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THE 
 
 GEOGRAPHY AND ANTIQUITIES 
 
 OF 
 
 ITHACA. 
 
 DEDICATED, BY PERMISSION, TO 
 
 THE KING. 
 
 BY 
 
 WILLIAM GELL, ESQ. M. A. F. R. S. F.S. A. 
 
 AND MEMBEB. OF TUE SOCIETY OF DILETTANTI. 
 
 Ac DOS, quod niaxime debet, patria nosti'a delectat, r.iOiis rpi tanta eit vie, tantft nattira, 
 'lit Itliacam illam in asperrimis Saxulis, tanquam nidum adfixam sapientissimus vir immorta- 
 lilati anteponeret. Cicero. 
 
 LONDON : 
 
 " PRINTED BY J. WRIGHT, ST. JOBN'S SQUARE, 
 
 FOR LONGMAN, HURST, REES, AND ORME, 
 
 PATEBNOSTER-UOW. 
 1807. 
 
Digitized by the Internet Archive 
 
 in 2010 with funding from 
 
 Research Library, The Getty Research Institute 
 
 http://www.archive.org/details/geographyantiquiOOgell 
 
TO 
 
 THE KING'S MOST EXCELLENT MAJESTY. 
 
 Sire, 
 
 In presuming; to avail myself of the per- 
 mission, by which I am enabled to lay the fol- 
 lowing pages at Your Majesty's feet, I am not a 
 little encouraged by the hope, that the descrip- 
 tion of an island, exalted solely by the virtue and 
 valour of its Prince, may not be entirely uninter- 
 esting to a Monarch, who, by the success of His 
 arms, and the wisdom of His counsels, has ex- 
 tended the influence of Britain to every quarter 
 of the globe. 
 
 I am, Sire, 
 
 Your Majesty's 
 
 Most dutiful servant. 
 And faithful subject, 
 
 WILLIAM GELL. 
 
Z.i./^'. Ih,h^r/irtt Mn. 
 
 , .-,- ,ai rf^.. Z^^j^^fu,^ ± t-^/h^.r.^'^Jf^" 
 
THE 
 
 GEOGRAPHY AND ANTIQUITIES 
 
 OF 
 
 ITHACA. 
 
 CHAP. I. 
 
 HOMER— VENETIAN GEOGRAPHERS— MEDALS. 
 
 IN an age of investigation and research like the present, 
 
 it is remarkable that while the Iliad and the scene of its 
 
 battles have excited such particular attention, little or no 
 
 recent information has been offered to the public on the 
 
 subject of Ithaca, the theatre of the principal action of the 
 
 Odyssey and the kingdom of its hero. The object of the 
 
 following sheets is to give a short account of that interesting 
 
 island, and to point out more particularly those features 
 
 which may appear to have been described in the poem. 
 
 These descriptions occur so rarely in the Odyssey, that 
 
 B 
 
it is almost impossible to form from them any distinct no- 
 tions of the geography of the country ; yet when the island 
 is actually surveyed, the mind cannot but be struck with 
 the numerous coincidences and general similarity of the 
 present Ithaca to the ancient kingdom of Ulj^sses. 
 
 It was probably from these circumstances that some 
 authors have supposed Homer an inhabitant if not a na- 
 tive of Ithaca ; while others, following the common report 
 of antiquity, have made the poet an Asiatic, and deterred 
 from farther enquiry by one line of difficult explication, 
 have supposed that, from want of knowledge, he was un- 
 able to give more copious or more accurate information on 
 the subject. 
 
 The exalted mind of Homer regarded not what was 
 confined to his own person, while engaged in celebrating 
 the exploits of the confederate chieftains of Greece, and 
 having conceived the plan of those poems which operated, 
 in after ages, so beneficially on their posterity, by shewing the 
 advantages of union against a foreign enemy, he did not 
 impair the dignity of his subject, by descending to the men- 
 tion of his own family and birth-place. To his sublimity of 
 
thought and simplicity of intention, may be ascribed the 
 total silence of the poet on all that related to his own cha- 
 racter and situation in life ; an omission which has opened a 
 wide field of discussion to critics, and of contest between 
 countries, claiming each the glory of having given birth to 
 this transcendant genius. At a distance of near three thou- 
 sand years,' no rashness of conjecture, in a case like this, 
 can be justified, nor would the limits of this woi'k allow a 
 regular comparison of authorities ; but truth, as well as bre- 
 vity, may, perhaps, be most effectually consulted, by follow- 
 ing the almost universal consent of the best judges of anti- 
 quity, and placing the poet either in one of the larger islands 
 of the ^gean Sea, or on the coast of Asia Minor ;* a situa- 
 tion undoubtedly the most favourable for the acquisition 
 of that general knowledge, which, in all ages, has endeared 
 the works of Homer as the most instructive and most de- 
 lightful of human compositions. 
 
 The Grecians, from the first ages of their history, had 
 considerable intercourse with iEgypt and Phoenicia, coun- 
 
 ' Paterculus and Corn. Nepos. Herodotus. 
 
 * Cicero. Tusq. Q. 1. 5, c. 5, Strabo, lib. 10. Plutarch. Lycurgi Vita. 
 
 B 2 
 
tries which, at a very early period, were distinguished not 
 only by their cultivation and the elegant arts, but by their 
 navigation, commerce, and colonial settlements. The en- 
 terprising traders of those nations, through channels which 
 were afterwards obstructed by the inroads of Scythians and 
 other barbarous tribes, having obtained the rich commodi- 
 ties of the east, conveyed them first to the islands, and then 
 to the continent of Greece. A commercial intercourse, thus 
 established, introduced a taste for the polite arts among 
 the Islands and along the Asiatic coast ; their poetry be- 
 came more harmonious, while their sources of knowledge 
 were increased ; travellers in ^.gypt and Phoenicia would 
 naturally bring home some account of the civilization and 
 internal disposition of the countries they visited, and the 
 quick comprehension of the Greek would catch and apply 
 them to the improvement of his own. Among this people, 
 then, a genius like that of Homer, endowed with powers so 
 unequalled, found, in the narratives of his adventurous 
 countrymen, materials the best adapted to charm, to inte- 
 rest, and to instruct his hearers. The information he could 
 thus collect, was such as no other situation offered ; and 
 
the peculiar advantages of a residence in a maritime coun- 
 try o-ave him opportunities of more accurate obser\'ation 
 in travelling, whence he doubtless drew that fund of in- 
 variably just and appropriate epithets ; the merit of which 
 no one can fairly appreciate, Avho has not consulted the 
 Iliad and Odyssey in the places they describe. 
 
 The celebrated invasion of Asia Minor, by the Greeks, 
 under Agamemnon, would naturally be the favourite theme 
 of poetry in the neighbourhood of its action, and the ap- 
 plause and honours with which the bard of the Iliad was 
 received, would lead him like his wandering brothers from 
 isle to isle and from court to court, would fill his memory 
 with a succession of picturesque objects, and form that 
 strength of moral reflection which a life thus spent would 
 be likely to produce in a manly and exalted mind. 
 
 In the two poems of Homer no difference occurs so 
 striking, as that between the incidents of the Iliad and 
 those of the Odyssey ; the dissentions and combats of the 
 first are nothing more than historical matters of fact, Avith 
 little or no aid from the fancy of the poet, and as such, 
 have been generally referred to as the commencement of 
 
6 
 
 history. The events related in the Odyssey, at least many 
 of the incidents attending the wanderings of Ulysses, are 
 evidently out of the course of nature, and owe their exist- 
 ence to common report or to the invention of Homer him- 
 self. For whatever the materials were, on which the poem 
 was grounded, the main incident shews that they must have 
 been scanty and obscure. 
 
 The Iliad comprehending a vast number of characters 
 drawn from all parts, and from the chief families of Greece, 
 its author was obliged to court the general approbation by 
 a due attention to accredited history, and while every na- 
 tion held its own legendary story of the Trojan war, and 
 expected truth in the descriptions of the poem, the cor- 
 fined scene of its action precluded all extraordinary fan- 
 cies like those of the Odyssey. The situation of Ithaca, in 
 sight of the continent of Greece, would, in a still greater 
 degree, render necessary a strict adherence to truth in local 
 descriptions of a spot, accessible without fatigue, where no 
 danger attended the gratification of curiosity, and where 
 imposture might be so easily detected. 
 
 The same cause however which would prohibit the ex- 
 
7 
 
 ercise of imagination, with respect to the geography of the 
 Odyssey, tends to encourage it in interpreting the voyages 
 of Ulysses, into whose history we may suppose, from our 
 previous knowledge of the powers and disposition of Ho- 
 mer, all accounts of the most distant nations would be 
 carefully and appropriately introduced, wherever an ap- 
 pearance of truth, or real entertainment, required any in- 
 cidents from the copious sources of his own information 
 or fancy, to fill up and adorn the narrative. The ten years 
 which elapsed during the wanderings of Ulysses could 
 scarcely fail to carry him to the utmost limits of the then 
 known world, and would afiford, to the poet, frequent op- 
 portunities for uniting the improvement with the delight 
 of his hearers and of inculcating instructive allegories ap- 
 plicable to the situation of his countrymen. 
 
 In the course of the travels of Homer, Ithaca, which, 
 from the singular excellence of its port, must always have 
 been a place of commerce, would probably attract his no- 
 tice ; his residence might be protracted by the hospitality 
 of some descendant of Ulysses ; the mention made of him 
 in the poet's story would awake the recollection of his 
 
8 
 
 countrymen, and the intervals of the song might be filled 
 Avith the marvels of his adventures, with the description of 
 his return, and circumstantial relations of the art and valour 
 by which he recovered his dominion. Gratitude towards 
 his family, as well as the peculiar interest of the tale, might 
 have induced Homer to construct on this foundation the 
 second prodigy of his genius; the conversation of the 
 islanders would supply anecdotes of their hero in abun- 
 dance; his own geographical knowledge might correct or 
 heighten their report of his distant dangers, and his obser- 
 vation of existing circumstances in Ithaca might turn his 
 attention to the dangers of immoderate commercial aggran- 
 disement, and draw from him those expressions of abhor- 
 rence of the sea which in a manner characterise the Odys- 
 sey.- 
 
 The confirmation of the justice of this principle, applied 
 to the island in question, will not be the most unpleasing 
 feature in the present survey ; and while every day wit- 
 nesses some new tract of land lost to cultivation, some new 
 countryman, quitting his cottage for the lucrative though 
 
 ■ 8 Odyss. 1. 138. 
 
9 
 
 perilous life of the sea, the modern inhabitants of Ithaca may 
 have to regret their inattention to the admonitions of Ho- 
 mer. The present work may adduce, by a simple and cor- 
 rect survey of the island, coiucidences in its geography, in 
 its natural productions and moral state, before unnoticed. 
 Some will be directly pointed out ; the fancy or ingenuity 
 of the reader may be employed in tracing others; the 
 mind familiar with the imagery of the Odyssey will recognise 
 with satisfaction the scenes themselves ; and this volume is 
 offered to the public, not entirely without hopes of vindi- 
 cating the poem of Homer from the scepticism of those cri- 
 tics who imagine that the Odyssey is a mere poetical com- 
 position, unsupported by history, and unconnected with the 
 localities of any particular situation. 
 
 Some have asserted that, in the comparison of places 
 now existing with the descriptions of Homer, we ought not 
 to expect coincidence in minute details ; yet it seems only 
 by these that the kingdom of Ulysses, or any other, can be 
 identified, as, if such an idea be admitted, every small and 
 rocky island in the Ionian Sea, containing a good port, 
 
 c 
 
10 
 
 might, with equal plausibility, assume the appellation of 
 Ithaca. 
 
 The Venetian geographers have in a great degree con- 
 tributed to raise those doubts which have existed on the 
 identity of the modern with the ancient Ithaca, by giving, 
 in their charts, the name of Val di Compare to the island. 
 That name is however totally unknown in the country, 
 where the isle is invariably called Ithaca by the upper 
 ranks, and Theaki by the vulgar. The Venetians have 
 equally corrupted the name of almost every place in Greece; 
 yet, as the natives of Epactos or Naupactos never heard of 
 Lepeuto, those of Zacynthos of Zante, or the Athenians of 
 Settines, it would be as unfair to rob Ithaca of its name on 
 such authority, as it would be to assert that no such island 
 existed, because no tolerable representation of its form can 
 be found in the Venetian surveys. 
 
 The rare medals of the Island, of which three are re- 
 presented in the title-page, might be adduced as a proof 
 that the name of Ithaca was not lost during the reigns of 
 the Roman emperors. They have the head of Ulysses, re- 
 cognised by the pileum, or pointed cap, while the reverse 
 
11 
 
 of one presents the figure of a cock, the emblem of his vigi- 
 lance, with the legend I0AKQN. A few of these medals are 
 preserved in the cabinets of the curious, and one also, with 
 the cock, found in the island, is in the possession of Signor 
 Zavo, of Bathi. The uppermost coin is in the collection of 
 Dr. Hunter : the second is copied from Newman, and the 
 third is the property of R. P. Knight, Esq. 
 
 Several inscriptions, which will be hereafter produced, 
 will tend to the confirmation of the idea that Ithaca was 
 inhabited about the time when the Romans were masters of 
 Greece ; yet there is every reason to believe that few, if 
 an}', of the present proprietors of the soil are descended 
 from ancestors who had long resided successively in the 
 island. Even those Avho lived, at the time of Ulysses, in 
 Ithaca, seem to have been on the point of emigrating to 
 Argos,' and no chief remained, after the second in descent 
 from that hero, worthy of being recorded in history. It 
 appears that the isle has been twice colonised from Cephal- 
 lonia in modern times, and I was informed that a grant had 
 been made by the Venetians, entitling each settler in Ithaca 
 
 ' Speech of Menelaus to Telemachus. 
 c 2 
 
12 
 
 to as much land as his circumstances would enable him to 
 cultivate. 
 
 It may perhaps be necessary to mention the principal 
 authors who have written on the subject of Ithaca in modem 
 times. Sir George Wheeler mentions the island, and pre- 
 tends that the to^rn was called Dolichia, in which he says 
 the opinion of Strabo agrees with his own. He affirms that 
 Theachi is Dulichium, for it is too large for the Island of 
 Ithaca mentioned by Strabo, which was eighty stadia in 
 circuit, and supposes the rock of Aotaco to be the true 
 Ithaca, without recollecting that Aotaco has not half the 
 magnitude which Strabo assigns to that island. His ac- 
 count is evidently taken from another person, and he does 
 not even hint at an excursion to Ithaca. M. Le Cheva- 
 lier has also given a long poetical description of the island, 
 which, as he did not touch at Bathi, he has put into the 
 mouth of a Greek sailor, whose account, even supposing it 
 possible that a native could have delivered it, is absolutely 
 too absurd to require refutation. Among other circum- 
 stances, the Greek relates that he has frequently stood on 
 the ruins of the palace of Ulysses, while his eye ranged over 
 
13 
 
 the island of Zante. Unfortunately a very lofty mountain 
 in Cephallonia, totally excludes the whole of Zante from 
 the ruins. The views also must have been made by the 
 bookseller, for they do not bear even the most distant re- 
 semblance to the place, and it is wonderful that M. Le 
 Chevalier should have suffered a Avork of such merit to 
 have been disgraced by the introduction of such fabrica- 
 tions. 
 
 I have to regret that my observation for the latitude of 
 Ithaca was made on the day of my departure from the 
 island, and with an horizon so ill-defined, that no great de- 
 pendance can be placed upon it. It is right, however, to 
 state the fact, as, though the latitude by my observation 
 nearly agrees with that in which Ithaca would have been 
 placed by a system of triangles from known stations on 
 the continent of Greece, yet it is so different from the posi^ 
 tion usually assigned to it in maps, that its accuracy is very 
 questionable. It was impossible to rectify the mistake, 
 as there is no observation for the latitude of Ithaca, or of 
 any place within sight from it, among the records of the 
 Admiralty, a convincing proof that the place has been very 
 
14 
 
 little known to our seamen. It was useless to consult 
 D'Anville, who has failed particularly in his representation 
 of the Ionian isles, while the maps of M. Le Chevalier dif- 
 fer from each other eight geographic miles in the latitude of 
 Samo. 
 
 The latitude, however, is of no consequence to the de- 
 tails of the island, the map of which, I am persuaded, will 
 be found not only accurate, but more minutely faithful than 
 any specimen which has yet been presented to the public 
 of foreign geography. Not to mention the great number 
 of angles by which the map is laid down, its value arises 
 from the actual delineation of the shape and nature of the 
 ground upon the original draft, while on the spot. There 
 are, nevertheless, two small parts which I was unable to 
 examine so scrupulously as the rest. One is the coast close 
 to Cape Melrisi, and the other a little portion of the north- 
 ern shore, behind Mount Araconlia. It is necessary to 
 speak of an island placed in the map of M. Le Cheva- 
 lier at the southern entry of the channel between Cephallo- 
 nia and Ithaca. No such island exists. 
 
CHAP. II. 
 
 LANDING AT ITHACA— ROCK KORAX-AND FOUNT OF ARETHUSA. 
 
 IN the spring of the year 1806 I set out in a Zantiote 
 boat, in company with two English gentlemen, Mr. Raikes 
 and Mr. Dodwell, from the coast of the Morea, for the pur- 
 pose of visiting Ithaca, and of satisfying ourselves, if possi- 
 ble, by a very particular examination, of the veracity or 
 falshood of the relations of Homer on the localities of the 
 island. The wind being light and unsteady, night came 
 on before we had accomplished more than two-thirds of our 
 way, when our progress became still slower ; but a breeze 
 springing up about three hours before sun-rise, carried us 
 quickly along the coast of Cephallonia, and the morning 
 of the eleventh of April discovered the neighbouring shore 
 
16 
 
 of Ithaca, rocky, butcloathed with a profusion of flowering 
 shrubs. As we approached the land, the fresh breeze of 
 the morning was perfumed with their fragrance, and we 
 distinguished the cistus mixed with the bright yellow bloom 
 of the sphalactos, a species of cytisus common in the Le- 
 vant. 
 
 As two of the party had, on a former occasion, travelled 
 over some parts of the country, we lost no time in enquiry, 
 but proceeded directly toward a beautiful semicircular 
 precipice, now known by the name of Korax, or Koraka 
 Petra, and situated near the southern extremity of the isle. 
 In this season of the year, the sun had not yet destroyed 
 that verdure Avhich seldom remains after the month of 
 April in the Mediterranean islands, and we sate down to 
 breakfast under a shade of myrtle, mastic, and juniper. 
 Before us lay the pretty islet of Parapegada, so called from 
 its vicinity to the beautiful fountain which trickles fi'om 
 the base of the precipices of Korax. The sea was uncom- 
 monl}^ clear, and the prospect was diversified by the nu- 
 merous rocks of the Echinades, beyond which the Acarna- 
 nian mountains terminated the scene. Having finished 
 
17 
 
 our repast, we resolved to spend the day in a place where 
 interesting history was combined with such delightful scene- 
 ry, and we accordingly dispatclTed our boat to the city, 
 with our letters of recommendation. The southern shore 
 of Ithaca presents a rocky, but not perpendicular, barrier 
 to the sea. On the extreme point, a very small chapel is 
 erected, and dedicated to St. Juanne Buarra : a few terraces 
 have been made at a small distance above the edifice, and 
 are capable of cultivation. Westward from this Cape of 
 St. John, or Agiani, a little bay called Andri appears. It is 
 safe as an anchorage during the summer months. Near it 
 is also a spot of cultivated ground, and a church erected, in 
 compliance with the Greek custom, by the proprietor of 
 the soil. There is a cave above it, in the rocks, at no great 
 distance. From the beach Avhere we landed, which is on 
 the eastern side of the isle, and not far from the cape, we 
 proceeded up a very rugged path towards the precipice, 
 till we arrived at a spot where the strata of the rocks, dis- 
 posed in steps, present a curious and singular natural de- 
 scent to a fountain called Pegada, or the well frequented by 
 the shepherds of the vicinity. The fountain is represented in 
 
 D 
 
18 
 
 Plate I. where a figure is seen filling the trough from which 
 the cattle drink. Behind the masonry is a cavity pene- 
 trating about ten feet into the mountain, probably made 
 by art at some distant period, and containing a reser- 
 voir of excellent water, collected in drops from the roof 
 and sides of the grotto. About ten yards south of the 
 fount is the bed of a torrent, and in it has been another 
 rock cistern. A stream rushes, in the winter, from the moun- 
 tain above, having first precipitated itself from the rock, 
 and passed in its way a number of beautiful terraces, for- 
 merly cultivated. It is impossible to visit this sequestered 
 spot without being struck with the recollection of the Fount 
 of Arethusa and the Rock Korax, which the poet mentions 
 in the same line," adding, that there the swine eat the sAveet 
 acorns, and drank the clear black water. 
 
 Having passed some time at the fountain, taken a draw- 
 ing, and made the necessary observations on the situation 
 of the place, we proceeded to an examination of the preci- 
 pice, climbing over the terraces above the source, among 
 shady fig-trees, Avhich, however, did not prevent us from 
 
 ' Odys. N. 408. 
 
19 
 
 feeling the powerful effects of the mid-day sun. After a 
 short, but fatiguing ascent, we arrived at the rock, which 
 extends in a vast perpendicular semicircle, beautifully 
 fringed with trees, facing to the south-east. Under the 
 crag we found two caves of inconsiderable extent, the en- 
 trance of one of which, not difficult of access, is seen in the 
 view of the fount. They are still the resort of sheep and 
 goats, and in one of them are small natural receptacles for 
 the water, covered by a stalagmitic incrustation. 
 
 These caves being at the extremity of the curve formed 
 by the precipice, open toward the south, and present us 
 with another accompaniment of the Fount of Arethusa* 
 mentioned by the poet, who informs us ' that the swineherd 
 Eumaeus left his guests in the house, whilst he, putting on 
 a thick garment, went to sleep near the herd, under the 
 hollow of the rock, which sheltered him from the northern 
 blast. Now we know that the herd fed near the fount, for 
 Minerva tells Ulysses ^ that he is to go first to Eumaeus, 
 whom he should find with the swine, near the Rock Korax 
 and the Fount of Arethusa. As the swine then fed at the 
 
 ' Od. line 533. ^ Od. line 408, 
 
 d3 
 
20 
 
 fountain, so it is necessary that a cavern should befound in 
 its vicinity, and this seems to coincide, in distance and situ- 
 ation, with that of the poem. Near the fount also was the 
 fold or stathmos of Eumaeus," for the goddess informs 
 Ulysses that he should find his faithful servant at or above 
 the fount. 
 
 Now the hero meets the swineherd close to the fold, 
 which was consequently very near that source. At the top 
 of the rock, and just above the spot where the waterfall 
 shoots down the precipice, is at this day a stagni or pasto- 
 ral dwelling, which the herdsmen of Ithaca still inhabit, on 
 account of the water necessary for their cattle. One of 
 these people walked on the verge of the precipice at the 
 time of our visit to the place, and seemed so anxious to 
 know how we had been conveyed to the spot, that his en- 
 quiries reminded us of a question probably not uncommon 
 in the days of Homer, Avho more than once represents the 
 Ithacences demanding of strangers what ship had brought 
 them to the island, it being evident they could not come on 
 foot. He told us that there was, on the summit where he 
 
 ' Od. 15. 
 
21 
 
 stood, a small cistern of water, and a kalybea,' or shepherd's 
 hut. There are also vestiges of ancient habitations, and 
 the place is now called Amarathia/ 
 
 Convenience, as well as safety, seem to have pointed out 
 the lofty situation of Amarathia, as a fit place for the resi- 
 dence of the herdsmen of this part of the island from the 
 earliest ages. A small source of water is a treasure in these 
 climates, and if the inhabitants of Ithaca now select a rug- 
 ged and elevated spot, to secure them from the robbers of the 
 Echinades, it is to be recollected that the Taphian pirates 
 were not less formidable, even in the days of Ulysses,' and 
 that a residence in a solitary part of the island, far from 
 the fortress,* and close to a celebrated fountain, must at 
 all times have been dangerous, Avithout some such security 
 as the rocks of Korax. Indeed, there' can be no doubt 
 
 ■ The word kalybea is used in the same sense in the commencement of the 
 Batrachomyomachia. 
 
 * It is not improbable that the name Marathia may be derived from the 
 ancient Aptaga, a word signifying a water-course, and corresponding with the 
 situation. 
 
 ^ Od. O. 426. ♦ Od. 17. 25. 
 
 5 Od. 14, line 399. 
 
22 
 
 that the house of Eumaeus was on the top of the precipice, 
 for Ulysses, in order to evince the truth of his story to the 
 swineherd, desires to be thrown from the summit if his nar- 
 ration does not prove correct. 
 
 Near the Ijottom of the precipice is a curious natural 
 gallery, about seven feet high, which is expressed in the 
 plate. It may be fairly presumed, from the very remark- 
 able coincidence between this place and the Homeric ac- 
 count, that this was the scene designated by the poet as 
 the fountain of Arethusa, and the residence of Eumaeus ; 
 and perhaps it would be impossible to find another spot 
 which bears, at this day, so strong a resemblance to a poetic 
 description composed at a period so very remote. There is 
 no other fountain in this part of the island, nor any rock 
 which bears the slightest resemblance to the Korax of 
 Homer. 
 
 The stathmos of the good Eumaeus appears to have been 
 little different, either in use or construction, from the stagni 
 and kalybea of the present day.' The poet expressly men- 
 tions that other herdsmen drove their flocks into the city 
 
 ■ Od. 11, 170. 
 
23 
 
 at sun-seV a custom which still prevails throughout Greece 
 during the winter, and that was the season in which Ulysses 
 visited Eumaeus.' Yet Homer accounts for this deviation 
 from the prevailing custom, by observing that he had re- 
 tired from the city to avoid the suitors of Penelope. These 
 trifling occurrences afford a strong presumption that the 
 Ithaca of Homer was something more than the creature of 
 his own fancy, as some have supposed it ; for though the 
 grand outline of a fable may be easily imagined, yet the 
 consistent adaptation of minute incidents to a long and ela- 
 borate falshood, is a task of the most arduous and com- 
 plicated nature. 
 
 The stathmos consisted of an inclosure formed by a 
 thorny hedge, Avithin which were sties of stone. There ap- 
 pears to have been an outer enclosure of stakes or hurdles, 
 and the habitation, which had a vestibule, or porch, was 
 probably within it ; a description agreeing precisely with 
 that of the kalybea and stagni of modern Greece : yet we 
 should not be surprised at finding persons of eminence en- 
 gaged in the occupations of Eumaeus, for a pastoral life, 
 ' Od. n, no. ^Od. n, 25. 
 
24 
 
 in time of peace, was affected by the warriors of the early 
 ages, and the gods themselves are sometimes represented 
 as employed in the most laborious duties of servitude. 
 
 It will be seen, in the ensuing pages, how far the situa- 
 tion of this place agrees with that of other objects of note 
 in the island. For the present it will be only necessary to 
 add, that Ulysses came to the extremity of the isle to visit 
 Eumffius,' and that extremity was the most southern ; for 
 Telemachus, coming from Pylos, touched at the first or 
 southeastern ^ point of Ithaca with the same intention.' 
 
 • Od. 24, 149. ^ Od. 15, 36. ' Od. 15, 503 and 554. 
 
CHAP. III. 
 
 JOURNEY TO THE CAPlTALr— TOMBS— PORT SARACINICO— GARDENS- 
 ARRIVAL AT BATHI. 
 
 AS the day began to decline, we quitted a scene no 
 less beautiful than interesting, in order to proceed to the 
 city. We ascended by a rugged and intricate path to the 
 top of a ridge projecting from the rocks of Korax, passing 
 a number of terraces now covered with bushes, but once 
 cultivated, and raised by unwearied industry on the rapid 
 declivity. The neglect of tillage affords a strong proof of 
 the reduced population of the island. Arriving at the sum- 
 mit, we were agreeably surprised by the sight of a little 
 enclosure free from bushes, and containing the remains of 
 antique tombs, or sarcophagi, such as are usually found in 
 the vicinity of ancient cities in other parts of Greece. There 
 
 E 
 
26 
 
 can be little doubt that this was the necropolis, or place of 
 sepulture for, the inhabitants of Marathia, but the work- 
 manship of the tombs is so simple and devoid of ornament, 
 that it would be difficult to form a probable conjecture on 
 the period of their construction. From this place, which is 
 now called TA MNHMATA, or the Tombs, as we were in- 
 formed by some persons who were employed in gathering 
 wild asparagus on the spot, we descended over cultivated 
 terraces, to the bed of an occasional torrent, which, in the 
 winter, discharges itself into a little bay, lying to the right 
 of our path. Here again we began to ascend a second 
 rugged projection from the mountain now called Stephan6, 
 which, Avith its branches, forms almost the whole of the 
 southern portion of the isle. From the summit we obtained 
 the first view of the town and port of Bathi. From this 
 point the little port of Saracinico is also seen. It is only 
 the receptacle of small fishing boats. The engraved drawing 
 at the commencement of this chapter, will afford a more 
 correct idea of the spot, than can be given by a simple dcr 
 scription. Another rough descent brought us to the con- 
 fines of modern cultivation, and we found in a field an in- 
 
27 
 
 considerable source. As we advanced, a more luxuriant 
 vegetation succeeded, and a delightful mixture of corn, 
 vineyards, olives, and fig trees, announced to us our ap- 
 proach to the capital of the isle. After passing a church 
 seated on an eminence, we entered the bed of a winter 
 torrent, the only road, or the best the country affords, be- 
 yond which even mules and asses proceed with difficulty. 
 
 The valley here opens between the hills, and near the 
 town assumes a still more agreeable aspect, where scattered 
 almond trees and groves of oranges at once afford fruit, 
 shade, and fragrance, to the gardens of the inhabitants. 
 On the left we passed the large village of Perachora, 
 seated on a projection of Stephano bouni. 
 
 Before we entered the city, we were met by Signior 
 Marco Zavo, at whose house we had lodged during our 
 former visit, and who, with great hospitality, renewed his- 
 invitation. The English vice-consul also, Signior Constan- 
 tino Zavo, met us in the street, and kindly accommodated 
 part of our number in his house, adjoining that of his rela- 
 
 tion Signior Marco. 
 
 E 2 
 
CHAP. IV. 
 
 BATHI— CEREMONIES AT THE FEAST OF THE ASCENSION— PRYTANOS— MIU- 
 TARY— COMMERCE— POPULATION— DANCING— PORT— INSCRIPTION. 
 
 THE town of Bathi is situated close to the port, and 
 extends along its eastern and part of its southern and 
 northern shores. Though not large it is well peopled, and 
 the street which contains the house of the Prytano and 
 other public buildings has lately assumed a regular ap- 
 pearance. Frequent earthquakes have shewn the necessity 
 of erecting the bell towers at a short distance from the 
 churches, as their fall might involve the sacred edifices in a 
 common ruin. The city contains about 400 houses. There 
 is a large coffee house, frequented by the higher order of 
 inhabitants, and though there are no regular inns, a traiteur 
 has been lately established for the convenience of the mari- 
 ners of the island. 
 
,^^1 
 
 '0^- 
 
 S 25 W 
 
"^ 
 
 c 
 
 ll'.U- OF THR Ton's or BATMl. 
 
VIEW FROM THE TOWN oy HATill. 
 
29 
 
 We were present at the celebration of the feast of the 
 Ascension, when the citizens appeared in their gayest 
 dresses, and saluted each other in the streets with demon- 
 strations of pleasure. As we sate at breakfast in the house 
 of Signior Zavo, we were suddenly roused by the discharge 
 of a gun, succeeded by a tremendous crash of pottery, 
 which fell on the tiles, steps, and pavements, in every di- 
 rection. The bells of the numerous churches commenced 
 a most discordant jingle ; colours Avere hoisted on every 
 mast in the port, and a general shout of joy announced 
 some great event. Our host informed us that the feast of 
 the Ascension was annually commemorated in this manner 
 at Bathi, the populace exclaiming aviglvi o X?js7o?, xU^mg o 
 Q^og, Christ is risen, the true God. The Prytano, or go- 
 vernor, paid visits of ceremony on the occasion to our two 
 hosts, and shewed us every attention in his power. The 
 Ionian republic has wisely ordered, that no person should 
 be capable of holding this office in his native island, as he 
 might be biassed by party or interest from the rules of jus- 
 tice. Our friend was of Santa Maura, and told us that he 
 had never been compelled to any violent exertion of 
 
30 
 
 his authority, and that great crimes were very unfrequent 
 in the island. 
 
 The Prytanos is entitled to a residence in the Pryta- 
 neion, or public palace, and he is attended by a secretary 
 and other officers, whose salaries arc no great burden on 
 the people. He is replaced at the expiration of two years. 
 The only military force consisted of a Russian serjeant 
 and twelve privates, who lived in perfect harmony with 
 the inhabitants, and are under the immediate orders of 
 the Prytanos. 
 
 Commerce has not yet produced a striking inequality 
 in the circumstances of the citizens of Ithaca : yet in a 
 country secured by impotence from active hostilities, and 
 by situation from the exactions of a conqueror, a few suc- 
 cessful speculations cannot fail to produce an ample har- 
 vest to individuals. It has been asserted in the north of 
 Europe, that Ithaca is too inconsiderable a rock, to have 
 produced any contingent of ships, which could entitle its 
 King Ulysses to so much consideration among the neigh- 
 bouring isles ; yet the unrivalled excellence of its port, has, 
 in modern times, created a fleet of 50 vessels, of all deno- 
 
31 
 
 minations, which trade to every part of the Mediterranean, 
 and from which four might be selected capable of trans- 
 porting the whole army of Ulysses to the shores of Asia. - 
 
 The number of inhabitants is estimated, on a moderate 
 computation, at 8,000, and of these 2,000 live in the city. 
 This allows somewhat more than four persons to each house, 
 a number which is usually admitted in calculating the po- 
 pulation of other Greek towns by the quantity of habita- 
 tions. 
 
 The number of sailors employed in the navigation of so 
 many vessels has reduced the value of land, with the means 
 of cultivation ; yet since the ruin of Naples, the Italian 
 sailors have entered into the commercial service of Ithaca, 
 and the want of hands may, perhaps, in a few years, be less 
 felt than at present. Many who have supposed that 
 Homer was an inhabitant of Ithaca, have imagined, per- 
 haps without reason, that the poet has introduced in the 
 Odyssey so many expressions of abhorrence, and dread of 
 the sea, that he might deter the Ithacenses, by a descrip- 
 tion of dangers and hardships, from a violent inclination 
 for a sea-faring life. We were informed, that even the 
 
32 
 
 shepherds and goatherds from the mountains have at 
 present a strong propensity to desert their ordinary occu- 
 pations, and enter the mercantile vessels with singular 
 enthusiasm. 
 
 The Greek vessels are always crowded with sailors, and 
 the loss of one or two ships in the Black Sea has been 
 severely felt in this little community. The present extra- 
 vagant price of labour is certainly the consequence of the 
 numerous speculations of the inhabitants. A daily labourer 
 cannot be engaged for a less sum than sixty parats, or 
 about one shilling and nine pence English. 
 
 The protection of Russia has delivered the island from 
 the dread of foreign enemies, and the security of the last 
 century has by degrees produced the town of Bathi on the 
 shore of the unguarded port, while the lofty and inaccessi- 
 ble situation of Perachora, the more ancient city, is nearly 
 deserted. Vathi does not abound in fresh water, that of 
 the wells having generally a brackish taste ; yet this defect 
 is in a great degree supplied by cisterns, in which the rain 
 water is preserved, at a refreshing temperature, and very 
 pure. 
 
33 
 
 The island does not produce a sufficient quantity of 
 grain for the consumption of more than three or four 
 months, yet oil is exported, and the country affords five 
 hundred thousand pounds weight of excellent currants, 
 which were formerly carried by English merchants to the 
 London market. 
 
 In the evening of the festival the inhabitants danced 
 before their houses, and at one we saw the figure which is 
 said to have been first used by the youths and virgins of De- 
 los, at the happy return of Theseus from the expedition of 
 the Cretan labyrinth. It has now lost much of that intri- 
 cacy which was supposed to allude to the Avindings of the 
 habitation of the Minotaur, yet much depends on the ge- 
 nius of the leader, whose movements are followed by ten 
 or twelve men and women, keeping time with the music, 
 and holding by each others handkerchiefs. One part of the 
 dance resembles the game of threading the needle, as prac- 
 tised by children in England, a figure not ill applied to the 
 representation of the mazes and perplexities of the laby- 
 rinth. 
 
34 
 
 We observed that on this occasion no regard was paid 
 to the distinctions of birth or education, for Signior Zavo, 
 who had been senator or representative of Ithaca, atCorfou, 
 the seat of government, and Signior Marco, whose brother 
 was actually employed in that honourable situation, saluted 
 the meanest of their acquaintances on the cheek with the 
 utmost cordiality. The manners of the inhabitants are en- 
 gaging, and strangers are received with great hospitality 
 and politeness. The upper ranks of society are in general 
 well educated, and are able to converse in Greek, Italian, 
 and frequently French, with almost equal fluency. 
 
 A band of Greek robbers, from the neighbouring terra 
 firma, formed a singular addition to the variety of dress so 
 remarkable in Ithaca. Ali, Pacha of Jannina, whose autho- 
 rity extends from Albania to the Gulph of Corinth, had 
 found reason for disbanding the forces usually retained un- 
 der the name of Armatoli, for the preservation of tranquil- 
 lity in his provinces, withholding the accustomed stipend, 
 when the services of the corps were no longer required. 
 The captains of this unruly gang, though rich proprietors 
 of land, insisted on the re-establishment of the institution, 
 
35 
 
 and on a refusal from the Pacha, proceeded to lay waste the 
 country, as a method of forcing him to compliance. Troops 
 were sent against them, and the robbers, whose property 
 was immediately confiscated, made good their retreat to 
 Ithaca, where they were protected, both because they 
 called themselves Christians, and because it is the interest 
 of those who expect to profit by the dissolution of the Turk- 
 ish Empire, to encourage dissention in its provinces. One 
 of the captains brought over a sum of money so consider- 
 able, as enabled him to purchase one ship, and engage in 
 the fitting out of a second. When opportunity offers, they 
 still continue their depredations on their unfortunate coun- 
 trymen, flying to Ithaca when the troops of the Pacha ap- 
 proach. These robbers are very attentive in the perform- 
 ance of the ceremonies of the Greek church, and the guilt 
 of the atrocities of a week is expiated by a frequent repeti- 
 tion of Kyrie eleison, and prostrations before the picture 
 of the Panagia or Virgin. They were dressed in the most 
 sumptuous manner on days of rejoicing, and their apparel 
 was covered with a profusion of gold lace and beautifully 
 
 r 2 
 
36 
 
 embroidered. Though patronized by the rulers of the Ionian 
 republic, it is but just to observe, that the people of the 
 island regard them with the detestation which their profes* 
 sion inspires. 
 
 At the head of a bay on the eastern side of Port Bathi 
 is the ruin of an edifice, more ancient in appearance than 
 any of the buildings in the town. The mixture of bricks in 
 its construction give it a slight resemblance to the ruins of 
 Roman baths commonly found in Greece, yet it is probably 
 nothins: more than an ancient church. The inhabitants 
 have supposed it to be on the site of a temple sacred to 
 Diana, though not a stone remains which could ever have 
 belonged to a regular Grecian edifice. We were not so for- 
 tunate as to discover any vestiges of this temple. The in- 
 scription Avhich mentions it is said to have been preserved 
 in a church situated on the other side of the port, on a beau- 
 tiful eminence, till it was removed to Venice, and deposited 
 in the Nani collection. The temple was doubtless erected 
 in times far posterior to Homer, who is silent with respect 
 to the existence of such edifices in Ithaca. 
 
 It is somewhat remarkable that there is no mention 
 
37 
 
 either of temples or priests in Ithaca. There was however 
 a hill sacred to Mercury above the city, and in sight of the 
 port,' probably on Mount Stephano, for it seems to have 
 been in the way from the town to the fold of Eumaeus. 
 There was also a place sacred to Apollo, which might have 
 been the situation of the monastery of Kathara. Eurjlo- 
 chus, however, one of the companions of Ulysses, made a 
 vow to build a* rich temple to the Sun, if he reached Itha- 
 ca in safety; but he having been in Asia, might be sup- 
 posed to have seen many things which were not common in 
 his own country. 
 
 The inscription is here given as it is published by Paci- 
 audius, in his Monumenta Peloponnesia, and his Latin 
 
 translation is added. 
 
 lEPosoxnpo Z^H s 
 
 APTEMI AOSTONE 
 
 XON^AK. AIK APnoY 
 
 M E N O N T H NM E N A E 
 
 K A^H NKATA0YEINE 
 
 KASTOYETOYSEKAETOY 
 
 HEPITTOYTONNAONE 
 
 niZKEYAZEINEANAETIS 
 
 MHOOIHTAYTATHS 
 
 0Eni MEAH2EI. 
 
 • Od. n, 471. » Od. 12, 346. 
 
38 
 
 Sacer fundus DiantB 
 
 quisquis possessor siet et 
 
 fructus capsit anni decumas 
 
 date si superfluum fuat 
 
 templum sarcito 
 
 ni faxit Deae 
 
 curee escit. 
 
 This is precisely similar to that inscription which Xeno- 
 phon found in Asia, and which he afterwards applied to 
 the temple which he erected to Diana during his banish- 
 ment at Scillus in Elis. There are no vestiges of a temple 
 in Ithaca, nor even a fragment of architecture. Scillus was 
 not far distant from the sea, and thestone or marble might 
 possibly have been carried to the island either as ballast, 
 or from devotion to the church. 
 
 Some of the inhabitants speak of an inscription begin- 
 ning H BOYAH KAi o AHMos, but Houc arc able to give a satis- 
 factory account of it. 
 
 As other opportunities of examining the beauties and 
 position of this port will occur, it would be useless to anti- 
 cipate the observations which will naturally arise on its 
 identity with the port described by the poet. It may not, 
 however, be uninteresting to observe, that the port of 
 
39 
 
 Ithaca was, according to Homer, styled OToAuffvfiof," or very 
 deep, while at this day ships of the largest dimensions ride 
 in security Avithin a few feet of the shore, and its uncom- 
 mon depth is commemorated in the name of Bathi, or the 
 deep. 
 
 ■ Odys. 16, 324. 
 
CHAP. V. 
 
 SAIL TO AITO—DEXIA— GROTTO OF THE NVMPHS. 
 
 TO avoid the fatigues of a long walk, we took a boat 
 to convey us from Bathi to the ruins of a citadel now 
 called Aito, or Palaio Castro, supposed by the inhabitants 
 to have been the residence of Ulysses. We passed the 
 pretty islet of St. Pantocratera, and soon arrived at the pro- 
 jecting promontories, which form tlie entrance of that divi- 
 sion of the gulph called Bathi. On the right lay the little 
 rock of Cazurbo, situated at the mouth of another inlet, 
 now distinguished by the name of Dexia, a word signifi- 
 cant of its position on the right hand of those who enter 
 the port of Bathi. 
 
 The shore of Dexia nearly resembles in shape the figure 
 of a horse-shoe, its southern extremity terminating in a rock 
 
41 
 
 of conic form, which divides it from Bathi. The project- 
 ing rock on the north of the entrance exhibits the vestiges 
 of a cave of considerable magnitude, in the formation of 
 which art has been called in to assist the ordinary opera- 
 tions of nature. From this cave the interior of the port of 
 Dexia presents a beach consisting of sand and pebbles, and 
 sloping so gradually into the sea, that boats may be drawn 
 upon the land without difficulty, a circumstance the more 
 remarkable, as a sandy shore is rarely to be found in Ithaca. 
 At the head of the port are a few cultivated terraces and 
 vineyards, spotted with olive and almond trees. The cave 
 has now lost its covering, the stone lying conveniently for 
 the use of the masons employed in building the town, and 
 I should have quitted the island without seeing it, as no 
 one imagined we could wish to see its remains, if one of the 
 persons who had been active in its demolition had not for- 
 tunately heard of our anxiety to discover a cavern near 
 Bathi. 
 
 The old people lecollect the roof perfect, and many 
 about the age of twenty-five remember it only half de- 
 stroyed. 
 
4S1 
 
 The rubbish occasioned by the removal of the covering, 
 has overspread and filled up the whole area of the cave to 
 such a degree that its depth cannot be ascertained without 
 digging ; but the pavement must have been nearly on a 
 level with the surface of the sea. Its length is at least 
 sixty feet, and its breadth exceeds thirty. The sides have 
 been hewn and rendered perpendicular with some labour. 
 It is close to the sea, being only separated by that portion 
 of rock which served to support the roof when it Avas en- 
 tire. On the left of the entrance from the south, at which 
 commences the sandy beach, is a niche, which on being 
 cleared from the soil and stones, presented a species of 
 basin, resembling those which are usually found in the Avails 
 of old churches in England. There is another of similar 
 construction near the centre of the same side, and above 
 both are certain small channels cut in the rock, which have 
 served for the passage of water into the basins, and some 
 are in consequence encrusted with stalactites, while others, 
 where the water no longer trickles, are tenanted by bees. 
 
 The cave has been entered from the north as Avell as 
 from the southern extremity ; the former was, however, 
 
43 
 
 smaller than the latter, and must have afforded rather an 
 inconvenient descent to the cavern. It is now called by 
 the people of the island tvjj Ae^ixg % isjviKcciov., or the cave of 
 Dexia. They are entirely unable to account for its forma- 
 tion, and the destruction of its roof by the Greeks, who 
 entertain the most profound veneration even for the ves- 
 tiges of a church, is a most decisive proof that it never 
 served for the celebration of christian ceremonies. 
 
 It will now be necessary to cite from the Odyssey a 
 passage in which the poet has mentioned a remarkable ca- 
 vern in Ithaca, that it may be seen whether the cave of 
 Dexia bears any resemblance to the description of the 
 grotto of the Nymphs. This account is introduced at the 
 moment when Ulysses, overcome by sleep, is placed by 
 the Phaeacians, at the dawn of day, on the sandy' shore of 
 the port of Phorcys in Ithaca.* The ship was impelled 
 with such force against the beach by the rowers, that half 
 its length was aground,' so that the sailors were enabled to 
 carry Ulysses Avithout difficulty from the vessel. 
 
 ' Od. 13, line 119. * Od. 13, line 96. ^ Od. 13, line 214. 
 
 g2 
 
44 
 
 The hero reposed on a bed under which was a carpet,' a 
 mode of sleeping precisely similar to that practised by all 
 travellers in Greece at the present day, and it seems pos- 
 sible, without the intervention of supernatural sleep, that 
 a person might be carried to a very short distance, on a 
 bed of such a nature, and so circumstanced, without per- 
 ceiving the smallest interruption of his slumber. 
 
 The description of the cave of the Naids, and of the 
 port of Phorcys, may be thus translated : — 
 
 " In Ithaca is a port sacred* to Phorcys, the ancient sea 
 " god. Two bold projecting points of rocky shore, verging 
 " toward each other, repel the waves which the blast has 
 " excited. But when the gallant vessels have once gained 
 " the accustomed station within, they ride without moor- 
 " ings in perfect security. At the head of the port rises a 
 " shady olive, and near it is a dark and pleasant grotto, 
 " sacred to those who are called Naiades. Within are ba- 
 " sins and urns, and there the bees make their honey. 
 " There also are long' seats of stone, and there the nymphs 
 
 ' Od. 13, line 118. ^ Od. 13, line 96. ' ?ii9£0i w£§>/xw€Er. 
 
45 
 
 " weave their sea-green garments wonderful to behold. 
 " Within is a perennial supply of water. There are two 
 » doors to the cave ; one is toward the north, by which 
 " mortals descend ; the other, to the south, is more ho- 
 " noured, and appropriated to the Gods, as men never 
 
 ' pass it." 
 
 A comparison of the two descriptions, Avill lead to such 
 conclusions as may appear most rational to each individual. 
 It is remarkable that those who entered by the northern door 
 are said to descend," which in the cave of Dexia must have 
 been the case. 
 
 The southern door also opened upon the sandy beach, 
 for the treasures given by Alcinous to Ulysses were placed 
 near the olive tree, which was at the head of the port. Now 
 it is highly improbable, that, weighty as the tripods and 
 vases' appear to have been, they should have been carried 
 into the recesses of the grotto by the more inconvenient 
 descent to the north. It is also natural to conclude, that as 
 the cave was consecrated to the Naiades, who were nymphs 
 of the ocean, that entrance which was more easy of access 
 • x«'?«.fa7a). * Od. 13, line 217. 
 
46 
 
 from the sea, should be dedicated to those deities. It may 
 not be entirely unworthy of remark, that although Ulysses 
 arranged the precious gifts Avithin the cavern, he might 
 have descended by the northern opening, for Minerva only 
 entered at first, and it seems to be somewhat more than 
 mere chance which has induced the poet to describe the 
 hero bringing the treasures nearer,' instead of at once into 
 the grotto, which he would naturally have done, had that 
 entrance been open to him. 
 
 Whatever opinion may be formed as to the identity of 
 the cave of Dexia, with the grotto of the Nymphs, it is fair 
 to state, that Strabo positively asserts, that no such cave as 
 that described by Homer existed in his time, and that geo- 
 grapher thought it better to assign a physical change, 
 rather than ignorance in Homer, to account for a difference 
 which he imagined to exist between the Ithaca of his time, 
 and that of the poet. But Strabo, who was an uncommon- 
 ly accurate observer with respect to countries surveyed by 
 himself, appears to have been wretchedly misled by his in- 
 formers on many occasions. 
 
 ' Od. 13, line 368. 
 
47 
 
 That Strabo had never visited this country is evident, 
 not only from his inaccurate account of it, but from his ci- 
 tation of Appollodorus and Scepsius, whose relations are in 
 direct opposition to each other on the subject of Ithaca, as 
 will be demonstrated on a future opportunity. 
 
 The relative situation of the port of Dexia Avill be 
 found on the map, and an idea of its general appearance 
 may be obtained from a drawing taken at the monastery 
 of Kathara. 
 
CHAP. VI. 
 
 AITO OR PAIAIO KASTRO— WALLS— ANCIENT CITY— HOUSE OF ULYSSES- 
 VIEW— ASTERIS—SAMOS. 
 
 AFTER passing Dexia and the island of Carurbo, our 
 boat conveyed us to the foot of the hill of Aito, or the 
 Eagle, which still exhibits the vestiges of a city and its 
 acropolis. At this part of the bay, which is secure, except 
 during the prevalence of northerly winds, a little rivulet 
 runs into the sea. It continues to trickle in a deep bed 
 during the whole summer, and commences near the ruins. 
 The base of Aito is covered with small enclosures or ter- 
 races, generally occupied by the vines which produce those 
 grapes, so much used in the north of Europe, under the 
 name of currants. 
 
 The ascent is somewhat laborious, and the path which 
 generally accompanies the windings of the water-course, 
 
49 
 lies among the vineyards, between the great mountain Ste- 
 phano on the left, and the hill of Aito on the right. The 
 soil is here, as it is near the ruins of all ancient Greek ci- 
 ties, mixed with great quantities of broken tiles and pot- 
 tery. At the distance of seven hundred and fifty paces 
 from the seals a church, situated at the summit of the pass 
 between the two hills, and in sight of the channel usually 
 termed the canal of Cephallonia. Near the path is an an- 
 cient tower, which appears to have been intended as a de- 
 fence to the pass. Descending a few yards on the side op- 
 posite Cephallonia is a well, said to have been discovered by 
 a traveller, who, with a book in his hand, is supposed to have 
 measured to a certain distance from the church, and to have 
 informed the inhabitants that if the earth was cleared away 
 the fountain would appear. It is probable that in digging 
 for antiquities, some traveller may have discovered the 
 well, the water of which is excellent. 
 
 The wall of the city is yet to be traced through almost 
 its whole extent. On the south eastern side it runs in a line 
 nearly parallel with the path, and is situated on those pre- 
 cipices which assume a more abrupt form in the vicinity of 
 
 H 
 
50 
 
 he pass. The well and the source of the rivulet seem to 
 have afforded the principal, if not the only permanent sup- 
 plies of water to the town. The tower detached from the 
 rest of the city marks the importance of the place, and it 
 is not improbable that the church may occupy the site of 
 some altar or temple once dedicated to the tutelary guar- 
 dian of the fount. The poet, relating the journey of Ulysses 
 and Eumaeus, from the farm near the rock Korax, makes 
 mention of a fountain in a situation very similar to this. We 
 are informed in the Odyssey,' that "they came by the rugged 
 " path near to the citadel, and to the fount made by art and 
 " flowing beautifully, where the citizens came for water, 
 " and which had been constructed by Ithacus and Neritus 
 " and Polyctor. Around the fountain grew a circular 
 " grove of alders, nourished by the spring. The cool water 
 " fell down from the top of a rock, and above was an altar 
 " of the nymphs, where all travellers sacrificed." 
 
 Water from the fountain was certainly not easily procured 
 at the citadel, for we find no fewer than twenty servants em- 
 ployed in fetching' it for the use of the house of Ulysses, and 
 
 ' Od. n, line 204. * Od. 20, line 154. 
 
51 
 
 it was a matter of such importance, probably from the labour 
 required to obtain it in so elevated a situation, that both 
 the setting out and 'the return of the virgins is mentioned. 
 The fountain and the rock are in all probability covered 
 with an accumulation of soil, as the well was, till the late 
 discovery of it. It is possible that the building added by 
 the ancient Kings of Ithaca might have been in the bed of the 
 torrent, a mode not unusual in Greece, and this liable to be 
 lost when neglected, either by an accretion of earth brought 
 down by winter floods, or by the cultivation of its imme- 
 diate vicinity. 
 
 At the distance of one hundred and fifty-five paces from 
 the church, near the well, proceeding toward the summit of 
 Aito, is a wall, anciently part of that which surrounded the 
 city, and forming one side of an irregular triangle, at the 
 opposite angle of which is the citadel. The two other sides 
 extend from each extremity of the lower wall to the Acro- 
 polis, and this, allowing for the little variations which the 
 natural formation of the ground might introduce, seems to 
 have been a figure preferred from its convenience, in the 
 
 ' Od. 20, line 162. 
 H 2 
 
52 
 
 construction of many cities in Greece, which occupied, Uke 
 Ithaca, the side of a hill. Mycenae was an irregular trian- 
 gle, Naupactos another, and Tithorea a third instance of 
 this method. 
 
 The remains of the lower wall are so overgrown by 
 bushes and prickly shrubs, that it was with difficulty I was 
 enabled to make the drawings Nos. 2 and 3, which are 
 however sufficient to shew its great and unquestionable an- 
 tiquity. The portions designed are at the spot marked 2 
 and 3, in the map of Aito, where there is some appearance 
 of an entrance into the city, between the two walls. 
 
 There are no traces of towers on a foundation projecting 
 from the curtain ; it seems however probable, from some of 
 the remains, that the wall inclined inwards toward the top, 
 leaving the towers as represented in No. 10, a method per- 
 fectly answering all the purposes of towers. This, however, 
 was only near the gates, even if the conjecture be just. 
 
 Proceeding toward the summit, up a rugged and rocky 
 ascent, at the distance of four hundred and twenty-five 
 paces from these ruins, a third wall crosses the hill in a di- 
 rection parallel to the former, and this is intersected by 
 
53 
 
 one of those before mentioned, running down the hill from 
 the citadel. Here there appears to have been an addition 
 to the original city, which a reference to the map will best 
 explain ; yet the style of building is so ancient, that the 
 walls in each enclosure may possibly be of nearly the same 
 period. A specimen of these ruins, shewing the founda- 
 tions of a small gate, is given in No. 4. The architrave 
 was not visible among the fragments which surround it. 
 The gate is six feet wide. 
 
 Near the gate, the long walls from the citadel are more 
 perfect and free from bushes than in other parts of the hill. 
 No. 5 is a drawing of a part of it. Here the enclosure be- 
 gins to exhibit the remains of terraces, supported by walls 
 of the highest antiquity, and, without doubt, once occu- 
 pied by the houses and streets of the town. At the dis- 
 tance of one hundred and fifty paces above the gate, is ano- 
 ther line of wall still parallel with the first, and close above 
 it, seems to have been a gate opening into the other divi- 
 sion of the city, from which a broader terrace, evidently 
 once the site of the principal edifices of the town, (what- 
 ever they might be) runs to the opposite wall. This me- 
 
54 
 
 thod of building on terraces is precisely the same as that 
 practised in those modern cities of Greece, Avhich are built 
 on the slope of a mountain. Two towers of stone raise the 
 principal floor to a level with the upper terrace, from 
 which the chief apartments are accessible. 
 
 The drawing No. 6 presents a specimen of the masonry 
 of the interior of the town, and that figure on the map will 
 point out the plan of these edifices. In the houses of 
 modern Greece, in similar situations, the basement story, 
 which is of stone, is occupied, if the rock does not entirely 
 fill the space, by stables or inferior ofiices, while the upper 
 story, projecting beyond the base, is usually composed of 
 timber covered with stucco ; and it is not impossible, that 
 if there exist no remain of the superstructure of an ancient 
 house, it may be owing to a similar slightness of the mate- 
 rials used in their construction. On the steep side of a 
 mountain, however, the necessity of such a basement is 
 evident, and it must have enabled the inhabitants to have 
 disputed the possession of every street against an invading 
 enemy. 
 
 The streets, or terraces, appear to have been connected 
 
55 
 
 by steps generally cut in the rock at various intervals. 
 Still higher than the great terrace, and at the distance of 
 one hundred and seventy-five paces from it, is a wall 
 which appears to have marked out the acropolis or citadel 
 of Ithaca. No. 7 exhibits a specimen of its construction. 
 This wall surrounds the summit of the hill. There are 
 some traces of towers on the south side, but they project 
 within, and not in front of the curtain. 
 
 Three hundred paces from the outer wall of the citadel, 
 and on the highest point of the hill, is a square tower, which 
 is represented in No. 8. It is connected with a wall of se- 
 micircular form of much more ancient date. The top of 
 the hill exhibits a platform of naked rock, in the fissures 
 of which a few bushes of mastic have inserted themselves. 
 There are on the northern side foundations of a slighter 
 nature than those below, and these are probably the ves- 
 tiges of the principal habitation, whatever it might have 
 been. The form of these foundations may be seen in the 
 map. On the west has been a gate, as may be supposed, 
 from an architrave about seven feet in length, which may 
 be seen near the wall. The style of the walls bears suffi- 
 
56 
 
 cient testimony to the high antiquity of the remains on the 
 hill of Aito. The specimens of masonry are exactly 
 copied on the spot, and each stone is a faithful portrait. 
 
 They are precisely of the same class with the fortifica- 
 tions of Argos, Tirynthus, and Mycenae, the most ancient 
 known in Greece, and reputed the work of the Cyclops, in 
 the time of Pausanias.' If the walls of Aito be not of near- 
 ly equal antiquity, yet they must have been erected at a 
 period very remote. 
 
 No. 3 is in such perfect preservation, that a very good 
 idea may be formed of the species of masonry termed Cy- 
 clopian, in which, though the stones are apparently rough, 
 they are even now so exactly united, that in many places 
 a knife could not be thrust between them. The difficulties 
 which must have occurred in the nice adaptation of these 
 masses to each other, were doubtless much increased by 
 the weight and dimensions of the stones, some of which 
 are seven feet in length, and three or four in breadth. 
 
 Nos. 7 and 5 afford examples of that early state of art, 
 
 • Pausanias Argol. Of the walls of Argos, Tirynthus, and Mycente, 
 more will be said in a future publication. 
 
57 
 when the additional security acquired by the position of 
 the centre of a lower stone opposite to the junction of the 
 two superincumbent blocks had not been observed. 
 
 This defect is more observable in No. 7, particularly 
 about the centre of the upper part, where each stone rests 
 almost entirely upon that immediately below it. This pe- 
 culiarity is observable in the walls of Mycenae and Tiryn- 
 thus, as well as in those of Lycosura, in Arcadia, which was 
 reputed the most ancient city of the Peloponnesus." It 
 may possibly be imagined that this method of building* 
 might have prevailed to a later period in Ithaca, than in 
 the other parts of Greece, as it may be presumed, from the 
 silence of history, that this island did not partake so fully 
 in the progress of the arts as the nations of the terra firma. 
 Yet that opinion is improbable, for we find buildings of 
 every age in the same place. The style of Nos. 5 and 7 is 
 certainly the most ancient. No. 3 is later, Avith some ap- 
 proach to horizontal lines, about 3 rows of stone, forming a 
 course, the upper and lower extremities of which are pa- 
 rallel. A similar gradation is observable in the walls of 
 
 • Pausanias Arcad. 
 
 I 
 
the citadel of Argos, No. 8 is of a still later period, having 
 regular horizontal courses, but in which the perpendicular 
 only begins to appear. No. 1 exhibits a species of mason- 
 ry of an aera certainly not much anterior to the age of Epa- 
 minondas, under whose auspices the cities of Mantinea, 
 Megalopolis, and Messene, on Mount Ithome were forti- 
 fied, with towers of the same description, with precisely the 
 same ornament at the angles." If the argument be not 
 conclusive, yet the comparison of these walls with those of 
 ifcivhich the date is certain, appears the most rational way of 
 judging of their antiquity. Near the square tower, on the 
 top of the citadel, a large and deep circular cistern is found 
 cut in the rock. This might, in some degree, have reme- 
 died the inconvenience occasioned by the distance of the 
 fountain. There is a second cistern toward the western 
 side of the fortress, not many yards distant from the for- 
 mer. Cisterns are to be discovered in the most ancient ci- 
 tadels of Greece, and there are many instances of castles 
 supplied by no other method. 
 
 The house or palace of Ulysses had before it a paved 
 
 ■ See No. 9. 
 
59 
 
 or level platform, and was easily distinguished by its mag- 
 nificence from those which surrounded it." 
 
 It was enclosed by a great wall called '^oixog e^yn^log, in 
 which were placed well wrought folding doors.^ There 
 was, nevertheless, a heap of manure at the gate, occasioned 
 by the number of mules and oxen employed in the service 
 of the ' palace, a mixture of grandeur and uncleanliness 
 which forms the most striking characteristic of the great 
 houses of Greece at the present day. Dogs and pigs were 
 also permitted to wander about the gates,* and near them 
 the faithful Argos expired at the return of his master. As 
 the house must have been erected on the declivity or the 
 edge of the hill, the platform in front of it was a terrace, 
 and it is possible that the @^L<^'Mg, which some have trans- 
 lated a hedge, but which is more properly a parapet, en- 
 closed it. That the house was upon the upper part of the 
 hill may be argued from the circumstance that from 
 it the suitors were enable to see the ship, Avhich they had 
 sent to destroy Telemachus, at the entry of the deep port, 
 
 ' Od. 17. 265. ^Od. 17. 268. 
 
 ' Od. 17. 297. •• Od. 18. 104. 
 
 I 2 
 
60 
 
 furling sails and preparing to row to the shore." The pa- 
 noramic view from the summit of Aito will enable the rea- 
 der to form an idea of the extent and variety of the pros- 
 pect from this spot. 
 
 Having passed the double gates, which, in places so si- 
 tuated as to render it practicable, were of size sufficient for 
 the admission of carriages, a portico or peristyle presented 
 itself, running round a court termed xvX^g which was^ hy- 
 paethral, and on the sides of which wei'e ranged the apart- 
 ments of the edifice. The gate was covered in, for the 
 sounding or echoing entrance is often mentioned.' It was 
 secured by a lock,* and the doors were tied together by a 
 rope. Cattle, destined for slaughter, were tied to the pil- 
 lars' which Avere ranged to the right and left of it. Per- 
 haps the gateway only was termed 7t§oS^o[/.og,^ as the name 
 seems to imply a vicinity to the entry. 
 
 We find the terms ■B^o5^c\i.og and xi&ovsyi b^iSovtitw, each 
 used to express that part of the house Avhere strangers 
 slept.' It is not, therefore, impossible that they may apply 
 
 ' Od. 16. 352. ^AtheiiiEUS. lib. 5. 'Od. 21.391. *0d. 21.241. 
 
 5 Od. 20. 189. " Od. 20. line 1. ' Od. 3. 399. Od. 20. line 1. 
 
61 
 
 to the same side of the court, yet the cc^&^gcc may sometimes 
 signify a gallery above the zj^oS^o[>.og, for guests of conse- 
 quence are placed in the former,' while the latter is allotted 
 to Ulysses when under the disguise of a mendicant. It 
 cannot be presumed, notwithstanding the simplicity of 
 the times, that strangers of rank could be mixed with the 
 pigs, goats, and sheep, intended for the next day's feast, 
 and as there was no other method of lodging guests and 
 animals under the same roof, there must have been an up- 
 per story. The custom of sleeping in a gallery over these 
 animals is not unusual in great houses at the present time. 
 
 One side of the great court seems to have been occu- 
 pied by the Thalamos, or sleeping apartments of the' men, 
 while those of the women Avere on the opposite side, and 
 were shut out from the rest of the house by doors which 
 were watched by Euryclea, the nurse of Ulysses,^ so that 
 the women, though alarmed at the cries of the suitors, were 
 totally ignorant of the cause which occasioned them. 
 
 The fourth side was the hall,' or banqueting-room, the 
 
 • Iliad. 24. 644. ^ Ocl. .0. 340. 3oa.21.387. 
 
 * Perhaps distinguished by the name of Ao^oj, as in Od. 22. 455. 
 
62 
 
 door of which opened into the court. That part of the 
 peristyle, nearest to the hall, was called Tt^o&u^ov or vesti- 
 bule. "In it were seats, on which the suitors sate to enjoy 
 the air, while they observed the athletic ^ exercises in the 
 courts. The great hall was entered from the vestibule pas^ 
 sing over a threshold of stones which must have been more 
 elevated than the floor of the chamber, for Ulysses seems to 
 have derived considerable advantage from the possession 
 of the threshold," during his contest with the suitors. With- 
 in the door the threshold was of different construction,' for 
 it is said to have been of ash, so that it is not improbable 
 that what is usually translated the threshold, consisted of 
 a few stone steps up to the door, from the vestibule, with a 
 landing place capable of containing four persons,* whence 
 there was a descent to the floor of the hall. There ap- 
 pears no diflficulty in accounting for the particular and fre- 
 
 ■ Od. 18. 100. ^ Od. 1. 108. and 4. 625. and 17. 168. 
 
 ' Od. 23. 88. Xa'vovoiSo*. * Od. 22. 2. 
 
 * Od. 17. 339. |^c\u ovoi^u. If (^E^(v(lf be properly translated, the ash tree, 
 it is somewhat singular that the species is not now to be found in any part of 
 Greece. 
 
 ' Od. 22. 204. 
 
63 
 
 quent mention of the threshold if it were of this nature. 
 The hall was of considerable magnitude, for it contained a 
 great number of persons at a banquet. Twenty-four guests 
 are mentioned by name, seated at once in the hall, and if 
 all the suitors were assembled, they amounted to one hun- 
 dred and eight, without including the necessary attendants 
 in the number, so that the room must have been very spa- 
 cious. 
 
 In the exterior, wall of the house, yet opening into the 
 hall, was a postern, serving as another entrance to the 
 room. It was much higher than the floor,'' at the end' of 
 the hall, and opened into a street,* so that from it a person 
 might be heard' by the inhabitants of the town. It was 
 termed 'Ofsofiufvi,^ and was, doubtless, either a door or win- 
 dow. It might be closed by means of a strong wooden 
 door,' which was constructed for that purpose. It was very 
 near the great door and threshold of the hall,' and if a pos- 
 tern, the same threshold served for both entrances, for Ulys- 
 ses placed Eumaeus to guard it, standing himself by the 
 
 • Od. 22. 126. * Od. 22. 132. ^ Od. 22. 127. * Od. 22. 128. 
 
 ' Od. 22. 133. * Od, 22. 126, ^ Od. 22, 128. * Od. 22, 131. 
 
64 
 
 side of his servant,' as there was only one way of access 
 common to both doors.^ It follows that the door of the hall 
 was not in the centre, but near one of the angles of the 
 room. 
 
 On that side of the hall opposite to the postern, was an 
 opening into a stair-case,' which led to the chambers or 
 thalamoi of Ulysses,* and, among others, into that where 
 the arms had been deposited. There was another entrance 
 to the thalamos from the court,' and by that door Telema- 
 chus ascended to the armory, forgetting, in his haste, to 
 shut the door of that chamber, though he must have se- 
 cured the others on his descent, or the suitors would have 
 been enabled to escape into the court, and to have attacked 
 Ulysses on both sides. 
 
 It is not easy to determine how the floor of the hall was 
 constructed, for if it were paved, it is strange that the head 
 of Agelaus is said to roll in the dust,* unless indeed the dust 
 be only a figurative expression, or the word may be diffe- 
 rently translated.' It is highly probable that the floor was 
 
 • Od. 22. 130. * Od. 22. 130. ^ Od. 22. 143. ♦ Od. 22. 143. 
 
 5 Od. 19. 47. * Od. 22. 329. ' Koila calx. 
 
65 
 
 composed of some species ofplaister, for otherwise it would 
 have been difficult for Telemachus to fix the rods or staffs 
 which supported the rings during the contest of the bow, 
 proposed by Penelope to the suitors. 
 
 There was some degree of elegance ' and splendour* in 
 the furniture of the hall, and the tables were cleaned with 
 care,^ yet the arms, and consequently the roof, Avere black- 
 ened with smoke/ The weapons of Ulysses were either 
 hung upon beams,' or placed against pillars,* Avhich appear 
 to have supported the roof. 
 
 It is very difficult to detemiine whether these pillars 
 were of timber or stone, it is proper however to observe 
 that the word k/ojv is used by Ulysses in speaking of his 
 own bed, where he says, the olive which he Avrought was 
 thick like a Kiui/, or column, a comparison totally inappli- 
 cable to a post or pillar of Avood. 
 
 The shields and defensive armour were suspended 
 against the walls of the chamber.' 
 
 As the lances of the family and of guests Avere placed so 
 
 •Od. 1. 130. 
 
 ^Od. 19. 56. 
 
 'Od. I. 111. 
 
 * Od. 19. 
 
 line 7, 
 
 5 Od. 1. 128. 
 
 «0d. 1. 127, 
 
 ' Od. 22. 24. 
 K 
 
 
 
66 
 
 as to lean against a pillar, many have supposed that the 
 hall was decorated with a colonnade regularly fluted ac- 
 cording to the rules of architecture, and consequently of 
 the Doric order. This idea may have arisen from what has 
 been said of the invention of fluting among the ancients, 
 which might have been first used on account of the conve- 
 nience and security it afforded for the reception of the 
 spears of those who entered the house, yet the poet seems 
 only to mention one column in the hall of Ulysses, and that 
 probably supported the roof. It is not however impossible 
 that there might have been more of these pillars, especially 
 as the room was of such considerable dimensions. The 
 beams or rafters were certainly ornamented." There was 
 also a place whence Penelope, unseen by the suitors, could 
 see and hear all that passed in the hall.'' 
 
 There is no mention of windows in the hall ; and, in- 
 deed, the house is often said to be dark. 3 After sunset the 
 
 ' Od. 20. 354. The expression xaXa/lt /xtroS^ai which has often been ren- 
 dered " the beautiful intercolumniations" seems to have no such meaning, 
 and to signify only the horizontal traverse beams, which were equally ne- 
 cessary whether the roof was flat or pointed. 
 
 ^ Od. 20. 387. ' Od. 18. 398. Od. 4. 768. 
 
67 
 
 fire seems to have served both for heat' and light, though 
 torches are sometimes mentioned for crossing the^ court. 
 
 The nuptial bed-chamber of Ulysses and Penelope does 
 not appear to have been occupied by the latter during the 
 absence of her lord. Penelope inhabited the upper part of 
 the house, for she' ascended to her own rooms from the tha- 
 lamos,* which was, probably, but little elevated above the 
 ground, for no mention is made of an ascent to it, the 
 queen only passing over an oaken threshold.' 
 
 The thalamos, or rather its roof, was supported by an 
 olive tree, which was left standing in its natural position, 
 but which Ulysses himself had shaped and ornamented 
 Avith ivory and gold.'^ 
 
 It is but natural to conclude that the chamber where 
 the bow of Ulysses was preserved was the principal tha- 
 lamos of the house, not only from the circumstance of its 
 being the repository of his apparel, but from the manner 
 in which Penelope was affected by the sight of the articles 
 it contained. 
 
 ' Od. 19. 64. 
 
 *Od. 19. 47. 
 
 ■' tJZ7C^UlX. 
 
 ♦ Od. 23. 364. 
 
 s Od. 21. 43. 
 K 2 
 
 * Od. 23. 200, 
 
68 
 
 'The palace of Ulysses contained also a bath, for bath- 
 ing is frequentl}-^ mentioned in the Odyssey, and there was 
 a com-milb near the house, in which twelve women were 
 employed. 
 
 There was a building, probably within the court of the 
 house, called tholos, of which the use does not appear from 
 the poem. There was a narrow space between this build- 
 ing' and the wall of the court, and here the concubines of 
 the suitors were murdered by order of Ulysses. The tho- 
 los does not appear to have been diiferent from those edi- 
 fices of later times which had the same name. The scho- 
 liast observes that it was a circular building, and Homer 
 seems to confirm^ the idea. There was a tholos in the 
 grove of jEsculapius, near Epidauros, built of white mar- 
 ble and of a circular figure. It was thought curious in the 
 time of Pausanias, having stood, at that time, about six 
 hundred years. It Avas erected by Polycletus, who lived 
 in the fifth century before Christ, and was decorated by the 
 
 ■ Od. 23. 163. Od. 20. 297. Od. H. 87. 
 
 ' Od. 20, 106. ' Od. 22. 442. * Od, 22, 466. 
 
69 
 
 painting of Pausias of Corinth.' The remains of it are yet 
 visible near the baths and temple of iEsculapius, and ena- 
 ble us to form a complete idea of the tholos of the 
 Greeks. There was a tholos at Athens^ in which the Pry- 
 tanes sacrificed. Whatever might be the use of the tholos 
 of Ulysses, it may not be improper to observe that the 
 same words are applied by Pausanias to the description of 
 the tholos of Epidam-us, and that of the treasury ofMi- 
 nyas at Orchomenos/ in Boeotia, an edifice, the ruins of 
 which still exist, and of the same construction with that of 
 Atreus or Agamemnon, at Mycenee. 
 
 Ithaca was probably first peopled from Cephallonia, not 
 long before the age of Ulysses. Ccphalus, who was the re- 
 puted descendant of Neptune; or perhaps of the first set- 
 tler, through .^.olus and Deion, is said to have given name 
 to Cephallonia. Ithacus, Neritus, and Polyctor were pos- 
 sibly sons of Ccphalus, the first of whom founded the new 
 
 • Pausanias' Connthiacs. This edifice was for the use of persons fre- 
 quenting the bath. Circular rooms are to this day common in all the baths of 
 Greece, generally covered with a dome. 
 
 » Pausanias Attic. 
 
 ' Vide Pausanias. 0.x«^« 5. mg,<p.f«. o<x.f.« h ^h4h" ^'^°'- ^"'"^ ^' ^'?"^'i"- 
 
70 
 
 kingdom of Ithaca, in which it is probable he was succeed- 
 ed by the two latter. Ithaca must have prospered greatly 
 under the government of its founders, and though the is- 
 land was smaller, yet the possessions of Polyctor, the last of 
 the brothers of Ithacus, were so considerable, as to induce 
 Laertes, grandson of Cephalus through Arcesias, to quit 
 Cephallonia, where he reigned in his youth," for a residence 
 in Ithaca. There appears indeed no other way of ac- 
 counting for the supremacy of Ulysses over Ithaca and the 
 neighbouring isles, than by his personal qualifications, and 
 the riches and extent of his patrimonial domain ; for there 
 were other chiefs of great power j"" who might be suspected 
 of aspiring to the regal dignity, in case of the death of the 
 king. 
 
 The reigning family does not appear to have acted 
 without consulting both the nobles and the people,' so that 
 the government was not very despotic, and we find the 
 slaughter of the suitors the cause of a great revolt in Itha- 
 ca, while a more violent insurrection was apprehended in 
 Cephallonia.' 
 
 • Od. 24. 337. ^ Od. 1. 39. Od. 15. 532. 
 
 5 Od. 2. 256. &c. * Od. 24. 353 and 354. 
 
71 
 
 As the conclusion of the Odyssey has been reputed spu- 
 rious, and indeed the conduct of the relations of the suitors 
 would have been unaccountable had they remained con- 
 tented under the government of Ulysses, after the vengeance 
 which he had taken upon the chiefs of the first families, 
 so the ancients have delivered the following history of the 
 events which succeeded. Neoptolemus' was chosen by 
 the contending parties to decide on the fate of Ulysses. By 
 his decision Ulysses was banished for life from Ithaca, Ce- 
 phallonia, and Zante, while the families of the suitors were 
 to pay an annual tribute, to make compensation for the 
 outrages which had been committed. Ulysses retired to 
 Italy, and Telemachus succeeded to the throne. The tri- 
 bute consisted in corn, wine, honey, oil, salt, and lambs. 
 
 However Ulysses might have suffered in his voyages, or 
 from the faction which opposed his return to Ithaca, ^-et we 
 find him deified in succeedino; ao;es. He is said to have de- 
 livered oracles at a place called Eurys in iEtolia, and He- 
 liodorus,^ author of the ^thiopics, who lived in the fourth 
 
 ' Plutarch. Qu. Grte. 
 
 * jEthiopics. Lib. 5. cap. 239. Calasiris sees Ulysses in a dream, his 
 head covered with a cap, as represented in the coin. Ulysses threatens him 
 
72 
 
 century under the reigns of Theodosius, and his sons Arca- 
 dius and Honorius, proves that divine honours were paid to 
 Ulysses by mariners who passed near the island. There 
 was a small temple dedicated to Ulysses at 'Lacedaemon. 
 He has in all ages been held as the model of patriotism/ and 
 of wisdom united with valour, and though his character is 
 somewhat lowered by a frequent recourse to deceit and 
 evasion, yet cunning was, and is still, in those countries, 
 held in the highest estimation, and in passing judgment on 
 the characters of men, we ought to try them by the princi- 
 ples and maxims of their own age, not by those of another ; 
 for although vice and virtue are at all times invariable, 
 yet manners and customs may undergo considerable al- 
 teration. 
 
 The reader, by a reference to the general view from the 
 castle of Aito, will be enabled to form a just idea of the re- 
 lative situations of objects seen from that summit. A point 
 
 with an unfortunate voyage, for, says he, " You alone of all travellers who 
 bave sailed by Cephallonia, who have seen my country, and were acquainted 
 with my character, have shewn me no respect ; you alone have neglected the 
 customary address on entering my kingdoms." 
 
 •Plutarch. Qu. Gr. 48. » Cicero. 
 
S5J| The Getty 
 
 fo[(£out/map 
 not digitized 
 
I 
 
73 
 
 of Cephallonia bearing by compass uncorrected, south 10" 
 east, is the south-eastern extremity of that island. Under 
 it is a part of Ithaca, being the western side of Mount Ste- 
 phano, and presenting rapid dechvities covered with bushes, 
 and a few cultivated terraces. The next object in Cephal- 
 lonia is the promontory of Chelia, beyond which, in the se- 
 cond or most distant range of hills, is the lofty mount iEnes, 
 where was a temple of Jupiter iEnesius. It is steep and 
 rugged toward the north, yet it produces trees of the spe- 
 cies called Elata, or silver fir. There is a pretty inlet or port 
 behind Chelia, bearing S. 12° W. and another at the other ex- 
 tremity of the promontory, bearing S. 2 1° W. The bay of Sam^ 
 extends from Chelia to another point, bearing south 59° W, 
 and in the centre are seen a few houses, still known by the 
 name of Same, or Samo. This was one of the four great ci- 
 ties of Cephallonia; the only one mentioned by Homer," and 
 sent to Ithaca twenty-four of the suitors of Penelope.' The 
 present houses being merely used as magazines, and for the 
 purposes of commerce, are erected close to the shore, but 
 the city, of which many vestiges remain, evincing the 
 
 'Od, 16. 249. ■ ^Od. 6. 247. 
 
 L 
 
74 
 
 highest antiquity, was erected on one of the eminences in 
 the vicinity of the plain. The territory of Same was rugged 
 and lofty,' and we accordingly see nothing approaching to 
 a plain, except near the site of the magazines. The city 
 probably stood on the first or second hill, between the num- 
 bers 21 and 27- There is a road toward Argostoli, the 
 present capital of the island, passing the mountains near 
 a little building, seen upon the hill to the left of Sam^. 
 
 Proceeding to the right, on the coast of Cephallonia, 
 a small bay is seen, bearing due Avest, and at the head of 
 it, among fruit trees and terraces, is the village of Plagia, 
 or Pelagia. Higher up on the hills to the right is seen the 
 large village of Komitala, containing about 150 houses. 
 More habitations are visible when the atmosphere is clear, 
 and among the villages one has the name of Dolicha. In the 
 centre of the channel is seen a sandy islet, called Dascallio, 
 bearing N. 26° W. decorated with a little chapel. It con- 
 tains no port nor shelter for boats. 
 
 Beyond, to the right of Dascallio, is seen the northern 
 cape of Cephallonia, and the point forming one of the 
 
 ' Od.4. 845. 
 
I.KVCAVIAK BROMOKTOKY. 
 
 CK*IIAI.I,ON|A 
 
75 
 
 boundaries of port Viscarda, or Pescarda, is the last visible 
 in that island. The land seen in the distance, almost in 
 the horizon, bearing N. 14° W. is the Leucadian promon- 
 tory, so celebrated for the leap of Sappho, and the death 
 of Artemisia. The rock, which declines gradually into the 
 sea on the south, presents a white and perpendicular clift' 
 toward the north, of considerable elevation. There are the 
 ruins of a temple on the summit of one of the eminences 
 here seen, consisting, however, at present, of nothing more 
 than the foundation, and a few squared stones of large di- 
 mensions. Not far from it is a platform cut in the rock, 
 still on the verge of the precipice, and in a more lofty 
 point. From its figure it is not improbable that a circular 
 edifice might have once occupied the spot. The inhabi- 
 tants imagine that the altar of Apollo once stood where a 
 few stones are now piled together in honour of a christian 
 saint, and a small vase, of the form and size of a pear, was 
 presented to me in Leucadia, as having been found on the 
 spot. The soil is covered with broken pottery.' The Isles 
 of Antipaxos, Paxos, and Corfu,'' may be distinguished 
 
 • Vide Plate. 
 
 ' It has been generally supposed that Corfu or Corcyra, was the Phoeacia 
 
 L 2 
 
76 
 
 near the promontory, when the air is perfectly free from 
 
 vapour. 
 
 A point of Ithaca is seen below the Leucadian rock, 
 bearing N. 11° W. It is the extremity of the range called 
 Aracoulia, on which the town of Oxoe, or 0X0 AI, is si- 
 tuated. The first little inlet below the cape is the entrance 
 of port Polis, and the single rock near the coast is situated 
 
 of Homer ; but Sir Henry Englefield thinks the position of that island incon- 
 sistent with the voyage of Ulysses as described in the Odyssey. That gen- 
 tleman has also observed a number of such remarkable coincidences, between 
 the courts of Alcinous and Solomon, that they may be thought curious and 
 interesting. Homer was familiar with the names of Tyre, Sidon, and Egypt, 
 and as he lived about the time of Solomon, it would not have been extraordi- 
 nary if he had introduced some account of the magnificence of that prince 
 into his poem. As Solomon was famous for wisdom, so the name of Alcinous 
 signifies strength of knowledge ; as the gardens of Solomon were celebrated, so 
 are those of Alcinous; (Od. 1, 1 12.) as the kingdom of Solomon was distin. 
 guished by 12 tribes under 12 princes, (1st Kings, cap. 4.), so that of Alci- 
 nous (Od. 8, 390.) was ruled by an equal number; as the throne of Solomon 
 was supported by lions of gold, (1st Kings, ch. 10.) so that of Alcinous was 
 placed on dogs of silver and gold (Od. 7, 91.) ; as the fleets of Solomon were 
 famous, so were those of Alcinous. It is perhaps worthy of remark, that Nep- 
 tune sate on the mountains of the SOLYMI, as he returned from Ethiopia 
 to jEgoe, while he raised the tempest which threw Ulysses on the coast of 
 Phteacia ; and that the Solymi of Pamphylia are very considerably distant from 
 the route. — The suspicious character, also, which Nausicau attributes to her 
 countryman, agrees precisely with that which the Greeks and Romans gave of 
 the Jews. 
 
77 
 
 off the village of Leuki. The western promontory of Mount 
 Neritos bears N. 12° W. and just below it is a little bay, at 
 the head of which is a fountain and little chapel of St. John, 
 whence there is an ascent to the monastery of Kathara, on 
 the mountain, of which the bell tower is seen bearing N. 
 11" 30' E. Neritos is only joined to the rest of the island 
 by the narrow isthmus, on one of the summits of which is 
 Aito. A road, if indeed that can be called a road on which 
 it is difficult even to walk on foot, crosses from the terraces 
 on the shore of Portmolo on the right, to the channel of Ce- 
 phallonia on the left, and there are appearances of ancient 
 industry, and an inscription, on the precipices of the hill 
 nearest to Neritos, marked by a little rock in the sea at its 
 western extremit3\ On the right of the monastery of Ka- 
 thara is seen a plain, high above the level of the sea, on 
 another part of which, not visible from Aito, is the town of 
 Anoe, or Anoai. Ithaca is terminated by the cape and 
 church of St. Elias, bearing N. 33° E. More distant is the 
 island of Meganisi, not distinguishable from Kithro at this 
 elevation, above which appears the channel between the 
 mountains of Leucadia, and the terra firma of Acarnania. 
 
78 
 
 Proceeding to the right, the island of Calamo is seen bear- 
 ing N. 48° 30' E. and below it one of the little islets called 
 Formicoli. On the main land the high mountain Bumasto 
 is seen, the summit of which bears N. 50° E. and is in a line 
 with one extremity of Aotaco and a cape of Ithaca. The top 
 of the highest hill in Aotaco bears N. 53° E. and over it is 
 seen the island of Castos, bearing N. 58° E. Under the se- 
 cond summit of Aotaco is seen a point of Ithaca bearing 
 N. 55° E. it is one of the boundaries of port Schnenos. The 
 little rock Cazurbo marks the entrance of port Bathi, and 
 its centre bears N. 59° E. On the terra firma is a lofty 
 mountain called Beluzza, ending in a direction N. 79° E. 
 near which is a port and town called Tragomesta. Mount 
 Stephano succeeds and completes the panorama, shutting 
 out the town of Bathi, and the islands near the mouth of 
 the Achelous. The foreground represents the platform on 
 the summit of Aito. As there is no other island between 
 Cephallonia and Ithaca, it will naturally occur to every 
 one, that the little islet of Dascallio is that called Asteris 
 by Homer, and mentioned by him as the spot where the 
 suitors lay in ambush, for the purpose of intercepting Te- 
 
79 
 
 lemachus on his return from Pjlos. The passage relating 
 to Asteris may be thus translated :— 
 
 " There' is a certain island in the rocky sea between 
 " Ithaca and the rugged Samos, called Asteris, not large, 
 " but having havens opening in different directions." 
 
 This is not a description applicable to Dascallio, where 
 if a boat could remain, it would only be safe when pulled 
 ashore, and it lies entirely out of the way for intercepting 
 a person coming, as Telemachus did, from the coasts of the 
 Peloponnesus. The place best suited for the execution of 
 such an enterprise as that of the suitors, is certainly the 
 port south of the promontory of Chelia, and in part formed 
 by it. An examination of what the ancient geographers 
 have said on the subject, will, however, assist in forming an 
 opinion on the Asteris of Homer. Strabo,'' who never could 
 have visited the spot, and who is therefore obliged to quote 
 ApoUodorus and Scepsius, says that in his time there was a 
 little island between Ithaca and Cephallonia, called Asteris 
 by Homer, but adds, Scepsius says it is not such as de- 
 
 ' Od. 4, 844. ^Lib. 10. 
 
80 
 
 scribed by the poet, with two ports. This passage evidently 
 alludes to the isle of Dascallio, which Strabo seems to have 
 thought Asteris, supposing that it had undergone some al- 
 teration since the time of Homer, as he thought it better 
 to assign a physical cause for the difference, than ignorance 
 in the poet, or fabulous misrepresentation of the place. He 
 adduces the island of Leuradia as a proof of the changes 
 which had taken place since the writing of the Odyssey, 
 and islands at the mouth of the Achelous as a further 
 confirmation of his principle. 
 
 But had he ever visited Leucadia, he would have seen 
 that this great work, which he attributes to nature, was 
 merely a little canal for the passage of boats, cut through 
 a bank of sand only a few yards wide, and that what was done 
 by the inhabitants after the Peloponnesian war, was a very 
 inconsiderable work, and was no argument to prove that 
 nature had undergone any alteration. The other instance 
 of the islands at the mouth of the Achelous becoming 
 united to the terra firma is certainly correct; but the reason 
 is evidently to be found in the quantity of sand brought 
 
81 
 
 down the river, whereas no such cause can be assigned for 
 any thing which may have happened in the channel of Ce- 
 phal Ionia. 
 
 Apollodorus, however, says that it did remain,' and had 
 a little city, called Alalcomenae, situated on the isthmus. 
 Now we know from Plutarch^ that Alalcomenae was a city 
 not of Asteris, but of Ithaca, and consequently Apollodo- 
 rus must have mistaken Ithaca for Asteris, or have been 
 misinformed on the subject, for it is scarcely possible that 
 a city should be lost without our having some account of 
 such a catastrophe in some of the authors of antiquity. 
 
 The city on the hill of Aito was situated upon an isth- 
 mus, but in the time of Homer it certainly was known by 
 the name of the island. There was a second city, how- 
 ever, between Ports Polls and Frichies, also standing upon 
 a neck of land, though not so narrow as the isthmus of 
 Aito, and that was probably the city alluded to by Apol- 
 lodorus, for that must have been the only city in his time, 
 as the ruins of Aito are of much higher antiquity, and 
 the town could never have been inhabited, except in very 
 « Vid. Strabo. ^ Plut. Queest Gr. 
 
82 
 
 remote ages, when security was more sought than conve- 
 nience. Also Ulysses could not have built the city of 
 Ithaca, for one of his predecessors, Ithacus, lived in it ; 
 but he founded a second city, called Alalcomenae," in me- 
 mory of the city in Bceotia, where Minerva was worshipped, 
 and he was born. 
 
 The geographical hints of Plutarch* are in general so 
 accurate, that though he quotes the passage, there can be 
 little doubt of his veracity or judgment on this occasion. 
 Whether Alalcomenae was founded by Ulysses, or by his 
 immediate posterity, may be questioned ; but it appears 
 that Homer knew nothing of the town of Alalcomenae, 
 consequently it must have been built long after the time 
 of Ulysses, though named from the place of his birth. The 
 town did certainly exist in Ithaca in the age of Plutarch, 
 who says that the Coliadae are the descendants of Eumaeus, 
 as the Bucolii are of Philaetius.' Strabo, whose informa- 
 tion, as far as relates to Greece, is always confused, and 
 often incorrect, seems to have been at a loss to discrimi- 
 
 ' Plutarch Quoest Graecae. ^ Ister Alexandrinus. 
 
 ' Plutarch Quaest Graec. 
 
83 
 
 nate between the accounts of Scepsius and ApoUodorus 
 which are in direct opposition to each other. 
 
 There would be little difficulty in determining whether 
 Homer took his idea of Asteris from the rock of Dascallio, 
 or from the promontory of Chelia, did the word N^gog ad- 
 mit of the interpretation peninsula, as well as island. — 
 This, however, though admitted in compound words, does 
 not seem consistent with the received opinion of the best 
 scholars.' Pliny, speaking of Asteris, says that it lay off 
 Ithaca, in the open sea ; yet Homer describes it as in the 
 channel, and there is no island off Ithaca in the open sea. 
 In fact, all the accounts of that author, whether relating 
 
 ■ We find a passage in Dionysius the geographer, in which the word 
 Nufor is not immediately connected with a proper name. — " neXowoj S tin nsot," &c. 
 The Morea is frequently called a nesos by the modern Greeks, using the 
 word disjointly. In oriental languages, the same word is used for an island 
 and a promontory. Thebes, in Boeotia, was called t^icKxgm nsos, and it is 
 singular that Eustathius should take some pains to prove that Homer meant 
 an island, and not a peninsula, if the matter was so clear from the words of the 
 poet. It is also remarkable, that the words yi-is ■n ix\, would not imply any 
 thing more than immediate vicinity to the sea, in the Greek of the present 
 day, and that Homer is fond of the expression a/*p'aW, in speaking of 
 islands. 
 
 M 2 
 
84 
 
 to the geography or natural curiosities of Ithaca, are en- 
 tirely fabulous. Chelia seems to derive its name either 
 from XeiKog or XviAw), a point running into the sea; — such in 
 effect is the nature of the place. It is evident that there is 
 a good port on the left of the cape, and there is also an in- 
 let at the isthmus, which joins Chelia to Same on the right. 
 These are amply sufficient for the purposes of the suitors, 
 and no place could have been so well chosen for the inter- 
 ception of a vessel returning from Pylos. 
 
 It is not absolutely impossible that some physical 
 change may have joined Chelia to the shore of Same, either 
 by an accumulation of sand, or by the shock of earth- 
 quakes : yet this is carrying conjecture rather too far. It 
 is united to Cephallonia by low land ; but it would be ab- 
 surd to imagine that a city ever stood on that isthmus, as it 
 would have been close to Same. The point of Chelia 
 stretches from Same about half way across the channel, 
 toward Ithaca, and the ordinary passage to Cephallonia is 
 from Aito to that promontory. Homer seems to allude to 
 this situation of Asteris, in the speech of Minerva to Tele- 
 
85 
 
 machus, where that goddess informs the prince, that the 
 suitors lie in ambush at the ferry" between Ithaca and the 
 rugged Same. Now the situations of Same and Ithaca 
 being known, the position of Asteris might be more easily 
 determined ; while the examination of the present appear- 
 ance of the country will enable the reader to form an 
 opinion on the subject. 
 
 'Od. 15. 29. 
 
CHAP. VII. 
 
 JOURNEY TO THE MONASTERY OF KATHARA—NERITOS— EXTENSIVE VIEW— 
 ECHINADES— ACHELOUS— ASTERIS— DULICHIUM— REITHRON— OXEIAS, 
 
 ON quitting Aito we visited the monastery of Kathara, 
 situated on the southern side of Mount Neritos. The de- 
 scent from the castle, on this side, lies through thickets of 
 Avild olives and thorns, growing among large masses of rock, 
 which every where obstruct the passage. On the right is a 
 small summer-house, or casino, belonging to Signor Zavo, 
 pleasantly situated on the north side of the hill among 
 vineyards, and ornamented with a few cypresses. There is 
 a road along which mules can with difficulty pass, and 
 Avhich may be seen crossing the isthmus in the preceding 
 view ; but it is so much more easy to walk over the culti- 
 vated grounds, that our guide conducted us through them 
 whenever they could be found. At length we passed one 
 
V 
 
 87 
 
 of the heights, and soon found the traces of a road cut at 
 some very remote period in the face of a rock, ahnost per- 
 pendicular, and projecting like a shelf over a terrible pre- 
 cipice washed by the channel of Cephallonia. The road 
 must have been a work of great labour, and though ruined 
 by time, appears to have been well executed. On a per- 
 pendicular projection of the rock rising from the road on 
 the right, are inscribed, in very legible characters, about 
 nine inches in length, the letters OA. The inhabitants are 
 ignorant whether this be intended for a date, or for what 
 other purpose they were inscribed. The state of the rock, 
 which has been cut to a flat surface, indicates considerable 
 antiquity. It is 2885 paces distant from Aito. Descendino- 
 from this spot, among bushes and rocks, we at length ar- 
 rived at the little church of Agiani, or St. John, situated 
 at the head of a little bay, 4500 paces distant from Aito. 
 There are a few cultivated terraces round it, and we had 
 passed others in our way. Near the church is a fountain, 
 which never fails to afford a small supply of water. From 
 Agiani we commenced a most laborious and difficult ascent, 
 leaving the channel of Cephallonia behind us, over which, 
 
88 
 
 as often as the thick forest of Arbutus and prickly-leaved 
 oak permitted, we caught delightful views of the opposite 
 shore. Ithaca seems to have been celebrated for trees in 
 the time of Homer, and the woods on this mountain are par- 
 ticularly mentioned," In some parts the trees, meeting 
 above our heads, completely darkened the path, which in 
 others conducted us through little open spaces, covered with 
 flowers or verdure, and spotted with small bushes of mastic, 
 wild olive, and juniper. Nothing could have been more 
 delightful, if the steepness of the mountain had not ren. 
 dered the ascent so laborious. This woody region conti- 
 nued till we had advanced about 1500 paces, when the path 
 conducted us into a ravine worn in the side of the moun- 
 tam, by Avinter floods, and covered with loose stones. Here 
 we began to perceive the barking of the dogs, and the bells 
 of sheep, belonging to the monastery ; and we arrived at 
 the little flat on Avhich the edifice is erected, after a walk of 
 no great extent, but rendered excessively laborious, by the 
 heat of the climate and the roughness of the path. 
 
 The monastery is 1900 paces distant from the sea at 
 
 ' Od. 23. zseXv^ty^gm ayfov. 
 
89 
 
 Agiani, and the climate is very sensibly affected by the 
 difference of elevation. Within a few yards of the build- 
 ing there is a precipitous descent to Port Molo; another side 
 of the mountain falls to the channel of Cephallonia, and on 
 the north the summit of Neritos rises to a still greater ele- 
 vation. 
 
 The Heguraenos, or superior, received us with the great- 
 est hospitality at the gate, by which we entered a court 
 surrounded by the buildings of the monastery. The house 
 consisted of a hall, or entry, on one side of which is the 
 refectory, and on the other a neat chamber, with two beds, 
 designed for the accommodation of those who, in the sum- 
 mer, come from the city to pass their time in this airy si- 
 tuation. 
 
 The first refreshments presented to a stranger in this 
 country are coffee and lemonade, which are brought imme- 
 diately, but as every thing else is prepared for the occasion 
 only, it requires time to get ready a 'Greek dinner or supper 
 for a traveller, particularly as the lamb, kid, or goat is not 
 usually killed before the arrival of the guests. Our repast 
 was at length announced, and we entered a small refectory, 
 
 N 
 
90 
 
 furnished with a solid oaken table, at the sides of which 
 were two benches, with a great chair at the top. The first 
 dish consisted of a kind of omelet, seasoned with onions and 
 liver, chopped into small pieces, and profusely covered with 
 brown sugar, a lamb roasted whole followed, and there was 
 nothing else curious in the fare, except what is there called 
 a cheese, resembling an English curd, which was made of 
 goat's milk, and Avas suspended from the top of the room 
 in a linen bag during dinner, that the whey might be ex- 
 pressed. This is esteemed rather a luxury after the month 
 of April in the southern climates. The wine peculiar to 
 this country, was in great perfection here, having been sent 
 from a vineyard belonging to Signor Marco, who accom- 
 panied us in our tour. It is prepared from the little grapes 
 called currants in England, and is of exquisite flavour. 
 
 The good old Hegumenos had lived so long in retire- 
 ment, that his greyhounds had acquired the habit of treat- 
 ing him as an equal, and entertained us by the extraordi- 
 nary violence with which they demanded food, and forced 
 him to satisfy their hunger. The dogs are of a mixed 
 breed, peculiar to himself. He has procured them on ac- 
 
Sm The Getty 
 
 foCcCout/map 
 not digitized 
 
91 
 
 count of the repeated accidents to which a situation, sur- 
 rounded by precipices, exposed the greyhounds of the 
 common race, and which the sagacity of his species pre- 
 vents. He is reputed the keenest sportsman of the island^ 
 and proves almost daily that Pliny,' who affirms that hares 
 died when transported to Ithaca, did not always prefer 
 truth to the pleasure of relating a Avonderful story. 
 
 The prospect from the monastery of Kathara, which was 
 one of the objects of our visit, was such as might be expect- 
 ed from so lofty a situation. Annexed is a plate, contain- 
 ing a foithful representation of all that can be seen from 
 the spot,^ except an uninteresting portion of Mount Neri- 
 tos, which alone is wanting to complete the panorama. 
 
 The numerous islands of the Echinades are distinguished 
 in the plate, and their names are given as they were called 
 by our conductor. Aotaco has been by some taken for the 
 Ithaca of Ulysses, and the true Ithaca for Dulichium, but 
 
 • In Ithaca lepores illati moriiintur. 
 
 * It is proper to add, that from the clouds which overspread the lofty 
 mountain called Olonos, in the Morea, it was impossible to trace its outline 
 very correctly from the monastery, yet having had many other opportunities 
 of delineating its figure in this direction, it is probably very fairly represented. 
 
 N 2 
 
92 
 
 as Aotaco resembles the Ithaca of Homer in no other cir- 
 cumstance than its mountainous appearance, not having 
 even a port, and incapable of supporting the population of 
 a village, it would be absurd to urge any arguments against 
 the supposition. Aotaco could not have been Dulichium 
 for the same reason. Strabo' says twice, that Dulichium 
 is one of the Echinades, but no place is less calculated for 
 the production of corn than Aotaco, yet that Avas the cha- 
 racteristic of Dulichium.^ 
 
 It is not unworthy of observation, that Calamo, an 
 island seen in this view, is celebrated for the excellence of 
 its wheat, and that Meganisi, a large island, the extremity 
 of which is visible on the left, nearer Leucadia, and not 
 mountainous, is so remarkable on the same account, that 
 whenever the Ionian Republic wishes to treat foreigners 
 with great respect, the bread presented to them is composed 
 of flour from Calamo, or from Meganisi- Homer mentions 
 the jEtolians' as the inhabitants of Dulichium, and this 
 circumstance seems to favour the idea that it was contigu- 
 ous to the terra firma. 
 
 ' Strabo, Lib. 7. ^ AkXi^^/ov ■EroXvCTffov. ' Iliad 2. 
 
93 
 
 It is certainly singular that only the portion of Cephal- 
 lonia called Samos is particularized by Homer. Duli- 
 chium might have been one of the divisions of that island, 
 which was in very early times partitioned between four 
 cities. 
 
 There seems to be no reason why the inhabitants of 
 Dulichium, if it were in Cephallonia, should not have 
 derived their origin from ^Etolia, which Avas in fact the 
 nearest part of the continent. The number of suitors 
 seem to denote that their territory was of some extent, 
 for whilst Ithaca sent twelve of the number, Zante twenty, 
 and Same twenty-four, Dulichium alone furnished fifty- 
 two of the rivals of Ulysses. 
 
 Some have thought that Dulichium was near the 
 mouth of the Achelous ; but there does not appear to have 
 been one, among the nuniberof those which are now joined 
 to the continent, or of those which yet remain islands, of 
 any considerable magnitude. 
 
 To the right of Tragomeste the country would be per- 
 fectly flat, being formed only by the deposition of the 
 Achelous, which has united the various rocks of the Echi- 
 
94 
 
 nades, did not these present a number of eminences, rising 
 
 in some instances to a considerable height, and sometimes 
 
 occupied by the ruins of an ancient castle or a village, so 
 
 situated as to be out of the reach of the inundations of the 
 
 river. From one of the mountains of iEtolia, above twenty 
 
 of the islands so joined to the shore may be counted. Of 
 
 the rocks now known by the name of Oxiae, that on the 
 
 right only can be at present esteemed an island ; for that 
 
 on the left is separated from the continent by a channel 
 
 less than two feet in depth. Pliny gives the following 
 
 names to the islands in this sea : — Taphias, Oxia?, Prino- 
 
 essa, of the Echinades, ^Egialia, Cotonis, Thyatira, Geoatis, 
 
 Dionysia, Cyrnus, Chalcis, Pinara, Mystus. The Romans, 
 
 however, seem to have been strangely ignorant of this 
 
 part of Greece, and these names cannot be esteemed very 
 
 correct, as Pliny seems to have named islands and cities 
 
 indiscriminately in this sea; and we find in the list Cephal- 
 
 lonia, Zante, Ithaca, Dulichium, Same, Crocylea, and 
 
 Paxos. Strabo mentions an island called Artemia, which 
 
 was joined to the continent by the river. 
 
 The Achelous is said to have formerly discharged itself 
 
95 
 
 into the sea on the further side of Oxiae, and the inhabitants 
 ofMessalongi and Anatolico, fishing towns near the salt 
 lakes on the coast, have been lately alarmed by an unusual 
 swellino- of the river, which threatened to alter its course 
 once more, and to pour itself into the marshes in their 
 vicinity. The streets in the town of Messalongi are even at 
 present often rendered almost impassable by the sea, and it 
 to this heiffht the waters of the Achelous were added, the 
 people would be forced to remove. Anatolico is situated 
 in the centre of a lake, which has now no connexion with 
 the sea, but which is nevertheless salt. The town seems as 
 if it stood upon posts over the water. M. Le Chevalier has 
 marked it as the site of Dulichium, but Dulichium, which 
 was celebrated for its fertility, could not have been placed 
 in a salt lake. The Achelous is now known by the name of 
 Aspropotamos, or the white river, a term occasioned by the 
 quantity of white sand carried down b}' its waters. 
 
 The Evenus, now called Phidari, has also occasioned 
 a long point of land, which is too low to be visible from 
 Ithaca. Between the bearings 71° 30', and S. 75° E. is a 
 mountain now called Galata, which is situated on the 
 
96 
 
 eastern side of the Evenus, and which terminates the 
 marshes and low lands, which have been produced on the 
 coast by the two rivers. Beyond it Avas Calydon, in very 
 I'emote times a city of some celebrity. On the right of 
 Mount Galata, is the entrance of the gulph of Corinth, 
 and the mountain on the right extending to S. 58° E. is 
 that now called Boidia, which Pliny' seems to have termed 
 Skioessa, and Danville Panachaicon. 
 
 Immediately below Boidia, at the foot of which is si- 
 tuated the large and flourishing town of Patra, called by 
 the Italians Patrass and Patrasso, are the islands called 
 Oxeiai or Scrophes, the western point of which bears S. 
 57° 30' E. and the summit S. 6l° 30' E. Thaton the right is 
 yet an island, and is divided from the other by a channel 
 through which boats may pass, but the other is separated 
 from the continent by a strait only two feet deep. 
 
 The point of the Morea now called Cape Papa, the 
 ancient promontory Araxum, is visible over the western 
 extremity of Ox'rx, bearing S. 58° E. 
 
 The ancient geographers seem to have considered all 
 
 - Plin. Nat. Hist. Lib. 4. 
 
97 
 
 within Araxum as the gulph of Corinth. The great moun- 
 tain Olonos, which lies at the junction of the territories of 
 the ancient Elis, Arcadia, and Achaia, is seen beyond 
 cape Papa. 
 
 A Httle point of land seen on the right of Papa, on the 
 coast of the Morea, may perhaps be a rock called Cono- 
 peli, in a situation where Danville places Myrtuntium, 
 and where there are yet the vestiges of a city, and a little 
 port, on one side of which is a copious hot source. To the 
 right of Conopeli the coast of Elis is flat, and nothing can 
 be distinguished on the shore till we arrive at the ruins of 
 Castel Tornese, situated on the great promontory Chelo- 
 nites, which stretches out toward the island of Zante- 
 
 Castel Tornese is not very far distant from the site of 
 the ancient Cyllene. It bears about S. 22° E. from Ka- 
 thara. Passing the summit of Mount Stephano, in Ithaca, 
 the mountains of Cephallonia intercept the view of the 
 more distant horizon, and the channel may be observed. 
 
 The top of Aito, or the ancient acropolis of Ithaca, 
 bears N. 11° 30' W. and the appearance of a city and castle 
 on such an eminence may be imagined. The fields or ter- 
 
98 
 
 races described in the beginning of the last chapter, in the 
 way to Aito, are also seen in the glen between Aito and 
 Mount Stephano. The point of the promontory Chelia, 
 bearing S. 12° W. is also seen, with the inlets to the right 
 and left of the cape. Above, Mount Enesius is again dis- 
 covered. Proceeding along the horizon, Cephallonia, 
 though lofty, is less so than Ithaca, and the sea is therefore 
 seen beyond it on the right, while the channel is again 
 caught through the ravine by which we ascended the 
 mountain. The foregroimd has on the right the monastery 
 and its bell-tower, which is saluted by every vessel which 
 has a cannon on board passing the strait, while the Hegu- 
 menos returns the compliment by a peal. Mount Ste- 
 phano has been often noticed, but from this elevation a 
 good idea may be acquired of port Dexia. The point 
 containing the cave of Dexia is visible below Castel Tor- 
 nese, and ends at S. 23° 30' E. The cave opens toward 
 the interior of the port. The rock of Cazurbo, and the 
 point forming the other side of Dexia, bear S. 28' E. Port 
 Bathi, with the Lazzaretto on the islet of St. Pantocratera, 
 and the town, bear S. 32° 20' E. Above the town is the 
 
99 
 
 cultivated valley, and almost immediately below Castel 
 Tornese is the situation of Korax. 
 
 The small inlet of Saracinico is near the mill, bearing 
 S. 40° E. Below Oxiae is port Schoenus, the greater part 
 of which is landlocked by cape St. Elias, and is therefore 
 safe and commodious. The ports of Schoenus, Bathi, 
 Dexia, and Molo, seem to have been noticed by Homer, 
 who mentions the various 'coves into which the great har- 
 bour was divided. 
 
 Those who are fond of enquiry, may have an opportu- 
 nity of observing how well situated Chelia would have 
 been for the intercepting a ship coming from Elis,^ and 
 necessarily passing very near to the point now crowned 
 with the ruins of Castel Tornese. Telemachus, cautioned 
 by Minerva' to avoid the islands of his father's kingdom, 
 struck among the islands on the right of his track, which 
 the poet characterizes by the epithet sharp, or pointed, a 
 description peculiarly applicable to the Oxeiai^ not only 
 marked by the nature of the spot, but b}' the name, Avhich 
 
 ■ Od. N. 195. A,fi,»«1fu«K>f^o,. * Od. 15. 297. 
 
 3 Od. 15. 33. ♦ Od. 15, 298, 
 
 o 2 
 
100 
 
 signifies sharp or pointed. The suitors would naturally ex- 
 pect that Telemachus would come in sight after passing 
 the south cape of Cephallonia, which could only be avoided 
 by keeping near the Morea for some time, and then 
 making for Oxiae. It will be evident, from this view, that 
 the southern point of Ithaca is not far distant from Oxiae, 
 and that it is also the first on which Telemachus could 
 land, from the coast of Elis or from Oxiae." The rock 
 Korax and the fountain thus agree in situation with the 
 description of the poet, and it seems impossible that a 
 greater correspondence between the description and the 
 place could exist. With regard to the islet of Dascallio, 
 which has been mentioned in the preceding chapter, it 
 appears improbable that the suitors should have selected 
 for their lurking place a spot lying to the north of the 
 town of Ithaca, in order to intercept a ship coming from 
 the south. Dascallio lies far more to the right than the 
 part of the channel seen in this view, and .Telemachus 
 would have been on shore in Ithaca before the suitors 
 
 » Od. 15. 36. 
 
101 
 
 could have got out of the strait, if Dascallio had been the 
 Asteris of Homer. 
 
 We are not in possession of particulars sufficient to es- 
 tablish, with any plausibility, the precise position of Port 
 Reithron," which lay under the woody Neius, and far from 
 the city/ Mentes, the prince of the Taphians, quitting his 
 own country for the purpose of importing brass from Temese, 
 put into this port. The islands of theTeleboi, or Taphians, 
 lay close to those of Oxeias and Prinoessa,' and a person 
 might naturally anchor in the bay or port of Andri, if his 
 course was to the westward. Strabo mentions* a city called 
 Temese, on the western coast of Italy, near the modem 
 Maida, and though there was also another of the same 
 name in Cyprus, yet as that author informs us that there 
 existed in his time an exhausted copper mine at the Temese 
 of Calabria, no doubt can remain as to the course Avhich 
 Mentes intended to pursue. As there are, however, four 
 detached mountains in Ithaca, it would be difficult to de- 
 termine which is Neios. Port Frichies has a brook of 
 
 ■ Od. 1. 186. * Od. 1. 185. 
 
 * Plin. Nat. Hist. Lib. 4. ♦ Strabo, Lib. 6. 
 
102 
 
 greater consequence than that of Port Polis, and some 
 imagine that a brook should be the characteristic of Rei- 
 thron. 
 
 It will not be improper to lay before the reader the amendation which 
 has been proposed by the learned Bryant, in the reading of a passage of the 
 Odyssey. It will be seen that if the word '^vltt^ be admissible as a substitute 
 for «' Se t', the lines may become intelligible. 
 
 In Odyss. L. ix. v. 26, &c. &c. the description of Ithaca is given in these 
 words. 
 
 Av Ivi Se j^SajM.aXn •noDivrtifra.ryt £i» aXi xc'ilai 
 rifis l^i(pmi, avlxfi anv 6i itfos riu r ^eXiov te 
 Tfn^ct', aXA iyaSn KKforfipos, &C. 
 
 It is necessary to adopt the change proposed by Brj'ant, of " aurxf'' in- 
 stead ofa'Ssr', to avoid an inexplicable difficulty in supposing that Cephal- 
 lonia, or Same, and Zante, lay to the south east of Ithaca ; it is equally 
 requisite to shew that this alteration is agreeable to the actual form of the 
 island, and that it helps to explain the seemingly contradictory epithets in 
 the first of the three lines. The first view of the map will shew the different 
 form of the eastern and western coasts ; that the latter is a regular unbroken 
 line, with few or no recesses, while the whole length of the former is indented 
 with a succession of bays, from that at Parapegadia to the bay of Aphalis, at 
 the other end of the island. The upper land partakes of the nature and form 
 of the shore, rising toward the west in a line of abrupt clift's near the sea, 
 which form a front of nearly equal height towards Cephallonia ; the eastern 
 side is less uniform, rising in general in rough masses of rock, but broken into 
 an endless variety of shape, affording, by intervals, space and opportunity fov 
 cultivation. 
 
< =1 
 
 
CHAP. VIII. 
 
 JOURNEY TO LEUKA-F.^M OF LAERTES-CAVE MOUREI-PORT POLIS-ALAL- 
 
 COIMEN^E— OXOAI-WINE. 
 
 WE quitted the monastery after having passed some 
 hours in the examination of the prospect it afforded. The 
 httle flat in which it stands is about six hundred paces in 
 length, and at the northern extremity Mount Neritos rises 
 with a rapid ascent to a considerable elevation. On the 
 right of the summit is a path toward Anoe, and on the left 
 is another, by which we Avere conducted to the village of 
 Leuka. As we began to ascend a ridge of the mountain, 
 we found a large cistern of good workmanship, and perhaps 
 of some antiquity. It is seven hundred and thirty paces 
 distant from Kathara. Having crossed the ridge, our de- 
 scent was rendered very laborious by the heat of the sun, 
 and the roughness of the path, which often conducted us 
 
104 
 
 over terraces, and always among loose rocks and stones, to 
 the village of Leuka, which is 2815 paces distant from the 
 monastery." 
 
 Leuka is avery pretty village, consisting of about thirt}"^ 
 houses. The name signifies a poplar tree. It is situate 
 on a little flat on the western foot of Neritos, and sur- 
 rounded by terraces producing corn and flax in abundance. 
 There is a well below the village, sufficiently plentiful for 
 the purposes of the inhabitants, who came out to congratu- 
 late us on our arrival, Avith water in pitchers of coarse 
 earthen-ware. 
 
 The beauty of the place, and the quantity of cultivated 
 ground, induced us to imagine that Leuka might be the 
 situation of the garden to which Laertes retired during the 
 absence of Ulysses. The position corresponds with the 
 description given by the poet.^ Ulysses descended from 
 the citadel to the farm of Laertes, which was at some 
 distance from the town. Now the farm could not have 
 been on the southern portion of the island, for if it had 
 
 ' These paces are no measure of distance, as the steepness and inequalit}' 
 of the descent rendered them all too long as well as irregular. 
 
 » Od. 24. 204. 
 
105 
 
 Ulysses must have passed very near it in his way from the 
 house of Eumaeus to the city, and in the other portion of 
 Ithaca there is no way of descending from the citadel 
 without coming upon Leuka. That Laertes lived on the 
 western side of the island, seems probable from the cir* 
 cumstance that a ship sailing from Italy was driven near 
 the garden by a storm.' 
 
 The house of the aged hero seems to liave been pre- 
 cisely similar to the Metoichi of modern Greece. The 
 oikos, or residence of the lord, like the Pyrgo at present, 
 was surrounded by the klision, a range of low buildings 
 occupied by servants and cattle. The orchard which 
 Laertes cultivated lay on the outside of the klision, and 
 was planted with figs, vines, olives, and pear trees, which 
 still remain indigenous to the soil. Above Leuka, high 
 among the rocks, is a cave called Aitopholia ; and on the 
 highest part of the mountain is a large white rock called 
 Meleisi. About five hundred paces beyond Leuka we 
 passed a well of good water, at a cultivated spot called 
 Ampelo, or the vineyard. The road became passable for 
 
 • Od. 24. 306. 
 
 p 
 
106 
 
 horses as we proceeded, lying near the shore at the base of 
 the mountain. On the right we saw another cave among 
 the rocks, called Sacco Spilia ; and at the distance of 1770 
 paces from Leuka we ascended a little to a cave in the face 
 of the rock called Mourzi. Within thirty yards, and on 
 the south of the cavern, is a cistern well cut in the rock, 
 now half filled with stones. It has been made with great 
 labour. We were told that some shepherds had been 
 crushed by the fall of a great fragment of rock from the 
 roof, while sitting under the arch to avoid the rain. At 
 the distance of 2870 paces from Leuka, we found ourselves 
 on the shore of Port Polis, which compelled us to change 
 our course. On the point to the left are the ruins of a 
 tower. 
 
 We were astonished to find vines or currants flourishing 
 in the greatest luxuriance among loose stones without a 
 particle of earth. They not only rival the plants of 
 deeper soils, but actually ripen at a much earlier period. 
 
 At the head of Port Polis, which is 3180 paces distant 
 from Leuka, there is a well, and two churches dedicated 
 to St. Andrea and St. Elena. There are the remains of 
 
107 
 
 some buildings at the eastern extremity, but they are of 
 brick, and possibly of Roman construction. There is 
 nothing which indicates the site of any great town near the 
 water. The port atFords good anchorage, and is land- 
 locked by Cephallonia, but a heavy swell might render it 
 unsafe during a westerly wind. 
 
 From Port Polis we began to ascend, having crossed 
 the mouth of a rivulet which trickles in the middle of the 
 valley. At the distance of 3800 paces from Leuka, we 
 saw, on the right, at the extremity of Mount Neritos, the 
 village of Stauro, containing fifteen houses, and we passed 
 through another called only a kalybea, or summer resi- 
 dence, but in fact permanent, and daily increasing in 
 houses and inhabitants. Cypresses and gardens among the 
 dwellings give an agreeable effect to the village, and we 
 found the people dancing before their doors on the occa- 
 sion of the feast which succeeds the long lent of the Greek 
 church. We reached an eminence in the centre of the 
 isle, at the distance of 4625 paces from Leuka, and found 
 a house inhabited by a physician of Cephallonia, who 
 shewed us the walls of an ancient city on the summit, 
 
108 
 
 These walls consist of large stones, and the curtain is 
 strengthened by towers. The remains prove sufficiently 
 that they are not of very remote antiquity, nor at all com- 
 parable to those of Aito. The courses are horizontal, and 
 the stones are generally, if not always, regularly squared. 
 The ground being entirely cultivated, the circuit is not 
 easily traced, but the situation is very agreeable, and affords 
 three different views of the sea ; at Port Polis, Port Fri- 
 chies, and the bay of Aphales. The doctor shewed to us, 
 in a field, a large insulated rock, on the top of which we 
 found two coffins or sarcophagi, near which two square holes 
 cut in the stone are probably the evidences of sepulchral 
 columns. The soil is mixed with vast quantities of broken 
 pottery. It seems very probable that this was the city 
 called Alalcomenaj by the writers who have mentioned 
 Ithaca after the age of Homer ; and there can be no doubt 
 that this, and not Aito, was the capital of the island during 
 the government of the Romans. The ports of Polis and 
 Frichies gave it every commercial advantage, though not 
 being strong by nature, it was incapable of vigorous de- 
 fence. It was watered by two sources, one running to the 
 
109 
 
 eastern and one to the western sea. As the evening began 
 to decline, we resumed our journey in a short time, and 
 leaving the rock called Homer's school on the left, while 
 we crossed the brook wliich flows from its base, we pro- 
 ceeded between hedges of mastic and myrtle to the house 
 of the Conte di Breton, where, though he was absent him- 
 self, the relations of the family received us with every at- 
 tention and the most liberal hospitality. We were agree- 
 ably surprised at the order and neatness of every thing 
 within, as well as by the view from the windows, which is 
 delightful. The house resembles an ornamented cottage in 
 England with two floors, and stands on a high terrace 
 overlooking the bay of Aphalis, the monastery of Archan- 
 geli, and a richly cultivated hollow, in the midst of which 
 is the site of the ancient city, divided into fields and ter- 
 races, and covered with flax, corn, and vines. The house 
 is visible in the view from the monastery of Archangeli. 
 On the hill to the north lies the large town of Oxoai, where 
 there is a school under the inspection of the Proto Papas, 
 or head priest of the island.' He was a man who had tra- 
 
 ' Called also the Exarchos. 
 
110 
 
 x^elled in Italy, and resided at Naples, and he contributed 
 not a little to our entertainment during our stay at Oxoai. 
 The wines of this district are excellent ; and we were re- 
 galed with some of that produced by the currants of the 
 country, after an exposure of twenty days to the sun, which 
 imparts to it a rich and exquisite flavour. This wine is not 
 common even in Ithaca, as the preparation of it requires 
 some trouble. 
 
n**r*itt ly J^wyMVL l/<*-it. Sra 1- 
 
CHAP. IX. 
 
 HOMER'S SCHOOL— MELAINUDROS— MONASTERY OF ARCHANGELI— FOUN- 
 TAIN— RASTEtLI— INSCRIPTIONS. 
 
 THE Papas conducted us on the following day, on 
 mules, to the rock called the School of Homer, which was 
 not far distant. The plate will give an idea of its figure. 
 It would not be easy to trace the connection between this 
 rock and the name of Homer, to any remote period ; but 
 it not only preserves the vestiges of very ancient masonry, 
 but has been ornamented with niches, which have probably 
 contained votive offerings. 
 
 The flight of steps seen in the plate are cut in the 
 solid rock. Ascending by them to a platform, there are 
 again holes cut in the rock, as if for the position of a co- 
 lumn. Their form is the following. 
 
J 12 
 
 The niches are visible on the right of a figure represent- 
 ed in the plate. There is no trace of inscriptions under 
 them. The top of the rock, to which there is an ascent by 
 a slope, is prettily fringed with prickly oaks, and has a 
 modern chapel, and the ruins of a large tower, of a species 
 of masonry similar to that before mentioned at Mantinea 
 and Mount Ithome. The rock bears little resemblance to 
 that called the School of Homer in Scio, which is an insu- 
 lated fragment of rock, whose flat summit contains a chair 
 supported by sphinxes, of rude workmanship; nor is it easy 
 to account for the name of this rock, unless we suppose 
 that the inhabitants of the neighbouring town had conse- 
 crated it to him in later times. 
 
 It is indeed probable that Homer would be held in the 
 
 highest veneration by the inhabitants of Ithaca, Avhenever 
 
 they became acquainted with his works ; and it is certain 
 
 that the families of tHe Bucolii and Coliadae, mentioned 
 
 by Plutarch' as families existing at his time in the island, 
 
 must have had every motive for deifying the great author 
 
 of the reputation they enjoyed as the descendants of Eu- 
 
 • Plutarch Qute. Gr. 
 
113 
 
 mJEUs and Pbilaetius. Our Papas told us that Homer vi- 
 sited this spot in order to Avash in the source called Melai- 
 nudros, which restored his sight. We could not, how- 
 ever, satisfy ourselves whether this was a tradition among 
 the inhabitants, or only the invention of the priest: 
 it is very possible that the inhabitants of the new city 
 of Alalcomenfe might adapt the Homeric names to places 
 in the vicinity of their own town, and that traditions to- 
 tally void of foundation may be thus handed down to 
 
 posterity. 
 
 We visited the spring which our Papas called Melainu- 
 dros, and which rises not far from the rock of Homer. 
 The water leaves a black sediment on the stones over which 
 it passes, and we were informed that it was impregnated 
 
 with iron. 
 
 The brook Melainudros, the largest in Ithaca, runs 
 near the ruins of the ancient city, and pours itself into the 
 sea at Frichies. There are beautiful gardens ornamented 
 with cypresses in the vicinity of the spring, and in one 
 we found ripe strawberries in the month of April. In a 
 
114 
 
 new church we observed, in the wall, the following sepul- 
 chral inscriptions. 
 
 LEnTOT 0EOAQPE 
 
 ME MOTS XAIPE 
 
 KEX AIPE 
 
 MOAQTA EAA4>IEAA*I 
 
 XAIPE A AMILKEXAIPETE 
 
 We next visited the monastery of Archangeli, a religious 
 house built round a court, and seated on an agreeable emi- 
 nence. Our Papas was saluted by the ringing of the 
 church bells, an honour to which his ecclesiastical dignity 
 entitled him, and we Avere treated with coffee and le- 
 monade by the resident priest. In the church is this in- 
 scription. 
 
 LTEHTE 
 
 XAIPE 
 
 There is a fine view of the town of Oxoe, and of the bay 
 of Aphales, from the gate of this monastery. 
 
» 
 
 c 
 
 VIKW FROM r-HB MUSfASTERY OF ARCHANGE LL- 
 
115 
 
 In a church dedicated to the forty saints, near the sea, 
 we found the following inscription. 
 
 ©e O A CD 
 poce T 
 T rxoT of 
 © rcDN 
 
 Another inscription was found in the church of the 
 
 evangelists. 
 
 ATHMONIAA 
 X AIPE 
 
 Below the house of our host we found gardens extend- 
 ing almost to the sea, and watered by a trickling brook. 
 On the coast of the bay of Aphales, under Oxoai, and sur- 
 rounded by pleasant gardens, shaded by orange-trees, we 
 observed a fine fountain rising from the base of a little 
 rock about twenty feet in height. Here the women of 
 Oxoe come from the town to wash. 
 
 Further on we visited a place called Keramari, where 
 tiles and pottery are made, and another called Castelli, at 
 the northern extremity of the island opposite to the Leu- 
 cadian promontory. There are no vestiges of any thing 
 
116 
 
 which could have occasioned the name : perhaps the rocks 
 may resemble a castle when seen from a boat in the bay. 
 
 The bay is notoriously unsafe for every species of ves- 
 sel, and the view from the monastery of Archangeli will 
 sufficiently shew the difficulty in getting on shore from a 
 wreck in an enraged sea, dashing against such perpendicu- 
 lar precipices. 
 
c 
 
 rOKT I'RICItlE s. 
 
CHAP. X. 
 
 PORT FRICfflES-PORT AND MONASTERY OF MAURONA-PORT AND VILLAGE 
 OF CHIONE-ANOAI-PORT SCH(ENUS. 
 
 ON the following day we took leave of our hospitable 
 friends at Oxoai, and rode on mules, in forty-five minutes, 
 to the port of Frichies, passing through fields of flax and 
 corn spotted with olives. Frichies is a tolerable port, and 
 would contain a great number of vessels during the preva- 
 lence of any wind, except from the south-east. It is, how- 
 ever, secure for a few ships in all weathers. The plate re- 
 presents its appearance, and the few habitations on the 
 shore. We hired a boat from Frichies, and sailed with a 
 fine wind to the port and monastery of Maurona, where the 
 priest welcomed us with great hospitality. 
 
 The monastery is seated on a point, behind which is a 
 very excellent port for small vessels. We sent our boat 
 
118 
 
 round the cape to the port of Chione, and walked to the 
 top of the peninsula which separates tiiat village from 
 Maurona, and where we enjoyed a beautiful view from the 
 mill. After remaining there for some time, we descended 
 to the large village of Chione, which is every day becoming 
 larger by the addition of new families from the town of 
 Anoai above, who are tempted by the convenience of the 
 port to forsake the security which the mountain afforded. 
 
 A new church is now building at Chione, and a ship 
 taking in a cargo of oil, occasioned some appearance of 
 life and bustle on the shore. The port is not secure ao-ainst 
 the south-east wind for more than three or four ships. AVe 
 were invited to the house of one of the inhabitants, and 
 coffee and lemonade were again presented to us. We pro- 
 ceeded to Bathi in our boat, doubling the cape of Neritus 
 called St. Elias. 
 
 The sails and ropes of the boats being entirely made of 
 cotton, we met with some difficulty after entering Port 
 Molo, for ours were incapable of resisting the violence of 
 the wind, which blows in frightful squalls from the sides of 
 Neritos. Being therefore unable, with our tattered sails, 
 
IB The Getty 
 
 fotdout/map 
 not digitized 
 
no 
 
 to reach the port of Bathi, we landed in that called Schoe- 
 nus, and walked to the city, having completed the tour of 
 an island, interesting from the celebrity of its former history, 
 and endeared to us by the grateful recollection of the atten- 
 tion and civilities we had received from its inhabitants. 
 
 THE END. 
 
It Is proper to add an English translation of the inscription given in page 37, and 
 to observe that, from the form of the letters in the original, it may be presumed that 
 the inscription is not of very remote antiquity. 
 
 THIS LAND IS SACRED 
 
 TO DIANA; 
 
 LET IIIM WHO POSSESSES IT, 
 
 AND ENJOYS ITS PRODUCE, 
 
 OFFER ANNUALLY IN SACRIFICE 
 
 A TENTH PART ; 
 
 AND WITH THE REMAINDER 
 
 LET THE TEMPLE BE REPAIRED. 
 
 ON WHOMSOEVER DOES NOT THIS, 
 
 THE GODDESS WILL AVENGE HERSELF. 
 
 There is a passage in the description of the cave of the nymphs, in the port of 
 Phorcys, Odyss. 13, line 107, which may possibly admit of a more satisfactory ex- 
 planation than has hitherto been given. This verse may signify that the sides or roof 
 of the grotto appeared like great looms of stone, " iVloi \lBioi wtfi^xn'xtff," on which 
 the natural incrustations formed by the dropping of the water, which is mentioned in 
 the following verse, resembled a drapery spread over the rock, and which might 
 fairly be ascribed to the Naiades, who were supposed to preside over the productions 
 uf that element. 
 
 ERRATA. 
 
 Page 10, for Lepeuto read Lepanto. 
 14, — Melrisi — Meleisi. 
 48j — Carurbo — Cazurbo. 
 51, line 8, the word " this" should be omitted. 
 61, line 1, for aidsx read aSasx. 
 76, for Nausicau read Nausicaa. 
 
 Wright, Primer, St. John's Square, Clerkeu.w>JI. 
 
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