fimpllcity of thpir .ancient manners. When the Romans, whofe amis nothing could refift, conquered thefe countries, they were fo ffcruqk with the wif dom of this republic, that they left them io . the ¦enjoyment, of 'iheir liberty and laws. The only privilege: of wHich' they deprived them was, the. right of determining ¦ on peace dr war, in their national affemblies, without the confent of Romei ^ What cannot liberty, morals, and a wife government effeft for the happinefs of man kind! Lycia, which formerly poffeffed thefe invaluable advantages, became happy and powerful. Her navy gave laws to the greater part of the Mediterranean. The ruins of Pa tara are a proof of the flourifliing ftate of the arts in that city. Three and thirty cities in a fmall province fufficiently demonftrate its great population. What a difference do we D 2 find 36 LETTERS find at prefent ! Defpottfm,. like a devouring fire, has paffed over this rich country, and its cities are changed into wretched villages ; its inhabitants have ¦ difappeared, arid the earth denies her fruits. The Greeks, who might increafe and multiply, and infure plenty, • by applying themfelves to agriculciire, prefer thefe fcarcely habitable rocks to fubje£tion uiidenthe rapacious tyrants delegated by the Porte to be their governors. Were the rulers of nations but: to attend to thefe great examples which hiftory .prefents ; would they but deign to re- fledt on tha effefts. of a juft and wife govern ment, and labour to eftahlifh it in their ilates, how plowerfiilly, how gloriduHy might they reign, and how might di<;y blefs their fubjefts with feciifity and felicity ! I have the honour to be, &c. LET- ONGREECE. 37 LETTER X. To M. L. M. o From on board. JJR anchor has been weighed. Madam, fince day-break. The wind fettled in the north promifes us a good paffage, at leaft as far as Rhodes. I muft own I quit Caftel Roffo without regret. The ftate of humiliation in which the Greeks live in the Ottoman em pire, and the oppreffions they fuffer, can alone reconcile them to inhabit fuch a barren rock, where not one of the neceffaries of life is to be found ; where the horizon is bounded on every fide by tremendous cliffs, and where they can only view that part of the glorious face of heaven which is direftly over their heads. Yet do thefe unfortunate beings, at tached to their prifon, drag on a miferable life^ without ever thinking to fearch elfewhere for a more agreeable habitation ; fo deeply is the love of his country engraven on the heart of man ! We 38 LETTERS We have opened out the narrow ftraight that feparates the ifland from the continent, and are coafting along the fhore at the dif tance of two leagues. Our captain is de termined not to rifk himfelf a fecond time in the open fea : he likes to fee the land. This voyage would be more amufing, did the coaft prefent us with habitations, forefts, and plea fing landfcapes. But it is entirely defert ; not a fingle village is to be difcovered ; the fun has burnt up the little verdure to be feen in the fpring, and the eye can difcern nothing but piles of rocks, againft which the waves perpetually dafh with a horrid noife. The diftant horizon is terminated by the , fummits of lofty mountains, which, ftripped of their antient pines, appear wholly without orna- mejit. The ffiades, the Lycian groves., for merly the delight of the Patarean Apollo (/), have vanifhed. Be not furprifed at this. Ma dam ; the Turks are continually felling the woods of thefe countries, either for their own (/} Qui Lycis tenet Dumeta, natalemque i'ylvani Delius, & Pataraeus Apollo. Hor. lib. iii. Od. 4. ufe. ONGREECE. 39 ufe, for the profit they can make of them, and never plant a fingle tree. All our canvas is fpread, and the veffel rapidly cleaves the bofom of the waves, which whiten under its prow. We ardently wifh to reach Rhodes to procure fome refrefliments, for our captain, accuftomed to live, like his crew, on cheefe, fait fifh, dried figs, and a fort of bifcult made In Egypt, which Is extremely hard, had only laid in frefli provlfions for ten or twelve days, and we have now been feventeen at fea. The ancient Phcenice could farnilh us with nothing, and we begin to fuffer from famine, as if we were returning from a voyage round the world. We have nothing left but a little water, and black bread as hard as ftone ; but the fight of Rhodes, the mountains of which we difcover, confoles us. If the wind holds, we ffiall anchor there to morrow morning, and find relief from all our preffing neceffities. A new fcene now prefents itfelf to view I an innumerable multitude of fwans and cranes are falHng on the waters, ranged in files, like fol- diers in order of battle. Each of thefe files is upwards of a quarter of a league in length, and we have counted thirty of them, all fwim- ming 40 LETTERS ming in a fimilar diredion. The head of this army terminates in a point, and refembles the prow of a fhip. They all keep their pofts, notwithftanding the motion of the waves, with which they alternately rife and fall ; their plumage, which is of a dazzling white, forms an admirable contraft with the tranf- parent greennefs of the waters. Farther on, we difcern another troop, difpofed in the fame manner : and all have their heads turned towards Africa, to which they fteer in con cert. Thefe birds, at the approach of winter, fly the fnows and ice of the north, to feek a milder climate. They firft arrive at the Black Sea, where they remain for a time, and when the cold begins to increafe too • much there, again take their departure with a northerly wind, traverfe Afia Minor, and reft a while on the fhores of the Mediterranean. They afterward pafs this fea, partly by fwim- mlng, and partly by flying. In this manner they reach the coafts of Africa, and efpeeially Egypt, where the great lakes of Menzala and Burlos furnifh them abundant food. There they remain all the winter ; but the ftorks, which appear to be fond of z. ftill warmer cli- laate. ONGREECE. 41 mate, quit thefe lakes in November, proceed towards the Said, and end their journey at the lake Mioeris, and the canal of Jofeph. They , free the country from innumerable frogs, infefts, and reptiles, which abound in the marfhes. Such is the regular progrefs of thefe birds. But hark ! they are in full cry, their leaders'have given the fignal, and the winged -navigators, rife in the air, and fly altogether, diredihg their courfe toward the fouth. To cleave this element alfo, with more facility,"* they range themfelves in the form of a triangle. the vertex of which is a very acute angle. What wifdom is difplayed in the 'aftions of creatures which to us feem deftitute of reafon ! Fortunate, perhaps, in not poffeffing that li berty fo frequently abufed by man ; they do not counterad the views of nature, and en joy, without alloy, that portion of happinefs affigned them by the Creator. The ifle of Rhodes is now in full view, and prefents a range of hills refembling an amphi theatre, and terminated by a lofty mountain. We are going as near the wind as poffible, and with a crowd of fail, to gain the harbour. But we fhall not reach it before night. Al ready the fun is fetting behind the mountains, which 42 LETTERS- - which hide him from" us, while his radianti beams ftill ftreak the clouds with gold and purple! How vivid are their colours!' Some of them concentering thoufands of his rays, again refledt them, and referable globes of fiipe floating through the air. Others, the lower parts of which are entirely dark^ affume the appearance of duflsy mountains of various forms, and emit, from their luminoiis points, the flafli of the ruby, or the fire of the topaz ; fome opening in the centre, and edged with the brighteft and livelieft colours, exhibit the azure of the fky fet in gold. Others diver- fined with'fattlny ftripes, are flightly bounded with a yellowifh border. Hpw admirable, how magnificent, is this fcene ! What a fubfime idea does it give of Him whp faid. Let there be light, and there was light! Night has thrown her dark veil over this glorious picture, yet the eye remains ftill fixed on the heavens, and the foul ftill feels deeply penetrated with fentlments of admiration and gratitude. How gre^^t are the works of the Creator ! and how feeble the conceptions of man ! 1 have the honour to be, &c. LET- O N G R E- E C E. 43 LET TER XL To M. L. M. W E flattered o^irfelves too foon, Madam, that we ffiould have been able yefterday to enter Rhodes ; but this was to rely too much on the conftancy of the wind, which changed fuddenly in the night, and obliged us to con tinue tacking before the Ifland. We have been very near It, and its groves, delicioufly verdant, feemed to in-vite us to take ffielter In their ffiades. The town, whofe lofty towers we could diftindly difcern, appeared to offer us the provlfions of which we ftood fo much in need, and every thing contributed to heighten our defires ; but, like Tantalus, we were only permitted to gratify our eyes. The wefterly wind, which has fo often proved contrary, has once more deceived our expectations, and after tacking for a whole day and night, our captain, who never ftruggles obftinately againft fortune, has a fecond time fteered for the 44 LETTERS the coiaft of Afia, and taken refuge in the gulph of Macri, in which we have this morn ing eaft anchor. The gulph of Macri, or, as it was formerly called, Glaucus, runs about fix miles into the land, between two very high fhores, which bound it to the eaft and weft. It gradually be comes narrower, and terminates in a beautiful valley, at the entrance of which ftands a fmall village inh9.bited by Greeks. We loft no time in getting affiore, in order to procure refrefh- ments ; but, unfortunately, a Turkifh cara- velle, which lay there at anchor, had car ried off every thing. We have not found fo much as a fingle morfel of bread. They have promifed to bake us fome ; and we hope to breakfaji this evening with a very hearty appetite. In the mean time, I have been to examine the valley, and the remains of antiquity it contains. Whilft I was purfuing the -winding of a rivulet that waters it, known fprmerly by the name of the river Glaucus, I dif covered, on its banks, a very large fig-tree, loaded with fruit. Several wine fhoots, which grew at its root, held it in clofe embrace, and mingled their green branches with its foliage, through ON GREECE. 45 through which might be feen clufters of purple grapes, and .figs begmning. to turn yellow. With what delight my eye dwelt upon this beautifid tree ! and how did I blefs my good fortune, which had conduded me to thii fpot I I inftantly flew tP feize the prize. Hdw excellent a regale are figs and grapes, when for four-and-twenty hours you have had no other fuftenance than a morfel of black bread r as hard as a ftone,i and only brandy to quench your thirft ! Never did I make fo de licious a repaft. The fruits were of an ex- quifitfe flavour ; I thbaght I never c&uld be fatisfied. As foon as my hunger was applied', I recolleded the rill which bathed' the foot of my benefador, and took a moft reviving draught. The pure and limpid water ap peared far preferable to the fineft flavouredT wines. This adventiijre naturally^ led me to refled on the many wretched beings who are periflung with want, whilft others ^re revelling in abundance. Ah ! let thofe who read this feel compaffion when poverty, with down- caft eyes, and pallid coimtenance, ftiall fay to them in a faltering voice, / cm hungry . — for hunger is indeed a moft cruel torture. Telmiffus was built at the foot of a hill, which 46 -L E T T. E R S ^ which; boumds the valley to the eaft (k). • Thfe ancients, who agree in the fituation of thb town, make it- a dependency, according to fome of Caria, and.to others of Lycia ; doubtt lefs, frpm its; being on Ihe boundaries of both thefe provinces;.. .But this queftion may, ' per haps^ be. beft determined by referring' tb the accurate Strabo (^/J. , fi.-hi.-'i.,'''.. i ," Beyoi^d mount Dzedalus, .swJiich is in " Lycia, „ we find, in the fame province the "fmall to^n of i:Telmiffiis, i with a ., pro-. " montory of the fame name, near which i^ 'ti a harbour. vWe next armveat mount Crat " gus, remarkable for its eight fummits.,'} and " which has givefi ibirth to thje fabje of the "Chimera.; At the .foot of this motntain " we perceive a fteep;hill rifing from. the fea^ " ftill known by the name of Chimeral"' This hill, according to Pliny f;7z^, cafls- f^thfi^nies ..nlu ri-,J tsr^- ^ , i(',. -:i'j nodaring " ^l) ThelmeJTus is atowA'of Caria. Cicero de Divina-* tioTie, lib. 1. Stephen of -Byzkntium, de Urbibus, fays,L.Tel- raiffus" is a fo-wn of Caria j but Philo and Straba place it in Lycia. rIn faft^^it is near Mount Dedalus, and is on the boundaries of each of tliof/ province's, rhelmiffus termi nates .Lycia on- the weft. Pbfflponius-Melai. r- ¦ :;; "¦ ; f -I^T - I (1) Strabo, lib. xiv. .,,,^ (m) Mons Chimasra noiSibus flagrans. Plin. lib.- v. cap. 27. Mount '.}.. -'i ON GREECE. 47 during the night ; and' hence the origin of the iable. , , , 1 Telmiffus was tuot a very confiderable town. Strabo, doies not i;eckon it among thofe which had the right of. giving three fufi'rages in the natlpnal affemblies. But it was renowned for is fopthfayets. Here, fays Cicero, the fcience of augury efpeeially flourlffied (n). Its port Is ffielteiied. from every wind, being defended .^o the weft by mount Daedalus, to the e^ft by the promontory of -Telmiffus, to the rtorth by Mgh hills, which form the; bafi^s of mount Cragus, and to the. fouth by fmall iflands, which, lying acrofs the gulph, break the vio lence of the waves. Even at prefent, veffels which meet with ftorms may anchor there w5ith- fafety. r;)This advantage, the moft im portant, of any for maritime towns, rendered commerce and the arts flourlffiing at Telmiffus, as is fdfficiently proved by the beautiful theatre ws ftHH" admire. Jt is built, fronting the, har- bdur,. within the hill, which overtops it on the eaft ; 'Xi. is of a femi-circular form, and has Mouiit Chimeraj fitnate'd in Lycia, throws out flames during the night.- '¦¦'-' (n) Cicero de-pivinatione, lib. i. twentv- 48 LETTERS twenty-four rows of feats. You enter the arena by three gates, of very fimple archi- tedure. The right fide of it, which is built againft the hill, is thrown do^n, and the feats, difplaced, are piled up without order ; but the reft is in tolerable prefervation. This theatre is much lefs than that of Patara, is neither fo large nor fo magnificent, nor has it been fo well able to refift the ravages of time. We cannot doubt but thefe edifices^ were pro portioned to the extent arid power of the cities by which they were built. I few the name of Monfieur de Choifeul Gouffier in- fcribed on the ftones of the theatre of Tel miffus, which he had caufed to be aigraved with care. At a little diftance, proceeding round the fame hill toward the north, we meet with a great number of tdmbs hewn out of the rock. They are in the fame ftyle with thofe of Patara, but not fo magnificent. The moft remarkable have a periftile, fupported by columns in front. But the thirft of gold has not fpared thefe any more than the others ; they have almoft all been violated. The ftones which clofed them, and the bodies they contained, have been carried away, a great number ONGREECE. 49 number of them are only fimple Sarcophagi cut in the ftone. Beyond, we find the ruins of a caftle, which ferved perhaps as a citadel to Telmiffus (0) ; nothing more is left of this ancient town. Mofs and briars almoft en- tirely cover its maufolea. I remarked in the environs young plane trees, and tufts of myr tle, which fomewhat confoled me for the fad fcene I had before my eyes. Fatigued by climbing up rocks- during a great part of the day, and fcorched by the heat of the fnn, I returned to the banks of the charming rivulet, and the foot of my be loved fig-tree. I there found a refrelhing fhade, delicious fruits, and the comlprts of repofe. Nothing difturbs the tranquillity of this delightful fpot. No noife of carriages, no tumult, not even the found of a human voice. 'Every thing here is peaceful and filent. Scarcely does the zephyr agitate the foliage, or bend the fragile reed. High mountains feem to feparate this afylum of peace and filence from the reft of the world. (0) The reader may fee ihefe ancient monuments deli neated, -with great minutenefs and accuracy, in the Voyage Piilorefqve de la Grece of Monfieur de Choifeul GDnSier. K The" 50 LETTERS The fun continues to enlighten this beauti ful valley as in the ages of antiquity. Still is it warmed with the creative beams of that glorious luminary, and the prolific earth ftill produces In abundance vigorous plants, tufted thickets, and herbage maintained in conftant verdure by refrelhing ftreams. But the hand of man is wanting to aid the wild efforts of nature. Thorns fpring up inftead of ufeful |rees, and rufhes now cover large trads of land, which formerly were prpdudive of golden harvefts. Were art to beftow ever fo little cultivation on thefe fields, they would foon be adorned with groves of myrtle, oranges and pomegranates, and all the treafures of Ceres and Pomona. The Greeks, who inhabit this valley, leave it entirely wafte ; not a cultivated acre is to be found. DIfpIrlted and dejeded as they are, what could they undertake ? Should they fow, or plant, they would be deemed rich, and the Aga would come to feize on their property. The cultivator bedews the earth with his fweat only to reap the fruits of his labour. Deprive him of that hope, he labours no more ; and this is the ftate of the Greeks under the Ottoman empire. Such ONGREECE. 51 Such were my reflexions while feated near the ruins of Telmiffus, as my eye wandered over the various objeds which prefented them felves to my view, when the coolnefs of the evening, and the approaching darknefs appri- fed me that it was time to quit this agreeable retreat. I bade adieu to the ftream which had quenched my thirft, to the fig-tree which had refrefhed me, and haftened, once more, on board, to join my companions, who feared me loft. I have the honour to be, &c. E a .LET- 52 LETTERS LETTER -mL .To M. L. M; F Rhodes. ORTUNEj Madam, has perfec^ted u& to the laft. We were on the point of en tering the harbour of Rhodes, when a violent gale of wind drove the veffel out to fea, and it was with the utmoft diflSculty we regained the land. At length we have eaft anchor in a fmall bay, a league to the fouthward of the town CpJ. Immediately after my landing I went to vifit M. Potonier, the French con ful, who received me very politely, and ac commodated me with apartments in his houfe* From thence, that is, from Neocorio {qJ I (p) This bay, which feems, to have been taken from the coaft, is, prcbably the harbour which Demetrius dug during the fiege of Rhodes, to Ihelter his fhips from ftorms, and the attacks of the enemy. It lies to the fouthward of the town, precifely at the diftanqe affigned by Diodonis Sicu- lus, f'y/ A village near Rhodes, -where the French conful refidcs. fliall ONGREECE. 53 {hill write to you, and give a defcription of an cient Rhodes, the moft eaftern and moft beau tiful of the Cyclades. I fliall afterward lay be fore you a ¦view of its prefent ftate, that you may be able to compare what it is with what, it was, and form a juft idea of the ifland. Permit me then. Madam, to go back into an tiquity, and briefly prefent to you the princi pal outHne of its hiftory. Thofe remote pe riods, in which imitative man engraved iriiages and fymbols, to prefetve the memory of events, are the reign of fable ; but remember that truth is almoft always concealed under the veil of allegory. Several ancient authors affert that Rhodes was formerly covered by the fea, and that It raifed its humid head above the waters, and be came an ifland ; but they do not fix the time of this event, which is loft in the obfcurity of ages ; tradition, however, has preferved the memory of the fad, and the graveft writers of antiquity have admitted it as certain. Delos and Rhodes, fays Pliny CrJ, thofe celebrated iflands. (rj Pliny, lib, ii. c. 87. This author mentions fererai other iflands in the Mediterranean as having had the fame origin. Such as Anaphe and Nea, between Lemnos 'iind 54 LETTERS iflands, arofe out of the fea. So many other authprities atteft the fame fad, that it cannot reafoi^ly be doubted. Philo CO attributes this event to the diminution of the waters pf the fea ; and were this opinion well founded, mofl of the iflands of the Archipelago, being lower than Rhodes, niuft have had the fame origin. But we find nothing like this in hif tory. "It is much more natural to imagine that volcanic fires, fuch as, in the fourth year pf the hundred and thirty-fifth olympia4, threw up from the abyffes of the ocean Therafia and Thera, the modern Santorin, and which, even in our time, have raifed and the Hellefpont, and in the 4th year of the 1 35th olyni-; piad, Therafia^ and Thera, now called Santorin. Pindar, Oly. Ode vii. Ancient Annals atteft, that at the time when Jupiter arid the immortals divided the earth, Rhodes had not yet appeared in the midft of the fea, but was ftill concealed in the profound abyffes of the ocean. Ariftides In Rliodiaca, Ammianus, lib. xvii. fay likewife, that Rhodes was formerly covered by the waters of the fea. (j) Philo, de Mundo. The fea, fays this writer, has cer^ tainly diminilhed, as is proved by Rhodes and Delos, for they were formerly covered with the waters of the fea. After many ages, the waters having gradually funk, thefe two celebrated iflands arofe above their furface. above ONGREECE. 55 above the waters feveral little iflands near them, gave birth, In the remote ages of anti- qiiity, to Rhodes and Delos (t). The firft inhabitants of the ifland were the Telchines, called in fable Children of the Sea (m). Strabo (x) fays they came from Crete, and that they were believed to be magicians, on account of their exterifive knowledge. They were the firft who taught the ufe of iron and brafs, and made a fcythe for Sa turn. Helius, or the fun, enamoured with a nymph called Rhodes, gave the name of his miftrefs fo this ifland Cy). His children, named Heliades, fucceeded ¦ (/) Strabo, lib. i. An ifland having fuddenly arlfen bc- t\vean Thera and Therafia, the Rhodians, who then pof feffed the empire of the fea, had the courage to approach it with their fhips, and eredled on it a temple to Jupiter Afjjhalius. (u) Diodonis iSiculus, lib. v. («) Strabo, lib. xiv, (y) This allegory, fays Diodorus, fignifies, that the ifland being wet and marfhy, the heat of the fun evaporated the waters, and rendered the foil extremely fertile. This feems to corroborate alfo the opinion of the ancients on the origin of this rfland. For, fince Rhodes arofe out of the water, the 56 LETTERS fucceeded to the Telchines. Verfed in aftro- nomy, they divided the year into feafons, and invented the fcience of navigation. One of them, named Cercaphus, having married Cydippe, had by her three fons, Lindus, Ja^ lifus, and Camirus. At the death of their fa ther, they divided the empire, and each of them built a city bearing his own name (z). (a) About this time, Danaus flying from Egypt with his daughters, arrived at Lindug. Being favourably received by the inhabitants, he there built a temple to Minerva,, in which he confecrated the ftatue of that goddefs. Three of his daughters died in the ifland, and the reft followed him to Argos. (h) After the departure of Danaus, Cadmus, the fon of Agenor, feeking Europa, by order the earth muft fbr a long time h&ve been -wet and mSiihy. Tiie beaeficent luminary, which dried and rendertd it fer tile, received the adoration of the inhabitants. (z) Strabo, lib. xiv. Diodorus Sicnlus, fib. v. Orfiers fay thefe cities' were built by Tlepolemus, fon of Her- 'cules. Who gave them the names of the three dauohters of Danaus, who died i« the ifland. Others again, that they were founded by Althemenus, the grandfon of Her cules. {a) -Diodorus Siculus, lib. v. (i)Ibid. of ON GREECE. 57 of his father, met yulth a violent tempeft, dur ing whidi he yo-wed, if he efcaped death, to build a temple to Neptune. Having landed at Lindus, he performed his vow, and left priefts to oflieiate in the .temple. He made an pffering to the Lindian lyiinerva of a golden bafpn with an infcription in Phoenician cha- raders. Athen^us reprefents his landing here as a military expedition ; he fays, that: Cad mus took poffeflioij pf part of the iflan^, expelled the Heliades, and fettled the Phoe nicians there in their ftead. (i) At length the ifland was pver-run with ferp^ents,, and thence rec€ived the nam.e o^ Qphiyfif. Spme of thefe were of a mpnftrous fize, and idevoured many of the inhabitants. The, oracle of Delos being confulted, declared th^y muft fend for Phprbas, then in ThefTaly at the head of a body of troops. He accepted the invitation of the Rhodians, deftrpyed the moJifters that ravaged the ifland,^ and fetitil,ed tliere. After his death, heroic honours were decreed him for his important fervices. Conon afferts that he dt-ove the- Phoenicians from Rhodes. ^ [c) Dioflorus Sictilus, lib. v. A fliort 58 LETTERS CdJ A fliort time before the Trojan war, Tlepolemus, fon of Hercules, landed with his companions in the ifle of Rhodes. Meet ing with a favourable reception, he fettled there, and, becoming king of the ifland, di vided the lands among the inhabitants, and inftituted equitable lawsl On his departure for the Trojan war, he left the government "to Butes, one of his companions ; he greatly diftingulfhed himfelf at that iriemorable fiege, and died in Troas. The Rhodians, even in thofe early ages, had a confiderable navy. . The ifland furnithed them with timber for fhip building, and their fituation invited them to partake of the ad vantages of commerce (i). They made voyages into Spain, founded Parthenope, now called Naples, in Campania, and after the fiege of Troy built Majorca and' Mi norca. ' The iflaiad was divided between the inhabitants of Lindus, Jalyfus, and Camirus (fj. -(^,j Diodorus Siculus,,]i^. V, . , (c) Strabo, lib xiv. (f) Homer names thefe towns in one line, " AAoov ImhvTd-iiv n )^ «§y(>»s»7« Kawsigoir." — II ii. ^' Lindus, Jalyfus, and Camirus, white!.— Pope. This ONGREECE, 59 This is what Hpmer gives us ^to underftand, when he fays, fpcaking of the Rhodians, ." They haye three cities, three tribes ; Ju- ^' piter, who governs the, immortals, and *' loves mankind, has heaped on them abui}- ^'.d^nt wealth," ._r._ I have paffed rapidly over feyera,l ages, and omitting a number of mythplogical ftories, haften to the peripd when the Rhodians, united by a commpn intereft, formed only one na tional body, and founded the city pf Rhodes, fo called from the name of the ifland. This important event tpok place during the Pelo ponnefian war CgJ. " It is known to almoft '.'all pf you," fays Arjftides, " that before " the naval expedition of Lyfander, the La- " cedemonian, the city you now inhabit was ?' not built. The ifland was called Rhodes, " but the city of that name did not exift. " The Rhodians dwelt in the three towns f mentioned by Homer." (h) Rhodes had for its archited, HIppo- damus, of Miletus, who built the fuperb -walls CgJ Ariftides, in Rhodiaca. (A) The prefent city of Rhodes was built during the Peloponnefian war, by tiie archited who built the walls of the Pirxus. , Strabo, lib. xiv. of 6o LETTERS of the Pirsbus, deftroyed foon after by the Lacedemonians (/). ' The- people of Lindus, Jaljtfus, and Cami rus, united in one republic, were now all cdlleded within this city, which was about three leagues in cir««mference (Jt), and ca pable of containing a prodigious number of inhabitants. It wds fituated at the point of a promontory, that 'ftretches toward the eaft, on the fame fpot where the modern town ftands. The ground having a declivity, the archited adapted his plan to the fituation, and laid out the ftreets fo artificially, as to con vert this defed into a beauty. (/) " Rhodes," fays Diodorus, " refembled an amphitheatre ; " its numerous veffels, its to"wers, and fol- " diers, gave a high idea of its wealth and " power." Strabo, who had travelled through feveral countries, and had feen' Rome, Alex andria, Memphis, and the moft celebrated (i) Lindus, Jalyfus, and Cantirus, were at firft fepa rate republics^ but the inhabitants afterwards united under one government in Rhodes. Ibid. (k) According to Strabo, it was eighty ftadia, or about three leagues in circumference. (I) Diodorus Siculus, lib. xx. cities ONGREECE. 6i cities of Afia, prefers Rhodes to any of them./ (;«) " The beauty," fays he, " of its harbours, " ftreets, and walls, and the magnificence of " its monuments, render it fo much fuperior " to all other cities, as to admit of no com- '* parifon." Ariftides («) bas defcribed it more circum- ftantially,. and the account he has left us of it is calculated to excite our aftonifhment and admiration. " Within the walls of Rhodes,. " we never faw a fmall houfe by the fide of a " large, one. All were of the fame height, and '* the fame order of architedure, fo that the " whole city feemed but one fingle edifice. " Wide ftreets croffed it from fide to fide, and " thefe were fd -well difpofed, that from what- " ever part it was viewed the profped was " truly mc^nificent. The walls and towers, of " a wonderful • extent, height, and beauty, " above all excited our wonder. The lofty " fummits of the latter ferved as a Pharos to " maoriners. Such, indeed, was, the mag-. "^ nifeen<;e of Rhodes, that, without having feen it, the imagination cannot poffibly (m) Strabo, lib. xiv. (n) Ariftides, in Rbodiaca. " form t( 61 LETTERS " form ariv c'-ic^rt/on of its grandeur. All "the parr: .^i. this immenfe town, mutually " conneded with each other,- and moft beau- " tifully {Woportioned, formed a perfed whole, " of which the walls wefe the defence and *' ornament. Rhodes was the only city of " which it might be faid, it was fortified like " a place of war, and decorated like a " palace." To this defcription We muft add, ¦ fuperb temples, -whofe porticos were enriched with paintings of the firft mafters, a multitude of Coloffufes, and ftatues of aftonifhing Work manfhip, a magnificent theatre, extenfive arfe- nals, and fleets arriving from every part of the world to pay the tribute due to the arts from wealth : We muft likewife recoiled, it was inhabited by a free, brave, learned, and for tunate people, and we fhall be enabled to form fome idea of this moft beautiful city of the world; I cannot deny myfelf the pleafure. Madam, of defcribing to you one or two of thofe wonders of art which rendered it fo celebrated. Pliriy, after enumerating the moft famous Coloffal ftatues, adds : (o) " But none of thefe are to (o) Pliny, lib. xxxiv. «. 7. "be ONGREECE. 63 " be compared to that which the Rhodians " dedicated to the fun. This Coloffus was " the work of Chares, of Lindus (p), a pupil " of Lyfippus Of). It was feventy cubits high " (about one hundred and five feet), (r) and " was thrown down by an earthquake fifty-fix " years after it was firft ereded (j). In this " ftate, . its appearance is ftill aftonifhing. " Few men are able to embrace its thumb ; "¦ and its fingers are larger than entire ftatues " ufually are ; where it has been broken, " we may difcover, withinfide, deep cavities " filled with enormous ftones, which the " artift had introduced to render it firm on " its bafe. It is faid to have been the labour " of twelve years, and that it coft three (p) One of the towns of the ifle of Rhodes. [q) This Lyfippus, a celebrated ftatuary, had call a Coloffus, forty cubits high, at Tarentum. (r) Simonides, in the Anthologia, makes it eighty kubits ; but Strabo, lib. xiv. Ifidore Orig. lib. xiv. cap. 6. and Feftus, all agree with Pliny, and fay its height was only feventy cubits. {s) Polybius, lib. v. Orofius, lib- iv. Paulus Dia- conus Hift. Mifc. all agree in faying, that at this time tlie ifland of Rhodes, and the country of Caria, were agi tated by a violent earthquake, that caufed great devafta- tion, and threw down the famous Coloffus. '^ hundred 64 LETTERS " huiidfed talehts, a fiii^ whith the Rho- " diaris had gained by the fale of the warlike " machines left by Demetrius before their " walls, when he raifed the fiegei This city " contains a hundred other Coloffal ftatues, "lefs, indeedj than this, but each df them " fuperb enough to render illuftrious any *' place where they might be eredidk To " thefe are to be added, five, gigantic ftatues ** of the ^ods, the invaluable works of Bry- axis." (ty Some moderri hiftorians, wifhing to add fomething of the marvellous to the ac count of the Coloflrus, have pretended the feet refted on two rocks, at the entrance of the harbour, and that veffels paffed, with all their fails fet, between its legs. This fable deferves no regard, fince it is contradided by the filence of antiquity, which certainly would not have negleded to record fo remarkable a fadi On the contrary, the hiftorians whq mention the fall of the Coloffus, as Well as thofe who faw it, teftify, that it was lying on the ground (m)j but had it been placed at the (/) Rollin. Hiftoire Ancienne. (w) Strabo, lib. xiv. The Coloffus of Rhodes, over thrown ONGREECE. 65 the entrance of the harbour, it muft have fallen into the fea, which circumftance they certainly would not have omitted («). It was ftill in its fallen ftate in the days of Pliny ; as it likewife was as late as the twelfth year of the emperor Conftans, when Moawiah, gene ral of the Caliph Othman, taking Rhodes, deftroyed this ftatue, which had well de ferved to be enumerated among the feven wonders of the world (y). He fold it to a Jew, who conveyed its fragments to Emefa, on nine hundred camels (z), nine hundred and thirty-two years after it was firft ereded. The arts feemed to vie with each other, to contribute to the embellifhment of Rhodes. -Painting there difputed the palm with fculp- thrown by a -violent eanhquake, and at prefent lying on the ground, has its knees broken. The Rhodians are forbidden, by an oracle, frora raifing it up. This Co loffal ftatue, the moft beautiful ever confecrated to the Gods by man, is placed among the feven wonders of the world. (.v) Paulus Diaconus, Hift. Mifc. (y) Conftantine Porphyrogenetus fays, it was fold t» a Jew of Edeffa, and increafes prodigioufly the num ber of camels, which carried off its fragments, making them amount to thirty thoufand. (2) Murtius, Differtation on the Ifle of Rhodes, F ture. 66 LETTERS ture. The temples contained a multitude of ad mirable works, among which, fays Strabo (a), " two pidures of Protogenes were par- " ticularly admired, the one reprefenting " lalyfus, and the other a Satyr, ftanding " upon a column, with a partridge at his " feet. The latter pidure being expofed to " public view, the bird attraded univerfal " admiration, fo that the Satyr, in the " finifhing of which the artift had employ- " ed his utmoft attention and abilities, was " almoft entirely difregarded. The wonder " and applaufe of the fpedators was ftill " more ihcreafed, when, on bringing tame " partridges before the pidufe, they begari *' to call, as foon as they perceived the " painted bird, to the great delight of the " multitude (b'). Protogenes was fo morti- " fied at the preference given to what was " intended merely as an ornament, that he " requefted permiffion from the prefed of the " temple to efface the partridge, and adually " did efface it." (a) Strabo, lib. xiv. . {h) Protogenes was of Canna, a city of Caria, fubje " pafs the, exquifite pleafure I have experi-^. " enced, from time iro time, while -walking " under the porticos of the temple, and con- " templating the admirable paintings which " adorn that noble edifice- My fatisfadion " W'as the greater, as I was well acquainted " with the fubjeds, and recalled to memory " the poetical ftories of the Gods and He- -' roes that are there fo admirably reprefent- " ed.*' , ('xJ Aiiftides, in Rhodi.ica. fhj Lucian, in Amorilnis. The ONGREECE. 71 The fciences and literature ever go hand in hand with the fine arts, of which they are the Inftrudors and the gviides. For the cultivation of thefe alfo were the Rhodians diflinguiftied. Their fchopjs attained fo high a degree of celebrity, that they were reforted to by fome of the grgateft men of Rome ; among whom were Cato (/), Marcus Brutus (k), Cicero (/), Caffjus (»0> Casfar (n), and Pompey (0). Thefe men, born to command, did not con fine themfelves to a few frivoloiis acquifitlons ; they all learnt Greek, then the univerfal language, and ftudied with attention the prin- ciples of legifl.atlon, and the laws of various nations. Above all, they endeavoured to per- (1) Aurelius Vlftor, 'Vit. 'Viror. Illuftr. (/^) Cicero, in Bruto. (/) Appian, de Bello Civili, lib. iv. (nz) CofEus made a voyage to Rhodes, where he was in- ftruiSted in the fine arts, and the beauties and niceties of the Greek language; (n) Plutarch, in 'Vita Cxfaris : He failed for Rhodes, there to ftudy eloquence under ApoUonius Milo, whofe difciple Cicero had been. (0) Plutarch, in 'Vita Pompeii : He repaired to Rhodes, and ftudied eloquence there, under the Sophifts, paying to each a talent. fed 72 LETTERS fed themfelves under the Greek rhetoricians in the art df public fpeaking. Deftined as they were to difcourfe before an enlightened: people, concerning the moft important in terefts of the whole world, eloquence was neceffary to govern the minds of men, and enforce perfuafion by lively images, or co gent reafoning. Oratory was, at that time, as indifpenfable to a Roman as courage or mili tary abilities. To what muft we attribute this^ flourifh- ing ftate of the Rhodian repubHc? To the fertility of the foil, the beauty of the climate, or the excellent fituation of the ifland ? Thefe advantages, no doubt, contributed to, but were not the efficient caufe of, the we^th of the Rhodians, which was owing to the goodnefs of their laws, and the wifdom of their government, the only folid founda tions of the glory of empires. " We cannot " too much admire," fays Strabo (/>), " the '' care with which the Rhodians preferve " their excellent code of laws (^), and the " wifdom ... - * (/) Strabo, lib. xiv. (y) The Roman Emperors adopted the naval code of the Rhodians. Volufius Maximus, de Lege Rhodiaca has ONGREECE. 73 •* wifdom confpicuous in the whole confti- "tution of their republic, and efpeeially, in '* the management of their navy. 'This has " long preferved; them the empire of the " fea, which they have freed from pirates, " and'fecured to thera the friendlhip of the " Romans," In. alliance with numerous other powers, they artfully accommodated themfel-a&s) to their various interefts, without taking' part -in their private quarrels. This fage "peliey procured them a long peace, and rendered their commerce fo flourlfhing, that it extended over the whole Mediterranean. Rhodes was the emporium of every trading nation. " The mariner who touched there," feys- Ariftides (r), " beheld, with aftonifh- ^ ment, ^fet^eral harbours, formed by art, " of piers of ftone, which advanced far has preferved us the following declaration of the Emperor Antoninus ; " I, the mafter of the world : Let every thing *' rel-ative to naval affairs be determined by the maritime *" code of the Rhodians, as often as that fhall not direiSly " eontradift our laws." M. Paftoret, in an excellent differtation, which obtained the prize, of the academy of infcriptions, has demonftrated the influence of thefe laws on t'ne marine ofthe Romans. fr) Ariftides, in Rhodiaca. " into 74 LETTERS '.' into the fea. .One of thefe received the* " veffels from Ionia; another, thofe .from " Caria. Here a mole offered ftielter to thfe '-' fleets of Egypt, Cyprus and Phoenicia, as if " exprefsly formed for each refpedive city. *' Near to thefe ports, arfenals reared theit^ " lofty heads, and aftoniflied the beholder " with their magriifiqeiice." . The forefts of Mount Atabyris (s% which ^ere carefully preferved, furnifhed the Rho dians with excellent , fhip timber. Their vef fels were the beft failers in the world, and their marinfers the moft expert in. navigation. This "gave -occafion to the following appfj tirop^e from Ariftides-.-(^) ; " Oh, ye Rho- " dians ! if ever the tempeft warns you tQ " think of your fafety ; if ever you have to " ftruggle againft the fury of the waves, re- " colled the expreflion of one of your mari- " ners, ~ when his veffel was labouring in *' a ftorm : He faw the abyfs opening to " receive him ; when raifing his voice, he " exclaimed. Oh, Neptune ! know that I (i) Atabyris, the higheft mountain in the ille of Rhodes, produces excelljnt.pine trees. [t) ArifliJcs, in Rhodiaca. " will ON GREECE. 75 *' wiH- not abandon the helm, and that if I " milft be fwallowed up, I will fteer my fhip '* to the vety. depth of thy empire!" Such, Madam, were the fources of the power g^nd- glory of the Rhodians, , ; Alexajidgr (u), .yvho lyegarded: their city as the firft in the univerfe, chofe there to deppfit his laft will. The Rhodians were worthy to inhabit this city._;:TheiF .morals .were mild and amiable-, and their manners polifhed, without afteda- tion (y). When they appeared in public, they were remarkg.ble for thp gravity of their, de- portinent. . They were not feen loitering In the ftreef^ ; but ferioufly reproved foreigners ¦whoih' theyr [faw ftrolling about in incpnfide- rate . idleJiefs; .'"At the theatre, wl^en. a piece defervjed a^tplaufe^ all the fpedatprs kept a profound, filence. This they deemed the befl homage they could pay to merit. At., their fables, civility ai^d urbanity -^prefided ; and all excefs Was banifljed,. They , coiiverfed in a free ;and friendly manner with , their guefts, and never mortified them, by affuming the fuperiority of a mafter. " Thefe are the (a) Diodorus Siculus, lib. xx. (ij Dion. Chryfoftom, Orat. 32. '-'• virtues," 76 L E T T E^ R S " virtues," fays Ariftides' (w), " which render " your city fo renowned. ' Thefe raife yoii' " above every other nation, and attrad the love " and admiration of every people. Your an-! " cient,' and truly Grecian manners, render '' you far more illuftrious than your ports, " your walls, or your arfenals i" ¦ Such a people could not but be humane. As for%yfdf, I doubt whether men poffefs ar^ right- to piit other men to death, even whert' guilty of great crimes; The Rhodians, how-' ever, it is certain, fpared their fellow-citizens' the horror of thofe bloody tragedies, whicir diflionour our citiesi Far from-; preparing fcaffolds in public places ; far ffom hiring defpicable mercenaries to publilh in the ftreets fent ences which i condemn unhappy wretches to the flames,- or the wheel ; the law prohibited any executioner from entering Rhodes (»). Even the fentence of death was pronounced without the gat^es of the city Q). And they would have confidered it as an impiety, to ftairi their ftreets' with hiima'n blood. t (to) Ariftides, in Rhodiaca. (x) Dion. Chryfoftom. {y) Ariftides, in Rhodiaca. The ONGREECE. 77 The ancient writers, never thelefs, reproach the Rhodians with the vices infeparable from great wealth : luxury, and voluptuoufnefs. " They build," fays Straton,icu8, " as if they " were immortal, and ferve their tables with " as much profufion, as if they had but a " few days to Hve." The veffels they made ufe of in their repafts, were of an exquifite invention (z), and greatly renowned for the pleafure they gave in drinking. In their com- pofition they employed myrrh, the flower of an odoriferous reed, faffron, balm, amoma, and cinnamon, baked together. Anacreon, reciting the number of his miftreffes, fays, " For Rhojdes, write "down two thoufand." And we find, the ancients called it the city of gallantry (a). The government of Rhodes was alwa,ys republican. At firft, > the fupreme authorit) was lodged with the people, The nobles, after wards, got poffeflion of it ; and formedv an ariftocracy (b). But they did not abufe their power. Humanity led them to fuccour their (z) Athenasus, lib. vii, {a) Athenasus, lib. viii. ib) Ariftot. Politic. Kb, v. fellow- 78 LETTERS fellow-citizens; and true policy taught them, that the lower claffes of fociety are of the moft real importance ; becaufe, without them, a ftate cannot even fubfift. They took care, therefore, to prevent the wretchednefs which is fo deftrudive to population (r), and created magiftrates, whofe fole employment it -was, to prevent or relieve, the neceflities of the poor ; to provide them with wholefome food, and employ them in the public works. This ex cellent regulation fecured tranquillity to the republic, which never experienced thofe vio lent and repeated convulfions, that, at length, overthrew thofe of Athens and R.ome. It, indeed, fuffered from fome tranfient ftorms. Alcibiades, at the head of a numerous fleet rendered them fubjed to the Athenians; but the republic, entering into an alliance -with the inhabitants of Byzantium and Chio, fhook off that yoke {d). Maufoleus made himfelf mafter of Rhodes, by ftratagem, and eftabliflied a tyranny. Artemifia, his queen, making ufe of a like artifice, cut off fome of the principal (f) Strabo, lib. xiv. (d) Libanius, de Rhodiorum Libertate, In- ONGREECE. 79 inhabitants. But the Rhodians expelled their tyrants, and recovered their liberty. The Rhodians were peaceably enjoying the fruits of the wifdom of their government, when Antigonus (e), irritated at not having been able to detach them from the alliance of Ptolemy, king of Egypt, declared war againft them. He made immenfe preparations, and fent his fon, Demetrius, to fubdue the ifland. That prince, excellently fkilled in the art of taking towns, befieged Rhodes by fea and land. To reduce it, he invented new ma chines. He advanced, to the foot of the walls, a moving citadel of wood plated with iron. This edifice, called the Helepolis, was of a prodigious fize ; had nine ftories, and might be moved every way. Catapultas were employed againft the walls, which threw prodigious ftones and beams of an immenfe fize, headed with iron, while battering-rams, two hundred feet in length, and worked by a thoufand men at once, were fhaking them with repeated ftrokes. A multitude of archers, placed on the top of the moving tower, fhowered down their ar- (e) Diodorus Siculus, lib. xx. defcribe*-. this fiege at length. rowa 8o LETTERS rows on the befieged. Thirty thoufand fdU diers were employed to put the helepolis in motion ; and fight under Its fhelter. The ftrongeft tower of Rhodes, and great part of the wall, were thrown down ; but the courage of a free people triumphed over the .fleets of Demetrius, the numerous army he had in his pay, and all the military talents this great captain difplayed, during a whole year, in his various attacks. At the moment when the befieged were moft brifkly preffed, fome of the fenators propofed to throw down the ftatues ereded in honour of Antigonus and Demetrius, in happier times : but the people rejeded this mean counfel, and treated it as criminal. The generofity of the Rhodians, toward their enemy, did them honour in the eyes of all Greece ; and hiftory has preferved^ and long will preferve, the memor)' of fo glorious an adion (f). (/) Ptolemy rendered them great fervices during this wtir, by fending them troops, and fhips, laden with corn. They, in gratitude, fent to Confult the oracle of Arrimon ; and, orS its anfwer, confecrated, within their walls, a magnificent monument; to which they gave the name of Ptolemy : It was » large fquare, with a portico on each fide, a ftadium (li.-c hundred feet) in length. Diodorus Siculus, lib. xx. Mithri- ONGREECE. 8i Mithridates (^), who fo long withftood the fortune of the Romans, and conquered Greece, and the Iflands of the Archipelago, failed in his attempts on Rhodes (/6). Caius Cafllus took it, during the civil war, and defpoiled it of a part- of its treafures. Neverthelefs, the republic again glorioufly reared her head, and the fervices rendered the Romans by the Rhodians, procured them both their liberty and new towns in Caria. In fine, ever ob- fervant of their laws, and careful to main tain the commerce to which they owed their power, they remained independent till the reign of Vefpafian (/), who firft reduced their ifland to a Roman province. Since that time, Rhodes has been only one of the fineft ifles of the Archipelago. The power and riches of the Inhabitants have difappeared. It feems as if their genius be came extind wit;h their liberty, that facred fire, which had caufed them to produce fo many wonders. Literature, the fciences, (g) Aurelius ViiSor, de Viris Illuftribus. (h) Diodorus Siculus, 1. xx. (i) Suetonius, in Vita Vefpafian. cap. 8. G and 82 LETTERS and 'arts, loft with their freeddrii', have ndVer more revived. Under Conftantltie this iBafid remained a part of the Eaftetn empire, wh^ch i^'zs greatly weakened by Its divifion. The 'pufillaninlity and vices bf the princes wh'6 fttcc'eeded, fh'odk it to its very foundation. The Ai-abs, led on by the enthufiafrii which Mahornet had hlfpifed, invading and giving battle in 'the harrle ofthe Almighty, conquered the fineft provihtes bf tlie empire; and in thfe twelfth' year of the reign df Conftans '(^), MdWiah, Othraan's lieutenant, made himfelf liisifter pf Rhod"es. The Greek' ' emperors-, however, at length expelled the infidels, and kept poffeffion till the time of Bald-win ; who, becoming fbvereigft of 'Conftantiiidple, Tent a prefe(?l to Rhodes (/). Sorne time after, John Duc^s cbnquered it. Tne brave -warriors, then kriown by the name of the Knights of St. John, led on b-y their grand mafter, Foulques de Vlllaf-et, attacked and tdok it, after a bloody battle, in which heroifm triumphed over numbers and va- (i) Zonoras, Annal. 3. {/) Nicephorus Gregorias, lib. ii. lour. ONGREECE. 83 lour (rn). Mahomet the fecond, who made the Chriftk-n world tremble, and feemed to have enchained vidory to his car, tarriifhed the luftre of his laurels, by befieging this place, defended by a handful of heroes. In 1552, Soliman faw a numerous army perifh under its walls ; and if this redoubtable conqueror of Hungary and Perfia did at length fubdue Rhodes, attacked, as it was, on all fides by the forces ofthe Turks, the greater was the fhame for the Chriftian princes, who did not fend a fingle veffel to the aid of its Intrepid defenders. Deftroyed,. rather than vanqulflied, they were almoft all buried under the ruins of their forts. Soliman could not enter the town, but through torrents of the blood of his foldiers. He found it nothing but heaps of ruins, defended by a fmall number of knights, covered with wounds, at the head of whom appeared the famous Villiers de ITfle Adam, a brave old man, who united to the coolnefs of age, the intrepidity of a hero, and the greatnefs of foul of a philofopher. I have, now, given you a fummary of the hiftory of Rhodes, from the earlleft anti- (jn) Paulus Langius, in Chronico Citizenfi. G 2 quity. 84 LETTERS quity, to the period in which it fell under the power of the Turks : it now remains for me to lay before you fome account of its pre fent ftate. I have the honour to be, &Cr LET. ONGREECE. 85 LETTER XIII. To M. L. M. Rhodes. 1 HAVE no longer. Madam, the pleafure of prefenting you the defcription of a mag nificent city, a wife government, or a free and glorious nation. The ambition of the Romans, the degeneracy of the monarchs of the Lower Empire, the fanaticifm of the Arabs, and deftrudive earthquakes, have al ternately laid wafte the ifle of Rhodes. The defpotifm of the Turks, fucceeding to thefe calamities, has been the caufe of no lefs fatal evils ; and utterly deftroyed monuments, fcien ces, and arts. The modem town, built on the ruins of the ancient city, occupies only a quarter of its extent, and poffeffes no remarkable anti quities. Not even the fmalleft remains of the theatre, temples, and portico, are to be difco vered. Statues, coloffufes, paintings, all have been deftroyed, or carried off. To wide and 86 LETTERS and flillfuUy difpofed ftreets; to thofe regu larly ranged edifices, where each front pre fented the fame order of architedure, have fuc ceeded narrow and winding lanes, and houfes without tafte, regularity, or decoration. I may venture to affert. Madam, that if a Rhodian of the days of Alexander were to revifit his native city, he would find himfelf abfolutely a ftranger ; he would not recoiled the fmalleft monument ; but muft imagine himfelf tranf- ported into a country inhabited by barba rians. The knights of Rhodes have left various traces of their refidence in the ifland. Their armorial enfigns, and fome bufts of the grand mafters, fculptured in rehef, on marble, decorate the front of feveral buildings. The walls and towers they ereded ftill fubfift, and bear the glorious marks of their obftinate defence. The church of St. John has been converted into a mofque. The vaft hofpital, in which Chriftian charity received the faithful from all parts of the worid, and furniflied them with fuccours, at this day ferves as a granary for the Turks. The bar barians fuffer it to go to ruin, as well as the government ON GREECE. 87 governtnent ficufe, In which we find antique marbles, and columns. Rhodes has only two harbours. The fmalleft faces the eaft, and is called Darca. flocks, at a fmall diftance from eacl^ other. In the front, block the entrance, and only leave room for one vefl^el to p^fs. Moles, raifed on each fide, defend it from every wind. The Tur)cs, whoj fince the conqueft of the ifland, have not removed from it a fingle grain of fajidj fuffef it gradually to choak up. There is oi^ly water enough for merchant fhips, and even they are obliged to unload a part of their cargo, before they can enter it. Ships go thither to careen, and caravelles are built there for the jGrand Signior. This handfome bafon might be made fit for the reception of large veffels, if the fame means were em ployed to clear It, as at Marfeilles a^d other ports. The other harbour is large; it bears the name of Rhodes ; and in this, frigates of thirty guns may anchor. Veffels are here defended from the wefterly winds, which, in thefe lati tudes, prevail nine months in the year. North and north-eafterly winds blow full into the harbour; and, when violent, fhips are 88 LETTERS are in danger of driving on the rocks, or againft the walls of the town. Though Rhodes has retained none of its ancient fplendor, its advantageous fituation, on the point of a promontory, its houfes difpofed in the form of an amphitheatre, the folid ftrudure of its walls, and its towers advanced upon the fhoals, give it an air of ftrength and importance to mariners, as they approach the city (ji). But there are no foldiers on the ifland. Its forts are without defenders, and will become the conqueft of the firft nation, which fhall think proper to attack them. The Pacha is the governor general of the ifland. He poffeffes abfolute power ; and pre- fides at once over civil juftice and military difcipline. He nominates to einployments that fall vacant ; fentences to death, and is to watch over the maintenance of good order, [n) The Rhodians have no troops in their ifland. They are not warriors. Knowing tlienifelves incapable of refifting the weakeft enemy who raay attack them, in time of war they hire foldiers from Caramania, to defend their city. Thefe are undifciplined troops, who aban don themfelves to all the exceffes of a blind ferocity, and are more to be dreaded by the inhabitants, dian by the enemy. through ONGREECE. 89 through the whole extent of his government. This fupreme officer, finding no one who dare reffift his will, may be guilty of the ut moft exceffes of tyranny, without fear of punifhment or controul. All private litigations are decided before the tribunal of the judge, called the Cadi. His declfions are without appeal. He partakes alfo of the ecclefiaftical jurifdidion with the Muphti. The latter is the interpreter of the Koran, prefides over religious affairs, and expounds the divine law ; nor can the Pacha put a man to death, until he has given his fandlon to the juftice of the fentence. The Greeks and Jews have a chief named the Mouteveli, who is their intendant general ; and has the regulation of the tax called Ca- rach foj (a capitation tax, impofed by the Grand Signior on all his fubjeds who are not Mahometans, but which is paid only by the men). He decides all differences that arife ampng them, without its being neceffary to have recourfe to any other jurifdidion. When the Cadi has condemned a Greek or Jewifh debtor to pay the money due to his creditor, (0) This word is Arabic, and fignifies tribute, or tax. he 90 LETTERS he fends his fentence to the Mouteveli, who, if he thinks proper, carries it into execution. Thefe are the principal officers in the ifland, who all feem to confpire Its ruin. As ^ proof of this, I fhall give ypu a flight fketch of their admjniftratioi^ ; for the truth of which I can faffily vouch. The fpil of lihodes is dry and fandy ; but the numerous fprings which water it render it extremely fertile. Gori; thrives there ad mirably. Its yellpw and heavy grain aflEords a flour as white as fnow, which makes excel lent bread. If half of the country, capable of growing it, were cjiltiy^ed, the I?.hodians would have far more than fufiicient fpr their coofumptiop, and might export to foreign cojuntries.. But tjie Turks are no cultivators ; afld the (Jreeks, weighed down by the fer vices exaded from them by the Mouteyel,i, for his own profit ; and difcpi^.ra,ged by the fear of not enjoying the fruits of their la bours, let the fineft fields lie barren. It is certain. Madam, that a fingle -wo.rd from the Pacha would eiirich the couiitry witfi tjie treafm:es of agriculture. He is abfolute, and has but to command, and affure the hufband- man of his prot»dIon : but he knows not ' v/hether ONGREECE. 91 whether he ftiall himfelf be in place to-mor row, and would be fearful of laboyring for the ^v^tage of his fucceffor. Befides, a ftill more powerful reafon prevents him from endeavouring any improvement : the mifery of the country coaftitutes his wealth. Rhodes not fumiflilng fufiicient corn for the fupport of its inhabitantjS, he fends to purchafe the grain of Caramania, which is of an inferior quality, at a low rate. He has this conveyed tQ market in fmall quantities, to enhance the price. But, what is ftill more oppreffive, is that the rate fixed for the firft bufhel of the new crop, ferves as the ftandard price for all that is fold during the remainder of the year ; which rule is not to be departed from, though one half of the people fhould perifli. This infamous monopoly, which rapidly enriches thofe who are concerned in it, is produdive of the moft fatal confequences to commerce, agriculture, and the induftry of the inhabit ants. What, indeed, can be expeded from a nation, in want of the firft neceffaries of life ? What exchanges can they make with foreign countries, if their own be infufficient for their fupport, and they have neither arts nor manufadures ? and, indeed, the univer fal 9a LETTERS fal poverty and frightful depopulation of the ifland, are indelible proofs of the vices of this wretched government. The following ftate- nient will be a fufficient demonftration of what I have faid. . The ifland of Rhodes contains two cities ; the capital, of the fame name, of which I have been fpeaking, and the ancient Lindus. The former is inhabited by Turks, and a fmall number of Jews, Five villages inhabited by Mahometans, and Five towns and forty one villages inhabited by Greeks. Number of families. Turks - 4700 Greeks - 2500 Jews - 100 Total 7300 Suppofing five perfons to a family, we fhall have 36,500 inhabitants. But the ifland is more than forty leagues in circumference. Here then Is a vaft fpace occupied by few er people than is contained in a moderate town ONGREECE. 93 town in France. Might we not fay that at Rhodes the earth devours its inhabitants ? By no means ; the foil is fruitful, and would pro duce abundantly, now, as well as formerly, corn, oil, excellent wines, wax, and even wood for fhip-building. Defpotifm, and the monopolies of the great, alone prevent the increafe of the inhabitants. The ftate of the revenues of the ifland perfedly correfponds with the fmall number and poverty of the Rhodians. Permit me. Madam, to lay it before you ; without thefe particulars, what I relate would appear incredible. Table 94 L .E T T E R S Table of the revenues of the ifland 'of Rhodes. 1 Duties of carach oa: capitation 42500 Tenths on all produce of the land 23050 Cuftoms 35'^° Tax on houfes ' ' 6250 On the farm of warx i o/roo On cattle , 800 At the gates '200 On tbe farm of the baths laoa On fait ,- 7,00 On vineyards 5oo New poll tak on evtary Greek 7 - aad Jew' ..' ' , . 5 --^^^-i > Total .9o,o"oo Here then we have 90,000 Turkifli piaftres which the Ifland produces the Grand Signior, from which we muft dedud S5i5°° P^ftres Employed in paying the guards of the town and villages, the in^edors of eftates in^ the coun try, the repairs of the mofques, and the bread and foap dlftri- buted to the poor, by order of the Sultan. So tha<: the Grand Signior really receives no more than 34,500 Piaftres From ONGREECE. 95 Fi-oiti this calculation. Madam, on the ac curacy of which you may rely, it appears that this large ifland produces lefs to the Ottoman emperors, than many eftates, of only fome Feagues extfetit, in France, are worth to their -poffeffofs. Do not afk me what has become of that powerful people, who, profiting by their advantageous fituation, their forefts, their harbours, aiid the fertility of their country, covered the Mediterranean with their vidori ous fl^ts : I have ali'eady faid they loft their* liberty ; and with it fcience and national geni- liSi The Turkifh goveMment has put the finifhing hand to their misfortunes ; Rhodes now only affords a few indigent wretches, without commerce, arts, or induftry, becaufe they can have no property, who wander over the defolated plains of this once flourlfhing ifland. , ' ¦' ' Of the three cities founded, according to the ftfble, by the children of the fun, Lindus alone has- left any remarkable veftiges. Ca mirus and Jalifus are totally deftroyed (pj. " Leaving Rhodes, fays Strabo, and faifing " oh ^ith the coaft on the right, the firft (p) Strabo, lib. xiv- " city 96 LETTERS " city we arrive at is Lindus, fituated on a " hill on the fouth fide of the ifland, and " oppofite Alexandria. -The traveller here " admires the famous temple of the Lindian " Minerva, built by the daughters of Da- " naus ClJ" Cadmus enriched it with magni ficent offerings. The inhabitants here confecrated the feventh ode of Pindar's Olympics, which they infcribed in letters of gold ^rj.. The ruins of this noble edifice are ftill vifible on an eminence near the fea. The remains of its walls, which were built with enormous ftones, difcover the Egyptian tafte; but the columns and other ornaments have been carried off. On the higheft part of the rock, we perceive the ruins of a caftle that ferved as ¦ a fortrefs to the town ; it occupied a large fpace which Is now filled with rubbifh. The modern Lindus is fituated at the foot of this hill ; a deep bay, which runs up far into the land, ferves it as a harbour. Veffels find here good anchorage, in eight and twelve fathom water, and are fheltered .. (q) Diodorus Siculus, lib. v. fays it was built by Danans himfelf. (r) Demetrius Triclinius. from ONGREECE. 97 from the fouth-wefterly winds, which .pre vail during the rough feafon of the year. At the beginning of winter, they fhould an chor clofe to a little village called Maffary. Before the building of Rhodes, Lindus was the port reforted to by the fleets of Egypt, and of Tyre. It was enriched by commerce, and a wife goyernment, profiting by its harbour and fituation, might ftill render it a flourlfhing city. About the middle of Rhodes is a high mountain, which commands the whole ifland. It is called Artemira, and I imagine it to be the Mount Atabyris of Strabo (s). On it formerly was a temple of Jupiter, now no longer in exiftence, but its place is fup plied by a fmall chapel, to which the Greeks make pilgrimages. Mount Artemira is very fteep, fo that it is impoffible to afcend it on horfeback, and on foot it takes four hours to reach the top. When there we enjoy a moft magnificent profped. On the edge of the horizon, towards the north-eaft, we dif cover the fummits of Mount Cragus ; to the (s) We next arrive at Atabyris, the higheft mountain in the country,, , on the fummit of which is a temple of Jupiter. Strabo, lib. xiv. H north. 98 LETTERS- noilth, the high cPaft of ^Caramania ; to the north-weft, the fmall ' iflands of the Archi pelago, which ^pear like lumihous pbints; ,to the fouth-weft, the fummit' of 'Mount Ida, capped with doilds ; ' and, to the foutlr, and fouth-eaft, the vaft expanfe of wafers which bathe the coafts of Africk. This ex tenfive profped varies every inftaht, ' as it is more or lefs illuminated by the rays of the fun, and exhibits a moving^ fcenefy which aftonifhes and delights the beholder. After contemplating ' this grand pidul'e, the eye looks down with pleafure on the ifland which rounds itfelf beneath our feet ; arid ' here and there we perceive, on-'the tops of the moft lofty hills, an'efenr pines, ^feiited by natui-e, that in a^es paft" fotfm<^d thick fof efts, which the Rhodians" cai'eftiHy preferved for their n'dvy. At pf-efent thefe trees are not very numerous', as the Turks make ufe of them to build the Grand Signior 's caravelles, and clit down without' 'ev^er ' planting. Their foHtary fliades are -at prefent the- retreats of the wild affes, 'which are remarkable for their furprifing fwiftnefs. > Beyond thefe firft heights, we meet with various amphitheatres of eminences, which I become ON GREE ^^^5^. "^"^ ^ become gradually lower till we T^g^raC^^ba -rir fea. In the greater part of the iflanc coaft is a gentle and almoft infjenfible de clivity ; therefore, fhips may almoft every -where anchor at a cable's ^ length from the fliore. The hills in general are covered with thorns, or brambles ; but on fome of them we fiiid vineyards, which ftill produce the per fumed wine in fuch requeft among the an cients (/). This wine is very pleafant to the tafte, and leaves an exquifite flavour in the mouth. The Rhodians added the luxury of drinking it out of voluptuous cups. It would be. eafy to multiply thefe vines, and cover with them hills of a great extent, which are now lying without c^ltiyatioji. On the fhady fummit of Mount Arte mira a great number of fprings arife, -vj^hicb fertilize the plains and vallies. Around the villages, we find a few cultivated fpots, and orchards, where the fig, pomegranate, and orange trees, though planted without regUr (/.) Pliny. The wine of Rhodes refembles that of Cos. Theodorus adds, Some praife the wine of ' Rhodes, on account of i^s exquifite perfume, and agreeable fla-> vour. H 2 laritv 100 LETTERS larity or tafte, afford, neverthelefs, pleafing fhades. The pesCch trees, which, in the time of Pliny («), produced no fruit at Rhodes, are at prefent very fruitful ; but the peaches they bear have neither the flavour, nor the delicious juice of ours ; as in this country they know nothing of the art of grafting. The palm flourifhes here, as in the days of Theo- phraftus (v), but produces no fruit. There feems to be a certain line drawn by nature for each fpecies of tree, beyond which fome will not grow at all, and others become bar ren. In paffing over the ifland, we traverfe with regret beautiful vallies, without finding fo much as a village, a cottage, or even the fmalleft traces of cultivation. The bottoms of the rocks are covered with wild rofes. Myrtles in flower perfume the air with (u) The peach trees were tranfmitted to us late, and with difficulty. They producp no fruit at Rhodes, which is the firft place they were tranfplanted to from Egypt. Pliny. 1. XV. cap. 13. (v) The nature of the foil contributes much to fecundity or fterility. This is yifiWe in the peach and palm trees. The latter bears fruit in Egypt, and the adjacent countries ; at Rhodes it only flowers. their O N ; G R E E C E. loi their delicious emanations, and tufts of the laurel-rofe adorn the banks of rivulets with their beautiful flo-wers. The inhabitants fuf fer the earth to nourifti an infinity of ufelefs plants, -without endeavouring to dired or profit by its fecundity. But let us not too heavily cenfure the Greeks for this torpid indolence. They are utterly un able to' attempt any thing for private advan tage, or public utility. The deftrudive mo nopoly of the Pacha prevents all exertion, and the continual fervices impofed on them b-y the Nazir wear them down with labour. This officer, who is fuperintendant of naval affairs, employs them, the greateft part of the year. In cutting down wood to build the caravelles ; which they are obliged to convey, with infinite difficulty, to Rhodes, What do you fuppofe he gives, Madam, for the con veyance of a large tree, which has employed feveral men a confiderable time ? Fifteen fols (feven-pence halfpenny). But how mueh dd you imagine each of tbefe beams, de livered at fhe affenal, cofts the Grand Sig nior ? Sixty livres ! (fifty fhillings.) The prefent Nazir, not being able either to read or write, is' obliged to employ Greeks to i02 LETTERS to manage his accounts, and thefe make no fecret of his kriaveryi The pay of the build ers, who labour iii the dockyardsij is fixed by the Porte; but- this too he 'diiaxiniflieis^ one half. If it happens tP rain but an hour, that day's work is not reckoned. ; add to this, that in his accounts, he doubles the real number of the ..workmen. ; The confequenqe is, that the caraflrelles built at Rhodes are very indifferent veffels ; they remain fo long upon the ftocks, that their ribs fometimes become rotten before they are finiflied ; but this does not hinder the builders from going on -ss^ith the, wdrk. By this the Nazir foon am^iiTeS' great richfe. The -cries of the,, oppreffed are heard on every fide againft his irijuftice -, but they are not regarded. .The oppfleffoc ; ireplies to every complaint with money ; he purchafes with a number bf purfes the protedion of the Captain Pacha, arid the profits he mafeeS by his crimes ! enfur^ impunity. It is diftrefling, Madam,^^^ to dwell on fuch ads of injuftic.ej ^d to -refled that all., the officers of government in thefe countries are alike guilty ofthem. r Thefe wretchesy blinded by ambition, think only of ani^ffing. -weahh; to ONGREECE. 103 to , procqTe .l^^gher , employmejats at court. Can they be -ignorant that they themfelves riiUft then become thevi^iuip of the r^pacir lyof the &i;an4 Signior, ^-wbp rOever; f^ils to .find thesft- guilty, to profit by theif fpoiUf But fuch is thje manner in which ,Jthe Ot toman provinces are .governed; all the ^Id they poffefs , is fFallowed .up in Cpn- ftantinopk,; jwid., while ithe ^^ital overflows with ridhejs, tbey are laaguiftung in the ex- tremeft ' poverty. The people, therefore, in defpairv are. every where ripe fpr rebellion, and 'fhake. the .throne with violent; cojicuf- -fioris. V The^eaupire, tottering to its ..foundgi- tions,: is on the brink &f ruin. - Such are the 'effeds of ridefpptifm.' .May . fdv«reigns never lofe frght of "the important, truth, that in ^proportion as they render their authority more abfbliite^ they really lofe their pow er, and that they are never nearer deftrric- 'tion than -when a whole; people tremble in their prefence ! ¦ ij . I- fhaU- finifh this -long letter. Madam, tby faying a word- or two of the national -dsarafder of- the Rhodians. T,his, Hke that of every other people, is modified by cli mate. 10+ L E T T E R S ^* mate, government, and religion. The ifland enjoys tie happieft temperature, ^ari;d its air Jis pure and falubriotis. ' No epidemical dif- orders are known, but what are imported from other countries. The wefteriy winds, Ivhich prevail for nine mdnths in -the year, moderate the heats of fumrrier ; and, in the -winter,; ice, fnow, and even hpar-frofts^ are unknown. In the dulleft day, the furi difperfes the clouds,, and fhews ; himfelf at leaft i for fome hours ; through the -whole year ' he enlightens the ifland with his beneficent rays, fertiUzes the earth, and purifies the air, which is naturally humid. '* Tiberiws," fays Sue tonius («•), " made a ftay for fome= time at *' Rhodes, enchanted with the beauty and " falubrious climate of the ifland." So fine a fliy, fo delightful a temperature, ^haye a manifeft influence on the inhabitants. -The Turks born in the ifland are ofs a milder difpofition, and poffefs more politenefs and urbanity, than in the other provinces of tlip empire. Lefs expofed than the. Greeks to the rapacity of the great, and peaceably en joying their property, they here, lead a hap- (x) Suetonius in Tiberio, cap. xi. py ON G R E E C: E. 105 py life in the bofom of their families, and among theni we meet , -vdth cheerfulnefs, integrity, and focial manners. The Greeks Uve under the fame fky ; but, accuftomed per petually to crouch beneath the iron fceptre that crufhes them, they become hypocritical, deceitful, and diflioneft. The proudeft of tnankiiid in jjrof^erity, they are equally mean 'and eririgirig iii riiisfortiine. They are infed'- ed with all the vices which are the confe quence df fervitude ; yet, coiiipelleti, as it were, by the force of cHmate, they fometimes in dulge in' merriment : their joy, however, is not the hiild and trariquiljoy of the Turk's; but a clamorous and irratrorial mirth ; the fefti- vityi ih fhort, of flaves, who, forgetting, for a moment, their wretched condition, dance amid their chains. I. did not myfelf continue long enough in Rhodes, to have made all the obfefvktidris colleded in this letter: I am indebted fweft, and north, form the extenfive road in which our veffel lay at anchor. They afe uncultivated, and produce nothing but brambles. Below the hill from which I made my obfervations, ftands a fmall chapel fur rounded^ iy. fig-trees. Here begin a chain of hills, that, bending into a femicircle, leave in the middle a plain of a league in cir cumference, which has been cleared out by the inhabitants, with infinite labour. They have torn up large pieces of rock, and re moved heaps of ftones, with which they have formed the walls of the inclofure. All this fpace is divided into compartments, and fhar- ed among the Cafiots. They fow barley and K wheat 130 L E Tf T E R S ') wheat here at the comrnendement of .the rainy '' feafon, which lafts from Odober to. Februarys The rain is riot "continual in thefe .months; but none falls in any other ; the TemaindeT of the year the air is pure and. ferene, and both days and nights are continually fine and clear. The heats are moderated by the fea breezes,, and bendath fo. beautifiil a. fky the inhabitants enjoy a delightful temperature; and are almoft ftrangers to every kind of dif- eafe. The .fides of the. hills are covered with vineyards,: the grapes df which , produce a very agreeable wine. I, could 'not help, ad miring the induftry. with whick. thefe Tfland- ers have been able to cultlvate^rocks^-Jiardly covered with a fewT inthea. of earth, and re, jolced in the refledionf that they were recom- penfed for their ts labours, and that jthje ifland fufficed for their fubfiftence... /;.d? a!, When I had fatisfied my curiofity, I retum ed to the houfe of my. hoft, wherpthey were waiting for me to dine. A hen, with rice,: new- laid eggs, excellent pigeons, fpme chesfe, and a glafs of good wine, made me antends for the miferable repafts I had made on board. The men dined together, feated in a circle .on the carpet, and the women in a feparate apart- ONGREECE. 131 apartmeitt. This is -the cuftom, and, though not in the French tafte, I was obliged to con- forhi to it. Towards the end of our meal the cup was circulated from hand to hand. The company drank to me, wifhing me. a pro fperous voyage ; and I returned the compli ment, by drinking health and happinefs to the people of Cafos. The guefts were begin ning to grow merry, when the found of mufical Jnftniments made us rife frpm table. About twenty young girls, dreffed all in white, -with ffo-wing robes, and plaited locks, entered the apartment, and with them a yPQng man who played on the lyre, which he accbmpanred with his voice. Several of them were handfome, all healthy and lively, and there were among them fome who even rivalled the two belles fhar and perifhed before the walls of Camicus. It is evident that thefe adions but ill be came a juft fovereign, who merited to be a judge in the fhades, and pronounce the ever lafting deftiny of the virtuous and the wick ed. We may reafonably conclude, therefore, that Minos, the legiflator, was a different per fon from Minos the conqueror ; that it was the elder Minos who acquired an immor tal reputation for wifdom and juftice; and Minos the fecond, who conquered the great er part of the iflands of the Archipelago, (f) Hyg'"- ^*''- 44- Paufanias, in Achaici:. but 158 LETTERS but who, unable to govern his paffions, tar- niflied his glory by cruelty and revenge. I fhall fay nothing, here. Madam, of Pafiphae, Thefeus, Ariadne, or the Minotaur. Their hiftory is donneded with that of the Laby rinth, and will naturally follow, when I fliall have occafion to mention that, famous pri fon, which was the work of Dasdalus, and which had nearly become his tomb. Be fore I conclude this letter, however, I fhall add a few words concerning Idomeneus, the laft king of Crete. 1 have faid, that this prince, accompanied by Merion Cg)i conduded eighty veffels to the affiftance of Agamemnon. Homer has immortalized the exploits by which he dif- tinguilhed himfelf before the walls of Troy. At his departure, he committed the go vernment of his ftates to Leucus (h) his adopted fon, and promifed him the hand of his daughter Cllfithera in marriage, if he ruled ¦with wifdom during his abfence. This ambitious youth foon forgot the fa vours that had been laviflied on him. Having {g) This Merion was the fon of Molus, uncle of Ido meneus. ip) Quintus Smyrneus. gained ONGREECE. 159 gained a great number of partizans, he af* pired to the crown, nor would his Impa tience allow him to wait till a legitimate marriage placed it on his head. Finding the king was long in returning, and flattering himfelf, perhaps, that he would fall in battle, he refolved to mount the throne. Mida(/), the wife of Idomeneus, and the princefs Clifithera, were impediments to his projed. But ambition knows no bounds^ and hefitates not to violate the moft facred laws. The ufurper having feduced the people, and gained over fome of the principal perfons, murdered thefe unhappy vidims in the temple j and when Idomeneus, crowned with laurels, landed on the coaft of Crete, Leucus, who made all around him tremble at his ppwer, purfued him with an army, and forced him to return to his fhips. I know indeed that the flight of Idomeneus Is differently related. Servius (k) fays, that he had vowed, in a ftorm, to facrifice to the Gods whatever he fhould firft meet, on his arrival on the coaft ; that his fon being the firft, he Hew (i) Johannes Tzetzes. {kJ Servius, in Eneid. lib. iii. him; i60' LETTERS him (/) ; and a plague happening immedi ately after, the inhabitants confidered this ca lamity as the confequence of divine venge ance, and expelled the murderous father ; who left Crete, and founded Salentum on the coaft of Meffapia (/n). This opinion feemS to me deftitute of foundation. Hiftory, does not inform us that - Idomeneus had a fon. If he had male offspring of his own blood, why fhould he have adopted Leucus j* Or why have committed to him th* government of the ifland, with a promife of his daughter's hand? I fhould rather be inclined to think, that he brought the plague with him in his fhips, from the fiege of Troy, as Hero dotus afferts (k), and that Leucus artfully availed himfelf of this ptetext to procure the banifliment of his lawful fovereign. It fliould feem, however, as if the ufurper did not long (I) Fenelon has followed this tradition, in his im mortal wprk, which has done fo much honour to France. (m) Virgil, Eneid. lib. iii. It is faid, the hero Idome neus, driven from die tlirone of his anceftors, has fled far from his country. — Idomeneus of Lyftos (a ,city of Crete) covers with his troops the fields of Salentum. (h) Herodotus, lib. vii. enjoy" ONGREECE. i6i enjoy the fruit of his crimes ; for, immedi ately after the departure of Idomeneus, we find the monarchy at an end, and the go vernment become republican. I have the honour to be, &c. M L E T- i62 LETTERS LETTER XIX. To M. L. M. I T now remains for me, Madam, to give you fome account of the republic of Crete, which has been honoured with the eulo gium of Plato ; which Lycurgus took for hisjfuodel (o) in the inftitutions he framed for Lacedaemon, and which was admired and celebrated through all Greece: Strabo (o) " Lycnrgus, retiring into Crete, fought^ the friend- " ftiip of Thales, the poet and legiflator ; from him he " learnt the metrical rhythmus in which Rhadamanthus " and Minos delivered the laws they profeffed to have " received from Jupiter. He next travelled into Egypt, ?' and ftudied the inftitutions of that people. Some *• add, that he repaired to Chio, where he converfed with " Homer. On his return to his country, he found " his nephew Charilaus ori the throne, and then em- " ployed himfelf in forming his new code of laws ; but, " previous to their publication, went to pafs fome time " at Delphi, after which he declared he had received them « from Apollo The laws of Lycurgus are entirely " fimilar to thofe of Crete." Strabo. lib. x. has ONGREECE. 163 has thought an account of it not unworthy his pen, and has preferved its leading features in his immortal work. You will, doubtlefs, be ftruck with their fingularity. You will dif cover a prodigious difference between the principles on which this ancient republic was founded, and thofe of the greateft part of modern govemments. But you will fee with pleafure a legiflation whofe fole objed it was to fow the feeds pf virtue in the heart of infancy, and to nourifh them in youth ; to infpire into the ripened man the love of his country, of glory and of liberty, and to con fole old age by the efteem and reverence due to its wifdom and experience ; you will find all its inftitutes direded to form faithful friends, patriotic citizens, and wife ftatefmen. Do not imagine a multitude of ^laws and edids were neceffary to procure thefe inef- timable advantages. They naturally flowed from one fingle fource ; the public educa tion of youth under wife regulations. The examples placed before the Cretans in their early years, the virtues to which they were witneffes, the memorable deeds which they heard recited, and the applaufes beftowed ou themj the honours which rewarded courage and noble adions, and the fhame and opprobrium M 2 which l64 LETTERS which ftigmatized vice, were the only fprings fet in motion by their legiflator, to render them a warlike, virtuous, and wife nation. I will be bold to add, that the fame regula tions, founded, as they were, on a juft know ledge, of the human heart, would have the fame happy effed on the morals of a peo ple under every form of government ; but morals are what modern governments are leaft follcltous concerning ; our cold politics defpife them, and condemn the man who dares to proclaim their importance. Taxes are levied oh the depravation of manners ; and the corrupt politician, inftead of pro moting what conftitutes the true happinefs of a nation, is wholly occupied in increafing the wealth and power of kings. The government of Crete, immediately after the flight of idomeneus, became arifto-- cratical. The people ftill poffeffed a fhare of the power ; but as the nobles were in poffeffion of the principal employments, they had, by confequence, the greateft weight in the adminiftration of affairs (/>). Ten magiftrates were annually chofen in a national affembly, by the plurality of voices, who were called Cofmi, (/) Plutarch, in Dione. and ONGREECE. 165 and whofe office was the fame with that of the Ephori at Sparta (q). They had the ma nagement of war, and all the moft important public bufinefs (r). They poffeffed the right of choofing counfellors from among the old men ; and thefe, in number twenty-eight, com- pofed the fenate of Crete (s), and were chofen from among thofe who had paffed the office of Cofmi (t), or perfons eminently diftingulfhed by their merit, and unlmpeached Integrity. Thefe fenators held their dignity for life ; great deference was paid to their opinion, and nothing finally determined without con- fulting them. The wifdom of the legiflator had intended them for a counterpolfe to the ambition of the ten chiefs, whofe power was ftill farther circumfcribed by limiting the duration of their magiftracy to one year. {q) Ariftot. Polit. lib. ii. The Ephori have the farae authority with the Cretan magiftrates, called Cofmi ; only the former are limited to five, and the Cofmi are ten in number. (r) Ariftot. Polit. lib. ii. (j) Hefychius. " At Lacedaemon, at Carthage, and " in Crete, the college of old men is called Geronia." It was compofed of twenty-eight fenators. {i) Strabo, lib. x. His i66 LETTERS His precaution did not end here ; as the votes of the people might be improperly obtained, and their choice confequently fall upon a per fon unworthy of fo honourable a poft ;. he very wifely provided, that whoever fhould difgrace the dignity of the Cofmi might be removed, either in an affembly of the people, or by his colleagues only (m). So ex cellent a conftitution caufed Plato to fay (v), ^' The republic, which approaches too much " to a monarchy, and that which admits too " unreftrained a liberty, are equally remote " from the juft medium. O Cretans ! O La- *' cedffimonians ! ye have avoided thefe two " rocks, and eftabliflied your ftates on the •' moft folid foundations." From what I have faid. Madam, con cerning the Cretan form of government, you will perceive that nothing was more fimple. A free people, confcious they were unable to govern themfelves, name magif trates, into whofe hands they transfer their authority ; thefe chiefs, invefted with regal power, eled fenators to aid them with their fuj Ariftotle. (y) Plato, de Legibus, lib. iii. counfels. ONGREECE. 167 tounfels, which counfellors again can decide nothing of themfelves ; but their office is per petual, which increafes the refped paid them, and enables them to extend their knowledge and information. The chiefs of the republic have a powerful motive to incite them to ad worthy the honourable ftation in which they are placed, as, on the one hand, they are checked by the fear of difgrace, and on the other encouraged by the hope of one day be coming members of the national council. Let us now examine the means employed by the legiflator to form the manners of the citizens. All the Cretans were fubjed to their magiftrates, and divided into two claffes, that of the youths, and that of the men of mature age (jf). The former confifted of young men who had attained their feventeenth year, and the fecond of men of riper age Cl)' The (x) The firft clafs were called Andreia, and anfwered to the Pheidicia of the Lacedaemonians. Thefe two names were alfo given to the public places where the Cretans and Spartans made their repafts in common, and where they difcourfed of affairs of ftate ; anciently, thefe affemblies were named, even at Lacedaemon, Andreia. Ariftode. {j) The fecond clafs were called Agelas (company). This name was given alfo to the buildings where the youths met together to take their repafts in public. I fociety i68 LETTERS fociety of men made their repafts in common, in certain public edifices, where the chief, the magiftrate, the poor, and the rich, feat- ed together, all eat and drank alike ; a veffel filled with wine and water (z), which was paffed from one to the other, was the only drink for the whole company, and the aged men alone had the privilege of demanding an addition of wine. The Cretans were cer tainly too wife to be unacquainted with the power of beauty, as a woman prefided at each table (a), who took publicly the beft of every thing, and diftributed it to thofe who had fignalized themfelves by their cou- .rage In battle, or their wifdom in coun cil. This honourable diftindion, . far from caufing jealoufy, excited emulation in every breaft, to render themfelves worthy of the fame reward. Near the place where the citi zens affembled (b), two tables, called the hof- pitable, were prepared, to which all travel lers and' ftrangers, who prefented themfelves, were admitted ; a particular houfe was like- wife fet apart for them, where they might pafs the night. {%) Dofiadas, (a) Dofiadas. {h) Dofiadas. Euftathius. To ONGREECE. 169 To provide for the expences of the ftate, every citizen was obliged to bring into the common ftock the tenth part of his revenues ; the general diftributlon of which was vefted in the prefeds of the cities. " In Crete," fays Ariftotle, " a certain part of the fruits *' of the earth, the flocks, the revenues of the " ftate, and the imports is confecrated to the " Gods, and the reft diftributed to the dlf- " ferent claffes into which the inhabitants " are divided ; fo that men, women, and " children, are maintained at the public ex- " pence." (c) After dinner, the chiefs were accuf tomed to converfe together, and to con fult on the affairs of the republic ; they then recounted heroic adions performed in bat tle ; celebrated the courage of the moft illuf- trious of their warriors, and exhorted the young men to valour. (d) Thefe affem blies were the firft fchool of infancy. At feven years old, the bow was put into the hands of the Cretan youth, who from that (c) ¦ Dofiadas. (dj Euftathius (in Odyff.) fays, the Cretans after dinner confulted on public affairs : They afterwards difcourfed of war, celebrated the exploits of their warriors, and exhorted the young men to imitate their heroic aftions. moment 170 LETTERS moment was received into the fociety of the men, which he did not quit before the age of feventeen. There, feated on the ground, and clad in a fimple garment which ferved him the whole year, he attended on the old men, and liftened in filence to their counfels ; , his youthful heart took fire at the recital of high deeds of arms, and he ardently pant ed to atchieve the like, (e) He became ha bituated to fobriety and temperance ; and hav ing inceffantly before his eyes examples of moderation, wifdom, and patriotifm, the feeds of every virtue were implanted in him, even before he knew the ufe of reafon. He was early inured to arms and to fa-. tigue (fJ, that he might be able to endure heat and cold, to climb mountains and preci pices, and bear with (refolution the blows and wounds he might receive in the gymnafia, or in battle. But his education was not confined to the gymnaftic exercifes ; he was taught to fing, in a peculiar kind of air C|-), the laws written {e) Strabo, lib x. (/) Strabo, lib. x. The laws of Crete, fays Cicero, exer cifed the youth in hunting, running, and fupporting heat and cold, hunger and thirft. (g) Strabo, lib. x. fays, that the laws of Crete were written in verfe, the meafure of which was very confined. in ONGREECE. 171 in verfe, that the pleafure of mufic might imprefs them more deeply on his memory, and prevent him from pleading ignorance, fhould. he offend againft them : he next learned hymns in honour of the Gods, and poems compofed in the praife of their heroes. When he had attained his feventeenth year, he quitted the fociety of the men, and entered into the clafs of the youth. The education of thefe continued on the fame plan ; they exercifed themfelves in hunt ing, wreftling, and fighting with their com panions, while martial airs were played on the lyre (h), and they were obliged to obferve exad time. Thefe exercifes were not always without danger, as iron weapons were fome times made ufe of (t). But the Pyrrhic dance, invented in Crete {k), was that in which the youth were moft ambitious to excel ; the dancers wore the warlike drefs, which was (h) Athenseus, lib. xii. The Lacedaemonians charge the enemy to the found of the flute ; the Cretans to that of the lyre. {I) Strabo, lib. x. _(i) Diodorus, lib. v. Dionyfius Halicarnaff. lib. vii. Pliny, lib. vii. cap. 56. Strabo, lib. x. fays, that this dance was invented in Crete. Nicholas Damafcenus fays that the inventor of it was Pyn-hicus of Cydon. a fhort 172 LETTERS a fhort and light loofe jacket, that defcended only to the knee, and was faftened with a girdle that went twice round the waift ; they wore alfo the bufkin, were completely armed, and imitated various military evolutions to the found of inftruments. " The Laceda;- *' monians and Cretans," fays Libanius (/), " cultivated dancing with the utmoft ardour ; " they confidered it as a, neceffary exercife " enjoined by the laws ; ind it was almoft as " difhonourable to negled it, as to quit their ^' poft in the day of battle." (m) The opulent Cretans, and thofe of an illuftrious birth, were permitted to form focietles of young men of their own age, and among thefe the contention was, who fhould have the moft numerous company. In general, the father of the young man who had colleded them was their chief; he was to inftrud thefe warlike youths, to exer cife them in running and hunting, and to be ftow rewards, or inflid punifhments. (/) Liban. Orat. pro Saltatoribus. (m) Strabo, lib. x. Thefe companies, as I have faid, were called Agelas. Friend- ONGREECE. 173 Friendfhip was highly honoured among the Cretans ; " But," fays Strabo (w), " their " manner of loving is very extraordinary. " Inftead of gentle perfuafion, they em- " ploy violence to gain friends. He who " has a fecret paflSon for a young man of *' his own age, and is defirous of attaching him ** by indiffoluble ties, forms the projed of " carrying him off; which he imparts to " his companions three or four days before " he intends to execute it. The latter can *' neither conceal him, nor hinder him from " going out, as that would feem to imply ;*' in them an avowal that he did not merit " fuch excefs of love. On the day appoint- " ed they meet together, and if the If^vifher -" appears to them to poffefs equal or fuperior *' merit to his favourite, they at firft pre- " tend to oppofe the intended violence, in " compHance with the law; but afterwards " favour it with joy: if, on the contrary, they " do not judge him worthy of the choice " he has made, they prevent him from exe- " cuting his defign. This pretended refiftance " continues until the young man has con- " duded his prize to the affembly of which he (n) Strabo, lib. x. 174 LETTERS " is a member. They do' not confider him " as the moft amiable who furpaffes others ift " beauty, but him who is moft, diftinguiflied " by modefty and bravery, s ' " The ravlfher loads his young friend " with favours, and accompanies him where- " ever he defires ; he is followed by thofe " who have favoured .the entefphize, and " Conduds him from fefHval - to feftival, : prd- " cures him the pleafures, of :tlTe chafe and "good cheer, and, after endeavouring for " twp months to win. his heart by every " poffible means, he brings him back to the " city, and is obhged to reftore him to his " parents. But, previous to this,: he prefents " him with a warrior's drefs, an ox, and a " vafe, which are the cuftomary and pre- " fcribed gifts. ': Sometimes: his generofity ex- " tends ftill further, and he beftows on him " fumptuous prefents, to the expencC' of " which his companions contribute. Thte " youth then facrlfices the ox to Jupi- " ter, and gives an entertainment to thofe *' who affifted in carrying him off. Hede- " dares whether he will accept the friend- " fhip of him who has been. at fo much trou- *' ble to gain his efteem ; and if he has reafon " to ON GREECE. 175 " to complain of any part of his condud, he " is at liberty to renounce a friend unworthy " of the name, and to demand his punifh- " ment. " It would be difgraceful," adds Strabo, " for a handfome young man, of illuftrious " birth, to be without a friend, as the fault " would be imputed to his morals. They who " have been carried off receive public honours. " They have the privilege of the firft places " in the public affemblies, and are allowed to " wear the drefs they owe to afedion and " efteem, during the remainder of their lives; " which diftindive mark is a public proof " they have enjoyed a friendfhip ,efteemed fo " honourable. " When the yqung men had completed their " exercifes, and attained the age £q)pointed'by " the laws, they entered into the clafs of men " of mature age. Being now become members " of fociety, they had the right of voting in " the national affemblies, and might be ad- ** vanced to all the employments of the repub- " lie. At this period they were obliged to " marry ; but before they brought home their " wives, they waited till they were qualified " to manage a family." Such, Madam, were the 176 LETTERS the leadihg^eatuf es of the Cretan government. " The legiflator," fays Strabo, "juftly con- " fidered liberty as the greateft bleffing cities " can poffefs ; fince that alone fecures the pro- " perty of the citizens, of which flavery is *' the certain deftrudion. The flave poffeffes *' no property, not even that of his • perfoiil " It Is incurribent on all men, therefore, td " preferve their liberty, the fureft foundation " of which is concord ; and we fee it every *' where flourllh, when the feeds of diffenfion " are deftroyed. Difcord almoft always ori- " ginates in the thirft of riches, and the love *' of luxury. If for thefe we fubftitute fru- " gality, moderation and equality, we fhall " eradicate envy, hatred, injuftice, and the " paffions moft injurious to fociety." This is precifely what the Cretan legiflator effeded ; and hence that wealthy, profperous and powerful republic received fuch well- deferved encomiums from the moft cele brated philofophers of Greece. But the greateft honour to Crete was,' that her laws furnifhed Lycurgus with the model of thofe inftitutions which he eftabUfhed at Lacedse- mon. I have the honour to be, &c. LET- ON GREECE. 177 LETTER XX. To M. L. M. The republic of Crete, which, as you have feen. Madam, was as ancient as the fiege of Troy, -ftill flouriflied in the time of Julius Casfar. We know of no other of fo long con tinuance. The legiflator, founding the happi nefs of the Cretans on liberty, gave them laws and inftitutions fitted to form men capable of defending their freedom (0). All the citizens were foldiers (/>), and all exercifed and expert in the art of war : for we even find that fo reigners reforted to Crete, to be inftruded in that art. " Philopoemen," fays Plutarch {q), *' not enduring to remain inadive, and ar- " dently defirous of acquiring knowledge in .*' the profefllon of arms, embarked for Crete; " where having exercifed himfelf among that (») Ariftot. Polit. lib. vii. In Crete the greater part of the laws had relation to war. (p) Plato, de Legibus, lib. i. The Cretan legiflator framed both his public and private laws to have a reference to war, becaufe vidlory affured to the viftors the property of the vanquifhed. (y) Plutarch*, in Vita Pfeiloposm, N " warlike 178 L E T T! E R S " warlike people, well verfed in every mi- " litafy art, and accuftomed to lead a frugal " and auftere life, he returned to the Achseans, " and fo much diftingulfhed himfelf by the " knowledge he had acquired, that he was " immediately ' appointed general of the ca- " valry." On the other hand, the legiflator, perfuaded that.^ conquefts were ufually only ads of vio lence and injuftice, which frequently en feebled, and almoft always corrupted the mo rals of the vidorious nation^ endeavoured to prevent the Cretans from endeavouring to fubdue foreign countries. The abundant ^iro- dudions of their ifland were fufficient to fup ply every real want, and they had no need of foreign riches, which, together, with com merce, would have introduced luxury, and aU it« attendant vices. He knew how to in fpire his nation with a difregard for thefe fu- perfluities, withput exprefsly forbidding them. The gymnaftic exercifes, which furnifhed fufiicient employment for the leifure of ardent youth ; the pleafures of the chace, to which they were much addided ; friendfhip, which he had taught them, to revere as a divinity ; the public fhows, where all the different claffes of ONGREECE. 179 of fociety met together, and to which the wo men were admitted (r) ; the love of equality, regularity, and their country, with which all hearts were inflamed ; and the wife inftitutions, which rendered the whole nation but a fingle family ; all confpired to attach the Cretans to their ifland, on which they found the utmoft happinefs they could wifh, without entertain ing any defire to feek abroad an imaginary glory, or fubjed other riations to their power. From the time the government of this country firft became republican, till it was attacked by the Romans, we never find the Cretans to have attempted any foreign invafion ; an honour referved exclufively to them among all the people celebrated in hiftory. Individuals, indeed, might ferve in the armies of other ftates : the kings and princes of which, know ing their bravery and fkill in archery, ftrove who fhould firft induce them to enter into their pay, as each was defirous of having in his army a body of Cretan bowmen, fince the whole world could not produce any more expert CO- " The arrows of Gortyna," fays Claudian, (r) Plutarch, in 'Vita Thefei. (j) Claudian, Plutarch, in Pyrrh. Paufanias in Me- N 2 neffiacis. i8o LETTERS Claudian, " happily direded, carry certain " wounds, and never mifs their aim." But though the numerous and flourifhing cities of Crete did not unite to enflaVe the Ueighboiirlng iflands, by drenching them with the blood of their inhabitants, they were not wife enough to preferve peace among them felves. The torch of difcord was frequently lighted. " The moft ppwerful wifhed to rule over the others. CnoffuS ' and Gortyna, fome times In alliance, attacked and fubjugated the 'rieighbouring cities, and fometimes making war on each other, faw the braveft of their youth perifh in thefe civil contefts. Lydos and Cydon oppofed an unfhaken barrier to their ambition, and preferved their- liberty. The latter had dbtained fuch power (t), as to be able to turn the fcale in favour of which ever fide it declared. Thefe civil" wars occa fioned the ruin of many cities, and ^deluged -with blood the country of Jupiter. To what muft we attribute* thefe inteftine diffenfions ? One part of the ifland was occu- nefliacis, atteft the fltill of the Cretans in the art of fhooting arrows, and that foreign princes were very defirous to form bodies of archers, confifting entirely pf that nation. (/) Strabo, lib. x. pied ONGREECE. i8i pied by the Eteocretans, or native inhabitants, among whom were fettled colonies from Athens, Sparta, Argos, and Samos (u), who poffibly ftill retained in their hearts the feeds of ancient animofity, and their inveterate hatreds only waited a favourable opportunity to ripen into open violence and revenge. Perhaps too, the ftrongeft, confiding in their fuperiority, were tempted to avail themfelves of their power, and fubftituted force for right ; nor are we to forget that the Cretan youth, trained to military exercifes from their infancy, were ever ready to betake themfelves to arms. Thefe probably are the reafons which fo often hurried to the combat, a people fubjed to the fame laws, the fame cuftoms, and the fame religion. Be this as it may, the Cretans, convinced that vidory depended on the una nimity of their troops, magnificently adorned the. moft beautiful young men of the army ; and made them facrifice to friendfhip, before they engaged in battle (y). There are countries where, on like occafions, the commanders (a) Herodot. lib. iii, fays, the Samians, who built Cydon, erefted temples there, among which was that of Di<5tynna, (v) Athena:us, lib. xiii. . . 0UT;ht i82 LETTERS ought to be obliged to facrifice to Concord; and if their facrifice were fincere, it would at once redound to their pwn glory, and pre vent rivers of human blood from being fhed to no purpofe to the ftate. The love of war did not extinguifh in the hearts of the Cretans that exquifite fenfibility which made them cultivate and encourage the fine arts. " The Cretans," fays Sozo- men (iv), " difplayed their munificence to " Homer, by giving him a thoufand crowns ; " and glorying in a generofity not to be fur- " paffed, preferved the memdry of their dona- " tion by a public infcription.'^ In Crete, adds Ptolemy (j), men are ftill more anxious to cultivate their minds, than to exercife their bodies. Therefore, when difcord reigned among them, the voice of wifdom, and the charms of poetry, brought them back to rea fon. Thales of Gortyna (z), the iniBirudor of Lycurgus, was one of th^r moft celebrated philofophers, poets, and legiflators ; and he (x) Sozomen. Hift. Ecclef, in Pref. (y) Ptolem. in Tetrab. lib. ii. (is) Paufanias, in Atticis, fays, ythat this Thales was of Gortyna. Diogenes Laertius afferts, that he lived in the time of Lyciirgus and Homer. Strabo, lib. x. feems to confirm this opinion. fiiccefsfuUy ON GREECE. 183 fuccefsfully applied his knowledge and talents to reftore concord to his fellow citizens (a). " His poetry confifted of difcourfes in verfe, *' exhorting the people to unanimity and obe- " dience to their fuperiors ; he poffeffed the " art of conveying in the moft harmonious " metre, the moft folid and beneficial inftruc- " tion. So great was the effed of his poetry, *' that his hearers, who found their under- *' ftanding, heart, and ears, equally perfuaded " and charmed, gradually fuffered all their " animofity to fubfide ; and enamoured with *' the bleffmgs of peace, which he painted in *' the moft lively colours, forgot their inteftine *' hatreds, and ranged themfelves under the " ftandard of concord." It is faid that this fage invented the arts appropriated to the mili tary dances, and the Cretan Pywhic (b). Men, over (a) Pljitarch, in Vita Lycurg. {b) The Scholiaft*on Pindar (Pyth. Od. 2.) lays that thefe dances were inftituted by the Curetes. Strabo (lib. x.) is of the fame opinion j he adds, however, that Thales in vented the Cretan Rhythnjus. Nicholas Damafcenus, and Marius Plodus (de Metris), attribute the invention of the armed Pyrrhic to Pyrrhicus of Cydon, May we not recon cile thefe authors by fuppofing the Curetes to have been the firft inftitutors of ,the military dances ; that Pyrrhicus in vented 18+ LETTERS over > whom poetry and mufic had fuch power, could not be enemies to pleafure ; and we ac cordingly find it to have been a cuftom with them to mark their happy days by white ftones and their unhappy ones with black (c). At the end of the year, they examined the number of tfiefe ftones,' and only efteemed themfelves to have lived the days denoted by the white ones, as they eftimated the length of life only by its enjoyments. Hence the infcrip- tion frequent on their tombs : He lived, fo many - ^iiiys ; he exifled, fo many. In minds of fenfibility and generofity, a love pf glory is eafily awakened. The Cretans reforted to all the celebrated folemnities of Greece, and bore away the palm in the Olympic, Nemean, and Pythian games (d) ; others, who were favpurites of the Mufes, turned into heroic verfe the oracles of the prophets, and compofed poems to celebrate the great deeds of heroes (e). Several diftin gulfhed vented that particular one which bore his nanie, and that ' Thales compofed the airs, or adapted new mufic to them. (c) Cornutus, on the fecond Satire of Perfiyis. {d) Snch as Ergoteles of Cnoffus, Celebrated by Pindar, Ode xii. " ' (f) Jophon of Cnoffus put into heroic verfe the oracles of ONGREECE. 185 guiflbed themfelves as .hiftorians, Cf)- It Is faid, that the moft ancient conteft; was that in which a prize was propofed to the poet whp beft fhould jing a hyipn to Apollo, and in which the vidory. was adjudged to Chryfethemis of Crete. (^).:. ^ Time, however, has annihilated almoft all their woryPkind if Pindar had not immor- talifed fome of thofe Cretans who were vidors in the Grecian games, we fhould not at pre fent even know their names. The temple of Diana, at Ephefus, ^ilt by Ctefiphon, and his fon "Metagenes, both Cretans, has not proved more durable (Ji). This noble building was of the Ionic order (/'); and to the beauty of of the Prophets. Paufanias. — Rhianus of Bena wrote fevend books in verfe, and compofed feveral poems. Stephanus. (f) Didtys of Cnoffus accompanied Idomeneus into Troas, and wrote the hiftory of that famous fiege wliich Homer has rendered fo celebrated. Joannes Tzetzes. Lucillus of Tarrha wrote a commentary on the hiftory of the Argonauts, &c. (j-) Paufanias, -in Phocicis. {h) Pliny, lib. vii, cap. 37. Ctefiphon of Cnoffus was celebrated for the admirable fkill he difplayed in building fhe temple of Diana at Ephefus. (i) Vitruvius, lib. ii. ths i86 LETT E R S the marble; the clegincfe of the architedure, the majefty of the edifiee, and the inimitably perfedion of the whole, was added a folidity which aloiie could add value to Id grand a defign. The names of the artifts who built it have defcended to pofterity, though the marbles, columns, and ornament^, which ren» dered them immortal, have been^ifperfed or deftroyed, leaving fcarcely the' llighteft trace remaining of one of the feven wonders df the world. Nations pafs a-way from off the earth, like tbe monuments of their power, and after a few centuries, with difficulty can we difcover, in their defcendants, the veftiges of their an cient charader. Some fubfift longer than others, and we are able almoft always to calcu late their duration by the wifdom of their laws, and the fidelity with which they are pbferved. The republic of Crete, eftabliflied on the folideft foundations, for ten centuries knew no foreign mafter, and bravely repelled the attacks of every foreign prince who attempted to enflave her. But at length the fatal peripd arrived when the Romans, elated with their vidories, and proud of their power, afpired to the empire of the world, and would no longer ONGREECE. 187 longer admit of an-y diftindion among the furrounding nations, but that of flaves or fub jeds (k). Floras does not diffemble that am bition, and the defire of fubjeding the famous country of Jupiter, were the only motives which induced the Romans to attack Crete. " Should we inquire into the real caufe of *' the Cretan war," fays he, " it muft be con- *' feffed, it was entered into only from the " defire of fubjugating that celebrated ifland ; " Crete was fuppofed to have favoured Mi- " thridates, and Rome revenged the pretended " infult, by declaring war againft her. Marcus " Antonius (/) (the father of the triumvir) *' failed on this expedition, perfuaded he fhould " make an eafy conqueft ; but his meinnefs *' and prefumption met with deferved punifh- " ment. The enemy cut off the greater part *' of his fleet, and hung up their prifoners to " the mafts ; after which they returned trium- " phant into their harbours." Rome never forgave a defeat.. No fooUer fij Florus, lib. iii. (/) Marcus Antonius was appointed to guard all the mari time coafts of the Roman empire. He perifhed in Crete, where he loft his honour. ' was i88 LETTERS was the Macedonian war ended, then fhe armed for veiigeance, and fent Quintus Me- tellus with a formidable armament againft Crete (m). He met, however, with a very ob ftinate refiftance. Panarus and Lafthenes, two experienced commanders, having affembled twenty thoufand men, of determined courage, and ardent in the caufe of their country, withftood for three fuceeffive years the arms of the Romans ; who were not able to gain poffeflSon of the ifland, till they had de ftroyed its. braveft warriors: They loft there a great number of men, and with the utmoft difficulty obtained a bloody vidory. The fortune of Rome, at length, triumphed, and the firft care of the conqueror was, to abolifh the laws of Minos (n), and fubftitute thofe of Numa. The fenfible and judicious Straba (o) complains of this feverity, and fays, that in his time the Cretan inftitutions were no longer obferved, becaufe the Romans had compelled the conquered provinces to adopt their laws. Still more effedually to fecure to themfelves T {'") Velleius Paterculus, lib. ii, (n) Paulus Diaconus, Hift, Mifc. lib. vi. (o) Strabo, lib. x. the ONGREECE. 189 the poffeffion of the ifland, they fent a numerous colony to Cnoffus (/>). ' Frdm'that period to the prefent time. Ma dam, that is to fay, during a fpace of nine teen hundred years,' the Cretans have ceafed to be a nation, and have: gradually loft their courage, their virtues, their fciences, and their arts'., This depljOirable debafement can only -be ¦ attributed to the extindion of their liberty. - So true: is It, that man is born for liberty,' and that, deprived of this fupport, which he has received from nature to fuftain his weaknefs, his genius expires, and his cou rage languifhes, till he finks to the loweft point of degradation. (5^) The ifland of Crete, together with the little kingdom of Cyrene on the coaft of Lybia, ^compofed a -Roman province, which at firft was governed by a Proconful/ afterwards by a Queftor and an Affeffor (r) ; and, at length, as we learn from Suetonius, by a Conful (s). This ifland was one ofthe firft which received the light of the , Gpfpel. The Chriftian faith ^p) Idem, ibid. {q) Idem, lib. xvii, /r) Dion, (j-) Suetonius, in Vita Vefpafiani. was igo ,{ L E T T ,E R S was planted there by St. Paul ; and his difciple Titus, whom he left to. bring to perfedion the good feed he had fown, was the firft bifhop. Under the 'reign of Leo^ Crete contained twelve bifhopries:(0> all, fubordinate ;t:o th-e patriarch of Conftantinople ;(.M),:r;Ccaiftantine divided the .proyimce , of Crete- .^d Cyrene in the diftrlbutioji he made of the empjiTe.i; Leafv- ing three fons, Conftantius, Cphftantitfe,^ ;and Conftans; ihe gave to the- former Thrace and the Eaft; ito the fecond, the kingdom of the Weft; and.to th£ third, the ifland of Crete, Africa, and Illyria.; ,• ¦ ' '¦..,, ¦[ (v) When Michael: Balbus was in peffeffiptn of the throne of Conftantinople, the revolt pf Thomas, which continued three years, caufed him to negled the other parts of the empire. The Agarenians, an Arab . nation, ' who had conquered the fineft -provinces of Spain, tpok advantage , of this opportunity, to fit out a co;^- fiderable fleet, and, after having^pillaged the Cy- (/) Thefe bifiioprics ranked fn the following 'order, as we fee in the 'Novel of the Emperor Leo: Gtrtytiti, Cno^s, jircadia, Cherronefus, Aulopotamos, Agrium, Lampa, Cydo- nla, lijera, Petra, S'ttca, C'tfjamo. ^ (ti) Zozim. lib. ii. (•y) Conftant. Porphyrogenit. de adminiftrando Imperio, cip. xii. clades. ONGREECE. 191 clades, they, attacked the ifland of Crete, where they eftablifhed themfelves aJmoft .without re fiftance. T9 fecure their conquefts;, they built a fortrefs, wfiich they called Kbandak (i.e. an intrenchment), a^d which, name by the Vene tians was foftened into Candia. , From this citadel- the Barbarians made incurfions into every part of the ifland, fpreading terror and defolation wherever they came; arid, at length, made themfelves mailers of all the cities and towns, except Cydon. Michael in vain en deavoured to drive them from the ifland ; nor was the emperor Bafilius the Macedonian more fortunate ; they . defej^ted him in a bloody battle; but one of his generals, having been more fuccefsful, impofed on fhem a tribike. At the expiration of ten years, the Arabs re fufed to pay the fum ftipulated, and, it was referved to Nicephorus Phocas («¦), who after- fWard& became emperor, tp deliver this beauti ful ifland from the yoke of the infidels. He landed there with a numerous army, attacked them with great bravery, and defeated them in feveral battles ; till at length the Saracens, no longer daring to keep the field againft this formidable opponent, fhut themfelves up In (.-c) Murtius. their 192 i. E -T T E'R "S • • their fortreffes. Phocas, provided -with^ all thtf warlike machines'- neceflary'^^ for fieges, ' took their places of ftrength one' after ' the other,' and forced theni even in Khandak, their me^ tropolis, arid llift' ftrong hpM. After a cam-^ paign of nine irionths, he entirely' reduced the ifland, made the king Curiip," and his- -lieui tenant Anemas, priforiers, and reftored to the empire a province -whicli ha'd^ been in the pof feffion of the Infidels during one hundred and twenty -feven years. It remained ' fubjed to the emperors of Byzantium till' the time of Baldwin earl of Flanders, who, raifed to 'their throne, ¦ magnificently rewarded - Boniface, marquk of Montferrat, fo^ the- fuccours he brought'hirh, by creating him king ofTheffa- lonica, and adding the ifland of Crete-to his dominions. By this nobleman, ¦: wha was more greedy after ¦ Wealth than ambitious of gloryj "it was fold to the Venetians in iig4 Cy)- ' ' ' Under the wife laws of this great republic, Crete' again begari to- revive. The people en joyed the bleffmgs of a mild government, and, encouraged' by their mafters, applied them felves to commerce "and agriculture. Travel- fy) La Guerra Cretenfe. lers ONGREECE. 193 lers received from the Venetian governors every affiftance they could defire, for extend ing and perfeding inquiries beneficial to man kind. Belon, the naturalift, fpeaks. In terms of the higheft gratitude and commendation, of the fervices rendered him by them, and gives an interefting defcription of the flourlfhing ftate of the country through which he tra velled. The feat of government was eftablifhed at Candia, where the magifti-ates and members of the council refided. The fupreme autho-i , rity was vefted in the Proveditor General, whofe power extended over the whole king dom. Venice had been in the poffeffion of Crete during five centuries and a half, when, at the time fihat Corniaro occupied the moft important poft, the ftof m' began to gather on the fide of Conftantinople. The Turks, for a whole year,- had been affembling a prodigious arma ment, and deceived the BaUli by affuring him it was intended againft Malta. But in 1645, in the midft of profound peace, they fud denly invaded Crete with a fleet of four hun dred fail, having on board fixty thoufand fol- O diers. 194 LETTERS diers, under the command of four Pachas (z). The Emperor Ibrahim, who gave orders for this expedition, had no plea for undertaking it. He, however, had recourfe to the ufual arts of eaftern perfidy. To impofe upon the Venetian Senate, he loaded their ambaffadors with prefents ; ordered his fleet to proceed as far as Cape Matagan, as if quitting the Archi pelago, and pofitively affured the governors of Tine and Cerigne, that the republic had nothing to fear for her poffeflions ; yet, at the very moment the Porte was making thefe proteftations, the fleet failed into the gulph of Canea, and paffiiig between that place and Saint Theodore, proceeded to form a landing below the river of Platania, Such indeed has ever been the manner in which the Turks have aded towards the people they wifhed to fubjugate. Fraud and force are the two means they employ to accomplifh their defigns ; but the time is certainly not far diftant, when (z) The Captain Pacha,- by birth a Croat, who com manded the fleet ; the Pacha who commanded by land, .and was to conduft the fiege j Haflian Pacha, Beglier Bey of Romelia, who was the firft that entered the walls of Babylon ; and Araurat Pacha, Aga of the Janiffaries. they O N .G R E E C E, 195 they will be compelled to reftore their unjuft conquefts. \ The Venetians, not expeding this fudden invafion, had made no preparations for de fence, and the Turks landed without the leaft refiftance. The little Ifland of St. Theodore is but a league and a half from Canea, and only three quarters of a league in circumference. Here the Venetians had ereded two forts, one called Turluru, on the top of the fteepeft cliff, and the other named St. Theodore, lower down. It was of the utmoft importance for the invaders to poffefs themfelves of this rock, which might have greatly incommoded their fhips. They loft no time, therefore, in commencing the attack, which they car ried on with vigour. The former of thefe fortreffes had' ^neither ¦ cannon nor foldiers, and was taken without firing a gun. The fecond had only a garrifon of fixty men, but they defended themfelves to the laft extre mity ; and when the Turks entered it, they found only ten fbldlers remaining, whofe heads -were barbaroufly ftruck off by order of the Captain Pacha. Mafters of tfiis important poft, as well as of the Lazaret, a rock fituated half a league O 2 from 196 LETTERS from Canea, the Turks blockaded the city by fea, and furrounded it with lines of circum- vallation by land. General Cbrnaro -was thun- der-ftruck, on learning that the enemy had made a defcent. The whole ifland contained only a body of three thoufand five hundred infantry, and a fmall number of horfe; and he -knew that the befieged town had -only a thpuland regular troops for its defence, and a few citizens able to bear arms. He. fent in ftant advice of his diftrefs to Veaicej and t©o_k his poft at the harbour, that he might: be. more at hand to fuccour the befieged.. He threw about : two hundred and fifty men into jJie town, before the enemy could get their lines completed, . and often. attempted, , bqt in vain, to introduce new reinforcements, s The Turks approaching the body of the place^ had car? ried a half] moon, which covered; the gate of R,etimo ; and availing themfelves of their nu merous artillery, continued daily .tq batter the Wall in breach. The befieged bravely returned their fire, and made them pay , dearly for a fe^y doubtful fucceffes. Geneijal Cornaro endea voured to arm the Greeks, and efpeeially the Spachiots, who bpafted of their bravery. He formed a battalion of them; but their days 1 of ON GREECE. 197 of prowefs were no more : the moment they faw the enemy, and heard the thunder of the artil lery, they fliamefuUy took. to flight, nor was it poffible to make a fingle man of them ftand fire. While the Senate of Venice were delibe rating on the means of faving Candia, and bufied in fitting out a fleet, the Maho metan generals laviflied the blood of their foldiers, to bring their enterprize to a glorious termination: they had already loft twenty thoufand warriors in the different engage ments ; but they had defcended into the foffes, and dug under the ramparts thofe frightful cavities, in which the powder confined burfts with an horrible explofion, and overturns forts of the greateft folidity. They played off one of thefe mines under the baftion of St. Deme trius, which blew up a great part of the wall, and fwallowed all its defenders. The affailants inftantly mounted the breach, fabre in hand, and, profiting by the general con- fternation, made themfelves mafters of that poft. The befieged, recovered from their fright, fell upon them with unexampled in trepidity. About four hundred Venetians rufhed on two thoufand Turks, already in poffeffion of the wall, and puftied them with 198 LETTERS with fo much ardour and obftinacy, as to make prodigious flaughter, and force the remainder into the ditches. In this extremity every body fought ; the monks carried the mufket ; women, forgetting the delicacy of their fex, appeared In the midft of the defend ants, either to affift in fupplying them with arms, or to wield them themfelves againft the enemy ; and feveral of thefe glorious heroines loft their lives. During fifty days the place held out againft the whole forces ofthe Turks ; and even at the laft moment, if the Venetians had fentl a fleet to its fuccour, the kingdom of Candia would have been faved. They could not, undoubt edly, be ignorant of the following fad : The north wind blows full into the gulph of Ca nea, and when ftrong, the fea runs very high. It is then impoffible for any fquadron, how ever numerous, to form in line of battle to wait an enemy. Had the Venetians fet fail from Cerigne with this favourable wind, they would have reached Canea In five hours, and entered the harbour in full fail, without firing a fhot, or the poflibility of being oppofed by a fingle Turkifh veffel, which could not move without endangering their fafety on the coaft, and ONGREECE. 199 and dafhing yto pieces on the furrounding fhoals. Inftead of executing fuch a plan, fug gefted by the very nature of the fituation, they fent a few galleys, which not daring to double Cape Spada, coafted along the fouthern fhore of the ifland, and failed of effeding the purpofe intended. The garrifon of Canea, defpairing of fuc cours which had been long delayed, feeing three breaches open, by which the infidels might eafily mount to the affault, overcome with fa tigue, and covered with wounds, reduced to five hundred men, whom, it was neceffary to difperfe over walls of half a league's clrcum^ ference, every where undermined, at length demanded a capitulation. They obtained the moft honourable conditions ; and after two months glorious defence, which coft the Turks five and twenty thoufand men, marched out of the place with all the honours of war. The citizens who did not choofe to remain had permiffion to withdraw ; and the Turks, contrary to their cuftom, executed the conven tion with tolerable fidelity. The Venetians, after the capture of Canea, retired to Retimo ; and the Captain Pacha proceeded to lay fiege tP the Caftle of La ' ' Sude, 200 LETTERS Sude, fituated at the entrance of the bay, on a rock about a quarter of a league iri circum ference. He raifed batteries, and endeavoured, but without effed, to make a breach in the ram parts. Defpairing to carry it by force, he left troops to continue the blockade, and marched towards Retimo. This town, without walls, was defended by a citadel, built on an emi nence that commanded the harbour, into which General Cornaro had retired. At the approach of the enemy, he drew his men out of the citadel, and waited for them in the open field. During the adion he expofed his per fon without referve, and fought in the ranks to encourage his foldiers. A glorious death was the reward of his bravery ; but his fall was fol lowed by the lofs of Retimo (a). The Turks, by landing frefh troops in the ifland, introduced the plague, which almoft conftantly accompanies their armies. This dreadful diftemper made a rapid progrefs from day to day, and, like devouring flame, ex terminated the greateft part of the inhabit.^ ants (b). The remainder, terrified at its ra- (fl) Etat general de I'Empire Ottoman, trolfieme partie. \h) Idem. vages. ONGREECE. 201 vages, dcaped into the Venetian ftates, and left the ifland almoft a defert. In 1646 commenced the fiege of Candia, of a much longer duration than that of Troy. Were a fertile and brilliant imagination, like that of Homer, to colled into pne poem the extraordinary events of this celebrated fiege, pofterity would be prefented with noble deeds of arms, magnificent fcenes, and heroes not inferior to thofe of the Iliad. Memorable adions are not wanting in the hiftory of na tions. Every age produces new ones ; but a genius, like that of the father of poetry, does not arife in many ages. It would be incon fiftent with my intention, in thefe letters, to enter into long details. I fhall confine myfelf, therefore, to a curfory defcription of the prin cipal events which occurred during the fiege of Candia.? The Turks, in 1648, had made but Httle progrefs before that place: they were frequently defeated by the Venetians, and fometimes compelled to retire to Retimo. At this period Ibrahim was folemnly depofed and his eldeft fon, only nine years of age, placed on the throne, under the name of Me hemet IV. But the Sultan, in the receffes of his prifon, ftill continuing an objed of in quietude 202 LETTERS quietude and alarm to the authprs of the revolution, he was ftrangled on the 19th of Auguft of the fame year. The young em peror, whofe advancement to the throne was thus effeded by the murder of his father, was himfelf, in the end, precipitated from it, tp pafs the remainder of his days in the obfcurity of a dungeon (c). The whole Ottoman hiftory is nothing but one continued tiffue of fuch murders and treafons; but how importa.nt are its leffons for all defpots ! In 1649, Uffein Pacha, who continued the blockade of Candia, receiving no fuccours from the Porte, was obliged to raife the fiege, and fly to Canea. .The Venetians now kept the fea with a ftrong fquadron, and attacked the Turkifh fleet. in the bay of Smyrna; burnt twelve fhips, two gallies, and killed fix thou fand men. But the infidels, fome time after, having found means to land an army in Candia, recommenced with ftill greater fury the fiege of that city, and having gained pof feflion of an advanced work, which greatly in commoded the befieged, reduced them to the neceffity of blowing it up. (c) After a reign of thirty-feven years, Mehemet IV. was depofed, and confined in a prifon. From ONGREECE. 203 Ftom 1650 to 1658, the Venetians, conti nuing mafters of the fea, waited every year for their enemies at the ftraits of the Dardanelles, and defeated their numerous fleets in four fea, fig^tej in which they funk a great number of their caravelles, took many others, and fpread confternation to the very walls of Conftan tinople, which was filled with tumult and dif order. The Grand Signior in difmay, not thinking himfelf in fafety, abandoned his ca pital with precipitation. Thefe glorious fucceffes raifed the hopes of the Venetians, and depreffed the courage of the Turks. They converted the fiege of Can dia into a blockade, In which they fuffered confiderable loffes. In 1659, the Sultan, to drive the Venetian fleet from the Dardanelles, and fecure a free paffage for his fhips, or dered two new caftles to be built at the en trance of the ftraits. He commanded the Pacha of Canea to renew the fiege of Candia, and make every effort to obtain poffeffion of that important fortrefs. In the mean time the re public of Venice, profiting by the advantages already gained, made feveral attempts upon Canea, which city, in 1660, being vigoroufly preffed, was on the point of furrendering, when 20+ LETTERS when the Pacha of Rhodes, haftening to its fuccour, threw into it a reinfiarcement of two thoufand men. He fafely doubled the point of Cape Melee, in fight of the Voi^an fleet, which, lying becalmed off Cape Spada^Avas unable to make the fmalleft motion to give battle to an inferior enemy, and rob him of his conqueft. Kiopruli, the fon and fucceffor of the Vifir of that name, who had fo long upheld the de clining fortune of the Ottoman empire, know ing that the people murmured loudly at the length of the fiege of Candia, and dreading a general revolt, which muft have proved fatal to him and to his mafter, left Conftantinople about the end of 1666, at the head of a for midable army. Having eluded the vigilance of the Venetian fleet, which was waiting for him off Canea, he effeded his landing at Palio Caftro, and formed his lines round Candia. He had under him four Pachas, and the flower of the Ottoman forces. Thefe troops, en couraged by the prefence and promifes of their commanders, and feconded by a nume rous train of artillery, performed prodigies of valour. All the out-works were entirely de ftroyed, and nothing remained to the befieged but ONGREECE. 205 but a fimple line of walls, which, continually fhaken by the cannon, were falling into ruins on every fide ; yet, though it will with diffi culty be believed by pofterity, they ftill held out for three years, againft the whole forces of the Ottoman empire. At length they were about to capitulate, when the hope of fuc cours, fent from France, again revived their valour, and rendered them invincible. Thefe fuccours arrived on the 26th of June, 1669, imder the command of the Duke de Navailfes, who brought with him a great number of French noblemen, who came to try their arms againft the Turks. The day after their arrival the impatient French made a general fally. The Duke de Beaufort, admiral of France, put himfelf at the head of the forlorn hope. He marched the firft againft the infidels, and was followed^ by a numerous body of infantry and cavalry. They rufhed headlong upon the enemy, at tacked,' forced them in iiheir intrenchments, and would have obliged them to abandon their lines and artillery, but for an unforefeen event which checked their courage. In the midft of the Idion a powder-magazine blew up. The moft advanced loft their lives. The French 2o6 LETTERS French ranks were broken, and feveral of their leaders, among whom was the Duke de Beau fort, were never feen more. I'he foldiers took to flight In confufion. The Turks pur fued them, and it was with the greateft dif- ficulty that the Duke de Navailles regained the walls of Candia. The French accufed the Italians of having betrayed them, by direding them to fally fooner than they fhould have done, and relmbarked, in fplte of all the entrea ties of the governor. Their departure decided the fate of the city : as only five hundred men remained for its defence. Morofini capitu lated with Kiopruli, to whom he gave up the whole ifland of Crete, excepting Sude, Gra- buge, and Spina Longa. The Grand Vifir made his entry into Candia on the 4th of Odo- ber, 1670, and remained there eight months, to jepair the fortifications. The three fortreffes, left by treaty to the Venetians, remained long in their poffeffion ; but at length fell fucceffively into the hands of the enemy. Thus, after upwards of thirty years war, after facrificing more than two 'hundred thoufand men, after deluging the ifland with rivers of Mahometan and Chriftian blood. ONGREECE. 207 blood, the Porte is at prefent in undifturbed poffeffion of Candia. This, Madam, is a feeble fketch of the hiftory of Crete, from the diftant ages of an tiquity to the prefent asra. As we are about to make a tour in the ifland, I fhall next fpeak to you of its commerce, government, popu lation, and whatever I imagine you will think moft interefting. I have the honour to be, &c. LET- 208 LETTERS LETTER XXI. To MT L. M. JL OU have now. Madam, fome aequafnt- ance with the Cretans ; I have laid before you a fketch of their hiftory, and w'e will next proceed to make an excurfion Into the ifland they inhabited, and vifit its antiquities. Elated with having been the birth-place of Jupiter, and proud of her hundred cities, Crete long continued more powerful than the other iflands of the Mediterranean. At pre fent her glory is eclipfed. Time has not fpared a fingle one of all her cities, of which we fee nothing but the ruins. That we are about to quit is the modern capital, and has given its name to the ifland. As it is fituated on the fame fpot where ancient Heracleum for merly ftood, and Is the refidence of the great officers of the Ottoman government, it merits a particular defcription. « The ifle of Dia," fays Strabo (d), " is " fituated opofite to Heracleum, the fea-port (d) Strabo, lib. x. « of ONGREECE. 209 " of Cnoffus, It is only three leagues and a " half diftant from the coaft." This defcrip tion is exad, and perfedly correfponds with the pofition of Candia, and the diftance be tween that city and the ifle of Dia, now called Standia. The following paffage confirms alfo the opinion of thofe who affert, that the ca pital of Crete is built on the ruins of Hera cleum (e). " Cnoffus, fituated within land, " at the diftance of twenty-five ftadia from " the north fea, has fer its port Heracleum." Twenty-five ftadia are equivalent to a league, and it is at this diftance from Candia, to the fouth-eaft, that we find the village of Cnojfou, where the ruins of that once celebrated city are ftlll to be feen. There is no doubt, therefore, that the modern Candia, the Kandahk of the Arabs, now occupies the fcite of the ancient Hera cleum. You have read. Madam, the princi pal occurrences of the memorable fiege this city fuftained againft the whole forces of the Ottoman empire. The Turks have repaired the, ravages of war. The -walls, which fur- round it, are more than a league in cireum- .* (f) Strabo, lib. x. P ference, 2IO LETTERS ference, well preferved, and defended with deep ditches, but covered by no out-work. It is, however, fafe from an attack on the fide of the fea, as fhips cannot approach for want of water. Candia is the feat of the Turkifh govern ment. The Porte ufually fends thither a Pacha with three tails. Here alfo the principal offi cers, and different corps of the Ottoman fol- diery, are affembled. This city, fo rich, populous, and commercial, under the Vene tian government, is greatly fallen from its ancient grandeur. The harbour, which is a handfome bafon, where fhips are fheltered from every wind, is daily filling up, and is now only capable of receiving boats and fmall veffels, lightened of a part of their cargo. Thofe freighted by the Turks at Candia are obliged to proceed almoft in ballaft, to wait for their loading in the ports of Standia, whi ther it is brought to them in fmall barks. Thefe difficulties, which the governors do not endeavour to remedy, are very detrimental to commerce, which accordingly has extren^ely •declined. Candia, greatly embellifhed by the Vene- tiansf ON GREECE, 211 dans, is divided into ftrait ftreets, and deco rated with well-built houfes, a handfome fquare, and a magnificent fountain, but contains within its extenfive walls only a fmall num ber of inhabitants. Several quarters of the town are almoft deferted. That of the market is the only one in which we perceive adivity or affluence. The Mahometans have convert ed the greateft part of the Chriftiap temples ' into mofques. They have left, however, two churches for the Greeks, one for the Arme nians, and a fynagogue for the Jews. The Capuchins have a finall convent, with a chapel, in which the French vice-conful hears niafs ; for at prefent he is the only perfon of that na tion who refides at Candia, the French mer chants having retired to Canea. To .the weft of Canea ftretches a chain of mountains, defcending from Mount Ida, the point of which forms the promontory of Dion. Before we arrive there, we find on the fea- fhore Palio Cajiro, a name the modern Greeks give to all ancient places. Its fituation cor refponds with that of Panormus, which lay to the north-weft of Heracleum. The river to the weft of Candia was an ciently called the Triton, and near Its fource P 2 Minerva 212 LETTERS Minerva was born of Jupiter CfJ- A little fur ther Is the Loaxus ; and about a league to the eaft of the city the river Ceratus flows through a delightful valley, which, according to Strabo, paffed at a fmall diftance from Cnoffus. Be yond is a river, I imagine to be the Therenus, on whofe banks, according to the fables of antiquity, Jupiter celebrated his nuptials with JunoY"^^* In the fpace of more than half a league, round the walls of Candia, we do not meet with a fingle tree. The Turks, during the fiege, cut them all down, and deftroyed the gardens and orchards which environed the town. The country beyond abounds in corn and fruit-trees, and the adjacent hills, covered ¦with vineyards, yield the malmfey of Mount Ida, worthy of a place at the tables of epi cures. This wine,- little -known in France, is (f) Diodorus Siculus, lib. v. Tradition fays, likewife, that Minei-va Was born of Jupiter in the ifland of Crete,, near the fources of the Triton, whence is derived the epithet Tritogenes. {g) Diodorus Siculus, lib. v. It is faid, that the nupuaFs of Jupiter and Juno were celebrated in the diftrift of Cnoffus, near the river Therenus. 'We ftill fee there a temple, where the priefts of the country imitate yearly, in a public feftival, the ceremonies which tsadition fays were obferved at thefe nuptials. perfumed, ON GREECE. 213 perfumed, of a very agreeable flavour, and in high eftimation in this country. To-morrow, Madam, we fhall leave Candia. Our company will confift of twelve travellers, among whom are a French vice-conful, a conful, who is to enter on his office at Canea, fome young merchants, janiffaries, and others wfio travel from curiofity. We are all armed with mufkets, piftols, fabres, and fwords. In a country where every thing is decided by force, this mode of travelling is the fafeft. The Mountaineers and Turks have a great refped for the . arms of Frenchmen ; and the only method of being under no apprehenfion from their violence is, to appear well provided with the means of defence. We fhall not take the fhorteft road, as we defign to vifit the moft remarkable places in the ifland. I have the honour to be, &c. LET- Hi, LETTERS LETTER xxn. To M. L. M, JL^llAVING Candia, Madam, we direded our courfe towards Gortyna, and foon ar rived at the ruins of Cnoffus, called by the modern Greeks Cnojfou. This was the royal city of Minos, who eftabliflied there the feat of his empire, and there gave thofe wife and admirable laws fo juftly boafted by antiquity. This city was a league and a -half in circuit (^), and long continued one of the moft celebrated ofthe ifland. United with Gortyna, it gave law to (;¦) almoft all Crete ; but falling after wards into misfortunes (i^), Gortyna and Lyc- tos profited by its decline, and Cnoffus was for a time ftript of almoft all its fplendour ; but foon repairing thefe loffes, recovered part of its ancient power, and refumed its ftation among the moft flourifhing cities of Crete?- The Romans, to fecure their conqueft, efta blifhed there a numerous colony. At length, {h), Strabo, lib, x. (i) Polybius, lib. iv. (i) Strabo, lib. x. "in ONGREECE. 115 " in the thirteenth year of the rei^n of " Nero (/),*the whole ifland fuffering by a " violent earthquake, Cnoffus was totally de- " ftroyed." (?h) The lightning, during this tremendous calamity, did not proceed from the clouds, but from the earth, and the fea retreated feven ftadia (k). Several tombs burft open, in one of which was found the work of Didys of Crete, containing the events of the Trojari war. From that time the lofty Cnoffus, humbled in the duft, has never rifen from her ruins, but heaps pf ftones, ancient walls half demolifhed, the remains of edifices, and the name of Cnof- fcu, which the fpot it ftood on ftill retains, enable us to affign, with certainty, its ancient fituation. Thefe ruins were, no doubt, much more confiderable before the building of Can dia: becaufe, as they were fo near, it may well be believed the Venetians made ufe of them, as materials for the ramparts and houfes of that capital. Leaving Cnoffou on our left, we continued our journey. As foon as we had reached the (/) Septimms in Epift. ad Arcad. {m) Philoftratus in Vita Apollonii. (n) Sulfas. lofty 2i6 LETTERS lofty hills, which range along the foot of Mount Ida, on the eaft, the countj-y prefented the moft agreeable profpeds. At different diftanees we difcovered vallies clad with .ver dure, fmall villages, fituated on the banks of rivulets, environed with beautiful orchards, and interfperfed here and there with tufts of branching trees, which crowned , the , hil locks. We were about four leagues to -the fouth- eaft of Candia, and employed in climbing a very fteep path, when our guides apprifed us that we were pafling near the tomb of fupiter. We laboured up the mountain to view this ancient monument, but faw nothing but a heap of ftones, half eaten away by time, which the inhabitants of the country call the tomb of Jupiter. Both the fables and hiftories of antiquity agree that a Jupiter died, and was . buried in the ifland of Crete. The third Jupiter, the fon pf Saturn (p), was born there, and his tomb is (o) Cicero de Natura Deoruni, lib. iii. Arnob. lib. IT. The third Jupiter, fon of Saturn, was buried in the ifland of Crete. (Theophilus, lib. i.) Jupiter, fon of Saturn, who was king of Crete, has a tomb ON G R E E C ;e. 217 is ftill fhewn there CpJ' Jupiter having ended his days in Crete^ his relations and friends, in obedience, to his laft commands, ereded a temple and a tomb to : .his memory. This temple ftill fubfifted in : the days of Plato ; but timej.': or earthquakes, have deftroyed it. This philofopher, who was well acquainted with the places he defcribes, fpeaks of it thus (q). " The;road, .which leads from Cnoffus to tbe "• cayern . i.nd. temple of Jupiter, -is very plea- " fant. /We coptinually meet with alleys of " large tufted trees, whofe foliage fhelters us *' from the fcoxching beams of the fun. If *' we proceed ftill further, we find woods " of cyprefs-trees, of furprifing height and " beauty ; by the fide of which are delight- " ful meadows, • where travellers: may repofe, " and converfe." From all thefe authorities we may conclude, in that ifland. (Pomponius Meh, lib. ii. cap. 7.) 'We fee in Crete a tomb,': where, it is almoft impoffible to doubt, tjiat Jupiter was buried. The inhaliitants fhew the remains of the infcription, which prfoves the fadl, (Chryfoftom, iii Epift. Paulii ad Titum.) The Cretans poffefs the tomb of Jupiter, on which we read this infcription : Here,- lies Zan, -wio is called Jupiter. (py Cedrenu?. (q) Plato de Legibus, lib. i. thac %i9 LETTERS that a man, called Jupiter, who, by great ac tions, merited well of hh fubjeds, and; ori whom -divine honours were: beftowfd, died in the ifland of Crete ; that a temple was toeded to him, which bas been deftroyed by time ; that his tomb was fhewn with an in fcription on it, until the time of the Roman Emperors, and that at prefent there is to be feen, about three leagues from Cnoffus, an eminence, commonly called Mount Icarus, on the top of which the inhabitants of the coun try point out a heap of ftones; which they call the tomb of Jupiter. As for the facred cavern, in which 'he was brought up, and to which Minos repaired every ninth year, to converfe with his father, and receive his laws, it may be prefumed not to have been far diftant from this place (r), but we did not fee it. As (r) The ancients almoft always join together the cavern and the tomb of Jupiter. Plato fays, the cave and temple of Jupiter : becaufe in his time the fepulchre was embelliflied with a temple. Minutius Felix fays, " Jupiter reigned in *' Crete 'We ftill fee his cave and tomb.'* The con ftant mention of the tomb and cavern together, feems to iiv dicate that thefe monuments were not diftant from each other. The ONGREECE. 219 As we defcended the hill, we met with a village wedding, on its way to the neighbour ing hamlet. A great number of Greeks, mpunted on horfes and mnles, compofed the efcort of the bride, who was furrounded by a company of handfome girls. They were all decked out in their beft array, and their long white veils fell gracefully on their fhoulders : tbe men wore fine coloured fafhes, and all appeared extremely merry. We thought it a neceffary piece of French politenefs to falute the bride, and drawing up in a line, as fhe paffed, gave her a general difcharge of mufketry. Thofe among the Greeks who had arms, re turned the compliment, and we feparated with mutual expreffions pf refped. We now defcended into the plain, where, though it was the month of November, we found the heat confiderable- WC; were to fleep at tbe convent of St. George, from which we were ftill three leagues diftant, and in our road had tp pafs feveral ranges of hills, which form the bafis of Movmt Ida on the eail. The The ancients place the facred cavern at the foot of .1 Mount Ida. Pl.ato defcribes it as on one fide of Cnoffirs. The fitua tion of Mount Icarus fufficiently correlponds whh thefe in dications, country 220 LETTERS country prefented a great variety of the moft pidurefque profpedsl Sometimes, from the fummit of a hill, we difcovered an immenfe horizon, terminated by mountsfins whith' con cealed their heads in clouds ;'"' arid prefently ftraying along the bottom of profound vallies, adorned v^ith fruit-trees, and flo-wering fhrubs, we feemed as if imprifoned by the v^ft and fteep declivities on each fide. At length, after having continued afcending a long time, we perceived at a diftarice the monaftery of St. George, the fight- of which gave us no little pleafure, and we redoubled our pace. It was evening when we entered the court. The monks, at firft, were alarmed at our num ber ; and the fuperior, according to cuftom, concealed himfelf. But we had a perfon with us who was perfddly acquainted with the Greeks and their fubterfuges. He addreffed himfelf to Tome of the fathers, telling them, that We had -with us the French conful, who was going to Canea, and who, as he had great influence with thofe iri power in that country, was able to render effential fervices to their bifliop, and all the convents in the ifland. They did not fail to convey this in formation to the fuperior, who inftantly came to ONGREECE. 221 to receive and compliment us, and immediate ly all the doors were thrown open to our cpm- pany. We had travelled feven computed leagues, equal to ten French ones, and our horfes were much tired. As foon as we had alighted, feveral children came to take them by the bridle, and walked them about for a quarter of an hour, before they put them into the ftable. This cuftom is conftantly obferved in Crete : they never fhut up the horfes when in a fweat, but always make a rule of walking them about fome time in the open air. Hence the Cretan horfes are ftrong, healthy, and fcarcely ever tire. They boldly climb the fteepeft rocks, and defcend the fame into the vallies, without ftumbling. The traveller's life depends on the furenefs of their footing : for he frequently paffes along narrow paths on the edge of dread ful precipices, where a fingle falfe ftep would infallibly be his deftrudion. While fupper was preparing, one of the monks earneftly requefted us to vifit his cell. He was a lover of good wine, which indeed might be feen in his countenance, and he re-.. galed us in the heU manner he could with his beloved liquor. It is true, he had but one cup. 222 LETTERS cup, but that was large and deep ; he circu lated it brifkly, and feemed highly pleafed with the encomiums we beftowed on his wine. The monks of Saint George poffefs exten five lands on which they feed numerous flocks, and which produce corn, barley, wine, oil, wax, and honey, in abundance. The Turks have left them thefe lands, on condi tion of their exercifing hofpitality towards all travellers, which they commonly do with a tolerable good grace. Both riders and horfes are lodged and fupplied with provl fions. Thefe houfes are of great ufe in a country where there are neither inns nor caravanferas : for without them, the traveller would be obliged to carry with him a load of baggage, and every neceffary of life. The monks cultivate their fields themfelves, and owe what they enjoy to the labour of their hands. A magnificent repaft (s) was ferved up to us : the middle difh was a roafted pig, round which were excellent mutton, pigeons, and very fine poultry ; the reft of the table was (j) The French word is ambigu. An ambigu is an enter tainment confifting of both meat and fruits. T. covered ONGREECE. 223 covered with plates of pomegranates, almonds, grapes, frefh olives, and honey. This honey, as tranfparent as cryftal, was delicious ; as highty perfumed as the flowers themfelves, as delicate as the fineft fweet-meats, and equally grateful to the fmell and tafte. The fuperior fet before us moft exquifite wines ; red, white, and orange-coloured, the produce of the hills round the monaftery, on which we alternately beftowed the higheft commendations. After fupper we were conduded to a fpa cious hall, where, notwithftanding the hard nefs of our beds, we perfedly well enjoyed the pleafures of repofe. To fhew refped to the French conful, they had allotted him a fe parate apartment, and placed two full decanters by his bed-fide. In the morning, he -wifhed to wafh his mouth, and pouring out fome of the fuppofed water, found it to be white -wine. He took the other decanter, ' and filled his glafs, but this proved to be pure brandy. No doubt, thefe good monks are accuftomed to make libations to the god of fleep, or to con fole themfelves for his rigours with the bottle. I have the honour to be, &c. LET- 224 LETTERS LETTER XXIIL To M, L. M. , kJ U R intention being to vifit Gortyna and the Labyrinth ; we fet out early in the morning from the monaftery of St. George, and after thanking our hofts, who politely furnifhed us with provlfions for our break faft, direded our courfe toward the fouthern part of the ifland, and continued defcend ing for two hours from the convent into the; plain. The journey was lefs fatiguing than the preceding day. We travelled through , a beautiful country interfperfed with villages, arid furrounded with olive and almond trees. The declivities of the hills on the right and left prefented us with charming landfcapes. This whole diftrid appeared rich and po pulous ; but the time of harveft and the vintage being over, we met with but few in habitants, who were fhut up in their houfes, occupied in domeftic labours. After ONGREECE, 22J After fdme hours travelling, a little path, lined with Verdfetnt turf, and watered by a limped ftreamj which meandered through the valley, invited us to halt. We fpread out the provlfions of the good monks, and breakfafted at the foot of a plane-tree. Our journey had Iharperied our appetites, and we found our repaft delicious. . , The water of the fouritairi was cool and pure, and a few bottles of wine rendered it ftill better. Our breakfaft was.very cheerful and agreeable, but foon over ; we re mounted our horfes, and continued our journey., Our way . lay over a lev€l ground, in- clofed bel;w^n two chains of mountairis, the fides of which were furrowed by the channels of limpidx ftreams. Numerous flocks of goats and fheep were feeding on thyme, or browfing on the leav^-of wild fhrubs. , Here a cottage, furrounded with vineyards, fhewed itfelf on the fummit. of a rock^ and there another, lay concealed in the obfcurity of a thicket. . Our eyes were amufed on every fide with the agree able and Variegated profpeds, and we made a great progrefs in our journey without per^ cei-vingvit. The fun had run half his courfe ; and we had been feven hours; on horfeback, when (^ we ii6 L E "T Ti E R S > we arrived at. a large town, the inhabitants of which have not the beft of charaders; They are aCcufed of a difpofition to rob tra vellers ; but, eorifiding in our arms, we re folved to afk for a dinner. We- were very indifferently received in feveral houfes, and the forbidding • appearance of thofe "who Uved in them made us go on further, till^ at kngth, we knocked at a door, where we found the inhabitants better inclined. We did not find, indeed, the fplendid table of our rich monks. Eggs, olives, honeyi and bad cheefe, were all they ^ffered us ; and for thefe we paid generoufly. When leaving this villanous place, many of the in habitants infulted us with ill language; but the fight of our iriufquets levelled at them^ and the drawn -fabres of our janiffaries, foon filenced them. We now entered the plain of Meffara, which is feven leagues in length, and ex tends as far as the fea on the fouth fide .bf the ifland. It is the moft fertile in corn of any in the kingdom of Candia; the foil here is excellent, and the crop never dif- appoints the expedation of the hufbandman. A ftrait and good road here fliewed - us we ONGREECE. 227 we approached Gortyna ; the ruins of which we foon difcovered, and fpent feveral hours in examining. The origin of Gortyna is uncertain; the opinions of authors varying on the fubjed. We know, however, that it is of the higheft antiquity. Homer fpeaks of it, as of a power ful city' defended by walls. It was a flou rifhing place when Lycurgus travelled into Cretei' Some fay it was founded by Gor tynus, fpn of Tegetes C'tJ' Plato tells us, it was built by a colony from Gortyna, a city of Peloponnefus ; and feveral ancient writers affert that Taurus, who carried off Europa, and whd reigned in Crete, founded this celebrated city C^J- (/) Stephanus Byzantius. Gortyna received its name from the hero Gortynus, It was alfo called Lariffa, Crem- nia, and at length Gortyna, (Paufanias in Arcadicis.) It is related that Cydon, Catreus and Gortynus, fons of Tegetes, paffed into the ifland of Crete, and gave their names to Cydon, Catrea, and Gortyna. But the Cretans rejeft this account, and fay that Cydon was the fon of Mer cury, aad Acacallidis the daughter of Minos ; that Catreus was the fon of Minos, and Gortynus, of Rhadamanthus. (u) Plato de Legibus, lib, iv. Q^a. How- 228 ^ L E T T E R' S HpweVef Wdl or, ill founded thefe dif ferent acdounts may be, Gortyna, fituated in a plain of vaft extent, watered- by ftu-* ftikrou^ rivulets, fertile in cdrn,' barley, olives, arid ail kinds ' of produdions,; became orie of the moft confiderable cities, of the ifland. Ir was only five leagues diftant from the fea, on the fduth-fide, on which it had > tw6 harboiirs (v) ; Lebena, where was a famous temple (to), and. Metalla, fituated at the ex tremity of the caf)e ' fo • called. The people of 'Gortyna khew hoW to a-Vail ' themfelves of thefe advantages, and became exceedingly powerful. They uttited their arms wfth thdfe iof the" Cridffiahs to fubdue the neigh bouring cities, and greatly extended the li mits of their territory. Their walls were mtore than two^ leagues in circumference; but (v) .Euftathius. in Dionyfium. Gqrtyna was built^by Taurus, who carried off Europa the Phoenician, and who reigned in Crete. (Chron. Alexand.) Taurus founded, in the ifland of Crete, a city which he called Gortyna, from the name of his mother, the grand-daughter of Jupiter. (Cedrenus.) Taurus built in Crete the city of Gortyna, fo called after his mpther's name. {iu) Strabo, lib. x. Gortyna has two. ports on the Lybian fea ; Lebena, from which it is only four leagues diftant, and Metella, fituated two leagues beyond. 2 having ONGREECE, 229 having been deftroyed by time, the magif trates began repairing them, but finifhed only eight ftadia, leaving the reft of the town open (af). Strabo attributes the rebuilding thefe walls Cy) to Ptolemy Phllopater ; but adds,- that he did not complete them, ^nd that they remained unfinifhed. Gortyna contained feveral temples, among which the moft remarkable were thofe of Apollo (z), Jupiter (a), and Diana (J?). The firft. was held in great veneration by the people of Greece, who, in the time of a plague, fent thither deputies to confult its oracle (c). Menelaus, going in purfuit of Helen, facrificed in the fecond a hecatomb to Jupiter; and Hannibal, dreading left the avarice pf the Gortynians might tempt them to deliver him up to his enemies, in order to obtain his treafures, the report of which had preceded his arrival, depofited, in prefence (*) Phranzes, Chron, lib. i. (y) Strabo, lib. X. (k) Stephan. Byzant. In the middle of Gortyna was the temple and altar of Apollo. {a) Fhorius Bibliodi. Hift. lib. v. iV) iEmilius Probus, (f) Antonius Liberalis, metamorph. zj. of 23© LETTERS of the people, veffels filled with lead, and covered with gold and filver, in the temple of Diana, declaring that he confided to them his fortune. Shortly after, however, he took an opportunity to efcape into Afia with his riches enclofed in brazen ftatues ; but the im placable vengeance of Rome purfued him every where. The Lethe ran near Gor tyna ('i/^. Strabo {e) affures us thathe croffed it. This city having undergone frequent revolutions, the river may have, at fome period, flowed round its walls, and, at others, through the city ; for it is certjun that, at prefent, ruins are difcoverable beyond this river, which is now only a tolerably large rivulet. It was called Lethe, becaufe Har- monia, the daughter of Venus, forgot her hufband Cadmus on its banks CfJ- G^q- graphers reckon feveral r|ivers of this name. Strabo enumerates four(|-). The (d) Solinus, The river Lethe runs near Gortyna, where Taurus carried off Europa. (e) Strabo. The river Lethe runs through the city of Gortyna. (/) 'Vibius Sequefter, de Amnibus. (g) Magnefia was fituated on the Meander, where the river ONGREECE. 231 The ruins of Gortyna cover a vaft extent >of ground, and enable us to form fome idea of its ancient magnificence. Such of its mo numents as ftill fubfift, are not of the high eft antiquity. One of the moft remarkable is a gate built with large bricks, which have been formerly covered with freeftone; thofe of tiie fides and arch-way have been de tached, yet it ftill does, and muft long con tinue to fubfift. This edifice is of a confi derable thicknefs, and prefents an extenfive front. It cannot be fuppofed more ancient than the time when Ptolemy Phllopater un- dertook to rebuild the walls of Gortyna. Be yond this gate, we find a lairge open fpace, in form nearly a parallelogram, on each fide of which is a double row of pedeftals. The bafes of the marbles are buried^ and the tops alone appear above the ground. The order in which they are ranged gives reafon to conjedure they were part of the portico •of a temple. At different intervals we meet jiver Lethe falls into it; anotlier river of the fame name runs near Gortyna ; a third bathes Tricca, a city pi Theffaly; and we find a fourth Lethe in the weftem part of Africa. with 23* LETTERS with heaps of rubbifh, and. columns of mar ble, and of granite, buried up to the middle of their fhafts. . The capitals lie near thera, broken off; but feveral of them h^ve none. Near the farther end of thefe ruins, on the banks of that beautiful river, where Har- monia forgot Cadmus, we enter a church, one fide of which is deftrpyed. Its archi tedure is fimple, without colonnades ; and it is about one hundred and twenty feet long,' by fixty wide. This is prpba- bly the ancient, cathedral founded by Titus, the difciple of Saint Paul. Some confider able ruins, fituated at a little diftance, may he the remains of the palaqe of the arch- bifhop. Thefe ruins do not appear fuitable to what might be expeded from the grandeur and magnificence of Gortyna, But we muft con fider that the fineft marbles have been carried off, that we fee; in adjacent villages, ancient columns employed in making gates for the Turkifh gardens, and that the greateft part of Its ornaments are buried under the earth, which Is confiderably raifed. If the grounds were dug into, and proper refearches made, we fhould certainly find ftatues and valuable anti- ON G R". ETE IC vE. #33 .amiqnities. At prefent, the huftandmair. paf fes -his ploiigTi over thera, and covers with his harveft the ruins of the palacfes and tem ples of Gortyna. Such, Madam, is the def tiny . of. ancient cities. They are the work of man,, and perifli like himfelf. Thofe jvhich, in ages paft, were the ornament, or terror of the world, Thebes, Memphis and Babylon, are now no more. Can you ima gine that Paris, that noble city, which con tains within Itfelf all the arts, and inmjmer- iible inhabitants, will exift for ever ? Can you dpubt that the curious traveller fhall one day; wander amid heaps of rubbifh, in fearch of the fituation of her temples and her palaces ? Let us confole ourfelves : that period is ftill very remote. We quitted the plain of Gortyna to vifif the LabyrinthiL The. road leading to this me morable place is rough and fleep ; but, after an afcent of near an hour, we, at lerigth, reached the entrance. We had brought with us the thread of Ariadne, that is to fay, four hundred fathoms of twine, which we faf tened to the gate, where we ftationed two janiffaries, wifh "orders to fuffer nobody to enter. The opening of the Labyrinth is natuj^l, 234. LETTERS natur^, and not wide. When you have ad vanced a little, you find a confiderable ^ace ftre-«red with large ftones, and covered with a flat roof cut out of the folid mountain. To difcern our way amid this gloomy abode, we each carried a flambeau. Two Greeks bore the. clew, which they unfolded or woun(l_ up . as occafion required. At firft we loft ourfelves In different alleys without an open- ing, and were obliged to meafure back our fteps, but at length difcovered the true paf fage, which is on the right as we enter; we arrive at it by a narrow path, and are obliged to creep on our hands and feet for the fpace of an hundred yarda, the roof be ing extremely low. At the end of this nar row paffage the ceiling rifes fuddenly, and we were able to walk upright, in the midft of the impenetrable darknefs that furround ed us, and the numerous ways which ftruck off on each fide, and croffed each other ia different diredions. The two Greeks we had hired trembled wth apprehenfion; the fweat poured down their &ces, and they refufed to advance, unlefs we took the lead. The alleys through which we paffed were in general from feven to eight feet high ; in width ONGREECE, 235 width they varied from fix to ten, and fometimes more. They are all chiffeled out of the rock, and the ftones, of a dirty grey, are ranged in horizontal layers. In fome places, huge blocks of ftone, half detached from the roof, feem ready to fall on your head, and you muft ftoop in paffing them, not without fome danger of their falling. This havock has, no doubt, been occafioned by earthquakes, which are fo frequent in Crete. . Thus did we continue wandering in this faaze, of which we endeavoured to difco ver all the windings, and as foon as we had got to the end of one alley, entered into another. Sometimes we were ftopped fhort by a paffage without an opening, and at others, after long circuits, were afto- nifhed to find ourfelves at the crofs-way from which we had fet out. Frequently, after encircling with our cord a great exterit of rock, we were obliged to wind it up, and return the way we* came. It is impoffible to defcribe to what a degree thefe paffages are multiplied and crooked ; fome of them form curves which lead you infenfibly to a vaft empty fpace, fupported by enormous pillars, whence three or four paffages ftrike off that condud 236 LETTERS condud to Oppofite points ; others, after long windings, divide into feveral branches : thefe again extend a great length, and, terminated by the rock, oblige the traveller to trace back his way. We walked with precaution in the doublings of this vaft Labyrinth, amid the eternal darknefs that reigns throughout it, and which our torches could hardly difpel. Thus fituated, the imagination raifes up phantoms ; it figures to itfelf precipices under the feet of the curious, monfters placed as centinels, and, in a word, a thoufand chimeras whic]]^ can have no exiftence. The precaution we had taken of proceed ing with the thread of Ariadne, and of faf- tening it at different diftanees' left it fhould break, allowed us td advance farther than Belon, Toumefort, and Pocock, were abfe to do for want of fuch affiftance. We obferv ed, in feveral parts of the middle avenue, the cyphers 1700 written with a black pen cil, by the hand of the celebrated French botanift. An extraordinary circumftance which he remarks, and which we admired no lefs than he had done, is the property poffeffed by the rock of prefenting the names engraven on it in relief. We faw feveral pf ONGREECE. 237 of them, wherein this fort of feulpture had arlfen to the thicknefs pf two lines (the fixth paft of an inch). The fubft^nce of this re lief is whiter than the ftone (h}. After ftraying for a long time in the fright ful cavern of the Minotaur (/'), -we arrived at thei extremity of the alfey which Toume fort foUoteed. There we found a wide fpace^ with cyphers "cut ih the rock, none of which were of an earlier date than. the fourteenth cen- tuiry. There is another fimilar to this on the right ; each of them may be about twenty-four or thirty feet fquare. .To arrive at this. place we had run piit almoft all our jine, that is to fay; about i-twenty-four* hundred . feet, . whhout mentioning our various; excurfions. We re- niained three hours in the 'Labyrinth,! con tinually v^alking, without being able to flatter ourfelves with • having feen every thing., I believe it would be impoffible for any man Ch} Several of us engraved Our names deeply at the end of 1 779. At the time of preparing diefe'letters for publica tion, I anS informed that the hollow is already filled witBj this white fubftance, which projefls about a line (the tweifS of an inch) above the names. (i) The reader will fee in the following letter why I give It this name. -^ ¦- to 233 L E T TERS to get out of it, if left there without either clew or flambeau ; he would lofe himfelf in a thoufand windings : the horrors of the' place, and the intenfe darknefs, would fill Mm with confternation, and he muft mifer- ably perifh.' I ' On our return, we examined- a 'winding we had not before noticed ; it cbnduded: us to a beautiful grotto,; .rifing into 'a: dome; v/rought by the' hand of nature.. If: has no ftaladites, nor indeed is a fingle'; one to be found in the whole extent of o the -cavern, as the water does not filtrate ; through the roof. Every thing is dry ;«andi as the air is never renewed, the friiell is extremely difagree- able. Thoufands of bats, the dung of which lies in heaps, ; inhabit this gloomy abode. They are the only monfters we difcovered. We came out with a great deal of pleafure, and breathed the external air with a kind of- rapture. Night now began to come on, and the road was not very eafy to be found ; we haftened, therefore, to defcend the moun- j^In, and entered a neighbouring farm, where we were very hofpitably entertained by a Turk. I have the honour to be, &c. L E T- O .N G R E E C ( E. 239 LETTER XXIV. To TM. L, M, SEVERAL authors. Madam, among whom are Befon (k) and Pocock (/), pretend that the Labyriitth, which I have been de fcribing, is no more than i a quarry, from ¦which; ftones were brotugiht to build the city of Gortyna. M. Touvnefait. C^) has' fatlsfac- torilycDofiited this opiiuoSn ; he has proved that the flbne of. this, cavern is' too foft to be fit foer ibuilding, and that it would have coft enormous fkms to.conv^ it 'acrof& the fteep ; riiountains that lie between' the Laby- tinfh and the city.' It muft:have been much more.^^natural for the inhabitants to procure their ftone ¦ from , the mountains in the vi cinity of Gortyna. Had the Labyrinth been • ^if^ Obfervations' de plufieurs' Srngolarites ct Choles memorable^ trouvees en Grece, &c, (/) Defcription of the Eaft. fmj Voyage du Levant. but 24P 1 L'-EiT.. T E R S but an ordinary quarry, why leave at the entrance a channel a hundred yards long, fo low as not to be accelfible but by creeping, and from whence ftones could ndt be brought until broken In pieces ? This would have been to double both J;ibpur and expence to no purpofe. It is much more proba ble, adds M. Tournefort, that nature has produced the Ijsil)yrlnthi^''and thhf.tHe«pkffag.a at the ' jsiitrance has' not been ¦ altered, to fhew p.ofterIty what' was:! the- fl^te.iof thefe fabtei'J jftBe'&n .channels.- be&f£ they:. were erilarged^b)i; the hand of J man, *. ft ;is-. evident, that hotliirig more; hascbfcen atjtemjTted than. inerely^- to 'len der ,thfra.-;paflabl^ fince only thb§Si&aass%hkv4 been cleared a-way.,/ w:hIcEitha'tE obflAidsd ;thd paffffgdjj all the..othefa!'have b'eeii left,; ''and »?e i^;gBd in -^aderiakaig the walls. . oj -vjBiul foi- wihatfjfxiirpfife was , this Labyrinth intended? Is.,it':ofa great antiquity'?.- And was it; there the rManotaur, was. u confined ? ThefedEre queftions -which, I v believe; have never been anfwered/ i ' Let us endelvotff, if poffible, to refolve them. The difcovery of truth, obfcured bythe lapfe of time, gives plea" ONGREECE. 241 pleafure to the reader, and amply recom- penfes the labour of inveftigatipn. In the firft place, it is certain that the immenfe cavern, the windings of which I have defcribed, is not the Labyrinth formed by Dasdalus, on the plan of that of Egypt (n). All the ancient writers atteft, that the famous work of that celebrated archited was fituated at Cnoffus. " It was agreed," fays Paufanias, '* to fend to the Minotaur of Crete feven vir- " gins, and feven boys, to be thrown into the *' Labyrinth built in the city of Cnoffus (0)." " As foon as ApoUonius arrived at Cnoffus, " he vifited the Labyrinth CpJ" ^^' CqJ John Tzetzes very fatisfadorily defcribes this famous edifice, and informs us of the ufe for which it was intended. " Daedalus, *' the Athenian, made for king Minos a pri- " fon, from which it was impoflible to efcape. (n) Diodorus Siculus, lib, i. It is faid that Daedalus, travelling into Egypt, was ftruck with admiration at the fight of the Labyrinth conftrufted with wondrous art, and that he formed a fimilar one for Minos king of Crete. (0) Paufanias in Atticis, (pJ Philoftratus, in Vita Apollonii, (j) Johannes Tzetzes. R " Its 24a LETTERS " Its numerous windings were in the form " of a fnail, and It was called the Labyrinth." Phllocprus (r) afferts, aftei' the unanimous teftimony of the Cretans, that " the La- " byrinth was a prifon contrived more effec- " tually to prevent the efcape of male- " fadors." ; Such thei; was the plan of that celebrated work of antiquity, conftruded on the model of that of Egypt. It was a prifon wherein Thefeus and his companions were to end their days, or live deprived of honour. But love and courage extricated them from their dan ger. This Labyrinth fubfifts no longer. It was indeed already deftroyed in the days of PHny. Let us therefore proceed to con fider that which Is ftill exifting. ¦ Permit me. Madam, to go fomewhat fur ther back, in order' to throw a little light on a few obfcure fads, mingled with fo many fables. By colleding the Various opinions of ancient authors, perhaps, we may be able to (r) Plutarch, in Thefeo. remove ON GREECE, 243 remove the veil which conceals truth. You. know that Androgeos, fon of Minos,- went to. Athens', and that iEgeus, at his return from Trcezene (s), celebrated what were called the Panathenalc games,, to which all Greece re paired. The Cretan hero entered the lifts, vanquifhed all the combatants, and was pub licly crowned (tj. This prince entered into a friendly alliance with the Pallantides, who made-pretenfions to the throne, ^geus, dread ing' the confequences of this friendfhip, had him affaffinated near Q^nan in Attica, when on his Way to a facred folemnlty, CuJ Minos foon appeared at. the head of a naval armament, to demand vengeance for the death of his fon ; and, after a long ahd bloody fiege, during which Athens was ravaged by the plague, ^geus, incapable of defending himfelf any longer, demanded of the king of Crete what fatisfadion he required. That prince infifted on his fending him, every fe- fs) Apollodorus, lib. iii. (t) Diodorus Siculus, lib. iv, .fuJ Apollodorus, lib., iii. R 2 venth 144 LETTERS venth year (v), feven boys and feven girls, to be delivered to the Minotaur. Thefe unhappy vidims were abandoned to him, and he car ried them off in his fleet. At the ftated time he again appeared with a number of fhips, and was fatisfied in like manner, Thefe children were chofen by lot, and the parents of thofe on whom the fatal chance fell, murmured loudly againft jEgeus. They were filled with indignation, on refleding that the author of the mifchief fhould alone efcape the punifhment (x) ; and that he fhould raife to the throne a natural fon (y), while he deprived them of their legitimate children. They were even ripe for a revolt. But when the time for fending the third tribute arrived, (vJ Diodorus, Kb. iv. fays, that they were fent every feven years. Apollodorus fays, every year. Plutarch (in ¦Vita Thefei) afferts, that this tribute took place only onc^ in nine years. Thefe opinions, though they vary refpefting tlie number of years, all confirm the faft. (x) Plutarch, in 'Vita Thefei. (y) Hygin. Fab. xxxvii. Neptune and ..Slgeus, fons of Pandion, had amorous commerce, in the fame night, with JEthn, daughter of Pytheus, in the temple of Mi nerva. Thefeus fprang from this union. Ifocrates fays, he was called the fon of .£geus, but that Neptune was .really his father. I Thefeus, ONGREECE. 445 Thefeus, whom feveral gallant adions had aU ready raifed to the fame of a hero, and who, in the bloom of youth, united every endowment of mind and body (z), was determined to put an erid to thefe murmurs. He voluntarily offered himfelf to be one of the vidims, re- folving to perifh, or free his country ^rom an odious tribute ; and departed, after facrificing to Apollo at Delphi, who direded him to take Venus for his guide (a). Let us now endeavour to difcover the true meaning of the fable of the Minotaur. Taurus was the name of one of the principal men of Crete, who was a native of Cnoffus (b). His valour, and other great qualities^ no doubt, recommended him to Minos, who made choice (z) Servius ad .£neid, lib. vi. Thefeus was as beauteous as btave. (liberates) I may fay to the praife of Thefeus, that, being bom in the time of Hercules, he fo comported himielf as to merit a like glory. Not only did they bear the fame arms, but they applied to the fame exercifes of body and mind, as became two heroes of the fame blood, {a) Plutarch, Thefeus having confulted the Delphic Apollo, before his departure, the oracle told him to take Venus for his guide, {b) Ifaac Tzetzes ad Lycophron. Taurus was a native of Cnoffus, a city of Crete, and general of the army that carried oiF Europa. of 246 L, E T T E R S pf him to command ; an , expedition againft Phoenicia., " Taurus," ;adds Palasphatus, ',,' a " citizen of Cnoffus, made war on the Ty- " rians. Having oyercome them, he carried " off feveral young women from, their city, " among whom was Europa, daughter of *' king Agenor. This it was that gave rife ". to the fable of a bull ha\;ing . felzed Europa, *' and carried her away. The poets, fond " ofthe marvellous,, added, that ihe was ra- '? vilhed by Jupiter In the form of a bull," The conqueror lived at the court of , Minos : he had returned laderi with the fpolls of Tyre, arid as he poffeffed the advantage '¦ of a fine perfon, the renown he had acquired by his military 'exploits,, rendered hini* ftlll more handfome In the eyes of Pafiphae, the daughter of the Sun, and wife of the king of Crete. She became enamoured of him, and finding means to gratify her paffion (c), had a fon by him.. Mrnos having difcovered " that this *' child could not be his, but that he was the ^' fruit of the amours of Taurus and Pafiphae, " would not, however, put him to death, but ", confined him to the mountains, to ferve the *' "fhepherds. In thefe folitary abodes he grew {c) Palsphkt. de Fab. " wild ON GREECE, 247 " wild and fierce, and lived by robbery, and " fteafing fheep from the flocks. Having " learnt that Minos had fent foldiers to take " him, he dug a deep cavern, which he made " his place of refuge. At length the king of " Crete fent to the fon of Taurus fuch cri- " minals as he wifhed to punlfh with death." His ferocity, and this employment, no doubt, procured him the name of Minotaur, and in duced poets and painters to reprefent him as a monfter, half a man, and half a bull. An ingenious emblem, which had reference at once to his birth, his charader, and his odi ous fervices, Thefeus having landed in Crete, endea voured to calm the anger of Minos, who had fallen in love with C^J Pserlbea, one of the feven Athenian virgins. He convinced him, that he was the fon of Neptune, and endea voured to mitigate the rigour of his fate. The prince, almoft difarmed, treated him at firft very favourably, and permitted him to mix with the combatants in the public games. The Athenian hero excited univerfal admira tion (e) by his addrefs and courage, and en- {d) Plutarch, in 'Vita Thefei. [e) Ibid. chanted 248 LETTERS chanted every heart with the gracefulnefs of his perfon Cf)- In Crete, wpmen were permitted to be pre fent at the public fhews (g) ; and Ariadne faw Thefeus engage with, and overcome, the moft renowned warriors of her country ; but while fhe admired the bravery and graces of the youthful hero, love ftole into her heart; and inflided one of his deepeft wounds. It is probable fhe confeffed her paffion to the con queror ; and that, to fulfil the precept of the oracle (h), he profited by her declaration. It is natural to fuppofe alfo, that Minos, in formed of this intrigue, confidered it as a new offence, and refolved to fhut him up in the Labyrinth of Cnoffus, that he might be for ever buried in the horrid obfcurity of that tremendous prifon. This conjedure is ren dered more than probable by the following (f) Servius, Euftathius, and Hyginus, agree in inform ing us, that Thefeus united the utmoft gracefulnefs of perfon with a lofty ftature, ftrength, and courage. I^g) Plutarch (in Vita Thefei) fays, Thefeus was admitted to the public games of Crete ; that he vanquiftied the warri ors who entered the lifts againft him j and that Ariadne faw, and fell in love with him, th) Apollo, as we have feen, had commanded him to fa crifice to Love. paffage. ONGREECE. 249 paffage (;'). " Thefeus arriving at the gate " of the Labyrinth, encountered Deucalion *' and the guards, and put them to death." So defperate an adion determined Minos no longer to keep any meafures with his enemy, and he fent him to Taurus, with orders to put him to death (1^). You recoiled. Madam, that Taurus was the executioner of Minos ; that he dwelt in a profound cavern, in which he deftroyed the prifoners condemned to death. The ancients affert, that the name of Labyrinth was given alfo to this gloomy abode, in which art affifting nature, had formed new paffages, and contrived a multitude of windings, from which it was almoft impoffible to efcape. *' The Labyrinth of Crete (/) was a cavern " dug out of a mountain." Cedrenus adds thefe remarkable words (m) : " The Minotaur " fled to a place called the Labyrinth, and " concealed himfelf there, in the depth of a « cavern."—" (n) The Labyrinth of Crete, (i) Plutarch, in Vita Thefei, {k) Palsephat. de Incredibilibus. (/) Au which Belon calls phalangion (r). They affert its polfon is mortal. It is a fort of fpider, almoft an Inch long, with a fcaly coat. It hollows out, in the fides of little eminences, a pretty deep (p) Antigonus Arifthius, Hift. cap. x. tt is faid, that the ifland of Crete breeds no- animal wlijch can caufe the death of man. (q) Pliny, lib viii. cap. 58. (r) Obfervations de plufieurs Singularites et Chofes memorables trouvees eu Grece, &c. hole, ON GREECE. 311 hole, ¦*whleh it covers with a ftrong web of ctofs threads glued together. This little paf fage, at the bottom of which it lodges, i§ clofed externally by a valve, that prevents the rain from penetrating ; and which it opens when going in queft of infeds, and clofes again when it re-enters. If two of thefe tarantulas are fhut up in a glafs phial, they ftibg each other, and die foon after. I am not acquainted with the effed of their bite on the human body, but I was an eye-wituefs to the experiment I have juft mentioned. The quadrupeds of the ifland are not mlfchlevous ; we neither meet with lions, tigers, bears, wolves, nor even foxes ; in fhort, no dangerous animal. The wild goats are the only inhabitants of the forefts which cover the high mountains, and have nothing to fear but the gun of the hunter. Hares are found on the eminences and in the plains. The fheep feed in fafety on the various fpecies of wild thyme. They are folded every evening, and the fhepherd fleeps in peace, free from the dread of feeing death and havock fpread among his flock by -wild beafts. It is a happinefs for the Cretans, that they are 312 L-, E T; T E R S ^ are neither trPubled with mufquitoS, , nor have any thing to apprehend from the polfon of fer pents, or the ferocity of wild beafts. The young and lively maiden may dance upon the grafs, without finding, like, Eurydice, a viper con cealed under the flowers. The .'aneierits afcribed thefe fignal advantages to the birth of Jupiter. "The Cretans," fays JElia.n (s), ^ celebrate In their fongs the bounties of Ju- " piter, and the favour he has granted their *' ifland, his native and nurfing land, of being *' free from every'nPxious animal, and of not *' even nourlfhing thofe which may be brought ".into It." , Among the medicinal plants of Crete, dit tany holds the firft rank. It is aftonifhing hpw highly the ancients have extolled Its vir tues- Theophraftus (^/J, who gives us the re ceived opinions of his time, fays, " Of all " the known plants, which the earth haspra- " duced, dittany is the moft precious." The father of medicine, fhe celebrated HIppo- (s) ..^lian. de. Natura Animalium, lib. v. (t) TheOphraftiis »adds, in another place. Dittany pot [ fefles beneficial and extraordinary virtues in a great num ber of cafes, and efpeeially in the labour cf women, ' crates. ONGREECE. 313 crates («), ordered an infufior)i of it to be given in feveral diforders of women, and efpeeially during the pains of a difficult la bour. For this reafon the flatue of Diana was, according to fome writers (v), crowned with dittany. I fhall not here repeat, with feveral au thors (w), that the wild goa,ts, when wounded by the arrows of the hunter, freed themfelves from them by eating this precious plant ; that it poffeffed the virtue of healing them, even when the arrows were polfoned (^x) ; and that its odour was fo powerful, as to drive away venomous reptiles, and deftroy, if it only touched them Cy)- Thefe accounts are evidently exaggerated ; but, on the other hand, we are, pofllbly too indifferent to the real utility me;r dicine might derive from this plant. Its leaf is extremely balfamic, and the flower diffufes (u) Hippocrates de Nat. Miilierum : Give, as a drink, dittany of Crete, 5f the weight of an obolus, infufed in water. He adds (de Morbis Mulierum), lib.^i. Give, dity tany of Crete in wine. De Foetus Mortui Exfeft. If you l;ave any dittany of Crete, drink an infufion of it. (b) Scholiaft. in Euripid. Hippolyt. (w) Plutarch, de Sol. Anim. (x) Cicero, de Najtiira Deorum, lib. ii. (y) Diofcorides. a de- 314 . LETTERS a delicious fragrance. The inhabitants, at pre-i fent, apply it with fuccefs on many occafions. An Infufion of the dried leaf; with a little fugar; yields a liquor more pleafing to the palate; and more finely flavoured than tea. It immediately removes languor of the ftomach, and reftores it after digeftiori. (z) Dittany is peculiar to the iflai^d of Crete, and is to be found in no other Country. It grows in the erevices of the rocks, and at the foot of precipices. Pliny has hot fufficiently difcriminated it in his defcription (a). " Dit- " tany," fays he, " has flender branches, re- " fembles penny -royal, and Is hot arid rough " to the tafte ; its leaves only are made ufe *' of; it has neither flower, nor feed, nor ** ftaik." Virgil knew it better, and his defcription is more conformable to truth (b). " His mother gathers dittany on Mount " Jda of Crete. This plant bears fliagged •' leaves, which are crowned with purple *' flowers* The wild goats find in it a (a) Pliny, B, xxv. ch. 8, Dittany grows only in the ifland of Crete, Theophraftus (Hift. Plant.) fays the fame thing : Dittany is peculiar to the ifland of Crete. (a) Pliny, lib. xxv. cap, 8. {b) Mtseid, lib. xii. " remedy. ONGREECE. 315 " remedy, when wounded by the winged " arrows." In a country where the air is extremely pure, diforders are not frequent ; we find no epidemical difeafes in the ifland of Can4ia. Fevers are, indeed, frequent there, in the fum mer ; but they are not attended with danger, and the plague would never make its appear ance, had not the Turks deftroyed the Laza rettos eftablifhed by the Venetians for per forming quarantine. Since then it has been brought, from time to time, by the fhips from Smyrna and Conftantinople, This dreadful diftemper perpetuates itfelf for want of pre cautions, vifits fucceffively the different pro vinces, and, as both the heats and colds are moderate, fometimes continues its ravages here for eighteen months together. But a malady which, though lefs dangerous than the plague, has fomething even more hideous in its fymptoms, infeds this beautiful country : I mean the leprofy. This diforder had its ancient feat in Syria, whence it has paffed into riiany iflands of the Archipelago. It is contagious, and is inftantly communi cated by the touch. The unhappy wretches, who are attacked by it, are confined to little huts. 3i6 L E T TER S huts, built on the fides of the highways, froiri which they are not allowed to come but, of to converfe with any perfon. They have ufually round their cottages a fmall garden, that fupplies them with vegetalales and poultry, with which, and the alms they receive from paffengers, they drag on a miferable life in torment. Their bloated fkin is covered with a fcaly cruft, full of red and white fpots; which occafion intolerable itch- ings. They intreat relief in a hoarfe and hollow vMe, at the very found of which you fhudder, and thelf words are fcarcely articu late, as the diforder is internally d^roying the organs of fpeech. Thefe wretched fpedres gradually lofe the ufe of their limbs, and live till, the whole mafs of blood becoming cor rupted, death is the confequence of putre- fadlon. No fight can be more melancholy, or more fhocking than that of a leper ; no torments comparable to thofe which he en dures. It would be an ad worthy of a hu mane phyfician, to endeavour to difcover a .remedy for this dreadful and contagious dif temper. The rich are not attacked by this malady, which is confined to the lower clafs of people, and ONGREECE. 317 and is particularly frequent among the Greeks, who obferve ftridly their four Lents, and live during that whole time on nothing but falt-fifh, boutargp (c), plpkled olives, and ch'eefe, :and drink, copioufly of the heavy and heating wines of the country (d). It is poffible this diet may inflame and thicken their blood, and, at length, be the caufe of a leprofy. I am led to fufped this, from obferving, that it never manifefts itfelf among fuch of the Turks as are rich enough to procure animal food the whole year, with rice and -wBgetables ; nor even among the Greeks who inhabit the mountains, and eat frequently of fallads, fruits, and milk. You perceive, Madam, this terrible diforder is not to be , dreaded by perfons In eafy cir cumftances. During a whole century that the French have been fettled in Canea, not one of them has ever fuffered from It ; and as it appears to originate from the wretched nutriment of the Greeks ; by obliging them to change their manner of living, this difeafe might poffibly be eradicated. Our anceftors {cj The roe of fifti falted arwi fraoaked. (d) Thefe wines are of a very hot quality, and coft only three farthings a. bottle. brought 3i8 ' LETTERS brought it with them into France, at their re turn from the Crufades, and difepvered' the method of cure. It is, therefore, little to be doubted, but the Cretans, under the regula tions of a wife government, might be able entirely to banilh it from the ifland. T have fhe hnnnur to be, &C. LET- ONGREECE. J19 L T T T E R XXXIV. To M, L, M. A RESIDENCE of fixteen months in Crete, has given me an opportunity. Madam, of attaining a more perfed knowledge of this fine ifland, than travellers, in general, can pre tend to, who have orily taken a hafty visw. At a diftance from all the entertainments and diverfions which amufe the Parifian, I have endeavoured, in my leifure hours, to dif cover fituations where I might enjoy the beauties of the country. I wifh. Madam, to prefent you with the defcription of one in particular, to which I frequently repaired, attraded by the pleafing profpeds it afforded ; but let me entreat you to remember, that the more faithful I fhall be, the more will the fcenes I fhall depid be fufpeded of the mar vellous, I am not afraid, however, you fhould think them imaginary ; the places I am about to defcribe, really exift ; I myfelf have feen and felt their beauties in different feafons 3io LETTERS feafons of the year. May they Caufe you to forget, for a moment, the rich gardens of Montreuil, and for a while fix your attention on the banks of the Platania ! Quitting Canea, and following the fea-fhore to the fouth-weft, we leave on the right the Lazaret, a low rock, where the Venetians jobliged veffels to perform quarantine, before they were admitted into the harbour; A feague further on is^ the rock of Saint Theo dore,; on which not a ftone remains of the two, forts by which it was defended, when attacked by the Turks. This little ifland, and that of the Lazaret, were anciently called Leuces, and are famous for the conteft the .Syrens dared to maintain 'againft the Mufes, with whom they difputed the palm of vocal and inftrumental mufic ; but being overcome, threw themfelves into the fea. Coafting the gulph, we difcover to the weft a long chain of mountains, which follow its windings, and terminate in a point at Cape Spada, formerly the promontory of Didynna. Thefe are a branch of the white mpuntains, to which Strabo gives the name of Corycus. About the middle of this chain is the temple of Didynna, ereded by the ancient Cretans, I on ONGREECE. 321 on the fpot where fhe eaft herfelf into the fea, to avoid the purfuit of Minos (e). Let us continue our expedition, regardlefs of the fables of antiquity. We approach the river of Platania, and the foreft of the fame name ; we are now three leagues from Canea. To the weft we have the fea, and the hills with which it is furrounded, and to the eaft a thick wood. Between the fhore and thefe trees is a fandy foil, a quarter of a league in width, interfperfed with beautiful laurel-rofes. Nothing can be more lively than the verdant luftre of their leaves ; nothing more magnifi cent than the purple flowers with which they are crowned. But the fun beats hot on the fands ; the fliade Invites ; let us repofe under its covert. Heavens ! what a delightful fcene ! what verdant, what beautiful foliage ! A vaft foreft of plane trees, few of which are lefs than feventy feet high ! they are larger than our elms, and no lefs majeftic. How they unite their fraternal arms ! How do they mutually fupport and defend each other againft tempefts and hurricanes ! "All hail to the ancient foreft (e) Murtius, Differtation On Crete, of 322 LETTERS of Platania ! Every tree has vines planted round it, whofe fhoots, four inches in diame ter, rife like the ropes which fecure the mafts of a fhip. In this rich and produdive foil they fhoot with an aftonifhing vigour, and, growing to the height of the planes by whicl| they are fupported, crown them with thei^ -verdant tendrils, and adorn them with their fruit. Each tree, thus decorated, forms a large arbour, impenetrable to the rays of the fun. Seated under this magnificent canopy, the traveller fees clufters of grapes pendent over his head, many of which are two feet in length. They are of various fpecies ; and by the fide of a yellow clufter, we frequently admire the purple, the violet, the rofe, and-, the mufcadine of a deeper, or lighter hue. Thefe grapes, which embellifh the Platanus with their beauteous varieties, have a very large berry, and ripen two months later than thofe which grow on the hill-fides ; but they adorn the tables of the inhabitants till the month of December, and are of an ex quifite flavour. I know no place more de lightfully pleafant than this foreft. In fpring, innumerable birds refort thither, to build their nefts : the nightingale, the goldfinch, and the blackbird, ON GREECE. 323 blackbird, feek its fhades, where they woo in peace their little loves, and make the echoes refound with their melodious warbfing. Clofe to the edge of this wood flows the river of Platania. It is not deep, and the pure fand, which forms its bed, is eafily dif coverable through its tranfparent waters. The foliage of the plane-trees, and the clufters with which they are hung round, are refleded in this cryftal mirror. Sometimes, taking its way between two rows of trees, its darkened ftream glides in filence under the thick over hanging branches ; then, fuddenly efcaping from its prifon, the face of heaven is again imaged in its peaceful waters. It was in this limpid ftream, fays the fable Cf)-) th'it Europa, fatiated with the favours of Jupiter, went to bathe her beauteous body, while her nymphs danced in chorus, and chaunted hymns to Love. No place can be imagined more fa vourable to the tendereft of paffions ; nor any where the heart overflows more with pure enjoyment, or feels more the want of another felf to participate its delights. O thou ! who, feated beneath the flowery fliades of Bourbon, (f) Murtius, Diflertation on the Ifle of Crete. y ^ fang 324 LET r E. R S fang Eleonora, whofe darling name has at traded the admiration of diftant nations, come to Platania ; come to admire and paint the charms of this retreat ; and, if you would render it immortal, here love, here celebrate another divinity ! Acknowledged fongfter of the Graces, beloved poet of Apollo, remember that this is the ancient country of the Mufes ; here refide, and you will imagine yourfelf in the- bofom of vour native land. Let us penetrate Into the thickeft, of the wood. What profound filence ! what gloomy majefty ! Darknefs here reigns amid the clear- nefs of the day. Here ii the habitation of obfcurity, peace, and coolnefs. They have flied the burning hills, where the fhepherd, from the depth of his grotto, warbles forth his ftrains, and have taken refuge under this impenetrable foliage. But why does a fecret fhuddeirihg feize on the mind ? Is this then the teniple of the deity ? And is the foul awed by his facfed prefence ? Or, rather, does it dread fome undifcovered enemy ? Yet does it expe rience a kind of pleafure in what fo agitates Mts feelings. Is this agitation then neceffary to make us more fenfible of our exiftence ? Let us continue to ftray under the arbours of ON GREECE. 325 of Platania, and afcend toward the fource of the river. For the fpace of a league we per ceive almoft always the fame richnefs of foil, and the fame delightful landfcapes. In fome places the two hills, which embrace the foreft, widen, and afford diftant views of eminences, clad with vineyards ; cottages built on their fummits ; and perpendicular rocks, which feem ready to rufh into the valley. The goat, which fports on the brink of the precipices, is browzing on the leaves of the flirubs which grow on them, and feems fufpended over the abyfs. We are now at the extremity of the foreft. Before us opens a plain, three leagues in cir cumference, bordered on every fide with lofty hills. Above rife the White Mountains, which hide their frozen heads in, the clouds. From every point of the horizon, narrow and deep valleys terminate in the plain, to which they convey the tribute of their waters. Their courfe is marked out by the laurel-rofes, the beautiful flowers of which decorate the fides of the valleys with a brilliant red ; they are fo many fuperb garlands, hung by nature to the fummits of the hills, and which, fufpended in long folds, reach to the very foot of the defcent. 3*6 LETTERS defcent. Thefe -wreaths of rofes form a charm ing contraft with the furrounding verdure, and never can the eye be wearied with ad miring them. Let us now turn our attention to another principal ornament of this delightful fcene. You have. Madam, handfome myrtles in your gardens, but they languifh under a foreign fky. One part of the year they are fhut up in hot-houfes, for their delicacy is unable to fupport the froft. The pots or boxes in Vhich they are confined, will not permit them to receive fufficient nourifliment to be come vigorous, or to difplay their odoriferous flowers ; but what they efpeeially want is the fun they love ; his genial heat is indifpenfable to their perfedion. Hither, Madam, muft you come to view in perfedion the beau tiful tree fo dear to the fon of Cytherea. In the place I am defcribing, and which I ihall call the plain of myrtles, you may fee them ten feet high, and covered with bloffoms from the ground to the very tops. Theljr fnow-white flowers, bordered within with a purple edging, appear to peculiar advantage under the verdant foliage. Each myrtle is load ed with them, and they emit perfumes, more fweet, ONGREECE. 327 fweet, more exquifite, than thofe of the rofe itfelf; they enchant every fenfe, and the foul is filled with the fofteft fenfation. Some times, in this immenfe plain, we find them growing in thick groves ; to walk in which is moft delightful. In other places they are feen fcattered here and there ; but wherever we turn our eyes, we can never be wearied with admiring the beauty of their foliage, and inhaling the delicious odours of their flowers. Twenty times have I repofed under their fliade, and as often have I tafted a new de light. The ancients certainly were in the right, when they confecrated the myrtle to love, fince it furpaffes in beauty every other fhrub or tree. A rivulet traverfes the whole extent of this plain ; but it has but little water, except during the winter. Its banks are adorned with laurel-rofes, which grow beft in a moift foil. The vivid colours of their bloffoms, which are feen through the interftices of the flowery myrtles, form a pidure worthy of the ableft pencils. But the pleafure of the eye is not equal to that communicated by their delicate odours. You leave them, to feat yourfelf at the 328 LETTERS the foot of the myrtles, which, on a clofer examination, appear more charming. Every part of the ifland of Crete, Madam, is not fo pleafant and beautiful, as that I have here defcribed. The myrtle and the laurel- rofe grow every where in the valleys ; but I never faw thefe beauteous fhrubs colleded in fuch abundance as in the plain which .ter minates In fo pidurefque a manner the foreft of Platania. If you do not find. In modern poets, defcriptions fimilar to mine, it is not their fault, but that of the country they have before their eyes. The happieft imagination could never form fuch pidures as I have pre fented you, without having feen the originals ; it muft have recourfe to foreign ornairients, at the expence of the moft effential beauty. The ancients, on the contrary, depid fcenes, which, to thofe who have not travelled, feem no bet ter than the dreams of a brilliant imagination. Yet, on vifiting the countries they inhabited, we fee, with pleafure, that, ftudying after the fineft models, they have copied with fidefity the genuine beauties of nature. They have, indeed, allowed themfelves fome licence in the difpofition of dieir ornaments, by collid ing ONGREECE. 3x9 ing ill one landfcape all the charms to be found in many ; but they have, neverthelefs, taken care not to lofe fight of probability, by fta- tionlng each objed In the place It ought to occupy, and imagining nothing but what is poffible. The moft frequent error of thofe who have not well examined nature, is to unite Incoherent beauties, and diftort what they ' mean to embellifh. I know not. Madam, what may be the fate of the defcriptions I now fend you ; but I fketch ed them near the banks of the Platania, and in the plain of myrtles. There I now enjoyed the fhade of the plane-tree, while the purple clufters hung over my head ; now inhaled the dellgiousT odours of the blooming myrtle, and now contemplated with rapture the beau tiful flowers with which the laurel-rofe adorn ed the valleys. Charmed with the fcenes, breathing a pure and balmy air, I have en deavoured to defcribe. In this filent retreat, the fentlments and emotions of my foul, and the refledions refulting from the fight of fo many delightful objeds. I have the honour to be, &c. LET- 330 LETTERS LETTER XXXV. To M. L. M. 1 AM now going to introduce you. Madam, to one of the moft amiable Turks in the ifland, nor can I fuppofe you will be dif pleafed with your new acquaintance. Ifmael Aga, one of the wealthieft land proprietors in Canea, is a man of about feventy years of age, of a majeftic ftature, a fine face, and ftill exhibits in his features the marks of ftrerigth and vigour. He has had the command of feveral of the Grand Signior's caravelles, and paffed fome time at Venice; he has travelled through Egypt, and vifited, according to the religious cuftom of the Mahometans, the tomb of his Prophet. His travels have entirely divefted him of that pride, with which ignorance, and the preju dices of their religion, infpire the Turks, nor does he, like them, defpife ftrangers ; but, on the contrary, takes pleafure in, and courts their fociety. ON GREECE, 331 fociety. Having invited us to fpend fome time at his country houfe, he fent horfes for us, and ordered his fons to fliew us the way. We accordingly fet out from Canea at eight In the morning, croffed that beautiful part of the country covered with cflive-trees, which extends to the foot of the White Mountains, and having rode through the whole length of the delightful plain of myrtles, arrived about noon at his houfe, fituated a league beyond it, on the declivity of a hill. Ifmael received us with friendfhip, but with- out any of thofe demonftrations of joy and pleafure which ceremony lavifhes in other countries. You are welcome, faid he, with an air of cool fatisfadion; and immediately conduded us to the place of entertainment. The heavens were clear and ferene, but the atmofphere was heated by a burning fun, to which we had been four hours expofed: nothing could now be fo defirable to us as coolnefs ; and our wiflies were amply gratified. The table was fpread in the garden under the fliade of orange-trees. Six of thefe beau tiful trees, planted in a circle, united their branches, which had never been mutilated by the flieers, and formed over our heads ;a roof 332 L E T T E R "S roof impenetrable to the rays of the fun. Jn the middle of a very hot day, we enjoyed, iri this arbour, which nature had fo profufely embellifhed, a delicious coolnefs. On every fide, flowers hung In garlands over the guefts, and formed a crown for each. The bright- nefs of their colours, their exquifite odours, the beauty of the foliage, gently agitated by the zephyr, every thing confpired to make us imagine ourfelves fuddenly tranfported to fome enchanted grove. To complete the whole, a beautiful ftream, which defcended from the adjoining hills, paffed under the table, and contributed to preferve the plea- fantnefs and coolnefs of our arbour ; on each fide of us we beheld it gliding over a golden fand, and winding its cryftal ftream through the garden, in which a great number of fmall canals had been dug to convey its waters to the orange, the pomegranate and almond .trees, which repaid the moifture they received with intereft. In flowers and fruits. The table was now ferved ; the Aga had endeavoured to provide for us fuitable to our taftes ; we were prefented with all the utenfils comraon in France ; and our hoft himfelf conformed ONGREECE. 333 conformed tp all our cuftoms, Knovving that we were ufed to take foup, he fupplied us with a great difh of roaft-meats covered with a delicious jelly. Round this were bar- tavelles almoft as large as our hens, and with a fumet which excited the appetite : there were befides excellent quails, a tender and de licate lamb, and hafhed-meat dreffed vsrith rice, and perfedly well feafoned. The wine correfponded with the excellence of the reft of our entertainment ; we were ferved with vin de loi (£), malmfey of Mount Ida, and a fort of perfumed red wine, equally agreeable tp the fmell and the tafle. Our good pa^^riarch, wifhing to imitate his guefts, and take his glafs in defiance of the Prophet, had fent away his fervants, and his children. Lay ing afide the Turkifh gravity, which never condefcends to fmile, he chatted with much « vivacity, and frequently aftonlfhed us by the {^g) The *?ine made by the Jews is called Wm de Loi. or wine ofthe law, and is little known in France ; it is rather bitter, but leaves an agreeable flavour in the mouth, and ex cites a gentle warmth in the ftomach. The Malmfey of Mount Ida is more unftuousi more agree able to the palate, and not lefs fragrant. / pene- 334 L E T T; E R S penetration of his underftanding, the aptnefs of his replies, and the juftnefs of bis ideas. When the- diflies were removed, we were prefented with Moka coffee, and pipes. ' Do not be too much fhocked, Madam, the pipes made ufe of here are of jafmlne, and the part applied to the mouth, of amber; their enormous kngth entirely takes aWay the pungency of the tobacco, which, .In Turkey, however, is mild ; and, being ^mlxed with the wood of aloes, produces a va;pour neither difagreeable nor incommodious, as in other countries. We repofed ourfelves agreeably under the ihade, . and enjoyed the delicious fragrance of the orange flowers ; our hoft was extreme ly focial, arid took- the lead in the conver fation.. No offer was here made to fhine, ;'by thofe flafhes we call wit, to ornament fplendid nothings In gaudy colours, or to diffemlnate agreeable fcandal. To attempt this would only have been to lofe time. Ifmael would have underftood nothing of our jargon. We were obliged to content ourfelves with liftening to folid obfervations, find return ing anfwers according to the didates of reafon, and found fenfe. As foon as the great heat ONGREECE. 335 heat was over, he called his fons, and or dered them to attend us on a fhooting party j we defcended into a plain where we found plenty of quails, and had the pleafure of killing many without fatigue. The dark nefs, which now advanced over the hills, brought us back to the houfe ; and, as the nights at this feafon are as clear and fine as the days are beautiful, , we fupped in the arbour of orange-trees. Rarely do -we enjoy this luxury In France ^ the, night air has always a degree of chilnefs that makes us fhudder, or a copious dew falls injurious to health. In Crete, during the Summer, you are not expofed to thofe inconveniencies, which though trifling, interrupt the enjoyment of the company. The fky was without a cloud, the coolnefs agreeable, and the air fo calm, as fcarcely to difturb the light of four large wax^tapers, which illumined the foliage in a thoufand different ways, and the varied refledions of which produced lights and ihades of an admirable effed. Here the leaves fhone upon, affumed a brilliant yellow, and there a deep verdure, while in fome places the whitenefs of the flowers, fufpended in feftoons, was heightened by a golden ground ; 336 LETTERS ground; further on, the opening' of two leaves left a paffage for the refplendence of a ftar, which fparkled like the diamond. The con- denfatioir of the air had colleded the fra- grarit perfumes of the flowers arid Sinibs; and ' every fenfe was delighted. The lumi nous corufcatlons which played upon the foliage, and the contraft- of light and fhade, which continually varied its form and colours, produced a fcenery fo delightful, that this flowery -canopy extended over our heads ap peared to me more beautiful by night, than amid the fplendor of' day. Perhaps, too, the dellcacy'of bur good cheer, the excellence of the wine, and the novelty of the decora tions, might give new vigour to imagination, and that erichantrefs might take a delight in ftill further embelllfliing fo voluptuous an abode. • - The Turks do not referve in their houfes feparate apartments f9r every perfon of" the family; the women only have dlftlnd' cham bers-; the men fleep together in fpacious halls, on matraffes/pread on the carpetting, and provided with flieets and a blanket. Agreeable to this ancient cuftom, ftill obferved by the orientals, we were fhewn into a large room, roundwhich ON GREECE. 337 which our beds were placed upon the ground. Only two centuries ago, it was ufual, even in France, for the whole family to pafs the night in the fame apartment : fince that time, our manners have undergone a greait change ; they have infinitely more delicacy and convenience, nay, perhaps decency ; but are they more focial ? The day had fearcely begun to break, when the fervants came to awaken us ; for the Maho metans rife with the dawn, to repeat the morning prayer, and to enjoy the firft rays of the fun, and the delicious coolnefs diffufed throughout the air. When we came down from our chamber, breakfaft was waiting for us ; we drank moka, fmoaked the odorifer ous tobacco of Latakia, and, accompanied by the fons of the Aga, and two game-keepers, made an excurfion to fhoot partridges. I have only feen one fpecies of that bird in this ifland ; the bartavelle, W0lt^ inhabits the mountains, where it multiplies prodigioufly ; its colours are more lively, and it is much largef than our red partridge, and excellently well tafted : we found innumerable coveys of thefe birds on all the hills. Our morn ing was fatiguing, but very fuccefsful. Fre- Z quently," 338 LETTERS quently, after ftraying over eminences covered with briars, we defcended into a valley over- fpread with myrtles and laurel-rofes. The game retires into fuch places during, the violent heat of the fun, and we fprung par tridges, quails and hares, from the midft of thefe flowery thickets. On our return to the Aga's, an excellent dinner, the malmfey of Mount Ida, and our delightful arbour, made us forget all our fatigues. His women paid us a gallant at tention, by the prefent of a large cake made with their own hands ; it was compofed of flour, perfumed honey, frefh almonds, i Ppffefling the handfomeft women of the ifland (Oj they bring up their numerous^ oflfspring, in the refped and fubmiflion due tp the chief of the family. Thefe Mahometans; enjoying without pain, anxiety, or ambition, all the bounties offered them by nature, pafs their days, in. tranquil lity and happinefs, . and retain, even in a (/) Thfe Turks are not fcrtipulous in their means of ijbtaining women : )vhen a Greek has a pretty daughter, and has the misfortune to let her go out of the houfe alone, that moment they carry her off, and marry her. They do not force her to renounce her religion, if flie appears much attached to it ; but all the children are Mahometans. I faw at Canea a handfome Greek girl, -who had been carried off in this manner from her family. At her hufljand's death, ftie returned to her relatiions ; but her children were muffulmen, and flie was obliged to feparate from them. very ON GREECE. 34,1 very advanced age, almoft- unimpaired good health. I fhall long remember, -Madam, the agree able hours I fpent at the country feat of Ifmael Aga ; yet I mUft confefs to you, that, amid the pleafures I was enjoying, I could not fupprefs a feeling of regret for the abfence of the fine arts. To this, however, the Ma hometans are infenfible ; but a Frenchman cannot but deplore a want fo effential, in one of the fineft countries in the world. Were this ifland the country of a polifhed people, how would it change its appearance ! How much more delightful would Its gar dens become ! What delicious fhades would the hand of an able artift there form ! How would he difplay, In brilliant cafcades, thofe rivulets which rufh naturally from the hill-tops I How conjoin the fcarlet of the pomegranate-tree with the white of the orange flower! How would the myrtle and the laurel-rofe then interweave their branches, and their bloffoms, and the charming lilac , vary the beauteous mixture ! How would thofe elegant fhrubs, diftributed in clumps, compofe groves unequalled for the fra grance of their flowers, the variety of their colours. 342 LETTERS colours, and the diverfified tints of their foU age. Under thefe fmiling arbours, the poet would feel himfelf infpired by the Mufes, breathe rapturous ftrains didated by the Graces, and chaunt hymns to Lpve. Amid fuch wondrous natural beauties, letters would flourlfli as in the days of Anacreon, whofe brow was perpetually crowned with rofes. Pardon me. Madam, if I thus yield to the pleafing dreams of my imagination ; , alas 1 I fear I fhall not be able to prpduce the like in the foggy atmofphere of the Seine. I have the honour to be, &c. LET- ONGREECE. 343 LETTER XXXVI. To M. L. M, C^UITTING^ Canea, Madam, the travel ler fees before him the White Mountains (k), at prefent called the hills of Sphachia. This chain of eminences is in height fecond only to i Mount Ida, which is the moft extenfive in the ifland ; they begin at Cape Drepanum, to the eaftward of La Sude, and extend as far as the fouthern fea, where the little town of Sphachia is fituated, and defended by a fmall fort, that ferves to frighten away the Corfairs. From this elevated centre two branches ftrike off, which take their courfe toward the ancient Peloponnefus, Thefe ter minate in a point, ^nd form the Capes Spada and Sufa (/), which are the moft weftem points (i) The ancients called this chain of mountains /.«««', or White Hills. Srabo, lib. x. (./) Thefe yeftern branches of the mountains of Sphachia 34+ LETTERS points of the ifland. Thefe fecondary branches are fteep, abounding in perpendicular precipices, and by no means fertile ; flocks, however, are fed on them, and we here and there find fcat tered, cypreffes, pines, and various evergreens. The villages on them are little frequented, and thinly inhabited ; and we meet with no re markable town. At the bottom of the bay, inclofed by thefe mountains, is the fmall town of Cifamo, the ancient Cyfamum, with a wretched harbour and a ruinous caftle. Near the promontory of Sufa, is the fortrefs of Grabufa, built on a low rock : the Vene tians defended it for a long time againft the whole force of the Ottoman empire, and might ftill have poffeffed it, but for the trea chery of one of its governors, who fold it to the Turks for a barrel of fequins. Be tween the rock and the continent, veffels ,of all fizes find excellent anchorage. But let us now quit thefe wild and defolate places, and return to the White Mountains. Sphachia were formerly called Tityrus and Cadifcus. The hills of Tityrus formed the promontory of Dic- tynna, the modern Cape Spada ; thofe of Cadifcus, the promontory of the fame name, now called Cape Sufa. Thefe ON GREECE. 345 Thefe hills form. In the front of Canea, an immenfe rampart, the fummit of which is loft in the clouds, and feems to feparate that city from the reft of the ifland. The low^ chain is but two leagues from the town, and may be about fix hundred yards high. Between that and the fecond, opens out a vaft plain three leagues in di ameter, and of confiderable length ; this in termediate chain is far higher than the for mer. Beyond are lofty peaks, to which, without doubt, the name of the White Moun tains was given from their being, during a part of the year, covered with fnow, which, colleding in heaps, in the deep valleys, on the north fide, hardens, and never melts : the inhabitants cut it in large pieces, which they bring to Canea In the night, and thus enjoy the luxury of drinking iced liquors In the hotteft days of fummer. Thefe mountains are an appenage granted by the Grand Signior to the Sultana Wallda, and are intirely independent of the govern ment of the Pachas, The Sultana fends a perfon fhe can confide in, to govern there, and colled tfie tributes. The Greeks who inhabit them are called Sphachlots ; they rear numerous 346 LETTERS numerous flocks of goats and fheep, keep bees, make excellent cheefe, which has the tafte of Parmefan, and fell what they do not confume themfelves, in the neighbouring towns and villages. The Sphachlots, confined to their moun tains, are more diftind from the different nations who have poffeffed Crete, than the inhabitants of the plains : they fpeak a dialed lefs corrupt than the reft of the Candlots, and haye retained feveral cuftoms of their anceftors, and certain peculiarities of their ancient charader. When Belon travelled among them, they were the beft archers in the ifland; they had very large bows, and difplayed more addrefs, ftrength, and courage, than the other Greeks. Even now the mufquet has fucceeded to the bow, they are not lefs fkilled in the ufe of the latter ; and in general are excellent markf- men. Of all the Cretans, the Sphachlots alone have retained the Pyrrhic-dance; this they perform, clad in their ancient drefs, that is to fay, a fhort robe bound with a girdle, breeches and buflclns ; a quiver, filled with firrows, is faftened over their fhoulder, a bent O N -G R E E C E. 347 bent bow hangs on their arm, and by their fide they have a long fword. Thus accoutred, they begin the , dance, which has three mea fures. The firft marks the ftep, and they change feet in dancing like the Germans ; the move ments of the fecond are more lively, and refemble the dance of the inhabitants of Lower Brittany ; during the third meafure, they leap backwards and forwards, firft on one foot, and then on the other, with great agility. The dancers, who anfwer them, imitate the fame fteps, and fing and dance with them to the fame time. In the courfe of this dance, they perform various evolutions ; fometim,es forming a circle, at others, divid ing, and ranging themfelves in two lines, and feeming to menace each other with their weapons. Afterward they feparate into cou ples, and appear as if defying their antagonifts to the combat ; but, in all their movements, their ear is true to the mufic, and they never vary from the meafure. You know. Madam, that, in the ancient Cretan republic, the people were divided intp two claffes, that of the youth, and that of mature manhood; this divifion is ftill pre ferved among the Sphachlots, but not in the purity 348 LETTERS purity of the inftitution. Formerly the young men were fubjed to the reproof of the aged, and obeyed them ; at prefent they wifh to command. This want of fubordination has been produdive of great misfortunes to the whole nation. During the laft war with the Ruffians, the Turks imagined that the inhabitants of Sphachia intended to give up the ifland to their enemies, and pretended that fome Ruffian fliips, touching at the fouthern fide of the ifland, had formed a treaty with the Sphachlots. This was enough to make the Mahometans take up arms. They marched, to the number of eight thoufand, and climbed without difficulty the firft chain of mountains ; but it was not fo eafy to fcale the fecond, and a handful of men could have prevented them. The clafs of men propofed to fight; arid defend their rocks; but the youth, no doubt feduced by the promifes of the Turks, advifed fubniiffion; and, while their fathers were making head againft the enemy, had the bafenefs to introduce them, by fecret paths, to the fummit of their mountains. The moment they appeared the Sphachlots took to flight, and concealed themfelves as they could in caverns of the rocks, and among the precipices. The ONGREECE. 349 The muffulmen cruelly abufing their vidory, deftroyed Avhole villages, maffacred many of the inhabitants, and carried off a great number into flavery ; without fparing either men, women, or children. They afterwards fold them in different provinces of the Ot toman empire. The youth who compofed the Agelas (m) of the ancient Cretans would certainly have aded in a very different man ner. We fhould have feen them fly the firft to arms, and repel the enemy far from their habitations, or perifh on the field of battle; but never would they have betrayed their coun try. This example proves, that the beft in ftitutions become pernicious when they depart from their original principles (»). I have already faid. Madam, that the win ter covers the mountains of Sphachia with fnow. One morning, in the beginning of Fe bruary, we left Canea to take the diverfion of fhooting. The north wind had blown during the night; and, though we enjoyed a very agreeable temperature in the pla,in, the cold (ni) Companies of the youth. (n) Since that unfortunate period, the Sphachiots, who were before exempt from the Carach^ pay it like the reft of the Greeks. was 350 L E T T E' R S was fharp oii the mountairis. After proceed* ing about half a league, ftruck with aftonifh ment and admiration^ we could not but ftop to contemplate the fuperb pidufe before ouf eyes- The fun was rifing rnajeftically above the fummits of the hills, and illumined' with his rays a mantle of fnow of an immenfe exterit, which defcended from their .tops to the higheft part of the lower eminences. Through the fnow the black trunks of the firs and oaks were feen making their way, which, at the diftance we were at, feemed as if planted by a line, and affuming the ap pearance of a long curtain, bounded the hori zon In a moft pidurefque manner. The magnificent mantle, of which they broke the uniformity. Illumined with all the rays of the fun, muft have been fatiguing to the eye, had it covered the whole ground ; but, ending precifely at the laft chain of moun tains, It formed different folds, following the elevation of the country. Where it ter minated, plantations of olive-trees adorned the declivity of the hills, in the midft of which fcattered cottages agreeably varied the landfcape. Lower down, the fcenery was dif ferent. Here and there on the plain we difcovered ONGREECE. ,351 difcovered beautiful country houfes, fome of which were built by the Venetians. Around them the lemon, orange, and almond trees, laden with golden fruit, formed enchant ing groves, while innumerable violets grow ing under their fhade, perfumed the air with their delightful odours. The plain we paffed through contained large fpaces covered with corn, a foot high, and of an admirable verdure. This beautiful carpeting formed a wonderful fine contraft with that which the fevere cold of the night had ftr etched over the hills. After peram bulating, for an hour, amid thefe pleafing land fcapes, we defcended into the vale of Lacu- late, which is very marfhy in winter, and intirely uncultivated. But nature has not ne gleded its embellifhment. For the fpace of a league, the earth was covered with yellow and white narclffufes, of the livelieft hues, which diffufed around the moft fragrant odour ima ginable. Wherever the ground was fomewhat more elevated, it exhibited a profufion of other ornaments ; white anemonies, and violets, yellow, red, and, 'in fliort, of every colour, glittered through the verdure. This, S,S2 LETTERS This, Madam, is not a pidure of the ima gination : from the fummits of the hills clad in the dazzling whitenefs of their fnowy mantle, to the plain enriched with verdure, flowers and fruits, we had before our eyes all the beauties I have been defcribing. We contemplated, at one view, the feafons of fpring and winter, feparated only by an ele vation of fix hundred yards. I do affufe you. Madam, that I add nothing to the painting ; and if I have any regret, it is in not being able to exprefs the peculiar emotions every one muft experience at the fight of objeds fo aftonifhing, colleded within the fpace of a few leagues. It is true, that in the month of February, Nature, in Crete, is, as I may fay, in the bloom of youth ; the breath of her lips i^ pure and odoriferous ; her robe is embroidered with the livelieft colours ; the gentle dew of the nights, the light of the god of day, which begins to warm her bofom, all con tribute to her decoration : but one of her moft beautiful ornaments is the innumerable golden-apples, which at that feafon cover the branches of the orange-trees. Thefe are then I ripe. ON GREECE. 353 ripe, and invite every hand to pluck them. Their fkin is extremely thin, and their juice delicious, the fragrant odour of which re mains long after they have been eaten ; they are greatly fuperior to thofe of Egypt, and even at Malta are preferred to the oranges of that ifland. Having thus defcribed the enchanting fcenes that prefented themfelves to our view ; we will now, with your permiffion. Madam, continue our diverfion of fhooting. When we had traverfed the plain of Narciffus, we arrived at fome marfhes, fituated at the extremity of the gulph of La Sude (0). They are nothing but reeds and water, and there is no following the game without boots ; but they are inhabited by innumerable fnipes, which afford excellent fport. The environs abound in laurel-rofes and myrtles, which are in. flower almoft the whole year, and among thefe the fnipes we had fprung alight ed : we here alfo found water-hens, and in the higher grounds our dogs put up a number of T^uails. (0) The Plain of Narciffus, which, with its environs, I have been defcribing, is ufually called La Culate. A a Wifhing 354 LETTERS Wifhing to prolong our pleafure, we en tered the deep vallies that interfed the laft chain of the hills of Sphachia, from north to fouth. Large woodcocks rofe every mo ment from amid the myrtles and laurel- rofes, with which this part of fhe country fo abounds. Here are numerous foun tains of water, as deaf as chryftal, many of which have been embellifhed by the Turks, and formed into handfome bafons. In this delightful fpot, beneath the fhade of a plane-tree, furrounded with flowering fhrubs, we made our halt, and breakfafted on par tridges, excellerit wine, fome olives, and the limpid water of the fpring ; we did not, how ever, give over our fport, but climbed up the dry channel of a torrent, till we came into a plain, which extends as far as the foot of the lower chain of mountains, and in which we found great plenty of the fineft partridges and hares. Such, Madam, was the country in which we took the diverfion of fhooting ; but we did not too prodigally permit ourfelves this pleafure, and, in general, only indulged in.it once a week. I have the honour to be. Sec. LET- ON GREECE. isi LETTER XXXVII. To M. L. M, Wi E have already, Madairi, vifited the moft beautiful fpots to the weft and fouth of Canea. It now remairis for us to take a view of cape Melee (p), which ftretches to the north and eaft of that town. Its enor mous head is feven leagues In circumfererice, and offers to the navigator nothing but fteep rocks, and threatening flioals ; but, among its rOmantic hills on the land fide, the traveller finds many places well defervlng his atten tion. The eaftern part of this promontory forms one of the coafts of the gulph of La Sude. Half a league from its mouth, is a rock on which is built the caftle of that name, which fp) This cape was anciently called the Promontory pf Ciamnm. A a 2 refifted 356 LETTERS refifted for fo many years the Ottoman arms. It might eafily be battered from the fide of Cape Meiec, which is only a quarter of a league from the fhore, and commands it by Its fituation. It could not be taken, how ever, without a fquadron, as it has feveral batteries ranged above each other, hewn out ' of the folid rock, and is fo extenfive as to contain a village with about a hundred and fifty houfes. Veffels of every fize iriay anchor all round this fortrefs. But were its artillery well ferved, and by expert gunners, the moft formidable fleet could never force the entrance of the bay, nor efcape, if once fuffered to enter. The fort of La Sude is one of the moft Important ftrong-holds of the ifland of Candia, and was accordingly that which re mained longeft in the poffeflion of the republic of Venice. That part of the bay, which extends be yond the caftle, is a league and' a half in length, and one-third of a league broad. There is no anchoring-ground nearer than at tjie diftance of half a league from its ex tremity ; and In any other part, no bottoni is • to be found at a hundred and fifty fathoms. The anchorage, however, is fufficiently ex tenfive ON GREECE. 357 tenfive for the moft numerous fleet ; and fliips. lie there flieltered from allthe winds, and land locked as in a bafon. The extremity of the gulph of La Sude, called La Culate, is orily a feague and a half from the 'porte of Canea* They are united by a natural valley, thrPUgh which it would be eafy tb open a communication .between the two harbours. Nothing more would be- re quifite than to cut a Qiort .canal, which feems to be fuggefted by the very nature of the ground. This would be of ineftimable ad vantage to commerce. For when the north winds blow, which fometimes detain fhips a week at Canea, they might come down the ftrait of La Sude, and put to fea. Nor would it be lefs - favourable to them at the time of their arrival:: -V-effels which, from contrary winds, were, unable to make one of thefe harbours, might reach the other. Such a canal would alfo have- many other advantages, which I fhall not here fpecify, as plans of this nature will never be executed under the govern ment of the Turks. Let us now proceed toward the higher part of Cape Melee. This road is very difficult, for we are obliged to climb a number of fteep I hills. 358 LETTERS hills, which lie perpetually barren. On them the fportfman finds as much game as he can wifh for ; hares and partridges in abundance ; but the lover of agriculture views with regret thefe naked rocks, hill-fides covered with briars, thyme, and an infinity of wild plants, of no utility to man. The foot of the rocks is lined with the cyclamen, or fow-bread, which in the fpring covers the ground^ with its pleafing flowers. When we have paffed thefe rugged and defolate places, we :defcend into a plain, which owes Its fertility and riches to a convent of monks, who have themfelves cleared out the lands. Tbey have enriched the barren hills with vineyards, and planted woods of olive, almond, and fruit-trees, which pro duce them a confiderable revenue. On the low grounds they till the beft land, and fpw it with wheat and barley. The Turks have the juftice to refped their property, and though their fields have now attained the higheft ftate of improvement, do not add a farthing to the old and very trifling taxes. ' We arrive at the convent of the Trinity by a long alley, adorned with lofty cypreffes. On entering the court, which forms a long fquare, we fee the work-lhops and cellars of the ONGREECE. 35^ the holy fathers diftributed around it. In the centre of this court is a fmall church, the portal and fides of which are ornamented with orange-trees, forming a noble circular peri- ftyle, and which, when In bloflbm, fill the air with their fragrance. This monaftery is provided with all the utenfils neceffary for agriculture : they have oil and wine-preffes likewife, and every convenience adapted to a rural life. While the priefts are offering up prayers to God, and celebrating divine fer vice, the lay -brethren employ themfelves In ruftic occupations. It is a little republic, which derives its wealth from labour, and of which- the members, attached to their refpec- tive duties, fead a laborious, but peaceable and happy Ufe. We frequently took up our quarters with thefe good monks, to be more in readinefs for Jfiooting, and always expe rienced from them the refped and attention of a hofpitality which anticipated all our wants. : Leaving the convent of the Trinity, we jH-rive, after an hour's walk, through very rugged paths, at the monaftery of St. John, fituated on the loftieft fummit of Cape Melee. The level ground, in front of the. houfe, com mands 360 LETTERS mands the adjacent country. Seated under a fingle olive-tree, which rifes between two rocks, the traveller refpires a cool air in the middle of the hotteft day of fummer, and difcovers an immenfe extent of country. To the fouth he fees the chain of the White Mountains, crowned with fnows and forefts ; to the weft the Minarets of Canea, and to the north the diftant point of Cape Spada, and all the veffels which commerce brings into thefe feas. His ideas expand in proportion to the magnificence of the profped before him; If he contrads his horizon, he difcovers the hill-fides ornamented with vineyards, moun tains full of rocky precipices, and in the plain, country houfes furrounded by delight ful groves. His imagination ftrstylng beneath their fhade, beholds the fruit fufpended from 'their branches, and the flowers which decc)- rate the myrtles. Abforbed in a pleafing re- very, he views with raptilre -this enchanting landfcape. But, ah ! What horrid noife fud denly awakens him from his dream*? He hears the hollow found of the dilfant tempeft ; and the dafhing of the waves againft the rocks fufpended over their abyfs. Their roaring is tremendous ; and they threaten to undermine the ONGREECE. 361 the foundations of thefe huge maffes of ftones and ingulpn them in their Waters, How do they foam and lafli continually the refounding fhore! Surely this is the anger of nature! Adieu, ye fmiling fhades ! delicious profpeds, adieu ! no longer can you attrad the atten tion of the al-armed fpedator. Cafting his eyes around him, he difcovers nothing but precipices, calcined rocks, and barren hills : piled one upon the other, while he fhudders at their horrid afped. Such, Madam, are the different fcenes which occafionally prefent themfel-yes to an obferver beneaih the olive- tree, before the irionaftery of St- John. From this hermitage a narrow path, hewn in fome places out of the rock, leads to a grotto, embeUiflied by the wonderful powers of na ture. To arrive there, we muft continue to defcend for half an hour into a very fteep valley ; but the pleafure amply repays the la bour. This vaft cavern is fuU of briUiant ftaladites; fome of which are of a pyra midal form, while others refemble the pipes of an organ, and, pendant from the roof, feem to threaten the head of the curious examiner. They line all the fides, refled, like chryftal, the Kght of the flambeaux ; are as polifhed as gfefs, and 362 LETTERS and extremely brilliant ; but they are not fliited, nor do they hang in feftoons, like thofe of the grotto of Antiparos, the moft beautiful in the world. The forms of the latter are much more varied, and their effed, by confequence, far more aftonifhing. The apple-fage (q), defcribed by Tourne fort, grows in abundance along the valley leading to the grotto. The botanift has rea fon to lament that this learned naturalift re mained fo fhort a time in the ifland, and examined it at a feafon when the. country, burnt up by the fun, could afford him nothing but parched plants. Had he feen it in the fpring, he would haye enriched his catalogue with feveral fpecies, which had difappeared before his arrival. The beautiful fhrub, known by the name of the elaon-tree of Crete, is found among the rocks on the fea- fhore. It does not grow to any great height, but the lively purple flo'w'ers, which glitter among its filver foliage, render it very pleafing. Let us now defcend from Cape Melee, and return towards Canea ; in our way, we meet (q) This fage is not confined to this fpot. Large trads of ground are. coveted with it in iMount Ida. with ONGREECE. 363 •with the convent of Acrotiri, which is a convent of nuris. It is a frightful folltude, in the environs of .which nothing is feen but dreary rocks, and at their feet the wild thyme, briars, the thyme with the odoriferous flower, the labdanum, and a few ftraw-berry bufhes. The nuns here are not cloiftered, and make no other vow but that of virginity. Each choofes a companion ; and, thus coupled, they^ refide in fmall houfes, built round a chapel, to which a Greek prieft coines to fay mafs. Thefe couples perform all the mutual offices of friendlhip, affift each other, and poffefs, in common, an inclofure, more or lefs confider able, approp;-iated to the double cell. This is their garden and orchard, in which we 'find orange, almond, and olive-trees. They like- wife keep bees, which are not fhut up in hives, and ha>'e no covering but planks, lalA- crofs-ways on t-*o pofts, beneath which fhelter alone thefe induftrious creatures depofit their honey and wax. The firft combs are the largeft, and gradually dimlnlfli to a point. They are aU In the Ihape of an Inverted py ramid, and it Is fiirprlfing how faft they are made by the bees. The honey of thefe in feds is produced from the flowers of the dif ferent 364 LETTERS ferent kinds of thyme, and an infinity of odoriferous plants and fhrubs, with which the country is covered ; nor can any exceed it in purity or fragrance. But to return to our nuns. I have already told you. Madam, that, united in pairs, they inhabit a building, confifting of three or foiir apartments. Each of thefe little dwellisgs con tains various conveniences within itfelf. They have here likewife a vaft ciftern, a neceffary precaution on an eminence without water, a wine-prefs, an oven, and one or two looms for making linen. They generally rear filk- worms, ¦ and gather cotton, which is an an nual plant in this country. One of the fifters fyins, while the other weaves, and fome of them knit ftOckings. When they have pro vided themfelves with what is neceffary for their own ufe, they fell the remainder of the fruits of their induftry, in the town. In their cells we fee neither fumptuoufnefs nor magnificence ; we find only convenient utenfils, and fimple and abfolutely neceffary furniture, which is kept perpetually clean and neat. In a word, thefe nuns, without being rich, enjoy a comfortable fubfiftence, for which they are Indebted to their induftry. Cheerfulnefs ONGREECE. 365 Cheerfulnefs is their conftant companion, and we fee among them no melancholy faces. In general, a young fifter unites herfelf to one older than herfelf, to folace and relieve her from the burthen of the more laborious em ployments. I frequently vifited a Greek lady, who every year paffed a few weeks in this monaftery, and always found, among thefe voluntary nuns, a mildnefs, modefty, and iivelinefs, very remote from that four and au ftere charader, which is abfolutely inconfiftent with virtue. At the moment I am writing, Acrotiri con tains within its narrow precinds the decrepi tude of age, the vigour of riper years, and all the charms of youth. I have feen three of thefe females well defervlng to employ the pencil of a fkilful painter: a nun of a hundred and nine years old, another of thirty-fix, and a novice of fixteen. The firft, bent like a bow, with difficulty hobbled along by the aid of a fmall ftaff, and feemed every moment ready to fink with feeblenefs. She had ftill preferved all her fenfes, though blunt ed, and in a kind of ftupor; to extrad a^y converfation from her, you muft give her a glafs of cordial, or of excellent wine^ which gradually revived her heart. She told us, fhe 366 L E T T E ,R S. fhe was born in the village of La Sude ; how the Turks had feveral times befieged that for trefs, and how the bombs they threw fell upon the roofs of the houfes, and fpread ter ror among the Inhabitants. After the taking of the fort, fhe retired to the convent of Acrotiri, where flie has refided near four-fcore years (r). The fecond was tall, with an animated countenance, and elegant features ; her air was majeftic, her eye-brows black, and her eyes fpar kling ; but the rofes of her cheeks, and the lilies of her complexion, began to fade ; fhe was ftill handfome, but her beauty was the beauty of maturity ; the delicacy and foftnefs of blooming youth was evidently paft, and each fucceflive day robbed her of a charm. The third — you muft have feen her, Ma-> dam, to conceive a juft idea of her beauty, which my powers of defcription are totally infufficient to convey. Unite, in imagina* tion, all the charms which fometimes adorn (r) The fort of La Sude Was ftill in the' ptjffelKon ofthe Venetians, when M Tournefort vifited this country, in 1700. They continued mafters of it feveral years after ; and it Was only taken from diem i» 1707, or i-joH. the ONGREECE. 367 the faireft of nature's works, in all their delicacy and perfedion, in all their aftonifh ing harmony and grace, and you will have a feeble image of the novice of Acrotiri. Her features had uncommon animation, and her eyes fparkled with a luftre that feemed more than human, and which it was impoffible to fuftain unmoved. How indefcribable mnft have been her fmile, would this beauteous virgin have confented to fmile. Tranfcendent as -vi'ere her charms, her drefs was of the moft fimple kind, yet it feemed as if no ornament might be added that could embellifh her. Every adion, every .attitude, made her appear ftill more lovely. Abfqlutely unconfcious of her beauty, fhe with apparent pleafure waited on the nun, whom fhe confidered as her mo ther, and anticipated all her defires. Her whole air and manner were free from the flighteft tinge of affedation; fhe appeared abforbed In fublime ideas, and only afpired to the happinefs of being received among the nuns of Acrotiri. I cannot deny. Madam, that I was fenfibly concerned at the thought of fo many charms being fbr ever buried in the depth of a fad folltude, and that flie, who feemed born to give the higheft felicity to fome favoured mortal. 368 L E T T^ E R ^ ? mortal, fhould be feparated for ever' from the fociety of man ! I went often to the monaftery, and never failed to vifit the good nun, who was to her as a mother. Let a painter try what his art can "effed, and If he would reprefent the bloom of youth, the- maturity of riper years, and old age in its decrepitude, let him pourtray the three females I have endeavoured feebly to de fcribe. But he muft fail In the attempt. To fucceed, he muft, like me, have feeri the ori ginals. The • imagination only traces with fidelity what the eye has obferved. Then genius meditates and compofes, and by its powers becomes creative : for perfedly to re prefent fuch objeds, is rather to create than to imitate. This was the perfedion to which Protogenes attained. The froth, on the mouth of fhe panting dog, appeared to him imitated, and not natural ; an ordinary artift Would have been fatisfied, but the Rhodian painter afpired to the perfedion of nature ; that Is, to be like her creative. Let us return to Canea, from which we are only a league diftant. As foon as we defcend the mountain, we pafs through a country abounding In all the treafures of agriculture, fraiiing ONGREECE. 369 fmiling paftures, and plantations of olives and orange tre^s. Alas ! Madam, the riches with which the earth is covered, the beauty of thefe fhades, the flowers and fruits with which the trees are loaded, have no longer any charms for me. Let us re-enter the walls of Canea. •.f.'..i ¦-. ¦ ..¦ ¦ - ' I have the honour to be, &c. B^b LET- 370 LETTERS LETTER XXXVnL To M. L. M. A HE ifland of Crete, Madam, is at prefent governed by three Pachas, who refide at Can dia, Canea, and Retimo. The firft, who is always a Pacha of three tails, is, as I may fay, the viceroy of the ifland. He is in vefted with the fupreme power, has the in- fpedion of the forts and arfenals, nominates to vacant military pofts, and to the govern- ments of La Sude, Grabufa, Spina Longua, and Gira Petra (s). The governors of thefe forts are called beys. They have under them a governor of the caftle, and three general officers, one of whom is general of the ar tillery, the other of the cavalry, and the third of the janiffaries. (s) Gira Petta, formerly called Hierapithna, was a city with a liarbour, fituated on the fouth fide of the ifland. At prefent it is but a fmall and wretched town, only the fmalleft veflels can enter the harbour ; and the fortrefs, which is incapable, of defence, ferves merely to frighten away the Corfairs. The ONGREECE. 371 The council of the Pacha confifts of a Kyaia, who has great influence in all public affairs, and the difpofal of almoft all appointments ; of the Aga ofthe janiffaries, who is colonel-general of the troops, and principal fuperiritendant of the police ; of two Topigi-Bachis (/) ; of a Def- terdar, treafurer-general ofthe imperial claims ; of the keeper of the imperial treafury, and of the firft officers of the army. It is plain, therefore, that this government is purely mi litary ; and, v hich is the natural confequence, that the power of the Pacha Serafquier is abfo lute. There is no appeal from his fentence, which is inftantly carried into execution. ¦ The great officers of the law are, the Muphti, the fupreme head of religion, and the Cady. The former expounds the laws relative to the partition of property among children, inherit ances, and marriages ; in a word, all thofe laid down by^ Mahomet in the Koran ; and decides on every thing refpeding the cere monies of the Mahometan religion. The Cadi cannot pafs fentence in difputes ori ginating in thefe laws, until he has obtained, in writing, the opinion of the Muphti, which (/) General of the artillery, B b 2 is 372 LETTERS, is called a faitfa. His office, therefore,: is to receive declarations, complaints, the ? prefents of individuals, and to decide in the common cafes of litigation. The Pacha muft cpnfult thefe judges before he can legally put a Turk to deaths : but when he has attained the dignity pf, three tails, he often raifes himfelf above the law, and at once didates the fentence of death, and orders it to be carried into execu tion by his own authority. , Each mofque has its Imam, a fort of curate^, who performs,, divine fervice; and fchopl-jnafters are diftributed; in different quar ters or the tpwn. , Thefe men are greatly refpeded in Turkey,,, and bear the title of Efferidi (a). The follbwirig is the number of troops of which the girrifori of Candia cOnfifts. ,,.FiYe,compames of Janiffaries, the number of which v^aries. , " , , : Twenty companies of Jetli, of one hundred: and twenty men each. ;¦ Two companies of Ifdarfi. (u) Effendi is a title of honour, beftowed on perfons confidered as defervitig.refpeft. . Four ON GREECE. 373 Four companies of gunners. Four companies of cavalry. Four companies of volunteers. One company of bombardiers. One company of miners. In the whole forty-fix companies, com- pofing an army of about ten thoufand men. All thefe troops are not in the. town, but would be coUeded in an inftant. They re ceive their pay regularly, and pundually, every three months, except the janiffaries, whofe officers alone are paid. The different pofts in this militia do not depend on the Pacha. All promotions are regulated by a councU of each cpmpany, confifting of the officers on duty, and the veterans. Thefe offices can only be held twp years, except that of the Sprbagif or captain, which is purchafed at Conftantinople, and held for Jife. The Qufid, or cook, is continued , Iike;wife in Jiis em ployment as long as the company are contented with his fervices. There is a chfiplain, or /zwaw, to every jcompany. .The garrifons of Canea and Retimo, regu lated on the fame plan, are much lefs nu merous 374 LETTERS merous. The firft confifts of about three thoufand men, the other of fifteen hundred. But as all the male children of the Turks be come members of the corps of janiffaries at their birth, their number would greatly aug ment in time of war. There is not much, indeed, to fear from them, the greateft part having fcarcely ever feen a mufket firedt. They are never exercifed in military evolu tions, and are totally ignorant of thalt dread ful art, which in our days has been brought to fuch perfedion, and which, reduced to cer tain rules, triumphs, without difficiilty, over blind force and numbers. A Pacha of Canea, who diftingulfhed him felf in the laft war with the Ruffians, 'was de firous to try the fkill of the gunners of that garrifon. He ordered a bark to be anchored, at the diftance of half a mile froiri the walls, and a large barrel placed on the deck.' 'The fea was perfedly calm, and the mark ex ceedingly diftind; but, notwithftaridihg a re ward Was offered to the perfon who fhould knock, it down, the gunners kept firing the whole day, without touching either the barrel, or the boat.' The ONGREECE. 375 The Pachas of Canea and Retimo are not lefs abfolute, within the limits of their govern ments, than the Pacha of Candia. They en joy the fame privileges, and their council is compofed of the, fame officers. Thefe go vernors are only intent on rapidly enrich ing themfelves, and ufe every means to ex tort money from the Greeks, who are op preffed in a manner not to be defcribed. But, to fay the truth, thefe unhappy people ftretch out their -willing necks to the chains that weigh them do-wn. Their envious difpofition is con tinually arming them againft each other. If one of them has had the good fortune to ac quire a little property, others endeavour to difcover fomething of which to accufe him before the Pacha, who avails himfelf of thefe diffenfions, to rob both parties. It feems as if the Greeks, dejeded and debafed by their misfortunes, were no longer capable of a ge nerous fentiment; nor are they in the leaft amended by the cruel examples they have every day before their eyes. It is not, therefore, furprifing that, uMer this barbarous government, the number ottreeks fhould daUy diminifli. At prefent Crete is fuppofed J76 LETTERS fupppfed tp contain, a;t moft, on,ly.«;',: i^p,ooo Sixty-five thoufand of wibprnrpay^,; the carach (a;). , , The Turjks, though they have only jpoffeffed the ifland one hundred and twenty years, as they are not fub-, jed to the fame oppreflion, have ,, .^ ,,, multiplied, and flourlfli on the ruins, ,, of,, the vanquifhed. Their, number , amounts to , - - - 2po,oQo Tha^ o^ the Jews only to - - zoo 'if ':¦. Total 3,50,209 Is it not , aftonifhing to find fo few inha- bitants on this ifland, which is abpve two hun dred and fifty leagues in circum-ferfnce? Is npt this diminution of men a fufficient proof of a deftrudive government ? I am aware that Crete is interfeded by chains of high mountains, where we cannot exped any great popula tion. But there are rich valleys, and im menfe plains, capable of being rendered pro- ' § ¦ («). 5lpe carach, as I have faid, is tlie tribute paid to the/ Grand ^ignior by all his fubjefts, not Mahometans. But it is levied only on men arrived at matuiity ; women and children are exempt from it. digioufly O N ,,G R ,E E C E. 377 ip.u/ly,, fruitful. ;j,;Npthing is wanting, to this teeming foil but labourers and fecured property, . to , make it furnifti fubfiftence for four times the people it now con/iainp. .The hundre4i cities- of Crete, have, been ce lebrated by the writers of antlqi^ity, ajtid Geo graphy has preferved to us th§ir names and fituations (y). Several of thefe : contained thirty thoufand citizens ; if, therefore, ,, we allow fix thoufand to each, on an a.verage, I iinagine we ftijill, be; rather under, than above the true niimber. This calculatipn wiU: give for the hundred cities,.. - - -: - , ,- ,,;,-;6oo,p9p , We m^y alfp eftlmate the Cretans difperfed.in the towns and villages,^, . at the fame number - - 600,000 Total ,, 1,209,000 .ii This caunot be efteemed an exaggerated calculation. When the Venetians -were in poflTeffioBLof the kingdom of Candia, it is faid fy) The cities of Cnoffus, Gortyna, and Cydon, muft have contained, each of them, at leaft "30,000 citizens, if we may judge froin their power, and the extent af figned 'them by hiftorians. '^''^ '- "- :.:.¦..!., to 378 LETTERS to have contained nme hundred and ninety- fix villages. Thus we find that, when Crete was a fres coimtry, it maint^ned eight i hundred and ferty-nine thovifand eight hundred inhabitants snore than at this day. But fince thofe happy ennes, this unfortunate ifland has been de prived of her laws by the Romans ; groaned under the difaftrous reigns of the corrupt princes of the lower empire ; been ravaged by*the Arabs during a hundred and twenty years ; exchanged their government for that of the Venetians, and, at length, has been Snalty fubjeded to the defpotifm of the Turks, who, in all the countries thiey- have conquered; have occafioned a frightful depo- jmlation. I iriight produce many examples of this de- SrudiPri. When Candia was in the poffeflion of tlie Venetians, the towns of Sitia, Gira Petra, S^amo, and Sphachia, were crowded -wfith mhabitants; at this day they ai'e but wretched villages with ruined fottreffes, and harbours, nearly choaked up. Candia, the capital of the kingdom, was prodigioufly populous, and earthed on a very extenfive commerce in wines, corn, filks, and wax. It was, indeed, a fecond O N ;^G R E ; E C E. 379 a fecond Venice ; but is now almoft dci ferted. It is true, that the Turks, during a five and twenty years war, deftroyed many thou fand of the ..Gandiots ;. and that- the plague, the -; conftant . attendant of , their armies, fol-, lowed thera; intp this ifland, and wa$ the de- fjtrudipnof.a'ftiU gi;eater number ; but if the Ottoman government had cpnfidered men as pf any importance, it might have been able, in the courfe of a whole century of peace and tranquiUity, to repair thefe ravages. The Turks have left the Greeks the free exercife of their religion, but do not allow them to repair their churches and monafteries, with out permiflicn, which is only to be obtained by money, and brings in confiderable fums to the Pachas. They have, as formerly, twelve bifhops, the principal of whom affumes the title of archbifhop of Gortyna. He refides at Candia, which is the feat of the Metropolitan church. Nominated himfelf by the patriarch of Conftantinople, he fills up all the vacant fees of the ifland (z). He bears the triple crown (%) Thefe biftioprics are, at prefent, Gortyna, Cnojfou, Mirabella, Hyera, Gira Petra, Arcadia^ Cheronefiu, ' Lambi/f 38o -LETT E R IS crown on his tiara, figns in red, arid is -re- fponfible for all the debts of the clergy; To folfil'^:hdfe engagements, 'he levlesfheavy (Con tributions on the other bifhops, and efpeeially the monafteries. He is acknowledged as chief ofthe Greeks, whom he proteds as far as his feeble influence extends. To -him the government applies in matters of importance ; and he aloncj of his whble nation^ has the privilege of ^tering a town on horfeback. '< . . ' . : ¦¦ 0'..:. I have the honour to be, &c. Lambis, Milopotamo, Retimo, Canea, Cifamo. They are nearly the fame as under the ConftantinopplitM empe- roirs.' LET- ONGREECE. 381 LETTER XXXIX. To M. L. M. J. H E olive-tree. Madam, that precious tree, confecrated to Minerva, has almoft difapj- peared from Attica. The Albanians and Turks, who have alternately ravaged Greece-, feem tOThave been jintent on deftroying it. I have been affured, that, within twenty years, they have cut down two hundred thoufand feet of thefe trees. Is it poflible to imagine greater barbarifm ? Do we perceive any thing refembling this in ancient wars ? Thus h^s the Morea, fo rich and flourifhing, when pof^ feffed by the Venetians, .become a poor anfl miferable country. , . ,)*¦ j. -¦-¦ -, r ; .• , , i : , The iirand of Crete has not in this refped fuffered the fame fate. The olive-trees, which delight in a fandy foil, a mild teriiperatufe',* and the vicinity of the fea, g'rb-w in aburidance' on the hills, and* in the plains. The cold is never fevere enough to injure them, and the,t heat 382 LETTERS heat is always fufiicient perfedly to ripen their fruit. We meet with fome which' feem coeval with the foil that bears them ; they grow to a vaft fize, and attain the height of fifty feet. Their produce conftitutes the chief wealth of the inhabitants, and their principal branch of commerce. The crops, however, are not equally abundant ; in two years, one is generally excellent, and the other moderate. Exclufive of the prodigious confumptlon of oil by the inhabitants, and efpeeially the Greeks, who make ufe of it as fauce to vege tables and fifh, during the four Lents ; be fides what the Turks of Canea, inftruded by a native of Provence (a), make ufe of in their manufadories of foap, which they export throughout the Levant ; befides the great quantity of preferved olives, which are ferved at every table, the Turks annually load four and twenty fhips with oil. Thefe veffels con tain, on an average, one hundred and fifty (a) The Miliabitants of Candia had no manufadure in their ifland, and it is not long fince a native of Pro vence taught them to make foap, of which they have now feveral manufaaories at Canea. This betrayer of , his country's intereft has greatly injuired the trade of Marfeilles. tons ONGREECE. 383 tons each; the value of which is L s. d» about 90,000 livres, - - 3i75o o o Five only of thefe fhips be long to foreign nations, and their exportation amounts to 450,000 livres, - - 18,750 o o The other nineteen are of Marfeilles, and their lading a- mounts to 1,710,000 livres, - 71,250 o o The French merchants, fet tled at Canea, annually export, befides, in wax and other articles, to the amount of 80,000 livres, 3>333 ^3 3 which makes an annual expor tation, from this ifland, on ac count of theFrench, to the value of 1,790,000 livres, - 74,582 10 o They import to the amount of 450,000 livres (18,750/.) in the cloths of Languedoc, and to about 1 00,000 livres (4, 1 66/.) in fugar, coffee, Englifh fhalloons, &c. which make 550,000 livres, 22,916 o t> Deduding this from the pre ceding amount of exports, we fhall find that the balance of commerce, between France and the 384 L E T T E R S the ifland of Crete, is in favour ¦ • /. " s. d. of the latter 1,240,000 livres, ' 51,666 13' 3 The Marfeilles* houfes, eftab lifhed at Canea, -are eonneded with thofe of Smyrna and Con- flaminople, and the balance is paid in Turkifh piafters. Now, as almoft all the exports fisom the ifland of Crete are made at Canea, where the trad ing fhips of different nations ar rive, by eftimatJMg-at One-third more the articles ftapped by the Cretans from their other ports, we fhall rather be above than below the truth, if we eftlmate the lotal at 2,986,666 livres, » 124,444 8 4 This commerce is certainly very inceri- fiderable for an Ifland of fo great an exterit. But it is in the pofffeffion of the Turks, who are ignorant alike of the ai-ts and fciences ; and . the Greeks, who, harr^ffed by every fpecies of oppreflion, dare undertake nothing, either for private advantage or public uti lity. The ifland does not cori^aln a fufficient number of inhabitants for all ' the lands to be cultivated. ONGREECE. 385 cultivated. We pafs over, with fympathetic concern, plains of three or four leagues ex tent, watered by fertilizing ftreams, without meeting with the flighteft trace of cultivation. Delightful vallies, where the luxuriant earth produces an infinity of wild fhrubs and plants, lie wafte, for want of hands, encouragement, and induftry. The indolent Turk paffes his life in the midft of his poffeffions, without thinking of improvement : and fhould the Greek obtain permiffion to clear out a piece of ground ; after bedewing it with the fweat of his brow, and at the moment he is about to enjoy the fruit of his induftry, his power ful neighbour wrefts from him the fruit of his labour. Within thefe few years, how ever, feyeral of the land proprietors in the environs of Canea, have become fenfible of what is their true intereft,.. and begun afew olive plantations. When the kingdom of. Candia was under the dominion of the republic pf Venice, it produced great quantities of grain, amply fupplied the wants of the inhabitants, and made confiderable exportatlons to foreign countries. At prefent the ifland is obliged to import corn ; and I have feen feveral fhips C c laden 386 LETTERS laden with it arrive at Canea. This is not to be attributed to any change in the foil, which is ftill warmed by the fame .fiin, and watered by the fame ftreams. The tyrariny of the Turkifh government muft alone be confidered as the caufe. Objeds of the laft importance, which would infinitely extend the commerce of the Cretans, are almoft totally negleded. The mulberry-tree thrives admirably in the Ifland, and nothing would be more eafy than to rear filk-worms. The little cottori which is cultivated there, is of a very fine quality ; and the wool, though not remarkable for Its finenefs, is'fo for its quan tity ; yet is there riot a fingle mariufadirt-e in the country which may employ thefe valuable materials ! Little attention, therefore, is paid to the filk-worm ; cotton and flax are culti vated in fmall quantities ; and never will it occur to the imagination of a Turk, that under a mild and favourable fky, which would allow the flocks to be folded the whole year in the Open air, it might be poffible, by paying due attention to their feeding, and properly crofling the breed, to obtain wool even equal to that of Spain. What advantages might not a polifhed na tion ONGREECE. 387 tion derive from an ifland, which, after fatis fying the moft effential wants of man, would ftill farther fupply him with every thing that contributes to utility, eafe, and even luxury ! How might they extend their va rious branches of commerce ! What benefits might they not derive from manufadures cal culated to give them value ! The delicious wines ofthe countty, fo little known, would be in reiqueft over the whole world. Its fo refts of pines, oaks, and cedars, under proper management, would be of ufe for fhip-build- irig. The hufbandmen, excited by the hope and certainty of enjoying the fruit of their labours, would' clear out vaift trads of wafte land, now abandoned to fterility, would fow every fpecies of grain, increafe their planta tions, and, after enriching the ftate, live in plenty, in the- bofom of their numerous fami lies. Men would multiply without end, in the fineft cliriiate in the world ; vUlages and im- pOverifhed tov^ns would again' become po pulous cities ; again would the arts return to their native country ; again would they flourifh ; and, in a word, the fuperb ifland of Crete revive out of her afhes. To pro duce this extraordinary, this happy change, C c 2 nothing 388 LETTERS nothing Is neceffary, but the encouragement and protedion of a wife government. Thefe refledions, Mad^m, are not the dreams of a heated imagination, or of a trar veller who has haftily paffed through the coun* try. I continued in the ifland of Candia fif teen months ; I have vifited its mountains and its plains ; I am acquainted with its pro dudions ; I know in what they are fufceptible of improvement ; and I can affure ybu, that in the whole world, there is no country that combines fo many real advantages. The lofty trees of the frozen reglojis crown the fum mits of the mountains ; while lefs lofty hills are covered with the fruit-trees which are common in our climates (b) ; the declivities are embellifhed with vineyards, producing wines equally yarlous, as agreeable; the val lies abound in trees bearing delicious fruits, many of which thrive under the torrid zone, while the plains are enriched with every fpecies of grain the earth produces. Ob- (b) The apple, chefnut, pear, and cherry trees, thrive incomparably on the hills of Crete, and produce fruit ; which, if it be not fo good a.% ours, it muft not be im-- puted to the quality of the foil, but to the indolence of a people who know nothing of the art of grafting. ferve, ON GREECE. 389 ferve, too, that nature has placed the fineft harbours, Palio Caftro, under Cape Solomon, Spina Longa, La Sude, and Grabuge, on the eaft, weft, and north fides of the ifland, as if its commerce was deftined to extend to every quarter of rhe world. I fhall add only one word : Crete, placed as it is, almoft at an equal diftance from Europe, Afia, and Africa, feems the central point of thefe three quar ters of the globe ; nor do I believe it pof- ¦fible to affign a more favourable fituation. I have the honour to be, &c. LET- 390 L E T T E R § LETTER XL. * * # The following Letters were intended to form a fecond volume, in which the author pro pofed to treat on the other iflands of the Archi pelago which he had vifited. It has not been thought proper to give the public any more than thefe three letters, the author not having put th? laft hand to the others before his death. To M. L. M. I HAVE left, for fome time, Madam, the ifland of Candia, and made an excurfion into the Archipelago ; I fhall now give you an ac count of this little voyage. I embarked in one of the decked boats with which the Greeks carry on their coafting trade in fummer. The eldeft fon of M. Breft, vice-conful of France, at Argentiera, and two merchants going to Conftantinople, were of the party. Our vef fel was but fifteen feet long, by five broad, without either cabin or deck ; fo that we -were obliged to remain expofed to the burn ing rays of the fun, and fleep In the night vvflthout any other covering than our cloaks. A fudden ONGREECE, 391 fudden fquall might overfet us ; and were the fea ever fo little agitated, we muft be deluged by the waves. Before they leave the har bour, indeed, thefe light barks always wait for a fair wind, and then they appear to fly over the furface of the waves. They are built to go both with oars and falls^ which is a double advantage. You may poffibly begin to think, by this time. Madam, that this mode of navigation is not the fafeft, and you are certainly right.- But that of the Greeks, who failed to the fiege of Troy, was ftill lefs fo ; fince, if we may believe Thucydides, undoubtedly an au thentic hiftorian (c), their veffels were with out decks. They were, therefore, obliged to coaft along the fhore, and navigate from cape to cape ; unable to keep the fea with open barks, which the firft wave might have fent to the bottom, they dragged them upon land at the leaft appearance of a ftorm, and waited, fometimes for whole months, the return of fine weather. With fuch veffels it was im poffible to tack, and the wind was favourable for them only when right abaft. (c) Thucydides, lib. i. The Grecian fleet, which failed for Troy, confifted only of veffels that had no decks. We 392 L E T T iT R S We left the port of La Sude at fun-rife : a frefh breeze filled our triangular fails, and we continued rapidly to plough the furface of the deep. Our courfe lay towards Argen tiera. We long kept in view behind us the majeftic head of Cape Melee, and the lofty mountains of Sphachia, which loft themfelves jn the clouds. As we advanced, they di minifhed in the horizon, and about noon wholly difappeared, leaving us furrounded only with the vaft expanfe of fea. The firft time you venture on the ocean with thefe little boats, which, in the grand fcene that ptefents itfelf to the eye, appear like walnut-fhells, the mind is ftruck with aftonifhment. Seated on the deck, you touch with your hand the water, foaming under its fides. On the brink of the abyfs, you feek in the horizon a place of refuge againft the tempeft ; but the eye difcovers nothing but the immenfity of the waters and the heavens, and a fentiment of fearful awe penetrates the foul. Experience, however, foon dif- fipates thefe vain terrors, and man, to whom habit familiarizes every thing, delights to brave, with fuch feeble means, the fury of the waves. The Greek mariners, well ac quainted ONGREECE. 393 quainted with all the harbours of the Archi pelago, and guided by prudences, put their veffels before the wind, when the tempeft be gins to threaten, and feek for fhelter in fome neighbouring ifland. Not lefs prudent than their anceftors (d), they lay up their boats in harbour during the winter, and wait for the return of fummer, before they truft them felves anew to the inconftant element. During the whole day we had a ferene fky, , and a favourable wind, which enabled us to make a great way, and at nine in the evening we anchored in the port of Argentiera, after a run of thirty fea-leagues. M. Breft pre fented us to his father, who received us with great politenefs, and invited us to take ,up our refidence in his houfe. I have the honour to be, &c. (d) The ancient Greeks and Romans, not having a. navy like ours, nor fhips capable of refifting tempefts, feldom niade voyages in winter, but waited till the fpring, and the return of fine weather. LET. 394- LETTERS LETTER XLI. To M. L. M. I LEFT Canea with an intention to go to Conftantinople ; but on our arrival at Ar gentiera, learning that the plague was then ravaging the capital of the Ottoman empire, I immediately laid afide my projed. In vain did my travelling companions, who had bufinefs in that city, folicit me to proceed with them. I had feen too much of the dreadful effeds of this terrible diftemper ! The difmal fcenes I had witneffed were ftill prefent to my memory. I already imagined I beheld the unhappy vidims, ftruck as with light ning, fuddenly dropping down dead ; others, with haggard eyes, and inflamed counte nances, expiring in the convulfions of a hor rible delirium. I feemed to hear the fhrieks of the women, and the bowlings of the pubUc mourners. ONGREECE. 395 laaourners. Thefe fad fpedacles, which recur red to my imagination in all their hqrror, ren dered me immovable in my fefplution, I Jf fitted every importunity, lyiflied my comr panions a good journey, and remained at Argentiera. This little ifland, which, was formerly called Cimolus, is only fix leagues in circumference : the foil is extremely dry, and deftitute of fprings, nor is there any vy^ater here but what is colleded in cifterns, or brought from Melos, an ifland at a little diftance ; the hills, vales, ^nd the whole country ftript pf trees, do not offer a fingle fhade to defend you from the heat of the fun. The Venetians, during their war with the Turks, cut dpwn all the olive- trees, and did irreparable damage to the ifland ; nor do the prefent inhabitants dare to make frefli plantations, left they fliould draw on themfelves heavier impofitions. Thus does the Ottoman gpyeynment uniformly ad to wards its fubjeds ; if they manifeft any iu- duftry, it is immediately taxed, and ftifled in its birth ! Argentiera prefents nothing but rocky hills, deftitute of verdure, and vallies pro ducing worthlefs fhrubs, an,d thorny thickets. ' • The 3^6 LETTERS The vales are generally covered with a white and flat clay, called by the ancients Terra Cimolia, or Cimolia Creta (Fuller's- earth), and which the inhabitants employ, inftead of foap, to wafli their linen. This barren foil feems but Ul adapted to agriculture^ yet the induftrious iflanders make it produce them a fubfiftence. They fow barley and wheat at the beginning of autumn, which is the rainy feafon, and reap in March. Their "^vineyards on the hill-fides furnifh them with fruit only for the table. They procure their wines from Santorini, Milo, and other iflands of the Archipelago. They rear poultry, and flocks of goats and fheep, the flefh of which is excellent. The country affords them quails, hares and partridges in abundance. The women knit cotton ftockings, and the men employ themfelves in fifhing and riavigation. Excellent fifh are taken round the ifland, efpeeially the Rouget (e), which is very delicate eating. The little tribe which inhabits Argentiera, is compofed of about five hundred perfons. (e) This fifli is well known, and highly efteemed on all the coafts of the Mediterranean ; it is met with at Marfeilles and Toulon, and throughout Provence. Their ONGREECE. 397 Their enjoyments are not many, but, thanks to their induftry, they want none of the ne ceffaries of life. This little ifland indeed does not groan under the immediate oppreffions of the oflicers of the Porte ; here are no Agas, nor Cadis. The Turks would not venture to refide here, as there is no fort to prevent the Maltefe from making them prifoners, whofe privateers come hither, from time to time, to fpend in feafts, entertainments, and pleafures of every kind, the money they have taken from the Mahometans. This is a tribute they pay to the pretty women of Argentiera. In a word, the Greeks who inhabit this rock would be happy, were the Captain Pa cha but to forget them in the annual contri butions he levies, frequently with barbarity, on the iflands of the Archipelago. Befides the poll-tax, to which all the Greeks are fubjed, he exads prefents fometimes amount ing to the value of the tribute ; and his officers know perfedly how to imitate his ex ample. Thefe extortions are attended with the moft fatal confequences, and reduce the iflanders to the moft extreme mifery. During my ftay in this country, I lodged with M. Breft, the French vice-conful, an intel- 39§ LETTERS intelligent man, with much fii'mriefs of cha rader, and a noble and generous: foiil. He. is perfedly acquainted with all the ports of the Medlterfanean, arid has often fetved as a pilot to the French fliips iri thefe feas. He has made himfelf adored by the inhabitants, by faving them from the plunder of the Cor fairs, and by Interceding with the officers fent by the Captain Pacha to lay them under con tribution ; he riiay be confidered, therefore, «is the chief of this little republic, or the kirig of the iflarid. This worthy man has refidfed upwards of forty years at Argeritiera, and has two fons, the eldeft, whom I have already meiifiohed, arid "a younger, now at fea; both are great travellers, and well educated; they fpeak Frerich, Italian, Greek, and Turkifh perfedly, and appear Worthy to fucceed their father. He has alfo a daughter, -ssrho is ydiing, tall, handfome, and of a mOft ainiable difpofition ; fhe is the delight of the good old gentleman ; and, by the endearirig attentions of filial tendemefs, coitifoles him for the frequent abfence of his Other chil dren. The drefs of the Greek women of Argen- tiei^ is, in fome particulars, a little Whimfical. I In ONGREECE. 399 In France, a neat leg and a fmall foot are in high eftimation, but the belles of Argentiera are of a different opinion; they fwell out their legs by wearing feveral pair of ftockings, Ind appear as if they were booted, which ftrange kind of ornament they ; confider a& an effential part of drefs ; and left it fhould be loft to the eye, their garments do not de fcend above two inches below the knee* Thefe too are fo contrived, as abfolutely to fpoil their fhape, and render it impoffible to form any idea of the beautiful proportions with which they were formed by Nature. I am at a lofs to conceive what can have in duced them to adopt fo very extravagant a drefs. In other refpeds they are cheerful, lively, and handfome. M. Breft, who is no indifferent judge of beauty, introduced me into fome houfes where I was aftonifhed to find, under ruftic roofs, young womeri with the moft charming faces. If you reprefent to them that they difguife, by fuch prepofterous ornaments, fome ofthe loveUeft of their charms; their anfwer is, " Our grandmothers were clad " in the fame way ; we do but follow the cuf- " tom." Shall cuftom then always tyrannize over reafon? But in a fmall Ifland, which the 400 LETTERS the women never quit, and where they hardly ever fee any ftrangers, the difference of whofe drefs might make impreffion on them, fafhi- ons, however abfurd, muft be unchangeable, nor can it be expeded that any individual fhould dare throw off the yoke. Fronting Argentiera is a long barren rock, called the Burnt Ifland ; in the channel be tween, fhips find fafe anchoring ; and fmall veffels may enter the harbour, where they have fufficient depth of water. This is the only land ing-place, for in every other part of the ifland the fhore is fteep, and furrounded by inaccef fible rocks. The village, built on the fum- ^nit of a pretty lofty eminence, commands the fhipping ; the declivity is fo fteep, that if a battery were ereded there, to afcend it would be impoffible. I have the honour to be, &c. LET- ON GREECE. LETTER XLII. To M. L. M, 401 F. ROM Argentiera, Madam, the ifle of Me los is in full view, and is diftant only half a league. Its modern name is Milo or Mile. Anciently it had a town of the fame name, built by the Phoenicians (/J. That maritime people, attraded by the beauty of its port, undoubtedly made it an emporium of their commerce. This harbour, the mouth of which faces the North Weft, retreats within the land, forming various windings, and fud denly opens out into a fpacious bafon, in which fhips of all fizes may anchor, fheltered from every wind, and even the largeft fleet ride with fafety and convenience. This ifland was long rich and populous, and in early antiquity enjoyed perfed free- (f) Stephan, Byzant. The city of Melos was founded by the Phoenicians. — Feftus Pompeius adds, Melo, leav ing the coafts of Phoenicia, built the city to which he gave 4iis name. D d dom. 40? LETTERS dom. fhe Athenians, unable to bring the people of Melos to declare in their favour, in the Peloponnefian .war, made a defcent upon their coafts, and laid all wafte before them with fire and fword. Twice did they fail in their enterprize; but returning with more numerous forces, they laid fiege to Melos, and having reduced the befieged to furrendear at difcretion (g), put to the fword eyery man capable of bearing ariris. They fpared only the women and children, whprii they carried off into. captivity. This atrocious ac tion makes us blufh for humariity, and difho- nours the Athenian name. But war was then carried on with" a barbarity of which we have now no example. Republics know not how to pardon, and always carry their verigeance to excefs. Lyfander the Lacedseriionian ge neral, having, in his turn, fubdued the Athe nians (/)), obliged them to recal the colony they had fent to Melos, and refl:ored to the ifland the wretched remains of its inhabitants. This ifland loft its liberty vt'hen the Ro mans, afpiring to the empire of the world. fgj Strabo, lib. x. (h) Plutarch, in Vita Lyfandri. I conquered ONGREECE. 403 conquered the whole Archipelago. In the partition of that monarchy, it fell to the eaftern emperors; was afterwards governed by its own dukes, and finally was conquered by So- Uman II. Since that period It has groaned beneath Ottoman defpotifm, and is completely deprived of its importance. M. Breft affured me, that, in his youth, it was extremely fertile in corn, wine, and fruits, knd contained up- ¦w^rds of twenty thoufand inhabitants. M. Tournefort, who vifited it in 1700, gives a deUghtful defcription of this ifland. " The " earth, conftantly heated by fubterraneous " fires, produces, almoft without intermiffion, " wheat, barley, cotton, exquifite wines, and " delicious melons. Saint Elie, the moft *' beautiful monaftery in the ifland, and fitu- " ated. on the higheft ground, is furrounded " by cedars, and orange, lemon, and fig-trees. *' The gardens are watered by copious ftreams. " Olive-trees, which are rare in other parts, " are very numerous round this monaftery, *' and the adjoining vineyards furnifh excellent " wine. In a word, all the produdions of " the ifland are of incomparable excellence. *' Its partridges, quails, kids, and lambs, are " in high eftimation, yet extremely cheap." D d a Could 404 L E T 'T' E R 5 Could M. Tournefort return* to ' Milo, he would no longer find the beauteous ifle he has defcribed. He would ftill fee the fea thered alum, with filver threads, fufpended from the roofs of caverns, fragments of pure fulphur filling the crevices, of the rocks, nu- jiierous mineral fprlUgs, hot baths, and the fame fires which, In his time, heated the bofom of the earth, and rendered it fo fertile. But Inftead of the five thoufand Greeks paying the capitation (i), he would now find, on a furface of eighteen leagues in cir cumference, only about feven hundred inha bitants. He would figh to behold the fineft parts of the country without cultivation, and fertile vallies changed into moraffes. Milo has affumed a very different appearance within the courfeof the laft fifty years. The plague, every where propagated by the Turks, has cut off fhe greateft part of Its inhabitants ; and the deteftable' government of the Porte, and the oppreffions of the Captain Pacha, have com- —pleted Its deftrudion. At prefent, the want (i) I hive faid that adults alone were fubje(ft to the capita tion ; if, therefore, we add women and children to the above number of 5000, there muft' haxe been, in the time of Tournefort^. at leaft zo,ooo fouls. of ON GREECE, 405 ot labourers prevents their giving a free courfe to the water, which ftagiiating in the val- leys, turns fetid, and Infeds the air with pu- uid exhalations. The^ falt-marfhes, which haA'e multiplied for want of care, produce the iame efted. If to thefe inconveniencies the fulphureous vapours which rife on every fide art? added, you will not be furprifed- to learn. Madam, that the inhabitants of MUo are tor mented with violent fevers during three quar ters of the year; Nay, poffibly, they will be under the neceffity of totally, abandoning their country. Their compfexipus are univerfally of a yellow, pale, and deadly hue ; nor Is the look of health to be found In any one of them. The prudent traveller Ihould take care to make but a fhort ftay In this unhealthy country, If he would not expofe himfelf to a fever. Only to fleep a fingle night In the Ifland, nay even to pafs the day there, is fometimes fufficient to contrad that difeafe. An enlightened government might re move (thefe calamities which have fo depopu lated MeJos. Its firft care ought to be to eftablifh a Lazatetto, and prevent the ap proach of infeded veffels. Canals fhould then be 406 LETTERS be cut to drain the marfhtes, from which arife peftiferous exhalations. The ifland would repeople : for the fulphureous vapours are not what moft render it defolate ; it produced them equally in the time of the ancients (k), jet It was extremely pojiulous. M, Tourne fort, who vifited it at a period much nearer the conqueft of the Turks, and before they had time wholly to lay it -wafte, ftill reckoned twenty thoufand inhabitants. To the defpotifm of the Turkifh government, therefore, and its deteftable politics, muft .we attribute the deftrudion bf the ifland of Melos. Let me not be accufed pf painting the Turks in cblOurs blacker than they deferve. I have travelled through their empire, I have feen the Injuries of every kind which they have done to the fciences, the arts, and the human race. I fee them carrying the plague with them, from ifland to ifland, ffom country to country, without fuffering their eyes to be opened by the example of every other nation ; and fhall I not raife my voice ' (i) Pliny (lib. xxxv. cap. 15,) fpeaks of the great ¦quanti,ties of fulphur prodoced at Melos, and efteenis it )is the beft any where to be found. ag ai nft ONGREECE, 407 againft the abominable indlfterence of this barbarous people ! Shall I not inveigh againft their deftrudive fatallfm, and endeavour to find words fufficiently forcible to paint the crimes and horrors of their government, of that government, the enem.y of the human fpecies, which has deftroyed more men by its odious tyranny, than ever fell by the fword of the moft cruel conquerors ! At the fight of thefe melancholy fpedacles my heart groans, and Is filled with Indignation ; my bjood boils in my veins, and I could wifh to excite all Europe to combine againft thefe Turks, who, defcending from the mountains of Armenia, have crufhed the nations in their paffage, and waded through rivers of blood to the throne of Conftantinople. Nor have the beautiful countries they Inhabit been able to foften the ferocity of their charader. Power is their law ; their juftice is the fabre. I have the honour to be, &c. THE END. I N D E X. A( A lCROTARI, convent of, — Page 363 Air, varieties of, in different countries, — 294 Alexander Severus, pillar of — — 6 Amphitheatre, ruins of one, near Caftel Roffo, 27 Anaphe, ifland of, 53 Aptera, — 279 Arcadi, monaftery of, 264, • Library of, 267, Wine- cellar, — ibid, Archbifhop of Gortyna, po-wer of, — 379 Archery, expertnefs of the Cretans in, — 179 Argentiera, ifland of, 393, 395. Number of inha bitants of, 396. Whimfi cal peculiarity in the drefs of the women of, 398 Ariadne, in love with The feus, affifts him to kill the Minotaur, 248, 250 Arfinoe of Lycia, 30 Artemira, Mount, 97, Ex tenfive profpedlfrom, ib. Afomatos, monaftery of . 260, 264, Entertainment of the French travellers there, — 261 Afthmatic diforders, not known in Egypt, 296 Atabyris, Mount, 74, 97 B Bartavelles, a kind of par tridge in Crete, 333, 337 Bedchambers of the Turks, 336 Benedidtion of the new" wines, form of, as given by the fuperior of the monaftery of Arcadi, 267 Bifhop (Greek) punifliment infliited on the Greeks for one entering Canea on horfeback, 292 Biflioprics of Crete, _ 379 Breft, (M,) French viccr conful at Argentiera, charaiSler of, — 397 Bryaxis, Coloflal ftatues of his workmanftiip at Rhodes, — 64 Burnt Ifland, — 400 Cadifcus, INDEX. Cadifcus, hills of, 344 Cadmus, a Phcenician co lony fettled by, in Rhodes, Camirus, — ibid. ¦ city of, ibid, Candia (ifland of). See Crete, (city of) origin of. 191, Etymology of the name, ibid. Memorable fiege of, by the Turks, 201 Canea, city of, 194, Siege and taking of, • by the Turks, 196 — 199, De fcription of, 210, 283, 285, 286. Populoufnefs of, 287. Forces of the Turks there, — 372 Canna, the birth-place of Protogenes, — 66 Carach, what, 89, 376 Cafos, ifland of, iig. Drefs ¦ and riianners of the in habitants, i22j 140. De fcription of two beauties of, 124, 136. Manner of dancing there, 131, 138. Scarcity of men, Caftel Roffo, ifland of, 20, 21. Barrennefs of. 23. Native of Provence fet- tjed-in, 24. Antiquities near, 27. The ancient Phoenicus, — 33 Cathedral founded by 1 i- tus, ruins of — 232 Certiftcates, contradidory, given by two French cap tains to a Cafiot, 127 Chapter (firft) ofthe Koran, fublimity of, — 339 Chimaera,burning mountain of that name, — 46 Chryfothemis of Crete, 185 Cifamus .— 279 Cliftthera, daughter of Ido meneus, 15?. Murdered by the ufurper Leucus, 159 Cnoffou (the ancient Cnof fus) 209, 214, 215 CnoflTus, city of, 148, 1^0, 214, A colony fent thi ther by the Romans, 1 89 Coffee poured under the feet of the horfes by the Turks, — 281 CploflTus of Rhodes, de fcribed, 63, Dimenfions of, ibid. Not placed over the entrance of the har bour, 64. Fall of, ibid. Nine hundred camels em ployed to carry its frag ments, 65. ¦ Or, accord ing to Conftantine Pro- phyrogenituSjthirty thou fand, . — ibid. Corycus, — 320 Cragus, Mount, 97 Cranes and fwai-is, remark able migration of, 39 Cres, a king of Crete, who gave narne to the ifland, 150 Crete, ifland of, 144. Peo pled by various colonies, 151, 181. Lift of the kings ofi 152. Laws and inftitutions IN D E X. inftitutions of, 177. Sci ences and afts, 182. Conquered by the Ro mans, 187. Government of, under the Romans, 188, 189. Chriftianity planted there by St. Paul, 190. Titus the hrft bifhop^ ib.d. Bilhoprics, ibid. Cqnquered by the Agarenians, an Arab na tion, ibid. Taken froni the Arabs by Nicephorus Phocas, 192. Given to the Marquis of Montfer rat by the emperor Bald win, ib,id. Sold to the Venetians, ibid. Invaded and conquered by the Turks, 1.93 — 207, Mild- ,nefs and beauty of the climate of, 297. Prefent government of, 370. Po pulation of, 375. Num ber of its ancient inha bitants eftimated, 377, Bifhoprics of, 379. Trade of — — 382 Ctefiphon of Cnoffus, one of the architeds who built the temple of Diana at Ephefus, — 185 Curetes, who, 146. Inven tions of, — 147 Cydon, city of, 148, 180, 181,281,283,284.866 Canea, D Dadyli, Idean, who, 145, Inventions of, — 146 Daughters of the Greeks fnequently carried off by the Turks,- — 340 Delos, ifland of, — ,55 Dia, ifland of, 114, 142, 143, 208 Diamond, rock of the, b Diana, temple of, at Ephe fus, 185, By whom built, — ibid. Didynna, promdntory of, 320. Temple of, ibid. Di(eafes of Crete, 315 Dittany, virtues of, 312 — Drepanum, promontory of, 276, 279 E Egypt, obfervations on the air and climate of, 295 Ephloii, a fpecies of ferpent found in Crete, 310 Eteocretans, who, 151 Europa, explanation ofthe fable of, — 246 Exorcifement of a fliip by a Greek prieft, 117 Faitfa, what, — 372 G George (St.) monaftery of, 220, Hofpitality of the monks of, 222, Enter tainment of the French travellers 'at, ibid. Gira P.etra, — 370 Gortyna, city of, 180,227. Ruins of, 231, Arch bifhop of, his power, 379 Greeks, INDE X. Greeks, modern, ignorance of,-, in the art of navig^- tiorii 1 6, 17, 116. Op- prefled ftate of, 56, loi. CfharasSer of, 105, 141, 2f'3' 309> 375- Super- ftition of, 116. Not per- . piitted in Crete to enter the cities on horfeback, '292. Punifhment inflid ed on them for one of their bifhops entering - Canea on horfeback, ibid. N umber of, in Crete, 376 .Grotto near the monaftei-y , of Sr. John in Crete, 361 Gunners of the Turks, un- fkilfuhiefs of, — 374 H Hannibal, manner of his deceiving the Cretajis, 229 Harbour dug by Deme trius during the fiege of , ¦ Rhodes, ; — , 52 Helepolis. (the), an engine employed by Demetrius in the fiege of Rhodes, defcribed, — 79 Heliades, who, — 55 Heracleum (ancient), fiuia- t ion of, — 208 Hierapithna, t- 370 fumipit of, ibid. Produc-' tions of,'- — ibid. Idomeneus, king of Crete, hiftory of, — 158 Jew merchant at Retimo, entertainment given by, to the French ¦ travellers, ¦ 269 John (St.) monaftery of, 359. Profpe£ts from, 360 Jophon of CnoflTus, 1 84 Ifmael Aga, charader of, 330. Entertainment given by, to M. Savaryj 331 Jupiter born in Crete, 147, 2 1 6. Two of that name kings of Crete, 153 ' tomb of, — 216 Afphalius, temple of, ^-— 55 — Didaeus, temple of, - 151 K Khandak, what, — 191 Kiopruli, Candia taken by, 204, 206 Kyrie eleifon fung by the monks of Aforhatos, to entertain -the French tra vellers, 262. They hu- moroufiy return the complinieht by joining in lalyfus, 1 city of, — 56 ibid. Ida (Mount) piftiirefque appearance of, 255, 257. Defcription of, 258. tx- tenfive profpecl frora the a fon§,. ^ ibid. Labyrinth of Cnoffus, 241, 242 , qf Gortyna, der fcription of, '233 — 238. Conjedures cpncerning the INDEX. the origin and ufe of, 239 La Culate, — 353, 357 Lafthenes, a Cretan chief, 188 Lebena, — 228 Leprofy, terrible effeds of 1116,110,315. Probable caufes of, in Crete, 317 Lethe (river) ~- 230 Leuces, — 320 Leucus, the ufurper, de prives Idomeneus of the throne of Crete, 158 Life, length of, how efti mated by the Cretans, 184 Lindus, — 56 (city of ) 56, 95, Modern ftate of, 96 Loaxus (river) — 2i2 Lucillus of Tarrha, 185 Lycia (ancient), great po pulation of, 34. Defo- latenefs and fterility of the fame country at pre fent, — 36, 38, 50 Lycians (ancient), govern ment and manners of, 34 ¦ ¦ M Macri, gulph of. 44 Malmfey of Mount Ida, 212, 333 Marguarltes, village of, 273 Melee, Cape, 281, 355 Melos, ifland of, 401. See Milo, Merion, — 158 Mefl'ara, plain of, 226. Fer tility of^ — ibid, Metagenes, one ofthe archi- .teds who built tbe temple of Diana at Ephefus, 185 Metalla, — 228 Meteilus (Quintus), Crete conquered by, i^;8 Mich-mich, fruit fo called, 274 Milo, ifland of, 401, Po puloufnefs of when M. Tournefort travelled, 403 Small number of inha bitants at prefent, 404 Minos, 148, 153. Laws of, 153. Contradidory accounts of, 155, Hif tory of, ibid. The le giflator of that namedif- fereiit from the conquer or, — 157 Mnotaur of Crete, hiftory of, — 241, 245, 249 Mouteveli at Rhodes, his ofiice, — gg Mufeum (the), where, 279 Myra, city of, — 30 Myrtles, beautiful in Crete, 32(3. Plain of, ibid. N NarcilTus, plain of, 353 Navigation, ignorance of the modern Greeks in the art of, — 16, i;^ Nea, ifland of — 53 Neocorio, — 52 Nifyros, ifland of, 108 Noxious animals, none found in Crete, 310, 312 O Ochendra, a ferpent found in Crete, — 310 Odero, (St.) — 285 Olive- I N D EX. Olive tree almoft loft in Attica, 381. Thrives in Crete, — ibid, Ophis, a fpecies' of ferpent in Crete, — 310 Ophiufa, the ifland of Rhodes, anciently fo called from its numerous ferpents, — 57 Oranges, excellent inCrete, 352 Pacha, of Creteappeafesan infurreftion by his pre fence of mind, 288 Paintings, beautiful, at Rhodes, — 66, 70 Palio Caftro, — 211 Panarus, aCretan chief, 188 Panormus, — 211 Pafiphae, Amour of, with Taurus, — 246 Patara, ruins of 27, 31 Phxftus, city of, 148, 283 Phalangion (or tarantula;, of Crete, defcribed, 310 Pharos, ifle of, — 6 Phcenice, — 33 Phoenicus, harbour of,32,33 Phorbas, Rhodes freed from ferpents by, 57 Platania, river of, 321. Fo reft of, ib. Beauty of, ib. Pompey 's Pillar, 6 Praefus., city of, 283 Protogenes, admirable paintings of, 66- De fcription of thelalyfus of, from Pliny, — 67 Pyrrhic - dance, retained among the Sphachiots, 346, Manner of, ibid, a Quadrupeds of Crete, 311 R Retimo befieged and taken by the 1 urks, 200. Defcribed, — 273 Rhadamam-bus, 148 Khianus of Bena, 185 Rhitymnia, fee KetimOi Rhodes (iflandof), 53, An ciently covered by thefea, 54, Fertility and trade of, at prefent, go. Popula tion of, 92, Revenues of, 94. Salubrious climate of, — i©4 (City of), by whom built, 59. Defcribed, 60, 61, 62, Coloflus of 63. Siege of, by Demetrius, 79. Hiftory, of, 79 — 83. Prefent ftate of, «5 — 95. Government of, under the Turks, 88 Rhodians, navigation and colonies of, 58. Learning of, 71. Laws, govern ment and manners of, 72 — 78. humanity of, 76 Riot (Tiukifh) in Crete, account of one, 288 Rivers, conjedure concern ing — 257 Roads dangerous in Crete, 259, 265 Rouget a kind of fiflb, 396 Salentum, INDEX. Salentum, founded by Ido meneus, i6o Santorin, ifland of, 54 Silk-worm, new fpecies of, 25 Soap, manufadories of, in Crete, — 382 Spada, cape, — 343 Sphachia, hills of, 343. Pidurefqiue profped, 349 •^^ town of, ibid. Sphachiots, charader and manners of, 345 Standia, ifland of, 1 14, 142, 143, 209 Sude (La), bay of, 281, fort of, — 356 Sufa, cape, — 343 Sun rifing, at fea, defcrib ed, II. Setting of, 41 Swans and cranes, remark able migration of, 39 Syme,iflandof, ro8. Fifhery for fpunges there, 109. Village of the divers, 110. Drefs o!r the inha bitants of, ibid. Lepers, I J I . Greek prieft of, ibid. Tarantula, found in Crete, defcribed, — 310 Taurus, the Cretan, Hif tory of, 245. Gave oc cafion to the fable of the Minotaur, — 247 Telchines, who, 55 Telmiflus, fituation of, 46. Ruins of a theatre there. 47. Ruins of tombs near, 48. Remains of a caftle, 49 Telos, ifland of, 107 Thales of Gortyna, 182. Perfuafive poetry of 183. Said to be the inventor of the Cretan Pyrrhic, ibid. Theodore (St.) fort of, 195 Thera, ifland of, 54 Therafia, ifland of, ibid. Therenus (river) 148, 212 ThefeuSjbirth of,244. Kills theMinotaur,and delivers the Athenians from their tribute, 245 — 252 Titans (the) 148 Tityrus, hills of, 344 Tlepolemus, a colony fet tled by, in Rhodes, 58 Topigi Bachi, who, 371 Trees cut down, but never planted by theTurks,386 the origin of fprings and rivulets, — 256 Trinity convent,of the, 358 Triton, river of, 211 Turks, of Crete not fo fub- miflive to the orders of the Grand Signior, as in other parts of the Otto man empire, 288, Beauty and fine proportions of, 303 Turluru fort, 195 Vin de loi what, 270, 333 Violin player, in Crete; excellent performance of one. 271 Walida, INDEX. "VV Walida (fultana), appenage of, in Crete, 275, 345 Wedding proceflion of the Greeks, 219 Wine of Rhodes, gg ¦ ofthe Jews at Retimo, . called Vin de loi, 270, 333 Wines (new), form of the blefling given to, at the monaftery pfi^cadi, 267 Women of Crete, beauty of, 306. Drefs of, 307 Women of Argentiera, whimfical peculiarity in the drefs of, 398 X Xanthus, river of, city of. 3P ibid. Youth, Creta^ education ef, — 177 FINIS. YALE UNIVERSITY LIBRARY 3 9002 02810 3829 .i»^ ¦*fc >flt. w f: ¦ ^Itsf^T*' ' '3i* i' i * ..a ^mm^ yh