•'''7"''ijM(& 
 
 1-3 
 
 w 
 o 
 
 o 
 
VOICES FROM THE ORIENT; 
 
 OK, 
 
 THE TESTIMONY OF T?IE MONUMENTS, 
 
 OF THE ' 
 
 KECKNT HISTOlUCAIi AND TOPOGKAnilCAL DISCOVEKIES, AND OF THE 
 
 CUSTOMS AND TitADITIONS Ol<' THE PEOPLE IN THE ORIENT, 
 
 TO THE VEllACITY OF THE SACKED KECOliD. 
 
 BY THE 
 
 REV. GEORGE BURNEIELD, M.A., B.D., 
 
 Ex-Examincr in Oriental Languaucn and Literature in the (fnivcrsitij of I'orouto. 
 
 'EiToiricre re t'f tcos ai/naros irai> i0i'O<; avOpdinioi' KnToiKtiv tiri nili' to npoaioTTov t^9 7^5, 
 optcras TrpoTeToyfxei'ous xaipov^, Kai ras opoOecrias ttj'j KaroiKi'av o.vriiv — Actb xvii. 2G. 
 
 TORONTO: 
 
 C. BLACKETT ROBINSON, 5 JORDAN STREET. 
 
 1884. 
 
Dsf9 
 
 ■Rq 
 
 246712 
 
 Entered accordini^ to Act of Parliii:iu;nt of Canada, in the year one thousand eit^lit Inindred 
 and eighty-four, by Kiiv. George Buknkield, B.U., in the Oflice of the Minister of 
 Agriculture. 
 
TO 
 
 DANIEL WILSON, ESQ., LL.D., 
 
 President of University College, Toronto, 
 
 AS A token of esteem FOR HIM AS A MAN, AND AS A MARK OF 
 APPRECIATION OF HIS EMINENT AND EXTENSIVE SCHOLARSHIP, 
 
 THIS VOLUME IS RESPECTFULLY DEDICATED 
 BY THE AUTHOR. 
 
PREFACE. 
 
 There is no pretence in this volume to offer to the Canadian public 
 any new discoveries by the author in the lands of the Orient. It may be 
 asked, then, why write anything more upon a subject which has been 
 investigated and discussed by many learned men ? My answer is two- 
 fold. Thoii<'-h the mine has been well wrought, and the rich veins of ore 
 have given up their treasures, there is yet ample to reward any diligent 
 workman. In the customs, languati,e and life of the people, there is much 
 that a keen observer ma^' gather of interest and profit to the reader, and 
 whicli may add a little to the light that has been focussed on the pages of 
 Scripture, whereby our faith in the Word of God may be strengthened. 
 Besides, as a Canadian, I have viewed the monuments, the country, and 
 the people from the fc tandpoint of a Canadian ; and as many of the places 
 and subjects with which this volume deals have not been disussed by any 
 Canadian, or at least not presented to the public in permanent form, as 
 far as I am aware, I feel that I am walking upon new ground, or ground 
 that has not been beaten hard by the feet of a long line of authors. 
 
 Having spent much labour and considerable time in visiting scenes 
 and objects beyond the usual route of travel, and having devoted years to 
 the study of the monuments of the ancient Egyptian people, and the 
 famous subjects of controversy, in Arabia and Palestine, I issue this 
 volume with the hope that it may afford some pleasure and information 
 to the reader. 
 
11. PREFACE. 
 
 The opinions and conclusions of others in reurard to many questions 
 yet sub judice I have carefully examined, but have reached my own con- 
 clusions from personal investigation. 
 
 Christianity is so essential to the world's progress in wealth, in peace, 
 and in righteousness, that the land of its birth, of its struggles and its 
 triumphs, is of interest to all who desire the development of the race 
 in all that is noble and godlike. Daily in Palestine I saw evidences — in 
 the language of the people, in their habits, their methods of eating, 
 drinking, travelling, working, and praying — that the writers of the Sacred 
 Record had the most intimate and correct knowledge of the land and its 
 inhabitants. Their descriptions harmonize with the state of things to this 
 day in the remote parts of the country that have not been influenced by 
 European manners. Their knowledge of the topography of the country 
 has been verified by all recent explorations. This is admitted by the 
 opponents of Scripture, who, however, refuse to accept them as trust- 
 worthy narrators when they speak of the signs and wonders and mighty 
 deeds of Christ. Let any man of unbiassed mind, however, ride through 
 Egypt, Arabia and Palestine with the Bible in his hand, and his testi- 
 mony will be that the writei's of that Book wrote the words of truth. 
 Renan, the gay and superficial Frenchman who can with ease ignore the 
 facts recorded by the Evangelists, or pervert them when they do not suit 
 his materialistic mould, is forced to bear testimony, all the stronger that 
 it comes from a foe, to the truth of the Evangelists. He says: " The 
 striking agreement between the descriptions of the New Testament and 
 the places which lay around me ; the wonderful harmony between the 
 ideal portrait of the gospels and the landscape which served as its frame 
 — all these things were a kind of revelation to me. I seemed to have a 
 fifth Gospel before me mutilated and torn, but; still legible ; and from 
 that hour, under the guidance of Matthew and Mark, I saw, instead of 
 that abstracted being whose existence ono can scarce help questioning, a 
 genuine bub wondrously beautiful human figure full of life and ni tion.' 
 
PREFACE. iii. 
 
 Whoever walketh over the Temple Area or under it will find that the 
 words of Christ have been fulfilled to the uttermost ; " One stone shall 
 not be left standing on another." Jerusalem is trodden down under the 
 feet of the Gentiles, the Jews are treated wifh indignity by Mahommedan 
 and Greek. They are aliens in tlieir own land, and strangers in that 
 ancient capital cf Israel. Tiie curse of God rests on the land, and ignor- 
 ance and bigotry are seen everywhere. Among the ruins of the famous 
 towns that lined the shores of the sea of Galilee, whoso very sites are 
 matters of dispute among scholars, the complete fulHlments of Christ's 
 prophecy of doom ij seen in terrible reality. Fallen columns, and 
 entablatures of old synagogues, houses of huge, rough stones razed to their 
 foundations, heaps of rubbish, mounds of ruins rising up among thistles 
 and rank weeds, universal desolation, are witnesses from the graves of 
 the centuries whose testimony cannot be shaken. 
 
 I feel thankful to God for His merciful protection during my many 
 wanderings in the far East. The spirit that finally culminated in a 
 declaration of war in 1882 against Britain, and an appeal to arms was felt 
 every day, in the bazaars, mosques, and other public places. Rumours 
 of war were heard everywhere. The Mahommedans concealed their fierce 
 hatred and haughty insolence by the thinnest veil, and only the fear of 
 death restrained them from murder. Then it needed the utmost oaution 
 to visit Egypt in safety. 
 
 To my congregation I feel grateful for their liberality, and also to a 
 few intimate friends, by whose aid I have been enabled to realize one 
 of my life desires^ 
 
 The following resolution was moved, at a special meeting of the con- 
 gregation, by John M. Gill, Esq., and carried unanimously by a standing 
 vote : — 
 
 " That whereas the Rev. Mr. Burnfield has expressed a desire to visit 
 Palestine and other places in the Old World ; and whereas such a visit 
 will be of great benefit to him, and through him to this congregation and 
 
IV. PREFACE. 
 
 the Church at largo ; therefore be it resolved that while wo rogrot the 
 prospect of his absence, we cordially grant him leave of abae -oe. " 
 
 A few of tlie views in this volume aro original, the others have been 
 obtained at considorablo labour and expense. I hereby express my groat 
 indebtedness to Professor Hirschfolder, the learned lecturer on Oriental 
 Languages and Literature in University College, Toronto, for his valuable 
 assistance in reviewing tho most of the manuscript. My thanks are also 
 due to the Rev. James Cleland, a man of ripo and extensive scholarship, 
 for his services. 
 
 My purpose in sending forth this volume to the Canadian public will 
 have been fully realized if I have added in tho least degree to the know- 
 ledge or interest of the reader in the old and famous countries of the 
 Orient, and if I have been the means of deepening faith in Him, who is 
 the life and light of the world. 
 
 1 trust that the reader will find, during the journey through Greece, 
 Egypt, Arabia, Palestine, and Syria in this volume, the same pleasure and 
 inspiration which I experienced, and that the hours spent in perusal of 
 this volume will not be in vain. 
 
 GEORGE BURNFIELD. 
 
 Brockville, Sept. 5th, 1884. 
 
CONTENTS. 
 
 PART I. 
 
 ITALY, GREECE, EGYPT, ARABIA. 
 OHAPTKK. ' PAGE. 
 
 I.— Rome— Its early History— CaiJtol— Dying Gladiator— Christian Per- 
 secutions—Palatine Hill — BaBilica — Ancient School on the Pala- 
 tine 9 
 
 II.— Mamertine Prison— Arch of Titus— The Coliseum — The Pantheon — 
 The Sistine Chapel and Michael Anf(elo's great fresco of The Last 
 Judgment— A Walk over the Appian Way 23 
 
 III. — Naples — A Ride to Pozzuoli, Solfatara and the Grotto of the Sibyl — 
 Pompeii — Across the Sea to the Pirseua- Messina — Rhegium — 
 Landing at Pirseus 41 
 
 IV,— Athens — Temple of Jupiter— Propylsea — Nike Apteros — The Par- 
 thenon—Mars Hill — A Walk to Marathon— A Visit to the Monks 
 on Pentali — New Year's Day in Athens — A Ride in a Snow-stornx 
 
 to Eleusis 53 
 
 v.— Across the Mediterranean to Alexandria — Scenes in the Bazaars — 
 
 Ride to Cairo— Villages and Towns en route 77 
 
 VI.— By Donkey to the Great Pyramid— Scenes with Arabs at the Pyra- 
 mid—King's and Queen's Chambers— A Dance in the Pyramid — 
 
 ' Settling Accounts with Greedy Arabs — The Age and Purpose of 
 
 the Pyramid 94 
 
VI. CONTENTS. 
 
 CHAPTER. PAGE. 
 
 VII.— In Cairo— Ceremony in Buying Goods — Ancient Customs— Far-away 
 Moses — Left-handed Methods of the Egyptians —The Dancing 
 
 Dervishes— A Visit to Heliopolis and Old Cairo 116 
 
 VIII. —Tomb of Ti — The Serapeum and Memphis— Up the Kile— Beni-Has- 
 san — Sioot — Storehouse of Joseph — American College — A Block- 
 ade in narrow Streets— Denderah 130 
 
 IX.— Landing at Luxor— Temple of Karnak— Deir El Bahiri— Osiris Judg- 
 ing the Dead — The Royal Mummies Found at Thebes — The Mem- 
 nonium and Colossi — South to Assouan and Philae — Arabi Pasha — 
 Egyptian School at Edf oo — Mahommedan College in Cairo— Amer- 
 ican Mission Work — Britain's Place in Egypt 145 
 
 X. — Starting for Suez — Bubastis and Zakazik — Landing at Ain Mftsa — 
 Lunch in the Desert — Abdullah, the One-eyed Cook — Encamp- 
 ment at Elim — Arab Traditions — A Praying Mahommedan and 
 his Camel — Saved by a Field Glass -Cemetery inWady Magharah. 179 
 XL— The Written Valley— The Oasis of Feiran- Arabs' Desire for Medi- 
 cine — Scenes in Tent— Jebel Tahumeh and an Amusing Scene — 
 Ascent of Serbal-Is Serbal Sinai? 211 
 
 XIL — First View of Has Sufsafeh — Reception in the Convent at Sinai — 
 Boots Mended — A Wierd Service at Midnight — Ascent of Jebel 
 Mfisa — A Strange Guide— The Convent Library— A Visit to the 
 Bones of Monks— Our Departure . 239 
 
 PART II. 
 
 SOUTHERN PALESTINE. 
 
 XIII. — Original Inhabitants— Natural Coudit in of the Country — Yafa— 
 A Ride to Jerusalem— A Visit to the School of Lydda— A Night 
 at Kuloniyeh— First View of Jerusalem 259 
 
 XIV. —Jerusalem, its Walls, Streets, Fountains —Washing Clothes at Si- 
 loam — The Jews' Wailing Places -Jerusalem's Holy Places 281 
 
 XV. — On Foot to Bethany— A Ride to Bethlehem — Hebron and Jericho . . 307 
 
CONTENTS. VU. 
 
 PART III. 
 
 NOltTHEUN PALESTINE, SYRIA AND ASIA. 
 
 CllAPTEU. ' PACE. 
 
 XVI.— Departure from Jerusalem— Shephorda Leading Sheei) into J3ethal— 
 
 Encampment at Nablus- A Visit to Jacob's Well— Samaria — Tent 
 
 Pitched in a Graveyard— An Oriental Fight at Jennin ;S51 
 
 XVII.— Women Sifting Wheat— D'hidor, a Novel Gold Mine Discovered — 
 
 Nazareth— A Night with Arabs on Esdraelon 389 
 
 XVIII.— Tiberias— Tne PL^in of Gennesaret — Among the lluins of Tell Hum — 
 A Dangerous ivide to Bethsaida Julias— Can? ping at Dan — Banias, 
 
 its Shops and Dogs 408 
 
 XIX. — Through a Storm on Mount Hermon— Assailed by a Dmse Ilobber — 
 
 Damascus— Baalbek — Through the Cedars of Lebanon to Beirut. . 432 
 XX. — Beirut — Mahommedan Women at School — Weary Pilgrims — A 
 Sacred Donkey on Shipboard — Praying on a Barrel — Cyprus — 
 llhodes — Monuments of the Crusaders — Smyrna, the Infidel City — 
 
 Scene of Polycarp's Death 454 
 
 XXI. By llailway to Ephesus — Greeks at the Stations en »'0«te— Modern 
 Ephesus — The Kuined Aqueduct -The Friendly Storks — The 
 Temple of Diana--Dr. Wood's Famous Discoveries — The Amphi- 
 theatre -^The Street t)f Tombs— Traditions of St. John — Dr. Schlie- 
 mann's Discovery of Troy— Angry Turks on Shipboard— Constan- 
 tinople, its Streets, Houses, and Dogs — Ancient Monuments — 
 Mosque of St. Sophia — Night Watchmen — Death in the Fairest 
 City on Eartli — Christ the Hope of the Orient 467 
 
LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS, 
 
 PAGK 
 
 Moonlight View on the Nik- frontispiece. 
 
 Arch of Constantine 19 
 
 Coliseum at Rome 27 
 
 St. Peter's, Rome 31 
 
 Cairo, Egypt 91 
 
 The Sphinx 105 
 
 The Goddess Pasht 135 
 
 Temple of Karnak 149 
 
 Philse on the Nile 1G3 
 
 Temple of Isis at Philae 177 
 
 Inscribed Stonea from Arabia 208 
 
 Jaffa 258 
 
 Jerusalem . 280 
 
 The Jews' Wailing-place 293 
 
 The Mosque of Omar 301 
 
 Hebron 327 
 
 Dead Sea 334 
 
 Fording the Jordan 341 
 
 Women Grinding at the Mill 350 
 
 Oriental Mode of Washing Hands 388 
 
 Ships of the Desert 418 
 
 Casaarea Philipi>i 430 
 
 Damascus 439 
 
 Constantinople 46G 
 
 Pompey 's Pillar 488 
 
 View of East Side of Jerusalem on cover. 
 
PART I 
 
ft 
 
ITALY, GREECE, EGYPT, ARABIA. 
 
 -^-♦•o^ 
 
 Chapter I. 
 ROME. 
 
 "In the second century of tlie Christian ^Era, the Empire of Rome 
 comprehended the fairest portion of the earth and the most civilized part, 
 of mankind. "-^DecZtHC and Fall of the Eoman Empire. 
 
 i 
 
 S I rode from Pisa, in December, the fields on each 
 
 side of the railway were green with grain and 
 vegetables. Vineyards extended for miles. The 
 vines were festooned from tree to tree in long 
 rows. In going south I had a fine view of the sea 
 on the right. Its waters, bathed in the bright sun- 
 light, contrasted finely with the green fields and white farm 
 houses along the shore. At the railway stations I became 
 familiar with two classes of Italians, the peasants, who were 
 clad in rousfh home-made material, who wore broad-brimmed 
 hats and heavy brogues ; and under the arm they carried 
 bread and vegetables tied up in a coloured handkerchief, and 
 in their hands glass bottles with long slender necks. The 
 bottles, which contained wine, were covered with matted grass 
 to prevent breaking. These men were travelling to Genoa, 
 Spezzia, or Rome, to sell the produce of their gardens or vine- 
 yards. The other class is numerous in Italy. The typical 
 member of it wears a few rings on his fingers; glittering gems 
 
 r 
 
10 ROME. 
 
 of u cheap quality adorn his bosom. He carries always a 
 slender cane, and is an inveteiate smoker and talker. If one 
 asks his business, the universal answer is, "I am in commerce." 
 It was dark long before I reached Rome. From the car 
 window I peered into the darkness to see the lights of that 
 famous city. • At first they appeared far in the distance, one, 
 two, three, then the number increased until I saw the sky 
 illuminated above the city, by the lights reflecting against the 
 black clouds. The train soon passed inside the walls, and if it 
 had been daylight, on the left would have been seen Porta 
 Maggiore, and near it the tomb of Eurysaces, the baker, on 
 which was depicted the whole process of baking in the early 
 days of Rome. Farther on were ruins of temples and masses 
 of the old walls, of kingly times. But the train stopped, and 
 the guard shouted, " Roma, Roma," and I was in the once 
 renowned city of the great Ctcsars^ — the city whose armies sub- 
 dued the world, and whose name is set in eternal glory by her 
 famous statesmen, patriots, poets and orators. I had been 
 recommended to a lodging place on Via Sistina, on the Pin- 
 cian Hill, overlooking the Piazza D'Espagna. The house 
 was kept by a Scotch lady who has spent many years in Italy. 
 She informed me there was only one room vacant, on the 
 fourth storey, and asked if that would suit me. A few flights 
 of stairs, more or less, was a matter of indifference to me, I 
 responded. There was another obstacle in the way, however. 
 One of the lodgers of the house had to pass through this room 
 in order to reach his own ; it would be necessary therefore to 
 consult this gentleman. He was a red-faced man, of very 
 rapid speech, which under any excitement ran into hopeless 
 stammering. After a few minutes' conversation he concluded 
 there could be no danger to him, if T took possession of the 
 said room, and for my part I was satisfied. The porter — a stout, 
 burly man, who occupied a room at one side of the entrance — 
 
A STRANGE NEIGHBOUR. 11 
 
 took my luggage on his shoulder and began to ascend, and I 
 followed. As the longest roads have an end, so had this. It 
 terminated in a small room, comfortably but scantily furnished. 
 The porter deposited his load with a sigh of relief. At the 
 rear of:' this room was a projecting balcony from which I could 
 look down on the city and see St. Peter's, the Pantheon, and, by 
 aid of a glass, the famous places in the Campagna. Although 
 my room was high up I congratulated myself that I was all 
 the nearer the pure blue sky, and also had a magnificent view 
 of a large part of the city. I retired, intending to devote the 
 following day to hard work among the famed objects of ancient 
 Rome. I fell asleep, but was awakened by a strange marching 
 backward and forward in the room occupied by the red-faced 
 man. I listened, uncertain whether to shout, or ring the bell 
 for a servant. The marching was varied by a rapid flinging of 
 boots or books against the door and walls. I concluded if my 
 neighbour was attacked by some midnight assassin, I was, as a 
 man and a Christian, bound to go to his aid. I shouted, " Hallo, 
 what is wrong ?" The only response was the missiles flew faster, 
 and with greater fovce. " Hallo, my friend," I again shouted. 
 Then all was silence. Now I thought this scene is ended, and 
 hoped there would be no more to follow. Perhaps half an 
 hour passed, when I again became conscious of a hurried 
 marching, and rapid, mutterings. This time my neighbour had 
 started on a mathematical tack : " four and one are eight, two 
 and three are ten, five and one are twenty, which nobody can 
 deny." I grew alarmed as to the sanity of my neighbour, and 
 quietly piled up my baggage and all the chairs and movable 
 objects against the door of his room, which opened into mine. 
 Gradually the marching and mental arithmetic ceased, and I 
 became unconscious of all earthly things. In the morning I 
 took down the barricade from the door, and stood ready to 
 defend mystlf if an assault were made, but to my astonishment 
 
12 ROMi!i. 
 
 he appeared sane and cheerful. On enquiry, I learned that he 
 became furious when his views on religion were opposed, and, 
 on the evening in qut ;tion, some one had challenged the cor- 
 rectness of his religious opinions. 
 
 Among the company at the house of this most intelligent 
 and kind hostess on Via Sistina were persons from the 
 ends of the earth, some seeking health, some mere pleasure, 
 while others had found their way to the old capital of 
 the Roman Empire for knowledge. In company with two of 
 the guests, Mr. Anderson and his wife, I made a visit to the 
 traditional site of St. Paul's house in which he lived while in 
 Rome. There are three places that claim this honour, but the 
 one we visited — house number two in Via Degli Strengari — has 
 the strongest probability in its favour. The late Dr. Philip, 
 who spent many years in Rome, and was an indefatigable 
 investigator, was of opinion that this was the true locality. The 
 lower parts of the building are evidently very old, wdiile the 
 upper part is modern. We went up a flight of stone steps and 
 knocked at the rickety door. Some one invited us to enter. 
 In this room were three women, and eight or ten children. 
 The inmates and everything in the room seemed to have 
 eschewed water as they would a plague. We asked to be 
 shown into the foundations of the house, but were informed 
 the entrance was from the next door. The next door on one 
 side was a shop in which charcoal was sold. The owner 
 evidently thought we had little to do, in seeking admission 
 into damp, dingy cellars, and said he knew nothing of St. 
 Paul. We then tried the house on the other side of number 
 two. It was a baker's shop. An entrance led from it into the 
 room which we wished to reach, but it was blocked with flour 
 barrels, sacks, bags of grain, and tubs full of dough. To remove 
 these was an impossibility. By climbing over the barrels and 
 squeezing ourselves between flour bags and walls lined with 
 
SITE OF ST. PAUl/S HOUSE. 13 
 
 dust and cobwebs we finally roached the stairway leading 
 below. What one has done another may do, though she 
 be a woman. M/s. Anderson was equally anxi(ms to visit the 
 spot, so with a woman's determination she crossed this barrier 
 of flour, and wheat and dough. We were rewarded by seeing 
 the old Roman stones of the room in which St. Paul may have 
 written some of his most precious treasures to the Church of 
 Christ. On reaching the street a crowd of old men without 
 jackets or boots, and old women with napkins of every possible 
 pattern and colour on their head, and about a score of children 
 gathered around us. Our appearance was not calculated to 
 command respect, for we were covered with flour and cobwebs 
 and dust from head to foot. Brushes were soon in operation on 
 every side of us. They asked us if we had seen St. Paul. Would 
 you like to live there ? inquired one old man with a twinkle in 
 his eye, evidently thinking it an unattractive residence. A 
 handsome douceur to the brusherSj and we bade adieu to the 
 Arabs of Strentjari. 
 
 A few minutes' walk from the end of the Corso through 
 winding streets, and the broad steps that lead to the Capitol are 
 reached. There stood the temple of Ju])iter, in which victorious 
 generals deposited the spoils of war, and offered thanksgiving 
 for their success in arms. It was rich in gold and precious 
 stones, and for nearly one thousand years stood on this spot 
 until the middle of the 5th century, A.D., when it was plun- 
 dered and destroyed by the Vandals. On our left is the 
 museum, rich in ancient treasures of bronze and marble. Here 
 is the famous statue of the dying gladiator, and reputed to be 
 one of the finest pieces of ancient sculpture. It is referred to 
 the age of Phidias. The figure is supposed to be that of a 
 herald from Gaul. He is leaning on his right hand. His left 
 rests on his knee. His sword and weapons have fallen from 
 his grasp, and his trumpet lies broken on the shield beside him. 
 
14 HOME. 
 
 His hair is matted, the death wound has been inflicted in his 
 ri^ht breast and the blood drops are fallinj,^ thickly down. The 
 face and fiufure and attitude indicate a terrible strufjj^le with 
 death. The marble seems to whisper in the throes of death, 
 " Oil, what agony ! " And yet in spite of his agony, he seems in 
 deep meditation, and is living again in the memories of the 
 past. To see this work is to sec one of the higliest efforts of 
 human genius. 
 
 I see before mo the gladiator lie — 
 
 He leans upon his hand — his manly brow 
 Consents to death, but conquers agony, 
 
 And through his side the last drops, ebbing slow 
 From the red gash, fall heavy, one by one, 
 The arena swims around him — ho is gone, 
 Ere ceased the inhuman shout which hailed the 
 wretch wlio won.* 
 
 On the southern slopes of the Esquiline are a garden and 
 vineyard, in which are the ruins of Nero's palace. It was 
 called his o-olden house, and extended across the low trround 
 where now stands the Coliseum, and even to the slopes of the 
 Csolian. As one approaches, the building appears semicircular 
 in fo'-m. A guide preceded me with a long pole and a light 
 at';c-ched to one end of it. He showed some large rooms that 
 ^I'obably were scenes of unbridled vice, brutal violence and 
 death. The royal monster who occupied those halls spared 
 neither friend nor foe. He was an assassin of the vilest type, 
 debased and heartless. In the neighbourhood of the Forum there 
 was a dense population living in the small and wretched houses 
 of those days. In 64, A.D., a terrible conflagration broke out 
 in this part of the city. It raged for six days and seven niglits, 
 and reduced to misery multitudes of the people. The destruc- 
 
 * Chikle Harold. 
 
NEllONIAN I'EllSECUTION UK CHRIKTIANS. 16 
 
 tion of historic shrines was a loss to Rome, but the misery 
 inflicted on the people was an act of the most wanton cruelty' 
 To escai)e from the accusation of the people, and perhaps the 
 assassin's dagger, Tacitus says, " he inflicted the most ex([uisite 
 tortures on those men, who, under the vulgar appellation of 
 Christians, were already branded with deserved infamy. They 
 derived their name and origin from Christ, who in the reign of 
 Tiberius, had suffered death, by the presence of the procurator, 
 Pontius Pilate. They died in torments, and their torments 
 were embittered by insult and derision. Some were nailed on 
 crosses ; others sewn up in the skins of wild beasts, and 
 exposed to the fury of dogs ; others again, smeared over with 
 combustible materials, were 'i.'^ad as torches to illuminate the 
 ilarkness of the night."* Their crime was not their religious 
 })elief, but their refusal to join in the follies and vices of their 
 heathen fellow citizens. They were not dreaded for their power, 
 for they had none, but they were mocked and derided for their 
 noble (qualities. The ignorant rabble reviled them with con- 
 temptible names, like Asinarii, for they were charged with 
 worshipping the head of an ass. Where St. Peter's now stands 
 great multitudes of unoffending Christians were put to death 
 t) gratify the passion of the people and the cruelty of the 
 Emperor. Clothed in burning pitch, living creatures in fearful 
 agony illuminated the waters of the Tiber and cast a horrid 
 light over the circus, where the Emperor, like a clown, drove 
 his chariot among the meanest of his subjects. Thus Roman 
 soil, by that monster of evil, drank in the blood of its purest 
 and best children, and on that blood-baptized spot stands the 
 most magnificent church in the world. 
 
 The rooms of the golden house arc filled with darkness and 
 creeping reptiles. The bath was lined with polished porphyry, 
 
 * Tacit. Ann., xv, 44. 
 
16 HOME. 
 
 and in the centre stood a fountain, wliose waters never could 
 wash out the crimes of the Kuiperor. Tliero were colonnades 
 and passages for walking when the heat was excessive, or the 
 rain prevented a pi-onienade in tlie royal gardens. The floor 
 was of mosaic, and the ceiling WcOs arclied and frescoed. The 
 colouring was fresh, in places, but age and the smoke of torches 
 have almost destroyed the subjects. In many parts are dark, 
 dismal rooms, which were well fitted for deeds of heartless 
 cruelty. No light seems tp have penetrated them. If they 
 were prisons, they were sufficient to break the heart of the 
 bravest of men. On the north of the Coliseum is the base on 
 which stood the golden statue of the Emperor as god of the 
 Sun. Though sunk into the lowest abyss of vice, the peo])le 
 welcomed him as a god.* On coins he was called "Apollo," and 
 " Hercules," and the " Saviour of the world," and the poets urged 
 him to secure himself in the centre of Olympus, else the 
 equilibrium of the universe would be destroyed. He who had 
 slain noble Romans and innocent Christians was a coward at 
 heart. In his hour of need he threatened to kill himself, but 
 had not the courage. Driven from his palace he fled from 
 Rome, and creeping into the low .chambers of the slaves 
 attached to the villa, he held the pointed dagger to his throat, 
 but it was driven in by one of his servants. Thus perished 
 the bloodiest of tyrants and the meanest of men. " The candle 
 of the wicked shall be put out, but the righteous shall be in 
 everlasting remembrance." 
 
 A walk of a few minutes in a north-westerly direction 
 across the low ground on which the Coliseum stands, brings 
 one to the Palatine, covered with ruins of the Republican and 
 Imperial times. When those palaces and temples were built, 
 whose ruins draw travellers from every land, Rome gave laws 
 
 * Early Dayib of Christianity, p. 41. 
 
THE SCENE OF ST PAUL'h TRIAL. 17 
 
 to the world ; her princes and nobles lived in unbounded luxury, 
 which filially issued in the degeneracy of the race and the 
 downfall of the Kuipiro. Oj)posite the Basilica of Constantino 
 is the entrance to the Palatine, Immediately in front of us is 
 a irrotto whose roof is covered with faded frescoes. In com- 
 pany with an archaeologist of Rome, I turned to the left, and 
 walked over a street only recently discovered, paved with large 
 blocks of stone, that may have been laid down in the days 
 when Rome was confined to the limits of this hill. On the 
 rii^ht are the ruins of the Temple of Jupiter Stator. Beyond 
 this is the Aula Regia, now spoiled of its marble covering and 
 its frescoed ceiling, and its beautiful works of art. Nothing 
 remains but empty niches and ruined brick walls. Behind this 
 are the royal gardens and ruins of the library and the academy, 
 where the young princes were taught philosophy, rhetoric and 
 poetry. The walls of the garden are said to have been covered 
 with mirrors b}^ Domitian, that he might see behind him as 
 well as before. For it was the fate of tyrants then, as it is 
 always, to live in fear of a violent death. 
 
 To the right, adjoining the Aula Regia, is the Basilica or 
 Court of Justice. The throne was at one end, elevated above 
 the level of the floor. Here the Emperor sat. A marble railing 
 separated this from the general body of the hall ; a colonnade 
 extended down each side, the bases of which, and also one 
 column, are still visible. Outside the railing and at each side 
 stood a statue of Justice and of Jupiter. On an elevated place 
 on opposite sides of the hall stood the criminal and his accuser. 
 The brick walls are yet standing, about twelve feet high. No 
 spot on the Palatine is so sacred as this. In this hall, in all 
 probability, Paul defended himself. There are ruins more 
 venerable with age than this, but they are heathen. This hall 
 is hallowed to every Christian by the very presence and defence 
 of the faithful and fearless Apostle of the Gentiles. No such 
 
1 8 ROME. 
 
 trial had ever taken place in that Imperial Court. " If I have 
 committed anything worthy of death I refuse not to die, I 
 appeal to Ca3.sar." Tlien came that long and dangerous voyage 
 to Puteoli and thence to Rome. How great must have been 
 the anxiety of Paul ! He was uncertain of his own fate. As 
 he saw the tombs of the Scipios and passed under the arch of 
 Drusus, the great prisoner's heart would be filled with zeal to 
 show the descendants of those famous soldiers the way of Sal- 
 vation. On reaching the spot where now the Arch of Constan- 
 tine stands, he would turn sharply to the left, and in a few 
 moments would reach the barracks of the Praetorian Guard. 
 After two years he was brought into the hall of justice. His 
 defence was read before a heathen Emperor who was the foe of 
 all that was noble and pure. He stood alone. " At my first 
 answer no man stood with me, but all men forsook me." The 
 intolerant spirit already at work and the murders that had 
 been committed, were the signs of terrible trials in the near 
 future. Can we wonder, therefore, that the love of family and 
 life proved too powerful for some who had only reached the 
 alpha of Christian knowledge ? But there were men who had 
 imperilled their lives already. Where were they ? Luke and 
 Timothy, and Epaphroditus and Aiistarchus, were probably far 
 from Rome doing the work of the Church. Some of them may 
 have been in prison and unable to help the mighty prisoner on 
 the Palatine, bywords and deeds of true devotion. If eloquence 
 and tact, and the Grace of God could have been exercised over 
 a soul not alr^ idy dead to all noble impulses and all goodness, 
 there might have been hope even of Nero's turning to the Lord- 
 No such man as Paul ever spoke in that hall before. He was 
 fearless of death. It is more than probable he was released 
 from prison, " I was delivered out of the mouth of the lion." 
 But in 64, A.D., the city was fired, then came the days of awful 
 persecution. Then probably he was condemned, cast into the 
 

20 ROME. 
 
 Maniortine, and finally, according to tradition, put to death at 
 Tre Fontane. 
 
 A narrow path extends through gardens of orange and 
 lemon trees and among the ilex, and shrubs, and flowers, down 
 the gentle slopes of the Palatine on the south-west. A few rooms 
 are standing about ten feet square. The walls are frescoed 
 and covered with sketches and writing done by the scholars 
 when the master was o'lt, or his attention engaged. These 
 were the schoolrooms in which the slaves and servants of the 
 Imperial House were taught. It faced the Tiber and the 
 Circus Maximus, and the Aventine Hill. The view from the 
 school is one of great beauty. There would be no benches, 
 probably. The pupils would sit on the floor or in the 
 colonnades. The master would also sit with his back against 
 the wall, or one of those pillars whose bases are still visible, 
 and teach them from the early poets and philosophers, or from 
 the more recent works of Horace and Virgil. The tastes and 
 amusements of schoolboys have been the same, whether they 
 were Italian, Scotch, or Canadian. What pleasure we have all 
 found in cutting out our names on the seats and desks of the 
 school, or . .rving a rough caricature of some bully, who was 
 both mean and cowardly ! Or, if the master had tried to break 
 his ruler on our knuckles, or had applied the birch to a degree 
 unpleasant to our nerves of sensation, have we not carved on 
 the benches and w^alls a figure of the dominie, which, however, 
 had little resemblance to the original? In order that there 
 might be no mistake about the personality of the caricature we 
 have written beneath " This is the Master." So the walls of 
 this school are scribWed with names and caricatures. On one 
 wall is a rude picture of a mill driven by an ass, and under- 
 neath is written " Work little donkey as I have done, and it 
 will be well for you." 0:"« anotiierwall is written " Corinthus 
 has gone from school." Perh-ins he had graduated, or become 
 
ANCIENT CARICATUKE OF CHRISTIANITY. 21 
 
 too old to attend school, or had become ungovernable and the 
 master had expelled him. However, those sketches are a bridge 
 over which we can walk and see into deeds of school life 
 nineteen centuries ago, and we can learn that schoolboy nature 
 has been the same in all ages. One of the earliest caricatures 
 of Christianity has been discovered on the walls of that school. 
 A cross is roughly sketched. On it a man is crucified, with 
 the head of an ass. Beside the cross a man is standing, adoring 
 the crucified one. In Greek is written " Alexamenos is adoring 
 his God." There is a very powerful support thus given to 
 the truth of the Gospel. Near the Coliseum, at the base of 
 the Palatine, are d number of small brick houses in ruins. Here 
 most probably the Imperial Guard was stationed in the days 
 of Paul. In one of these rooms, or in one of the houses then 
 built round the Koman Forum, Paul may have dwelt during 
 the two years mentioned in the Acts. It is probable that 
 through the guards, or by direct intercourse, Paul made kno^vn 
 salvation by the death of Christ to the slaves of the imperial 
 household. Curiosity would draw that class to see the noted 
 prisoner who had come so far and on such a strange question ; 
 and Paul was just the man to use every opportunity to teach 
 them of Christ crucified. While imprisoned in Rome he wrote 
 to the Church at Philippi, "All the sainvs salute you, chiefly they 
 that are of Ca3sar's household,"* which proves that Christianity 
 had penetrated into the imperial palace. This graffito carica- 
 ture is witness that the truth was known by the slaves on the 
 Palatine. It is evidence that the theme of Paul was Christ and 
 Him crucified, and that this main fact of the Christian religion 
 was the theme about which people spoke and thought ; for 
 when any subject engrosses the thought and conversation 
 at the public schools, it is most certainly a prominent topic 
 
 * Philip, iv. 22. 
 
22 ROME. 
 
 in the community. This curious relic, now in the Museo 
 Ivircheriano, ogives us evidence of the truth of Paul's written 
 words, "I am determined not to know any tiling among you, 
 save Jesus Christ and Him crucified. " But what then in 
 thoughtless ignorance and hatreil was a theme of mockery has 
 now become the symbol of power. The names of warriors and 
 princes shall perish ; the names of the brutal emperors written 
 on temples shall be eaten by time, and their figures carved 
 deeply in the stone walls of ancient ruins shall fade away 
 from sight and memory into a deserved and an everlasting 
 oblivion. But the power of the Cross shall become mightier in 
 the coming ages, until the ends of the earth shall see the 
 salvation of God. 
 
Chapter II. 
 
 IN AND ABOUT ROME. 
 
 Rome has fallen, ye see it lying 
 Heajjed in undistinguialied ruin ; 
 Nature is alone undying. 
 
 Shelley, Frag., Ixvii. 
 
 HE Mamertine Prison, situated at the foot of the 
 
 mm 
 
 Capitol, near the Arch of Septimus Severus, is 
 covered by a modern church. Ascending a few 
 steps from the street, a door was opened by a guide, 
 through which I entered into a dismal hole. Its 
 •¥ sides are built up with large masses of volcanic 
 
 tufa. Below this is the ancient prison, into whose gloom and 
 filth prisoners were let down through a hole in the floor of the 
 upper cell. Now visitors descend by a flight of narrow 
 steps, and the credulous are shown a depression in the 
 stoue wall said to have been made by the head of St. Peter, 
 whom the gaoler drove with violence against it. This lower 
 prison is about twenty feet long, ten feet broad, and a trifle 
 .more than six feet high. Three of the sides are built of tufa, 
 the other is the rock. It is Supposed to have been originally 
 a quarry, and the prison to have been built over a well called 
 Tullianum. The spring is shown as the water St. Peter miracu- 
 lously caused to flow, with which to baptize his gaolers whom 
 he had led to believe in Christ. Sallus^ says of this prison, "The 
 appearance of it from t'iio filth, the darkness and the smell is 
 terrible." Secret passages led from the Mamertine to the 
 
24 IN AND ABOUT ROME, 
 
 Capitol and in other directions. From a narrow lane north- 
 west of the prison I entered a subterraneous chamber from 
 which there was a connection with other chambers in the direc- 
 tion of the Mamertine, so that the so-called Mamertine seems to 
 have been connected by narrow passages with other terrible cells 
 in which deeds of unspeakable cruelty were done, and brave 
 captives perished. Jugurtha, Joras and Sejanus were starved 
 there or put to death by violence. It would be difficult to 
 imagine a more terrible dungeon. No light, no fresh air came 
 in except from that hole in the centre of the ceiling. Every- 
 thing was planned to deprive the prisoners of the rights which 
 God has given all men, and of which no Government now dares 
 deprive the vilest criminal. There is no clearer evidence of 
 the superiority of the Gospel over heathenism than the high 
 estimation in which it holds human life. What horrors have 
 been perpetrated in that dungeon in Rome ! What wrongs ! 
 What violent murders ! The awful scenes of those days, let 
 us hope, are never to be repeated on earth again, and that 
 Christianity will gradually wipe out all wrongs from the laws of 
 nations, and human life be brighter and happier through the 
 spirit of Christ on earth. 
 
 Beyond the Capitol, the Forum, and the Temples of Vespa- 
 sian and Concord, and ruins of remote ages, stands the Arch of 
 Titus, at the summit of the old Via Sacra. It is forty-nine feet 
 high, forty-nine feet long, and sixteen and a half feet wide, and 
 was erected to commemorate the destruction of Jerusalem in . 
 70 A.D. No Jew will walk under this Arch. He will make 
 a wide detour to avoid passing under it, unless compelled. 
 Under the Arch, on one side, the Roman soldiers are carrying 
 away the holy vessels from the Temple, the table of shew- 
 bread, the silver trumpets and the seven-branched candlestick. 
 On the other side the Emperor is drawn in a chariot by four 
 horses, and is being crowned by Victory. Around him the 
 
THE -*RCH OF TITUS. 25 
 
 people are cheering mightily for the returning conqueror. 
 Josephus, in enumerating the spoils of war and glory of the 
 triumph on the return of Titus to Rome, says,* " But for those 
 that were taken in the Temple of Jerus.ilem, they made the 
 greatest figure of them all ; that is, the golden table, of the 
 weight of many talents ; the candlestick, also, that was made 
 of gold. And, after having returned from wars of conquest, 
 Vespasian built a temple to Peace, in which he laid up, as 
 ensigns of his glory, those golden vessels and instruments out 
 of the Jewish Temple. But still he gave order that they 
 should lay up their law and the purple veils of the holy place, 
 in the royal palace itself, and keep them there." On that 
 Arch at the foot of the Falatine is enjxraved the evidence not 
 merely of the truth of Josephus, but of the words of our Lord 
 iu reference to the coming destruction of the city, and the doom 
 of the Temple : " The days will come, in the which there shall 
 not be left one stone upon another that shall not be thrown 
 down."f 
 
 It is a walk of a few minutes from the Arch' of Titus to 
 the Coliseum, one of the most stupendous ruins of antiquity; 
 which impresses the mind with the idea of its magnitude more 
 than even the Pyramids of Egypt. It consists of four stories 
 on the side next to the Esquiline, and is one hundred and 
 fifty-six feet high. The outside is covered with marble, and 
 statues were placed in the niches in the second and third stories. 
 The columns of the first, second and third stories were of 
 the Doric, Ionic, and Corinthian order. The form of the 
 Coliseum is elliptical ; its longest diameter is two hundred and 
 five yards, and its shortest one hundred and seventy yards. The 
 interior had from sixty to eighty rows of marble seats, and was 
 capable of containing 80,000 spectators. The fierce nature of 
 
 * Josep. Wars of Jews, bk. vii. sect. 5, 7. t Luke xxiv. 6. 
 
 3 
 
26 IN AND ABOUT ROME. 
 
 the Romans demanded stronger food tluin the refined dramas 
 of Greece. To satisfy them the Coliseum was completed in 80 
 A.D. for gladiatorial shows and mimic naval warfare. At its 
 opening 5,000 wild animals were killed, and the amusements 
 continued for one hundred days. 
 
 Nero and Caliixula used to strew the arena with cinnabar 
 instead of sand. The wire net that separated the gladiators 
 and beasts from the spectators was of gold, and the wall that 
 divided the classes of spectators was set with precious stones. 
 During the triumph of Trajan, over 10,000 gladiators fought for 
 the amusement of the people, and the madness for such shows 
 so inflamed the minds of all classes that even emperors and 
 women fought. Perhaps no spot of equal size on this globe has 
 been drenched with the life blood of so many human beings as 
 the area of this mighty Coliseum. Holy martyrs as well as 
 heathen gladiators have met death within those lofty vralls. 
 Ignatius of Antioch is said to have perished here. The lions 
 devoured his uesh, and the Christians gathered his bones under 
 the safo coverino- of niijht. *At the entrance to the Coliseum 
 and at the foot of the statue of the Sun, men and women per- 
 ished in the flames kindled by hopeless ignorance and heathen 
 bigotry. Many, like Ignatius, for the love of God, were mar- 
 tyred by the most cruel tortures, by fire and iron, and by the 
 devouring jaws of wild beasts. If men who see in Christianity 
 only an ancient superstition, powerless for good, and hope for 
 the world's deliverance from evil in the progress of intellect 
 and in the refinement of Art, woidd stand in that area of the 
 Coliseum, and people it with its tens of thousands as of old, and 
 compare them in their character and their pleasures with the 
 citizens of European or American capitals, the refining and holy 
 influence of Christianity will clearly appear. Let them remem- 
 
 ♦ Walka in Rome, p. 137. 
 
o 
 t-' 
 
 I— I 
 
 R 
 
 n 
 
 H 
 O 
 
 "MMlMIUllllllMiiiilill,>'l>ii.;ii:a»< 
 
28 * TX AND ABOUT ROME. 
 
 ber that emperors in their purple sat there. Let them remem- 
 ber that the vestal virgirivS who devoted their lives to the ser- 
 vice of heathen religion, and the wealth and fashion of Rome 
 sat on those seats and sj)ent weeks in succession gloating over 
 scenes of brutal carnage. Perhaps some Christian man or 
 woman is led into the arena whose only crime is, they fear 
 God, and live blameless lives. No eye of pity may look down 
 from that sea of faces on the defenceless victim. Alone he stands 
 and fearlessly faces the agonies of a terrible death. The wild 
 beast may hesitate to attack, and the human beasts in purple 
 and fine linen send out a shoutino- like the roar of thunder to 
 express their discontent and to enrage the beast. Though no 
 friend sits on those marble seats. One sits on a throne in glory, 
 who beholds the scene. He shall clothe the martyr with 
 strength so that he will not say " I deny Christ." His body is 
 torn to pieces, and a roar of gratification thunders through 
 the air. But the martyr has been true to his faith and has 
 passed through the feaiful sufierings of death to a better 
 life with God. Such was the nature and such were the 
 sports of the best of the Roman people, who enjoyed the 
 heritage of Giecian culture and boasted the influence of poetry 
 and philosoph};. 
 
 Christianity, however, has taught nations to save life and 
 not to destroy it. By its spirit, asylums and hospitals are 
 erected for the insane, the aged and the unfortunate, instead of 
 Coliseums for brutal games and fierce murders. The ditl'erence 
 between heathen Rome and Christian capitals now is that the 
 spirit of Christ governs these even though imperfectly, and has 
 taught us that man is in the image of God and his life is 
 superior to that of a beast. The magnitude and even the ruins 
 of the Coliseum, awe one as he gazes on the walls hoary with 
 eighteen centuries, and the witnesses of so many horrid cruel- 
 ties. Its stability seemed secure to the early pilgrims to Rome, 
 
THE COLISEUM. 29 
 
 but time and plunder will destroy the proudest works of huniau 
 genius and power. Their prophecy ran thus : 
 
 Quiimdiu stahit Colydeiis, atabit ot Roma ; 
 Quando cadet Colyaoua, cadot Roma ; 
 Quando cadet Roma, cadet et Mundus. 
 
 While stands the Ctjliseum, Rome shall stand ; 
 When falls the Coliseum, Rome shall fall ; 
 When Rome falls, the World shall also fall. 
 
 Rome is a city of churches, some of which are of architec- 
 tural interest, and others famous for their antiquity or their 
 history. About half way along the Corso in the direction of 
 the Cai)itol, turning to the right, and after a brisk walk through 
 narrow and winding streets, in which are Italians whose 
 appearance does not make a stranger feel at home and assured 
 of his safety, the illustrious Pantheon is reached. It was 
 erected 17 B.C., and dedicated by Agrippa to Augustus. For 
 solidity of structrre, the beauty of its rotunda and its general 
 symmetry, nothing excels it in Rome. None can enter the 
 Pantheon without the deepest emotion, for there some of Rome's 
 mightiest men in w^ar and in literature walked, and worshipped 
 the deities of Rome. The portico is one hundred and ten 
 feet long, forty-four feet deep, and the ceiling is supported 
 l:»v sixteen columns of oriental granite, over forty-six feet 
 high and five feet in diameter. The diameter of the rotunda 
 is one hundred and forty-three feet, and light is admitted into 
 the church through an opening twenty-eight feet in diameter 
 in the top of the dome. No edifice in Rome impressed me with 
 an idea of its strength so much as this. For nigh twenty cen- 
 turies it has been exposed to fire and ravages of barbarians. 
 The Tiber has risen up within its walls, and time has been 
 powerless to shake its strong foundations. While other monu- 
 ments are seen only in their dignified ruins, one can gaze on 
 
80 IN AND ABOUT UOMK. 
 
 this most perfect moniuiK'nt of the skill and wealth of Rome.' 
 Of its wealth of ornainoiitation, it is enough to say that 
 450,250 lbs. of bronze were taken from its coiling to form the 
 baldacchino of St. Peter's and to make cannon for the fortress 
 of St. Anjxolo. It became a Christian Church in (108 A.D. 
 Within its walls are buried some of Rome's most famous artists, 
 Raphael and Caracci Del Vaga, who have reached the sununit 
 of fame, and added to the wealth of the world's treasures, and 
 left as their legacy sources of pleasure for all time. The con- 
 version of the Pantheon into a Churcli in which truth, though 
 diluted with superstition and fanaticism, is taught, is prophetic 
 of the ultimate triumph of the Gospel of Christ. As the niches 
 of the Pantheon have been emptied of Jupiter, and Minerva, 
 and Mars, and robbed of their heathen splendour, so shall all 
 heathen ideas and forms be swept away by the river of the 
 waters of life which shall rise in volume and power with the 
 centuries, until it shall sweep away evil from the creeds, as well 
 as from the hearts of men. Then the world shall be a holy 
 Pantheon, from which shall be torn down the idols that defile 
 and debase what is noble in the soul. Byron thus speaks of 
 the Roman Pantheon : — 
 
 Shrine of all saints and temple of all gods, 
 
 From Jove to Jesus — spared and blessed by time ; 
 
 Lookinsf tram^uillity, while falls or nods 
 
 Arch, Empire, each thing round thee, and man plods 
 
 His way through thorns to ashes — glorious dome ! 
 
 Shalt thou not last I Time's scythe and tyrants' rods 
 
 Shiver upon thee — sanctuary and home 
 
 Of art and piety — Pantheon ! — pride of Rome. 
 
 Crossing the bridge of St. Angelo, with its figures as if 
 guardian angels of the yellow Tiber, flowing sluggishly below, 
 and passing along the Borgo Nuovo, the Piazza of St. Peter is 
 reached. On the right and left are the immense colonnades^ 
 
XT. 
 
 H 
 
 K 
 H 
 
 »: 
 
 O 
 
32 - IN AND ABOUT ROME. 
 
 sixty-one feet wide, sixty-four feet high, and composed of 
 two hundred and eighty-four Doric columns. In the centre 
 of this enclosed area, which forms a splendid approach to the 
 costliest and largest church in the world, stands a granite 
 obelisk from Heliopolis in Egypt. The weight is thirty-six 
 tons ; it was originally dedicated to Augustus and Tiberius 
 by Caligula, as the Latin inscription, still legible, testifies. On 
 one side of this heathen monument is a Bible truth which the 
 wise men of Heliopolis never knew, and is the foundation of 
 the world's hope : The Lion of the tribe of Judah has prevailed. 
 "Vicit Leo de tribu luda." Beyond stretches the great fac^'ade, 
 and above and beyond is the magnificent dome. By a broad 
 flight of stairs I reached the vestibule, four hundred and sixtv- 
 eight feet long ; then pushing aside the leather covering over 
 the door, I entered. The magnitude, wealth and beauty of St. 
 Peter's are oppressive. At first every object is colossal, but the 
 visitor ; its massive pillars, its statues of saints and popes, its 
 chapels, the nave, the aisles, the transept, the dome, everj^'thing 
 is vast. The church is over six hundred and thirteen feet long, 
 and four hundred and thirty-five feet high to the top of the 
 cross. The dome is six hundred and thirty feet in circum- 
 ference. It is built on ground bathed with the blood of the 
 martyrs. In 90 A.D. an oratory was built here, and in 306 A.^. 
 Constantine erected a Basilica, working with his own hands 
 in the pious undertaking. In 150G A.D. the present church 
 was commenced, and was completed at an expense of ten 
 millions sterling. The princes of art have poured out their 
 genius on the work. Bramante, Raphael, Sangallo, Michael 
 Angelo, and Moderno have adorned it with the highest treasures 
 of their i>-enius. 
 
ST. Peter's. 33 
 
 Since Zion's desolation, wlien that Ho 
 
 Forsook His former city, wliat could be 
 
 Of earthly structures, in His honour piled. 
 
 Of a sublimer aspect ? Majesty, 
 
 Power, Glory, Strength, and Beauty, — all are aisled 
 
 In this eternal ark of worship undefiled.* 
 
 I had no profound feeling of devotion in it. There is an 
 impression that the God to whom such a structure is devoted 
 is full of majesty and glory, but I could never come near to 
 Him as " Our Father " in that great church. One could never 
 imagme a sense of sin originating in a soul there, or a deep 
 and thorough penitence for sin, and a consciousness of the 
 abiding love of an Eternal Father. The immensity and the 
 wealth of art are not favourable to such spiritual conditions. 
 In the midst of treasures of gold and bronze and marble the 
 spirit and the spiritual' are wanting. It is ngt suitable for 
 teaching men the truth of the Gospel, or inspiring them with 
 heroic resolutions against evil and for God. Around the dome 
 where it springs from the supports into the air are written 
 in letters six feet in length, but which to the eye appear only 
 a few inches, " Tu es Petrus, et super hanc petram tediticabo 
 ecclesiam meam " : " Thou art Peter, and upon this rock will I 
 build mv church ; " and beneath the dome one realizes best 
 the magnitude of the building, its unity and surpassing 
 majesty. 
 
 Ascending the Scala Regia, the visitor passes through a side 
 door on the right into the famous Sistine Chapel in which are 
 frescoes of Michael Angelo. The ceiling is covered with scenes 
 from the Book of Genesis, representing the creation, the fall, 
 expulsion from Eden, the deluge, and the sacrifice of Noah ; and 
 hand mirrors are provided so that by the reflected light the 
 visitor may see these famous scenes to the best advantage. I 
 
 * Byron's Childe HaroLl. 
 
34 IN AND ABOUT ROME. 
 
 noticed in the Sistine Chapel that man is full of vanity. In- 
 stead of being absorbed in the contemplation of the artist's 
 work, one was smoothing his hair as he peered into the glass, 
 or admiring his moustache, or curling its slender extremities 
 to the proper position. Another was admiring his complexion 
 and arranging the folds of his coat collar. This was done by- 
 sober-minded men, as to appearance, under the pretence of ad- 
 miring the master-pieces of Michael Angelo on the ceiling. 
 Vanity is in man, and all the 2:enius of Art can never make 
 him fornjet it. Though his mother or wife should declare he is 
 only a common man, he will never believe her. 
 
 On one end of the Chapel is the world-famed fresco of 
 the Last Judgment. It occupies the whole end of the Chapel. 
 It is dim with age, the colouring is faded, and the wall is broken 
 in places. These detract from the beauty of the work. There 
 is a terrific grandeur in its conception and execution. Above, 
 Christ sits as Judge ; around His head is a corona of saints ; 
 <)n His right is the Virgin, also Adam and Eve ; on his left 
 is St, Peter, an old man with grey beard, looking eagerly into 
 the face of the Judge. No mercy or gentleness is in the face 
 of our Lord. He is no longer the One who will not break the 
 bruised reed or quench the smoking flax. In His face is the 
 calm, resolute determination of a righteous and omnipotent 
 Judge, to punish the impenitent and destroy evil. Beneath 
 Him angels are sounding the trumpet, and the dead are up- 
 heaving the stones of their graves, and a great multitude is 
 arising. On His right is the resurrection, and the risen ones 
 are ascending to the Judge. On the left is Hell, and the con- 
 demned, striving to rise to heaven, are struggling in agony and 
 despair with demons, who delight in throwing them back in 
 the flames below. One, ascending, tries to save his fellow, but 
 fails, for the abyss swallows him in its awful flames. A child 
 is clinging to its mother's breast through fear of the trumpet 
 
THE JEWISH QUARTERS. 35 
 
 sounds. Below is Charon, a grave-looking old fellow with wings, 
 ferrying over some into Hades. The two judges of Pagan 
 mythology are there. The despair, fierceness and unutterable 
 woe on the faces of those who are falling into the abyss one 
 can never forget. The children of joy and despair arc there, 
 the one ascending to the Lord and their everlasting home, the 
 others, beating their brows with their clenched hands, sink out 
 of sight into the depths. The picture is most terrible to behold. 
 But its horrors below are overbalanced by its glory above. lb 
 is a realization, by the mightiest hand of genius, of the Eternal 
 truth, that sin abounds, but grace much more abounds. 
 
 There are few places in Rome of more interest than the 
 Jewish <]^uarter, the Ghetto. For nearly 2,000 years the sons 
 and daughters of Israel have been confined by walls in a quarter 
 of the city often Hooded by the Tiber, and have been treated 
 with cruelty by rulers both heathen and Christian, As early 
 as the second century, B.C., Jews were in Home. When 
 Pompey took Jerusalem many Jews wore brought to Rome as 
 slaves. Caligula wished his statue to be erected in the Temple 
 of Jerusalem. This, however, the Jews in Palestine opposed, 
 and 30,000 of them were killed. From then until Sept. 20th, 
 1870, when the Italian flag was hoisted over their houses, 
 synagogues and schools, cruelty and degrading misery have been 
 their daily lot. They were forced to attend in the portico of 
 Octavia to add to the glory of Vespasian and Titus, the con- 
 querors of their beloved Jerusalem. At the entrance to the 
 Ghetto is the Church of St. Angelo in Pescheria to which the 
 Jews were driven every Sabbath to hear sermons against them- 
 selves and their faith. Laws were enacted that crushed their 
 spirit into the dust. The leading streets of the Ghetto, Via Rua 
 and Via Fuimara, run parallel with the Tiber, and are connected 
 by many narrow lanes. Since 1870 many have emigrated, so 
 that the Jewish population is reduced to 5,000. The streets 
 
30 IN AND ABOUT ROME. 
 
 are narrow and the houses squalid. Many families have only 
 one room, in which six or eight persons eat, live and sleep. 
 Most of the business is done at the doors in the street. There 
 men, women and children busily toil at their trade all day long. 
 I saw their busy fingers sorting heaps of rubbish that might 
 have been collected from Jerusalem to Toronto — old lace, old 
 boots, old brass and iron, and soldiers' cast-off coats, pots and 
 pans and vessels of every shape, size and name under the sun. 
 The street is full, and so is the room. Before and behind the 
 door are mountains of rags. 
 
 Daily, from morn till night they ply the needle, the scissors 
 and the hannner. What would be a hopeless task in the hands 
 of a western mother, and be heart-breaking, is done with appar- 
 ent ease by the descendants of Rachel. Under their hands 
 everything assumes a new form as if by magic. They are 
 poor, but thrifty and diligent. In company with the late Rev. 
 Dr. Philip, missionary for many years to the Jews in Rome, I 
 visited the Ghetto frequently, and never saw a Jewish beggar 
 in the whole district. They have five synagogues. On Friday 
 evening at sunset, goods are taken down from the waxi. and 
 door-posts on which they have been exposed for sale. The 
 people, washed and clean, go to worship Jehovah in their syna- 
 gogues in Piazza Del Pianto, where Jewish ambassadors once 
 lived, ere Jerusalem had fallen and the curse of heaven had 
 been poured on it. They wish each other a good Sabbath, and 
 in peace enjoy their evening meal, well earned after a hard day 
 of toil. The best of their shops are poor. I saw much misery 
 in their houses, and signs of it on their pale, care-worn faces, 
 but never was I importuned for money. Their condition is 
 greatly improved, and they are no longer treated with injustice 
 and violence. The late King Victor Emmanuel they call their 
 second Moses. Under the free flag of Italy there are some 
 successful Jewish lawyers and merchants. For centuries the 
 
THE APPIAN WAY. 37 
 
 captive daughter of Zion has been iv the dust. The heel of 
 the oppressor has ^been on her neck. The cry of despair has 
 gone up to Jehovah for eighteen centuries, from bleeding hearts 
 in the Ghetto, and b}'' the hand of the Mighty God they are 
 free to-day. 
 
 The huge polygonal blocks of the Appian Way are yet in 
 situ as they were 2,000 years ago. The ruts made by war 
 chariots and carriages of princes are visible to this day. Pass- 
 ing the baths of Caracalla on the right, the tombs of the Scipios 
 on tlie left, then under the ruined arch of Drusus and through 
 Porta St. Sebastiano, one enters this famous road. Both sides 
 arc lined with the tombs of the great pagan dead. The large 
 tombs are chiefly on the east side. Broken marble pillars lie 
 scattered in every direction. Human figures are seen without 
 heads, covered with richly carved drapery, and human heads 
 and arms without bodies. Inscriptions in Latin and Greek on 
 finely carved raaiflbie are cemented and erected on the spot 
 where they have been found. At the sixth milestone is Castle 
 Rotondo, erected during the reign of Augustus. It is circular 
 in form, and probably was lined with marble and richly carved 
 figures. Now it is a Roman farm house. I saw a piece of 
 cloth stretched on two poles and on it some handfuls of straw 
 scattered for a bed. The floor was mud. I saw no window 
 nor chimney in this novel farm house. A huge gap served for 
 door, window and chimney. High up on the outside a dirty 
 woman shouted to a youth, probably her son, to look after us. 
 He soon made his appearance from some mysterious hole in 
 this tomb in company with a wretched-looking dog. Neither 
 dog nor boy could be called bloated aristocrats, for they were 
 exceedingly lean, and the face and garments of the latter had 
 been loni; stranfjers to water. 
 
 From Castle Rotondo the Appian Way seemed like a white 
 thread as it rose over the Alban Hills. Three miles beyond. 
 
38 IN AND ABOUT ROME. 
 
 according to Dr. Philip, are Appii Forum and the Three 
 Taverns. On the right are some brick ruins, broken columns 
 and mosaic pavement. This may have been Appii Forum. A 
 mile beyond these ruins is a place now called Tres Tabernre, 
 It seems to have been usual to have had inns near the Forums, 
 and the one referred to in Acts may have had three divisions, 
 one for the nobles, one for the officers of the army, and another 
 for the soldiers and common people. All classes of Romans 
 travelled on this road into Southern Italy, and some such 
 arrangement would have been quite natural. To this place the 
 Roman Christians came to meet Paul and cheer him. There is 
 no evidence they remained a night on their journey, going and 
 coming. The journey seems to have been accomplished in one 
 day, which could not have been done if it were thirty miles 
 from Rome. 
 
 A fine view is obtained from Castle Rotondo. To the south 
 are the Alban Hills and Monte Caro. To the left, a little, is 
 Rocca Di Papa. In the lap of the hills lie Tivoli and Frascati, 
 and many other lovely and noted towns. Away farther to the 
 left, where the hills sink down behind Frascati, is the spot on 
 which the forces of Hannibal encamped when he threatened to 
 annihilate the Empire. The dome of St. Peter's was bathed 
 in golden sunlight as it rose up like a thing of air towards the 
 blue sky. The peasants were hurrying past with bundles of 
 sticks to cook their evening meal or for to-morrow's market. 
 The Romans built their tombs, like their roads, to endure, and 
 the custom of erecting monuments along the highways gave a 
 strong stimulus to the ancient Romans to display wealth and 
 taste as well as affection. This custom is very ancient. 
 Joseph was buried near the road from Jerusalem to Damascus ; 
 Rachel was buried in the way of Ephrath ; the old tombs at 
 Bethany are at the road side, and just beyond the modern 
 village ; and our Lord seems to have been crucified near a public 
 
THE APPIAN WAV. 31) 
 
 roail, for the passers-by wagged their heads and mocked Him. 
 The materialism of a nation's religion seems to have been con- 
 nected with a desire to erect grand and durable tombs. The 
 stupendous tombs and temples along the Nile are evidences 
 of this. Personal and eternal existence seemed impossible 
 apart from the present body ; for this reason it was embalmed 
 and wrapped in fine linen ; and the tombs of the kings and 
 queens at Thebes are very ingeniously constructed — not to 
 prevent their royal tombs being plundered, but to prevent the 
 risk of the body's destruction, and so imperil their future exist- 
 ence. Along the highway at Ephesus also are vast marble 
 tombs of the Greek and Roman times. But where are the 
 tombs of St John and the other Christians at Ephesus ? 
 Where the graves of thousands of Christians who died in the 
 early centuries in Rome ? Their religion was spiritual, and 
 they knew their everlasting bliss did not depend on their 
 earthly bodies. Their humble graves in the catacombs are 
 seen ; but the catacombs were to them church and home, as 
 well as graves. In those narrow, winding galleries of the 
 catacombs I saw the anchor, the symbol of their hope, on 
 their humble tombs, and the fish, IX0Y2, the symbol of their 
 faith in Christ. The dust of those tombs is that of men and 
 women who passed through great tribulation into heaven. 
 Their glory with God was their heritage, through Christ, for 
 they v/alked not after the flesh but after the Spirit. 
 
 Italy has the elements of progress and power, a fine climate 
 and a rich soil. In the olden days Rome lost the might of her 
 right hand and the fire of her soul in the lap of indulgence, 
 and the barbarians, fresh from their northern homes, smote her 
 to the dust. Italy is now free, and there is another mighty 
 factor that will help her onward. Uniil 1870 the only 
 Protestant church where the Gospel was preached was outside 
 the city walls. Now, churches and mission schools are every- 
 
40 IN AND ABOUT ROME. 
 
 where in the city. In the army a mission work is carried on 
 which is bearinsx t'l-uit in makiuc: the soldiers better men and 
 more loyal and patriotic. Italy's power will lie not only in 
 political unity, but in Christianity being the guide of the 
 people. If she be faithful to herself and take hold of the 
 living truth, her name shall endure, her people be happy, and 
 her power be for the well-being of the world. 
 
ClIAl'TER III. 
 
 NAPLES, AND ITS CLASSIC SUBURBS. 
 
 '' Naples srill preserves the Grecian mode of life, through those who 
 retire from Rome for the sake of repose, and through those whose age or 
 weakness demands relaxation." — Strabo, P»k. v. 7. 
 
 JROM San Martino, the view over the Bay of Naples 
 is of vast extent and of exquisite beauty. 
 Towards sundown small boats may be seen 
 moving lazily along the shore, with their white 
 sails spread to catch the gentle breeze, and steam- 
 ships sailing out from the harbour for Sicily, Greece 
 and Egypt. A few miles from land is Capri, on 
 whose shores Tiberius used to sit, surrounded by a band of 
 low Eastern fortune-tellers who were spending their time in 
 idleness and iniquity. The inhabitants are light-hearted, and 
 enjcu" t)lie present hour, ca.reless of the future. The blue grotto 
 and the splendid view from Monte Solaro are the only natural 
 objects of interest to travellers. The beauty of the scenery 
 and the uniform temperature make this island a favourite 
 resort for invalids at almost all seasons of the year. To the 
 right, away in the distance, are Pozzuoli, t^ie ancient Puteoli, 
 and the islands of Ischia and Procida. On the left, at the 
 extreme point of the bay, is Sorrento, and nearer are Castel- 
 lamare, Annunziata and Del Greco along the shore. Around 
 the base of Vesuvius is the excavated city of Pompeii, behind 
 which rises up the mighty volcano, belching forth from its 
 4 
 
42 NAPLES, AND ITS CLASSIC SUIJURHS. 
 
 capacious cavern streams of lava, and clouds of smoke and 
 ashes. Naples ex lends along the bay and rises in terraces up 
 the vast natural amphitheatre until it reaches the sunnnit. 
 The Chiaja follows tlie coast and is close to the shore of the 
 bay. Here, on a beautiful afternoon, are to be seen many 
 tourists driving in stylish barouches and hacks of all sizes and 
 descriptions, while the peasants are on donkeys or plodding 
 along on foot. Orange trees in the terraced gardens are laden 
 wdth golden fruit, and flowers of richest hue add beauty to the 
 scene. Its situation, its fine climate and magnificent bay are 
 the glory of Naples. Cumie had been occupied by Greek 
 colonists in 1056 B.C., and along the whole coast Greek settle- 
 ments had been made. There had been a PahBopolis, and the 
 more recent invaders founded a city here which they called 
 Neapolis, or the New City. At a distance, Naples appears 
 like an enchanted city for loveliness, but on closer acquaintance 
 it is far otherwise. Its narrow streets are extremely dirty, the 
 people are indolent and fond of useless display, and the impor- 
 tunities of the rmdtitude of cabbies, and their incessant and 
 violent cracking of wdiips, and the ceaseless pleadings of 
 beggars for help, detract from the beauty of the city and the 
 
 comfort of travellers. 
 
 f 
 
 POZZUOLI.* 
 
 In company with a few other travellers I left Naples 
 shortly after sunrise for Pozzuoli. The road for some distance 
 extended along the sea-coast. On the right, the hills were 
 clad with vines and orange gardens. About four miles from 
 the city is the island of Nisida, to which Brutus retired after 
 
 *"And from thence we fetched a compass, and came to Rhegium ; and after 
 one day the south wind blew, and we came the next day to Pateoli : where we 
 found Ijrethren, and were desired to tarry with them seven days j and so we went 
 towards Rome." — Acts xxviii. 13, 14. 
 
THi: SKUAI'KUM. 43 
 
 the inunler of Cjiisar. Now criminals are confined on the 
 island, some of whom we saw at woric in the distance. Poz- 
 zuoli is situated on the soa-shore, and swarms with beggars, the 
 most imimdent and persevering I had hitherto met. Originally 
 a Greek colony, it was finally suljducd by the Romans and 
 became a flourishing conunercial city. It was the Liverpool of 
 the Roman Empire. To that city ships came from the far 
 East w^ith precious cargoes for the nobles and emperors of 
 Rome, and from it sailed ships carrying Roman soldiers to the 
 most distant lands. At the harbour the ruins of the ancient 
 piers are yet visible. Near that spot Paul must have landed 
 when on his journey to Rome to defend himself against the 
 Jews, and make Christ's name known to kings and Gentiles. 
 There seems to have been a church there before his arrival, 
 for the brethren met him and desjired him to remain seven 
 days. We have no account of the origin of the church there. 
 Strangers of Rome were in Jerusalem on Pentecost, who would 
 land at Puteoli on their return, and it is more than probable 
 that they made known the truth which they had learned 
 themselves. This seaport town was in close connection with 
 the East, and may not the mighty deeds of Christ and his 
 marvellous teaching have been spoken of by the sailors or 
 traders of those early days ? The truth, however, was know^n. 
 There were Christians who claimed the great apostle as 
 brother. No tradition remains of his visit, of the house in 
 which he lodged, or the place where he may have taught the 
 {)eoi)le. The light and life of Gospel truth were quenched in 
 the darkness and death of heathenism. 
 
 The Serapeum on the north-w3st of the city, and not far 
 from the sea shore, formerly consisted of a square court sur- 
 rounded by for fcy-eight columns of marble and granite. Serapis 
 was the chief deity of the Alexandrians, and as they had mer- 
 chant ships on the Mediterranean it was natural that the 
 
44 NAPLES, AND ITS CLASSIC SUIIUUUS. 
 
 ctiltus of this god Hhould tiiul a place among the citizens of 
 that Italian seaport town. Parts of the colunnis of the temple 
 have been eaten by shell fish, whose shells are yet embedded in 
 the stone at a height of seven or eight feet above the i)resent 
 level. From this we can observe how far the sea has receded 
 from its ancient level. 1 rode over the old Roman road, who«e 
 rough polygonal stones are yet in situ, towards Cuma), founded 
 more than ten centuries n.c. by Greek colonists from Asia 
 Minor. From Cumse Grecian culture and mythology moulded 
 the customs and faith of the oriofinal inhabitants. The ruins 
 of ancient fortifications, temples and other edifices yet remain- 
 ing, attest the ancient wealth and prowess of the people. 
 
 From this point the route lay through a gi'otto of consider- 
 able extent to Lake Avernus. Our guide carried torches, 
 whose light enabled the driver to guide his horses through the 
 large blocks that were lying in confusion on the road. But 
 the smoke of those torches of tow almost stifled us, and as our 
 Italians was paid for each one, he had half a dozen blazing at 
 once, which produced such an illumination and smoke as were 
 both useless and uncomfortable. This lake is the mouth of 
 an extinct volcano. It is about two miles in circumference. 
 Its water is clear and very deep. This whole region was the 
 scene of some of the most interesting myths of early times. 
 The lake is enclosed on three sides by hills clad with fruit trees 
 and shrubs and in the wild ravines Homer says the dismal 
 Cimmerians dwelt, and here was the fabled entrance of 
 iEneas into the internal regions, conducted by the Sybil. 
 At the point where the road turns towards Biie and the 
 Lucrine Lake is an entrance to the mountain, called the grotto 
 of the Sybil ; wild ivy and luxuriant shrubs overhung the 
 entrance. Pushing these aside we entered a narrow passage, 
 preceded b}'" our guides. After descending this gloomy cavern 
 for some distance, we turned to the right into a very narrow 
 
 ■•imw*' 
 
fJROTTO OF THE SYBIL. 45 
 
 passage, in which we found water about two feet deep. I 
 Diounted the back of my guide and my companions followed, 
 each upon the back of a sturdy Italian. Into the darkness I 
 went, the feeble torch light only intensifying the gloom of the 
 horrid place. The passage terminated in a small chamber, with 
 tepid water to the c'epth of three feet. This was the sanctum 
 of the Sybil. The room is black with the smoke of torches. 
 On one side is an excavation called the Sybil's bath, on the 
 other is her couch, elevated above the level of the water. 
 The walls of this chamber have been frescoed, as I could 
 trace outlines of grapes and other fruit now almost obliterated. 
 A hole extending into the rock is pointed out as the place 
 through which the Sybil gave her oracles to the Roman 
 ])cople. Whether this is the scene made famous by the 
 story of the descent of iEneas or not, it is well fitted for such 
 a subject. As I was by far the heaviest, the guide;? carried out 
 my companions ijrst. Meanwhile I was left alone in that awful 
 place, my torch almost burned down. I thought of the 
 probabilities of being suddenly elevated by some convulsion of 
 nature or sunk into the depths of the sea. What if those fellows 
 did not return ? Every moment seemed an hour to me, hemmed 
 in by those gloomy walls. Standing opposite me, a mutilated 
 marble figure, as if some ghost had risen from the dead, was 
 visible in the dying light of the torch which I held in my 
 hand. " Halloo, guide, hurry this way," I shouted, until my voice 
 grew hoarse, but no response was made, no guide came. As I 
 was about to remove my boots and stockings and plunge into 
 the water and search for the light of day, I heard the foot- 
 steps of my guide. In a moment he came in sight, and was 
 anxious to show me another room which he had not shown the 
 others. I said " no more rooms to-day," mounted his back, ele- 
 vated my feet above the water, -and soon reached fresh air and 
 sunlight. 
 
4(i NAPLES, AND ITS CLASSIC SUBURBS. 
 
 POMPEII. 
 
 The most interesting of all the places in the neighbourhood 
 of Naples is the excavated city of Pompeii. It is the pano- 
 rama of ancient Koman life. Its houses, theatres, iron and 
 bronze vessels, and its frescoes, tell us what those ancient 
 Romans were and how they lived, nearly twenty hundred years 
 ago. The ride to Pompeii from Aununziata is one of great 
 natural beauty. On the right hand is the sea. On the left is 
 Vesuvius towering up majestically his lofty head, wreathed in 
 masses of cloud and smoke. The intervening space is occupied 
 by gardens, in which oranges, grapes and vegetables are pro- 
 duced in abundance. The origin of Pompeii dates back to the 
 third or fourth century B.C. Situated near Vesuvius it was 
 exposed to danger, and at length was overwhelmed. In a.d. 63 
 it was destroyed by an earthquake, and on the ruins were 
 erected those houses, theatres and temples, which are now seen. 
 On the 24th of August, A.D. 79, the terrible eruption of Vesuvius 
 occurred, which involved the city in lasting ruin. ShoAvers of 
 ashes began to fall, followed by showers of red-hot pumice 
 stone, until the city was covered beneath the mass to the depth 
 of twenty feet. Pliny gives a graphic description of the flight 
 of the terror-stricken people to the sea, which was convulsed 
 by volcanic power, and in which many perished ; and from a 
 place of safety he saw the terrible doom that bcfel the city. 
 Many fled wildly in every direction with pillows and other 
 coverings on their heads for protection against the falling 
 masses of hot ashes and stone. It is computed that at least 
 two thousand perished during those terrible days. 
 
 At the entrance to Pompeii is a small museum containing 
 objects of great interest. It is a short panorama of the city, 
 and to some extent of the life .of the Roman people. In glass 
 cases are a number of skeletons encased in lava, just as they 
 
RELICS OF OLD POMPEIANS. 47 
 
 perished so many centuries ago. The finger bones of one 
 protruded beyond the lava that covered the hand, and the flesh 
 had been entirely consumed. Turning to another I saw the 
 sutures of the skull quite plainly, and the teeth also, were 
 quite perfect. One scene was full of interest. A woman was 
 lying, and beside her a youne^er person who may have been 
 her daughter. The position of the body seemed to indicate 
 intense anxiety on the part of the elder woman to keep 
 the younger from their threatening doom. But death over- 
 took them both. One man was lying with his hand and arm 
 bent over his face as if to protect himself from the falling 
 ashes and stones. The figures were so natural that tliey 
 seemed to have perished only yesterday instead of 1800 years 
 ao:o. In that little room were skeletons of domestic fowl, of 
 horses, also all kinds of household utensils and weapons of 
 war. On the walls were fastened old chariot wheels that have 
 rolled in those grooves one sees now in the pavement of the city. 
 There are loaves of bread, charred cloth, rope reduced to a crisp, 
 yet perfect in texture and outline, by which one can see into 
 the public and private life of the people of heathen Pompeii. 
 This is a city raised from the grave of centuries, and it speaks 
 to this age wdth a many-toned voice. God has kept the Orient 
 unchanged to bear its own testimony to this age of unbelief. 
 For our good, too, has Pompeii been buried and raised again. It 
 teaches lessons froia its frescoes, its walls, its bronze tripods, 
 its statues, that heathenism, however refined and cultured, can 
 bring forth only evil fruit, for the seed is evil. It cannot make 
 the people moral, or keep them from sinking into the lowest 
 depths of iniquity. The evidence of Pompeii supports the 
 truth of the apostle's charges in the Epistle to the Romans, 
 against heathenism. If heathenism, when supported by the 
 culture of Greece, and by literature and philosophy, could not 
 preserve that city from moral rottenness, can these forces save 
 
48 NAPLES, AND ITS CLASSIC SUBURBS. 
 
 the nations now from the same doom ? In so far as experi- 
 ence goes the safety of nations as well as individuals is the 
 holiness of the spirit of Christ. 
 
 The streets are narrow, the broadest about twenty and 
 the narrowest from ten to twelve feet. On each side is an 
 elevated footway about two feet broad. The streets were paved 
 with irregular blocks of stone, in which are yet visible the 
 deep ruts worn by the carriage wheels and by the horses' hoofs. 
 There was no possiljility of turning a carriage in those streets : 
 whether on duty or pleasure the citizens of those times had to 
 drive round the block to return to their starting point. At 
 the corners are blocks of stone laid on the street on which the 
 people could step in crossing from one side to the other without 
 plunging in mud and tilth. The ancient trade signs are seen 
 everywhere. Bakers and butchers and wine merchants seem 
 to have predominated. Some pottery jars are standing in the 
 shops where they had been used. They are of vast size and 
 show the ancient Romans to have been a wine-loving race. 
 The mansions of the wealthy were paved with rare marble of 
 great variety! The interior courts were enclosed by colon- 
 nades, and the walls frescoed with scenes from Grecian or 
 Roman mythology. In the vestibule the watch-dog was 
 chained, and on the floor at the entrance to one of the splendid 
 houses is yet seen, in mosaic, the usual warning to visitor.^, 
 " Cave Canem " (Beware of the dog). The ruins of Pompeii, and 
 its vast amphitheatre almost perfect, and capable of seating 
 20,000 people, show the ancient Romans there to have been a 
 pleasure-loving people. They had the cultu.re of Hellenism 
 and the sturdy sj)irit of the Romans. But what have they 
 produced in the way of moral greatness ? One has only to 
 see the signs on the houses, the frescoing on the palaces of 
 some of the refined Romans, to see what culture and civilization 
 do for the world without Christianity. There are ruins of 
 
TO THE PIR/EUS. 49 
 
 temples and theatres, and places of business and pleasure in 
 Pompeii, but not one hospital, not one house of refuge for the 
 helpless or the fatherless. These are the fruit of Christianity, 
 and show its superiority over Roman paganism. Pompeii is a 
 witness in stone and mortar, in painting and marble, to the 
 truth of that picture of heathenism drawn by a master hand in 
 the opening chapter of the Epistle to the Romans. 
 
 ACROSS THE SEA TO THE PIR.EUS. 
 
 The ship sailed from Naples in the evening. The excite- 
 ment of embarking freight and passengers had ceased, and 
 the ship steamed out of the harbour. The view was one that 
 will never be forgotten. The moon was rising, casting her 
 pale light on the smooth water, and the lines of lighted lamps 
 extei\ded to Posilipo, and in the distance Vesuvius loomed up, 
 belching forth Haraes of fire, and masses of lava and smoke. 
 The liofhts o-radually faded, and the rattle of the cart-wheels 
 and horses' hoofs on the stone pavement, and the songs of the 
 boatmen died away, and Naples was left behind. On the 
 followinof morning Stromboli rose like a black monster out of 
 the sea. In the forenoon the ship passed between Scylla and 
 Chaiybdis. On the left the shores of Calabria were rugged 
 and mountainous, while on the coast of Sicily a level plain 
 extended inland for some distance. The whole resrion is 
 volcanic, and the black mountain range is broken up by dee]> 
 chasms, which, at a distance, give it the appearance of a 
 mass of black sea waves. Messina is built on the site of the 
 old city founded in the eighth century R.c. Captured by 
 the Carthagenians, it was the cause of war between Carthage 
 and Rome. It does an immense trade in oranges and olives- 
 The harbour was thronged with ships taking on fruit for the 
 Mediterranean towns and for Europe and America. The 
 
50 NAPLES, AND ITS CLASSIC SUBUKBS. 
 
 cathedral has some fine carving on the main doors, and the 
 roof is supported by some very old columns that are said to 
 have done service in the temple of Jupiter in heathen days. 
 Our shi]) then crossed to Rhegium, and a company of Italian 
 soldiers disembarked. The city is built along the coast, and 
 extends back to the hills that rist. behind it. At this place 
 Paul touched on his way to Rome. " Thence we fetched a 
 compass and came to Rhegium." Though the city is new, the 
 general outline of hill and dale was the same as when seen by 
 Paul. Catania, like Messina, is built on the site of the old 
 city founded more than seven centuries B.C. In its large 
 harbour were ships from all countries and bearing names of 
 all sorts, from Mary Louisa to the most fanciful of Turkish 
 names. The city has often been destroyed by war and by 
 eruptions of mighty /Etnii. It contains some ruins of remote 
 origin, among which is the Greek theatre well preserved, and 
 whose size and outline are easily seen. Here Alcibiades 
 addressed the citizens, and persuaded them to side with the 
 Athenians in their war with Syracuse. 
 
 Far up the very summit of ^Etna masses of black lava 
 were visible; lower down its lofty shoulders were white with 
 snow. The expansive base is covered with orange trees and 
 vines. In the belt between the base and the snow range are 
 oak, beech and chestnut trees. In 1G09 A.D. a stream of lava, 
 fourteen miles long and twenty-tive feet wide, poured down 
 on the devoted city and involved a large part of it in ruins. 
 This belt of lava is yet seen where it poured into the sea. 
 The deliverance of the city is attributed to a local saint, 
 whose history is given in relief on the wooden screen round 
 the altar of the cathedral. On the following day after leaving 
 Sicily the southern coast of Greece appeared, rocky and 
 dreary. On the slopes of the mountains that surround the 
 gulf of Laconia were a few straggling houses of poor fisher- 
 
THE PIRyKUS. 51 
 
 men. On the very extremity of Malea, a small round hut 
 stands in dreary solitude, in which a hermit is said to spend 
 part of the year. He eultivates a few yards of sandy soil, and 
 a few weakly trees struggle for existence. If isolation from 
 duty and from the responsibilities of life, and contact with 
 the utmost desolation qualify the soul for heaven, that lonely 
 hermit is sure of admission to glory. On the right Vvere the 
 islands famous in classic story, and on the mainland had lived, 
 when Britain was a heathen island, a people who were brave 
 in war, who had made grtat progress in civil government, in 
 philosophy, and in the refined arts of painting and sculpture. 
 
 Crossing the gulf of Argolis and the Saronic gulf, Sunium 
 came in view. Then steering for the Piraous, ./Egina and 
 Salamis were passed, and at length came into sight the ancient 
 and famous port of Athens — the Pinrus. 
 
 It was dark when the ship cast anchor in the harbour. 
 Lights from the cafes along the dock were throwing out their 
 vays into the darkness. A number of small boats soon sur- 
 rounded the ship, manned by stalwart Greeks, who made the 
 shores echo as they sang some nautical song in modern Greek. 
 One young man, with a face that would have suited the 
 ancient sculptors as a model for their deities, said he could speak 
 English. I employed him, but soon discovered his ability in 
 that direction was confined to the one sentence, " I can speak 
 English." The Government, through poverty or indifference 
 to human life, has no lights along the harbour. I was forced 
 to grope my way, tlierefore, by the help of the lights from the 
 cafes. Two young men, an American and a Belgian, came on 
 shore to see the Piroius, as the ship would not sail till mid- 
 night. As we were going towards the station, a customs 
 official made signs to open our valise. I said in Greek, which 
 ought to have passed as classical in the days of Demosthenes 
 or Plato, or in the Hall of the University of Toronto, "I 
 
52 NAPLES, AND ITS CLASSIC SUBURBS. 
 
 have nothinof here which is aofainst the law. " But that 
 modern functionary evidently thoufj^ht my Greek was some 
 barbaric tongue, and probably felt contempt for me, as his 
 ancestors did for all barbarians. He continued his j)antomime, 
 and made signs to open the valise. After satisfying the 
 official that T had no tobacco or other contraband goods, we 
 hastened to take train for Athens, searching for the railway 
 station. Though my Greek failed with this Government 
 official, I tried the porter who had our baggage in charge, 
 with Greek which mio-ht have been heard at the Piraeus 
 2,000 year.' ago. I told him to go to the railway station. 
 He replied, " nai, nai " (yes, yes). As I was doubtful of him, I 
 made signs of a wheel revolving, and said, " sh, sh " (pufF, puft). 
 He seemed now fully to understand me, and like a man who 
 has had a wrong idea in his head, at length said boldly, " yes , 
 yes." He led the way, and we followed. After winding through 
 a few dark streets, our guide marched us into a large brilliantly 
 lighted cafe, in which were Albanians, Italians and Greeks 
 gambling, and lazily smoking their uargilehs. On finding this 
 was not the station which we wanted, we made further efforts 
 to drive into his mind the idea that we wished to go to Athens 
 by the iron road. As Greece has been more or less isolated 
 from the stream of travel for years, one does not find there- 
 fore many polyglotts among the people. In Egypt, Palestine 
 and the Orient, generally, donkey-boys and common servants 
 can speak ^uently four or five languages. At length, after a 
 multitude of sio-ns and much shriekinof, which more or less re- 
 sembled the whistle of a locomotive, it suddenly dawned on 
 the mind of our Greek guide that we wanted to go to the 
 railway station. After I had waited a long time, xinally the 
 train started, and in a few minutes I had travelled over the 
 whole extent of railroad in Greece, and arrived at the ancient 
 home of orators, poets, and philosophers — Athens. 
 
Chai'ter IV. 
 ATHENS, MARATHON, AND ELEUSIS. 
 
 "Athens never wtia once known to live in a slavish though a secure 
 obedience to unjust and arbitrary power. No, our whole history is one 
 series of noble contests for pre-eminence." — Dcmustheucs, Dc Corona. 
 
 All has done more than all the ravages of time and 
 weather and earth(|uakes to destroy the ancient 
 monuments of Athens. The ruins are found 
 within a limited area, for in her palmiest days 
 Athens was not of great extent. They a,re full 
 of interest to the student of history, and the 
 lover of a brave and intelligent race. The 
 modern city has a population of 50,000, the streets are new 
 and some of them quite British or American in appearance. 
 But in the market the streets are narrow, crooked and filthy, 
 like an Eastern bazaar. Only the houses of the wealthier classes 
 are marble-fronted, though there is abundance of marble near 
 the city, and only poverty and the primitive machinery for 
 quarrying the stone prevent Athens becoming a city of marble. 
 There is a lack of entei'prise among the people ; the shops are 
 small, their stocks limited and of inferior quality. One chief 
 cause of the backward state of Athens, as a commercial centre 
 has been the disturbed political state of the country. Beside 
 this, however, the modern Greeks, like their ancestors, have a 
 distaste for the steady toil of commercial or agricultural life. 
 One who knew them well said " the Athenians spend their 
 
64 ATHENS, MARATHON, AND ELEUSIS. 
 
 time in nothing else but either to tell or to hear some new 
 thing." This charge is true now, for they love to resort to 
 the hotels, or cafes, or public gardens to dispute on politics. 
 The hundreds of students in the University are eager to enter 
 the arena of politics. Their aim is not, however, to be service- 
 able to the country, but to become members of the Govern- 
 ment. 
 
 The hotel in which I lodged fronted on one side of the 
 chief square in Athens, and opposite the Royal Palace. The 
 proprietor was a Greek, whose main object was to gather in 
 as many drachmas as possible from strangers. He was ignorant 
 of the ancient language of his country, and so were all the 
 waiters. The bill of fare was handed me, written in modern 
 Greek, and done by no master of penmanship. The letters 
 seemed as if made by the legs of a spider dipped in ink and 
 then allowed to travel over the paper. I examined it care- 
 fully, from top to bottom then from one side to the other, 
 and finally gave up in despair. In classic Greek I asked for 
 meat and bread, but the waiter only shook his head in 
 resjDonse, Even when I requested " water " he made a dumb 
 show to indicate his ignorance. The proprietor was equally 
 unable to comprehend my wishes, and I could only pity Greeks 
 who knew not the language of their great philosophers and 
 poets. However, a week's diligent study of the pronunciation 
 and structure, or rather want of structure, of modern Greek 
 enabled me to transact with ease all my business with the 
 Athenians. 
 
 The Arch of Hadrian, opposite the Presbyterian Mission 
 House, was the entrance to the temple of Jupiter Olympus. 
 In the area of the temple fifteen columns are standing and 
 one has fallen. They are sixty-six feet high, deeply iluted 
 and the ca^^itals highly ornamented. The columns consist of 
 pieces of about two feet in length, whose surfaces fitted 
 
THE ACllOPOLIS. 55 
 
 exactly ; they are held in their places by iron clamps and by a 
 circular projection from the centre of the lower piece fitting 
 into a socket in the upper; and so perfect is the workman- 
 sliip, that notwithstanding the lapse of centuries, the joinings 
 can scarcely be seen. • 
 
 On the south side of the Acropolis are the remains of the 
 tlieatre of Dionysius. The seats are cut out of the hill, and 
 were lined with marble. They are semi-circular, and rise 
 r.p tlie brow of the Acropolis to the point from which the 
 rock ascends perpendicularly to the summit. Behind the 
 uppermost seats are standing two graceful pillars, which once 
 supported tripods, won by victors in the dramatic contests. 
 Thirty thousand spectators could there enjoy the productions 
 of their great poets. Sheltered from the north wind, and 
 under the clear sky the pleasure-loving .Athenians sat day 
 after day, listening to the dramas, and the amusing and 
 sarcastic comedies of their famous authors. There Aristo- 
 phanes ridiculed mercilessly the people themselves, and the 
 weakness and corruption of the leaders of the day. Through 
 the lack of schools or anything like modern newspapers for 
 the masses, the theatre became a teaching po\ver in Athens, 
 and in Greece generally. There the people were amused, and 
 informed of the acts of their public men. But the lounging in 
 the theatre, and in the agora throws into full light the aimless 
 and useless life of the Athenians. Beyond the theatre of 
 Dionysius, the sloping ground is strewn with masses of marble 
 columns, and the heads and limbs of human figures or statues 
 of heathen deities in wild profusion. On the west side, by a 
 broad Hight of steps worn by the tread of mighty ones of the 
 past, I reached the summit of the Acropolis. On the area at 
 the top stand six fluted marble columns. The immense blocks 
 of marble which they supported have been broken and thrown 
 down by earthquakes and ravages of war. Such is the famous 
 
56 ATHENS, MAUATirON, AND ELEUSIS. 
 
 entran'jo to the world-renowned Acropolis. On this small 
 area have stood the great men of ancient Greece — generals, 
 philosophers and poets. Alcibiades, Demosthenes, the famous 
 dramatists, stoics and epicureans, have been under the shadow 
 of this illustrious spot. The mass of suppliants who went to 
 worship the goddess in her sacred shrine, and midtitudes of 
 travellers from all nations, in modern times, have stood on that 
 same spot, hallowed by the lapse of centuries, and the 
 memory of men mighty in arms, literature, and art. On the 
 right is the small temple of Nike Apteros — Wingless Victory. 
 In the flush of triumph after Marathon and Salamis the 
 Athenians thought nothing could defeat them. It was a 
 beautiful idea to make the goddess without wings that she 
 might remain with them for ever. But the hope was vain, 
 and the task equally so, for in arms Athens was defeated and 
 her power tied. Beyond the Propyhea and towards the 
 Parthenon +he Acropolis is bare limestone rock with a slight 
 sprinkling of earth in i)laces, and a few flowers peeping out of 
 the crevices. Ruins of altars, and temples, and statues cover 
 the summit. Between the Propyla3a and the Parthenon is a 
 space chiselled on the surface of the rock, eight feet by five, 
 on which the base stood, which supported one of the famous 
 statues of Athena, whose glittering shield and spear the 
 sailors saw far out on the sea, when returning from distant 
 lands. The Parthenon is a parallelogram, two hundred and 
 thirty feet long by one hundred broad. The temple is 
 surrounded by steps which lead up to the Hoor, and also by a 
 peristyle of forty-eight columns, each thirty-four feet high. 
 On the frieze were represented the Pan-athenaic procession in 
 honour of the goddess, and also the contest of the Centaurs 
 and Lanidee. As far as can be seen from the ruins that remain 
 the horses began the procession by walking, gradually their 
 speed increased, and finally they are represented as rushing at 
 
TlIK KllKCTHKUM. 57 
 
 full speed. The figures are the work of the greatest artists 
 who adorned the city, and gave it a glory that no other city in 
 (hecce attained. In the area of the temple stood the famous 
 statue of the goddess, forty-four feet high, the work of Phidias. 
 It was of ivory and gold. The goddess held a spear in her i*iglit 
 hand ; at her feet was a shield encircled by a serpent. 'J'he 
 statue has long since been destroyed, and one can ordy judge 
 of its workmanship from the brief details that have come 
 down to us. Though spoiled of its glory the Parthenon is a 
 splendid ruin of architectural genius, and shows the wealth 
 and refined taste of those times, and with magnetic infiuence 
 (haws to the shores of Greece the learned of the earth. 
 
 The Erectheum, a small temple to the north of the Parthe- 
 non, is very old and famous, and contains some of the most 
 delicate workmansldp in Athens. On one side is a portico 
 supported by the Coryatides, and beneath this Cecrops is said to 
 have been buried. On the north side the carving is as delicate 
 as lace-work and impresses one even more favourably in regard 
 to the fineness of the work than the Parthenon itself. The 
 most ancient statue of Athena was of olive wood and stood in 
 this shrine. Herodotus says of this temple : " There is in the 
 Athenian Acropolis a fane dedicated to Erectheus, and in this 
 fane there is an olive tree and a pool placed there by Neptune 
 and Minerva when they contended for the possession of the 
 country. The olive was burned together with the temple by 
 the barbarians ; but the next day after the conflagration, when 
 the Athenians at the command of the king went up to the 
 temple to sacrifice, they beheld a shoot from the stump spring 
 up to the height of a cubit."* 
 
 The whole area of the Acropolis is of small extent, but 
 there were laid the foundations of Athens — that made her 
 
 *Herodotus, book viii. 
 
58 ATIIKNS, .MAllATHON, AND KLEUSIS. 
 
 power folt over Greece, Asia and Europe. Genius and 
 wealth were made triljutary to the spirit of the peoi)le after 
 tlieir great victories for freedom, and tlio Acropolis wars 
 adorned with the costliest monuments. Though more than 
 twenty centuries have passed over those famous ruins, they 
 yet stand to tell the story of the religious feeling and national 
 unity of the age. When the Persians invaded Greece the 
 Athenians sent deputies to Delphi. The response of the 
 Oracle was " Fly to the ends of the earth, leaving your homes 
 and the sharp summits of your circling city."t Finally, after 
 repeated supplications, the Oracle gave them hope, " yet the 
 far-seeing Jupiter gives to Mi)ierva a wooden fort, which alone 
 shall be impregnal)le." Some declared this was the Acropolis 
 and fortified the Propyhea with wooden stakes. The Athen- 
 ians believed a huge serpent dwelt in the temple of the goddess, 
 and every month offered cakes of honey to it. These had 
 always been consumed. The consumers, however, were the 
 priests and the attendants of the goddess, not the serpent. 
 Now the cakes were untouched, and the people concluded that 
 the deity, forseeing the doom, had given up the city to its 
 inevitable fate. Then the Athenians fled to Salamis and in 
 their ships found the safety promised by the Oracle. From 
 Mars Hill the Persians shot arrows to which lighted tow was 
 attached and which set on fire the wooden defences. They 
 scaled the heights. Many Athenians threw themselves over 
 the rocky battlements and were dashed in pieces, many sought 
 refuge in the Temple. But neither the sanctity of the place 
 nor the generosity of conquerors influenced the Persians. 
 They slew the Greeks, pillaged the Temple, and set fire to all 
 the buildings on the Acropolis. Persians, Romans, Goths, 
 Venetians and Turks have destroyed its monuments. The 
 
 t Herodotus, book vii. 
 
MAUS HILL. 51) 
 
 <legra(,le(l Atlionians have mode ([uarries of these ruins. Time 
 iind weather have helped in the general havoc, yet tiiey 
 impress the traveller with reverence for the memory of illus- 
 trious men and a noble race. Pride and vice were joined with 
 the genius of the Greeks. Their works expressed only natural 
 taste and feeling, and so could only aj)i)eal to such elements of 
 tlieir nature as gave them origin. Their moral nature was 
 therefore unsanctiiied by their temples and gods and religious 
 rites, for it is the S[)irit of God alone who can change the 
 moral nature of Jew and Greek. And when Christ shall reign 
 ill Athens she will have a stronger defence than the Acropolis, 
 and a mighty helper in her struggle for freedom. 
 
 The Areopagus is situated at the foot of the Acropolis. 
 From the north and north-west it rises gradually from the 
 plain, and on the slopes are square areas cut out of the rock, 
 on which houses, temples and statues stood in former days. 
 On the side facing tlie Acropolis it is abrupt and rises to the 
 height of fifty or sixty feet above the valley. On this hill 
 were held the meetings of one of the most ancient and famous 
 councils in Athens, Originally its jurisdiction extended only 
 to criminal cases, but in later times it included political and 
 religious matters. On the south-east are sixteen steps hewn 
 «ut of the rock, worn by the tread of nameless millions, and 
 by the ravages of time and curiosity- vandals. On the top of 
 the hill is an area about twelve feet square. A narrow seat 
 is cut out of the rock on three sides. On two sides are two 
 stone blocks projecting slightly from the judges' seat, on one 
 of which the accused stood and on the other the accuser. 
 Thus under the clear sky of Greece, surrounded by the shrines 
 of their deities and monuments of all that was great in the 
 nation's life, the judges dispensed justice from these primitive 
 benches. Herodotus informs us Mars Hill was opposite the 
 Acropolis and must have been close to it, for the Persians made 
 
(50 ATHENS, MARATHON, AND ELEUSIS. 
 
 it the base of their attack upon the citadel and from it shot 
 their iiery arrows against the Greeks. There is nothing grand 
 about this hill. On its precipitous side it is only sixty feet 
 high and is overshadowed by the height and extent of the 
 Acropolis. It has no glory from its rugged grandeur, or 
 massiveness, but it has a glory of its own in its historic associa- 
 tion with great events and famous men. On my first visit 
 to the Acropolis, my guide, an intelligent citizen of Athens, 
 pointed to the insignificant hill at our feet. For a moment I 
 felt, not disappointed, but surprised. Though I had read of it 
 and seen views of it, I was unprepared for the reality. Some 
 days afterwards when asked if I did not feel disappointed 
 with Mars Hill, I answered, " No ; for the scene recorded in 
 the seventeenth chapter of Acts would give it an eternal 
 interest though it were an ash heap or an ant hill." 
 
 Up these narrow, time-worn steps doubtless have ascended 
 Solon and Aristides, and Socrates and famous Greeks, whose 
 names are graven deeply in the history of Atiiens. It is 
 especially interesting to Christians for the one famous speech 
 Paul made to the cold-hearted and idle Greeks. The Awra 
 seems to have included the space to the south of Mars Hill, 
 part of which is now devoted to grain-growing and olive trees, 
 and also the valley on the north-east side where the houses 
 now cluster towards the base of the hill. Paul's teaching 
 was so ditferent to the soulless system of the Stoics and the 
 debasing system of the Epicureans that they took Ijirn up to 
 their famous council hill to hear him in detail. In full view 
 of all the places sacred to their religious faith he commended 
 their religious spirit but not their religion. There is some 
 doubt as to the significance of the Apostle's words, " in all 
 things ye are too superstitious.":]: The words " too superstitious" 
 
 X Acts, xvii, 22. 
 
MARS HILL. Gl 
 
 have been regarded as containing a charge of ignorance or 
 idolatry, which Paul would not have made against liis hearers 
 at the beginning of his address. Hence the revised version 
 translates Scto-tSat/Aovco-Tcpovs " somewhat superstitious." If his 
 object were to conciliate the Greeks it might be trans- 
 lated, persons of profound veneration for the gods. But, if 
 we examined the word itself, we find that, literally, it 
 signifies persons who are " excessively afraid of the demons or 
 gods." Fear, not piety is certainly indicated. And this fact is 
 seen in the following statement of Paul : The reason why he 
 regarded them as persons excessively afraid of the deities in that 
 city full of idols, was because he saw. an altar erected to the 
 Unknown God. The deities of their mythology were jealous 
 and if one were omitted who had no altar, there was dancer 
 that evil might befal Athens. The citizens, therefore, through 
 fear, built this altar. Their gods and goddesses were -o human 
 in their nature and so mach influenced by feelings akin to 
 those of men and women that the Greeks were careful not to 
 give cause of offence by any neglect in the way of offering or 
 honour. Paul declares their excessive fear of these gods was 
 vain, for they could do them no harm or good, and then tells 
 them of God that made the world and all things therein. 
 Though he stood under the shadow of the temple-crowned 
 Acropolis, and had walked through their streets lined with 
 altars and statues, though he was standing near the most sacred 
 shrines, and in the midst of the historic glory of the Greeks, he 
 dared to say the " Godhead is not like untc gold or silver or 
 stone graven by art and man's device," and thus condemned 
 their idolatry. They had obtained much of their mythology and 
 the elements of their civil code from Egypt ; and on the banks 
 of the sacred Nile, before Athens was born, temples were built 
 which far excel the temple of the Acropolis in massiveness 
 and grandeur, and were not inferior in the grace of their 
 
02 ATHKNS, MARATHON, AND ELEUSIS. 
 
 colum;is and the fine workmanship of the lotus, papyrus, and 
 palm-leaf capitals. Yet, in their natural pride, they termed 
 all foreigners, Barbarians. Though they had in the achieve- 
 ments of art and philosophy advanced beyond many nations, 
 Paul informed them that on the platform of creation there was 
 no difference, for " God hath made of one blood all nations of 
 men." In this respect they were on the same level with the 
 most ignorant races. This was unpalatable to the selfish and 
 proud Athenians ; and when he spoke further of the resurrec- 
 tion and the judgment, his words were too heavy for the trifling 
 Greeks; they were opposed to their cherished faith, and the 
 audience ended in confusion. On Sabbath morning I read the 
 seventeenth chapter of the Acts, on Mars Hill. It was a 
 glorious day ; the air was bracing and the sky clear. The place 
 and its associations were of the deepest interest, and as far as 
 the eye could reach was famous ground on every side. The 
 waters of Phaleron glittered in the sunliglit like molten silver 
 Beyond the city stretched the fertile plain of Attica, dotted 
 here and there with olive and fior trees. The Pimeus and the 
 sacred way to Eleusis were in view. Nearer was the temple 
 of Theseus. At my feet was the Agora, where heathen philo- 
 sophy and Christianity had been taught by the best men of 
 their age. Near this spot also is the Pnyx and the stone Bema 
 from which the mightiest of ancient orators spoke and stirred 
 up the Athenians to action. Beyond was Hymettus towering 
 up to the heavens, and to this day famous for its bees and its 
 honey. Above is the Prop5d{Tea, and round the base of the 
 Acropolis are the theatres that once were crowded with the gay, 
 pleasure-loving Athenians, and temples in which they offered 
 their devotions to their gods. Now they are in ruins, and the 
 ground is strewn with the headless and armless figures of gods 
 and men mingled in one common destiny of wreck. 
 
A WALK TO MARATHOI*. G3 
 
 I started from Athens early in the morning on foot for the 
 scene of the famous battle. The usual routine is to go by stage 
 or private carriage, and after visiting the battlefield to sleep at 
 the monastery all night and return the following day. To 
 make the journey on foot enables one to see more of the village 
 life and the national customs of the people. Hence I preferred 
 this method. There had been a slight frost the previous night, 
 for ice of the thickness of pasteboard was formed on the water 
 by the side of the road. The guards were pacing backwards 
 and forwards near the entrance to the Royal Palace, as I walked 
 rapidly past on that January morning. Outside the city the 
 road was thronged with peasants driving donkeys and mules 
 laden with withered vine roots to the market for sale. Two 
 primitive-looking stage coaches drove past from Cephissia and 
 other places. The Greek Jehus were in high glee, and cracked 
 their whips at the prospect of a day's participation in the New 
 Year's festivities. Inside and outside, the coaches were crowded 
 with passengers, not of the beautiful type which a foreigner 
 dreams the Greeks ought to be, but of common features and 
 fierce expression. As they drove past they shouted boisterously 
 their salutation, " KaXrj rjf.upaa-a<i" (a pleasant day to you). The 
 roads were rough, and holes from one to two feet deep '"ere 
 quite numerous, but as fences are unknown in this part of 
 Greece, the coaches and carts can easily be driven round thorn. 
 Roadmaking is evidently in its infancy in Greece. Near 
 Chalandri, a miserable village on my route, the peasants were 
 making eflforis to repair the roads. Baskets of earth had been 
 dumped into the holes, but no eflfort was made to level 
 them. This was left for the rain and travel to do. And 
 it seemed to me riding over that road would be about as 
 comfortable as over the mounds in a graveyard, or over the 
 rough corduroy roads through a Canadian swamp. This village, 
 that may be a typical one, consisted of one street, whose 
 
G4 ATHENS, MARATHON, AND ELEUSIS. 
 
 houses had a tumble-down appearance outside. Inside there 
 was the scantiest supply of furniture, and nothing was home- 
 like or comfortable. The mild climate enables the Greeks in 
 this part of Attica to spend much of their time outside, like 
 the oriental peojjle, and thus there is less inducement to make 
 their homes as comfortable as in countries with a colder climate. 
 Douiestic fowl and dogs play a prominent part in Chal- 
 andei, marching out and into the houses as if they were the 
 legitimate owners. On my return in the evening I found the 
 dogs anything but friendly to strangers. It was only with the 
 greatest care and with the aid of a stout cudgel I escaped 
 safely. On entering the street at one end the dogs began, and 
 in a moment the whole canine race along the whole street 
 came forward to the attack, and their fierce, long-drawn howls 
 echoed in the stillness far over the Attic plain. Beyond the 
 village some of the peasants were ploughing, others were 
 digging trenches or setting their vines. As I Avas uncertain 
 of the way from this point, I enquired in what once was good 
 Greek, which was the road to the monastery, but the ploughman 
 only shook his head at my barbaric language. I then asked in 
 modern Greek for the " house of the holy fathers," and received 
 direction. Along the base of Pentelicus I passed some old 
 buildings, overlooking deep, wild glens, and commanding a fine 
 view of the plain and the mountain. The wind rattled among 
 the shuttei'S, broken panes and balconies, and the place might 
 have been a splendid scene for some famous romances. It 
 would easily have helped imagination to conjure up wierd 
 sights and ghostly appearances, and deeds of prowess and 
 murder. 
 
 The monastery is situated on the brow of Pentelicus, and is 
 reputed to be one of the wealthiest in Greece. It forms a 
 quadrangle, having two sides occupied by monks' cells and 
 other rooms. A wooden balcony, somewhat tottering and 
 
THE FIELD OF MARATHOX. G5 
 
 f 
 
 crazy with age like the monks themselves, extends round two 
 sides. The side towards the mountain is occupied by the 
 church. The monastery has fifteen monks and a superior. 
 Tliey are lazy, dreamy fellows, but very hospitable. One old 
 man, of huge dimensions, with a face round and red, was proud 
 of his ability to speak English, but his vocabulary was of the 
 scantiest. Like their brethren everywhere in the East, they 
 lead a useless life; fleeing from the struggles that belong to us 
 as men, they lose the opportunities of doing good and obtaining 
 blessinjTs that cannot be found inside the walls or cells of a 
 monastery. 
 
 In con pany with a young man who had travelled over the 
 whole of Egypt on foot, and was doing the same in Greece, I 
 beiran to climb Pentelicus. It was a hard climb of two hours, 
 at times, up an almost perpendicular path, at another time 
 placing one foot on a firm stone and then springing up to 
 another, or grasping the stunted oaks we pulled ourselves up. 
 On the summit theie were snow and ice in the crevices, with 
 which we quenched our thirst. At our feet lay Marathon, on 
 which Grecian liberty was won in the famous victory over the 
 Persians, 490 B.C. The bay seemed a perfect semicircle, the 
 plain w^as quite level and extended inland to the base of the 
 mountains. The sea was calm, and gently laved the sandy 
 beach on which had been drawn up the ships of the Persians 
 who had come to enslave Greece, but had, instead, found their 
 grave at Marathon. Shrubs of the deepest green lined the 
 shore, and white houses dotted the plain, which gradually 
 contracted into the narrow gorges of the mountains. Near a 
 pool in the centre of the plain the battle raged most fiercely, 
 the Persians broke the centre of the Grecian line, but the wings 
 of the army closed in on them, and thus hemnii d in by the 
 mountains on one side and by the Greeks and th . sea on the 
 otlier, they perished. The dress and appearance of the 
 
60 ATHENS, MARATHON, AND FXEUSIS. 
 
 Pei'sians, and probal)ly their valour, according to Herodotus, 
 had inspired the Greeks with terror. They, therefore, made a 
 boUl dash and won the day, and the mound yet visible on the 
 pUin covers ':he ashes of the brave defenders of their country. 
 That victory was not only freedom to Greece, but its power has 
 been felt through all the civilized w^orld in triumphs of genius 
 that have become the heritage of the race. 
 
 " Greece and her foundations are 
 Built below the tide of war, 
 Based on the crystaline sea 
 Of thought and its eternity. 
 Her citizens, imperial spirits, 
 Rule the present from the past ; 
 On all this world of men inherits 
 Their seal is set."* 
 
 The climb had given us a good appetite, and we made a 
 hearty meal on black bread and goats'-milk cheese, and for 
 drink we used the ice and frozen snow on the mountain. We 
 added a huge stone to the cairn that crowns the summit, 
 reared by travellers in many years, from many lands. On 
 returning from the plain late in the afternoon, we bade our 
 friends, the monks and the shepherds, farewell. As we started 
 for Athens the solemn, low chanting in the church sounded 
 sweetly on the quiet evening air, far from the stir of busy 
 cities. As we trod down the spurs of the mountain it grew 
 fainter and fainter, until finally it ceased, and we left forever 
 the kind-hearted monks in their lonely Monastery of Pente- 
 licus. Darkness came on long before we reached Athens. We 
 met peasants returning from the fields and persons from the 
 city. As we passed through Ampelokipo, that claims the 
 
 * Shelley, Hellas. 
 
NEW year's day in ATHENS. G7 
 
 honour of being the birthplace of Socrates, we received the 
 usual furious attack of dogs, who regarded us as intruders. A 
 light glimmered' through the chinks of a small, dilapidated 
 Greek church, in which service was held. Only three lights 
 were visible in the whole village, and one of these was in a 
 gambling-house in which the peasants were drinking poor 
 wine and smoking wretched tobacco and discussing politics and 
 the latest news from Europe. The one street of this village 
 was a long puddle. A stream of water ran down its centre, 
 into which we plunged in the dark, and in our efforts to guard 
 ourselves aijainst dogfs and nierht robbers we could not watch 
 our steps, and so floundered into holes and splashed ourselves 
 from head to foot with a liberal supply of li(|uid mud. We 
 consoled ourselves by saying, " Socrates, poor fellow, may have 
 suffered worse and said nothing about it." As we passed the 
 barracks at the foot of Lycabettus, the soldiers were hasten- 
 ing in to the roll call,, in bands of jolly good fellows, singing 
 Greek songs. On reaching the city it was radient with light, 
 bands of music were playing, boys and men were carrying 
 illuminated ships on their shoulders. It was New Year's Eve ; 
 hilarity reigned supreme in Athens, and the people were pre- 
 paring for the festivities of the morrow. 
 
 NEW YEAR S DAY IN ATHENS. 
 
 As the Greeks reckon time after the old style, the traveller 
 may enjoy new-year's festivities in Rome or Naples and repeat 
 them in a few days afterward in Greece. Like the Scotch, the 
 Greeks make this a special day of relaxation from business, 
 and in private amusements. The night previous there was a 
 lavish expenditure of drachmas by the paterfamilias, in the 
 purchase of small sabres and guns for the boys, and dolls and 
 brass ornaments for the small girls. Hermes and u:Eulus, the 
 
C8 ATHENS, MARATHON, AND ELEUSIS. 
 
 main streets of the city, were thronged with Greeks in their 
 holiday clothes. Their pent-up enthusiasm found an outlet in 
 blowing horns, and beating drums and tin pans for general 
 amusement. In the forenoon service was held in the cathe- 
 dral. Through the kindness of one of the missionaries, I was 
 admitted to a place in the church, from which I could see all 
 the ceremony. The king and queen, members of the govern- 
 ment, the ambassadors, and representatives of foreign powers 
 were present. The royal family occupied a raised dais on 
 one side of the altar, and a short distance in front of it. The 
 king, who was dressed in uniform, seemed to take little 
 interest in the service. He had a habit of closing his eyes and 
 twisting the muscles of his face that gave him a ludicrous ap- 
 pearance. The queen, who is a member of the Greek church 
 and in sympathy with its traditions and its truth, entered 
 heartily into the service. As the king approached the door of 
 the cathedral, the archbishop, bishops and priests met him and 
 preceded him to the raised dais, which was gaily carpeted for 
 the occasion. At the altar some of the priests stood with three 
 candles in one hand, tied together with blue ribbons, intended 
 to symbolize the three persons of the Godhead. Others held 
 two candles tied in the same way, to symbolize the double 
 nature of Christ. The chanting began as soon as the king 
 entered. The singing, by a band of young choristers staading 
 on each side of the altar, and led by a priest, was most 
 wretched. The archbishop, with his crozier in his hand and 
 his mitre on his head, muttered a few Greek prayers for the 
 welfare of King George and Greece. The whole service, which 
 was cold and formal, lasted one hour. On passing out, a royal 
 salute was fired, and the party returned to the palace, amid 
 much cheering, and cracking of whips, and prancing of horses, 
 and the ceremony of the day ended. 
 
 Joy and grief often tread on each other's heels in this life. 
 
FUNERAL SCENE IN ATHENS. 69 
 
 On retuniin<v from this <,forgeou.s di.sphiy, a dead body was 
 beini,' carried past the Temple of Jupiter Olympus, to the 
 modern <^raveyard of Athens. A young woman had died, and 
 the body was carried on a bier by four men. A garland of 
 tiowers was lying on the head of the corpse. Preceding the 
 funeral was a hired singer whose duty was to utter the most 
 wierd and melancholy sounds possible. He was a small man, 
 ver}' lean, and of very sallow complexion, and had altogether 
 the appearance of soon finishing his career, when some other 
 would sing a solemn dirge at his funeral. Two Greek priests 
 followed, occasionally chanting some melancholy strains. 
 Then followed the near relatives and friends of the deceased. 
 The in-oceedings at the grave were unbecoming, and left the 
 impressioii that the Greeks have little true sympathy and no 
 solemn feelings in the presence of death. And none can hear 
 those long, shrill wailings, that become familiar to every tra- 
 veller in the East, without recalling the words of Ecclesiastes, 
 that picture the end of a life of vanity: " Man goeth to his long 
 home, and the mourners go about the streets." In the evening 
 I witnessed a betrothal service in the Mission house. Rings 
 were exchanged by the young couple, who were members of 
 the Presbyterian church. An address was given by the 
 minister and prayers offered on their behalf, in modern Greek. 
 The parties betrothed may remain so for a year or two, and 
 are then married. After the close of the ceremony, sweet- 
 meats were passed round to the company. For a few minutes 
 a brisk conversation in four or five different languages was 
 carried on by the numerous friends who had been invited. 
 Contrratulations were extended to the betrothed ones. At an 
 early hour in the evening the company broke up, and my first 
 New Year's Day in Athens closed. 
 
 In compan}^ with the Rev. Mr. Sampson, of the American 
 Mission, I started out at eight a.m. for Eleusis, so famous in 
 
70 ATHENS, MARATHOX, AND ELEUSIS, 
 
 ancient times. It liad been raining the night previous, the 
 sky was clouded, and the air chilly. The roads were heavy, 
 and the weather seemed unpropitious, but as it was my only 
 chance of seeing the ancient site of Eleusis I set out with a 
 bokl heart. The carriage was comfortable, but the horse was 
 small and not well fed, consecpiently its bones and not its 
 beauty were most prominent. To make matters worse, I was 
 told it had been sick and could not go as fast as I might wish 
 or expect. Whatever my wishes were, my expectations were 
 not very high after I had seen the poor animal that was to put 
 motion into the wheels and take us on our long journey. I 
 hesitated to inflict cruelty on the horse, and thought to walk, 
 but the slushy roads and my long tramp to Marathon deterred 
 me. As the owner had confidence in the staying power of his 
 horse, I consented, and a start was made. We wrapped our- 
 selves up as well as we could after packing away our lunch in 
 the bottom of the carriage, and then drove in the direction of 
 the hill Colonus, the site of the Academy of Plato, and the 
 scene of one 'of the famous plays of Sophocles. Now only a 
 few pieces of broken marble columns lie scattered about, and 
 the tall, black cypress grows on that noted spot. Here, and 
 along our journey over the plain of Attica are wretched houses 
 of the {'feasants. They are constructed of pressed mud with 
 stones intermixed, the floor is the earth itself, the roof is 
 covered with reeds and straw. For windows, there are two 
 holes, closed in winter with boards to exclude cold and rain. 
 In summer they admit light. The peasant, his wife and 
 family, also a cow or donkey and hens, live in a friendly way 
 in one house. The sleeping apartments for the human occu- 
 pants are separated from the large room on the floor, or are in 
 the upper part of the house, but they are equally wretched 
 with the main room on the floor. With such houses, scanty 
 clothing, and little lire, a severe winter is a calamity to the 
 
THHOUCJII RAIN AND SNoW TO ELEUSIS, 71 
 
 peasants of Greece. The day was bitterly cold, and a blinding 
 snow-storm swept down from the north-east. It was not a 
 clear, bracing day, like many in our Canadian winters. It was 
 a damp, chilly day, that almost kills out the enthusiasm of any 
 iiiiui in Greece. Behind us, Hymettus was covered with snow, 
 and the mountains before us. Two stage coaches came 
 rattling along from Bcrotia. Whether the passengers were 
 the stupid fellows the Athenians said they were, or not, they 
 had a blue and doleful appeaidace that day. The driver was 
 guiding his steeds, hurrying at good speed, and cheerfully 
 saluted us. The custom in ])rosaic lands, we found beneficial 
 in Greece, for we dismounted and ran beside our carriage for 
 some time. Along with us were some young Greeks, driving 
 carts to Eleusis, who trudged along barefooted, and with 
 bosoms exposed to wind and storm. They were sturdy fellows, 
 who felt no cold and feared no danger. The hills on both sides 
 of the pass of Daphne, through which our route lay, alibrded us 
 shelter. On our right, at the base of the hills, ran the old 
 sacred way. The side next the valley was built up to form 
 a level road, and the ruts of the ancient carts and chariots are 
 yet visible, cut deeply into the rock. About midw^ay down 
 the pass, where a spur of the mountain projects far into the 
 valley, are the ruins of an old temple, whose large foundation 
 stones are yet in their old position. They are chiselled along 
 the edges, like some of the large stones in the lower tiers of 
 the walls of Jerusalem, and in the temple of Baalbeck in 
 Syria. May not therefore these stones have been carved by 
 Phoenician workmen ? Or, if not, the Greeks may have 
 become acquainted with that style tf workmanship in Pales- 
 tine and Syria. On the face of the rock that had been 
 enclosed by the temple were niches, some square, others in the 
 form of a segment of a circle, in which votive tablets had been 
 • placed. When we emerged from the pass, the road to the right 
 
72 ATHKNS, MAIIATITON, AND ELEUSIS. 
 
 oxteiulcd alon^ the shore of tlie bay to Elousia. On the left was 
 tiro island of Salaniis and the bay in which the famou.-i victory 
 over the Persians was won, ten years after the battle of 
 Marathon. A tonirue of land stretches into the sea for some 
 distance. On this spot Xerxes had his throne built, from 
 which he watched the battle. A circular area, enclosed by a 
 ruined wall, is yet visible on an elevated spot. Here the 
 king sat, and when any captain or private person did any 
 .special feat of valour, his name and city were noted by the 
 king's secretaries. The battle was one of fierce bravery : the 
 Persians H<xhtin<r for the reward of their kinij", the Greeks 
 fighting for life -and freedom. In front of this narrow strip of 
 land, that reaches far into tjie sea, are three islands, situate<l 
 close to each other in the bay. Here the ships were stationed, 
 and the battle , was fiercest. We are told strange omens 
 appeared before the battle. A cloud of dust came from 
 Eleusis, over those hills on our right, as if it were produced by 
 the march of a large army. A voice was heard issuing from 
 the cloud, which rose high up, and went in the direction of 
 Salamis, and toward the Greeks. This was taken to signify 
 the defeat of the Persians, and it inspired the Greeks with 
 courage. The Persian ships were broken and sunk. The 
 fieet sufiTered a terrible defeat, and the coast of Attica was 
 strewn with corpses and the wrecked ships. The king 
 attributed his defeat to the cowardice of his allies, and said : 
 "My men have behaved like women, and the women like men." 
 The event of the battle s'^ems to have deepened the faith of 
 Herodotus in the ancient oracles, one of which he quotes, in 
 giving an account of the victory. " When the Persians shall 
 have extended their line of ships on the sacred shore of the 
 golden-quivered Artemis, and of the sea-girt Cynosura, and, 
 when mad with hope, he shall have pillaged the fair Athens, 
 when brass shall meet with brass, and Mars shall empurple the 
 
LUNCH i\ A MH-I.Klt's HOrSK. 73 
 
 (It'L'i), then shall tli(; t'ar-siir]ited Saturn and the benign Victory 
 liring a day of doliveranco for Greece." * 
 
 We halted and lunched at a niiller'.s hou.se ahout tliree 
 miles from Eleusis. The keen wind swept over the bay, and 
 chilled us thoroughly, so that wo wore j;lad to find shelter for 
 ourselves and our horse. There was nothinLj about the mill 
 that reminded us we were in the classic land of Greece. It 
 was a wretched, two-storied, stone building. On the basement 
 floor was part of the machinery of the mill. In one corner a 
 poor donkey was trembling with cold, and in another part two 
 little fellows were tossing leptas. We tied our horse on the 
 .sheltered side. The wind howled through the chinks and 
 broken windows of this tumble-down structure, as if the spirit 
 of the ancient Furies were threatening the miller and his 
 machinery with destruction for invading the old soil with 
 luodern works. Our teeth were chattering with cold as we 
 clinibi^d the tottering stairs to the upper story, which we found 
 calinost as wretched as the place on the ground floor. The 
 upper area was divided by a rough partition into two rooms. 
 Ill the larger one was a part of the machinery of the mill, ■ 
 on the floor were some bags of wheat to be ground, in one 
 corner was a cupboard in which were a few tin and crockery 
 dishes. As we entered, the miller, his son', a boy of about 
 twelve years, and a hired man were huddled together round a 
 handful of embers in a small fireplace. Before them was a 
 small table, from which they were eating their mid-day meal, 
 consisting of black bread, olives, and sour wine. Two rough 
 ])lanks, with cross pieces nailed at each end for legs, did service 
 for a seat. We all huddled close to the dying embers, over which 
 we spread our hands for a little warmth, but they were so few 
 and so cold that an eastern wizard might have swallowed 
 
 * Herod., bk. viii., sect. 4. 
 
7 ^ ATHENS, MAHATHON, AND KLEUSIS. 
 
 them among his other tricks without harm to himself. The 
 scene was wretched, but novel in the extreme. For windows 
 there were holes, facing the bay and Eleusis. These were 
 boarded up to exclude wind and rain. Where we lunched, were 
 three cats whose backs were arched like miniature camels, one 
 plate, one jug, a greasy cupboard into the depths of which the 
 boy now and then plunged and fished up some more black bread, 
 which resembled a piece of granite, more than the staff of life. 
 Occasionally the miller threw a handful of dry twigs on the 
 fire, which crackled and blazed for a moment, and cast a lurid 
 Sflare throuo'h the room. We luxuriated in the liii'ht and srenial 
 warmth for a moment, the blaze soon died away, however, and 
 the rain pelting in through the holes, and the cold wind howl 
 ing through innumerable crannies again won the mastery in 
 the old house. We ate our lunch, thankful for our mercies, and 
 after helping the boys to some of our provisions, which they 
 enjoyed heartily, and paying for our shelter, we left the miller 
 and his old house, both of whom in a few years will have 
 finished their work, and the old house will be a heap of ruins, 
 but may the owner find a better home in the world to come. 
 There are no ruins of importance at the site of ancient 
 Eleusis. The modern town is situated on the shore of the bay, 
 and the scenery was full of romantic wildness. The sea laves il 
 on one side, and behind extends a range of hills, and the whole 
 neighbourhood is one teeming with memories of glorious deeds. 
 Only a few ruins of the temple of Demeter are to be seen. 
 The modern town is a miserable place, its inhabitants poor, 
 and without enterprise. The glory of the ancient shrine has 
 perished, and the fame of old Eleusis lives in the brief record 
 of ancient authors. As we entered Athens on our return, it 
 was dark. Greeks, clothed in their warmest cloaks, were hurry- 
 ing to and fro like dark shadows to escape the furious rain- 
 storm that had set in. In a few moments my lodgings near 
 
ELEUSIS. 75 
 
 the Acropolis were reached, from which I could see the lamp 
 burning on the church of St. George, on Lycahettus, like a 
 lonely star in the vast sky of darkness that shrouded it. 
 
 Under the shadow of the Acropoli a power is quietly work- 
 ini;' that will do more for Greece than all her ancient glory 
 or than her present statesmen. Here are situated the mission 
 premises of the Southern Presbyterian Church of the United 
 States. It is a plain, unpretentious, two-storied building, but 
 mighty work has been done there for Greece. In an upper room 
 divine worship is conducted. Plain benches extend along the 
 whole length of the room, with an aisle along the centre. At 
 one end is a raised platform from \vhich the minister speaks. 
 In front of the platform is a small organ used in the public 
 worship. Hanging on the wall, behind the pulpit, is a large 
 sheet of canvas on which passages of Scripture are printed. 
 There is no dansfer of the Greek converts becomino- lovers of 
 ritualism, as far as the inftuence of their surroundings goes, for 
 the whole building, interior and exterior, is plain in the 
 extreme. My first visit to this upper room was during the 
 week of prayer. About two hundred persons were present. 
 The superintendent of the mission, Rev. Dr. Kalopothakes, 
 conducted the service. The musical service was led by the 
 Rev. J. R. Sampson, accompanied by the organ. The first 
 hymn sung in the church was "From Greenland's Icy Moun- 
 tains," in modern Greek, and to the tune familiar to me from 
 my earliest recollection. The preacher was full of enthusiasm. 
 He was gifted with the true qualities of an orator, faith in his 
 subject, clearness of thought, a good voice and refined language. 
 To me the service was very impressive. In that city, in which 
 heathen culture had reached its climax of perfection, in which 
 philosophy and art had flourished when other parts of Europe 
 were occupied by warlike and barbarous tribes, and almost 
 within sight of the Pnyx where the grandest of ancient 
 orators had movec' hia countrymen to peace or war by his 
 
7G ATHENS, MARATHON, AND ELP:USIS. 
 
 wise and powerful words, almost in sight of the Areopagus on 
 which the Apostle to the Gentiles had preached the eternal 
 truth of Christ to a cold and critical audience, a descendant of 
 those ancient Greeks taught that same gospel to his country- 
 men, which is yet to redeem Greece from national degradation 
 and sin. 
 
 The Southern Presbyterian Church has mission stations 
 also at Saloniki, in different parts of Northern Greece, on some 
 of the islands near the mainland, and at the Pira3us. At the 
 latter place service is conducted every Sabbath in Greek and 
 English. Dr. Kalopothakes was converted in the early days 
 of mission work, when Dr. King was in Greece. He left 
 Greece for a time and studied theology xti Union Seminary, 
 New York. After graduating, he returned and entered with 
 unflinching courage and devotion upon his work. He is a 
 patriot as well as a Christian, and by example and personal 
 sacrifice has done much for the interests of his countrv. 
 Though abundant in labours, he has translated into modern 
 Greek, " Hodge on the Atonement," which will be used by the 
 Greek students in theology. He publishes a weekly paper, 
 " 6 aa-rrjp t>/s aj/aroATys," the Star of the East. This is the oldest 
 paper in Athens, and is read by many Greek families who are 
 not Protestants, and thus is the means of disseminating know- 
 ledge among multitudes of the Greek people. It has now 
 been in existence a quarter of a century, and has a circulation 
 beyond Athens and Attica, so that its influence is far-reaching. 
 Besides, for fifteen years a child's paper has been published 
 under his care. The Greeks are haughty, and proud of their 
 ancient region and the achievements of their ancestors. They 
 are dead in the formalities of their national Church. They 
 are ignorant of the spirit and life of Christianity. But the 
 forces are now at work that will, ere long by the blessing of 
 God, bring lasting good to Greece. 
 
Chapter V. 
 
 ALEXANDRIA TO CAIRO. 
 
 "The Egyptians, as their climate is unlike other climates, and their 
 river unlike other rivers, so in manners and laws are they in almost all 
 respects opposed to the rest of the world." — Ilerodutus, bk. ii. , s. 1. 
 
 LEFT the Piraiiis at daylight on Monday, January 
 the 10th. The wind was blowing a heavy gale, 
 and the waves were dashing wildly into the har- 
 bour. I had spent Sunday in the church at the 
 Pirreus and made the acquaintance of a few 
 citizens and amongst others Mausky, the sexton, who had been 
 a priest in the Greek Church, but had been removed from 
 office because his son had become a member of the Presbyterian 
 Church. Mausky was groping for the truth and gradually 
 finding it. I spent the evening with the old man in the church, 
 waiting for the departure of the ship for Alexandria. As she 
 was late in arriving at the Piraeus, it was eaily on tjj^e following 
 morning before she steamed out of the harbour. The weather 
 was cold, and intensified by a sharp wind. The room in which 
 I spent the evening w^as small. In one corner was a very 
 diminutive stove, with an almost invisible stove-pipe which 
 conducted the smoke through a broken window-pane. We 
 huddled close to this small heater, and spreading my hands 
 on it, I was grateful for the little warmth it supplied. Our 
 conversation which was chiefly on religioui? subjects, was con- 
 ducted partly in ancient, and partly in modern, Greek, eked 
 
78 ALEXANDRIA TO CAIRO. 
 
 out by various signs. In his opinion, the Church of Christ 
 is not a vast monopoly which makes its existence and power 
 felt by organization and outward show., but is the great king- 
 dom of all who love the Lord Jesus in spirit and truth. As 
 T stepped into the little boat to row out to the steamer, I felt 
 regret at parting from the old man, and for some time after 
 leaving the shore, I could see in the darkness the faint outline 
 of Mausky, with his long hair and black gown fluttering in 
 the wind, and I could hear, above the splashing of the waves, 
 the old man's prayer that God might keep me safely on the 
 sea. At daylight the steamer sailed out of the harbour, and 
 in the distance the dim outline of the Acropolis faded from 
 view ; then the Piraeus and Salamis ; and two days afterwards 
 the low coast line of Egypt came into sight. In the harbour, 
 were ships flying the flags of all nations. Beyond, lay Alex- 
 andria, the most consy)icuous objects of Avhich were the graceful 
 minarets of the mosques rising above the general level of the 
 city. We sailed slowly into the Eunostus harbour, which is 
 protected by an extensive breakwater formed of massive blocks 
 of stone and extending parallel with the shore. On the west- 
 ern end of this breakwater is a liofhthouse, in which the racieed 
 keeper stood, waving a tattered handkerchief as the ship 
 steered carefully through the dangerous shoals. On the 
 docks wp^a. truly Oriental scenes. Egyptians, with spotless 
 turbans, clothed with brilliant gowns, and their feet encased in 
 yellow slippers, were riding smart donkeys ; some also were 
 praying, while others were watching a chance to plunder the 
 green infidels. To the left, was the Heptastadium, which con- 
 nects the island with the mainland, now occupied by public 
 buildings, and beyond it is the eastern harbour. At the (^astern 
 end of the island of Pharos is the rock on which the famous 
 lighthouse stood built by Ptolemy II. at a cost of at least 
 S82 5,000. The arsenal and Fort Caffarelli are quite near on 
 
FIGHTING ALEXANDRIANS. 79 
 
 the left, and beyond, to the north-east, is the Place de Moham- 
 med AH, from which streets diverge towards the sitr ' the 
 ancient Stadium, the Serapeiim, Pompey's Pillar, and out to Fort 
 Mex. The forts have been dismantled, and many of the 
 European shops destroyed during the bombardment of July, 
 1882, by the British fleet. 
 
 Before anchor was cast, small boats were swarming around 
 us, with swarthy porters ready to take travellers and their 
 baggage, by force if necessary. The scene of confusion and 
 noisy warfare that arose was novel and exciting. One soon 
 becomes familiar with such sights in the East, and regard 
 them with pleasure rather than otherwise. The Egyptians 
 strive to-day as fiercely as in the times of Moses. As I was 
 descending the ladder into the small boat, two Egyptians were 
 struggling for the possession of a leather trunk. One strong 
 fellow had it on his back, but the other was determined to 
 have it. The former had moral right on his side, for he had 
 been hired., but in the battle his antagonist had an immense 
 advantage over him, for he had feet and hands free for action, 
 whereas he with the trunk could only gore with his head, like 
 a ram or a wild ox. The crush in the rear became irresistible, 
 and the fighters were driven headlong, box and all, down 
 the ships ladder, among valises, hat-boxes and bundles of 
 every size and shape imaginable. A sleepy-looking customs 
 official on shore demanded our passport and scanned it 
 carefully, every moment casting a glance at the person as 
 if afraid he were an enemy who had come to spy out the 
 poverty or wickedness of the land. After a slow and 
 solemn examination of my baggage, I passed into the 
 streets and life of Alexandria. The country is one that has 
 always been fascinating to foreigners. Its ancient civilization, 
 its stupendous monuments, its people, and its one strange river, 
 have been forces that have drawn Greek sages to its schools. 
 
80 ALEXANDllIA TO CAIRO. 
 
 and men of learning of every nation to examine its strange 
 language or temples and tombs. In Egy[)t, the early march of 
 civilization began. Herodotus and Plato were long at Egypt's 
 ancient seat of learning. Egyptian deities were transplanted 
 under diii'erent names into the pantheon of Grecian mythology, 
 and the belief of the future existence of the soul was engrafted 
 into the earlier philosophy and religious creed of the Greeks. 
 Its civilization goes b> k beyond the era of authentic history, 
 for when it appears on the pages of sacred history the people 
 were not isolated into fighting tribes, but cultivated the soil, 
 had a national unity and a regular government. In the Old 
 Testament it is called Mizraim, and the Land of Ham.* The 
 former is a dual form, and may simply signify the two coun- 
 tries — Upper and Lower Egypt. The Hebrew nam'e Ham may 
 have been given to the country on account of an early immi- 
 gration of Hamites into it. Or it may be simply the Hebrew 
 form of the hieroglyphic name of Egypt, Kem, which signifies 
 " blackness." The Hebrew word Ham and the hieroglyphic 
 Kem point to common Semitic origin ; or the hieroglyphic 
 may, on a very probable hypothesis, be a modification of the 
 Hebrew form ; and the numerous and clear relationships 
 between the Hebrew and hieroglyphic languages evidently 
 point to the oneness of the race in their origin. We have only 
 to compare the forms of the personal pronouns and the general 
 principles of the hieroglyphic language to see its close affinity 
 with Hebrew and other Semitic tongues. The termination of 
 feminine nouns and the existence of a dual form, the repetition 
 of nouns to form the superlative, as Neb, Nebu, Lord of lords, 
 are clear and definite principles that enter into the framework 
 of both languages. The true theory is not that in the early 
 history of Egypt the in^^asion of a dominant Semitic race took 
 
 * Ps. cv. 23. 
 
ANCIENT EGYPTIANS. 81 
 
 place, and imposed on the conquered Egyptians their language, 
 or the main features of it. The original inhabitants had made 
 considerable progress in civilization before any important inva- 
 sion took place, and knowing the national pride of the ancient 
 Egyptians, and their hatred for all foreigners, one can scarcely 
 believe they would adopt oi' retain the language of a foreign 
 race. In Genesis x. the sons of Mizraim, the grandson of 
 Noah, are the Ludim, Anamim,Lehabim, Naphtuhim,rathrusim, 
 Casluhim, Philistim, and Caphtorim. The Ludim were the 
 Lybians, to the west ; '• The Anamim were the Ami of the 
 monuments, who were dispersed over the Nile valley and gave 
 name to On, Heliopolis; t)ie Naphtuhim were the domain of the 
 Phtah, or people of Memphis ; the Pathrusim were the peo-' 
 pie of the south, or the inhabitants of the Thebaid,"* The 
 tribes descended from these ancestors were all fused into one 
 people, speaking the same language, having the same customs 
 and form of government in the north and south country, when 
 they iirst emerged into the light of history. 
 
 The Kharu and Shasu were two races that invaded Egypt at 
 an early date ; the former a maritime people, the latter a nom- 
 adic race, like the modern Bedouins. The Shasu are usually 
 identified with the shepherd kings, to whom Manetho is sup- 
 posed to refer, when he says : " God was averse to us, and there 
 came, after a surprising manner, men of ignoble birth out of 
 the eastern parts and had boldness enough to make an expe- 
 dition into our country, and with ease subdued it by force. 
 This whole nation was styled Hyksos,that is shepherd kings ; for 
 the first syllable Hyc, according to the sacred dialect denotes 
 a king, as is Sos, a shepherd." -f* The nomads of the desert th3n 
 as well as now, by force of circumstances would be shepherds, 
 moving with their ,<heep and goats from one wady to another 
 
 * Rawl. His. Anc. Egj'pt, Vol. I. p. 105. + J05. v. A ppioii I. 24. 
 
82 ALEXANDRIA TO CAIRO. 
 
 according to the season, as the modern Arabs do. And wliat 
 is more likely than that those bold, fearless men crowding in 
 upon the eastern part of the delta, and becoming acquainted 
 with its fertility, should at the first opportunity awake and 
 take possession of it ? And the shepherd Philtion, of whom 
 Herodotus speaks and to whom the Egyptians of his time 
 ascribed the building of the pyramid of Ghizeh, may be the dim, 
 traditional recollection of the early invasion by the sons of 
 Mizraim or of the later invasion by the desert races, under the 
 general name Shasu. From Manetho's numbers as given in 
 Africanus the Hyksos dominated Egypt for 284 years, when 
 the abudance and luxury of Egypt destroyed the invaders, and 
 their courage and physical prowess were slain in the lap of 
 indolence and vice. A belli causa soon arose between Apepi, 
 the last of the Hyksos line, and the king of southern Egypt. 
 Apepi demanded he should worship only Amenka. This was 
 a command only the vilest slave would obey. Ra Sekenen, 
 the victorious, summoned his mighty chiefs and captains for 
 advice. The southern captains of the army defeated the 
 Hyksos, drove them from Avaris, their stroUj^'hold, into the 
 desert towards Palestine. The best modern Egyptologists 
 regard it as probable that Apepi made Joseph piime minister, 
 and gave Jacob and his sons the land of Goshen to dwell in. 
 His Semitic oriijin mav, therefore, account for his kindness to 
 Joseph and his father. His adoption of their national religion 
 and customs, and leniency to the all-powerful priesthood, and 
 accommodation to their prejudices about shepherds, betray a 
 foreign ruler anxious to secure the good will of the people. 
 The king who drove out the Hyksos was named Aahmes, 
 " the child of the moon," and was the founder of the eighteenth 
 dynasty. From this period began to reign the native king, 
 who knew not Joseph; and then the Israelites who had rapidly 
 multiplied in Goshen, became slaves of the Egyptian kings as 
 
ST. MARK IN ALEXANDRIA. 83 
 
 recorded in Exodus until their final deliverance in the reign of 
 Menephthah of the nineteenth dynasty. The country has 
 been the theatre of war and fanatical cruelties from the days 
 of the Roman Conquest until now. Since 1517, A.D., when it 
 wa's taken by Sultan Selim, and became part of the Turkish 
 Empire, Egypt has been crushed to the dust. Let us hope that 
 the day of freedom has come at last for that land, and that the 
 predominance of British influence may rescue the patient toil- 
 ing Fellahin from the bitter cruelties and extortions of the 
 licentious and hitherto despotic Pashas. 
 
 The Hebrew Scriptures were translated into Greek in Alex- 
 andria, 280 B.C. Thus the way was prepared for the introduc- 
 tion of Christianity at a later date. After the fall of Jerusalem 
 in 70 A.J)., the apostles and disciples were scattered throughout 
 the world, and St. Mark is said to have preached in Alexandria, 
 and until the time of the crusaders the site and part of St. 
 Mark's Church were shown. Christianity had to coiitend 
 against Grecian and Egyptian paganism, and was also hindered 
 in its progress by the bitter and long hostilities of the leaders 
 of theology in Alexandria. Arius and Athanasius stood fiercely 
 opposed to each other in regard to the person and nature of 
 Christ. Though Arius was condemned and deposed by the 
 Synod of Alexandria, the question was not finally settled until 
 the Council of Chalcedon, 451 A.D. Meanwhile the talent and 
 life of the Church were wasted in attempts to define and settle 
 the belief of the Church. The Gospel was not preached to the 
 heathen, and the converts thought that an orthodox belief in 
 abstract questions, and not faith in Christ as the Saviour, and a 
 holy life, were the chief facts of Christianity. And in the 
 spiritual death of the modern Coptic Church in Egypt, one can 
 see the blighting effects, after fifteen hundred years, of those 
 early times, when orthodoxy, about something which few under- 
 stood, was regarded as the mark of a Christian and not a holi- 
 
84 alb:xanduia to caiko. 
 
 ncss of life. It is not, strange, tlicrefore, that paganism held its 
 sway for centuries in Egypt. Until the close of the fourth cen- 
 tury, Serapis was the chief deity of Alexandria. "It was con- 
 fidently affirmed that if any impious hand should dare to violate 
 the majesty of the god, the heavens and earth would instautly 
 return to their original chaos. An intrepid soldieraimed a vigor- 
 ous stroke against the cheek of Serapis ; the thunder was still 
 silent, and both the heavens and the earth continued to preserve 
 their accustomed order and tranc^uillity ; the huge idol was over- 
 thrown and broken in pieces. His mangled carcase was burnt 
 in the amphitheatre amidst the shouts of the populace." On 
 the place de Mahommed Ali in Alexandria were situated the 
 chief European shops and the consular offices. This part of 
 the city suffered severely during the bombardment by the 
 British ships of war, and many of its finest buildings were 
 ruined. The bazaars are narrow and paved with round stones, 
 and the shops are boxes from six to ten feet square. The 
 owner sits on the mastaba or elevated bench, in front of his 
 shop, in a lifeless way, and when not doing business enjoys 
 his nargileh or reads the Koran. The Mahommedan is not 
 possessed with a burning desire to sell his goods ; there are, 
 therefore, no flaming advertisements in newspapers, in shop 
 windows, or in street circulars. There is but one opening 
 to the shop, which a wooden door in one or two pieces closes ; 
 there is no window and no attempt to display goods ; and, as 
 the shop-keeper is an invincible fatalist, if Allah wills to send 
 him customers, well, and if not he submits to the inevitable 
 without a murmur. 
 
 During my first visit to the bazaars it rained furiously, and 
 as draining and street-cleaning are, in the Oriental mind, works 
 of supererogation, it is plain prose when I say the streets were 
 covered with vegetable and animal refuse. Dogs were prowl- 
 ing about, a degraded, pariah race, without owners, who make 
 
CROWDED INTO A MAHOMMEDAN SHOP. 85 
 
 the l);izaars their hea'lqiiarters, and partly do the duty of a 
 scavenger, his liorse and cart altogether. I'hey are very useful, 
 but very ugly. Monster camels passed here and there through 
 the narrow streets, and as their feet pressed on the soft mass of 
 ruhbish the til thy water s(iuii'ted on myself and companions as 
 if the branchman of a fire company had turned the nozzle of 
 the hose on us and drenched us. Donkeys, strong, active little 
 fellows, who are the Oriental street car and railway car, the car- 
 riage, wheelbarrow and velocipede, all combined, were trotting in 
 all directions at their quick pace, some with baskets of cabba<:e 
 or oranges slung on each side, or witli.a sheep's carcase on their 
 back for some hotel or European butcher. Strange scenes 
 are cjnacted and strange sights seen in the narrow lanes thronged 
 with their motley crowd out of every nation. On the right and 
 left are objects of curiosity ; in front and rear is usually a dense 
 mass of human beings, intermingled with dogs, donkeys and 
 camels. Threading my way, trying to escape dangers and see 
 this living panorama, a European carriage drove through the 
 fruit bazaar. It contained some Turkish ofHcials, or some 
 foolish Europeans who at home are nobody, but wished to im- 
 press the natives with their assumed importance. Down it 
 came, a hurried stampede was made to the right and left. For 
 safety I pressed into a Mahommedan shop, my guide pressed 
 on me, the crowd of Mahommedans on him, and on the outside 
 of all a donkey pressed on the whole of us. The carriage 
 passed, but skinned the leg of my donkey and the wheel passed 
 over the foot of an Egyptian, who dropped a bundle he was 
 carrying as if it were a ball of fire, squatted on the street under 
 the torrents of rain, lifted his foot with both hands, put the 
 toes of the wounded foot into his mouth and followed the car- 
 riage with a scowl on his face and the bitterest Mahommedan 
 curse on his lips. The goldsmiths' bazaar is very narrow, and 
 their shops smallest among the small. They have very little 
 
8G ALEXANDRIA TO CAIRO. 
 
 exposed for sale ; their finished jewellery fchey keep in a bag 
 and that is locked in a wooden box. The style of the work is 
 beautiful, especially thai of the Cairo artists, many of whose 
 designs are antique, copied from the figures on the tombs and 
 temples of thirty centuries ago. 
 
 The silk bazaar is some feet below the level of the streets, 
 for which it served as a drain. Three or four inches of water 
 were on the floor when I made my first visit, and a stream was 
 rushing down the steps. The rain had washed out the little 
 business-life of the Mahommedan silk merchants and their 
 prospects of business for the day. The shops were closed, and 
 the merchants were enjoying a smoke on the Mastaba, which 
 extended from one end of the bazaar to the other ; and to 
 induce a Mahommedan to open his shop after it is shut is 
 about impossible. In his opinion it is the will of Allah that 
 no business should be done, and scarcely mercy or gold will 
 influence him, for, like the laws of the Medes and Persians, 
 he is unchangeable. Among all classes of Orientals it is a work 
 of patience and great labour to induce a shop-keeper to open 
 for life or death when once he has shut and barred his door, 
 and w^e have only to read the parable in St. Luke* to learn 
 that it has been so in the Orient for centuries. 
 
 The antiquities of Alexandria are few. The city has been 
 spoiled of its ancient monuments by the ravages of war and 
 fanaticism, so that even the sites of some of its most famous 
 public buildings cannot be certainly determined, and her 
 fallen granite obelisks, the monuments of old Heliopolis, are 
 placed in the business centres of the metropolis of Britain and 
 the United States. To the south-w^est of the city, near the 
 site ot an ancient Roman circus, stands the so-called Pompey's 
 Pillar on elevai jd ground. As it was customary to have 
 
 * Luke xi. 5-7. 
 
* A RIDE TO CAIRO. 87 
 
 colonnades near places of public amusement, may not this 
 have been one of a colonnade near the stadium ? May not 
 the inscription have been put on it as it stood to commem- 
 orate the subjection of the city by the Roman Emperor? It 
 is a circular column, a single monument, to tell, in its loneliness 
 and ruin, of the ancient glory of the city. It is ninety-nine 
 feet high, including shaft, base and capital. The capital is 
 weather-beaten, and the base has been mutilated by supersti- 
 tious hunters for treasure. The inscription records its erection 
 to the honour of Dioclesian after the capture of Alexandria, 
 200 A.D. The vacant area in which it now stands is strewn 
 with massive granite blocks, pieces of Egyptian gods or kings, 
 whose statues were in the courts and halls of the Serapeum, 
 which stood north of this spot. Some were blocks of sitting, 
 others of standing, figures ; some headless, others armless, lying 
 in mud and rubbish, the accumulation of centuries. One block, 
 which may have received the worship of thousands, is now 
 lying at the door of a low drinking-house near the Pillar. To 
 such degraded conditions have heathen gods and the ambitious 
 works of despotic kings come. 
 
 A RIDE TO CAIRO. 
 
 The distance by rail is about one hundred and thirty 
 miles. The engineers, firemen, and conductors on the trains 
 are usually Europeans, the brakesmen are Egyptians. At 
 first the natives looked askance at the innovation of locomo- 
 tives, and many amusing stories are told of their terror. 
 Now, however, they take kindly to this comfortable and 
 quick way of travel ; but if we point to the railway as an 
 evidence of the superior wisdom and enterprise of the Infidels, 
 a Mahommedan will admit it is good, but will say, this is the 
 wisdom the devil gives, whereas their knowledge is from 
 
88 ALEXANDRIA TO CAIRO. • 
 
 Allah. Along the line of railway village after village is 
 passed, and the deepest poverty prevails among the people. 
 The houses are built without order ; there are no rerular 
 streets, and even in Cairo no names to the streets, with few 
 exceptions. Each man seems to have placed his house wnero 
 his fancy led him, regardless of order. In going through a 
 Fellahin village, a traveller is continually turning sharp cor- 
 ners, climbing over heaps of rubbish that lie before every 
 house, and must continually guard himself from the attack of 
 starved, vicious curs. The square mud huts are roofed over 
 with reeds and palm branches, and the roof is usually'' occupied 
 by broken water-jars, old household utensils, together with a 
 dog and some domestic fowl. Some of the better class of 
 houses have an elevation about four or five feet square and 
 the same in height. A stranger at first might think the 
 owner intended to erect a diminutive steeple on his house, 
 but his ambition failing, or his funds, he contented himself, 
 like some church committees, with a small tower, and covered it 
 over. These are pigeon-cots, and when the Egyptian has 
 finished his house and tower, he never thinks of them ajrain 
 until they begin to tumble down about his head. Like other 
 Mahommedans, they will erect a new structure occasionally, 
 but they will endure with pleasure, heat or cold, or storm or 
 sickness, rather than even repair their house. Many of the 
 villages were situated on low ground, and pools of water or 
 heaps of rubbish blocked the entrance to the doors, while their 
 graveyards were on high ground. Like their ancestors, they 
 spend more money and labour on their graves than on their 
 houses; and the whitish limestone of the tombs outside the 
 villages give a neat appearance to the place of the dead, whicli 
 is not seen in the houses of the living. They seem to bury 
 their dead in healthy places and build their villages in low 
 situations that breed fever and pestilence. On the roofs or 
 
SCENE AT TANTAH. 89 
 
 along the sunny side of the house the men were basking in 
 the sun like crocodiles, while the women were trud;zin2f with 
 water-jars on their head for household purposes, or were busy 
 in the most degraded manual work. 
 
 Tantah is a populous town about half way between Alexan- 
 dria and Cairo. It has been famous for its Mahommedan 
 festivities held there just prior to the time of the annual 
 cutting of the canals. From all parts of the Delta the people 
 came, but in recent times the enthusiasm is dying, and fewer 
 Egyptians make the annual pilgrimage. At Tantah some of 
 the most cold-blooded murders were committed during the 
 British invasion of 1882. Europeans were placed by the 
 fanatical citizens on the railway track, and the engine driven 
 backward and forward over their mangled corpses. Others 
 were disembowelled and treated with the most horrid cruelties 
 until death rescued them from their barbarous murderers. 
 The platform was crowded with Fellahin, some coming on 
 board, others curiously watching the European passengers. 
 Boys with the scantiest of garments, and girls 'jlorned with 
 conspicuous ornaments round their heads, on their wrists and 
 ankles, and in their nose, were selling bread, oranges and 
 water. The bread of Egypt cannot be called the staff, but 
 the ring, of life. It is usually made in rings, five or six 
 inches in diameter, into which the boys thrust their arms and 
 so sell their arms of bread. Arabic, Italian, German, French, 
 English, were spoken on that small platform ; and turbans, 
 and gowns with flashy colours were intermingled with Balmoral 
 bonnets, felt hats and tweeds from Canada, and the United 
 States. In a few moments the train started, and Tantah with 
 its tall minarets was soon out of sight. 
 
 At Yalioub, the station before reaching Cairo, I saw the 
 famous Pyramid of Ghizeh, far away to the right. Masses of 
 white clouds were piled up like mountains of purest snow. 
 7 
 
90 ALEXANDRIA TO CAIRO. 
 
 The blue sky appeared through clefts in the clouds, and the 
 lofty pyramid -top seemed to roach up to the very heaven. In 
 a few moments after leaving Yalioub, Cairo is reached. A 
 thronfj that mischt have resembled the builders of Babel 
 after their language had been confounded stood outside, ready 
 to lay violent hands on the small baggage of travellers. On 
 emerging from the station a fierce onset was made, and a 
 dozen black hands took hold of my valise. Their services 
 were not required, but to expostulate was only to expose 
 myself to a fiercer attack, and to threaten was equally vain. 
 Defence of self and property is an axiom for clergymen as 
 well as others, so I put one Egyptian in a moment liors de 
 combat. As the gap however was (quickly filled by another, 
 blows had to be rapid as well as effective, after the manner of 
 the Gatling gun. When I had made an opening sufficiently 
 large I escaped, feeling as proud of my victory over the fallen 
 Mahommedan foes as the British at Tel-el-Kebir. On looking 
 back I saw a few unfortunates who were blockaded by a circle 
 of the enemy, and rescued only by the friendly aid of the 
 Khedive's policemen, who made heavy and effective applica- 
 tions of a cudgel to their backs. 
 
 The names over the shops were in Arabic, Armenian, 
 Italian, Greek, German, French and English. One would at 
 first imafjine that all the nations on the earth were doinof 
 
 CD O 
 
 business in Cairo, yet in its customs, streets and language it is 
 a typical Oriental city. The Hotel Du Nil, in which I lodged, 
 stood a short distance oft' the Moskee A narrow street leads 
 to it, the houses on each side of which almost meet at the 
 upper stories. Over the shop doors were stuffed crocodiles 
 and other strange creatures either for signs or for sale. There 
 was no order in the structure of the ancient cities of Egypt, 
 and there is none in the modern cities. Streets wind in every 
 way like cork-screws, and the houses are built in any spot 
 
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92 ALEXANDRIA TO CAIRO. ' 
 
 most convenient, without the least regard to appearance or 
 regularity. The buildings of Hotel Du Nil form a quad- 
 rangle ; in the centre are Oriental trees and shrubs, which give 
 a picturesque appearance to the place. The proprietor was a 
 German, who was a living and moving polyglot, for as he 
 walked about among his guests he could converse with equal 
 fluency and urbanity in half a dozen tongues. Among those 
 wdiose acquaintance I made was a talkative Scotchman, who 
 sat next me at table. He was a civil engineer, and had come 
 out on business in connection with the Suez Canal. Among 
 the plans which he thought would throw such a flood of 
 liofht on the historic truth of the Bible as would silence a 
 multitude of babbling opponents whose tongues are mightier 
 than their brains, was that the Gulf of Suez should be dredged. 
 I asked how the money could be obtained. " Let scholars, for 
 the sake of truth and the Christian Churches of Europe and 
 America, provide the means," he replied. But suppose the 
 Israelites crossed south of Suez, would not thirty-four or five 
 hundred years have destroyed the metal wheels in the sea ? 
 He seemed to think that the deposit brought in by the tide 
 would have covered them and perhaps spared them. He was 
 determined however to stir the Church in Scotland on that 
 subject. The waiters were Egyptians, who often gave the 
 Arabic name for the food which they supplied. One kind of 
 food, the name of which sounded somewhat like gimlets, 
 Sandy did not wish. A few moments afterwards he changed 
 his mind. ".Ho there, waiter," shouted Sandy to the Egyptian 
 servant, who was leaning against the wall at the opposite 
 side of the room, " bring me some gimlets." The waiter 
 hurried to him and leaned slightly forward to hear him. 
 "Gimlets, let me have some of your gimlets." "Gibliks, 
 gibliks," repeated the Egyptian to himself. Then turning to 
 my neighbour said, " Ma feesh gibliks " — there are no gibliks. 
 
AN EGYPTIAN WAITER. 93 
 
 " Let me have some gimlets," reiterated Sandy impatiently. 
 The Egyptian, with a puzzled look, hastened to the proprietor, 
 and consulted about the " gibliks." In a minute he returned 
 sjniling with a savoury dish of vegetables and meat, which the 
 Scotchman declared to be superior, in his opinion, to porridge, 
 brose, or haggis. 
 
Chapter VI. 
 
 THK PYRAMID OF GIIIZEH. 
 
 "The pyramid, which occupied twenty years in building, is quadran- 
 gular. The stones are polished, and fitted in the most exact manner, and 
 none of them is less than thirty feet in length." — Herod., bk. ii., s. 5. 
 
 HIZEH and its companion pyramids are on the edge 
 of the Libyan desert, and due west of old Cairo. 
 The journey may be made in three methods — in a 
 European carriage, on a donkey, or on foot. The 
 first is convenient when a party or family is 
 going, but is expensive, for the owner must be 
 paid, and the driver expects a handsome buk- 
 shish ; and besides, you are expected to pay for display in the 
 shape of a runner, who is dressed in a short white skirt, over 
 which is a jacket embroidered with gold and silver thread. He 
 wears a turban of spotless whiteness, ana carries a rod in his 
 hand, which he applies with equal fervour to the back of a 
 donkey or the head of an Egyptian, who may be in the way. 
 Walking is a pleasurable exercise when the roads are good 
 and the weather cool and bracing. In Egypt it requires some 
 degree of courage, however, to travel on foot to the pyramids, 
 for beggars will swarm round like ants out of the earth, or 
 like frogs after a thunderstorm, and will pursue the enemy 
 until he is worried and yields to his tormentor. Besides, the 
 fact of walkino; settles the social status of the traveller in the 
 Egyptian brain ; they set him down as among the FelLihin of 
 
A RIDE TO THE PYRAMIDS. 95 
 
 his own country, and their begging, therefore, assumes the 
 form of insolence. Dress, and the mode of visiting the pyra- 
 mids, determine one's standing in the social catalogue of the 
 Arabs at Ghizeh, and of the Egyptian common people. The 
 journey is usually made on the back of a donkey. This 
 method is a novelty to most, is reasonable as to cost, and is 
 most convenient. To make a pleasant and successful journey, 
 careful attention to certain preliminaries is needed. There are 
 small and smaller donkeys, and, as Mark Twain has remarked, 
 one has only to open his legs and let the motive power back 
 into position, and when seated, the rule is, hold the bridle 
 loosely, and stretch the feet forward and outward in the 
 stirrups. If the traveller has a conscience and weighs over 
 two hundred pounds, he will ahnost certainly choose the largest 
 donkey he can find, and a small boy to drive. Experience 
 taught me that small donkeys were by far the best travel- 
 lers, as a rule. The larger ones are usually hard riders, and 
 lazy beyond measure, the result of which is, one goes at a 
 snail's pace. Here and there spurts are made by the applica- 
 tion of the donkey boy's rod, in the rear. This spurt begins 
 IjV a sudden jerk, which strains the rider's neck, compels him 
 to bite his tongue, and then, as a final exercise, makes him 
 perform a revolution backward in the dust. The larger 
 donkey is not a smooth rider usually, his back rises and falls 
 rapidl} , and the rider is taking a downward motion when the 
 donkey is taking an upward one. In agony he will dismount, 
 motion to the boy driver to mount, which he does in a moment 
 from behind. He jumps on his back after the manner of boys 
 playing leap-frog, only instead of leaping beyond the animal's 
 head he alights on the saddle, smiles, and grunts a stave of an 
 Arabic song, while the vanquished European trudges on foot. 
 It requires experience, therefore, to make a good selection. 
 Let those with gay bridle and saddle be shunned, for, like 
 
OG THE PYRAMID OF GIIIZEII. 
 
 some men who are gaily decorated by the tailor' art and 
 ornauicnts of gold, their harness is the best of them. If tht- 
 one chosen has a cunning eye, he will plot mischief, and when 
 the rider is turning a corner at full speed, and is confident he 
 will clear the stone wall, the brute will make a sudden turn to 
 the right or left, and, calculating distance to a nicety, will 
 bring the rider's leg violently against the wall, to the serious 
 damage of his nether garments and his own composure. If by 
 chance the donkey fails in this, he will drive him against a 
 tree, or an Egyptian, or, as a dernier resort to gratify his 
 innate wickedness, against another donkey. My selection 
 was made the night previous to my visit, and in company 
 with two Germans, I left Cairo at two o'clock a,.m. Dark- 
 ness, that might be felt, was over the land. We rode down 
 the Moskee to the Esbekiyeh gardens, then turning to the left, 
 drove in silence as if in a city of the dead. At long intervals 
 a watchman was walking sleepily along his beat ; not a voice 
 broke the stillness, for the time arid the strangeness of the 
 scene forced us to think, not speak. The guards at each end 
 of the Nile bridge scanned us carefully, then allowed us 
 to pass. Our route lay parallel with the Nile for a short 
 distance, then extended westward to the Pyramids. The road 
 is lined with Acacia trees, whose branches almost meet over- 
 head, and form a grateful shade from the prostrating heat. 
 For us, they intensified the darkness of the early morning. 
 As we intended to devote the day pyramidizing, we had 
 brought a basket of provisions, which was fastened to the 
 saddle of the largest donkey, on which also sat one of my 
 German companions, of vast dimensions. Occasionally we 
 broke into a trot, as our desire was to see the sun rise from 
 the top of the pyramid. During one of these special efforts, 
 the saddle girth slipped, the German slipped, the basket fell, 
 the donkey also, and all rolled together in Egyptian dust and 
 
ON THE WAY TO THE PVRAMID. 97 
 
 darkness. Coffee bottles were broken, oranges, meat and 
 bread were soaked with their contents. My German friend 
 liad one pocket full of pottery pipes, purchased the day before 
 ill the bazaar, and as he had fallen upon them, they were 
 broken into fragments, and as he held up a handful to me, he 
 said, " Egyptian ruins." Matters were righted as well and 
 speedily as possible. In the distance some strange object 
 came in view on the road before us. It seemed as if the side 
 of a house on legs was approaching ; in a few moments the 
 moving mass came near, when we discovered it to be a 
 monster camel, laden with green clover for the Cairo markets. 
 Behind the leader was another and another, the tail of the one 
 fastened to the bridle of the other, and so a long line continued 
 to pass. We had l)uoyed ourselves up with hopes, that were 
 ruthlessly shattered, that our early start would si«ve us from 
 the demands for bukshish from the youths of Ghizeh. They 
 seem gifted with an extra sense, the power of smelling 
 infidels, for two miles before we reached the pyramid, that 
 awful word, that strikes terror into the hearts of timid 
 travellers, was heard, but whether spoken by a boy or girl I 
 could not say. I asked the name of the beggar, the voice 
 answered out of the darkness, " Ismail." In a few moments, 
 however, Ismail was only one of a score, running in the 
 van and rear^ on our right and left, and thus we were 
 escorted on our first visit to the Pyramid of Ghizeh. 
 The Sheikh of Ghizeh had been informed of our coming, 
 and was waiting to meet us. I had been authorized to use the 
 name of Dr. Watson, of the Presbyterian Mission. I told him 
 I was Dr. Watson's friend ; he replied, I am glad, for Dr. Watson 
 is the Arab's friend also. Before ascending let us try to com- 
 prehend the magnitude of that mountain of stone. Its height 
 is estimated at from 480 to 485 feet. The length of its side, 
 including the original casing, was 70 4 feet, its area covers 
 
98 J'HE PYRAMID OF GHIZEH. 
 
 thirteen acres, one rood and twenty-two poles. It contains 
 89,C00,000 cubic feet, and its weight is computed to be 6,848,- 
 
 000 tons. The basement stones are many of them thirty feet 
 long and nearly five feet high.* In order to appreciate its 
 greatness we must withdraw ourselves to some distance, then 
 slowly approach it, and the closer we come to it, the more its 
 stupendous size stands out in contrast with ourselves, on a 
 horse, or one of the clay huts of Ghizeh. Let us climb up a 
 few tiers, walk along the whole face of the Pyramid, and slowly 
 we grasp the magnitude, then we will realize that for massive- 
 ness this is the king of human structures reared by human 
 hands. Two Arabs were allotted to one of my companions, 
 the other declining to ascend, and two to myself. The first 
 tier reached almost to my chin, the Arab guides leeched them- 
 selves, one to each of my wrists, shouted, gave a sudden lift, 
 
 1 made a bound from the earth and stood on the first pier of 
 the famous Pyramid. I put forth considerable effort, and the 
 perspiration began to flow ; in proportion as I increased my 
 effort the Arabs relaxed theirs. For the remainder of the 
 journey they had to work harder and the ascent was easier for 
 me. 
 
 At the north-east corner, about three-fourths of the distance 
 from the base, the stones are broken and we found a safe 
 resting place. There we halted, and in the light preceding 
 sunrise could see the Arabs gathering at the base like bronzed 
 Liliputians. The guides began to pour out their guttural 
 Arabic, the burden of which was " you big man, you give big 
 bukshish." To divert their thoughts into a different channel, 
 I started for the top, and after a quick, final effort reached the 
 summifr; The Arabs gave a shout and clapped their hands in 
 high glee ; for a few moments I rested, and then looked afar 
 over the land of Egypt from that colossal pillar. 
 
 * Kawlinson's Anc. E., Vol. I., p. 204. 
 
VIEW FROM THE PYRAMID. OD 
 
 To the east, beyond the Nile, the sun was rising, as if out 
 of Arabia; his golden edge was just appearing above the horizon ; 
 in a few moments the minarets of the mosque of Mahommed 
 Ali in the citadel, and the whole city of graceful spires and 
 huge domes were bathed in the golden light of the morning. 
 Masses of what seemed dense blackness stretching along the 
 Nile valley were changed into fields of the deepest green, and 
 the common sand of the desert, as if by magic, glittered like 
 gems fit for a prince's crown. Westward stretclied the desert, 
 ifeless and uninhabited. North-east of Cairo is Tel-el - 
 Yahoudiyeh, where stood a Jewish temple in the times of the 
 Ptolemies, and beyond is Tel-Bubastis, the site of Pi-Beseth of 
 the Bible, and beyond is Tel-el-Kebir, which was entrenched 
 and fortified by 30,000 Egyptians and taken by the British 
 after a hard night's march. And as the kilted Highlanders and 
 Lancers mowed down the foe like grass before the reaper, the 
 world saw that there were as skilful generals to command 
 Britain's armies, and as bold Scotchmen, and loyal Irishmen 
 and fearless Englishmen to fight Britain's battles and win 
 victories, as any in the days of her proudest military achieve- 
 ments. To the south is the site of ancient Memphis, once 
 among the famous capitals of Egypt, now almost eflfaced from 
 the earth, whose very foundations are destroyed, and over 
 which clover and wheat fields are flourishing. Near this 
 Pyramid of Ghizeh are the two others of vast dimensions and 
 of great age. Between the first and second pyramid, only 
 nearer the Nile, crouches the Sphinx, the silent witness of 
 the centuries of war and slavery, of rising and falling dynasties 
 that governed this strange land. Smaller pyramids, temples 
 and tombs are clustering in ruins around the base of this 
 mighty structure. The whole scene was beautiful beyond 
 description. That land on which every traveller gazes from 
 the summit of the pyramid was the cradle of the race. In 
 
100 THE PYRAMID OF GHIZEH. 
 
 those old cities now almost wiped from the face of the earth 
 warrior kings tyrannized, and myriads spent their life in the 
 deffradino: chains of slavery. Kinofs have reared world-endurinw 
 monuments and tombs, but their name has perished and their 
 power gone. From no spot twenty-four feet square can one 
 see an area so full of the hoary ruins of a great people, who 
 strove to discover the facts and solve the mysteries of the 
 universe, and to reach to the knowledge of that great God 
 whom man acknowledges in some form to be the author of all 
 things, and whom the Christian knows to be the helper of the 
 race in all its terrible struggles and need. 
 
 The descent from the pyramid was easier than the ascent, 
 The guides preceded and leaped or scrambled from tier to tier, 
 I followed with some alarm at tirst, as I looked down the great 
 depth to the base. But one soon becomes fearless in going 
 down the face of the pyramid, and a sure step and a good eye 
 will ensure safety. A third Arab came behind, and unrolling 
 the white muslin of his turban began to tie it round my body, 
 while he would hold the ends behind, and so add to my safety, 
 I declined his aid with thanks ; buckshish was looming up be- 
 fore him and he was very desirous of employment. " If the 
 Howadjah is killed," he replied, " what will the Khedive do to 
 me ?" I asked what will he do ? " He will do this," and he drew 
 his finger 'across his neck, the modern hieroglyph for "he will 
 cut off my head." As I did not wish him to run such a risk, 
 I threatened him, and mixed it with persuasion and escaped 
 further trouble. If the Arabs were to be classified by their 
 eager curiosity they might be first cousins of the Scotch. My 
 guides kept up a steady battery of questions as to my country 
 and object in visiting the pyramid. The younger of the two 
 began in broken English, mixed with Arabic, " What country 
 you ? " I said what country the other howadjah ? " He Ger- 
 man," but " what country you ? you Swiss ? you Amelican ? 
 
ENTERING THE PYRAMID OF GHIZEII. 101 
 
 you Frank ? you Scotch ? " Meanwhile I had not replied, 
 but as we were nearing the l)ottom, I asked " quid dicis ? " 
 which he took to be the name of my country. " Quoi doishis, 
 (juoi doishis. No howadjah ever came to Ghizeh from Quoi 
 Joishis before. Where is quoi doishis ? Has quoi doishes a 
 sultan, a khedive, a pasha ? " As we reached the crowd at the 
 base, a number of the brown citizens of Ghizeh village gathered, 
 round, and above every other sound was heard, "quoi doishis," 
 as they discussed this new geographical problem and tried to 
 localize this strange country. 
 
 On reaching the entrance on the north side, about fifty feet 
 from the base, we rested a few minutes and refreshed ourselves 
 with coffee, from very diminutive cups. Soon our guides were 
 ready, and having stripped off our coats, and with wire, 
 candles, and matches in our hands, we begin to enter this awful 
 mass of solid stone. One guide enters first, the writer followed, 
 then the German, followed by his countryman, who had mean- 
 while plucked up courage, and a second guide brings up the 
 rear. At the entrance are arch stones to relieve the mass 
 above. The tunnel we entered is polished like glass, by the 
 lescent of vast multitudes in the past centuries. In height it 
 varies from three to four feet, and from two feet nine inches 
 to three feet six inches in breadth. This passage descends to 
 a chamber almost beneath the apex, underneath the limestone 
 foundation. We crawled through the gloom and dust for 
 about sixty-three feet, at which point another passage 
 begins to ascend at the same angle. A huge granite 
 stone blocks up the entrance, we make a detour, therefore, 
 to the right, and then climbing over a barrier, four feet 
 liigh, we returned to the tlirect line, and, after considerable 
 slipping and bruising of limbs, reached the entrance to the 
 |Grand Gallery, at a distance of one hundred and twenty-four 
 feet. On the right, at the entrance to the gallery is an 
 
102 THE PYRAMID OF GHIZEH. 
 
 opening that unites with the entrance passage. One of the 
 guides went down sixty feet, planting his feet into small 
 cavities in the sides, and uttered some Arabic for our special 
 delectation, the echo of which seemed to come from the bowels 
 of the earth. The Grand Gallery is one hundred and fifty feet 
 in length, five feet two inches wide at the bottom, and gradually 
 contracts to about four feet at the top. It is composed of seven 
 layers of stone, the upper one projecting a little beyond the 
 lower one. A short passage, through which we went on hands 
 and knees joins the gallery with the king's chamber, which 
 composed of beautifully polished granite, its roof consists of 
 nine enormous blocks of srranite nineteen feet lono:. At the west 
 side stands the lidless sarcophagus, seven feet four inches long, 
 three feet one inch high and three feet broad. When struck 
 it rings like bell metal, its sides are much defaced, and in a few- 
 years it will be entirely gone in travellers' pockets, unless the 
 Egyptian Government protects its antiquities. This, together 
 with the walls, have been highly polished, which alone is evidence 
 of the mechanical skill of those early builders. At the foot of 
 the Grand Gallery we proceeded along a horizontal passage, one 
 hundred and ten feet in length, and reached the so-called 
 Queen's Chamber, the roof of which is composed of sloping; 
 blocks of granite in the form of an arch. The heat became 
 intense, the darkness was like that of the night of Egypt's 
 doom. 
 
 In company with one of my companions, an intelligent man 
 I measured the chambers and passages, and examined them as 
 well as time would permit. Our guides were anxious to return 
 to daylight and fresh air, and threatened to leave us unless we 
 hastened, but a little firmness extinguished the incipient re- 
 bellion. The feet of the Arabs are callous by their steady 
 travel over the sand and stones of the desert. For weeks some 
 of my own hired men went through Arabia with the thinnest 
 
AN AIIAB DANCE IN THE TYRAMID. 103 
 
 sandals anrl often barefooted. Though the soles may be hard 
 I (hscovered the upper part is as sensitive as a Canadian's In 
 stepping down at one point I alighted accidentally upon my 
 poor guide's toes ; two hundred weight falling four feet upon 
 an Arab's toes made an impression. He danced a jig on one 
 foot, while he held the other in the air with both hands and 
 put his toes in his mouth, and went through a long pantomim- 
 in the passage. The scene was novel in the extreme ; the place 
 otthe dance was the pyramid, the chief actor, a wounded Arab 
 the dance was on one foot, amid flying clouds of fine dust that 
 nearly choked the spectators, a Scotchman and two Germans 
 while the dull glare of the candles in our hands reflected their 
 light on a black, wizened face twisted into all kinds of shapes 
 The scene at length ended, the procession was formed ; in the 
 distance a speck of light began to appear ; it grew I'arger at 
 every step, and finally we emerged into daylight, covered'^with 
 a coating of fine dust, perchance of the dead, driven in from the 
 desert in the centuries. Coffee was again handed us by some 
 towzy-headed youths from the modern, mud-walled villao-e of 
 Ghizeh. We paid the Sheik, who smiled benevolently when 
 the money touched liis rough palm, and we also dealt liberally 
 with our guides. As usual they were dissatisfied, and said 
 "Howadjah, heavy man, heavy pull, one Napoleon." I tried 
 to persuade, but it was wasted labour. At length, when I 
 thought the matter ended, one Arab in doleful tones shouted 
 "toes, toes," and went through the pantomime once more. So 
 for his toes' sake he received a bukshish. The old Sheik, who 
 professed to defend us from the rapacity of his men, foro-ot his 
 word and his dignity ; like a hungry dog longing for another 
 dogs bone, he could not look camly on the distribution of 
 hancs, and begged for even half-a-one to drink tobacco. In 
 good nature we yielded, and then parted in true oriental fashion 
 troni the venerable Sheik, and the wizened sharks of Ghizeh. 
 
104 THE PYRAMID OF GHIZEH. 
 
 A few yards west of the great pyramid are a number of small 
 buildings that may have been temples, or perhaps tombs of 
 some royal persons of inferior position, or of the priests that 
 in remote ages made this a centre of religious worship. Into 
 the tomb of Lepsius wc crawled ; the opening was almost 
 blocked with sand driven from the desert. It is a square 
 building, flat roofed and on the whole well preserved, for it 
 has been uncovered only in recent times. The first chamber 
 has been so blackened by the smoke of torches that the figures 
 on the wall are almost obliterated. At the north-west corner 
 of this chamber is a small opening into another smaller cham- 
 ber and thence into a third. The sand was drifted h'vA 
 against the walls, but we diligently removed this with our 
 hands for a depth of two feet, and were rewarded by a good 
 view of the scenes of daily Egyptian life, oxen ploughing and 
 threshing out the grain. The colouring of the objects was as 
 fresh as when it left the painter's brush. ' 
 
 Three minutes' walk brouglit us to the colossal Sphinx, witli 
 a human head and the body of a lion, symbol of wisdom and 
 physical power. The body, hewn out of the limestone, is one 
 hundred and forty-three feet long, the circumference of the 
 head is one hundred and two feet. The fore feet projec'.ed 
 seventeen yards beyond the body, and between them stood an 
 altar, on which sacrifice was offered. There have been nc 
 means of determining its date, no hieroglyphs have been dh 
 covered on any part of it, its age is, therefore, a matter ot j 
 conjecture. The features, though defaced, are Ethiopian ; the 
 face is round and the lips full, and faint traces of colouring j 
 are yet visible on the lower part of the cheek and near the 
 ears. Though the face cannot be called beautiful according t j 
 European ideas, there is a calm, dignified appearance, whicli 
 together with the massiveness of the head and body, fixes the 
 attention of every traveller. The temple of the Sphinx I 
 
THE SPHINX. 
 
 105 
 
 stands a few yards to the south-east, and is supposed to have 
 been erected oy Shafra, or Cephren, the builder of the second 
 pyramid ; hence if the temple were devoted to the worship 
 of the Sphinx, the latter must have been erected prior to the 
 time of Cephren. Besides, it is well known that the oldest 
 monuments of Egypt are without hieroglyphics, the absence 
 of them, therefore, from both the temple and the Sphinx 
 would indicate a great antiquity. May it not symbolize both 
 
 ,— ^''"^'^-fSI'^ ^ i it, imi* '' ' 
 
 THE SPHINX. 
 
 the king and the kingdom of Egypt ? The king was the 
 supposed fountain of wisdom, and he was the source of power. 
 In those times he was an independent despot, the life and 
 wealth and time of whose subjects were under his control, and 
 we have only to look at the cartouches in Egypt and Arabia 
 to see that the kings of Egypt boasted of their physical power. 
 ^o7pt) likewise, was the kingdom, par excellence, in power and 
 8 
 
106 THE F'YRAMID OB^ OHIZKH. 
 
 wisdom. As the symbol of the king ami the kingdom it 
 received worship, and in return guarded the sacred places and 
 the country from foreign enemies. For more than forty 
 centuries that strange monster has looked over the rich delta; 
 it has seen dynasty after dynasty rise and fall ; it has received 
 oblations at the hands of heathen priests whose name and race 
 have perished ; it has witnessed the thousands of poor slaves 
 eating their garlic and coarse bread, and their crushing toil in 
 rearing those great pyramids and tombs, behind and around it : 
 it has seen Egypt in its glory, when its name was famous in 
 all the east, and it has gazed on Egypt plundered and its people 
 crushed under foreign kings, and one looks with reverence on 
 that face pensive and sad for Egypt, fallen from its ancient 
 greatness to weakness and misery. Before leaving this spot 
 on the edge of the desert, every traveller is prompted to ask 
 himself or others who made this great pyramid of Ghizeh and 
 what was its object? Its. age is more or less uncertain, and the 
 number of theories regarding its object is legion. When a theory 
 is once adopted, who cannot find proofs or forge them in defence 
 of his cause ? The pyramid of Ghizeh is generally supposed 
 to have been built 2,000 or 2,200 B.C. Above the sarcophaojiis 
 chamber are four small chambers, on the stones of which have 
 been discovered hieroglyphs in red ochre. These were the 
 
 names Khufu, and Khnum Kufu ( \ 
 
 and 
 
 In the fourth dynasty one of the kings in Manetho's list is 
 Khufu, and he seems to reign conjointly with Nu Khufu or 
 Shufu, who may have been the son of Khufu or his brother »as 
 
THEORIES OF THE PYRAMID OF OHIZEH. 107 
 
 Herodotus asserts, who scys, "on Cheop's death his brother 
 Cliephren ascended the throne." In an inscription of the 
 fourth dynasty we read, " Khufu built his pyramid near tlie 
 temple of Heat, near the house of the Sphinx." * It is probable, 
 therefore, he was the buildci' of the Ghizeh pyramid, for the 
 other pyramids contained the names of later kings who probably 
 built them. According, therefore, to the usual dates given to 
 the fourth dynasty, the pyramid of Ghizeh must have been 
 erected about 2,400 B.C. 
 
 Some have tried to identify Khufu with Joseph of Bible 
 history, who, when famine was in the land, during the seven * 
 years employed the Egyptians on this public work as a modern 
 government might do, to give work and bread to a part of the 
 population in distress. It is impossible to trace the two names 
 to a common root, their similarity is in sound, not in origin or 
 structure. Besides, this theory would bring the date of the 
 pyramid some centuries later than that usually accepted ; nor 
 is the theory that the Israelites during the time of their bond- 
 age built it, tenable, for according to the Bible evidence, " their 
 lives were bitter with hard bondage, in mortar and in brick 
 and in all manner of service in the field."-f- The age was a 
 practical one for Egypt ; then some of the fresh water canals 
 were dug ; in this work and in irrigating the fields the Hebrews 
 would be employed. It is probable enough they may have 
 made the sun-dried bricks, and even built the brick pyramid 
 of Dashoor or the one in the Fayoum, but evidence is wanting 
 to prove they piled up the massive stones of the pyramid of 
 Ghizeh. 
 
 It has been thought Ghizeh was a tomb, or a temple devoted 
 to the worship of the sun-god, or an astronomical observatory^ 
 or a barrier to keep back the sands of the Libyan Desert, or a 
 
 * S. Birch, LL.D., Egyptian Texts, p. 5. + Exodus i. 14. 
 
108 THE PYRAMID OF GHIZEH. 
 
 revelation in stone of important cosmieal and theological truth. 
 The facts as to the size and angles given by the advocates of 
 the last theory are correct, but their conclusions are false. It 
 is true the pyramid of Ghizch is built on certain mathematical 
 principles, but that it ia therefore a revelation of the history of 
 the world or theological truth is not even shown to be a probn - 
 bility. It is asserted to have been made according to a divine 
 model and, though the first and oldest in Egypt, is the only 
 perfect one. What evidence have we that its form was a reve- 
 lation to the early builder ? A statement of Herodotus says 
 they commonly called " the two pyramids by the name of 
 the shepherd Philition, who at that time fed his herds in that 
 region."* According to Piazzi Smyth, this was Melchizedek, who 
 exercised over Cheops a supernatural influence. This is assump- 
 tion without evidence. Moreover, if the pyramid of Cheops is 
 a revelation of a divine message, so must the second pyramid be, 
 for both of them were called by the name of Philition. Hero- 
 dotus tells us the Egyptian people were wretched during the 
 reigns of Cheops and Chephren, and after their death refused 
 to call the pyramids by their name. But if Philition prevailed 
 on the kings to close the temples and build this pyramid, 
 would tl^ / have been so pleased with him as to have named 
 the pyramids after him ? If it be a revelation of truth of any 
 kind essential to the welfare of men, according to the theories 
 of Taylor, Prof. Smyth and Dr. Seiss, there are immense difficul- 
 ties in the way. (1) Why has it been kept a secret for more than 
 four thousand years ? (2) If it be a revelation of the history 
 of the world, its duration and the certain destiny of the race, 
 it reveals more than the New Testament, and therefore the 
 New Testament is so far an inferior revelation, and the builder 
 of the pyramid knew more than Christ or the angels, for they 
 
 * Herod., b. ii., sect. 5. 
 
THEORIES OF THE PYRAMID OF GHIZEH. 109 
 
 were ignorant of the end of the world. (3) It is an imperfect 
 revelation, for twenty or thirty feet of its apex is destroyed, its 
 outer casing is removed and its sides are badly weather-eaten. 
 How, then, can it supply a unit of measurement and determine 
 the diameter of the earth ? 
 
 After having quoted Lepsius, Smyth and others, in support 
 of the theoi'y that it is the only original and perfect pyramid, 
 and that the other sixty or seventy along the Nile were mere 
 bungling imitations of the Great Pyramid, Dr. Seiss says : 
 "The Great Pyramid suddenly takes its place in the world in 
 all its matchless magnificence, without father, without mother, 
 and as clear apart from all evolution as if it had dropped down 
 from the unknown heavens. In all countries Ihere is a gfradual 
 advance from a less perfect to a more complete, but here all 
 ordinary laws are reversed."* The date of the Great Pyramid 
 is uncertain, and it is, therefore, building a theory on fog to 
 assert, with such confidence, it was built prior to all the others. 
 It is true it covers a larger area than the others, and that its 
 massive, polished blocks of granite in the interior chambers 
 stand as closely fitted as when placed there and have defied 
 the centuries, but there is evidence that the Great Pyramid is 
 not the oldest. It has been, as a style of architecture, subject to 
 laws of development, and, if this be true, the theory that it burst 
 upon the world's history as a perfect structure to reveal the truth, 
 otherwise unknown, becomes a dream. Birch, one of the best 
 Egyptologists, believes the pyramid of Sakkara is older than 
 the Great Pyramid. He dates it in the reign of a king of the 
 first dynasty of Manetho's list.f Lenormant places it in the age 
 of the second Manethonean dynasty, [J; while that of Ghizeh is 
 generally assigned to the fourth dynasty. The Sakkara pyra- 
 
 *A Miracle in Stone, pp. 39, 40. i Egypt from tlie Earliest Times, p. 25. 
 t Manual of Aiicieiiu History, Vol. I., p. 332. 
 
110 THE PYRAMID OF (iHIZKH. 
 
 mid is in a more ruinous condition than that of Ghizeh ; both 
 are constructed of lime-stone, thoy have iieen exposed to the 
 same weather inthumce, and there is no account of Sakkara 
 heinf( destroyed by foreign invaders, so that, except on the 
 ground of greater antiquity, it wouhl be difficult to account for 
 its broken-down condition. Its blocks are crumbling to dust, 
 and massive stones are scattered over the desert at its base, 
 while even the oldest of the Ghizeh pyramids is comparatively 
 perfect. 
 
 Around the pyramids of Ghizeh are a number of low, square 
 buildings, whose walls are of immense thickness, and many of 
 them are almost covered with sand drifted from the desert. 
 Some of them are flat-roofed, others are like low pyramids. 
 Externally they are plain, without hieroglyphs or decorations, 
 while internally the walls are painted with scenes of daily life 
 and of a semi-religious character. Are these tombs or temples, 
 or both ? No one can tell. The probability is they were tombs. 
 May not these be among thp earliest etibrts of pyramid build- 
 ing ? '"It is not improbable that some of the smaller, unpre- 
 tentious tombs are earlier than any of the pyramidal ones. '* 
 From them it was a considerable advance to construct the pyra- 
 mid of Meydoum with three stages, and then that of Sakkara 
 with six stages, with a chamber in the rock beneath its apex. 
 Then it was a question of time and taste and expenditure 
 whether six or sixty tiers should be erected and that there 
 should he chambers in the pyramids as well as under thein. 
 May not these, therefore, be the missing links of the chain of 
 development in pyramid building, whose last and perfect link 
 is found at Ghizeh ? 
 
 Let us suppose the race almost destroyed by some uni- 
 versal epidemic or earthquake except a tribe in Central Africa, 
 
 * Rawlinson's Aiic. History of Egypt, Vol. I., p. 189. 
 
MATHEMATICS OF THE PYRAMID. Ill 
 
 and at the end of 4,000 year.s thuy hIiouUI ini;^rate west to 
 Hurope, and, among the ruins of London, found a yierfect 
 locomotive. They searched, and could not lind the tirst loco- 
 motive Stephenson built, or the kettle that gave Watts his 
 tirst idea of utilizing the force of steam : would that be a 
 \alid argument in support of a theory that heaven had 
 levealed to the Saxon mechanics the knowledge of constructing 
 a perfect locomotive, and the means of using steam for pur- 
 poses of commerce or travel ? Or, if the diameter of the 
 driving wheels, or the stroke of the piston rod happened to bo 
 so many fives or tens, would that be a solid basis on which to 
 liuild theories of the world or theology. The loss of Franklin's 
 kite would not prove the divine origin of telegraphy, nor the 
 loss of the first steam engine prove the modern locomotive to 
 he a divine revelation. So, even if the absence of the first 
 pyramids were a fact, it would not, in any way, warrant the 
 conclusion that there was none prior to it, and therefore the 
 Great Pyramid was a divine revelation. 
 
 It is asserted a system of fives and tens is an element of 
 revelation in this structure, and through this revelation 'er- 
 tain cosmical facts are taught which otherwise are only 
 approximately known. Let us see what the evidence for such 
 a system is. " It has five corners — four at the base, and one 
 imi([ue corner at the summit," *' and this is supposed to exist ail 
 through the pyramid, but, as a matter of fact, the apex of the 
 pyramid is gone, and a level area twenty-four feet square 
 remains, so that there are eight corners instead of five. It is 
 not sufficient to say in its original form it terminated in a point, 
 for it is therefore a defective revelation, and the second and 
 third pyramids of Ghizeh are more perfect in this respect. An 
 assumed derivation of the pyramid is the foundation on which 
 
 *A Miracle in Stone, p. 45. 
 
112 THE PYRAMID OF GHIZEH. 
 
 the system of ten rests. Seiss says: "It is a mongrel derivation. 
 The ancient Coptic ' pyr,' division, is joined with the hiero- 
 glyphic word 'met' — ten, and so it teaches a 'division of ten' as 
 an element in its structure and in nature. But is it not equally la 
 valid argument to derive it from pyr, and mat, mother ; and so 
 it would signify the mother of division, or per, a house, and mat, 
 a mother, and regard it as the house or temple of the female 
 divinity worshipped by the early Egyptians ? This theory of 
 numbers does service in computing the sun's distance from the 
 earth. The vertical height of the pyramid multiplied by ton 
 to the ninth power gives the mean distance as 91,840,000 
 miles ; but these figures differ by some millions from the most 
 recent calculations. Besides, one of the factors in this problem 
 is uncertain, and so therefore must the conclusion be. There 
 is a difference of at least five feet in the various computations, 
 depending on the base from which the measurement is made, 
 and the thickness and angle of the casing stone, the latter of 
 which must always remain uncertain. The difference in the 
 calculations is sufficient to destroy the theory and its conclu- 
 sions, for, if a revelation, it ought to be a perfect one, and its 
 truth certain. Mathematical truth and high intellectualitv 
 are declared to be found alone in the Great Pyramid. The 
 builders, we are told, aimed at constructing a pyramid, each 
 face of which would be an equilateral triangle ; but the second 
 is nearer an equilateral triangle than the first, for there is only 
 a difference of one-twentieth between the base and the sloping 
 sides, while the difference in the first is one-nineteenth ; and 
 whatever trinity the pyramid may be supposed to teach in 
 this triangular form is taught more perfectly by the second 
 than the first. In respect to Orientation the Great Pyramid 
 teaches nothing more than many others do."* " The Sakkara 
 
 * Vide Seiss, p. 46. 
 
THE THEOLOGY OF THE PYRAMID OF GHIZEH. 113 
 
 pyramid is the only one in Egypt, the sides of which do not 
 exactly face the cardinal points ; "* therefore true Orientation 
 belongs to all the pyramids, with that exception, and the 
 Great Pyramid teaches no independent truth by this, and indi- 
 cates no superiority. The Great Pyramid stands on a lower 
 level than the second pyramid, and though it is much higher, 
 yet its apex was actually six feet six inches lower ; and there- 
 fore if any theological symbolism can be extracted from the 
 situation of the pyramids it is in favour of the second. 
 
 Sir John Herschell computed that, in 2170 B.C., (a) Draconis, 
 in the constellation of the Dragon, was in line with the entrance, 
 and a theory of time and theology is at once constructed. The 
 descending passage represents the world's march, under Satan's 
 influence, down to perdition, symbolized by the chamber under 
 the pyramid. God interfered, and the world began to ascend 
 in moral truth. This is signified by the ascending gallery* 
 which denotes the Jewish Church. Serious difficulties meet 
 this strange theory. Without proof, an inch represents a year. 
 The downward gallery. Dr. Seiss says, is 1,000 inches, which 
 represent 1000 years, and the ascending one from the exodus 
 to Christ, 1542 inches or years, making a total of 2542 years 
 from creation till Christ, which conflicts with all systems of 
 chronology. To avoid this, he assumes the entrance to denote 
 the downward march of the race after the flood ; but the race 
 began a downward career from Eden, hence it should mark 
 time from the beginning ; otherwise the theory is conjecture, 
 not fact. Besides, there is such a margin of difference in the 
 computations as to prove the theory useless. Dr. Seiss makes 
 the descending gallery 1000 inches, Rawlinson,756; Seiss makes 
 the ascending one 1542, Rawlinson, J 488, a difference in one 
 gallery, or epoch of world history of 244 inches or years. Dr. 
 
 * Vyse, Vol. III., p. 41. 
 
114 THE PYRAMID OF GHIZEH. 
 
 Seiss and othe*:: make the Grand Gallery represent the Chris- 
 tian dispensation, 1814 inches or years, and the horizontal 
 passage denotes the period of judgment. Facts prove the 
 falsity of all this theorizing, for the Church has in no sense 
 finished her career. She is in no sense in a time of judg- 
 ment since 1814, as she ought to be, according to those whose 
 views we have been examining. Her sacrifices are more than 
 for long centuries before, in the way of personal devotion and 
 consecration of wealth to the Lord's work. With all her 
 failings the life of the Church is powerful, her heart beats 
 warmly for the Lord. Missionaries hazard their life as fear- 
 lessly as in Apostolic times. In high places and low, meui 
 women, and children are doing deeds of charity for the Lord's 
 sake, whose reward will be a glory as the brightness of the 
 firmament. In what sense is the Church in a period of judgment ? 
 She is not suffering in prison, or chains, in the amphitheatre, 
 or on the mountains. She has not yet reached the highest 
 point in her march of victory over the nations. By and by 
 she shall triumph, when the King shall come as the Bridegroom 
 from heaven ; then the sea, and earth, and hell shall give up 
 their dead, and He shall bring His sons from far, and His 
 daughters from the ends of the earth. 
 
 If this Great Pyramid be a revelation in any sense, it is a 
 mutilated, unreliable one. If it contains truth it ought to 
 have been preserved perfectly. There is uncertainty; there 
 is difference in all its dimensions. Besides, it has been of no 
 use for 4000 years to any living creature on earth, and it 
 teaches nothing about tht personality, the nature of God, or 
 his purpose with us as sinnors. It has nothing to say about 
 the greatest problem of life — how can we be free from sin and 
 guilt, and be righteous before God ? It is near the end of 
 time according to these writers, tnd its truth, such as it is, has 
 been hidden till now and accepteo ohly by a few ; hitherto it 
 has been, as it will be, a valueless rev lation. 
 
THE PYRAMID OF OHIZEH A TOMB. 115 
 
 The most sound and sober vi^w seems that the pyramids 
 were intended for tombs. * This view is also supported ])y 
 the derivation of pyramid, which I regard as the true one, 
 namely, from the hieroglyphic per, signifying a house, and 
 nmt, death or dead. Hence the word pyramid denotes the 
 house of the dead. Herodotus, speaking of Cheops, says : 
 "A long period was consumed in excavating the eminence 
 on which the pyramid stands, where he constructed a sepul- 
 chre for himself." f In Herodotus' time they were regarded 
 as sepulchral monuments. They were built, doubtless, accord- 
 ing to a definite plan, and intended to endure for remote 
 generations under the clear sky and dry atmosphere of Egy[)t. 
 Tier on tier was laid until the sunmiit reached the sky at 
 nearly 500 feet above the plain, and its massive blocks of 
 granite, dragged probably by hand all the way from Syene, 
 and its immense size impress every one with wonder and 
 admiration at the skill and patience of those ancient workmen. 
 But it was the work of blood, the labour was forced, and it was 
 the work of man}'^ a broken heart and crushed life. If those 
 triangular sides taught any truth, they ought to have taught 
 the absolute equality of all men on the north, south, east and 
 west. But the only true revelation has done that, the reve- 
 lation of the Gospel of Christ, which had the Egyptians known, 
 the Pyramids would never have been built. Those kings that 
 assumed boastful titles shrank from no cruelty, and deserved 
 well the hatred of succeeding generations. Rawlinson, quoting 
 Birch, says : " The builders employed the measures known to 
 them, but had no theories as to measure itself, and sloped 
 their passages at such angles as were most convenient, without 
 any thought of the part of the heavens whereto they would 
 happen to point." 
 
 * Birch : Egypt from Ancient Times, p. 32, et seq. t Herod., book ii. 
 
Chapter VII. 
 SCENES IN CAIRO, HELIOPOLIS, OLD CAIRO. 
 
 " Babylon, a stronj^ fortress built by some Babylonians who had taken refuge 
 there." — Sh'abo, bk. xvii, c.i. 
 
 MONO the most popular scones in Cairo are the 
 Bazaars, mere narrow lanes, unpaved, and extend- 
 ing in every direction without regard to order or 
 convenience. The awnings are poles stretched 
 across and covered with reeds to protect the 
 merchants from heat. Turkish and Persian ware, 
 ' are for sale here, and goods in bi*ass, wood and 
 
 stone, fish of the inland lakes, fruit, spices, and ornaments of gold 
 and silver. In Cairo the goldsmiths' bazaar is wide enough to 
 allow two persons to pass ; the stock of goods is kept usually in 
 small glass cases eighteen inches square. Many of the styles are 
 copies of the ancient ones, as seen on the temples and tombs 
 of the nobles or princes, and are wrought with exquisite 
 taste and skill. From ancient times the Egyptians have been 
 skilled workmen in gold as well as other metals, as may be 
 seen by examining the necklaces and other ornaments of gold 
 in the Boulak Museum. Modern jewellers in Cairo have uo 
 ccr cience in dealing with infidels, and I had therefore no faith 
 in them. In order to guard against deception I brought a 
 sovereign to the most noted workman and asked him to make 
 a ring of it, after a particular pattern, and I proposed to see 
 the process. My offer was declined, for there would be no 
 
CEREMONY OF PURCHASING IN THE BAZAARS. 117 
 
 opportunity to plunder. The workmen, their bcnclies, and 
 their primitive tools are objects of interest. Some art usually 
 plating brass ornaments for Fellahin women with the thinnest 
 covering of gold, others are mending broken earrings or nose 
 jewels. Boys are employed at the quaint forges, the bellows of 
 which consisted of a goat skin with a tube inserted into one end, 
 and then forced into the forgo. Placing one foot on the bellows, 
 they pressed out the air and then lifted up the compressed sack 
 by a string fastened to the skin at one end, while they held 
 the other end in their hand. Thus alternately lifting with 
 their hand and pressing with their foot, the fire was kept 
 burning on the forge. The Mahommedan merchants have a 
 superstition that the first transaction in the morning will rule 
 the day, hence though never importunate to sell their goods, 
 they will sacrifice them to any extent, almost, rather than 
 allow the first customer to go without making a purchase. 
 In Cairo and the Orient generally the merchant scans our 
 clothes and general appearance ; if his decision be favourable, 
 he will treat us with profound deference, for fine clothing and 
 ample funds are mighty divinities in Egypt as well as in 
 Canada. 
 
 The carpet and silk bazaars are extremely interesting. In 
 company with a friend an attack was made on a venerable- 
 looking old man. His turban and gown indicated wealth and 
 social distinction; his beard was longer than is usual, and 
 white ; there seemed a trace of kindness and benevolence in 
 the old man's face. He was smoking a nargileh, and invited 
 us to smoke another, but as we were unaccustomed to that kind 
 of luxury we declined. He then provided us with coffee ; the 
 quantity was small, but black and as thick as molasses, with- 
 out milk or sugar. Desirous of conforming to the custom of 
 the land, each of us swallowed the dose, with an inward and 
 unexpressed wish that he and it were in Damascus. We 
 
118 SCENES IN CAIRO, HELIOPOLIS, OLD CAIRO. 
 
 began business, after the ])reliniinary ceremony was ended, by 
 askinej for a Persian carpet. He spread out his stock on the 
 niastaba on which we were sitting. Finally, one was selected, 
 the price was asked, and we were staggered by the reply, 
 "Mafeesh," nothing. I repeated the question, and he replied, 
 " Take it, it is thine, thou art my friend, all I have is thine 
 what is that to thee and me ?" Immediately I felt I was in 
 the unchanging East, in which its customs are as fixed as the 
 hills. I thought of Abraham buying the field and the cave of 
 Machpelah. When he asked the price, Ephron answered, " The 
 field give I thee, and the cave that is therein."* Abraham 
 knew it was only an Oriental figure of speech, and replied, 
 " I will give thee money for the field." The owner then says, 
 "My lord, the land is worth four hundred shekels of silver; 
 what is that betwixt me and thee ?" So when the Mahoni- 
 medan ended his speech I said, " Come now, tell me how 
 much will I pay thee ?" He replied, " Ninety francs." There 
 is no rule to guide in purchasing except this, which is almost 
 universally true. Every seller is trying to cheat ; and to 
 obtain a reasonable price, divide what is asked by four. The 
 Mahommedan looks with contempt on the European who 
 pays what is asked ; the Egyptian thinks he is weak-minded. 
 Though he loses by the operation he respects the intelligence 
 of the European who refuses to pay his extortionate demands. 
 In the cloth bazaar, Far-away Moses, whom Mark Twain 
 has made famous, has his sign hung out. It is a curiosity, an 
 innovation which must have given bitter pangs to the Ma- 
 hommedan souls. He had done business in New York, and 
 so imported this custom from Uncle Sam's land. He took 
 pleasure in showing us his name and photograph in Mark's 
 book, and, in order to have a claim on our custom, declared he 
 
 *Gen. xxiii. 11-15. 
 
CARPENTERS AND BARRERS. 119 
 
 liad seen us at Saratoga or Orchard Beach. It was vain to 
 assert that neither of us had ever been at those places. Being 
 a Jew, and fond of gain and gold, his aim was to induce us 
 to purchase, and give him the pleasure of spoiling us of our 
 goods. 
 
 In Cairo one sees the methods, not of the Egyptians only, 
 but all Oriental races to some extent. In visiting the tin- 
 smiths, carpenters, blacksmiths, the schools, and other places 
 in tlie city, one is forcibly struck with the fact that their 
 metliods are the reverse of ours. Tiieir language reads from 
 right to left, and the substantive stands before the adjective 
 which qualifies it ; the people sleep, many of them, on the 
 roof of the house, not inside of it. When a carpenter works 
 at a lathe for turning wood, he sits, never stands, and holds 
 the tool with the toes of one foot and with one hand, and 
 when planing draws the plane towards him instead of pushing 
 it from him. The night-watchmen place a large cage of wicker- 
 work before the door of the shop which they are supposed to 
 guard, lie down on it, huddle themselves like hedgehogs in their 
 gowns, and go to sleep. I have seen the Moskee at night full of 
 such cages and the watchmen asleep, never dreaming that rob- 
 bers might enter the premises from the rear or the top ; so they 
 sleep at each shop door when watching their master's property. 
 The native barbers shave the head instead of cutting the hair, 
 and when finished, the barber holds up the small mirror before 
 the shaved one saying, " May it be pleasing to thee ?" and if 
 it is satisfactory, he replies " May God make it good to thee." 
 The Egyptians plead for bukshish that they may drink to- 
 bacco, not smoke it. The Fellahin mothers carry their children 
 naked across their shoulders, one little black leo- hano-s down 
 the breast and the other down the back of his mother, and 
 thus he makes a horse of his mother's shoulder. On one occasion 
 I saw a mother with a child on each shoulder, one in her arm, 
 
120 SCENES IN CAIRO, HELIOPOLUS, OLD CAIRO. 
 
 and carrying a bundle of wood in one hand, while her lazy 
 lord marched in dignity behind without any burden. Tha 
 blacksmith, instead of raising the anvil to the required height, 
 digs a hole in which he stands, and is hampered in all his 
 motions. When children are sent to school they commit the 
 first chapter of the Koran to memory and then learn the last 
 one in the book and come backwards, so that they have finished 
 the book when they have learned the second chapter. Instead 
 of the Fellahin milking their goats in the field, they drive 
 them into the houso or at times up to the flat roofs and then 
 milk them. 
 
 THE DERVISHES OF CAIRO. 
 
 Two classes of these fanatics are seen in Cairo, the dancing, 
 and howling. From two p.m. to three p.m. every Friday, they 
 give performances. The origin of these persons and their 
 strange orgies is uncertain.* May they not be of Persian origin, 
 and their superstition a remnant of that fire-worship so univer- 
 sal in the East, and through Syria and Palestine, where yet are 
 to be seen on high mountains ruins of temples dedicated to Baal, 
 as the sun-god of the Canaanite nations ? On Carmel, in the 
 time of Elijah, "the priests cried aloud and cut themselves 
 after their manner with knives and lancets till the blood gushed 
 out upon them."f The howling and whirling motion may be 
 the modern form of those ancient, barbarous customs of their 
 worship on the mountains. The mosque of the dancing der- 
 vishes is an octagonal building whose stone floor is covered 
 with mats. The centre is occupied with the dervishes, a rail- 
 ing separating them from the Europeans who assemble to see 
 them. From twenty to thirty usually perform. They wear 
 grey felt caps, tapering towards the crown ; their gowns are 
 
 * Vide Art. Baal., Smith's Diet, of Bible. f 1 Kings xviii. 28. 
 
THE DERVISHES OF CAIKO. 121 
 
 blue, or green, or brown. They squat on the floor, muttering 
 the word "Allah," bowing themselves forward to the ground. 
 All ages are represented, f^Mn a lad of twelve to old men of 
 sixty years. On a gallery extending across one side sat two 
 men and a few small children. The men began to intone parts 
 of the Koran, to beat an old drum, and play a native tiute. 
 Tlie music was of the most discordant kind, resembling that 
 made by children on tinpans, or that made in remote, rural 
 churches, where every person is a leader, and time and har- 
 mony are as varied as the taste and talent of each worshipper. 
 The discord was intensified by the children, who occasionally 
 jerked the flute from the player's mouth, whose composure, how- 
 ever, was unruiiled by such trifles. Meanwhile, the men below 
 were marching in order in a circle inside the railing, and, on com- 
 ing to the spot occupied by the leader, the first man turned round, 
 and facing the man who followed placed the toes of his right 
 foot iit right angles across his left foot and made a low salaam. 
 Most of them were barefooted, some had stockings sadly out 
 at the heels, and in need of darning by some motherly wife, 
 whom, of course, they in their ignorance despise. Suddenly, 
 they threw aside their gowns, and one by one marched into 
 the centre of the area, extended his arms and began to whirl ; 
 soon they were all revolving, and their garments inflated like 
 balloons. They were like huge living toad-stools revolving on 
 two stalks; the faster the music, the faster their whirling 
 became. Like the famous dance in the auld kirk of which Tam 
 O'Shanter was witness, 
 
 ** The piper loud and louder blew, 
 The dancers quick and quicker Hew." 
 
 This is kept up until they are completely exhausted, or fall on 
 the floor unconscious. A collection is taken up at the door, 
 and, judging from the attendance, it must be at times large. 
 9 
 
122 SCENES IN CAIIUJ, HELIOPOLIS, OLD CAIRO. 
 
 The chief exercise of the liowlers consists in throwing their 
 body backward and forward as far as possible with a violent 
 jerk, and at the same instant uttering a sound compounded of 
 a groan, a sigh and a grunt. Their exercises are injurious, from 
 the violence of their action and length of time their body is 
 subjected to such a strain. One gc?es away sad, at the thought 
 of how low man can sink, when he can regard this as suitable 
 service to God. This is but one phase of the heathen or world 
 idea, that we nmst do something in the way of bodily suffering 
 to make us acceptable to God. Is it not a confession of guilt, 
 which seems inherent in human nature, and so becomes a 
 witness of the truth of the Scriptures, that fill have sinned ^ 
 It is also a confession of our need of an atonement, which 
 Christ has made for us with His own blood. 
 
 A RIDE TO HELIOPOLIS, THE ANCIENT ON, 
 
 A visit to this ancient seat of learning is one which every 
 traveller should make. It was the Edinburjih or CambridsT^e 
 of Egypt, when savage beasts roamed over the sites of the 
 renowned cities of Europe. Passing to the end of the Moskee, 
 near the hills, I drove in the direction of the tombs of the 
 Khalifs, crumbling into ruins and infested by swarms of beg- 
 gars ever on the alert to pounce on every one who has a hat on 
 his head and infidel shoes on his feet. Near Matareeh were 
 luxuriant fields of clover on the left, on the right were exten- 
 sive orange gardens whose trees were laden with golden 
 fruit, so that the branches required to be supported with props. 
 In the garden near the site of ancient On, a water-wheel was 
 driven by oxen, and the water was led in every direction in 
 small channels. A wooden paling enclosed an immense syca- 
 more tree laden with green fruit, the tradition regarding which 
 is that Joseph and the Virgin found shelter under its branches 
 
SCENE OF THE VIUGIN's SOJOUUN IN EGYPT. 123 
 
 during the time of their sojourn in Egypt with the infant 
 Jesus. Notwithstanding the impossibility of that tree having 
 attained the age of nineteen centuries the trunk was literally 
 covered with names of credulous persons cut into the bark. 
 During the war of 18(S2, Arabi Pasha had the tree cut down to 
 help in raising breastworks against the British, and among 
 other evils has cut off the financial revenue of the Egyptian 
 gardeners. The solitary obelisk stands close at hand, marking 
 the site of the old city and the entrance to the Temple of the 
 Sun. The Egyptian name of the city was " the dwelling of 
 Ra " — the sun. The city seems to have stood on higher ground 
 than the temple, and the mounds now occupied by a few miser- 
 able huts evidently point out the site of the city. It is called 
 Ann on the inscriptions, On in the Bible. It was a city of 
 priests, no fewer than 12,913 being connected with the temple 
 service in the days of its splendour. Joseph married Asenath, 
 the daughter of Potiphera, a priest of On, and thus it is brought 
 into connection with ^he early history of the Israelites in 
 Egypt. The prophecy of Jeremiah in regard to it has been 
 literally fulfilled : " He shall break also the images of Beth- 
 shemesh, that is in the lard of Egypt." The place is now 
 utterly desolate. V/hen Alexandria became the seat of learn- 
 ing the sun of Heliopolis declined ; in Strabo's time only a few 
 persons remained in charge who showed among the objects of 
 interest the house in which Plato lived. Now the elevated 
 mounds are occupied by the poor huts of the Fellahin. The 
 city and temple have been swept away by the ravages of fire 
 and fo«. At the north-east of what seemed to have been the 
 limits of the ancient city I found blocks of granite sphinxes 
 and statues half buried in holes. A canal extends on one side 
 from which the water was brought in smaller channels to irri- 
 gate the clover fields. The obelisk of rose coloured granite 
 brought from Assuan is the solitary relic that remains of that 
 
124 SCENES IN CAIRO, HELlUl'OLlS, Ol.l) CAIHU. 
 
 once famous shrine. It was erected by Usurtasen I., of tho 
 Twelfth dynasty, HO that for tliirty-seven centuries it lias stood 
 there with its slender apex pointing up to the blue sky. Kings 
 and priests and philos()))heis have gazed on it and passed by 
 it, into the temple ; perhaps even the patriarch .Jacob has seen 
 it, and certainly Joseph the mighty Hebrew ruler. Probably 
 there were two, one on each side of the entrance to the temple 
 within, and it is more than probable that the Egyptian temples 
 in some respects were models even for Solomon in the erection 
 of the Temple to Jehovah. One cannot but notice at least the 
 fact that Solomon set up pillars in the porch of the tem[)le the 
 naiue of the one on the right was Jachin, the name of the one 
 on the left Boaz.* The obelisk is sixty -six feet above the level 
 fields at its base ; it is now neariv six feet below the surface to 
 the foundation on which it stands, sliowing the height to which 
 the land of the Delta has been raised in thirty-seven hundred 
 years. The inscription on each of the four sides is the sanie, 
 and intimates that Usurtasen, the son of the Sun-god (Ra), 
 erected it. On two sides bees have built their combs in the 
 deep hieroglyphs, so that they are entirely covered. Within 
 the temple was kept the sacred bull Mnevis, the incarnation of 
 Ra. In those days there was an element of spirituality 
 in their worship, for it was only as a visible embodiment 
 of Ra, that the bull was worshipped ; but, instead of pro- 
 gressing in a spiritual .s3^stem of belief, the Egyj)tions, with all 
 their wisdom, sank into creature worship, and hence deified 
 dogs, cats, wolves and crocodiles. At On, the phoenix, accord- 
 ing to the fable, was consumed. It was of golden piumage 
 about its neck, and its body of blue colour. At the close of five 
 hundred years it came to the temple of the Sun and was 
 burned on the altar. Qn the second day a worm arose out of 
 
 * Vide 1 Kings viii. 21. 
 
Till-: FAHLE OF THE PIKENIX. 125 
 
 the ashes, on the third it became a beautiful bird and flew 
 away to return again to die after five hundred years had passed. 
 Herodotus says " His wings are golden and red ; in size and 
 appearance he greatly resembles an eagle. He comes once in 
 five luindred years, flying from Arabia to the temple of the 
 Sun, l)oaring the body of his father, enclosed in myrrh, which 
 lit' buries in that temple."* In this simple legend, as well as in 
 a more definite way in later times, one can trace the belief of 
 those early Egyptians without a revelation in the doctrine of 
 a bodily resurrection, and thus could have taught Saducees and 
 modern materialists a truth which they never knew. Thothmes 
 III., of the Eighteenth dynasty, one of the most famous kings, 
 whose great works in different parts of Egypt are yet objects 
 of wonder and admiration, built a wall about the temple j'.nd 
 placed some splendid obelisks before it, two of which called 
 " Cleopatra's Needles," were brought by Augustus to Alexan- 
 dria, and one of them now stands on the Thames embankment 
 in London, and the other in New York. In Paris and Rome 
 are obelisks that have been plundered from Heliopolis. Only 
 its name remains, anrl its solitary granite obelisk ; and a feeling 
 of regret comes over one when, standing amid the desolation 
 and ruins of Heliopolis, he learns the truth that cities like 
 men shall perish. 
 
 OLD CAIRO. 
 
 The original name of this old quarter was Fostat. When 
 the new city of Cairo was founded, Fostat was known as 
 Musr-el-Ateekeh, old Musr. A portion of the original site 
 was enclosed by walls built of flat brick used by the Romans. 
 This was an ancient Roman fortress, and two of the projecting 
 towers or bastions are yet in good preservation. Passing 
 
 * Herod. , bk. iii. 
 
12() SCENES IN CAIRO, HELIOPOLIS, OLD CAIRO. 
 
 through a rickety wooden gate along with Dr. Watson, of 
 ('airo, I entered the Coptic (juarter; the streets were narrow 
 and quite deserted, an open door here and there enabled me 
 to see into the inner court of the houses, on the floor of whicli 
 the men were resting in the heat of the day. An old man 
 acted as guide to the Church of Abu Sergeh, the modern 
 Coptic Church of St. Mary. The entrance-porch contains 
 some tumble-down benches. In the floor of the first room of 
 the church is a well for the baptism of members ; beyond 
 is the room for the women, and still farther is the part 
 of the church for the man, separated from the former by a 
 wooden screen, while another screen with fine carving in wood 
 and ivory separates the altar from both. There are no benches, 
 the worshippers having to stand. A few old pictures of scenes 
 in the life of the Virgin hang on the walls. There is an entire 
 want of reverence on the part of the Copts for holy things ; 
 at the altar during the communion one would fancy the wor- 
 shippers were a crowd gathered at an auction and shouting- 
 out their bids to the auctioneer. The c(. uimunion bread is in 
 the form of a small round loaf, three inches in diameter and 
 one inch thick, on the surface of which are the Coptic cross 
 and small dots to signify the nail-prints in our Lord's body 
 on the cross. Everywhere in Egypt the Coptic priests and 
 people are punctilious enough as regards f^rms and creed, 
 but they are too ignorant to know the spiritual truth that 
 alone gives power to the ordinances. They adhere to the 
 dogmas of their church with a tenacity inherited from the 
 times of the Arian controversy about the nature of Chnst> 
 which so paralyzed the life of the Egyptian Church that she 
 has not recovered to this day. In the crj^pt, whose floor was 
 damp and ceiling mouldy, our credulous guide pointed out 
 small recesses in the wall in which Joseph and Mary slept 
 during their sojourn in Egypt. It nuist have been a healthier 
 
IS OLD CAIRO THE BABYLON OF ST. PETER ? 127 
 
 spot then than now, otherwise they would never have lived to 
 see Palestine again, and they must have been small of stature 
 to have occupied such a space. The ancient name of the city 
 that occupied part of the site of Old Cairo was Babylon, and 
 many have supposed that from this city Peter wrote his first 
 Epistle. At the close of the first Epistle are the words, " The 
 church that is at Babylon saluteth you." There is no tra- 
 dition that Peter was ever in Babylon, the famous Assyrian 
 capital, while some have supposed Babylon to be a mystical 
 name for Rome. In the Talmud Rome is figuratively designated 
 Babylon, but the evidence of Scripture, though negative, is too 
 clear for mere tradition or fanciful interpretation. He was in 
 Jerusalem in 52 A.D. at the council mentioned in Acts xv. 
 He could not have been in Rome in 58 A.D., or Paul would 
 have sent salutations to him in the Epistle to the Church 
 there, nor yet was he there during the time of Paul's imprison- 
 ment, otherwise he would have been included as the most 
 prominent among those who would send their salutations in 
 the Epistles written from Rome. Writers like Origen and 
 Lactantius, who assert that Peter was in Rome during the 
 close of his life, had no more evidence for their belief than we 
 have. The tradition that speaks of his flight through Porta 
 C «,pena is evidently the work of some one who wished him 
 to have equal glory with the great Gentile apostle. The 
 Lord carrying His cross met him outside the gate. He asked, 
 "Domine, quo vadisf f" Lord, ivhither gocst thou?") "I 
 go to Rome," said Jesus, "to be crucified again for thee." 
 Peter at once returned, was imprisoned in the Mamertine, and 
 crucified on the Janiculum hill the same day Paul was be- 
 headed at Tre Fontane. 
 
 This old quarter in Cairo was named Babylon, because, 
 according to Diodorus, it was occupied by the descendants of 
 the captives takei by Sesostris, and Strabo mentions the fact 
 
128 SCENES IN CAIRO, HELIOPOLIS, OLD CAIRO. 
 
 that one of the Roman legions in Egypt was stationed at Baby- 
 lon. In the salutation of Peter there is added, " and so doth 
 Marcus, my son," Is this St. Mark ? It is generally supposed 
 to be so. Tradition declares that St, Mark preached in Alex- 
 andria, and his church was shown there for many centuries. 
 The distance between Cairo and Alexandria i.-i not great, and 
 there would be frequent communication between these two 
 leaders in the church. Peter was the apostle of the circumcision, 
 and in the time of the Ptolemies tliere were many Jews in 
 Alexandria and Kgypt, for whose use the Hebrew Scriptures 
 were translated into Greek. Onias built a Jewish temple, in 
 the nome of Heliopolis, at Bubastis, having received permission 
 from Ptolemy and Cleopatra, and for centuries later, Jews were 
 found in great numbers in Egypt, What, therefore, would be 
 more natural than that after the death of Stephen and James, 
 the brother of John, and also James, the leader of the Jewisli 
 Christian Church in Jerusalem, Peter should flee for safety to 
 Egypt ? It was near Palestine and there was frequent inter- 
 course between the two countries, and Peter would be safe 
 from tlie principal leaders of the Jews in Jerusalem. On the 
 whole, therefore, evidence seems to preponderate in favour of 
 old Cairo as the place from which he wrote his first epistle, A 
 few minutes' ride on our donkey brought us to tlie Nile, where 
 we embarked for the Isle of Roda in a small boat, after much 
 talk with the boatman as to the work he was to do and the 
 pay he was to receive. The learned Dr. Watson mounted the 
 back of the boatman and was carried out to the boat. I then 
 followed in a similar fashion. The island contains a ricketty 
 palace, with wooden verandahs extending along one or two 
 sides, the gardens containing orange trees, banana, lemon and 
 palm trees, and the henna plant, with which the Egyptians 
 colour their finger and toe nails. The Nilometer is here, which 
 consists of a well sixteen feet in diameter, in the centre of 
 
THE ISLE OF RODA. 129 
 
 which is an octagonal pillar with Arabic measures inscribed on 
 it. When the Nile rises sixteen cubits, or Egyptian ells, the 
 land will produce good crops ; when it is too high the seed is 
 destroyed and the embankments are washed away, and when 
 it is too low the land suffers from drought. The rise of the Nile 
 is watched with the deepest interest by the Egyptians, for on it 
 depends the coming harvest ; and ^\ hen it has reached a certain 
 hei'^ht, as indicated on the Nilometer, the river is let into the 
 Klialig, or city canal, amid the most exciting festivities. A late 
 tradition assigns the Island of Roda as the scene of the finding 
 of Moses in the ark of bulrushes. There is not even proba- 
 bility in its favour, for at the time of Moses the Egyptian 
 Court was either at Memphis or at Zan, the site of the modern 
 Tanis in the northern part of the Delta. 
 
Chapter VIII. 
 MUMMY PITS, BENI-HASSAN, SIOOT. 
 
 ' Bringer of food ! Great Lord of provisions, 
 Creator of all good things! 
 
 He tilleth the granaries ; he enricheth the store-houses ; 
 He careth for the estate of the poor." 
 
 — llymuto the Nile. (Records of the Past, Vol. II.) 
 
 lOOT is the first town of importance south of Cairo, 
 which may be reached by boat or rail. It is pre- 
 ferable to go by boat, as there are two places of 
 interest to intelligent travellers — Memphis witli 
 its pyramids and serapeum, then further south are 
 the famous tombs of Beni-Hassan. I rode along 
 the edge of the desert from Ghizeh. On the rigat 
 were the Libyan hills, along whose base the white sand was 
 wreathed up like masses of driven snow in winter in Canada ; 
 Fellahin women were picking out by the roots dead shrubs for 
 fuel. Crossing west at about six miles south of Ghizeh, I visited 
 the ruinous pyramids of Abousir and Sakkara, the latter standing 
 in the midst of Mummy Pits, extending for miles in the desert, 
 in which probably the most of the common people of Egypt 
 were buried prior to the eighteenth dynasty. Some of the 
 pits have been opened, but the sand of the desert continually 
 drifting in soon fills them again. The linen cloth in which 
 the mummies were wrapped is as perfect as when folded round 
 the dead more than thirty centuries ago. 
 
TOMB OF AN IXiYPTIAN NOBLK. 181 
 
 About live miles from the river and in this immense gfravo- 
 yard of ancient dead, is the tomb of an Egyptian noble named 
 Ti, probably erected in the time of the fifth dynasty, and there- 
 fore more than four thousand years ago, and is decorated with 
 some of the finest painting in bas-relief found in Egypt. Ti 
 rose from the ranks of the common people, married Nofer- 
 hotep, a princess, and became one of the mightiest men in the 
 country, "Chamberlain of the King" and President of the Royal 
 Board of Works. He had estates in the north and south 
 country, whose products are brought, as seen painted on his 
 tomb, in boats and in baskets. The entrance is into a small 
 court partly filled with sand ; in this court are square pillars 
 of limestone that once supported a roof. The walls of the 
 interior corridor, chambers and large quadrangular court are 
 covered with figures representing Ti, his wife and his servants. 
 The hieroplyphs are finely cut, the colouring is fresh and the 
 rigures are well executed, for the artists had not been domi- 
 nated by the canons of stifi conventionalism of later times. Ti 
 is represented of greater size than any other person ; his wife, 
 who is termed the " beloved of her husband " and the " palm 
 of amiability towards her husband," is represented as much 
 smaller and apparently in the attitude of supplicating her hus- 
 band. Men are seen ploughing with oxen yoked to a plough 
 of the same kind as the Fellahin use now. Hams are treading 
 in the seed, men are beating them behind, while others in 
 front hold food before them to encourage them to work. Thirty - 
 six females, with baskets on their heads and presents in their 
 hands, are represented coming from the villages of Ti in the 
 nortli and south country. Officers, with their batons, are haul- 
 ing unwilling criminals into the presence of the magistrate. 
 Fishing, reaping, boat-building, are all represented. Ti is seen 
 on a boat perhaps in an inland pond, like those of which the 
 wealthy Romans were so fond. He is standing in the centre 
 
132 MUMMV PITS, BENI-HASSAN, SIOOT. 
 
 of the boat, of commanding stature, his servants have speared a 
 hippopotamus with a small crocodile in its mouth, and others 
 have captured one by a hook fastened to cords, by which he is 
 lifting it up. Job seems to have been familiar with the method 
 of fishing and hunting as practised in Egypt, for he asks, 
 "Canst thou draw out leviathan with a hook, or his tongue 
 with a cord which thou lettest down ? Canst thou put a hook 
 into his nose ? "* The wealthy Ti had to give up his possessions 
 and die like the common slaves that lie in nameless graves in 
 that forsaken desert, and the scenes about his figure, and sacri- 
 fices offered to him when dead, tell forcibl}' the truth we often 
 forget : death has jiassed upon all men. Unless some care is 
 taken by the government, the torches of careless dragomen will 
 soon obliterate with smoke this most exquisite work of ancient 
 art. 
 
 To the south, a few minutes' walk over the soft, shifting 
 sari<l, is the Serapeum, or the tomb of the Apis bull, worshipped 
 at Memphis, the ancient capital. He was the incarnation of 
 the god Phthah, and splendid accommodation was provided for 
 him in a court of the temple surrounded by Osired i)illars. 
 On fixed days he was led through the streets of Memphis, and 
 the citizens came out of their huts to salute him. He was 
 tended by numerous priests and fed on dainty food, but if he 
 did not die before twenty-five years of age, the priests drowned 
 him, and his embalmed body was deposited with honours in 
 the Serapeum. All Egypt then went in morning until a new 
 A})is was found by the priest and was led amid the rejoicings 
 of the people to his abode in the temple. 
 
 Cambyses having sufiered a defeat in the south, came to 
 Memphis, at the time of their rejoicings for their new god. 
 He thought it was at his defeat, he, therefore, summoned the 
 
 * Job xli. 1. 2. 
 
lllE SERA P HUM AT MEMPHIS. 133 
 
 magistrates and asked the cause of their rejoicing; they replied 
 tlicir god had appeared to them, and they were wont to rejoice 
 with feasting. The explanation does not seem, however, to 
 have been satisfactory, for he called them liars and put them 
 tu death. Apis is known says Herodotus from the following 
 signs, " it is black, has a s([uare spot of white on the forehead, 
 on the back the resemblance of an eagle, in the tail double 
 hairs, and on the tongue a beetle." *' When the priests intro- 
 duced A[»is, Cambyses drew his dagger intending to strike the 
 Itelly of Apis, but instead struck the thigh, and then laughing- 
 said to the priests, " O you blockheads I do the gods become such, 
 consisting of blood and Hesh, and that they may feel iron ? 
 Vet such a god is worthy of the Egyptians 1 " The upshot of 
 the difficulty was, the priests were scourged, the rejoicing 
 Egyptians were put to death, and Apis died of his woimds, and 
 was deposited in the Serapeum. The Serapeum is a long 
 corridor extending east and west, with numerous vaults at right 
 angles or nearly so to the main passage. Sixty four of these 
 vaults have been discovered, and twenty-four of them contain 
 each a monster sarcophagus, in which the Apis v/as laid. These 
 Sarcophagi, are of dark blue or red granite, polished like glass, 
 and are about thirteen feet long, seven feet broad, and eleven 
 feet high. The lid consists of a single stone, and is removed 
 from some of them. By means of a ladder I ascended one, and 
 then descended in the same manner with a number of gentle- 
 men ; we found the tomb capacious enough for ten persons to 
 stand in. In a side gallery a sarcophagus and lid are lying on 
 the spot to which the workmen had brought it, when either 
 the downfall of Memphis or the dethronement of Apis as the 
 god of the city took place, and there it stands as it was left by 
 the ancient workmen. The atmosphere is stifling, and is made 
 
 * Herod., bk. iii. 28. 
 
134 MUMMY PITS, BENI-HAS8AN, SIOOT. 
 
 worse by the candles and torches necessary to light up the 
 recesses and subterranean tombs. The Serapeum was dis- 
 covered in 1851 by M. Mariette, who says, although 3,700 years 
 had elapsed since a vault of the reign of Rameses II. was 
 closed, " the linger marks of the Egyptian who had inserted 
 the last stone in the wall, built to conceal the doorway, weie 
 still recognisable on the lime. There were also the marks of 
 naked feet imprinted on the sand which lay in one corner of 
 the tomb chamber," 
 
 The modern village of Mitrahineh, a collection of mud huts, 
 occupies the site of ancient Memphis, the Egyptian name of 
 which was Men-nofer, the good place. It was so named after 
 Menes, its reputed founder. The low lands to the north and 
 west of the modern village mark probably the site of the lakes 
 constructed by Menes for the defence of the town. Phthah, 
 from the Egyptian " Pet-h " (to open), was the chief deity of 
 Memphis, and was worshipped as " the Lord of truth," " the 
 lather of beginnings," and "the Creator of all that is in the 
 world." His temple was the most magniiicent in the country, 
 and was surrounded by a wall. Within this area temples of 
 other gods stood, and perhaps the limestone of which they 
 were composed, or the walls, gave origin to the name of " the 
 city of the white wall." Herodotus is lavish in his praises of 
 this temple. Succeeding kings vied with each other in adorn- 
 ing it with statues or adding to the temple. Herodotus in- 
 forms us "Sesostris, Rameses left monuments of himself in 
 figures of stone, placed in front of the temple of Vulcan ; two 
 of them representing himself and his wife are thirty cubits 
 high."* In the midst of palm groves, to the south of the 
 modern village this figure of Rameses is yet seen. It is forty- 
 two feet in length, composed of limestone, and is lying on its 
 
 * Herod., bk. i. 110. 
 
'•<'/«y,y/i? hi"~;c} 
 
 Brought by the author from Memphis, ancient Noph 
 
136 MUMMV I'lTS, IJENl-lLASSAN, SIOOT. 
 
 face in a pool of water. On the head of the figure is the 
 kingly pshent, or ancient crown, with the snake, the symbol of 
 kinglv wisdom. On the breast is a shield and a girdle about 
 
 Oft/ O 
 
 his middle, on which is the name of Kameses. Other statues 
 are lying about, broken and defaced. South of Rameses, is 
 another smaller hole in which there is lying a granite statue, 
 probably of Rameses and his son, cut cut of the same block. 
 To the north-west are ruins of statues and bases for others. 
 Cambyses captured the city, slew ten thousand Egyptians, 
 and from that time it continued to wane, and from the found- 
 ing of Alexandria it sank into insignilicance. The low country 
 west from Mitrahineh to Sakkara was covered with heavy crops 
 of clover, while large fields of tomatoes and melons and garlic 
 extended north and south. Where mighty kings lived in 
 splendour, and trampled on the libeity and life of millions 
 of human beings ; where famous temples stood adorned with 
 splendid works of art, there are now fields of clover and 
 forests of palms. The modern village is a wretched place, and 
 so are the people, the men are lazy and poor, the women were 
 working in the fields kneading manure with their bare arms 
 into thin cakes for fuel. Stagnant pools and filth are at every 
 door. How true is the word of Jehovah about great Memphis, 
 " I will also destroy the idols, and I will cause their images to 
 cease out of Noph ;'''^'' " The princes of Noph are deceived."+ 
 Every traveller who rides or walks over the site of fallen 
 Memphis nmst say the word of the Lord is true. Rameses is 
 debased ; in a pool of filthy water lies the image of that king 
 who boasted of his prowess and deeds of valour, and who 
 set u[) his image to be worshipped as well as Ammon, or Horus. 
 The idols are destroyed, they have no glory given them even 
 by the degraded Fellahin of Metrahineh, and the princes who 
 
 * Ezek. XXX. 13. + Isaiali xix. 13. 
 
UKNl-HAHSAN. 137 
 
 'vished to perpetuate their glory in those monster statues have 
 been deceived, their name is powerless, their works are in 
 ruins, the palaces and temples of Memphis have perished. 
 
 One day's sail brought Beni-Hassan in view, on the east 
 side of the Nile. In company with a few others I rode up to 
 the tombs hewn in the rock, about two miles from the river. 
 A short distance up a ravine at right angles with the shore line 
 is the cave of Artemis. It is a temple built by Sethi, father 
 of the great Rameses. The portico contained originally eight 
 columns ; only four remain. On the outer wall are hieroglyphic 
 inscriptions, on the inner are frescoes of Pasht, the lion-headed 
 goddess, receiving worship. Along the face of the limestone 
 hill are two tiers of tombs, the upper tier is badly destroyed, 
 alontr the lower one are some larije tombs with frescoed scenes, 
 representing wrestlers, hunters, and persons catching fish and 
 birds. In the most northerly one is the procession of strange 
 people, with pointed boots on their feet, with short beards and 
 Asiatic colour and feature. These have been supposed to be 
 Joseph's father and brothers coming into Egypt to settle in 
 Goshen, and has been pointed to as a verification of Bible story. 
 Scripture truth is never strengthened, but weakened, by bring- 
 ing forward in its defence questionable evidence. The number, 
 as any person may count, is thirty-seven, which does not agree 
 with the number of Jacob's family given in Gen-esis. The 
 great man to whom these people are bringing presents is the 
 Egyptian owner of the tomb. He has two dogs at his feet, one 
 behind and one before him. An Egyptian introduces to him 
 the strangers, who bring as presents geese, the ibex, and the 
 gazelle. Four men with bows and clubs are leading an ass, 
 which is carrying two children placed in baskets, another tiss 
 follows laden with presents, and one man plays on the lyre. 
 Their mode of travel is at variance with Genesis. " The sons of 
 Israel carried Jacob their father, and their little ones, and their 
 10 
 
1M8 MUMMY PITS, HENI-HASSAN, SIOOT. 
 
 wives, in the wajjj^on.s which Pharaoh liad sent to carry him."* 
 There is no old man in the company sucli as wo might expect 
 to represent Jacob, nor are tliere the waj^gons with the wives 
 and little ones. Besides why .should this representation of 
 their arrival have been in Central Egypt :* Their coming 
 would be better known in the north, and it' it was of any 
 importance to commemorate the event it would have been in 
 the tombs and public buildings in the north country. Almost 
 east of Beni-Has.san is Myos Hormos a port on the Red Sea, 
 which from very early times Phtenician sailors navigated. 
 There would naturally be at least a small colony of them at 
 such ports ; may the scene not represent them bringing pres- 
 ents to the great man who ruled this part of the country ? 
 The animals which they bring are such as would be found in 
 desert regions over which they would come, while the other 
 gifts would be such as they might have obtained from their 
 seafaring countrymen and be valuable in the eyes of an inland 
 Egyptian magnf.te. The modern Beni- Hassans occasionally 
 abandon their miserable reed-and-mud hovels, and occupy the 
 tombs in the mountains. Perhaps they have an eye for the 
 beautiful in nature, as they can have an extensive view over 
 the valley below, or perhaps they go there to meditate on the 
 frailty of human life and the vanity of human greatness. 
 They are* the most villainous fellows between Cairo and 
 Assouan. Their demands for bukshish were accompanied 
 by fierce oaths. The younger lads wore a shirt which hung 
 in rags round their loins, the hair of their head was cut close 
 to the scalp, except a tuft on the crown, which was a nest for 
 sand that flew in clouds across the plain. They were like 
 demons, defiantly demanding money. Money which was thrown 
 them from the boat frequently fell into the water; they 
 
 *Gene.sis xlvi. 5. 
 
AMERICAN MISSION IN SIOOT. 130 
 
 plunjjjed in after it and searched with hands and toes, and 
 finally fislied it out of the Nile mud and lodged it in their 
 inouths like monkeys, and made grimaces for more. 
 
 Sioot was reached on Saturday, January 28th. Early in 
 the morning I took a donkey and rode up to the American 
 Mission House, and met the Rev. Mr. Griffin who kindly showed 
 me over the mission schools and church. There are in attend- 
 ance four hundred Egyptians at the Sabbath service, two hun- 
 dred and eighty-four attend the day school, and nine young 
 men are studying in the college. The students sleep on mats 
 placed on raised platforms, which extend along the wall, a 
 wooden box contains their bread, to which the Mission authori- 
 ties add vegetables to make it palatable. New brick buildings 
 were being erected that will give increased comfort and facility 
 in carrying on the important work, in giving a European educa- 
 tion and knowledge of the Gospel of Christ to the Copts and 
 others in Egypt. From my observation of the work of the 
 American Presbyterian Mission in Egypt, I do not regard it 
 (OS too strong a statement to make, that it has done more for 
 tlie moral and physical welfare of the people than all the 
 rulers of Egypt. Passing through the city gate with Mr. 
 GritSn, we entered a large open space shaded with immense 
 acacia trees ; scores of men were sitting against the wall, with 
 papers in their hands, and discussing matters very excitedly. 
 Here was the court of justice where the judges met daily 
 under the shade of the trees, and the men were waiting to 
 present their cases. This is one of the ancient customs of 
 Oriental races. In the arrangements regarding the man- 
 slayer, Joshua commanded, " when he shall stand at the 
 entering of the gate of the city, and shall declare his cause in 
 the ears of the elders of that city, they shall take him into 
 the city unto them."* BoaJ^ purchased the land and took Ruth 
 
 * Joshua XX, 4. 
 
140 MUMMY PITS, BEI^1-HA3SAN, SIOOT. 
 
 to be his wife in the gate "and all the people that were in 
 the gate and the elders said we ^e witnesses."* The Orientals 
 were fond of gathering at the city gates to heai the news of 
 the day, long before the modern newspaper gave every one 
 the news of the world in his home. Thus the custom of 
 administering justice there would soon arise, for at the gate 
 ample evidence would be obtained to any decision, long before 
 legal documents were of much service. 
 
 Passing through the camel market and the bazaars, our 
 route lay along a raised embankment to retain the water of 
 the Nile after the overflow of its banks. The Egyptians were 
 repairing the road in the most primitive fashion. They carried 
 earth in baskets on their heads and dumped them on the road. 
 Time is of no value to the Egyptians, and as to wheelbarrows, 
 and Europe, m inventions, they never take kindly to them. On 
 the road up to the hill behind the city, pieces of mummied 
 wolves were lying about, having been dug out of their pits by 
 workmen in the quarries. The remains of the protecting deities 
 of old Lycopolis were scattered like rubbish over the sand. The 
 tombs rise in tiers above one another. The ceiling of the 
 ancient tombs along the face of the hill is a blue ground, with* 
 golden stars on it. In some tombs, one room conducts to 
 another, and in all of them is a pit with a gentle incline, 
 twenty or thirty feet deep, into which the mummy was de- 
 posited. There is one excavatiofn about forty feet square, 
 with va^ulted roof, supported by pillars whose bases still stand 
 in situ, and the capitals are seen cut out of the roof, but the 
 pillars themselves are gone. Around the upper edge of the wall 
 runs a white scroll on black ground. On both sides of the 
 door, within and without, is the figure of a priest of colossal 
 dluicnsions, to indicate social position and authority. The door 
 
 ■ — ! 
 
 * Ruth iv. U. 
 
TOMBS OF SIOOT. 141 
 
 of this chamber is very large ; inside, deep slots are cut into 
 the sides and top. The door seems to have been of one piece, 
 and placed into this cut groove from the inside. In the roof of 
 the tomb is an opening, about the size of a human body, cut 
 through the mountain. On its side are notches into which the 
 feet might be placed when climbing in and out. This was 
 evidently the mode of "ngress and egress. The whole structure 
 seems to be different from that of other tombs in Egypt. Is it 
 a tomb ? Below Sioot is another town, named Abouteeg, a 
 corruption of airod-qKr], storehouse. In the famine, when Joseph 
 ruled the land, the grain was gathered into storehouses. One 
 would naturally be built somewhere, in this rich vallej'', to store 
 the products for the coming years of scarcity. Through the 
 East, generally, caves were used for storing grain. In many 
 villages of Palestine I saw the people lifting up the grain from 
 these rocky caverns, some of which were lined with cement. 
 May this not have been one of Joseph's storehouses, or of the 
 priests, who would follow Joseph's example and store away 
 what grew on their ground ? If so, then it forms a link that 
 joins us with Bible history and the famous son of Jacob. The 
 top of the hill is covered with broken pottery, perhaps the 
 remains of the vessels that contained offerings to the dead in 
 the tombs below, or to the wolves, the gods of the ancient city. 
 At the foot of the hill there is a modern graveyard, enclosed 
 ly a rude wall. It has become too small, and the skulls and 
 hands of the dead were dug out of their graves, to make room 
 for others, and were lying scattered about, mingled with pieces 
 of mummied wolves. , So, in Egypt every one has his day, and 
 tlien must give place to another — in his grave as well as in his 
 house. Eastern towns are splendid schools for cultivating 
 patience. On my return to the Nile, in passing through a 
 narrow street a halt had to be made. A camel was treading 
 along in one direction, and a donkey laden with baskets was 
 
142 MUMMY PITS, BENI-HASSAN, SIOOT. 
 
 facing him. Thick scantling occupied tlie middle of the narrow- 
 street. These three objects blocked the way. The Orientals 
 have a routine programme for every event, which must be 
 carried out to the letter. Shouting, in the deepest gutturals, 
 began, and each man beat his animal, never attempting to 
 remove the scantling, or guide the creatures. When tired they 
 rested, and then repeated the shouting, freely interlarded with 
 oaths at things in general. Then succeeded another period 
 of silence, and finally the awkward camel backed into a hole 
 in the wall of the street. The scene ended, to be repeated at 
 some other place, and I moved on. 
 
 Denderah, the next place of note up the Nile, is situated 
 inland from the Nile about two miles. Here Athor was wor- 
 shipped, the hawk-headed goddess, whom the Greeks identified 
 with Aphrodite, and the Romans with Venus. Among other 
 titles she was named the "celestial mother" and "lady of 
 the dance and mirth." The portico of the famous temple at 
 Denderah is supported by twenty-four columns, covered with 
 hieroglyphics; the capitals have each four faces of the sun, 
 with four lotus flowers in bloom. The signs of the Zodiac are 
 represented on the ceiling, and on the wall is the scene of a 
 king, after his purification, presented to Athor, who confers on 
 him the two crowns of Upper and Lower Egypt. Beyond 
 the portico is a hall with six columns, and having three rooms 
 on each side. Beyond this hall is another with two side-rooms 
 and a staircase leading to the top of the temple, from which I 
 was forced to beat a rapid and inglorious retreat by swarms 
 of furious bees that have built their combs in the sacred 
 abodes of the goddess. At the remotest part of the temple is 
 an isolated room filled with darkness, in which the figure of 
 the goddess was kept ; around this chamber is a corridor and 
 rooms opening into it from eveiy side, Athor is sean in many 
 chambers receiving offerings from kings. Isis also is seen 
 
TEMPLK OF DENDERAH. 143 
 
 with the globe and the Uraeus serpent on her head. Hawks, 
 owls, and serpents are frescoed on the walls everywhere. The 
 Zodiac, which was removed from the ceiling by French 
 antiquarians, was supposed to revolutionize all theories of 
 chronology and overthrow the veracity of the Bible. Burck- 
 hardt even regarded it as some thousands of years older than 
 Biblical chronology would allow ; but when brought to Paris, 
 Chainpollion read the names of Augustus, Tiberius, Nero, and 
 Domitian on it, and thus the expectation of the Frenchmen 
 perished, and the Bible yet stands as a rock to crush to powder 
 the false theories of men. The goddess is represented standing 
 on a crocodile, the symbol of evil. The people of Denderah 
 were bitter enemi is of the crocodile, while the people of Ombos, 
 to the south, worshipped it. Perpetual enmity existed between 
 Ouibos and Denderah on the crocodile question ; this is not 
 wonderful, for more enlightened people have had bitter hostility 
 over religious subjects of equal importance with the crocodile. 
 On the exterior of the west end of the temple are the figures of 
 Cleopatra and her son in bas-relief; her features are rather 
 Ethiopian, and far from the ideal of beauty. To the west is 
 the temple of Isis, where the cow is figured before which the 
 Sepoys prostrated themselves when the Indian army was in 
 Ewypt. To the north is a small temple dedicated to the genius 
 of evil, the Egyptian Typho. The whole temple, and perhaps 
 the city, was enclosed by walls of sun-dried bricks, which 
 now lie in ruins, mingled with pieces of ancient pottery. 
 Though the temple is Ptolemaic, it stands on the site of an 
 ancient one dedicated to Athor, for we find Pepi, one of the 
 kings of the vseventh dynasty, calling himself "the son of 
 Athor, mistress of Denderah."* The sun-dried bricks of the 
 ancient Egyptians and the thin, burnt bricks of the Romans 
 
 * Rawlinson'a Hiatory of Ancient Egypt, Vol. II., p. 112. 
 
144 
 
 MUMMY PITS, BENI-HASSAN, SIOOT. 
 
 are lying in ruined heaps over the <qte of the ancient city. 
 The fields were green on the north an- 1 south, and for two miles 
 towards the foot of the Libyan hills. The dom and graceful 
 date-palm dotted the plain amidst fields of grain. Though 
 inferior to the mighty works of the ear^ Egyptian period, 
 this temple of late Egyptian art stands a . object of admira- 
 tion to the skilful artist as well as co the ordinary traveller. 
 
Chapter IX. 
 
 THEBES AND ITS SPLENDID MONUMENTS. 
 
 Tho Great Temple of Karnak is "the noblest effort of archiicctural 
 inagniticenco ever produced by the hand of man." — F'enfi.sst.ts History of 
 Aixhitcdnre, 
 
 IVE hundred miles south of the Mediterranean Sea, 
 in a fertile plain extending for miles on both 
 sides of the Nile, are the ruins of Thebes. The 
 city occujiied both sides of the river, and its 
 temples and monuments are perhaps the grandest 
 , on earth for massiveness, as well as delicacy of 
 workmanship. Its origin is obscure, but appears 
 in the eleventh dynasty as the capital of the upper country, and 
 from that time increased in wealth and power, until it reached 
 its climax in the times of the famous Rameses, the Alexander 
 of Egypt. The old name of the city was Ape, to which the 
 feminine article was prefixed, forming Tape, which the Greeks 
 translated Thebai, the English form of which is Thebes. It 
 was well situated, for the valley itself was fertile, and trade 
 was opened with the countries on the Red Sea, Arabia, and 
 even Persia, and perhaps India. Precious stones, gold, ebony, 
 balsam, panthers and apes were transported to the Theban 
 kings from the land of Punt and the countries beyond. 
 Ancient Greek writers speak of its greatness and wealth. 
 Homer calls it Thebes of the hundred gates, which does not 
 seem to have referred to the gates of the city wall, for no 
 
1,4G THEHES AND ITS SPLENDID MONUMENTS. 
 
 traces of a wall liavo ever been discovered. Diodorus suff. 
 gested that the gates were the Propylsea, or entrances to the 
 temples. The Egyptian temples, as they now exist, are coin- 
 posed of numerous large buildings united to each other, which 
 were the work of successive kings, and around the shrine of 
 the deity are scores of rooms for the priests and others belong, 
 ing to the temple, so that, in addition to the Propyh^a that 
 lead from one grand hall to another, one is astonished at the 
 multitude of entrances to smaller rooms on every side. It is, 
 however, quite possible Homer refers to the city gates, though 
 no trace of a wall remains, for thirty centuries have obliterated 
 thehouses of ti. e people, which would be made of the same sun- 
 dried bricks as the wall. Where even are the palaces of the 
 kings and the houses of the nobles ? They also have all 
 entirely perished. The first object one sees on the east side 
 of the river on approaching Thebes is the grand pylon, standing 
 before the temple of Karnak, one hundred and forty feet in 
 height, and fifty feet in thickness. On the west are the lime- 
 stone hills, far beyond the plain, in the deep recesses of which 
 the famous kings and queens are buried. The plain is 
 covered with magnificent temples ; and in the distance is seen 
 the two Colossi of Amenophis III. These remains of bygone 
 times tell of past famous eras, when mighty kings enslaved 
 the living to build temples to their gods, and fame for them- 
 selves. Thebes has perished ; only a few grand structures 
 exist to tell us w^hat she once was, and the wretched villages 
 of Luxor and Kai lak, the abodes of grinding poverty, on the 
 very site of the mighty capital, verify the truth : the things 
 that are seen are temporal. On landing at Luxor, a native 
 Nile boat lay moored to the stone foundations of an old 
 Roman pier. Two Mahommedans and a boy were eatmg 
 their evening meal. I watched them with interest. Thev 
 were squatted on deck, at the stern of the boat, with a dish 
 
EGYPTIANS AT SUPPKH. 147 
 
 before them, out of which they all ate in coinnion with their 
 lingers. It seemed a race for life, each one bolting a handful 
 of the soft food as fast as possible. At Luxor, as well as in 
 Canada, the best man wins, or ought to win. The one with a 
 spotless turban was the owner of immense hands and a mouth 
 of no mean magnitude. He won the race, which was different 
 from the contests of rowers on the rivers in Canada in this 
 respect, that there were none to applaud the winner ; the only 
 joyous one was himself. 
 
 Luxor contains three or four hundred inhabitants and 
 three or four consuls, the most famous of whom is Mustapha 
 Aga, an ignorant and vain old Egyptian, who represents the 
 Union Jack in that out-of-the-way place. His residence is 
 fronted by a colonnade of immense pillars belonging to one of 
 the ancient temples. He was arrayed in a flowing "gown, on 
 his head a spotless turban, and his feet encased in yellow slip- 
 pers , his fingers were literally covered with gold rings, one of 
 which he prized highly as the gift of the Prince of Wales, 
 My visit to him was ended by a gift of a clay idol made in 
 England, but which, with oriental solemnity, he wished to im- 
 pose on me as a genuine relic, and for this he expected a hand- 
 some bukshish, but was disappointed. 
 
 THE TEMPLE OF KARNAK. 
 
 This temple stands one and a-half miles north of Luxor, 
 and was approached by an avenue of sphinxes with rams' 
 heads. The sphinxes faced each other, were about twelve 
 feet long, many of them are destroyed, and those that remain are 
 in ruins. Up this avenue went the famous warrior kings of 
 the eighteenth and nineteenth dynasties, when returning with 
 their captives and spoils of war to offer to Amon Ra, the tute- 
 hiry god of Thebes, and called the king of the gods, and 
 
148 THEHES AND ITS SPLENDID MONUMENTS. 
 
 i<lentitiiMl by Herodotus with Zeus. Anion is from the hiero- 
 glyph root amn, to hide. Originally, therefore, he was wor- 
 shipped as the god who was concealed from human sight. The 
 chief idea in the early Egyptian mind was the spiritual, ami 
 therefore impenetrable, nature of Amon. In the eighteenth 
 dynasty Ra was united to Amon ; hence he was worshipped as 
 the sun-god, who is addressed in one of the ancient hymns as 
 the •' Lord of the gods, the maker of men, that givest them 
 life, that listenest to the poor in distress. Thou deliverest the 
 fearful man from the violent ; who judgest the poor and the 
 oppressed." The same thought is expressed by Job regarding 
 Jehovah, " Canst thou by searching find out God ; canst thou 
 find out the Almighty unto perfection ? " And later writers 
 speak of Jehovah's greatness as unsearchable. It is true that 
 all civilized nations can place in their creed the fact that God 
 is unsearchable, for His works are full of infinite wisdom, and 
 are unsearchable, how much more so, God himself. But the 
 sacred writers have employed, in truth, the same terms to 
 Jehovah, that the Egyptians did to their false gods, in this 
 however, there would be nothing inconsistent with inspiration. 
 The entrance to the temple was on the side facing the river, to 
 which an avenue of sphinxes also led from the Nile and was 
 continued on the western side of the ri ver. On the front of the 
 pylon is seen the orb of the sun, with wings, and the serpent, 
 the visible symbol of the great god of the Thebans. This 
 symbol seems to contain at least these ideas, that Ra is the 
 creator of life, and the serpent is the symbol of his wisdom 
 and royalty, while the wings denote his protection to his people, 
 Every Egyptian worshipper who entered into the temple passed 
 under that mysterious symbol. Ashur, the god of Assyria, was 
 symbolized by the figure of a man with wings, rising out of a 
 wheel. Is this symbol a common heritage of the ancient races 
 by which they attempted to give material existence to the 
 
5! 
 
150 'THEBES AND ITS SPLENDID MONUMENTS. 
 
 unsearchable God ? Or is it not rather the faint outline of the 
 statement in Genesis regardin*^ the presence of Jehovah and 
 the cherubim at the east of the garden of Eden, and which had 
 been preserved in the consciousness and life of the race after 
 the lapse of centuries and amid great national changes ami 
 extensive migrations. The cherubim over t?ie mercy seat in 
 the holy of holies were connected with the Shekinah, the 
 presence of Jehovah. " The cherubim shall stretch forth their 
 wings on high, and there I will meet with thee."* The cheru- 
 bim of Ezekiel were connected with wheels, and each cherub 
 had four faces, that of a man, a lion, an ox and an eagle. 
 And in Egypt the sphinxes that formed the avenues to the 
 temples or that stood near them, had wings, and a human face 
 with the body of a lion. Are these heathen efforts to give 
 form to the Scriptural cherubim ? It is interesting to find 
 that the sacred writers employ the same symbols, in reference 
 to Jehovah, wh^^.h are sculptured on the pylons of ancient 
 Egyptian temples. " The Lord God is a sun and a shield."! 
 " He shall cover thee with his feathers, and under his 
 wings shalt thou trust."j Inside the portal we reach a 
 large court, whose area is 100,000 square feet. On the right is 
 a row of nine columns, on the left eighteen. Opposite the en- 
 trance is a passage between the ruins of lofty pylons into the 
 pillared hall, unequalled in the world for the size of its col- 
 umns, the richness of its design, ornamentation of capitals and 
 ceiling. The roof is supported by one hundred and sixty- 
 four columns, twelve of which, six on each side, form a central 
 avenue ; they are sixty-six feet high and thirty-three feet in 
 circumference. This Hall of Seti I., the father of the great Ra- 
 meses II., is three hundred and thirty feet long by one hundred 
 and seventy feet broad, and dates back to the fifteenth century, 
 
 • Exod XXV. 19, t Ps. Ixxxiv. 2. X Ps. xci. 4. 
 
TlIK OBELISK OK KAUXAK. 151 
 
 H.c. The columns are round and literally covered witli tigures 
 of kin«,'s, gods and goddesses, and royal cartouches. The lotus 
 and palm-capitals arc executed with tine taste and exquisite 
 skill, the workmanship is delicate, and compares favourably 
 with the finest in Greece, while the grandeur of the columns 
 and temple excels every other temple on earth. Passing 
 through other pylons, the traveller enters a narrow hall open 
 to the sky. Beyond this two obelisks stood, of beautiful 
 granite, one of which is lying in ruins, and the other, which is 
 standing, is over ninety feet high, and eight feet square at the 
 base. It stands in a hall, the roof of which was supported by 
 thirty-six square pillars with colossal figures of Osiris. This 
 obelisk was brought from Assouan, and erected in seven 
 months by Queen Hatasou. The hieroglyphs come down only 
 part of the way from the top, on one; or two sides. Perhaps 
 Thothmes was taking the government into his own hands, and 
 his sister, in haste, erected it to perpetuate her fame. The 
 purpose of the obelisks is uncertain. They are found now only 
 at temples dedicated to the sun, and may have been an offering 
 to the sun god. In addition, they have the effect of relieving" 
 the heavy monotony of the ancient style of temple architecture. 
 Besides those cunning old kings may have had a supreme desire 
 to perpetuate their deeds of valour in this way, and have the 
 credit also of making offerings to the deity, and thus a double 
 purpose would be accomplished. The top of Hatasu's obelisk 
 was covered, but for what purpose is uncertain. One can only 
 stand and admire the skill of those ancient stone-cutters, and 
 the mechanical ingenuity by which such blocks were not only 
 brought so far, but erected on their base, which would be an 
 engineering feat of no mean order now, with all modern appli- 
 ances. 
 
 Going through another entrance, we stand in the sanctuary 
 itself, a hall one hundred and twenty feet square. In the 
 
152 THKHES AND ITS SPLENDID MONUMENTS. 
 
 centre of this area is a j^ranito chamber fifty-two feet lonj; 
 and fourteen broad. This is divided into the porch, before 
 which stood two stehu ; then the holy ])]ace, and finally the 
 holy of holies. On two sides of the sanctuary were rows of 
 small rooms for the priests, Here everything is plain and 
 primitive ; no colossi, no obelisks, no great pillars. The inmost 
 shrine is a room without openings to admit light ; and here the 
 image of the god was kept. This is tho form in the old temples 
 of Egypt, and one is at once struck with the resemblance in 
 general structure to the temple of Jehovah on Moriah. In 
 both, were pillars before the porch, then the holy place, and 
 behind all the holy of holies. During the four hundred and 
 eighty ;years that elapsed from the exodus to the building of 
 the temple, there was intercourse between Palestine and Egypt. 
 Solomon had commercial dealings with the Egyptians, and 
 even married a princess of Egypt. Among the builders of 
 the temple in Jerusalem were the servants of Hiram, king of 
 Tyre ; and is it not probal)le that they, as well as the Jewish 
 workmen, were ac(|uainted with the Egyptian temples ? And 
 as they were the grandest on earth, they would naturally copy 
 them in their general outline. One is forcibly struck with 
 the resemblance, in many particulars, between the temple 
 built to Jehovah by Solomon, and the temples at Karnak, Den- 
 derah and Philse. The holy of holies is a chamber without 
 windows, in the Egyptian temples; it was the same in the 
 temple of Jehovah, as is implied in 1 Kings viii. 12. The 
 Lord said " He would dwell in the thick darkness." Over so 
 many centuries did the wave of Egyptian influence make its 
 power felt in Palestine. The external walls of the Temple of 
 Karnak are covered with battle scenes. On the north side of the 
 main building is represented a battle with an Asiatic people, 
 Seti I. is driving his chariot furiously over these people, who 
 have long beards and whose colour and features show they are 
 
TllK TKMl'LH OF KAIINAK AND TUK 13IJ1LK. 153 
 
 foreiij;iiors. They are called Rotnno, and are from Lemanon, 
 which may easily he the hieroglyph for Lebanon. Some are dead 
 under his feet, others are fleeing, pierced with arrows in their 
 backs. The king is leading some by a rope, and on his return 
 otters his captives and his vases of gold and silver to Amon Ra. 
 On the south-west of the main hall are represented the exploits of 
 Rameses II., and also Shishak of the twenty-second dynasty. At 
 the invitation of Jeroboam, king of Israel, he invaded Judea. 
 In vain Rehoboam fortified his cities on the side of Judea 
 nearest Egypt ; city after city opened its gates. He entered 
 Jerusalem, and carried away the treasures of the temple, and 
 plundered the palace of the king. On the south wall Shishak is 
 represented of great stature, and the Jews are led by ropes, 
 with their arms tied behind their backs. The hair of the head 
 of thU'ty-eight of these captives is twisted into one cord, which 
 the king holds in his left hand, and with the right swings a 
 massive battle-axe to sever their heads from their bodies. On 
 the wall here is the figure of a royal ciptive, beneath which 
 is written in hieroglyphs the words " Yuteh-Malk " (King 
 of Judah, or, King of the Jews). On this heathen temple we 
 have an independent and important witness to the truth of 
 Scripture. " In the fifth year of king Rehoboam, Shishak 
 king of Egypt came up against Jerusalem, with twelve hun- 
 dred chariots and three-score thousand horsemen. So Shishak 
 king of Egypt came up against Jerusalem, and took away the 
 treasures of the house of the Lord, and the treasures of the 
 king's house."* Thus, from a heathen temple in a foreign land, 
 tar from Judea, and by the voice of a strange language, de- 
 ciphered only during this century, God is bringing to light 
 evidence to verify the Bible, and to silence the scepticism of this 
 age, and prove that the word of the Lord endureth forever. 
 
 * 2 Chron. xii. 2, 3, 9. 
 11 
 
154 THEBES AND ITS SPLENDID MONUMENTS. 
 
 This magnificent temple, which was twelve hundred feet 
 long and three hundred and forty broad, was enclosed by waUs 
 which have perisked. Its halls are at different elevations, and 
 the base of the rows of columns is gradually elevated, thus 
 increasing the apparent dimensions of the temple ; and as one 
 looks along the vast avenues of columns they seem intermin- 
 able. The columns have different capitals. Some halls are 
 covered, others open to the sky, some are i.i line with the axis 
 of the main hall, others at right angles. This all arises from 
 the strong dislike of the ancient Egyptians to perfect symmetry. 
 To the north and east were other temples, whose grand ruins 
 are yet to be seen. The poor village of Luxor, to the south, 
 occupies the sites of famous temples and palaces, where yet 
 obelisks, granite statues and colossal columns are standin<; to 
 attest the ancient grandeur of the city of Thebes. These were 
 all connected with avenues of sphinxes and monster pylons 
 that stood at the entrance to these temples. After repeated 
 visits, the impression this colossal temple and the ruins that 
 cover the plains made on my mind was, that in the times of 
 its glory it mast have been, in magnitude, in wealth and artis- 
 tic beauty superior to every temple on earth, in ancient and 
 modern times. For over seven hundred 3''ears king after king 
 vied with each other in adding to this grand temple an offering 
 to his god, and also giving an enduring evidence to his own 
 fame and power. " The hall of columns at Karnak is the most 
 sublime and beautiful of all the edifices ; " * and the whole 
 temple " is the highest effort of Egyptian architectural genius." 
 
 On the west side of the Nile is a rich plain extending for 
 miles from the river to the hills. This was once covered with 
 magnificent temples and colossi that once belonged to Thebes. 
 Icro.ssed from Luxor in a boat to an island, formerly occu])ied, 
 
 * Rawlinson Hist, of Anc. Egypt, Vol. II., p. 304. 
 
OSIRIS, THE JUDGE OF THE DEAD. 155 
 
 now desolate ; beyond is an arm of the Nile, or an ancient canal, 
 that may have watered the plain. The heat was oppressive and 
 the fine dust almost blinded and suftbcated ftie. Ridino: north 
 for some distance I reached the temple of Medinet-Abou and 
 then Doir-el-Bahiri and Deir-el-Medinet close to the Libyan 
 hills. On Deir-Bahiri is represented, in perfect preservation, 
 the expedition sent by Queen Hatasu to the land of Punt on the 
 Red Sea. Five ships are sent, each manned by thirty rowers 
 and ten of a crew. On their return from this Holy Land they 
 bring incense-trees, gold, silver, dogs, leopard skins, and slaves. 
 Deir el-Medinet contains on its interior walls, on the south 
 side, a judgment scene. Osiris is waiting on his throne the 
 coming of the souls into Ameuti. A balance stands before 
 him in one scale of which Horus places an ostrich-feather, 
 the symbol of justice, and in the other a human heart. Thoth, 
 the dog-headed god, sits on the top of the scales to see justice 
 done to the person who is tried. On the wall above are forty- 
 two assistants in two rows who help Osiris in the adminis- 
 tration of justice to the dead. The theology of the early 
 Egyptians here expressed is worthy of notice, and its agree- 
 ment with some of the leading dogmas of the Christian 
 Revelation. It contains these facts, that man is responsible 
 to the Almighty Judge, and justice will be administered. 
 There is a future life and a future judge. The heart is 
 employed to denote the seat of our moral nature. These are 
 in harmony with the teaching of Scripture, for God shall 
 render to every man according to his deeds. " We shall all 
 stand before the judgment seat of Christ." " " With righteous- 
 ness shall He judge the world."f " Keep thy heart with all 
 diligence, for out of it are the issues of life.";!: Whence did the 
 Egyptians receive those truths ? Were they a divine revela- 
 
 *1 Romans xiv. 10. f Psalms xcviii. 9. J Proverbs iv. 2',i. 
 
156 THEBES AND ITS SPLENDID MONUMENTS. 
 
 tion to them in any sense ? Or are they evidence that God 
 has given to all nations a knowledge of moral truth sufficient 
 to make them righteous and also responsible ? The Se]ituagiut 
 was translated into Greek probably half a century prior to the 
 origin of this judgment scene. May not the knowledge of the 
 Scriptures have been carried in that interval to southern 
 Egypt ? Thus the ^nain truths of Revelation were making 
 their influence felt in those early days in the faith and life of 
 the Egyptians. 
 
 At the base of the hills and near Deir el-Medinet is a shaft 
 cut far down into the mountain. Here the discovery of the 
 thirty-six royal mummies, now in the Boulak Museum, was 
 made by Mr. Brooks. They are perfectly preserved. Each body 
 is wrapped in innumerable folds of fine linen ; he is laid then 
 in a thin wooden case, which was placed in another casket about 
 one and a-half inches thick. The outer surface of the coHin 
 is beautifully painted. Osiris is represented with the ankh, 
 the symbol of life, and the sceptre in his hand. The suti with 
 wings and the serpent also are all on the coffins. The poor 
 Egyptian who discovered these had opened the cases and 
 plundered the mummies of their royal ornaments of gold ; but, 
 finding it impossible to get the bodies out of the country for 
 sale, he gave information to the authorities. The discovery 
 may prove of historical value if the mummy of Menephthah, 
 the king at the date of the exodus, be among them ; for it will 
 settle the long-disputed (question whether the king perished 
 with his soldiers in the sea. It is possible the king may have 
 been drowned in the sea and his body recovered and embalmed, 
 for on the following morning the bodies of the Egyptians were 
 driven by the waves on shore, and nothing would be so abhor- 
 rent to the Egyptians as to leave the dead unembalmed and 
 unburied. The absence of his name in Exodus as among the 
 drowned proves nothing, for the Ismelites had no knowledge 
 
ROYAL TOMBS AT THEBES. 157 
 
 one way or the other. The kings were leaders of the army, 
 and this Pharaoh was so determined to bring back the Hebrews 
 that he would risk his life to gratify his anger. It is doubtful 
 however if he would imperil his life in the sea even to conquer 
 tlic Hebrews, and for these reasons it is probable enough he 
 may be among the royal dead now lying in their coffins in 
 Boulak. How stranfje to look on that black face of the kino- 
 of thirty-five centuries ago, who crushed the Hebrews until 
 their cry for help reached to heaven, and who learned finally 
 tliat Jehovah is omnipotent, and the kings of the earth must 
 ol)ey Him. 
 
 The kings had their tombs hewn out of the Libyan hills 
 and concealed from human gaze. The age of pyramid building 
 had passed and the warrior kings of Thebes contented them- 
 selves with inferior tombs. Their entrance was hid with the 
 utmost care, but they have been opened, some of them long 
 ago, and plundered. The tomb of Seti is three hundred and 
 twenty feet long, and descends gradually into the heart 
 of the mountain. The alabaster sarcophagus found in the 
 remotest chamber is now in London. The tomb is entered by 
 a number of steps, then a gentle incline leads to the end of 
 the tomb. It seems not to have been finished, the draughts- 
 man lias drawn some figures in red ochre, and they have been 
 corrected by another person who used black material, and thus 
 they are yet seen, as they were left ready for the sculptor. 
 Perhaps the death of the king caused the work suddenly to cease. 
 This and other royal tombs consist really of a number of cham- 
 hers, in some cases with small side rooms for members of the 
 royal house. Seti is represented making offerings to the god";, 
 and is finally introduced by Horus to Osiris. Even in death the 
 kings were superior to common people, for Osiris was supposed 
 to be honoured by the introduction. On other tombs ail kinds 
 of trades are represented. Among other strange objects 
 
158 THEBES AND ITS SPLENDID MONUMENTS. 
 
 painted on the walls of the tomL of Raraeses is a serpent with 
 three heads, wings, and human feet. The triple head may 
 denote the perfect wisdom of the king, and the wings his 
 speed to make his wisdom known, or to conquer his enemies. 
 The valleys are perforated by these royal houses of the dead. 
 While they fought to subdue foreign nations, they carefully 
 prepared these costly tombs for their bodies, and each one 
 slept in his own house. 
 
 The Rameseum formerly called the Memnonium, built by 
 Rameses II., is only inferior to the temple of Karnak. The en- 
 trance pylons are massive, beyond which are three immense 
 pillared halls, succeeded by six small chambers in one of which 
 was the abode of the god. In the second hall were eight 
 square piers, thirty feet high, with colossal figures of Osiris. 
 In the first hall is a colossal statue of Rameses of dark bluisli 
 granite, the arms and legs of which are mutilated and the head 
 is broken by the Fellahin. The original height was fifty-four 
 feet, and its estimated weight nine hundred tons. It is the 
 largest of the great statues in Egypt, and excites the admira- 
 tion of all travellers as an evidence of the skill of the sculptors 
 and the ability to move such a mass of stone from Syene, over 
 three thousand years ago. 
 
 To the south of the Ramsium are the noted colossi of Amen- 
 ophis III. They are figures of the king, and were originally 
 cut out of one block of sandstone, and nearly sevent}^ feet 
 high. They are in a sitting posture with the hands resting on 
 the knees. The statues of his wife and son are on each side 
 but reach only to his knees. He is represented as in a state of 
 rest after his wars with the Ethiopians. It is probable they 
 stood in front of a temple, and through an avenue of colossal 
 figures the worshippers went to tne house of their god. The 
 northerly one is said to have uttered musical sounds at sunrise. 
 The fact is not denied, but modern writers differ as to the 
 
PEOPHECY FULFILLED IN THEBES. 150 
 
 cause. Some regard it as having been produced by the sun's 
 rays on the stone, or by a change of temperature. But a boy 
 concealed now in the hollow of the statue and striking it with 
 a piece of iron will cause it to give forth such a sound, and if 
 the king wished special glory to his statue, or the priests to 
 the temple in the rear, they could easily have carried out such 
 a device. The sculptor, boasting of these colossi, says : " I im- 
 mortalized the name of the king, I executed two portrait 
 statues of the king, astonishing for their breadth and height. 
 1 caused to be built eight ships, whereon the statues were car- 
 ried up the river; they will last as long as heaven."* His pre- 
 diction will not be fulfilled ; they have been shaken by earth- 
 ijuakes, and are repaired, but are again falling into decay. 
 Faciug Luxor and Karnak, they have watched the decline of 
 the glory of Thebes and Egypt. They have beheld her splen- 
 dour and now her poverty. Like solitary dead pines in a Can- 
 adian field stretching out their withered branches, they tell 
 even in their decay, of the mighty trees that have been hewn 
 down. So these colossal figures, rising up in solemn and soli- 
 tary majesty in the midst of green fields show the havoc which 
 time and human arms have done, and tell of the mighty glory 
 of ancient Thebes. 
 
 In Ezekiel God warned Thebes of her doom : " I will exe- 
 cute judgments in No." " I will cut ofi" the multitude of No." 
 ■ No shall be rent asunder."-|- And Nahum, pointing out to 
 Nineveh the fate of mighty Thebes, asks : " Art thou better 
 than populous No, that was situate among the rivers, that had 
 the waters round about it ? "I These words are fulfilled to the 
 letter, the inhabitants are poor, they make a wretched 
 living by robbing the graves of their dead and selling the 
 heads and hands and feet of mummies. The temple are per- 
 
 * Brugsch Hist, of Egypt, Vol. I. , p. 425. t Ezekiel xxx. 14, 15, 16. J Nahum iii. 8. 
 
160 THEBES AND ITS Sl'I.ENDID MONUMENTS. 
 
 irsliing, for the Nile will soon destroy their foundations ; the 
 poor and the maimed of Luxor make their abode in some of 
 those kingly halls. The bats flit about in scores, and wild 
 beaf^cs rendezvous in the famous Hall of Columns. That 
 grand temple \7hich was built for eternity is silently going to 
 ruin even in the dry atmosphere of Egypt. No is populous 
 no longer, her multitudes sleep in their mummied shrouds 
 along the great plain towards the base of the everlasting hills, 
 and the living are only a few hundred, so poor that he who is 
 owner of a donkey is envied as a wealthy aristocrat, who 
 ought to be plundered. Thebes has fallen, and so shall every 
 nition perish, that knows not God. 
 
 From Thebes to Assouan the Nile valley contracts, and at 
 places only a very narrow strip of soil is sown with beans and 
 doora. This is probably the olyra or zea of Herodotus. He 
 says, in his day " The Egy})tians prepare their meal from olyra, 
 and they knead dough with their feet while they work clay 
 with their hands."* This is the custom to this day ; I saw in 
 many of the villages in Upper Egypt, the w^omen working clay 
 and manure together with their hands in the fields, and the 
 dough for bread with their feet. South of Thebes the banks 
 of the river are higher than in the north, and as rain seldom 
 falls, the water has to b-^. lifted from the Nile to irrigate the 
 land. This is done by means of the shadoof, a pole with a 
 weight at one end and a bucket at the other, suspended across 
 two upright poles. When the banks are high three shadoofs 
 are employed, the lower one is worked by two men who stand 
 in the Nile, and the water is poured into a hollow cavity a third 
 of the way up the bank, then another shadoof and two men 
 raise it higher ; and, finally, the third one with two men raise 
 it to the surface and pour it into a narrow channel which con- 
 
 * Herod., bk. ii. s. 3(i. 
 
WATERING THE FIELDS IN UPPER EGYPT. IGl 
 
 ducts it through the fields. The fields are divided info patches 
 (if about eight feet square with a small bank of earth raised 
 around them; the Fellahin break this bank with their feet and 
 the water rushes in, and when it has sufficient the opening is 
 closed and the water let into another square. The fields of 
 southern Egypt have the aj^pearance of immense checker 
 boards, each square being green, with a brown band about it. 
 Occasionally a water-wheel is seen driven by two oxen, a rope 
 passes over a rudely constructed pulley, a number of pottery 
 vessels is fastened to the rope Avhich are filled in succession in 
 the Nile, and then empty themselves in a trough from which 
 the water passes through a channel into the field. The writer 
 of Kcclesiastes seems to refer to this primitive mode of irrigation 
 when he compares human life to the wheel, for when the "wheel 
 is broken at the cistern," " then shall the dust return to the 
 oai'th as it was."* The Fellahin became blacker the further 
 south one went. Their features were those of the Egyptian 
 Fellaliin, with the dark skin of the race south of Assouan. 
 Their condition was most wretched, many of them, with 
 a bundle of grass or a mass of ragged cloth round their 
 loins, toiled from sunrise until sunset raising the water from 
 the river. Their clay huts are the abodes of utter desolation. 
 A pottery vessel for water, a quilt rolled up in one corner, 
 and a grass mat on the floor were the only furniture in many 
 of them. Those who hire out their labour, with all their in- 
 dustry can only,J)urchase doora, a little oil and a few dates ; 
 the haggard faces of the men and their families prove the ter- 
 rible pangs of hunger they suffer. But nothing can help them 
 except an invasion of the country by modern machinery for 
 tilling the soil and watering it, and a righteous government 
 over the people. 
 
 * Eccles. xii. 6, 7. 
 
162 THKliES AND ITS SPLENDID MONUMENTS. 
 
 The igneous rocks in the bed of the Nile and on the left 
 shore tell that Assouan is near, the ancient southern boundary 
 of Egypt. On the right, limestone hills tower up, with deep 
 chasms in them tilled with sand, the tine ojrains of which 
 sparkled in the bright siinliglit. On rounding a sharp bend 
 of the Nile tlie city came in view, with its minarets and palm 
 trees. Egyptians, Turks, and Nubians thronged the shore. 
 Some were naked, and others might as well have been so, for 
 their small covering was almost worse than none. Some were 
 basking in the sand, or sailing in the Nile boats, others were 
 assailing us with that terrible word " bukshish," even before 
 we set foot on shore. The donkeys here are very poor, like 
 their owners, their ribs and bones striving to reach daylight 
 through their skin. On one of these poor fellows, glorying 
 in such high-sounding names as Bismarck, Prince of Wales, 
 Telegraph, which ought to have been Hard Back or Slow 
 Coach, I started for Phihv and the cataracts. For five or six 
 miles the I'oute extended over a barren waste, and then be- 
 tween granite hills. Masses of granite rock were piled np in the 
 most fantastic shapes. Imagination could fashion them into 
 great fortresses or black giant guards watching over Nubia, 
 the Nile, and the desert from the dawn of creation. Hiero- 
 glyphics, royal cartouches, and Greek inscriptions abound 
 everywhere. From the mainland I crossed in a small boat, 
 manned by two Egyptians and a Nubian, to the sacred island 
 of Philce. The Egyptian name signified tlje place of the 
 frontier, and was the southern boundary of Egypt ; the Greeks 
 seem to have translated the Egyptian Pilak into <l>t/\ai, the 
 beautiful. The scenery is fine, the small islands near PhihiD 
 that have been connected with the reliofion of the ancient 
 Egyptians, the rocky shores, the surging cataracts, the com- 
 parative purity of the Nile water, and in the distance, palm 
 trees casting a friendly shade over the small and poor villages, 
 
! ii;; i"' i ''mi 
 
 
 X 
 
 •/ 
 
 
104 THERKS AND ITS Sl'LENDIJ) ?.10NUMENT.S. 
 
 form a scene on which tlie traveller loves to gaze, and one not 
 found elsewhere in Egyjit, The temple of Philu' is modern, 
 belonging to the age of the Ptolemies. The trinity of Pliik' 
 was Isis, Osiris, and Horus. The island is interesting, for it was 
 sacred fromthe timesof thegreat kingsof the eigliteenth dynasty. 
 On landing, I ascended among trees, that line the shore by a 
 narrow pathway, then over mounds of broken pottery and mar- 
 ble columns, and the foundations of houses. None were allowed 
 to visit this sacred island except the priests, who were always 
 anxious to keep their mysteries from the eyes of the people. This 
 is seen from the number of dungeon-rooms, without windows or 
 the faintest ray of light ; and an island would suit well for the 
 purpose of isolating the priests from the people, and that iso- 
 lation would increase the awe of the people in regard to the 
 place, and the gods and the priesthood. So holy was Osiris, 
 and so terrible, that the people were afraid to utter his name. 
 Birds, it was believed, would not tly over the island, nor would 
 fish swim near it. It was the last stronghold of Egyptian 
 idolatry, and retained its hold on the people until 458 a.d. 
 Now, however, its shores are trodden by plundering and beg- 
 ging Egyptians and Nubians. The propylon of the temple stands 
 out as ar object of grandeur, and the colonnade is very fine, some 
 of the columns of which have been left unfinished. The figures 
 on the pylon, and the delicate blue on the ceiling of the corridor 
 .are quite fresh. Inside the pylon is a large area, within vvhicli 
 stands a temple on the left, on whose walls is a copy of the 
 Rosetta stone ; the Greek translation, however, is wanting, 
 which would either indicate that it was older than the Rosetta 
 stone, or that the builder was unable or unwilling to translate 
 the hieroglyphic into Greek. Beyond a second pylon is a 
 hall with columns, whose capitals are exquisitely carved with 
 the lotus and palm leaves. Further in the interior is the 
 sanctuary and dark rooms connected with the mysteries of the 
 
THE INCARNATION OF OSIllIS. !().> 
 
 uorship of the gods. How dirteront those dark rooms of the 
 heathen temple from the churches in which (Hirist is wor- 
 shipped. Heathenism was a system that loved darkness. 
 But Christianity rejoices in light ; it is a system of light ; it 
 is the truth of Him who says, " I am the light." It has 
 nothing to fear from light, for the more investigation discovers 
 of the ways and works of God, the mightier will Christianity 
 become as the power of God, for the discovery of all truth can 
 only he a defence of revelation, and not its destruction. The 
 legends represented on the walls of this temple are interesting, 
 iis showing tlie progress of Christianity in the south, and the 
 readiness with which the Egyptians couhl blend Christianity 
 with their mythology. In an ui)per room, about eight feet 
 square, the death and resurrection of Osiris is rej^resented. 
 He is lying on a couch dead, two priests standing, one at each 
 end of the couch, are praying; their hands are uplifted in 
 supplication to a superior power, or to the dead Osiris himself. 
 Then in another part of the scene Osiris has raised himself on 
 his arms, and is restored to life. 
 
 Christianity at the close of the first century had spread into 
 southern Egypt, and in the reigns of Domitian and Diocletian 
 many Christians sutfered martyrdom, whose graves are yet 
 to be seen at Esneh. This upper room of the temple was either 
 built, or the scene represented on the walls, after the Egyptians 
 had learned the foundation facts of Christianity. There had 
 always been communication between Syene and the north of 
 Egypt, and the travellers to the north from Syene may have 
 learned the truths of Christianity, and returning home taught 
 their fellow citizens. Nor is it unlikely that St. Mark would 
 send teachers, or even go himself with the Gospel of salvation 
 to the people of the remotest, city in Egypt ? However, it is 
 evident the representation is an Egyptian declaration of the 
 death of Christ, and His resurrection. And the scene being 
 
100 THKUES AND ITS SlT.ENnrD MONUiMKNTS. 
 
 laid in the upper room indicates a knowledge of the Bible 
 truth of the meeting in the upper room, in which the Lor<l and 
 His disciples kept the Passover previous to His death. The 
 following legend regarding Osiris, the chief god of the trinity 
 of Philii', seems also to contain veins of Scriptural trutli ob- 
 tained from contact with the Gospel. Osiris, according to 
 some authc-rities, signifies " the many-eyed god," and was called 
 " the kine: of cfods," and " the; lord of life." Ho became a man, 
 and reigned as king on earth. Set, the god of evil, murdered 
 him and cut his body into fourteen pieces. Horus, the son of 
 Osiris, slew Set, who is represented as the great serpent Apap. 
 Horus has a shepherd's start', and with it crushes the head of this 
 monster of evil. Is there not in this legend either the faintest 
 outline of the world s hope, as given in Genesis to all nations 
 where Jehovah says to the serpent, " I will put enmity between 
 thy seed and her seed ; it shall bruise thy head ? " or does it 
 not indicate a knowledge; of Old Testament history of the sin 
 and expulsion of Adam, and of the promise of God ? Hoius, 
 the son, aveno-os the death of his father, and he does this bv 
 slaying the serpent with his staff. Here, evidently, is the 
 Egyptian idea of the truth that has been the wonder of men 
 and angels, and the evidence of God's infinite love, " the word 
 was made flesh, and dwelt amongst us ;" * and of the triumph 
 of Christ by His death over Satan, \7ho is called " the great 
 dragon," " that old serpent, the devil." It was as a shepherd 
 Christ came to save the world, to avenge His Father as the 
 God of holiness, righteousness and truth, and to destroy evil, 
 " I am the good shepherd, the good shepherd giveih his life for 
 the sheep„"-f- This legend may be an evidence of the heathen 
 world's consciousness of the need of a divine Saviour, or it is 
 a feeble utterance of the promise recorded in Genesis, which 
 
 * John i. 14. t John x. 11. 
 
NUHIANS SWIMMING IN THE NILK t'ATAHACT. 107 
 
 became an article of knovvle<l,i,^e and of the faith of eastern 
 nations. Tims, through the ages of heathenism, when gross 
 darkness covered the people, and when the life of millions was 
 ciusliod by the cruelties of kings, Go<l in His mercy gave them 
 the gcnns of the saving truth of the Bible, and kept alive, in 
 the traditions about their gods, the hope of deliverance from 
 sin, and the ti'ials of their life. 
 
 Half-an-hour's sail from Phihi' brought the cataract in 
 view, which is about three hundred yards long ; the waves 
 (lash and foam with considerable force in their rapid descent. 
 In comparison with the Lachine rapids, on the St. Lawrence, 
 the Nile catiiract is like a nariow streamlet, flowing down its 
 mountain channel. Four young Nubians and an old man 
 leaped fearlessly into the rolling masses of water. The young 
 fellows seemed to bound from one great wave to another. 
 Sometimes their black, woolly heads would disappear for a 
 moment and suddenly rise above the surface ; then again, 
 with their heads lifted completely out of the water, they 
 were borne down by the current. The old man had lost the 
 agility of youth, but either his desire to make a respectable 
 livelihood, or his fondness for the exciting work, kept him at 
 his post. He straddled a piece of palm tree about eight feet 
 long and one foot in diameter, and log and rider were pitched 
 about like straws in the powerful current. They turned many 
 somersaults ; sometimes the old black man was up and the 
 log down, and then the log was uppermost and the man under 
 water; but both reached calm water safely. The whole per- 
 formance was done at the modest rate of one piastre, or about 
 five cents, for each swimmer. Though the thermometer 
 ranged over ,90 , the man and boys burrowed, as soon as they 
 came out of the river, in the warm sand, with their teeth 
 chattering, as if it were a cold day of October in Canada. 
 From a poor village, with a few date and dome pahi"»s, giving 
 
]^>8 THEBES AND ITS SPLENDID MONUMENTS. 
 
 food and grateful shade to the city, I rode amid a storm of 
 
 demands for bukshish to the old quarries about a mile from 
 
 Assouan. Blocks of granite are lying there, perhaps from the 
 
 time of the builders of the pyramids. From this quarry were 
 
 taken the immense blocks that line and roof the upper pyramid 
 
 chamber, and the square pillars that stand in the court of the 
 
 temple of the Sphinx. The obelisks at On and Thebes, and 
 
 those that adorn Rome, Paris, London and New York were 
 
 hewn out of that quarry. The marks of the workmen's tools 
 
 are clearly seen on the rock and the blocks of stone. One obelisk 
 
 is lying unfinished, ninety-five feet long and eleven and a-halt' 
 
 feet square at the base. A flaw is seen in it, which may 
 
 account for its not having been removed, and the marks of 
 
 pointed tools are seen along its whole length. The method of 
 
 qtiarrying these massive blocks is indicated at Assouan. Alon^ 
 
 the face of the block I observed a narrow groove had been cut 
 
 by a narrow pointed tool. At regular intervals of about three 
 
 feet, cavities had been cut down about four inches broad, and 
 
 wedges driven into them and swollen with water ; thus the 
 
 stone was riven from its place. Along the whole length of 
 
 the unfinished obelisk a groove is cut, and spaces are seen for 
 
 driving the wedges in to separate it from the rock. From 
 
 remote times, the Egyptians had a knowledge of metallurgy. 
 
 The copper mines in Wady Magharah were wrought in tlie 
 
 eighteenth dynasty, and the cartouches of kings long prior to 
 
 that date are found there. Whether their tools were bronze 
 
 or iron, the Egyptians wrought the beautiful granite and 
 
 hard basalt with marvellous skill, and gave it a polish not 
 
 excelled with all the mechanical appliances of these days. 
 
 The tribes that inhabited the Arabian peninsula had not only 
 
 gold and silver but iron, and it could scarcely be possible 
 
 the Egyptians would be ignorant of it. The Hebrews learned 
 
 among, other things, the knowledge of working stone, ai.d 
 
THE QUAllRIES OF ASSOUAN. 169 
 
 no "loubt there is a reference to the pointed tool used by 
 the stone-cutters when Job prays, " Oh, that my words were 
 cjvaven with an iron pen, and lead in the rock forever."* 
 Jeremiah says, "The sin of Judah is 'vritten with a pen of 
 iron." * This is not the stylus, but an iron tool by which the 
 words might be chiselled into the rock. 
 
 The quarries are situated so near the Nile that they could 
 tloat their blocks of granite and transport them to any part 
 of Egypt. . Sometimes they were moved on sledges and dragged 
 by human force. Time and human life were of small value 
 in the eyes of an Egyptian King. The people were not citi- 
 zens, or subjects, they were slaves, whose comfort, liberty, 
 and life, were to be sacrificed for tlie glory of the king, or to 
 gratify his barbaric whim. The Oriental, yet, has no idea of 
 the value of time, he passes a dreamy existence and is content 
 with sufficient for his daily need. As fatalists, they are fear- 
 less of death, for it is the will of Allah, and the Mahom- 
 medan dies without a murmur. Herodotus informs us that a 
 kino' brought from Elenhantine, near Assouan, an edifice of a 
 single block of stone, to Sais. The work consumed three years. 
 The architect wearied with anxiety and labour of moving this 
 colossal block, twenty cubits long, fourteen wide, and eight 
 high, heaved a sigh. This, and because a workman was 
 crushed in the work of moving the stone, caused the king to 
 refust^ it admittance to the temple, for which it was destined. 
 This gives us an idea of the time spent in bringing down those 
 granite blocks that excite our admiration for their beauty 
 and size. Those days of slavery have passed forever, and the 
 right or power to crush the joy and life out of men to rear 
 tombs for kings or temples for gods. 
 
 * Job xix. 23, 24, * Jer. xvii. 1. 
 
 12 
 
170 THEBES AND ITS SPLENDID MONUMENTS. 
 
 One naturally asks what will be the future of Egypt; will 
 it become a great political and civilizing power again amono; 
 the nations ? Britain will mould to a large extent the future 
 of Egypt. The British and French comptrollers who managed 
 the finances previous to the late war may have been far from 
 perfection ; the system may not have been the best that might 
 have been devised; their salaries may have been excessive. 
 Their rule, however, lifted a galling yoke from the necks of 
 the Fellahin. I speak on the authority of Europea.ns who 
 have been in Egypt thirty years, and who are acquainted 
 personally with the farming population from Alexandria to 
 Thebes, when I say the taxes were reduced fifty per cent. 
 Besides, the taxes were levied at a fixed rate, and not accord- 
 ing to the caprice or cupidity of the government agents, and 
 there began to exist a sense of security against the legion of 
 crushing evils, that had for years devoured the poor tillers of 
 the soil. The Egyptian official class which has no patriotism 
 or conscience, in the east, was restrained from plundering the 
 lower classes, and therefore hated the presence of the l^uro- 
 peans. The military party then arose into power, headed by 
 Arabi Pasha, the supposed leader of a national party. The 
 only national party was the military one, whose aim was not 
 to give the Fellahin a better government, or relief from cruel 
 wrongs, but to drive out the foreigners, rob the public trea- 
 sury, and squander the money on their own unbridled pas- 
 sions, Arabi therefore aroused the fanatical spirit of the 
 common people, they forgot their benefits from foreign man- 
 agement, their fanaticism became charioteer to their judgment, 
 and they went out to the war simply on the ground of religious 
 bigotry. 
 
 Arabi's purpose was to depose the civil power, and rule 
 Egypt by a military despotism. Britain wa« justified in her 
 action against Arabi, for she had been invited to manage 
 
THE FUTURE OF EGYPT. 171 
 
 the finances of the country by the legal authority, and 
 she could not submit to be driven out along with the Khedive 
 by an illegal military power. The telegraph lines and the rail- 
 ways were largely built by British capital; and, unless Britain 
 was prepared to risk her control of the Suez canal and imperil 
 the millions invested, she was forced to interfere herself. 
 
 Returning on Sabbath afternoon in company with Dr. 
 Watson from one of the mission schools in Cairo, I heard a cry 
 of warning and on looking round, a runner before a European 
 carriage stopped quite near us. The occupant who alighted 
 from the carriage was a corpulent Egyptian, in European clothes, 
 except a native fez. On inquiry I found this was Arabi, then 
 rising into fame. I afterwards saw him at a supper given on 
 Washington's birth -day in Cairo, at which he made a speech 
 somewhat insulting to the British, and lauding the govern- 
 ment and people of the United States, both of whom he hated 
 in his heart. He was corpulent, with a flabby face, not 
 denoting great intellect or courage. He seemed to be about 
 five feet ten inches in height. Wherever he appeared he 
 assumed all the pomp of the Khedive himself, the people 
 prostrated themselves before him in the dust, and before his 
 carriage usually two runners were seen, who cleared the way 
 right and left for the great man. This custom is of great 
 antiquity, and one looks with deep interest on the Sais with 
 his picturesque, gold-and-silver embroidered jacket, with a 
 spotless turban on his head, running for hours before the 
 carriage of some noble. His occupation leads us back to 
 remote times. When Israel became discontented with the 
 method of government by the Judges, they wished to have a 
 king, for they imagined the splendour of royalty would 
 increase their own glory. Samuel warned them of the burdens 
 the king would impose on them, " he will take your sons and 
 appoint them for himself, for his chariots, and to be his horse- 
 
172 THEBES AND ITS SPLENDID MONUMENTS. 
 
 men, and some will run before his chariots." * These runners 
 have been known to run for hours without rest, and day after 
 day their familiar cry is heard in Cairo patiently clearing the 
 way through the crowds and then rushing on. Their work 
 demands patience and the power of physical endurance. To 
 the Sais Jeremiah refers when he asks the righteous, "if 
 thou hast run with the footmen and they have wearied thee, 
 then how canst thou contend with horses ? "-^ Paul urgies 
 believers to run with patience, and in one passage, speaks 
 of the hope God has given, as like an anchor cast within the 
 veil, whither " the forerunner is for us entered, even Jesus.":|: 
 In this office Jesus marks his infinite love for us. To occupy an 
 office so lowly, for our salvation " He took upon him the form 
 of a servant," and humbled himself to become our forerunner, 
 to announce our coming into our Father's home in heaven, and 
 so add to our glory. What greater humility, what greater 
 love than this can be found ? He has tasted the suffering and 
 the shame of the cross for us, let us give Him our love, our 
 life, our all. , 
 
 One of the pressing needs of Egypt is education. At 
 present the people are utterly incompetent to govern them- 
 selves. Education in the schools of Egypt consists in commit- 
 ting to memory the Koran. At Edf oo I visited the public school. 
 The walls of the building were of sun-dried clay, without win- 
 dows, and there were no seats. The scholars sat on the earth 
 floor, swaying their bodies backward and forward, and in a mon- 
 otonous sing-song tone committed the Koran to memory. The 
 teacher sat on the floor with grave indifference to the babel of 
 noise and confusion in his school. He remained in a sitting 
 posture, when I entered; he asked the scholars to sing, which 
 they did in the deepest gutturals and without the leat t musical 
 
 * Samuel viii. 11. f Jeremiah xii. 5. i Hebrews vi. 20. 
 
FANATICAL STUDENTS IN CAIRO. 173 
 
 taste. After this performance i^e scholars rose en ma^ and 
 demanded bukshish, with the heartiest approval of the master, 
 who finally joined in the demands for himself. This is a 
 typical specimen of the schools in the towns and villages on 
 the Nile, and little can be expected from them in the way of 
 imparting useful knowledge or giving mental training. 
 
 In Cairo is the famous college, El-Ahzar, which I visited 
 in company with a friend well-known to the Sheik of the 
 college. At the entrance native barbers were shaving the 
 heads of their clients and while plying their trade lifted 
 their eyes to show their fanatical hatred towards us. On 
 passing through the gate we entered a large open area, in 
 which were about five hundred young men. Some were 
 sitting, others lying on their faces reading, others were eating 
 tlat pancakes, which appeared anything but inviting ; clouds of 
 Hies were swarming about, and the race for food was between 
 thein and the students, and many a fly went the way of the 
 bread in the famous college. Though in company with the 
 Sheik, so hostile was the feeling at the time, for the war clouds 
 were gathering thickly and Arabi Pasha was threatening to 
 amiihilate the British infidel, that the five hundred students 
 rose to their feet and hissed in our faces as if we were dogs. 
 However, as we were in the stronghold of fanaticism, we bore 
 the insult with becoming meekness. Beyond this area we 
 entered a covered hall, in which the students sat on the floor 
 or lay on their faces on mats, in circles, each containing from 
 ten to twelve. The teacher sat with his back against a pillar, 
 while his students repeated the Koran and listened to his 
 explanations. In the centre of each circle was a heap of 
 yellow and red slippers belonging to the students. There was 
 also the same swaying of the body backward and forward as 
 in the small schools. Alone: this hall were rows of boxes 
 containing the clothes and provisions of each student, many 
 
174 THEBES AND ITS SPLENDID MONUMENTS. 
 
 of whom brought a week's provision, and took it daily until 
 it was done, when a fresh stock was laid in. This is the 
 centre of Egyptian education, it is the hotbed of Mahommerlan 
 fanaticism and sways a powerful influence over the Khedive 
 and the army. While these are the educational institutions, 
 Egypt will never rise in material and moral power. Let 
 Egypt be for the Egyptians as Canada is for Canadians, but 
 this will be impossible until a libjral European education is 
 given to the people. 
 
 But like every other country Egypt needs Christianity. 
 The moral instruction of the Koran is valuable so far, but it is 
 separated from the spirit of God, who can give power to all 
 tvuth and make it the means of regulating the heart and life 
 of the Egyptian people. The United Presbyterian Church of 
 the United States have had missionaries in Egypt since 18o4. 
 Their work extends from Alexandria to Esneh above Thebes, 
 and the Gospel has been preached in ancient Syene, on the 
 boundary of Nubia. The work is under the management of 
 Dr. Lansing, a man of scholarship, and Christian spirit. The 
 headquarters of the mission are at Cairo, where he is ably sup- 
 ported by Dr. Watson and Mr. Harvy, men of ability and true 
 missionary spirit, who along with tlieir wives and other 
 teachers, native and European, have done much for the Egyp- 
 tians. In 1881 there were twenty-one missionaries and one 
 hundred and forty-nine native agents in Egypt. There were 
 twelve organized churches, with a membership of one thou- 
 sand three hundred and six. The contributions of native con- 
 verts for the year 1881 were S4<,747. The attendance in forty- 
 two Sabbath schools was seven hundred and six adults, and 
 seven hundred and eighty-eight children ; and eight hundred 
 and ninety native women were learning to read the Scriptures. 
 There were ten mission schools with an average attendance of 
 eight hundred and fifty-nine, and thirty-nine primary schools, 
 
AMERICAN MISSIONS IN EGYPT. 175 
 
 with an averap-e attendance of l,o60 pupils, and the 
 amount paid by the native Egyptians for the support of 
 these schools was $6,131. These figures show briefly the re- 
 sults of faithful labour, and some of the forces at work by the 
 Presbyterian Church for the regeneration of that ancient land 
 of the Pharaohs. During 1880 the students in the college in 
 Sioot paid as fees more than 81,000, besides furnishing their 
 own bread and books. From this College trained Egyptians 
 00 out to teach their fellow-countrymen the English branches 
 of education and also the Scriptures. I visited one of these 
 teachers, Awada Abd el Shaheed, in his school at Luxor, 
 which was attended by Copts, Mahommedans and professing 
 Christians. About forty scholars attended in an upper room, 
 very plain. Through holes in the rotten walls 1 could look 
 out on the mighty Temple of Karnak, and the whole ruins of 
 Thebes, where famous temples stood and despotic kings reigned, 
 but now the name of the Prince of Peace is known, and the 
 Gospel of Christ taught. What has Christianity done for 
 Egypt I have been asked, with an insinuation that it has done 
 nothing ? The Copts and Mahommedans are dishonest, filthy in 
 their houses and habits, and grossly ignorant. The converted 
 Egyptians are separated from them by a great gulf. They 
 are clean in their houses, honest in dealing, and strive to live 
 a holy life. In the towns and cities of Egypt there are men 
 and women converted to Christ, whose life is as light in the 
 midst of Mahommedan darkness. They are noted for honesty 
 in trade and truthfulness in speech. Who are those whom the 
 Egyptian Government has placed in offices of trust in many of 
 their post-offices, or on their mail boats on the Nile ? They ai a 
 members of the Christian Church. The captain of the mail 
 boat, Boulak, is a Christian, and many of the postmasters in 
 Copper Egypt whom I met are the same. A Mahommedan 
 will ask four or five times the price of his goods, while the 
 
17G THEBES AND ITS SPLENDID MONUMENTS. 
 
 native Christian will ask a fair value, a.nil his j^oods are reliable. 
 From the Great Sea to Nubia I have seen these facts and when 
 the Spirit of God shall reign in all her people as now in a hand- 
 ful of them, Egypt shall be a happy if not a mighty country, 
 Isaiah says : " In that day shall there be an altar to the Lord 
 in the midst of the land of Egypt, and a pillar at the border 
 thereof to the Lord, and it shall be for a sign and for a 
 witness unto the Lord."* The Church is the pillar and ground 
 of the truth. The altar and the pillar are not a stone pyra- 
 mid, but the Church of Christ in Egypt and Christ in the 
 Church, as the life and Saviour of the people. " There shall 
 be no more a prince of the land of Egypt,"f writes Ezekiel. 
 For more than twenty-two centuries, no nativ'e prince has 
 ruled over the land. Are the words of the prophet to be taken 
 literally ? If so, while she may be independent of Turkey 
 her rulers will be dependent on some foreign power. What 
 power will it be ? Russia, Franco and Italy were deeply in- 
 terested in Egypt during the war, but Britain alone sent her 
 troops into the land. What blessing could semi-civilized Rus- 
 sia give, or Catholic Italy, or France with its gro.is materialism ? 
 British guns bombarded Alexandria not to overthrow consti- 
 tutional government but to maintain it. Britain's aim was not 
 to deprive the people of their rights but to defend them from 
 the covetous hand of a corrupt despotism ; for this some of her 
 bravest and noblest sons have fallen, and sleep in that historic 
 land until the great day. God's purpose may be in tliis. 
 British rule with all its wronfjs, is one of 'ustice and mercy; 
 wherever Britain bears sway she recognizes the rights and 
 liberty of the people. Let revolutionists and Britain's foes 
 say what they may, wherever the flag of the kingdom Hies free- 
 dom and Christianity are sheltered. By the battles of Kass- 
 
 * Isaiah xix. 19-20. f Ezek. xxx. 13. 
 
EGYPT UNDER THE BRITISH FLAG. 
 
 177 
 
 assin and Tel-el-Kebir the standard of Britain was planted on 
 E^^vptian soil, and whercA^er it is seen the standard of the 
 cross may be lifted. The prophecies of the Scripture have 
 been fullilled as every traveller may see, " I will make the 
 land of li^j^ypt utterly wa^te and desolate." " It shall be the 
 basest of kingdoms, neither shall it exalt itself any more above 
 
 ^ra^?^=fe^- ■ 
 
 EXTERIOll OF THE TEMPLE OF ISIS, AT PHILyK. 
 
 the nations."* " The brooks of defence shall be emptied and 
 dried up ; the reeds and flags shall wither."-f- The brooks are 
 dried up at Memphis and Thebes, or filled with sand during 
 the centuries. Poverty and moral desolation oppress the 
 
 * Ezek. xxix. 10, 15. t Isaiah xix. G. 
 
178 THEBES AND ITS SPLENDID MONUMENTS. 
 
 nation, vice abounds in every class. The Copts will hail the 
 day when Britain will rule the land, and many of the FcUalun, 
 for they are hopeless of deliverance from their own rulers. 
 Britain's work for the sake of Egypt is to maintain a constitu- 
 tional government, and give the people useful education in 
 their own language, and, when capable of self-government, let 
 them govern themselves. Let Egypt always be for the Egyp- 
 tians, but remain with their political independence a part of 
 the British Empire. God seems to have imposed on Britain 
 the task of helping down-trodden Egypt ; if she sees her mis- 
 sion and does her duty, peace and righteousness may be found 
 in the fertile land of the Pharaohs. The people will be a free 
 people, and the descendants of those who were slaves in the 
 days of Thothmes and Rameses will enjoy the blessings of 
 Christianity and liberty. Christ will be worshipped in the 
 temples of Osiris, Isis and Amon Ra, and Egypt shall be the 
 Lord's forever. , 
 
Chaptku X. 
 A RIDE TO MOUNT SINAI. 
 
 « 
 
 "Tho <,'jueral aspect of the country is ono of ahoor desolation ami 
 l);ui'enno33. " — The Desert of the Exodns^ p. 33. 
 
 LL Saturday, February'' 25fcb, Arabs from Ghizob 
 were coming and going witb relics which thuy 
 had dug up at Memphis. I was busy preparing 
 for the start to Suez, and time was precious, l)ut 
 it is a liopeless task to make an Arab hasten. 
 Half a-dozen of them sat outside all day, anxious 
 to show me some prize they had obtained in their excavations 
 among the ruins of some ancient city or temple. My friends 
 were glad when night came, and drove them all away. Our 
 company was small, the Rev. J. G. Smart, of Cambridge, New 
 York, and a Lutheran clergyman ; but we were interested in 
 the country, and were ready to endure fatigue and incur 
 clanger. Mr. vSmart was most enthusiastic in his efforts to 
 examine thoroughly all places of the least importance con- 
 nected with the history and journey of the Israelites, and I 
 feel indebted to him for his genial spirit and kindness, that 
 frequently helped us through difficulties and dangers. A 
 written contract was duly signed and witnessed at the office 
 of the British consul. Its terms were that, for a certain sum 
 of money, our dragoman would take us safely over the desert, 
 and provide men, camels, and provisions. One must hasten 
 slowly in the East in making bargains. Two days were con- 
 
180 .A RIDE TO MOUNT SINAI. 
 
 Slimed with our dragoman, whose main object was not our 
 •comfort, but to obtain better terms. And no discontented 
 province can press its daims with more skill and perseverance 
 than a Syrian dragoman. At length, after promising a buk- 
 shish to every Arab camel-driver and a double one to the 
 greedy dragoman, he shook hands with us, saying " Khalas," 
 it is finished. At the railway station a motley crowd of ] 
 Egyptians were lounging — men in the scantiest attire, and 
 women decked in necklaces and bracelets of fjold and silver, 
 These, together with their nose-jewels and long veils, hiding 
 the lower part of the face, gave them an appearance of bar- 
 baric splendour and shabbiness. An officious Egyptian eyed 
 my valise, and resolved evidently not to allow it in the car 
 with me, but as it was neither large nox" heavy, I refused to 
 allow it to go into the baggage car. It was full of delicate 
 Egyptian treasures, which I knew would never reach Suez 
 safely. In Egypt, as well as in Canada, the contents of trunks 
 often look as if they had been through a grinding-mill when 
 they emerge from a baggage car. Though I was right and the 
 official wrong, he grew furious at my refusal to hand over mv 
 valise to the tender mercies of the Egyptian baggage man. 
 He seemed to think it an insult that an intidel should prevail. 
 I knew the oil, however, that would calm the troubled waters, 
 and ojave him a few piastres, which moved him to bless me. 
 and cheered his own soul. Cairo was soon left far behind us, 
 The railway extends through a fertile country to Nefisheh, 
 from which the main line extends southward, skirting the 
 «dge of the desert, to Suez. Our route lay through the ancient 
 Goshen, and it was delightful, after the barrenness of southern 
 Egypt and Nubia, to see extensive fields of grain and forests 
 of date palms stretching as far as the eye could see in every 
 direction. 
 
 Before reaching ^vanatir, on the south of the railway are 
 
THE LAND OF GOSHEN. 181 
 
 the rains of Tel-el-YeliMiyeh, the traditional site of the 
 temple erected by Onias, son of the high priest in Jerusalem. 
 According to Josephus, it was built on the foundations of an 
 Eo-yptian temple. The name of Rameses III. has been recently 
 found among the excavations made, but now the ancient temple 
 and the Jewish are alike a mass of ruins, and the high mound 
 of rubbish alone remains to mark the site. At noon we reached 
 Zakazik, one of the most important centres of trade in the 
 Delta. Cotton and grain are grown in this region in large 
 quantities, and forwarded to Alexandria and thence to Europe. 
 The sources of the fresh water canals are here, that made 
 the land of Goshen so fertile in the days when the patriarch 
 atid his family dwelt in the land. For miles on both sides of 
 the railway, canals and small lakes are to be seen. Their 
 banks are lined with trees of various kinds, in many places 
 meeting at the top, and forming a complete shade to prevent 
 evaporation during the intense heat of summer. Large gar- 
 dens are well cultivated in a few places near Zakazik, in 
 which orange trees and vines grow luxuriantly. The whole 
 of this part of the Delta is capable of producing immense 
 quantities of grain and fruit and excellent pasture. One 
 regards this region with intense interest, because of its con- 
 nection with the early history of the Scriptures. Here the 
 pioneers of the Hebrew people found a home, and the con- 
 dition of the country even now, after many centuries and 
 wars, is a standing evidence of the truth of the Scriptures, 
 for the country is well watered, and, as some of those canals 
 that intersect the country date back at least to the time of 
 Rameses, they probably were dug by the Israelites under the 
 lash of the Egyptian taskmasters. Their life was made bitter 
 in all manner of service 'in the field, digging canals, irrigating 
 the soil, and making brick for the walls of temple enclosures 
 or palaces of the kings. A few minutes' walk from the station 
 are the ruins of Bubastis, an old town, whose chief deity was 
 
182 A RIDE TO MOUNT SINAI. 
 
 Pasht, whose famous temple was here. Herodotus gives a 
 description of the town and temple, and the licentious scenes 
 at the festivals of the goddess ; as many as 700,000 men and 
 women frequently assembling, on those occasions, from all parts 
 of Egypt. Nothing now remains of the temple and its splen- 
 dour but heaps of earth, pottery, and stones. The temple, the 
 idolatry, and the people have perished, and its thorough deso- 
 lation is a witness of the eternal truth of God's word, which 
 says : " The young men of Aven and of Pi-beseth shall fall by 
 the sword, and their cities shall go into captivity."* Some of 
 the ancient kings instead of executing criminals sent them to 
 their native cities, and compelled them to labour in raising 
 the foundations of the city above the water-level during the 
 overflow of the Nile. If the moral character of the people be 
 determined by the height of the city above the plain, the 
 Bubastians must have been a lawless set of Egyptians, for 
 the ruins are of considerable height. Herodotus says it was 
 raised so high that the people could look over the wails int 
 the temple. From this point the railway extends along the 
 line of an old canal to Nefisheh and Ismaylia. The whole 
 country north to Mansura and Tanis, the ancient Zoan, is very 
 fertile, and capable of supporting a dense population ; and, as 
 the Egyptians were averse, as a race, to rural life and occu- 
 pation, the conditions were very favourable to the rapid 
 increase of the Hebrews in Egypt. The soil was capable of 
 producing ample food, and until the Hebrews became so 
 numerous as to be a cause of fear to the king, they were 
 regarded as a useful class of people, whose labour augmented 
 the wealth of the kingdom. The conditions were specially 
 favourable to produce the results stated in the Scriptures: 
 " They grew and multiplied exceeding'ly." 
 
 * Jeremiah xxx. 17. 
 
• THE SITE OF PITHOM. 183 
 
 At Tel-el-Kebir the desert begins. This village stands in 
 the centre of a few patches of green, and surrounded by a 
 few trees. Some authorities have regarded this as the site of 
 Pithom one of the treasure-houses built by the Israelites. 
 Lepsius has located the site of Raamses near the railway 
 station, Raamses, at Tell-el-Maskhuta, situated in the heart of a 
 dreary desert, which extends southward to Suez. Only a few 
 small huts compose the modern Raamses ; mounds of sand were 
 piled up around the village by the winds from the south, and 
 a few small shrubs were struggling for existence in the face 
 of scorching winds, sand drifts, and drought. Small patches 
 of land, ten or twelve feet square, were cultivated with great 
 difficulty. Beneath the stunted palm trees that grew on these 
 irrigated squares, a few boys of Raamses had lighted a fire of 
 reeds to cook their scanty meal or to warm themselves. As 
 the train rushed past, they lifted their tarboosh, as Canadian 
 boys would do their caps, but with far less boyish enthu- 
 siasm ; for the Fellahin feel the crushing burdens of a cursed 
 government, and the evil descends to the children, who are 
 made toiling slaves at an age when they should be free to 
 develop bodily and mentally into strong and wise men. From 
 this cause the Egyptians are physically weak, and are incapable 
 of self-government or progress until some higher races infuse 
 higher principles into their laws, their social customs, and their 
 moral nature. These patches are irrigated in the same manner 
 as in southern Egypt: a small channel conveys the water 
 through these squares, separated from each other by a raised 
 ridge of earth. When the owner wishes to water one square, 
 he breaks an opening with his feet, and the water flows into 
 it ; when it has sufficient, he breaks with his foot an opening 
 into another square, and in this manner the whole area is 
 watered. This method of irrigating the soil in small squares 
 seems to be of great antiquity. In urging the Israelites to 
 
184 A HIDE TO MOUNT SINAI. 
 
 keep His commandments, God reminds them of the superiority 
 of the land o£ Palestine, which they possessed through His 
 grace. The land " is not as the land of Egypt, from whence 
 ye came out, where thou sowedst thy seed and wateredst it 
 with thy foot."* 
 
 Since the above lines were written, an important topo- 
 graphical discovery has been made at Tell-el-Maskhuta. M. 
 Naville, an eminent Swiss Egyptologist, has been appointed 
 by the " Egyptian Exploration Society " to examine some of 
 the mounds in Egypt that have long Iteen known tp scholars 
 to contain antiquities and inscriptions that might solve many 
 historical and topographical problems. He has received the 
 sanction and aid of the present Khedive. The mounds of 
 Tell-el-Maskhuta have been opened, and in the short space of 
 a few weeks very important discoveries have been made. 
 Inscriptions have been found which prove this to be the site 
 of Pithom, one of the two treasure-cities or store-houses built 
 by the Hebrews, and which are mentioned in the first chapter 
 of Exodus. It has been found that Pithom — Pa-Tum — was 
 the religious or sacred name, and Succoth-Thukut the civil 
 name of the city, and that Ramses II. was its founder. Dur- 
 ing his reign, therefore, the Hebrews were oppressed, and this 
 fact helps to fix the date of the exodus, and bring the state- 
 ments of Scripture within the domain of verified historic fact, 
 which is indisputable. This treasure-city seems to have been 
 rebuilt under the Ptolemies, and was converted by the Romans 
 into a fortified camp. During this period it was known as 
 Heroopolis, or " the store -city," from " Hero," the Greek form 
 of " Ar," a store-house. Among the most interesting discoveries 
 are vast sul^terraneous store chambers. They occupied the 
 whole area enclosed by the city walls, which apj)ears to have 
 
 "Deut. xi, 10. 
 
THE STARTING POINT OF THE ISRAELITES. 185 
 
 been a s({uare, each of whose sides was six hundred and fifty 
 feet. These chambers have been strongly built, like all the 
 structures of the ancient Egyptians. The chambers are separ- 
 cited by partitions from eight to ten feet in thickness, and the 
 large sun-dried bricks are as perfect as when placed there by 
 the Hebrews, whose '* lives were made bitter with hard bond- 
 age in mortar and in brick." The value of this discovery 
 cannot be over-estimated, for it has thrown hors de combat all 
 sceptical theories in regard to the facts related in Exodus about 
 the treasure-houses, and helps to determine the date of the 
 Exodus itself, the starting-point of the people, and their route 
 towards the wilderness. The Christian Church throughout 
 the world owes a debt of gratitude to the Society and to 
 M. Naville, which it can remove, in some degree, by helping to 
 carry on the work, until the whole Delta shall have given up 
 its rich treasures of antiquity, that will materially aid the his- 
 torian and the philologist, but above all, from their grave of 
 ages will testify that the "Word of our God shall stand for 
 ever." 
 
 The moon cast her silvery light over the desert long before 
 Suez was reached. I stood on the platform, and looked out 
 on the waste over which the Israelites had tied from the 
 slavery of Egypt. It needed faith and courage to march over 
 that terrible desert, even when liberty was the reward. At 
 eight p.m. we arrived at Suez, where our company parted for 
 the night. I slept at the Hotel d' Orient, the name of which 
 is high-sounding enough, but the food was bad and the bed 
 worse. 
 
 The starting point of the Israelites and their route in their 
 departure from Egypt have an important relation to the place 
 at which they passed through the sea. It is highly probable 
 the area of ancient Goshen is included in the triangle formed 
 by a line drawn from Heliopolis to lake Timsah, thence north- 
 13 
 
186 A RIDE TO MOUNT SINAI. 
 
 ward to Pelusiura, and a line from Heliopolis to Tanis. That 
 it was east of the Nile and its main branches seems to be a 
 reasonable inference from the absence of any reference to it in 
 the travels of Jacob and his sons and in the flight of tlie 
 Israelites from the land. If Tanis, as I believe, was the 
 capital at the date of the exodus, Goshen would be east and 
 south of it and yet near enough to have intercourse with the 
 court of the king. In this area we naturally look for the 
 starting place of the Israelites. The brief statement of the 
 Scriptures is, " the children of Israel removed from Rameses 
 and pitched in Succoth and they departed from Succoth and 
 pitched in Etham, which is in the edge of the wilderness. 
 And they removed from Etham and turned again into Pi- 
 Hahiroth which is before Baal-Zephion ; and they pitched 
 before Migdol."* Rameses, the starting point, has been 
 located at Heliopolis, at Tell- Yehudiyeh, at Tell-Maskhuta and 
 at Tanis. One statement of Exodus helps to determine the 
 rendezvous of the Hebrews, " God led them not throuofh the wav 
 of the land of the Philistines though that was near."-|- This 
 land lay eastward of Pelusium and therefore not near Helio- 
 polis or any city in the sputh or southwest of the Delta. And 
 it cannot be Maskhuta, near the edge , of the wilderne-ss, 
 which has now been discovered to be the site of Pithom. 
 Tanis, the Zoan of Scripture, and the capital of the Hyksos 
 kings, was enlarged and beautified by Rameses II. There the 
 kings of the nineteenth dynasty had their court and on the 
 statues and blocks of stone that have been found by the 
 officers of the Egypt Exploration Fund, during the past few 
 weeks, are the names of Rameses II., Shishak and Mene- 
 phtah. The ancient Egyptian name of the place was T'an 
 as seen from an inscription in the Bulak Museum. The 
 
 * Numbers xxxiii. 5-7. t Exodus xiii, 17. 
 
THE STARTING POINT OF THE ISRAELITES. 187 
 
 scriptural name is Zoan and the modern, San. It was not 
 until Rameses had enlarged the city and temples that it 
 was called " Pa-Ramesu " (the abode of Rameses). A contempo- 
 rary of the king is greatly delighted with the country and the 
 capital, " I arrived at the city of Ramesu-Meriamen and found 
 it admirable ; here is the seat of the court. The place is 
 pleasant to live in, its fields are full of good things, the 
 meadows are screen with vegetables, melons with a taste like 
 honey, grow in the irrigated gardens. The barns are full of 
 wheat and durra and reach as high as heaven."* In speaking 
 of the remov.il of the plague of locusts it is said, " the Lord 
 turned a mighty strong west wind, which took away the 
 locusts and cast them into the Red Sea/'f The west wind is 
 literally " the wind of the sea," that is the Mediterranean, a.nd 
 a wind blowing from that sea would drive the locusts from 
 Tanis towards the Red Sea. There the miracles were wrouofht 
 by Moses before Pharoah, " marvellous things did he in the 
 land of Egypt, in the field of Zoan."| Near the capital the 
 Hebrews were employed, for they met Moses on coming out 
 from the king, and charged him Avith adding to their burdens 
 by arousing the anger of the Egyptians. The facts of history 
 in the life of Rameses point to the causes of the tremendous 
 oppression of the Israelites. He employed them in erecting 
 those statues and blocks whose ruins have been found, in 
 making brick and lifting up large stones into their place in 
 the temples, and in cultivating the soil to maintain himself 
 and his nobles in luxury, and their bondage became so galling 
 that they cried unto the Lord for help. The evidence of ancient 
 records, recent discoveries, and the statements of Scripture point 
 to xctnis as the capital of Rameses. If this were the starting 
 
 * Rawlinsons' History of Ancient Egypt : Vol. II. 327. + Exodus x. 19. 
 + Psalm Ixxviii. 12. 
 
188 A RIDE TO MOUNT SINAI. 
 
 place of the Israelites, they would naturally take the shortest 
 route to the wilderness. Their first encampment was Succoth 
 which has been identified with Pithom, the modern Tell-el- 
 Maskhuta and the second Etham. If Zoan-Tanis \vere the 
 starting point it is highly probable Etham was near El-Kan- 
 tara, on the Suez Canal, for the well-known route to Syria 
 passed there, which they would prefer to take, rather than 
 plunge into the unknown tracts of the desert. A line of for- 
 tifications had been built by Rameses' father, from Pelusiura 
 to Heliopolis, to protect the country from the invasion of the 
 desert tribes. It would pass over this narrow strip of land 
 between lakes Balah and Menzaleh, and a fortress would pro- 
 bably be erected there, for it was the key of the whole countiy. 
 This would therefore be Etham, "the fortress," in the edge of 
 the wilderness. The host of the Hebrews could have forced 
 their way in spite of the fortress and Egyptian soldiers, but 
 fierce struggles with the people along the coast of the Medi- 
 terranean would have discouraged them, so God commanded 
 them to turn round at Etham, " lest the people repent when 
 they see war and they return to Egypt."* 
 
 But the question to be determined is this, is the Rameses 
 of Exodus, the starting point of the Israelites in their escape 
 from Egypt identical with Pa-Ramesu, or Tanis ? In the light 
 of this recent discovery it would have been utterly impossible 
 for them to have reached Succoth, the modern Tell-el- 
 Maskhuta in one day's march. May not the Rameses from 
 which they started be the other treasure city which they had 
 built for Rameses 11. ? And as the site of Pithom is discovered 
 in the south eastern part of the Delta, it is highly probable 
 that Rameses also would be in this same region and west of 
 Pithom. There are numerous mounds of ruins near Tel-el- 
 
 * Exodus xiii. 17. 
 
SITE OF ETHAM AND PI-HAHIROTH. 18f) 
 
 Kebir and in other places along the line of the railway, 
 between Zakazik and Tell-el-Maskhuta that may speedily be 
 found to be Rameses, the other treasure city. This would 
 bring Succoth, or Tell-el-Maskhuta, within one day's march 
 of their starting i)oint; for even if Rameses were west of 
 Zakazik, the people, by travelling day and night could easily 
 reach Tell-el-Maskhuta. On the whole, therefore, Rameses of the 
 Exodus most probably was situated in the south of the Delta. 
 This situation is the most probable, from the recent known data 
 in our possession, and satisfies the conditions required by the 
 statements of the Bible, and annihilates the theory of Brugsch 
 and other opponents of the Scriptures, who regarded Tanis as 
 the ancient Rameses and placed Succoth and Etham in the 
 north-eastern part of the Delta in order to falsify, if possible, 
 the statements of Exodus in regard to the miraculous passage 
 through the sea. The Hebrews turned southward and encamped 
 before Pi-hahiroth. If Pi-hahiroth be an Egyptian word, it may 
 signify "the place of sedge;" if it be purely Hebrew it may 
 mean *' the entrance to the caverns." What were these caverns ? 
 In my opinion they were the lakes between Suez and El Gisr 
 which is the highest point of land between the Mediterranean 
 and the Red seas and the probable site of Etham. A day's 
 march from El Gisr, north of lake Timsah, would bring the 
 Israelites to the bitter lakes near Suez, for they would travel 
 day and night, by forced marches, to escape the king and his 
 army. Among the valuable monuments found in the mounds 
 of Tell-el-Maskhuta, by M. Naville, is an historical tablet of 
 Ptolemy Philadelphus, on which is discovered, for the first time, 
 on Egyptian monuments, the name of a locality called Pi- 
 Keheret, probably the Pi-hahiroth of Exodus. If they are 
 identical, then it is probable the locality was in the neighbour- 
 hood of Tell-el-Maskhuta, and to the east or south. A few 
 weeks' further efforts may locate definitely this important 
 
190 A RIDE TO MOUNT SINAI. 
 
 point, which will determine, to a considerable exter ., the place 
 at which the Israelites crossed from Egypt into the Desert. 
 
 At Pi -hahiroth the Israelites were before the face of Baal- 
 Zephon, and Migdol and also near the sea. Suppose they 
 reached Pi-hahiroth, and then^ on discovering that they were 
 pursued, they would yet have a part of the third day to march 
 until night, when they would reach the sea, through which 
 they finally passed. Thus ample thne would be afforded to 
 march from El-Gisr to the point of crossing at the promontory 
 of Ras- A.dabiyeh, south of Suez, Writers who deny the miracle 
 refuse to admit that they crossed at this point, but at the 
 bitter lakes themselves. The terms used by the sacred writer 
 are utterly unsuitable to the waters of Lake Timsah or those 
 south of it. There is no evidence that any important change has 
 taken place in the formation of the isthmus since the passage 
 of the Hebrews. Those lakes were not influenced by the tide, 
 and the waters could not be diyided like walls on both sides 
 by the influence of an east or south-east wind ; so that natural 
 agencies would not account for the opening of a way throuoh 
 the waters. Besides, the lakes are shallow, and the hosts of 
 the Egyptians could not by any possibility have all perished, 
 for if they went into the waters one chariot abreast, and each 
 chariot and horse required at least five yards, the length of the 
 line would have been 3,000 yards, which is more than the 
 breadth of the lakes. Besides, the king would not start put 
 with chariots alone ; the foot soldiers played an important part 
 in Egyptian wars, and doubtless thousands of them would 
 accompany the chariots. Josephus, quoting Jewish tradition, 
 says " 50,000 horsemen and 20,000 footmen pursued the 
 Israelites."* And within historic times there has been no great 
 change in the form of the isthmus ; for the canal dug by 
 
 Josep. Ant., ii. 15. 
 
THE PLACE OF PASSAGE THROUGH THE SEA. 101 
 
 Raineses II., from Bubastis to Lake Timsah, thence to a point 
 near modern Suez, was partly utilized in digfjing the present 
 Suez Canal, and traces of it are yet visible. Guided by the 
 cloiul, they would pass by the western spur of Jebel Ataka, and 
 passing into Wady Tawarik they reached the sea which hemmed 
 them in the front, the Egyptians in the rear and Ataka moun- 
 tains on their right and left. In this way they were before 
 Baal-Zephon, " Baal of the north," the name given to Ataka, 
 because it was the most northerly mountain range in Egypt. 
 Or the Phoenicians who navigated the sea may have had a 
 temple of Baal on Ataka, which was called Migdol, " the watch 
 tower," as the tirst object the sailors saw on their return, as the 
 Greek sailors saw the statue of Athena on the Acropolis. And 
 as Baal was the god of the Phoenicians and Syrians, whose 
 liome was in the north country, the mountain devoted to his 
 worship would naturally be named Baal of the north, or Baal- 
 Zephon. The language of Scripture is suitable to the deep 
 waters of the sea, and later Hebrew writers declare the pas- 
 sage was through the Red Sea, which was known as the Gulf 
 of Suez. The tradition of thirty centuries is on the side of 
 the view that they went through the sea south of Suez. The 
 local names bear traces of the presence and deliveraiice of the 
 people at that point. Jebel Ataka signifies " the mount of de- 
 liverance," and Wady Tawarik is " the valley of the night- 
 wanderers," referring doubtless to the night marches by the 
 guidance of the pillar of fire. Opposite this point, on the shore 
 of Arabia are *' Wady Reiyaneh," " the valley of the people," 
 " Wady Kurdhiyeh," " the valley of the congregation," " Wady 
 Sudr," the valley "leading out of the water." In these local 
 names there lingers on both sides of the Gulf of Suez the re- 
 collection of the deliverance of the people, and their march 
 through the divided waters by the power of Jehovah. From 
 Ras Adabiyeh to Ain Musa is a distance of seven or eight 
 
102 - A RIDE TO MOUNT SINAI. 
 
 miles, the water is from six to forty feet deep. As I sailed 
 almost in a direct line from this promontory, at low tide, siind- 
 bars were visible to the west of the entrance to the ship canal- 
 A strong south-east wind, when the tide was ebbing would 
 drive the waters towards Suez, and thus an open way be made 
 for the Israelites on the sand bars, and the water would be 
 heaped up like a wall on both sides of them. Thus by the 
 help of natural laws Jehovah saved the people. In Egypt 
 the plagues were natuial evils intensified. Locusts and frogs 
 and lice were common evils, and are so to this day. They 
 became miracles because inflicted by Divine command, and at a 
 special time announced by Moses, and as a specific penalty for 
 disobedience. So at Suez, Jehovah used natural laws for the es- 
 cape of the Hebrews as he had used natural laws for the pun- 
 ishment of the Egyptians. " The Lord caused the sea to go 
 back by a strong east wind all that night, . . . and the 
 waters were divided . . the waters were a wall unto them on 
 their right hand and on their left.""^ A south-east wind blow- 
 ing all night would heap up the waters in the Bay of Suez 
 like walls on the one side while the ebbing tide would force 
 the waters back in the Gulf, and leave a passage open for the 
 Hebrews to go over. Such a wind would not have divided the 
 waters of the Bitter Lakes. Moreover the language of Scrip- 
 ture referring to the Egyptians is "the sep. covered them; they 
 sank as lead in the mighty waters,"j" which could not, on any 
 rational grounds of interpretation, apply to those shallow 
 bodies of water. The Hebrews co\ild have crossed by the car- 
 avan route, a few miles north of Suez, but the Egyptians 
 would have captured them, unless Jehovah had wrought some 
 other miracle to save them and punish the Egyptians, and in 
 order to do both He led them through the gulf south of Suez. 
 
 * Exod. xiv. 21, 22. t Exod. xv. 10. 
 
SUEZ. 103 
 
 The march of the Hebrews had began probably before the king 
 was informed of it. Menephthah was in Memphis fortifying 
 it and Heliopolis, for Marmaiu^ an African chief, had invade<l 
 Egypt from the west with 40,000 men. This would account 
 for his absence from the capital at the time of their departure, 
 and it is probable this circumstance, along with the confusion 
 and alarm at the impending calamity attbrded an opportunity 
 to escape without opposition. 
 
 Suez is a miserable town of a few thousand inhabitants 
 chiefly French, Italians, Germans, and English, with a few 
 hundred Egyptians. The streets are laid out at right angles 
 for the most part, and the houses are built after the European 
 inodel. At the outskirts of the town are small, wretched 
 hovels occupied by Egyptians. This town and Port Said are 
 the sinks into which have collected the most wicked of the 
 land, and the bulk of the European population is by no means 
 an example which the Egyptians may follow with advantage. 
 We were to start at one o'clock on Tuesday, the 8th of Feb- 
 ruary. I had bought a large quantity of tobacco for distri- 
 bution among our camel-drivers during the journey through 
 Arabia. As I was having this taken to the boat I found our 
 dragoman had been worshipping Bacchus and was unable to 
 start. Finally, when the wind and tide were favourable to 
 set sail, one of my companions was missing. He had been 
 purchasing in the bazaars necessaries for the journey, and, 
 like a child, had forgotten the hour of starting. After much 
 delay we all embarked, and now assured ourselves there was 
 no chance of a further hitch, when suddenly, at the last 
 moment, our Egyptian sailors struck for an increase of wages, 
 otherwise they would not start. • Shouting and wild gesticu- 
 lation began, which ceased only by a capitulation on the part 
 of our draofoman. On landina: at Ain Musa, on the coast of 
 Arabia, began my acquaintance with the camels, the locomo- 
 
104 A HIDE TO MOUNT SINAI. 
 
 tives of the desert. My attachment for them increased daily, 
 for unless too heavily laden, or jaded with long marches, or 
 driven too far without water, I found them tractable enough. 
 The camel, I thought, would be more or less influenced by its 
 owner ; my selection was made, therefore, by the face of the 
 men. One of the Towarah Arabs had a good face. It is true 
 it was tanned and wrinkled like a mummy, but there was a 
 mild and intelligent expression that pleased me. In Canada 
 I knew a good carter prides himself in possessing a good horse. 
 I thought, therefore, that in Arabia a good Arab would pro- 
 bably have a good caniel, and I was not disappointed. The 
 saddle was wooden, padded with a cushion, which was made 
 softer by the addition of a heavy tweed coat. In front and 
 rear of the saddle is a wooden stake ornamented with 
 brass. At times I placed one leg across the camel's shoulder, 
 and then the other, and when a change was required, 
 placed mj^ feet in the stirrups. This saddle and a bridle, 
 of rope, ornamented with a few pieces of flashily- coloured 
 cloth, composed the whole harness. The distance to the 
 springs of Ain Musa was about two miles. After having 
 seated myself in the saddle, the camel raised himself on \m 
 hind knees with a sudden jerk, like a monster automaton 
 worked by springs, which would have sent me over his neck 
 but for a firm grasp of the projection of the saddle; then as 
 suddenly he reared himself in front, and I was pitched up to 
 an elevation that suggested danger and broken bones. In 
 half an hour Ain Musa was reached, the tents were pitched, 
 the eleven baggage-camels were lying in a circle a short dis- 
 tance from the tents, the sheik and his men were in a circle, 
 warming themselves at a fire of dried shrubs, which crackled 
 and flashed for a moment. Our black cook, Abdullah, was 
 doing his best, under the management of the dragoman, to 
 prepare supper. There are a few wells of brackish water 
 
A NIGHT AT AIN MUSA. 195 
 
 here tor irrigating the enclosed gardens in which are pahiis, 
 tamarisks, and acacias, and a few patches of grain and vege- 
 tables. The gardens are enclosed by a rude paling, three or 
 four feet high. Though the water is brackish, it is used for 
 drinking, and indeed, previous to the fresh water canal, this 
 was the chief source of supply for Suez. 
 
 Eifjht or ten miles eastward the ranjxe of Jebel Raha runs 
 parallel with the shore, forming the wilderness of Shur and 
 separating it from the centre of the peninsula. After supper, 
 for the first time in the desert, I went out of the tent and 
 beyond the noise of our men. Across on the Egyptian shore 
 1 could trace the dark outline of the Ataka mountains, and 
 the moanings of the restless sea, as the waves dashed on the 
 shore, echoed far over the silent desert. Everything was still 
 as the tomb. At a distance I could see the light flickering 
 through the small openings in the tent, in which were my 
 two companions. At a short distance from the tent, and near 
 a few lonely graves, a fire was blazing, and by its light I 
 could see the weird and wrinkled faces of our men, and a 
 small cloud of smoke hovering about them from their pipes. 
 The feeling I will never forget. Far from country and home> 
 in the hands of men who were more than usually dangerous, 
 because of the war feeling that was arousing the fanaticism 
 of their Egyptian co-religionists, in the silence of that desert, 
 and covered with darkness, I felt lonely and desolate in the 
 I'xtrcme. This spot had been the witness of the wonders of 
 Jehovah and the doom of the Egyptians. Here the Israelites 
 saw the Egyptian dead strewn along the shore in the morning. 
 Here, too, were sung those triumphant words: " Thy right hand, 
 Lord, is become glorious in power ; Thy right hand, Lord, 
 hath dashed in pieces the enemy." * Probably from these wells 
 
 * Exodus XV. 6. 
 
196 A RIDE TO MOUNT SINAI. 
 
 the Israelites took their supply of water in goat-skins, as every 
 traveller across the desert does now, which would have served 
 them three days, until they reached Marah, If they crossed, 
 as Brugsch supposes, at Lake Menzaloh, the bitter lakes would 
 be Marah and Ain Musa, probably Eliin. Tradition and the 
 rational interpretation of Scripture history forbid our belief 
 in the theory which maintains, without evidence, that the 
 passage was through the shallow fords north of Suez. 
 
 OUR MARCH INTO THE HOWLING WILDERNESS. 
 
 At five a.m., the following morning, breakfast was finished ; 
 though not overly attractive, the bracing air gave us an excellent 
 appetite. The loads must be packed and adjusted on the backs of 
 the camels to suit the camel drivers, in doing which there was no 
 small confusion. Time was precious to us but not to an Arab, 
 hence it was nine a.m. before the camels left the encampment. 
 Meanwhile we had started on foot, and like Moses and the 
 Israelites, began our journey in the wilderness of Shur. Raha 
 like a wall hemmed us in on one side and the sea on the other. 
 I thought of the march of the delivered Hebrews lono^ cen- 
 turies before over this same ground. They were thankful for 
 the victory at the sea, but doubtless fearful of this waterle.ss, 
 lifeless desert. Our route lay near a mound to the south of 
 Ain Musa, on which is a solitary palm ; the sand was ve.y 
 fine, and as I was trying to imagine the feelings of the 
 Hebrews when looking out on this same desolate scene, one of 
 my companions said " what splendid building sand this is ;" 
 thus does the American look with his practical mind upon the 
 most sacred places. All day there appeared mirages for miles. 
 Sheets of calm water and forests of palms seemed to lie across 
 our route. As we came near however they vanished, and no- 
 thing remained but stunted shrubs and the desert sand. The 
 
ON THE MARCH FOR SINAI. 197 
 
 steady heat of the sun oppressed us all day, conversation 
 ceased, and the Arabs were quiet and marched along in silent 
 meditation, only the regular, monotonous tread of the camels 
 broke the silence that reigned on every side. We crossed a 
 nuiaber of wadies, the shallow beds of winter torrents ; at 
 noon our lunch was eaten near some small shrubs along the 
 edge of Wady Sudr. One feels thankful for the lenst protec- 
 tion, in many places, against the heat and glare of the tierce 
 >iin. Daily at noon a halt was made, and shelter sought be- 
 hind some shrubs or the overhanging ledge of some range of 
 hills where we gathered ourselves up in the smallest possible 
 bulk. Often I felt the full meaning of the promise of God to his 
 people, " Neither shall the heat nor sun smite them ;"* and God 
 has promised to the Church safety from her foes, and joy in 
 Christ in language the force of which one realizes in that 
 desert as nowhere else, " A man shall be as the shadow of a 
 great rock in a weary land."-]- A mat was spread on the sand, 
 one of the company sat on the sand at each side of the mat, 
 while our dragoman served us. Frequently the wind blew 
 violently up the narrow wadies and covered us with clouds of 
 tine sand ; it was necessary therefore to eat in haste ; so turn- 
 ing our back to the wind we quickly finished our meal, gave 
 the remnants and a mouthful of water to our camel drivers, 
 mounted our camels and hastened forward. 
 
 Starting from Wady Werdan, our company was complete, 
 consisting of " Salamah," the Sheik, our dragoman, and cook 
 Abdullah, two boys ten years old, nine Arabs, eleven camels 
 and our company. Abdullah, the cook, was as black as 
 polished ebony ; he was the possessor of only one eye, the 
 other having been put out in some early battle in which 
 he figured. His abiyah was of the finest silk with coloured 
 
 ' Isaiah xlix. 10. f Isaiah xxxiii. 3 
 
198 A RIDE TO MOUNT SINAI. 
 
 stripes extending from his neck to his feet. He had be- 
 come the owner of a European dress coat, but had removed 
 the sleeves. This he wore over his outer gown. The wliole 
 exterior of Abdullah was a vain effort to unite Oriental and 
 European styles into a harmonious whole ; the result was that 
 Abdullah, wh ") was the swell of the whole Arab servants, cut 
 a ridiculous hgure. And as he sat on the camel with a fowl 
 in his hands picking its feathers and scattering them about 
 him, and the carefully polished brass buttons of his mutilated 
 dress coat reflecting the sun's rays like small mirrors, he afForded 
 us frequent amusement. He was gentle as a child, and very 
 patient under his difficult duties. Frequently, however, he 
 was supplied by our dragoman with brandy, then his hand be- 
 came unsteady, and as one eye had to do the work of two, 
 Abdullah was guilty of putting into the cooking vessel what 
 ought to have been thrown away, and throwing on the sand 
 what should have been in the pot. On such occasions he was 
 .summoned into the tent, and when we had shown him the folly 
 of so acting and the injury to us, he always repented in the ut- 
 most humility, only to repeat the same thing. Altogether he 
 was a faithful old man, and our final parting was with mutual 
 regret. 
 
 Towards the close of our second day's mr.rch the Hammam 
 Far'un Hills were seen. Our route was covered with flat 
 pieces of mica that glittered like silver in the sunlight. 
 Before us the range of low hills on our right inclined north- 
 W"ard and seemed to block our line of march. The wady was 
 narrow and we were hemmed in by limestone ridges bleached 
 and calcined by the weather and heat, and here and there 
 covered by wreaths of sand. Beyond, where the wady widens 
 into the form of an amphitheatre I saw a few stunted palms 
 and shrubs on an elevation thirty or forty feet above the 
 surrounding level. This is the traditional site of Marah, 
 
MARAH, THE PLACE OF BITTER WATER. 199 
 
 whose waters the Hebrows could not drink, for they were 
 bitter. There are two wells here, one about eight feet in 
 diameter, the smaller one about two feet in diameter, and 
 seemed modern. They were both filled witli sand, but a halt 
 was made and one well cleaned out to a considerable depth. 
 The water I obtained from it was tepid and brackish. Di*. 
 Robinson spells the modern name Ain Hawara, " the spring of 
 destruction." Professor Palmer calls it Ain Hav/warah, " a 
 small pool." Is this the Marah of Scripture ? It is the only 
 water between Ain Miisa and this spot, and if the Hebrews 
 started from the former they could easily have reached the 
 latter place in three days. In my opinion they could have 
 gone much further, and this fact may seem to add weight to 
 the opinion that Wady Gharandel is the Marah of Scripture. 
 But on the morning after the deliverance, they would not be 
 in readiness to march, nor would there be need to hasten as in 
 Egypt, for their enemy had perished. Besides the song of 
 deliverance, as given in Exodus xv., was sung on the day after 
 their passage through the sea, so that probably not more than 
 two full days were taken in the journey to Marah. One hour's 
 ride from Marah brought us to Wady Gharandel, the supposed 
 site of Elim, but, p«ccording to Lepsius, the site of Marah. 
 There are two strong objections that may be urged against 
 Ain Hawwarah : unless the well was much larger than now it 
 could not quench the thirst of 000,000 men, their families 
 and Hocks, and we would naturally have expected the " wells 
 of Marah " instead of the " waters of Marah " for the two that 
 are to be seen are springs, or wells supplied from springs. 
 The first objection may be answered by stating the fact that 
 the murmuring of the Israelites docs not seem to have been 
 universal. We are told the people murmured, whereas on 
 future occasions it is said the whole congregation murmured. 
 Moses, who knew the country, would have made every possible 
 
200 A RIDE TO MOU^^T SINAI. 
 
 provision for carrying water. Would not the women and 
 multitudes of youth have means of carrying water for them- 
 selves in addition to the quantity carried for the whole host 
 on the backs of the animals they had taken out of Egypt? 
 Ordinary prudence would demand this, and if it were done 
 we have a reason why the murmuring was only partial, for 
 only the thoughtless or those who were helpless would depend 
 entirely on the general supply. It is highly probable there was a 
 larger rainfall at the date of the exodus than now, and the wells 
 inay have been much larger than now, after tl^ey have been tilled 
 up with sand during the centuries, and their surface contracted. 
 Moses casting a tree into the waters would seem to indicate 
 a larger body of water than these wells. We have no reason 
 to believe that trees of great size ever grew in this part of 
 the desert, and it was probably one of those shrubs that yet 
 grow here and in Wady Gharandel. Burkhardt supposes it 
 to have been the Gharkad which grows near the wells. May 
 it not have been the Tarfa bush, which grows to a consider- 
 able size at Gharandel ? This would give it a sweeter taste 
 at least than the natural brackish one. Josephus has added to 
 the Scriptural account some later tradition, or one that had come 
 through another source than the Hebrews. He says : " Moses 
 took the top of a stick that lay down at his feet, and divided 
 it in the middle, and made the section lengthwise. He bid 
 the strongest among them that stood there to draw up water, 
 and told them that when the greatest part was drawn up, the 
 remainder would be fit to drink."* In a similar way he has 
 embellished the miracle of Elisha in healing the waters at 
 Jericho. There would be no difficulty in the heads of a family 
 taking a sufficient supply for three days for themselves and 
 their children. Water and food would be the two most 
 
 * Josep. Ant. iii. 1-3. 
 
ENCAMPMENT ON WADY GHARANDEL. 201 
 
 important items for the journey, and every one able would 
 be pressed into the service, women and children. Only the 
 thoughtless among the Hebrews and the mixed multitude that 
 came with them would be likely to make no ample provision 
 for the march. This seems probable, for in the following 
 iiccount of their murmuring between Elim and Sinai, " the 
 whole congregation of the children of Israel was guilty." This 
 I think is worthy of notice as a solution of the manifest 
 difficulty which every traveller must feel in regard to Marah. 
 Only a part were already overcome with thirst, and Moses 
 would naturally regulate the quantity given to each family, 
 and thus they could reach Elim. 
 
 A ride of two hours brought us into Wady Gharandel, the 
 traditional site of Elim. It is about one-fourth of a mile in 
 breadth, and extends south-west to the sea. Its banks are 
 from ten to fifty feet high. From a hill on the opposite side 
 from our encampment, I had a fine view of the African shore 
 on the other side of the Gulf. Jebel Hamman and Gharandel 
 were all aglow with purple, and gold-gilded with the fading 
 rays of the sun. Near the tent a stream of water, eight feet 
 wide and a few inches deep, was flowing slowly down its 
 channel ; while in the centre of the wady the ground was 
 moist and reeds were growing in abundance. The Tarfa wood 
 and the Gharkad were in abundance, the former from eight to 
 twenty feet high. Here our dragoman had the goat skins and 
 other vessels filled with water. At night the moon and stars 
 shone down on these old hills and sandy desert over which the 
 pillar of cloud and fire had stood, and on this very ground 
 Moses and the hosts of Israel must have encamped, and looked 
 with glad hearts on the water and green vegetation of Elim. 
 In the early morning it rained for five minutes, but only the 
 faintest specks on the sand were visible at sunrise. A violent 
 wind storm arose during the night, and as it swept wildly 
 14 
 
202 A RIDE TO MOUNT SINAI. 
 
 down the wady our tent began to sway to ami fro, and wu 
 were awakened by the men driving the tent pegs deepei* into 
 the sand, and felt thankful that they were not driving them 
 into our temples like Jael into the temples ofSisera. Late the 
 previous evening our men sat round a blazing, crackling lire 
 of scented shrubs, and were talking over their experience at 
 Cairo and Suez, and of their possessions of camels or palin 
 trees. Their conversations were conducted with oriental 
 gravity, as they smoked their long-stemmed pipes, while the 
 boys and younger men listened to the wisdom of their elders 
 with submissive reverence. Riding down Gharandel to the 
 sea I counted forty-three palms, and eight wells of water, some 
 of which were tilled with sand, but from others the water was 
 oosing out at the surface. Some of the palms were of consid- 
 erable height, others were low and bushy. Between our tent 
 and the sea a rid ere extended down the centre of the wady, 
 thus forming a water channel on each side. A number of 
 streams of clear water exist here, one of which was about four- 
 teen feet broad and six inches deep. In many places the 
 ground was boggy and vegetation rank. During a ride of 
 three hours to the sea our route lay through shrubs and reeds 
 in prof' non ; and tiowers of delicate hue and sweet fragrance 
 were ulooming in beauty. To us as to the Hebrews it was as 
 paradise in the heart of the barren desert.' 
 
 Doubt lingers about this as about every spot in the desert 
 wanderings of the Hebrews. Laborde was of opinion that 
 Wady Useit, the next beyond this, is Elim. Lepsius supported 
 the claims of Shubeikeh, the third wady beyond Gharandel, 
 and down which probably the Hebrews went to the sea. As 
 Jebel Hamman rises abruptly from the sea, the passage was 
 impossible there, along the coast. Hence they must have 
 crossed inland over Wadies Useit, Thai, Shubeikeh and Tavibeh. 
 The above authors regard Gharandel as Marah. This theory 
 
WADV ailAIUNDEI. TIIK KLIM OF SCRIPTURE. 203 
 
 seems untenable, for the Hebrews would naturally stop at 
 such a favourable s})ot as Gharandel and take in supplies for 
 their future marches. There is no reason to believe that any 
 important change has taken place since the passage of the 
 Hebrews that would atiect either the (juantity or quality of 
 the water at Gharandel. There wuuld have been sufficient 
 water to supply the Hebrews, and therefore there was no 
 cause of murmuring. Now also there is far more water in 
 Gharandel than in Useit, or Shubeikeh. Why then should 
 they have murmured for water where it was most abundant, 
 and not do so where the supply was less ? Besides, though 
 the water in Gharandel is slightly brackish, its taste is not 
 unpleasant ; I enjoyed it. Had tLiy been Marah, the peo])le 
 perishing of thirst would have never dreamed of complaining of 
 its bitterness. Tiiey would have drank it gladly without any 
 luiracle by Moses. The Bible statement is brief : " In Elim 
 were twelve fountains of water, and three score and ten palm 
 trees." In Wady Useit I counted twenty palms, and at the 
 end of the wady near the sea is a small quantity of water, but 
 none at the part over which the Hebrews would naturally 
 pass. In Wady Tayibeh there was tlie faintest trace of water. 
 The term " springs or fountains" can be applied with propriety 
 only to Gharandel, and the number of such fountains all along 
 it makes it probable that this was ancient Elim. Dean Stanley 
 says Gharandel, Useit, or Tayibeh, must be Elim. The claims of 
 the +irst, for the reasons already given, are by far the strongest 
 for the honour of being the camping place of the Hebrews. 
 
 At the exit from Wady Gharandel, on the plain at the sea 
 shore, the hills shelved down at a sharp angle towards the sea, 
 the streams of water from the wady soon disappeared in the 
 sand plain, which is about six or eight miles broad. The hot 
 springs are at the base of the hills which descend abruptly to 
 the sea. Hot steam issued from caverns that penetrated the 
 
204 A HIDE TO MOUNT SINAI. 
 
 hills in the direction of the strata, the soil was dark ami 
 spongy, and the atmosphere emitted a strong smell of siilphuv, 
 I asked the Arabs about these springs. They said : " Our Lord 
 Moses crossed here from Egypt. Pharaoh who pursue<l liim 
 perished in the sea, and his spirit keeps these springs continu- 
 ally boiling, and every ship which comes near the shore will 
 meet certain destruction." I asked our sheik where ]\Ioses 
 went from this place. He replied : " Our Lord Moses went 
 with his people to Ain Musa, there he put his staff into the 
 earth in a number of places, and the present wells were 
 produced. From Ain Musa Moses went to Cairo," and the 
 sheik at this i)oint had exhausted all his knowledge of Moses. 
 On enquiry about the tree which Moses cast into the waters at 
 Marah, the sheik and his men knew nothing about it, but said 
 Moses cast his staff into the water and it became sweet : " A 
 great man in the mountains near Petra gave Moses this wonder- 
 working staff, which also was given to Mahommed and all the 
 Prophets." This hoary tradition of the desert tribes preserves 
 the outline of the great fact of Moses' passsage through the 
 sea, the defeat of Pharaoh and the deliverance of the Hebrews, 
 and so far verifies Bible truth, though confounding details and 
 localities. Our route lay up Wady Uscit to the place where 
 our baggage had passed early in the morning. The bed of the 
 wady was covered with small pebbles and pieces of flint ; the 
 hills on both sides were bleached by the weatiier, and the power- 
 ful reflection of the light almost blinded us. As we ascended 
 we were forced to climb ledges from four to eight feet high. 
 As Mr. Smart and myself were anxious to reach a sheltered 
 spot at the head of the wady by noon, we urged on our camel. 
 While moving on, oppressed by the heavy, sultry heat, the 
 stillness was broken by a cry for help from our German com- 
 panion in the rear, the echo of which rebounded from hill to 
 hill as if fifty voices had cried out. Our men were sent back, 
 
A CAMEL AND LONG PRAYERS. 205 
 
 ami found tliat in climbing a dangerous ledge the saddle had 
 broken, and our coiupanion was clinging with his arms round 
 the camel's neck, afraid to let go his grip and roaring for assist- 
 ance. Soon everything was righted and we pressed on. On 
 entering Wady Tayibeh we were all impressed with its beauty 
 and grandeur. It is over two hundred feet broad and very beau- 
 tiful. The bed is ijuite smooth and lined with shrubs, while the 
 lufty mountains descend perpendicularly to the road. The hills 
 were cut into fantastic forms, resembling monster giants in 
 their sarcophagi, massive cathedrals, temples, or human figures. 
 The wady might well be imagined to have been a splendid 
 lioulevard of some ancient capital whose name and glory have 
 perished from the earth. 
 
 Towards sundown we came to a omall spring which barely 
 moistened the sand, in which my camel driver dug a hole with 
 his hands. Gradually water collected in it for the camel. 
 Meanwhile the Arab driver removed his sandals, turban and 
 s>\vord, and facing Mecca began his prayers. The deep guttur- 
 als of the praying Mahommedan alone broke the deep quiet- 
 ness. The camel soon drank the water, and lifting its head 
 gazed steadily on its praying master for a few moments, who 
 was absorbed in his devotions. His back was towards me. 
 Suddenly the camel concluded the prayer was too long, or that 
 his master ought to give him more water, for he rushed with aU 
 speed,and though I did my utmost to stop him I failed. He drove 
 bis head against the back of his master and sent him reeling on 
 the sand. Here will be a scene now, I thought. I was prepared 
 lor a hand-to-hand fight for my life, in thus insulting a chief 
 of the prophet. I was mistaken. He rose, and in the same 
 tone as he prayed cursed the camel's father. When we 
 tmerged on the plain at the sea we were cheered by seeing the 
 lights of our encampment shining in the darkness, at Ras 
 Abu Zenimeh. 
 
206 A RIDE TO MOUNT SINAI. 
 
 This is the traditional site of the encampment by the sea 
 mentioned in Numbers xxxiii. The sea waves dashing on the 
 shore kept up a continuous roaring and moaning all night. At 
 sunrise our encampment was broken up, and a start was made. 
 While the camels went inland we walked along the shore, 
 The sea and sand and hills remain the same since the days of 
 the Israelites, but no trace of the great host remains. As 1 
 went along the valley I peopled it with millions, and tried to 
 realize the terror that must have possessed them as they en- 
 tered into the heart of Arabia amonof the desolate mountains 
 and wadies. It needed faith and courao^e then, to cfo into this 
 awful desert. The tide was coming in, we were therefore 
 forced to leap from rock to rock along the shore. One of rav 
 companions who had lagged behind, as was his wont, had to 
 plunge into the sea at places, and scramble over the rocks jis 
 he best could, and overtook us drenched to the skin and putt- 
 ing with his efforts to escape drowning. The plain extends 
 to the Gulf of Akaba, and by some is regarded as the wilder- 
 ness of Sin, in which were situated Dophkah and Alush, the 
 two encampments before reaching Rei^hidim. We went along 
 Wady Shellal and thence to Wady Budra, which widened into 
 a vast, circular area enclosed bv the mountains. This wady is 
 very crooked ; at times there seemed no outlet, and as if we 
 were to be hemmed in by those awful mountains of granite and 
 porphyry, while masses of volcanic slag, resembling refuse 
 from a foundry, were scattered along our route. The heat 
 was like that of a furnace heated seven times more than 
 usual, and we all were thankful when the sun sank so low as 
 to afford us shade along one side of the wady. We passed a 
 drove of goats herded by two boys, who were shy and refused 
 to come near us. To-day, as in the days of Jethro, an Arab 
 sheik's wealth consists in his sheep and goats and camels, and the 
 difficulty of obtaining food and water is equally great now as 
 
IN WADY MAGHARAH. 207 
 
 then. The animals have to be driven from one pasture field 
 to another to browse on the scanty fodder and thinly scattered 
 shrubs of the desert. 
 
 Our tent was pitched under the shadow of the lofty 
 mountains in Wady Magharah, in which we spent considerable 
 time. This and Wady Mukatteb are places of profound inter- 
 est to all scholars and Bible students. Before us Serbal towered 
 up like a giant among the lesser hills of the peninsula. The 
 hills extending behind our tent were full of huge cavities, the 
 copper mines, supposed to have been worked in the eighteenth 
 and nineteenth dynasties, and even earlier. The name of 
 Khufu, the builder of the great pyramid, is here, and that of 
 Hatasu, the energetic sister of the Third Thothmes. On the 
 walls at Der-el-Bahiri her fleet is represented returning from 
 Arabia with copper and other articles. Sahura, a king of an 
 early dynasty, invaded Arabia, and on a tablet he is repre- 
 sented with a staff in his left hand and a mace in his right 
 smiting a prostrate enem3\ He calls himself the great god 
 who destroys the Mentu and strikes down all nations.* Greek 
 and the supposed Nabatluean inscriptions are numerous in 
 Magharah and the neighbourhood. Cartouches with hiero- 
 glyphs I saw, about eighty or a hundred feet above the valley, 
 cut with great skill and well preserved. At first we were in 
 considerable danger, caused by some Arabs who demanded 
 water. As our supply was limited it was impossible to give 
 them any. They threatened to plunder us of our gold as well 
 as water. As there was an attack to be made by a superior 
 torcO; I advised our dragoman to give them a portion of the 
 water. He did so, and under its reviving power our enemies 
 grew bolder. Outside of the tent shouting and fierce threats 
 were uttered. We withdrew in order to let the men settle the 
 
 * Rawlinson's Aiict. Egypt, Vol. IT. p. 72. 
 
GRAVEYARD IN WADY MAGHARAH. 20\) 
 
 difficulty among themselves. The tide of war surged down 
 towards us. Mr. Smart and myself remained in the tent ; our 
 companion gathered up his personal valuables and ran down 
 the wady to escape slaughter. As the danger increased and 
 the shouts grew more warlike, we followed, and left the fight- 
 ing hosts to con([uer or die. I carried a field glass with which 
 I was carefully examining the inscriptions. Blood was flowing 
 freely from the wounded ; suddenly the wild shouting ceased 
 and we were permitted to do our work in peace. Our drago- 
 man drew the attention of the ringleader of the foe to my 
 tield glass, and informed him there was a bombshell in it 
 which could blow into atoms a hufife mass of rock standing' on 
 the top of the mountain, and to which our dragoman pointed. 
 " How strong it is," replied the Arab foe in fear and wonder. 
 " Yes," replied our dragoman, " by touching a handle the howad- 
 jah could bring the top of the mountain down indust at his feet." 
 This was enough ; they thought it a most dangerous weapon, 
 and when I turned the glass by chance in the direction in 
 which they were standing they fled in terror and confusion, and 
 we spent our time in peace and free from demands for buk- 
 shish. At the junction of Magharah and Wady Sidr is a 
 lonely graveyard in the desert ; the gravestones are pieces of 
 rough granite or sandstone. At each end of the grave was a 
 piece of stone with an Arabic inscription. There were three 
 large graves in the shape of a horse shoe, about fourteen feet 
 in diameter. A low, rough wall encloses this strange cemetery. 
 At the head and foot of many of the graves were placed 
 bundles of dried grass, the only tokens of love those poor 
 children of the desert could bring for their dead. But that 
 dried grass may indicate as deep love and kind remembrance 
 as the flovers that are planted on the graves of the dead in 
 • anada, or the costly tombs that are built often for the glory 
 
 1 
 
210 A RIDE TO MOUNT SINAI. 
 
 of the living, and not the memory of the dead. How desolate 
 and dreary that graveyard at Magliarah ! It emphasizes the 
 truth that humanity is one in all the world in subjection to 
 sorrows and death. There the dead sleep, far from the diji of 
 commerce and the struggles of men for wealth and power, until 
 the great day. 
 
Chapter XI. 
 THE VALLEY OF INSCRIPTIONS. 
 
 " In a philological point of view they do possess a certain interest, but 
 otherwise the ' Sinaitic Inscriptions ' are as worthless as the Arab and 
 Greek gratiti with which they are interspersed." — Desert of the Exodus, 
 p. 160. 
 
 ROFESSOR PALMER says the road through the 
 pass Nagb Buderah, via Wady Shellal, was con- 
 structed ata date posterior to the Exodus, and would 
 have brought the Isr.aelites into contact with the 
 Egyptian Miners.* It is uncertain, how ever, when 
 the road was made; for the most part it is through 
 natural ravines and over level areas that have been there 
 since the formation of the Peninsula. And, as the copper mines 
 were worked as early as the fourth dynasty and as late as the 
 time of Thothmes III., would the Egyptians not have made a 
 road directly to the sea to carry the ore, rather than go round 
 by Wady Feiran ? In regard to the fear of meeting the Egyp- 
 tians at the mines if the Hebrews went by Magharah instead 
 of marching along the sea coast, it is enough to remember that 
 there were 600,000 men in the host of the Israelites, and all 
 the miners in the desert would not have been able to hinder 
 their march. Besides, is it not probable that these minei's 
 ^vere slaves forced from their homo, and deprived of liberty ? 
 The conquered Mentu of the desert would be forced to work 
 
 * Desert of the Exodus, p. 227. 
 
212 THE VALLEY OF INSCRIPTIONS. 
 
 in the mines also. Instead of fighting against Israel they 
 would become their natural allies for the sake of their own 
 freedom. There does not seem, therefore, any force in the 
 theory that for their safety the Hebrews would have taken 
 the southern route along the sea coast to Wady Feiran. 
 Besides, the physical nature of the route by Magharah along 
 Wady Mukatteb suits better the condition of things in which 
 the Hebrews found themselves, and which led them into 
 discontentment and rebellion. They were hemmed in by 
 lofty sandstone and limestone ranges; tJieir route was through 
 a wilderness destitute of vegetation and the means of support- 
 ing life, and they were overwhehned with despair. Thus, shut 
 in by desolate mountains, without much food or water, and 
 marching under a scorching sun, they feared that they had 
 tied from bondage only to meet death in the desert, and so 
 they nmrmured against Moses. 
 
 The most of one day we spent in Wady Mukatteb; at 
 times we leaped from the camel's back on to the over-hanging 
 ledges of rock, and then on hands and knees climbed up 
 higher to obtain a closer view of the inscriptions, from thirty 
 to fifty feet above the bed of the Wady. Philologists have 
 long been trying to solve the mystery of these inscriptions. 
 Who engraved them upon the stones; when were they engraved, 
 and what do they record, have been asked, but not satisfac- 
 torily answered 'i Professor Palmer says : " the language 
 employed is Aramaean and the character differs little from the 
 Nabathnean alphabet used in the inscriptions of Iduinjiea 
 and central Syria."* Cosmas, an Alexandrian monk, who, 
 travelled through Arabia, a.d. 518, writes of these inscriptions, 
 " One sees in that wilderness all the rocks written over with 
 sculptured Hebrew characters which inscriptions certain Jews 
 
 * Desert of the Exodus, p. 160. 
 
WAD\ MUKATTEB, OR THE VALLEY OF INSCRIPTIONS. 213 
 
 of our caravan having read interpreted to us." He then 
 asserts that they were written there oy tlie Israelities. Pro- 
 fessor Beer, however, and Dr. Lepsius, assert they belong to 
 the interval between- the second century B.C., and the fourth 
 century A.D. The Rev. C. Forster defends, with considerable 
 learning and ingenuity, the theory of Cosmas, that they were 
 written by the Israelites, and record the events that tran- 
 spired during their journey. He says : " all these monuments 
 were the work of an Egyptian people ; and all the antecedents 
 point to the Israelites of the Exode, as that people."* Svippose 
 Mr. Forster's theory correct, what purpose would God intend 
 these inscriptions to serve ? It would be either to teach some 
 fact not recorded in the written books of the Scripture, or to 
 be an independent witness of the written record of the journey 
 of the Israelites. The first supposition may be dismissed, for 
 no new facts have been stated. As regards the second, why 
 is there no reference in the Old Testament to these inscrip- 
 tions ? This would have settled the whole question. The only 
 supposed reference is one of great uncertainty. It occurs in 
 Numbers xi. 26. When the spirit of the Lord rested on the 
 Seventy Elders, round about the tabernacle, two of the elders 
 Eldad and Medad remained in the camp, and it is said of 
 them " they were of them that were written." Dr. Margoliouth 
 translates " they were among the cthoobeem or inscriptions." 
 Mr. Forster says : " the identity of the Mosaic term catoobim 
 and the Arabic name Mokatteb is not to be overlooked. There 
 arises a strong probability that the present name may have 
 been borne by that ' Written Valley,' from the time of Moses." 
 These elders were enrolled as a class who were to assist Moses. 
 Their names were written probably in a book or register, and, 
 as they were the only two elders that remained behind, it 
 
 * Sinai Theol., p. 18. 
 
214 THK valli:y of inscriptions. 
 
 was found tliat the spirit rested on them as well as on those 
 around the tabernacle and they prophesied. In order to 
 account for this fact it is stated they were among the enrolled 
 ones who had been set apart for special duty. And the local 
 Arabic name was given, because of the inscriptions without 
 the least reference to the journey of the Israelites at all. If 
 such a Wady existed in Canada, we would naturally call it 
 the written valley, though we might be ignorant of the 
 authors of the writings. The supposition that they are a sup- 
 plementary evidence of the Word of God in regard to the 
 Exodus is untenable. It has no solid basis beneath it. Why 
 should Jehovah joreserve a duplicate revelation of this part 
 of the people's history ? Or why preserve it of that age of the 
 world ? Would it not have removed strong objections aud 
 strengthened the faith of millions if there were engraved 
 writings of the life, and miracles, the death and resurrection 
 of Jesus ; for the world's hope and salvation are in Christ, not 
 Moses ? And these inscriptions could have been easily trans- 
 lated and their age and genuineness determined. It would 
 scarcely appear, therefore, that there is in the nature of things 
 or in God's plan a reason for such an unusual method. Mr. 
 Forster believes that the hieroglyphics and the Sinaitic 
 inscriptions were done by the Hebrews. He makes no refer- 
 ence to the fact that some of these are accounts of Egyptians 
 who worked the mines of Magharah and Sarabit-el-Khadim, 
 but says that the miners were unfit to cut out such fine letters 
 and delicate tracings as are seen on the summit of El-Kliadim. 
 On the other hand the Israelites who were slaves in Egypt 
 and whose work was in mortar and in the iields would be 
 utterly unable to do that work. In Egypt there was a sub- 
 division of labour. Architecture and engraving on the tem- 
 ples or tombs were the work of a special class that stood high 
 in social position and in the favour of the kings. It is probable 
 
THE AUTHORS OF THE INSClUrTIONS. 215 
 
 that Moses and some of the leaders of the people were able to 
 execute such work, for he was learned in all the wisdom or the 
 Euyptians, This fact is supported by what occurred after 
 they entered Palestine. Moses before he died commanded the 
 people to set up great stones after they had crossed the Jordan, 
 and they were to write on them, all the words of the law. 
 The eoiflmand, which seems to have been given to the people, 
 was fulfilled, as we are told in the book of Joshua : " Then 
 Joshua built an altar unto the Lord God of Isreal in Mount 
 Ehal ; and ho wrote there, upon the stones, a copy of the law 
 ot Moses which he wrote in the presence of the children of 
 Israel." * 
 
 I found the inscriptions in Wady Mukatteb most numerous 
 on our right, as we went towards Feiran, both Mr. Smart and 
 myself noticed that they were more abundant at the junction 
 ot' the smaller wadies that extended from Mukatteb towards 
 the sea. The inscriptions exist not only on the face of the 
 range of hills, but on the large blocks of sandstone tliat have 
 fallen and are lying in the wady. The inscriptions in Wady 
 Aleyat and on Serbal are of the same form of character and 
 cut out in the same manner, and probably of the same age, as 
 those in Mukatteb. Those that were found on the granite at 
 the base of Mount Serbal were cut deeper into the rock and 
 the characters were formed more perfectly than those on the 
 sandstone. Many of those in Magharah and Mukatteb were 
 very shallow, and done with inferior pointed tools. It seems 
 reasonable to infer that the granite inscriptions were cut earlier 
 than those on the sandstone, and that the latter :^re only copies 
 of the former. Mr. Forster, who believes that the hierogly- 
 phics on Serabit-el-Khadim were also engraved by the Israelites, 
 as well as the Sinaitic inscriptions, regards El-Khadim as Kib- 
 
 * Joshua viii 30-32. 
 
210 THE VALLEY OF INSCRIPTIONS. 
 
 roth Hattaavah, where the Israelites were buried, who perished 
 when they lusted for the flesh of Egypt, and murmured against 
 the Lord. He says truly that the inscriptions of a people long 
 resident in Egypt would naturally be accompanied by hiero- 
 glyphics. But this would not attbrd evidence that the Israelites 
 wrote them, and it is, I believe, an undeniable fact, that the 
 mines were worked in Wady Magharah centuries before the 
 Israelites passed through Arabia. The top of El-Khadim also 
 is covered with what appears to be slag from a smelting-furnace, 
 and large cavities are excavated in a number of places, from 
 which ore was extracted. On this mountain is an enclosed area, 
 at one end of which is a chamber hewn in the rock, which seems 
 to have been the shrine or inmost sanctuary of the deity wor- 
 shipped here. Blocks of sandstone that enclose this area are 
 covered with hieroglyphics. Some of the stones have fallen 
 and others are nearly eaten through with age and weather, 
 The hieroglyphs are rudely engraved, which may indicate a 
 very early date. The tablets erected in the reign of Amen-em- 
 Hat III. on El-Khadim include a notice " of a temple built to 
 Athor, the reputed mistress of the country, who presided over 
 the copper mines, and was 'the lady of turquoises.'"* Ttis 
 probable these are the ruins of that temple, and the passage 
 in Ezekiel xx. 8-10 only shows that Israel in later years 
 followed the example of their fathers, who worshipped the 
 gods of Egypt, but does not prove that their fathers wrote 
 the hieroglyphics. If this temple was erected long prior to 
 the passage of the Israelites through the desert, as seems pro- 
 bable, the whole theory of this being the burial-places of the 
 nobles of the Israelites is untenable. It is not denied that 
 Moses knew how to execute such work, but there is no reason 
 to believe the bulk of the people could do so, and it would 
 
 *Rawlin8on's Ancient History of Egypt, Vol. II., p. 171. 
 
THIO AUTHORS OF THE INSCRIPTIONS. 217 
 
 be the policy of Moses to separate the people from the customs 
 and religion of E^ypt, and one powerful means would be 
 not to employ the language of Egypt, for the use of it would 
 only tend to make them think of the country, and so desire 
 to return. Some of the letters of these inscriptions are Hebrew, 
 others seem to be old Hebrew characters ; and letters, similar 
 in form to the Egyptian Demotic and to the Himyaritic, 
 exist to a considerable extent, but it seems impossible, with 
 present data, to reach a definite conclusion in regard to the 
 age of these inscriptions. It is possible that the Israelites 
 may have engraved the Sinaitic inscriptions. Their own lan- 
 guage they had used doubtless during their sojourn in Egypt, 
 they would be acquainted with the Egyptian Demotic, and 
 contact with the tribes of the desert would give them a 
 knowledge of that branch of the Semitic language. That 
 the authoi'.s of these inscriptions were familiar with the Se- 
 mitic language and the Egyptian Demotic is seen, I believe, 
 in the fact that , th^se characters are more perfectly formed 
 than the Himyaritic, with which they were not so familiar. 
 If this be a fact noticeable in all the Sinaitic inscriptions, it 
 may help to determine the authors. At present, however, a 
 translation of a bi-lingual inscription, according -to Professor 
 Beer and according to Mr. Forster, will show the vast differ- 
 ence between the alphabets they have adopted. No. 127 of 
 Lepsius is Sinaitic, with a Greek line below it. The Greek 
 reads, "Let Aus(os), the son of Ers(os), be remembered for 
 good."* Professor Beer reads the Sinaitic the same as the 
 Greek. Mr. Forster, however, translates the Sinaicic, " Prayeth 
 unto God, the prophet, (upon) a hard, great stone, (his) hands 
 !iu.staining Aaron and Hur." Two slabs of sandstone, which 
 I brought with great labour, are from the south side of 
 
 * " Stones Crying Out," p. 213. 
 
 15 
 
218 THE VALLKY OF INSCRIPTIONS. 
 
 Wady Mukatteb, on one of which are two letters, which, 
 according to Professor Beer's alphabet, are aleph and ayin, 
 and on the other are tav and what may be mem. The letters 
 of the one slab are cut deeply, and are well exr^cuted, wliile 
 the others are quite shallow, nnd the marks of a pointed tool 
 are visible. It is true some of the Hebrews had skill in 
 working cloth and a few in working metal, but the bulk of 
 them would neither have the ability nor the desire to oiii- 
 memorate their own wickedness and the divine judgments 
 inflicted on them. If they were engraved by any of the 
 leaders or skilled workmen, their performance has been very 
 indifferent. These inscriptions are probably as distinct and 
 perfect as in the time of Cosmas, and in a country in which 
 there is scarcely any rain and in which the atmosphere is 
 very dry, they may remain for thousiMjds of years, but that 
 is no evidence in support of their Israelitish origin. The Jews 
 in Alexandria and Egypt generally, either from a desire to 
 visit the scene of the giving of the law or for purposes of 
 trade, would have communication with the tribes in this part 
 of Arabia. They were familiar with the Greek language from 
 the time of the Ptolemies, and doubtless would have some 
 acquaintance- with the language of the tribes themselves and 
 that spoken in the south-eastern part of Arabia. Is it not 
 possible that the inscriptions were engraved by them to com- 
 memorate their journey for trading or religious purposes? 
 The style of workmanship in the hieroglyphics struck me at 
 once as superior to that of the Sinaitic inscriptions, and, while 
 the latter undoubtedly are of remote antiquity, I do not feel 
 prepared to believe they are the work of the Hebrews executed 
 during the time of their wandering through the desert. 
 
 As we rode from Mukatteb into Wady Feirau we were 
 impressed with the grandeur and wild desolation of the 
 scenery. The mountains rose up in lofty peaks of sandstone, 
 
TIIK AllAUS DEMAND OUIl MEDICINE. 210 
 
 and further on, of diorito and porpliyry, like giant pyramids. 
 Thougli the heat was opprensive and the valley and mountains 
 as barren and dreary as could well be imagined, our men wei*e 
 rejoicing, in their solemn style, at the pro ^pect of soon reach- 
 inn; the Oasis, and as they sat smoking their pipes round the 
 cainp-fires telling tales of snighty valour and feats of horseman- 
 ship of some mythic Mahommedan hero, contentment was 
 graven on their wizzened faces. My fame as a medicine man 
 had spread through the camp, and often our sheik came into 
 the tent with the utmost politeness and after many salamats 
 had been exchanged, he would hold his head with both hands 
 and implore the Hakim to help him, I offered him pills of 
 various kinds that would have probably helped him, but he 
 refused them. When I brought out my stock of medicine and 
 asked him which he wished he always put his hand on a 
 bottle of citrate of magnesia. With this I made a cooling 
 drink for him, which he drank to the last drop, and placing 
 the vessel in my hands would repeat "hamd lillah," " thank 
 God," With whatever disease our sheik was afflicted, a sore 
 foot, a pain in the breast, or sore eyes, the remedy he asked 
 was always the same, a cooling drink of citrate of magnesia. 
 This passion for medicine is so strong among the Arab tribes 
 that some even feigned illness in order to get it. A young 
 man of our company, who had charge of our baggage, having 
 heard through the sheik of the marvellous virtue of this 
 medicine put his head inside our tent door and asked for 
 medicine. I invited him in and inquired the nature of his 
 trouble, he said "I am well every two days, but on the third day 
 I feel my head loose and my body all sore." It would be diffi- 
 cult for a physician to diagnose the disease that afflicts a patient 
 from such symptoms. I asked him if he prayed and he said 
 "no." I then inquired the reason for this, "because," he 
 replied, " I am often in a hurry and have no water to wash 
 
220 THE VALLEY OF INSCRIPTIONS. 
 
 my body with." But he swore by his beard saying, " if the 
 Hakim will give me medicine I will pray regularly and faith- 
 fully." As he had a severe cold, followed by burning fever, I 
 gave him something that would break the fever, and he 
 retired with expressions of the utmost pleasure and promised 
 to report himself in the morning if he felt better. 
 
 An early start was to be made to reach the Oasis of Feiran 
 early in the day. At daybreak, however, it was found one of 
 our baggage camels had wandered from the camp during the 
 night. We left the encampment on foot and found him about a 
 mile away, as if in a hurry for the water and green pasture of 
 Feiran. He was an ugly, old fellow, and refused to allow us 
 to go near him. We had seen his tricks at Gharandel and 
 had a suitable dread of him. On that occasion he was rushlnof 
 about wildly and roaring furiously, his driver wished him to 
 kneel down to be unloaded. After having employed all the usual 
 methods to make him kneel jerking him by the bridle and by 
 the neck, at the same time uttering a guttural sound like 
 suk, suk, suk, and exhausted his Arab patience, he went to 
 tlie rear of the camel and took him by the tail to force him 
 down. Suddenly the wicked old fellow lifted one of his 
 long hind legs and as the joints were quickly and powerfully 
 extended, one after the other, the foot finally struck the Arab 
 driver and sent him reeling among the reeds, Jiors de combat, 
 and then scampered over the wady proud of his work, followed 
 in hot haste by the wounded and cursing Mohammedan. At 
 noon we lunched under the shade of Hesi el-Khattatin a piece 
 of rock about fifty-seven feet long, twelve feet high and eighteen 
 feet broad. This, according to the tradition ot the Arabs, is 
 the ryck which Moses smote and from which the water, came 
 to quench the thirst of the Iraelites. It is a piece that has 
 fallen from the face of the hill behind which rises to the 
 height of about two hundred feet. Down the face of this tradi- 
 
HESI EL-KHATTATIN. 221 
 
 tional rock is a groove about half an inch deep at the top and 
 becoming deeper and wider towards the bottom. The Israelites 
 had arrived at Rephidim and there was no water and they 
 rnunnured, " Wherefore ^is this that thou hast brought us up 
 out of Egypt to kill us and our children and our cattle with 
 thirst?"* Professor Palmer says of this rock near the Oasis of 
 Feiran : "It is a significant fact that in Wady Feiran immedi- 
 ately before the part of the valley where the fertility commences. 
 I discovered a rock which Arab tradition resjards as the site of 
 the miracle."-f- Heaps of small stones are lying round the rock, 
 thrown by the Arabs. They yet cast a stone on the heap in 
 passing ; this custom arose from the tradition that when the 
 Israelites quenched their thirst there, they sat down and 
 amused themselves by casting stones into the river that had 
 sprung out of the rock. In this pa? t of the wady there are 
 no traces of w^ater now, hot sand and barren mountains are 
 all the thirsty and weary traveller sees. But in less than 
 half-an-hour w-e turned to the left and entered on the 
 famous Oasis of Feiran. On our right was a garden of 
 palm trees watered by Shadufs ; teyal and sidr trees were in 
 abundance. Arab women were lifting water from the w^ells 
 as we passed. The vegetation and the cool, refreshing water 
 made us forget the fatigue of our long journey, and our heart 
 was cheered at the sight of this earthly paradise. This fertile 
 region is the pride of the Arabs whom we found resting under 
 the shade of the palms, with a feeling of laudable pride, a,*^ 
 if no other spot on earth could equal it. Soon we reached 
 the hill El Maharrad beyond which our tent was pitched 
 opposite Wady Aleyat. As it was three p.m. when we reached 
 the tent the heat was inten se, and we rested for a few 
 moments before we began the work of examining this famous 
 
 '■■ Exod. xiii. 3. t Desert of the Exodus, p. 135. 
 
222 THE VALLEY OF INSCRIPTIONS. 
 
 place. A small stream gently rippled past our tent door, it was 
 only about three feet wide and a few inches deep, and the water 
 falling over the smooth stones in its bed formed small cascasdes. 
 How we delighted in that small stream with its banks lined 
 with tarfa and other shrubs ; the water was clear, cool and 
 sweet. We had seen nothing like it in our march from the Red 
 Sea ; we all kneeled down and lapped its refreshing water with 
 our closed hands and it seemed as if we would never be satis- 
 tied. We had learned two lessons before we reached this 
 Oasis, the terrible sufferings that the weakly ones, and the 
 women and children of the Israelites must have endured from 
 scarcity of water in that awful wilderness, and also the 
 precious blessing of water, so abundant and so little appre- 
 ciated in other lands. The hill of El Mahanad extends across 
 the wady for about one hundred and fifty feet, is about fifty 
 feet high, and slopes gently down on the south-west side to 
 the bed of the wady. Ruins of an ancient church, the 
 foundations of houses, broken pieces of sandstone and marble 
 columns cover the summit. Traces of a wall that enclosed the 
 hill are yet visible. Along the west and south side of the hill 
 is a narrow strip of soil, occupied with tarfa and other shrubs, 
 watered by a narrow channel which conveys the water from a 
 point higher up the wady. This has the appearance of a modest 
 boulevard extending round two sides of the famous little hill, 
 This is the spot according to Arab tradition on which Moses 
 h&t during the battle with the Amalekites, and the stone figure 
 of a man in a sitting posture with uplifted hands discovered 
 here by Professor Palmer would at least indicate the belief of 
 the Christian inhabitants of Feiran. Wady Feiran is the site 
 of Rephidim and the scene of the defeat of the Amalekites and 
 the miracle of supplying water from the rock. When the 
 Israelites pitched in Rephidim, it was a waterless desert, for 
 there was no water to drink, but Moses " clave the rocks in 
 
EL-HESUEH, THE ALUSH OF SCRIPTURE. 223 
 
 the wilderness, he brought streams also out of the rock, and 
 caused the water to run down like rivers."* "He turneth the 
 wilderness into a standing water, and there he maketh the 
 hungry to dwell, that they may prepare a city for habitation."-|- 
 The present condition of Wady Feiran is suited to the words 
 of inspiration. Its springs and streams give it fertility', and 
 the palm, acacia and sidr trees abound, and patches of soil 
 were green Avith grain when we were there, standing in strik- 
 ing contrast with the barren desert through which we had 
 passed. There seems to have been a city there from time 
 beyond history, and those caves that open on the face of the 
 mountains may have been the abodes of the ancient Amalek- 
 ites, as well as the monks of the fourth and fifth centuries 
 A.D. And there is no reason why we should doubt that the 
 spring that gushes out at the base of the mountain, in the 
 wady some distance beyond Maharrad is the result of the 
 Power of God in supplying His people with water. The 
 miracle was not temporary, but its eft'ect was to be enduring* 
 " tiie wilderness was made a standing water." 
 
 Some distance before reaching El Maharrad, is El-Hesueh, 
 where there are one or two wells enclosed in a garden. Mr. 
 Forster identifies this with Alush, the site of the encampment 
 previous to Rephidim, He believes Moses employed the 
 Arabic article instead of the Hebrew, and the latter part of the 
 word he seems to derive from the Hebrew for man, " Ish 
 Heuse Alush, or El Hesueh " signifies " a multitude of men." 
 Whatever may have been the route of the Israelites either up 
 Wady Feiran from the sea or along the inland route, they 
 must have passed El Hesueh. Here the Amalekites would 
 see the millions of stranfjers forcing an entrance into their 
 mountain-girt paradise. If the war began here it would be 
 
 * Ps. Ixxviii. IG, 17. - t Pa. cvii. 35. 36. 
 
224 THE VALLEY OF INSCRIPTIONS. 
 
 conducted along the wady towards the Oasis, and if the 
 Amalekites were driven back the Israelites would gradualiv 
 reach Maharrad, on which Moses was seated to inspire his 
 people as he prayed to the Lord. The miracle was wrouo^ht 
 before the battle, and if it began near Hesueh, it is most 
 reasonable to regard the wells there as the visible evidence of 
 the supply of water. Rephidini may have been the name 
 given to an area of country as well as the city of the Amalek- 
 ites, and thus the Scripture account be quite true, there was 
 no water ; for there nuist have been water somewhere in this 
 region to supply the wants of a people numenms enough to 
 have given serious battle to the Israelites. The Amalekites 
 were fighting for their homes, and their country, and although 
 it is only a desert, the tribes will fight for now it as if it were 
 the most fertile spot on earth. The Amalekites may not have 
 been numerous, but, knowing the wadies and mountain passes, 
 they would have an advantage over the Israelites who were 
 ignorant of the place and the number of the enemy. Stanley 
 regards Rephidim as situated in the Oasis of Wady Feiran, 
 but if it were in the Oasis there would be no need of the 
 miracle to supply water, for the existence of such an Oasis 
 implies the presence of water, and the Amalekites would 
 surely not wait to let their enemy enter the very garden of 
 the desert before going out to oppose them. It seems there- 
 fore, there must have been water in Rephidim to sustain the 
 inhabitants, but this was not within reach of the Israelites, or 
 was utterly insufl^icient to quench the thirst of the multitude 
 of the Hebrews, and therefore it became necessary to supply 
 them or they must perish. From Suez to Sinai the only 
 sweet and fresh water we met was at Feiran, and the rivulet 
 flowing from the foot of the mountain on the right hand of 
 the wady, on the way to Sinai, which watered the gardens 
 and fields of grain and flowed past our camp, probably is the 
 
ASCENT OF JEBEL TAHUxMEH. 22o 
 
 periucanont water supply from that miracle. The manna ceased 
 because its supply was from a supernatural source, but may 
 the water not have been brought to the surface from natural 
 springs already existing, and a fissure in the rock was all that 
 was needed to cause it to appear at that particular place ? 
 Thus the water would continue to fiow so long as the springs 
 exist, and the language of Scripture already quoted demands, 
 if it be literally interpreted, a permanent continuance of the 
 water. On the whole, therefore, I hold the opinion that the 
 cool, running waters of Feiran are a standing evidence of the 
 truth of Scripture, and one can travel over the fertile gardens 
 and look down from the lofty mountains that hem it on every 
 side, only with feelings of profoundest interest in every rock, 
 in every grain of sand, and in its clear, limpid waters for they 
 are the silent witnesses of great events and famous men in 
 the centuries of long ago. The first day of our tenting in 
 Feiran we ascended Jebel Tahumeh. Our ascent was made 
 by a narrow, rude footpath trodden by the feet of the hermits 
 in the early centuries, and perhaps made by the heathen tribes 
 prior to the passage of the Israelites through the desert. 
 iSome of the caves in the face of the mountain were only 
 high enough to allow a man to sit upright and long enough 
 to allow him to lie down. A few of them had two rooms 
 separated from each other by a thin wall, the majority however 
 had only one cell. Chapels built of the rough stone of the 
 mountain, stood in ruins at intervals. On the summit stood 
 the finest of them, about twenty-five by twenty feet square. 
 On the side facing Feiran were two niches with semi-circular 
 arches ; the area of the building was filled with sandstone 
 columns, broken bases, and capitals. The view was extensive 
 and grand, northward rose Jebel Benat, mantled in rich brown 
 m the fading sunlight. At our feet lay Maharrad, hallowed 
 by the tradition, that nearly thirty-five centuries ago Moses 
 
226 THE VALLEY OF INSCRIPTIONS. 
 
 sat on it with outstretched hands until Amalek was defeated. 
 Beyond rose in silent and awful majesty five-peaked Serbal 
 gilded in many-coloured splendours. Nations have risen and 
 perished since the important .scenes of Bible story were enacted 
 there, but no change has passed over those everlasting hilh 
 that hem in this bea itiful paradise of the desert by their 
 mighty bulwarks of granite, diorite and sandstone. 
 
 Our descent was by another route, and full of danger, the 
 loose stones in the narrow ravines slipping from under us and 
 throwing us on sharp pieces of granite, that bruised and cut 
 our hands and feet. At one part of our descent we were 
 obliged to take hold of an overhanging rock, and let ourselves 
 down to a narrow ledge. We then were forced to crawl on 
 this ledge about four feet wide. The face of the mountain 
 was almost perpendicular, for a depth of over two hundred feet, 
 to the rocky valley below. I was forced to cling closely to the 
 mountain, for a slip of a few inches would have hurled me over 
 into the deep abyss two hundred feet below, full of huge blocks 
 of fallen granite. With a few bruises, however, I passed this 
 dangerous path safely, and, after scrambling over fallen masses 
 of rock, reached the valley below. Mr. J. Smart had led the way, 
 and we both awaited our companion, who when he reached this 
 rubicon was struck with terror, and ran back from the edge of 
 the precipice beating his hands together and crying " mein 
 himmel." Only after much coaxing could we prevail on him 
 to listen to us, and after considerable effort on our part did he 
 cross the perilous bridge, and thanked G3d. On reaching solid 
 ground he swore " no one would ever find him in such danger 
 ngain." He was bold in speech but timid in action, and tried 
 to carry out his vow. Climbing over masses of rock forty or 
 fifty feet square, and sometimes crawling under them, at length 
 our tent was reached at dark. We retired early as the 
 arduous ascent of Serbal was to be made the following day, 
 
ASCENT OF JEBEI. SERBEL. 227 
 
 but all night long our men kept up a fusilade of Arabic ; for 
 a moment there would be a lull in the confusion of tongues, 
 then it would break out loud and furious, until in despair Mr. 
 Smart rose, and in forcible Saxon, of which they were ignor- 
 ant connnanded silence, and deep silence reigned in all the 
 camp. 
 
 The ascent of Mount Serbal is one of some difficulty, but 
 the climber is well rewarded when he looks down from its lofty 
 summit on desert and lesser mountains, and the distant sea. 
 Its five peaks towering in awful grandeur into the blue sky, 
 and its rugged grandeur make it the most prominent mountain 
 in this part of Arabia. Various suggestions have been made 
 as to the origin of the name ; some have derived it from Ser 
 Ba'al, "Lord Ba'al," or from " Serb Ba'al," "the palm grove of 
 Baal." I asked my sheik its meaning ; he replied, " a long, 
 smooth garment." This seems to coincide with Professor 
 Palmer's view who makes it signify " a shirt."* Perhaps it 
 may refer to the smooth globular form of the summit of Mad- 
 hawwa, which slopes gently down on every side. However, 
 my sheik was ignorant of the origin of many of the names of 
 famous places in the desert, and their statements are not al- 
 ways of much importance. If Baal, as the sun-god, was wor- 
 shipped by the ancient tribes of the desert, there is no more 
 suitable place than this mountain on which they cotdd have 
 reared altars and offered sacrifices to him. And, notwithstand- 
 ing any difficulty as to the form of the word, it seems probable 
 enough that Serbal refers to the god Baal, whose worship was 
 so universal in pre-Israelitish times. 
 
 We rose at three o'clock in the morning to climb that 
 ""S^^y giant, whose peaks, at a height of more than eight 
 thousand feet above the sea, have stood defiantly from the 
 
 ■ The Chaldee verb (Sarbel) signifies to cover, as with a garment ; hence Sarbalir 
 wide pantaloons, worn by Orientals. 
 
228 THE VALLEY OF INSCRIPTIONS. 
 
 dawn of creation against heat and hurricanes and time. A 
 cup of coffee and piece of coarse bread sufficed for breakfast, 
 and our guides were ready. I found udne, a young native of 
 Feiran, twenty years of age, strong, supple, and very obliging, 
 dressed in a coarse abyah, with black and gray stripes. A 
 rough belt was about his middle, to which were fastened his 
 powder-flask and shot-pouch. On his head was a close-fitting 
 skull-cap and a tarboosh round it, both of which had been new 
 and clean long ago, but now were on their last legs, or last 
 head. As we left camp the moon was shining, throwing its 
 light into the thick darkness of the wady, and the great peaks 
 of Serbal and Jebel Monejah were casting shadows in the 
 Oasis of Feiran. As we rode across Wady Feiran no sound 
 was heard in the awful stillness of that lonely spot but the 
 slow, steady tread of our camels. We passed under the 
 .shadow of El-Maharrad on our right ; on our left was a cluster 
 of palms, and further on a garden was hedged round about, in 
 which were patches of grain. Wady Aleyat, up which we 
 rode, was thickly strewn with boulders, scattered in all direc- 
 tions. I"i the centre, winter torrents have washed out a deep 
 gorge. Seyal trees were numerous in the wady, and on our 
 left, under Jebel Monejah, palms were flourishing. The path 
 was narrow, and extended in every direction, and at times it 
 was in no direction at all, for it did not exist, and our camels 
 were forced to pick their way as best they co\ild among the 
 large masses of rock. Sinaitic inscriptions were on both sides 
 of us, ruins of huts with stone walls round them, and' ruins of 
 old tombs. Our camels carried us as far as possible up the 
 wady ; we then dismounted, stripped oft' superfluous garments, 
 left the camels with the drivers, and began the ascent on the 
 north-east side. For a time our route lay along the spur of 
 one of the colossal peaks of Serbal ; frequently we had to leap 
 from one boulder to another, or were forced to climb over or 
 
ASCENT OF JKBEL SEUHAL. 220 
 
 crawl under some huge mass that blocked our way. Soon wo 
 entered the yawning chasm, extending from the summit to 
 the very base ; the peaks were standing up against the sky 
 in dim outline, and the whole mountain was magnified into 
 vaster proportions in the early morning. The climb was 
 hazardous and tiresome^ but we were fearless, and ready to do 
 what others had done before us. Following our guides into 
 this deep chasm, we began to ascend. For an hour we walked 
 over the immense blocks of granite that were lying across our 
 path, with ease, after that the route was steep and dangerous, 
 for at times the stones under our feet would slip, and only by a 
 (juick spring did we escape being dashed into the deep chasm 
 below. At places, masses of granite and porphyry had been 
 hurled from the monster shoulders of Serbal in the distant 
 past, now they were lying across our path. To climb over 
 them or crawl beneath them was impossible — it was a mystery 
 how we could pass them, but soon our guides, crawling along 
 a narrow ledge, squeezed themselves between the sides of the 
 mountain and the end of the blocks, and we followed. Some- 
 times our path was almost perpendicular, and we slipped on 
 the small, loose stones as if they were ice. At other times 
 we pulled ourselves up to narrow ledges that extended hori- 
 zontally across the deep chasm, and cautiously climbed to a " 
 safer footpath. The sun was shining powerfully on our back 
 long before we reached the top, and, though ascending into a 
 cooler ^mosphere, the sun's heat and our efforts kept us in 
 profuse perspiration. The higher we went the oftener we 
 rested, and looking up after two hours' hard climbing, those 
 frowning peaks seemed as far away as ever. On reaching the 
 first plateau, we rested on the smooth, shelving rock, in the 
 crevices of which we found some snow and ice, which were 
 welcome and refreshing. To the top seemed only the work of 
 a few moments, but we were deceived. Passing through a 
 
230 THE VALLEY OF INSCRIITIOXS. 
 
 natural rent in the fuiiniiut of the mountain, wide enough to 
 allow us to H(pieeze through, then winding round and round 
 the dome of the mountain, like the narrow stairs round the 
 dome of a great cathedral, we finally stood on the very top of 
 famous Serbal. How grand the panorama that stretched out 
 before us ! Its glory surpassed our sanguine expectations. 
 The air was cold, so buttoning our coats closely we gazed out 
 afar over Arabia. Eastward lay the Gulf of Akaba, stretching 
 northward towards ancient Ezion Geber. Far away to the 
 south-east were Jebel Miisa and Jebei Katharina. Northward 
 was the Tih range of mountains, extending like an impassable 
 wall ; southward lay Tor by the sea, with the intervening 
 desert of whitish sand extending inland to the very base of 
 Serbal. To the south-west the Gulf of Suez appeared like a 
 margin of deep green fringing the desert and the limestone 
 hills. -Thousands of feet below were Wadies Aleyat and 
 Rimm covered with huge boulders, while here and there a 
 palm or wild fig-tree rose above the general level. Wadies 
 .stretched in every direction, and isolated mountain ranges 
 occupy this part of the peninsula. Dreariness and desolation 
 reign supreme. There were no signs of fertility except in the 
 Oils is of Feiran — no green fields, rich gardens, orchards, and 
 comfortable homes were there, nor were there cities and towns 
 with the busy tread of men and animals, and the buzz of 
 machinery, such as one would have seen in an equal area in 
 Canada. Silence reigned like that of the grave, brol^n only 
 by an occasional remark of my companions. The desolation 
 and terrible grandeur of the scene will never be effaced from 
 my memory. Standing on that awful mountain, and looking 
 on those wadies, I peopled them in imagination with the 
 marching hosts of Israel. Over those brown hills the pillar 
 of fire cast its bright light of glory by night, and the piHar of 
 cloud its shadow by day. Though wanting in great cities and 
 
VIEW FllOM JEHEL SERI5EL. 231 
 
 wealth, that barren area over which I looked was the theatre 
 of mighty events, from which the world may derive wisdom 
 and warning. Everything filled my soul with interest, and 
 the works of Omnipotence were all about me and below me. 
 r opened the Word of that omnipotent God and read: " Thou, 
 Lord, in the beginninjjj hast laid the foundation of the earth ; 
 and the heavens are the works of Thine hands ; they shall 
 perish ; and they all shall wax old as doth a garment ; and as 
 a vesture shalt Thou fold them up, and they shall be changed ; 
 but Thou art the same, and Thy years shall not fail.' * 
 
 The descent of the Serbal is no child's play, it requires 
 nerve and dexterity. As the loose stones rolled from beneath 
 our feet, we grasped projecting rocks or the branches of wild 
 tig trees that here and there had sunk their roots down among 
 the rocks for a scanty existence. In this manner we guarded 
 ourselves against a rush headlong into the deep and terrible 
 chasm that yawned far below us. At other places we had to 
 slide cautiously over the surface of the rock worn smooth as 
 glass by the rain and weather during long ages of the past. 
 At length, exhausted and footsore, we reached our camels 
 which were waiting for us, about a mile from the foot of the 
 mount. One of my companions, who was somewhat corpulent, 
 found it a terrible work to climb the mighty Serbal. Mr. 
 Smart and myself had reached the summit half an hour 
 before him. And as we were preparing to descend our friend 
 put in an appearance. His face was crimson, and perspiration 
 was flowing from every pore in his body, and with difficulty 
 he dragged one foot after the other. I informed him we were 
 ready to descend. He replied, " I must have a good view of 
 this panorama." We decided to remain ten minutes longer 
 for him. At the end of that time he said he was tired and 
 
 * Hebrews i. 10-12. 
 
232 rilK VAI.LKY OF IXSCKII'TIONS. 
 
 • 
 
 thoui^'ht ho would remain at least one hour. Durinrj tht; 
 time he occupied in climbing the mountain he had consuiiiLMl 
 a bottle of goat's milk, another of water, and a third of winu. 
 In doing the same work we were content with a handful i)t' 
 ice and snow from the crevices of the rock. We wrote our 
 names on paper, as thousands have done before us, and i>ut it 
 in a strong glass bottle, which we inserted in the centre of a 
 cairn of stones, on the top of Serbal. We added each a stone 
 to the cairn, left our guides with our companion, and made 
 the dangerous journey down atone. 
 
 We found our camels and men resting in the shade of one 
 of those rude nawamis that abound in this part of the Desert. 
 It was about six feet high, and ten or twelve in diameter, an<l 
 composed of rude stones. There we spread our mat and ate 
 in haste our lunch, for the sun was sinking low towards the 
 west, and a good day's march was yet before us ere we reached 
 our tent, which had been struck in the early morning. We 
 spent two long hours, in great anxiety, waiting for our friend 
 to descend. I frequently scanned the whole lower part of the 
 mountain through my field glass, and at last saw him emerge 
 from the gorge at the base. He was divested of his coat, and 
 had his shirt sleeves rolled up to the shoulders. The three 
 Arab guides were carrying his coat, field glass and other 
 articles, while he trudged wearily along, dragging one foot 
 after the other as if it were as heavy as Serbal itself. He sat 
 down on a rock, breathless, while we hastily spread out lunch 
 before him, cut his bread, poured out water from the goat skin 
 and advised him to hurry after us. 
 
 We came down Wady Aleyat quickly. It was live o'clock 
 p. m., when we reached the Oasis, and after the long fatiguing 
 climb since three o'clock a. m., we were tired and thirsty. We 
 lapped the cool water from the rivulet, flowing between its 
 narrow banks of green grass, dotted with sweetest flowers. It 
 
SCKNKS IN THE OASIS OV FEIKAN. 233 
 
 refrfslietl uh for the journey before us. Under the shade of 
 tlie featliery br.anches of tlie pahus, a dozen Feiran Arabs 
 were making mats, to whose sheik we bad adieu and left 
 Feiran turever. On our left the huts of the Arabs were hid 
 among the tarfa, reeds and palm trees. The deepest silence 
 prevailed, there was light in a few of the houses but I heard 
 no voice. No children were to be seen, nor merry voices 
 heard as in the rural villages of Canada, on a (juiet summer's 
 evening, after the cares and work of school. The children of 
 the Desert and the Fellahin children of Egypt play as if they 
 rtere old men. Nowhere does one see in those lands the 
 healtiiful joy that Christian liberty and love give the children 
 i»f our land. 
 
 A cripj)le sat by the wayside and begged — a mass of utter 
 wretcliedness, with little to comfort him at the hands of his 
 poor friends, or of his religion. Beyond the outskirts of 
 Feiran the tarfa became trees one and two feet in diameter, 
 the branches of which we had to force aside as we rode 
 through. On the right were mounds of clay, a strange object 
 in this desert of rock and sand. Lepsius regards them as 
 ileposits made by Wadies Sheik and Selaf from the Jebel Miisa 
 range and by Wadies Aleyat and Rimm, the watershed froni 
 Serbal meeting in this natural basin, and in remote times 
 having formed an inland lake.* El-Buweb stands across the 
 wady like the pylon leading into some mighty Egyptian 
 temple. Soon we went through this pass, leaving Wady 
 Sheik and Wady Rimm behind, and entered the long, desolate 
 Wady Selaf. Three hours from Feiran we passed an Arab 
 camp, whose sheik kindly desired to lodge us for the night. 
 My experience of passing the night in an Arab tent was not 
 such as to make me rashly do it again, so with much ceremony 
 
 * Tour to Sinai, p. 24, 5. 
 
 16 
 
234 IS JEBEL SERBAL THE MOUNT OF THE LAW? 
 
 we declined the sheik's irritation to eat and sleep with him. 
 At eleven o'clock we drove into our encampment, situated at 
 the base of a low range of hills in the form of an amphitheatre. 
 The Arabs had a fire burning, and a light hung in our tent 
 door, where faithful Abdullah anxiously awaited our arrival, 
 Soon we retired to rest. A little after midnight, the sound of 
 a camel was heard in the distance, which echoed among the 
 silent hills. In a few minutes our companion entered the tent 
 exhausted. After a few moments I asked, " Etes vous fatigue, 
 monsieur ? " — " Are you tired, sir ? " " C'est mon affaire, mon- 
 sieur," he replied — " This is my business, sir." Having eaten 
 some food he became more sociable and said, " we have had a 
 terrible journey and little provision to-day." But as he had 
 the same food as ourselves, and in addition the three bottles of 
 liquid which he consumed on Serbal, his hardships did not 
 move us. Besides, on his return to Feiran he had rummaged 
 among the Arabs' tents until he had obtained a bottle of goal's 
 milk, some dates and a few eggs of wild fowl> 
 
 There will always be deep interest in the scene of the 
 giving of the Law, amid the terrible glory of the presence of 
 Jehovah. Is Serbal the mount of the Law ? It is uncertain, 
 for authorities are divided in their opinion, and the Scriptures 
 do not afibrd sufficient data to place the subject beyond dis- 
 pute. The evidence in support of the theory that Serbal is 
 Mount Sinai is not, in my opinion, satisfactory or conclusive. 
 Sinaitic inscriptions abound in Wady Aleyat and on Serbal, 
 but the origin of these is yet undecided and therefore can 
 afibrd no evidence. Wady -Aleyat is one vast chaos of rocks, 
 riven and hurled from the shoulders of the great Serbal, anil 
 we read that " the whole mount quaked greatly "* when 
 Jehovah descended on Sinai in fire. But it is not safe to infer 
 
 ft 
 
 * Exodus xix. 18. 
 
IS JEBEL SERBAL THE MOUNT OF THE LAW? 2o'y 
 
 that the mountain with its vast chasms and the multitude of 
 huge fallen rocks are indisputable evidence to support the belief 
 that Serbal is the true Sinai, for there is the same appearance at 
 Jebel Musa. This range of Jebel Miisa seems to have been sub- 
 jected to some terrible power that has riven it into vast chasms, 
 down one of which I descended on the north-east side with im- 
 mense toil, into Wi»,dy Deir. Wady Leja and the wady extend- 
 ing along the south side of the range, and the south-east part of 
 the Wady Deir beyond the convent are covered with multi- 
 tudes of loose blocks. In note eighteen, page one hundred and 
 three of " Sinai Photographed," the author says " traces of the 
 miraculous phenomena ought to be visible on the mountain " 
 and asks, " Can facts attest more literally the awful sequel, 
 than do the rifted precipice and the rent rocks of the Wady 
 Aleyat ^ " Mr. Forster and those authors w^ho regard Serbal 
 as the mount of the law, place the Israelites in Aleyat and 
 Rimiu, where they could see Jehovah and hear Him. But if 
 these wadies were then occupied by the people and these 
 shivered masses rolled down from the mount, that are now 
 lying in these wadies, few would have escaped to tell the story. 
 They would have been almost entirely annihilated. The 
 condition of Serbal and these wadies does not meet the require- 
 ments of Scripture. But in this respect the valley of Er- 
 Raha before Sufsafel does, for the people could have remained 
 there and in Wady Sheik and along towards Wady Leja, 
 safely, and have seen Jehovah descending on the mount, and the 
 awful majesty of His presence. In this respect, therefore, Er- 
 Raha has the preference. Besides, if wadies Aleyat and Rimm 
 were covered with those masses of fallen rock before the 
 Israelites entered, it would have been utterly impossible for 
 one million even to have pitched their tents in them close to 
 the mount. 
 
 The historical references quoted by Mr. Forster, from 
 
236 THE VALLEY OF INSCRIPTIONS. 
 
 Eusebius, Ammonius, and Cosmas, merely indicate the opinion 
 of these authors, for they had no sources of evidence that are 
 wanting to us. The last author is evidently inaccurate and 
 unreliable, he writes : * Mose swent forth to Horeb, that is to 
 Sinai, which is about six miles distant from Pharau." To the 
 base of the mountain from Maharrad is not more than two 
 miles. Dr. Stewart writes, "if any one will consult the 
 account given in the book of Exodus, of the encampment of 
 the Israelites in the wilderness of Sinai, he will find two 
 things required to fix the locality, first a mountain sufficiently 
 isolated and lofty to be seen from the region lying round its 
 base, and secondly a valley large enough to contain the tents 
 of Israel, and visible through all its extent from the mountain 
 top."* It seemed clear to me, viewing the whole territory 
 from the top of Serbal, that it does not comply with these 
 conditions — it is not isolated. The spurs of the mountains 
 stretch far out into the wadies and plain at its base, and the 
 plain is not distinctly separated from them, so that the people 
 could not know as they crowded round the mountain, where the 
 plain ended and the mountain began. The Scriptures demand 
 as a chief condition that the mountain should be (juite separate 
 from the plain, for if the people touched the mount they 
 would surely be put to death. Then if they stood in the 
 wadies beyond the spurs of Serbal they would be too far 
 away to see distinctly. Besides, if those wadies at its base 
 were as they now exist, the people could never have pitched 
 their tents in them, for they are almost literally covered with 
 rock. In my opinion therefore Serbal does nob comply with 
 the conditions stated by Dr. Stewart, or required by the 
 Scripture narrative. The names do not afford any real clue to 
 guide to a solution of the difficulty. Horeb, according to 
 
 *The Tent and the Khan. 
 
JEBEL MUSA RANGE THE MOUNT OF THE LAW? 237 
 
 Lepsius, signifies " the earth made dry by drainiiig off the 
 water "* and that " the name was not applied solely to the 
 laountain but also to the valley." In Exodus xix. 2, we read, 
 " they were departed from Rephidim and were come to the 
 desert of Sinai, and had pitched in the wilderness ; and there 
 Israel camped before the mount." As Horeb is an area in 
 which the mount is situated, this is doubtless synonymous 
 with the desert of Sinai, and the wilderness in which Israel 
 camped before the mount. But can that be called a desert 
 or a wilderness, in which the one fertile oasis of the whole 
 <lesert is situated ? It is the paradise of the desert, not a wilder- 
 ness. The condition of the territory in which Jebel Miisa is 
 siti fated is lit:^i'ally a wilderness and desert, barren wadies and 
 weather-worn, dreary mountains extend on every side, and 
 only scanty shrubs are found in a few localities on which the 
 sheep and goats browse, as in the days of Moses. Both 
 Exocius and Numbers show that one march brought Israel 
 from Rephidim to the desert of Sinai, where they encamped 
 before the mount, and Lepsius points out the people must have 
 made the journey of thirty-eight miles in one day from Feiran 
 to the Jebel Miisa Range, which he seems to regard as an 
 impossible performance. This is one of the most serious 
 objections against the opinion that Jebel Miisa is the true 
 Sinai. I made two-thirds of the journey on camel in five 
 hours from Feiran. A man walking at the rate of three miles 
 an hour would accomplish the journey in little more than 
 twelve hours. Sinai was the mount of God, where they were 
 •specially to worship Him. The people would be eager to 
 reach it and would therefore make a forced march. The road 
 is open and easy to travel as far as Nagb Hawa, and as they 
 had refreshed themselves with the water and produce of 
 
 * Tour to Sinai, p. 83. 
 
238 THE VALLEY OF INSCRIPTIONS. 
 
 Rephidim, they could march further and with less fatigue 
 than at any previous part of their journey. They walked by 
 the guidance of the pillar of tire by nij^ht as well as by the 
 pillar of cloud by day, and if the encampment started early 
 in the morning they would arrive at Er-Ralia before the mount 
 late at night. The people could go th jugh the narrow defile 
 of Nagb Ha wa, though the beascs of burden went round the 
 longer route by Wady Sheik. Professor Palmer says that 
 they could reach Nagb Hawa and as they were to make a lonf; 
 stay, they would perhaps occupy some days in pitchino; the 
 camp on the plain of Er-Raha, and yet it be in accordance 
 with the words of the Bible.* 
 
 ♦ The Desert of the f^xodus. p. 136. 
 
Chapter XII. 
 BEFORE MOUNT SINAI. 
 
 " And 'Mount Sinai was altogether on a smoke, because the Lord 
 ilesct'uded upon it in rire." — Exodus xix. 18. 
 
 JE took a liurried lunch in the narrow pass ot"Naj]jb 
 Hawa. This pass is about two hours' travel, and 
 is full of masses of rock fallen from the mountains, 
 'fS>i"^:^^ that rise on both sides to an immense height. 
 ^'^^^H There was plenty of clear, cool water here which 
 refreshed us greatly, and our camels, so that we 
 travelled all the more cheerfully along the crooked and rugged 
 jmthway. The baggage on the camels' backs frequently came 
 to g^rief , tents and canteens were knocked oti' as they came in 
 contact with a huge rock of granite, and as the granite would 
 not yield, our baggage must, and so was hurled to the ground. 
 Our Arabs were angry, our dragoman paid them no compli- 
 ments, and meantime we trudged on foot under the scorching 
 sun. As we emerged from the i)ass the camels resumed good 
 marching order. Vegetation became more abundant, Siniatic 
 inscriptions were seen on both sides of us, and as we reached 
 the highest point and entered the plain of Er-Raha, Ras 
 Snfsafeh, the Mount of God, burst on our view in majestic 
 sph-ndour, a fitting footstool for the everlasting Jehovah. 
 Tlie i)lain was hemmed in by a range of hills on the right and 
 left, and extends towards the Jebel Musa range. It is a sandy 
 una about two miles long and one broad, dotted with low 
 
240 BEFORE MOUNT SINAI. 
 
 shrubs. I dismounted and walked over tlie plain, whicli 
 gradually inclines towards Ras Sutsafeh, whose mighty rocky 
 shoulders rise perpendicularly ironi its base on the north side, 
 and whose height and grandeur impressed me more ])owerf'ully 
 the nearer I approached. Here the tents of Israel would be 
 pitched, and up Wady Ed-Deir and Wady Sheik, and un 
 that lofty and massive mountain the gloiy of Jehovah had 
 descended when " the smoke thereof ascended as the smoke of 
 a furnace and the mount (Uiaked greatly." 
 
 Our tent was pitched at the foot of the mountains, near 
 the convent of St. Katharine. The monastery was built bv 
 Justinian 530 A. D., at first as a fortress to protect the monks 
 from the attacks of the Saracens. In addition he made a 
 present of some Egyptian and Roman slaves, whose descend- 
 ants are supposed to be the Jebeliyeh, the Fellahin of Arabia. 
 Passing through a gate from Wady Ed-Deir we entered an 
 open area, then a few yards beyond, on turning to the left we 
 passed through another gate, above which is an Arabic inscrip- 
 tion relating to the erection of the monastery by Justinian. 
 Until recently travellers were raised up by a rope let down 
 from the outside and hauled in by the monks, through an 
 opening in the wall, much in the same way as a bale of goods 
 would be hauled up into a warehouse. Now the traveller pre- 
 sents his letter of admission from the Greek Patriarch in Cairo 
 and is admitted within the old walls. The convent is sadly 
 shorn of its former glor}-, for in early times two or three 
 hundred monies existed there, now there are only thirty, 
 who spend an idle, useless life, shutting themselves in by 
 desert and awful mountains, from the duties of life, which 
 God has ordained for human pleasure and progress. Formerly 
 women, hens and cats, were rigidly excluded from the holy 
 precincts, but the light of common sense has dawned upon even 
 the St. Katharine Monastery; those foolish regulations are 
 
CONVENT OF ST. KATHARINE. 241 
 
 abolished, and any woman v/ho can endure the journey will 
 lie admitted within the convent walls. On passing througli 
 that low gateway, whose iron bolts, massive hinges and strong 
 plates tell of danger in former days, we found ourselves in an 
 irregular court, surrounded on all sides by buildings of every 
 size, shape, colour and age, huddled together in wildest con- 
 fusion. We ascended a ricketty wooden stairway, and reached 
 a balcony equally dilapidated, extending round the building, 
 from which doors opened into the cells of the monks. We were 
 shown into the reception room, twenty feet long, twelve broa«i 
 and about eight high ; a few small windows looked out on 
 tumble-down buildings and many curious nooks and corners. 
 A. large table, a few rough chairs, two small book-cases fastene<l 
 to the whitewashed wall constituted the furniture of the room. 
 Rough beams stretched across the ceiling, and the floor was 
 uneven, requiring some <lexterity to walk on it safely. Travel- 
 lers from many distant lands have sat in this room and on 
 those rude benches, and there Tischendorf first saw the 
 Sinai tic manuscript, reputed to be one of the oldest and most 
 valuable in existence, and whose readings have been adopted 
 in the text of the revised version of the New Testament. 
 Here we were introduced to the Abbot and to the Archiman- 
 drite Patrikios of Jerusalem, an oily, jolly man, with a brown 
 coat, trimmed with a fur collar, over his black gown. He 
 carried a big staff vdth a pigeon carved on its handle, which 
 statf could aid him in his travels along the rough wadies of 
 the desert, or defend him against any obstreperous Arab. In 
 this confused pile of buildings there are stone walls and 
 wooden ones, and arthitecture of every style ; a Greek church 
 and a mosque are in the same area ; a charnel house is situated 
 in a blooming garden of pomegranate, peach and apricot trees. 
 The same strange variety extends even to the monks them- 
 selves; some are jolly, hearty fellows, others decrepit and 
 
242 BEFORE MOUNT SINAI. 
 
 helpless ; some are stout and ruddy, others tall, emaciated and 
 frail. Each monk takes one department of labour, as l)aking, 
 tailoring, gardening, and the ordinary housework required. 
 ( certain fasts are prescribed by the Greek Church, on which 
 occasions the monks are allowed to eat fish and drink a liquor 
 made from palm dates, called araki. It sometimes happens, 
 either through the weakness of the faster or the strength of 
 the araki, that some of the monks are put hors de combat. An 
 American wished an umbrella mended to protect him in his 
 long journey ov^er the desert, but the artisan was not at his 
 post and so the broken-down covering had to do duty without 
 the cunning skill of the monk. Mr. Smart carried up a 
 heavy pair of boots to the shoemaker of the convent, a good 
 natured old man, that he might put a strong sole on them. 
 Though the tools were of the most primitive kind, the work 
 was a marvel of skill. If not beautiful or suited for Cambridge 
 or Albany, they were made durable and useful in our rough 
 journeys in Arabia. 
 
 The convent was crowded with pilgrims, but we pressed 
 for accommodation, for which of course we paid. One of the 
 monks kindly gave up his room. It was about twelve feet 
 square, an iron bedstead stood in one corner, in the wails were 
 four windows, the two lower ones in the French style, the 
 two small ones above were composed of two panes of glass 
 each. The windows looked out on the court yard and the 
 traditional well, at which Moses watered the flocks of Jethro. 
 The walls were very thick, as if made to endure a siege rather 
 than to keep out cold. Six rush-seated chairs, two small rough 
 tables, and a few rugs on the floor completed the furniture' 
 Our dragoman brought up some of our bedding from the tent 
 in the wady, shake-downs were made on the floor, which 
 together with the bed, afforded ample sleeping room. A kind 
 monk brought us an ample supply of tepid water, and after a 
 
LODGED IN THE CONVENT AT SINAI. 24;} 
 
 refreshing bath we soon retired to rest. But the stranofe scenes 
 al)Oiit us and the excessive fatigue of the journey banislied 
 iill sleep. Sometime after midnight the bell was rung calling 
 the monks to their nocturnal devotions. We dressed hastily, 
 descended from the court area into the Church of the Trans- 
 ti^uration. A weird and solemn feeling crept over me, as 1 
 followed the black figure of a monk gliding (juietly towards 
 the church. Behind rose the mighty Jebel Musa range, whose 
 darker outline could be traced with the dim starlight. On 
 that rugged mountain top, hoary with ages, the presence of 
 Jehovah rested, when it smoked like a furnace, and the 
 shivered rocks were thrown down. Now, all is still and solemn, 
 and the world is reaping the blessing of that law of God which 
 is holy and just and good. We occupied the stalls in the nave 
 of the church, and could scarcely recognize each other in the 
 dim light emitted from one or two small lamps depending 
 from the ceiling. A few candles were burning at the altar, by 
 the aid of whose light the monks intoned passages from the 
 Clospels. Near us one old, feeble man continued to prostrate 
 himself on the marble floor, and kiss the stone at intervals. 
 We remained one hour, but as the service was not for edifica- 
 tion to us, whatever it was to them, we returned to our cell. 
 The steps leading to and from the church have cut into them 
 the letters of the name of St. James — I-A-K-fi-B-O-S. The 
 panels of the door leading into the church are richly carved. 
 In the portico is a baptismal font, of silver, with winged 
 tigiues, and of exquisite workmanship. The church is in the 
 form of a Basilica ; outside it has a poor appearance, but 
 within it contains some valuable treasures of art and antiquity. 
 The floor is of marble ; light is admitted by five Byzantine 
 windows on each side. The capitals of the pillars that sup- 
 port the arches of the nave are painted green, and in bad taste. 
 The episcopal throne has some curious paintings, one of which 
 
244 BEFORE MOUNT SINAI. 
 
 is a representation of the convent in the last century. Behind 
 tlie apse is the chapel of the Burning Bush, over the spot on 
 which Jehovah appeared to Moses in the bush. Reniovinjr 
 our shoes, we entered a room about twelve by ten feet. The 
 walls are lined with blue porcelain from Damascus. A small 
 window in this room receives a ray of light, it is said, only once 
 a year from the eastern side of the wady, from the cross erected 
 on Jebel Salib. At three o'clock in the morning we began to 
 climb Jebel Mi\sa by the steps cut out by the pilgrims in the 
 early centuries, to facilitate their visits to the holy places. 
 The moon and stars were shining feebly as we began the 
 ascent. For guide there came with us a Greek monk : a long 
 black gown, covered with blue trimmings, clad his thin skele- 
 ton body ; on his head was a long black hat, flat on the 
 crown. He carried a staff in his hand, on his feet were long, 
 tapering shoes, and his stockings were sadly in need of the 
 darning need'e. As he moved on the quick march before us, 
 his whole outer man, with his long iron-gray hair flying in 
 the wind, gave him the appearance of a being who, by acci- 
 dent, had come to life in the wrong century. 
 
 Our path at flrst was easy, but soon it required more 
 exertion to step up the large blocks of granite. The flrst rest 
 was at a small spring, at which our monk informed us Moses 
 watered Jethro's flocks ; this, however, he did not seem to notice 
 contradicted the tradition about the Avell in the convent. If 
 he noticed it, he probably thought it was a trifle not worthy 
 of mention. Passing the chapel of the Virgin we reached the 
 top plateau, from which the massive peaks of Jebel Mdsa, 
 Katharine and Sufsafeh, tower heavenward in terrible gran- 
 deur. From this plateau, on which a cypress and some poplars 
 are growing, a splendid view of the monastery is obtained. 
 The lowest tiers of the convent wall are composed of large 
 stones of considerable age, while the upper tiers are composed 
 
ASCENT OF JEHEL MUSA. 246 
 
 (if'roiiiKl, loiiiih boulilers. Loo|)-holes are seen at intervals for 
 the >inall caunun nionnted on crazy ohl carriages. These cannon 
 are a triHe too larij^e for toys or for shooting oti' fire-crackers 
 on Dominion Day, hut are too small to do effective work 
 against an invading foe. It is well, however, that the tribes 
 about the convent are peaceable and that there is no danger 
 of bombardment. The garden, with its peach and plum trees 
 ill richest bloom, appeared like some enchanted spot on this 
 scene of terrible heat and desolation. As we passed the small 
 wbitewashed chapel of Elijah the pathway became very steep. 
 We toiled up those rough stone steps, worn smooth with the 
 weather of ages and the feet of multitudes of pilgrims. On 
 reaching the top of Jebel Musa, at an elevation of 7,3G3 feet 
 above the sea, the air was chilly and piercing, and a strong 
 wind was blowing. Before reaching the chapel on the summit 
 is a hollow in tlie rock, pointed out by our credulous guide as 
 tliat in which Jehovah placed Moses and said, " It shall come 
 to pass while my glory passeth by, that I will put thee in a 
 cleft of the rock and will cover thee with my hand while I 
 pass by."* The scene of the giving of the law and many 
 other traditional sites were pointed out, for the name of the 
 traditions about our Lord Moses and Mahommed is legion. 
 After our guide had detailed all his legendary lore, I asked, 
 " Do you believe all this ?" He replied with a solemn shake of 
 the head, " No, sir." And we were also strong unbelievers. 
 The atmosphere was clear, and our view extensive. The 
 waters of the Red Sea and the Gulf of Akaba were visible, 
 glittering like molten silver in the clear sunlight. Beyond 
 Akaba were range after range of barren hills extenditig 
 towards the rock city of Petra. Nearer mountain ranges and 
 isolated hills stood in striking contrast with the whitish 
 
 * Exodus xxxiii. 22. 
 
240 MKFORE MOUNT SINAI. 
 
 valleys that extended in every direction. Far down at the base 
 of the mountain are the convent, Wadies Deir and Sliuaib, 
 and beyond is Wady Sebaiyeh sweepini>; round towards the 
 south of Jebel Katluirina, the highest peak of this range. The 
 wadies were dotted with the black, goats'-haired tents of the 
 Arabs, whom we could see resting in the shade of overhaniriuir 
 rocks from the powerful heat at noonday ; while near at 
 hand, or up on the spurs of the mountains, the goats were 
 browsing on the scanty j)asture. The whole scene was very 
 grand but very desolate, and is probably not much cluinged 
 from the days when Moses fed flocks there, or led the Israel- 
 ites on their terrible march to Canaan. Jebel Musa would be 
 hid from the most of the Israelites. The wadies to the 
 south are covered with masses of stone, and deej) gorges are cut 
 into them, so that it seems almost impossible for the people 
 to have encamped in that direction. If this range therefore 
 be the Mount of God, the law must have been given on the 
 northern peak — Ras Sufsafeh. 
 
 On descending to the cypress plateau our guide led us 
 northward ; at the base, from which the vast peak of Sufsafeh 
 is visible, we received from our kind skeleton guiiie, cotfee, 
 pomegranates and water to refresh us, and then began to 
 climb. A young Towarah Arab led the way, while the old 
 monk waited at the base for our return. Jebel Mu.m was 
 child's work compared with the ascent of Sufsafeh. It was a 
 steep and hard climb. We pulled ourselves up at times by 
 the aid of overhanging pieces of rock that frowned on 
 us, threatening destruction, and at times we crawled along 
 narrow ledges, or on hands and knees scaled massive boulders 
 that have been hurled from the summit by some terrible 
 force. 
 
 At length, fatigued and foot-sore, we reached a small area, 
 perhaps twenty feet square. Thirty or forty feet above us 
 
CLIMHTNO HAS SUFSAFKH. 247 
 
 was the highest peak of Siifsafoh. The wind had freshened 
 into a perfect gale, «o buttoning my coat, putting my hat close 
 down on my head, I made ready to ascend this dangerous 
 dome of Sufsafeh. It has the appearance of a huge globe, 
 and overlooks the plain of Ei'-Raha. The surface was smooth, 
 there was no pathway of any kind except a few broken places 
 in the hard weather-polished rock, into which I could thrust 
 my toes, while I crushed my fingers into similar holes on the 
 round dome above. The face of the mountain is almost per- 
 pendicular to the plain, and terrible gaping chasms have been 
 formed by some tremendous force, from the top of Susfafeh 
 to its base, for a distance of more than fifteen hundred feet. 
 My Arab guide refused to go farther, and told many lies and 
 called on God and the prophet to help him. He was in the 
 utmost fear of the short journey to the top. Removing my 
 boots and stockings I ascended about half the distance, when 
 on looking down into the deep chasms and into the distant 
 plain, I was almost overwhelmed with danger, and as the 
 glory of doing what only few have ever done was not to be 
 placed in the balance with my life, I crawled down backwards 
 from this dangerous eminence to the platform of rock below- 
 There I stretched myself on my face and looked out over the 
 plain on which the millions of Israel were encamped so long 
 before the Mount of the Lord. This mount and plain suit the 
 requirements of Scripture. The plain is capable of holding a 
 a vast host of people ; it rises gradually from the base of the 
 mountain for a distance of nearly two miles, while the people 
 could pitch their tents in the wadies, east and west and south- 
 wards on both sides of this mountain, and see the top of it. 
 There is also a sharp distinction between the mountain and 
 the plain of Er-Raha, so that the people mi'^ht know where the 
 one ended and the other began. This is a very important con- 
 dition which is satisfied by Sufsafeh, for the people were warned 
 
248 BEFORE MOUNT SINAI. 
 
 " whosoever toucheth the mount shall be surely put to death."* 
 And they were warned not to touch the border of it, that is liter- 
 ally the end of it. The word translated border is derived from a 
 root signifying " to cut off," and seems to imply that the 
 mountain was one whose end or border had the appearance of 
 being cut otf. Now this is applicable to Ras Sufsafeh, for it 
 rises almost perpendicularly from the plain, as if it had been 
 cut otf by some mighty power. In Deuccronomy Moses says to 
 the Israelites, " Ye came near and stood under the mountain,"t 
 and this language implies that the people were gathered about 
 the base of the mountain, so that it seemed to stand over 
 them. Now let anyone stand close to the base of Sufsafeh, 
 and yet not touch the mountain, and looking upwards, he will 
 nnd the summit seems to stand over him and he is under the 
 mountain. On the whole there are many powerful reasons 
 for giving Sufsafeh the honour of the Mount of God, and 
 Er-Raha as the camping ground of Israel before the mount. 
 Lepsius remarks there was nothing to lead Moses or any 
 shepherd to the Jebel Musa range. On the other hand I saw 
 large flocks of sheep and goats feeding in Wady Sheik, Wady 
 Leja, and along the slopes of Jebel Katharina. The food 
 supply of manna was ihe same at Sufsafeh as at Serbal, and 
 the convent well of deep cool water, as well as ohe springs in 
 Wady Leja show that water is abundant and probably was 
 more so then. Prefessor Palmer says the neighbourhood of 
 Jebel Musa is the best watered in the whole peninsula, run- 
 ning streams being found in no less than four of the adjacent 
 valleys, and the people would have ample supply for them- 
 selves and cattle, and surely enough in which to cast the 
 ashes of the golden calf. On reaching the plain from Sufsafeh, 
 with our boots cut to pieces and our hands bleeding, our 
 
 ♦ Exodus xix. 12. f Deuteronomy iv. 11. 
 
A VISIT TO THE ABODE OF GHASTLY RELICS. 249 
 
 garrulous monk, with sublime indifference to all sacred history, 
 chronology and topography, pointed out a narrow opening in 
 the sandy plain, and said, " In there Korah, Dathan and 
 Auiram were swallowed up." Near the entrance to Wady 
 Ed-Deir is a rough cavity scooped out of the rock, which he 
 informed us was the mould in which the golden calf was cast 
 by Aaron. It' the idol were like this mould it must have been 
 necessaiy to have placarded it with the words, " this is a calf." 
 We examined many of the manuscripts of the monastery ; 
 they are contained in boxes, and guarded with great vigilance, 
 especially since Tischendorf's time, and unless rescued soon 
 will be destroyed. In the lower room of the library were manu- 
 scripts in various languages, and old volumes were arranged 
 on the shelves, and among them the maggots were playing 
 havoc. One old volume shown us was eaten through from 
 ihe first to the last page. The Book of the Gospels, on parch - 
 ment,, and well executed, and a copy of the Sinaitic manuscript 
 were lying on the table, but it was evident from the tone of 
 the abbot that the sale of the original was a mistake or a 
 misfortune on their part. Perhaps he thought a larger price 
 should have been demanded, and their coffers would have 
 been better replenished. It has done service to the world, 
 however, and it would be well if they, like it, went forth to 
 do good in the active duties of Christian life, to help the sinful 
 and suffering ones to Christ. 
 
 On the north side of the monastery, near the entrance to 
 the garden, are the vaults where lie the bones of bishops and 
 monks exposed to view. Our visit to this abode of the dead 
 was brief. We entered a small enclosed area in which were 
 four graves huddled close to each other. On one side of 
 this area is a low door, through which we passed on hands 
 and knees into a vaulted chamber, where the skulls of dead 
 monks were piled up like cannon balls, and their legs and 
 17 
 
250 BEFORE MOUNT SINAI. 
 
 arras, covered with the dust of many years, were stacked 
 up like cordwood. From this chamber a door on the right 
 leads into another, in which the boues of abbots, bishops and 
 others were stowed away in boxes. Some of the boxes are 
 quite plain, others are rudely ornamented in crimson, blue and 
 white. The guide opened a number of these, and taking out 
 some skulls, told us, with the utmost sa7bg froid, the name and 
 character of the owners of these ghastly relics. At the door 
 of this room sits the skeleton of St. Stephanos, clothed in 
 robes somewhat gay for the dead. On his skull was a violet 
 coloured cap. As the skull was leaning to one side the cap 
 also inclined in the same direction, and gave the saint a rather 
 waggish appearance. It is a suitable place for millionaires 
 and monks to solemnly meditate on the vanity of all earthlj- 
 things, and on the folly of living to the flesh. 
 
 It has been a pet theory with those who deny the divine 
 inspiration of the Scriptures, that the Israelites were fed with 
 the modern manna of the desert, which is chiefly found in 
 Wadies Ghurandel, Feiran and Sheik. In these wadies the 
 tarfa — the tan^arix gallica — is found in considerable quantities- 
 The substance that exudes from the tarfa is produced by the 
 puncture of a small insect. The statements in Exodus regard- 
 ing the manna are, it was " as coriander seed, as hoar frost on 
 the ground." If it was kept- from one morning to another it 
 bred worms, and when the sun waxed hot it melted. It was 
 ground in mills and baked into cakes in pans. Lepsius says, 
 " the manna is found only in the well-watered valleys of the 
 primitive mountains, and now almost exclusively in Wady 
 Feiran and the adjoining part cr Wady E:.-Sheik.' It is 
 renewed fresh every morning, but melts in the heat of the 
 sun at noon ; as we read in Exodus xvi. 21, ' and when the sun 
 waxed hot it melted.' On looking . further I found several 
 white and yellow drops in rich strings, and on many of them 
 
MANNA OF THE DESERT. 251 
 
 the little worms mentioned in Exodus. This is the old manna 
 of the Israelites which the Arabs to this day call ' men.' "* The 
 quantity now found would be utterly inadequate to supply 
 the wants of the vast multitude, and it is probable the present 
 local areas occupied by the tarfa, have been permanent, and if 
 so, the camp of Israel would have had to extend over a vast 
 area of several days' march to gather the manna. But the 
 people were never scattered about Jit such vast distances, and 
 they gathered the manna about their tents every morning. 
 There are difficulties in the way of the theory of a natural 
 supply of food during the wanderings of the Israelites, that 
 like a rock dash it in pieces. The tarfa manna is of the con- 
 sistency of honey, and could not be ground in mills nor baked 
 in pans. The modern Arabs use it with bread as we use 
 butter or honey, but not as an article of food. It is medicinal 
 in its effect, and the people could not have lived en it for 
 thirty-eight or forty years. What the Israelites gathered 
 became corrupt in one day, the tarfa manna may be Icept for 
 years. It is found only in well- watered wadies, and it would 
 be found only in similar localities or conditions in the times 
 of the Israelites. But the people were not always tr?i veiling 
 through oases, and favourable localities for the tarfa ; they 
 went through barren and desolate wastes, destitute of water 
 and of the slightest vegetation. But every day, year after 
 year, wherever they were, they gathered the manna that fell 
 round about their tents. Besides, it is an important fact 
 against the theory which would exclude the miraculous jDower 
 of God in supplying the manna, that the tarfa manna can only 
 be gathered during about three months of the year, and even 
 if many of the wadies abounded with it the daily supply 
 would have been insufficient, and during the remaining nine 
 
 * Tour to Sinai, pp. G7, 68. 
 
252 BEFORE MOUNT SINAI. 
 
 months the host of Israel would have starved. The lanofuaire 
 of Scripture, tlierefore, and the logic of facts that overturn the 
 theory of men must lead us to accept the truth, that by divine 
 power Jehovah gave the people food in the desert. Sometimes 
 by intensifying natural laws He did His will, as when the 
 wind brought quails from the sea and let them fall by the 
 camp, or when H3 sent a strong east wind that helped to 
 divide tiie sea and make a dry pathway for the Israelites. Or 
 He may exclude natural laws and physical agents, and the 
 direct cause becomes His absolute and holy will. In the one 
 class of cases the agents are visible and known, in the other 
 the causes are unknown ; but we can go from the visible etfect 
 to the will and power of God, which are infinite, and therefore 
 adequate. As the Creator of matter and the laws that govern 
 matter, as the Creator of all things visible and invisible, God 
 surely has power to deliver His people, and to do His will 
 without deranging the order of nature. If he at times in 
 history has interposed His will in the general order of nature, 
 it is, so far as we can see, to make that order subservient to a 
 higher law, the will of God and the good of men. But was 
 this miraculous supply a violation of this law of order ? The 
 manna was given from heaven, but the tarfa bushes grew all 
 the same, and blossomed and dropped their sweet substance 
 as before. By this miracle, as well as by all miracles, we learn 
 the lesson that all laws are intended to teach, that God is Lord 
 of all the universe, and that He will make all things work 
 together for good to them who love Him. 
 
 We were ready to leave Sinai at four o'clock in the morn- 
 ing, but we soon saw an early start was impossible. A num- 
 ber of Arabs with their sheik? sat down on the sand and held 
 a very excited meeting. What was the cause of trouble we 
 had not then learned ; every man spoke at once, giving his 
 opinion with volubility and earnestness. It was a mixture of 
 
A COUNCIL OF WAR AT SINAI. 258 
 
 Arabic, Italian and modern Greek which was spoken. About 
 seventy camels were lying near us, our tents had been taken 
 down and our baggage was lying in confusion on the sand 
 and under the shadow of Mount Sinai. The noise grew loud 
 and louder as the Arabs all spoke together, pointing their 
 long, black fingers into.each other's faces. The cause of the 
 trouble was that the sheiks wished our dragoman to take more 
 camels for the baggage, but as that would incur extra expendi- 
 ture on his part, he objected, or said he would yield if we 
 would pay the extra shekels, wlrch proposal we naturally 
 declined. A monk from the monaster}^ came, but he only 
 added fuel to the fire ; finally a noble looking sheik appeared, 
 of great dignity, clothed in a handsome gown and with a spot- 
 less turban on his head. The two circles that composed the 
 council hushed in a moment, all the men rose and bowed 
 themselves to the earth, and going forward kiss-^d his hand say- 
 ing " Salamat." Our dragoman had to yield, and as the gold 
 touched the hard, wizi^ened palms of the Arab men, joy filled 
 their soul and beamed in their eye. Among our baggage 
 iviufj on the sand was a large caore containinof a number of 
 fowls, that were to serve us for food during our march. 
 During the excitement between our drafjoman and the she'ks 
 some shrewd Arab opened the door of the hen-coop, and soon 
 the feathered occupants were rejoicing in liberty, even if it 
 were in the desert, where starvation or death was the only des- 
 tiny before them. A loud cackling of hens drew my attention 
 from the angry discussions of the fierce and gold-greedy Arabs, 
 and on turning, I saw three or four wizzen-faced .fellows in 
 full pursuit after the hens, which fied in as great terror as if 
 ihoy had been pursued by a ])ack of wolves. The prospect of 
 a good meal suppled the limbs of the Arab hen thieves, and 
 soon one after another fell a victim to the steady hand and 
 heavy blow of their pursuers. Some w^ere killed outright, 
 
254 BEFORE MOUNT SINAI. 
 
 while others whose wings had been clipped were easily caught 
 and carried off to the tents pitched in the wadies near at hand. 
 We enjoyed the fun of seeing now and then an Arab sprawl on 
 his face, on che sharp rocks, as he eagerly made a bold dash 
 for the hens. But though they escaped he would rise, and 
 with perseverance worthy of a juster cause, continue the pursuit 
 until his bony fingers clutched some unfortunate hen. We 
 thought these hens belonged to the convent, and never dreamed 
 the Arabs had given liberty to our fowls for the purpose of 
 stealing them. But so it was, for we found to our loss that, 
 though they regarded it as an immoral act to put their hand« 
 into the cage and take one, by a strange crookedness of their 
 moral sense they did not regard it as wrong to let them out, 
 and when they trod the desert they became the property of 
 any man who could catch them. For the loss of our hens, we 
 were rewarded by a few minutes' hearty amusement, and 
 though our fare was somewhat diminished thereby, we con- 
 gratulated ourselves on the fact that they were tough and 
 scraggy, and contented ourselves with the knowledge that 
 only those Arabs ■'vho were blessed with good teeth and power- 
 ful, digestive organs could enjoy the infidels' fowls. When 
 Abdullah, our cook, discovered the loss, he threatened to 
 murder all the Arabs in the country, and declared he would 
 inform the British consul, if we did not, and have the British 
 Government avenge our loss. The monk at length said 
 " finito," the Arabs " khalas " — it is ended — and at nine o'clock 
 the monks and Arabs bade us adieu and uttered " Salamat " 
 with great solemnity and apparent earnestness, and with- 
 drew, the one to the convent, the other to their flocks and 
 goat-haired tents that were pitched under the shadow of 
 Sinai, and we turned our back on that terrible mountain. 
 As we passed along Wady Sheik, I stopped, read Exodus iii., 
 lifted my cap and left the Mount of God perhaps for ever. 
 
LEAVING MOUNT SINAI. 255 
 
 Among other provisions supplied at the convent were 
 some bags of loaves. They were round like a ball, about the 
 size of an apple, and made of the coarsest grain. In a few days 
 they became as hard as granite. As this was our only bread 
 supply, the prospect was anything but cheering. On halting 
 at night, the table was usually set inside the tent and Abdu/lah 
 brought in a dish of many ingredients, whose name I never 
 learned. In this mixture Egyptian garlic played a prominent 
 part, and as the flavour was anything but enticing, it needed 
 inducements of hunger to make one relish it. Besides, as 
 Abdullah had only one eye, I never felt sure that he did not 
 put into the vessel what he ought to have left out. Along 
 with this famous dish we were supplied with the har.d loaves 
 baked by the monks. The first evening they were brought in 
 I asked Abdullah, "What are these?" Aysh, Howadjah — 
 "bread, sir." La Abdullah, Deh Hagar,— " No," Abdullah, 
 •' this is a stone." He would then carry the small loaves out, 
 plunge them into hot water for a few moments and return 
 with them, when we completed our evening i^.eal. He was a 
 faithful man, proud of his British citizenship, and was anxious 
 that I should bring him to Canada. That was impossible, and 
 at the close of our long journey, we parted from him and our 
 sheik with deep regret, for on the whole they were faithful men, 
 the one doing his best to make bad bread good, and putting 
 into play all his knowledge of his culinary science to make the 
 food suit our taste, and the other doing his utmost to control a 
 band of greedy and fierce Arabs, who were aroused against all 
 infidels, by their strong faith that Arabi Pasha was about to 
 drive out the British and all foreigners from Egypt. 
 
PART II. 
 

 
 iP 
 
 niiiiii , ■.. ■ i , : . mm 
 
 iKijiijj 
 
 
 11 "'''ll^'-- ' 
 
 < 
 
SOUTHERN PALHSTINE AND THE SEA COAST. 
 
 Chapter XIII. 
 JAFFA TO JERUSALEM. 
 
 " The Holy Laud is not in size or physical characteristics proportioned 
 to its moral and historical position as the theatre of the most momentous 
 events in the world's history." — Smith's Dictionary of the Bible. 
 
 liE ancient inhabitants of the country were the 
 descendants of Canaan, the grandson of Noali. 
 These tribes occupied the sea coast, and some of 
 the inland rich plains towards the Jordan valley, 
 and dwelt in the mountains. The Canaanitesare 
 said to have dwelt by the sea, and are the ances- 
 tors of the Phoenicians who probably gave the alphabet and 
 the elements of a written lansfuaoje to the Hebrews and the 
 Egyptians, and whose trading ships ploughed the great seas 
 before Rome was founded, and sent out colonies along the 
 shores of the Mediterranean, some of whom long and fiercely 
 contended with Rome for the supremacy of the world. The 
 original name of Phoenicia was Kenaan, signifying " the low 
 land," and from the earliest time the country on the west of 
 the Jordan was called the land of Canaan, and local traces of 
 the people seem to exist in such names as Cana of Galilee and 
 others. The Philistines occupied the sea coast on the south- 
 west. Their name signifies " wanderers," or " emigrants," and 
 
 Y 
 
200 JAFFA TO JERUSALEM. 
 
 must have emigrated from some other country. Amos calls 
 them " PhilistinuM t'rorii Caphtor."* Whether this be Cyprus or 
 Crete, tlio fact would seem to be inferred naturally that the 
 Philistines had emi*,a'ated from their native territory to an 
 island or some place by the sea, and finally settled in the 
 plains on the south-west of Palestine. When the Israelites 
 came into the land they found the Philistines had forniod a 
 powerful confederacy of five cities, and they continued to have 
 an independent existence though greatly shorn of their power. 
 At one time some of the cities were subdued by Assyria or 
 Egypt, and at another time by the kings of Judah, and the} 
 remained hostile to the Israelites, until finally the whole 
 country came under the sway of the Roman empire. 
 
 When Abraham came into Canaan from " Ur of the Chal- 
 dees " the countr}'^ was in the possession of these and other 
 tribes, whose language Abraham seems to have understood, 
 which would indicate that they spoke the language of Mesopo- 
 tamia, from which Abraham came, and that the length of tim> 
 interveninof between their migration and his was not sufficient 
 to modify the structure of their language to any great extent. 
 Under David and Solomon Palestine touched its farthest 
 limit of influence and wealth. The territory embraced under 
 their government extended from Ezion-Geber on the oulf of 
 Akaba to the " entering in of Hamath," and from " the river of 
 Egypt unto the great river, the river Euphrates," and in riches 
 and wisdom and power Solomon excelled all the kings of the 
 earth. But on the succession of his son the kinsfdom was div^ided, 
 and the long and bitter struggles that ensued, together V7ith 
 the poverty and ruin caused by Egyptian and A.s.syrian 
 invasions weakened the power, and dimmed the glory of the 
 once mighty kingdom of Israel. 
 
 * Amos ix. 7. 
 
3 
 
 THH NATUKAL FORMATION OF PAf-ESTINE. 201 
 
 Palestine may bo called a country of hills, rich plains, and 
 wift streams. A rai»j;e of limestone, with numerous gaps, 
 forms a central ridge extending from the Lebanon to the south 
 of Palestine, and separates the plains on the coast of the great 
 sea from the Jordan valley. There arc two strata of limestone 
 visible, the ui)per of which is hard and of a reddish brown 
 colour. This abounds near Jerusalem, in fact the upper part 
 of Mount Zion is composed of it, and is seen along the valley 
 of Hinnom down to the i)ool of Siloam. And the rocks of 
 Judrea between Jerusalem and the Dead Sea are contorted 
 into the most fantastic shapes, the result of volcanic action. 
 Syria and Palestine show traces of volcanic disturbance in 
 many parts. The gorge through which the Jordan flows, has 
 been formed by such a force separating the limestone strata. 
 The trap-rock is occasionally met overlying the limestone, and 
 the lava and extinct crater, far up on the shoulders of 
 Herraon iLsar the village of Migdol Esh Shemsh, are sure 
 witnesses of once active volcanic forces, that gave the 
 oountry its general outline as now seen. The plains of 
 Palestine are exceedingly fertile, and produce abundant crops 
 of wheat even with the rude tools and ignorant methods of 
 agriculture at present employed. The plain of Sharon extend- 
 ing north and south for many miles, and inland to the Juda^an 
 hills, is a sandy loam, interspersed with areas of black soil, 
 and is capable of supporting a dense population : the same is 
 true of the plains of Esdraelon, Gennesaret and others. The 
 ploughs used in every part of Palestine are of the most primi- 
 tive kind. The plough-share is of wood, about eight inches 
 broad and pointed ; a stout piece of wood is attached to the 
 share, and to it a long pole is fastened, to which the oxen are 
 yoked. Only one handle is attached to the plough, which the 
 husbandman holds with his left hand, while he carries a long 
 iron-pointed goad in his right, with which he p'-. ;es the hide 
 
262 ■ JAFFA TO JERUSALEM. 
 
 of the lazy oxen. It is usually from eight to ten feet long and 
 of the toughest wood to be found. It is useless for the oxen 
 to kick, for they are at too great a distance from the ])loiigh 
 and ploughman to do any harm, hence the proverb arose " it 
 is hard for thee to kick against the pricks " — the goads— to 
 denote the folly of fighting against an independent power. 
 As much of the land is stony, an iron sheath is often placed 
 over the plough-share. The soil is not turned over, and the 
 work done in the fields is of the poorest kind : the husbandman 
 is ignorant of the science of agriculture, he is often lazy, and 
 his highest ambition is to keep himself and family above 
 starving point ; and it is only because the soil is so fertile 
 that it produces any crop. I found these farmers of Palestine 
 capable of making good bargains. Passing over Olivet to 
 Bethany I met one ploughing the face of the mountain, above 
 the garden of Gethseraane, and near the tombs of the prophets. 
 He had a yoke of oxen fastened to a most primitive-looking 
 plough. I asked if he would sell it. He replied he would i 
 he got his price. He had never heard of a man buying such 
 an article before, and asked if I was joking. I informed hii.^ I 
 meant to buy the plough. How much do you ask for it ? He 
 said " I will give it to you for eighty francs." But I said thcat 
 is too dear, you want more than for a new one. " Yes, that is 
 true," he responded, " but when the infidel goes to his own 
 country he will show it to his people and make much money." 
 Ho had evidently got an American idea into his head of 
 making the most of hi.s speculation. By patience a bargain 
 was finally struck. I obtained the plough with the soil of the 
 Mount of Olives on its share, and Alexander carried it across 
 the Kedron and through St. Stephen's gate to the Locanda, 
 where I had it taken apart for shipment to Canada. 
 
 Along the base of the hills are low shrubs and scanty 
 grass that afford ample pasture to large flocks of sheep aii'i 
 
JOPPA. 263 
 
 goats. Ill the plains and up the brow of the hills, vines and 
 fig trees grow in abundance, and are walled in and carefully 
 watched as in the remotest times. The olive tree is cultivated 
 in great quantities, affording oil lur light and an article of 
 food for the common people. The oak and the tamarisk are 
 found on many of the hills and in the neighbourhood of Mount 
 Tabor, the oak trees especially have grown to a considerable 
 size. The orange, almond, and lemon trees grow to perfection 
 in the warm rich plains of Southern Palestine. The streams 
 are lined with oleanders and for miles appear like one mass of 
 blooming flowers, and in spring the valleys and hill-sides are 
 clothed with flowers of ri(jhest hue. Under good government 
 and improved methods of agriculture, this land could be as it 
 was of old, a land flowing with milk and honey. It can give 
 rich pasture to numberless cattle, and to this day the rocks 
 abound with wild honey. This small country has been the 
 battle field of the gveatest nations of earth, — Egyptians, 
 Assyrians, Greeks, Romans, Saracens, British and French have 
 fought and died in this famous land. Statesmen may learn 
 wisdom from the ancient rulers of this land, warriors that 
 martial fame is vanity, and historians and moralists can 
 draw lessons from it for the world's good. But the heart of 
 the world is not drawn to it for such purposes, but because 
 there the Word was made flesh, and the Son of God has brought 
 life and immortality to light. 
 
 Joppa, modern YAfa, is situated on a rising bluff" on the 
 shore of the Mediterranean, the white limestone houses, flat- 
 roofed, are built on terraces, rising up above each other from 
 the sea shore. The modern town extends some distance back 
 from the shore on the level ground. It is of great antiquity, 
 its origin is lost in the dense mists of distant centuries. Jose- 
 phus says it was a PhoBnician town. The name signifies 
 "beauty," which it well deserves, as one looks on it from a 
 
264 JAFFA TO JERUSALEM. 
 
 distance. The situation is beautiful. The appearance of the 
 houses from the sea, reflecting the sunlight from their white 
 roofs and walls, over which are seen hanging masses of 
 gorgeous flowers, gives one the impression that it is a city 
 where the strife of passion and evils of moral iniquity are 
 scaicely felt. But this is quickly dispelled when one walks 
 its streets and mingles with its crowds in the market-place. 
 Like many other cities, its beauty of situation, of sky and 
 flower is God's, but it is cursed with human sin. North 
 and south the fine sand glitters in the sunlight. On one 
 side is the Mediterranean whose waters have been ploughed 
 by the ships of the great maritime nr tions of antiquity and 
 modern times. Behind the city are extensive orange and 
 lemon gardens, whose fragrance perfumes the atmosphere when 
 the trees are laden with blossoms. 
 
 Joppa is connected with heathen mythology and Biblical 
 history from remote times. The servants of Hiram, king of 
 Tyre, brought cedar beams to Joppa, and Solomon transported 
 them thence to Jerusalem for the erection of the glorious tem- 
 ple on Mount Moriah for Jehovah. Material for the second 
 temple was also brought to Joppa. Here Jonah took ship to 
 go from the presence of the Lord. Here, too, Peter received 
 the vision of the sheet let down from heaven full of four- 
 footed beasts and creeping things, which taught him that the 
 Gentile races were not unclean, and that the Gospel was for 
 them and for the world. It has been in ruins and rebuilt 
 many times ; it has been besieged by Saracens and Crusaders; 
 finally it caine into the possession of the Turks, and here in 
 1796 Napoleon I., to the everlasting disgrace of his name, on 
 the tenth of March shot about four thousand defenceless 
 soldiers, who had given up their arms and confided in the 
 mercy of the Emperor of a great nation. The town contains 
 a population of about 8,000 of various races, who trade with 
 
SCENES ON LANDING AT JOPPA. 265 
 
 Egypt, Syria, and Turkey, the export being chiefly wheat, 
 oranges and a small quantity of silk. The streets are narrow 
 and winding, and, as usual, full of rubbish. 
 
 The day on which I landed at Joppa the sea was as 
 smooth as glass, and the Turkish Government had removed 
 the quarantine restrictions twenty-four hours previous. I was 
 thankful for both these favourable circumstances, for a rough 
 sea at Joppa makes landing a somewhat perilous undertaking 
 among the rocks, whose sharp peaks threaten destruction to 
 any small boat that may be dashed upon them. And as time 
 was as precious as gold, I blessed the Turks for their act of 
 common, sense in removing the restrictions when there was 
 no danger of infection of cholera from pilgrims coming from the 
 Red Sea. In a few moments Syrian porters were on board, 
 ready to take the traveller, baggage and all, on his shoulder. 
 The deck was crowded with Russian and Greek pilgrims. 
 Confusion reigned supreme for a time ; sturdy Russian pil- 
 grims were hurrying in every direction with boxes large 
 enough to contain six months' provisions, others were labour- 
 ing under immense burdens stuffed in sacks, and the perspira- 
 tion was flowing in profusion from their face which the}'' 
 wiped occasionally with their coat sleeve. The women were 
 carrying children in their arms or leading them by the hand, 
 while boys were rushing about with iron or brass kettles 
 whose sooty bottoms I avoided as much as possible. Some 
 were not equally successful, for the shape of the kettles was 
 seen on the tail of some light-coloured coats, which roused the 
 wath of the wearer and earned a few cuffs of the ear for 
 the kettle carriers. I reached the little boat at the foot of the 
 steamer's ladder, and had a good view of the scene on the 
 deck of the steamer. A small man was rushing back and 
 forwards followed by his tormentors, the porters, who were 
 each striving for his baggage and himself. Driven to despair 
 18 
 
266 JAFFA TO JERUSALEM. 
 
 like a deer hunted down by the hounds, he at last mounted 
 the side of the ship, and holding fast by both hands, he let 
 himself down as far as possible, then swinging outwards from 
 the ship, he tumbled upon the backs of Syrians and Russians, 
 and landed among the boxes and bundles In the bottom of 
 the boat. In a few moments the boat reached the shore, near 
 the customs-house. I walked up the narrow streets of Joppa, 
 and my feet touched the land so famous for its early and 
 extensive influence on the civilized world. 
 
 An old building near the sea is shown as the site of 
 Simon the tanner's house. More important sites have been 
 lost forever, and there was no special reason why this one 
 should have eBcaped the fate of oblivion, and as the town has 
 frequently been destroyed, there can be no doubt this site is 
 one of mere conjecture. The house is near the sea, and in 
 this respect complies with the Scripture history. The guide 
 showed us into a court with an arched roof ; passing through 
 a door we entered a room twenty feet long by fifteen broad, 
 in which is an arched window on two sides of the room, and 
 a small square window above the arched on^. On one side 
 a deep niche is cut into the stone walls, which are quite rough 
 and plastered. By ascending seventeen steps, we reached the 
 flat roof. In crevices a number of wild flowers were blooming 
 and spreading themselves over the whole outside walls. 
 From the roof an extensive view is obtained along the coast, 
 and over the sea. I walked along the beach for some dis- 
 tance outside of the city. There some of the citizens were 
 enjoying a bath after the heat of the day, and some fisher- 
 men were hauling their "mall boats on the shore, after the 
 labours of the day. Along the shore I counter" f ou r tanners' 
 houses, in the yards of which a number of partially prepared 
 hides were hanging on the ropes, fastened to upright poles. 
 And somewhere within ranoe of our vision doubtless had 
 
STARTING B'OR JERUSALEM. 267 
 
 been situated Simon's house on which God taught Peter that 
 the Gospel of Christ was not to be confined by J. .mn hills 
 or its streams of life stoned up by Jewish bigotry. Early in 
 the morning we packed our baggage and were ready to start ' 
 for Jerusalem in a machine called a carriage. A start was to 
 liave been made at six o clock ; but at that hour, the man 
 who had fallen among the boxes over the ship's side was 
 not ready. At seven o'clock our baggage was packed and 
 a start was made. Tossing about on the choppy waves 
 of the Mediterranean had made us sea-sick, but riding in 
 this machine over the causey streets of Joppa and the deep 
 ruts across the plain of Sharon was a worse torture. The 
 wheels were not circular, or if they were, the hub was 
 not in the centre of the wheel, or the hole for the axle Avas 
 not in the centre of the hub, for the machine rose and fell 
 with every revolution of the wheels somewhat like a sleigh 
 plunging into deep holes and then rising, on Canadian roads, 
 after they have bsen drifted by a snow storm. This state of 
 affairs was aggravated by the hard seats slipping suddenly 
 from under us when an extra plunge had been made into a 
 deep rut, and we found ourselves huddled together in the 
 bottom of the carriage. On the whole, the action of the 
 machine was not unlike that of a Scotchman who has been 
 celebrating New Year's day freely, or a Canadian who has 
 been worshipping Bacchus too devotedly, and who attempts 
 to walk over a rough country with a dizzy head and unsteady 
 legs. The sky was clear and the air fresh as we rode on that 
 early morning through the extensive orange orchards on the 
 east of the city. The soil of the plain of Sharon and the 
 climate along the sea coast are favourable to the growth of 
 the orange tree. And the oranges of Joppa excel in size 
 and flavour any others which I ta.sted grown in Palestine. 
 Men and boys were going out to work in the fields. Some 
 
208 JAFFA TO JERUSALEM. 
 
 were driving- donkeys laden with baskets of oranges for tlie 
 bazaars or for export to the cities along the coast, while others 
 were gambling on the side of the road. 
 
 To a traveller from Canada the absence of apple trees in the 
 gardens in Joppa and indeed through almost all Palestine is quite 
 noticeable. Though I made frequent enquiries I could find no 
 one who had tasted apples grown in the country. The only place 
 where I saw them vS in the A nti-Lebanon range near Beirut, 
 but I was told they grew in Wady Urtas near Bethlehem. 
 The best fruit was obtained from foreign grafts, but in a few 
 years the fruit degenerates and becomes hard and tasteless. 
 Dr. Thomson says that they grow in abundance near Askelon, 
 and of good quality. The climate of the country is unsuited 
 for this tree, except in the highlands of Northern Palestine, 
 The heat is too intense and continues too long in summer with- 
 out rain for this tree to produce good fruit, and it is probable 
 the climate has never been suitable for it. The apple tree is 
 mentioned in Scripture frequently : " as the apple tree among 
 the trees of the wood, so is my beloved among the sons. I 
 sat down under his shadow with great delight, and his fruit 
 was sweet to my taste."* The writer of Proverbs, when com- 
 mending words spoken kindly and in good judgment, says, " a 
 word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in pictures of silver."t 
 The name Tappuach, from a word signifying " to breathe," o. 
 " be frag^rant," does not determine the tree referred to. Dr. 
 Kitto is of opinion that the citron tree is meant. Dr. Tristram 
 and others, however, conclude that the apricot is the tree. The 
 passages above quoted help to determine the tree and the 
 fruit — 1. It is a tree capable of affording a delightful shade 
 from the heat ; 2. Its fruit is sweet ; 3. The colour of the fruit 
 is like gold. The citron tree. Dr. Kitto says, grows to a large 
 
 * Song of Sol. ii. 3. t Prov. xxv. 11. 
 
TAPPUACH IS THE ORANGE. 269 
 
 size and affords a pleasant shade, but Dr. Thomson, who spent 
 years in the country says, " it can scarcely be called a tree at 
 all, it is too small and strdixslinof to make a shade."* In regard 
 to the fruit, only the rind can be eaten as sweetmeat, for the 
 pulp is acid, but the fruit of the tappuach is sweet to the 
 taste. The shade given by the apricot trees is very scanty 
 except where they grow in very fertile soil, like the plain of 
 Damascus, besides, the fruit is never of a golden colour. In 
 Joppa and other places, the orange trees wei'e laden witli 
 golden fruit, and the branches were supported with wooden 
 pro[)S, small chairs were placed under the leafy boughs, and at 
 noon the owners were to be seen sitting or lying asleep under 
 the friendly shade of the trees, watered by the small channels 
 that extended in every direction. When we translate tap- 
 puach " oranges," the meaning of the other passage quoted 
 from Proverbs is understood. "A word fitly spoken" — literally 
 " spoken on wheels :" that is as smoothly as a wheel revolves, 
 " is like orancjes of gfold in figured work of silver." The bios- 
 som of the orange tree is white like molten silver, and often 
 continues on the tree at the same time as the ripe fruit is 
 hanging from the branches. It is certainly beautiful to see 
 the golden fruit and the rich blossoms on the trees in ai. 
 oriental garden, and is an appropriate figure to express the 
 excellence of words spoken with wisdom and gentleness. 
 
 Our route lay across the Valley of Sharon ; the fields were 
 green with grain waving gently under the morning balmy 
 breeze, and the road was decked with flowers of every hue. 
 Many places of note in Bible story and British history were 
 passed until we reach Kamleh early in the forenoon. It has a 
 population of about 3,000, the houses are substantial and well 
 built. It is surrounded by olive gardens and vineyards, and 
 
 * Land and Book, p. 545. 
 
270 JAFFA TO JERUSALEM. 
 
 has every appearance of prosperity' for an Eastern town. 
 Before we had time to alight we were surrounded by a dozen 
 wretched lepers, some without fingers, or nose, or toes, others 
 only able to crawl along in the dust, each one begging 
 piteously with a tin flagon fastened to his neck. I did not 
 find them so importunate as some writers have stated, and one 
 cannot but feel deeply for human beings so terribly afflicted, 
 and hatred for a government that makes scarcely any provi- 
 sion for the relief of such unfortunate outcasts. 
 
 Beyond a graveyard is a quadrangular area, the walls 
 of which on the north and east are standing. It is probably 
 the site of a Christian church, which may have been destroyed 
 by the Mahommedans, who erected a mosque on the site. The 
 area is overgrown with grass, and beneath the surface are 
 numerous large excavations with arched roofs which are 
 cemented, and may originally have been cisterns, and at a later 
 date I think may have been used as burial places, or vaults 
 in connection with the church and monastery. At one corner 
 stands a tower that has defied the shocks of c irthquake and the 
 ravage of Crusader and Saracen ; it is about one hundred feet 
 high, twenty-eight feet square at the base. We ascended by 
 one hundred and twenty-six steps to the top, from which there 
 is a fine view for many miles. This is the traditional site of 
 Arimathea, the city of Joseph, in whose new tomb our Lord 
 was buried. Dr. Thomson is of opinion that it is the site of 
 an old city which was only partly rebuilt by the Mahomme- 
 dans, and that the tower is older than 1310 A.D., the date 
 inscribed above the door. 
 
 A road to the left leads to Lydda at a distance of nearly two 
 miles. The road, which is narrow, extends between high hedges 
 of cactus in bloom. The soil is sandy, but well suited for the 
 olives and vines which abound there. Lydda contains a popula- 
 tion of about two thousand, and is situated in a fertile plain, 
 
A VISIT TO THK PUBLIC SCHOOLS OF LYDDA. 271 
 
 surrounded by olive, pomegranate, fig and charob trees. The 
 people are industrious and cultivate the fields and gardens 
 as well as any people in Palestine. Here St. Peter healed 
 .Eneas, who had paralysis for eight years, and here he was 
 lesicling when the saints of Joppa sent for him to raise Dorcas 
 from the dead. Like many other towns situated on the road 
 of travel between Egypt and Damascus, and between Joppa 
 and Jerusalem, it suffered at the hands of Romans and 
 Saracens. It was known during the Roman occupation of the 
 country as Diospolis, the city of Jupiter. It is said to have been 
 the native town of St. George, the patron saint of England, who 
 is believed also to have been buried in the crypt of the church. 
 The (late of the erection of the original church is uncertain. 
 The Saracens destroyed it in the eighth century ; it was rebuilt 
 by the Crusaders in the eleventh, and destroyed by Saladin in 
 1191 A.D. The present Greek church has a nave and aisles, 
 the pillars seem to have been of different ages, some of them 
 may have belonged to the early churches that stood on the 
 same site. In 415 A.D., a council of fourteen bishops was 
 held there to try Pelagius for heresy. After some sharp 
 discussion and exciting scenes among the theologians he was 
 acquitted. Among the Mahommedan traditions is this one, that 
 ihe final contest between Christ and Antichrist will take place 
 at the gates of Lydda. 
 
 On our return to Ramleh we visited the public school of 
 Lydda, situated on our right at the suburbs of the town. A 
 'loor led into a court about forty feet square, surrounded by a 
 high stone wall ; at the opposite side from the entrance was a 
 door leading into the school, a room about thirty by twenty 
 feet. A table stood in the centre of the room, on which were 
 a few small books and leaves. A low bench extended along 
 one side of the school for the use of the scholars, most of whom 
 however were seated on the floor, being more comfortable and 
 
272 JAFFA TO JERUSALEM. 
 
 suited to their usual custom. On entering, the babel of noise 
 ceased at once. The children gathered round us with con- 
 siderable curiosity and wished us peace. The teacher was a 
 solemn-faced man, who made no demonstration of pleasure at 
 our visit. I made use of all the Arabic I could command in 
 our conversation, and as wc were about leaving with the best 
 wishes pf the children, they made a universal and powerful 
 demand for bukshish. This demand must be complied with, 
 so we scattered some handfuls of \)M&h along the school, and in 
 a moment books were thrown aside and the entire school was 
 scramblin<x in wild confusion on the floor. The infection 
 reached the solemn-faced master, who was sitting on the table. 
 and as we closed the door behind us the whole school was in 
 the wildest uproar. As we were hastening back to Ramleh, a 
 young lad from the school shouted behind us, in his shrill 
 Syrian tone, " Hawadjah, shoof hinna," — " Sir, look here." On 
 looking round, a lad, bareheaded, clothed in a flashy gown, 
 composed of all the colours of the rainbow, and with a sash 
 about his middle, came running towards us. He was breath- 
 less. As soon as he could speak he said, with a solemn 
 countenance and in a funereal tone, " Sir, I got nothing." As 
 diligent and prudent men sometimes fail in the race of life, so 
 this lad had failed in the scrambling for paras on the floor of 
 the school. I gave him "». bukshish and he returned with joy 
 to Lydda, and we hastened to Ramleh. 
 
 At noon Latrun was reached. It is a hill of considerable 
 size, on the south side of the road to Jerusalem, and covered 
 with ruins of ancient buildings. This is res^arded as the site 
 of Modin, so intimately associated with the history and wars 
 of the Maccabean family. The ruins are evidently those of a 
 fortress or of some structure of considerable size. It has been 
 enclosed by a wall, traces of which are to be seen along the 
 base of the hill, where also are some tombs evidently of great 
 
KIIIJATH JEAlilNO. 278 
 
 antiijuity. Tradition asserts that tlie penitent thief lived here, 
 and used to rob travellers in the valley a short distance to the 
 east, on their way to Jerusalem, hence the name Latriln. 
 From this we began to descend into the valley of Ajalon. On 
 our left, at some distance, were some famous scenes in the 
 early days of the Israelites, Nebi Samvvil, Beth Horon, and 
 farther north-east, El Jib, the ancient Gibeon. In some part 
 of this valley, now covered with rich pasture, Joshua defeated 
 the Amorite;; when the sun stood still on Gibeon and the 
 moon in the valley of Ajalon. We were now in the hill 
 country of Judjea ; the road extended between the low, round 
 liills covered at their base with vines, but higher up with 
 scanty vegetation and stunted shrubs. 
 
 In the afternoon early, we reached Kuriet El Enab, the 
 ancient Kirjath Jear'*ii, the city of rocky forests, where the 
 ark rested, when brought from Beth Shemesh. It was also 
 called Kirjath Baal, the city of Baal, whose wild orgies seem 
 to have been celebrated on these high mountains by the 
 heathen inhabitants. The city stands high up on the shoul- 
 ders of the mountains that surround it on the north, south 
 and west. And as these mountains were, doubtless, wooded 
 in ancient times, the name Kirjath Jearim would be well 
 suited to a city located here. The most prominent obj ect now 
 is a church, which dates back to the crusading days. It is well 
 preserved, the roof is covered with grass and weeds, the 
 interior is divided into a nave and aisles. It was called the 
 church of Jeremiah in the sixteenth century, from a tradition 
 that made this the site of the birthplace of the prophet. As 
 we rode through the valleys, the city had a picturesque appear- 
 ance, far up the mountain, with its while, flat-roofed houses. 
 Terraces rose up one above the other from the valley, covered 
 with vines and fig trees. The men of Kirjath Jearim were 
 sitting near the church, under the shade of olive trees, discuss- 
 
274 JAFFA TO JERUSALEM. 
 
 ing the affairs of the viUage and the latest news from Joppa, 
 and the countries beyond the sea. Along this valley probably 
 the ark was taken by Davi(^ it must have been a rough road in 
 those days over the hills, for it is terrible now, and as they 
 came near that bald round hill on our left, with old ruins scat- 
 tered along its breast, full of joy at the prospect of the ark's 
 resting in Jerusalem, the ark shook, passing over the rough 
 threshing floor, and Uzzah put forth his hand to stay it, and 
 was slain, and it was taken to the house of Obed-Edom, and 
 finally to Jerusalem. 
 
 Shortly before sunset, we reached Kuloniyeh, on our left far 
 up on the brow of a hill. In the valley and along the base of 
 the hill were apricot, pomegranate and fig trees. Some almond 
 trees by the roadside were in bloom. I was desirous of entering 
 Jerusalem in the early morning, and therefore concluded to 
 abide at Kuloniyeh for the night. My companions preferred to 
 hasten on to Jerusalem. I bade them good night and went in 
 to lodge in a house kept by a Greek. The main room is about 
 twenty feet square, at one corner of which was a counter from 
 which he dispensed drinks of various kinds to the Russian 
 and other pilgrimi . on their way to Jerusalem. The floor was 
 the naked earth, a narrow bench extended round two sides of 
 the room, and two very small windows admitted a little light- 
 As thousands of pilgrims were going day and night along the 
 road, food was scarce. Black bread, hard as the stones on 
 the road, wretched cofiee, one small egg and a lemon, consti- 
 tuted the bill of fare. While the Greek was preparing this, 
 I went out to visit the village, which was situated on the hill 
 to the left. It contains a small population, but there are no 
 ruins of importance. A small streamlet crosses the road here, 
 said to be the one iiom which David gathered the smooth 
 stones, with which he slew Goliath the Philistine. To the 
 right as far o.s I could see in the fading light was Ain Karim, 
 
THE SITE OF EMMAUS. 275 
 
 the birthplace of John the Baptist. Kuloniyeh is the Arabic 
 form of Colonia, and reminds us of the subjection of Palestine 
 to the Roman Empire, and probably here and at other places, 
 colonies of dismissed soldiers were formed. Some regard this 
 as the site of Emmaus. About two miles north of Latrun is 
 the modern Amwas, a name that at once suggests Emmaus, 
 which is, however, too far from Jerusalem, for Luke says it 
 was threescore furlongs, while Amwas is more than twice that 
 distance. Kuloniyeh, however, is too near Jerusalem. The 
 site of Emmaus lies between Kuloniyeh and Kirjath Jearim, 
 probably at the latter place itself. Thus the site of the modern 
 village becomes a place of interest to every Christian, for there 
 the ark rested containing the law of God engraved on stone, 
 and itself the symbol of the divine presence, and there too, 
 Christ the risen Saviour ate with His disciples, after His 
 triumph over death. Nothing can be determined as to the 
 site of Emmaus from the name itself, for there are no hot 
 springs in the neighbourhood of the supposed site. Josephus 
 states that the Emperor gave Emmaus to eight hundred of his 
 soldiers ; this was sixty furlongs from Jerusalem, and probably 
 was on the site of Kuriet El Enab, the ancient Kirjath Jearim. 
 This suits well, as regards distance from Jerusalem, with the 
 statements of Scripture. The two disciples took their even- 
 ing meal in Emmaus, and before midnight, were with the 
 disciples in Jerusalem. This journey over the rough roads, up 
 the Judaeaii hills could have been accomplished from El-Enab 
 but not from the distant Amwas. 
 
 Two Greeks, armed with dirks and pistols of curious shape, 
 oame in and wished me good night. They were a sinister 
 looking pair, with fierce and hardened expression of face. 
 They remained for nearly two hours interested in my move- 
 ments. This led me to watch them with some deirree of 
 alarm ; after they left I retired to a small room which I extern- 
 
276 JAFFA TO JERUSALEM. 
 
 porized into a fortress and set up all available defences in 
 the shape of broken stools against the door. 
 
 In the early morning I started on foot. Pilojrims were 
 journeying to Jerusalem, some, like myself, walking, others 
 on mules or donkeys ; while others had their whole earthly 
 possessions on the back of a stately camel. The air of the 
 morning was bracing, the scenery was bold, and every hill 
 near the city was an object of interest as witnesses of groat 
 deeds and famous men, whose name will outlive that of mio-htv 
 nations. On each side of the road, deep valleys swept down 
 between the hills, along the base and up the sides of which 
 were growing vines, olive and fig trees. An hour's fatiguino; 
 march brought me to the high plateau that stretches towards 
 Jerusalem, houses began to appear, countr^^men were driving 
 sheep and goats into the city for sale. From these men I 
 learned the names of the villagfes that dotted the hills on everv 
 side. Soon I beoran to descend towards the right, and in a 
 moment the City of God burst, on my view. The rising sun 
 was bathing with golden light the hills that encircle Jerusalem, 
 the walls also and the sacred spots in and around the city. 
 Mount Zion appeared, and the buildings that enclose the royal 
 tomb of David, the white walls of the Arminian convent and 
 the Episcopalian church were seen, and nearer stood the tower 
 of Hippicus close by the Jaffa gate. The feeling of joy almost 
 overwhelmed me. No such impression is produced by the 
 splendid ruins of Rome or Athens, or by the colossal ruins of 
 Egypt's greatest and most venerable shrines. They are the 
 ruins of genius and power, but this city trodden under foot of 
 the Gentiles is the one to which every sinner turns his soul, 
 for within its present walls the Son of God died to save the 
 world from condemnation and death. One of the earliest and 
 strongest desires of my life was realized, and I thanked God 
 I felt as if I could weep for joy, as I thought of its temple, 
 
FIRST VIEW OF JERUSALEM. 277 
 
 with its splendour of cedar wood, precious stones, and gold and 
 >ilver, the glory of Jehovah in its holy of holies, the holy 
 prophets and illustrious kings, who had trodden its streets, 
 and, above all, Clirist the Lord, who had made atonement for 
 sin. On my right were the private hospital for lepers, and 
 the pool of Upper Gihon, on the left was the Russian hospice, 
 its courts and halls crowded with pilgrims. Nearer the city is 
 the quarter of the Jews, without the walls, where they make a 
 living by working olive and Jericho wood into souvenirs. A 
 market is held just outside the Jaffa Gate, where bundles of 
 .sticks, grass and vegetables are sold. 1 passed through the 
 Jaffa Gate, under whose arch two soldiers were keeping guard 
 witli drawn sword. On passing under the shadow of the 
 tower of Hippicus, and along the street of David, the words 
 of the inspired king of Israel, expressed the feelings of my 
 heart : " Beautiful for situation, the joy of the v/hole earth, is 
 iloimt Zion, on the sides of the north, the city of the great 
 king."* 
 
 The ancient name of Jerusalem was Salem, of which 
 Melchizedek was king. In later times it became the chief 
 fovtress of the Jebusites and was named Jebus. This fortified 
 place occupied Mount Zion, and must have been of considerable 
 str'/iigth, for it defied the prowess of Israel until the time of 
 David, who took the castle and called it the city of David. 
 The Valley of Hinnom protected it on the west and south, the 
 Tyropdeon valley on the east, and from the Jaffa Gate, a valley 
 at places eighty feet deep extended to the Tyropneon. These 
 were the limits of the ancient city and helped immensely to 
 make it impregnable. It rapidly increased in population and 
 extent during the reigns of David and Solomon, who built in 
 1011 B.C., the great temple, on the threshing floor of Araunah 
 
 * Psalm xlviii. 2. 
 
278 ^ JAFFA TO JERUSALEM. 
 
 on Mount Moriah, and adorned it with Oriental magnificence. 
 In 588 B.C., Nebuchadnezzar destroyed this temple, phnidered 
 it of its rich vessels and ornaments and carried the people into 
 captivity. Titus appeared before the walls of Jerusalem in 
 70 A.D., with four legions, the' olive trees were cut down, 
 houses levelled, and thus the Valley of Jehoshaphat was filled 
 up. Mounds were raised against the walls which were soon 
 breached. The Romans concentrated their forces on the north 
 of the temple and also near the Pool of Hezekiah on the west 
 of the city, and were determined to utterly destroy the Jews, 
 who, driven by the wildest fanaticism, fought in the narrow- 
 streets and in the courts of the temple, which was defiled 
 with streams of human blood and dead bodies. They cried to 
 Jehovah for aid, but He did not hear them. Their struggle was 
 useless against the will of God and the i)rowess of the invincible 
 legions. The temple, with its magnificent porches, its massive 
 marble columns and richly carved capitals, was burned, and all 
 its glory passed away ; one stone was not left standing on 
 another that was not thrown down. And thus the prophecy 
 of Christ was fulfilled. This is an important fact of history 
 verifying the words of Christ, and although Titus gave orders 
 to save the temple, it was impossible, for the Lord makes the 
 very wrath of man to serve Him. The Roman soldier who 
 applied the torch to the temple was merely gratifying his own 
 hatred of the Jews, but he did a deed also that has engraved 
 on the pages of history the truth of the Lord's words, spoken 
 more than forty years before the event. Josephus says 
 " 1,100,000 perished, and thousands were carried away captive, 
 to add to the glory of the conqueror's triumph in Rome."* 
 
 The exactions and indignities inflicted on the pilgrims in 
 the early part of the eleventh century were told in the halls 
 
 * Wars of Jerusalem, vi. 9. 3. 
 
THE CRUSADERS BEFORE JERUSALEM. 27!) 
 
 of the nobles and in the market places in Europe, and a desire 
 to rescue the holy places from the hands of the infidels stirred 
 Europe to its foundations. As the terrible tornado sweeps 
 over the prairie, unimpeded by forests or mountains, so all 
 classes were nerved with irresistible zeal and anger. William 
 of Malmesbury says, " The Welshman left his hunting, the 
 Dane his drinking party, and the Norwegian his raw fish, all 
 eager to join the expedition to the Holy Land." Some of 
 them thought to atone for their own sins by punishing the sins 
 of others. However wrong their ideas of duty and God's will, 
 their resolution was a unit. On the 7th of June, 101)9 a.d., 
 the Crusaders appeared before the walls of Jerusalem. The 
 sun flashed from shield and spear, and their banners were 
 unfurled. The red cross was seen on the breasts of forty thou- 
 sand resolute and fearless men who forgot their dangers, dis- 
 mounted from their horses, and kissed the earth on which the 
 Son of God had trodden. The Saracens fought against them 
 with the bravery of barbarians, and their hatred of Christians ; 
 and the Crusaders gave up all for lost. But William of Tyre 
 says, at that time " a soldier of the Cross was seen on the Mount 
 Olivet. How he came there lo one knew. The omen was aus- 
 picious. His shield was resplendent with gold. He moved in 
 the direction of the city and beckoned the Crusaders to follow." 
 Their hearts were cheered, they made a long and mighty 
 attack, the walls were scaled and Jerusalem was taken. The 
 Tyropojon valley and the narrow streets were filled with the 
 slain. Over heaps of the dead and dying the Crusaders chased 
 the enemy. Dead bodies in thousands lay in the July sun, 
 infecting the air with pestilence. Ten thousand fell within 
 the area on which the temple stood, in places the blood is said 
 to have reached the horses' bridles. Jerusalem was again 
 baptized in blood, and her sacred places defiled with dead. 
 In 13G A.D., Hadrian, who had ploughed the foundations of 
 
280 
 
 JAFFA TO JERUSALEM. 
 
 the temple, named the city /Elia Capitolina, and Christians 
 and pagan.s only were allowed to reside within the city. 
 Jerusalem from this time lay in ruins till the time of Constan- 
 tine, who did much to rescue it from its utter desolation. For 
 centuries it experienced the terrible calamities of war, until 
 1517 A.D., when Sultan Selim I. conquered it and planted 
 the Turkish flag on its towers, the symbol that yet it was to 
 be trodden under foot of the basest of the Gentiles, that yet 
 it had not atoned for the crucifixion of the Son of God. 
 
 JEHUSALKM. 
 
Chapter XIV. 
 JERUSALEM AND ITS HOLY PLACES. 
 
 " There are such outlines, strongly drawn and ineffaceable, which 
 make it absolutely certain that we have the Holy City, with all its inter- 
 esting localities before us." — The Land and the Book, p. 627. 
 
 [;j-.W>W 
 
 ^ 
 
 7?!WI 
 
 
 1 
 
 
 1 
 
 
 1^ 
 
 i)v 
 
 
 '• '^■'- 
 
 HE present walls, built in 1545 a.d., aie from 
 twenty to forty feet high, and from ten to fifteen 
 feet thick, and are nearly two miles and a lialf in 
 circumference. Some of the stones of the lower 
 tiers, at the south-east corner, and oii the brow of 
 Mount Zion, and also near to the Damascus Gate 
 are ancient, and measure from fifteen to twenty feet in length, 
 and probably belong to the time of Herod and Christ. One 
 regards them with a feeling akin to veneration, for on these 
 very stones the apostles and the Lord Himself may have 
 looked. Along the west wall from the Jaffa Gate southward, a 
 Jeep fosse still exists, and the same is seen on the north wall, 
 near the Damascus Gate, where the rocky foundation is levelled 
 to prevent the enemy from scaling the wall. Josephus 
 names three walls that enclosed Jerusalem* : the first enclosed 
 the City of David. It began at the tower of Hippicus and 
 extended eastward to the Xistus, which would be almost in 
 line wiiii the modern street of David. Starting from the same 
 point it went a little west, then south, and sweeping eastward 
 
 * War of the Jews, v, 4. 1. 2. 
 
 19 
 
2.S2 JERUSALEM AND FTS HOLY P'^ACES. 
 
 over the Tyropneon valley, it included Mount Ziou and Ophel 
 and joined the south-east corner of the temple. This wall was 
 fortified by David and Solomon; and, as the city was surrounded 
 Ijy deep valleys on every side, it would be a city of great 
 strength. And as the modern Christian (piarter would be 
 covered with trees, and flowers of richest hue and sweetest 
 fragrance would bloom in their season, the whole scene would 
 be one of great beauty under a mild clear sky. The king 
 looking out from the roof of his j)alace and feeling secure 
 against invading foes, could well say, " the joy of the whole 
 earth is Mount Zion, on the sides of the north. The kinss 
 were assembled, they saw it, and so they marvelled ; they 
 were troubled and hasted away."f The second wall was built 
 to enclose the northern quarter, in which direction the city 
 extended. It began at the Gate Gennath in the first wall. 
 Josephus gives no account of the direction of this second wall ; 
 he merely states it extended from Gennath and reached as far 
 as the tower of Antonia. It is probable this gate was not far 
 east from Hippicus, and that the wall extended northward 
 along the brow of Akra, and having reached the limit required 
 would extend east to Antonia. If Gennath were far east 
 from Hippicus, or if the wall ran in direct line to Antonia, an 
 enemy on the brow of Akra, would overlook the wall and 
 the city and have a strong vantage ground. The third wall 
 was begun by Agrippa, twelve years after the Crucifixiou. It 
 began at Hippicus, reached northward to the tower of Pse- 
 pliinus, and thence eastward by the tombs of the kings, that are 
 now to be seen far north of the present walls, and extending 
 south from the " monument of the Fuller " joined the old wall 
 at the valley of the Kedron. From the statements made by 
 Josephus in regard to the people filling up the face of the hills 
 
 t Psalm xlviii. 2, 5. 
 
THE STREKTS OF JKllUSALEM. 28*^ 
 
 in order to have a larger area for the temple, it is probable 
 that the Tyroixi^on was filled up to some extent and also the 
 iiiLHpialities of the western side of the Kedron. The temple, 
 or the temple area, would extend to the brow of the hill above 
 the Kedron, and if so, the wall from the " monumcmt of the 
 Fuller " would join the north-east wall of the temple, or extend 
 a little beyond it, and join the old wall at the south-east, near 
 Ophel. 
 
 In order that the reader may see JeruF^alem as it is every 
 day, and the sacred and historic places, let us enter the Jati'a 
 Gate and go through its narrow and quaint streets. There are 
 four gates in the walls, Damascus Gate on the north, St. 
 Stephen's on the east, Zion Gate on the south, Jatia Gate on 
 the west. Inside this gate is the tower of Hippicus or the 
 tower of David, on our right. The lower tiers are composed of 
 stones about thirteen feet long, chiselled along the edges, and 
 proiiably belonged to the original tower of which Joseph us 
 speaks. He says it was composed of large stones, and was 
 twenty-five cubits s({uare and thirty cubits high ; on the top 
 was a reservoir and a building, raising the whole structure 
 eighty cubits. The Street of David, on which, we stand, inside 
 the Jaffa Gate, extends east to the temple area. It is about 
 eighteen feet broad, and Hke all the streets of the city paved 
 with round stones that render it difficult for men and animals 
 to walk with safety. According to Oriental custom, rubbish 
 is thrown on the streets, and after rain, travelling on the streets 
 is dangerous, for if one slips on the smooth stones he naturally 
 throws out his arms to save himself. Probably, a donkey laden 
 with fruit, or a camel with stones, will be behind, and the 
 chances are he* will strike the donkey or Mahommedan driver 
 in the face, who will return the blow with interest and an oath, 
 and crush him into the stone walls. On th^.s street are 
 butchers' shops, fruit shops, and grain dealers, and along by 
 
284 JERUSALEM AND ITS HOLY I'LACES. 
 
 the Tyropteon are to be found Jews who can sell almost evury 
 article under the sun. 
 
 Turning to the lett, at about live minutes' walk from the 
 Jaffa Gate, the traveller enters Christian Street extending 
 northward along the Christian quarter. Jewellery, cloth and 
 pi'ovision shops are on this street. Pilgrims purchase here 
 wax caudles for offerings in the church of the Holy Sepulchre, 
 and frankincense and myrrh. A photographer does a thriving 
 trade on this street. Here also is Shajnra's shoj), who has 
 become famous by his attempt to impose on the British 
 Museum authorities, modern sheep-skins from Moab, as skil- 
 fully manipula,tcd as the pottery gods from the same country 
 a few years ago, all which are frauds, as anyone may know 
 who examines the pile standing on his shelves. The pottery 
 is far too fresh and the characters too perfect to have belonged 
 even to the beginning of the Christian era. Here also are money 
 changers. A small table stands on the street at the door ; on it is 
 a box in which are gold and silver coins. In the same way these 
 Jews do their brokerage-trade as in the days of our Lord, who 
 found in the temple the changers of money, and overthrew 
 their tables. These modern representatives are as ready to 
 take advantage of pilgrims and strangers as their ancestors 
 were, and would gladly invade the holiest places of the Mosque 
 of Omar with their little tables, but the fear of death is 
 stronger than their love of gold, and so they wisely ply their 
 trade in the streets. 
 
 The shops are generally small, and if the owner is a 
 Mahomraedan, he smokes on his mastaba, waiting for Allah to 
 send a customer, whom he may fleece. If he is a Greek 
 or Syrian, he sits on a chair and waits for the- same purpose. 
 The shelves and floor are occupied with baskets of oranges, 
 dates, rice and kharub pods, and occasionally in these shops 
 are a few sacks of wheat and flour. The dry goods shops are 
 
CHRISTIAN STREET AND THE PILGRIMS. 285 
 
 of the same size, and contain silks from Damascus, coarse 
 abyahs for the country people, and a stock of European cotton 
 goods of the cheapest kind and with the most brilliant colours. 
 Christian Street receives the water-shed of Akra on the 
 north-west. After a rain storm it has the appearance of a small 
 stream, through which one plunges, thankful that it is a short 
 street. As there is no drainage, the water lies until it perco- 
 lates into the earth or is evaporated. On Easter week, this 
 street was crowded with Latin, Greek, Armenian and Russian 
 pilgrims. Many of the rough stones were out and the holes 
 in the street filled with water and o-arbau'e. One is forced to 
 hurry through the dense crowd to escape the stench of the 
 Russians in their sheep-skin coats, fur caps and monster boots. 
 But a-las, one of these ponderous pilgrims, or worse still, a 
 monster camel plunges into a hole, and unless the traveller 
 makes a quick esca})e, I found by unpleasant experience, that 
 he would be drenched from head to feet with filthy water and 
 black mud. This state of things has existed evidently from 
 remotest times in Jerusalem. David says of the wicked, " I 
 did cast them out as dirt in the street."* And Micah says, the 
 enemy of the church " shall be trodden down as the mire of the 
 streets."*!* Via Dolorosa extends eastward from its junction 
 with Christian Street, passing under the arch of Ecce Homo 
 and by the Pool of Bethesda to St. Stephen's Gate. One im- 
 portant street extends from the Damascus Gate almost due 
 south to Zion Gate. It is narrow, and for a considerable dis- 
 tance is arched over, houses are built on the arches, while open- 
 ings exist at intervals alonor the street to admit lio-ht and air. 
 This is adopted for the same purpose as the grass mats over the 
 Egyptian bazaars, to protect the workmen from Juda3an heat 
 and the rains of spring and autumn. This is the street where 
 
 *.Psalm xviii. 42. t Micah vii. 10, 
 
286 JERUSALEM AND ITS HOLY PLACES. 
 
 the carpenters, coppersmiths, tinsmiths, and shoemakers, are 
 found plying their trade on the street. The modern streets of 
 Jerusalem are from twenty to sixty feet above the level of those 
 in the days of our Lord. The city has often been laid in ruins, 
 and the feet of heathen soldiers defiled its holy places. These 
 ruins have been levelled and a new city built on a higher site 
 than the preceding one, so that excavations made in any part 
 of Jerusalem to-day reveal broken columns and richly carved 
 capitals, and massive foundations of palaces, temples or ancient 
 walls. 
 
 The houses of Jerusalem, except the churches and mosques- 
 make no imposing appearance. The entrance is from the 
 street into a court, in which are flowers, fragrant shrubs, and 
 occasionally an orange tree growing. There are rooms around 
 the sides of this court and also upper rooms, if the inmates 
 are of the wealthier class of citizens. The windows have glass 
 or ornamental lattice work, the openings of which are very 
 fine, thus admitting the fresh air, while excluding the rain 
 sufficiently. The walls are constructed of limestone, of great 
 thickness, and plastered within. The roofs are flat with an 
 oval or round dome, rising in the centre. On the roof the 
 people spend very much of their time ; the Armenians praying, 
 the Mahommedans with folded hands facing Mecca,, and the 
 Jews eagerly looking over into the area of the temple and 
 praying for the coming of Messiah to deliver the city out of the 
 hands of the Gentiles. I have seen the Jews day after day, 
 towards sunset, on their housetops pouring out their bitter 
 lamentations to Jehovah. From the earliest times the 
 Orientals spent a large part of their time on the housetop. 
 There Peter saw the vision at Joppa ; there, in the days of 
 Jeremiah the people went up to pour out their lamentations 
 alone, and there, when the Israelites had sunk into idolatry, 
 they worshipped the host of heaven. 
 
THE UPPER POOL OF GIHON. 287 
 
 The water supply of Jerusalem is ample from its numerous 
 fountains and cisterns. Almost every house has one or two 
 cisterns in which the water has been kept pure and sweet* 
 A small groove conveys the rain that falls on the flat roofs to 
 a hole at one corner, from which a narrow pipe conducts it to 
 the cistern beneath. Five minutes' fast walking will bring us 
 to the Upper Gihon from the Jaffa Gate. It is situated at the 
 broad shallow source of the Valley of Hinnom, and receives the 
 water from the gently sloping hills on the west. It is about 
 three hundred feet long, two hundred broad, and twenty-five 
 feet deep. Stone steps lead down to it from one or two cor- 
 ners ; the cement, nearly an inch in thickness, is perfect in a 
 few places along the sides. An aqueduct, visible along the 
 side of the road, conveys the water to the Pool of Hezekiah, 
 within the city. It is evidently old, and may easily have 
 existed in the days of Hezekiah, who took counsel with his 
 princes and mighty men and " stopped all the fountains, and 
 the brook that ran through the midst of the land. He stopped 
 also the upper watercourse of Gihon, and brought it straight 
 down the west side of the city of David."* May not this 
 indicate that when the Assyrians invaded Jerusalem the king 
 closed up the sources that supplied Gihon, and b}^ a hidden 
 aqueduct brought the water into the city on the west side of 
 Mount Zion ? 
 
 The Episcopalian Mission School occupies a part of Mount 
 Zion outside the present walls, but the old wall ran along 
 the brow of Zion and so enclosed this area. In the -jarden 
 of this school are large reservoirs and one deep well, with 
 steps leading down to them. They have the appearance of 
 great antiquity, and may have received their supply, along 
 with others, from Gihon, in Hezekiah's time. Almost opposite 
 
 2 Chronicles xxxii. 4, 30. 
 
288 JERUSALEM AND ITS HOLY PLACES. 
 
 this school, in the V^alley of Hinnom, is the Lower Gilion, 
 the modern Birket es Sultan, nearly six hundred feet long 
 and two hundred and fifty broad. The road to Bethlehem 
 crosses at the southern end of this fountain, while the aque- 
 duct from the Pools of Solomon pass along its western side, 
 then sweep along the brow of Zion over the Tyropcioii 
 to the temple area. Probably the water was conducted from 
 this immense pool to irrigate the royal gardens and terraced 
 slo[)es further down the valley. It was near this spot that 
 Solomon was anointed king, the news of which frightene<l 
 Adonijah and forced him to flee to the altar for safety. 
 Further down, near the junction of Hinnom and the Valley of 
 Jehoshaphat is the Pool of Siloam, the modern Silwan. This 
 is one of the few places aljout Jerusalem which have retained 
 their scriptural name. Isaiah calls it " Shiloah," whose waters 
 How softly, while in Nehemiah it is called " Shelach," wliich 
 the Septuagint has translated " pool of the sheep skins.'' 
 And perhaps from this fact some have identified it with 
 Bethesda, the pool by the sheep market. There seems little 
 doubt however that Silwan is the Siloam of our Lord's time, 
 to which He sent the blind man. This pool is the one to which 
 the women and children of the Village of Siloam, and of Jerusa- 
 lem come to wash now. The runnino- stream flowing from 
 the upper into the lower fountain further down gives them 
 always clear water. It is probable it may have b een used for 
 such purposes in our Lord's day, and He would naturally send 
 the blind man there to remove the clay from his eyes. Joseplius 
 is very definite in his description of Siloam, and leaves little 
 room for doubt. He says, "The Tyropa^on extended as far as 
 Siloani."* which is the identical site of the present Pool of 
 Siloam ; then further he describes it by saying it has "a valley 
 under it and one beside it,"t which is true of this pool and of 
 
 * Wars of the Jews, v. 4. 1. -^^ Ibid, v. 12. 2 ; vi. 8. 5, 
 
THE POOL OF SILOAM. 289 
 
 no other outside of Jerusalem, for the valley of Hinnoni is 
 below it, and Jehoshaphat beside it on the east. 
 
 Benjamin of Tudela, in the twelfth century, mentions the 
 spring of Shiloach, which runs into the Kedron, and in his day 
 it was covered. At present in the bottom of this pool are two 
 rows of broken columns which evidently supported a covering 
 over the pool, and no other outside the city could be covered 
 except En-Rogel, which is a very deep well, and would require 
 no such protection. The Pool of Siloam is fifty feet long, eighteen 
 broad and nineteen deep. Desolation reigns about it now ; there 
 are no l)looming flowers, or fragrant shrubs, or shady fniit trees- 
 The wretched Village of Silwan stands opposite on the brow of 
 the hill, Ophel is covered with rubbish, and over the Tyropoeon 
 and up the eastern brow of Mount Zion I could trace the out- 
 line of terraces probably on the very site of David's garden 
 and close to the steps that led up to the city of David, near 
 the Pool of Siloah. This fountain is connected by a channel 
 hewn through the rock, with Birket Sltti Myriam, the Virgin's 
 fountain, in the Kedron. Siloam was supplied from the 
 aqueduct that Hezekiah led round the west of Zion, for it is 
 probable the water was conducted into this channel from the 
 temple. At times the water of the Virgin's fountain rises quickly 
 and again recedes as quickly ; sometimes it is sweet, at other 
 times bitter. This would be accounted for by the fact that the 
 water from the mosque of Omar might be allowed to flow 
 abundantly at one time and retained at another. The tradition 
 of the ignorant people of Silwan is, that a dragon is in the 
 fountain, and when he sleeps the 'water rises, but when he 
 awakes he drinks so much that the water becomes low. 
 
 The water in Siloam rises to a certain height, then flows 
 through the rock into stone troughs further down. Frecjuently, 
 as I passed, the women of Siloam were washing, while their 
 lazy husbands were sleeping along the base of Ophel, or on 
 
290 JERUSALExM AND ITS HOLY PLAGES. 
 
 theroofoftheirhou.se. The washing is by no means elabo- 
 rate, and occupies only a brief time, for the wardrobe of the 
 common people is of the scantiest, and Orientals dislike ex- 
 pending much labour, even for the sake of cleanliness. The 
 common people possess only one outer garment, which serves 
 as an article of clothing in the daytime and for a bed at night. 
 The mother remains at home while the daughter washes her 
 mother's wardrobe, and the daughter does the same, in her 
 turn, while her mother performs this duty for her. I have 
 watched the lords of creation asleep, at noonday, near the 
 Pool of Siloam, while the women were washinf*; their abvah. 
 The gown is taken by one end and drawn a few times through 
 the running water, after which it is spread out on a large 
 smooth stone. The women then sit down as most of the 
 mechanics do when workinix at their trade, and takin<j a flat 
 piece of wood about two feet long, six inches broad, and one 
 inch thick, they beat the gown with all their might. They 
 swing it over their head like a miniature Hail, and when the 
 right arm is tired toss it with dexterity into the left. In an 
 incredibly short time the gown is washed without f-oap or 
 washboard, hung up to the sun, and in a few hours the owner 
 may be seen threading his way through the market place or in 
 some mosque or church at his devotions. 
 
 A few minutes' walk down the Kedron from Siloam is 
 Bir Eyub, or En-Rogel. It is a well, one hundred and tweiity- 
 tive feet deep, lined with large stones. The boundary between 
 Judah and Benjamin passed at En-Rogel. It is known as 
 " the well of Nehemiah,"' and " the well of fire," from the 
 tradition that the fire from the altar in the temple was thrown 
 into it at the time of the captivity. The name " Eyub " may 
 have been given it because Joab came here with Adonijah, 
 when he aspired to the throne of his father, and after Solomon 
 was anointed king at Gihon, tied to the temple and was slain 
 
THE WELL OF EN-ROCiEL. 291 
 
 at the horns of the altar, Josephus merely states it was out- 
 ride the city in the king's garden. * This description suits 
 the present Bir Eyub, for it v/as outside the wall that enclosed 
 Ophel, and the king's garden would not extend so far up the 
 narrow gorge of the Kedron as the Virgin's fountain, but on 
 the south-east slope of Zion and down from the junction of 
 the Hinnom and the Kedron, where it would be watered by 
 Siloam and the water from En-Rogel. And besides it complies 
 better than any other well or spring on this side of the city 
 with all the requirements of Scripture. 
 
 Outside St. Stephen's Gate is a large pool and inside of the 
 walls, on the north side of the Haram is Bethesda, the pool by 
 tlie sheep market, partly filled with rubbish and almost dry. 
 It is uncertain whether this is an ancient pool or a trench dug 
 to protect the second wall against the assaults of the Roman 
 soldiers. On the west side of the city is the Pool of Hezekiah, 
 two hundred and fifty feet long and one hundred and fifty 
 broad, and supplied by water from the Upper Gihon. It is 
 possible this pool may have been dug in Hezekiah's time, when 
 the springs outside the city were closed to harass the Assyrians, 
 and this immense reservoir receiving the water from Arka, 
 would form a chief source of internal supply during a siege. 
 On the north of Jerusalem, where olive trees and grain fields 
 are seen now, there are numerous cemented cisterns hewn out 
 of the limestone. This part of the city once was enclosed by 
 the third wall, and these cisterns that are dangerous traps to 
 belated travellers, once helped the water supply of the city. 
 In the many sieges of Jerusalem, and national struggles, the 
 citizens often perished by hunger, but the water supply was 
 ahvays ample. 
 
 The population of Jerusalem is about thirty thousand, 
 
 * Ant. vii. 14. 4. 
 
292 JERUSALEM AND ITS HOLY PLACES. 
 
 about one half of whom are Jewi', the remainder consistino: of 
 Greeks, Latins, Mahommedans, Armenians and Copts. Many 
 of the Jews live outside the Jaffa gate, in houses built foi* 
 them by philanthropists in Europe and America. They are 
 carpenters and workers in olive wood, while a few are money 
 changers. They have a school not far from the Upper Giiion. 
 It consists of one room, about twenty feet square, which was 
 ■filled with small children the day I visited it. The master sat 
 on a bench with a class of small boys before him, who were 
 swavinnr their bodies backward and forward, and in a sinsf- 
 song style were committing to memory the simple words and 
 rules of the Hebrew lanfjuaoje. The other children were seated 
 on side benches, and supposed to be studying, but were eagerly 
 watching my companion and myself. The master informed us 
 of his work, and though there was an extreme indifference to 
 school discipline on the part of both scholars and teacher, yet 
 he was evidently an earnest, faithful and painstaking man. 
 
 In the city the Jews wear a gown of sombre colour, extend- 
 ing from their neck to their feet ; on their head, a cap, the 
 crown of which is velvet, and round the lower part runs a 
 band of fur. The women do not veil their face ; the younger 
 women wear a white garment which covers their head and 
 the whole body. The Jewesses have decidedly a happier 
 appearance than their Mahommedan sisters. One looks with 
 extreme interest on this strange race, as they appear in the 
 city of their fathers. Strong in the belief that Messiah may 
 come at any hour to deliver them, they patiently endure all 
 insults that can be heaped on them. They glide quietly 
 through the streets of Jerusalem, keeping close to the walls. 
 unwilling to attract attention. They are spat on and abused: 
 for the Jews there is almost no redress in Jerusalem. The 
 dominant Turk excludes them from the area on which their 
 famous temple stood. Gentiles may tread on that enclosure 
 
THE JEWS WAILING OUTSIDE THE TEMPLE AREA, 293 
 
 aiul liandle stones and pillars that may have been part of the 
 tirst temple, but it' a Jew dared to cross the threshold of the 
 Haram enclosure, a dagger would be plunged into his heart. 
 On the south-west of the temple area is the Jewish wailing- 
 
 0. ."'";:: 
 
 
 
 
 iil-i-^ 
 
 'rl 
 
 
 
 
 I'r ,!i|;:5SKY!T'.t 
 
 
 
 
 THE JEWS WAILING-PLACE. 
 
 place, outside the enclosure of the Haram. There, every 
 Friday, men, women and children assemble and pray for the 
 deliverance of Jerusalera and their country. The day I visited 
 the spot, a venerable Rabbi read a part of the Ixxix. Psalm: 
 
294; JBmUSALEM AND ITS HOLY PLACES. 
 
 *' God, the heathen are come into thine inheritance ; thy 
 lioly temple have they defiled ; they have laid Jerusalem on 
 heajiH. We are become a reproach to our neio-hbours, a scorn 
 and derision to them that are round about us. How lone, 
 Lord ? Wilt thou be angry forever ? Shall thy jealousy l>urn 
 like fire?" The people uttered responses, and tears were HoW- 
 ing down the cheeks of old and young. Some wrote suppli- 
 cations on slips of paper and pressed them into the small 
 openings in the wall ; others were kissing the massive, old 
 stones. The grief and bitterness of heart were genuine, and 
 the scene impresses the beholder with a strong feeling of sym- 
 pathy. The stones are large and old. Dr. Thomson says 
 they certainly are " not later than the time of Plerod, perhaps 
 long before." A little farther south, after climbing walls and over 
 mounds of rubbish, the site of the Arch discovered by Dr. Robin- 
 son was reached. The stones at the corner of the Temple 
 enclosure are over twenty feet long and one or two about five 
 leet thick ; some of them are broken and displaced by earth- 
 quakes and sieges, but others are perfect, and so closely jointed 
 that it is scarcely possible to trace the line of separation. The 
 stones are bevelled round the edges, and are so superior in size 
 to those in the city wall or in the Tower of Hippicus, and 
 appear to belong to a remoter antiquity, that it is not unrea- 
 sonable to say they may have belonged even to the first Temple. 
 At this point is the Arch that supported the bridge that 
 stretched across the Tyropceon, The bridge is computed to 
 have been about three hundred and fifty feet long and extended ' 
 to Mount Zion. This is probably the Arch of the bridge men- 
 tioned by Josephus which connected the upper city with the 
 Temple. Beneath it, in those days, the valley was densely 
 occupied by shops and houses, now it is an area of ruins, covered 
 with weeds, cactus and mounds of rubbish. On this bridge Titi^ 
 stood and tried to persuade the Jews to submit to the Roman 
 
THE CHURCH OF THE HOLY SEPULCHRE. 205 
 
 Emperor, but tliey refused, and the war raged with fury until 
 Jurusalem sank in ashes ind blood.* 
 
 About half way north on Christian Street, I descended a 
 narrow winding street and emerged on a marble-paved court 
 in front of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. As it was Easter 
 it was crowded with pilgrims from many lands, Greeks, Arme- 
 nicins and Russians, speaking strange languages, and clothed 
 in costumes of divers shapes and flashy colours. Old men on 
 crutches, young men, and women with infants in theii* arms 
 were all going and coming in a steady stream of human life. 
 Seated on the stone flags of the court were men and women from 
 all parts of Palestine selling crosses, beads, candles, roses of 
 Jericho, and mother-of-pearl work from Bethlehem. The 
 church is said originally to have had five stories ; only two 
 remain, and the third is in ruins. Two doors face the court area 
 on the south side. One is closed, and entrance is gained by the 
 western one. The lower part of the church has an appearance 
 of antiquity, and over the doors are some highly ornamental 
 works of art. On entering the door, I came at once to 
 "the stone of unction," before which men and women were 
 kneeling, and kissing it. Turning to the left near the Turkish 
 soldiers who were there to keep the peace between the rival 
 races that claim this common sacred spot, then going north, T 
 entered the rotunda. The dome is fifty-five feet in diameter, 
 and is supported by eighteen massive piers. Under the dome is 
 the Holy Sepulchre covered by a small marble church, twenty- 
 six feet long, eighteen broad, about twenty high, surmounted 
 by a dome and ornamented in front by slender columns. The 
 first room is the Chapel of the Angel, beyond which is the 
 small room that encloses the tomb. To the riirht is a marble 
 slab, about two feet above the floor, and extending the whole 
 
 * The Land and the Book, p. 690. 
 
296 JERUSALEM AND ITS HOLY PLACES. 
 
 length of the room. This is said to cover the rocky toiuK in 
 which our Lord Lay. The marble Hoor is worn with tlio feet 
 and knees of millions of pilgrims, and the slab is worn thin 
 in places by their kisses. Light is supplied by olive oil in a 
 number of golden lamps, and the walls are profusely adorned 
 with silver and gold and precious stones. 
 
 This church, by vast multitudes of people, Greeks, Latins, 
 Armenians and Copts, and Christians from Britain and America, 
 is believed to enclose the spots on which the two most impor- 
 tant events on earth took place, the Crucifixion and Resurrec- 
 tion of our Lord. Is there any evidence to support ancient 
 tradition ? Some writers have placed the scene of the crucifixion 
 on the north of the city, above the grotto of Jeremiah and at 
 other points of Jerusalem. But no tradition has ever attached 
 to this place. At the time of the Crucifixion, " the earth did 
 quake and the rocks rent," * but there is no evidence of an eartli- 
 (piake or any other force having disturbed within recent times 
 the rocks on the northern part of the city. The information of 
 Scripture is limited and supplies no definite data in regard to the 
 place of Crucifixion. It occurred outside the gate, and near to 
 the city and close to a road leading to the country, and near a 
 garden which was the tomb of Joseph. It was called " the 
 place of iculls,"* and in Hebrew Golgotha. This spot may have 
 been named so because it was a place of public execution, and 
 the skulls of the dead would be the ghastly objects that would 
 ever meet the eye of those who visited the spot, or it may merely 
 denote a slightly elevated place, round and smooth in the form 
 of a skull. The Evangelists do not say it was a mount, but a 
 " place." yet the term place of a skull would perhaps denote an 
 elevated position. If it occurred on Olivet, or in the valley of 
 Jehoshaphat or Hinnom, would it not be reasonable to suppose 
 
 * Matt, xxvii. 51. t Luke xxiii. 33. 
 
TilE CIIUUCH OF THE HOLY SEPULCHRE. 297 
 
 tliat the Kvaii<^'elists would have given the name of the place 
 where our Lord was cruoified ? Hence, I think the site must 
 be sought for on the north or north-west of Jerusalem. Neither 
 the shape of the hill itself, nor tradition, nor fact, support the 
 theory in favour of the hill over the grotto of Jeremiah, and 
 110 other place in that part beyond the modern walls has any 
 claim to this honour. 
 
 Though the Church of the Holy Sepulchre is in the heart 
 of the modern city, it was not so iu our Lord's time. Then 
 there were only two walls, for the Agrippa-wall was not built 
 until 4.5 A.D. The site of this chur(^h, I think, must have been 
 outside the second wall which began at the gate Gennath, for 
 if that wall extended north along the brow of Akra so far as 
 to include the site of this church, the rock would have been 
 cut to form a level foundation for the walls. No such line of 
 cutting however has yet been found, and besides the wall 
 would have been commanded from the top of Akra and would 
 have been almost useless for protection. Hence it seems more 
 probable that the wall ran north, following the base of Akra 
 tor some distance, then east and north-east to Antonia. I got 
 through an old gate, and then on the roof of a house a short 
 •listauce east of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, and could 
 trace the ruins of a very old wall extending in a north-easterly 
 direction, a little south of the church, and so left its site out-. 
 side of the wall. From the corner at which I stood, it ran in 
 an almost northerly direction. There were one or two pro- 
 jections that could be traced, which might have been the 
 foundations of towers in the wall. The stones in this ruined 
 wall were old, and may have been taken from other buildings 
 since the Roman period. But is it not possible they may have 
 been built after the destruction of the city on the old founda- 
 tion of the second wall ? The Church of the Holy Sepulchre 
 incloses a spur of Akra which juts out towards the Tyropwon 
 20 
 
2D8 JERUSALEM AND ITS HOLY PLACES. 
 
 and the rock can bo traced going down the steps to the Chapel 
 of the Finding of the Cross, which is only a natural cave in 
 the rock and may bo one of the old tombs hewn out of the 
 rock. Other tombs can bo seen west of the rotunda, with evory 
 mark of antic^uity about them. Along the base and brow of 
 Akra would bo the natural site for a garden of olives, fig-trees 
 and vines. These tombs would be hewn out of the brow of the 
 hill according to the custom of those times, as may be witnessed 
 by the numerous tombs in the limestone rock in the valleys of 
 Hinnom and Jehosliaphat. 
 
 Sweeping away the rubbish of monkish traditions and absur- 
 dities there remains a foundation of historic truth, which can 
 support the theory that the Church of the Holy Sepulclire 
 covers the spot of the Lord's tomb and probably his crucifixion. 
 When the city was taken by Titus the Christians tied from the 
 city, but it was occupied again in the time of Hadrian, 117 
 A.D., when ho tilled up the tomb of Christ and erected on it a 
 shrine to Venus. Constantino's mother, Helena, visited Jerusa- 
 lem in 325 A.D., and built a Christian church over the spot. 
 which was dedicated by Macarius, bishop of Jerusalem, in o2.') 
 A.D. The crypt of this ancient church is used now as a cistern 
 by the Copts. The site of the tomb seems to have been a fact 
 well-known, for there was no searching for the locality ; there 
 were no rival localities mentioned by Eusebius. John lived to 
 the close of the first century, and could give information to the 
 Christians about it ; and is it not improbable that the early 
 Christians, so full of love for Christ, and zealous for the truth 
 of the Gospel, would ever lose sight of those spots so intimately 
 associated with their joy and salvation ? The silence of Paul 
 and other later apostolic writers is no evidence that those 
 places were not regarded as of any importance, for he does not 
 mention the site of many places which must have had an in- 
 terest to the Jewish converts and were well known to himself 
 
THK MOSQUE OF OMAR. 200 
 
 III G14 A.D., 1010 A.D., and again in 1808 A.D., the church was 
 dentroyed, but it was always rebuilt on the same site, only 
 with increased splendour and wealth. On the whole I believe 
 the evidence from topography and history inclines strongly in 
 favour of the site covered by the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. 
 On the outside walls are sculptured the triumphal entry of 
 Christ into Jerusalem, but in the tomb Pie triumphed when He 
 rose from the dead to complete his work of redemption. Al)ove 
 the gilded dome is the cross, which points heavenward where 
 the risen king now reigns, the gates of whose everlasting 
 kingdom are thrown wide open for all who believe in Him. 
 The Haram enclosure, in the centre of which stands the 
 Mos(|ue of Omar, is situated on Moriah, one of the four moun- 
 tains on which Jerusalem is built. It is separated from Olivet 
 by the Kedron and from Zion by the Tyropcieon valley. On 
 this mount in Josephus' opinion Abraham intended to offer up 
 Isaac, and this was the site of the threshing floor of Oman, the 
 Jebusite, which David bought for six hundred shekels of gold 
 and built an altar unto the Lord and offered burnt offerings.* 
 There also Solomon built the first temple on earth to Jehovah, 
 and adorned it with all the treasures that wealth and wisdom 
 could command. Under the guidance of a kawass I entered 
 the enclosure from the cotton merchants' gate ; the paved en' 
 closure is sixteen hundred feet from north to south on the east 
 side, fifteen hundred feet on the west side, the north end is one 
 thousand feet from east to west, and the south end nine hundred 
 feet. The limestone rock rises to the surface at the north-west 
 corner, where there is a thin strata of soil, and a few olive and 
 cypress trees grow in this part of the area. Arches, oratories, 
 and traditional sites of events that never occurred are very 
 numerous over the whole of this extensive platform. Ascend- 
 
 * 1 Chron. xxi. 21, 25, 2G. 
 
300 JERUSALEM AND ITS HOLY PLACES. 
 
 ing a few steps I reached an elevated plateau in the centre of 
 which stands the mosque, an octagonal building, lined on the 
 exterior with marble and higher up with blue tiling, and sur- 
 mounted by a dome, on the top of which is a gilded crescent 
 which can be seen from a long distance glittering in the bright 
 sunlight. I put on yellow slippers at the eastern gate, for infidel 
 boots would pollute the sacred place, and there entered the 
 mosque. The walls are covered with beautiful marble, the 
 interior of the dome and upper part of the walls are covered 
 with mosaics of many colours. Here and in the Mos(j[ue of El- 
 Aksa are pillars carved like the twisted strands of a rope, the 
 capitals of which, in the form of doves, have been mutilated 
 by Mahommadan fanatics. Probably they belonged to the 
 courts of the second Temple or to the Temple of Solomon 
 itself, for the style of workmanship is not Grecian, Roman 
 or Saracenic. The windows contain richly coloured glass, and 
 quotations from the Koran are arranged around the interior of 
 the dome. On the floor is a slab with a number of golden 
 headed nails, one of which is taken out at the end of every 
 epoch. Only three and a half remain, and when they are 
 removed the end of the world will come. And the Mahoin- 
 medan tradition is that both Mahommed and Jesus will then 
 come. At their advent a line, fine as a thread, will be stretched 
 across the valley of Jehoshaphat, one end of which will be 
 fastened to a piece of column now built into the eastern wall 
 of Jerusalem, and the other end fastened to the Mount of 
 Olives. At one end Mahonnned will stand, at the other Jesus, 
 and all who can walk over that thread will be admitted into 
 Paradise and the others perish. 
 
 Immediately under the dome is Es-Sakhrah, the Rock, 
 It is the levelled top of Mount Moriah, about sixty feet long 
 and fifty-five broad, and five feet above the lioor of the mosque. 
 This is called the Stone of Foundation, and was the nucleus 
 
302 JERUSALEM AND ITS HOLY PLACES. 
 
 according to ^^9 Talmud, around which the world was 
 formed. When Solomon brought the Ark from the Tabernacle 
 on Mount Zion to the Temple, the Talmud states it was placed 
 on the Stone of Foundation. On the south-east there are a 
 few steps descending to a cave in the rock, above is an open- 
 ing to the top of the Sakhrah ; below the stone floor of the cave 
 it is hollow, and, as Dr. Thomson says, this may have been tlie 
 receptacle for the blood and other matter from the burnt-offer- 
 ings, and which was thence washed down through subterranean 
 {passages to the south-east into the valley of Hinnom. The 
 Mahommedan priests, however, inform the people that it is the 
 dismal abode of the wicked, whose moaning can occasionally be 
 heard, and this absurdity the guide will repeat with unwaver- 
 ing belief in its truth. 
 
 It is pro^^able the present enclosure is of the same extent 
 as in our Lord's time, and encloses the site of the Temple of 
 Solomon, which Josephus says was built upon a strong hill, 
 and in future ages the people added new banks, and the hill 
 became a large plain. * Herod repaired and beautified the 
 second Temple, and encompassed a piece of land twice as large 
 as before enclosed The author of the Jerusalem Itinerary, 
 who visited JerusLlem in 333 A.D., says two statues of Hadrian 
 were on the site of the Temple of Solomon, and these statues 
 were near a pierced rock to which the Jews come every year 
 and anoint it with oil. Jerome says, these statues were on the 
 site of the Holy of Holies. If this be so, on that rock rested 
 the Ark of the Covenant and the mercy seat ; it was bathed by 
 the glory of the Shekinah, and on it the High Priest alone 
 trod once a year. It is at least, probable, that it was enclosed 
 in the Temple, and that the altar of burnt offering was close to 
 the south-east part of this rock • and if the Temple, excluding 
 
 ♦ Wars of the Jew: \\ 
 
KUBBET ES-SAKHRAH. 303 
 
 the porch, was sixty cubits Ion,?, it is quite possible this rock 
 may have been included in the Holy of Holies. The Mahom- 
 medans venerate the Es-Sakhrah very highly. It is enclosed 
 with a railing five feet high, and the Sheiks of the Mosque watch 
 visitors and threaten them if they dare leap over the enclosure. 
 At the cost of many curses, dire threatenings and much risk, 
 I stood on this famous rock, associated with some of the 
 (greatest names and most important events in Jewish history. 
 What soul could remain unmoved in such a place ! Over that 
 rough, rocky floor stood the first Temple erected on earth, for 
 the worship of Jehovah ; on it stood, in all probability, the Ark 
 of the Covenant, and though now covered with dust, it has 
 been baptized with the visible glory of God ; and on that very 
 stone, the feet of the High Priest have trodden, as he stood 
 before the Mercy Seat and sprinkled the blood of atonement 
 for his sins and the people's. But I thanked God that a better 
 stone had been laid in Zion, elect and precious, even His own 
 Son. Amid all chr.nges. He is the same. Amid all revelations, 
 and amid the ruin that shall overtake our planet, when the 
 finger on the dial of time Mall point to the fulfilment of God's 
 purposes, this Rock will be an eternal foundation of safety and 
 strenirth. He is the Rock asjainst which the ijates of hell shall 
 not prevail. 
 
 A short distance south is situated the Mosque El-Aksa, 
 built by Justinian as a Christian Church, in the sixth century. 
 Some of the columns supporting the arches are of great size. 
 Here also are to be seen those double spiral columns, with 
 capitals carved in the form of birds and beasts, mutilated by 
 Mahommedan bigotry. 
 
 At the south end of the Mosque are two columns, the inter- 
 vening space between which is called "the Gate of Paradise," 
 through which every believer is anxious to squeeze. The 
 pillars are worn considerably, showing that multitudes must 
 
304 JERUSALEM AND ITS HOLY PLACES. 
 
 have passed tli rough, even with violence. The pillars are far 
 enough apart to allow the lean and dyspeptic to go through, 
 but the stout, good-natured ones are utterly unable to pass, 
 and if the legend be true, their hope of future bliss must be 
 extinguished. The Governor of Jerusalem, however, has now 
 placed an iron barrier between the pillars, which has annihi- 
 lated the Mahommedan story, and at the same time lessened 
 the income of the Sheikhs from this source, much to their dis- 
 gust. Under El-Aksa are vaults, whose arched roofs are sup- 
 ported by piers composed of veiy ancient blocks of stone. 
 Further south the roof is supported by monolith columns, with 
 plain capitals, and the lower tiers of stone in the walls are 
 over twenty feet long and four or live feet thick, and prob- 
 ably are in their original position, at the double gate through 
 which in the first and second Temples, the people ascended from 
 Ophel to the Temple area. At the south-east corner is the 
 entrance to the vaults, called the " Stables of Solomon." Im- 
 mense pillars support the arches. The cavern was used to 
 stable the horses of the crusaders ; the rings are yet seen to 
 which the horses were fastened and the troughs from which 
 they ate. The earth has fallen in at some parts, and after crawl- 
 over mounds and through narrow passages, I could hear water 
 tricklins: down towards the Kedron, and could see throujzh, a 
 small opening, daylight in the distance. The whole platform 
 of the Mosque of Omar is over hollow ground, there are vaults 
 and underground passages everywhere. This however is the 
 spot, sacred by age, by its ancient glory and the presence of 
 Jehovah, for when Greece was in heathenism, and before Rome 
 was born or Britain known, the true God was worshipped od 
 Moriah. Though the second Temple was inferior to the first, 
 because it did not contain the Ark and the Shekinah, its glory 
 was infinitely greater, for in its courts and walls God manifest 
 in the liesh was seen, and almost under its very shadow died 
 for the redemption of sinners. 
 
CAVERNS UNDER THE TEMPLE AREA. 805 
 
 A short distance east of the Damascus Gate is a small open- 
 ing under the city walls. Our guide entered first ; I squeezed 
 through with some difficulty, accompanied by my friend Mr. 
 Smart. Within was the blackness of darkness, save the light 
 for a short distance round the opening through which we had 
 just entered. Tliis vast cavern stretched east and west and 
 southward beneath the platform, on which the Mosque of Omar 
 stands. We lit our candles and then began to crawl cautiously 
 over heaps of fallen eai-th and broken stone. There seems 
 little doubt this subterraneous cavern is the ancient quarry from 
 whicli the stones were hewn for the Temple of Solomon. The 
 ground was covered with small pieces chipped off by the 
 masons' tools ; in some parts immense blocks were lying in the 
 rough as when they had been first separated from the rock 
 louf; centuries ao'o, and traces of the massive chisel and 
 wedge are clearly visible on the rock itself, and on many of the 
 massive stones scattered on the ground. The roof is supported by 
 huge piers of the native rock left standing at intervals. In many 
 places small notches in the rock were cut for holding the lamps 
 that 2fave lij^ht to the workmen ; water trickled down into a 
 trough, from which the builders of that glorious Temple of 
 Jehovah may have drank, and which, doubtless, refreshed 
 the thirst of thousands who fled to these dismal caverns 
 from the Romans, the Crusaders and Moslems. The stone is 
 almost white and is quite soft, but hardens when exposed 
 to the air. In this very quarry, whose existence has been 
 discovered only recently, stone was fitted to stone, and 
 wrought with all the skill of those times, and the walls of the 
 first Temple were reared so that there was neither hammer nor 
 iixe, nor any tool of iron heard in the house while it was in 
 biiiUling. * One feels oppressed in that vast, silent quarry, and 
 
 * 1 Kings vi. 7. 
 
306 
 
 JERUSALEM. AND ITS HOLY PLACES. 
 
 in h)iagȣ>ation, peoples it with busy workmen whose voices 
 and ijAiutner strokes once echoed through this gloomy 
 place. The ({uarry is now still as a vast tomb, the cunning 
 hands that hewed there are reduced centuries ago to dust, and 
 the great Temple whose glory filled the people and king with 
 joy has been razed, so that its foundations are scarcely to be 
 found. Thus any one may see every day in Jerusalem, the 
 literal and complete fulfilment of His words. As the great white 
 stones refiected the sunlight, and the Temple stood out in all its 
 splendour, the disciples with national pride referred to it. 
 "Master, see what manner of stones and what buildings are here, 
 Jesus answering said, there shall not be left one stone upon 
 another that shall n'ot be thrown down." * 
 
 *Mark xiii. 1, 2. 
 
 —j-rtd^ rs';'-— . 1- 
 
 
 vW.^-^^"^- 
 
Chapter XV. 
 BETHANY, BETHLEEIEM, HEBRON, AND JERICHO. 
 
 " And when they had sung an hymn, they went out into the Mount of 
 Olives."— 3/aff. xxvi. 30, 
 
 MONG all the places famous in Bible story and clear 
 to every Christian heart, none are more precious 
 than Olivet, Gethsemane and Bethany. My re- 
 peated walks to Bethany, were sources of un- 
 speakable pleasure, for they were over paths as old 
 perhaps as the days of David, or of the patriarchs, 
 and over one on which our blessed Lord must havr. walked. 
 Hooked with veneration almost on those deep valleys, and num- 
 erous rounded hills that stretched away down towards the 
 plain of Jericho, and admired the beauty of fig, and almond, 
 and olive tree, and the gorgeous hues of the flowers that decked 
 with their inimitable loveliness the valleys and hillsides. In 
 -pite of the many terrible wars that have desolated Jerusalem, 
 and reduced here palaces and temple to ashes, and her citizens 
 to beggary, and made them outcasts among the nations, the 
 general outlines of the INIount of Olives, and the deep valley of 
 the Kedron and the Hinnom are unchanged, and I felt sure that 
 on these and the surrounding country our Lord had often looked 
 as He travelled to Bethany. Going out through St. Stephen's 
 Gate I descended by a narrow footpath to the Kedron, which 
 IS spanned by a small stone bridge. The Kedron is a deep 
 favine, dry in summer, down which the winter torrents flow to 
 
•SOS 15ETHANY, 15ETHI.EIIEM, IIKHROX, AND JKUICHO. 
 
 the Dead Scca. At the north-west of the city it is l)roail aiul 
 shallow, opposite St. Stephen's Gate and down towards its 
 union with the valley of Ilinnoni, it is a deep, narrow gorge. 
 At the Jiead of the valley of the Kedron are the tombs of the 
 JudL;'es, hewn out ol" the rock wliicli rises a few feet al»ove the 
 general level. The entrance facing the west is ornanientcil 
 with vine leaves and fruit. The main room is damn and niustv. 
 From this chamber doors lead into others on the south ami 
 cast, in which are loculi in the walls, the length and size of a 
 human body, and above thcui are arched recesses similar to those 
 in the catacombs of Rome. A few minutes' walk down the 
 valley, the tombs of the kings are reached. The rocks cut down 
 about thirty feet, and an area is formed about one hundred feet 
 square. On tlie west side of this court is a portico ornamented 
 with bunches of grapes and wreaths of vine leaves. Crawling 
 on hands and knees, I passed intt^ a large chamber, around 
 which a ledii'e extends elevated about two feet above the floor. 
 From this chamber entrances lead to many smaller rooms, 
 which were separated from each other by strong stone doors 
 hung on stone hinges, A narrow groove is hewn in the centre 
 of each loculus extendino- alono- its wliole len!T;th. Was this for 
 the sword or sceptre of the king ? In some of them this groove 
 is wanting, which may indicate they were the tombs of the 
 queens or other members of the royal family. A heavy thick slab 
 of stone forms the outer door of these tombs. It moves in slots cut 
 in the rock, and can only be pushed to one side by the force ol 
 two or three men. Everything about these tombs indicate> 
 that they are very old. Their date, however, is unknown, ana 
 the origin of their present name. They are certainly the tomb> 
 of some powerful and wealthy personages. Many conjecture^ 
 have been made in regard to them ; may they not be the tomb> 
 of those kings w^ho were not buried with the great and oood 
 kings in the City of David ? Manasseh was buried in the garden 
 
TUM15S OF THK KINGS. .SOD 
 
 of his own house, and so was Anion, and Asa was levied in 
 his own sepulchre which he had digged for himself in the 
 L'itv of David. Between the small bridge across the Kedron 
 and Silwan are four noted tombs, the most northerly is that of 
 Jehoshaphat. It is a subterranean tomb cut into the base (jf 
 the mountain and has nothing worthy of special notice. The 
 next tomb down the Kedron. is the tomb of Absalom, a s(|Uiue 
 ina.ss of stone hewn out of the mountain, and surmounted by a 
 liume tapering towards the top. The height is about forty feet, 
 and the base of it is covered with heaps of small stones which 
 the natives threw at it when passing, in contempt of the num 
 guilty of rebellion against his father. Although there is a 
 snicall opening and two loculi in this tomb, it has been supposed 
 to be a memorial })illar and the real burial place to be that of 
 Jehoshaphat in the rear of this monument. The tomb of St. 
 James is immediat''^ly south ; the entrance facing Jerusalem is 
 ornamented with four Doric columns, and the tond^ cave ex- 
 tends forty feet or more into the rock. Beyond this is the 
 tomb of Zachariah, a solid block cut out of the mountain, and 
 is about twenty feet square, surmounted by a pyramid also 
 hewn from the rock. The height of the whole tomb is about 
 thirty feet. Each side has two columns and two half columns, 
 the capitals of which are Ionic. The side next Jerusalem is 
 completely finished, while the others are not, which would, ac- 
 cording to De Saulcy, perhaps indicate that the work had been 
 stopped by the fall of Jerusalem. It is a solid mass, with 
 no interior chamber and none near it in the mountain. Like 
 the tomb of Absalom, it is without inscription that would 
 atibrd a clue to its date or purpose. Absalom was buried in a 
 pit in the wood of Ephraim, " but in his lifetime he had i eared 
 up for himself a pillar which is in the king's dale." * The 
 
 *2Sam. xviii. 18. 
 
310 nETHANY, BETHLEIIEM, TIERROX, AND JERICHO. 
 
 reference in Genesis to the king's dale affords no clue to the 
 locality. Josephus * calls it a pillar of marble in the kiivr's 
 dale and two furlongs distant from Jerusalem. The term 
 pillar might apply to the monument in the Kedron called 
 Absalom's tomb, and the marble of Josephus is simplv the 
 whitish limestone of which the hills are comj)osed about Jeru- 
 salem. The distance, however, does not agree with the modern 
 tomb. Perhaps the king's dale was the level area south of 
 Ophel, foi'med by the junction of the valleys of Jehosluiphat 
 and Hinnom. There is no doubt this part of the valley wa^ 
 cultivated in the days of the kings of Judah, and the distance 
 would agree with the statement of Josephus as regards thi 
 distance from Jerusalem. The language of the Sciiptures above 
 quoted does not signify, a solid mass hewn out of the mountain, 
 but a monument erected and set up, stone upon stone. On 
 these tombs, however, the eyes of our Lord rested, as He looked 
 down from Olivet into the Kedron and over on the doomed 
 city, and this circumsta,nce invests them with interest to every 
 one who beholds them. 
 
 Let us hasten on to Bethany. Beyond the bridge that spans 
 the Kedron valley opposite St. Stephen's gate are three roads . 
 one, a narrow pathway leading directly over Olivet, past the 
 Church of the Ascension ; another, used by beasts of burden, 
 sweeps southward along the base of the mount, and then 
 extends in an easterly direction. Probably both of these roads 
 are ancient, for pathways like everything else in the East have 
 remained unchanged. And over the latter our Lord probablyrode 
 into Jerusalem previous to His crucifixion when the people took 
 branches of palm trees and went forth to meet Him, and cried, 
 " Hosanna : Blessed is the King of Israel that cometh in the 
 name of the Lord." -f- There seems to have been no uncertainty 
 
 * Ant. vii. 10, 3. + John xii. 13. 
 
HETIIANY. nil 
 
 as to the site of Bethany. The nioilern El Azaiiyeh occupies the 
 site of the <ancieiit village, nearly two miles from Jerusalem, and 
 iloso to the old roail from Jerusalem to Jericho, and thus agrees 
 with the distance given by St, John : " about fifteen furlongs 
 off." * It is situated on the south-east of a spur of the Mount 
 of Olives, amid orchards of olive, almond, and Hg trees. I saw 
 it tirst from the spur on the north side, and it appeared very 
 beautiful, nestling amid its gardens of alihond trees in bloom. 
 There was a subdued calm that seemed suitable for the spot so 
 highly honoured by the presence of the Son of God, which was 
 also in harmony with my own feelings. I stood at a distance 
 and thought of the blessed home that once was there, whose 
 inmates welcomed the Lord as He came to rest from His labours 
 in Jerusalem with the proud Pharisee, and the hard masses sunk 
 in if'norance and formalism. What divine condescension that He, 
 who is the Creator of things visible and invisible, whose throne 
 is high and lifted up, should thus accept the social kindness 
 and shelter of that humble abode in Bethany ! The modern 
 village contains abov,*^, thirty flat-roofed hovels, standing up 
 conspicuously among which are the ruins of an ancient church 
 or tomb. The site of the house of Lazarus is shown in the 
 south-west, and his tomb on the south-east, to the latter of 
 which I descended from the outside by twenty-six steps, which 
 terminated in a small chamber, damp and filthy, and from 
 which an opening led into a still smaller room, said to be the 
 grave of Lazarus. The whole male population was collected 
 on the tops of two or three houses which were joined together, 
 a fire was blazing on the roof, some of the men were in earnest 
 conversation, others praying, and all of them oblivious to our 
 presence. Some of the most important scenes in the life of 
 Christ were enacted here, and on the spur of Olivet behind the 
 
 * John xi. 18. 
 
312 HKTirAW, nKTHLKHKM, HKHRON, AND JKRICHU. 
 
 villaj^o. On the iioith-west of the villaj^c, close to the roadside, 
 are oh) tombs cut in the limestone lock which rises to the sur- 
 face. Some of them are also enclosed in a(ljoinin<^ fig ji^'aidens. 
 There are no other tombs near the village for a long distance, 
 and if the modern village be on the ancient site these tombs 
 agree with the Scripture narrative, which implies they wero 
 outside the village when Martha met Christ. The descent to 
 these old tombs is by five or six steps cut out of the rock ; there 
 are openings about five or six feet high and thi-ee broad, lend- 
 ing into the interior chamber hewn out of the solid rock. I saw 
 no loculi in any which I visited. The dead bodies were prob- 
 ably placed on the floor of the chamber, and the door was closed 
 by a stone slab placed against it. In one of these doubtless the 
 omnipotent words of the Lord rang, and death was obedient to 
 His command. " Ijazarus came forth bound hand and foot with 
 grave clotlies."* The parting blessing of our Lord was given 
 His disciples in all probability on the spur of Olivet north of 
 Bethany, whence He ascended to heaven. St. Luke says : " lie 
 led them out as far as to Bethau^ ;"-|* and in the A.cts of the 
 Apostles it is written, " they returned from the mount called 
 Olivet." :J: Bethany is on a spur of Olivet, and, therefore, Loth 
 passages are quite harmonious. If He had ascended from the 
 site of the Church of the Ascension He would not have sone 
 as far as to Bethany, but if from the spur of the mount over- 
 looking Bethany, both facts are complied with : that He went 
 as far as Bethany and yet was on the Mount of Olivet. 
 
 Near Bethany are gardens of fig and almond trees, enclosed 
 by low stone walls. There is a famous passage in Mark xi. 13, 
 which has cansed difficulty to most readers and to many com- 
 mentators. Our Lord was returning from Bethany, where He 
 had spent the night, to Jerusalem, " and seeing a fig tree afar off 
 
 * John xi. 43. fLuke xxiv. 50. X Acts i. 12. 
 
OUH LORD CURSING THK VUi TREE. 313 
 
 having leaves, Ho came, if Imply Ho might find anything there- 
 on: and when He came to it He found nothing but leaves; for 
 thi' time of figs was not yet." Various methods have been adopted 
 to get rid of the impossibility of the Lord finding figs on the tree, 
 and the seeming impropriety of cursing the tree, since it was 
 not the time of figs. Some have proposed to make the last 
 sentence interrogative, " for was it not the time of figs ? " or bv 
 changing the negative adverb into an adverb of place, to read 
 "for where he was, it was the tiuie of figs." While others 
 a,'ain propose to read, " for it was not the season for gathering 
 the figs yet," and as there were leaves, which would indicate 
 the presence of fruit in a healthy tree, and as the season for 
 gathering the fruit had not arrived, it was natural for our 
 Lord to expect figs on the tree. These changes are not 
 entirely satisfactory. There are two crops of figs in Pales- 
 tine, the early one gathered in the latter part of March and 
 beginning of April. These are green and hard, and are eaten 
 by the poor with salt, in many places of the country now, 
 I ate them at Jericho and from the trees near Bethany, at 
 the end of March and during the first week of April, about 
 the same time of the year when our Lord expected fruit on 
 the fig tree. This is the crop spoken of in the Song of Solo- 
 mon. " The fig tree putteth forth her green figs " * (paggin). 
 And at this same time the flowers are in bloom, and the birds 
 are singing, and the grapes are forming on the vines. The 
 main crop for use and exportation ripens in August and Sep- 
 tember. Now, as the figs are formed at the same time as the 
 leaves or even prior to them, the tree ought to have had green 
 figs. It is not to be supposed our Lord would expect an impos- 
 sibility, and as He looked for fruit, we must honestly believe 
 it was because He expected to find figs. There were leaves on 
 
 * Song of Sol. ii. 13. 
 
 21 
 
314 BETHANY, BETHLEHEM, HEBRON, AND JERICHO. 
 
 the tree, and therefore there ought to have been fruit ; it was 
 the time of the green figs. The words, " the time of figs was 
 not yet," were added in my opinion to indicate it was not the 
 season of the summer crop, but it was the season of greeu figs, 
 and so our Lord's action is justified and St. Mark's words 
 accounted for. 
 
 The site of Bethphage is not certain ; perhaps it may have 
 been on the spur of Olivet north-east of Bethany, where a few 
 ancient foundations have recently been dug up. It signifies 
 " the house of the green figs," and may have been so callt I 
 because the inhabitants made this an article of diet in spring, 
 or that the fruit was gathered in (juantities there for the 
 market. In the passages of Scripture where the name occurs, 
 it would seem to have been located east of Bethany. After 
 our Lord restored sight to blind Bartimieus at Jericho, He and 
 His disciples came up to Jerusalem. " And when they came 
 nigh to Jerusalem, unto Bethphage and Bethany at the Mount 
 of Olives, He sendeth forth two of His disciples." This would 
 seem to indicate that He reached Bethphage first, and that 
 it was therefore east of Bethany. A spur of the Mount of 
 Olives projects some distance to the south-east of Bethany, 
 and when one on coming up from Jericho passes this spur, 
 Bethany appears some distance before him at the foot of the 
 mount itself. If Bethphage were on this spur, Bethany would 
 be over against one coming from the east. To this village, 
 if it were situated on the north-east[of modern Bethany, Christ 
 may have sent his disciples for the colt on which He rode 
 into the city, when the multitude in the wildest enthusiasm 
 spread their garments in the way, and also branches of the fig 
 and olive trees with which the mount was covered, and along 
 that narrow road, that even to this day winds around the brow of 
 Olivet, cried out, " Hosanna ; Blessed is he that cometh in the 
 name of the Lord." The site of Bethphage is lost as a matter 
 
BETHPHAGE AND BETHANY. 815 
 
 of certainty, but so is that of more famous places. Bethphage 
 and Bethany remind us of the poverty of the people, and indi- 
 rectly also of the fact that the mount which is now compara- 
 tively bare was then covered with trees. Bethany is to this 
 day a house of poverty. There are no signs of business 
 activity among the people. Visitors are naturally desirous 
 of seeing, above all other places, the spot hallowed, while 
 the world exists, hy the presence of the King, of Him who 
 thought it not robbery to be equal with God, and are 
 admitted by an old wooden door into an enclosure, in which 
 are the foundations of the traditional site of the home of 
 Mary, and Martha, and Lazarus. There is nothing to .sup- 
 port the tradition of the people. As, however, the village is 
 in all probability on the site of ancient Bethany, one standing 
 anywhere in the modern village is within a few yards at most 
 from the site of the home in which the Son of God, the light 
 and life and Creator of the world, found shelter and rest 
 from the din of contendini; factions and the insults and scoffino^s 
 of the godless in Jerusalem. However, for the privilege of 
 seeing what one does not believe, a bukshish is paid by every 
 visitor into the revenue of Bethany. A few families I found 
 living, on the north side of the village, in what seemed to have 
 been an old tomb hewn out of the mountain. There were no 
 such luxuries as windows, and smoke was issuing from the en- 
 trance, which did duty for the door and window. In front of this 
 entrance an enclosure about six or eight feet square was formed 
 by a stone wall built up to the height of three feet; within this 
 were a woman and a few children who were the picture of utter 
 wretchedness, and vigorously demanded bukshish. Children 
 followed us, even to the summit of Olivet. One young man 
 gave me a handful of green almonds which ho was eating and 
 for which he ex-^ected a handsome gift ; while an old leper 
 thrust his leprous hand, swollen and twisted out of all resem-- 
 
316 BETHANY, BETHLEHEM, HEBRON, AND JERICHO. 
 
 blance to a human hand, into my face and in stern tones de- 
 ma.nded a present of money for this favour. 
 
 As one stands on the top of Olivet, whose name will ever 
 live in the heart and history of the Christian Church, and looks 
 down the gently sloping hill to the Kedron and Gethsemane, 
 and on to the City of God, he has before hiui within the dis- 
 tance of a few miles the scene of the mightiest deeds which 
 were ever done on earth, which have moulded the history of 
 the world, and which have given hope and moral strength and 
 everlasting life to millions in their struggles with the stern 
 realities of life and with sin and death. 
 
 There are three narrow foot-paths up the face of the Mount 
 of Olives : one extending directly over the mount to Bethany ; 
 another diverges to the north from this a few yards above the 
 garden of Gethsemane, and follows the depression between 
 Scopus and Olivet; while a third diverges to the south, past 
 the north-east corner of Gethsemane, and leads up to the tombs 
 of the prophets, far up on the brow of a lower elevation, to the 
 vsouth of Olivet. Christ's triumphal entrance to Jerusalem, 
 when the multitudes shouted, " Hosanna," was made along the 
 road that extends below the Garden of Gethsemane, and, follow- 
 ing the line of the Kedron for a short distance, sweeps eastward 
 round the lower part of the mount. As he rode from Bethany 
 along this way, Zion and Opliel would first appear, and then 
 rounding a spur of the mount, the Temple and the wliolc city 
 would l^urst on his view. And as he thought of its privileges 
 and of its sin and its rapidly approaching doom, " when 
 He was come near. He beheld the city and wept over it." 
 
 But some of those foot-paths must be as old as the time of 
 our Lord, for the people of Bethany would take the shortest 
 and most direct route over the mount to Jerusalem. Some- 
 where on the mount He sat and told His eager, questioning 
 -disciples of the coming doom of the city. At a point between 
 
THE SITE OF THE GARDEN OF GETHSExMANE. 317 
 
 the Church of the Ascension and the tombs of the prophets, 
 He would probably be opposite the Temple, and sufficiently 
 retired from the roads of travel and the multitudes. There 
 lie had the whole city spread out like a panorama before him. 
 The Kedron swept between him and the city, while just beyond 
 it rose the city wall, within which was the Temple with its 
 numerous courts and magnificent pillared corridors, and whose 
 great stones were soon to l»e a heap of ruins. In its courts he 
 could see the worshippers offering- sacrifices, while their eyes 
 were blind and their hearts hardened against Him who was the 
 fulfilment of all sacrifices. In the Tyropoeon and other nar- 
 row streets, he could see the people busy at their daily trader 
 and far over to the south-west ho could behold Mount Zion 
 the nucleus of the ancient city, and where the splendid palace of 
 David and Solomon stood. Up this very Mount of Olives David 
 the King, his illustrious ancestor, fled from the unnatural re- 
 bellion of his own son. But now David's Lord who shall vet 
 have the uttermost parts of the earth for his possession, is re- 
 jected and despised by his o\vn, whom he came to save. On 
 the same mount he forewarned his disciples of the gathering 
 storms of divine wrath that would finally overthrow from its 
 foundations the temple, the city, and the whole nation, and 
 make the people despised and down-trodden among the Gen- 
 tiles. 
 
 The Garden of Gethsemane is enclosed by stone walls, 
 and occupies the angle between the direct foot-path, over the 
 Mount of Olives, and the road used for beasts of burden which 
 sweeps to the right after crossing the Kedron opposite St. 
 Stephen's Gate. If these roads are as old as the days of our 
 Lord, this spot would be too near the public highway to suit 
 the Lord, who went to Gethsemane for retirement and rest from 
 his toils and from human intercourse. It seemed to me, there - 
 lore, that the true scene of his bitter agony must be located 
 
318 BETHANY, BETHLEHEM, HEBRON, AND JERICHO. 
 
 higher up tlie mount and probably in the direction of the 
 tombs of the prophets. Though that part is now treeless, it 
 was not so then, for the whole mount was covered with olive 
 and fig trees. Objections have been taken to the narrative of 
 Scripture in connection with the events of our Lord's last 
 night in Gethsemane. Officers of the chief priest came 
 lO find him and make him prisoner. They had lanterns and 
 torches as well as weapons. As it was the time of the full 
 moon at the Jewish Passover, her silvery light in a cloudless 
 sky, would have been better than the light of smoking torches 
 or lanterns. And it has therefore been asserted that the occur- 
 rences are not true, or that John the author of the fourth 
 Gospel, was not the Apostle, but a Christian of Asia or Egypt. 
 There are two facts that the opponents of Scripture have not oh- 
 served or have most unfairly kept in tlie background. The foli- 
 age of the olive trees is dense, the leaves are small and numer- 
 ous on the branches. The space, therefore, covered by the 
 spreading branches is quite dark. It was during the passover 
 week I went to the Mount of Olives at night. The moon was 
 shining brightly in the sky, which was studded with multitudes 
 of brilliant stars, and while I could read a book in the moon- 
 light, under the olive trees the darkness was so dense that a 
 friend at a short distance could not see me. If we remember 
 that there were not a few trees scattered here and there, but that 
 the mount was covered with them, the necessity for torches 
 and lanterns will appear. Besides those officers thought it pro- 
 bable that some of the disciples might flee for safety into the 
 tombs that existed along the face of the mountain and along 
 the valley of Hinnom. They probably thought that was 
 a natural thing to do when danger threatened them. It 
 was, doubtless, what they would have done in similar circum- 
 stances. They came prepared, therefore, for every emergency 
 that might arise. And the whole narrative bears on its face 
 
A iUDE TO BETHLEHEM AND HEHRON. 310 
 
 the stamp of golden truth, which will ever defy the ingenuity 
 and wrongly directed efforts of men to destroy it, and also 
 testifies that the autlior of the fourth Gospel is coiTect in the 
 incidental details as well as in the leading facts of the occur- 
 rence in Gethsemane. 
 
 Before going north over many sacred places, let us take a 
 glance at a few scenes south ; it can be done in a few moments, 
 for we can travel faster along tlie pages of a book by our own 
 tireside than on Syrian horses or on the swiftest donkey over 
 the rough paths among the Judjean hills, I left Jerusalem in 
 the early morning in company with the Rev. J. G. Smart. Our 
 guide was Alexander, a member of the Greek Church, but who 
 did not believe in all her superstitions by any means. He 
 accompanied us to Damascus, and with a little more knowledge 
 of Bible history will make a first-rate guide. The owner of the 
 horses also came, a Mahommedan, whose fanaticism was of the 
 tiercest. We started from near the Damascus Gate and rode in 
 single file through Jerusalem, Alexander first, followed closely 
 by myself and Mr. Smart, and in the rear tlie Mahomme- 
 dan, who was gaily dressed in fiashy gown and spotless turban, 
 and mounted on a small donkey. The horses' hoofs clattered 
 on the rough stones of the streets, and pressing close to 
 the walls caused danger to our heads from projecting stones 
 above, and to our legs from the walls below. Guiding our 
 horses carefully througli the motley crowd on Christian 
 Street, shouting at one time to a stolid Russian peasant 
 to get out of the way, or suddenly checking up our horses 
 lest they might trample down women and children from many 
 distant lands who ever and anon were crushed against us by 
 the dense mass in front, we at length rode out through the 
 Jaffa Gate ; and, turning to the left, hastened down the slopes 
 of Mount Zion and crossed the Valley of Hinnom. Where we 
 crossed, it was a deep gorge having Zion on the north, and the 
 
320 BETHANY, BETHLEHB:M, HEBRON, AND JERICHO. 
 
 hill of Evil Counsel on the south, honey-combed with ancient 
 tombs, some of which are now occupied by wretched lepers. 
 This was " the valley of the son of Hinnom," or " Tophet," in 
 which Ahaz and Manasseh had placed Moloch, and caused 
 their children "to pass through the fire," they were put to 
 death amid the deepest agonies, as an act of worship to the 
 heathen idol. Its worship led the Jews into a moral abyss, 
 from which they could be rescued only by the hand of divine 
 mercy. Jeremiah spoke of the doom of the people for their 
 licentious and debasing idolatry in this valley. It had been 
 long the receptacle of the otfal, filth, and dead carcases thrown 
 out from the city. It was thus a place of defilement, and the 
 Lord said : " Thus will I do unto this place and the inhabitants 
 thereof, and even make this city as Tophet ; and the houses of 
 Jerusalem, and the houses of the kings of Judah shall be de- 
 filed as the place of Tophet.'' * This penalty was infiicted in 
 the days of the Babylonians and Roman sieges, during the 
 latter of which the valleys about Jerusalem were piled high 
 with the corpses of the Jews. In later times the valley became 
 a symbol of the future place of punishment for the wicked, 
 who shall be cast into the Gehenna, " into the fire that shall 
 never be quenched." -|- Over a rough pathway we ascended 
 the brow of the hill beyond, the sky was unclouded, the fields 
 green and fiowers decked the roadside. Flocks were feeding, 
 pilgrims of every costume and language were hastening into 
 Jerusalem to the Easter services. Along this way the patri- 
 arch Abraham probably travelled to the land of Moriah ; David 
 passed over this road on his journeyings between Hebron and 
 Jerusalem, and Solomon rode over it to his gardens in Wady 
 Urtas, whose terraccid slopes were then covered with fig trees, 
 vines, and oranges. Over this road Joseph and Mary travelled 
 
 * .feremiah xix. 12, 13. t Mark ix. 45. 
 
BETHLEHEM., 321 
 
 when they came into tlie City of David wliicli is called Beth- 
 lehem, to be taxed ; and over it, doubtless, the blessed feet of 
 Jesus walked. The whole journey was thrilling* with interest, for 
 the dust under our horses' Loofs had been trodden by the holiest 
 and greatest of the world's heroes of the past. On the right, 
 near Bethlehem, is the wliite, mosque-like tomb of Rachel. Of 
 course it is modern, but may mark the last resting place of 
 Jacob's wife. " As for me, when I came from Padan, Rachel 
 died by me in the land of Canaan, in the way, when yob there 
 was but a little way to come to Ephrath ; and I buried her 
 there in the way of Ephrath : the same is Bethlehem."* 
 
 Soon Bethlehem came into view, like a queen among all the 
 princesses of Judah. Her throne is the hill on which she sits 
 in loveliness. The valley on the north sweeps away eastward 
 towards the fertile plain whose fields Ruth gleaned, and over 
 which the shepherds may have watched their flocks when the 
 angel announced the good tidings of great joy. Terraces 
 covered with vines, olive and fig trees rise up from the valley 
 below, and form a garland of ex(iuisite beauty to adorn the 
 throne. Bethlehem has always been small, and never became 
 important for its wealth or population. The references to it 
 in Judges are not creditable to its morality. Near it, perhaps 
 in the extensive plain eastward of the town, were the fields of 
 Boaz in which Ruth gleaned, whose touching story opens to us 
 the customs and inner life of the citizens of ancient Bethlehem. 
 David, when the place was in the hands of the Philistines, 
 longed for " the water of the well of Bethlehem which is by 
 the gate."-f* On the north-west are three cisterns hewn out of 
 the rock : this is the traditional well of David. The citizens 
 draw up water from them by a rope and vessel attached. I 
 do not know whether these cisterns are supplied by a spring 
 
 * Gen. xlviii. 7. +2 Sam. xxiii. 15. 
 
322 BETHANY, BETHLEHEM, HEBRON, AND JERICHO. 
 
 or not, but it is worthy of notice, the word used in Samuel for 
 well does not signify a spring or fountain, Init " pit," or some- 
 thing dug out, and the men who imperilled their life for David, 
 " drew water out of the well," which describes the method of 
 raising it out of a cistern. It was situated in or by the gate. 
 The city seems to have been walled and to have had either one 
 gate or one of special note. Moreover, it is probable the 
 present road to Hebron is on the old route between it and 
 Jerusalem, and the gate on that side of Bethlehem would be the 
 one most fretjuently used by persons on this main road of travel. 
 Hence, it might become the chief gate of the town. Besides, if a 
 wall enclosed Bethlehem, it would extend along the brow of the 
 hill on the north-west, east, and south-east, and therefore a well 
 in the gate would be possible only on the north-west, east or 
 south-east of the town. On the whole, therefore, it seems to me, 
 after a careful visit, to be probable these cisterns may be- on 
 the spot whence the men drew up the water for David. Beth- 
 lehem is mentioned in connection with the return of Zerub- 
 babel and the captives from Babylon ; but the chief interest 
 of the world is centred in it as the birth-place of the Son of 
 Man. It contains about six thousand inhabitants ; its houses 
 are of whitish grey limestone ; the people are sturdy, indus- 
 trious, and independent ; the women are decidedly superior in 
 appearance and intelligence to any in Palestine. I dismounted 
 in the square before the Church of the Nativity, and entered 
 a court through a low, iron-plated door, and thence passed into 
 the Church, which is perhaps the oldest Christian Church in 
 the world, being, according to some, the original Basilica of Con- 
 stantine enlarged and repaired. The roof is supported by 
 forty-four columns of difierent material, and with various 
 kinds of capitals, some of which were not made for the 
 columns on which they are now placed. Birds had come into 
 the church from the gardens and were singing on the rafters 
 
THE BIRTHPLACE OF CHRIST. 323 
 
 their sweetest song, as if in praise to Him who will not permit 
 a sparrow to fall to the ground without His permission. 
 Passing into the transept, which is separated by a wall from 
 the nave on the right, I descended a few steps into the cave 
 of the Nativity, covered by a marble slab, over which was a 
 silver star, on which was written, " Hlo de VIrginr Maria 
 i/t'.s'H.s Christua natus est" Pilgrims were on their knees 
 kissing the stone, and dipping their fingers into the oil in 
 the golden lamps, which were burning above the cave, 
 and smearing their faces with it, believing that it might 
 cleanse their souls. A narrow passage through the rock 
 leads to the chapel and tomb of Jerome, who, in the 
 fourth century, did good service to the Church of Christ 
 by translating the Scriptures into Latin. It is quite 
 possible a cave may have been the birthplace of Christ, 
 for the people may have occupied such rocky caverns as the 
 people of Endor do now. Justin Martyr, about the middle of 
 the second century, says our Lord was born " in a cave very 
 close to the village," and it is scarcely possible this tradition 
 would be astray in a century and a-half in regard to tlie most 
 important event that ever occurred on earth. The magi, 
 "when they came into the house, saw the young child with 
 Mary His mother," * but may a house not have been built at 
 the mouth of the cave, as some of those yet to be seen at other 
 places. Thus the magi could have entered the house, and yet 
 Justin's tradition be true, for the house would be partly com- 
 posed of mason-work at the entrance to the cave. Or may not 
 the child and His mother have been removed from the cave to 
 some house of a friend before the magi reached Bethlehem. 
 However, in every foot of Bethlehem one feels very near the 
 cradle of the Lord, who has brought peace on earth and good- 
 
 * Matt. ii. 2. 
 
324 BETHANY, BKTHLEHEM, IIEIUION, AND JERICHO. 
 
 will toward men, who lias cheered millions in the struggle of 
 life, and saves us from sin. The memory of famous deeds and 
 mighty men, from David, who fed his father's Hocks in the 
 wadies and wild hills, to Christ the Lord of glory, who have 
 made Bethlehem precious to the Christian and the scene of 
 events of eternal importance to the world made me linger 
 longer in its streets. 
 
 We lunched at the Pools of Solomon. The largest of the 
 three is five hundred and eighty-two feet long, the second four 
 hundred and twenty-three feet, the third three hundred and 
 eighty feet, and are constructed partly of masonry, and partly 
 hewn out of the solid rock. They follow the direction of the 
 valley, and the one lowest down receives the overflow of the 
 others above it. A quadrangle and tower near the pools were 
 occupied by a few murderous-looking soldiers. From these 
 pools water is conveyed by an aqueduct along the brow of the 
 hills to Wady Urtas, and thence to Jerusalem. These pools 
 are lined with a thick coating of cement, like the upper and 
 lower Gihon. They are of great age, and there seems no 
 reason why they should not be the work of Solomon, whose 
 name they bear. Soon we were crossing the hills by rough 
 paths, and then descended into rich valleys, covered with the 
 deepest green. Here and there men were ploughing with 
 their primitive ploughs drawn by oxen. As it was near the 
 Feast of Moses, Mahommedans gaily dressed rode past us in 
 companies headed by a dignitary riding a white horse and 
 carrying in his hand a long spear-headed staff of otHce. They 
 were a fanatical lot, and hardly responded to our salutations. 
 Towards sun-down we turned from the main road to the right, 
 and rode down narrow roads eight or ten feet wide, with 
 high walls on each side, enclosing gardens of vines and tigs, 
 These were the roughest and most dangerous roads I had yet 
 travelled in Palestine. As the road extended down a natural 
 
THE JEDAKS OR GA;<DEN WALLS OF I'ALESTINK. 325 
 
 tlepression, the streamlets caused by the spring rains flowed 
 into it, so that in some places the water reached the feet of 
 the rider. The bottom was full of loose stones, the water was 
 dirty, and occasionally my horse placin*,' its foot on a smooth 
 stone, which just appeared above the surface of the water 
 would slip, and as its foot went down violently the rider was 
 drenched with muddy water, or lurched against a thorny hedge 
 or thrown into the gully. The garden walls in Palestine are 
 usually from two to six feet high, composed of stones without 
 mortar, and along the top runs a row of thorns, all which indi- 
 cates that the eighth commandment is violated in Palestine as 
 well as in Canada. These jedars, the Hebrew for which is 
 " tradair," or " greder," are about six or eiijht feet hiarh at 
 Hebron, narrower at the top than at the base, and the rough 
 immortared stones can easily be thrown down by an enemy or 
 robber. The small holes between the stones are the abodes of 
 serpents, and the truth that an evil deed will only be rewarded 
 with evil' is taught in Scripture, by a reference to these walls : 
 "Whoso breaketh down a jedar a serpent shall bite him."* And 
 the vengeance of God in the utter ruin of men who plot against 
 those whose strength is Jehovah, is forcibly pointed out, by 
 comparing them to these loosely built, unmortared walls. "How 
 long will ye imagine mischief against a man ? Ye shall be 
 slain all of you : as a bowing wall shall ye be, and as a totter- 
 ing jedar."-f- After an hour's floundering and plunging in these 
 narrow ways full of water and rough stones, which in Palestine 
 are called roads, but in Canada would be called a combined 
 quarry and river, we reached the Russian Hospice. It is a large 
 stone building, situated on the brow of the hill overlooking 
 the Valley of Eschol. The lower part of the Hospice was 
 occupied by scores of Russians, who were busy in preparing 
 
 *Ecc. X. 8. tPs. Ixii. 3. 
 
820 IIFCTHAXY, nKTHLKirF.M, HEBRON, AND JERICHO. 
 
 their evening meal. The men were moving in every direction 
 with vessels of liot water to prepare tea, while the womon 
 were spreading out quilts and rugs on the floor, for a shako- 
 down for the night. Others were seated on the outside of 
 the huilding in groups, eagerly discussing topics of coinnion 
 interest. Our horses were ])rovi<led for, an<l we were shown 
 to the upper part of the building which we were to occupy for 
 the night. Alexander spread out our food on a large table, 
 while the Russian matron furnished us with liot water an«l 
 necessary vessels. The room was large, airy and clean. The 
 (mly furniture in it being the table and a few rough coinmoii 
 chairs. As we were hungry we enjoyed our evening meal, our 
 cu[)s being refilled until either the hot water supply liecame 
 exhausted or Alexander's patience, for on returning my cup 
 for more he replied with a merry twinkle of his black eyes, 
 " Khalas," it is finished. In a I'oom adjoining were two beds, on 
 which we piled up our rugs and spare coats, for the night air 
 was raw and chilly, and slept soundly under the shadow of 
 Hebron. 
 
 In the early morning I looked out on that rich plain stretch- 
 ing away in a south-easterly direction. Hero probably grew 
 the large bunches of grapes in the Valley of Eschol, one of 
 which the spies took with them as a sample of the fertility of 
 the soil. Five minutes ride down the valley from the hospice is 
 an old oak ; it is twenty-six feet in girth at its base, and a 
 few feet from the ground divides into four immense branches, 
 which spread out to a considerable distance, and afford a plea- 
 sant shade, and though having no connection with Abraham, 
 may well be a lineal descendant of that one in the plains of 
 Mamre, beneath which he entertained the angels. A half hour's 
 ride down the valley over an old Roman road brought us to 
 Hebron, built on the north-eastern slope of the valley. On Ijoth 
 sides of this road were old wells, out of which David may have 
 
rv 
 
 C 
 
328 BETHANY, BETHLEHEM, HEBRON, AND JERICHO. 
 
 drank. Here, in one of the vineyards, a man was ploughing witli 
 an ox and an ass. The ox was ^ jtenninsd to draw the plough in 
 one direction and the ass in another, thefarmerwas indifferent, for 
 a straight furrow seemed of no account; if the plough put into the 
 field at one side will come out at any spot in the same field at the 
 other side he is satisfied. I watched the result and found that 
 the superior strength of the ox overcame the stubborness of 
 the ass. When one sees these two unequal animals yoked 
 together, the mercy of the Mosaic code to the weaker animal, 
 and its necessity, become apparent : " Thou shalt not plough 
 with an ox and an ass together."* Good ploughing and 
 straight furrows are important in Canadian farming ; in the 
 East however they are of no account. The furrows there are 
 as crooked as the streets of Damascus, to travel through which 
 one must "magine himself a corkscrew, and twist and turn 
 himself in one direction, and he will arrive at some ctd de sac, 
 or against some stone wall that will hinder further progress. 
 Then in order to return, he needs to untwist himself and turn 
 himself in the opposite direction and he will arrive at some 
 other place which he did not expect to reach. Farming like 
 every other industry, except the *art of extracting gold from 
 travellers, is in a primitive condition in the East. Perfection 
 in this art of bukshish, however, is not confined to the natives 
 of the East, for Europeans are adepts in this branch of business, 
 but work in more indirect but very successful methods. 
 
 The Evangelists are correct, even to the minutest details, in 
 their references to the customs and occupations of the people in 
 this old land. This is seen in their incidental statement about 
 the ploughs in their day. Our Lord, when urging the necessity 
 of persevering in the one work of following Him, enforces His 
 truth by a reference to the ploughman, who ever keeps his eyes 
 
 *Deut. xxii. 10. 
 
THE MOSQUE OF HEBRON. 329 
 
 and mind on the work before him, says : " No man having put 
 his hand to the plough and looking back is fit for the Kingdom 
 of God."* If the plural " hands " had been written, instead of 
 hand, it would have indicated the ignorance of the writer, and 
 placed a weapon in the hand of the unbeliever wherewith to 
 assail the truth. But here, as elsewhere, the Evangelists prove 
 themselves to have been men of the country by their correct 
 statements, of details. I rode through the Jewish quarter of 
 Hebron under arches, md through dark and filthy lanes to the 
 Mosque, under which is the cave of Machpelah, the burial place 
 of the great patriarchs. On the north side of the Mosque is 
 an area, in the centre of which is an old well, curbed with 
 large stones, and called Abraham's Well. On the south-east 
 are steps leading up to the Mosque. An armed Mahommedan 
 warned me not to ascend more than five steps ; I went one 
 more and stood upon the sixth, and thrust ni}^ arm into a hole 
 and so got as near as possible to the resting place of the illus- 
 trious dead. The Mahommedans are very fanatical in Hebron, 
 and guard the Mosque with jealous care. A number of boys 
 were sitting on the steps below me, committing the Koran to 
 memory. As I passed them I stooped to see their little books, 
 and to show their hatred of the infidel they at once closed them, 
 rose en masse on their feet and hissed like serpents at me. I 
 visited a glass manufactory, the only one I believe in Palestine. 
 The chief article produced i^ glass bracelets of various colours, 
 for ladies' arms. Hebron has its Jewish quarter where the des- 
 cendants of Abraham spend their life in perpetual danger from 
 the fanaticism of their Mahommedan fellow citizens. They 
 make a precarious living by mending boots and old clothes, as 
 they do the world over. In the valley to the south of the city is 
 a large pool, one hundred and thirty feet square, and fifty feet 
 
 * Luke ix. G2. 
 
 22 
 
330 BETHANY, BETHLEHEM, HEBRON, AND JERICHO. 
 
 deep. A few minutes' ride northward is a lesser pool. The 
 water in the former is clear, and used by the people of Hebron, 
 in the other it is stagnant, and a thick green scum had 
 collected on the surface. These are like Hebron, very old, and 
 at one of them David mav have han^jed the murderers of 
 Ishbosheth, as told in second Samuel ii. 12. Hebron ri\als 
 the most ancient cities of Syria or Egypt ; it was built seven 
 years before Zoar in Egypt, and before Abiaham's time was 
 known as Kirjath-Arba, and is now called El-Khulil, " the 
 friend," in reference to Abraham the friend of God. The position 
 of the large pools in the valley, and the springs contiguous to 
 Hebron, would indicate that the modern city is on the site of 
 ancient Hebron. Early in the afternoon I mounted my horse 
 and rode round the outskirts of the city once the heritage of 
 Caleb, where David reigned seven years, and which was one of 
 the cities of refuge. In Hebron have lived men famous in the early 
 history of the Hebrews ; its name and locality are full of un- 
 wearying interest. May the day soon come when Britain shall 
 rule the land ; then iron clamps will be broken, marble slabs 
 will be lifted up, iron doors will be swung open on their old, 
 rusty hinges, and the cave of Machpelah will tell its now 
 hidden story and reveal its mystery, and men may even 
 look on the embalmed patriarch who was carried up out 
 of Egypt and buried there ! Amid the curses of fanatical 
 Malionnnedans, and the friendly curiosity of the Jews, I 
 turned my horse's head and rode out of Hebron forever, 
 over ground, trodden by ancient patriarchs, and angels, and 
 famous kind's. 
 
 The sun was setting and throwing a mantle of purple and 
 gold over the Church of the Nativity and the white houses of 
 Bethlehem as I galloped on horseback oTer the plains eastward, 
 on which the shepherds watched their tioeks, when the angels 
 sang the heaveifly birth-song of the Lord. Down deep wadies 
 
MAR SABA. 331 
 
 we rode, along iiari'ow paths, and on the crest of lofty moun- 
 tains overlooking deep chasms below. One needs to hold a 
 tight rein and keep a watchful eye riding over these dangerous 
 roads, for a slip or stumble would easily hurl horse and rider 
 into the terrible rocky gorges hundreds of feet below. At 
 eight o'clock in the evening we reached Mar Saba, and after 
 much shouting and parleying, the large gate swung on its 
 rusty, creaking hinges and we rode down the steep causeway 
 into the courts below, and soon were guided up a stairway to 
 the room where we were to spend the night. The room was 
 large, with a rough table in its centre, a closet for dishes in one 
 end, and a low divan extended round three sides. After 
 a scanty meal I stood at the door and looked over this 
 weird spot. High above on the face of the rock were cells of 
 the monks from which a feeble light flickered, and on the other 
 .side of the deep Kedron were other cells now unoccupied ex- 
 cept by wild beasts. Everything was as silent as the grave, 
 except a low sound from the cells high above me in which the 
 monks were praying. The silvery moonlight brought out into 
 prominence the towers of the convent and the tops of the 
 halls, while the darkness of the lower part of the wild Kedron 
 below rendered the scene more impressive and terrible. The 
 rock tomb of the founder and his confined couch were visited 
 next morning, also the depository of numberless skulls and 
 bones of the monks, but as I was not studying physiology or 
 worshipping martyrs' relics, I did not prolong my stay in those 
 Ejloomy abodes. The church is beautifully adorned, and the 
 lilirary has a few valuable manuscripts, which the monks 
 prize highly though ignorant of their contents. Tlie monks 
 in their long gowns, loose slippers and high black hats, knit, 
 sew, cut sticks, and tame pigeons, and in general vegetate in 
 an aimless way until death comes, when their bones will be 
 mingled in confusion in the general heap. 
 
332 BETHANY, BETHLEHEM, HEBRON, AND JERICHO. 
 
 At Mar Saba, two men joined us in our journey to the 
 Dead Sea. The one was a farmer from the Western States, 
 over six feet high, and a shrewd observer of things and men ; 
 the other was the j^entleman who had travelled with us from 
 Joppa across to Jerusalem. Alexander had placed two bottles 
 of water on the floor of the large dining a» I sleeping-room of 
 the convent. The one contained drinking water, the other I 
 had tilled with water at Bethlehem and sealed. One small 
 candle cast a dim light through the large room, so that with dif- 
 ficulty could we recognize one another at the distance of fifteen 
 or twenty feet. After supper we rested on the divan that 
 extended along the walls of three sides of the room, and in the 
 lurid glare of the candle light, talked over the matters of the 
 day and the scenes through which we had passed. And though 
 full of eager speculation for the morrow, when we would visit 
 the famous plain of Jericho, the witness of such marvellous 
 scenes and mighty men of God, we thought of our loved ones 
 and friends at home in Canada and the United States. Mean- 
 while, our western man had begun a tour of inspection in the 
 room, and was prowling into strange corners and dark nooks. 
 During this tour he manajxed to stumble aofainst the two bottles 
 of water and broke one into pieces. My heart sank as I saw 
 the water streaming over the floor, I rose hurriedly, and to my 
 joy found the surviving bottle was the sealed one from Beth- 
 lehem, The grief of the western man was intense, because he 
 thought the lic^uid was wine, and regarded it as a calamity 
 that there should have been so much waste. He felt therefore 
 relieved when he discovered it was only spilt water and not 
 wine. But glass bottles are of considerable value at Mar Saba, 
 and so is water, for after considerable bantering with Alexander, 
 he paid down a handsome price for the damage he had done, 
 and learned the lesson of watching his feet when searching out- 
 of-the-way places in convents. 
 
THE DEAD SEA. 335 
 
 A small closet at one end of the room was occupied as a 
 sleeping place by our new comer, who carried with him sheets^ 
 pillow-cases and other articles that added to his comfort by 
 night, but to his discomfort by day. For, almost daily, some 
 article was forgotten or lost, until finally the whole stock was 
 gone, much to our peace, and on the whole to his advantage. 
 
 Early in the morning we were ready to mount on horses 
 and start before the heat of the day, but our friend in the 
 closet was still asleep. A messenger was sent in to inform him 
 if he did not make his appearance in fifteen minutes we would 
 leave him. We paced the court yard of Mar Saba, and when 
 the time had elapsed, as he did not put in an appearance, we 
 mounted our horses and rode away, leaving him to bring up 
 the rear with a friend. At first we rode along a narrow path 
 high up on the brow of a hill, and overlooking the deep gorge 
 of the Kedron. In an hour we turned in a north-easterly 
 direction. Our route lay over barren plains and desolate hills. 
 Here and there a few graves were passed that added, if pos- 
 sible, to the dreariness of the scene. At length our route was in 
 an easterly direction, and we began to descend towards the 
 plain of Jericho. The whole country was desolate in the ex- 
 treme, and scarcely a sign of vegetation appeared. Down, 
 down we rode over dangerous paths and among barren hills 
 that rose up on every side of us, and in every possible slope. 
 At length that strange Dead Sea appear^id like a deep basin, 
 hemmed in by the mountains of Moab on the east side, that 
 stood out in sharp outline and rugged grandeur against the 
 sky, and by these, down whose brows and deep chasms we 
 were riding. 
 
 The clear water of the sea sparkled in the sunlight, and far 
 away beyond the plain I could trace the course of the Jordan 
 by the shrubs and trees that lined its banks ; and its muddy- 
 coloured water could be followed for a considerable distance 
 

 
 
 CO 
 
THE DEAD SEA. 335 
 
 from the shore at the head of the sea, until it finally mingled 
 itself with the bitter water. The strip of vegetation followed 
 the Jordan to the shore of the sea, and then death held its 
 sway. Neither shruh nor flower grows along the desolate 
 shores of the sea, and its waters also are destitute of organic 
 life. It is the scene of silence and death. As I wished to 
 reach the sea as soon as possible, and ride northward along its 
 shore, I had to force the muleteer out of his usual route. 
 There is nothing more distasteful to our oriental than to in- 
 fringe on custom; it seems little short of sacrilege. The muleteer 
 first persuaded, then lied, and did everything to carry his point. 
 He said, with fire flashing in his eye, and in an angry tone, 
 " Princes have come here and mighty men before thee, and 
 they had gone in this way." I replied, I did not care for 
 princes or mighty ones. Then he tried to terrify me : " Howad- 
 jah, thou wilt be killed in the holes." In reply I turned my 
 horse's head and galloped straight for the sea along with my 
 companions. The Mahommedan muleteer followed, muttering 
 curses on me. But as Alexander willed it and we were already 
 galloping away, he submitted and followed us. It is a strange 
 sea, thirteen hundred and twenty feet below the level of the 
 ocean, and in its centre more than thirteen hundred feet deep. 
 Though it receives the waters of the Jordan and Arnon and 
 other streams it has no visible outlet. Its water is clear as 
 crystal, and contains bromine, potassium, and other minerals- 
 and about twenty-eight per cent, of salt. The density of the 
 water therefore is great, and feels waxy to the touch. No organic 
 life is visible in its water, and I only saw one bird fiy over its 
 surface. Across the sea the Moabite mountains rose up barren 
 and bleak, and riven with deep chasms to their very base. 
 Pisgah, on which Moses died, is the highest peak of Nebo, which 
 is itself merely a spur of the Abarim range of mountains, that 
 rise up in wild and rugged grandeur, thousands of feet above 
 
33G BETHANY, BETHLEHEM, HEBRON, AND JERICHO. 
 
 the wadies below. The statements of Scripture afford ample 
 data to locate this mountain. " Moses went up from the 
 ])lains of Moab unto the mor.ntain of Nebo, to the top of 
 Pisgah, that is over against Jericho." * In addition we are 
 informed where the plains of Moab were situated. When the 
 children of Israel defeated the Midianites, they brought tlie 
 captives and the spoil " to Moses, unto the camp at the plains 
 of Moab, which are by Jordan near Jericho."*!* From this 
 mountain the old and faithful leader who had guided the fickle, 
 thankless host forty years through the terrible wilderness, 
 could see the whole country from Zoar on the south to Dan at 
 the very source of the Jordan. Beyond the Jordan he could 
 behold far northward, the mountains of Naphtali that bound 
 the plain of Huleh, and also the mountains and valleys of 
 Samaria, and all the land of Judah to the shores of the Medi- 
 terranean Sea. Standing at the northern shore of the Dead 
 Sea, the highest peak almost due east is Pisgah. It is known 
 as Jebol Nebi, " the mountain of the Prophet." The wady that 
 extends from the Jordan along the northern base of this lofty 
 mountain is called Wady Musa by the Arabs. This mountain 
 near which are the springs of Ain Musa, complies in every re- 
 spect with the requirements of the biblical narrative. It is 
 before the face of Jericho and by the Jordan, and from its sum- 
 mit the plain of Jericho, and the whole of south-western 
 Palestine is distinctly seen in the marvellously clear atmos- 
 phere of the Orient. The early tribes on the east of the Jordan 
 were Semitic. They descended from the same stock and spoke 
 a language identically the same as the Hebrews. Thej^ were 
 descendants of Moab the grandson of Lot, and occupied the 
 highlands and fertile valleys on the east of the Dead Sea. 
 They became isolated from the descendants of Abraham, and 
 
 * Deut. xxxiv, 1. t Num. xx.xi. 12. 
 
THE MOAIUTE STONE. 337 
 
 fell into the state of heathenism in which they were found 
 when the Israelites came out of the desert and sought a passage 
 through their territory. In the Babylonian pantheon, Nebo 
 was a prominent deity, who seenis to have presided over 
 literature, and was the equivalent of the Egyptian Thoth, and 
 the Greek Hermes. His name given to a mountain range, also 
 to a town of the Moabites, indicates that the form of idolatry 
 existing in the country near the Euphrates, from which their 
 ancestors had emigrated, prev^ailed among them. The ruins of 
 altars are yet to be seen on the hill tops in this wild region, 
 on which sacrifices were offered to Nebo, Chemosh, and Baal- 
 Peor ; and Moses was buried in a valley in the land of Moab, 
 over against Beth-Peor, probably a temple dedicated to Baal- 
 Peor. 
 
 At Dibon, the capital, the famous Moabite stone "was found 
 in 1868, which is now in the Louvre in Paris. It contains thirty- 
 four lines, and though mutilated, affords im])ortant testimony 
 to the veracity of biblical history. After the death of Ahab, 
 ALoab rebelled, and the kings of Israel, Judah, and Edom, 
 united their forces against him. In his despair, he " took his 
 eldest son and offered him a burnt offering upon the wall." * 
 The tablet informs us that Mesha was king of Moab, and Dibon 
 the capita], that the Moabites were subject to the house of 
 Oiuri the father of Ahab, and that he went out to battle against 
 Israel, and at length finding that he was in danger, sacrificed 
 his eldest son at Kerak. Though the stone does not add any- 
 thing of importance to the stock of our knowledge of those 
 times, it is of value as testifying so far to the facts of Scrip- 
 ture. It is worth noticing that some of the characters on the 
 Moabite stone, are the same as many used in the Sinaitic in- 
 scriptions in Wady Mukatteb, in Arabic, which may help to 
 
 * 2 Kings iii., 27. 
 
538 UETHANY, JiETHLEHKM, HEBRON, AND JERICHO. 
 
 determine the date of those inscriptions ; for if they were of 
 very late orinrin^ these primitive forms of the Hebrew characters 
 would not have been employed. Besides, in looking over this 
 stone, one is struck with the truth that the Greek alphahot 
 must have been imported from the Orient, and some of the 
 characters have existed unchanged in form from the time of 
 their adoption into Greece to the present. The stone points to 
 the identity of the Moabites and Israelites, and also shows that 
 the foundations of the Indo-European languages as well as my- 
 thology and architecture were imported from the Semitic race : 
 through this race Jehovah has given the moral Irw and a 
 divine revelation of Himself ; and through it also the Word 
 was made flesh, " tiie only begotten of the Father, full of grace 
 and truth." 
 
 Between Wady Zerka and the River Arnon, a mountain 
 peak towers some thousands of feet above the Dead Sea, and 
 on its summit, Alexander, the son of Hyrcanus I., built the im- 
 pregnable fortress of Machaerus, in which John the Baptist 
 was beheaded. Fearless of danger, and no respecter of persons, 
 he denounced Herod who had forsaken his wife, the daughter 
 of Aretas, and was living with Herodias his brother Philip's 
 wife. In the light of the law of God, he told Herod " it is not 
 lawful for thee to have her." Hei'od then adopted the method 
 of tyrants to silence the truth and crush out righteousness ; 
 " he bound John and put him in prison." From the lower 
 city, which was enclosed by strong walls and towers, an under- 
 ground path led us to the fortress on the top. The founda- 
 tions of the wall are yet visible, and cisterns hewn out of the 
 the rock to contain a supply of water in case of siege, and also 
 vaulted dungeons in one of which the faithful servant of 
 Christ was beheaded. From that dreary place among the 
 wild mountains of Moab, isolated from friends, and doubtless 
 suffering from heartless cruelty, John sent his disciples to 
 
BATHING IN THE DEAD SEA. 330 
 
 Christ, sa3^ing : " Art thou He that should come or look we for 
 another ? " Josephus says, " Machaerus was ditched arouu«l 
 with such valleys on all sides and to such a depth that the 
 eye cannot reach their bottoms," and that " Herod built a wall 
 round the top of the hill, and erected towers at the corners, of 
 a hundred and sixty cubits high."* If the chained forerunner 
 of Christ were allowed to look out from his jorison across the 
 Dead Sea, towards the plains of Jericho the scene of his 
 labours, and towards Bethlehem and Jerusalem, he must have 
 fretted like a captive eagle, and wondered why the mighty 
 Son of God did not free him, that he might work longer as a 
 preparer of the way of the Lord. But his work was done, his 
 days of imprisonment in the terrible dungeon of Machaerus 
 were days of personal preparation and waiting. And, though 
 the Lord wrought no miracle to deliver him, doubtless His 
 answer to the message of John gave him strength and peace 
 in submitting to the will of God. 
 
 Along the sea shore where over masses of bituminous rock 
 and scrubby bushes. There were many ravines and pits 
 along the route, into which our Mahommedan would have re- 
 joiced to see us fall. Along the beach were scattered pieces of 
 dead wood encrusted with saline matter, and not a sign of 
 vegetable life was visible as far as the eye could reach. I 
 have read in books in my youth, that no living creature 
 could fly across that sea, that the noxious vapours would kill 
 it. During my stay, I saw only one bird flying across the north- 
 west corner of the sea, but of course it lived. We prepared to 
 bathe in that strange sea ; rough pebbles and black stones 
 lined the beach over which we walked as lightly as possible, put- 
 ting one foot down gently, and cautiously feeling for a soft place 
 for the other, and meantime swinging out our arms like wind- 
 
 * Bel. Jiul., vii. 6, 2. 
 
340 BETHANY, BETHLEHKM, HEHUON, AND JERICHO. 
 
 mills in our effort to keep our balance ; we were soon lifted from 
 our feet in deep water. The chief difticulty is to remain in the 
 water, for the swimmer finds himself on the surface and has 
 to force arms and limbs beneath in order to pro[)el himself. 
 
 It is of the first importance to keep one's head above water, 
 for if any of it gets into eyes or ears, or nostrils, the sensation 
 is like that of a red-hot coal. One gentleman ventured in with 
 great trepidation. He said he could not swim ; we gave hiin 
 encouragement by telling him it was impossible to drown. He 
 was over six feet high and of considerable lateral dimensions. He 
 crawled out timidly, but gained confidence when he found he 
 did not sink like a stone, as he evidently expected. While we 
 were swimming about, suddenly there was a splurging and 
 splnshing as if a whale were floundering in the sea behind us. 
 Our friend had managed to get his head into the sea, and 
 his feet out of it, and was frantically lashinij the water 
 with his hands in order to recover his right perpendic- 
 ular. On reaching the shore he applied a towel to his eyes, 
 ears and nostrils, which were smarting as if the fire of perdi- 
 tion had got into them, and meanwhile was sadly lamenting 
 that a man from the prairies of the great Western States, and 
 who had been born under the Stars and Stripes, should have 
 been such a fool as to have bathed in such a sea. 
 
 We mounted and galloped on horseback over the plain of 
 Jericho, and in an hour reached the traditional site of the 
 passage of the Israelites over the Jordan. The river is about 
 one hundred feet broad here ; the current is swift, and the water 
 muddy. On the east side, the banks were over twenty feet 
 high, and the mountains of Moab rose up range above range 
 and in a multitude of barren peaks. On the west side, where 
 we landed, the ground gradually shelved down towards the 
 river, and the flats which are overflowed at the time of harvest 
 to this day were covered with Tarfa and other shrubs and 
 
"-A 
 
342 BETHANY, BETHLEHEM, HEBRON, AND JERICHO. 
 
 trees. The Israelites entered the land of Canaan, we read, 
 opposite Jericho. It was at the harvest time, when " Jordan 
 overfioweth all his banks all the time of harvest." * At the 
 end of March when I was there, the Jordan was overflowing 
 its shelving banks on the west side. The current was strong, 
 and only a powerful and expert swimmer could cross, so that 
 the multitudes of men, women, children and animals could not 
 cross at the harvest season. The Jordan maintains its over- 
 flow all the time of harvest, as Dr, Thomson shows, for its sup- 
 plies come from the fountains at Tel-el-Kady, and Banias, 
 which are greatly increased by the melting snows on Hermon 
 and the Lebanon. Thus a steady volume of water is maintained 
 for months, and the literal truth of Joshua's words may be . 
 seen now by every one who visits the country. As we had 
 remained in the Dead Se«., we were tormented with a burnino- 
 sensation, as if we had been clad in the poisoned garment of 
 Hercules. In order to cool ourselves as well as for the mere senti- 
 ment of bathing in the Jordan, \\e were soon luxuriating in 
 the pleasures of a bath in the sacred river of Palestine. As 
 the current was powerful we never went beyond our depth, 
 and always kept the clay bottom within reach of our feet. " 
 After this part of our work was finished I filled some flasks 
 with water, and cut a few sticks from the trees on the banks 
 of the river as memorials of my visit to the Jordan. The two 
 gentlemen who had joined us at Mar Saba had diminished our 
 stock of provisions. An extra supply had been sent from 
 Jerusalem for them, and had been brought to Mar Saba by an- 
 other guide who had informed our man, Alexander, that it was 
 outside the convent walls. Alexander, it seems, demanded 
 him to bring it inside the convent. He i^efused. Alexander 
 stood on his dignity and would not go out for it. The issue 
 
 * Joshua iii. 15. 
 
THE PLAINS OF JERICHO. 34^ 
 
 of the matter was our loss, for the other guide wisely carried 
 it away, and when we understood the facts of the case, we de- 
 manded that Alexander should find the other guide and bring 
 the food. After a ride of three or four miles along the plain 
 of Jericho, he found the guide, but our food meanwhile had 
 been eaten. Our stock was nearly exhausted, so we were any- 
 thing but complimentary to Alexander. He replied, '' I did 
 according to custom I would never be his servant," referring 
 to the other guide. However, we had to go on short rations 
 for the sake of maintaining Alexander's dignity and oriental 
 customs. Meantime, an American who had been with the 
 guide who carried off our provisions put in an appearance to 
 explain matters. A large branch of a fallen tree extended 
 from the bank of the Jordan for eight or ten feet into the bed 
 of the river. He walked out cautiously on this branch and 
 stooped to fill a zinc vessel with water, and all the time, in 
 strong language, defending the action of his guide in taking 
 our provisions, and his own action in eating his share of them. 
 In his excitement he had leaned too far over ; the branch gave 
 a sudden lurch and over he rolled headforemost into five or 
 six feet of water. He rose from his involuntary bath thoroughly 
 drenched with muddy water and his zeal for his dragonian 
 completely washed out. 
 
 We rode across the plain towards Jericho, about five miles 
 to Tell Jiljal, the site of ancient Gilgal. At this place is an 
 old well, Birket Jiljulieh, and some traces of the spot having 
 been occupied. This spot, only recently discovered, is in all 
 probability the site of the first encampment of the Israelites 
 in Palestine, and agrees with the statement of Scripture, " The 
 people came up out of Jordan and encamped in Gilgal. in the 
 east border of Jericho." * Here the children of Israel set up 
 
 * Joshua iv. 19. 
 
544 BETHANY, BETHLEHEM, HEBRON, AND JERICHO. 
 
 the twelve stones which they had taken out of Jordan. Here, 
 too, the males born in the desert were circumcised, the 
 Passover celebrated for the first time in the land of Canaan, 
 and there the manna ceased after they had eaten of the old 
 corn of the land. From Gil gal they started on their march 
 towards Jericho, and thence to Ai, and onward to the final 
 subjugation of the Whole land. Though now uncultivated and 
 covered with low scrubby bushes, it is a spot of surpassing 
 interest. Here the Israelites realized for the first time that 
 the promise made to their great ancestor centuries before was 
 fulfilled, and, as the ransomed ones from Egyptian slavery, they 
 could celebrate with joy the first Passover in the land of their 
 freedom, which was only a feeble type of the spiritual deliver- 
 ance which Christ was to bring by His death, in that same 
 land, for the whole world. 
 
 Er-Riha, modern Jericho, consists of fifteen or twenty huts 
 composed of mud, rough stones, with an occasional piece of 
 marble or ancient column inserted. The houses are enclosed 
 by a hedge of thorns, and the citizens are a villainous-looking 
 lot, who might well be the descendants of the thieves among 
 whom the Samaritan fell in his journey from Jerusalem to 
 Jericho. Our night was spont in the house of a Greek. It 
 was one-storied, and contained four small rooms, with some 
 sheds in the rear. The gardens were well watered, and vegeta- 
 tion very abundant. Lemon and other trees were laden 
 with fruit so that the boughs had to be supported by wooden 
 props. I plucked a large lemon from one of the trees which 
 helped to quench my thirst for two days on the sultry plain 
 of Jericho. The soil and climate are well suited for lomon 
 trees, which bear abundant crops. The riding and excitement 
 of the day gave us a splendid appetite, so that we were not 
 particular as to the quality or taste of our worthy host's pro- 
 visions. He did his best to serve us and maintain his own 
 
THE FOUNTAIN OF ELISHA. 345 
 
 reputation as a liberal man. Our friend who had his head im- 
 mersed in the Dead Sea, seemed to imagine he was west, in the 
 land of corn and buckwheat. He asked the Greek if he could 
 give him any buckwheat cakes. He thought for an instant, 
 and replied, " No butweet cake in Er-Riha, howadjah." 
 
 Next morning under a heavy rain storm we rode in a north- 
 easterly direction to Ain-es-Sultan (" The Fountain of Elisha") 
 at the base of a mound of ruins, rising about a hundred feet 
 above the plain. This spring, whose clear waters flow over 
 the plain, was that which the prophet healed. It was slightly 
 tepid and brackish to the taste. Its banks were lined with 
 shrubs and trees growing with tropical luxuriance. The 
 mound marks, probably, the site of ancient Jericho, in the days 
 of Joshua. I rodo round it and climbed over it. Far down 
 into the chasms, dug by wandering Arabs and the inhabitants 
 of the modern villaofe seekinsf for treasure, I could see broken 
 pottery, pieces of hewn stone, and broken columns, which may 
 have belonged to the palace of the king or the houses of the 
 great men in that old city overthrown by the power of God , 
 after the priests had encompassed it seven days. The an<^ient city 
 must have included a much larger area than that w. ich this 
 mound occupies, otherwise it would be impossible to account 
 for the necessity of the miraculous aid of God in taking it. 
 For if it were as limited as this mound, the Israelites could in 
 a very short time have starved the people and thus forced 
 them to capitulate even though the walls were strong and high. 
 It is probable, therefore, the city was of considerable si.se, and 
 extended west in the direction of the hills, for the plain is 
 covered with small mounds and traces of ancient substructures, 
 the foundations of houses or of the city walls. 
 
 About a mile and a-half, south-west are ruined walls, aque- 
 ducts and traces of old foundations which, probably, mark the 
 site of the Jericho which Herod the Great beautified and forti- 
 23 
 
346 BETHANY, BETHLEHEM, HEBRON, AND JERICHO. 
 
 fied, which Archelaus restored, and who also planted the plain 
 with palms, and irrigated them by means of the aqueducts yet 
 visible in ruins over the plain. From this city, a Roman road 
 can yet be traced, over which Herod doubtless passed in 
 heathen splendour, and over which our Lord travelled, and by 
 the side of which Bartimauis may have sat and begged. West 
 of Jericho, the barren hills rise perpendicularly from the plain ; 
 thither the spies fled, and there tradition says is the scene of 
 of our Lord's temptation. As He looked down on Jericho in 
 its glory, and over the fertile plain stretching to the Joi'dan 
 and the Dead Sea, and beheld the splendour of the city upon 
 which Herod had lavished gold and silver. He would have a 
 specimen of the wealthy cities of the Gentile kingdoms. There 
 is no reason to believe that Satan had power to present in one 
 grand panorama before Christ " The kingdoms of the world." 
 As the Son of God, Christ knew their glory, and moreover, 
 that they were His by creation and the will of the Father, 
 who gave Him " the uttermost parts of the earth for His pos- 
 session." Satan showed Christ this famous city, whose king was 
 steeped in luxury and vice, and who possessed immense wealth, 
 as Josephus states, and promised Him not only the city and 
 kingdom of Herod, but " all the kingdoms of the world and the 
 glory of them," He defeated His foe, and came out of the 
 temptation better qualilied to succour them that are tempted, 
 and remained a merciful and faithful High Priest. Had Christ 
 wavered or fallen for a moment even, not earth only, but 
 heaven and God would have been ruined. 
 
 " Money brings honour, friends, conquest and reahiis : 
 
 What raised Antipater the Edomite, 
 
 And his son Herod placed on Jude^H's throne, 
 
 Thy throne, but gold? that got him puissant friends. 
 
 Riches are mine, fortune is in my hand ; 
 
 They whom I favour, thrive in wealth amain, 
 
 While virtue, valour, wisdom, sit in want." 
 
THE SITE OF JERICHO. 347 
 
 To whom thus Jesus patiently replied : , 
 
 " Thou neither dost persuade me to seek wealth 
 For Empire's sake, nor Empire to aft'ect 
 For glory's sake. 
 
 For what is glory but the blaze of fame ? 
 Shall I seek glory then, as vain men seek, 
 Oft not deserved ^ I seek not mine, but His 
 Who «5ent me, and thereby witness whence I am." * 
 
 There are no palms at Jericho now, but the soil is fertile and 
 the climate tropical and it requires only irrigation, from Wady 
 Kelt or from the Jordan, to make the whole region again as the 
 garden of the Lord. Lemon, fig, and other fruit trees grow 
 luxuriantly. The plain is covered with bushes, shrubs, and 
 trees. The yellow apple of Sodom is found, the nubk tree or 
 the "spina Christi," whose thorny branches enclosed the gardens 
 of the people of modern Jericho, and the myrobalanuni, the so- 
 called "balm of Gilead," grows in many places around the modern 
 city. It is named Zakkum by the Arabs, the bark of which 
 is of a greyish colour, and its fruit resembles green plums, 
 from which a fragrant oil is extracted. This rich plain lies 
 waste, because the Turkish Government exists only to crush 
 the people. Jews and Syrians see the evil, but cannot cure it. 
 The vast majority of the people regard Britain as the only 
 country that can and will help them. And the time may 
 speedily come, when the flag of Britain will fly over Jerusalem, 
 Nazareth and Beirut, a sign to the people that a paternal and 
 Christian Government will rule them in equity ; then the plain 
 of Jericho and the other fertile plains of Palestine will sup- 
 port happy and industrious millions. 
 
 * Paradise Regained iii. 
 
PART III. 
 
%?^'^ 
 
 WOMEN GRINDING AT A MILL. 
 
NORTHERN PALESTINE AND SYRIA AND ASIA. 
 
 Chapter XVI. 
 
 FROM JERUSALEM TO SAMARIA AND JENNIN. 
 
 "Unto the land which I do give to them, even to the children of Israel. "- 
 ■Joshua i. 2. 
 
 |ARLY on the mornmg of the second of April, in 
 company with one or two Europeans and Ameri- 
 cans, I visited for the last time the Church of 
 the Holy Sepulchre. This was the first day of 
 Easter week. We obtained a place in the gal- 
 leiy overlooking the small church under the 
 dome. In half-an hour after we entered, the 
 whole area beneath was one mass of livinsf beinjjs. Men and 
 women were there, some of the latter carrying chil Iren in their 
 arms. Armenians, Copts, Greeks and Latins crowded each other 
 until it seemed impossible for another person to find standing 
 room. Greek, Armenian and Latin priests were seen here and 
 there among the people, in their black robes and wearing their 
 high, black hats. Some of the people were clothed in long 
 gowns, others from the remote parts of Palestine, or from' 
 Russia, wore short jackets, and for the most part, men and 
 women had their head uncovered. Each one carried a palm 
 that had been brought from Gaza or the plain of Jericho, and 
 was eager to have it blessed by their respective ecclesiastic 
 
352 FROM JERUSALEM TO SAMARIA AND JENNIN. 
 
 dignitary. The excited and fanatical multitude surged to and 
 fro until the procession round the church that covers the tomb 
 was ready to start. Then Turkish soldiers with drawn swords 
 in their hands beat back the crowds afjainst the walls of the 
 rotunda, and against the pillars and the small church. In their 
 eitorts to make an opening for the procession, their zeal was 
 stimulated bv their hatred for infidels in g-eneral. It is a 
 proverb in European counti-ies that the weak must go to the 
 wall ; but in the Churcli of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem, 
 the strong went to the wall and remained there as firm as a 
 rock, while the women and the weaker men were pushed 
 to the front where they were in danger of being knocked 
 down and trampled under foot by the Turks. I noticed a 
 woman who was pushed forward by the solid mass of human 
 beings behind her; it was utterly impossible for her to move 
 back one inch, she could not reach the door to escape, even 
 had she been so minded, to move forward was to expose herself 
 to violence. A soldier more insolent than the rest came along 
 to broaden the space for the procession. He pressed his sword 
 against the bodies of the front line to make them yield. This 
 poor woman could not move, for behind her the people were 
 like a wall. The Turk's eyes flashed, he grasped her by the 
 throat and forced her, not back among the multitude, but over 
 them, on the top of their heads. 
 
 The Latins. Greeks, Armenians, and Copts, march on Palm 
 Sunday, three times round the church over the tomb of ,our 
 Lord. I saw the procession of the Latins and Greeks, and 
 came away convinced that ignorance, formality and fanaticism, 
 not spirituality, govern in the city, and near the grandest 
 scenes of the Son of God, who is the light and life of men. 
 The large candles in front of the grave were lighted and the 
 whole church was ablaze with light in the early morning. 
 The procession, representing the triumphal entrance of Christ 
 
PALM SUNDAY — CHURCH OF THE HOLY SEPULCHRE. 353 
 
 into Jerusalem, began. Boys headed it carryinf,' large branches 
 of olive trees, then came others bearing small banners with 
 various mottoes and devices inscribed on them. Behind them 
 were the patriarch and priests and other functionaries of the 
 church, who repeated portions of Scripture and prayers suit- 
 able for the occasion. At various places in the procession 
 were boys who were chanting in a doleful tone. After they, 
 slowly and with measured step, had made three circuits round 
 the church, they withdrew to their own part of the Church of 
 the Holy Sepulchre, and the others repeated the same thing. 
 At the close of the second procession, the heat became intense, 
 and the atmosphere heavy, and I was satisfied with what I had 
 seen. Besides, after standing two hours on my feet, I felt 
 exhausted and wished to withdraw. Alexander took the mace 
 belonging to the American consul and went before me into the 
 dense crowd that had closed up in a moment the whole space in 
 rear of the procession. The multitude seemed like India rubber 
 balls squeezed back by fear of the Turkish soldiers into small 
 dimensions, and when the pressure was talcen away, they 
 expanded again into their normal size and shape, much to their 
 own comfort. The mass had expanded ere we reached it» 
 outer edge, and every inch of room through which the proces- 
 sion had passed was occupied by men and women perspiring 
 at every pore. Alexander beat the end of the mace on the 
 stone floor, the hollow sound seemed familiar to their ears, 
 and it acted like a charm. A small opening was made into 
 which Alexander squeezed himself sideways. Pulling my 
 felt hat tightly down over my face to protect my eyes from 
 the sharp points and edges of the palms which the ex- 
 cited multitude carried in their hands, I forced myself in 
 behind Alexander, along with my friend Mr. J. G. Smart. As^ 
 Alexander was of less dimensions than myself, I was com- 
 jDelled to force a large opening for myself. He was the point 
 
354 FROM JERUSALEM TO SAMARIA AND JENNIN. 
 
 of the wedgo, I the thickest part. At tiinen I was lifted by- 
 sheer force six. inches or a foot above the floor. Frequent and 
 forcible application of my elbows and a considerable specific 
 gravity overcame the lateral pressure of the opposing forces, 
 and finally the point of the wedge and the rear of it emerged 
 on the court outside the church. One last struggle near the 
 door was the fiercest of all, and we landed outside as suddenly 
 as if we had been peas shot out of a pop-gun. Though our 
 garments were somewhat the worse for the siege through 
 which we had passed, we were thankful, to reach fresh air 
 and to breathe freely once more. On returning from the 
 scene, I could not help reflecting on the utter lack of all true 
 elements of worship in the whole ceremony. In the very 
 city where men ought to feel the influence of the scenes con- 
 nected with the life and death, and triumphs of Him who 
 taught men that the form (the flesh) is nothing, but the spirit 
 everything ; who taught his own age and all ages that God is 
 a Spirit, and that they who worship Him must worship Him 
 in Spirit and in truth ; and in this very place, sacred by the 
 traditions of nearly sixteen centuries, where our Lord was 
 laid in the new tomb of Joseph of Arimathea, the multitudes 
 degraded religion into the wildest formality and show. And I 
 felt sure that those Mahommedan soldiers sent there to protect 
 the various sects who occupy the church from doing violence 
 to each other, and who are eye witnesses of these scenes 
 can have anything but an exalted idea of the Christian 
 religion, whose very essence is love to God, and charitj'' and 
 brotherly kindness to all men. However, the light that first 
 shone out from that grand, blessed city, dear to every Christian 
 for the sake of the Lord, the Saviour, and which is now shining 
 upon the ends of the earth, will be reflected back from the pure 
 heart and holy life of men and women who now are teaching 
 and will continue to teach the people of that land that we need, 
 
AT THE PASSOVEU IN JERUSALEM. ' 355 
 
 not the form of pfodliness, but the power, and that we are justi- 
 fied by faith and not by works. 
 
 Amon^jf the many scenes of interest that I witnessed in the 
 Holy City, was the celebration of the Passover. It had rained 
 heavily in the early part of the day, and black clouds were 
 ominously hanging over the city. Towards sundown, how- 
 ever, I looked from the roof of the house in which I lodged, 
 towards the Mount of Olives, and saw the clouds were break- 
 ing up, and here and there the sunlight was flashing through 
 the rifted clouds, and was mantling the city with unspeakable 
 beauty, and infusing life and cheerfulness into citizens and 
 strangers alike. A few minutes before sundown, I started 
 with one or two friends to a house in the Jewish Quarter, to 
 which we had been invited to witness the feast of the Passover. 
 We missed our bearings and trudged through the narrow, 
 gloomy streets searching for the house. As streets are not 
 named and the houses unnumbered, we were hopeless of find- 
 ing the place in the darkness. Here and there men flitted 
 past us in silence like shadows, who refused to answer us when 
 we asked for directions. Perhaps they were men of the same 
 spirit as their ancestors, the priest and Levite, who merely 
 glanced at the plundered and wounded man who had fallen 
 into the hands of robbers between Jerusalem and Jericho- 
 We were not, however, so unfortunate, yet we thought they 
 might have spared a moment to help strangers. They were 
 afraid, perhaps, of being late at the feast in some Jewish 
 neighbour's house, and we excused them on the ground of 
 their strong leaning in the direction of punctuality, which 
 grace might well be cultivated to a greater extent among 
 Christian worshippers in Canada, much to the comfort of 
 other§ and edification of themselves. 
 
 We concluded it was useless to search further for the house 
 which we wished to reach ; we were, how ^ jr, very anxious to 
 
3rti FROM JERUSALEM TO SAMARIA AND JENNIN. ' - . 
 
 witness the Passover feast in this city, to which hundreds of 
 thousands came from all Palestine to celebrate it in early times, 
 and in the city where it had been celebrated by the Lord 
 Himself. We therefore hastened to the English Society's 
 Hospital which was only two or three minutes' walk in a 
 straight line, but as we had to follow the winding streets, and 
 tumbled about in the darkness, it was nearly ten minutes be- 
 fore we reached the hospital. On entering we found the ser- 
 vice had commenced. A plain table extended along one end 
 of the room ; the Jews were seated along one side and both 
 ends of the table. A venerable-looking man dressed in a 
 white gown occupied a central place at the table, on which 
 were placed three round scones of unleavened bread, each of 
 which was divided into four quarters. In front of the vener- 
 able leader of the £:ervice, were parsley and lettuce, also 
 two vessels, one of whi'^h contained wine, the other a thick 
 sauce composed of dates, figs, and vinegar. A piece of roast 
 lamb lay on the table. The old leader in the white gown 
 blessed the food, after which a woman came in from an adjoin- 
 ing room with wine, a small quantity of which the leader 
 poured into each person's cup. This they drank four times. In 
 the intervals, however, the Hallel was sung, Psalms cxiii.-cxviii., 
 Avhich was in all probability the hymn sung by our Lord 
 and His disciples on the night of the Passover and just prior 
 to His crucifixion. Other passages from the prophets and from 
 the Talmud were sung in a nasal monotonous tone, each one 
 meauAvhile swajang his body backward and forward, A boy 
 of about thirteen vears of age, who sat at the left hand of the 
 leader, was singing too fast for the elders. Frequently he was 
 at the end of a passage before the old men had reached the 
 middle of it ; when he finished he had to wait until they caughl 
 up ; then beginning at a furious rate, he rushed far ahead of 
 them again. This became unbearable, and once and again 
 
AT THE PASSOVER IN JERUSALEM. 357 
 
 brought down the severe reproof of the old man, who stopped 
 in the midst of his singing, censured the offender and com- 
 manded him to keep time with ^he elders. The leader took a 
 bunch of parsley, dipped it in the sauce and gave a porcion to 
 each person. Towards the close, he poured wine ten times 
 from the large vessel into a smaller one, to symbolize the ten 
 plagues sent on the Egyptians prior to the deliverance of 
 their Hebrew ancestors. At the close of the service, which 
 lasted about two hours, the unleavened bread was distributed 
 to the strangers in the room, a piece of which each of us 
 carried away as a memorial of our visit. The whole service 
 struck me as extremely formal and intended to impress the 
 Gentile visitors rather than to do good to those engaged in it. 
 However, it is another evidence that the veil remains over the 
 eyes of Israel to this day. Their city is down-trodden under 
 the feet of bigotted Turks, the land that God gave their 
 fathers is cursed ; t!iey are cherishing a vain hope in their 
 divine-inflicted blindness of soul, as they cry, " Help us, God 
 of our salvation ! " The Lord whom they seek has come, and 
 their fathers have crucified Him ; His blood is upon their head> 
 and in penalty for their crime, they are the despised and alien 
 race of the world. Palestine, Jerusalem in her humiliation, 
 and the Jews in their steady and continued unbelief, are a 
 united and impregnable witness for the truth of Scripture. 
 Their history is full of lessons for nations in these days. 
 History repeats itself, because God's law repeats itself. God 
 is the same, and therefore the fate of every nation that turns 
 aside from truth and obedience to God shall be the same. The 
 hope of the nations of modern times is not in education alone 
 or in the progress of scientific knowledge, but in a firm ad- 
 herence to the law of God, and the will of God. Not only is 
 our life as a race bound up with that of the Jews, but they are a 
 factor in the future of all races of the world ; ' for if the casting 
 
358 FROM JERUSALEM TO SAMARIA AND JENNIN. 
 
 away of them be the reconciling^ of the world, what shall the 
 receiving of them be, but life from the dead." 
 
 On the fourth of April, I took a last walk round the walls 
 of Jerusalem. Her " bulwarks " have fallen and her palaces 
 are no more, but there is a power in Jerusalem, in her dust, to 
 awe the mind and impress the traveller with veneration for 
 her hills and valleys and ruins of once famous places. The 
 trees were clad with richest foliage, and along the valleys of 
 Hinnom and Jehoshaphat were flowers of every hue. I crossed 
 Mount Zion outside the walls. Its south-eastern side, where 
 it descends towards the Tyropceon, was covered with wheat. 
 Traces of terraces are to be seen on this side, vv^hich may have 
 been formed by soil deposited there in the past ages. To this 
 has been added the debris that has accumulated from the 
 frequent destruction of Jerusalem, so that now there is a con- 
 siderable depth of soil. Through the whole of Palestine as 
 well as about Jerusalem, one is struck in a thousand ways 
 with the literal fulfilment of Scripture, which strengthens the 
 faith of every Christian, and must be a powerful evidence for 
 its inspiration to ever}'- lover of truth. As I pulled up a few 
 stalks of wheat by the roots and preserved them as mementos 
 of my visit, I was forcibly reminded of the judgment of God 
 in regard to Mount Zion : " Therefore, shall Zion for your sake 
 be ploughed as a field, and Jerusalem shall become heaps.""* 
 Thus to the very letter are the words of the prophet verified 
 by the actual state of things which every one may see. The 
 Psalmist asked the people to walk round Zion and admire her 
 strength and lofty towers. Her glory as a fortified city is no 
 more, even with her ancient defences, modern weapons of war 
 would soon lay her in ruins. But her glory in connection with 
 Christ is imperishable. For her crime she has been trampled 
 
 * Micah iii. 12. 
 
LAST WALK ABOUT JERUSALEM. 359 
 
 by Gentiles of every race almost, but her crime has linked her 
 name and history with Him who is the desire of all nations^ 
 and the Saviour of the guilty. This city will be the spot to 
 which the eyes of generations yet unborn will turn, for the 
 death of Christ has engraved its name deeply in the pages of 
 the world's life-history and made it precious to every believer; 
 for there the Son of God defeated death and sin on the cross, and 
 put into the world a new power which has influenced its progress, 
 and which will save it from the corruption of evil and raise it 
 nearer to God in its spirit and many-sided activities. Near 
 the Church of the Ascension, I looked over Jerusalem spread 
 out like a panorama before me. I could see fanatical Mahom- 
 medans hurrying to and fro about the Mosque of Omar, and 
 beyond, the streets were crowded with pilgrims from many 
 and distant lands. The tombs of the prophets and the garden 
 of Gethsemane were on the slope of Olivet, and the Kedron, a 
 narrow gorge extends along the base of the mount towards 
 Siloam. Ophel, Zion, Moriah, Akra, the hill of Evil Counsel and 
 the Mount of Oli'ence were all in sight. These cannot have 
 changed in the centuries since our Lord's day. And, doubtless? 
 over this whole scene He has often looked as He walked across 
 Olivet to Bethany, or sought the retirement of Gethsemane 
 after His labours and teachino- araonof the merciless and lifeless 
 Pharisees and Scribes. Looking down on Jerusalem, built on 
 the same hills as the Jerusalem in which the Son of God lived 
 and suffered, and surrounded by the same mountains, symbols 
 of Jehovah's everlasting protection to His people, I penned the 
 following lines which but feebly expressed my feelings at the 
 time : 
 
 My prayer, O Lord, shall aye ascend 
 
 For grace divine to follow Thee, 
 And ever, to earth's utmost end, 
 
 Thy name to praise, and faitlif ul be. 
 
o60 FROM JERUSALEM TO SAMARIA AND JENNIN. 
 
 Dear is that mount, Gethsemane, 
 
 Beneath whose olive shade God's Son 
 
 Withdrew, and in deep agony 
 Prayed, and for man the triumph won. 
 
 On all this scene oft did'st Thou gaze, 
 
 On vale and mount and sky and flower, 
 And setting sun, whose golden rays 
 
 Gild Zion's homes and David's Tower. 
 
 Without the gate, in death's dark hour, 
 
 Thou hast triumphed all alone ; 
 Thy cross now is a cross of power 
 
 To bring hs to our Father's home. 
 
 From this mount 'mid clouds of light. 
 From toil and sorrow Thou liast gone ; 
 
 A little while, and past the night, 
 Then we shall see Him on His throne. 
 
 • 
 
 Lord, let the doom of Zion guide us 
 ' Soon will our day of grace be done ; 
 
 When the final hour shall reach us 
 May we then be welcomed home. 
 
 A start was made early in the day by the dragoman and 
 muleteers. My friend Mr. Smart had gone with them, and it 
 was arranged that I should join the camp at Sinjil. I de- 
 cided to leave Jerusalem at one o'clock in the afternoon. 
 My horse was ready and fastened by a rope to an iron ring in 
 the stone wall. Alexander was waiting to receive orders. 
 But at the very hour we expected to ride out of the city, the 
 stra-nger who had joined us in our visit to the Dead Sea, and 
 who asked permission to accompany us through Palestine, was 
 nowhere to be found. I despatched a man in haste to scour 
 the streets of Jerusalem for him. The messenger found him 
 buyiug some trinkets in Christian Street; he refused to come 
 as he had other important business to look after. The mes- 
 
LEAVING JERUSALEM FOR THE NORTH. 861 
 
 senger came back without his man. Every morr^nt was now 
 precious, for black clouds were collecting acro.ss the face of 
 the sky, and in order to escape the rain and also to reach the 
 tent before sundown, it was necessary to start immediately. 
 However, I made another effort to get my friend with me : 
 Alexander hurried after him and in a few minutes returned 
 with his man, whom he carried off by sheer force, and landed 
 him at the steps where we were standing. He threatened 
 that all the pains and penalties of British, and Turkish law, 
 too, would be poured on the head of the valiant Alexander. 
 " Now," I said to him, "let us start, for night will overtake us 
 before we reach the tent." In reply to my urgent appeal, he 
 said it would take him half an hour to pack his baggage, and 
 besides, he further replied, "I must wait until my goods come 
 from the shops." 
 
 In despair I left him, and rode out through the Damascus 
 Gate for the novth, past the tombs of the kings and the judges. 
 Rain had been pouring down on the previous night, which 
 made the bad roads more difficult to travel, for the rough 
 path was slippery, and pools of water were here and there 
 into which my horse plunged occasionally. The domes of the 
 Mosque of Omar and the Church of the Holy Sepulchre soon 
 disappeared, then the Russian buildings on the west of the 
 city, and finally Jerusalem was lost to view. As long as I 
 could trace the outline of the walls and public buildings I 
 turned my face towards the city for a farewell look, and 
 though glad at the prospect of seeing the many famous places 
 in northern Palestine it was with sorrow that I left the 
 "City of the Great King" behind, quoting as I rode quickly 
 on, " If I forget thee, Jerusalem, let my right hand forget 
 her cunning." * About a mile and a half north from Jerusa- 
 
 * Psalm cxxxvii., 5. 
 
 24 
 
362 FROM JERUSALEM TO SAMARIA AND JENNIN. 
 
 lem, on the east side of the road, is a hill whose summit is 
 covered with ruins. This is probably Nob, th^ city of the 
 priests; whom Doeg, the Edomite, slew because they had shel- 
 tered David, the enemy of Saul. On the left, rose up Neby 
 Samwil, the ancient Mizpah, a fortified place in the days of the 
 fierce wars between the northern and southern kingdoms- 
 There Saul was proclaimed king, there Samuel judged the 
 people ; and no more suitable watch tower exists in the south, 
 for from it could be seen invading armies coming from any 
 point of the compass. My horse, at times, plunged into soft 
 mud, and then had to step carefully down over the smooth 
 shelving rock in other places. While I was guiding my horse 
 to escape these dangerous pits, two villainous looking fellows, 
 with long-barrelled guns swung across their shoulders, sprang 
 up from behind a stone wall, and after scanning me for an 
 instant, and looking eagerly north and south to see if any one 
 was near, scampered off in haste as they saw my companion 
 galloping up in the distance. Peasants were returning from 
 the fields to Jerusalem, some of whom responded cheerily 
 when I said " peace be unto you," while others gave a look of 
 fierce hatred and made no reply. On the right, at some dis- 
 tance from the road, is a tell from three to four hundred feet 
 high, the supposed site of Gibeah of Benjamin. The story of 
 the Levite and his concubine holds up the city in a bad light, 
 and the crime of the citizens was atoned for by the almost 
 entire annihilation of Benjamin when all Israel from Dan to 
 Beersheba smote every city with the edge of the sword and 
 " set on fire all the cities that they came to."* In a quarter of 
 an hour Er Ram, ancient Bamah, was left behind, and soon 
 El-Bireh, the ancient Be^jroth, was reached. At the entrance 
 was a khan, near a spring of clear water ; the walls of this 
 
 * Judges XX. 48. 
 
EL-BIREH, ANCIENT BEEROTH. 363 
 
 house, that may stand in lieu of a European hotel were com- 
 posed of rough blocks and interspersed with pieces of carved 
 pillars belonging to some ancient building. The houses were 
 of the ordinary kind, built of unhewn stone, and with Hat 
 roofs. The shepherds were leading their shoep and goats into 
 the town for the niofht ; women were returninfj from labour in 
 the fields, some carrying a bundle of wood on their head, and 
 others lambs in their arms. For throuixh all Palestine the 
 peasant women toil in the fields in sowing time as well as in 
 harvest, so that from the days of Ruth until now she bears the 
 burden in the field with her husband, and besides, has to per- 
 form the household duties. They are treated with cruelty by 
 their husbands, who are lazy and jealous as a rule. Hence, 
 even among the better class of the people in the cities they 
 are confined and carefully watched when they go out of the 
 house, which is allowed only at stated hours. As an evidence, 
 among thousands of this state of things^ I was going into 
 Jerusalem at sundown, and before me was a woman carrying 
 on her head a large bundle of sticks for fuel, on each shoulder 
 she carried a little child, and in her hand led another who was 
 able to walk, while a few feet in front of her walked her 
 husband carrying only his load of lordly dignity. Such scenes 
 occur every day, and make one feel how degraded the lot of a 
 woman is even in Christ's own land. But when His Gospel 
 shall be the guide of the people then Mahommedan bigotry 
 shall perish, and the day of woman's freedom shall dawn. 
 Though there are a few mills driven by water, for grinding 
 grain, most of this work is yet done by the hand mills in 
 cities and villages. A piece of cloth is spread on the ground, 
 the mill-stones are placed on it, two women then sit down to 
 grind. The stones are about twenty or twenty-four inches in 
 diameter, the lower one is about six inches thick, the upper 
 one being somewhat less. The nether mill-stone is frequently 
 
304 FROM JERUSALEM TO SAMARIA AND JENNIN. 
 
 of a harder material than the upper stone, and so explains 
 Job's statement that the heart of a leviathan is "as hard as a 
 piece of the nether mill-stone."* The pleasant soothing sound 
 of these mills is heard towards evening in all the villages of 
 Palestine. The ceasing of the grinding was a sign of the awful 
 desolation inflicted by Nebuchadnezzar on Judah and Jerusa- 
 lem : " 1 will take from them the sound of the mill-stones and 
 the light of the candle."-|- Mill-stones were used by the Israel- 
 ites in their journey through the desert, and doubtless were in 
 use in Egypt. They were so important an item of the house- 
 hold that they could not be pledged, for they were indispens- 
 able to prepare the daily food of the family. Women are yet 
 seen performing this menial work as they did in ancient 
 times, It is probable the woman of Thebez hurled the upper 
 mill-stone of the mill at which she was working, and broke 
 the skull of Abimelech, and our Lord, urging the importance 
 of being ready for the coming of the Son of Man, emphasises 
 the uncertainty of life by saying, " Two women shall be grind- 
 ing at the mill ; the one shall be taken, and l>e other left.":]: 
 In Jerusalem one woman possesses mill-stones, and her neigh- 
 bours send wheat to her to be ground, and thus she ekes out 
 a scanty living for herself, if she happens to be a cripple, or 
 infirm, or a poor widow. Grinding at the mill was the work 
 of the slaves and poorest of the people from ancient times. 
 Samson, after his eyes were dug out by the Philistines, ground 
 at the mill in his prison in Gaza, and when Jehovah threatened 
 punishment on the highest and lowest in the land of Egypt, 
 it was to be inflicted on the " first-born of Pharaoh unto the 
 first-born of the maidservant that is behind the mill."§ 
 
 It was nearing sundown as I rode over the fertile plain 
 beyond Bireh ; swollen streams were rushing violently down 
 
 *Job xli. 24. t Jeremiah xxv. 10. J Matthew xxiv. 41. §Exod. xi. 5. 
 
CROSSING BETHEL. 865 
 
 after the recent heavy rains. The air was cold, and dark 
 clouds were rushing along the bleak sky and threatening to 
 drench me to the skin as I rode uj) the shelving brow of the 
 hill on which Beitin stands, the site of the ancient Bethel. 
 Some ancient materials were built into the walls of the houses, 
 and on the south side of the village stand the ruins of an old 
 tower and some ancient foundations. The barren hills of grey 
 limestone appeared di'eary in the extreme, as I rode over the rug- 
 ged ledges rising one above the other, on one of which, perhaps > 
 Jacob slept with a loose stone for a pillow as he journeyed to 
 Padan Aram, and on the morning, after the vision of the ladder 
 and the angels, '' set it up for a pillar, and poured oil on the top 
 of it," and on his return built an altar to God there. Near this 
 same Bethel Abraham built an altar and called upon the 
 name of the Lord, and from the hill on the south-east of Bethel, 
 Lot had looked upon the plain of the Jordan, near Jericho, 
 and chose it for its fertility. Jeroboam saw danger to his 
 throne while the people of his kingdom worshipped the same 
 Jehovah as the people of Judah ; he therefore set up in Bethel 
 one of the two calves of gold which he made, and "made a house of 
 high places,and made priests of the lowest of the people." Bethel 
 then became for years the seat of this idolatrous worship, until 
 the gorgeous and debasing worship of Baal was established in 
 Samaria. During that time " sons of the prophets " were in 
 Bethel, and God was worshipped. In later days it evidently 
 was a placf! of importance, for there were " houses of ivory and 
 great houses," and in the period of religious revival and zeal 
 during the reign cf Josiah he broke down the altar of Jero- 
 boam and " burned the high place," " and took the bones out 
 of the sepulchres and burned them upon the altar and polluted 
 it." * I found it difficult to realize the great events that had 
 
 *\ 
 
 2 Kings xxiii. 16. 
 
300 FROM JERUSALEM TO SAMARIA AND JENNIN. 
 
 transpired on this small barren hill, and the famous men whose 
 history is interwoven with Bethel. And everywhere in Pales- 
 tine the truth is forced on one that (Jodlike men and noble 
 deeds make the humblest spot on earth famous forever. The 
 shepherds were coming home leading their flocks and herds into 
 the town from the rich valleys in which they had pastured 
 during the day. Many of them g^-ve us no friendly welcome 
 to their village, but to have plundered us on that cold dreary 
 evening would have been a more congenial work than to give 
 a welcome and shelter for the night. The shepherds of Bethel 
 walked before their sheep, some of them carrying lambs in the 
 folds of their gown, in their bosom. The women who followed 
 with bundles of sticks on their head, were also carrying small 
 bleating lambs in their arms or in their bosom. The Abyah or 
 outer gown of the men and women is so arranged that they can 
 carry their goods in a capacious pocket formed in the folds of 
 this garment. This ancient custom of the shepherds of the 
 East was employed by God to teach His people His infinite 
 tenderness and love, " He shall feed His flock like a shepherd : 
 He shall gather His lambs with His arm and carry them in His 
 bosom."* Thousands of generations have been born and have 
 died since patriarchs have lived near Bethel, and angels were 
 seen in vision, but the God of Jacob is the same yesterday to- 
 day and forever, in his good- will to man. 
 
 The horse I had taken from Jerusalem was in good con- 
 dition, clean limbed and seemed well able to carry me 
 through Northern Palestine. I was soon disappointed, how- 
 ever, in regard to his merits, for just outside the city gate 
 he befjan to make numerous revolutions and sudden lateral 
 and backward movements. One other failing, in addition 
 to his mulishness, was his stumbling propensity which ex- 
 
 * Isaiah xl. 11. 
 
, UUIN3 OF SHILOH. 3G7 
 
 posed me to considerable danger, and detracted from the 
 pleasure of the journey. On riding down the brow of 
 the hill from Sinjil to Shiloh, I reined him in well, but 
 on reaching the bottom, Alexander and Mr. Smart urged 
 their horses into a fayt canter. The ground was soft after the 
 rain, and numerous holes full of water were concealed by long 
 grass and shrubs. Into one of these the nigh fore-foot of 
 my horse plunged suddenly as we were rushing over the plain, 
 through extensive gardens of fig trees and vineyards, in an 
 instant he was hurled over on his back, and I was thrown 
 violently from the saddle a distance of fifteen or twenty feet, 
 slid on my knees and elbows on the soft red soil, and finally 
 landed on my head and arms in the midst of a low thorny 
 bush. I found no bones were broken, the only damage being 
 a coating of red clay from head to foot and a few scratches on 
 my hand and face, from which blood flowed freely. There seems 
 little doubt that Seilun is the site of ancient Shiloh. Close to it 
 is a small building in whose walls are built pieces of pillars and 
 hewn stone from some ancient edifice. This may have been a 
 place of worship, but now is deserted. I found a plough and 
 some other farming tools lying on the floor, and on the roof, 
 which is reached by stairs from the outside, grass and flowers 
 were growing under the shadow of an oak and and some olive 
 trees. Between this building and Shiloh is a pool which may 
 have supplied the citizens of Shiloh with water in Samuel's 
 time, or been used in the religious services of the early heathen 
 tribes. The ruins of Shiloh are situated on a hill from eighty 
 to one hundred feet high, which slopes gently down on every 
 side to the plain, and is covered with ruins from the base to 
 the summit. Traces of houses, which have been built of unhewn 
 stone, are seen from the bottom to the top of the hill. Some 
 of the foundations, however, were much larger than others; the 
 lower tiers of which were composed of great blocks of hewn 
 
368 FROM JERUSALEM TO SAMARIA AND JENNIN. 
 
 stone, and some of the walls were over four feet in thickness. 
 These larger houses were situated near the top of the hill. It is 
 probable a wall extended round the base such as can be traced 
 round Tel-el-Kadi, at the fountain of the Jordan. The house 
 in which the ark was kept would naturally be in the safest, 
 and therefore the highest place, round which would cluster the 
 houses of the better class, while those of the common people 
 would be lower down. These large houses appeared to have been 
 from twenty-five to thirty feet square, while the smaller ones 
 were from ten to fifteen feet. Streets six to eight feet wide 
 could be traced from the top to the bottom of the hill. May 
 not the feet of Eli and Sanmel and Hannah have trodden 
 these very narrow passages, and one of those large and very 
 ancient ruins have been the foundation of the house of the 
 Lord in which Samuel ministered ? In Shiloh the land was 
 divided among the tribes of Israel, and at the gate of the city, 
 Eli received the news of the defeat of Israel, the death of his 
 sons and the capture of the ark, and there he died. In his last 
 words to his sons, Jacob prophesied of Judali "the sceptre 
 shall not depart from Judah, nor a lawgiver from between his 
 feet until Shiloh come ; and unto Him shall the gathering of 
 the people be." * The shevet or sceptre is a club about two or 
 three feet long, one end of which is large and generally studded 
 with iron spikes, and a longer one projects from the end which 
 can be used as a spear. This is employed by shepherds to de- 
 fend themselves and their flocks from the attacks of robbers 
 and wild beasts. It was, and is, carried by the head of every 
 tribe as a symbol of rank and authority. Here Jacob 
 foretold that Judah should hold the sceptre until the Messiah 
 should come. Al any wrong interpretations have been given to 
 the words ; as that Judah would hold " the sceptre until He 
 
 *Gen. xlix. 10. 
 
SHILOH AND CHRIST. 3G9 
 
 came to the city of Shiloh." But Judah retained it along with 
 Benjamin long after the revolt of the ten tribes who met 
 at Shechem, and not Shiloh. Besides, if the power had de- 
 parted from Judah, how could there be " the obedience of the 
 nations to him ? " Judah retained its tribal existence and power 
 until the period of the Roman dominion, and thus the event 
 has proved the truth of the prophecy and the Messianic inter- 
 pretation of it, " the sceptre shall not depart from Judah, nor 
 a lawgiver from between his feet until the (Messiah) the Peace 
 Maker comes, and uuto him shall the obedience of the people 
 be."* 
 
 The site of Shiloh is easily determined by its relative 
 position to other well-known places, " on the north side of 
 Bethel, on the east side of the highway that goeth up from 
 Bethel to Shechem and on the south of Lebonah."-f- In the 
 rich plain that surrounds the hill were vineyards just as there 
 are now, and in them the Benjamites hid themselves, and 
 when the daughters of Shiloh came out to dance, probably after 
 the gathering of the vintage, carried them captive for their 
 wives. The place is desolate enough now ; there is no granduer 
 about Shiloh, except perhaps in the high hills that extend on 
 the east along the plain, but it has played a prominent part in 
 history of Israel, and there we see some of the noble qualities 
 of the people of God, and also their vile iniquity which ulti- 
 mately brought the city to ruin. It is a witness of the truth 
 of divine prophecy and of the eternal law of God, that the 
 vials of his wrath will be poured on every city that does evil : 
 " Go ye now unto my place which was in Shiloh, where I set 
 my name at the first, and see what I did to it for the wicked- 
 ness of my people Israel." ^ 
 
 The deep chasm in the limestone hills that bound the west 
 
 * Hirsclif elder's Bib. Expos., Pt. iv. t Judges xxi. ID. :}: Jerem. vii. 12. 
 
370 FROM JERUSALEM TO SAMARIA AND JENNIN. 
 
 side of the plain of Mukhna, forms the Valley of Nabl^is, 
 in which the modern Nablds, the ancient Shechem is 
 situated. At the entrance to this valley is Jacob's well, at 
 which our Lord conversed with the woman of Samaria. It is 
 about seventy or eighty feet deep, and eight or nine in 
 diameter. Near it is an arch of an old church, and some ruins are 
 lying scattered about. From the surface of the ground to the 
 mouth of the well, which is covered by a stone slab with a cir- 
 cular hole in the centre, is a distance of eight feet. Below this 
 stone begins the well whose water Jacob and his cattle had 
 drank, and beside which our Lord taught the truth that His 
 kingdom is independent of local holy places and human 
 prejudice, and is not for one race or one land, but for the 
 world and for all nations. It ma}'- seem strange that Jacob 
 should have dug a well when there were streams of water in 
 the valley and away westward of Nablus. As Dr. Thomson 
 remarks, however, the well is a " positive fact, and it must ha e 
 been dug by somebody and why not by Jacob?"* Though the 
 children of Hamor would sell him a parcel of a field, they 
 would not be willing to allow his numerous flocks to pasture 
 in the valley of Nablus, or share the water which has always 
 been precious in the eyes of the Orientals. In order to 
 prevent trouble with his neighbours and be independent he 
 would naturallv dig a well ; and there can be little doubt that 
 the well at the entrance of the valley is the identical one 
 from which the patriarch drank, and at which our wearied 
 Lord rested at noonday. The spot was venerated by the Jews 
 until our Lord's time, and in the interval, until Eusebius and 
 the Bordeaux Pilgrim, it seems impossible the site could have 
 been lost. Jerome in his " Epitaphium Paulae " informs us 
 that Paula visited the church at the side of Gerizim, over the 
 
 ^— — ■ — — '- 
 
 * Land and Book, p. 473. 
 
Jacob's well. 371 
 
 well of Jacob, and in the sixth, eighth, twelfth centuries and 
 onward, it is mentioned. 
 
 As our Lord went north to Galilee he came " to a city of 
 Samaria, which is called Sychar. Now Jacob's Well was there, 
 Jesus therefore being wearied with his journey, sat thus on the 
 well ; and it was about the sixth hour." * If Sychar, be 
 identical with Shechem, the modern Nablus, it would be more 
 than a mile to the town, even if it were situated as far east as 
 Ain Defneh near the modern Turkish barracks. Thither the 
 disciples went for bread while He rested by the well. Some, 
 however, have identified Sychar with Askar, a village a short 
 distance north-east of the well. Dr. Thomson, speaking of 
 Askar, says : " This is so like John's Sychar, I feel inclhied to 
 adopt it ;"-f" and in support of this view he says, " It is incredible 
 that the woman of Samaria should have gone two miles away 
 from those delicious fountains to draw water out of an 
 immensely deep well." The derivation and the structure of the 
 tw^o words are different ; besidos, as Askar lies on the route 
 northward and only a short distance from the well, would our 
 Lord not naturally have gone to the city and obtained bread, 
 water, and shelter there as it lay on his route ? Dr. Thomson 
 supposes the woman to have been a citizen of Shechem up 
 the valley ; may she not have belonged to any of the villages 
 on the brow of the hill along the plain ? But even if she 
 w^ere a woman of Shechem may she not have been working in 
 the rich fields that extend eastward along the plain ? This 
 supposition i^ strengthened by the time of the occurrence. It 
 was noon, when the labourers in the field rest, and doubtless 
 it was the duty, as it is now, of the women to carry water in 
 the large earthen jars for the men in the field, when no well or 
 stream of water is near from which they could drink. Her 
 
 * John iv. 5, 6. f Land and Book, 472. 
 
372 FROM JERUSALEM TO SAMARIA AND JENNIN. 
 
 departure to the city, rather than to the fields, was quite 
 natural, for as the conversation had been on religious questions, 
 and the stranger had declared himself to be the promised 
 Messiah, it would be important news for the priests and chief 
 men, who would be better able to speak with the stranger and 
 weigh his claims to be the Messiah. On the whole, therefore, 
 the probability is that Shechem and Sychar are the same city, 
 on the site of which stands the modern Nabliis. 
 
 To the north-east of the well is an enclosed spot, about 
 twelve feet square. This is Joseph's tomb. The existence of 
 the tomb is mentioned by Eusebius, and there seems no reason 
 to doubt that the embalmed body of the patriarch was buried 
 somewhere near the entrance to the valley, for he "^was buried 
 in Shechem, in a parcel of ground which Jacob bought of the 
 sons of Hamor,"* and that parcel could not have extended up 
 the valley as far as Ain Defneh and Ain Balata, for then Jacob 
 would not have required to dig the well. Besides, the 
 language in Genesis^ " a parcel of a field " in which Joseph was 
 buried signifies a level area, capable of cultivation. The tra- 
 ditional site suits these requirements. As I rode across the 
 valley black ominous clouds were driven over the lofty sum- 
 mits of Gerizim and Ebal, and I had just entered the enclosure 
 of the tomb when the rain fell in torrents. The wind drove 
 the clouds down the valley towards the Jordan, and I found 
 some shelter by pressing closely against the south wall of the 
 enclosure, but as it was open from above, I was exposed to 
 the fury of the blast and was soon drenched. Though God 
 had raised Joseph to power and honour in Egypt, he wished 
 his body to lie in tlie land which was to be the inheritance of 
 his descendants. And during forty years in the desert the 
 Israelites caiTied the embalmed body of their great ancestor ; 
 
 *Judge8 xxiv. 32. 
 
THE VALLEY OF NABLUS. 373 
 
 though they fought battles, though a new generation arose, 
 yet tliey never abandoned the body until they deposited it near 
 Shechein to await the day when the earth, and the sea, and 
 hell shall give up their dead. 
 
 I rode in the pelting rain through the poor village of Balata, 
 throuofh which a brook of clear sweet water was flowinsr with 
 considerable force. My horse plunged through heaps of rub- 
 bish and mud pools at the risk of breaking its own legs and 
 my neck. The hovels of Balata were the most wretched I saw 
 in all Palestine. The entrance, which was level with the road, 
 would admit only one person at a time, crawling in on hands 
 and knees, and most of the huts had only one room large 
 enough to allow a person to squat on the floor. In this atti- 
 tude, I saw women and children crouchinof and shiverinor round 
 a smouldering fire of twigs in the middle of the floor. How 
 terrible the misery of the common people of the land ! The 
 hands of the people are weak for war, their spirit is crushed 
 out by the oppression of centuries. May the God of justice 
 speedily send a power that by war or the peaceful conquests 
 of education and Christianity, may overturn the diabolical 
 system of government, and remove the men who thus delight 
 in human degradation and misery ! 
 
 The Valley of Nablus is rich in its soil, in the grandeur of 
 its scenery, in great names also, and famous deeds of more than 
 thirty centuries ago. None can ride up that vale unmoved by 
 a deep veneration for the deathless names a,ssociated with it 
 from Abraham to Christ. The greatest breadth of the valley 
 is about five hundred yards. On the north side rises Ebal, and 
 on the south Gerizim to a height of eight hundred feet above 
 the plain. On its summit stand the ruins of the Samaritan 
 temple, built about 400 B.C. and a rival to the temple in Jeru- 
 salem. This is the mountain, doubtless, to which our Lord 
 pointed when teaching the woman at Jacob's Well, as He said: 
 
JJ74 FROM JERUSALEM TO SAMARIA AND JENNIN. 
 
 " The hour coineth when ye shall neither in this mountain nor 
 
 ft/ 
 
 yet at Jerusalem, worsliip the Father." * It was destroyed 12!) 
 B.C., but its general outline and size may be determined. There 
 the Samaritans go yearly to celebrate the Passover, and as the 
 sun is gilding in glory the highlands of Jud.ea and the distant 
 shores of the Mediterranean, the high priest repeats Exodus 
 xii. C) ; and the knife is plunged into the white lamb with- 
 out blemish, and the strange weird service continues through 
 the nifjlit. 
 
 At the foot of Gerizim, eastward of the modern city, is a 
 chapel that marks some traditional site. Though I was deaf to all 
 the stories of Samaritan priests and tradition, I felt quite sure 
 that every yard of ground was the scene of famous events of by- 
 gone centuries. There Abimelech's brutal butchery of his seventy 
 brothers took place, and there he was made king by the oak of 
 the pillar that was in Shechem. May this stone pillar not be 
 the one which was set up by Joshua under the oak by the sanc- 
 tuary of the Lord as a witness of the covenant between God 
 and the Israelites ? An additional sanctity would also attach 
 to the place if this were the very oak, as it might easily have 
 been, under which the patriarch Abraham spread his tent on 
 his journey south. At this place a foot-path leads up the brow 
 of Gerizim over tiers of shelving limestone, and at a third of 
 the distance from the valley a large level area is formed by a 
 mass of projecting rock. Here, perhaps, stood the loud-voiced 
 Levites and read the blessings, and from an opposite point on 
 Ebal the curses were read. In the valley, the great hosts of 
 Israel stood, their elders, their judges and officers. On Ebal 
 they had erected an altar of great unhewn stones and plastered 
 them over with cement, and on it wrote the law with iron 
 tools. When one looks upon the perfect graffites on the 
 
 *John iv. 21. 
 
MOUNTS EBAL AND GERIZIM. 375 
 
 Palatine in Rome, where they have been exposed to wind and 
 rain for over eighteen hundred years, tliat writing on the 
 plaster at Ebal might have continued until now had it not 
 been destroyed by the ravages of many invasions. 
 
 Standing on that overhanging ledge of Gerizim, I tried to 
 recall the scene enacted in the valley and on these hill tops 
 more than thirty centuries ago. The vast multitude thronged 
 the valley ; they had been born in the desert or in Canaan 
 itself, and heard only from their fathers of the bondage from 
 which God delivered them. Joshua, now well stricken in 
 years, stood on the mount and read the law with the Levites. 
 From Ebal resounded the warning of Jehovah, "Cursed be the 
 man that maketh any graven or molten image," * and a myriad 
 of voices like the sound of many waters echoing throughout 
 the valley cried, "Amen " From Gerizim came the blessings, and 
 the people responded " Amen." No such gathering had ever 
 been seen in Israel like this. God had guided them through the 
 awfui Desert, smitten their foes before them and had now 
 given them the land of Canaan. The wind came sweeping 
 down the valley, sounding mournfully in the hollows of the 
 mountains, at times like a thunder of voices and then dying into 
 a gentle whisper. I closed my eyes, and in imagination I fancied 
 they were the echoes of the sea of voices below as they cried 
 in their strong enthusiasm and faith, " The Lord our God will 
 we serve, and his voice will we obey." The valley is covered 
 with old olive trees, gnarled and twisted in the growth of 
 many centuries. Nablus lies in a semicircular recess formed 
 by the range of mountains behind it ; its streets are narrow, 
 roughly paved and many of them are covered above and built 
 over as in Jerusalem. About one hundred and fifty of the 
 population are Samaritans. They are of medium height, of 
 
 * Deut. xxvii. 15. 
 
376 FROM JERUSALEM TO SAMARIA AND JENXIN. 
 
 light bronze complexion and are an interesting subject of dis- 
 cussion to Ethnolofjists. I re<rarded them with i^reat interest 
 as the remnant of the idolatrous tribes " which the king of 
 A.ssyria brought from Babylon, and from Cuthah, and from 
 Ava, and from Hamath, and from Sepharvaim, and placed 
 them in the cities of Samaria." * 
 
 Josephus states : " Shalmanezer removed the Israelites 
 out of the country and placed therein the nations of the 
 Cutheans, who had formerly belonged to the inner parts of 
 Persia and Media, but were then called Samaritans by taking 
 the name of the country to which they were removed." * 
 Though the Samaritans themselves say, in harmony with Ezra 
 iv. 2, that their ancestors were brought into the country by 
 Esarhaddon ; whenever it has appeared to their advantage, 
 they have professed to be descendants of the Jewish patriarchs. 
 They were and are regarded by the Jews as an alien race. 
 Our Lord calls them men of a foreign race, and the same ani- 
 mosity that existed between Jews and Samaritans for more 
 than seven hundred years until the time of Christ is yet in- 
 tensely bitter. Josephus tells how they waylaid the Galileans 
 on their journey to the feast in Jerusalem, and even went so 
 far in their relijxious fanaticism and national hatred as to 
 throw corpses into the courts of the temple at night at the 
 feast of the Passover, in order to defile the sacred places of the 
 Jews. The feeling was mighty in our Lord's day, for we read how 
 they refused to give him hospitality in one of their villages ; 
 and on that occasion the enmity even of the disciples, as Jevis, 
 flamed out as they said. Lord, command fire to come down and 
 consume them. The Rabbis held that a Samaritan is to be 
 considered as a heathen, and that whoever received a Samari- 
 tan into his house, deserved that his children go into exile. 
 
 * 2 Kings xviii. 24. t Jos. Ant. x. 9, 7. 
 
MOSQUE AT XAHUrS. .•]77 
 
 But our Lord taught by HiM conversation at the well and His 
 acceptance of Samaritan hospitality, and by His healing the 
 Samaritan as well as the Jew, that His grace embraced all 
 races, and that His Gospel was for Samaritans as well as for the 
 Jews. 
 
 In the south east part of the town is situated the Mosque, 
 a Christian church in the days of the crusaders, but now the 
 property of the ignorant and raiiatical Mahommedans. The 
 gate is exceedingly handsome, the circular columns on each 
 side of this entrance are graceful and the capitals delicately 
 carved. Outside of this gate, some huge granite columns are 
 lying on the street. They are too Targe to have been placed 
 originally in this church by the crusaders. They have been 
 dug up, I believe, from the rubbish in the area of the court 
 belonging to the mosque. They certainly do not belong to any 
 recent style of architecture, and have not been brought there 
 since the country became ?, part of the Turkish Empire. The 
 massive columns belong to an ancient style of workmanship 
 and unquestionably date back prior to the beginning of the 
 Christian age. We have no evidence that the Romans erected 
 any building in which such columns might have been used. 
 It is not unrea <onable to suppose they may have belonged to 
 the time of Abimelech and the early days of Shechem's existence. 
 We read that there was a house of Baal-berith, a heathen 
 temple, from whose revenue they gave Abimelech seventy 
 pieces of silver, with which to bribe the masses, to aid him in 
 his murderous efforts to reach the throne over the dead Vjodies 
 of his brothers. One vporards these fallen columns therefore 
 with some interest, as the visible remnants of a remote and 
 heathen past, which have remained unchanged through all the 
 changes which many centuries have brought on ancient 
 Shechem. In the centre of the court of this mosque is a well 
 where the faithful performed their ablutions, which they need 
 25 
 
378 I'llOM JERUSALEM TO SAMARIA AND JENNIN. 
 
 very much for sanitary as well as religious reasons. However, 
 as they confine their washing to their feet and hands their 
 washing is not effective for the first object. A crowd of 
 scowling, infidel-hating fellows were round the well as I 
 passed it. Their look did not indicate friendly feeling, so I 
 omitted all salutations and quietly passed by. 
 
 At the south-western part of Nablus is situated the 
 Samaritan synagogue. Along with Mr. Smart, I wended my 
 way through dark narrow streets, through the middle of which 
 small streams were flowing, which in the winter season swell 
 into powerful torrents, and after many turnings reached the 
 synagogue. The price to see the manuscript in possession of 
 the priests was exorbitant. One of our friends, who was not 
 greatly interested in such things, said he was not going to 
 submit to be plundered in this fashion, by beggarly Samaritans. 
 By the friendly aid of a missionary of the Baptist Church, to 
 whom I here express my thanks for many items of valuable 
 information, and for his kindness in aiding me in my visit to 
 the famous places about Nablus, the demands were greatly 
 reduced. We paid our bukshish, took ofi' our boots, and 
 entered the synagogue. The room was small, the walls white- 
 washed, and destitute of pictures, or any ornamentation of art. 
 The priest went into a small recess on the left, separated from 
 the main room of the synagogue by a curtain, and in a short 
 time returned with a roll in his hand. There are three copies 
 of the Pentateuch in their possession ; and, as they dislike to 
 show the genuine one, the priests often impose on the ignorant 
 by exhibiting one of the common copies. In order to prevent 
 deception, I asked him to bring the three together. The 
 ancient one, which the priest gravely informed us dated back 
 to Abraham, is contained in a silver cylinder about two feet 
 long. The age of the manuscript is a subject of dispute among 
 scholars, and is yet sub judice, though it is generally admit- 
 
THE SAMARITAN PKNTATFXX'H. 379 
 
 ted that it cannot date prior to the beginning of the Christian 
 Era. The vellum is about fifteen inches wide and covered 
 with crimson satin. The letters are irregular, and many 
 almost obliterated. It is patched in numerous places, and the 
 letters on these patches are less regular and beautiful than on 
 the original. 
 
 Though the variations between the Samaritan and the 
 Hebrew text of the Pentateuch are insignificant, there is one 
 which shows how bitter the hatred was between the Jews and 
 the Samaritans. In the Hebrew text we read that Moses 
 commanded, " It shall be when ye shall be gone over Jordan 
 that ye shall set up these stones, which I command you this 
 day, in Mount Ebal. . . . and there .shalt thou build an altar 
 unto the Lord thy God."* The Samaritan Pentateuch has in 
 its text "Gerizim " instead of " Ebal," which became their holy 
 mount in opposition to Mount Moriah in Jerusalem, on which 
 the Temple of Solomon stood. It is generally conceded that 
 the text has been falsified by the Samaritans, in order to add 
 to their national glory, and as the result of their fierce 
 antagonism to the Jews. To Gerizim therefore the woman of 
 Samaria pointed with pride when she said to our Lord, " our 
 fathers worshipped in this mountain." The " Samaritan 
 Joshua," which is a history of the race, full of myths and 
 anachronisms, informs us that the Samaritans rebelled against 
 Nebuchadnezzar who had subdued Palestine. Thej'', together . 
 with the Jews in Jerusalem, fled from their country. Mean- 
 while Nebuchadnezzar brought in strangers from Persia to 
 occupy the land. The worship of Jeho>''ah had been abandoned, 
 and a gross system of idolatry was set up. The curse of God 
 rested on the land and on the idolaters.. Josephus seems to 
 have copied the Samaritan traditions. He says: " They provoked 
 
 * Deuteronomy xxvii. 4, 5. 
 
380 FROM JERUSALEM TO SAMARIA AND JENNIN. 
 
 Almighty God to be angry at them, for a plague seized them ; 
 and when they found no cure for their miseries, they learned 
 by the oracle that they ought to worship Almighty God as 
 the method of their deliverance." * Nebuchadnezzar therefore 
 allowed Samaritans and Jews to return to their own land ; 
 whereupon the former desired to build a temple to God on 
 Gerizim, the latter wished to go to the Holy City and worship 
 Jehovah there. The question of the right place to worship 
 God was referred to the king. Both parties appealed to the 
 sacred books in support of their views. The king who was 
 probably indifferent about these holy hills, and hated both 
 Jews and Samaritans alike, put their sacred books through the 
 ordeal of fire. The Jewish Pentateuch was consumed at once 
 and reduced to ashes. On the other hand, tlie Samaritan 
 book leaped out of the flames three times into the king's 
 lap. As a fitting conclusion to this method of doing justice, a 
 number of the unfortunate Jews were beheaded, while three 
 hundred thousand Samaritans worshipped God on the mount 
 of " Mount of Blessing "-j- — Gerizim. 
 
 On starting from Nablus manv lepers gathered around our 
 camp with part of their hands and faces eaten away. Some 
 were on couches, others only able to crawl. The sight of such 
 misery can never be effaced from the memory of one who 
 once sees it. The most hardened must become compassionate 
 for them in their terrible sufferings of an incurable disease and 
 also in utter blindness of soul. Little is done for them by the 
 Turkish Government. All that has been done of any import- 
 ance to mitigate their sufferings and pour a few drops of 
 sweetness in their cup so full of bitterness is done by Christian 
 men and women under the insynration of the Spirit of God. 
 Such deeds are the glory of Christianity and the evidence of 
 
 * Ant. ix., xiv. 3. t Vide Smith's Diet, of Bible, Sam, 
 
THE leper's hospital AT JERUSALEM. 381 
 
 its living power and divine origin. And while Christian 
 organizations and individuals do such merciful works as is 
 done among the lepers of Palestine, the Gospel of the Grace of 
 God will defy all the fierce attacks of its foes. 
 
 The hospital outside the Jaffa Gate, founded by Baron 
 Keifenbrinck, is the only well regulated institution in the 
 country; but, as it is supported by private donations, the 
 directors are unable to do all they wish to relieve the lepers. 
 The building is well ventilated. I visited the institution, to 
 inquire as to the nature of the disease and treatment. The 
 face and hands of the men and women were swollen to an 
 immense size. There were large sores on the face and 
 other parts of the body, from which offensive matter was 
 oozing. No remedy has been yet discovered by those physi- 
 cians who have made leprosy a specialty. The spots first 
 appear on the children of leprous parents, when about eleven 
 years of age, and the utmost that medical science can yet do 
 is to take these children before that age and by suitable treat- 
 ment prevent the development of the disease. During certain 
 stages of the disease the victims suffer terrible agony. The 
 night previous to my visit, the matron informed me a man 
 had cut off three of his fingers with a large knife. Thus those 
 wretched ones live till they lie down to die, uncared for by 
 loving friends. At Jerusalem, Nabliis, and Damascus, no 
 infidels, no materialists are found putting forth a finger to 
 relieve these terrible sufferers. Christians provide the money, 
 and the grace of God. These are the men and women who spend 
 their life in such homes tending the sores, comforting the heart 
 and teaching these outcasts of the land, some of whom, at Nablus, 
 may well be the descendants of that covetous Gehazi, who 
 went out from Elisha's presence, a leper as white as snow. 
 We left Nablus shortly after sunrise and bade farewell to our 
 kind-hearted friend, the Rev. Mr. Carey. A number of the 
 
382 FROM JERUSALEM TO SAMARIA AND JENNIN. 
 
 citizens were already around the tents, and also eight or ten 
 lepers. After the tents were struck and the baggage horses 
 had left we parted from that strange company of Samaritans, 
 Jews and lepers, and rode westward for some distance between 
 vineyards and gardens of fig trees, already covered with leaves 
 and green figs. Clear, sweet streams were flowing through 
 the gardens, and were used both for irrigation and also for the 
 purpose of driving a mill of some considerable size. The whole 
 region was like an earthly paradise, and Jotham must have 
 looked down from Mount Gerizim on such gardens as these 
 when he spoke his parable of warning to the men of Shechem . 
 Early in the forenoon we reached the hill on which Samaria, 
 the modern Sabastia, was built. Omri* bought it for two 
 talents of silver from Shemer, and called the name of the 
 capital which he founded Samaria. The hill is about six 
 hundred feet above the level of the valley, which is extremely 
 fertile. On the south a colonnade winds round the brow of the 
 hill over the ruins of splendid terraces and gardens that 
 covered it in the days of Herod, About one hundred columns 
 are standing of different styles and capitals. To this spot 
 came Naaman from far Damascus to be healed by the King of 
 Israel. Even in England, in early days, the king was supposed 
 to have power to cure many diseases by the touch of his hand. 
 This belief was the natural result of an ancient super- 
 stition. The people regarded their king as a demigod, and 
 invested him with supernatural gifts. This was certainly the 
 case in the East where kings assumed titles implying that 
 they had descended from the gods. The King of Israel, how- 
 ever, confessed his utter inability to heal the leper : " Am I 
 God to kill and to make alive?" Benhadad and Naaman also 
 had to learn that none but the God of Israel could heal him. 
 
 ^ 1 Kings xvi. 24. 
 
SAMARIA. 883 
 
 On the top of the hill toward the south-east is the wretched 
 modern village, the walls of whose houses have pieces of old 
 pillars and carved stone built into them which may have 
 belonged to the temple of Baal or the palace of Herod. A 
 short distance west of the village is a level area used for a 
 threshing floor, and higher up is a number of broken columns 
 lying prostrate in a field of wheat. This may have been the 
 site of tne temple of Baal, the scene of the terrible butchery 
 of all the priests and worshippers of that heathen deity. 
 Though Jehu broke down the image of Baal and destroyed 
 the temple it was not on account of his hatred of idolatry, for 
 he himself worshipped the golden calves in Bethel and Dan, 
 his motive was not God's glory, and yet it was governed by 
 God, so that evil was punished, for He makes the wrath of 
 man to serve Him. On the south side are ruins of what must 
 have been an extensive building, with broad flights of steps 
 leading up to it. This may be all that is left of the magnificent 
 palace erect^'d in honour of Augustus. A church in the modern 
 village, of the age of the Crusaders, is of interest. On the 
 walls that enclose the area is seen a number of crosses, though 
 probably the church and walls are built of material used in 
 the time of Herod. For three years Shalmaneser beseiged 
 Samaria. In the ninth year of Hosea Israel was carried 
 away into Assyria and colonized the cities of the Medes. The 
 Bible does not state the name of the king who finally conquered 
 Samaria ; it merely states he was King of Assyria. The 
 Assyrian records inform us that Sargon, the successor of 
 Shalmaneser, in his first year on the throne took Samaria, 
 though his predecessor had besieged it,* and thus the records 
 in that strange cuneiform languajxe in a distant land, again 
 verify the Word of God. Philip, in apostolic days, preached 
 
 *Ilawl. His. Evidences, 119. 
 
S84 P^llOM JERUSALEM TO SAMARIA AND JENNIN. 
 
 Christ in Samaria and wrought miracles, and there was great 
 joy in the city. Now it is a poor village, whose inhabitants 
 are fierce and ignorant ; wheat is growing on the sites of royal 
 palaces and heathen shrines, and the fulfilment of God's 
 judgment is written in the ruins of Samaria : "I will make 
 Samaria as an heap of the field and as plantings of a vineyard, 
 and I will pour down the stones thereof into the valley and I 
 will discover the foundations thereof." * 
 
 In about six hours from Samaria the tent was reached at 
 Jennin the ancient En-gannin. During the afternoon I visited 
 Tell Dothaim the ancient Dotlian. The sides of the hill were 
 green with wheat, through which I rode to the top, which was 
 covered with ruins of ancient structures, among which were 
 growing old olive trees and a few hawthorn trees in bloom. 
 The plain stretched on every side clothed with rich pasture 
 capable of supporting vast herds. At this place Joseph found his 
 brothers, and here they sold him to the Ishmaelites-f- on their 
 route to Egypt with spices. Even now the caravans from Gilead 
 come along the Valley of Beisan, and turn south at the foot of 
 Gilboa, and pass Jennin and Dothau. At the base of the hill 
 is a circular well whose curbing stones are unhewn in which 
 when dry, or in others that may exist in the plains here 
 Joseph may have been cast. In the days of Elisha, Benhadad 
 compassed this hill by night with a mighty host ; they encamped 
 in the plain to cut off escape. But higher up the hill were 
 horses and chariots of fire, and the Lord smote the host with 
 blindness, and the prophet led them to Samaria along the plain 
 I had just crossed. Through every age, in every trial, and in 
 every country, whether in the fiery furnace in Babylon, in the 
 martyr's prison and chains in Rome or Philippi, in dangers in 
 Palestine, and in the struggles of a Christian life in Canada, to 
 
 * Micah i. 0. + Genesis xxxvii. 
 
JENNIN, ANCIENT EU-GAMTN. 385 
 
 be like Christ, and to imitate his deeds of holiness and love, 
 the same truth is a tower of defence and a heaven of coiirajie : 
 they that are for the Lord's [)eople are more than they that 
 are against them. I arrived at Jennin at dark, and found the 
 tent pitched in a graveyard. The reason for selecting this 
 spot and infringing upon the possessions of the dead I could 
 not learn. There was ample room in several places near tlie 
 village. Perhaps the man who had charge of the tent thought 
 that a night among tombstones was good enough for infidel 
 dogs, and would help to keep myself and companions in humble 
 meditation for one night at least on our latter end. At some 
 distance from the camp I heard loud angry voices, and hast- 
 ening to the scene of action, I found that our dragoman, 
 whose own nose had l^een broken in some fray years ago, 
 had taken a tent peg and struck the young man, who had 
 pitched the tent among the graves, violently over the nose. 
 Blood was flowing freely, and knives were threateningly held 
 up in a number of hands. I was thankful when I found that 
 the dragoman had not driven the peg through the young man's 
 temple, as Jael, the wife of Heber the Kenite, had done to 
 Sisera. High above the babel of voices, I could distinguish 
 the shrill voice of our rascally dragoman shouting, " We are all 
 Christians, we are all Christians, let us be at peace." If a 
 motley crowd of Syrians and Mahommedans to whom plunder 
 or even murder would be no serious matter could be Christians, 
 they could claim to be such. The cause of the trouble, I soon 
 discovered to be that die dragoman was angry at the site 
 chosen for the tent among the graves ; whether he was fight- 
 inor for our honour or avengins: the dead men whose tombs 
 would be defiled by our presence I do not know. 
 
 Two watchmen were obtained from the village to guard the 
 tent, and in the quiet hours of the night I heard them discus- 
 sing, in deep gutturals, the amount of bukshish they would 
 
386 FROM JERUSALEM 10 SAMARIA AND JENNIN. 
 
 receive in the morning for their service. The watchmen of the 
 east are an important class of people, not to be trusted, how- 
 ever, in general, for their honesty or justice. In the vineyards 
 in southern Palestine are built stone towers for the watchmen 
 to guard the ripening fruit, and in the rural parts a rude tent 
 is constructed of four upright poles covered with reeds or 
 branches. These can easilv be removed as well as built, and 
 in allusion to their frail and temporary nature, Job compares 
 the insecurity of the godless to them, " he buildeth his house 
 as a booth that the keeper maketh." * Our property and life 
 were in the hands of the watchmen, who might easily betray 
 their trust ; this made me lie awake all night to be ready for 
 any emergency. I thought of the strong language in which 
 David expressed his trust in Jehovah as the keeper of his 
 people, and found strength in the truth that He is the keeper 
 of Israel forever. " Behold, he that keepeth Israel shall 
 neither slumber nor sleep." -f And in reference to the very 
 custom of appointing a special guard for strangers like our- 
 selves who were passing through the land, it is written, " the 
 Lord preserveth the strangers," | or, as it may be better trans- 
 lated, " Jehovah is the keeper of strangers." He is the keeper 
 of the Gentiles who are not of Jewish blood nor belong to the 
 land of Palestine, for He is Father of all, and in Christ is 
 making His salvation known among all nations. 
 
 As we were anxious to leave Jennin early, orders were 
 given for an early breakfast. One of our companions occupied 
 the tent in which the provisions were kept for safety during 
 the night. And as a heavy dew frequently lay on the grass 
 in the early morning, vre took breakfast in this tent. Our 
 friend acted with praise .vorthy fidelity on the first part of the 
 proverb ; " Early to bed, early to rise, makes a man healthy, 
 
 * Job xxvii. 18. t Psalm cxxi. 4. J Psalm cxlvi. 9. 
 
A SCENE AT JENNIN. 387 
 
 wealthy and wise." He retired early enough but refused 
 to rise. The dragoman tried by coaxing and then threatening 
 him to get him out of bed. Alexander then exhausted his 
 stock of broken English, and finally his own patience to no 
 purpose. My friend Mr. Smart, whose persuasive words of 
 kindness would move a stupid Turk even, failed to persuade 
 him to leave his bed. It was useless to point out the fact that 
 the sun had risen, he replied, " that was no reason wl^y he 
 should rise." At length the dragoman, Alexander, and two of 
 our men carried him out of the tent, bed and bedding, and then 
 he lay on his back with his face covered with his bed clothes. 
 The well-meant efforts of everybody, he said, only made him 
 more stubborn, and we might move on without him, for he 
 would not rise yet. Alexander, as a dernier ressort, stripped 
 the bed clothes off him and ran with them round the tent. 
 Our friend rose, and in solemn gravity, and Avith considerable 
 agility gave chase for his blanket, amid the shoutings and ap- 
 plause of our Syrian and Mahommedan muleteers. The 
 sources of the ancient River Kishon are at Jennin. Near our 
 tent a small streamlet only a few inches deep flowed along the 
 edge of a hedge of cactus. After the chase was ended, our 
 friend took his blanket and folded it two or three times and 
 started for the stream. First, he lay on his face, then on his 
 back, for the water was not deep enough to cover his body. 
 He stirred up the black mud of the bottom as if a whale were 
 plunging in the small stream. On finishing his morning ablu- 
 tions, he came out dripping with black muddy water, and 
 stood on his blanket which he had placed at the edge of the 
 stream and began to dry himself. The lynx-eyed dragoman 
 espied him and ran towards him, cursing in the loudest tones 
 and coarsest Arabic possible. He dragged the blanket sud- 
 denly from under the feet of the bather and came within a jot 
 of sending him reeling into the stream backwards. Then he 
 
888 
 
 FROM JERUSALEM TO SAMARIA AND JENNIN. 
 
 came rushinf^ towards our tent holding up the blanket from 
 ■v\ hich a stream of dii oy water was flowing, and asking what 
 we thought of that. We replied we thought it was a dirty- 
 blanket and nothing more, and that he would add to our com- 
 fort if he would look after his own duties more and swear less. 
 He withdrew like a timid cur with his tail between his leo-s, 
 and we left the scene. 
 
 EASTERN MODE OF WASHING HANDS. 
 
Chapter XVII. 
 
 JEZREEL AND THE PLAIN OF ESDRAELON. 
 
 " The cities lie here very numerously ; and the very many villafjes 
 there are here are everywhere so full of people, by roaa(ju of the richness 
 of the soil, that the very least of them contains alone fifteen thousand 
 inhabitants." — Jusephns, B.J. iii. 3, 2. 
 
 IDING out of tent early in the morning, I heard 
 angry discussions behind, which I learned after- 
 ward were caused by the watchmen, who were 
 Turkish soldiers, being discontented with their 
 wages, as they have been from earliest times. In 
 the time of John's powerful preaching which made 
 multitudes think of their life and character, among others 
 soldiers came to him, asking what they should do, to whom 
 he replied, "Be content with your wages." This lesson those 
 Turks had yet to earn. 
 
 The great plain of Esdraelon extends in the form of a tri- 
 ano-le from Bethshean by the Jordan to Tabor and Carmel on 
 the coast of the Mediterranean Sea. The soil is fertile, and as 
 far as the eye could reach was green with fields of wheat. 
 Luxuriant pasture was to be found over the extensive plain, 
 capable of supporting multitudes of cattle, while the slopes of 
 Gilboa, little Hermon, and Tabor afford splendid browsing for 
 unlimited numbers of sheep and goats. This extensive, level 
 area was the ancient battle field of Palestine. On it some 
 famous battles have been fought, and some of the bloodiest 
 deeds have been done. There too, kingly hopes have been 
 
3U0 JEZREEL AND THK PLAIN UF ESDUAELON. 
 
 extinguished in shame and total defeat, and royal families 
 swept from existence. On this field the hosts of Sisera were 
 annihilated. Along the north side of the plain under the 
 shadow were encamped the Midianites, Amalekites, and chil- 
 dren of the East, like grasshoppers for multitude. On the 
 south side near Harod, or the Well of Trembling, probably the 
 modern Ain Jalud, Gideon and his three hundred men who 
 lapped with their hands were encamped, who defeated their 
 enemies and chased them down the plain and across the Jordan. 
 Here, too, the hosts of Israel fought the Philistines in the battle 
 which ended disastrously on Gilboa in the death of Saul and 
 his sons, whose dead bodies were exposed to the gaze and 
 mockery of the Philistines on the walls of Bethshean. 
 At Megiddo Josiah, of Judah, was defeated and slain by 
 Necho, the King of Egypt. Crusaders, with the red cross on 
 their breasts, have fought with fiery zeal kindled by fanaticism, 
 against the hated and bigoted Saracen. Frenchmen and 
 fanatical Turks have encountered each other in mortal struggle 
 on the plain of Esdraelon. Its soil has been trodden by the 
 feet of soldiers, nobles, and kings from many distant lands. 
 The standards of Egypt, Babylon, France, and Turkey have 
 flut' -red over it. Its soil has drunk in the blood of the prince 
 and the humble soldier, and it has afforded a common grave 
 of rest to men who in life were deadly foes. On this plain, 
 broken up by Giiboa, little Hermon, and Tabor, into small 
 areas extending eastward to the Jordan, were situated cities 
 of ancient times, around whose names cling memories of 
 valiant deeds, and deeds of human and divine love, and mem- 
 ories of men who impressed their spirit on the life of their 
 time and of all coming times. Among these places of interest 
 are Jezreel, Shunem, Nain, Endor, En-Gannim, Carmel, Naza- 
 reth, and Tabor. 
 
 We rode northward from Jennin, through fields of wheat, 
 
TARES IN THE WHEAT FIELDS OF ESDUAELON. ^1)1 
 
 from which the farmers were pulling up tares, and throwing 
 them out on the foot-path to be trodden under the feet of 
 men and horses. This is the zizanion of St. Mathew, and is 
 called by the inhabitants zavvun. It is a species of wild rye 
 or barley. The grains are bitter to the taste and are poison- 
 ous, producing convulsions and even causing death when eaten 
 in any quantity. Dr. Thomson says that it is a firm belief 
 among many of the farmers that it is a vlegenerated wheat, 
 produced by wet seasons. Though in the early stages of its 
 growth it cannot be ditstinguished from wheat, this is easily 
 done when the grain is forming along the stalk. Men, women, 
 and children, may be seen on all the large wheat-growing areas 
 of Palestine plucking it up by the roots. It of course inter- 
 twines its roots round the roots of the wheat so that in pluck- 
 ing it up, it brings wheat stalks with it. These tares are 
 employed by the Divine Teacher to mark the radical diti'er- 
 ence between good and evil in their nature and origin. * The 
 tares are sown not by God, but by an enemy of God and man, 
 and are fit only to be cast into the fire, while the wheat is to 
 be gathered into the garner of God. The teaching of the Word 
 of God and the figures it employs are verified by experience 
 and true philosophy that good and evil are two realities, 
 eternally distinct in their essence. It is as absurd to say evil 
 is good in the germ or the negative aspect of good, as to say 
 darkness is the germ of light, or death the germ of life. But 
 as the Scripture teaches, in the Divine economy good and evil 
 must grow in the kingdom together until the harvest day of 
 God, when the evil shall be separated from the good by an 
 infallible and mighty hand. 
 
 Gilboa, destitute of wood, and barren, rose on our right, 
 extending eastward to the Ghor of Beisan and the valley of the 
 
 * Matthew xiii. 24, et seq. 
 
302 JKZHKKT. AND TFIK PLAIN OF KSDUAELON. 
 
 Jordan, and its western spur readied out into the plain as far 
 as tlu! modern Villac^e of Zerin. It towered up like a <,dant 
 among the lesser elevations round about. This range, like 
 others, was doubtless wooded in former times, but at present is 
 bald and desolate. To this mount Saul and his sons fled after 
 the defeat by the Philistines, whence the head of the fallen king 
 was carried as a trophy whence fastened to the walls of Beth- 
 ;4hean. Riding through fields of wheat in a north-westerly 
 direction we reached Jezreel, the modern Zerin, early in the fore- 
 noon. It is situated on a spur of Gilboa. Only a few poor houses 
 now occupy the plateau on the top of the hill, which gradually 
 slopes down to the plain, except on the east side, which is preci- 
 pitous. On the summit is a ruined tower which may have served 
 the crusaders, as the ancient one served the watchman who saw 
 Jehu riding furiously up that plain, as the avenger of the 
 Lord. Excavations have been dug into the limestone hill. 
 These probably were ancient reservoirs for water to supply the 
 citizens in time of siege. Now they are granaries, from which 
 men were lifting up wheat in grass baskets, while the women 
 were sifting it. After the threshing and winnowing process is 
 done, the wheat is usually stored away mixed with dust, fine 
 stones and teben, or crushed straw. The ghurbal, or sieve, is 
 similar to the European ones, in shape and size ; this the women 
 of Jazreel filled half full, then sitting down they shook it with 
 considerable force, the small grain and fine stones fell through, 
 they then picked out the larger stones,and the wheat in the sieve 
 was ready for use. The small grains were after w^ards sifted 
 in a ghurbal of finer meshes, and nothing is lost. The figura- 
 tive language of Amos is better understood after having seen 
 the siftmg process in Palestine. In speaking of His judgments 
 on Israel, God says, " I will sift the house of Israel among all 
 nations, like as corn is sifted in a sieve."* Eastward the 
 
 * Amos ix. 9, 
 
SHUNEM. 31)3 
 
 Gilboa lango (le.scunds porpondicularly to the plain, and at its 
 ])aso is Ain Jahul near which Gideon and his three hundred 
 who lapped like dogs prepared for battle against the Midian- 
 ites. In Jezreel was Naboth's vineyard which Ahab coveted, 
 probably on the north-east side of the spur on which tlie city 
 was built. Here the dauntless Elijah met Ahab and told his 
 doom "in the place where dogs licked the blood of Naboth 
 shall dogs lick thy blood," ' and in the pool to the north of the 
 hills doubtless the bloody chariot and sword of the dead king 
 were washed, and the prophecy fulfilled by dogs licking his 
 blood. His son Joram was cast dead into the pol-tion of the 
 field of Naboth, and Jehu slew Jezebel who was thrown out of 
 the palace window and was eaten by dogs. She tried to 
 conquer her foe with her charms, " she painted her face,'"' or as 
 it is literally "she put her eyes in paint." Everywhere in the 
 East, women still follow the custom. Antimony, or according 
 to Dr. Thomson, khol, obtained from burning almond shells or 
 frankincense is used. The substance is applied with a small 
 stick, or a piece of ivory to the eyebrows and eyelashes. 
 Antimony dilates the pupil of the eye and gives it a glassy 
 brightness which is much admired among Orientals. To this 
 custom Jeremiah refers when speaking against Jerusalem ; 
 " Though thou enlargest thine eyes with painting, in vain shalt 
 thou make thyself fair."-f- The storj' of Ahab and his house 
 is a warning to covetous men and despots, whether kings, 
 politicians or railway magnates, that if they heap up fortunes 
 at the expense of the people's rights and in violation of justice, 
 the day of vengeance and divine retribution will surely come, 
 A short distance north-west of Jezreel is Shunem where the 
 great woman had a chamber in which were a bed, table and 
 stool for the prophet. We lunched under the friendly shade of 
 
 * 1 Kings xxi. 19. t Jeremiah iv. 30. 
 
 26 
 
894 JEZREEL AND THE PLAIN OF ESDRAELON. 
 
 orano-e trees in a o-arden outside the villai):e. As Nazareth was 
 to be the camping place, our halt at Shunem was short. I 
 rode through the village with its fifty or sixty houses set down 
 in the wildest coui'usion. Smoke was issuing from a hole in 
 the wall which did service for a door and a chimney. On the 
 roofs were clay beehives, which resembled huge water jars, 
 and immense swarms of bees were busy in the gardens and 
 over the plain. In company with a guide I rode down the plain 
 on which many of the mighty nations of the past had camped, 
 Philistines, Israelites, Egyptians, Greeks, and Romans. In 
 half an hour we began to ascend Jebel ed Dahy, and descended 
 on the northern slope to Nein, the ancient Nain, at the base of 
 the hill. At the back of the present village, are some rock- 
 hewn tombs, and east of the village but lower down towards 
 the plain are traces of ancient buildings. Our Lord coming 
 from Capernaum would enter Nain on the east side when He 
 met the funeral of the widow's son nigh to the gate. The ruins 
 on the east of the village seem to indicate tliat ancient Nain was 
 of considerable size, and this would agree with Luke's state- 
 ment that much people followed the bier. About a dozen men 
 were seated on a low terrace hearing cases and delivering judg- 
 ment on them. I spoke to them but their reply was far from 
 friendly. My conversation was brief, therefore, I left them to 
 deliberate on their municipal affairs without my disturbing 
 presence. The people soon gathered around us, one of whom 
 I asked if any great prophet had ever been here. " Yes," she 
 replied. " Nebi Jesus." " What did He do in Nain." " He 
 made live the son of a widow." She had heard the story of 
 our Lord's mighty work, but on asking her further about 
 Christ, she said the priest would tell me everything, but I found 
 him as ignorant of the Scriptures as the woman. 
 
 A short ride eastward along the base of the hill brought 
 us to Aindiir, Endor, high up on the brow of the hill. The 
 
TATTOOED WOMEN OF ENDOll. 395 
 
 houses are ancient caves dug out of the mountain, and in a few 
 instances mason work is built in front of" the caves, in whicli 
 sheep are kept over night, and farm implements are stored 
 away. On the face of one or two of the caves that wer<3 
 surrounded with stone walls, I observed some carving almost 
 obliterated, and therefore, cannot say whether it is the work 
 of former times, or rude etforts of the modern Endontes. Tlie 
 Shiekh and all the population, male and female, came out t<j 
 examine us. In all, they were about one hundred souls. The 
 women and children were all tattooed, the former wore orna- 
 ments of silver round the brow and over the crown of the head, 
 in their nose and ears, round thoir necks, on their arms and 
 ankles. Their face, arms and feet were a mass of blue colouring 
 of various devices, wliich, together with their huge silver orna- 
 ments, their ragsred e'arments and wizzened, wrinkled skin, 
 gave them the appearance of being suitable descendants of 
 that ancient witch who plied her unlawful trade in some of 
 these caves, in the days of Saul. 
 
 This custom of tattooing is very old and seems to have been 
 practised in Egypt before the time of Moses. The Israelites 
 were forbidden " to print any marks upon themselves," * in 
 reference to this custom of the heathen. In Exodus we read, 
 however, that the Israelites were to keep in memory their 
 deliverance from the land of Egypt by a sign upon their 
 hands, and a memorial between their eyes.-|- Dr. Thomson 
 thinks it may have been the figure of the Paschal Lamb. As 
 the Egyptians would probably have upon some part of their 
 body the name or figure of the deity whom they specially 
 worshipped, would it not ratlier be a name of the true God which 
 the Israelites would have as a sign on their hand and forehead ? 
 In the time of Isaiah, reference is again made to this custom. 
 
 * Lev. xix. 28. t Exoil. xiii. y. 
 
39G JEZllEEL AND THE PLAIN OF ESDRAELON. 
 
 Tliese tattoo marks are indelible, they cannot be removed. 
 The Lord, to attest that his love for his people is everlasting 
 and can never be removed, says, " Behold I have graven thee 
 upon the palms of my hands. " * There is an indirect reference 
 to the custom in the New Testament ; in the resurrection of 
 the just, when body and soul shall be made perfect in holiness 
 there will be no external image of Christ on the redeemtd, 
 no outward mark, no written quotation from God's Word, but 
 soul and body shall be in the likeness of Christ, for " as we 
 have borne the image of the earthly, we shall also bear the 
 image of the heavenly." 
 
 Gold is an object of great admiration to Orientals as well as 
 Canadians, wherever it may be seen. The whole population 
 of Aindiir were "fathered about us. The children were feelinsf 
 the buttons on our coat, and trying to take them off as lawful 
 spoils. These little urchins were in rags, their hair was cut 
 close to the skull except on the crown, where a tuft of woolly 
 hair was left standing, like the bunch of hair in a shoe brush, 
 which gave them a comical appearance. With difficulty I 
 could kc-p their black paws from slipping into my pockets, 
 for they evidently had no clear perception of the difference be- 
 tween mine and thine. I lectured the shiekh on the import- 
 ance of training his people in good morals ; they laughed at my 
 efforts to teach them, and were hopeful of a handsome buk- 
 shish. We were facing the west, and the sun was nearly set- 
 ting across the Mediterranean Sea. One of my companions 
 had a considerable quantity of gold setting in his teeth on 
 which the rays of the setting sun were reliected. At once a 
 tufted-headed lad spie 1 the gold, he put his brown fingers to 
 my friend's mouth ai\d »Surninr round eagerly and swiftly to a 
 score of his companions wJth '.he blacking brush tufts on their 
 
 * j'soiah xlix. 16. 
 
EXCITING SCENES AT ENDOR. 307 
 
 heads, cried out lustily in Arabic, " Taaloo hena ya awlad 
 dahab, dahab, dahab '' (come here boys, gold, gold, gold), as 
 if he had discovered a gold mine. A sudden rush was made 
 towards my friend to see the wonderful discovery ; and, lest 
 their greediness should overcome their judgment and attempt 
 to extract the golden teeth, we paid our bukshish, wished them 
 all "peace," hastened down the hill and over the rich plain 
 and crossed the hills to Nazareth. The white houses of Nazar- 
 eth on the brow of the hill nestled among vineyards, and 
 gardens of fig and almond trees. The valley is small, but the 
 green foliage and richly coloured blossoms on the trees, the 
 perfect stillness of the evening, the purple and gold in which 
 the setting sun mantled the whole landscape, made Nazareth 
 appear to me an earthly paradise. Reining up my horse, I 
 looked with joy on blessed Nazareth, The city of our Lord's 
 childhood days, doubtless, has perished, but the general out- 
 lines of the scenery remain unchanged, and the whole panorama 
 of vale and hill and natural beauty must have appeared to him 
 much the same as they appear now. The first person I met 
 was a Mahommedan engaged in prayer under the shade of a 
 blooming tree. He was facing Mecca and was heedless of our 
 presence. Though he was a fanatical Mahommedan, I was de- 
 lighted that the first man of the city whom I saw was engaged 
 in prayer. Tradition has located the important scenes in oui- 
 Lord's life in Nazareth. I have no faith in any of them, for 
 there is not one tittle of evidence in support of them. How- 
 ever, I visited them with the same feeling which I had when 
 I walked along the valley and over the hills behind the city 
 opposite it, namely, that our Lord has walked over these same 
 places and so has made every spot holy ground. Nazareth has 
 never been a city of importance, it is not mentioned by 
 Josephus, though he was familiar with the whole region round 
 about. In our Lord's time it was probably an insignificant 
 
39S JEZKEEL AND THE PLAIN OF ESDKAELOX. 
 
 rural village, anrl notorious* for its wickedness. Its present 
 ])()pulation is about .■),000, and the character of its people, 
 is none of the best. In this (juiet spot our Lord grew in 
 wisdom and stature for the coniiiig years of His pulilic life of 
 bitter hatred and cruel sufferings and GcJ-like deeds of mercy. 
 Far from the throng and din of great cities some of the earth's 
 mightiest ones have passed their early youth and manhood, 
 Shakspeare, whose dramas are immortal, and whose thoughts 
 are rich treasure houses for lesser men, Cromwell, who made 
 Britain's name a terror to her foes, and her flag the symbol of 
 freedom and the shield of the downtrodden multitudes in 
 eveiy sphere of human activity. 
 
 The Latin Church in Nazareth is situated at the southern 
 part of the town, and on the east side of the one broad street. 
 When I first entered there was service, the people were on 
 their knees on the stone floor, and the organ was pealing forth 
 its sweet solemn tones, which could be heard far down in the 
 valley in the stillness of the evening. Descending a number 
 of steps I reached the chapel of Annunciation, where is the 
 inscription "Hie Verhuiii en ro factwra est" (here the Word 
 was made flesh). Higher up is a cave in the rock called the 
 Virgin's house, and to the right is a smaller room with arched 
 ceiling called the Virgin's kitchen. They probably were tombs 
 or granaries in the olden times like those of Jezreel. A chapel 
 overlooking the valley further north is pointed out as 
 occupying the site of Jo.seph's workshop, and in a small side 
 chapel to the left under the altar are the words " Hie erat 
 suhditus illis" (here He ^¥as subject to them). Near the 
 Maronite Church may be seen the limestone slab, the so-called 
 table from which our Lord ate with his disciples. I was not 
 desirous of lingering long in such places, for only the most 
 credulous could venerate them as the sites of the recorded 
 events of our Lord. Greeks, Arabs, Crusaders, and Turks have 
 
VIEW FROM THE HILL I5EHIND NAZARETH. .399 
 
 devastated the city, so that oven the site of ancient Nazareth is 
 uncertain. Ascending the hill on the north-east, then turning 
 to the left I passed the school and orphanage of Miss Dixon 
 and reached the part of the hill overlooking the Maronite 
 Church. Here the face of the hill is precipitous for a distance 
 of al)out fifty feet to the streets below. This, is the place, ac- 
 cording to Dean Stanley, from which the Nazarenes tried to 
 hurl the Lord over "the brow of the hill whereon the city was 
 built."' North and south of this spot are many other spots, 
 over any one of which if a man were thrown he would be 
 killed or badly injured. 
 
 It has been suggested that the precipitous hill overlooking 
 Iksal to the south-east of Nazareth would be a much more 
 suitable place, for no man could possibly live if thrown over 
 that hill with its sharp masses of projecting rock. But it is not 
 the same hill on which the city was built, unless Nazareth also 
 occupied the opposite side of the valley, of which there is not 
 the least evidence, besides the furious Nazarenes would not 
 have gone so far, when what suited their purpose was near at 
 hand. The view from the hill behind the city is extensive and 
 includes some of the most noteil places in Palestine ; westward, 
 Carmel, and Haifa, and the waters of the Great Sea appeared, 
 south-east was the plain of Esdraelon carpeted with the richest 
 green, and broken at intervals by little Hermon, Jczreel and 
 Gilboa ; eastward. Tabor is seen, like a prince among the lesser 
 hills ; northward, were Kefr Kenna, and Sefuneh the seat of the 
 Jewish Sanhedrim after the downfall of Jerusalem ; further 
 north was Hattin, the mount of beatitudes, and beyond, the plain 
 of Huleh, and great Hermon mantled with snow. On this scene 
 our Lord doubtless often lookei:. In this secluded spot sur- 
 rounded by hills, and adorned by fertile vale, the Son of man 
 
 *Luke iv. 29. 
 
400 JEZIIEEL AND THE PLAIN OF ESDRAELON. 
 
 spent the greatest part of His earthly life. This quiet Galilean 
 town was a fit place, in divine wisdom, where amid beautiful 
 scenery and fresh atmosphere he might attain bodily vigour to 
 endure his fatiguing journeys on foot under the intense heat 
 of a Syrian sun. There, he grew in mental power and in the 
 consciousness of his origin and nature. With the exception of 
 one or two brief glances into his early life, God has wiped out all 
 knowledge of His Son until he came forth to His public work. 
 We would ask many (questions, but who can answer ? The pen 
 of the inspired writer was forbidden to write. At length 
 strong in experience gained in His Galilean home, and strong in 
 the consciousness that he was the Son of God, He went forth 
 to battle against evil and for righteousness. He was equal to 
 the task, he spoiled principalities and })Owers, and ascended up 
 on high leading captivity captive. 
 
 A shoi t ride brouii^ht me to Kefr Kenna, which tradition has 
 honoured as the site of Cana of Galilee and the scene of our 
 Lord's first miracle, when he manifested forth his glory. In 
 the poor Greek Church, over the door of which hangs a small 
 bell, supported by ricketty props, to call the people to worship, 
 were a few paltry paintings and moth-eaten books, which the 
 priest was anxious to sell me. Against the wall of the church 
 are fastened two large stone jars, about two feet in diameter 
 and three and a-half high. The priest, informed me these were 
 two of the six in which the water was changed into wine. I 
 asked him for his proof, but that was wanting, for he only 
 shook his head in reply. If the firkin was equivalent to the 
 Hebrew "bath" containing seven and a half gallons, each stone 
 would have contained at least fifteen gallons, and there would 
 be at least ninety gallons at the marriage feast. When we 
 remember the customs at an eastern marriage this was not a 
 large quantity, even for a poor family. Friends and neigh- 
 bours are invited now to marriages in the east, for the custom 
 
KEFR KENNA. 401 
 
 is the same as in those earlv times when Jacob married Rachel. 
 On that occasion Laban " gathered together all the men of the 
 place and made a feast." In the parable of the marriage of the 
 king's son, the servants were commanded, " Go ye therefore into 
 the highways, and as many as ye shall find, bid to the mar- 
 riage."* There, in that humble village, perhaps, our Lord 
 sanctified by his presence the joyous customs of his countrymen 
 and the divine institution of marriage upon which all that is 
 great in nations and good in family influence depends. 
 
 From Kefr Kenna the route lay down a narrow ravine, ex- 
 tending southward. It was wooded with wide-spreading oaks. 
 Along with my guide I passed through an encampment of 
 Arabs and ascended Tabor from the north. I climbed over 
 terrace above terrace, pulling myself up over steep and danger- 
 ous places by the branches of stunted shrubs. Meantime my 
 guide was leading the horses up the zig-zag paths. I readied 
 the top on the, east side of the mount, masses of ruins were 
 lying about in wild confusion, covered with weeds and 
 thistles. A wall encloses a large area on the top of Tabor, on the 
 south-east side of which is a fosse. The rock on which the wall 
 is built is bevelled, and the lower tiers of stone have a hewn 
 margin and date back at least to the Roman occupation of the 
 country. I walked through a crop of high thistles, pushing 
 them aside with a stick lest there 'might be lurking some 
 })oisonous reptile, and on reaching the Latin Monastery was 
 assailed by fierce dogs, while two lazy fellows looked on at a 
 distance with calm indifference to see which would conc^uer, 
 myself or the dogs. I found my guide awaiting me and visited 
 the whole summit of Tabor. From it one of the finest views in 
 Palestine is obtained, and it has been itself the theatre of some 
 important events in biblical history. Down this mountain 
 
 * Mat. xxii. 9. 
 
402 JEZREEL AND THE PLAIN OF ESDRAELON. 
 
 Barak and his ton thousand men i-ushod asrainst Sisera with 
 his chariots of iron, and somewhere along the valley westward 
 by the River Kishon, Jael drove the tent peg through the 
 temples of the defeated captain of Jabin's army. xVnd what 
 the men of Zebulun and Naphtali left unfinished the elements 
 completed, for " the stars in their courses fought against 
 Sisera." "The River Kishon swept them away." TaV)or was an 
 important position in those days of continual warfare, and was 
 fortified by Joseph us in the war against the Romans, and those 
 old stones in the lowest tiers of the wall and the deep fosses 
 are doubtless the work of Jewish hands, and may be part of 
 the very wall erected by Josephus himself. By a stratagem 
 of Placidus, the Roman general, the Jews were induced to come 
 down to the plain where many were slain, and others finding 
 their retreat cut off fled to Jerusalem.* 
 
 Jerome rei^arded Tabor as the scene of our Lord's transfi- 
 guration. He writes, " Scandebnt rn,ontem Thahor in quo 
 transfigiiralus est Dominus." No mountain in all Palestine 
 would be more suitable for such a revelation of His glory, but 
 it does not meet the requirements of the sacred narrative. 
 Jesus took His disciples " up into an high mountain apart by 
 themselves." -f- There is every reason to believe Tabor was 
 inhabited during the lifetime of Christ, for Josephus speaks of 
 the people using rain water previous to the time he fortified 
 the mountain. The people would occupy only the summit, 
 hence there would be many places high up on the brow of the 
 mount, to which Christ and his disciples might retire and be 
 alone by themselves. It is highly probable the ancient road up 
 the mount was on the west side where the present one is, and 
 on any of the other sides are many suitable spots that would 
 comply with the text. 
 
 * Josep. Bell. Jud. iv. 1, 8. t Mark ix. 2. 
 
TAMOIl NOT THE MOUNT OF TUANSFIOURATION. 403 
 
 There is, however, strong probability against Tabor, as the 
 scene of that marvellous (lisi)lay of the divine splendour of 
 C'hrist. Between the eighth and ninth chapters of St. Mark- 
 there is no break in the narrative. In the former he was at 
 C'esarea Philippi, the modern Banias ; in the next chapter 
 we read: " After six <lays He took his disciples up into an high 
 mountaiji and was transfigured." It is probalde the scene oc- 
 curred on one of the lesser plateaus of J lermon, which rises up 
 behind Banias. When our Lord came down from the mount 
 He saw a great multitiule, and the scribes questioning His dis- 
 ciples. Banias was a city of importance and wealth in our 
 Lord's time, and situated as it was at the base of the hill, He 
 would at once meet with the multitude on his descent from the 
 mountain. The Greek language was spoken, and Pan was the 
 tutelary deity of the place. It was such a city as the proud, 
 hypocritical Pharisees would not desire to dwell in. And it is 
 worthy of notice that only the Scribes are mentioned, the 
 Pharisees, who are usually joined with the Scribes in their 
 hostility to Christ, appear to have been absent. In St. Mark 
 we read, " They departed thence and passed through Galilee," 
 and came to Capernaum.* If they had been on Tpbor they 
 were in Galilee, and it would imply either a great amount of 
 ignorance on the [»art of the writer, or would be useless inform- 
 ation to give, to say they passed through Galilee to Capernaum. 
 They could not do anything else, why mention it ? It would 
 be as useless as to say that a traveller going from Brockville 
 to Kingston went through Ontario ; how else could he go ? 
 CjTBsarea Philippi was in Itursva, and the language of Mark 
 agrees with the position of persons outside of Galilee, and our 
 Lord and His disciples going by Dan, along the western side 
 of the plain of Huleh, would reach Capernaum by the old 
 
 * Mark ix. 30, et seq. 
 
404 JEZllKKI, AXD TKK IMAIX OF ESDRAELON. 
 
 Roman road and thus would jl^o through Galilee. Hennon, 
 therefore, ha.s the stron«,^e.st claim for the honour, as the mount 
 on which Clirist for a few moments swept away the veil that 
 concealed His true glory as the Son of God. 
 
 At five o'clock in the afternoon I descended Tabor with 
 Alexander my guide, and passed through an encampment of 
 Arabs on our way to the sea of Galilee. I asked a monk in 
 the monastery on Tabor if it was safe to pass through this en- 
 campment. " Yes," he replied, "safe in daylight, but they are 
 dangerous at night." Alexander was afraid of those wander- 
 ing she})herds that dwell in tents, and the Greek monk on 
 Tabor advised us to hasten, that we might be far beyond their 
 reach ere the sun went down, for in his opinion to plunder be- 
 lated travellers was a work of pure pleasure to them. Soon we 
 left Taboi- behind us, hurried through the Arab encampment 
 and were far out on the plain. When we were nearly half 
 way to Tiberias, the sun set and thick darkness settled 
 down. As tliere was no road to help us, we soon found we 
 were lost, 'in easy matter on Esdraelon, over which only narrow 
 footpaths extend in every direction. For hours we rode onward 
 in the darkness, our horses at one time plunging into mud 
 holes and again stumbling over old ruins of forsaken villages 
 and khans, lairs for wild beasts by day, and fierce Arabs by 
 night. Alexander became greatly excited, lost his head com- 
 pletely, and was in mortal dread of being killed by some wan- 
 dering fellows on the plain. He asked, " what will we do ? " 
 I said, " let us make the horses lie down and we will sleep in 
 the tall grass until morning." After some further plunging, 
 a light appeared in the distance, which Alexander believed 
 came from a village on the north east of Tabor. I replied, 
 " it is a light from the Arab tents and that we should drive to 
 them and ask for hospitality." We turned our horses' heads 
 towards the liorht. After a time the fires in the Arab tents 
 
A NKJHT IN AN ARAH TENT. 405 
 
 became visible, anfl we could see the men round the fires 
 smoking their pipes, and in the reflected light the sheep 
 and goats were lying round the tents. My guide was in the 
 utmost alarm, and I was uncertain of the reception awaiting 
 us. The warning given by the monk on Mount Tabor, 
 and my own knowledge of wandering Arabs made me feel we 
 were in danger. Alexander mournfully remarked that our 
 death at their hands was among the probabilities of the night. 
 I then said if we had to die, I would like him to go some dis- 
 tance before me, and if he fell I could have a chance of escape. 
 To this proposition he objected most positively. I then rode 
 before hirn and asked him to follow. At this he took courao-e 
 and rode ahead. Aided l>y the darkness we could see the 
 blazing fires in the sheik's tent shining on the dark, wiz- 
 zened faces a dozen armed men. The dogs gave the first 
 alarm of our approach; immediately the sheik and his men 
 rushed after the dogs and towards us, armed with dirks in 
 their belt a-'\d their gun in their hands. In a shrill tone the 
 sheik demanded " Who is there ? " Alexander in a timid 
 voice replied, " Friends." To which the sheik responded 
 "Friends come in the day, enemies only come in the night." To 
 which Alexander in turn replied, "We come then as guests." 
 A few minutes were spent in consultation, the sheik then 
 approached me, while an Arab held a blazing torch close 
 up to my face and almost singed my hair, and said "di.smount." 
 They then led me to the sheik's tent in the centre of the 
 encampment ; it was composed of black goats' hair woven by 
 the women of the tribe. The tent was closed at each end and 
 at the back, while the roof slooped down on both sides from a 
 centre pole. The front was open to wind, weather, and animals. 
 A partition separated the women's apartment from the other 
 part, which may be called the general room of the tent. A 
 carpet woven of goats' hair was spread on the ground and I 
 was invited to sit down ; fuel was placed on the fire before me, 
 
40G JK/HEEL AN I) THE PLAIN OF ESDHAELON. 
 
 in a hole in the earth, and about it ;^'atlier(Hl thirty tierce 
 warriors of tlic (l(3Hert. It was long past midnight ; and, as we 
 liad tasted no food since the early morning ot' the previous day, 
 wo were ready to eat anytliing od'ered us. Witli true Oriental 
 hospitality of spirit tlie sheik regretted it was so late or he 
 would kill a sheep or kid for us, but comnuinded one wife to 
 ])repare brea*! and another cofi'ee. JVleanwhile, he was <lesirous 
 to know about me and my country. 1 told him I came from 
 Canada. "Is it rich," he asked. " Yes, 1 replied, it is rich in 
 wood, in fish, and in wheat." " Is it large ? " asked the sheik. 
 " Yes, there are pieces of water that would swallow up your 
 whole country, and Jebel Tabariyeh besides." An expres- 
 sion of doubt was visible on their black visages. They then 
 inquired what Sultan or Khedive ruled it. I had to reply 
 that it was a woman who ruled this great country. They 
 then did not conceal their unbelief as to the greatness of 
 Canada, and contempt for the infidels whom a woman governs. 
 Meanwhile cofiee was handed to me, black and bitter, which 
 I drank and handed the cup to the sheik who then drank, and 
 each one of his men in turn, out of the same cup. The embers 
 were removed from the iire, and three cakes about twenty 
 inches in diameter and a quarter of an inch thick were spread 
 out on the hot earth; in a few minutes they were turned and 
 soon were placed before me with a dish of goat's butter. I 
 scooped the butter with my fingers and spread it on the flat 
 cakes; the sheik watched me for a time, and then said, " You do 
 not it rightly." He then told me to roll up the cake in a ball 
 and dip it into the dish of butter and eat it. I preferred our 
 infidel method, however. Such an extemporized meal Sarah 
 prepared for the angels on the plain of Mamre, She made ready 
 quickly three measures of fine meal, and made cakes upon the 
 hearth, and set it before them.* In the parable in St. Luke, of 
 
 * Gan. xviii. 6. 
 
I'AliriNO I'KOM TICK AllABS ON KSDHAKLON. 407 
 
 the man to wliom an unexpected guest came, it is written he 
 besou'<'ht his noiirhltour for three loaves.* Such seems to have 
 buthced for a meal from remotest days. [ slopt with the horse's 
 saddle for a pillow. On one side I lay stretched out on the 
 grassy floor of the tent, while on the other side the sheik sle|)t 
 after he had dismissed all his men to their own tents, JJuring 
 the night the wind rose and blew into my face clouds of smoke 
 and ashes from the smouldering fire that forced tears from 
 my eyes. At sunrise I was on my feet; outside I met a bright 
 little child of four years old, the son of the sheik. His mother 
 had just awaked him, and was in the act of giving him a drink 
 of water from a W(joden spoon with a long liandle. He was then 
 set uj) for the day and went among the sheep which were lying 
 about the tent door. Others were quickly put through the 
 same process, and were ready for the day's frolic at the foot 
 of Tabor. Thus Arab mothers trouble neither themselves nor 
 their children with fancy-dresses, ribbons, shoes, or even 
 washing, an ordeal of terror to many a young soul. Their 
 dress is of the simplest kind, and thus they live in northern 
 Palestine. Before jmrting, the sheik informed me one of his men 
 was sick, and asked if I had medicine. To satisfy him I visit- 
 ed the man, whom I found to be in the last stage of consump- 
 tion. I gave him some medicine to break the burning fever, 
 and left some with the sheik to give him, when the fever 
 returned. I commended the poor dying fellow to the Lord, 
 our High Priest, who has compassion on the ignorant and on 
 them that are out of the way. The hospitable sheik refused 
 payment for our lodging. I therefore put a coin in the hand of 
 his child, mounted my horse and rode out of the encampment 
 where I had enjoyed protection and all the care that Arab 
 hospitality could afford. 
 
 * Luke xi. 5. 
 
Chapter XVIII. 
 
 BY THE SEA OF GALILEE. 
 
 * ' The waves have washed fresh sands upon the shore 
 
 Of Galilee ; 
 But, chiselled in the hill-sides, evermore 
 
 Thy paths we see." 
 
 — TJhe Ghaiiged Cross. 
 
 ARLY in the forenoon I reached the top of the hillj^ 
 that overlook the Sea of Galilee, occupying a 
 deep basin six hundred and fifty feet below the 
 level of the ocean. A fresh breeze was blowing 
 
 from the north-east, and the waves were rolling 
 in furiously to the shore. In such a storm the disciples must 
 have been when their boat was in danger of being swamped, 
 and when in their despair they woke the Lord and He calmed 
 the storm. The sea is about seventeen miles long and seven 
 broad ; along its shores in the days of our Lord were eight or 
 nine cities, now they are in ruins, and a cloud of desolation 
 covers them. Within this small area on the sea shore Christ 
 did some of His mightiest deeds and taught some of His 
 profoundest truths, that will ever remain unfathomable mines 
 into which men and angels may dig. The tent was pitched 
 under the shadow of the wall on the north side of Tiberias. 
 This wall dating back to the crusaders' time, encloses Tiberias on 
 three sides. The population of the city is about four thousand, 
 many of whom are Jews. There is nothing but sentiment to 
 bind them to the town. Hemmed in by mountains, and more 
 
TIRERIAS. 40^ 
 
 than six hundred feet below the sea level, the atmosphere is 
 extremely hot and enervatinj^, and there is no special industry 
 or means of acquiring wealth. Tiberias was a famous school of 
 Jewish learning after the destruction of Jerusalem. There 
 Hakkodish compiled the Mishna, and some celebrated Rabins 
 are buried just outside the modern town. It is one of the four 
 sacred cities of the Jews in which prayer must continually be 
 offered, otherwise the world would return to its original chaos, 
 and a tradition of the Jews of the city, is that Messiah will rise 
 out of the Sea of Tiberias and enter the city prior to establish- 
 ing His kingdom on earth.'' According to Josephus the town 
 was built on a graveyard by Herod,-^ and he had to introduce 
 a Gentile population, for the Jews would be defiled by living 
 in it. Besides, it had been built in imitation of Rome. There 
 was a stadium, and a palace had been erected on which animal 
 figures were carved, which was an offence to the Jews. Our 
 Lord does not seem to have ever been in Tiberias ; at least 
 there is no record of it in the evangelists, and the cause may 
 be found in the fact that He accommodated Himself to the preju- 
 dice of the Jews, or as a Jew, who fulfilled all righteousness^ 
 strictly observed the ceremonial law. There is not much of 
 interest within the walls of modern Tiberias. To the south, as 
 far as the warm baths, the coast is strewn with ruins of 
 ancient edifices. May not these be the ruins of the ancient 
 town on which Tiberias is built ? It was impossible for it to 
 extend much farther north than the present town, hence it 
 could have extended only on the south. Josephus speaks of 
 Emmaus near Tiberias which may have been the site of the 
 city of Hammath, which extended north to the modern Tiberias, 
 and the graveyard on which Tiberias was built would probably 
 be that belonging to Hammath. There are only three passages 
 
 * Smith's Die. of Bible. t Josep. Ant. xviii. 2. 8. 
 
 27 
 
410 BY THE SEA OF GALILEE. 
 
 in the New Testament in which Tiberias is named : John vi. 
 1-2*3 ; xxi. 1. In the other evangelists the sea is known as 
 the Sea of Galilee. However, when the city of Herod rose 
 into wealth and prominence the name of the city was given to 
 the sea, and in this fact, as Dr. Thomson remarks, we may have 
 indirect evidence as to the comparatively late date of the 
 fourth Gospel. The splendour of the court of Herod, the 
 magnificent palace, and the courtiers of the king may have 
 given John the idea of the splendid symbolism of the 
 apocalypse : " A throne was set in heaven and one sat on the 
 throne. The four and twenty elders fall down before him that 
 sat on the throne and worship him that liveth for ever and 
 •ever."* John must have frequently seen the rainbow arching 
 the sea of Galilee with its gorgeous colours from the high hills 
 on the eastern shore, to the table land behind Tiberias. And 
 familiar, as a fisherman, with the sea, he would have beheld it 
 in all its changing moods, at one time lashing the shore with 
 its foaminq; billows and again calm and clear like a sea of 
 glass. To these natural scenes amid which John spent most of 
 his early life, I think can be traced the origin of the glorious 
 appearance in heaven, " there was a rainbow round about the 
 throne." " And before the throne there was a sea of glass 
 like unto crystal."-f- 
 
 We spent Sabbath on the shores of that sea whose waves 
 the Son of God had calmed, and along whose shores the multitudes 
 beheld his sinless life, and listened to his gracious words and 
 were eye witnesses of his majesty. Divine service was con- 
 ducted in the tent. Passajjes were read suitable to the occasion. 
 Our tent door faced the sea, whose powerful short waves con- 
 tinued to lash the shore in fury all day long. Time was annihi- 
 lated, and in imagination I saw Bethsaida, Capernaum, and the 
 
 * Rev. iv. 2 10. + Rev. iv. 3, 6. 
 
THE GAZELLE OF PALESTINE. 411 
 
 other cities of early days, which were exalted unto heaven 
 in their privileges of seeing and hearing the Lord. Across 
 this very sea He had often sailed with his disciples to preach 
 the Gospel to the cities and villages in wild regions beyond. 
 Then it was thronged with fishing boats and boats for pleasure 
 belonging to the inhabitants of the cities that then dotted the 
 shore. Now the cities are no more ; soldiers, merchants, fisher- 
 men, the multitudes are gone. Silence reigns along the whole 
 shore, broken only by the singing of the birds, or the cry of 
 wild animals that prowl among the ruins of those ancient cities. 
 And only two boats could be found whose keels ploughed this 
 famous sea. Towards sundown the wind ceased and the sea 
 became calm. Mr. Smart and myself left the tent and travelled 
 north towards Ain Barideh, and began to climb the mountain 
 which projects its base close to the sea at this place. The climb 
 was arduous, over rough boulders and loose stones. Occasion- 
 ally the difficulty was increased by rank vegetation and 
 numerous prickly thorns through which we had to force our 
 way. We started two gazelles on the mountain. They abound 
 in wild places on this range of hills that extend along the 
 shores of the sea, and are frequently seen north as far as 
 Caasasrea Philippi. Those we started leaped swiftly from 
 crag to crag and were soon out of sight. They remain in the 
 inaccessible parts of the mountains during the day, and descend 
 to the plain of Gennesaret and the lowlands at night to feed. 
 They have been in Palestine from earliest times, and their 
 fieetness, beauty, and tenderness have been sung by Eastern 
 poets and embodied in legendary tales. " My beloved," says 
 Solomon, " is like a roe or a young hart : " " he feedeth among 
 the lilies." * Habakkuk, expressing his confidence that God 
 would atford him protection from his enemies, says, The Lord 
 
 * Bong of Solomon ii. 9, 16. 
 
412 BY THE S£A OF GALILEE. 
 
 *' will make my feet like hinds' feet, and He will make me to 
 walk upon mine high places." * In the hot season, when the 
 winter torrents are dry, they are forced by thirst to come to 
 the plains for water. Nothing but imperative need could 
 compel these shy, timid creatures to come near the tents or 
 abodes of the people, David had often seen them quenching 
 their burning thirst at the water brooks, and refers to this 
 fact as expressive of his own longing for God. He was 
 desirous of knowing more of God, and of a closer union of heart 
 and life with Him, and to mark the intensity of his desire, he 
 says : " As the hart panteth after the water brooks, so panteth 
 my soul after Thee, God."-f- 
 
 From the tableland we had an extensive view over famous 
 scenes. A short distance west was Hattin, with its elevated 
 peaks at each end of the hill, that give it the appearance of a 
 camel's saddle. This is the traditional scene of our Lord's 
 Sermon on the mount, and the feeding of the hungry and 
 wearied thousands. There the famous battle in 1187, A.i). 
 was fought between the Crusaders and Mahommedans, which 
 the latter won ; Jerusalem and the whole country were re- 
 taken by the conquerors, and the Franks were compelled to 
 abandon all hope of possessing Palestine. Safed, the city on 
 whose summit gave force to our Lord's teaching, was seen to 
 the north-west. Below us was the sea of Galilee, whose quiet 
 bosom was bathed in the golden sunlight, which contrasted 
 strongly with the barren mountain range on the eastern side, 
 beyond which was the region of Gaulanitis with its famous 
 cities and fearless giants of the olden times ; while with one 
 sweep we could embrace within the range of our vision the 
 whole country from mighty Hermon, and the plains of Huleh 
 on the north to the country of the Gadarenes on the south, 
 
 * Hab. iii. 19. + Ps. xlii. 1. 
 
DALMANUTHA. . 41 -S 
 
 including Bethsaida Julias, Chorazin, and Capornaiim. Here 
 as in every grand view in Palestine, the historic '.nterest of 
 the places indelibly engraves the scene on the mind of the 
 traveller. A ride of a few minutes along the narrow strip of 
 land between the base of the hills and the sea shore brought 
 me to the site of Dalmanutha, the modern Ain Barideh. A 
 few ruins on the left, at the foot of the hill, are all that remain 
 of the ancient city. On the right is a garden of fig trees and 
 vines, irrigated with water from an old well. Dr. Thomson 
 inclines to the opinion that Dalhamia on the south-east of the 
 sea is the true site. St. Matthew says, our Lord after feeding 
 the four thousand men, took ship and came into the coasts of 
 jMagdala ;* while St. Mark says He came into the parts of 
 Dalmanutha.f Some writers have regarded Dalmanutha as an 
 error in the text of St. Mark. The language is capable of har- 
 mony with St. Matthew, however, without such a theory. In the 
 East every city was, and is even now, the centre of an area 
 owned and cultivated by the citizens. The cities along the sea 
 of Galilee must have been close to each other, and the area be- 
 longing to the one would meet that of its neighbour ; hence, 
 when our Lord came into the coasts of Magdala, He at the 
 same time would come into the parts of Dalmanutha, if the 
 present site be the true one ; and the possibility of harmoniz- 
 ing, naturally, the statements of the Evangelists is a strong 
 presumption in favour of the opinion that Dalmanutha was on 
 the west side of the sea. 
 
 A few very poor hovels of clay and unhewn stone are the 
 only remnants of ancient Magdala, the modern Migdel or Watch 
 Tower. A spur of the mountain juts down to the sea at this 
 point, and here begins the plain of Gennesaret. Women and 
 children were gathering dead sticks along the sea shore for 
 
 * Matt. XV. a9. + Mark viii. 10. 
 
414 BY THE SEA OF GALILEE. 
 
 fuel, and a few men were ploughing with primitive ploughs 
 yoked to li\'infj skeletons of oxen. The soil is fertile, shrubs 
 grow in wild profusion, the plain is watered by clear running 
 streams. Oleanders were covered with dense masses of foliage,^ 
 ajid the lilies and multitudes of flowers that covered the plain 
 scented the atmosphere with sweetest fragrance. Magdala is 
 associated with the name of Mary Magdalene, out of whom our 
 Lord cast seven devils. The derivations of her name that have 
 been suggested by some of the early fathers are too fanciful to 
 have much weight attached to them. Though the modern 
 village is a most forlorn and wretched place, its site, its poor 
 hovels and its very name will have an interest that will endure 
 as long as Christianity endures, through her who, fearless of 
 danger, stood nigh the dying Saviour on the cross and was the 
 first eye witness of his resurrection. 
 
 The plain of Gennesaret extends north for three miles, and 
 inland for about one mile from the shore, in the form of a 
 half circle. Josephus says of this plain, "the soil is so fertile 
 that all sorts of trees can grow upon it ; there are palm trees 
 also, fig trees also, and olive trees grow near there. One may 
 call this place the ambition of nature. It is watered from a 
 most fertile fountain. The people of the country call it 
 Capharnaum, it produces the coracin fish as well as that lake 
 does which is near to Alexandria."* Among the cities given 
 to Naphtali was Chinneroth, and in the days of Joshua the 
 sea of Galilee was named the sea of Chinneroth,f the Greek form 
 of which is Gennesaret. This city of Chinneroth may have 
 occupied either the site of Modern Tiberias or stood on the plain 
 of the saTiie name. The Sea of Chinneroth may be derived from 
 the Hebrew word for lyre, and may have obtained its name from 
 the shape of the plain which is not unlike that of the ancient 
 
 * BelL Jud. iii. 10. f Josh. xii. 3. 
 
THE PLAIN OF GENNESARET. 415 
 
 harp. The plain is well watered, for a number of small 
 streamlets pour tleir clear waters across it to the sea ; the soil 
 is fertile, but there are now no intelligent tillers of the soil, and 
 there are no palm, or fig, or olive trees ; it is a desolation, 
 thorns and thistles abound, while oleanders and sweet-scented 
 flowers line the coast of the sea. Nearly midway along the 
 plain, but close to the hills, is Ain Mudowerah, which has been 
 regarded as the fountain of Capharnaum, and I believe the city 
 to have been near this fountain. There are not the faintest 
 traces of such a city as Capernaum on the plain, which seems 
 to have been a fertile, producing area, supplying the citizens 
 along the sea with grapes and ligs ten months in the year. 
 At the northern extremity of the plain is Khan Minyeh and the 
 fountain of the fig, Ain-el-Tiny, from which I rode on horse- 
 back to Ain Tabigha through an old aqueduct hewn out of 
 the face of the hill, at a considerable elevation above the level 
 of the plain. At Tabigha is a decagonal fountain elevated 
 high enough to convey water along the aqueduct to the north- 
 ern part of the plain of Gennesaret, also northward to the plain 
 of Tel Hum. At Tabigha the coracin fish, I believe, is found, 
 and it complies also with the requirements of Josephus, who 
 says that the fountain thoroughly watered the plain. I concur 
 with Dr. Thomson in the opinion that this is the fountain of 
 Capharnaum, and moreover, that Tel Hum is ancient Caper- 
 naum. Scripture testimony is only indirect as to the locality 
 of any of those towns on the shore of the Sea of Galilee. In 
 St. Mark we read that after the feeding of the five thousand, 
 Jesus constrained His disciples to go unto the other side unto 
 Bethsaida, or more correctly towards Bethsaida.* But they 
 came at the same time unto or in the direction of the land of 
 Gennesaret and drew to shore. If their landing place was the 
 
 * Mark vi. 45. 
 
416 BY THR SKA OF fiALILEE. 
 
 one for which tliey started it might be inferre<l tliat Bethsaida 
 was situated on the plain of Gennesaret, perhaps at Khan 
 Minyeh. But St. Mark's lanjjfuage bears only the signiticance 
 that they were to go in the direction of Bethsaida ; and besides, 
 in .St. John we read, after the same miracle, the disciples 
 entered into a ship, and went over the sea toward Capernaum,* 
 where Christ was found the following day in the synagogue. 
 These passages inform us therefore that they crossed towards 
 Bethsaida, which was near to Capernaum and in the direction 
 of the land of Gennesaret. Ain Tabigha contains a fisherman's 
 hut, a mill driven by water from the fountain some distance 
 behind the mill and occupying a much higher level. Five 
 children, the miller, his wife, and servant constitute the entire 
 population. A small streamlet poured its clear waters down to 
 the sea, and small cascades were formed at intervals in its cov.ise. 
 The stream v/as probably six feet broad and six inches deep, at 
 the spot over which I crossed. The miller's wife was giving her 
 youngest child, a boy of three years old, his morning ablution. 
 Standing in the middle of the stream, she took her brown 
 skinned three-year old by the arms and drew him through the 
 running water, after which process he was placed on his feet, 
 and then dried himself in the sun. Shrubs and weeds grew 
 luxuriantly on the mounds of rubbish that marked the sites of 
 ancient houses. This is the traditional site of Bethsaida, the 
 city of Philip, Andrew, and Peter. It signifies the house of 
 rish, and it is a strange fact that the only fisherman along the 
 sea is at Ain Tabigha. Dr. Thomson places the site at the 
 head of the sea, and supposes one part to have been on the 
 west of the Jordan and the other on the east side, named 
 Bethsaida Julias in honour of the daughter of Augustus. After 
 the miracle of feeding the five thousand, the disciples crossed 
 
 * John vi. 17. 
 
TELL HUM, capp:rnaum. 417 
 
 towards Bethsaida, and St. John savs it was in the direction 
 of Capernaum, which Dr. Thomson places at Tel Hum. If 
 Bethsaida were at the head of the sea on the plain of Butaiha 
 they would not be going in the direction of that city on 
 their way towards Ca})ernaum. Dr. Thomson evidently recog- 
 nizes this difficulty, and assumes the disciples coasted along 
 the shore past Bethsaida intending to take the Lord in, and 
 go towards Capernaum. But this is an assumption without 
 evidence. Josephus refers in a boastful way to his battle with 
 the Romans in the valley near Julias. He says " I had per- 
 formed great things that day, if a certain fate had not been 
 my hindrance, for the horse on whose back I fought fell into 
 a ({uagmire .... and I was bruised on my wrist, and carried 
 into a village named Caphernome or Caphernaum."* If Beth- 
 saida had been at the head of the sea on the plain, it would 
 have been the natural place to which they would have taken 
 Josephus, rather than two or three miles further south. The 
 indirect testimony of Scripture, and that of Josephus, supported 
 by tradition, support the view that Bethsaida was near the 
 plain of Gennesaret and south of Tell Hum, 
 
 A short ride brought me to Tell Hum, at times along the 
 edges of ploughed fields and again plunging through deep 
 morasses and over mounds of earth. Close to the sea-shore is a 
 large building, its walls are perhaps fifteen feet high and 
 blackened with age. The stone is marble taken from the 
 hills behind the city, where it is yet found in abundance. It 
 is streaked with reddish veins, like the rock of Mount Zion. 
 Columns, capitals and entablatures were lying prostrate in 
 wild confusion. Some of the pillars were short and thick, 
 forming three-(|uarters of a circle ; a few of them were stand- 
 ing, others had fallen, but their bases were in situ. They were 
 
 * Jos. Vit. 72. 
 

 H 
 
 o 
 
 I— ( 
 
 a3 
 
 
RUINS OF TELL HUM. 410 
 
 on the north-west side of the building and appeared to have 
 formed a portico to it. This edifice is certainly Jewish, for 
 there are carved on the entablatures, lying among tall thorns 
 and rank weeds, wreaths of vine leaves and bunches of grapes, 
 also the pot of manna. This was probably a synagogue, and 
 may be the ruins of the very one in which Christ taught the 
 eager multitudes His eternal truth. 
 
 Foundations of the houses are visible, perhaps as they stood 
 in the days of our Lord. They are composed of rough, unhewn 
 l)asalt, for the most part, though I noticed the stone was hewn 
 in the foundations and walls of the larfjer houses. The ruins 
 extend north and south for more than a mile, and reach a con- 
 sideraV)le distance inland from the shore. A street of some size 
 extended through the city, parallel with the sea-shore. This 
 was doubtless the straight street found in most ancient cities, 
 and from it diverged narrow ones towards the sea-coast and 
 towards the hill-side of the city. Is this ancient Capernaum ? 
 With Dr. Thomson, I believe it is. To Capernaum Josephus 
 was carried, when wounded, from the north, showing, I think, 
 this was the first place of any importance on this part of the 
 sea of Galilee, and there are no ruins of any importance north 
 of Tell Hdm, for those of Chorazin are inland some distance. 
 Capernaum was a city of importance. It had a customs-house, 
 Roman soldiers were stationed there, and it had at least one 
 man of wealth and spirit, who alone built a synagogue. The 
 ruins of Tell Hum are such as might be expected from a city 
 like Capernaum. 
 
 From the walls of the synagogue I could see the whole out- 
 line of the ruined city. Within a short distance must have 
 been the home of the centurion whose servant the Lord healed, 
 and Peter's home, whose wife's mother He cured of a fever. 
 Near the shore, somewhere, Peter took the tax-money from the 
 fish's mouth, and on the wild waves opposite these ruins our 
 
420 in' TIIK SEA OF UALILKE. 
 
 Lord walked, about the fourth watch of the night. Malarial 
 fever is one of the prevailing di.suaHes along the plain. There 
 is not and was not drainage in the days of Christ, when the 
 rain tails it percolates partly into the soil, and what remains 
 in the small holes en the surface is evaporated by the intense 
 heat of the sun. As I rode along the plain a heavy vapour 
 was hanging over the land, which would certainly produce 
 fever. In this disease, natural to the locality, there is an 
 incidental and therefore strong witness for the truth of the 
 Gospel narrative in regard to the miracle of Christ. How 
 great were the privileges of Capernaum ! It saw signs, wonders 
 and mighty deeds, but its grandest privilege was to be eye-wit- 
 ness of the sinless life of the Great Woi-ker, Its citizens were 
 highly exalted, but they knew not the day of their visitation. 
 The doom uttered by Christ has fallen on the city : " Thou 
 Capernaum which art exalted unto heaven shalt be brought 
 down to hell." In that city were laid the foundations of the 
 Kingdom of Christ, which is spreading over the world. He often 
 trod those very s|)ots over which I walked. I was filled with 
 emotion. He had sailed and walked on that sea, whose waters 
 gently laved the sandy beach, but there were no fishermen, no 
 multitudes, as in the days of Christ. All was hushed in the 
 silence of death. Often had He spent quiet hours, up those 
 remote wadies and on the solitary places on the hills in prayer. 
 His presence has made to the Christian those ruins, that sea, and 
 those rugged hills that hem in the sea on the east and sweep 
 along the western shores, forever holy. Who could stand un- 
 moved in soul, amid scenes that call up memories of the Lord 
 and His mighty works ? Capernaum abused the mercy of God. 
 She had light, but preferred darkness. She possessed the Son of 
 God, but she loved him not. She now sits in awful desolation, 
 for the judgment of God rests on her. She is fallen from her 
 glory, and her heaps of ruins and foundations of once great 
 
CHOUAZIN. 421 
 
 houscH, now the lairs of wild bea.sts and deadly reptiles, tell 
 the world that not only the nation, but the city and the soul 
 that will not serve God, shall be utterly wasted. 
 
 It was only by the Joint intluence of promises, threats and 
 coaxing, that I could persuade my muleteer to fro north to the 
 plain of Butaiha and over to Bethsaida Julias. Finally he 
 agreed to go with me if I would guarantee to pay for the horses 
 if the Arabs stole them, or if they were lost in the ([uagmires. 
 I agreed to the terms and rode north of Tell Hixm, fording 
 narrow streams, gu'ding my horse along the edge of ploughed 
 fields and at times urging him to leap over large boulders 
 that covered the ground. About two miles north of Tell Hilm 
 are the ruins of Khorasy, according to Dr. Thomson, ancient 
 Chorazin, verifying out of its utter destruction the words of 
 Christ. A sandy beach extends along the shore, on which had 
 been washed up multitudes of shells, among which the slender 
 and graceful unio predominates. On approaching the head of 
 the sea a sharp bend to the left was made and we rode along 
 the base of the hills, for the plain was spongy and dangerous 
 to travel. Occasionally our path was blocked by masses 
 of fallen rock, or by deep pits full of water. To attempt to 
 pass round these was dangerous, and to plunge into them was 
 equally so. We chose the latter course, and in faith I urged 
 my horse into a large hole of black, muddy water and reached 
 the other side on solid ground safely, but bespattered with 
 black soil from hat to boots. My friend, Mr. Smart, was more 
 successful and, after plunging through these dangerous holes, 
 found himself on solid ground, with little damage to his outer 
 man. Behind us came the muleteer, a stout and short Mahom- 
 medan, riding on a donkey, which also carried two bags of 
 provisions swung across his back. The muleteer had been 
 grumbling, and cursing me all the road from Tell Hum, and 
 when he reached the great slough of despond through which 
 
422 BY THE SEA OF GALILEE. 
 
 we had passed, I felt that he had reached the Rubicon. I was 
 in terror that he would turn back and leave us to our fate 
 among a treacherous encampment of Arabs, whose tents were 
 within a mile of us. I encouraged him and gave him advice, 
 to all of which he was oblivious, for, with the fatalistic belief 
 of an Oriental that what occurs is the will of Allah, and we 
 must submit, he plunged headlong into the pit. In a moment 
 the donkey disappeared, with the two bags on his back, and as 
 for the rider only the upper part of his blue jacket and turban 
 were visible. The muddy water was troubled and agitated as 
 if some sea monsters were in deadly combat below the surface. 
 We were in a position to appreciate Josephus' boast of doing 
 grep ' things in this very place over eighteen centuries ago, had 
 his horse not fallen into some such pit and bruised the rider's 
 wrist and blighted his prospects of soiling the Roman eagle in 
 the black mud of Butaiha. He says : " I had performed great 
 things that day, if a certain fate had not been my hindrance ; 
 for the horse upon which I rode, and upon whose back I fought, 
 fell into a quagmire." That drenching in the filth of the quag- 
 mire doubtless extinguislied the prospect of annihilating the 
 Roman army, and tamed his martial ardour. In a moment the 
 donkey's head rose to the surface and then the muleteer 
 appeared, covered from head to feet with mud and water. His 
 turban was destroyed, and his fancy outer garment was soiled 
 and had lost its beauty. He had a most mournful expression 
 on his face, as if death had robbed him of all his friends, and 
 marauding tribes had robbed him of all his property. The 
 donkey seemed equally mournful, and both cut a ridiculous 
 figure. Finally, after much shouting and pulling, we rescued 
 both of them. 
 
 The site of Bethsaida Julias is about two miles from 
 the head of the sea on the east of the Jordan. A comparison 
 .of St. Mark vi. with St. Matthew xiv., St. Luke ix. and St. 
 
BETHSAIDA JULIAS. 423 
 
 John vi. will lead the reader to conclude there were two 
 Bethsaidas. In St. Luke the scene of the miracle was near 
 the city called Bethsaida, and after the miracle in the other 
 Evangelists we read the disciples crossed the sea towards 
 Bethsaida. The term " called " applied to the scene of the 
 miracles would seem to hint tliat it was a different place from 
 Bethsaida om the west. Otherwise why should the term be 
 applied to that place, for if there were only one Bethsaida 
 what other name could it bear ? There the Lord fed the five 
 thousand with five loaves and two fishes. Josephus says, 
 " Philip advanced Bethsaida, situated at the Lake of Genne- 
 saret, unto the dignity of a city, and called it by the name of 
 Julias."* Now the Tell is covered with grass. Traces of 
 terraces and ruins are visible, but it could never have been 
 very wealthy or powerful in its palmiest days. Behind it, 
 and to the north and south, stretched bleak and desolate hills 
 which give to the site of Bethsaida the appearance of being in 
 a desert place ; and up any of the wild ravines that stretch 
 inland from the plain or on any of the barren spurs of the 
 mountain range that bounds the eastern side of the plains of 
 Butaiha would be suitable places for the scene of the feeding 
 of the five thousand. We forded the Jordan on the plain 
 eight times, and then rode up the narrow gorge through which 
 that strange river dashes down to the sea. The Jordan rushes 
 over ledges and masses of basalt, foaming and roaring as it 
 lashes against the opposing obstacles in its way. On reaching 
 the plateau on the west a magnificent panorama lay before 
 us. Eastward lay Gaulanitis, undulating with small, barren 
 hills, some of which are supposed to be the craters of extinct 
 volcanoes. This is the land of Bashan, the ruins of whose cities 
 are the admiration of every traveller. Here are the sites of the 
 
 * Josep. Ant. xviii. 2, 1. 
 
424 BY THE SEA OF GALILEE. 
 
 famous cities of Bozrah and Salcah, upon whom the judgment of 
 God has descended and somewhere in that reijion Job the rich 
 Emir lived, in the land of Uz, who feared God and eschewed 
 evil. The white foam of the River Jordan contrasted beauti- 
 fully with the rich green of the wild fig trees and the rich 
 masses of gorgeous flowers on the oleanders, and far down we 
 could see the tents of the roaming Arabs whose plundering 
 hands we had escaped. Westward and northward stretched 
 the fertile plains of Huleh. Our muleteer had never been so 
 far as Butaiha before. He was, therefore, ignorant of the 
 route we should take. As the plain was quite spongy in the 
 early spring, after the rains, we were forced to keep to the nar- 
 row beaten path, A large encampment of Arabs was situated 
 on the eastern side of the plain. They cultivate patches of the 
 soil and eke out a scanty living by other and questionable 
 methods. A few women and young men came over and 
 looked on with complacency at our misfortunes in the mud 
 holes, and would not put out a finger to help us or our horses. 
 After much coaxing and promising of bukshish a young lad 
 agreed to guide us, but a wizzened vixen lifted her finger and 
 threatened him with all the pains of this life and penalties of 
 the next if he would guide us. The lad treated us then with 
 haughty insolence. We became independent and drove on, 
 fording branches of the Jordan that expands here into a 
 number of streams, like the ribs of a fan. Then we began 
 to climb the hillsides, steering our way up narrow foot- 
 paths only to find ourselves confronted with huge bouldeis 
 over which it was utterly impossible to pass. There was no 
 alternative but to retrace our steps. After various repetitions 
 of this useless work I concluded we ought to make friendly 
 overtures to the Arabs, who from their tent doors were watch- 
 ing us and enjoying our defeat. After much conversation and 
 agreeing to submit to their extortionate demands, we employed 
 
THE PLAIN OF HULEH. 42.") 
 
 two fierce-looking fellows, one of whom was destitute of 
 clothing except the scantiest covering round his loins and a 
 leather belt, in which he had all manner of dirks and weapons 
 of war. We rode for miles up the narrow gorge through 
 which the Jordan rushes swiftly, then we began to climb the 
 rugged hills, whose shoulders were covered with wild fig and 
 other trees, and here and there were small level areas, on 
 whose rich grass, camels and goats were feeding. On reaching 
 the tableland we continued our journey in a north-westerly 
 direction. Towards sundown we passed bands of Arabs and 
 Syrians returning from their labour in the fields to their tents 
 that were scattered over the ])lains of Huleh. We paid our 
 guides, who returned to their black tents by the Sea of Galilee 
 while we hastened on our journey. Thick darkness settled 
 down, and we had to grope our way with the utmost caution. 
 To add to our trials the night air became quite chilly, and 
 after the heat of the day and the fatigue and long fasting to 
 which we were subjected, the cold, penetrated us through and 
 through. Fording streams and plunging into soft places, often 
 (|uite suddenly and without warning, kept us on the alert for 
 at least two Jiours. When we saw the light shining from our 
 tent door, in the distance, it gave us courage. On dismounting 
 we found ourselves stiff and sore, and with difficulty able to 
 walk. We soon learned that our friends, who had come by a 
 different route, had fallen upon hard places as well as ourselves. 
 They were companions in tribulation. But after refreshment 
 and rest we forgot our labours and dangers. 
 
 The plain of Huleh, hemmed in on the west and east by 
 great hills, is one of the famous battle fields of the world, and 
 on it many deeds of bravery have been done and many terrible 
 scenes has it witnessed. I rode close to the western hills ; on 
 iny right was the low-lying Huleh, five or six miles long, with 
 its edges covered with reeds and abounding with water fowl. 
 28 
 
42G THE PLAIN OF HULEH. 
 
 The fields were green with wheat. At intervals along the plain 
 were Arabs who cultivate the plain. They occupy huts of the 
 tall reed from the lake, and are despisers of Europeans, the 
 sworn enemies of water and clot ing, and were fierce in their 
 demands for bukshish. On the very earliest pages of history 
 we read Abraham with his three hundred and eighteen ser- 
 vants pursued Chedorlaomer and his confederates over this 
 plain to Dan, and over the shoulders of snowy Harmon to the 
 rich plain of Damascus, and returned with Lot and his goods 
 in triumph. Long centuries after that occurrence, Jabin, king 
 of Hazor, assembled the Canaanites on the plain by the waters 
 of Merom "as the sand that is upon the sea shore in multitude 
 with horses and chariots very many/' ■■'- But their numbers and 
 strength were of no avail against the purpose of the Almighty. 
 They fied in confusion westward and eastward and northward 
 before the victorious Israelites. Now, ruins mark the sites of 
 old Canaanitish cities, and Arabs lurk in every out-of-the-way 
 place. Cities and men now are in dust, and I felt it difiicult 
 to realize the stirring: scenes and tragic events that had been 
 enacted in former days on this fertile plain. 
 
 Crossing the head of the Leddan we rode south and camped 
 under an ancient oak at Dan, the more ancient Laish and the 
 modern Tell-el-Kady. The site seems to be the crater of an 
 extinct volcano, and is about half-a mile in diameter and from 
 forty to sixty feet high. The surface is depressed in the 
 centre, so that it has the appearance of a huge saucer. It 
 is covered with masses of basalt, hewn and unhewn, that may 
 have belonged to houses or temples in the time of Abraham 
 or Joshua. On the south-west side I observed terraces, and 
 some large stones in sitic near the base of the hill, that appeared 
 to be the foundation of a wall that may have enclosed the hill 
 
 * Joshua xi. 4. 
 
DAN, MODERN TELL-EL-KADY. 427 
 
 for protection in early times. Wat(n- springs out from the Tell 
 on the west side into a pool, surrounded by wild fig trees, 
 reeds and shrubs. There the Leddan begins its career, a stream 
 about twenty feet broad and one of the main sources of the 
 Jordan. The original inhabitants of Laish were, perhaps, 
 emigrants from Zidon, " they dwelt careless after the manner 
 of the Zidonians, quiet and secure." The five Danites came to 
 Laish, and then reported to their brethren, " we have seen the 
 land and, behold, it is very good." * Then six hundred men, 
 with weapons of war, came north and smote the people with 
 the edge of the sword, and built the city of Dan. After the 
 division of the kingdom Jeroboam set up a golden calf at Dan, 
 and it became the centre of idolatry in the northern part of 
 the kingdom. And the hewn stones lying on the south of the 
 Tell overlooking the river may have been part of the heathen 
 temple, and now are witnesses of the truth that idols and 
 idolatry cannot endure befoi*e the march of God's truth. Israel 
 in the pride of their heart, in defiance of Jehovah, who com- 
 manded them: " Thou shalt have no other Gods before me," and 
 thankless for what God had done for their ancestors and for 
 themselves, " set them up images and groves in every high hill, 
 and there they burned incense in all the high places as did the 
 heathen," -f- Dan continued to be the high place of the idolatr}^ 
 of Israel until the King of Assyria took the people captives 
 and placed them in Halah and in Habor, and in the cities of the 
 Medes. The city has been razed to its foundations and shrubs 
 and rank weeds cover the site of this ancient place of renown. 
 We lunched under the shade of- two immense trees on the 
 south side of the Tell, from which we could see the clear water 
 rushing down to join the other sources of the Jordan, as it has 
 (lone since the days of Joshua and Jeroboam, an emblem of 
 
 * Judges xviii. 9. 1 2 Kings xvii. 10, 11. 
 
428 BY THE SEA OF GALILEE. 
 
 tlie eternit}' of the truth of God, while the images and the 
 tempk^s and the groves have all perished from Dan. So shall 
 false theories perish and tlie ages shall try the faith of nations 
 and men, and out of the ordeal shall come unshaken the fact 
 that the word of the Lord endureth forever. 
 
 Our route from Dan, northward, lay over an undulating 
 country, parts of which were very fertile, antl capable of sus- 
 taining a dense pojoulation. We crossed the Baniasy by a 
 bridge in a very tumble-down condition, which very impres- 
 sively reminded me of the possibility of a sudden collapse into 
 the roaring waters below. However, it bore us safely. We 
 began to ascend gradually, until we reached the plateau on 
 which Banias is situated. At intervals thorny shrubs grew 
 abundantly on the light sandy soil, and the myrtle whose 
 white fragrant blossoms scented the air. Isaiah, when speak- 
 ing of the Gospel age, represents the holiness of the people of 
 God by the beauty and fragrance of the myrtle tree. Instead 
 of the briar shall come up the myrtle tree. In the vision of 
 Zechariah, he saw " a man riding upon a red horse, and he 
 stood among the myrtle trees that were in the bottom."* The 
 myrtle seems to have grown on the Mount of Olives in early 
 times, and would naturally be found low down, where the soil 
 would be more abundant and of a richer (juality, just above 
 the bed of the Kedron, where the Jewish tombs are, and near 
 Gethsemane. If the man on the red horse denotes the Saviour, 
 the myrtle trees may then denote his people, who are precious 
 in his sight and beloved as the myrtle. They are in the bot- 
 tom as indicatins: the deccraded national and moral condition 
 of the Jews. But His love was so intense that "the Word was 
 made flesh and dwelt among us." "He humbled himself," and 
 came " to save the lost. " 
 
 ♦Zech. i. 8. 
 
BANIAS, C.KSAREA PHILIPPI. 420 
 
 Banias was reached early in the afternoon. Near the vil- 
 lage were broken columns half buried in the sand and in the 
 low walls that enclosed some gardens, and on our right traces 
 of an old Roman road were visible. We crossed ajzain the Bani- 
 asy, whose waters were rushing down impetuously to the lake 
 Huleh. On the right stood a tower, some of the stones of 
 which were probably of the Roman period. Northward rose 
 mighty Hermon, eight or nine thousand feet, above the sea and 
 the snow on its lofty peaks glittered in the sunlight, as if it were 
 a lingering glory of that divine brightness that surrounded the 
 Lord eighteen centuries ago. At the base of Hermon, surrounded 
 by trees of sweet fragrance and richest foliage, Banias is situ- 
 ated. The beautiful Baniasy flows through it, and the soil is 
 very fertile. The side of Hermon facing the village is perpen- 
 dicular, in which there is a cavern containing a spring. Over 
 this cave a temple was built to Pan, the god of flocks and 
 pastures, hence the city was called Panium, but as the modern 
 Syrians find it easier to pronounce B than P it is now named 
 Banias. Alono; the face of the mountain are numerous recesses 
 with Greek inscriptions much weather-beaten, and which will 
 in a short time be entirely effaced. The ruins testify that it 
 was a place of considerable extent and was adorned with 
 costly structures. For luxurious princes and emperors it 
 afforded a pleasant retreat, where they might find a welcome 
 variety of amusement to their over-satiated body and mind. 
 Josephus says Herod, after conducting Ctesar to the sea, 
 "built him a most beautiful temple, of the whitest stone 
 near the ])lace called Panium. This is a very fine cave in 
 the mountain, under which there is a great cavity in the 
 earth." * 
 
 There are fifty or sixty houses in modern Banias, composed 
 
 * Jos. Ant. XV. 10, :3. 
 
430 
 
 BANIAS, C.ESAllEA, PHILIl'PI. 
 
 of clay interminf^led with unhewn stone and pieces of ancient 
 cohimns. On the flat roofs booths of reeds and of branches 
 of orange trees were erected, in which the citizens were spend- 
 ing their evenings far from the stir and toil of populous cities. 
 In the centre of the town is a s(j[uare area, where the shops are 
 situated. I visited the chief one, a room about twelve feet 
 square, with a ceiling six feet high. The whole stock on hand 
 consisted of a dry gourd, a few native purses, and some pots 
 of sour milk. Trade was not rushing, and fortunes must be 
 
 f 
 
 ^i^i£ 
 
 
 CESAKEA PHILIPPI. 
 
 made slowly in Banias, but the people were satisfied, and con- 
 tentment in any condition is great gain. 
 
 To the north of the town are olive groves and pasture 
 ground. At this part of the town are some ruins, over which, 
 in company with Mr. J. Smart, I walked on the flat roofs. 
 Stepping from roof to roof we were enjoying the scene, uncon- 
 scious of danger. Suddenly a band of fierce dogs assailed us 
 on the right and left, in the front and rear. As we were 
 
VIEW OF nANIAS. 4.S1 
 
 intruders and in the minority, we beat a hasty retreat for safety, 
 leaving a piece of oiirtrowsers in the mouth of one dog, thank- 
 ful that he had not taken a deeper hold. 
 
 This was the most northerly town our Lord seems to have 
 visited, and on his descent from one of those elevated plateaus, 
 now green with luxuriant vegetation and covered with shrubs, 
 he cured the dumb boy. After the downfall of Jerusalem, 
 Titus came to Csesarea Philippi, and gave a number of gladia- 
 torial shows. There he slew multitudes of the Jewish captives 
 taken in Jerusalem to gratify the savage and blood thirsty 
 natures of the Roman spectators, for it and other cities were 
 then doubtless occupied by Romans to whom such brutal 
 spectacles would give unbounded pleasure. The situation of 
 Banias is one of romantic beauty. The Baniasy Hows through 
 the village, and in the stillness of the evening it is extremely 
 pleasant to sit on the house-tops amid leafy booths and listen 
 to the o-entle murmurings of the water flowino- down towards 
 the plain. Shrubs grow with tropical luxuriance, and large 
 trees are numerous, whose wide-spreading branches afford a 
 pleasant shade. Southward are scenes in the valley and on 
 the mountains famous in the early days of Bible story. Behind 
 towers up Hermon in all the awful sublimity that massive- 
 ness and height can give, and upon whose lower elevations 
 temples and fortresses have been built by the Baal worshippers 
 in the land, prior to the days of Joshua. Moreover, the very 
 soil on which the village is built has been made holy by the 
 presence of the Son of God. The spot is one of surpassing 
 loveliness, and famous in the pages of history and by the pre- 
 sence and works of Jesus Christ. 
 
Chapter XIX. 
 
 OVER HERMON TO DAMASCUS AND THE RUINS 
 
 OF BAALBEK. 
 
 " The north aiicl the south thou hast created them : Tabor and Heriuon 
 shall rejoice in thy name." — Ps. Ixxxix. 12. 
 
 RODE over the rising ground behind Banias, up 
 which Jesus may have walked to some of those 
 elevations, where He was transfigured before His 
 disciples. Soon Banias with its natural scenery, 
 its heathen caves, columns and inscriptions, was 
 left behind. A narrow path cut out of the mountain leads up 
 to Subeibeh, the most famous ruined castle in Palestine. 
 Up that same path Canaanites, Jews, Romans, Saracens and 
 Crusaders may have driven. The horses' hoofs have worn holes 
 six inches deep, and the shape of the hoof, into the solid rock. 
 The whole summit of a spur of Hermon is occupied by this 
 tower, which is about one thousand feet long, three hundred 
 wide, and stands at an elevation of one thousand feet above the 
 plain. Towers occupy the corners, and arched openings over- 
 look the plain on the south side. The lower tiers of stone are 
 evidently of great anti(|uity, and at places the rock is bev^elled 
 on which the wall is built. There is one peculiarity about the 
 gate leading to this tower. Near the base, on both sides, are 
 slots or grooves, and it is cjuite probable, as Dr. Robinson sup- 
 poses, that the gates were lifted up by mechanical or human 
 power. There are no sockets in the stone on which the pivot 
 
TilE TEMPLK — FORTRESS OF SUBEIIJEII. 4S.'{ 
 
 of the door might swing, which confirms the theory. It is 
 ]:>robable that ancient doors were so constructed. Perhaps the 
 royal gate leading into the temple area, or into the temple itself 
 may have so opened and closed, and when David entered to 
 worship Jehovah, it would be lifted up by the temple servants. 
 In the xxiv. Psalm he represents Christ as a royal conqueror, 
 ascending into the heavenly temple leading captivity captive, 
 and the inhabitants of heaven cry, as the Lord who has 
 triumphed over death and hell ascends to His throne, " Lift up 
 your heads, ye gates, and be ye lifted up ye everlasting 
 doors, and the King of glory shall come in." It has been sup- 
 posed that this is the site of Baal-Hermom, occupied by some of 
 the original tribes of the country. If so, Subeibeh may have 
 been both a fortress and temple under the protection of Baal, 
 but the passage in Chronicles seems to make Baal-Hermon and 
 Mount Hermon different places, unless we translate the Hebrew 
 conjunction before Hermon, " even." Then the passage would 
 read, "They increased from Bashan unto Baal-Hermon and 
 Senir, even unto Mount Hermon."* 
 
 Arches of all shapes and sizes tell of the different races 
 who have in turn held possession of this stronghold. Caverns, 
 massive cisterns, and old stairways meet us at every step. I 
 saw no inscriptions nor the least trace of the language of the 
 ancient Phcienicians who may have laid the foundations that 
 are as firmly fixed in their place to-day as when laid there 
 by those ancient workmen. Everywhere are Arabic inscrip- 
 tions of little interest. The view from this lofty temple- 
 fortress is the finest in all northern Palestine. Northward, 
 westward and southward, one can look over extensive valleys 
 clothed in rich verdure, where industry would be rewarded 
 with abundance, and where under a just and paternal govern - 
 
 * 1 Chron. v. 23. 
 
434 1IEUM(JN TO DAMASCUS AND THE KUINS OF IIAALIIEK. 
 
 ment multitudes could spend a useful and contented life. At 
 intervals the valleys are broken by mountain ranf^es or isolated 
 hills, while nortli, rises peak above peak of mighty Hermon 
 until its snowy summit pierces the blue skies thousands of 
 feet above Subeibeh. The scene is one of great beauty and 
 terrible grandeur, and brings unconsciously to our lips the 
 words, "Great and marvellous are Thy works, Lord God 
 Almighty." It rained incessantly from early morning ; th.e 
 black clouds that wreathed the summit of Hermon came sweep- 
 ing down the gorges of the mountain and poured out their 
 Hoods upon us. We sought shelter for some hours under the 
 arches or in some of the rooms that yet remain perfect since 
 the days of the crusaders. A few wretched men and boys were 
 making charcoal, and wo huddled round their tires, but the 
 smoke was stronger than the heat, for however pleasant the 
 latter, the former was very unpleasant. We were obliged to 
 hasten into the fresh air to escape suffocation and find relief 
 for our eyes which were shedding copious tears. 
 
 Our route lay over the eastern shoulder of Hermon. The 
 higher we ascended the lower the mercury descended in the 
 thermometer, and a steady, furious wind rushing down the 
 deep gorge drove the rain and cutting sleet into our face. The 
 path was rough and slippery and the horse I rode refused to 
 go further. Along with Mr. Smart and our guide, I turned 
 my back to the storm, and drenched to the skin, hoped that 
 the fury of the wind and the pelting sleet would soon abate- 
 It continued, however, to our dismay, with unabated wildness, 
 and we rode forward with the lofty peaks of Jebel-esh-Sheik 
 high above us, wrapped in snow and rain clouds. The village 
 of Migdol-es-Shemsh was reached at noon, and we were thank- 
 ful for the shelter of a Druse house. There were two rooms, 
 in the inner one of which was a fire on the earth floor. A 
 few rough stones in the centre of the room constituted the fire- 
 
DHVING OUR CLOTH KS IN A DRUSE HOUSE. 435 
 
 place. On this was piled up dry brush which crackled and 
 threw out a profusion of sparks, while the Hames mounted 
 to the ceilin<.>' as each fresh handful of fuel was thrown on, 
 and cast a lurid hue on the walls, rafters and floor. Mr. 
 Smart, the writer, and our jruides huddled round the fire. 
 Soon our pants and coats threw oif clouds of steam which 
 amused the Druse children who swarmed about us. Lunch 
 was spread on the earthen flo(jr close to the primitive fire- 
 place, across which one of our company stood with out- 
 stretched legs. The clouds of smoke brouj^ht tears to his eyes 
 and the Hames took hold of his trousers, which forced him to 
 <lescend unceremoniously from his place of eminence. The 
 interior of the house had been whitewashed in some remote 
 period of its existence: now it was black as ebon3^ As for 
 furniture, it consisted of an old box on which I sat, and a few 
 old pots and pans. Along one side of the wall, three feet from 
 the floor, were built beds of rough boards, tier above tier like 
 the bunks of a ship. Over these was spread a small mat, and 
 above the beds were square holes in the walls into which odds 
 and ends were stuflf'ed. As there was no outlet for the smoke 
 except through the door, which was closed to keep out the 
 pelting rain, both rooms were soon filled, and we all began to 
 shed tears, and were nearly suffocated. This seems to have 
 been the ancient style of house and fireplace, for, says Solomon, 
 "as smoke to the eyes, so is the sluggard to them that send 
 him." Bukshish was distributed liberally to old and young, 
 and all seemed in high giee. Mr. Smart and one guide went 
 on, meanwhile, the other had to go back a mile to search for a 
 lost article of clothing. I intended to await in the house his 
 return. I soon saw I was in danger. Three generations lived 
 in the house, all of whom gathered round me. The son of the 
 old patriarch was a powerful man, his frame indicat-^d gieat 
 physical strength, his face wore a fierce expression, he had lost 
 
436 HERMON TO DAMASCUS AND THE RUINS OF BAALBEK. 
 
 some of his lingers in war, and deep scars disfigured his face. 
 He took hold of me, and attempted to thrust his hand into my 
 breast pocket. It was a critical position, but I had no desire 
 to be phmdered, and less to be wounded ; I at once showed 
 them that I was prepared to defend myself, also meanwhile I 
 gradually moved backwards towards une door, forcing my way 
 through the circle that formed around me. A few steps led 
 from the door to the ground where my horse stood saddled. 
 Outside they became violent, the women and children joining 
 in the fray. The same man made a second attack, but as he 
 saw I was prepared to defend myself he drew back a step. 
 To remove temptation and ensure my safety, I leaped on my 
 horse and galloped away amid torrents of rain and curses 
 from male and female Druses, with such an impression of the 
 scene graven on my mind as will never be effaced. 
 
 Higher and higher we rode until the line of snow was 
 reached, then the route lay over the craters of extinct volca- 
 noes. Masses of lava and black stone lay in the way, over 
 which the horses stepped slowly and cautiously. Soon we 
 began to descend through narrow gorges full of water, rush- 
 ing down over loose stones, that made riding on horseback 
 ^^angerous in the extreme. Finally Bet Jenn was reached, 
 near which flows the Jennani, one of the tributaries of the 
 ancient Pharpar. The river was swollen, and Howing with 
 great force. Fording was the only method of crossing. Some 
 coaxing was required before our horses would enter, but 
 facing them up stream, to give them more resisting power, we 
 plunged in. The water was only a few inches below the horses' 
 back. We were all soaking with wet, and our teeth were 
 chattering with cold and exposure in our journey across Mount 
 Hermon. We were thankful when we crossed the Jennani 
 safely and reached our tent. A fierce gale began to blow ; it was 
 difficult to get fire ; our clothes were wet, and those in the bags 
 
THE PLAIN OF DAMASCUS. 437 
 
 wei'i^ as bad as those on our body. The condition was not 
 cheering-. I sent a pair of boots to the cook to dry. In an 
 hour they were returned with the uppers burned, shrivelled 
 and twisted out of all shape, so that I could only succeed in 
 getting my toes into them. Meanwhile the violence of the 
 storm increased, and sweeping down the deep gorges of Her- 
 nion, broke the tent and threatened us all with complete ruin. 
 In fording the swollen rivers of Palestine one sees more clearly 
 the force of David's language in which he often expressed his 
 own danger and that of the nation : " If it had not been the 
 Lord who was on our side. . . . The waters had over- 
 whelmed us, the stream had wne over our soul." * And in 
 life's trials and in the struggle with the last enemy, which 
 is death, the promise of God's presence and aid is given in 
 figurative and powerful language, which one can fully under- 
 stand, who has forded those swollen rivers: "When then 
 passest through the waters I will be with thee ; and through 
 the rivers, they shall not overflow thee."f 
 
 For miles before reaching Damascus, domes and graceful 
 minarets were seen in the clear blue sky. Behind was Hermon, 
 on the south-east were the undulating barren hills that 
 separate the Hauran from the plain of Damascus, while on 
 the north-west stretched the Anti-Lebanon range. The plain 
 is very fertile, and fields of grain were seen far as the eye 
 could reach. As I came nearer to the city, the wind wafted 
 the fragrance of bloomingr trees and shrubs from the number- 
 less gardens that covered the plain. I entered Damascus on 
 the south-west, riding along one of the branches of the Abana, 
 whose water is clear and sweet. This river and the Pharpar, 
 which I crossed during the day, in the opinion of Naaman, 
 " were better than all the waters of Israel." 
 
 * Ps. cxxiv. i, 4. t Is. xUii. 2. 
 
438 HERMON TO DAMASCUS AND THE RUINS OF BAALBEK. 
 
 From the limestone mountain range behind Damascus the 
 vast plain appears in all its beauty, extending from the base 
 of Hermon, northward, towards Palmyra, and to the barren 
 range that hems in the Hauran. The two ancient rivers water 
 the plain by a network of artificial channels that flow in every 
 direction. The plain is an oasis of unsurpassed fertility ; fields 
 of grain are seen waving in the gentle breeze for miles on 
 every side, interspersed with gardens of apricots, figs, citrons, 
 and pomegranates, while here and there a graceful palm tree 
 is seen towering over all. In the centre of all this scene 
 stands the city of graceful minarets and white houses. It 
 appears like a fairy scene in an enchanted land. In the 
 Assyrian inscriptions the city is called Dimaski, evidently the 
 same as the modern Arabic "Dimashk" which signifies activity. 
 Josephus says it was founded by Uz, the grandson of Shem. 
 Eliezer, Abraham's servant, was of Damascus, and tradition 
 declares the patriarch to have been king of this city. It is pro- 
 bable therefore that the city may have been fovnided originally 
 by a Semitic people Its great antiquity, and its connection 
 with the history oi the kings of Israel and Judah, and its con- 
 nection with important events that have made theii* power felt, 
 even until now, make Damascus an object of interest to every 
 traveller. On the threshold of Genesis we find Abraham 
 defeating the confederate kings at Hobah, on the left of 
 Damascus. Ahaz appealed for aid to Tiglath-Pileser, King of 
 Assyria, against the united forces of the northern kingdom. 
 Damascus was destroyed, and the people carried into cap- 
 tivity, and Isaiah's prophecy was fulfillea, that Damascus 
 should be " taken away from being a city, and should be a 
 ruinous heap."* Near this city Saul, when on his mission of 
 bigotted persecution, saw the light from heaven, above the 
 
 * Isaiah wii. 1. 
 
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440 HERMOX TO DAMASCUS AND THE EUIXS OF BAALBEK. 
 
 brightness of the sun, and heard the voice, and became a 
 chosen vessel of God to carry his truth before Gentiles 
 and kings. Greeks, Romans, Arabs and Turks, have had 
 possession of it. There is nothing of historic interest about 
 the modern city except the massacre of Christians in 1800. 
 The Druses from the hills, the ever fanatical Mahommedans 
 of the city, aided by the Turkish pjarrison made a sudden 
 attack on the unoffending; Christians. The foreigrn consulates 
 were burned, except the British and Prussian, which formed 
 refuges for hundreds. Six thousand, at least, are said to have 
 perished during those terrible days, their bodies lay in heaps 
 in the narrow streets, spreading pestilence in the heat of the 
 July sun. The Rev. J. Crawford, missionary of the Presby- 
 terian Church in Ireland, who gave me the history of the brutal 
 attack, narrowly escaped death himself while the clergyman 
 who occupied the next house perished. Those were days of 
 terror, the memory of which will never be effaced from the 
 mind of those who escaped from that scene of carnage. 
 
 The so-called sites of the house of Judas, in which Saul 
 lodged, and that of Ananias, are mere guesses, with no evidence 
 to support them, and therefore I felt no interest in them. Is 
 the street called Straight on which the house of Judas was 
 situated yet in existence ? The oi>ly street which approaches 
 a straight line extends from Bab-esh-Sherki on the east, 
 through Suk-el-Jakmak to the western wall, for about one 
 mile. It was the custom in ancient times to have one colon- 
 naded street extending through the centre of the cities. At the 
 eastern gate and at intervals along this street broken columns 
 are yet seen, some of them ^aving been built into the walls of 
 the houses. And in an intensely oriental city like Damascus, 
 notwithstanding the numerous sieges it has sustained, it is 
 highly probable these mark the location of the street in which 
 the future apostle to the Gentiles lodged and prayed, and 
 where Ananias visited him. 
 
SCENE IN A DAMASCUS BAZAAR. 441 
 
 As we were riding on horseback through the bazaars on 
 this straight street, an accident occurred which caused us 
 serious trouble, H,nd ahnost involved us in danger. A gentle- 
 man with us was riding a restive aniaial, which required care 
 and caution to manage. These qualities the rider did not 
 possess. He seemed oblivious to the presence of men, women, 
 or children, and on two or three occasions almost rode over 
 some young Mahommedans. We were standing at a shop 
 in the silk bazaar, buying some small articles, when suddenly 
 the horse, on which our friend was seated, backed into a shop, 
 broke down the mastaba, destroyed some goods, and wounded 
 some Mahommedan women, who were making purchases. The 
 women ran yelling and gesticulating through the crowded 
 bazaar, while men gathered in large numbers from every 
 quarter. It was a long time and a wo-k of much difficulty to 
 restore them to their normal state of solemn quiet. Our 
 friend paid for the damage and we rode away, glad to escape, 
 without suffering personal violence. 
 
 On the south side near an old gate, now closed, is the tradi- 
 tional spot where the apostle was let dov/n in a basket and 
 escaped the fury of the Jews. This circumstance is known 
 only from one of his epistles, written some years after his con- 
 version. A historic fact is stated incidentally which adds 
 weight to the truthfulness of the Scriptures. He writes : 
 " In Damascus the governor under Aretas, the king, kept the 
 city of the Damascenes with a garrison, desirous to apprehend 
 me."* Damascus under the first two emperors belonged to the 
 province of Syria. It was thought by those who are always 
 seeking to detect errors in the Scrij:>tures that it was untrue 
 that an Arab sheik like Aretas should hold Damascus in defi- 
 ance of the Roman Empire. Paul, however, has been proved 
 
 * 2 Coruith. xi. 32. ; 
 29 
 
442 HERMON TO DAMASCUS AND THE RUINS OF BAALBEK. 
 
 correct and his opponents wrong. Herod Antipas was married 
 to the daughter of this Aretas, whom Josephus calls King of 
 Arabia, He divorced her, and she returned to her father at 
 Machserus. This became the cause of war, in which Herod's 
 forces were defeated. Herod appealed to Tiberius, who sent 
 Vitellius to his aid. After landinff in Jerusalem he received 
 information of the death of Tiberius, and no further action 
 seems to have been taken against Aretas. Caligula the 
 successor to the Roman purple made changes in the East, and 
 probably granted Aretas, Damascus.* During the period which 
 he held it, the occurrence related by Paul took ])lace. 
 
 The Great Mosque, in the north-west of Damascus, is an 
 edifice of profound interest. It is four hundred and thirty- 
 one feet long by one hundred and twenty-five broad, exclusive 
 of the outer court, whose arches are supported by old pillars 
 of granite, marble and limestone, many of them bound by iron 
 clamps. The interior is divided into three aisles by Corinthian 
 columns ; the lower parts of the walls are lined with coloured 
 marble, the upper parts with mosaics representing various 
 Scriptural scenes. This is probably the site of the Temple of 
 Rimmon, in which Naaman bowed himself, with the king 
 leaning on his hand. The Romans always paid respect to the 
 deities of the people whom they conquered, and the temples of 
 the deities. And as tradition has not seized on any other spot 
 the foundations of this mosque may be those of the old heathen 
 temple. On this spot Ahaz may have seen the altar, a copy 
 of which he sent to Jerusalem, and the very temple of 
 Rimmon, which Abraham, David, and Elijah may also have seen. 
 The present mosque was originally a Christian church, a part 
 of whose old walls escaped the ignorant fury of the Mahom- 
 medans. This old wall can be seen from the top of the gold- 
 
 * Vide ibi;. Aretas, Smith'a Bible Diet. 
 
SCENE OF PAULS CONVERSION. 443 
 
 smiths' shops. Climbing up a narrow stairway from the 
 bazaar, 1 took a short ladder, and laying it down from one roof 
 to another, I crossed until I went close to tlie wall, along which 
 are a number of windows with circular arches and rich carv- 
 ing, dating back to the third or fourth century. On the wall, 
 in Greek, is a quotation from Psalm cxlv. 13: "Thy kingdom, 
 Christ, is an everlasting kingdom, and thy dominion 
 endureth throughout all generations." In the Mos([ue of 
 Omar on Moriah, and in St. Sophia in Constantinople, there 
 are also traces of the Christian faith visible. May they be 
 prophetic of the permanency of .God's truth and its triumph 
 over the unreasoning bigotry and gross darkness of Mahom- 
 medanism ! 
 
 Six miles south of Damascus, on a spur of Jebel Aswad, is 
 the Village of Kokeb, which signifies a star, A rude wall 
 encloses the village, which is composed of about a score of 
 families. This is the scene of Saul's conversion. Traces of 
 the Roman road are yet visible on the western side of the hill 
 on which Kokeb is situated. At this point he would obtain 
 histirst view of the rich plain and the far-famed city, when 
 the light from heaven shone round about him, and he heard 
 the voice : " Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me ? " In com- 
 pany with the Rev. J. G. Phillips I rode up to the village. It 
 seemed deserted. After a considerable time the sheik's wife 
 appeared, gaily dressed, and with a piece of red cloth on her 
 head, cut in the form of a star. Her lord was in Damascus, she 
 said. There is a strong conviction among the ignorant 
 peasants that Europeans travel among the ruins of the east to 
 find hidden treasures of gold, and precious stones. Moreover, 
 all the deciphering of inscriptions on temples and ruins is not 
 for the sake of knowledge, but to discover those supposed 
 treasures in the earth. Our hostess at once asked : " Are 
 you looking for hidden treasure ? There is plenty in that 
 
444 llERMON TO DAMASCUS AND THE KUINS OF BAALBEK. 
 
 spot," she said, pointing to a heap of rubbish. " Why 
 do you not dig for it?" we asked. In reply she shrugged 
 her shoulders, but said nothing. With a great deal of cere- 
 mony we parted from her and others who had gathered 
 courage to come out and hear the conversation. In parting- 
 she gave us her benediction, which was beautiful in senti- 
 ment, though we were quite aware she did not, in her heart, 
 mean to bless us. " Go my children, go, and may Allah 
 go with you and make your way smooth and pleasant before 
 you as the plain of Damascus." We wished them all peace, 
 and rode back to the city, and as we looked back as far as the 
 eye could reach, we saw the citizens of Kokeb watching where 
 we were going to dig for hidden treasures. There are many spots 
 in and around this old city which the traditions of centuries 
 have connected with famous deeds and men of the world's 
 childhood. On the north-east, and outside the walls, is the 
 modern house for the lepers. The place is a tumble-down, 
 miserable apology for a hospital, and its inmates are the most 
 loathsome of all the lepers I had seen in Palestine. This, 
 tradition says, is the site of the house of Naaman, the leper, 
 who was captain of the host of the King of Syria. If so, he 
 must have had a better house to shelter him than the present 
 hovels, otherwise he must have been an object of pity. 
 
 Northward of Damascus is Jobar, the traditional site of 
 Hobah. Early in Genesis, we read of the capture of Lot and 
 his goods, after the defeat of the kings of Sodom and 
 Gomorrah. When Abraham was told, of it by one of the 
 escaped fugitives he started in pursuit with his three hundred 
 and eighteen servants, and in a night battle, at Dan, routed 
 Chedorlaomer and his forces and pursued them over the high 
 shoulders of Hermon and down into the plain as far as Hobah , 
 on the left hand of Damascus. Jobar is a small village, pos- 
 sessing an old Jewish synagogue. It is said to cover the spot 
 
HOBAir, MODERN JOHAR. 445 
 
 on which Abraham prayed, when thanking God for his victory, 
 and also, with sublime indifference to historic facts, the place 
 where Elijah was fed by ravens. The synagogue contains a 
 few old scrolls of the law, one of which I attempted to pur- 
 chase, without success, from the old Jewess who guided us 
 throucfh the building. 
 
 There is only one Jewish family now in Hobah. We met 
 the head of the familv at the door of the svnao-oEcue. In 
 conversation, we asked if he would like the Messiah to come, 
 in his day. He clasped his hands together, and with his face 
 turned heavenward, devoutly prayed, "Help us, God of our 
 salvation, for the glory of thy name." When we said, the 
 Messiah has come, he refused to speak any more on the subject. 
 The veil is on the eyes of the sons and daughters of Israel to 
 this day. In every land they are the same in spirit and in 
 bimdness, living epistles known and read of all men, witnesses 
 of the veracity of the Word of God : " I will gather you and 
 blow upon you in the fire of my wrath ... As silver is melted 
 in the midst of the furnace, so shall ye be melted in the midst 
 thereof ; and ye shall know that I, the Lord, have poured out 
 my fury upon you." * 
 
 In this region we find traditions about the early progenitors 
 of the human family. Here Adam is said to have lived, and 
 Abraham to have reiacned as king. One feels that he is near 
 the cradle of the race even in this plain of Damascus. A day's 
 march westward of Damascus is Siik Wady Barada, on the 
 site of ancient Abilene, of which Lysanias was tetrarch, in the 
 fifteenth year of Tiberius. -f- It is situated in a fertile valley, 
 watered by the Barada. I scaled the mountains behind the 
 village by a narrow and difficult gorge. On the summit, 
 about a thousand feet above the valley, a narrow path winds 
 
 * Ezek. xxii. 21, 22. t Lnke iii. 1. 
 
44G HERMON TO DAMASCUS AND THE RUINS OF JUALBEK. 
 
 along the edge of the precipice, which at least denianils a firm 
 nerve to ensure the safety of every one who travels it. On a 
 plateau a little beyond the village are the ruins of a temple 
 composed of massive stones, dedicated in the early centuries to 
 some Syrian god or goddess. Near it is the traditional tomb 
 of Abel, about forty feet in length ; it is probably an aqueduct 
 used in connection with the services of the temple close to it. 
 I asked my local guide how high Abel was when alive, for 
 his grave was very large. " He was over one hundred feet," 
 he replied. How do you know this ? " The man who sleeps 
 in the tomb," pointing to a cave near at hand, " told me so." 
 Why was he so high ? " Because he was a prophet," was the 
 response. I was informed that he died at one hundred and 
 twenty years of age, and that Cain, his brother, is buried beside 
 him. As a parting question I asked him how long ago it was 
 since Abel died, and was informed "about thirty years ago." 
 Thus truth and tradition are mingled in one confused mass 
 in the superstitious minds of the ignorant Mahommedans and 
 Syrians. 
 
 The famous temple of Baalbek came in sight early in the 
 afteiiioon. Its six massive columns have stood like sentinels 
 guarding these ancient ruins, so full of interest to antiquarians, 
 to Christians, and to all who take pleasure in tracing the foot- 
 prints (jf the race from the time when Baal worshippers erected 
 their massive temples on the high hills of Syria, through long 
 eras of intellectual, material, and moral progress, until the 
 present. On a low hill to the south-east of the temple, are 
 ancient cisterns, hewn out of the rock, and foundations of 
 ancient buildings can be traced. Here probably stood the 
 ancient city whose inhabitants worshipped Baal in that temple 
 wjon whose massive foundations other races have erected the 
 walls, and some of the columns that are yet standing. Is this 
 Baalgad the northern border of Palestine in the days of 
 
THE TEMPLE OF BAALBEK. 447 
 
 Joshua ? "Even unto Baalgad in the Valley of Lebanon under 
 Mount Hermon,"* " unto the entering into Haniath," -f- help 
 to determine the question. The Hebrew term for valley 
 is the same as the modern Arabic, Buka'a, applied to the broad, 
 fertile ])lain between the Anti-Lebanon and Lebanon ranges. 
 The site of Baalgad, or Baal as the god of fortune, was under 
 Mount Hermon, and at the entrance to Hamath. Baalbek 
 is not too far north to suit this language, for it is probable the 
 kingdom of Hamath extended south to the hinjh land, in 
 which the Orontes takes its rise. And immediately north 
 of Baalbek one would enter into the valley, which expands in 
 breadth the further one travels nol'thward, and thus suits the 
 language of the sacred historian. The one strongest objection 
 to the theory that Baalbek is the ancient Baalgad, is the fact 
 that Baalgad was " under Mount Hermon," which is the south- 
 ern point of the Anti-Lebanon range. But Hermon, which 
 merely signifies " lofty " or " elevated," may have been applied 
 to the whole range, and it would therefore be quite correct 
 to say that Baalgad was situated under Hermon. The only 
 other place which claims the honour of being ancient Baalgad 
 is Banias, and the temple-fortress on the spur of Hermon, 
 behind the village. The site is certainly under Hermon, and 
 the valley down which the Litani flows between Lebanon and 
 Anti-Lebanon ranges is comparatively narrow, and is certainly 
 the entrance into the broad plain on which ]5aalbek stands. 
 Besides, the foundations of Subeibeh are massive, and very 
 ancient, and such as the same people who erected Baalbek 
 may have built. The weight of authority seems to incline in 
 favour of Baalbek, though a fair inference from the passages in 
 Joshua would lead me to regard Banias and the temple- 
 fortress of Subeibeh as the true site of Baalgad. The people 
 
 '• * Josh. xi. 17. t Josh. xiii. 5. 
 
448 JIEllMON TO DAiMASCUS AND THE RUINS OF BAALbEK. 
 
 who built sucli temples were a religious i)oople ; and, had Paul 
 visited them as he did the Athenians ho would have given 
 them credit for the same spirit that ruled the Greeks. But 
 while the Greeks delighted in the jDsthctic, and aimed to reach 
 the highest ideal in art and architecture, the people who built 
 Baalbek strove to rear the most colossal structures to the 
 honour of the sun god. It requires many days to go out and 
 in among those great ruins, to examine fallen blocks and climb 
 over massive walls before one can realize the immensity of that 
 ruined temple. Beginning at the east is a hexagonal court, 
 from which an entrance leads into a rectangular area, one 
 hundred and forty-seven yards long from east to west, and one 
 hundred and twenty-three broad. From this area, by a flight 
 of steps now in ruins, the worshippers ascended into the Great 
 Temple around which a colonnade extended, the only rem- 
 nants of which are six Corinthian Huted columns about sixty feet 
 high, and are enough to help us to imagine what the grandtui* 
 of this must have once been. To the south is the Temple of 
 the Sun, whose entrance is richly carved with various devices. 
 The interior of the building is partly filled with fallen ruins ; 
 around the top is fine scroll work, and on the arches that pro- 
 ject over niches for the gods and goddesses, is some exquisite 
 workmanship. These edifices, though dating back perhaps 
 prior to the Christian era, are modern compared with the old 
 Baal Temple on whose site they were ])artly erected. To the 
 north of the Great Temple is an outer wall, ten feet in thick- 
 ness, in which the stones are thirty feet long. On the west 
 side, however, are the stones that have made every traveller 
 ask what race raised such monster blocks and by what means ? 
 The men whose hands reared them have become dust; as a race 
 they have perished, and their god and their religion are 
 counted only among the curious things of a remote antiquity. 
 But these stones remain there to testify to the mechanical 
 
THE TEMPLE OF BAALHEK. 440 
 
 ingermifcy and zeal of Baal's followers. The three giant stones 
 that may date back from fifteen to twenty hundred years B.o.are, 
 one, sixty-four feet long, another, sixty-three feet eight inches, 
 the third, sixty-three feet. They are thirteen feet high and 
 probably the same in breadth. In the ({uarry, a few minutes' 
 drive from the temple, is a colossal block, not separated from 
 the rock, sixty-nine feet long and fourteen feet high, on which 
 the marks of the chisels and picks are quite distinct. The 
 same methods by which colossal obelisks and statues were 
 reared in Egypt, and the great stones of the Pyramids, were 
 doubtless applied here. And in the unity of architectural 
 style it is possible we may trace a close relationship in the 
 way of commerce between those northern races and the 
 Egyptians on the south, and find evidence that these build- 
 ers of Baalbek were a branch of the same stock as the men 
 who reared up the mighty Karnak temple to Amon-Ra, the sun 
 god of Egypt. 
 
 Our tent was pitched in the area, under the shadow of the 
 immense columns yet standing to tell of the glory of their 
 fallen and perished companions and of the temple itself in the 
 long centuries ago. The two busy days we spent among these 
 famous ruins were altogether too short to climb over endless 
 masses of fallen stone, scale walls, penetrate dark dungeons, 
 and examine in detail the myriad objects of colossal grandeur, 
 and beauty, and interest in and about this temple. But time 
 was pressing us, and it was with deep regret we rode out from 
 Baalbek, in the early morning, and left the mighty temple 
 which will continue to afford future visitors the same pleasure 
 vfhich it did us. The ride across the rich plain was monoton- 
 ous, relieved only by the salutations of the shepherds and 
 farmers whom we passed at intervals. We reached Zahleh 
 early in the afternoon. It is romantically situated high up on 
 the brow of the Lebanon. The whit^c; houses are very con- 
 
450 HERMON TO DAMASCUS AND THE RUINS OF BAALBEK. 
 
 spicuous on the face of the hill for miles. The citizens are 
 industrious, and a number of European reaping machines are 
 in use here. And the only objection which the people have to 
 a threshing machine is that it does its work so quickly that 
 they would have nothing to do after a few days' labour with 
 such machine. Mr. Smart remained here with the missionary 
 of the American Presbyterian Church at Zahleh, who had 
 been his companion in college days. The missionary came out 
 to meet us, and under his escort we rode into this beautiful 
 Syrian town. As I intended to ride beyond Ainzehalteh, on 
 the Lebanon, the following day, I hastened on with Alexander. 
 We reached Mekseh at sundown, and found our dragoman 
 angry with every one in general and Alexander in particular. 
 He was jealouti of Alexander's popularity and his prospect of 
 soon receiving a handsome bukshish at Beirut. I had to complete 
 arrangements for my visit to the Cedars the following day. A 
 local guide was obtained who belonged to Zahleh. The drago- 
 man professed to have got for me the best horse possible for the 
 long and trying jouiney. However, I was informed by faith- 
 ful Alexander that he secretly was placing every obstacle in 
 the way, by telling the owner of the horse it would ruin the 
 animal to climb the rugged footways up the mountain. The 
 matter was discussed between the dragoman, the owner of the 
 horse and myself in the tent until late at night. The owner 
 of the horse refused on any terms to let him go, on what he 
 regarded as a perilous journey. The dragoman feigned rage, 
 took his tarboosh from his head, flung it on the tent floor, and 
 trampled on it, and swore he would in like manner treat any 
 man who hindered me from seeing the cedars. The Mahomme- 
 dan yielded to this exhibition of friendship for me and said, 
 " It is well, let the howadjah go." I thought it was a, settled 
 matter, and on the following morning, very early, in company 
 with a gentleman from the State of New York, left the tent. 
 
EXCITING SCENES. 451 
 
 We had been only ten minutes on our route when the muleteer 
 rode up furiously, and fused to allow his hoise for the 
 journey. As I had paid for the horse and determined to go, I 
 concluded that firmness was necessary to meet this mighty 
 flow of angry Arabic. He took hold of the bridle, and said no 
 mortal power would compel him to unloose his grasp. A threat 
 to refer the matter to the consul at Beirut tended to lessen his 
 volubility of speech. The loud shouts of the Mahommedan 
 attracted some one who reported the matter to a Turkish 
 official, in an ofHce on the diligence road leading to Beiriit. 
 The struggle took place on a narrow footpath, at the edge of a 
 steep embankment, over which if we had fallen into the deep 
 gorge a thousand feet below, death would have settled the 
 matter for horses and riders. We appealed to the local digni- 
 tary for justice. We stated our case in French ; the muleteer 
 then made a long speech in Arabic. • After his oration was 
 ended two soldiers made a few statements to the Kadi, in 
 Arabic, which contained frequent references to my companion 
 and myself, as infidel dogs. Meantime the local guide had 
 hastened back to the tent and informed the dragoman of our 
 difHculty. As we were waiting for the decision of the Turk, 
 the dragoman rode up in hot haste, and in well simulated 
 excitement and zeal for us asked the guilty muleteer in tones 
 of bitter contempt, " Art thou the dragoman ? art thou an 
 efFendi ?" The poor muleteer, whom the dragoman had urged 
 to thwart our going to the cedars, had to confess he had not 
 the honour of being either of these high functionaries, and 
 went away ashamed. The Turk and the dragoman feigned 
 terrible displeasure at his action and wished us the blessing 
 of Allah. 
 
 Our route lay along the course of deep valleys, gradually 
 ascending the spurs of the mighty Lebanon, that stretch in 
 every direction. We passed many villages perched up like 
 
 I 
 
452 HERMON TO DAMASCUS AND THE RUINS OF BAALBEK. 
 
 eagles' nests, far from the busy thousands of Beirut or Damas- 
 cus. Fig trees, vines, and pine trees encircled the villages. 
 Onward and upward we rode, at one time over terraces and 
 anions dense clusters of fisj and walnut trees, aa:ain windinc: 
 along a narrow path hundreds of feet above the deep gorges 
 below. Finally after the sun had begun to descend towards 
 the Great Sea we reached Ainzahalteh, perched high in the 
 clefts of the rock. It was a steep, hard climb for the last half 
 hour after crossing the beautiful Nahr-el-Ktidr, and when we 
 dismounted at the door of Ameen Shakoor's mission house we 
 were stiff and our horses panting. Ihe training school and 
 mission of Ainzahalteh prepares young men for teachers in the 
 villages on Mount Lebanon, and also equalities to matriculate 
 in the college at Beirut. It is under the charge of Ameen 
 Shakoor, a Syrian, who is a man of intense devotion, of great 
 intelligence and faith. He is aided by Mrs. Watson who has 
 devoted her life to this important work. The school is the 
 centre from which the light of the Gospel of God is shining 
 out among the natives in the multitudes of villages. We 
 procured a guide and rode as far as possible, then on foot 
 trudged for weary hours among deep, soft snow, and at length 
 were rewarded by a view of the magnificent cedars. It was a 
 holiday in the schools, and many of the boys met us, bright 
 cheery, intelligent little fellows. They asked about Canada, 
 its schools, and churches. What kind of schools have you 
 there ? and what do the boys do there during holiday times ? 
 they asked. They praised their schools and school-masters ; 
 and in this, set a bright example to the fault-finders and 
 chronic grumblers in many Canadian schools. The power of the 
 Gospel is mighty in the Lebanon hills, where ancient heathen- 
 ism reigned, and even now the prophecy of the Scripture is 
 being fulfilled : " There shall be an handful of corn in the earth 
 upon the top of the mountains; the fruit thereof shall shake like 
 
BEIRUT. 
 
 453 
 
 Lebanon."* After much kindness at the hands of Mr. Shakoor 
 we began to descend, over narrow paths full of loose stones, 
 that frequently slipped from under the horses' feet. As we 
 rode in places liigh up on the brow of the hill and gazed down 
 on the abysses below, and could hear the roar of the mountain 
 streams rushing against the rocks, we shuddered to think of 
 the consequences if our sure-footed horse made a false step. 
 The whole scene was one of wild grandeur, and will never die 
 from my memory while time lasts. As the last rays of the sun 
 were lingering we reached the diligence road, paid our friendly 
 guide, bade him and the Lebanons adieu forever, and hastened 
 on for Beirdt which we could see far away on the sea coast. 
 We reached Beirut late at night and rode by the aid of the 
 moon throu^rh the sweet-scented suburbs to our hotel which 
 was by the sea. 
 
 * Ps. Ixxli. 16. 
 
Chapter XX. 
 FROM BEIRUT TO SMYRNA. 
 
 " Caisar came to Berytus, which is a city of Phoenicia, and a Roman 
 colony, and exhibited a still more pompous solemnity about his father's 
 birthday, both in the magnificence of the shows, and in other vast 
 expenses." — Bell. Jnd. Bk. vii. 3. 
 
 r 
 
 EI RUT is in appearance a European city. The style 
 of the houses, the numerous schools, colleges, and 
 convents in the city and its suburbs are European, 
 (^..v»|^v^ Arabic or Turkish is seldom heard spoken on the 
 ^^° streets. French, German, Italian, or English are 
 
 ^ the languages one hears in the post-office, hotels, 
 
 and places of business. The climate is mild and the atmos- 
 phere balmy; while the soil of the plain on which the city is 
 built is fertile, and the luxuriant vegetation equals that of 
 Damascus. Authentic history of Beirut does not date much 
 prior to the time of Alexander. Berothai, one of the cities 
 of Hadadezer, was captured by David and from it he carried 
 away much brass. This city could not have been far from 
 Hamath ; for Toi, its king, sent salutations of peace, and presents 
 of gold, silver, and brrss to him. In marking the northern 
 boundaries of the land of Israel, Hamath, and Berothah are 
 named. Berothai and Berothah may therefore be identical, 
 and be the name of the ancient city on whose site and 
 ruins modern Beirut stands It is scarcely possible those 
 ancient seamen, the Phcenicians, would not have used this 
 harbour, which is probably the best on the whole coast of 
 
BEIRUT. 455 
 
 Syria. The Bay of St. George is not likeJ^ lo have escap'jJ 
 their notice as a favourable roadstead. Thouii'h a larfje amount 
 of the products of Damascus was conveyed inland by caravans, 
 it is reasonable to expect that the Phceiiician traders would 
 traffic in the exports of Damascus, and Beirut would be the 
 nearest and best port for such purposes. The modern Beirut 
 and the ancient Berothah may be from the same root, the one 
 Hebrew and the other Arabic, signifying " a well." For some 
 unknown reason there may have been numerous wells dug 
 there, and present facts agree with this meaning of the name of 
 the city. Dr. Thomson says it is " a city of wells, almost every 
 house has one." 
 
 A Roman colony was planted there, and coins of the era 
 of Augustus have been found with the inscription, " The hajipy 
 colony of Augustus at Berytus." Agrippa built theatres, 
 baths, and colonnades, and enriched the city with many costly 
 public edifices. After the destruction of Jerusalem and the 
 subjection of Palestine to the Roman Empire Titus visited 
 Berytus. Among other spectacles by which he delighted the 
 citizens was that of the wholesale butchery of the captive 
 Jews. Many were torn to pieces by wild beasts, others were 
 put to death by fire, while some of the wretched prisoners 
 were compelled even to murder each other to gratify their 
 heartless, heathen conquerors. For centuries Beirut was th^ 
 most famous centre of learning in the Empire, and its illustri 
 ous school of jurisprudence attracted young men from distant 
 cities. A violent earthquake in A.D. 551 almost destroyed 
 the entire city, from the effects of which calamity it never 
 recovered. During the troublous times of the crusaders it 
 experienced the bitter fortunes of war. At one time it was 
 ruled by the crusaders, at another by the Saracens, according 
 as victory favoured one or other of the contending hosts. 
 
 An extensive trade is carried on between Beirut and the 
 
456 FROM BEIRUT TO SMYRNA. 
 
 countries alonof the shores of the Mediterranean. It is the 
 shipping port of Syria. Silks from Damascus and the pro- 
 ducts from the interior are brought to Beirut by extensive 
 caravans, and thence shipped to other cities ; while the produce 
 of Europe — cotton, linen, hardware, and other articles — are 
 carried inland ' --' camels, horses, and mules. 
 
 The city is sheltered on the east and north by spurs of the 
 Lebanon, from which one may have i magnificent view of it, 
 spread out on the level plain, like a raised map. Beyond the 
 city, either on the diligence road or on any of the lofty hills 
 towards the north-east, a view of great beauty is obtained. 
 White houses dot the hillsides, and deep valleys abound, which 
 are watered by small, clear streamlets. In the distance, the 
 city appears like an earthly paradise v/ith its numerous large 
 gardens of mulberry, fig, and palm trees. In many directions 
 vineyards can be seen, and terraces on which are tropical plants 
 and shrubs, with beautiful flowers of every hue, whose fragrance 
 is inhaled with pleasure as one rides through the gardens in the 
 early morning or in the evening towards sundown. In many of 
 these gardens are ruins of ancient structures, while in the sea, at 
 the harbour, numerous granite columns are lying. They had 
 been erected in 1840 as a breakwater, but the violence of the sea 
 has overturned them, and as the Mahommedans regarded this 
 as the will of Allah, they have made no further effort to utilize 
 them. It is quite possible these columns may have belonged 
 to the edifices built by the Romans who, however, would make 
 use of any ruins of the temples erected by an earlier race ; and, 
 as this part of Syria was devoted largely to the worship of 
 Baal and AsLteroth, these ruins, together with those of an 
 ancient aqueduct, yet visible, may date back to the Roman or 
 even to the Phojnician times. 
 
 The colleges and schools in Beiriit are doing much for the 
 spread of knowledge and of the Gospel among the Syrian 
 
SCHOOLS IN BEIRUT. 457 
 
 population. One of these private schools for native children I 
 visited on Sunday afternoon. It is under the care and manage- 
 ment of Miss Taylor and Mrs. McBean, two intelligent and 
 zealous Christian women, who have devoted their private 
 means, as well as their life, to this very important and success- 
 ful work. There were ahout seventy present, including fifteen 
 or twenty Syrian and Mahommedan women and a few men. 
 The children receive a thorough training in the Scriptures. 
 Their answers to questions put by learned doctors of divinity 
 and others would have been creditable to the pupils of any 
 Sabbath school in Canada. Some of the women and children 
 were Mahommedans, who came to learn the Ensjlish lanjjuafje. 
 They were acquirinsf this accomplishment by studying the 
 Scriptures and the Shorter Catechism. The latter book they 
 were committing to memory, with the proofs. This can be 
 safely said, that if their English be based on the model of the 
 Bible it will be terse and powerful, and if the Lord opens their 
 hearts to receive His truth, while they are students of English, 
 they cannot have more solid food than that of the Shorter 
 Catechism. 
 
 In conversation with one of the Mahommedans, who were 
 present, I asked his opinion of the work of the school. His 
 wife, I believe, was among those who were studying the 
 Scriptures. He said "It is good for the children to learn," but 
 he was doubtful as to the propriety of giving women educa- 
 tion. But I replied, " In our country the great and wise men 
 have said they received the power that made them great from 
 the wise and Christian training of their mothers. If you wish 
 to have great and good men in your country you should give 
 the mothers all the education possible.'' With all the haughti- 
 ness and fanaticism of a Mahommedan, he replied, " VVe have 
 the true knowledge of Allah in the Koran." "But," I said, "we 
 have the knowledge of Allah, also." " Yes," responded the 
 30 
 
4o8 FROM BEIRUT TO SYMRNA. 
 
 turbancd old Malioinmcdan, " but your knowledge is inferior 
 to ours, Allah has given you the knowledge of many things, 
 and you make steamships, engines, and other great works, but 
 he has given us the highest wisdom of hiuiself." He had no 
 very exalted opinion of Europeans in general, nor of our 
 religion in particular. And the ([ucstion of the co-education 
 of the sexes the old fanatic would settle by one shoit mandate, 
 that females shall have no education at all. The children 
 sang two hymns, one in Arabic, the other in English, with 
 good taste and in good time, and in a manner which would 
 have done credit to many of our Canadian schools. From 
 such schools the future men and women will come who will 
 carry the light of the Gospel to their fellow-Syrians in the 
 valleys and on the hills, where in the past ages the wild orgies 
 of Baal and Ashtaroth and other heathen deities were cele- 
 brated. The hope of Syria and the Orient, generally, is the 
 same as in Canada — in the mental and spiritual training of the 
 children. 
 
 At six o'clock in the evening we sailed out of the harbour 
 of Beirut for Smyrna. The ship was crowded from stem to 
 stern and from deck to cabin. Every available inch of deck 
 room was occupied by men, women and children. Greeks^ 
 Latins, Armenians, and Mahommedans were returning — 
 pilgrims from Jerusalem and Mecca. The wildest confusion 
 reigned on deck. In one place a family had spread out their 
 mats and were eating stale, hard breal, and drinking coffee. 
 In another corner, men were stretched out asleep on the deck, 
 with their heads resting on a bag of pots, cooking utensils, and 
 odds and ends for a pillow. Women, with haggard faces, 
 were crouched up in every sheltered place, nursing their 
 infants or seeking repose after the exciting scenes of the 
 previous weeks. Men shod with heavy boots, and luxuriating 
 in fur caps and jackets when the thermometer marked eighty 
 
THE WlllTK DONKKV AND Till': I'lLGKIMS. 459 
 
 and ninety degrees ; othor^i in long, loose, flowing robes, with 
 turbans and hats of all sizes, shapes, and colours, were stea'Iily 
 going and coming with vessels of cold and hot water in their 
 hands, the contents of which we were in danger of receiving 
 on our head or face at any moment. Among this motley 
 crowd was a Mahommedan returning from Mecca. Along with 
 him, as a deck passenger, was a white donkey, which was now 
 sacred in its master's eyes. So crowded was the dt3ck that 
 the sacred donkey could not lie down. It was impossible for 
 even tough donkey Hcsh to stand on its feet for four or five 
 days without rest. The owner demanded the captain, a hot- 
 headed Italian, to remove some inhdel pilgrim aritl lot his 
 poor donkey lie down in his place. " Where will I put the 
 man to make room for your donkey ? " asked the captain. 
 "There," responded the Mahommedan, pointing to a dark hole 
 in which the ship's chains and ropes were stowed away. In 
 language more powerful than polite the Captain told him to 
 go into the hole himself, and give the donkey his own place. 
 As he was unwilling to make such a sacrilico, the donkey had 
 to struggle with infidels for a share of the deck. It was a try- 
 ing time for the Mahon medan in othei* ways. He must say his 
 prayers, at least three times a day, facing towards Mecca. As a 
 faithful son of the Prophet, and a pilgrim, he must not fail to 
 pray. But the problem was how and where to pray. There 
 was no room on the deck to kneel. He could not enter the 
 cabin, and it was dangerous to climb towards the masts and 
 pray. Necessity is the mother of invention, and necessity 
 triumphs over all obstacles. It was so then. A barrel stood 
 on end beside him. It was occupied by bags, rugs, bread, and 
 copper cooking-vessels. He made a bundle of them, swung 
 them across the donkey's back, mounted the barrel, and began 
 in deep gutturals and long-drawn tones to pray. The rolling 
 and lurching of the ship made it somewhat dangerous to pray 
 
400 IJKIUUT TO SYMUNA. 
 
 even on a barrel. ft ie(iuired nerve and dexterity, two 
 (^ualitieH not usually needed in devotions. The barrel stood 
 near the ship's side and a heavy lurch of the ship would throw 
 the praying Mahoinniedan either backward among the pilgrims 
 at the risk of grievous bodily damage, or forward into the sea 
 at the peril of his life. I watched him with interest and curi- 
 osity. I thought, if Mahommedans say short prayers, he will 
 exeicise that grace now. The ship lurched and tossed, the 
 praying man swayed now to the one side, then to the other ; 
 occasionally a heavier wave than usual struck the ship, then 
 the Mahommedan was forced to stretch out his arms and 
 clutch wildly at the back of his donkey or the neck of an 
 infidel pilgrim who happened to be within reach. Thus his 
 devotions were interrupted, but he went on unmoved by the 
 sailors at their work, by the shrill crying of infants, and the 
 loud demands of ch.ildren for bread. The devotions were not 
 shortened by one syllable, or by one minute, and his conscience 
 was at rest. Towards the close of his devotions I observed the 
 usual custom of the Mahommedans, which I had seen frequently 
 in Syria and at Damascus. He put out the forefinger of his right 
 hand, then, turning his head slightly round, he addressed the 
 good spirits whom they believe always to be on our right hand 
 to defend us, " Salanmt alakum," — " Peace be to you." Then, 
 turning to the left, he addressed the evil spirits^ " Salamat 
 alakum," — " Peace be to you." In their prayers they are 
 far-seeing, they thank the good spirits for their protection, and 
 the bad ones to keep them in good humour. 
 
 Early in the forenoon, the low-lying shores of the Island of 
 Cyprus came in view, and anchor was cast off Larnaca which 
 occupies the site of ancient Citium. Josephus says the whole 
 island was named after this city. " Cethimus possessed the 
 island Cethima ; it is now called Cyprus."* The contiguity of 
 
 * Ant. I. 6, 1. 
 
CYPRUS. 401 
 
 the island to the inainland renders it prolmble that a Phd-ni- 
 cian colony had early settled there. The Kittim or Chittim, 
 are among the descendants of Javan, and the same name is 
 applied to the island : " Ships shall come from the coast of 
 Chittim, and shall attlict Asshur." and in the later prophets 
 the term is used in reference either to a maritime people on the 
 sea coast or on an island. The form of the word Chittim at once 
 suggests the Hittites, a branch of the original Canaanitish stock. 
 This would identify the Hittites with the Pha'nicians, the early 
 colonists on the island. The licentious worship of Aphroditd or 
 Venus became the prevailing form of idolatry then;, and wher- 
 ever the Phoenicians went. Wine and olives were amonir the 
 island's chief products in ancient times as well as now. 
 From Cyprus copper was obtained in considerable quantities, 
 which the Romans named cui:)rum, after the island. 
 
 The island has been frequently conquered, and suffered 
 severely from foreign invasions. Egyptians, Persians, Greeks, 
 Romans, Saracens, Crusaders and British have in succession 
 held possession of it. It was the home of Barnabas, and the 
 scene of Paul's first missionary work after leaving Antioch. 
 At Paphos on the south-western side of the island, Sergius 
 Paulus the Romans deputy lived, and there Elymas the sor- 
 cerer, was struck blind. General Di Cesnola has excavated 
 cities, tombs and temples on the island, and dug up treasure 
 in gold, silver and brass, marble statues and vases of terra 
 cotta. At Paphos he has discovered the name Sergius Paulus. 
 Though this may not be the name of the Proconsul at the time 
 of Paul's visit, it is evidence that the name was borne by some 
 officer of note on the island during the Roman era. 
 
 An old tradition states that Lazarus came to Cyprus after 
 the Lord had raised him from the dead at Bethany, and 
 preached the Gospel there for thirty years. The Church of 
 St. Lazarus is dedicated to him and built over the supposed 
 
462 FROM BEIRUT TO SYMRNA. 
 
 site of his tomb. The soil -iroiind Larnaca is sandy, and the 
 water has an alkaline taste. Though the products of the market 
 would remind one of the East rather than the West, the city 
 has a decidedly European aspect. The houses are like those of 
 any European town. The streets attempt to make a compro- 
 mise. They hold a neutral position between antiquity and 
 modern times. When we look at the houses and see them 
 numbered above the door, we conclude it is a European city. 
 The streets do not decide either way, for we find Pieridea, 
 and names of Phoenician streets, and adjoining them are such 
 familiar names as Beaconsfield, Hiberniaand Woolseley streets. 
 Shortly after sunrise on the following morning we landed at 
 Rhodes, the capital of the island of the same name. The modern 
 city is built on the site of the ancient Rhodes, founded about 408 
 B.C. The original inhabitants were called Heliadae or " children 
 of the sun," which may point to their Phoenician origin. Baal, 
 as the sun god, was the chief deity of the Phoenicians, who 
 regarded themselves as his offspring. Rhodes became involved 
 in the war between Athens and Sparta, siding with the one 
 State or the other, according as the democracy or oligarchy held 
 the reins of power. The Knights of St. John held and fortified 
 the city for a long time, and numerous interesting memorials 
 of their stay in Rhodes are yet to be seen. The city is . sur- 
 rounded by a wall, which presents a strong appearance on the 
 side along the sea coast. It has two harbours. At the en- 
 trance to the one which admits small sailing and fishing boats 
 stood the famous bronze colossus, ninety feet high, and dedi- 
 cated to Apollo, as the sun god. The streets are narrow, paved 
 with small black a:;^ white pebbles, and kept very clean. On 
 many of the houses that date from the time of the crusaders, 
 armorial bearings are ca "^d on the stone above the doors. On 
 Rue des Chevaliers an old pulpit or reading desk is built into 
 the wall of a house, which must have been a church in those 
 
SMYRNA. 4G3 
 
 early days when the Christian warriors were making desperate 
 struggles against the Saracens. On the gates of the city wall 
 and above the arches of ancient buildings are carved shields, 
 helmets, banners and musical instruments which tell of wars 
 that have happily passed and been followed by peace and the 
 dawn of better times for the world, when man shall not slay 
 his fellow for his religious creed or the convictions of his con- 
 science. 
 
 Leaving Rhodes, we sailed among the islands off the coast 
 of Asia, that have been famous in heathen mythology, Grecian 
 history and in Bible story. Far away to the left, Patmos ap- 
 peared. A hazy atmosphere shrouded the island, famous as the 
 drear}'', desolate abode of the beloved John. Only its outlines 
 were seen. I counted four elevations or cones that stood 
 above the general surface. It is not necessary to say that 
 one looks, as I did, with affection almost, on Patmos, whither, 
 according to tradition and the most natural meaning of his 
 own language, John was banished " because of the Word of 
 God and the testimony of Jesus Christ ; " and where the seer 
 beheld that unique vision of angels, elders and thrones, seals, 
 vials, trumpets, divine judgments and the Lamb seated upon 
 the throne. 
 
 At eight o'clock the following morning, our ship cast anchor 
 in the splendid harbour of Smyrna, in which rode large vessels^ 
 flying from their masts the flags of Austria, Russia, France, 
 Turkev, and En2:land. 
 
 Smyrna is well built, and is the most flourishing city in 
 Asia, and in some respects is even superior to Constantinople- 
 It is situated en a fertile plain, while the suburbs extend along 
 the base of the hill which rises up behind the city, towards the 
 south-east. The population is about one hundred and fifty 
 thousand, composed of Armenians, Greeks, French, and Mahom- 
 medans. The public buildings along the harbour are European 
 
464 FROM BEIRUT TO SMYRNA. 
 
 in style. The locomotive whistle, the shunting of railway cars 
 at the station, and the Europeans at work loading and unload- 
 ing vessels, make one forget that it is an Oriental city. The 
 presence of so many Europeans and the introduction of western 
 customs and inventions into the city are abominations in the 
 eyes of the rigid Mahommedans, who call it " inlidel Smyrna.'' 
 The origin of the city dates back to very early times. The old 
 city had been destroyed and rebuilt. In Strabo's time, it had 
 become a place of importance. The streets were broad, well 
 paved and straight. Among its public edifices was a quad- 
 rangular portico, the Homereium in which was a temple of 
 Homer and also his statue. * Like other cities along the coast 
 of Asia, Smyrna has suffered from earthquakes and felt the 
 various fortunes of war. At the base of the hill behind the 
 city, are the ruins of an ancient stradium, near which Polycarp 
 is said to have been put to death. The citizens took the 
 deepest interest in the Olympian games, against which Poly- 
 carp and the leading persons in the Christian Church bore 
 testimony. Their refusal to join in the public games exposed 
 the Christians in Smyrna, as elsewhere in the Roman Empire, 
 to the charge of being traitors. It was in response to the 
 fierce and fanatical clamours of the mob at the public games, 
 that the officer handed over the venerable saint, who had served 
 Christ for eighty-six years, to their fury. He was promised 
 his life if he would curse Christ and swear by the fortune of 
 Caesar. The venerable man replied, " He has done me nothing 
 but good, and how could I curse him, my Lord and Saviour." 
 " I will cast you to the wild beasts " threatened the proconsul. 
 " Bring the wild beasts hither," replied the prisoner, " for 
 change my mind from the better to the worse I will not." 
 Determined to terrify him by bodily agonies the Roman 
 
 * Vide, Strabo, bk. xiv, 1, 37. 
 
POLYCARP OF SMYRNA. 
 
 465 
 
 threatened, " I will subdue your spirit by the flames." Un- 
 moved by fear and full of faith Polycarp answered, " the 
 flames endure but for a time, but there is a fire reserved for the 
 wicked, the fire of a judgment to come and of a punishment 
 everlasting." Thus died the faithful man, who had known in 
 his youth the Apostle John, and to whom perhaps, as the 
 angel of the church in Smyrna, John penned these words of 
 commendation and encouragement : " I knbw thy works and 
 tribulation and poverty. . . Be thou frJthful unto death and 
 I will give thee a crown of life." 
 
 
Chapter XXI. 
 FROM EPHESUS TO CONSTANTINOPLE. 
 
 " The Ephesiaria, youths and all, deserve hanging, for expelling Her- 
 modorus, a citizen distinguished for his virtues, and saying, let there be 
 no such among us." — l^trabo xiv, 1. 
 
 RIDE of an hour and fo-ty minutes by rail brought 
 us to Ephesus. The route lay along a rich valley, 
 at tim'^s quite narrow, a,nd occasionally expanding 
 to a considerable breadth. Fields were green with 
 wheat in the valley, and the hills were covered 
 ■^i^ with vines. At the stopping places along the route 
 
 villainous-looking Greeks were to be seen. They could pass 
 creditably as des^^endants of the fierce brigands that have 
 infested this part of Asia from remote times. On their feet 
 were thick, heavy shoes, then came rough leggings which were 
 fastened to short trowsers, a little below the knee. A large 
 scarf or piece of cloth was folded many times round their 
 body; and on their breast, beneath the folds of cloth, was, 
 what might pass for a leather shield. It was the hide of an 
 animal, with the hairy side outwards, and seemed to be used 
 as a piece of defensive armour and not as an article of dress. 
 To a leather belt round their waist, were fastened two or three 
 pistols and short dirks, besides brass or leather pouches for 
 shot, })Owder and other munitions of war. Their fierce 
 expression of face, and warlike exterior made me feel they 
 would not be pleasant companions to meet at night in a lonely 
 place. The shrill whistle of the locomotive echoing among the 
 
4G8 FROM EPHESUS TO CONSTANTINOPLE. 
 
 hills and valleys of Asia, and the rushing of railway carriages 
 seemed out of harmony with the unchangeable ideas and cus- 
 toms of the Orient. The people have not yet become inspired 
 with our western spirit, and it is questionable if they ever 
 will. Climate and food have largely moulded the nature of 
 the Orientals and will continue to do so. Hence they will 
 always lack the energy and enterprise of other races. At the 
 stations this fact is always observable. There is no excite- 
 ment, no station officials are seen hurrying to give or obtain 
 orders. There are no over-driven baggage men whose temper 
 is tried by a score of persons demanding at the same moment 
 that he should check their trunks and valises. Everyone moves 
 slowly and with dignity even at a railway station in the East. 
 Time is always at a discount and the train may wait as easily 
 a sa donkey. Towards noon the train stopped at the station 
 near the site of ancient Ephesus. How strange the sight of a 
 locomotive, puffing masses of black smoke from its smoke-stack, 
 and the roar of steam escaping from the safety-valve would 
 have appeared to St, John or St. Paul, who had to travel by 
 slower and more laborious means over this very region. Place 
 comfortable carriages, in contrast with the primitive methods 
 yet existing in the east, and the splendid steamships that 
 plough the blue water of the Mediterranean in contrast with 
 the slow, unsafe and uncomfortable vessels in which St. Paul 
 sailed frequently between Europe and Asia, and we can see the 
 vast progress the world has made in mechanical science, and its 
 application to commerce and the comfort of the race. Modern 
 Ephesus consists of a score of miserable huts near the railway 
 station. They are occupied by Greeks who prefer plunder to 
 tilling the soil or honest labour. The ancient city was situated 
 in a fertile plain extending to the sea coast where the harbour 
 is, at which Paul landed in his journeys to and from Ephesus. 
 This plain is some miles in breadth and is hemmed in on the 
 
RUINS OF EPHESUS. 4G9 
 
 north, south and cast by ranges of hills. So favourably s it- 
 uated as regards fertility of soil, and possessing a good harbour, 
 Ephesus speedily became a wealthy and populous city and the 
 capital or Western Asia. Strabo says " it daily improves, and 
 is the largest mart in Asia." The original city was situated 
 on the hill Coressus ; suV)sequently the people occupied the 
 plain, but finally took possession of the hill Prion. There is 
 no doubt the city extended far out into the plain on every side 
 of this hill, for ruins and foundations of houses are seen in 
 the valley in every direction. Though the Cayster flowed 
 through the plain, the clear, rsparkling water was brought from 
 the mountains, some miles distant, by an aqueduct. Near the 
 railway ;vtation are numerous stone pillars, supporting the 
 ruined arches of this aqueduct. They seem to be of Roman 
 workmanship, and resemble those that are yet standing on the 
 Roman Campagna. On the upper part of this once splendid 
 aqueduct the white storks have built their huge nests oi 
 coarse sticks. David referring to the habits of the stork says, 
 " as for the stork, the fir trees are her house." Though they 
 are most frequently found now among ruins, it is no valid 
 objection against the statement of Scripture. Among fallen 
 cities they could build their nests and rear their young undis- 
 turbed. In David's time such ruins as are now in Palestine 
 and Asia did not exist. Hence they would follow their natu- 
 ral instinct and build on the trees. But the level top of a 
 column or a wall would be more convenient on which to build, 
 and besides they would soon find they were safer among these 
 forsaken abodes of men. Scores of storks were on that aque- 
 duct, looking out over the ruins of the once wealthy and 
 splendid capital of Asia. Their Hebrew name is derived from 
 a root- word signifying " kindness," from the strong affection 
 shown to their offspring. As if to maintain their good reputa- 
 tion, and verify the correct obvervation of the ancients, they 
 
470 FROM EPHESUS TO CONSTANTINOPLE. 
 
 had allowed other birds to build, without uiole.station, their 
 small nests on the outside of their own. A number of small 
 birds had utilized the sticks which composed the storks' nests 
 on the rained arches and, with little additional labour, prepared 
 nests for themselves. Thus there seemed to be a friendly, 
 social commuidty of birds on those old arches in which the 
 weaker enjoyed the protection and labours of the strong. At 
 a short distance from the railway station, towards the ]ilain, 
 is situated a ruined mosque. The material of which it is built 
 appeared to have belonged to a more ancient edifice. The 
 columns are granite, of different size and order, and the im- 
 pression one receives from the outline and arrangements, as 
 well as material of the building, is, that it has been a Christian 
 church converted into a mosque. It can scarcely be the origi- 
 nal church of St. John, in which the beloved apostle preached 
 until his death. Earthquakes and war have almost annihilated 
 the splendid and durable heathen temple of Diana, and other 
 vast edifices during eighteen centuries, and it is not possible 
 that an humble Christian church could have survived the 
 ravages of time and war. Tradition may have preserved the 
 site of the church, in which the last of the apostles preached 
 the Gospel to the rich, vain, and heathen Ephesians, but the 
 original building must have fallen centuries ago. 
 
 Beyond this church of St. John, a few minutes walk in a 
 westerly direction, are the ruins and foundations of the world- 
 famous temple of Diana, the tutelary goddess of Ephesus, 
 whom ' all Asia and the world worshippeth." * It was situ- 
 ated in a low marshy part of the plain to the north-east of the 
 hill Prion. The original temple is said to have been burned 
 on the night on which Alexander the Great was born. Women 
 gave their ornaments of gold and silver, and generous contri- 
 
 Acts xix. 27. 
 
THE TEMPLE oi' DIANA. 471 
 
 butions poured in from every citizen in order to rebuild the 
 temple. Cheiroeratcs, who had built Alexandria, com))letcd 
 this second Temple of Ephcsus. It was of colossal dimensions 
 and of great architectural splendour, four hundred and twenty- 
 live feet in length, and two liundred and twenty in breadth. 
 The roof was supported by one hundred and twenty-se\en 
 columns, each sixty feet liigh, fluted and apparently of a single 
 shaft. Alexander offered to rebuild the temple if the Ephe- 
 sians would inscribe his name, as the restorer, on it. This 
 proposal they refused, but, at the same time, did not wish to 
 incur his vengeance, hence, both to Hatter his royal vanity 
 and save themsijlves, they replied " that it was not fit that 
 a god should provide temples in honour of gods." * This was 
 the temple which St. John and St. Paul saw. The grandeur 
 and wealth of the temple added to the fame of the goddess. 
 Small siver shrines, models of the temple, and copies of the 
 god<less herself were made in the city. The craftsmen did a 
 thriving trade in these things. During tlie celebration of the 
 public games, when multitudes were present from all parts of 
 Asia and from many of the islands in the Mediteranean Sea, 
 the silversmiths would dispose of their wares to the heathen 
 worshippers. When, liowever, Christianity began to make an 
 impression in Ephesus and the surrounding country, the people 
 lost faith in the goddess and in the virtue of these images of 
 Diann,. In order to check the inroad of Christianity and pre- 
 vent the ruin of their trade, Demetrius gathered the craftsmen 
 and caused the uproar mentioned in the Acts, when they all 
 cried out, about the space of two hours, " Great is Diana of 
 the Ephesians." 
 
 Through the indefatigable labours of Dr. Wood, for nearly 
 ten years, the site of this famous temple has been discovered 
 
 ♦ Strabo Lib. xiv. 1, 22. 
 
472 FROM KPHESUS TO CONSTANTINOPLE. 
 
 ;md its foundations exposed. The whole area is seen, the floor 
 is paved with large marble slabs, many of which are yet in 
 their place, as when they were trodden by the feet of Deme- 
 trius and the heathen multitudes nineteen centuries ago. 
 Masses of marble, and immense pieces of fluted columns, bases, 
 and capitals of exquisite workmanship are scattered aliout. It 
 is situated in a low part of the plain, and at the end of an old 
 load paved with huge polygonal blocks by the Romans. The 
 lenj]fth and breadth of this street would indicate that it was a 
 leading thoroughfare. Like one of the streets in Pompeii and 
 the Appian Way it is lined on each side with massive sarcophagi. 
 Along this way passed the 4lite of Ephesus, the wealthy, the 
 philosophers and poets, to worship the great goddess. Over 
 those very stones, on that very street, Paul and the beloved 
 John, in all probability, walked during the years of th» r 
 labour in Ephesus. An ancient road leads round ihe base of 
 Prion on which the old city stood. The hill is covered with 
 ruins, and on the south-west side is the amphitheatre, elliptical 
 in form and almost entirely hewn out of the mountain. The 
 marble seats rise, tier above tier, for a con;-jiderable distance, 
 and in the days when Ephesus was the centre of wealth, refine- 
 ment and luxury, those seats would be richly cushioned, and 
 everything provided that could add to the comfort of the spec- 
 tators. The largest diameter of the theatre is six hundred and 
 sixty feet, and was capable of seating over fifty thousand 
 people. Broken statues, blocks of marble on which are carved 
 figures of musicians and actors, columns of delicate workman- 
 ship lie in a confused mass in the interior. Climbing over 
 these ruins and up the seats, the scene recorded in the Acts 
 seemed a vivid and real thing to me. The mob, excited by 
 Demetrius and the craftsmen, had dragged Gains and Aristar 
 chus Paul's companions, into the theatre. The impassioned 
 Greeks were carried away by the fierce anger which had been 
 
THE THEATRE AT EPHESUS. 473 
 
 aroused against Paul and his teaching. The whole city was in 
 the wildest uproar. Paul, with his usual courage, was about to 
 risk his life in the theatre, beside his companions in travel. 
 He was advised otherwise, and under the judicious management 
 of the town clerk the assembly was dismissed, apparently 
 without bloodshed or murder. This theatre was used, not only 
 for hearing the dramas of famous poets and for spectacular 
 shows, but probably for gladiatorial contests also. The luxuri- 
 ous Ephesians would probably tire of the tame recitations of 
 the poets and would crave for something that would aiibrd 
 them the tieeting pleasure of excited feeling. Hence it is 
 probable that gladiators fought in the area of this theatre, and 
 that wild beasts were also introduced and pitted against fam- 
 ous gladiators, criminals, or persons hated by ''■he heathen pub- 
 lic, as St. Paul was. And in this spot, now heaped with the 
 ruins of architectural genius, the Apostle may have been forced 
 to tight with wild beasts. To gratify the malignant enmity of 
 the ignorant mob and afford a moment's enjoyment to the 
 heartless and proud heathen, the Apostle was compelled to 
 fight with beasts at Ephesus. Soutnward and eastward of the 
 hill Prion are scattered, along the plain, ruins of ancient edi- 
 fices. What they were is uncertain, probably palaces of the 
 wealthy citizens. Now, the ignorant guide will tell the trav- 
 eller that they are the sites of the tomb of St. Luke, the house 
 of St. Paul, the school of Tyrannus. Until further excavations 
 and discoveries are made, however, they must remain name- 
 less. On each side of the main street of the ancient city are 
 numerous large sarcophagi. Some are more than seven feet in 
 length and about four in breadth. They have been hewn out 
 of a solid block of marble or light-coloured limestone. The 
 lids are massive and of one slab, arched along the whole length 
 towards the centre, and at each corner is an elevation of three 
 or four inches. Vine wreaths and hanging drapery are carved 
 31 
 
474 FROM EPHESUS TO CONSTANTINOrLE. 
 
 upon the lids and sides of these sarcophagi, while here and 
 there are Greek inscriptions on them. These tombs are prob- 
 ably those of the wealthy Greeks and Jews. The latter were 
 drawn to Ephesus because of its extensive commerce. In their 
 synagogue Paul preached. They doubtless spoke the Greek 
 N,nguage, and their epitaphs would naturally be written in the 
 prevailing language of Ephesus and Asia rather than in the 
 Hebrew. Near the m^odern village a spring pours out its cool 
 refreshing water into a large sarcophagus. The dust of its ancient 
 corpse has been washed out long ago. Little did the friends 
 of the dead imagine that this masssive stone coffin was to be 
 devoted to such a common but useful purpose as a drinking 
 trough for weary animals and thirsty travellers. Everywhere 
 throughout the Orient one sees in the ruins of temples, tombs, 
 and pyramids how vain is the effort of men to immortalize 
 themselves in stone or brass. All is vanity. 
 
 I walked among the extensive ruins of Ephesus, with feel- 
 ings of very deep reverence. The names of the famous poets, 
 orators and painters did not influence me, nor even the massive- 
 ness and architectural glory that could be traced in the remains 
 of the public edifices of the city. The name of the city, the 
 ancient streets, the fertile plain, the hills clothed in the rich 
 garments of eastern spring were sacred, through their associa- 
 tion with two of the famous apostles, Paul and John. Stand- 
 ing on Mount Prion one can see in a radius of two miles the 
 splendid remains of temples, theatres, and other buildings once 
 thronged by the heathen multitudes to whom those men at the 
 peril of their life preached the Gospel. Within this area lived 
 Apollos, Aquila and Priscilla, and St. Paul himself, who, in 
 warning the elders of the Church, gives us an insight into his 
 many labours ard heart-sorrows in his mission work at 
 Ephesus : " Watch and remember that by the space of three 
 
IMPEESSIONS AT EPHESUS. 475 
 
 years I ceased not to warn every one night and day with tears."* 
 In the midst of the abounding wealth and splendour of the 
 city in which he spent so much time and labour for Christ, he 
 asserts the purity of his motives : " I have coveted no man's 
 silver, or gold, or apparvjl." The impression made on his mind 
 during his stay in Ephesus maybe seen in his epistle addressed 
 to the Church. He wrote it from Rome, where he was in 
 bonds, either in his own hired house, or in prison, where he 
 was awaitinfj the sentence of death. In fiijurative lancruaGfe 
 he represents the church at Ephesus as a temple, " built upon 
 the foundation of apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself 
 being the chief corner-stone." The great Temple of Diana had 
 been built on low, marshy ground, and with difficulty the 
 builder had obtained a solid foundation on which to erect the 
 magnificent house. Many suggestions had been made to the 
 architect. Theodorus of Samos advised that a foundation of 
 pounded charcoal should be prepared. The temple of living 
 souls, however, in strong contrast with this is built upon a sure 
 and everlasting foundation. The splendid structure of marble, 
 the pride of the heathen Ephesians, and one of the seven won- 
 ders of the world was devoted to an idol, which is nothinfj. To 
 the Christians of Ephesus he writes, " Ye are builded together 
 for an habitation of God."-f- 
 
 The Fathers abound with traditions of St. John who, pro- 
 bably, died towards the close of the century at Ephesus. As 
 one associates the Mount of Olives, Bethlehem and Nazaraoth 
 with Christ, so he naturally associates Ephesus with St. John. 
 The story of his fleeing from the public baths because Cerinthus, 
 the gnostic, was there, lest the baths should fall on him, is 
 unworthy of one who knew so much of the liberal spirit of 
 Christ, and who must have grown in charity, in the long years 
 
 * Acts XX. 31. t Eph. ii. 22. 
 
470 FROM EPHESUS TO CONSTANTINOPLE. 
 
 that had elapsed, since he had prayed for fire to consume the 
 Samaritans. The following incident, related by Clemens of 
 Alexandria, shows his fidelity to his office and his zeal in the 
 work of saving the heathen. It also gives us a brief, but 
 extensive, glimpse of the lawlessness and brigandage that pre- 
 vailed in those day.s. The mountain fastnesses afforded a safe 
 stronghold to the daring spirits who then lived by plunder and 
 murder, as well as to their descendants, who are yet ready for 
 such exciting M'ork, whenever the opportunity offers. In one 
 of his missionary journeys John saw " a young man of stalwart 
 frame and winning countenance." To the elder of the church 
 he said, " I entrust to thee this youth with all earnestness, call- 
 ing Christ and the Church to witness." The elder took him to 
 his own home, taught him, and at length baptized him. The 
 young man was, however, led away by evil companions. 
 From one step dovrnward to another he went, until he became 
 the leader of" the murderous brigands, that made life and pro- 
 perty unsafe. On his return by and by to the city, John 
 demanded of the elder, " restore to me the deposit which I and 
 the Saviour entrusted to thee." * "I demand the young man 
 and the soul of the brotlier." " He is dead. Ho is dead to God," 
 replied the elder with dee}) grief of soul. " He has turned 
 brigand." On hearing this John rode on horseback to the 
 fastnesses of the mountains. The brigands seized him. " Lead 
 me to your chief, for this am I come." When the chief, clad 
 in armour, came and recognized John, he was overwhelmed 
 with shame and turned to escape. The apostle followed him, 
 crying aloud, " Pity me my son, thou hast still a hope of life. 
 I will give account to Christ for thee, should need be ; the Lord 
 endured the death on our behalf. For thy sake I will give in 
 ransom my own soul. Stay ! believe Christ sent me.' The 
 
 Vide Early Days of Chri.stianity, p. 400. 
 
TRADITIONS OF ST. JOHN AT EPHESUS. 477 
 
 young man wept bitterly and embraced tbe old apostle, who 
 kissed his right hand that had been stained with blood and 
 done so many deeds of violence. He restored the young man 
 to the Church, truly penitent, one for whom there shall be joy 
 among the angels of heaven, as a ransomed sinner. Another 
 story is told which, if true, shows that the embers of his early 
 zeal and love which were kindled from the bosom of Christ were 
 burning: even in old ajxe. When he had became too feeble to 
 walk his disciples carried him to his church. At every meet- 
 ing he repeated the same words, " Little children love one 
 another." The people grew weary of the same words continu- 
 ally repeated, aud asked, " Why dost thou always say this ?" 
 " Because," he replied, " it is the Lord's conuiiaud, and if only 
 this be done it is enough." This is the essence of Christian 
 duty for all times. It was the power in Clirist's life, and the 
 strong element in John, which draws with irresistible force 
 every reader of the pages he has written. This is the new 
 commandment, and also the old, that " ye love one another." 
 A belief had circulated among the disciples and others, based 
 on a wrong apprehension of Christ's words, that John would 
 not die. Tradition points out his grave at Ephesus in the 
 Church of St. John. An earlv legend, founded on the belief 
 that he was not to die until Christ returned, stated that the 
 earth that covered his body had been seen to move, as he lay 
 asleep, not dead, in the tomb. It is uncertain whether he wrote 
 the Apocalypse in Patmos or Ephesus. Some are of opinion 
 that both the Gospel and the Book of Revelation were written 
 in Ephesus. What matters it ? The man lived there and 
 taught the divine and eternal truth he had heard from the 
 lips of the Son of God. His influence, as the last man who 
 could say, " I have beheld the glory of the only begotten of 
 the Father," must have been far-reaching. His authority as 
 an apostle, his untiring zeal, his gentle nature must have given 
 
478 FROM El'HESUS TO CONST ANTINOi'LE. 
 
 him a potent sway over the Church for good, and doubtless 
 helped him to win the heathen to Christ. 
 
 In the harbour of Ephesus in those times might have been 
 seen the merchant ships of all nations. Her streets were 
 thronged with pilgrims, merchants and wise men from Asia, and 
 the islands of the sea, from Palestine and from remote parts of 
 the Roman Empire. Some were seeking gain or pleasure, others, 
 by sacrifices, the favour of the renowned goddess. In that 
 throng, amid such scenes, Paul and John were quietly and faith- 
 fully sowing the seed of God's truth. By degrees the light 
 penetrated the heathen darkness, the people saw their folly, 
 burned their books by which they practised magic, and the 
 word of God grew mightily. With such men to lay the founda- 
 tion of Christianity and to liuild on it, it was to be expected 
 that Christ would commend the Church of P]phesus : "I know 
 thy works and thy labour, and thy patience."'^ But warning 
 her, he said, " thou hast left thy first love." As sand and 
 rubbish have filled up the harbour of Ephesus, and earth(|uakes 
 and devastating wars have destroyed that fair city, and laid 
 her glory in the dust, so error, superstition, and Mahonnne- 
 danism have buried Christianity. The candlestick has been 
 removed out of its place. But as the pillars of the ancient 
 edifices have been transported to support the dome and roof of 
 St. Sophia in Constantinople, so will the witness and words of 
 St. John continue to be strong and durable pillars to support 
 the glorious temple of God's truth over the whole world. He 
 is dead, but his life and testimony will be living forces in the 
 kingdom of God unto the end of the age. 
 
 From Smyrna to Constantinople the route is among 
 islands and near places on the mainland, famous in Grecian 
 mythology and history. The ship cast anchor in the harbour 
 
 * Ee\ . ii. 2, 4. 
 
THROUGH THE DARDANP^LLES. 470 
 
 of Mytilene at sunset. This is the ancient Lesbos, the birth- 
 place of Sappho and other poets, historians and philosophers. 
 The modern town of Mytilene is situated along the base of the 
 hill which follows the coast line at a short distance from the 
 shore. The town contains a population of about ten thousand ; 
 its chief exports are wine, olives, olive oil and figs. As we 
 sailed out of the harbour, the lights from the windows and the 
 streets cast their rays out on the gentle ripples that moved 
 over the surface of the sea. In a few moments the lights were 
 out of sight and we left Mytilene behind with its ancient 
 glory and modern Greeks. 
 
 On our left we passed Tenedos, near the entrance to the 
 Dardanelles. To this island the wily Greeks retreated when 
 they pretended to abandon the siege of Troy and finally, by the 
 stratagem of the wooden horse, entered Troy and captured the 
 city. The island seemed destitute of trees and shrubs. In parts 
 of it the vine grows well and wine is the chief export. Shortly 
 after leaving Tenedos on the level plain of Troas the mound 
 of ancient Troy came in sight. Through my glass the mound 
 was quite distinct and had the appearance of a pyramid. On 
 that plain watered by the Scamander and Samoeis, marvellous 
 feats of valour were done by Grecian and Trojan heroes. Dr. 
 Schliemann has sunk numerous pits over the plain of Troy, 
 and at length his indefatio"able labours have been rewarded 
 by the discovery of ancient Ilium, the capital of Priam, and 
 the theme of the most famous epic poem in the Greek language. 
 Near the northern end of the plain rises the mound, known as 
 Kissarlik, " the fortress hill," to the height of about one hun- 
 dred and sixty feet above the sea. In this mound he has dug 
 and found golden treasures, ear-rings, bracelets and necklaces, 
 which may have been worn V)y Adromache and her maids, 
 besides golden vessels, one of these being a goblet nearly three 
 pounds in weight. Many of these are to be seen in the 
 
480 FROM EPHESUS TO CONSTANTINOPLE. 
 
 museum, in Constantinople and Athens. To Dr. Schliemann 
 belonfi^s the honour of having verified the facts of Homer in 
 regard to the existence of Troy, and fixed its site at Kissarlik, 
 which may have been the ancient Pergamos, or the acropolis 
 aroand whose base the city was at first situated. 
 
 The scenery on both sides of the Dardanelles is tame and 
 uninteresting. Extensive tracts of country are thinly popu- 
 lated, and the soil poorly cultivated. Turkish fortifications 
 line both shores, which, if well mauned with brave soldiers 
 and powerful guns, would make these waters impassable to 
 the strongest iron-cladn. Though the scenery was monotonous 
 v/e passed in rapid succession places renowned in the annals of 
 ancient and modern times. Here, at a narrow part of the 
 channel Xerxes in 480, B.C., had united Asia and Europe by a 
 bridge of boats, over which the Persian soldiers crossed to sub- 
 due Greece and all Europe. Here, too, Leander swam from 
 shore to shore, whose feat Byron also successfully imitated> 
 and which he celebrates in song : 
 
 If in the iujnth of dark December, 
 
 Leander, who was nightly wont. 
 What maid will not the tale remember ! 
 
 To cross thy stream, broad Hellespont. 
 
 ' For me, degenerate modern wretch. 
 Though in the genial month of May 
 My dripping limbs I faintly stretch. 
 And think I've done a feat to-day. 
 
 A brief stay was made at Gallipoli, situated on the 
 face of a hill which gently slopes to the shores of the Dar- 
 danelles. The dock was crowded with citizens who had come 
 from curiosity to gaze on the strange faces of the passengers. 
 Hundreds of young Turks were rowing round the ship in their 
 graceful caiques, singing monotonous, humdrum songs. The 
 town itself seemed deserted, not a soul could be seen in the 
 
SCENES ON SHIPBOARD. 481 
 
 streets. The live part of the population was down at the dock, 
 and the remainder were probably taking their siesta under the 
 fragrant shrubs or shady trees of their gardens. 
 
 On entering the sea of Marmora, thick black clouds ov^er- 
 cast the sky, a stiff breeze blew, and the choppy waves gave 
 the ship a motion that made some of us feel uncomfortable. 
 A storm soon began to rage inside the ship, as well as outside. 
 A haughty, impetuous Italian had become involved in trouble 
 with a fierce Turk. The Turk's eyes flashed with hatred fov 
 the infidel dog of an Italian. He was soon supported by half a 
 dozen companions who threatened to send the Italian to the 
 place in the next world, where he would be in his congenial 
 element and give no trouble to good Mahommedans, who are 
 never seen there. The Italian, nothing daunted, promised to 
 slay the Turks and give their bodies for food to the dogs in 
 Constantinople. Neither of these direful threats, however, were 
 carried out. An appeal was made to the Italian captain of the 
 ship, who returned from a long and exciting interview with the 
 opposing warriors, saying, " they are beasts." It was uncertain 
 whether this was meant to apply to the Italian or Turks, or to 
 all of them. However, the battle ceased on shipboard with- 
 out blood or violent death. 
 
 Early in the day we passed the ancient walls of Stamboul, 
 and after turning Seraglio Point this city of splendid mosques 
 and magnificent palaces burst on my view. In the harbour, the 
 Golden Horn, named according to Strabo, from its resemblance 
 to a stag's horn, were lying at anchor ships from every civil- 
 ized nation. A violent rain-storm raged. While waiting for 
 a lull in the storm I attempted to get the topography of the 
 city fixed in my mind. Galata and Pera are on the European 
 shore; the former quarter is connected by bridge with the 
 ancient city ; and a few miles along the Asiatic coast Scutari 
 could be seen embowered amid masses of shrubs and stately 
 
482 FllOM EPHE:SUS to CONSTANTINOrLE. 
 
 trees. As there seemed little prospect of the rain ceasing, I 
 landed, anH climbed the roughly paved streets of Galata to the 
 European quarter. The filthy water was pouring down the 
 narrow streets towards the harbour. Multitudes of ill-favour- 
 ed dogs were lying against the walls of the houses and at the 
 entrance to tlio narrow lanes. The city seemed deserted, and 
 a strange silence reigned in this great centre of oriental wealth 
 and depotism. There were no heavily laden carts, with broad 
 tires, rattling over the stone-paved streets, such as are seen in 
 Britain and Canada. And one misses even the Jehus of Italy 
 and France who make the streets lively with the cracking of 
 their whips and their torrents of impudence. There are not 
 even donkey-boys, whose politeness, perseverance, and demands 
 for bukshish become familiar. Constantinople is a mongrel 
 city, neither Oriental nor European. Men of all nations may 
 be seen in the streets as well as the proud and fanatical 
 Turk. Houses of P]uropoan and Oriental style stand side by 
 side like devoted friends. Mosques and Christian churches 
 are seen, in the one of which Mahommed and the Koran are 
 heard, in the other, Christ and the Scriptures. Dress, lan- 
 guage, customs, belief are all intermingled, so that Constanti- 
 nople is not a typical city of the east like Cairo, in Egypt. 
 
 The present city was founded in a.d. 330 by Coustantine 
 on the foundations of the ancient Byzantium. He made it 
 the capital of the Eastern Empire, and modelled it after Rome, 
 the capital of the west. It was built on seven hills, was 
 divided into fourteen remons, and its walls were thirteen miles 
 in circumference. The Emperor joined in the ceremonies of 
 founding the city. With a lance in his hand he led the pro- 
 cession and marked the boundaries of the new city. Some of 
 his officers spoke of its unusual magnitude, to whom the 
 Emperor replied, " I shall still advance, till He, the invisible 
 guide, who marches before me, thinks proper to stop." The 
 
CONSTANTINOPLE. 483 
 
 Emperor once had designed to found his city on the plain to 
 the south of Troy, near Rhjwtium, where the bravo Ajax had 
 fallen. No more favoured spot than that on which Con- 
 stantinople stands could exist for beauty of situation, salu- 
 brious climate, the accumulation of wealth, and safety against 
 attack. In its gardens are .lowers of richest hue, and fragrant 
 shrubs, and trees laden with luscious fruit. The Bosphorus 
 and the Dardanelles are two gateways through which come 
 the pi'oduce, the treasures, and people from the four quarters 
 of the globe. Through these highways have come the riches 
 of every nation into the Golden Horn. A part of the ancient 
 walls are yet standing, together with the aqueducts, and colon- 
 nades, which Constantine built at a cost of over twelve 
 million dollars. The works of genius were brought from 
 distant countries ^o adorn the city ; all that ambition, wealth, 
 and power could command were employed in building and 
 embellishing it. On the site of the old city was the Forum, the 
 (mly monument of which, that has survived the ravages of time 
 and war is the burnt pillar. It is a part of a lofty column 
 that stood in the centre of the Forum. Originally it was a 
 hundred antl twenty feet high and supported a statue of Apollo, 
 as the sun god, holding a sceptre in his right hand, and a 
 globe in his left. Not far from this spot is the Atmeidan, the 
 old hippodrome. The site is marked by the twisted pillar of 
 brass, in the form of three serpents. Their heads once sup- 
 ported a golden tripod taken from the temple of Delphi, 
 where it had been dedicated to the god by the victorious 
 Greeks after the defeat of the Persians. When Mahommed 
 the Second captured Constantinople in 1453, he rode through the 
 city admiring its palaces, churches, and monuments. In passing 
 through the hippodrome, he saw the trij^le-headed pillar, and 
 in his ignorance, believing the three serpents were the gods of 
 the intidel Christians, he swung his battle axe and shattered 
 
484 FROM EFHESUS TO CONSTANTINOPLE. 
 
 the head of onu of the .serpents. What he left has been de- 
 faced since by the same fanaticism, and oidy the headless 
 trunks remain of a once splendid work of ancient art. 
 
 Constantinople is a city of splendid mosques. St. Sophia 
 possesses supreme interest because of its origin and anticjuity. 
 Originally a Christian church it was built by Justinian in o.'JS 
 A.D. It is in the form of a Greek cross two hundred and seventy 
 feet long, and two hundred and forty-three broad, and sur- 
 rounded by a dome one hundred and eighty feet high. In the 
 latter part of May, 1453, St. Sophia was the scene of terrible 
 carnage. Deeds of terrible brutality were done under that 
 great dome, and near the very altar. From all parts of the 
 city thousands fled for safety to the church. It was crowded 
 to its utmost capacity, and the strong doors were barred 
 against the victorious Mahommedans, who with their battle- 
 axes, however, soon forced an entrance. The captives were 
 bound with cords together and driven through the streets, and 
 about sixty thousand of them sold as slaves throughout the 
 empire. On one of the pillars is shown the hand mark of 
 Mahommed, about twenty feet above the floor. It is pointed 
 to with " ide by the Turks, as showing the depth of dead 
 infidel bodies over which he rode. Gold, silver, jewels and 
 ornaments were plundered. Images were torn down from the 
 niches and the altar. Scriptural scenes, in mosaic or frescoing 
 on the walls, were mutilated or painted over. Everything 
 connected with the Christian religion was defaced or removed. 
 In the church are twelve columns of great beauty from the 
 temple of Diana at Ephesus. Others are supposed to have 
 been brought from Baalbek, from Helioplis, in Egypt, and from 
 Athens. Thus Europe, Asia and Egypt had given up their 
 treasures to adorn the house of the Lord. On the west side, 
 above the windows, the figure of our Lord is yet plainly seen 
 through the thin coating of paint. Crosses are seen in many 
 
ST. son 1 1 A. 485 
 
 parts of the building, on the walls, columns, and fioor. The 
 crosses carved in the marble have been only rou'.ijhiy obliter- 
 ated. Round the interior and lower part of the dome was the 
 figure of the Father, now entirely covered by a green coating 
 of paint on which are extracts from the koran. On the four 
 lower corners are four angels with outstretched wings, perhaps 
 copies of the symbolic figures in Ezekiel's })rophecy. The 
 heads have been obliterated and gilded pieces of wood in the 
 form of a star ])ut in their places. Thus the monstrosity is 
 formed, of a golden star with extended wings. At the entrance 
 of the mosque is a square pillar covered with brass, through 
 which there is a small opening, into which the ignorant people 
 aiiiicted with various diseases thrust their* handkerchiefs. 
 This marble column is supposed to possess some miraculous 
 power of healing. In one corner of this massive and splendid 
 edifice a man and a lad were repeating the Koran, swaying their 
 bodies backward and forward. Only a few are seen in the 
 mosque, except on special occasions. It is of more value to 
 the Sultan and the ecclesiastical authorities as a source of 
 revenue from travellers, than a place of devotion for pious 
 Mahommedans. The streets of Constantinople are narrow and 
 winding. They have a gloomy appearance, from the absence of 
 windows facing the street. The quietness that pervades the 
 city during the day is intensified after sundown. The stillness 
 of the night is broken only by the watchmen, who go over their 
 beats, carrying- a staff, shod with iron. This they strike on the 
 stone pavement at regular intervals, and the hollow sound is 
 heard for a considerable distance in the narrow, quiet streets. 
 What the philosophy of this hard beating is, I could not dis- 
 cover. Its object may have been threefold, to warn robbers to 
 keep quiet until the faithful guardians of the city passed by, 
 or to give them warning in time that they might escape, or to 
 keep strangers awake and make them sympathize with the 
 
480 FROM EIMIESUS TO CONSTANTINOPLE. 
 
 unfortunate Turks whose oneious tluty forbids tliom sleeping 
 in the niL,dit, 
 
 Sad sinfhts meet one even in tlie most favouri'd lantls on 
 eartli. Sin and deatli follow humanity everywhere. Over the 
 cahn waters of the Golilen Horn, the corpse of a poor woman 
 was being rowed t(j its resting place. One man rowed the 
 boat, another steered, between them lay the dead botly clad in 
 the common every day gown which she liad worn. Her 
 relatives and friends ])receded the corpse, in two boats. The 
 scene was sad enoui^h. Thousands were rowing on the same 
 water in all the activity of life. She had left her cares, her 
 joys and her beautiful city forever. As they lifted her out 
 of the boat ancflaid her in the grave, one could not help feel- 
 ing that no ray of light, no word of comfort, no solid hope 
 could have cheered her soul in the valley of death. Up the 
 Bosphorus, on the European sliore, are the splendid palaces of 
 the Sultans, scenes of crime and terrible murder. Far up on the 
 elevated brow of the hill, is the palace of the present Sultan, 
 surrounded by strong walls, and guarded by faithful soldiers. 
 Near the water is the mosque to which he comes every Friday 
 to pray, attended by eight or ten thousand soldiers, conspicu- 
 ous among whom is his trusty Nubian regiment. Beyond is 
 Robert's College, a handsome building, with mansard roof, and 
 square balconies at each of its four corners. It is a centre of 
 light, amid Greek ignorance and Mahommedan bigotry, that 
 will ditiuse the knowledge of the Lord Jesus among the multi- 
 tudes that know not Christ and His salvation. On the Asiatic 
 shore is Scutari, where the American Presbyterian missionaries 
 reside, some of whom have spent many years in Greece and in 
 Constantinople, whose labours have been abundant and whose 
 success has been great. There also are the boys' and girls' 
 schools, supported by generous Christian ladies in the United 
 States. The scenery along the shores of the Bosphorus is 
 
SCENES IN CONSTANTINOPLE. 
 
 4Sl 
 
 perhaps nnsurpassorl for beauty in the worlil. The liills are 
 clad with a great variety of trees and shru))s. Gently sloping 
 valleys stretch inland from the wat(^r, and costly residences of 
 ambassadors, princes, and wealthy merchants, are seen in 
 pieturesquo situations. The climate is mild. T\w heat of 
 summer is moderated by the breezes from the Black Sea and 
 the Sea of Marmora. The situation is that f)f an earthly para- 
 dise. The people are, however, lazy, and morally debased. Tiie 
 government is bad. God has done everything for the Turks : 
 they do almost nothing ibr themselves. The power that will 
 give life and the means of progress to Constantinople is the 
 same which is needed through all the Orient, the Gospel in the 
 heart and life of the rulers and ])eople. When the Cross instead 
 of the Crescent shall become the symbol of the people's reli- 
 gious faith, righteousness and peace, like a golden chain, will 
 link Asia and Europe to the throne of God. Then, a long step 
 will have been taken towards the fulfilment of the purpose 
 and the prophecy of God : " Christ will have the heathen for 
 his inheritance and the uttermost parts of the earth for his 
 possession." 
 
POMPEYS PILLAR. 
 
INDEX 
 
 Aula Regia, 17. 
 
 Appian Way, ;?7. 
 
 Athen.s, 5;). 
 
 Areopa^'ns, 50. 
 
 Alexandria, 79, 
 
 ApiH, tlie chief deity of Memphis, 132. 
 
 Assouan, 100. 
 
 Ain-es-Sultan, .345. 
 
 American Missions in Egypt, 139, 174. 
 
 Aralu Pasha, 170. 
 
 Ain Musa, 103. 
 
 A1)dullah, the one-eyod cook, 104-107. 
 
 Ain Tahigha, Bethsaida, 415. 
 
 Arab Traditions in roi^^'ard to Moses, 204. 
 
 Ainzehalteli, 450. 
 
 Aleyat Wady, 221. 
 
 Basilica, on tlie Palatinn, 17. 
 
 I'azaars in Cairo, 110. 
 
 15eni-Hassan, 137. 
 
 Bethesdii, 201. 
 
 l^etliany, 310-314. 
 
 Bethi)liage, 314. 
 
 Bethlehem, 321. 
 
 Beeroth Kl-Bireli, 3G2. 
 
 Bethel, Beitin, 305. 
 
 Baliita Ain, 372. 
 
 Bethsaida .Julias, 421. 
 
 Banias, Ciesarea Pliilippi, 403-420. 
 
 Pjaall)ek, Temple of, 44(5. 
 
 Beirut, 454. 
 
 I5ul)astis, 1.S2. 
 
 Baal Zeplion, 101. 
 
 Carpenters in the Orient, 110. 
 
 Capitol, 10. 
 
 Coliseniii, 25. 
 
 CumiK, 44. 
 
 Cataract on the Nile, 1G7. 
 
 Catania, .50. 
 
 Cairo, 00. 
 
 C!airo, Old City of, 125. 
 
 Colossi of Amenophis IIT., 158. 
 
 Capernaum, TciU Hum, 415-417. 
 
 Cyprus, 400. 
 
 (Cedars, among tho, 451. 
 
 Constantinople, 4S1. 
 
 Dervishes, Egyptian, 120. 
 
 Denderali, 142. 
 
 Deir-El-liahiri, 1.55. 
 
 Dim, Tell-El-Kady, 420, 
 
 Doora, 101. 
 
 Dead Sea, 333. 
 
 Dothan, Tell-Dothaim, .384. 
 
 Dalmanutha, 413. 
 
 Druse house on Hermori, 434. 
 
 Damascus, 437. 
 
 Damascus, the Great Mos(|ue of, 442. 
 
 Diana, Temi)le of, at iCphesus, 470. 
 
 Dionysius, Theatre oi', .55. 
 
 Eleusis, 69. 
 El-Ahzar, 173. 
 Ei-Maharrad, Hill of, 222. 
 Er-Kaha, Plain of, 235. 
 Erectheum, 57. 
 El-Hesueh, 223. 
 Elim, Wady Gharandel, 201. 
 Elephantine, 100. 
 Emmaus, 275. 
 Ebal Mount, 373. 
 En-Rogel, 200. 
 Es-Sakhra, llock of, 300. 
 El-Aksa, Mosque of, 303. 
 Esdnelon, Plain of, 3S0. 
 Endor, 304. 
 Pjphesus, 468. 
 
 " Theatre of, 472. 
 
 " Street of T.mibs at, 472. 
 
 Church of St. .lohn at, 470. 
 
 " St. John at, 475. 
 
 St. Paul at, 473-475. 
 
 Fciran, llephidim, 218, 220, 222. 
 Figs in Palestine, 313. 
 
 (irladiator, the Dying, 13. ' 
 
 Ghetto, 3."). 
 
 Grotto of the Sibyl, 44. 
 (Jliarandel Wady, 201. 
 Gethsemane, Garden of, 317. 
 (iihcm, Upper Fountain of, 287. 
 " Lower Fountain of, 2SS. 
 Gates, Courts held at the, 130. 
 
4.90 
 
 INDKX. 
 
 Gerizim, Mountain of, 873-37!>. 
 (Jjvlilee, Sea of, 408. 
 
 (Jiiboa, :m. 
 
 (ienncHarct, Plain of, 414. 
 
 Heliopolis, 122. 
 
 He.si Kl-Khattatin, 220. 
 
 Hijjpiciis, Tower of, 28;{. 
 
 Holy Sepnlclire, Church of, 205, Ml. 
 
 Hobah, iTobar, 44.'). 
 
 Hermon, Mount, 429. 
 
 Hinnom, Valley of 201, 277, :V20. 
 
 Hel)ron, 329. 
 
 Jui)iter Olympus, Temple of, 54. 
 .Top pa, 2V)',i. 
 Jerusalem, 277. 
 
 Jews of, 292. 
 Modern walls of, 281. 
 " Ancient walls of, 281. 
 
 Streets of, 283. 
 Shoi)s of, 284. 
 Houses of, 286. 
 " Wailing Place of .Tows in, 
 
 293. 
 " (i>uarrios tmder, 30'), 
 
 Jebol Tahuneh, 22r.. 
 Jericho, .344. 
 .Jeliel Musa, 244. 
 Jacob, Well of, 370. 
 Jehoshai)hat, the Valley of, 278. 
 Joseph, Tomb of, 372. 
 Jordan, the Kiver, 340. 
 Jennin, En-Gannim, 384. 
 Judg'uent Scene on Deir l-ii-Modinot. 
 
 1.5.-). 
 Jezreel, .392. 
 Jennani, Fording the, 430. 
 
 Karnak, Temple of, 144. 
 
 Kirjath-.Tearim, Kuriot EI-Knab, 273. 
 
 Kuloniyeh, 274, 
 
 Kedron, 307. 
 
 Kefr Kenna, 400. 
 
 Kokeb, the Village of, 443. 
 
 Larnaca, 4G0. 
 Lydda, 270. 
 Luxor, 146. 
 
 Mamertine Prison, 23. 
 Messina, 49. 
 Marathon, 63. 
 
 Merchants, Mahommedan, 117. 
 Machierus. Fortress of, .3,38. 
 Manna, 250. 
 Mummy Pits, 130. 
 Monastery of Penteli, 61. 
 
 Mem))his, 1.34, 99. 
 Memnonium, 1,58. 
 Marah, 198. 
 
 Magharah Wady, 168, 207. 
 Mar Saba, 331. 
 Moaliite Stone, the, 337. 
 Mizpeh, Neby Samwil, 362. 
 Magdida, 414. 
 Mytilene, 479. 
 
 Nero, Gol('en I'alace of, 14. 
 
 Naples, 41. 
 
 Nike Apteros, Temple of, .56, 
 
 NablAs, Shechem, 371. 
 
 Nain, 394. 
 
 Nilometer, 128. 
 
 Nazareth, 397. 
 
 Obelisks, Egypti.in, thoir use, 151. 
 Omar, Mosque of, 299. 
 
 Palatine Hill, 16. 
 
 " Ancient school on the, 20. 
 Pantheon, 29. 
 Pompeii, 46. 
 PiriEus, 51. 
 Propyla,a, 55. 
 
 Parthenon, the Temple of Athena, .56. 
 Presbyterian Missions in (jreccc, 75. 
 Pyran^ids, the, 89-94. 
 Phil.-e, the Temple of, 162. 
 Pithom, 18.3, 184. 
 Pi-hahiroth, 189. 
 Puteoli, 42. 
 
 Passover, the, in Jei'usalem, 355, 
 I'loughs and ploughing. Eastern, 261, 
 
 328. 
 Pools of Solomon, 324. 
 Patmos, 4(53. 
 Polycarp, 464. 
 
 Rhegium, 50. 
 
 Raamses, 183. 
 
 Ras Zeninieh, the Caitc, 205. 
 
 Has Sufsafeli. 239. 
 
 Kamleh, 26!t. 
 
 Rhodes, 462. 
 
 S.'naitic Inscriptions, 212. 
 
 Se.-apis, the Temple of, 43. 
 
 St. Peter's, 30. 
 
 Sisti.ie Chi..pel, .33. 
 
 S,alai;\is, 72. 
 , Scrape nil, f 1 e, 133. 
 j Sioot, i.,C ].'>9. 
 
 Shadoo.', th Egyptian, 160. 
 
 Schools, Efj- ^/oii'u., 172. 
 
 Sue 17 >. 18,5, 19.3, . 
 
INDEX. 
 
 491 
 
 St. Catharine, the Convent of, 240. 
 
 Sharon, Phiin of, 201. 
 
 Silojun, Pool of, 288. 
 
 Sliiloh, Seilun, .307. 
 
 Shur, the WiidernesH of, 195. 
 
 Samaria. o82. 
 
 Shinhak, Invasion of Judaia l)y, 153. 
 
 Samaritans, 375. 
 
 Sifting- Wheat, .392. 
 
 Shuneni, 393. 
 
 S".l)eil)eh, the Castle of, 432. 
 
 Shepherds in Palestine, 300. 
 
 Sftk Wady Barada, 445. 
 
 Saraliit Ei-Khadiin, 214, 
 
 Smyrna, 403. 
 
 Storks, the, 409. 
 
 Sais, the, or Egyptian Ilinincr, 171. 
 
 Si)hinx, the, 104. 
 
 St. IV'ter, First Papistic of, 12!). 
 
 Serbal, the Mount, 227-234. 
 
 St. Soiihia, Mosfjne of, 484. 
 
 Titus, Arch of, 24. 
 
 Thebes, 154-1.59. 
 Ti, Tcmib of, 131. 
 Tombs of the .Tn(lt,'es, 308. 
 " ■ Kings, .308. 
 " Zechariah and Absalom, .309. 
 
 Tabor, Mount, 401. 
 Tarfa Shrub, 250. 
 Tiberias, 409. 
 Tell Hum, 417. 
 Tell Kl-Kadv, 420. 
 Tomb of Abel, 440. 
 Troy, Ancient, 479. 
 Thebes, 145. 
 
 Virgin's Fountain, 288. 
 
 Women in the Orient, 3f)3. 
 
 Working in the field, .30:!. 
 " ({rinding .it the mill, .303. 
 
 Zakazik, 181. 
 
 Zoan, 180, 
 
 Zion Mount, 201. 
 
ASSAGES OF SCRIPTURE QUOTED AND EXPLAINED 
 
 I'AGK 
 
 onesis xviii. G 40() 
 
 xxiii. 11, 15 118 
 
 xlvi. 5 i;i8 
 
 xiix. 10 :m 
 
 ixodiis X. 19 187 
 
 xi. 5 304 
 
 xiii. J) 395 
 
 " xiii. 17 180,188 
 
 xiv. 21, 22 192 
 
 XV. t; 195 
 
 " XV. 10 192 
 
 xvii. 3 221 
 
 xix. 2 237 
 
 " xix. 18 234 
 
 xxxiii. 22 245 
 
 icviticus xix. 28 395 
 
 fuinbers xi. 2() 213 
 
 xxxiii. 5-7 180 
 
 ^eutenmoiny iv. 1 1 248 
 
 xi. 10 184 
 
 " xxvii. 4, 5 379 
 
 oHhua iii. 15 342 
 
 " iv. 19 343 
 
 " XX. 4 139 
 
 tuth iv. 11 140 
 
 Samuel viii. 11 172 
 
 Siumiel xviii. 18 309 
 
 xxiii. 15 321 
 
 Kind's vi. 7 305 
 
 vii. 21 124 
 
 xxi. 19 393 
 
 Chronicles v. 23 433 
 
 xxi. 21 299 
 
 ( 'hronicles xxxii. 4, 30 287 
 
 obxi. 7 148 
 
 " xix. 23-4 109 
 
 " xxvii. 18 380 
 
 " xli. 1, 2 132 
 
 " xli. 24 304 
 
 'salms xviii. 42 285 
 
 " Ixii. 3 325 
 
 " Ixx ii-' 12 187 
 
 " l:xviii. 10,17 223 
 
 " xci. 4 150 
 
 " cvii. 3.5, 30 223 
 
 " cxxi. 4 380 
 
 cxlvi. 9 380 
 
 'roverbs iv. 23 155 
 
 XXV. 11 208 
 
 'icdesiastes x. 8 325 
 
 xii. .5-7 09,101 
 
 long of Solomon ii. 3 208 
 
 ii. 9. 10 411 
 
 PAGE 
 
 Isaiah xix. 177 
 
 " xix. 13 1,30 
 
 " xix. 19, 20 176 
 
 " xxxii. 2 197 
 
 " xl. 11 .300 
 
 " xliii. 2 390, 437 
 
 " xlix. 10 197 
 
 Jeremiah iv. .30 393 
 
 xii. 5 172 
 
 " xvii. 1 109 
 
 *' xix. 12, 13 320 
 
 XXV. 10 304 
 
 xxx. 17 182 
 
 xliii. 13 123 
 
 Ezekiel xx. 8-10 210 
 
 " xxix. 1(1, 15 177 
 
 xxx. 13 130, 170 
 
 " xxx. 14, 15, 10 1.59 
 
 Amos ix. 7 200 
 
 " ix. 9 392 
 
 Micah i. 6 384 
 
 " iii. 12 358 
 
 " vii. 10 285 
 
 Nahum iii. 8 1.59 
 
 Matthew xxii. 9 401 
 
 " xxvii. ,51 290 
 
 Mark vi. 45 415 
 
 " ix. 2 402 
 
 " ix. 45 320 
 
 " xi. 13 312 
 
 " xiii. 1, 2 300 
 
 Lnkeiv. 29 399 
 
 " ix. 02 329 
 
 " xi. .5, 7 80, 407 
 
 " xxi. 25 
 
 " xxiii. .33 290 
 
 •' xxiv. 50 .312 
 
 John i. 14 1(50 
 
 " iv. 5, 371 
 
 " vi. 17 410 
 
 " X. 11 160 
 
 " xi. 18 311 
 
 Actsi. 12 312 
 
 " xviL 22 00 
 
 Romans xiv. 10 1.55 
 
 2 Corinthians xi. 32 441 
 
 Ephesians ii. 22 475 
 
 Hebrews i. 10-12 231 
 
 vi. 20 172 
 
 1 Peter v. 13 127 
 
 llevel.ation iv. 3, 410 
 
 iv. 2, 10 410 
 
 __J